16th Annual Wammies™

WAMA will present the 2001 Washington Area Music Awards (The Wammies™) at the State Theatre in Falls Church, Virginia, Sunday, February 24, 2002. Performers will be announced soon.. The Wammies Ballot is included with this newsletter. This year's Hall of Fame Awards will go to John Philip Sousa, Dave Grohl and Bill Kirchen. Special Achievement Awards will go to Jenny Toomey, of The Future of Music; and Cathy Hughes of Radio One. Special Regognition Award will be presented to washingtonpost.com.

Tickets are $20 for non-members, $15 Members. Nominees are entitled to a maximum of four tickets at $3 each and up to an additional ten tickets at $10 each. Tickets are available at all ProTix locations, by phone at 703-218-6500, and online at http://www.tickets.com. Nominee tickets are available only through WAMA at 1-703-368-3300.

SAW's 18th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest

The Songwriters' Association of Washington (SAW) announced the awards for the 18th Annual Mid-Atlantic Song Contest at an awards gala on November 18th at the Hard Rock Café on E St. in DC. The event also included a tribute to local songwriter David Scales who died in the September 11th attack at the Pentagon and a collection of funds in his honor. This year's song contest garnered almost 700 submissions from all over the world, the Grand Prize winner receiving $1000 cash, a one-year TAXI membership, and a three-year SAW membership. Gold winners in each category received free mastering and one free 70-minute CD master of their prerecorded material, courtesy of Omega Recording Studios, and Silver winners each received a Songwriters Market book. Gold and Silver songs from each of the 10 categories will be included on a Winners' CD, compliments of Oasis Duplication, which will be distributed to top personnel in the publishing and A&R departments of several major record labels and publishing companies, and to radio stations.

There were a number of WAMA members among the winners: Joanne Juskus received the Silver in Adult Contemporary/Soft Rock for her song Birthday; Cletus Kennelly received the Silver in the Folk category for Looking for Superman; Roya Vakili received the Silver in Pop for Gabriel; Joe Thompson received the Gold in the Children's category for his P.U.; Rob Hovermale received the Silver in the Open category for Insect Asylum, and Will Hopkins received the Gold in the Open category for Do You? Finalists included David Graziano, Kevin Kline, Eric Culbreth, Willem Dicke, Pam Steinfeld, Jay Britton, Dan Grove, Laura Baron, and Michelle Swan. Congratulations to all the winners and participants for making yet another successful Mid-Atlantic Song Contest. For more information about SAW and a full list of winners, check out www.saw.org, or call (800) 218-5996.

Future of Music Conference

The Future of Music Coalition is a not-for-profit collaboration between leading independent musicians and experts from the worlds of technology, public policy, and intellectual property law. The FMC seeks to educate the media, policymakers, and the public about music and technology issues, while also bringing together key stakeholders in an effort to come up with creative solutions to some of the challenges in this space. The FMC also aims to identify and promote innovative business models that will help independent musicians and the public benefit from new technologies. Made possible in part by a grant from the Center for the Public Domain.

Info on this year's Future of Music Coalition Policy Summit can be found at www.futureofmusic.org/events/summit0102. The conference, presented by the Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts & the Future of Music Coalition at Georgetown University's Gaston Hall, consisted of two full days (January 7th & 8th) of discussions on what is happening in music and technology. This year's event featured over 70 speakers and panelists representing all aspects of the debate concerning the future form of the music and technology sector, including copyright law and industry legislation. Participants included Representative John Conyers, RIAA's Hilary Rosen, Copyright Office head Marybeth Peters, musicians like Talking Heads' Jerry Harrison, Indigo Girls' Amy Ray and Nirvana's Krist Novoselic, activist Jonathan Tasini, entrepreneur Mark Cuban, academics including Pamela Samuelson, Edward Felton and Dave Farber, and dozens of other visionaries, experts and industry leaders. A number of companies contributed financially so that over one hundred working musicians could attend the conference on scholarship status, although, as some of the panelists commented that more seats should have been filled by artists..

The FMC was looking for an audience ready to ask the tough questions and inject some personal stories about real-life experiences as musicians into the debate, and that debate was spirited. On Monday, the 7th, a number of panels took place addressing the various models for doing business, including one moderated by journalist and critic Dave Marsh that featured Sweet Honey in the Rock's Bernice Johnson Reagon and daughter Toshi speaking critically about the role offered to independent musicians within the historical, legal, and economic structures of the music industry. Keynote addresses were given that day by Representative Rick Boucher, California State Senator Kevin Murray, and Napster CEO Konrad Hilbers. A day of progressive rhetoric and nuts-and-bolts dialogue was punctuated by WAMA Vice President and artist rep Jay Rosenthal asking challenging questions of the major label panel and defending the role of the Recording Artists' Coalition (RAC) from an attack by panelist Miles Copeland of Ark21 Records in which he had compared the RAC to Hitler. On the evening of the 7th, ASCAP hosted a cocktail party and Eric Brace's Last Train Home performed in Gaston Hall.

Tuesday's schedule included more discussion on music business models that take the latest developments in technology into account, as well as some more academic debate on information as intellectual property and the "fair use" of it. A panel moderated by the FMC's Jenny Toomey and comprised of Dischord's Ian MacKaye, Amy Ray of Daemon Records, the manager of the Pearl Jam fan club, the founder of CD Baby, and several other pioneers, was a distinct highlight of the Policy Summit. The panelists discussed the working and artistic spaces available to artists that do not rely on the majors and take advantage of distributive technology. The final panel of the conference made for a fitting conclusion with its discourse on labor issues and artist representation within the music industry, featuring input from JAMPAC's Krist Novoselic and people representing the views of AFM, the RAC, Just Plain Folks, the AFL-CIO, and others.

There seemed to be a consensus on two things that revealed itself over the course of the conference: among the musicians and others coming from an independent perspective, each reiterated the point that success in an industry dominated by the majors takes a lifetime of "hard work." And among the representatives of the majors and others coming from more of an "industry" perspective, there was significant concern about competing with new distribution technologies, each person emphasizing: "You just can't compete with free!"

Local Notes

• Esmirelda is "pleased as spiked punch" to welcome two new band members: Jim Driggers on lead guitar, and Emily Thompson on drums.
• Singer/songwriter Pam Steinfeld received an Honorable Mention Award from the Billboard Song Contest, for her song Would You Listen? Steinfeld, whose debut CD Open Hands was released in June, has received a total of five Billboard Song Contest Awards.
• Jazz/R&B artist Changamiré held "True Love", the world premiere of her video Ask Me How I Know (Remix) on December 1st, at Visions Cinema Bistro Lounge in DC, presented by Blackfilm.com. "True Love", hosted by Chris James of WHUR's Quiet Storm, featured two screenings of the video as well as continuous music from Changamiré's recently released debut CD Only Human. The video was filmed in June at two Washington locations. Videotaped by Ose Ogunfiditimi and Adrienne Boykin and directed by Paula Firestone and Changamiré, the locations were selected to emphasize the tempo and lyrics of the song, which was written and produced by Lincoln Ross. To hear a soundclip, visit www.mp3.com/changamire.
• Jane Quinn of the Fabulettes, had a baby on October 25th, named Benjamin Nicholas Brack. He weighed in at 8 lbs., 4 oz. and was 19 1/4" long.
• Long-time Washington area recording studio staffer Chris Murphy has recently started working as an independent audio engineer. He worked at Cue Recording for the last 8 years, and before that he was on staff at Omega Recording for 5 ½ years. Recent projects include the last two Saffire albums on Alligator Records, The Nighthawks' Still Wild CD, and the new Rude Buddha CD, Underdogs. Chris currently records and mixes all the soundtrack music for the Bill Cosby-produced Little Bill cartoon show on Nickelodeon. For more information go to www.rhlaudio.com.
• Wolf Trap's Filene Center in Vienna, VA, will be undergoing extensive renovations during the winter and spring, including the replacement of the stage, which is the 2nd largest theatrical stage in North America, after the one at New York's Metropolitan Opera House. The old stage will then be used to replace the Rehearsal Hall stage, and the stage tower's rigging will be reinforced. The renovations to the 7,028-seat outdoor pavilion will be completed in time for the summer 2002 season.
• The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities announced that the Mather Building, located at 716 G St., NW, is being developed as a combination of at least 12 live/work studio condos and two floors of arts work places, including dance studios, auditoriums, and gallery space. The Cultural Development Corporation and partners PN Hoffman, Inc. and Gilford Construction have been selected to initiate the project. Artists or organizations can send an email with "Mather Studios" in the subject line to info@culturaldc.org to sign up to be contacted as soon as sales and leasing begin. The Commission has granted $25,000 towards the development of the 921-935 F St., NW project.
• The Alexandria Department of Recreation, Parks, & Cultural Activities is searching for performers for its summer concert series. These concerts are held June through mid-August in outdoor park locations throughout Alexandria. An honorarium is paid. Promotional information and CD's or cassettes should be mailed to ARPCA/Special Events, 1108 Jefferson St., Alexandria, VA 22314 or call (703) 838-4844.
• Carmen Boston joined the Washington Performing Arts Society (www.wpas.org) as youth education manager, working with WPAS staff and board, local schools and community partners to strengthen and expand WPAS' youth education initiatives and explore ways to integrate the programs into WPAS' performance season. WPAS' youth education programs currently include Concerts in Schools, the Embassy Adoption Program, and school-based Residency Programs.
• Daniel and Luke Brindley have recently acquired Jammin' Java in Vienna, Virginia. Both brothers are performing and recording artists and hope to bring new vision to the space. Jammin' Java offers a recording studio and music teaching facilities. Tuesdays feature an open mic hosted by singer/songwriter Steve Key. For booking information, please contact: daniel@jamminjava.com, luke@jamminjava.com, or Janet at rootsmusik@aol.com. For further details, call (703) 255-1566, or go to www.jamminjava.com.
• Jaared Arosemena released a CD entitled Foreward in April and it has since achieved #28 in Billboard, #4 New and Active in R&R Magazine, #5 in Japan, #1 in the UK on JAZZFM, and stayed in the Gavin and Smooth Jazz top 50 for airplay for over 6 months straight. Jaared has also been nominated for "Best New Artist of the Year" by The National Smooth Jazz Association.
• Terri Seymour, President of Women ‘N Rock, has joined the Dan Sachs Band as lead vocalist. The 5-piece plays "all original psychajazzic rock" and features Dan Sachs on guitar.
• Kristi English tells WAMA that she has written a "patriotic anthem" called We Shall Endure which is "just a simple demo with my vocals and a sequenced background." WMZQ, however, liked it, and Kristi says they "featured the song and interviewed me on the Murphy & Cash morning show. WMZQ put it on their website." You can visit the website at www.wmzq.com and listen to the song and leave your comments for Kristi.
• Why? Entertainment, LLC, and Mackmomma Productions announced DC Teen Xtreme. Individuals applied and provided their personal stories in the form of a letter, tape, or video, explaining why they're "extraordinary" teens that "go beyond what is usual or customary." Selected teens will be interviewed for the DC Teen Xtreme Show on January 26th, 2002. Call (301) 568-6492 for more info.

  Final Curtain

• WAMA Hall of Famer John Jackson died Sunday, January 20, 2002. The following is a quote from Barry Lee Pearson:
  
  For much of his life, John Jackson played for country houseparties in Virginia, or around the house for his amusement. Then in the 60s he encountered the folk revival, and since that time he has been one of the Washington, D.C. area's best loved blues artists. Undoubtedly the finest traditional Peidmont guitarist active today, Jackson exemplifies the songster tradition at its best. His eclectic repertoire embraces the music of his guitar heroes, Willie Walker (who once visited his father's house), Blind Boy Fuller, and most notably - Blind Blake. Besides the blues, rags and dance tunes associated with these masters, Jackson plays ballads, country songs, and what he terms "old folk songs" His confident finger-picking, down-home Virginia accent, and contagious good humor mark his performances, live or on record, as something special. A world class story teller and party-thrower, as well as a National Heritage Award-winning musician who has toured the world as often as he has wanted.

New Releases

• Dr. Suman Sharma has released Melody of Joy on Krishna Audio & Video, a solo classical sitar album featuring tabla by Anup Ghosh and recorded at Alexandria's Lion and Fox Studios. The CD is available through amazon.com or you can find out more at www.sumansharma.com.
• Lori Kelley released a three song EP as a preview to her new CD, which is due out early 2002. The CD, entitled Like Sea Glass, will feature 13 original songs written by Lori. Musicians on the CD include: David Kitchen and Butch Nielson on lead guitar, Kurt Kratch and Ray Krome on bass, Chris Salamone on percussion, Cletus Kennelly, Michelle Nielson and Kristie Daniels on back-up vocals, Peter Bonta on piano, and a special guest performance by Lee Roy Parnell on slide guitar. For more information, go to www.lorikelley.com.
• The Santa Cause announced the release of its CD The Santa Cause Volume IV - DC's Bands for DCs Children. This year's CD features the talents of Radio Mosaic, the Nighthawks, Hip Check, Angel Fall, Cinema8, 3 Martini Lunch, Julie Sanderson, Greg Smith, 2 Bare Feet, the Boones Farmers, Lynn Grunza, Quazi, Blue Jay Walking, Vapor, and the DC Accidentals. The CD is available at Tower, Olsson's, and a secure website: http://www.TheSantaCause.com. Proceeds benefit DC area children's charities, including the Children's Center at INOVA Fairfax.
• Debi Smith has a new CD out on Shanachie, entitled Red Bird Red. As a longstanding member of the "highly hilarious female folkestra," The Four Bitchin' Babes (with Sally Fingerett, Camille West, and Suzzy Roche), Debi Smith sings, writes, performs, and plays guitar, piano, and bodhran (an Irish drum). Producer Ronn Price, with the help of Ed Seay (Emmy Lou Harris, Martina McBride), directed some of Nashville's best studio musicians, creating a new country backdrop to Smith's songs. Debi has won awards from The American Song Festival, Billboard Song Contest, ASCAP Composer Awards, and numerous Washington Area Music Awards. Performing with her sister, Megan, as The Smith Sisters, Debi toured the U.S. and Russia, releasing four albums on Flying Fish Records. Debi's first solo CD, In My Dreams (Amerisound), was co-produced by John Jennings and her second solo CD, More Than Once (Shanachie), won Debi the Wammie for Contemporary Folk Record.
• Randy Barrett's new CD, Lights of Home, is for sale. There was a CD release party at the Womens' Club of Falls Church, next door to the State Theater, in November. You can buy the CD on the web at http://www.fallingmountain.com.
• Severn Records released Small ! Medium ! Large by the WPG Trio, a collaboration between drummer Blues Webb, keyboardist Benjie Porecki, and bassist Gary Grainger. Vocalist Dawn Robinson is featured on the track Little Wing. The disc was engineered by Chris Biondo, mixed at Omega Studios, and mastered by Charlie Pilzer at Airshow. The trio celebrated the release of their debut at Blues Alley on November 21st.
• Sugar Jones released Bring Your Own Insanity on indie Sovereign Music, featuring George Porter, Jr. of the Meters on bass. The recording also features Julia Nixon on backing vocals, cellist Hans Christian, and writing and production credits go to the band's mainstay Chad Thevenot. More information is available at www.sugarjonesmusic.com.
• David Glasser, founder and chief engineer of Airshow Mastering, recently completed nearly a year's work on restoring and mastering Revenant Records' seven-CD boxed set of songs by Charley Patton called Screamin' and Hollerin' the Blues: The Worlds of Charley Patton. Revenant Records founder John Fahey had done his master's thesis on Patton and was working on the liner notes for the boxed set when he died last year.
• Honky Tonk Confidential hosted a CD release party, with special guests the Demolition String Band, on December 13th at Iota in Arlington for their latest album, Your Trailer or Mine? The album features "16 songs about loving, drinking, cheating, murdering, and dying" and is available at www.honkytonkconfidential.com.
• Daryl "Jr." Cline called upon numerous area artists, including Deanna Bogart, Mike Cotter, Cherie, Damian, and Tony Grasso, Cathy Ponton King, Tommy Lepson, Ruth Logsdon, and many more, to participate in a fund-raising CD release to benefit victims of the September 11th attacks. With studio time donated by Omega Studio's Ed Peterson and sponsorship from the AmeriDream Charity, Inc., Give Them Wings is now available at www.jrcline.com.
• Hungry for Music has put out another in their series of Christmas compilations, entitled A Holiday Feast, Volume VI. The album features contributions from Jumpin' Jupiter, Bill & Louise Kirchen, The Grandsons, Reverb, David Kitchen, the Hula Monsters, Honky Tonk Confidential, The Fabulettes, The Kennedys, Dulcie Taylor, Franklin Taggart, and many more. The proceeds from the sale of the CD support HFM's programs for disadvantaged children and others which bring music and creative experiences into their lives. For more information and online ordering, go to www.hungryformusic.com, or call (703) 237-9500. If anybody has any instruments to contribute to HFM's Music Instrument Donation Program, contact Jeff Campbell at (202) 479-2810. hungryformusic.com
• Young & Rollins completed work on Sevilla, a fusion of Latin jazz, flamenco, classical technique, and Caribbean rhythms, available on Baja/TSR Records. The guitar duo's web site can be found at www.youngandrollins.com.
• The Joe Byrd Trio released Basically Blues, a 14-track CD on JEB Music out of Maryland, featuring Mike Shepherd on drums and Steve Abshire on guitar. Joe Byrd also recorded a tribute to his late brother Charlie Byrd with the Joe Byrd Quintet, called Brazilian Nights, also on his own JEB Music. This recording is of a performance at the Ram's Head in Annapolis on February 23rd, 2000 that was the second tribute concert for Charlie and also featured Robert Redd on piano and Chuck Redd on vibes. Call JEB Music at (410) 269-0777.
• Robin Bullock, Al Petteway and Amy White recorded A Holiday Sampler, mostly at Al and Amy's own Fairewood Studios in Takoma Park with some recording and mixing by Jim Robeson at Bias, Don Zientara at Inner Ear, and mastering by Bill Wolf in Springfield. The album is "an acoustic instrumental celebration of winter" and the threesome also created a holiday concert event at St. John's Methodist in Baltimore on December 7th. Robin can be found on the web at www.robinbullock.com and Al and Amy can be found at www.alandamy.com.
• Charlie Edwards released Bougainvillia, under Colony Management out of Los Angeles. The album was produced by Tree Adams and tracked at The Tree House, with all music written by Charlie and drums by Michael Jerome. Check him out at www.charlieedwards.com.
• Davey Yarborough and Esther Williams will celebrate the release of their new CD Beautiful Friendship with a performance on January 24th at Bohemian Caverns on U Street. For more information, call Bohemian Caverns at (202) 299-0800, or visit Davey and Esther's website at www.dcjazzmusic.org for bios, a performance calendar, and soundbites.
• A spelling correction from last newsletter's New Releases section: Ruffcore Entertainment recently released a CD by Hev-E-Wae Duh Fat Beast, called Ugly Az Fk EP1. An update: the lead track off the EP, We Ruff Off, has charted as high as #84 at GarageBand.com, and was in a qualifying round in the rap-rock category as of press time.

  In The Studio

• Great Mutant Skywheel just finished up a re-mix of the song Blast from the Slick Idiot CD Dick Nitty. The CD features guest appearances by Trixie Reiss (Crystal Method), DJ Rock Steady, and Michelle Boback. Slick Idiot features 2 members from multi-platinum artists KMFDM: En Esch and Guenter Shulz. The re-mix will be one of many by Rammstein, My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult, and others, to be released on a re-mix CD in a few months. The re-mix was done by Great Mutant Skywheel's N'Dinga and LizBiz, with special thanks to DJ Geoffro from Live Alien Broadcast for his input on the project. It was recorded by Frank Marchand at Waterford Studios. Additional vocals and lyrics were added by LizBiz.

Music News

Swing Radio

The University of Manitoba Swing Dance Club (UMSD), a non-profit organization in Winnipeg, MB, Canada, promotes swing dance throughout their community. UMSD has obtained a radio show called Swing Radio on 101.5 UMFM (www.umfm.com) and is seeking a substantial swing music archive for their broadcasts. They're currently asking recording companies and artists to provide copies of recordings for the archives and to be given away to listeners in radio contests. UMSD would also like to welcome any swing recording artists to appear as special guests on the radio show to discuss tours and/or album releases with the listening audience. Please contact Suneil Pandey at (204) 955-3489. Promotional items can be sent direct to: PO Box 49, Helen Glass Center, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada.

New Executive Director for AFIM

The Board of Trustees of The Association For Independent Music (AFIM), the largest association of independent music industry businesses in the U.S.A., has announced the appointment of a new executive director, Jeanne Oberstar, of Santa Monica, CA. Ms. Oberstar's extensive work history in the music industry includes experience in the label, retail and distribution areas. She most recently served as Vice President of the UK-based Matrix Music Marketing, and previously worked for Point Entertainment and for Musicland/Excelsior Music/Orchard Lane Music. Among Ms. Oberstar's first activities will be coordinating AFIM's participation in the first joint convention of NARM and AFIM, The NARM Convention and Trade Show Featuring The Association For Independent Music, set for March 9-12 at the San Francisco Marriott. AFIM's participation in the convention will include its long-standing Crash Course for industry newcomers, the Indie Awards ceremony, a number of educational panels, a reception for independent labels and retailers, and the label-distributor One-On-One meetings. Among other planned initiatives to expand the membership benefits of AFIM, Ms. Oberstar will shepherd an AFIM e-mailed industry newsletter.

XMUnsigned

A new website for unsigned and independent artists is found at http://www.xmunsigned.com/theworldoftheunsignedmusician. Features of this satellite radio site include a news page with info on "Colonel Peak's Pix," links to the bands being played, band contact information, as well as information on shows and specials, and a links page that will be expanded each week. Weekly updates will be sent via email. For more information, contact Billy Zero, Music Director of XMUnsigned, (202) 380-4240, billy@xmradio.com, http://www.xmradio.com.

Songwriting Software

Virtual Studio Systems, Inc., creators of Windows-based software for amateur and professional songwriters and home recording artists, has integrated guitar chord charting and song arrangement features into its current Lyricist v2 release. The software has been enhanced to support three separate views of the song: a Lyrics View presents the lyrics in their own rich-text window; a Chord View supports guitar chord graphs above the lyrics; and a free-form Arrangement View enables users to create arrangements and chord progressions for any song section. Combined with Lyricist v1 features such as a rhyming dictionary, thesaurus, and spell checker, plus the ability to organize songs into album categories and email songs automatically, Lyricist v2 gives songwriters and poets a centralized secure archive for their creative endeavors and provides them with all the essential tools of the trade for writing, polishing, and archiving lyrics. For more information about Lyricist and VSS, contact the company via e-mail to info@virtualstudiosystems.com, or visit their website at http://www.virtualstudiosystems.com, or call (888) 732-1176.

McCartney Rumours Persist

In Billy Shears: The Secret History of the Beatles, a novel by Doctor Lev, read how, when, and why Paul McCartney died in 1966, and meet the man Billy Campbell who secretly replaced him. Lev maintains that there are clues in every album from Sgt. Pepper's on proving it. Telephone orders are being taken for the $18 book at Dorrance Publishing, (800) 788-7654.

Eva Cassidy Tabletop Book

A biography has been published by Orion Trade entitled Eva Cassidy: Songbird, written by Rob Burley and Jonathan Maitland. The book is authorized by Eva's parents, and the text is based on extensive interviews with Eva's family, friends, and musical colleagues. The 159-page hardcover is full of reproductions of Eva's artwork and many photographs of Eva which have never before been published. The book is in stores now in the United Kingdom, and it will also be sold in Europe and Australia. It will not be sold in the United States or Canada, but it is available for purchase through internet sources such as Amazon.co.uk. Below is a specially coded link to Amazon.co.uk– when people use this link to make a purchase, 5% of the sale price (currently £10.49 at Amazon.co.uk) will go to the Fund for Melanoma Research at Johns Hopkins University. The coded link is: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0752847791/o/qid=1004532513/sr=8-1/evacassidylin-21

WAMA Pages Update

The following producer listing was mistakenly left out of the WAMA Pages 2001 directory:
Thom J. Woodward, Anansi Productions, PO Box 73422, Washington DC 20056.
(202) 863-0288 h, (877)426-2674 w.
e-mail: anansipro6@excite.com. Website: www.anansipro.com.

Multimedia Business Card CD

A custom shaped or multimedia business card CD can be used as a vehicle to transport sales and marketing information, interactive charts or full multimedia presentations with direct links to your website. This technology may be used to complement or replace your mailings and or tradeshow materials, allowing you to offer a multimedia medium for showcasing your products & services, allowing ease of access to volumes of electronic information, as well as direct links to websites. Connecting is as simple as inserting the disc into a CD-ROM drive. For more information visit the Promodisc website: www.promodiscinc.com.

Arts Funding

Creative Capital was launched, a new national consortium comprised of 23 foundations and individuals, . Their purpose is to fund individual artists whose work holds the potential to significantly impact arts and culture at the local, national or international level. For more information visit: www.creative-capital.org.

Workshops, Conferences,
Showcases, Grants, Awards

Super Voice

Ubervox is a women's music concert series that brings together women musicians from Washington, DC and the surrounding area. Opening night was November 13th, 2001, at the Metro Café on 14th St., NW, and featured Rachel Cross, Verlette Smith, and Michelle Swan. The featured performers on December 18th were Amikaeyla Proudfoot Gaston, Lea, and Joanne Juskus. The series will continue with female performers playing monthly. Ubervox supports both touring and local women musicians representing many different genres of music through a network of community showcases. Ubervox will also offer its participants workshops, touring, and networking opportunities.

Thriving Artist

The B&K Thriving Artist Association, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Maryland, is dedicated to all artists who are trying to make their careers in the entertainment field, and to provide young artists with an arena to showcase their various talents. Portions of the proceeds from their productions go to assisting artists who are unable to afford the high costs associated with studio productions. They assist the artists with demo packages, studio costs, biographies, pictures, and CD's for distribution, helping to educate the artists and help prepare them for the entertainment industry. At their events the artist is allowed the opportunity to network and promote their product to their peers and to specially invited guests, and guests sometimes include radio station personnel and publication writers, as well as label representatives, fellow artists and more. The Thriving Artist Association offers a variety of services for free, including advice and information about the entertainment industry, information about bios and pictures, information about various local studios, web page support, arrangements for appearances in festivals and shows both locally and out of town, and arrangements for interviews on radio and cable networks. Bruce Odams is the president and can be reached via email to: bruceodams@hotmail.com.

Jazz Competition

The DCjazz.com & Jazzconnect.com 2nd Annual Jazz Competition is in full swing, with 40 contestants from 11 different countries competing on-line to win a grand prize worth over $5000. Take part in this international music event by casting your vote. Go to http://www.jazzconnect.com/competition and enjoy listening to these great jazz talents. Each week, new contestants will be added to the "stage". Contestants to date are: Iva Ambush, Thomas Winther Andersen, Sheryl Bailey, Bugs Beddow, Larry Brown Lament, Greg Chako, Changamire, Dick DeGraaf, Fabien Degryse, Mike Gellar, Mark Greene, Melissa Hamilton, Darryl Harper, Anna Dagmar Johnson, Ron Kearns, Tony Kieraldo, Jane Lamar, Tom Lippincott, Lenny Marcus, Daniel Martina, Steve Marvin, Nicola Mingo, Joseph Natale, Lex O'Brien, Pamela Parker, Steinar Raknes, Axinia Schonfeld, Amanda Sedgwick, Halley Shoenberg, George Spicka, Misha V. Stefanuk, Travis Sullivan, Tyler Summers, Rochelle Thompson, Danielle Westphal, Wayne Wilentz, Don Wilner, and Deanna Witkowski. For details on how to enter, go to http://www.jazzconnect.com/competition/rules_main.htm.

ArtSalute 2002

The Maryland Citizens for the Arts Foundation, in association with the Maryland State Arts Council, will be presenting the Governor's Arts Awards at ArtSalute 2002, a biennial celebration of the arts in Maryland and "the partnership between government, business, and the arts." The Governor's Arts Awards recognize the achievements of Maryland's artists, educators, individuals, coalitions, municipalities, business and foundation patrons who have made contributions to an art form, an arts organization, or to the community through the arts. The Foundation welcomes the submission of nominations in the categories of Individual Artist, Arts Educator, Arts Patron, Small Business (100 employees or less), and Large Business (more than 100 employees). Previous winners include Charlie Byrd (1998 Individual Artist Award). For a nomination form and the official rules, contact the Foundation at (410) 203-1301.

NEMO Music Showcase & Conference

Now in its sixth year, the NEMO Music Showcase & Conference hosts two days and three nights of events, April 11th through 13th, 2002, including panels, clinics, workshops, mentor sessions, a Trade Show exhibition area, and more than 200 artist showcases. NEMO also includes the prestigious Boston Music Awards show at the Orpheum Theatre on the first night of festivities. You can call the NEMO office at (781) 306-0441, or email showcases@nemoboston.com, to request a showcase application.

The deadline for submission was January 12, 2002, but they will accept some late submissions if you call the office first to receive approval of late acceptance entry. To submit your music for consideration for a NEMO showcase, please include the following materials: 1) Completed Showcase Application; 2) Two copies of your music on CD or cassette tape; 3) Two copies of your bio, photo, and press kit; 4) A description of your band or artist to be used in NEMO's program directory (maximum of 30 words– NEMO reserves the right to edit); 5) A non-refundable application processing fee of $30 for submissions postmarked by January 12 (made payable to NEMO). Please note: the processing fee for a late submission is $50. Materials submitted to NEMO cannot be returned. Submission does not guarantee acceptance. Notification to all artists will begin on February 16, 2002 and continue until complete. To help expedite the process, please do not call the office to inquire about your application status.

All showcasing artists receive complimentary registration to NEMO. For more information go to: www.nemoboston.com. Presented by WAAF-FM, and also sponsored by Disc Makers, Guitar Center, and Metavera, NEMO showcases more than 200 major label, indie label, and unsigned new bands and solo artists from all over the world in a wide variety of genres. Creating a platform for new talent to perform in front of some of the most influential decision-makers in the music industry (as well as almost 15,000 fans), NEMO is a celebration of new music and continues to be the place for people to discover new and emerging talent. Previous NEMO showcasing artists include: Linkin Park, Aerosmith, De La Soul, Staind, Godsmack, The Union Underground, Goodie Mob, Fishbone, Face To Face, Kristin Hersh, Big Wreck, Duncan Sheik, Ellis Paul, Guster, Push Stars, The Waifs, Splender, Tommy Castro, 5440, Catie Curtis, Martin Sexton, The Sheila Divine, and many more.