Trances Arc plays Molly Malone's Wed, Nov 4th

Hope everyone still has their candy-buzz going, cause you’re going to need it to catch all the great music happening this week.  First up, the next 48 hours… Tonight A&R Knights, which has a new home at On the Rox (that’s above The Roxy), features Austin Gibbs and Samuel Stewart.  Same recession-proof rules apply, $5 or FREE with biz card. Those in-the-know will know why you need to be at this show… S1 Songs (NYC) artist Trances Arc plays Molly Malone’s tomorrow night (11/04) at 8:00PM. Trances Arc hails from Athens, GA and is another impressive band to emerge from this region so seemingly fertile with quality indie/alt-rock.  They recently toured with fellow peach-staters The Whigs and Dead Confederate, and just released their new EP Radians last week. Check it out: www.myspace.com/trancesarc

For Trances Arc list hook-up email: info@rm64.com

Up next the Rumble L.A. party and Revival Tour, stay tuned…

Nation Afire @ Viper Room tomorrow night (10/28)

Nations Afire is a new band comprised of former members of Rise Against, Ignite and Death By Stereo.  Forming in early in 2009, the band recorded their debut EP The Uprising in a mere two-weeks and then hightailed it to Europe, touring with bands such as NOFX and The Get Up Kids.  They’ve been featured in Alternative Press as their Unsigned Band of the Month, and we hear one label has already put paper on the table while others are scrambling.  Nations Afire hit the stage at midnight tomorrow night (10/28) at the Viper Room. For more info and list requests, hit up jimmulhearn@freezemanagement.com

http://www.myspace.com/nationsafire

In other updates and tidbits… San Diego’s Allstar have signed to Hollywood Records, indie-wunderkind Avi Buffalo lands at Sub Pop Records and Lucas Keller joins management powerhouse The Collective.  Keller’s roster includes TV/TV who recently signed to Q-Prime-backed Mom & Pop Records.

—

PRESS RELEASE

October 2, 2009

THE KILLERS AND FORMER MANAGER SETTLE ALL DISPUTES
Las Vegas, Nevada

Former manager Braden Merrick and the rock band The Killers have dismissed their breach of contract and other pending claims upon reaching a confidential settlement of all disputes with each other.

A spokesperson for The Killers stated: “The Killers are pleased that the matter has been resolved and thank Braden Merrick for his contributions.”

Braden Merrick expressed his best wishes for the band’s continuing success. Merrick is currently a partner at a new label venture called Bright Antenna and quietly developing new talent to be revealed in 2010 under his artist management company From The Future.

Legal Woes Over

After a three year legal battle and millions of dollars spent in legal fees, we hear that superstar rock act the Killers have settled the legal dispute with their former manager Braden Merrick who initiated the suit in 2006 for breach of contract after the band terminated his management duties in 2005. Merrick alleged that he had two years left on his management contract with the band and was seeking his commissions from the band’s earnings. Although we hear the settlement paperwork is not finalized, Merrick is rumored to be paid a 7-figure amount to settle the matter. According to several sources, Merrick was suing both the band and their current manager Robert Reynolds for a multi-million dollar claim. During the legal battle, the band served a petition with the California Labor Commission citing several violations against Merrick in order to void their management agreement with him. While both parties are reportedly happy that the dispute is over, they continue to be on unfriendly terms.

Well, Frank. We’ll soon walk the walk and talk the talk as we’re less than 2 weeks away from the Vegas Music Summit. The event happens Sept 23-24, 2009 and will feature 2 nights of showcases and 1 day of panels. RM 64 is offering complimentary industry badges and the daytime panels are FREE and open to the public. Did we mention…FREE!!! Our host hotel, the El Cortez has informed us that the VMS reserved rooms are sold out! But there are still some rooms available at the Fremont Hotel and the Golden Nugget. VMS sponsors include: SESAC, Miller Lite, BMI, Smash Magazine, A&R Knights, Hell Ya! and ASCAP. For more info, log on to: www.VegasMusicSummit.com. In the meantime, here’s a brief list of confirmed speakers:

Sara Berkowitz / Viper Room (Hollywood)
Joe Fleischer / BigChampagne
Jeff Sosnow / Interscope Records
Matt Messer / EMI Music Publishing
Jennifer Knoepfle / Sony-ATV Music
Mark Weinberg / Producer (O.A.R, Matt Nathanson)
Josh Feingold / SESAC
Tom DeSavia / Notable Music
Eric German / Mitchell, Silbbererg & Knupp
Jason Reynolds / Myspace Records
Josh Briggs / ASCAP
Jennie Smythe / Girlilla Marketing
Adrian Amadeo / Geffen Records
Eddie Meehan / GroundCtrl
Jon Nelson / Band Bitch

baby, we'll be up five-hundy by midnight!

The RM 64 crew is closing out the summer of ‘09 by heading to that magical place in the desert where dreams, marriages and a month’s salary could all be lost or won in a matter of minutes. The Vegas Music Summit will take place on Sept 23 – 24, 2009. The mini-confab will host 2 nights of showcases at the Beauty Bar and 1 day of panels at the El Cortez Hotel & Casino in beautiful Downtown Las Vegas. Showcasing acts are currently on the A&R tip sheet and have been handpicked by LA talent/event promoters A&R Knights, Hell Ya! and RM 64. We’ll be hosting cocktail mixers in between sets at our lounge in The Griffin two doors down from the Beauty Bar. Event sponsors include Miller Lite, SESAC, ASCAP, Smash Magazine and BMI. Daytime panels and industry badges are FREEEEE!!! (“You’re killing me Larry!”) Panels will feature Major and Indie label A&R execs, Producers, Managers, Attorneys and Music Publishers. So come on down, cause just like the boys in the Hangover, you too could party ’till the early morn and wake up to find a tiger sleeping in your hotel bathroom. Stay tuned to this space for showcase and panel updates. For more info and to be on our comp industry badge list, email us at info@RM64.com

Breaking Benjamin Find New Mgmt

UPDATE: We hear Breaking Benjamin have tapped Jordan Feldstein and Rich Egan for management.  The Hollywood Records act was recently at the center of a highly competitive derby with a number of high-profile managers making a play to land the band.

L.A.'s Dawes

Time for a little roundup on the goings-on of late…

It looks like L.A. folk-rockers Dawes (formerly Simon Dawes) have found a new place to call home with the ATO Records family.  The band self-released an album of new material, North Hills, earlier this year and is currently winding their way across the country with a whole batch of dates taking them through July.  In other ‘roots’ news, the uber-group Monsters of Folk appear to be shopping a monster of a deal for their newly completed studio album.  MOF is made-up of Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes), Jim James (My Morning Jacket) and M. Ward.  Also currently fielding offers is the reunited Jesus & Mary Chain who have an arsenal of new material ready.

An update on the management derby that was ratcheting up on Florida’s Fake Problems, it looks like Randy Nichols for Red Light Management has snapped up the SideOneDummy artist whose new album and live show has been perking ears and turning heads.   And more on the new music front is Glasgow’s Twin Atlantic, who had their first L.A. performance last night at the Viper Room.  There was plenty of press and film/tv sups in the packed room to checkout the new Red Bull Records artist, not to mention some assorted A&R players out to pay respects and see what they missed.   Speaking of A&R, we’re hearing some interesting names that have been walking the halls of ASCAP West Coast with the membership vacancy in their sights.  Stay tuned…

Till Next Year 6th St.

We hope you’re recovering. South-By-Southwest 2009 is over and done. Once again, the Spring Break for the music biz continues to prove itself as a world-class showcase arena for emerging talent. In light of the economic climate, the confab was reportedly down in attendance by 10%. But it made for shorter lines and a much more manageable crowd down 6th Street. In addition, it made getting into big events less hectic. We heard the Guitar Hero Metallica show was fairly painless to get into. Those who had passes for the event walked right in without waiting in any lines. But what was different this year compared to the past few was the emergence of several unsigned acts that captured a focused attention by UK and US talent scouts. The buzz for Silverlake act Local Natives seemed to grow after their first showcase gig. By Friday, a large contingent of the British music biz was in attendance. By Sat, both UK and US talent execs were in the hunt. The Temper Trap reportedly has more offers on the table and the management derby on Fake Problems continues to heat up as well. Meanwhile, acts such as Glasvegas and Canadian outfit The Arkells were on the A&R hot list. Other notable showcasing acts included Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, White Denim and the Redlight-managed Alberta Cross.  And we heard Kanye West’s not-so secret show at the Fader Fort surpassed expectations. Well, we hope you had fun. Until then, we’ll have to wait another year for some Austin BBQ and Shiner Boch. Next up, Coachella…

Hyro Playing Bamboozle

We’re back on the beat and enjoying the extra hour of daylight, we hope you are too – here’s a quick rundown on some bustling of late… On the East Coast, Peter Malkin has joined Dave Holmes’ management outfit, clients include Coldplay, Interpol and Rilo Kiley among others. Meanwhile, NYC-based publishing veteran Harry Poloner is now at a creative post at Songs Music Publishing.

Last week Vagrant Records announced the signing of far. Their cover of Genuwine’s “Pony” has been making a big splash at Modern Rock radio over the last few months and the band is currently finishing up a new album due this spring…  Speaking of signings, we are big fans of Buzzbands L.A. blog (http://buzzbands.la/) written by former L.A. Times columnist Kevin Bronson. Last week, Buzzbands was first to report that the highly-sought after derby for indie darlings Airborne Toxic Event went to Island Def Jam…

Among the new additions to Bamboozle (Left) for 2009 and one of the artists featured in Alternative Press’ latest “100 Bands You Need To Know” issue, is Hyro Da Hero. The indie rock/mix-tape rapper will be on the Bamboozle line-up this year, along with headliners Fall Out Boy, 50 Cent and the Deftones. The event takes place at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre on April 4th and 5th in Irvine, CA.

In The Mix: Blaze James, Jon Nelson and Menya

Email us: blog@rm64.com

Checkout a little SXSW opening night showcase list and stay tuned for more SXSW show picks later this week… And don’t forget the all-important FREE event list, provided by the good folks at New Music Tipsheet here:
http://www.newmusictipsheet.com/sxswpartylist2009.pdf

- Wednesday March 18th –

Get your pre-drinking drinking done @ The Mohawk (912 Red River @ E. 10th) for BMI’s Austinist day-party with TV/TV, Telekinesis and others…

Stop by the SESAC Showcase @ Volume (612 E 6th Street) to catch Mieka, Young Love, Blacklist and more…

And finally get dirty on ASCAP with Chief, The Temper Trap and Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head among others @ The Dirty Dog (505 E 6th Street)