Trebor Lloyd & Tamara Marin of City Canyons Records
Joe O'Brien - owner - Rat Pak Records
Crash - Owner/Program Manager - Firestorm Radio
Ben Gardner - Founder - Orlandobands.com
Tom Player - Entertainment Attorney
J Rock & Patty hosts of nationally syndicated FM radio program: The Rock Solid Pressure Show
Bevin Reagan - Owner and Booking Manager -Little Fish Huge Pond.
Spiral Trance - 2008 Artist of the Year

a feature article and advertising on Orlandobands.com
A feature article and rotation on Firestorm Radio
Feature on The Big Rock Show podcast with interview and music showcased.
Their music shopped to select indie and major labels
Custom Tea Blend to reflect the artist's unique musical personali-tea from Mad Pots of Tea
2 Hours of non litigation legal work from Player Law
$200 guaranteed booking in the Orlando market @ Little Fish Huge Pond in Sanford, FL (must book within 1 year of winning)
Gig opportunities in the Milwaukee, WI area with help from Spiral Trance
a Q's House Tour Package with tour essentials.
A logo redesign from a White Net Designs.
Listed as Band of the Month on wwwlSlackertown.com with description and music.

Brian Strean, lead singer of Orlando rock band, Our future Leaders, debuts his 1^st  The digital only album is self produced and mixed and mastered by fellow full sail graduate Chad Shea under his LLC, Forty8State Productions.  The minimum percussion accents were kitchen condiments, proving emerging artists don’t need a multimillion dollar studio and famous name in order to make a record sound good. solo effort in a 6 song acoustic EP entitled “Collective Ego.”

This is certainly a guitar player’s CD.  With its stripped down production of just guitar and vocals the music binds the listener and singer in a comfortable intimacy.  It is a very good start to what will eventually become a full length full band CD for Our Future Leaders.  Collective Ego could have used someone to step in as producer and reign in the song lengths.  The shortest song is just under 4 minutes (Desire) while the lengthiest tops out at over 8 minutes (Emotional Breakdown).  While the guitar work is solid the message and impact of the songs would not be lost by trimming them down. Otherwise they could be considered too indulgent to be commercially viable in today’s music marketplace.

Guitar work aside, Brian Stream’s voice should be the main focus with his rich, chewy taffy like vocal performance.  The vocals add as much if not more substance than the lyrics.  Collective Ego is the kind of album the listener is meant to press play and let run from track to track.  The listener should lay back and let the EP help them embrace their own winter blues.  Stream told Connections, “I though being able to do acoustic versions of the songs would really bring depth to our shows.  I also didn’t want to wait to be able to share this music.”  Sometimes we need an album that is just like us: almost perfect but waiting to be finished, full of emotion, a bit sad,  but remaining hopeful. 

Download Brian Strean’s Collective Ego through i Tunes or Amazon.com searching for “Collective Ego.”  At a dollar a track the price not only fits his intended audience’s collective egos but their wallets as well.

More info at http://www.myspace.com/acollectiveego.

....

Music venues and the bands that play them come and go over the years but it is still a sad day whenever the music stops. Holly & Dolly’s, a longtime staple for live music is phasing out local rock music on Saturday nights.  Is it the economy? Changing customer tastes? Competition? All three? Co Owner Dolly Heltsley mentions several factors. “The economy has hit us hard. Several national chains [Buffalo Wild Wings] have opened up nearby and that has had more of an effect than I thought it would.”....

Booking Manager and current sound engineer, Brandon Delph has another theory, “The venue itself has done little to advertise.” Brandon, owner of BS Productions, said he has paid for ads in local papers himself on the venue’s behalf. “This is a great venue for local music. Good drink specials. I wish more people knew about it.  Only the older bands that have been around know the venue. Newer bands and their fans don’t know because the word just isn’t out there.” Former Hodo’s sound man Bill Morgan said, “Even when I was there, it was always difficult to get any advertising efforts.  It seemed management would rather change things around than try to build something up.”....

Dolly said, “We hope by changing things up we’ll get more business.  Fridays will remain local rock. We’ll probably have music on Saturdays, just different.  Music tastes go in cycles.”  She mentioned maybe cover bands or jazz artists.  Frequent patron and local musician Jason Premo has been coming to HoDos for years. He’s noticed a different crowd lately. “I stopped in for a beer on a Wednesday. The place was packed for beer pong and the only music being played was rap. I left.”  Dolly said she really wants to support local music but cited numerous times bands have canceled or failed to bring out any customers. That’s the downside when venues rely on the bands to meet their bottom line.  Musicians who do keep commitments and promote often suffer the consequences of the actions of a few lazy bands.....

Some bar activities (live music) need advertising while others (beer pong) can get by with word of mouth. “Our budget doesn’t leave much extra for any advertising.” Dolly said.  But recent patrons to HoDos will notice several brand new flat screens hanging on the walls. The bartender explained, “Now we can watch Sports!” Jason Premo said, “I go for live music and good service.”  If the bartenders don’t support an activity it makes it that much harder to get people in. The current sound engineer paid for flyers to help the venue promote and then saw the bartender use them as coasters.  Premo sums it up, “They lost my business on Saturday nights.”....

The good news is that Friday Nights still rock. Everyone we spoke to agrees Holly & Dolly’s does local music better than most central Florida venues. They should stick to what they do best and carve that niche out for themselves instead of being another family business trying to compete with corporate chains. Everyone knows how that ends. Turn off the TVs and turn up the music.....

500 E. SR 436 Suite 1020
Casselberry, Florid


a....

SNAFU CD Release Party
Sept. 5^th
57 West....

Two large motor coaches idled in the Sam Ash parking lot, not a normal situation for a local band CD release party. The typical “CD Release Party” is virtually indistinguishable from any other show: 3-4 bands play and one band gives itself the prime spot and tells people they have a new CD for sale. That’s it.  But there was nothing normal about SNAFU’s CD release party and other bands in the Orlando scene should take note.....

It started with not one but two full sized buses driving around Orlando, picking up fans at various locations, providing coolers of beer, bottles of liquor, and Dixie cups of jell-o shots to excited fans. Each bus had a party leader organizing band trivia, games, and handing out beer from the seemingly bottomless coolers.  Many fans stated the bus itself was such a good time they almost didn’t want to leave. But the ultimate stop was 57 West downtown, the new music venue from the folks who brought us the AKA Lounge. The place looks great but no one has learned that brick walls, while looking cool, don’t provide the best acoustics for live music.  Even so hats off to 57 West for not having the bleed through problems that its neighbor BackBooth has with the bass sound from Club Element.  Add to that a very hard working and attentive bar staff and it gets the Connections Magazine seal of approval. ....

SNAFU made the night all about them, and why shouldn’t they?! Bands work hard to get the money and spend the time producing their music, it makes sense that when they show it off they do it right. Two busloads of fans came to hear the new music and they got it with two full sets of their unique style of funk rock.  The few covers played were artfully woven into the set list so if the music was new, old, or a cover, patrons had no doubt they were at a full fledged SNAFU concert. ....

The CD “Outside the Collective Hive” is a funk rock declaration of freedom from commercialism.  Philip Bonanno, singer/guitarist for the three piece group, told fans, that “Buying our CD does not make you a consumer. It makes you a rebel.  No money is going to a corporation. You are truly supporting the music when you buy local”....

The energy didn’t dip as the band boarded the buses to join fans for the mobile after party.  Providing pizza for the ride home was a nice touch.  SNAFU put a level of love and care into the fan experience that most bands just don’t think to do.  It’s the same attitude they take toward their music. While not every local music show can be like this, SNAFU has set the bar for CD release parties and how to treat the fans that support them.

....

A local rock band that can both play good music and put on an entertaining show is a rare thing.  Orlando’s SoulSwitch, playing their 50^th show at Club Firestone, showed the crowd that they deliver both.  SoulSwitch has always been made up of solid musicians and if their Firestone show is any indication, they put a good amount of work into their stage show as well. 

During songs all band members (save drummer Mike Mouris) managed to both move around the stage and maintain a balanced image, never bunching up or running into each other.  Guitarist Jimmy Kwong and bassist Matt Larson were two long haired bookends to the short haired, but no less rock looking, guitarist Nic Allen and vocalist Tom Huestis.  Coordinated stage movements if done too often can start to smell of a ‘backstreet’ alley but SoulSwitch gave just the right mix of showmanship and individuality.

Three years ago, opening act Traverser was simply an ok bar band. They should thank whoever gave them a kick in the ass because this band has improved tremendously both professionally and musically. The three piece band has the rare ability to deliver a sound on stage that is much bigger than the sum of their parts. 

If their new songs are any indication Traverser finally has the talent and ambition to begin to move on to the next level.   Rock music fans should look forward to their new CD currently set for an August release.   The only feedback for Traverser would be to have vocalist/guitarist Dave Mediarus take a cue from SoulSwitch and move around a bit. The only energy onstage came from bassist Robert Spence and if only one member is moving around it seems like they just have ADD.

From a fan perspective the sound at Club Firestone is top notch. Sure most artists complain about poor monitor mixes but as long as they sound good to the fans…Door security at the club could rival the strictest airports. After emptying EVERYTHING from my pockets I was questioned why I was bringing a pen and paper in and tic tacs.  At $7 for a well whiskey and   $5.50 for a draft budlight Club Firestone is one of the most expensive places to drink while watching local bands.  The bar staff is friendly and work hard but I’d rather pay a few dollars less and get my drink quicker instead of waiting for the bottle to stop flipping.

SoulSwitch  4 Stars
www.myspace.com/soulswitchrocks 

Traverser 3.5 Stars
www.myspace.com/traverser ....

Club Firestone: Sound – 4 Stars, Bar – 2.5 Stars