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SIGNING STORIES Obey the Brave Date Signed: June 2012 Label: Epitaph Type of Music: Metalcore Band Members: Alex Erian, vocals; John Campbell, guitar; Greg Wood, guitar; Miguel Lepage, bass; Stevie Morotti, drums. Management: Carl Severson/Good Fight Entertainment, carl@goodfightentertainment.com Booking: Amanda Fiore / The Pantheon Agency, amanda@thepantheonagency.com Legal: Patrick Leyland Publicity: Jessica Giordano, jessica@epitaph.com Web: http://obeythebrave.com A&R: Tom Osborn Canadian metalcore act Obey the Brave’s mantra is simply, “Not trying to reinvent the wheel. We keep it simple. We keep it real.” But it was enough to land them a deal with Epitaph Records alongside the likes of Weezer, Rancid and Motion City Soundtrack. Before January 2012, Obey the Brave were a nameless group of musicians who’d played in different bands (Despised Icon, Blind Witness, Darkness Rites) and shared song ideas via text. Then when they posted an introductory video on Facebook with a clip from their first single, “Live & Learn,” from the Ups & Downs EP, and gained 14,000 Facebook fans in two weeks, record labels came knocking. Vocalist Alex Erian sums up the sudden success as just “the right band, right timing and right music.” The comfort zone found at Epitaph is due, in part, to Erian’s own admiration for the label as an adolescent reared on Rancid and Pennywise. “Now I’ve got the opportunity to do what I love and actually make a living off it.” “Epitaph has shown that it’s not just a hype label; it’s a reputable label. All we want to do is play and be on the road. I’m confident that Epitaph will give us that opportunity,” Erian says. “All I can say about the Epitaph deal,” he adds, “is I’ve never seen that much money in my life. I’ve been fucking struggling for the past 10 years just paying rent or eating. At least now I’ve got the opportunity to do what I love and actually make a living off it.” Record label or no, the band members keep their hands dirty in the business aspects. They continue to rely partially on themselves for promotion, and Erian co-manages the band. “It’s encouraging to have people helping out, but we keep a lot of control. It’s important for us not to be puppets,” he says. Starting July 28, Obey the Brave will make their first extended visit to the United States on the All Stars Tour. The release of their debut LP, Young Blood, which combines melodicism with heavy riffage, will follow on Aug. 28th. ——Jessica Pace Cris Cab Date Signed: May 2011 Label: Mercury/Island/Def Jam Type of Music: Reggae/Pop Management: Dan Solomito, Daniel Glogower / March Management, crsicab mgmt@gmail.com, 201-755-0683 Booking: Samantha Kirby / WME, skirby@wmeentertainment.com, 212-903-1149 Legal: Alison Finley / Boyarski Fritz, LLP, 212-920-4925 Publicity: Beau Benton / 42West, beau.benton@42West.net, 646-467-9055 Web: http://criscab.com A&R: Tom Lee ineteen-year-old singer and guitarist Cris Cab launched his career when Nhe posted several videos to YouTube. Cab’s cover of Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow” has earned nearly two million views. His channel has received nearly seven million. Those are the kinds of metrics that attract label interest. In Cab’s case, it landed him meetings with a number of major labels and ultimately resulted in a deal with Mercury Records. When the views started to build, labels started to notice and contacted his manager. Early in his career he recognized the power of having one. “It’s important to have someone on top of the game and with ideas about how to make a project bigger and better,” Cab says. “We were proactive; we did everything ourselves. That’s another reason the labels were so impressed. A friend had a brother in the music business. He turned out to be my current manager. “My mentor Pharrell Williams told me that the most important thing is to always play live.” “We soon had attention from all the majors,” he continues. “We sat down and decided which one was best for us. I chose Mercury because they let me do my own thing and they understood who I was. They were able to give us the most of what we were looking for.” Being signed doesn’t mean an end to posting videos. “You always have to have an online buzz and keep your fans engaged,” Cab says. “Nowadays it’s all about social media and online presence. You need that connection with your fans.” Cab owes a lot to YouTube, but he hasn’t neglected performing. “I was always doing live shows,” he explains. “My mentor Pharrell Williams told me that the most important thing is to always play live and to get those [videos] up.” The singer’s first single, “Good Girls (Don’t Grow On Trees)” featuring Big Sean, dropped on June 14th. Cab is currently recording his complete album and expects an early fall release. In the meantime, he played a New York show on July 12 and a Miami show on July 26th. His free mixtape, Echo Boom, has been released online and has had more than 300,000 downloads. ——Rob Putnam 26 August 2012 www.musicconnection.com
SIGNING STORIES ASHLEY MAILE Young Guns Date Signed: May 7, 2012 Label: Wind-up Records Type of Music: Rock Band Members: Gustav Wood, vocals; Frasier Taylor / John Taylor, guitar; Simon Mitchell, bass; Ben Jolliffe, drums. Management: Andy Snape & Craig Jennings / Raw Power Management; Mark James / Back To Back Management Booking: Steve Kaul / The Agency Group (US); Ralph James / Adam Sylvester / The Agency Group (Canada); Sean Goulding / The Agency Group (Rest of World) Legal: Penny Ganz / Ganz Legal Publicity: Michael Moses / BWR Public Relations, mmoses@bwr-la.com Web: http://weareyoungguns.com A&R: Alan Galbraith / Wind-up Records British alt-rockers Young Guns had already built a following in Europe on the back of their 2010 full-length debut, All Our Kings Are Dead. They’d signed a deal with PIAS (aka Play It Again Sam), building buzz playing the Reading and Leeds Festivals. They were heard on Zane Lowe’s Radio 1 show. A flurry of magazine covers underscored their popularity. They were yet, however, to penetrate the North American market. That opportunity came their way when indie label Wind-up caught wind of their rising star and began chatting with their management. The label’s honchos made a trip to Nottingham to witness the London-based newcomers up close. Although several offers presented themselves, the group were particularly impressed by Vice President Alan Galbraith’s intimate grasp of their artistic vision. “There was a sense that the record had been studied and thought about.” “There was a sense that the record had been studied and thought about,” muses Gustav Wood, Guns’ soft-spoken vocalist. “We were excited that their roster is so strong and they have a fantastic record with music going out to radio, which is something we would like to capitalize on.” The group also played a few dates with one of Wind-up’s most popular acts, Seether, who served up a positive review. Contract negotiations went quickly. For their part, the Guns were content allowing their legal representatives to hash out the details of the four-album agreement. “We went back and forth about the finer details,” says Wood, “but it wasn’t terribly complicated because we both had a similar idea of what we wanted to achieve.” Journeying to Thailand to record their second album, Bones, due out Sept. 4, they crafted a sound they specifically hope will appeal to American listeners, backing up their commitment with a recent trip to Los Angeles for a video shoot. “America’s a big place,” marvels the singer. “We’re a band from the UK, but we don’t want to be defined by that,” he adds, stating, “Wind-up genuinely seems to be a company that’s doing things the right way. We are really honored. To be given a shot to tour the states is a big deal for us.” ——Andy Kaufmann MONUMENTS Date Signed: March 2012 Label: Century Media Records Type of Music: Progressive Groove Metal Band Members: John Browne, guitar; Olly Steele, guitar; Adam Swan, bass; Mike Malyan, drums; Matt Rose, vocals. Management: John Giulio Sprich / The Euroblast Collective, management@thisismonuments.com, +4915146445588 Booking: Marco Walzel / Avocado booking, marco@avocado-booking.com (EU) +498995447361; John Giulio Sprich / The Euroblast Collective, management@thisismonuments.com, +4915146445588 (rest of world) Legal: Dean Marsh / Creative Law & Business, dean@creativelaw.eu, +441273823770 Publicity: Nikki Law / Century Media Records, nikki.law@centurymedia.com Web: http://facebook.com/thisismonuments A&R: Steve Joh John Browne, guitarist with London-based metal band MONUMENTS, was in the US performing with a side project when he was introduced to A&R rep Steve Joh. Browne passed along MONUMENTS’ demo and, just like that, the band was signed to Century Media Records. Sounds easy enough, but for MONUMENTS it represents years of hard work, a longgrinding search for a lead vocalist and a bit of luck. After a seven-month global search, Matt Rose was added as MONU- MENTS’ new vocalist. With Rose in place, the band have spent the last several months finishing the album, which Rose feels showcases their unique metal sound. “It’s a stamp of approval for a young band to get signed,” he says. “It’s great to be working with Century Media, which is a label that really knows metal.” “Working with professionals makes the whole recording process enjoyable.” Rose expects that the signing will provide exposure for the band and help create more opportunities to play live. “Live shows are what are most important for a new band,” he explains. “You need to get out and be heard by as many people as possible.” When asked if getting signed was a path to quick success, Rose, who has experience with several bands, says, “You shouldn’t get into the music business expecting to become big quickly. When you’re young, you think everything comes easy, but the truth is that it’s very hard work. You can’t rest on your laurels. Getting signed is just the beginning.” Rose just completed the album’s final vocal production at Fortress Studios in London. He had the opportunity to work with veteran producer and engineer Dan Weller. “The experience at Fortress with Dan Weller was excellent," says Rose. "Working with professionals makes the whole recording process enjoyable.” What’s next for the band? “We look forward to coming to the US and proving ourselves,” the singer says. MONUMENTS’ Gnosis will be released in North America on Aug. 28th. ——Steve Harr August 2012 www.musicconnection.com 27
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