Where are they now Wednesday (two days late): Tesla

I decided I wanted to do something on Tesla simply because a lot of people don't know that these guys actually never went away.



They have been continually touring, writing, recording and releasing new material with the same line up that appears in the video above.
They recently released a new album "Simplicity" which debuted at #24 on Billboards Top 200 US chart. The first single off the album is called "So Divine" and I think you'll notice their sound hasn't change much over the years. They still sound like Tesla!  And it's not just something they do in the studio...check out this fan shot footage from just over a week ago. 

Friday Feature: BABYMETAL

It's been a while since I've done a "Friday Feature" (or did I call it "Feature Friday"?)...but, Alan Cross posted this video this week and right away I knew I had to share it.

These girls are actually going to be opening for Lady Gaga and I have to admit, not only do I think that's a good fit, but just in general this just seems to make sense. If feels like something that would be huge in Japan and at the same time it feels like a natural progression of where music is going in that part of the world. It simply feels right for right now. It almost feels too obvious. I can't stop watching. What do you think?

Do the research

This actually happened. I once had one artist say “Hey Danny, you know who you should look into working with? Oddball Productions” For those of you who may not know, Oddball Productions is my company. My immediate response was to joking say “no way, I hear they suck” assuming that his suggestion was his own attempt to be funny, but much to my surprise the artist actually started to defend Oddball and really tried to change my perception of my own company to be a more positive one. He even went as far as to say he 100% vouches for the company based on the experiences he's had with them. The whole time not knowing Oddball Productions was my company. 

This isn't the first time something like this has happened. Since starting Oddball Productions I've had a variety of artist contact me, send me tracks and simply say "Let us know what you think". When I follow up with these artists one of the first questions I usually ask is "What do you know about Oddball Productions" and the response 99% of the time is "we actually don't know..." And every single time this happens I can't help but wonder if this is how this artist approaches other people in the industry. 

If my assumption is true, here's a little piece of advice. Do yourself a favour and take some time to do some research. It doesn’t matter if you are booking a show, pitching a single to radio or even just introducing yourself to an industry professional, being prepared and knowing a little bit about who you are talking to will help. 

I’m not saying go out and learn their life story, but at least know the basics and once you learn the basics REMEMBER THEM! When you take the time to do a little research and learn something about who ever you’re approaching it will have an impact on their perception of you. Your creditability will increase, you will be seen as professional and because you took the time to learn about them, it will translate into them being open to potentially dedicating some time to you.

When you don’t take the time to do a little research and approach the conversation not knowing anything about who you’re talking to, chances are the conversation will be over before it even starts. 

Think like Oreo

I read an interesting thing about Oreo that I thought was worth sharing...

We all do things that we think are a waste of time or are insignificant. Something that may perceived as having little value that is often ignored, pushed to the side or even thrown away.

Somewhere along the line, someone working in an Oreo cookie factory looked at the crumbs they were sweeping up and throwing away and thought, “we could sell this”. And just like that, trash turned into treasure. Trash that people will gladly pay for and sprinkle on top of their ice cream. A 400gram box of Oreo Crumbs costs $3.77 at Wal-Mart, which may not seem like much, but it's more than they were getting when there were simply throwing the crumbs away. 

So now the 'big question'...what is everyone in your industry throwing away? What do people see little or not value in? How can you approach it from a new angle and turn it into something that is having an impact on your business, career and/or revenue stream? 

Think like Oreo

Edmonton Unplugged

A little while back, I announced on facebook that I was given the ‘green light’ to shoot a pilot for TV and I’m excited today to finally share some of the details of what the show is about and more.

The show is called Edmonton Unplugged and it is a series that will showcase a variety of artists from the Edmonton region acoustically.

We shot the pilot (and a couple more episodes) at Expressions Café with just 2 cameras and the artists singing live off the stage. Everyone was really excited with how everything turned out that we were not only ‘picked up’ by Shaw, but Shaw has now moved our tapings to their studio with full TV production, 4-5 cameras, audio tech and more. We did our first ‘in studio’ taping last week and were surprised to find out that Shaw TV has already started airing the pilot. 

If you live in Edmonton and have Shaw Cable you can see the show on channel 10 daily at 2:00 and 11:30. The first episode features REND and Carrie Day.

Don’t have Shaw TV? Don’t worry. Each episode will have a two weeks run and once that's done, the episodes will be made available online via YouTube. Can wait till then? Here’s a clip of REND performing “Winter To Summer”

Like what you see and want to know who will be on upcoming episodes and other information on the show? Keep informed by checking out: 
www.edmontonunplugged.com Facebook Twitter Want to be on the show? Interested in being a sponsor? Contact us at info@edmontonunplugged.com
We would also love to hear your thoughts on the show! Let us know what you think!