Hotstar

Drake

2010-07-30T07:01:00Z

For every Jay-Z, Kanye and Lil’ Wayne in the world of hip hop, there are thousands of unknowns trying to scratch their way into the spotlight.

This isn’t their story.

734066

You don’t need Pollstar to tell you that Drake could very well be the next rapper to go for gold (or platinum, in this case), claiming a spot among hip hop’s elite.

But what is important to note about Drake is that the team behind him gets it. Even when promoting the “next big thing,” there’s something to be said for a slow build, giving artists time to grow their fan base, catalog and live show.

“A lot of times you’ll see an artist that has his level of success, jumps out and says, ‘You know what? I’m worth 10,000 tickets. I can go into arenas,’” business manager Shawn Gee told Pollstar. “But the question is, do you know how to perform?”

ICM’s Robert Gibbs agreed.

“We could go into Madison Square Garden if we wanted, but we’re being smart about this and really building this thing,” he said.

734067

Drake heads back across the States this fall, and plans to tour Europe are in the works.

Debut album Thank Me Later went platinum, selling more than 1.3 million units according to Nielsen SoundScan

Sold out two Radio City Music Hall dates within 60 minutes and the Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE within 12 minutes

BET Awards’ best male hip-hop artist

Luke Bryan

2010-07-23T20:45:00Z

Luke Bryan is going to have a breakout year in 2011. But don’t just take our word for it – that prediction comes from Brian O’Connell, Live Nation’s chief of country touring.

Jay Williams, Bryan’s agent at WME Entertainment, said, “He’s ready to step out and do 2,000 to 3,000 seats on his own next year.” Williams – who also reps Dierks Bentley and Eric Church among others – made clear options for 2011 are still being weighed.

733207

And he left the door open for the independent promoters – especially those who have supported Bryan these past years. Headlining or supporting an arena act in ’11 comes down to timing Bryan’s next album – which he’s currently writing.

“Earlier this year I saw [Bryan] play to close to 7,000 people in Memphis at a radio show where he was the headliner,” Williams said. “But they were his fans; they knew every word to every one of his songs.”

Luke Bryan is hitting the fair circuit through Sept. 13 and traveling with Jason Aldean until mid-November.

733211

ACM Award’s Top New Solo Vocalist and Top New Artist

Has two No. 1 singles in “Do I” (co-written with two-thirds of Lady Antebellum) and, at press time, “Rain Is A Good Thing.” Co-wrote Billy Currington’s No. 1 hit “Good Directions.”

Serena Ryder

2010-07-16T22:47:00Z

Canadian singer/songwriter Serena Ryder has become a fixture in Canadian music scenes, winning Junos – that country’s equivalent of the Grammy Awards – for best new artist, best song and best video over the last two years. Her music has been featured on TV’s “Private Practice” and “Gossip Girl” and she’s preparing to take on America with a slot on the Lilith Fair and opening shows with Rob Thomas, Ray LaMontagne and David Gray. After that, she plans a return to the States as a headliner to begin developing her own regional U.S. fan bases.

You began playing and recording at a young age. What drove you to choose music as a career?

I did my first cassette tape when I was 15 years old. I’d love to find a copy if anyone in the world has one. I put five songs on there, and sold them for $5 to try to make enough money to make a CD. I made music to try to make more music. I’m walking the road because I need to walk the road.

It was the one way I found a way to translate what I was feeling. Every age is hard; you’re growing out of old skin no matter what age you are. For me, performing and singing and expressing myself through sound and movement was a very big thing to me. I got on stage for the first time when I was 2 years old. I’d performed in bars and venues by the time I was nine.

It was always a part of me and I always found solace in AM radio, driving around with my dad on weekends. I picked up the guitar when I was 13, when my dad gave one to me. I realized I could create that release on my own without singing other peoples’ songs. I could sing my own words and release what I was feeling.

732394

I was actually approached when I was 14 at a drama festival in Peterborough, Ontario, by a budding producer/musician who had a recording studio in his mom’s basement. He said, “Hey, you ever recorded a record?” I said, “No.” He said, “You want to?” I said, “Yeah,” and that was it. It was very natural and very fun.

It feels like it could have been the last 30 years of my life, and I’m only 27. One thing really did lead to another. You do something over and over again and it becomes a mantra for your life. I could not be stopped. I could not stop singing or writing.

When it did stop, I went through withdrawal, like my body would literally burst. I ended up performing everywhere I could – open stages, with other bands. I moved out of my parents’ home when I was 17 to go to Peterborough. I was singing with anybody I could. A big inspiration and infuser for me is Emmylou Harris because of the way she is able to join with other peoples’ voices and harmonize. It’s the same with Linda Ronstadt.

How did you learn to play?

I had a few piano lessons growing up with someone who was supposed to be my vocal teacher. But I wound up singing what I wanted to anyway, so he decided “screw this” and I decided I’ll just play piano. And we wound up doing gigs together.

How do you write music? Is there a difference working out songs on piano or guitar? How inspires you?

It’s the same reason that runners in training would swim, or ride bikes or do weight training; it trains other muscles.

I have a lot of inspiration from friends when it comes to songwriting. It’s where I’ve always gotten a lot of my direct influence – from my friends’ music.

One of the first bands I idolized played all the time at this place called the Montreal House. We called it the Mole Hole. It was an old man’s club and they’d only gotten a women’s washroom the year before I started going there. It was a closet.

This band called the Silver Hearts would play every Wednesday night. I was jamming with them. There are a couple of other bands that influence me, and are friends of mine.

One is a band called the Great Lake Swimmers. Tony Dekker is the lead singer and songwriter that really is very profound in my experience. I’ve been in on all of their records because I’m such a fan. I’m Stevie Nicks to their Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I’m glad they said yes instead of no.

Another is a band called The Beauties. Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene actually produced my EP with The Beauties, and it’s available on iTunes. It got played on “Gossip Girl” just last week.”

But I kind of flip flop all over the place. I feel very blessed. Luck is a bunch of bullshit. I can write chewing gum, in a chair, in a hat, sitting beside a rat, I can write with a group, I can write by myself.

But I choose to write in a lot of different places because there are so many different people in the world and different places, emotionally and physically and mentally, and I try to put myself in as many places as I can, yet stay centered in them.

For myself, I find even as a touring musician about nine or 10 months a year, it gives me an opportunity to find home inside myself, where ever I go. That can sound really out there but its not. It’s where I write.

If I don’t feel comfortable, and it doesn’t feel like I’m in the right place, or it doesn’t feel like I’m telling the truth – because the truth is inside too – I just stop writing.

I either center, recenter, regroup, ask “what is this bullshit I’m talking about,” tell the truth. I give my self a break if it’s not. I try to not rush myself and not stretch myself too much because I find that peace is a very big part of the process for me.

What songs by others have really grabbed you?

I cried at the song, “Turn The Page,” Bob Seger. On the first night of one of my tours I was out and I’d been out pretty much three months straight, and that’s enough. I’d maybe been home for five or six days in three months.

And I heard that song, and I used to think it was corny but it suddenly spoke to me so clearly that I cried. How profound it was that somebody out there knew exactly what I felt.

And if I could do that for anybody, at that moment, I am totally living it. I am living my dream.

Tell us about your upcoming tour dates.

I’m doing five dates on Sarah McLachlan’s Lilith Fair. That was a dream come true for me. So is getting to tour with Ray LaMontagne. I’ve always wanted to sing with him; I hope he’ll let me.

How are you preparing to break into the American market?

I was on the last Barenaked Ladies tour, and it was kind of massive. The U.S. is a massive, powerful country. It always has been. A lot of people with a lot of amazing powerful energy live there. It has the power to change the world. And that is amazing.

It’s exciting for me because I realize that it’s a big deal. I’m not taking it lightly – and making sure I don’t take myself too seriously. I’m looking forward to a really fun time.

I would love to, absolutely, make some new fans. I’ve been out there for awhile and meeting new people and getting my feet wet. I might be up to my waist now, and I think I’m ready to go swimming. I’m really excited to be able to go on the road with David Gray, Ray LaMontagne and with Rob Thomas.

I’m in a really happy place with everyone who’s around me. I wouldn’t change a thing. People always ask if you’ve had any regrets in your life, and everything in my life is what got to me to this place, and I’m pretty satisfied. You can’t do any better than feeling like everything is perfect in your life. I really love where I am right now.

732395

Tell us about the time you opened for Aerosmith? Or at least according to Wikipedia.

Wikipedia, man, you get one thing in there and then everything just kind of falls off of it! Technically the Backstreet Boys opened for me two months ago. They literally played before me, so hey.

But Steven Tyler was one of the first men that I wanted to marry. David Bowie was the first one. Then Steven Tyler.

I played five sets before Aerosmith at a festival, then wasn’t able to go backstage. I had to watch from way off and to the side of the festival and admire him from afar, where he still looked like there was still a possibility that I would still want to marry him.

So everything looks perfect from far away, and Steven Tyler looked perfect to me.

Miike Snow

2010-06-25T07:01:00Z

What does electronic, pop, classical, punk, hip-hop, indie rock-tinged music sound like?

Answers: A) Danceable. B) Enticing enough to bring a jackalope out of hiding. C) Miike Snow. D) All of the above.

Miike Snow, a trio comprising New York musician/composer Andrew Wyatt and dynamic Swedish production duo Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (aka Bloodshy & Avant), defies categorization and seems to like it that way.

The genre-bending band came together to collaborate in 2007 and released its self-titled debut last year before taking on a relentless touring schedule of clubs, theatres and festivals across the States, Canada and Europe.

729182

But before they joined forces, Wyatt, Karlsson and Winnberg were each involved in music in various capacities.

Wyatt wrote classical pieces and staged productions of operas before joining The A.M. with Jeff Buckley’s former bandmates and embarking on a solo project. Karlsson and Winnberg had history with punk and hip-hop groups and as Bloodshy & Avant wrote and produced songs for artists including Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Britney Spears, whose “Toxic” scored them a Grammy for best dance recording in 2005.

Despite any cultural or musical differences, Wyatt told Pollstar that when the group got together to start writing, “It felt a little bit unusual, but we all had enough of a musical background that we could communicate with each other pretty easily.”

The band agreed upon two things from the very beginning. First, they wanted a relative level of anonymity so the music would speak for itself, which led to the use of their ubiquitous jackalope symbol and the donning of masks during shows. Second, they wanted to reconstruct the highly produced sounds of the album live – sans laptops.

Creating that sound involves some heavy instrumentation. Wyatt sings and plays guitar and occasional keyboard. Karlsson and Winnberg, who also sing, man an array of mixers, samplers and effects pedals. A backing band includes keys, bass and drums.

Though it sounds like a setup that could prove overwhelming at times, Wyatt said the trio wouldn’t want to perform any other way.

“I think there’s something exciting about trying to bite off a little bit more than you can chew in any situation,” he said. “I think we all have kind of workaholic personalities. First of all, that kind of equipment sounds better than laptops. Second, we wouldn’t find it very challenging just to open up some files every night and just stand there and kind of pretend that we’re playing.”

The band has also incorporated lights and fog into performances to add visual appeal even though it’s eaten into profits at times.

“They want to put on a high-quality experience even when it means losing money on smaller tours,” Kredel said. “It is important that fans leave a Miike Snow show excited to come back and see them again.”

729183

Miike Snow recently wrapped a tour of the U.S. and heads to Europe, Japan and Australia this summer for a string of festival dates including Glastonbury, Splendour in the Grass and Fuji Rock. The band will hit South America in the fall and come back to the States for more festivals and some of its biggest venues yet, which should be no problem for Wyatt.

“I think that our music really lends itself to large venues,” he said. “The ideas are broad enough to fill large spaces very comfortably and we’re comfortable playing for large audiences.”

The xx

2010-06-18T07:01:00Z

Parting ways with The xx’s former fourth member last fall was the best thing that ever happened to the band’s live show.

“It was a bit hard in the beginning [because] we had to work out how to do it as a three-piece. But now our live show is the strongest it’s ever been,” The xx’s Jamie Smith, who handles beats and production, told Pollstar.

“When we were a four-piece we used to play the album as it was. … It didn’t really require any experimentation. But now that we’re a three-piece we’ve been forced to change things up and we each have to do a little more [on stage].

“It kind of opened us up to a whole new world of just having a bit more fun on stage and keeping things fresh. Now our live show is pretty different and there are a lot of club mixes and extended endings to songs,” Smith said.

Singer/guitarist Romy Madley Croft and singer/bassist Oliver Sim, both 20, have known each other since they were 3 and started the group in 2005. Smith, 21, met his future bandmates when he was 11 and joined The xx, with former keyboardist/guitarist Baria Qureshi, in 2007.

The British indie pop band’s melancholy, atmospheric sound has been compared with early Portishead as well as The Cure and Velvet Underground.

Smith explained that “Romy was more into rock music, Ollie was into R&B and I was into hip hop. And I guess that the music we make is a combination of all three of our tastes.”

727992

The xx started working with its manager, Caius Pawson, and label, XL Recordings / Young Turks, two years ago. Smith said the band knew signing with the label was the obvious choice because it didn’t initially put any pressure on the group.

“They just got us some gigs and some places to rehearse with no talk of albums or contracts or anything,” he said. “We definitely lucked out having Young Turks and XL. We can pretty much dictate exactly what we want and be in control, which we wouldn’t be able to do with nearly every other label that exists nowadays.”

Pawson told Pollstar that it was important to “smother any interest in the band early on” to let the group develop on its own.

“We didn’t do any interviews, any promotions. They didn’t play any sort of high-profile gigs and we just let them grow for about a year and a half, play [smaller] shows and find new influences” before making their debut album, Pawson said.

“That was the initial strategy and after that it was about … letting people discover the band for themselves because the more people discover the band for themselves rather than being dictated to, then they would champion it, they would think it was their own. The idea was always subtle marketing, subtle promotion,” Pawson said.

The band took six months to make 2009’s xx at a production cost of only about £2,000 ($2,960).

Smith said that the band’s songwriting process is collaborative. Croft and Sim write lyrics separately and then “share them over the Internet, molding them into songs. Then either Ollie comes up with a bass line or Romy comes up with a guitar riff or I come up with a beat, and then we just head into the rehearsal space and put things together. It’s quite a natural process.”

After working with five different producers, Smith said the album didn’t sound like what they had envisioned and so he produced the debut on his own.

“We’re all control freaks and we have to have everything our way,” Smith said. “Having somebody else shape our sound just wasn’t right so it made perfect sense for us to do it ourselves.”

The band made its U.S. debut in August with six New York shows, followed by a fall support slot with Friendly Fires and a few support gigs with Hot Chip.

“Those August shows went better than everyone expected,” Tom Windish told Pollstar. “And by the time the Friendly Fires tour happened, it was evident that about half the people were showing up at the gigs to see The xx and the other half were showing up to see the Friendly Fires.”

Windish says that The xx’s music is “intimate at times,” a sentiment Pawson agrees with.

“It’s very delicate and quiet,” Pawson says about the live shows. “And if the crowd is with them, in a kind of silence, it can be really powerful and beautiful, very moving.”

This summer the band makes the rounds on the European festival circuit and then closes out the year with an Oct. 9 set at Austin City Limits Music Festival in Texas.

“This fall we’re making some more ambitious moves,” Windish said. “We’re going into theatres. They’re going to play very nice venues.”

Smith and the gang then plan on taking a break to start working on their sophomore album.

727996

“The first album was done with no intentions and absolutely no idea of what was coming,” Smith said. “So if we can get back into that mind frame and try and not worry what people are going to think, then I think it will come out.”

Janelle Monáe

2010-06-11T16:16:00Z

One would have to be living in the proverbial cave to not see or hear Janelle Monáe. Since her debut full-length The ArchAndroid dropped May 18, her stylish persona has been splashed across the Internet, and covered by the Associated Press, Rolling Stone and everything in between.

But what is lacking is attention to her live performance. The high-concept ArchAndroid – involving Monáe’s alter-ego “Cindi Mayweather” becoming a messianic figure for a race of androids in the future city of Metropolis – has been the focus of the attention. Meanwhile, she’s been kicking ass all over the stage for more than a year, and has dates lined up into November.

“I’ve been a performing artist for eight years now,” Monáe told Pollstar, and that’s not including theatre arts from middle school on up. “I was in plays – ‘The Wiz,’ ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ – you name it.”

726963

But that makes her sound dry and scientific. When it comes to Monáe, it’s about art, and she made clear that her years of performing live, her background as a playwright and her matriculation at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy is one thing. Performance is another.

“I felt like there was something special in me that was given to me as a superpower, if you will. It wasn’t taught. It was placed in me and I just had to recognize that and understand how to unleash it and use it for the right things.”

Monáe, a Kansas native, was originally set on a Broadway career. But after she left the Academy, she found her way to Atlanta and a boarding house that she shared with five women. She met OutKast’s Big Boi and was featured on two songs in the group’s Idlewild.

Meanwhile, Monáe founded a think tank-slash-management team-slash-artist collective called the Wondaland Arts Society that plays a role in her career decisions. Wondaland was part of a partnership formed with Sean Combs’ Bad Boy Records and Atlantic when Monáe released her Grammy-nominated EP Metropolis: The Chase Suite in 2008.

“I’m copied on all e-mails but I do have individuals that I can trust,” she said. “We’ve always made internal decisions before we discuss it with anyone. And I allow discussion and for people to voice their decisions but I’m my own manager, if you will. I make my own decisions on what I want to do.”

Her agent, Paradigm’s Marty Diamond, confirmed that this is a well-run outfit. And he’s been having a lot of fun booking her. Because the music operates on such a conceptual level, it can be presented to divergent audiences. Monáe has performed with Erykah Badu, Of Montreal, MGMT, No Doubt and Raphael Saadiq, among others. They aren’t exactly cookie-cutter booking assignments.

“There are a lot of young artists, her peers, where it’s, ‘We need a hit record and then we’ll tour’ or, ‘Get me a support slot.’ Here, the interest comes to her because she’s magnetic.”

Noting she’s “you and me on steroids” and likening her to Prince and Tina Turner, Diamond said that while Monáe is in support slots through October, there is preparation for headlining gigs as soon as winter.

“The record business is a funny thing,” Diamond said. “It’s been a very long time since I’ve been invited to a record label to talk about the planning of the project. But with the Atlantic team, we were in the room, talking about what we are going to do and how we’re going to approach it.

“There are day-to-day updates and they’re always great. It’s, ‘Hey, there’s a new TV show on board, there’s a new magazine cover.’ Every day there’s a new, bright star on the horizon.”

Meanwhile, Monáe says she’s keeping as connected to her fans as she possibly can. She talked to Pollstar a day after doing a meet-and-greet with Badu.

“I love talking to my supporters because I know it started with them,” she said. “I am where I am because of word-of-mouth. They are the people, and I make music for the people. I grew up in a working-class family and I always want to make music that frees them, motivates them and inspires them.

“People who are dealing with being suppressed and oppressed and depressed – it’s for them I wear my uniform. It’s paying homage to them. It’s turned into a fashion – I’ve been in Vogue three or four times even though I’ve been wearing the same two colors for the past four years,” she continued.

726964

“But the music I created for the people, and I always want to stay connected to them. I’m feeding them and they’re growing as a result of listening to the music that we create.”

Martin Sexton

2010-06-04T07:01:00Z

Martin Sexton does not weep for the record industry. In fact, the current environment, where live performance is tantamount to a sustainable career, is what he’s been waiting for.

Sexton has always charted his own course, beginning with 1992’s In The Journey. The cassette of self-produced demo recordings eventually sold 20,000 copies – most of them from the sidewalks and hometown shows where the Syracuse, N.Y., native could often be found performing.

A contract with Atlantic resulted in a pair of well-received albums but the singer/songwriter realized he needed to follow his own star. So he left the label and started his own imprint.

Sexton’s website bears a quote from John Mayer proclaiming him “the best live performer I’ve ever seen.”

“I love being on the road,” Sexton told Pollstar. “I’ve been doing it a long time and I’m still lovin’ it. I’ve gone from singing in the subways to the House of Blues to the great festivals we’re on this year like [New Orleans] Jazz Fest and Bonnaroo.”

As for the implosion of the major label system, Sexton believes that’s actually a plus for artists.

“It’s an incredible time to be independent,” he explained. “There are so many avenues open now that weren’t open even a decade ago – everything from social media sites to satellite radio.

“The vehicles that used to be the make-or-break avenues like radio, mainstream press and MTV are no longer as relevant. There are so many other options available to get music to people.”

725927

As it turns out, one of the people who bought a copy of In The Journey – and still has it – is Red Light Management’s Chris Tetzeli, who started working with Sexton.

“It was brilliant,” Tetzeli told Pollstar. “I bought it because of a write-up in a magazine. I literally sent the check in with an order form and got the cassette in the mail. I’ve always been a fan of his and that continues to this day.”

That incredible sense of loyalty to Sexton, particularly when it comes to his live performances, runs deep.

“I enjoy this unusual base,” the singer said. “It’s definitely unique. Someone once asked me, ‘What’s the demographic of your audience?’ And I couldn’t answer them because it’s not 20-somethings or hippies or young urban professionals or housewives. It’s everyone.

“If you look at my audience from the stage, they’re everywhere from 15 to 55 or 60 or 70 – or, in some cases, older. They’re black and white and gay and straight and Republican and Democrat. It’s really cool, because when I sing about things, I’m not preaching to the choir. And when they sing in harmony with me, they’re not necessarily singing with like-minded people.

“I feel like I’m in a really cool position to bring people together who might not otherwise be.”

Sexton knows his audiences get his message and that they’re there because of his songs. But they still surprise him.

“I was in Nashville the other night and it was like I hired a 500-person choir to sing these three parts with me,” he explained. “It was beautiful. And that’s in a town that’s kind of famous for being jaded. You know, ‘We’ve seen everything. Show us what you can do.’ But they were out there singing in three-part harmony.”

And Sexton has a message for bands that think success can only be found by playing major markets.

“Sometimes you’ll be in an off-market town on an off night – it’s not House of Blues in Boston it’s, say, Little Rock on a Monday – and those shows turn out to be the greatest musical experiences,” he said. “Because you just don’t give a shit and you go out there and incredible stuff happens. You break into ‘Helter Skelter’ and you didn’t even rehearse it with the band. You just wail it out and the audience freaks and it becomes a great musical experience. That’s been happening a lot on this tour.”

725928

Tetzeli said he’s thrilled to be able to add the muscle of Red Light to Sexton’s arsenal.

“We got him to Jazz Fest for the first time and we got him to Bonnaroo and he’s doing shows with Dave Matthews Band,” he explained. “He’s incredibly worthy of all of these opportunities and it’s exciting to be able to provide them for him.”

While Sexton’s current path will definitely carry him further into the mainstream, where things like radio hits and massive iTunes sales live, don’t expect him to change too much.

“My career is primarily tour-driven,” the singer explained. “I’m not reliant on things like Top 40 radio. I enjoy great support from independent sources like public and college radio. Although, on this record, we’ve actually been getting some good traction from commercial AAA radio.”

And even though a lot of people in the music business paint a bleak picture of the future, Sexton believes it’s just the universe righting itself.

“I would hope the days when some pop star can have a hit but suck live – and still have an incredible career – are gone.”

Mumford & Sons

2010-05-28T07:01:00Z

The phrase “hit the ground running” might have been coined to describe Mumford & Sons. The British folk rock quartet has literally been on the move with very little time to dither about what direction to take since officially coalescing into a band in 2007.

The four young men who would become Mumford & Sons – Marcus Mumford (vocals, guitar, drums, mandolin), Marshall “Country” Winston (vocals, electric banjo, dobro), Ben Lovett (vocals, keyboards, accordion) and Ted Dwane (vocals, double bass) – never dreamed of superstardom and hit albums. Instead, the group grew out of a shared appreciation of country, bluegrass and folk music, as well as a passion for playing live whenever and wherever possible.

Lovett told Pollstar he and Mumford were schoolmates at 7, started a “jazz covers” band at 12, and met Winston at 15.

“When we finished school and could play music a bit more freely, we were all in backing bands for different singers,” Lovett explained. “It was very loose. We were just session players. We didn’t even get paid. That’s when we met Ted. After about 18 months, we decided we’d have a go at it ourselves.”

It was at that point things began moving at lightning speed.

“Basically we went straight out on the road,” he said. “I guess partly because we’d made so many friends through what we’d been doing we got asked to go out on tour even before we’d finished writing enough songs to play a set. And we’ve been pretty much touring ever since.”

725035

That flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants ethic also extends to the songwriting in Mumford & Sons. New tunes go directly into the band’s sets almost the second they’re finished.

“Whoever’s in the frame of mind at the time is writing,” Lovett said. “That goes on kind of a loose rotation. It works out great because we share experiences, but we share the music as well.

“We’ll try a song out at soundcheck to see if it’s ready. We don’t really put much thought into how we play it though. It’s sort of what comes to us naturally.”

The band’s sound, described as everything from “ferocious” folk to “an apocalyptic racket” by the U.K. press when their debut, Sigh No More, broke there last year, took a little more forethought according to Lovett – but not much.

“It wasn’t very cerebral. We certainly weren’t trying to be a folk band – I still don’t think we are. We were just massively influenced by simple songwriting. I suppose out of all the genres, that’s what folk takes pride in most: the joyous simplicity of the songs. Even modern acts like The Avett Brothers or Old Crow Medicine Show are writing songs that have a simple but universal message.

“We weren’t, and we’re still not, trying to create a sound in particular. It’s just that the instruments we picked up lend themselves to those sounds. But we all listen to different stuff. Winston loves rock ’n’ roll. I like a lot of contemporary pop and electronic stuff, as well as jazz and theatrical music.

“Ironically, Ted is the best guitarist in the band, but he’s playing the double bass. It’s a bit of a weird melting pot.”

725036

Mumford & Sons’ impassioned live set made a believer of Billions’ Adam Voith, who told Pollstar he was turned on to the band in early 2009 when a friend sent “a link to something as boring as their MySpace page.”

“I followed them around that year at South by Southwest in Austin, where they played many shows,” Voith explained. “Each time I saw them play a set, I was more impressed. It became my No. 1 priority to work with them.

“The authenticity of the live shows is one of their most winning characteristics. There are a lot of bands that can put on an authentic face, but it’s a thin veil. It’s very clear that this is actually who these guys are. The place they’re coming from is a true place. You can’t miss it, it’s part of the music.”

Despite the group’s success in the U.K. and elsewhere, everyone connected with Mumford & Sons is a little taken aback by the reception they’re getting in North America – even Everybody’s Management’s Adam Tudhope, who’s worked with the band since the very beginning.

“From a business point of view, it’s quite an exception to sell out every show in advance of the gigs,” Tudhope told Pollstar. “It’s pretty extraordinary really, given that they’ve only ever toured here once before as support in small venues. Obviously word of mouth about their shows has spread from the U.K. and Australia.”

Both Tudhope and Voith believe the blanketing strategy the band has used before – even going so far as to play a barge tour of the Thames in order to reach out-of-the-way places – will serve them well here too.

“In the first few discussions I had with them it became very clear to me that they’re not looking to conquer New York City and L.A.,” Voith said. “This is a band that, especially with regard to North America, wants to build a fan base far and wide.

“It’s going to be a balancing act though, because they’re experiencing success worldwide. Every territory would love this band to come play because the shows are so fantastic. It’s a testament to how hard they’re working that they’re playing places like Bloomington, Ind.”

As for the band’s runaway success, Lovett thinks perhaps in the end it comes down to something as simple as honesty.

“We try to write and perform as true to who we are as people as possible – a bunch of guys from London trying to figure out what to do with their lives – without shying away from sensitive issues. Because life isn’t just rock ’n’ roll, you know?”

Passion Pit

2010-05-21T07:01:00Z

Michael Angelakos of Passion Pit is at that awkward stage – halfway between anonymity and stardom. He’s considering changing his phone number. It’s been handed out a few too many times, and he’s finding out he’s very popular.

“Until recently I’ve been coddled,” Angelakos told Pollstar. He’s moved beyond that, trusting in his publicist and his manager. “I’m very sensitive, but I don’t want to be protected anymore. Now I’m comfortable and a lot more trusting. It’s an indication of a team that I can trust. I’m a little more open-minded now.”

On paper, Passion Pit has been around since 2007, but Angelakos made it clear it’s only been a cohesive unit since last May.

“We didn’t really start touring on a professional level until November,” he said. “We still have a lot of learning to do.”

Since then, the band has been playing a lot of sold-out shows, including three nights at New York City’s Terminal 5.

“We were very skeptical about doing those shows,” Angelakos said. “A lot of bands want to ‘own’ New York City. They want to put their stamp on it. It’s a status thing.”

The band has been seeing a lot of packed venues lately. The music – which veers somewhere between disco and electronica – has been getting rave reviews from critics and fans like John Mayer and Kanye West. The songs have been showing up in commercials and at baseball parks. And Angelakos’ falsetto adds to Passion Pit’s distinct sound.
The band raised its profile even higher with a well-received slot at Coachella. And it’s going to play arenas this winter supporting Muse.

All of this came about by Angelakos writing some tunes in 2007 for his then-girlfriend. The songs, created on his laptop, were Valentine’s Day gifts. But the EP-worth of music became a hit at Boston’s Emerson College. Chunk of Change was released on Columbia / Frenchkiss in late 2008. The song “Sleepyhead” notably found its way to the full-length Manners.

723982

The band started in earnest when Angelakos was performing a solo show in the Boston area. He was approached by Ian Hultquist, who suggested they form a band. The eventual quintet is all Berklee College of Music alums – except Angelakos.

Richard Cohen of Team 8 Management joked about the band’s quick ascension. It’s safe to say that the band has moved beyond “up-and-comer” status.

“I mean, they’re playing the big rooms,” Cohen said. “In New York we’re about to do 13,500 tickets for two shows. In Austin, we’re doing 4,400 at two sold-out Stubb’s shows. In Dallas, we just had to move a show into a 2,000-cap room. In Florida, we’re doing 1,500-2,000-cap rooms. So they’re on that level, after touring for less than 18 months. My job is to maintain that and keep pushing it onward and upwards.”

723983

Angelakos gave all the credit to Cohen.

“Rich is like an older brother to me,” he said. “I’m unruly. I’m difficult to manage. He will have a great roster one day. No one else can deal with me except my girlfriend and parents.”

Cohen disagreed.

“Ah you know, he’s putting himself down a little too much,” he said. “He’s a great kid. He’s a talented young songwriter and he’ll be 23 on May 19th. Ask my parents or my friends what I was like when I was 23. And they didn’t put me on the road, throw me in a bus 200 days a year. He’s growing up in front of people. I’ve worked with a lot of young bands and he’s not so different.”

Cohen met Passion Pit through another client.

“It was the first band, I have to say, since Tokyo Police Club that I ‘got’ and knew exactly what to do with,” Cohen said. “I knew exactly how to work it, what angles, what team to put behind it. … They already had a label when I came on board, had a business manager and a lawyer. But everyone needed to coordinate. We needed to be on the same page.”

With that out of the way, Passion Pit started making money on its recorded music, but Angelakos has no illusions about what is the real secret to their success.

“It doesn’t matter if you sell 50 units or 500,000,” he said. “Touring is key.”

Ruthie Foster

2010-05-14T07:01:00Z

A young Ruthie Foster was singing softly into her portable tape recorder when her mother walked by her bedroom door, heard the hushed voice and burst in with one hand on her hip and a dishrag in the other.

“She came in, sat down on the bed and said, ‘I hear you in here trying to sing. Just open your mouth!’” Foster told Pollstar. “She was really the first person that just made me feel good about that. She said, ‘You are a beautiful creature and you have a beautiful voice.’ She was the first person who really got on me about that.”

Foster grew up in a family immersed in gospel and blues. She also grew up with a nearly debilitating shyness that manifested itself as a stutter.

“It was horrendous for me to stand up in front of people and even think about opening up my mouth,” she said. “I was so shy I would go into this stutter thing sometimes as a kid, so it was embarrassing for me on top of that. But through music, I found my way of being open and making people feel good.”

She’s not afraid to sing for an audience anymore. Foster recently capped a set at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival by winning the Blues Foundation award May 6 for best contemporary female blues artist. Earlier this year, she was up for a Grammy Award nomination for best contemporary blues album for her sixth release, The Truth According to Ruthie Foster.

“I’m so grateful that I’m still able to keep doing this and every time a new CD is ready to come out, it’s like starting fresh again,” Foster said. “I’m always changing, too, like anybody. And I get to record all this growth that I’m experiencing.”

723017

Foster’s career took some sideways turns from those early bedroom tape recordings with her soft voice and guitar given to her by her father.

“I did know early on that music was going to be a huge part of my life, or at least hoped it would be,” Foster said. “And my mom supported me learning to play that guitar. But she also told me early on that if you’re going to learn it, you’ve got to practice and be the best at what you’re going to do.”

She took music classes at a Texas community college and played gigs around Waco. Then, almost inexplicably, she joined the Navy.

“I grew up in a small town. A lot of people in the Navy grew up in these tiny towns and it’s their ticket out. I was ready to spread my wings and take off,” Foster explained. She was stationed in San Diego, where she worked on helicopters. Eventually, she decided to audition for the Navy band and was accepted into its elite Commodores unit and shipped off to Norfolk, Va., where she learned composition, arrangement and more discipline.

And along the way, she learned the importance of saying “yes.”

“I got out and started singing in the Charleston, S.C., area because that’s where I’d last been stationed. Just working on the beach and downtown in a jazz band. I was working at a recording studio as a secretary, or gofer, whatever they needed,” Foster said. “I got into this thing where I just said ‘yes’ to everything that came my way. I just said, ‘Yes. I’ll try that. Sure.’ That’s my advice to anyone trying to make it. Say yes.”

She said yes to marriage, and yes to a recording contract with Atlantic and yes to a move to New York, where she sang in clubs and honed her writing. Then her mother took ill and she said yes to coming home to West Texas.

“I’m really happy I did that, too. I’m all about family. Coming back home was not a question. I left New York and I left a marriage in that process,” she said.

723018

Eventually, she found her way back to a full-time music career. Or perhaps it found her “while I was sipping a margarita in the sun on the San Antonio Riverwalk.” She began touring small clubs and coffeehouses. Other musicians, including Eric Bibb, Tommy Castro and Marcia Ball guitarist Pat Boyack, became fans and began talking her up.

The Rosebud Agency’s Mike Kappus and Tom Gold, who became her responsible agent, went to see her in a tiny room in San Francisco in 2007. They were sold, even though Rosebud wasn’t actively seeking clients at the time. She then took some time to find the right manager, choosing Blind Ambition Management and founder Charles Driebe.

“I was just knocked out,” Kappus said of hearing Foster for the first time. “There’s nobody like her. These days, you think about the golden era of Mahalia Jackson, or a young Aretha Franklin or a Sam Cooke; she is somebody we should recognize now because it is her time and she is in her prime. There’s nobody like that right now carrying that passion and delivery.”

Kappus said the advantage of keeping a smaller roster is the attention his staff can give to artists. But it also means credibility, and Rosebud has been able to open doors that might have been closed to Foster.

“She’s so great it’s just a matter of getting her in front of audiences who appreciate that,” Kappus said. “She just continues to build. It’s passionate music of such quality. It’s not a matter of doing everything right now while the iron is hot. This is building a long-term career with no letup whatsoever.”

And while Foster’s iron is hot, she’s quick to acknowledge the mentors in her life from Mahalia to her mother. “You know what you’ve done to get through the fire,” she said. “It’s a spiritual kinship, knowing that we’re all standing here. And these are the women who you feel like you stand with and who built that bridge for you so that you can walk across there.”

NeedToBreathe

2010-05-07T07:01:00Z

One can look at South Carolina quartet NeedToBreathe a couple of ways – as a tight-knit, family-based Southern rock band or, because of the group’s Christian radio presence and multiple Dove Award nominations, as a contemporary Christian band. But settling on just one would be grossly underestimating them.

NeedToBreathe frontman and rhythm guitarist Bear Rinehart was still playing football and setting records at Greenville’s Furman University when he co-founded the band in 1999 with brother Bo on guitar and childhood friends Joe Stillwell on drums and Seth Bolt on bass.

The family patriarch, an Assembly of God pastor in the Rineharts’ hometown of Possum Kingdom, was definitely an early influence before Bear and the rest of the group got restless.

“Our dad was a preacher, so when we first started the band, a lot of our opportunities were through that,” Rinehart told Pollstar. “But we decided pretty quickly that we wanted to play the club in our town.”

Because religion remains a part of NeedToBreathe’s music, they’re signed to Atlantic but also marketed to contemporary Christian radio by Nashville’s Word Records. From the beginning, though, the group worked hard to make sure that element didn’t overwhelm everything else.

“We really don’t want to be known as just a Christian band. I think the reason is mainly that our music is fit for more people. I don’t like the implication that you have to be Christian to like our band or come to see a show.

“We used to say if you were looking for a doctor and there were four ads, you wouldn’t automatically just choose the one with the Christian fish on it.

“That’s how we looked at our music. We asked, ‘Are we credible? Can we compete with the big boys?’ So it made sense to us to play where our favorite bands played.”

721793

Turns out it was a smart decision. Over the next few years, NeedToBreathe built a reputation along the Eastern Seaboard as a must-see live act by adhering to a relentless touring schedule based on an absurdly simple strategy.

“I remember drawing a circle around where we lived that included places four or five hours away and saying, ‘We’ve got to be the biggest band in this area and we’ve got to play all the clubs that you should play,’” the singer recalled. “It’s still my favorite thing to do.”

So has the band ever achieved that goal?

“It’s hard to know for sure,” Rinehart admitted. “But we know every gas station on every major interstate on the East Coast.”

Another element that figures heavily in NeedToBreathe’s success is family. CAA Nashville’s Jeff Krones met Bear Rinehart while they were both attending Furman, convinced his dad, Kip Krones, to manage the band and then became their agent after graduating.

The younger Krones was impressed by Bear’s artistic passion, business acumen and common-sense attitude when it came to the music.

“They never made music just for the Christian market,” he told Pollstar. “They made music to be listened to by as many people as possible. And someday they want to be playing that music in arenas. That’s the goal. That’s what every move has been toward.”

“Bear’s been smart,” father Kip agreed. “He plays the same set no matter what the venue is. We don’t play a lot of specific Christian shows: We have a bigger agenda.”

721794

He said that agenda started to become a reality early last year.

“Bear called me and said, ‘I know the numbers aren’t any bigger than they were on the last tour, but something different is going on. I can feel it. You can’t see it because you’re not on the road all the time, but just trust me.’ And lo and behold, on the following tour in the fall, the numbers were double. So he was on to something. And now the numbers are doubling and tripling and, in some cases, quadrupling.”

It would be easy to attribute that growth solely to NeedToBreathe’s touring ethic. But some of the credit has to go to the music on the band’s 2009 release, The Outsiders. Although the songs have an unmistakable southern pedigree, they run the gamut stylistically and should appeal equally to fans of acoustic and alt-rock, chamber pop, sweeping orchestral anthems and hymn-like ballads. And unless you listen very closely, it’s almost impossible to tell which tracks have been marketed to CCR.

“We’re proud that we can really tell if somebody who’s reviewed our record listened to the whole thing or not, because it’s a complete mess from the beginning to the end,” Rinehart revealed. “That was a little bit on purpose, trying to go from one extreme to another.”

And so, without a giant radio hit or massive marketing campaign and despite the fact the band’s musical diversity leaves programmers scratching their heads, NeedToBreathe is moving inexorably toward those arenas.

When the guys wrap their current tour in the fall, they’ll hit the studio to record a new album. But they won’t be away long and when they return, it’ll be to venues twice as large as this time around.

“I think that’s the thing that’s been really turning people on to our band,” Rinehart said. “They know that we’re going to be back in five or six months and we’ll put on the best show we possibly can.

“It’s really been a word of mouth thing. There’s no better setup than having a fan bring a friend they’ve told how great we are before they get there – because they’re fired up and ready to be into it.”

Bassnectar

2010-04-30T07:01:00Z

A conversation with Lorin Ashton, the creative force of Bassnectar, is as free-flowing and organic as the free downloads, EPs and albums he’s constantly recording and releasing. His passion for genre-bending mixes and building a diverse community keeps packing venues at every stop.

Ashton said his interest in underground music started in his teens with the San Francisco Bay Area’s death metal and punk-rock scenes, where he learned how to set up and promote concerts and festivals when no opportunities existed. When Ashton discovered electronic music in the mid-’90s, the roots of Bassnectar were established.

“I was really into not only underground music and style, but specifically into community. That just transferred as I started getting turned on to electronic music, which at that time came in the form of underground warehouse raves,” Ashton told Pollstar. “I’ve never been interested in genres, partly because I find them limiting. I just like to sample from, and learn from, anything that sounds good to me.

“By 2005, I had built up a really large touring network and I was my own agent and manager for a decade.”

It appeared Ashton’s hard work landed him the break he was looking for when he signed with an agency that same year. It was a good start.

“I felt like at that point, ‘Wow, now I’ve made it. I’ve signed to an agency.’ [But] that was short-lived,” Ashton said. “It probably lasted about a year, not for any lack in their company but mostly because they were used to taking the European dance club sound and bringing it to whatever nightclubs or cities that had that functioning scene.

“I wasn’t playing any kind of house or trance or any form of disco music. There was nowhere to plug it in.”

720798

Through non-stop touring, performances at the Burning Man Festival at Nevada’s Black Rock Desert and other events that Ashton co-promoted, he continued to build his fan base throughout the States and Canada.

“There were these small, underground hubs of people and it wasn’t so much about how much money the event’s going to make. In fact, that was usually irrelevant,” Ashton said. “[It was] more like the thrill of creating these burgeoning communities that would then cross-pollinate into larger summer festivals.”

And it was one of the those underground hubs of people Ashton had networked with that helped bring Bassnectar to the attention of C3 Management.

“I met a crew of fire performers and circus acts at Burning Man in 2002 or 2003, and they started bringing me to Austin, Texas, to do small events. They eventually moved me up to The Parish, where Brook [Wirth] from C3 was doing the event,” Ashton explained. “[The gig] felt so professional but had all of the same elements of Austin that I love.

“So when it came time to look for a manager last year and I found out they were open to it, it was a no-brainer.”

C3’s Charlie Walker agreed, even before he’d seen Bassnectar live.

“I first heard about Lorin from some of the promoters in the office who book a lot of club shows,” Walker told Pollstar. “[They had taken] notice of how many tickets he was selling and how his attendance was building year after year.

“I’d heard the music and more importantly, we knew the overall buzz that was building around Bassnectar. When you get the unanimous stamp of approval from within our office that he gets, I didn’t need to see it to validate it.”

Walker, along with agent Jake Schneider of Madison House who was already on board, set out to take Bassnectar to the next level – nightclubs and theatres.

“One of the interesting things about Lorin is that he plays hard-ticket rooms like bands do, not so much DJ rooms with DJ booths,” Walker explained. “We go to the same types of venues … and put on a production and show they expect to see in those venues as opposed to just playing dance clubs on a soft ticket on DJ night.

“I think Jake really worked to get him into those clubs and [earn] acceptance in those rooms.”

720799

For Ashton, the tour strategy presented other adjustments besides playing to new audiences.

“One of the things that was a challenge was there weren’t 150 electronic music venues with a DJ booth and huge sound system,” he said. “I’m used to playing to a dancing crowd, so what were we going to do about this huge stage?”

The creation of a full-fledged multimedia production with a new light show and additional equipment solved that problem.

“In the age where music can be manufactured and then duplicated, you can’t fake the live experience,” Ashton said. “That’s where all the energy has gone, into making the live experience an absolute, over-the-top, freak show … and not just with smoke and mirrors.”

Walker said that strategy is working.

“I think what grabs you when you see [Bassnectar] is the effect he has on the audience. He’s got a lot of hard-core fans but even at Lollapalooza where he was playing to people … seeing him for the first time, they literally looked like people possessed by Bassnectar.

“He has an uncanny ability to relate to his audience and deliver to them what he feels they need at that given moment in time.”

Bassnectar and his electronic shamanism, currently touring behind Cozza Frenzy, will be on the road through the end of August.

Grace Potter & The Nocturnals

2010-04-23T07:01:00Z

To anyone who’s ever been at the mercy of one, it often seems like the job of modern publicists is to prevent access to their clients. Which makes Disney/Hollywood Records’ Sharrin Summers an anomaly, especially when it comes to Grace Potter & The Nocturnals.

Normally a publicist doesn’t figure into a Hotstar. But Summers delivered the kind of impassioned, heartfelt endorsement of Potter that comes from a devoted fan – if not from an agent or manager – and that was after the cover was already a done deal.

The picture becomes clearer when you see that level of enthusiasm radiates through every person connected with the singer, including Measurement Arts’ Justin Goldberg.

“It’s one of those things you wait your whole career for,” Goldberg told Pollstar. “Somebody who’s the real deal.

“I used to do A&R and publishing at Sony and spent most of my early career watching talented people who never managed to have a live career. Grace is an amazing artist to work with. She’s so hard working. She’s a star.”

719640

Goldberg’s relationship with Potter, which began in 2005, came about in a rather unusual way and was quickly followed by an unusual request.

“I’d written a book about the music business that basically said, ‘Go indie. Don’t sign with a major label. Spend your time touring,’” he explained. “Grace read the book and contacted me and we met in New Orleans.

“Even back then she had a riveting live energy that was generating waves and there was some label attention. She told me if I wanted to come on board as her manager I had to kill the first record deal offer she and the band had, which was from Universal.

“She said, ‘They want to make me into Norah Jones – and I want to be Robert Plant.’ Stylistically, she was so far from where she is now, I was really taken aback.”

Potter used an iconic film by an even more iconic band as a guide to help steer her career where she wanted it to go.

“Her boyfriend and drummer, Matt Burr who founded the band, had turned her on to ‘The Last Waltz,’” Goldberg recalled. “She refers to it in interviews. It has very much influenced how she’s approached positioning the band at the forefront of her musical force. It’s very much a rock band, so she turned out to be right.”

719657

The Vermont-born and -based Potter, who brims with the energy and enthusiasm that carries through her team, told Pollstar the drive to be a musician began almost as soon as she could reach the keys of a piano.

“When I was 6, I sat down at the piano and decided that I was going to master my craft,” the 26-year-old singer explained. “Before that I was always singing. I just ran into a woman who used to drive me to Gymboree. She told me I would be in the car on the way there harmonizing to ‘Betty Davis Eyes’ in perfect pitch! I didn’t remember that. She could be making it up, but if that’s any testament to how long I’ve been doing this … because I was 3.”

It was at St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., where she was actually studying film, that Potter first met Burr and guitarist Scott Tournet. The pair had already formed the core of what would become The Nocturnals, which now also includes bassist Catherine Popper and rhythm guitarist Benny Yurco.

“I delved into the music program a bit, but I learned pretty quickly that, just in terms of what the department had to offer, it wasn’t what I was there for. I was there for a liberal arts education, knowing full well it was just the education part. It’s not like I was going to pursue a career in economics.

“Matt and Scott had a band called Soul Patch that I just loved. They were the big band on campus. It was a genius collaboration that only lasted a semester or two, but when it fell apart I swept in there and grabbed a few of the members and started our band. We just took gigs as much as we could on campus before migrating back to Vermont.”

719642

Since its official inception in 2004, the band has released three generally well-received albums, but it’s their latest, self-titled release that’s poised to make them stars and bring about Potter’s dream.

“This record is the closest thing to capturing our live energy that we’ve done,” the singer said. “We’re not the best studio band, but this time, going in with a renewed sense of what we were trying to do made it easier. We played the way we play on stage.

“There was very little overdubbing and most of the songs we got in the first or second take. So it’s very easy to recreate them onstage.”

And that’s exactly where the band really stands out, according to Partisan Arts’ Hank Sacks.

“For me as an agent, it’s been an extremely gratifying experience to work hard with them,” Sacks told Pollstar. “They take a huge interest in the day-to-day decisions that we make. They care about their touring career. They understand that’s where it’s at.

“From day one, I was struck by their knack for blowing away audiences. Grace has some special charisma and charm. Combined with her songwriting ability and her musicianship, they just literally blow people away.”

Potter said that’s the band’s ultimate goal, no matter where they’re playing.

“We’ve gotta have people up and dancing,” the singer explained. “We do theatre shows, which are really exciting because it’s a chance to play some of the ballads and soulful intimate songs. But by the end of even the most intimate theatre show, we’ve still got people up on their feet, making a mess.”

Gary Hoey

2010-04-16T07:01:00Z

Sure, Gary Hoey’s been rockin’ and rollin’ for a couple of decades, but there’s always time to start anew.

Hoey’s a guitar shredder, now touring with Jeff Beck. And Hoey’s a composer, writing music for movies and television. And Hoey’s kind of a rocking Santa Claus, carving out a niche with his “Ho Ho Hoey” holiday shows.

But now it’s time to move forward.

“I’ve been in the business a long time, and I have 16 albums,” Hoey told Pollstar. “So every year you want to keep evolving and reinventing.”

This summer, Hoey is going to drop Utopia, an album with vocals. Yes, he’s sang before, especially on the last album but, for the most part, Hoey is a one-man G3. His career has been about being a kickass ax man, designed for the guys who like saying words like “Strat,” “Digitech” and “Guitar Center.” But not anymore.

“I grew up singing in bands when I was 15 years old until I was 28,” the 50-year-old (who looks 30) said. “So I have a lot of experience as a singer. I just got back on the horse with really strong songs that everybody’s been reacting to really well.”

718738

Hoey has a new manager in Jeff Apregan, who’s known for putting together tours for Neil Diamond. He’s also working with agencies Buddy Lee Attractions and Paquin Entertainment. And he’s about to build his presence in Europe.

In other words, it’s a time of transformation.

“I’m still letting the guitar do the talking, and I’m still keeping it rock ’n’ roll with a mixture of classic rock, blues and a little bit of a contemporary feel,” Hoey said. “But I’m not becoming this whining singer-songwriter who wants to tell you about all my pain. My guideline is what Jimi Hendrix did, what Eric Clapton did: They played great guitar but they also told you a story.”

The end result is that he’s “moving forward,” and not just musically.

“We have found an increase in our audience. We have found more females at the shows, which is not a bad thing for the guys.”

Apregan and Hoey have known each other for a long time, introduced through Alan Rommelfanger of Daybreak Entertainment. Every winter, when Apregan decorated his Christmas tree, Apregan would plug in Ho Ho Hoey to get him in the spirit. A few years back, they reconnected when Hoey was presenting at the Pollstar awards show.

“We started talking; I started helping him with a few things,” Apregan said. “I decided as we started working together that he was somebody I really wanted to work with. We shared the same work ethic.”

Unlike some artists who can’t take a press call before noon, Hoey will visit and play for the morning radio disc jockeys in almost every city he visits.

“The name of the game is survival, isn’t it?” Hoey asked. “It’s about reinventing yourself enough every year to keep going. It’s easy to have one big hit. It’s hard to last 10, 15 years in this business. And I think we’ve managed to do it by touring a lot and staying on the radio. I think artists have to empower themselves by their hard work and due diligence and not think it’s just the old days where somebody else is going to take care of it.”

718739

Unlike the old days, when Hoey was signed to Warner Bros. and would get bags of fan mail, he’s using Facebook and Twitter to keep the fans happy. Not only do they know when their guitar hero is coming to town, they will get invites to soundcheck.

“Now with the connection from the Internet, we’re communicating with fans up to the afternoon of the show,” he said.

Another thing that’s changed is his understanding of the business. A few years ago, Hoey was in between agents and drew upon Pollstar’s resources. With the help of a Talent Buyer Directory, a few other tools and some free advice, he kept himself on the road.

“Pollstar made me realize I could empower myself. At the end of the road, I proved to some of these agents I am a viable touring artist. I’m going to work hard, I’m going to show up and I’m going to do a great job. And I think that’s a process some bands need to learn before you get a great agent.”

Now, with Apregan’s help, Hoey is trying to build his fan base overseas. But not just there. Even after two decades of touring, there are still some places in the U.S. that need to be introduced to Hoey.

“I know this sounds silly, but Florida,” he said. “I’ve been to Florida over the years but, being the guy who scored the movie ‘Endless Summer II,’ you’d think I’d be playing the beach there. So we’re trying to go to some of the coastal towns with my surf music. And, if you come out and there’s only 80 people, you’ve got to rock ‘em like there’s 8,000. Sometimes it’s about rebuilding the market; sometimes it’s about paying your dues.”

Justin Bieber

2010-04-09T07:01:00Z

The first thing you notice when talking to teen heartthrob Justin Bieber is just how normal he is – no freaky wise-beyond-his-years or manufactured-child-star vibe here. Just an ordinary 16-year-old kid who loves what he’s doing and is having a really, really good time doing it.

OK, an ordinary 16-year-old kid who can sing circles around people three times his age; plays piano, drums, guitar and trumpet; inspires the same kind of hysteria among his fans as The Beatles and Elvis did for theirs and so impressed Lionel Richie that the singer handed over his solo in the “We Are The World” remake earlier this year.

All of that might go to a lot of people’s heads. Not Justin. His credo is “have fun.” And he’s not above making himself the butt of the joke. For April Fool’s Day, the singer was approached by Will Ferrell and company with an idea they had for their “Funny or Die” Web site.

“Basically they changed the site so it was ‘Bieber or Die,’” the singer told Pollstar. “I thought that was a funny idea. It’s fun to laugh at yourself. You can’t take yourself too seriously.

“So I’m just having fun with it. Everything’s been going really smoothly. I’m really excited that everyone’s liking the music and that I’ve got a No. 1 and a No. 5 album.”

717619

To the casual observer, Bieber suddenly appeared last year – a phenom who’s released two albums within the space of four months and will be headlining arenas when he hits the road in June.

In reality, the transformation from a kid whose mom posted videos of his performances on YouTube for the benefit of distant relatives into a budding superstar took a lot of time, hard work and the faith of one man in particular – his manager, Scott “Scooter” Braun.

Braun told Pollstar his relationship with Bieber, with whom he’s been working since just before the singer’s 13th birthday, happened completely by chance.

“I actually stumbled upon him, funny enough,” Braun explained. “I was working on another artist and came across his videos on YouTube when he only had about 60,000 or 70,000 views.

“I saw him sing Ne-Yo’s ‘So Sick’ and I just loved his tone, but really, it was just that my gut was going crazy.”

Braun immediately sought out the young artist and set to work developing him, with the goal of presenting him to Usher and Island Records’ Antonio “L.A.” Reid.

“People think the story is we came to Atlanta and saw Usher,” he explained. “But it was six months after I started working with him that Usher saw him.”

Just how involved is Braun in every aspect of Bieber’s career? His answer, “You want to know the truth? Beyond.”

That almost paternal interest in the singer seems to extend to everyone who works with him, including AEG’s Randy Phillips, who won a bidding war with Live Nation for this summer’s tour.

“I first became aware of Justin’s music through YouTube,” Phillips told Pollstar. “I saw some of the early videos he did and then I met with Scooter Braun at CAA. They set up two meetings – one for my company and one for Live Nation.

“It was offer and counter-offer, but that was a pretty short process because Scooter and Justin’s agent, Mark Cheatham, knew what they wanted. It’s what we would call an earn-out deal, where you have a certain guarantee pegged to a number of shows for what I would think would be an entire album and touring cycle. It’s similar to what Live Nation did with the Jonas Brothers.

“I was totally amenable to that because my belief in Justin transcended just one or two singles. He was precocious in a good way. This is a young man who plays four instruments. And just the way he delivers a song is way beyond his years.

“He’s the kind of person that if you’re going to make a bet – and a lot of times you’re betting on the person and not just the career or the music – he’s that kind of person. The truth is, the way Live Nation and AEG execute tours is similar in many ways, but a lot of the time these decisions are made on personality and how you relate to each other.”

717620

Speaking of relations, Bieber and his team are taking full advantage of 21st-Century tools to connect him to his fans – to astounding success.

“I think my fans appreciate how much time I give them and that I’m able to interact with them on Twitter and other places,” the singer explained.

“I’ve never seen a closer, more interactive relationship with a fan base than Justin has,” Phillips added.

“People think it’s phony. You know, ‘It can’t be him.’ But what do you think teenagers do?” Braun said before emphasizing one other thing.

“The most exciting thing about Justin is every time he performs a live show, he wins over adults.”

And here’s an early warning for the parents of all those tweens and teens who have been smitten by Bieber: He’s not stopping with music.

“In the deal we made with him, we made a commitment to make a movie,” Phillips revealed. “That truly is one of the differentiators between us and Live Nation: We’re in the film business.

“We were able to give him certain career tent poles that he wanted besides our just being tour promoters. And I was very anxious to be further involved in whatever ‘Team Justin’ ultimately becomes.”