Sometimes, You Just Need A Good Cry.

The Wall Street Journal always has some great reads! With that said, I've decided to share something I came across today. I'll keep this short and let them do the talking, but the link contains a great read on some of the science behind Adele's smash hit "Someone Like You." Ever listened to the track and just felt a little emotional on the inside, maybe needed a good cry? There's good reasons for it!

I'll let them take it from here! But on top of sharing the link, I have also posted a short skit from SNL that shows co-workers all sharing a tear over this classic track! Haha, too funny! Hope you guys enjoy.

Anatomy of a Tear-Jerker (WSJ Article)

SNL Adele Skit

Out With The Old. In With The New.

Recently, I have been trying my best to educate myself on Social Networking strategies and what people are doing on the internet these days. I found myself at www.midem.com where I directed myself to a video entitled "Social Media: Strategy Tools For Artist Development".

There's a brief discussion in this video that mentions the Myspace age and the mentality that artists had to drive themselves at on the internet. Constantly hearing that the only thing labels were interested in was "How many views, plays, friends, etc. you had on Myspace." This brought back memories of when I used to run my bands Myspace page, constantly adding friends looked like a good idea, but as time went on, the relationships developed on Myspace became unnatural, minimal and irrelevant, being as most peoples friends lists started filling up with random people in Bikini's with "5K" posted in their username. To my relief, things have changed over the years, who'd have thought!?

While the labels, agents, managers, etc. are all making the Transition to the new world of Facebook, it's easy to see that some artists are falling a bit behind, still focusing on having the most "Likes" and the most "Followers", gaining distant relationships, and confusing Likes with die hard fans, which leaves most artists one step behind the rest of the industry.

What labels want is a strong community of fans who care. Having 1000 fans who don't read your status updates can not generate to enough revenue and interest to support the band. However, having 300 strong fans who constantly ReTweet, share your music, and post links to videos can play a huge roll in pushing the artist forward and getting their music out there to new people.

So if this sounds like you, spamming and constantly posting desperate claims to like your page, please stop. Let's step back, use time and effort, to gain a unique fan base in which you establish a real connection with, Develop a relationship, and build from there, give something to the people before demanding them to be interested in what you offer. Make them want to like you. In a day and age where it is so easy to get your music out there to people, it is crucial that you have people that are truly interested in your music, keep coming back, and keep sharing your tunes, because in the end, you will find your fans play a huge roll in your future, and those who treat their fans well, seem to stick around just a little bit longer.


Check out this video By Ariel Hyatt, CEO, Cyber PR (USA)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvEHYPMeC2E&rel=0

Hope this has opened your mind, and sparked some marketing ideas and interests!

Gage Funkenhauser
gagefunk@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/#!/FunkenAudio

Crank Up The Volume And Sound A Little Ugly!!

Photo Credits: Julianne Kaye

Meet "The Sound Of Ugly", a 5 piece Rock/Hip Hop group coming to you from Woodland Hills, CA. Their general mix of genres tends to give the listener a very emotional experience and only leaves them asking for more. Comprised of gritty Rock vocals with deep lyrics and clever punch lines delivered by Casey, accompanied by soothing yet energetic, goddess like vocal melodies from Olivia. All coming together to sound something like a modern version of Rap Rock executed with a little more deep thought, projection, and feeling.

Not only does The Sound Of Ugly offer a unique combination of vocals, their instrumentals give the perfect setting for lyrical placement and grooves, surely not something to overlook. With punchy drums and a subtle ambiance to glue it all together, it may have you thinking their are elements similar to the band "Volumes",  coincidence? Not likely. If you haven't noticed by now, Daniel Braunstein is the man behind the strings for both bands, and it just so happens that he does most of the productions for both of these groups as well, so you can see where the overlap comes into play. Despite the diversity in genres, The Sound Of Ugly offer crisp, clean recordings that are full of life, with all elements of the music portrayed in a very fashionable manner. It's a little sad their EP has only a few songs.

  

Although it was a little hard to get some info together on these guys, as the closest thing to a band bio I found was "We're Ugly. You're Ugly. Lets Be Friends!", they do have a Facebook Page which is fully active, and has recently had a stream of shows posted to it. On that page you will find 1 song on the band page tab, titled "Disguise yourself", this is an amazing track overall, and only leaves us wanting more. Well, don't you worry, if you email the band, you can get a free copy of their 3 song EP, which I strongly recommend to anyone who likes the song on their band page. The EP is easily one of the most creative and catchy 3 song releases I have heard from an unsigned band in a very long time.

So if you're searching for something that is a little different from what's been getting pushed around the internet lately, I suggest you check out The Sound Of Ugly, and if you like their music, head over to their Facebook page and tell them to lay down some more tracks! Because I know I am surely looking forward to hearing more from this group!

For More info and music head over to their Facebook or Twitter:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/TheSoundofUgly

Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/soundofugly

Hope you guys enjoy their music as much as I do!

And remember, feel free to submit to my blog!

Gage Funkenhauser

FunkenAudio

gagefunk@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/#!/FunkenAudio

All Aboard The Pleasure Cruise, Brought To You By Ontario's - Islands

Photo Credits: Steve Haining

The Question: Got Djent?
The Answer: Ontario does!

And it's brewing something up in full force. Welcome to the next greatest thing to come out of the Hamilton area of Ontario; Islands. A 5 piece act that have taken the Djent genre and given it a heavy injection of hardcore. Described as a reminder of "Periphery and Suicide Silence", a few more listens may have you thinking to yourself that they have a sound similar to Volumes, pumped full of hardcore, alongside a tall glass of cold Canadian beer finished off with a swift kick in the ass.

Still don't get it? Ok, here it is in plain English.

Combining heavy riffs with powerful melodies, crushing vocals with lyrics that hit close to home, and a little bit of ambiance to top it all off, it's easy to see that you can expect big things from this line up in 2012. While only being fully active for a short period of time, they have already managed to grab a lot of attention on the internet from metal blogs and social networks. And it's no wonder why. Islands is taking the scene by storm with their "do it yourself" attitude, tastefully providing themselves with top notch productions and getting ready to start booking their own shows. Simply put, Islands is the real deal, and the "Waves" EP certainly showcases their talent and musicianship and has easily pushed the expectations of unsigned bands to a whole new level.

So, local Ontario acts, forget what you knew, it's time to step your game up, because Islands is coming to a town near you, very soon, and sure enough the weak will be put on the back burner.

The search ends here if you are looking for "the cream of the crop" in Southern Ontario, or anywhere else for that matter.

If you are a promoter, book them. If you are in a band, learn from them. And if you are a listener of music and the genre of Djent... for the love of god go check these guys out! You will only be doing yourself a favor.

Be sure to "Like" them on Facebook, Follow them on Twitter, and check out their new music video for the song "Deception".

Video -"Deception" - Islands
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/islandsmusic
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/islandsofficial

Until next time friends!

Feel free to message me if you would like to submit something to the blog.

Gage Funkenhauser
gagefunk@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/#!/FunkenAudio

Intro to FunkenAudio @Blogspot!

Hey guys! Welcome to the new FunkenAudio Blogspot!

I'm really excited to try my hand at writing and find my place on the web! In the mean time, I wanted to provide you with a quick introduction post to let you guys know what you can expect to see in the future from this blog.

My main point is to deliver knowledge, facts, events, and just all the on goings of things in the music Industry. Anything to do with bands, album reviews, gear, recording tips, and anything that can help you "D.I.Y." as far as anything music goes, and I'm not talking genre specific, no no no folks, I am open to ALL genres of music. My goal is to put the power into the hands of the reader at home, and act as a middle man and collector of all info of music sorts, and organize it into 1, concise place for all of you to access at your convenience. I will try my best to keep all posts somewhat music related, however, it is possible there could be a few strays from the path. If I feel it's appropriate for the blog, I will post it. I want to showcase life at it's fullest, and mine in particular happens to be very full with many things, particularly music, So I hope the stories and things I come across will translate into positive experiences and reads for all of you at home.

So with that said, I hope you guys enjoy my posts, and I will try to update as much as possible.

In the mean time, work hard, have an open mind, and just be an overall credible person.

Thanks for reading.

P.S. I am always open to others opinions, and submissions! Feel free to message me with anything music related, or if you have any questions or concerns about what is posted here!

Gage Funkenhauser
FunkenAudio
https://twitter.com/#!/FunkenAudio
gagefunk@gmail.com