Now is the time to start making regular stops at http://www.musicvilla.com.  Why?  Because we're doing artist and product features up the wazzu and the coolest part is that we're now hosting Music Villa Live, an in-store concert series shot on HD and released as webcasts several times a month. 

It's easy to keep up.  Follow us @musicvilla (Twitter) and become a Music Villa fan on Facebook: http://...com/musicvilla

If you're in Bozeman, watch our events calendar and hit up a show!

Music Villa is proud to announce the new www.musicvilla.com. The site is live and is already very active.

Our goals with the site:
• more interaction
• more community activity & support
• more of an online magazine approach
• frequent updates to keep you in the loop
• email alerts, & an RSS feed so you know first

With that in mind: the site will keep you up-to-date on:
• Clinics (some big names show off some big tricks).
• Events (in-store performances, sales events, and promotions).
• Hot products (what's new & hot).
• Featured Artists: both local & touring bands (who's fresh, has a new album, or is a crowd favorite).
• Stories & Testimonials (hear from fellow musicians with similar experiences).
• New Videos: including tutorials, in-store footage (clinics & artist performances), hot product, and more.

The site will also be your "hub" to Montana Musicians, Montana Bands, Montana Instructors, and ShopMusicVilla, which is coming soon.

We are very excited about these new sites and we hope you are too. Please feel free to offer us suggestions.

Thanks for your loyalty!

-Your Friends at Music Villa

Today is the official launch of http://www.montanabands.com.  If you're a Montana band who wants to be found and booked for gigs, you should submit today.  It's free.

P.S. Thanks for inviting more people to MM, by the way.  Keep spreading the word!

Visit Montana Musicians at: http://www.montanamusicians.com

Hey there!

We've got some exciting news.  As of today we've officially launched the Montana Musicians Network at www.montanamusicians.com.

It's so new the plastic is still on the floor and there are little bits of packing peanuts floating around.  Just kidding.  It's a website so that would be impossible.  Seriously though, we've been working on this for several weeks but what it ends up being is up to you (we need your help to get this off the ground.  Hint.  Hint.)

Curious?  Well here's what we do know.  On MontanaMusicians.com you will be able to browse musician classifieds, find venues to play, and network with other musicians around the state.  You can also have your own profile where you upload almost unlimited songs from your last jam session, CD, or live performance as well as publish blogs and upload photos and videos.  There's more but you really gotta see it for yourself.

Every musician has a networking gene.  Now it's time to use it.  MontanaMusicians.com.

Stay tuned for more upcoming special announcements.

Your friends at Music Villa

Some that play drums focus on speed, some on fills or solos. At the heart of a true musician there is: a drive to better oneself, the will to control your playing and eagerness to explore and sometimes expand the boundaries in music. In a world full of new bands and drummers popping up every day there are only a handful that stand at the top, apart from the flock. These top musicians vary from genre to genre, at least at first glance. In reality the sign of a great musician and not just a 'player' is the ability to progress, adapt, innovate and explore as many avenues as possible to express their message and as such while some great musicians are well known and at the top of a certain genre they also delve into other styles of music and actively listen to the nuances and more often then not they incorporate something of that differing style into their performance, no matter how small the contribution may be. This is the case with Derek. Having had an interest in music from an early age Derek came to first be a fan of music before heading headstrong into the world of being a musician. While capable of playing many instruments and styles, Derek is most widely known as a phenomenal drummer in the Death Metal community having performed with such bands as: Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation, Nile, Divine Empire, Aurora Borealis and Council Of The Fallen. This is, however not the extent of his talent. Derek is an avid drummer of any style and has performed as a strictly Jazz, Blues, Rock and nearly anything else musician.

What: DEREK RODDY DRUM CLINIC

When: SUNDAY DECEMBER 7 @ 5:30 PM

Where: MUSIC VILLA- 539 E. MAIN ST.- BOZEMAN, MT

Cost: FREE!

More Info: (406) 587- 4761 or www.derekroddy.com

October 1st though the 4th 2008 at Music Villa. The Bozeman Bass Bash welcomes Nathan East as our featured clinician. Nathan's appearance is sponsored in part by Aguilar Amplification. Ibanez basses and D'Addario strings will be helping out this year as well. Sign up begins August 28th at Music Villa. Everything has gone up lately, but we've decided to keep the registation at $70, which will include a 2008 Bass Bash T Shirt, and admission to all events. Thank you for your support over the years and we look forward to seeing you again this fall.

2008 Developing Lineup 

Nathan East Born:  1955, Philadelphia, U.S.A.

Instrument:  Bass guitar

Group:  Fourplay: Bob James (keyboards), Larry Carlton (guitar), Nathan East (bass), and Harvey Mason (drummer).

Recorded/toured with:  Anita Baker, Al Jarreau, Barbara Streisand, Eurythmics, Natalie Cole, Elton John, Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Sting, Ray Charles, Eric Clapton – and many others

Awards:  Most Valuable Player Award, Bass category, 1991 International Rock Awards; three-time recipient of the National Smooth Jazz Award for Bassist of the Year; U.K. Ivor Novello Award for "Easy Lover," which he co-wrote with Phil Collins and Philip Bailey

Also:  Developed his own Yamaha Signature Series 5-String bass guitar, the BBNE-2. Has a private pilot license and holds two World Speed Records in his Lancair IV-P.More about Nathan East

Previous headliner BBB clinicians include; Billy Sheehan, Bob Babbit, Doug Wimbish,Stu Hamm, Dave Ellefson, Chad Langford, Carol Kaye, Oteil Burbridge, Norm Stockton, Bill Dickens, Jeff Berlin, Brian Bromberg, Dave Pomeroy, Michael Manring, Randy Tico, Brady Muckelroy, Barry Green, John Anning, Rich Ross, Greg Loughman, Anthony Cox, Rob Kohler, Rich Robiscoe, Eddie T,Gregory Brucw Campbell, Geno Kreis, and Larry DiMarzio.

We offer great clinics, informative tech sessions, live performances and opportubities to talk to actual Bass guitar Industry representatives.

For more info visit: http://www.bozemanbassbash.com/ or call Music Villa @ 406-587-4761

Jennifer Batten

August 14, 7pm at Music Villa

Jennifer's house concerts are a one woman full multimedia event consisting of a one hour set with a break , followed by another 30 to 45 min set. She brings her computer, projector and 8 foot screen as well as a small compact PA , sound gear, and lighting. The music consists mostly of tracks from her 3 CD's . She plays guitar in synch with films she and other filmmakers have made.

The buzz on Jennifer Batten rose from the guitar underground, and the guitar magazines promptly began chronicling her savvy musicianship and highly original approach to the electric guitar in print. At one point Batten was in 6 different bands, playing everything from straight ahead rock, to metal,fusion, and funk. A major turning point came when she was selected from over one hundred guitarists to play in Michael Jackson's highly skilled band which toured the world for one and a half years playing for over four and a half million people. Jennifer wasted no time after the" Bad" Tour's grand finale, diving into work on her own album with renown producer (and Stevie Wonder guitarist) Michael Sembello. The stunning results can be heard on "Above, Below, and Beyond", the title appropriately describing the interesting diversity within. With this debut release, the world at large learned what all the excitement was about.

Shortly after the record's release in the spring of '92, she was asked again to join Michael Jackson for his upcoming "Dangerous Tour". In January '93, she joined Jackson to partake in Superbowl XXVII's half time entertainment which aired to one and half billion people in 80 nations. It was the largest audience in television history.

She completed her second solo record "Jennifer Batten's Tribal Rage~Momentum," just before she was again asked to join Michael Jackson for his 2 year world tour supporting his double album "HIStory" in 1997.

Jennifer's Tribal Rage project took a much different direction than her first record and is heavily influenced by world music. It is a hybrid of rock and very exotic sounds, including African percussion, Australian didgeridoo, Caribbean steel drums and Scottish bag pipes.

In the spring of 98 Jeff Beck asked Jennifer to join his band. They joined forces for 3 years on the CD's "Who Else", and "You Had It Coming" which were both supported by world tours.

Other guest appearances include CD's with Carmine Appice, Michael Sembello, Carl Anderson, Carina Alfie and several rock tributes.

Jennifer has authored two music books and  has just released her third solo CD/DVD entitled "Whatever". With this 3rd effort, she's ventured into electronica, vocal samples, and film. She's supporting this release with a multimedia one woman show, playing guitar in synch with films projected onto a giant screen. The companion DVD includes over 90 min of art films, previously unreleased music videos, interviews, commentary, and an innovative guitar lesson.