Indie-Monster: March 2009

Sunday, March 29, 2009

A Year and a Day

A judge sentenced Rapper T.I. to one year and a day behind bars on federal weapons charges on Friday.

The rapper pleaded guilty last March after he was arrested in 2007, attempting to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers. The arrest on Oct. 13 of that year occurred blocks from where he was to headline the BET Hip-Hop Awards in Atlanta hours later.

He will have between 30 and 60 days to report to prison. Harris already has completed about 1,000 hours of community service and has warned youths about the pitfalls of guns, drugs, violence. He will need to complete 470 additional hours.

Am I missing something? Why not just pay for security? Or, better yet hire some legit body guards. Could he have had beef with someone that was going to be at the awards and just have been a little paranoid? Or, is it just a gun obsession? I'm sorry but there are certain sacrifices that have got to be made once you decide you want to be famous. One of those sacrifices should be no more secret, shady gun deals.

I-M

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Dave Patten

Impressive!

Very talented, young Dave Patten is one of my favorite Indie Artists right now. His music is exactly what I have been waiting to hear for a very long time. What a breath of fresh air! His album is out now and available on iTunes. Go download it! So far my favorite song is "Yeah Yeah". Maybe this album will help to get "Don't Stop" out of my head. His bio is below. Check him out online at www.davepatten.com

BIO:

DAVE PATTEN may be only 20 years of age, but his music speaks volumes beyond those 20 years. Musically speaking, he’s an old soul.

Hailing from suburban Philadelphia (Havertown, PA, the birthplace of Swell Bubble Gum), Dave grew up on the music scene. He started playing cello in third grade and quickly moved onto drums, piano, and guitar, all self taught. In high school, he formed a classic rock-influenced band, “Stepping Stone”, gigging for four years. In 2006, Dave embarked on his career as a solo artist, enabling him to hone his musical gifts for singing, songwriting, performing and producing (a quadruple threat). Despite his youth, Dave has successfully developed a distinctive sound bolstered by a uniquely bold, charismatic voice. Not to mention a transcendent panache which can best be described as a fluid blend of rock, pop, and hip-hop. Dave’s sound is couched in a refreshing style not often heard, yet pleasing to the ear. Dave carefully chooses sounds and styles from diverse genres and harmoniously creates a sound so innovative yet contemporary that it is sure to catch on quickly.

The proof is in the pudding.

Dave recorded four independent, self-produced LPs of original compositions. Although widely available through the Internet and local night clubs, the original material did not create an immediate large buzz. Even though some of the material (even the very early material) was HOT.

So Dave had an idea. Many artists break through covers. Not only one-hit wonders, but even great artists. The Fugees, for example (signed to Philly’s Ruffhouse Records) broke out with their cover of “Killing Me Softly” released on their sophomore LP (the first album did small numbers).

Dave started videotaping his performances of the hot new covers on YouTube. The response has been staggering! Hundreds of thousands of viewers. Many of them blossomed to be his devoted followers. Including several notables, for example . . .

Dave cut “Sweetest Girl” by Wyclef Jean featuring Akon. The YouTube video caught Wyclef’s eye and he personally invited Dave to open for him at House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey. A sweet gig.

Dave cut “Disturbia” by Rihanna. “Disturbia”’s writer, Brian Kennedy, saw the video clip on YouTube and contacted Dve to get permission to put Dave’s link on his MySpace page. And so the story goes.

The word is getting out about DAVE PATTEN. He’s the real deal—a true, original American talent. Boyish good looks. Charm. And lotsa talent.