"The Scene Police Story" by Dennis P. Merklinghaus(paperback) $33.99

Much like Blijboom’s Rebellion book, The Scene Police Story is a niche punk rock exploration about a DIY punk collective. According to the blurb, “From sweaty squats and empty venues to landmark releases, endless touring, ideological clashes, broken vans, and mounting debt, this is a story about what happens when DIY ethics collide headfirst with reality.”

It’s a fascinating tale and, if nothing else, it vividly depicts the highs (and lows) that can be reached when a dedicated bunch of miscreants really put their minds to it. 

The post "The Scene Police Story" by Dennis P. Merklinghaus first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

"Punk at Sea: A Rebellion Festival Photo Book" by Michiel Blijboom(paperback) $19.99

The Rebellion Festival is a punk fest that has taken place annually in the English seaside town of Blackpool since 1996, initially known as “Holiday in the Sun.” It swiftly became one of the highlights on the global punk calendar (should such a thing exist), and Punk at Sea is a pictural history of the whole thing.

Blijboom has done a great job of conveying the sights and smells of the fest, largely through dazzling photos of the bands and attendees. There are some words, including a Q&A interview with Jennie Russell-Smith, the woman who started it all. Whether you’ve been to Rebellion before or not, there’s a lot to enjoy here. 

The post "Punk at Sea: A Rebellion Festival Photo Book" by Michiel Blijboom first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Weird Al Yankovic at the Honda CenterComedy Music history was made on September 14th, 1980 when Weird Al Yankovic performed “Another Rides the Bus” on the Dr. Demento show just a month before his 21st birthday. Yankovic would meet Jon ‘Bermuda’ Schwartz who would keep the beat with Yankovic’s accordion case and has been playing with Yankovic the last 46 years. Yankovic a native of Lynwood, CA played the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA September 19th.  Yankovic released his debut album in 1983 and did a small tour of east coast and midwest venues under 1000 capacity along with Dr. Demento. On the debut album, Yankovic added in bassist Steve Jay a member ever since then and Rick Derringer who passed away in May last year played guitar on it and produced the first five Weird Al albums.

The second release was 3-D in 1984--this would be the first album with guitarist Jim “Kimo” West who has been a member since. From 1984 to 1991 the band would be Bermuda, Kimo, and Jay. During the Dr. Demento 20th anniversary special, Yankovic would meet keyboardist Ruben Valtierra and soon after he would join the band. Now nearly 35 years later, Yankovic has had a 4-piece band.

Yankovic’s last album was Mandatory Fun in 2014 and since then he would do a massive world tour on that album between 2015 and 2016 performing over 200 shows including two historic nights at the Hollywood Bowl with the L.A. Philharmonic. After taking off two years, Yankovic’s next tour would be the Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour  which was acoustic shows at intimate venues without all the costumes and production as the previous tours. The songs performed were all originals with the exception of a parodies medley, a different cover song for each of the 77 shows, and “Saga Begins” and “Yoda” as the closing songs. Yankovic would return again the following year (2019) with the Strings Attached with a local orchestra for each show.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, Yankovic would return to touring in 2022 with the second  Ridiculously Self-Indulgent, Ill-Advised Vanity Tour which just like the first one featured a different setlist each night and cover song. Two years after that tour completed Yankovic came back with the Bigger & Weirder Tour. The Bigger & Weirder Tour began last year and was Yankovic’s biggest tour including stops at Madison Square Garden and the Forum. The tour returned this past May. Puddles Pity Party has been the opener since last the tour began last year.

In addition to Yankovic’s longtime band, there have been four more musicians added for this tour who all play multiple instruments and also have acting roles. The new additions to the band are Long time Brian Wilson guitarist Probyn Gregory, Men at Work and Dweezil Zappa Saxophonist/percussionist Scheila Gonzalez, vocalist Monique Donnelly who has been on numerous film, TV shows and albums as well as performing with Yankovic on the Strings Attached tour, and keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Payton Rose Velligan who has toured with Boston frontman Tommy DeCarlo.

This tour has all the songs, humor, outfits, and classic video segments for the wardrobe changeovers any fan would want. Yankovic, now 66, still puts on a two hour show with all the costumes.

Just like on the Mandatory World Tour, Yankovic opened with “Tacky” which starts with him walking through the backstage and Puddles can be often seen with a pie being thrown on his face, This tour includes another six songs you can always expect to see performed with the exception of the two vanity tours which are “Smells Like Nirvana,” “Dare To Be Stupid,” “Fat,” “White & Nerdy,” “Amish Paradise,” and his usual closers “Saga Begins” and “Yoda.”

These have been his closing songs on every tour since Touring with Scissors in 1999 except the Straight Outta Lynwood tour when they were performed earlier in the set and the second vanity tour only Yoda” was performed. “Yoda” had first been a closer in 1985 and has been the closing song on nearly every tour since.

On opening night “Fat” was performed for the first time since 2016, “eBay” since 2003, “ “Stop forwarding the Crap to Me” since 2018, White And Nerdy,” and “Amish Paradise” since 2019. Also a few songs were performed for the first time whether they were recorded since the last tour or had never been previously performed on tours before this one, “Mission Statement” from Mandatory Fun, Yankovic’s latest polka medley “Polkamania!,” “Everything You Know is Wrong” from Bad Hair Day (1996),” Captain UnderPants” theme song, “Now You Know” from Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, the theme to the Disney animated series MiloMurphy’s Law It’s My World (and We’re All Living In It) as Yankovic said it’s the shortest song he’s ever performed. Although it’s been 11 years since Mandatory Fun, Yankovic has put out a Polka medley of songs from Broadway sensation Hamilton and “Polkamania!” which consists of covers going back to Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” (2014) to 2023 with Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” and also included Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” Adele’s “Hello,” “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Disney’s Encanto, Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” Lusi Fonsi’s “Desposito,” Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Fun,” Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP,” and Ariana Grande’s “thank u, next.” For each song the actual music video for it appeared on the screen. Since Yankovic’s second album in 1984, he has put out a Polka medley of covers of the biggest hits at the time and this was a compilation of hits since his last album release.

There have been 13 Weird Al albums plus the UHF Soundtrack. Of the 13 albums There were one to four songs performed from all except for his fourth release Polka Party!. The most songs were performed from Dare To Be Stupid totaling four.

For the first five songs the outfits stayed the same minus Yankovic’s blazer for “Tacky,” and Yankovic put another blazer on for “One More Minute With You,” and on that song he comes through the audience singing right in people’s faces. The first video shown since the intro video was the “Another Rides The Bus” scene from Weird The Al Yankovic Story featuring Daniel Radcliffe as Weird Al, Rainn Wilson as Dr. Demento, and Jack Black as Wolfman Jack. When the stage lights came on there was Yankovic and the band dressed in their Nirvana outfits for “Smells Like Nirvana.” Yankovic spit water onto the front row during the gargle solo. The next video was various clips of Yankovic followed by him and the band coming out in their Devo style outfits for “Dareto Be Stupid.” This year marks 40 years of that song and album of the same name.

Another video played of various clips ending with Yankovic and The Simpsons to allow for the next wardrobe change for the parodies medley. The medley began with everyone dressed in suits and sunglasses for “Party In the CIA,” then Yankovic took his blazer off for “It's All About the Pentiums,” then removed his button down shirt and sunglasses and had black shirt under for “Bedrock Anthem”. During the Flintones clip from the music video Yankovic picked up the accordion for “My Bologna” and “Ricky” off his first album, at this point of the show it showed just how long of a career Yankovic’s career has had how much it has evolved since the first album.  During “Ricky,” Donnelly plays Lucy.  Next came “Ode to a Superhero” with one of his crew members holding the harmonica while he played it and accordion together. The medley continued with “I Love Rocky Road” also from his debut album. Yankovic put on his “Beat It” jacket for “Eat It” and did the Michael Jackson dance moves just like in the video and also switched to keyboard. This was the first time since the first vanity tour in 2018 tour it had been performed, however it was part of an acoustic medley that tour and the last time the entire song was performed was in 1985. The medley continued with another early hit “Like a Surgeon” which he wore a doctor’s cap for. Yankovic stepped away from the keyboard and moved around the stage for “Word Crimes” and then put on a red and white maple leaf blazer for “Canadian Idiot.”  The band played song to song without stopping.

Before “Fat” the opening from the music video played and out came Yankovic just as he looked in the music video. Yankovic would go back to a Hawaiian shirt for the next six songs and there would also be a cover of David Bowie’s Suffragette City.” For “Skipper Dan,” Yankovic wore a skipper hat just like you see on the Disneyland Jungle Cruise Ride. Following “Stop Forwarding That Crap to Me,” one of the best videos of the night played. It was a parody of the movie “Whiplash” with Yankovic on accordion and just like in the movie J.K. Simmons as the teacher. Next would be a Jeopardy clip with the late Alex Trebek and the categories were titles of Weird Al songs. Out would come Yankovic on a segway for “White and Nerdy” dressed as he did in the video with the band wearing short sleeve button downs with pocket protectors and pens as well as wearing glasses. There would be another wardrobe change for the last song before the encore which was “Amish Paradise” with everyone dressed just like they were in the music video. Yankovic would announce the band before they all left the stage. Rather than a video segment for the wardrobe change the stage went dark.

For the encore, Valtierra dressed as Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars came out and got the crowd cheering then plays Bach’s “Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565” followed by Yankovic and the rest of the band coming out in their Jedi attire just like in “The Saga Begins” video and now having female members, Velligan and Donnelly dress as Rey and Gonzalez as Princess Leia as well as members of local 501st Legion dressed as stormtroopers, a sand trooper, a scout trooper and of course Darth Vader.  At the Shoreline Amphitheater show there were two snow troopers, and a Chewbacca. At MSG there was a remote controlled R2D2. Yankovic also brought back “We All Have Cell Phones” as the beginning of the encore taken from an interview with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe which is shown earlier in the show. Following “Saga Begins,” the legion exits the stage while Valtierra plays “Charge!” which you hear at baseball and hockey games and Yankovic, Jay, West, and Gregory all remove their Jedi robes and Yankovic picks up the accordion for the final time. During “Yoda,” Yankovic lets the audience sing the chorus and then him and band go A capella for three minutes with different chants, “Grim Grinning Ghosts’ from the Haunted Mansion Ride at Disneyland, The Rivington’s “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow,” and more before finishing the song. Bermuda had two “drum solos” during the show and the joke was it was just a single hit on the snare drum.

Setlist:TackyMission StatementPolkamania!Drum SoloEverything You Know Is WrongOne More MinuteSmells Like NirvanaDare to Be StupidParty in the CIA / It's All About the Pentiums / Bedrock Anthem / MyBologna / Ricky / Ode to a Superhero / I Love Rocky Road / Eat It /Like a Surgeon / Word Crimes / Canadian IdiotFatIt’s My World (and We’re All Living in It) - Milo Murphy’s Law ThemeCaptain Underpants Theme SongNow You KnowSuffragette City- David BowieSkipper DanDrum Solo (Reprise)eBayStop Forwarding That Crap to MeWhite & NerdyAmish ParadiseEncore:We All Have Cell PhonesThe Saga BeginsYodaThe post Weird Al Yankovic at the Honda Center first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From Warner’s EMP sell-off to Universal Music’s Briegmann promotion… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest headlines from the past few days...

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The Music Connection October Spotify Playlist is Live!October is here and our monthly playlist representing each issue is back.

Listen along with us as we get wild with some of cover girl Slayyyter's biggest bangers and enjoy artists (new and legacy) covered in the issue's Live Reviews, Album Reviews, Signing Stories and New Music Critiques.

While you're there please like and follow Music Connection's profile and check out our brand new playlist feature Sound System.

The post The Music Connection October Spotify Playlist is Live! first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Less than three months after exiting Kobalt, Willard Ahdritz officially launches Ahdritz Capital PartnersEx-Lazard banker Stephen Langer and former SSE Ventures CEO Isabel Keulen join the Kobalt founder's new firm.
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Margot Sinclair at Cat's Cradle, North CarolinaWeb: margotsinclair.com

Players: Kyle Mix, vocals; Luke Sutherland, guitar; Carson Baer, guitar; Owen Rice, bass guitar, background vocals; Donovan Hess, drums, background vocals

A totally unexpected quartet of Orange County escapees—perhaps slightly bewildered to find themselves this far east—takes the stage and, within seconds, traps the room in an opening crescendo. The “wow” factor is immediately off the chain. Mutinous electrons ricochet off the walls, rafters and bar, coalescing into soaring minor chords, barre-chord power surges and enormous slabs of guitar before somehow resolving back into the major.

Meet Margot Sinclair. Their first three songs are a gut punch to the inner ear. Imagine some of the country-rock brilliance of Sweetheart of the Rodeo, the early Byrds when Roger McGuinn’s Rickenbacker was practically weaponized, and a dose of Henry Rollins-era Black Flag being fired through the same electrical grid.

After exploding through “POV,” “Boat” and “Napalm,” Margot Sinclair locks into a groove train that simply refuses to let go. “Jealousy,” “Excuses” and “Jester” become absolute heaters—big, muscular songs propelled by a band that already understands something many young groups spend years figuring out: how to move as one organism without everybody fighting for the same square inch of sonic real estate.

These guys are dialed in from the first note, and frankly, they seem way too good to be from this part of the galaxy. As the set gathers kinetic propulsion, the thin crowd begins moving closer, bodies collecting around the stage as if somebody quietly turned on a giant musical electromagnet.

The four-piece rock machine bounces, swerves and rides the ramjet hard into “Ween,” “Free” and “Watching,” a closing three-song rattlesnake that leaves the room smoldering and the walls suspiciously sticky with groove juice.

There is unusual cohesion in this quartet. They ride each sound wave to its crest, then hand off verses, intros, rhythmic accents and melodic ideas with impressive smoothness. Nothing feels accidental, yet nothing feels overly rehearsed. There’s muscle here, but also restraint—and that combination is considerably harder to manufacture than sheer volume.

Sutherland’s guitar work is especially notable. Not overbearing, not underwhelming—just the right amount, at the right moment, saying exactly what the song needs said. Having already been through the live-performance grinder at rooms like The Troubadour in Los Angeles and Rickshaw Stop in San Francisco, Margot Sinclair has clearly had time to sharpen the machinery.

Carson Baer and Rice kick this musical golf ball straight through the Garden Hose of Groove, supplying compression, clarity and dynamic punch while keeping the whole contraption moving forward. Then there’s Kyle Mix, with enough vocal range, presence and raw power to suggest that this band has considerably larger stages ahead of it.

If there’s a crack in the veneer—and you have to look pretty hard to find one—it’s this: once Margot Sinclair reaches full bore, they are so strong, so relentless and occasionally so overwhelming that your head and ears start begging for a little dynamic daylight. Give us a whisper. A crack in the door. Twenty seconds to locate our internal organs before firing up the engines again. But that will come. Margot Sinclair has a future so bright it hurts your eyes.

The post Margot Sinclair at Cat's Cradle, North Carolina first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Oasis archive recordings pulled from auction as band take legal action against former sound engineerThe claim was filed in the High Court in London on Tuesday (September 29)
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Megadeth Rocks The Grammy MuseumOn a warm Thursday night, right in the middle of Downtown Los Angeles amidst tall buildings, honking horns, and a thin layer of grey smog, Megadeth visited The Grammy Museum’s Ray Charles Terrace for a special Q&A and live performance, which proved to be almost too heavy for the usually quiet museum to handle.

For the sold-out event, excited metal fans lined up on the sidewalk of Figueroa Street, some waiting for hours prior to doors opening at around 6:30 p.m. Slowly, people were let in and made their way up to the fifth floor of the museum, home to an open-air patio with the beautiful cityscape in the background, and about 200 seats lined up in rows in front of a small stage, one that almost seemed too small for this band.

Bright red stage lights faced the audience, who waited until about 7:40 p.m. for the programming to begin. A small merchandise table was set up in the lobby near the venue’s entrance, selling about five Megadeth shirts and two different hats. None were official tour merchandise, but instead generic band items ranging in price from $40 to $100.

Beginning with a Q&A moderated by television host and music journalist Matt Pinfield, the band sat down in four seats on stage and answered questions related to their most recent (and supposedly final) studio album, the 11-track self-titled Megadeth. Frontman Dave Mustaine was a bit quiet for most questions until he was asked about the process behind recording the album and whether there were any extra songs written. He answered that the band has many megabytes of unused music from throughout their career that he’d still be interested in revisiting and potentially releasing, while specifically stating that it would not be for another studio album.

The band was then surprised with official plaques commemorating the album reaching No. 1 in nine countries upon its release - a clear sign that rock and metal are indeed alive and well.

After answering a few more fan-submitted questions, the band took about a 20-minute break while their gear, microphones, and setlists were brought onto the stage. Some audience members began standing up from their seats in anticipation, almost hesitantly wondering if the rest of the crowd was really going to stay seated for a Megadeth concert. That would be almost sacrilegious.

The night grew darker and the city lights began shining brighter as the band finally stepped onto the stage at 8:45 p.m., guitars in hand. They started with three tracks from their recent album: the three No. 1 singles “Tipping Point,” “I Don’t Care,” and crowd favorite that everyone was singing along with, “Let There Be Shred.”

It was an unusual audience for this type of show, with only a few true headbangers near the front and scattered throughout the small terrace. Most people stood completely still to film the performance, almost shocked at how loud the roar of the band’s guitars were. C’mon people, haven’t you ever been to a metal concert before?

Dave Mustaine said a few thank-yous between songs before proceeding to play some of the band’s older material. Another fan favorite, “Sweating Bullets,” came next, followed by “Symphony of Destruction” and “Peace Sells,” during which the band’s mascot, Vic, walked through the audience throwing Megadeth-themed money to everyone before joining the band on stage.

As an audience member, it most certainly felt like a private show and almost too good to be true for a ticket priced at only $65. The band then ended with a bang on “Holy Wars,” during which Mustaine introduced each member: Teemu Mäntysaari on lead guitar, James LoMenzo on bass, and Dirk Verbeuren on drums.

When the final chord rang out, the audience looked around at each other in amazement, feeling lucky to have witnessed this performance on such a small scale.

Overall, it was an amazing night at The Grammy Museum with, no doubt, one of the loudest metal bands to have performed there to date. Hopefully, the night inspired many audience members to stream the band’s new record, purchase some merchandise, and potentially even buy a ticket to see the band live again at one of their shows this coming weekend at BMO Stadium, opening for Iron Maiden.

Keep up with all things Megadeth on the band’s website, here.

The post Megadeth Rocks The Grammy Museum first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Red Light Management and The Very Good launch Red Light Management ScandinaviaIt will be headed by Red Light Management UK founder James Sandom and The Very Good founder and CEO Jakob Emtestam.
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Vaux Records' Craig Ericson, FounderYears with Company: Less than one

Address: Portland, OR

Web: vauxrecords.com

Email: vauxrecords.com/contact

Clients: J Noire

BACKGROUND

Craig Ericson, the founder of Rise Records, is a vaunted figure in the world of alternative and heavy music, having signed and developed an avalanche of heavy hitters including Dance Gavin Dance, Sleeping With Sirens, and Beartooth. He sold Rise in 2015, but now he’s back in the game with a new label, Vaux Records.

Rising Up

I started Rise in 1991 and then got serious about it in 2000. It slowly kept getting bigger and bigger. BMG was sniffing around and announced they were looking to buy independent labels. I only had eight employees, and it was getting chaotic. And BMG made a killer offer. I wasn’t looking to sell, so I got a good deal. 

Outside the Labels

I opened a bar with a friend, and it did not do well. COVID happened, and it shut down. I’m part owner of a pizza restaurant in Portland, which is doing great. I was flipping houses. I would buy a mid-century modern house and fix it up. I did that five times, and then my back started hurting. I’ve been raising my daughter, too. 

Back In

Last year, I decided to start a new label. I have six bands signed, and one announced [J Noire]. Over the next few months, I’m going to be announcing a slew of bands, and it’s going to be diverse. It’s under the rock umbrella, but it’s going to have some metalcore, some industrial vibe, a female-fronted band, a band from Switzerland… It’s been fun schmoozing and doing the hustle again.

The Itch

Rise was kicking butt when I sold it. It still is. Back then, I was like, ‘I’d be crazy to start a new label.’ But then you start missing it. You see all your music industry friends on Facebook and Instagram. I was a part of all that, and suddenly I wasn’t. It’s more than just a business. It’s the camaraderie, the traveling, all that stuff. Discovering new bands is euphoric. It’s addictive almost. I never was doing it for the money. Maybe that’s why it worked in the first place. 

Yes, Master

I’m going to own the masters, which is pretty rare these days. I’m not really into licensing. If I’m going to put all the money into it and risk everything, I need that asset not to go away after a few years.

Staying Hard

The music I focus on has always been under the rock umbrella: hardcore, punk, metal. It’s guitar-based and mainly heavy. There are probably 50 subgenres of rock: death metal, black metal, speed metal, hardcore, shoegaze. I like it heavy, but I would sign Dashboard Confessional in a second. I don’t want to try something too new. I know all the people in the heavy music industry, and it’s where I fit. 

Seeking Developing Acts

It’s going to be hard to sign an established band, because I have limited resources. [I’m looking for] baby bands. They’re not going to kick your ass over the contract too much, because they’re unknown. I do really fair deals, so they’re not going to get ripped off; it’s just I don’t have to pay a shitload of money upfront. You sign big bands for hundreds of thousands of dollars, and if it flops you’re out. So it’s a little more safe. And young bands typically tend to be these hardcore, metalcore bands. There’s no other genre or scene where you can sign bands made up of 20 year olds.

Doing A&R

Have you heard of Sumerian Records? They put out Bad Omens and Poppy and Asking Alexandria. I worked for Ash [Avildsen] for like six months as an A&R guy. It didn’t work out long-term, but I had fun doing it. It wasn’t quite for me. I needed to be the boss. I had to ask for permission too much. It was a little too slow; I work faster.

J NOIRE

When I moved to Tennessee, my neighbor was Hugh McDonald, the bass player of Bon Jovi. I got to know him and his wife, and his stepson was in a metal band called Guillotine doing covers at JBJ’s Nashville. And I’m like, ‘Bro, you’re too good to just play covers on Monday nights at the bar.’ 

Tour, Tour, Tour

The biggest thing is touring. That’s the number one goal—get on the road. If you’re not actively touring, it’s pretty much impossible to make it to the next level. Number two is good videos and a publicist. Play-listing can get you somewhere now, but word of mouth is still king.

Roster Size

Once I hit 10 bands, that’s probably all I’m going to be able to do for now. Maybe it’s 12. Maybe it’s eight. Whenever I say I’m done signing, the next day some band comes along. There’s always room for a good band. When a label says, ‘Our roster’s full. Thanks for the inquiry,’ it’s just them being nice, because they’ll sign at any moment if the artist is that special. 

Putting Rise Artists On YouTube

Back when it was MySpace, you could post a whole album for free. And then MySpace went away, so there was nowhere you could listen to music for free except YouTube. And back then, the big labels didn’t even post their videos. I was like, ‘Let’s post every single song.’ We literally put thousands of songs on YouTube. And it worked. We were streaming a million a day. And we were getting paid for it. Our best marketing tool was writing us big checks.

[The labels] don’t like to give away music. They wanted to post maybe one song, but not the whole album. And then people started downloading illegally, which helped me immensely, because they were downloading all of my bands. It’s ironic that illegal downloading helped my label. 

History and Principles

I have a pretty good track record of being good to my bands, helping them get big, paying royalties on time. No bullshit. So if an artist signs to my label, they should know what to expect. There shouldn’t be a lot of bad surprises. Honesty, integrity… all that shit. 

The Familial Touch

I’m proud of how I treated all the bands on Rise. I had a great relationship with just about all of them. They come to my house before the tours, stay the night at my house, and we have a barbecue. It’s a family affair once they’re in.

The Road Warrior Mindset

Have that mentality of trying to play every weekend. Look up a town an hour away, find a local band, and tour with them. Don’t wait for shit to happen. Be proactive. You’ve got to self-promote. A lot of people are too cool to self-promote, but you have to in the beginning. If you just record and never play, it’s never going to happen. Make friends with the other bands in town. Support them. Play the city a few hours from you, and then play the one a few more hours away. Get big in your region as best you can. And the singer should always sell merch after they play. They should run to the merch tables and meet their fans, because when that happens you sell way more merch. Go out and mingle. 

Don’t Just Take a Label’s Word

Have all the things [a label promises] in writing. They should commit to the recording budget, hopefully a publicist, and some digital ad money. Make them pay for things. That’s the whole point—they front things, and you split the money afterwards. It’s a simple business concept. The post Vaux Records' Craig Ericson, Founder first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Live Nation to open 4,400-capacity Nashville venue The Truth on October 1, with sold-out Miranda Lambert showLive Nation first unveiled The Truth in October 2025
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Nicole Alexis Signs to Hard Working RecordsDate Signed: April 2026

Label: Hard Working Records

Type of Music: Alternative

Management: Self-managed

Legal: Aaron Steinberg - Marucs & Colvin LLP

Publicity: Becky Kovach - Big Picture Media

A&R: Dirk Hemsath, David Conway

Web: nicolealexismusic.com

No sooner had alt-acoustic artist Nicole Alexis (often wonderfully stylized as N/A) dropped her debut Mirrors & Smoke EP, then the announcement was made that she had signed on with Nashville imprint the Hardworking Record Company. It’s a just reward for an artist who has been writing songs for as long as she can remember.

“I started playing music when I was young, and songwriting became my way of making sense of whatever I was feeling,” Alexis says. “I believe I was around 13 when I wrote my first full song—it was called “Superman” and I never wrote it with the intention of writing a song, it just came so naturally based on the situation I was going through at the time. When I started middle school, I was playing in bands with my friends in a ‘school of rock’ program, which allowed us to play some of the most iconic venues in the Atlanta metro, and sometimes three shows a week. At first, I did not like it because I was so shy and insecure about my playing when I was young but after many years of performing live, I really grew comfortable with not being afraid of messing up and having fun, being able to do what I love for an audience. Over the years it’s gone from being something I had fun doing to something I genuinely can’t imagine my life without.”

Alexis describes her sound as fitting somewhere between alternative rock and singer-songwriter.

“I’ve always been drawn to emotional, honest lyrics, but sonically my music has evolved quite a bit,” she says. “I produce, mix, and master all of my own music, which gives me a lot of creative freedom, but it also comes with plenty of trial and error.”

The artist connected with Hardworking earlier in 2026, and it felt like a good fit after the two parties talked. “What really stood out was that they believed in the vision I already had instead of trying to change who I was as an artist,” Alexis says. “They understood that I wanted to keep creating authentic music and growing the project naturally, so it felt like a partnership rather than just signing a deal.”

Alexis recorded Mirrors & Smoke at her home studio in Nashville. “I wrote, produced and mixed it myself, which is always something I’m really proud of,” she says. “I wanted it to feel personal from start to finish, so I spent a lot of time experimenting with sounds, recording live instruments, and letting the songs develop naturally instead of rushing the process. It’s probably the most honest collection of songs I’ve written, and I think it really captures where I am both as a songwriter and as a producer.”

With the “Goodbye” single also out now, and shows getting booked, expect a lot more from her. 

Photo by @kesa-luxe

The post Nicole Alexis Signs to Hard Working Records first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Shining a DIY Spotlight on Andrea MageeNorthern Ireland-born indie folk artist Andrea Magee, based in Austin, TX, was just seven years old when she started performing in her family band.

“Coming from Ireland, music was just something we did at home—it was woven into daily life,” Magee says. “The moment it got real for me was a week playing in a bar in Ardara, Co. Donegal, when someone handed me twenty punt at the end of the run. I remember thinking, ‘I get to do the thing I love and get paid for it? This is so cool.’ That was it. I was hooked.”

The artist says that she’s carved out her own little world with her sound. “I play traditional Irish instruments and build most of my sound around the bodhrán,” she says. “If I had to put it in a box I’d call it Celtic Americana, but honestly, it’s a bit of everything. I just try to keep it honest and real.”

That can be heard on her most recent and third full-length solo album, Wild Women, which dropped in May.

“I’m really proud of it,” Magee says. “It’s an honest reflection of life—I use music to cope with whatever gets thrown at me, and I tend to write from that place. I got to work with some of the best musicians in Austin on it, I loved the recording process, and the response has meant the world.”

For Magee, the DIY ethic is the core of her career to date. “When I first came to America twelve years ago, someone said to me: if there isn’t a door, build one,” she says. “It stuck, and it’s been my approach ever since—I should probably get it tattooed on me at this stage. It’s especially true of She Rises Fest, which just wrapped its fourth year. That festival is DIY to its bones, and I have a wonderful team who all work that way too. In this industry, if you want something to exist, you have to build it and figure it out as you go.”

Looking ahead, Magee has plenty for the remainder of 2026. “Right now, I’m relishing the album and the success of She Rises 4,” she says. “We’ve already started on She Rises 5, so expect a lineup announcement before long. I’m heading to Ireland for a month to see my family, then September is a very busy touring month around Colorado and New Mexico. After that, I’ll let the world unfold and let the music go wherever it needs to go.”

andremageemusic.comThe post Shining a DIY Spotlight on Andrea Magee first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

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