To watch the video, please click the picture below.

I’m going to let you in to a little secret. Maryland has some great bands. If you’re a musician, it’s so easy to ignore other bands and keep feeding your ego, telling yourself that your music is somehow ‘superior’ to theirs. Nonsense! If you’re in a band then I encourage you to take a step back and see who else is out there. This isn’t a competition. There is a common goal, shared by many, and can actually be achieved by many. It appears that most bands are out there working hard, but not necessarily working hard together.

In this 21st Century, most bands are trying new online tactics, concentrating their efforts on self-promotion. CD Baby, YouTube, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter…Twitter? What the heck is that? Sheesh. It almost seems like everyone is shouting, but no one is listening. How many MySpace ‘friends’ do you have? How many of them are other bands? How many of them actually respond to what you post?

If you’re in a band, ask yourself how you identify or relate to other bands in your area, or genre. Are they competing against you? No. Are they your enemy? No. They are your peers. They can even be your friends! Not MySpace friends, but actual real-life friends. Go check our top friends on MySpace though. :-)

To my fellow independent musicians…let’s face it, the record industry isn’t what it used to be. But even if it was, would you want to be part of it? It’s a question most of you ask yourself from time to time. So who do you look to for support? Yourselves. It’s tough, I know! So ask yourself, "Could there be someone else out there in a position to help me?" What if that person is in another band like yours? Have you thought about how you could possibly help them? Have you thought about how you could work together? Why not send them an email?

To those musicians who are supported by a record label, what insights of the industry can you share? My gut feeling is that even if you are supported by a label you won’t be seeing the Pearl Jam record sales yet. In many ways, I still consider you to be of an ‘independent’ status. I think to myself, “Now there’s a hard-working band. Not to mention they have some great personalities and…….awesome music!”

Yes, it’s ok to appreciate music that’s not yours. Haha. Go ahead, try it. But only if you mean it. Lord knows we don’t need any more empty relationships like MySpace is cluttered with.

I will continue this dialogue in future newsletters. I’ll also feature some of my favorite music with you made by other bands, most notably in my area and genre. Not just any band though, just bands that I think deserve the attention. You’ll find these bands on my iPod (and probably on our website), because I’m a fan of their music. I think you should be too. :-)

Let's kick off with a few bands you might have read about before...

Over the past couple years I've been getting to know Pete on a personal level, which as greatly enhanced my appreciation for his outstanding guitar work. Pete's got chops, but also a very distinctive guitar style and melodic structures.

What you have here is an instrumental album, comprised of guitar driven compositions. While Pete's earlier work stemmed from a full band lineup known as Kurgan's Bane, his latest disc shows maturity and mastery of his guitar style.

Pete has got some sick 7-string tone on this disc, enough to sink your teeth into. Him and I like to refer to it as "beefy".

Do me a favor and download his song, "13 Stitches", by clicking the link below.

Pete Laramee - "13 Stitches"

If you like what you hear, please support this wonderful artist by picking up a copy of his latest disc on CD Baby.

I'm simply amazed by the amazing songwriting ability this band demonstrates. What you have here is a four-piece band with two lead vocalists, who are also lead guitarists!

These guys sing harmony, perform complex polyrhythms and offer top-notch musicianship underneath extremely well-written songs. I find myself humming their tunes at work because they're just so gosh darn catchy. They've spent a long time crafting their sound to be uniform across the board. They know exactly who they are and what they are capable of doing.

Warning - This stuff is catchy and easily digestible.

Do me a favor and download their song, "Intention Experiment", by clicking the link below.

Iris Divine - "Intention Experiment"

Be sure to check out some studio footage on their MySpace webpage.

CP’s bassist Michael Passen first introduced me to Orphan Project about two years ago. I finally got around to purchasing one of their CDs because there was just that itch that had to be scratched. I dug what I heard online, saw them live, and convinced myself that this band was a worthy investment. Shane Lankford is the driving force behind this band, no doubt, and he’s backed by some great talent. Some mature talent. Michael once told me, “Shane Lankford commands the stage.” That’s a heavy statement. He was right too. After hearing Shane’s unique vocals, I’m sure you’ll start to feel the same itch I felt.

They have two releases. Their first, Orphan Found, is a complete album. It defines what an album-oriented band is supposed to be about. There’s a concept behind the music and lyrical significance. Their second release, pictured here, is a 4-song EP and is a fantastic followup. “Angel’s Desire” is worth the price of admission alone. They’ve done great things for themselves and recently have been signed to Open Grave Records. They plan to have new material in early 2009.

Here are some words from Shane Lankford himself.

"There are so many great humanity opportunities for all of us out there, and putting out a great cd is at the bottom of the list, but hopefully that will come about with our next offering "Spooning Out The Sea" (tentative working title) due out spring/summer '09! Please come out and see us play next year!"

Do me a favor and download their song, "Orphan Found", by clicking the link below.

Orphan Project - "Orphan Found"

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