Just wanted to update my blog readers on the TalentTrove.com contest I had been writing about. Although the official contest rules stated that voting would end at midnight on Sunday, June 7, the poll used for the voting was setup to stop taking votes at 11:21 a.m. this morning for some reason.
I sent an e-mail to TalentTrove.com for clarification asking about the official end date and all I received back was what looked like an auto-reply because it didn’t answer my question. Actually, it raised more questions since the message it sent back to me included this:
TalentTrove will post the top finalists on Friday May 29th 10 AM and voting will last until Sunday June 7th at Midnight. The winner will be announced Monday June 8th at 10 AM.
But the poll is still closed so I guess voting — and the contest — is over a bit ahead of schedule, which is kind of lame.
My song “Vortex (2009)” lost by one vote, but I would like to congratulate fellow New Jerseyan Dennis Crocker for his contest-winning “55 MPH.”
Thank you to all who supported me in this endeavor.
You can help me win the contest by visiting the site to place your vote for “Vortex (2009)” (it’s the third song down from the top in the list of songs).
“Vortex (2009)” is a reworked version of a techno instrumental song I originally wrote in 1992 or so, featuring the sounds of a Roland Jupiter synthesizer I used to have. You can listen to it on the song’s TalentTrove.com media page, or you can listen to it using the embedded player below.
It is a tight race and “Vortex (2009)” is in second place as I write this. Voting ends this Sunday night (June 7), shortly before midnight.
Now, you do need to register on TalentTrove.com in order to vote, but I would greatly appreciate it if you went the extra step to support me — and my song — in this contest. Besides, you may have a talent you want to share with the world and TalentTrove.com may be the place for you to do that.
As I posted yesterday, I recently learned of an online talent community called TalentTrove.com, which holds a series of talent contests among its members. The site just finished accepting submissions for Best Piano/Keyboard Performance and I managed to submit a reworked techno song from my past called “Vortex.” It’s not really what I am into these days, but of all the songs I have written and recorded over the years, “Vortex” seemed to best capture the spirit of this particular contest.
Anyway, I am happy to report that “Vortex” is indeed one of four nominees for Best Piano/Keyboard Performance on TalentTrove.com.
I would love for my friends to support me in this endeavor, especially since the prize is $100. However, in order to vote, you need to be a member of TalentTrove.com, so there is a level of commitment involved.
But since so many of my friends are talented artists who could probably benefit from the tools provided by TalentTrove.com, such as media uploads and social networking features, I think you might wind up enjoying the site.
In any case, I really hope you enjoy the song. If you go the extra step to vote for me, I want you to know your efforts will be greatly appreciated.
And thank you to TalentTrove.com for this opportunity!
So I recently became aware of a great online community called TalentTrove.com, which I kind of think of as “Star Search 2.0.” Basically, it is one big talent search site featuring all the social networking tools you know and love (friends, messaging, forums, and — most recently — blogs).
What sets it apart from other social networking sites is that TalentTrove.com puts an emphasis on getting talented artists — spanning several disciplines (which I’ll get to later) — discovered by the rest of the community, as well as external audiences. This creates a network of friends all supporting each other’s creative endeavors. Through the daily “Stage of the Day” profile (profiles are referred to as “stages”…or a person’s “MyStage”) and the editor’s picks featured on the home page, the site promotes the talents of its own members to both the TalentTrove.com community and to external visitors.
In addition, there is TalentTrove.com Radio and TalentTrove.tv. TalentTrove Radio provides streaming audio of programs and music featuring the audio-based talent found on the site. TalentTrove.tv, meanwhile, provides channel-based navigation of the user-generated videos found on TalentTrove.com.
The site also has regular contests, such as Best Comedian, Best Cover Band, Best Singer, Best Guitar Solo, Best Drum Solo, etc., which are voted on by other members of the TT.com community (more on these later).
And getting back to what kind of talent is on TalentTrove.com…well, it’s probably easier to talk about what talents are NOT featured on TalentTrove.com, because almost any kind of talent imaginable is showcased on the site. Of course, you have your musicians, bands and singers. But you also have actors, comedians, writers, dancers, culinary artists, craftspeople…just go to TalentTrove.com and click on “categories” to see for yourself.
The site can also be used by people seeking an online portfolio, as TalentTrove.com accepts uploads in the form of audio, video, photos and text (and the upload process is pretty easy). Another great feature is that it allows you to copy videos you may have already uploaded to YouTube so you don’t have to go through the trouble of uploading the same video to your TalentTrove.com profile (or stage).
While TalentTrove.com is a relatively young company, it has received some pretty strong press and it appears to be gaining a devoted following.
OK, back to the talent contests. TalentTrove.com was recently seeking submissions for a Best Piano/Keyboard Peformance contest. Now, I know I’m not that great of a keyboard player, but there was this techno thing called “Vortex” I recorded back in the early 1990s that I thought would be my best option for the contest. Even though techno really isn’t my thing anymore, I felt it best represented a full keyboard peformance. Even though all of my songs are keyboard-based, I cover a lot of the crappy playing with fake strings and stuff that take the emphasis off the actual keyboard playing.
However, the only recorded version of “Vortex” I have was done on an old 4-track cassette recorder and the song is poorly mixed with a couple of audio glitches thrown in, as well.
So I decided to try to record the song entirely from scratch using GarageBand on my MacBook. I didn’t have much time to do this either, but I managed to remember how most of it went. I didn’t necessarily need it to be an exact copy of the original. I just wanted to capture the spirit and feel of the original song while updating it a bit. Unfortunately, a lot of the sounds on the original recording came from an old Roland Jupiter synthesizer I had for a few years. However, I sold it to Christian Beach’s former keyboard player in Slave of Id and Artists That Kill. That meant I was going to have to settle for the weak sounds included with GarageBand instead of the fat, warm Jupiter sounds featured on the original. But I still think it came out pretty well, considering I was trying to reconstruct a 17-year-old song while working under a tight deadline with little time to spare.
Anyway, I submitted “Vortex” to the TalentTrove.com contest. The finalists will be revealed tomorrow (Friday, May 29) at 10 a.m., but even if it’s not among the candidates, I am glad the contest inspired me to bring another old song of mine back to life.
You can listen to the new version of “Vortex” by going to its media page on my TalentTrove.com stage, or by using the embedded player below.
Like I said, this isn’t really my kind of music anymore, but let me know what you think.
Christian Beach CD Release Party - Click for PDF Flyer
As mentioned earlier on this blog, I will be part of the backing band for my good friend, singer-songwriter Christian Beach, when he takes to the stage at The Saint (601 Main St.) in Asbury Park, NJ, this Friday night as he celebrates the recent release of his self-titled, solo CD.
Joining in the festivities will be Arlan Feiles and The Lone Howdys, as well as The Sunday Blues. Doors open at 8 p.m. and tickets are just $10.
Christian’s band this time out includes John Pfeiffer (Well of Souls, In Between Dreams) on electric guitars, Michael Scotto (Agency) on drums and percussion, Gorgo (Private Sector) on mandolin and bass, Keith McCarthy (The Works, The Sunday Blues) on bass, and yours truly on organ, accordion and tambourine.
If you are in the area and are available that night, please feel free to come to the show. If you want to get a taste of Christian’s music, visit his new web site at ChristianBeach.net, or visit him on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/christianbeach. Plus, he is now on Facebook and Twitter.
…well, I didn’t run an official 5K…but I did just run 3.1 miles since it’s so freakin’ warm out and I wanted to take advantage of it.
March is the best…spring training, college basketball tournaments and you can have about six inches of snow and 73 degrees in the same week (which is, in fact, what just happened).
Anyway, back to the run…I have never been much of a jogger or runner since cycling is more my thing. However, in August 2006, my bike sustained a flat tire that I was too lazy to get fixed for a few weeks. But instead of doing nothing, I went out to the track behind the school next to where I lived at the time and started running.
And, as fate would have it, our division at Rider University (where I was working at the time) signed up for the Mercer County Heart Walk/5K Run. Nearly everybody signed up for the walk, but I figured I might as well challenge myself and do the 5K.
My goals for that event were to a) not have a heart attack, and b) assuming “a” didn’t happen, finish in under 30 minutes.
I crossed the finish line at 27 minutes, 54 seconds.
After I did the one 5K, I planned to do at least three a year. I was pumped!
Of course, I haven’t done one since. And, worse, I haven’t even done much running in the duration.
But with today’s nice weather, I decided to run for the first time since maybe early last summer. Considering all of that, I didn’t do too badly…29 minutes, 54 seconds. So maybe I’ll give this running thing a try again.
Another reason to start running again? Back when I was running quite regularly in 2006, it was part of a personal weight-loss initiative — prompted by a heart disease scare that turned out to be false — that resulted in my losing 35 pounds. Unfortunately, I needed to lose five more pounds to reach my target weight, which would have put me at “normal” weight based on BMI (body mass index). For the first time in forever, I would have officially been “not overweight.”
But I never made it to that point. Once the weather turned colder, I stopped running and started gaining weight again. The good thing was that I didn’t gain it all back, but I did put back on about 20 pounds or so.
Well, now that I live with my girlfriend, who is very health-conscious (at least 90 percent of the time), I have managed to lose 10 of those pounds without really even trying. So, at this point, I’m about 15 pounds away from hitting that BMI-based weight target.
I might as well go for it.
Although I am really craving pizza and wings right now. Mmm…pizza and wings.
Mark your calendars for April 10…not only is it my wonderful girlfriend’s birthday, but my friend Christian Beach will be celebrating the recent release of his self-titled CD with a show at The Saint in Asbury Park, NJ.
I will once again be part of Christian’s backing band, helping out on organ and accordion, as he performs the entire 12-song CD in tracklist order. Christian will be hitting the stage around 10 p.m. and tickets are just $10.
If you are in the area and are available that night, please feel free to come to the show. If you want to get a taste of Christian’s music, visit his new web site at ChristianBeach.net, or visit him on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/christianbeach.
My friend, singer-songwriter Christian Beach, will be bringing his band to the stage for a four-song set at the historic Strand Theater in Lakewood, NJ, on Saturday, February 7, 2009. I will be part of the backing band, playing organ and accordion.
Christian recorded a cover of Winter Hours’ “I Want” for the CD, which is available on the Main Man Records web site and on iTunes. He will be performing that song, as well as three tracks off his soon-to-be-available, self-titled CD.
The headlining act is Gordon Gano (Violent Femmes) and the Ryan Brothers, so it is sure to be a great night of music at The Strand.
UPDATE: The show is not being broadcast by WBJB-FM 90.5 The Night. That info was based on an ill-advised assumption (and aren’t all assumptions ill-advised?) on my part based on something I saw on the radio station’s web site. So unless you buy a ticket, you are going to miss this incredible show…and that would be a shame.
“Hair Apparent – The Main Man Records Tribute to Hair Bands”
A couple of weeks ago, I posted that “Hair Apparent – The Main Man Records Tribute to Hair Bands,” featuring a bluegrass version of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock” recorded by Christian Beach, was going to be on sale at www.mainmanrecords.com today, Sept. 2. That information was taken from a blog posting on Main Man Records’ MySpace profile.
Well, Main Man has just set up a “Hair Apparent” MySpace profile, which states next Tuesday, Sept. 9, as the actual release date (it will be available on iTunes in October)…so look for it then.
Christian’s version of “I Wanna Rock” will be the fifth track on the CD and also features Dan Mulvey on upright bass, Michael Scotto (of Agency) on drums, John Pfeiffer on Dobro, Gorgo on mandolin and yours truly on accordion.
A few weeks ago, my friend, singer-songwriter Christian Beach, recorded a bluegrass version of Twisted Sister’s “I Wanna Rock” for an upcoming Main Man Records tribute to 80s hair metal. I contributed the accordion part and some backing vocals to the track.
Well, Main Man Records posted a blog on its MySpace site a few days ago to announce that “Hair Apparent” will be available for sale at www.mainmanrecords.com beginning September 2, 2008.
Here is the tracklisting, as posted in the Main Man Records MySpace blog:
1. Heavy Metal Love – LaBooze
Originally recorded by Helix
2. Cum On Feel The Noize – Bob “Derwood” Andrews
Originally recorded by Slade… and then again by Quiet Riot
3. Malibu Beach Nightmare – Mutant Monster Beach Party
Originally recorded by Hanoi Rocks
4. She’s Tight – Frankenstein 3000
Originally recorded by Cheap Trick 5. I Wanna Rock – Christian Beach
Originally recorded by Twisted Sister
6. Ballad of Jayne – Wynntown Marshals
Originally recorded by L.A. Guns
7. Chatterbox – K Roth
Originally recorded by The New York Dolls
8. Big Bottom – The Dennis Dunaway Project
Originally recorded by Spinal Tap
9. Babylon – Bad Biscuit
Originally recorded by Faster Pussycat
10. It’s So Easy – Pillow Theory
Originally recorded by Guns ‘N’ Roses
11. Another Piece of Meat – FourYearBeard
Originally recorded by The Scorpions
12. Shoot ‘Em Down – AB
Originally recorded by Twisted Sister
13. Public Enemy 1 – Mars Needs Women
Originally recorded by Motley Crue
14. 18 & Life – Johnny Dey
Originally recorded by Skid Row
15. Little Fighter – AB
Originally recorded by White Lion
16. Final Countdown – Killing Phantom
Originally recorded by Europe
17. After The Rain – Days Before Tomorrow
Originally recorded by Nelson
18. Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You – Frankenstein 3000
Originally recorded by Spinal Tap
19. Here I Go Again – Dan Maxwell & His Band
Originally recorded by Whitesnake
20. Wanted Dead Or Alive – Early Times
Originally recorded by Bon Jovi
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Christian for allowing me to be a small part of this project.
Just a reminder, Christian’s cover of David Bowie’s “Five Years,” on which I played organ, appears on “Hero: The Main Man Records Tribute to David Bowie,” which was released last Christmas Day. Look below for our live performance of that song, recorded at the Brighton Bar in Long Branch, NJ, on March 28, 2008.
Brian Kelley 