Huge Mega Update!!!

Band Spotlight
If you've never heard of the band Moving Mountains, I suggest you look them up immediately or read the interview I had with their singer Greg. Doing an album review Waves is on the things to do list. Anyway, check out their new video for "Cascade" below.



Another band that has been brought to my attention recently is, The Body Rampant. I was sent their music video for "Sativa." They recently released their new album, Transient Years on April 5th. I'm not sure who they remind me of yet (which is a good thing), but they have that same Moving Mountains feel to them. I guess for the time being we will go with Armor for Sleep meets a melodic Taking Back Sunday. Check out their very interesting video below.



A'tris song of the week
As usual, I will remain faithful to my buddy Mason of A'tris and update you all on the song of the week project. Can you believe they are up to week 21 already? Keep up the good work boys! Check out 20 and 21 below.






Playdough Releases New video
Don't worry my hip-hop heads, I have something for you too! Check out Playdough's new video for "Ya Heard" featuring Mr. Dibbs vs. the Black Keys. Read my interview and review of his album here.



Jon Santos of Fallzone Releases a Teaser
My favorite producer, Jon Santos of 1176 Studios, gave us a little promo of what's going to be on the new Fallzone album with a backyard BBQ rendition of "Dance with Me." Give it a listen below.

Oh yeah, and this too



New Episode of Hollywood Girl
Speaking of Jon Santos, have you seen the show he works on, Hollywood Girl? Congratulations are in order because Hollywood Girl will soon be featured on a local channel out in California. Courtney Zito, keep up the good work! Watch the new episode below.



Process of Fusion
Last but certainly not least in my heart, check out my band in the Aquarian Weekly (click that). Special shout out to Dave Incognito for the hook up. Also, for anyone wondering on the status of the new album, it's almost here. It is completely finished, we are just in the process of creating artwork and getting some background stuff taken care of. Listen here for the first two singles.


Also, check out a side project of mine with singer/songwriter Matt Beck, called Cross Town Rivals. Listen to our first single "Fool Me Twice" here.

Effects of Illegal Downloading on the Music Industry with Interviews

The final project I worked on in my group was on the long-term affects of music piracy on the music industry, labels, and artists. Looking at the trends of music from 2000 to 2011, we wanted to capture the general feeling and decline of music sales since online servers like Napster and Pirate Bay. We set out to see if people were downloading illegally more than they were purchasing. To no surprise, the answers, surveys, and studies we did all pointed to people illegally downloading with seemingly no conscience about it. Why do we need anything else if it is in front of our fingertips in seconds and it's free? This is why a multi-million dollar band like Metallica has to sue Napster for copyright infringement.
I conducted three short interviews with three people covering different plains of the music industry. The three professionals interviewed are: Scott Vollweiler-owner of Broken Records Magazine, Mason Taylor-singer/songwriter and front man of indie rock band A’tris with expertise on social networking and music marketing, and Jon Santos-formerly signed by Wind Up Records in the early 2000’s with then band, Sevenwiser. I asked them all the same seven basic questions, and though biased because of their position within music, they gave great answers. The questions were:

1. What are your general feelings about music piracy?

2. Do you think it hurts or helps the artists?

3. Ultimately is piracy more of a problem for labels or artists?

4. What are ways artists can use piracy to their advantage if any?

5. Do you think it can be stopped? Should it be stopped?

6. Do/would you yourself download music illegally?

7. Do you think having something like iTunes deters people from downloading music?

Scott Vollweiler is the creator of Staten Island’s own Broken Records Entertainment. Within the company, Vollweiler has a magazine, recording studio, photographer business, and various other ventures. In just six years time the company has grown exponentially, and the magazine has featured some of the worlds biggest musicians like Aerosmith and Carrie Underwood to name a few. Vollweiler is no stranger to piracy. He was formerly in a band himself and is quite aware of the difficulties that come just with being a musician; let alone being in a place to create music.

His views on music piracy, as expected are strictly against it saying, “Music piracy is wrong. I know the music business is crooked, but bands that are trying to make it are losing their opportunity.” He explains that piracy can only hurt musicians and labels because newer bands will not receive the same support as major ones. He feels that although there are possibilities of piracy helping, it is unlikely saying, “A billion dollar corporation can easily go broke. Look at EMI, they've been bought twice.”

Vollweiler goes on to say that piracy will never be totally gone because “There’s always loopholes on the net.” He then admits he himself has illegally downloaded music in the past, but stopped once he started the company. He was able to understand the struggle of an artist a lot better. Lastly, he doesn’t feel iTunes deters people away from illegally downloading but instead provides a “happy alternative.”

Mason Taylor, the lead singer of A’tris is not in a signed band, so while his views on piracy tend to agree with Vollweiler’s, he finds a hope in it. When asked what his general feelings on piracy are, he said “It would be nice if people paid for music.” Interestingly enough, Taylor feels that while piracy hurts the artist, he also feels it greatly helps as well. He doesn’t doubt piracy negatively impacts the whole industry, but thinks there are ways for musicians to capitalize on it. “I don't believe that encouraging piracy is beneficial to artists. Promotions involving free or discounted digital components are a better solution in my mind as they can be structured advantageously for fans and bands. For example, an artist may offer a free download in exchange for a fan's e-mail address,” he said.

Sure enough, this is exactly like something A’tris is doing. Every Tuesday A’tris records a new song and releases an accompanying video for it on Youtube. Youtube is of course a free service, but A’tris also offers the instrumental track for free download if you join the mailing list. In the mailing list A’tris suggests listeners to take the solo track and record their own versions or covers of the song. Also in the email, they encourage the listener to check out and purchase some merchandise. At the end of the 52-week period of songs, A’tris will take the top viewed videos they released, and create an album off of those. This is a way to get fans involved with the creation of an their favorites band’s recording process. It’s a good way to entice an audience to give you a chance. They feel involved and want to invest in you.

As far as sites like iTunes and Amazon, Taylor had a lot to say,

“…Convenience is king. I believe that, if people are empowered to legally consume music when they want, the way they want, we will see piracy continue to decline. Already e-retailers like iTunes provide a frictionless solution for purchasing music. With Amazon and Google offering cloud locker services, and Apple rumored to debut a similarly but potentially more feature-rich option, I hope that we will see piracy further reduced by choice. 

On a side note, I believe it's interesting to note that Amazon and Google currently offer their services without label support. Apple is reportedly the only company that is moving into the cloud space at this time with signed agreements from the four majors. Choice is key. If people have more options, they may choose to exercise them.”

Taylor seems to be on the verge of something great, and really understands the concept of being an independent artist. A’tris will have no problems in continuing on with the growth of their music.

Jon Santos is a former touring and signed lead singer of once popular band Sevenwiser off Wind Up Records. Santos has heard his music played on The Punisher Soundtrack and in the movie Cursed. In addition to this his music has been featured in video games MVP 2004 I and Nascar 2005. He currently works as a producer/engineer and videographer/photographer in his Whitestone, Queens studio, 1176 Studios. At the moment he is filming a short show series on Youtube that has just been picked up by a small cable network, Hollywood Girl. Clearly Jon is no stranger to the music industry and media in general. More so than my other two interviews, he’s been there and done that. He perhaps had the strongest and almost angriest type of reactions to the questions.

His general feelings about music piracy are bluntly honest as he says, “ I’m really not a big fan of that. I don’t understand how people can feel good about themselves when they steal someone’s work. It’s the same thing as walking in to Best Buy and just taking the CD right off the shelf and walking out the door, is that right?”

Like Taylor, Santos feels that piracy is two fold as far as helping or hurting, “If a new upcoming band gets themselves out there a bit more by letting their music out for free and they pick up a few hundred or more fans then great for them. The problem at that point is you can’t track your sales and numbers and you can’t build much of an income to float the band.” Santos also believes that piracy has mainly killed the label, which in turn destroys the artist. Now instead of making money on music, the label takes a big chunk of what a band makes on touring and events, let alone having to split the money with your band mates. “Not unless you are Lady Gaga or any of them other big time artists that are making 90 million a year from sales and have crazy live shows, [are you making money]…good luck with that,” he said.

Santos feels very strongly about stopping piracy but isn’t quite sure of exactly how saying, “How about everyone just walks around and starts stealing people’s homes, taking their cars, not paying for anything; what will be the future for any of us at that point?  Can it be stopped? Not unless we stop technology and revert back about 20 years.” He doesn’t think it can be stopped in full, but thinks it can be slowed. 

These three music professionals have seen music from the inside and out and obviously know where the trends of music are going. The future is certainly not clear, but it has become increasingly difficult for an artist to make any money on their craft. Santos told me the most money he has made in music is through his placement in movies and games. I remember meeting Taylor and asking him what he thought the keys to getting your music heard was, he said “placement.” All of the ideas are the same, but none of the direction is clear. In the long run, music for sure is in a down place just like the rest of our economy. It’s up to the future of music to try and turn it around like A’tris is trying so hard to do. To quote Clay Shirky, “Nothing will work, but everything might.”  

Alter the Ending Interview- By Terri Caputo

If you think sixteen-year-old Justin Bieber has a lot of talent for his young age, maybe you should brush up on your music history. Björk began studying classical music at age five and released an album at eleven. Nathan Young, drummer of rock group, Anberlin, and Zac Farro, ex-drummer of Paramore, both joined their bands at age twelve. And who could forget Michael Jackson at the tender age of five? He was already in the big leagues with his older brothers and sisters in The Jackson Five. He had his first song reach number one as the lead singer of the Jackson 5 at age eleven and another song as a solo artist at age thirteen.

Just like the other young prodigies, thirteen-year-old pop punk group, Alter The Ending, are working their way into the industry, and kicking butt  while doing so. The four young gentlemen from Berkeley Heights, NJ, have only been playing together for a year and have already established more than a lot of people their age. They’ve played at well-known venues such as Starland Ballroom, The Stony Pony, and plenty of music festivals in the local New Jersey area.  “I think it's awesome how we've been able to do that after just a year of being a band,” says guitarist Billy Manning on playing at venues where his favorite bands have performed. They’ve also recorded with Jon Santos, former singer/guitarist of Seven Wiser and owner of 1176 Studios in Whitestone Queens. “Jon is an amazing guy to work with,” says Andrew Pacheco, lead vocalist and guitarist. “He really brought the best out of our music.”  The band recorded two tracks with Santos, and will be recording a few more to complete the Gone Again EP, which will be released in mid-2011. Until then, you can catch the young lads at The Break Contest, in which they will be competing with many bands for a spot on Bamboozle 2011’s main stage.

The interview:

AP= Andrew Pacheco (Vocals, Guitar)

BM= Billy Manning (Guitar)

DQ= Dylan Quesada (Bass)

LB= Luke Blecker (Drums)

How did the four of you meet?

AP: Billy and I were playing at a talent show in the 5th grade and Luke happened to be in the same show, [only he was] playing guitar at the time. We started taking and he mentioned that he played the drums, so we got together and started our first band, which [consisted of] me, Billy, and Luke [called Toxic Sludge].  …a few years later [when] I was ready to switch to guitar, we started looking for a bass player and pretty soon after that, I got a message from Dylan saying he'd like to join the band. …we knew it was the perfect lineup right away.

How long have you all been playing your instruments?

LB: I've been playing drums for five years, but at the time it wasn't my main instrument. Now it has become my favorite interest and such a big part of my life.

DQ: I've been playing bass for five years as well, but once I joined the band I got a lot more serious about it.

BM: I began playing guitar when I was seven, but when I was nine, I started working a lot more towards it and started to improve my performance.

AP: I had tried to teach myself guitar up until when I was about ten, [which was] when I started taking lessons. I've been singing since I was really young, but I've never actually taken singing lessons.

Because you are so young, is there a certain expectation for you guys when you jump on stage?

AP: Definitely.  People are usually surprised, but I don't think there's any extra pressure on us, we just jump on stage and do our thing, and hopefully the crowd likes it.

What is your biggest accomplishment as a musician? As a band?

BM: Playing venues that some of our favorite bands and influences have performed at, such as Starland Ballroom and The Stone Pony. I think it's awesome how we've been able to do that after just a year of being a band.

LB: I think just being able to have people listen to the music that we've written ourselves is an accomplishment to me.

DQ: Kind of like what Billy said, being able to play on the same stage as the bands that we love have played on is really cool.

AP: I agree with Billy, Luke, and Dylan. The fact that we've been able to play the songs that we've written at these cool and legendary venues is awesome. Especially when the crowd is into it, it's an amazing experience.

How did you wind up working with singer/songwriter/producer Jon Santos? Will you be releasing an album anytime soon?

AP: My cousin and her band Stelladeora had been working with Jon. We were looking for a studio to record in and she recommended his place, 1176 Studios. Jon is an amazing guy to work with and he really brought the best out of our music. As for an album, we released two songs "Tear Me Down" and "Gone Again" for free online, and we're working on getting a few more done so we can release the "Gone Again" EP.

Where can you see ATE in a year from now?

DQ: I see us improving and hopefully getting some more fans.

LB: Hopefully we can play some bigger shows, getting a larger fan base, and having a larger selection of songs to play.

AP: Right now we're trying to get ourselves out there, so I see us hopefully getting as good and tight as we can be, and bigger and better.

BM: Hopefully we'll be playing some more shows and have a full-length album out around then.

What does Alter The Ending bring to the table that no other band does?

BM: We play a wide variety of music, from our calmer songs, to our punk and heavier side, we cover basically every genre of rock and alternative. We think that’s important so we can reach out to different audiences.

Anything you’d like to plug or tell people who have never heard of you before?

Everyone: Search us on Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter so you can stay updated with the latest Alter The Ending news and download our songs. Hopefully you can follow us through an exciting journey.

Eyes of Tragedy Music Video, ARK Breaking News, A'tris music, Incognito Theory, POF, & Jon Santos

Check out my brothers in Eyes of Tragedy! They just made a rocking video to their song "Rapture." Word on the street is, they are also looking for a lead singer, so if interested contact them!


A'tris Song of the Week 11 & 12


Week 11



Week 12


Again, great work A'tris, I think I may have to interview Tiger Darrow. She is an amazing singer, and complements Mason's vocals well.


Incognito and DePalma and Romolus X Records and ARK News

Incognito Theory record will be out in summer 2011 and Incognito and Depalma will debut in May. Also, adding to the family is two new band members for ID. Mindy Kern has joined on the bass and Daniel Eng on drums.





Also some exciting news from CEO of Romolus X and ARK: Dave Incognito has been named as the A&R guy for the company, and will also be working in promotions. Another big announcement is the joining up of 1176 Studios and the ARK. Jon Santos will now be working with Romolus X, and hopefully branching out recording more artists. This joint venture is very exciting and good for the surrounding area of bands and musicians.


Process of Fusion Break Contest info and Poster Contest!

Where will you be April 2nd? If you said the Crazy Donkey at 4:40pm to see my band in the final round of the Break Contest for Bamboozle, that's an amazing guess. Shameless plug aside, it will mean the world to me if you could come out and support my band. Tickets are $12, and if we win we play Bamboozle! It's a life changing opportunity and we are very close.

Secondly (not sure if that's a word), we need fans to take the default pictures on our sites and post them up in various places. Take a picture of you placing the flier in whatever place you want and send it to us! In turn we will send it to the Break Contest and somehow get more points.

Check out some studio updates!!!

A'tris Weekly Download 7 & 8, Hollywood Girl Trailer, Jon Santos music, and POF news!

My apologies to A'tris for not posting your video last week, so you get a double shot this week. (Mason will yell at me for saying sorry, so here's your warning- don't do it!)

Those videos are week 7 and week 8 of the new song a week project. Keep up the good work!





Hollywood Girl Season 1 Trailer


Hollywood Girl even has a IMDB Page now! See it here

Also, be sure to check out POF's producer, Jon Santos and his new music project here


"The new EP, The Long Road, by Jon Santos will be online this spring. Jon hits his studio Feb 26 with good friend Bobby A on drums to record a few songs he has been working on the past year.[He] will also re-record a few songs off the fallzone album because he wants a better sound and now that he has a much better studio to bang out a better bigger recording."

Be sure to contact me for tickets for Saturday's Bamboozle Break Contest. My band is in the 2nd round. We go on at 10pm at the Crazy Donkey.

Also, vote for us to be played on the radio here

An Interview with the Hollywood Girl, Actress- Courtney Zito

Artwork by Brett Guida, El Guida, inc.

I had the privilege to chat with up and coming Jane-of-all-Trades Courtney Zito, as we discussed her new concept and show, Hollywood Girl, where she plays the lead character Quinn Monroe. Catch a condensed version of this interview in the upcoming Broken Records Magazine issue and Reviewhouse.webs.com

How did you get into acting, and was it always your life's ambition? 

I basically came out of the womb singing, acting & dancing. I have been on stage since I was 2 years old. Performing has always been my life's ambition and I suspect it will always be. If I am not creating something, I don't feel alive. 

What do you prefer more, acting or directing? 

That's a tough question to answer. Of course my dream has always been to be in front of the camera, but as I have grown in this industry, I am finding that I really enjoy some of the behind the scenes aspects as well. Like directing and producing. It is a new arena for me and one I am humbled by, but one that I definitely want to gain more experience in. I think if you have what it takes to be a Director, and you have an acting background, you are really going to be able to get the best out of your actors and connect with them in a way that only a fellow actor can. When something isn't working, the last thing I would ever do is give the actor a line read. I want them to experiment and make it their own. I may give one note and then let them draw their own conclusions, because as an actress, that's what I want. I want the director to allow me the space to try new things. So far, it seems to be an approach my actors respond well too.

At Hollywood Girl's Red Carpet Screening

Where did the concept for Hollywood Girl come from? 

My life. This show is based on my own experiences in LA with love, dating, friendships and all things entertainment. Not everything you see actually happened, but there may be a sentence, or a person, or a moment in each episode that was inspired by something that took place in my life. It started out as a book, but because I love movies and television and because I am an actress, I decided to create a web series, because I felt it was a realistic creative outlet for me. I chose a web series, because I didn't want to wait to sell a screenplay or a pilot before I could see my vision realized.

How'd you get the name Quinn Monroe and how'd you choose Hollywood Girl for the title?

I had her last name first, actually. It's after Marilyn Monroe, because I have always adored her. She may have had a lot of personal problems, but she was way ahead of her time  as an icon and a business woman. I think she knew exactly what she was doing most of the time, and let people think she was just the ditzy bombshell. She's an icon till this day, and people still love her. She was the original Hollywood Girl. As for Quinn, I had a few first names picked out and just sat with them all to see which went best with Monroe, because I was sure that was going to be my character's last name. If you notice, all of the main character's last names are those of classic Hollywood stars.... Taylor, Davis, Hudson, Grant, and Carroll. It's my little wink to that era, because that to me, was an amazing time in Hollywood history. The name of the show was actually inspired by a song that my friend of many years, Jon Santos wrote for me. I played around with several names, but in reality, it was simple and right to the point. It just felt like that was supposed to be the name of my show so I went with it and Jon's song became the theme song of the show.

What has the response been like so far? 

Very positive! I think most people were initially just impressed that I pulled it off. From conception to the premiere it was about 6 months, and I think that maybe people didn't initially take me seriously. I probably sounded like all the other people out there that talk the talk but don't walk the walk. Most of the comments I got were about the production value being high and that pleased me. The first episode was a learning experience (As they all are!) and there were things I would've done differently or better, but with each episode, we have tried to learn from our mistakes and upgrade the show so that it feels more like a half hour comedy you might see on television. The best response yet has been to episode 3. I am being told it's the funniest and it's a little edgier then the first two. The story is developing more so people are starting to identify with the characters more. We have the most amazing fan base, they are so supportive and so excited about the series.

What's the best review the show has gotten, and what's the worst? 

It's very early, so we haven't had many reviews yet. We got a great write up in PINK Magazine and a nice blog write up, as well as a radio appearance, all were favorable. However, you aren't going to please everyone with a show like this. Initially, anything negative I heard would hurt a little, because the project is so personal to me, but I quickly grew a thick skin, because I am not doing it for them and if they don't like it, don't watch. I have a few thousand people who love it and those are the people I want to focus my energy on.  

From episode 1 with Johnny Wactor

What do you say to people who say the show "copies" off another show, say like Sex in the City? 

No one has ever used the word "copies" because the people who watch the show, know that it's based on my own life. If someone compares Hollywood Girl to Sex and the City or a 'female version' of Entourage (Which I have been told), I take that as a compliment. Yes it has bits and pieces of both of those shows, and maybe a dash of Bridget Jone's Diary too, but there are always going to be similarities like that in TV as well as movies. If the fact that Quinn has the occasional voiceover, makes you immediately think Sex and the City, then so be it. But I personally happen to LOVE narrating a story, that's how I am in real life, and it adds another dimension to the character, because you can hear their thoughts and what they really feel even when what comes out of their mouth is contradictory. Plus, because this started as a book, that's the writing style I used and it kind of just stuck when I started converting them into episodes.

The first two episodes are about nine minutes long. Will the episodes be getting longer, or is this what you will be consistently aiming for? 

As web series go, mine is actually considered long form, because most of them are about 5 minutes long. I would love to get the show to 22 minutes long, but a longer episode also means higher production costs and longer shoots, so for now we are going to keep the episodes ranging from 8-12 minutes.

How long does shooting take, and how much work goes into each episode? 

Months of work goes into each episode, because I write the episodes, (I recently brought in a co-writer, Kelsey Scott for episodes 4-10) Then I need to cast them, find our locations, get everyone's schedule, gather props and equipment needed and try to coordinate the shoot days, gather music with the help of Jon Santos, and I sit for hours on end listening to that music till I can decide what music to use for what scene. Then we shoot anywhere from 1-4 days, and finally we begin post which could take several weeks. I am fortunate to have a team that loves this project as much as I do. My Co-Executive Producer is Taryn Teigue, who is also my cousin and this is our first project together, and along with my producers, Melissa Pombar Teigue and Jon Santos, we do what needs to be done to keep this project moving forward. Each of us has invested our own money into this show because we believe in it. The hope in time is to gain sponsors so we can focus more of our time on the show and move the production at a quicker pace.

Will the show be available anywhere else besides the site and Youtube? Is that the plan? 

Right now our plan is to utilize youtube because I shoot in HD and their player is working for us. However, the goal is to either get picked up by a network, or to gain enough sponsorship that we can upgrade our player on the web. 

 Red Carpet Event 

What's Jon Santos role on the show? Why is music so important to you on the show? 

Like all of us, Jon plays a few different roles in the show. How he started his involvement in the show was by helping me with the music. Now he is also producing and I recently brought him on as Director of Photography. (Darren Rydstrom shot episodes 1-3). Jon and I have been friends for over a decade and I knew even though I live in Los Angeles, and he lives in New York, that I wanted him to be a part of the show. In regards to the music, having been a singer myself, it has always played a HUGE role in my life. I love all types of music and really feel that it is an intregal part of story telling on the big or small screen. I always envisioned that music would be like another character in the show. I wanted to feature original music by up and coming bands and artists, and with Jon's help, maybe help give exposure to some indie artists. Jon has produced a lot of extremely talented artists like: A'tris, Drew Torres, Stelladeora, Ninth Hour, Alter the Ending and Zo2. All of their music has been, or will be, featured in an episode of Hollywood Girl. I have even received submissions on our facebook fanpage (www.facebook.com/hollywoodgirltv) and found more great artists like Ty-n-Cli, Stone Ave., and Dan Dwoskin. Listening to the music we get and deciding where it will go in the season or in a specific episode is my favorite part. Sometimes I will just listen to the playlist of songs I now have to choose from over and over, and a song may hit me in a way that it inspires me to write an episode or take a different plot turn.  

What are some of the problems you face as the director, writer, and actor?

As a producer, I am constantly worried about the budget and locations, so when I am writing, I sometimes feel stifled, because I can't write it how I want to because we can't afford to shoot at a specific location, or the script may be too involved and expensive, so I have to make cuts and changes. That is very frustrating. As an actor, I am constantly being challenged, because one minute I am directing a scene and talking to my DP about lighting and how I want the scene shot, and then I have to put on my actor hat two seconds later and then back to director as I am acting in the scene so I can give my cast notes after and see if I like it. It's pretty hairy at times and it's something that takes getting used to. I have never been one to half ass anything, so I can get really hard on myself if I feel my performance wasn't great or if I didn't spend enough time with my actors, but I'm getting better at the multi-tasking with every episode, so I think eventually it will come second nature and I will be able to jump in and out of my roles with more ease. (I HOPE!)

What's your funniest behind the scenes story? 

Honestly, we spend so much time laughing on set, that it's hard to pinpoint one moment. However, I will say that rehearsing, and filming the mock commercial in episode 3 for "Prophylaxatives" is definitely a stand out moment. When Johnny Wactor (Shane Hudson on the show) and I started rehearsing, we were near tears with laughter. What made it even more difficult is that the delivery had to be dead pan, like our characters truly believed in this utterly ridiculous product. Imagine talking about a condom that also serves as a laxative, with lines like "Sometimes you've got two loads to drop" and now think about getting through that without so much as cracking a smile. It was tough. We literally just had to keep rehearsing it until it wasn't funny anymore, and that really never happened. We were still laughing on the the day of the shoot and so was the crew! 

Using your best elevator pitch, why should the world watch Hollywood Girl?

Because I said so! Just kidding... If you're looking for a light hearted, quirky comedy, based on real life circumstances in love, friendships and the Entertainment Industry, and that's full of physical comedy and a pretty hot cast, then you will love Hollywood Girl.

From Episode 3- Kelsey Scott, Courtney Zito, Shawn Ashley & Clarissa River Harlow

Check out the Hollywood Girl Website for all your Quinn Monroe fixes 
http://www.hollywoodgirltv.com/home.html

or the Facebook page at
http://www.facebook.com/HollywoodGirlTV?v=wall

Watch the episodes on Youtube

Q&A with Drew Torres

Drew Torres by Amanda Hernandez for Kaoz Photography

If you like Ska, reggae, acoustic rock, and elements of sing-song rap, then maybe... just maybe you can hang out with Drew Torres.

Drawing influences from Bob Marley to NOFX, Torres also throws a bit of his life into his music. All mixed together, this creates a wonderful blend of truly dynamic and original music. This is Drew Torres...


(A condensed version of this interview will be featured in a new section of Broken Records Magazine entitled, "In the Mix with 1176.")


When did you know that music was your thing?
Well, I always had a love for music, being my father was a musician, so he introduced me to a plethora of genres at a very young age. Thanks Dad!

Growing up, who did you aspire to be like until you came into your own?
I fell in love with Green Day's Dookie album in '94. I always wanted to look cool like Billie Joe. He did it like no other, and WITHOUT the long hair and grunge look which was so mysteriously popular at that time...



Speaking of coming into your own, what is your style? I hear reggae, rap, ska, rock. What do you consider yourself?
Reggapkarock... (he laughs) I don't know, I grew up listening to all styles of music so I incorporate as much of anything as I possibly can. I guess if I had to call myself anything, I'd be a fusionist?

What are some artists that people have compared you too? Who do you compare yourself too?
I get Brandon Boyd from Incubus quite frequently actually. A few people have told me I remind them of Jason Mraz as well. I'm cool with both. Its a little difficult to compare myself to anyone musically since I'm on such a mission to create as much of my own unique style as I possibly can. So rather than utilizing other artists' style, I try to incorporate the genre as a whole and the underlying factors that make the genre what it is.

How did you get involved with Jon Santos of 1176 Studios?
An old friend of mine, Mo, actually introduced us. I came to the studio, we laid down "This Bottle" and never looked back, thus bringing Welcome To The Present to the vast world of music. That Jon Santos is a good man.

Drew Torres by Amanda Hernandez 

What's the biggest show you've played venue wise? Capacity wise? 
Knitting Factory, when I opened up for Gym Class Heroes. The sound was great, the crowd was great and the memories have been everlasting.

What's your biggest rock star moment? Biggest failure moment?
Hmmm... Well my fans in the Bronx always make me feel like a rock star... singing along to my songs, dancing, and just enjoying themselves. It's the little things like that that make me feel invincible. My biggest failure has to be playing a VERY inappropriate song at a memorial show, so embarrassing. I had to apologize to the person's grandmother. I wanted to bury my head in the sand.

Have you been on any tours? If so where and for how long?
Yes! I went on tour two summers ago, hitting the West Coast states-Utah, Nevada, Phoenix, etc. It lasted a few months. The kicker was getting back home and getting to play the Myspace tent at Warped Tour in NY and NJ. That was a great homecoming.

Why should people listen to Drew Torres?
I work hard on trying to create something beautiful for the masses. So BUY MY CRAP!

Anything else you'd like to add?
Keep posted at DrewTorres.com and Myspace.com/drewtorres for any upcoming shows, albums, collabos, etc. Much peace and love!

Jon Santos, Studio 1176 Owner and Former Singer of Seven Wiser

Singer, songwriter, producer, photographer, entrepreneur- no matter what hat Jon Santos puts on, he strives for excellence.


Starting out as humble musician looking to take his band to the next level, Santos was able to make his dream come true when his band Seven Wiser got noticed by Wind Up Records . Yes, the same Wind Up records housing bands like: Creed, Evanescence, Seether, and Hawthorne Heights.


It was here that Santos was finally able to watch his band come to fruition touring with acts like Avril Lavigne and Shinedown. They also found success in song placement in video games and movies, especially with single "Take Me As I Am".


However, in the ever changing music industry, success doesn't always last. After getting dropped from Wind Up, they went independent. Disbanding shortly after, Santos tried his hand with another band, Fallzone, releasing an album entitled, Stronger. Not being able to capitalize on the previous success of Seven Wiser, Santos left the band aspect of music and set his sights on something new.




Acquiring studio knowledge from the countless hours he spent recording in bands, Santos embarked on his next journey in the music industry. Opening 1176 Studios , Santos offers everything to get a band off the ground. The studio features affordable deals for: recording, mixing, mastering, photography, and music videos. With an extensive client list and new opportunities in film and web shows, 1176 Studios is sure to capture some of the magic Santos experienced in the mid 2000's playing music.

First describe to me the success of your band Seven Wiser- with the Video game and movie features. How did it come about? What was it like?
Seven Wiser is starting to feel like a life time ago. I had hit #37 on the R&R charts with that band. I still here Seven Wiser on Pandora, and [sometimes] when I'm around an arcade and come across Nascar games. My label at the time, Wind Up Records, they put out a lot of movie sound tracks and the first one they put us up for was "The Punisher" album. Then came MVP Baseball and Nascar. Let me tell you a funny thing, about one of the songs on the MVP Baseball 2004 game, "Take me as I am". I was so pissed because somehow the wrong version got sent out from our label and I did not okay for it. The guitar solo is backwards (laughs). The A&R guy there and the mixer I guess, where messing around a bit and tried that but it was dumb and somehow ended up on it! Also, the Wes Craven movie "Cursed", came along just after we got dropped from the label. I'll tell you, it was great to have people come up to me saying, "Wow I heard you on this video game I was playing at home and became a fan." As we see from games like "Rock Band" today the video game world is huge in breaking bands or revisiting bands that today's kids may not have had the chance to ever hear if not for these video games today.

You've opened for some famous people, describe those experiences and how big did your fan base get?

Yes, we did some great shows with Avril Lavigne, Shinedown, Saliva, and Bowling For Soup.
Shows like that are just the best. Night after night playing in front of 1,000-15,000 people is just a dream come true for any artist. But the problem is, that the band never had a full chance to grow. We would pack out some great small clubs on our own, but by the end of the summer when our album hit stores, the label dropped us. We just had a lot of problems on the road, including having all gear and truck stolen at a hotel leaving us empty handed, and they didn't like our management. The label had some of there other bands hitting big right at that time and just dropped us and put a lot of the other bands on the back burner. I would say most of the bands I was on the label with at that time are gone as well.

While being signed to Wind Up records, what kind of opportunities arose for you?
Bigger shows, TV, radio interviews, and the chance to work on my own album. Unlike most bands out there, I co-produced and mixed 90% of my own album. That was one of the things that sparked my interest in working with other bands. I have been in and out of studios for years, interning and recording- I learned so much that it was great for this label to let me do my thing.

Why did you disband and did your next band Fallzone have any similar success?

Well, after Wind Up dropped us, we did try to get interest from other labels but at that time all hell had hit the fan in the music biz. Not many artists where getting good deals, money was getting lower, then bang, labels? What the hell is that? No more record stores, everything is 100% online and bands are distributing their music world wide on their own. With out a big push in promotion Fallzone never took off. At that point we where all at a new place in life, family life, bills and debt. I just hit that "getting older" wall. I just wasn't 18 years old any more with the strength and power to start over.

What is your involvement with Cineplex Studios and Life in the Pits?
I'm working with Cineplex Studios on a show called "Hollywood Girl", starring Courtney Zito. Courtney and I have been friends for years, and she asked me to write a theme song for Hollywood Girl. From that I started to provide other music for the show, sending in bands I work with and helping out with anything musical and film/edit when needed. I'll be out in L.A. Nov 7 for a week or so, helping out with one of the next Hollywood Girl episodes doing some filming and sound, what ever is needed. And With Life in the Pits, I cant wait to see how this show turns out. Executive producer Tony Fornataro called me up one night, and said he has been trying to track me down for some time and asked if I can write a short 40 second rock theme song for his up coming reality show "Life in the Pits". So over a weekend I sent him a final recording, mixed and mastered and it was up on their site ready to go.

What made you leave the band aspect of the music industry?
I had left my management just after we got dropped and they own the band name, so I lost everything that the name Seven Wiser had built over the years. I tried to get the word out that the band had changed its name and some new members are in the band. But we just hit every wall you can think of. I went broke, the clubs changed, nothing was the same as it was the first time around. The whole industry had just changed. Fallzone just never took off and never could get any interest. I spent my last few bucks trying to promote and record and hit the end. I had to walk away, and again like I said earlier, I just wasn't 18 years old any more. When we pulled the plug on trying, I was 29. Now, I'm 31 and trying to build some kind of life that still has music in it. It's just a drug I cant kick (laughs).

How has 1176 Studios help fill the void as a performer?

This is the amazing part. When I needed to fill in the part of me that was missing, I had gathered so much recording gear over the years I said, "Why don't I try to find a place and start to produce and mix." Working with other bands has kept me 10 times more creative than before because I have to fit myself in to other band's worlds to create the best product. It's like being part of 20 bands rather then one. There is a piece of me in every production from my studio, and rather than being lucked in one sound or element- I have produced rock, christian, reggae rock, pop, and it has all been amazing and a chance to learn more than before. Every band has an idea of what they want to hear from there music and it keeps me on my toes "Hmm how can I do that?"

Where did the name, 1176 Studios come from?

I was just looking around for a name, a word, whatever but everything I found was taken. 1176 is just the model of a classic studio compressor used on just about every album ever put out. So I was like what ever I'll just use numbers. I may change it over time if I find a word I love or something. I Have a few ideas but for now, 1176 Studios is building.

Was it your initial plan in addition to the production to have the photography, graphics, and video?

Yes, I wanted a one stop place for an artist. I'm a photographer, graphic artist and videographer. I shoot bands, models, head shots, and music videos any chance I get. I offer big packages to my artists that come in than most other studios, this way they don't have to hunt around and pay a crazy price for a photographer in the city or blow money and time on a person that doesn't really know what they are doing. I can't tell you how many times people try other guys, and come right back to me and say, "Oh my God, this recording, these photos, this mix, our video, are total shit." Then they say, "We should have just used you for everything, I wish we knew about you studio and other services before hand."

I saw some of the video you put out for the studio. Do you usually interview acts that record with you?

I have been trying to do studio videos of them recording, and some interviews when they are interested as well. I do anything that I can offer for a band to take out there and hit all of today's online media with. I don't want to just offer a gun, I want them to walk away with the gun and loads of amo to start hitting all at the same time. Today it is much more them just the music, people want everything. Fans want anything and everything they can find. People love studio footage and want to sit and look at a band interview and so on. I want the bands to know they can get it all here in one shot.

This is a good answer and a good thing you're doing. Do you think Seven Wiser could have had more success or stuck around longer had everything been so media oriented like it is now? Also, has sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc helped out the studio?

I think Seven Wiser would have been a big hit with more effort and development. They didn't back us with a music video or anything like that, and it's something I tried to do with Fallzone. I filmed us doing some recording, went out to LA and did a music video with my friends over at www.television101.net and my friend Courtney Zito produced it. I tried to film us hanging out, getting lost driving around NJ, acoustic rehearsals, anything I could. I think if more of that kind of thing was done with Seven Wiser along with big promotion and more touring, it would have been a hit.

Has Facebook and them helped? Hmmm, I guess I would have to say yes in some way. Facebook, Twitter and Myspace are just a way of showing artists what I do. I find that word of mouth seems to be the thing. I use Facebook ads, Google ad word, Craigs List, and really nothing every comes in. It's mostly all from meeting people. When they hear the product I give them, they book. I even get bands that record in other studios in the city or on the Island and they bring me their tracks and I mix that. Sometimes after hearing it, they book their next sessions with me.

What is your ultimate goal for the studio?

I try to keep people thinking that this is not just a "recording studio" it's a "production studio". You can have almost anything you need done with my studio, making your life easy: recording, mixing, mastering, photography, video, editing, color grading, and film scoring. I have high hopes for this and hope to team up with great people along the way to build on this.

What is the biggest rock star moment of your career as a performer, and what has been the best moment as a producer?
Well a few moments come to mind. Some of the best are when I would be on stage and I would hear the crowd sing back the song I'm singing. Sometimes fans would take us out for food after the shows. I think the rock star moment would be walking in a mall and a few people would stop me and say, "I just saw your show last night, can I take a photo with you?" Or every time someone tells you that they drove for hours to come see you. It's just amazing.

As a producer, it's when people want to work with you because they really love what you do. When I can hook up some of the bands I have produced with a small placement on a web show like "Hollywood Girl" that can give them free promotion and yet another thing to add to there resume, nothing makes me feel better. It's all great moments and getting better.

CONTACTS
1176 Studios
Myspace.com/sevenwiser
Myspace.com/fallzonemusic