Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Mitch Wetheringthon

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Mitch Wetheringthon

It is not very often that musicians from South Carolina make a name for themselves on a national stage in the entertainment industry.   Frankly it is not often that anyone from the Palmetto State does anything substantial in this particular industry.  This is not to say that there is no talent in the state, because that is certainly not the case.  It is just not a state that receives that much exposure in the area of entertainment.  There have been a few athletes, Vanna White from Wheel of Fortune, some others and let us not forget Stephen Colbert.  These people have represented South Carolina extremely well in the entertainment industry.  Now though, thanks to national talent contests such as America’s Next Top Model, American Idol and others, individuals from every nook and cranny of the country get their shot at making it.  The Transcendent Music Movement is pleased to present one of the most recent recipients of this incredible opportunity, acoustic singer/songwriter Mitchel Wetherington.

Twenty Four year old Mitch Wetherington was born in Lexington South Carolina.  He progressed through the public school system in the central region of the state before moving to the Low Country to attend College in Charleston, SC.  Mitch attended the Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel and graduated in May of 2010.  Mitch participated in many activities growing up.  He played soccer and was a hang gliding instructor among other things.  Out of all of his activities, his most notable was and is his talent as a musician.  While in Charleston, Mitch began taking his passion for music more seriously.  He began writing his own songs and performing them on YouTube, right from his barracks at The Citadel.  Mitch’s talent was self-realized and validated by his friends and family.  He then participated in an acoustic open-mic contest where his live performing career began.  At that event, the owner of Other Brother Entertainment, Bryan Mahanes, took notice of his talent.  Bryan helped propel Mitch’s career by landing him gigs all over Charleston.

After Mitch’s rapid success as a solo artist, he wanted to have a more dynamic presence on stage, particularly as his crowds grew bigger and bigger.  Mitch began The Mitch Wetherington Project, which included Brayan Mahanes playing lead guitar and later Trey Swinton on drums.  The Mitch Wetherington Project was an exciting band that excited crowds with enthusiastic performances.  Following the Mitch Wetherington Project, Mitch moved on to form an even more electrifying band called Southwood.  As Southwood, Mitch began to take his performances out of the local bars and in to local music venues doing shows that drew even larger crowds. 

Mitch has always kept a catalog of original music that he performed along with music covers.  After the passing of his mother shortly before he graduated college, Mitch’s song writing became his refuge.  Mitch found a deeper motivation to truly impact others through his lyrics and music.  His mother, in her absence, has further motivated Mitch to continue his pursuit of exceptional   musicianship and a songwriting.  This has been exemplified in his recent decision to audition for American Idol.  Mitch repeatedly declined to audition despite encouragement from friends, family and even his mother.  However when American Idol hosted an audition in the area he finally felt he would be remiss not to audition.  He was even more so compelled because it was a desire of his mother for her son to try out.  Mitch auditioned and unsurprisingly was presented with a golden ticket to compete in Hollywood, California to become the next American Idol.

Mitch Wetherington, in is humility, has impacted the lives of many through his music.  He continues to focus his work on positively affecting others.  Mitch’s spectacular personality and incredible talent are sure to carry him far.  His journey has already begun, as he has now been presented with an opportunity to display his craft to a national audience.  He is going to need the support and encouragement of his friends, family, Citadel family, state, and others as he labors in pursuit of national recognition as a musical artist.  Join the TRANSCENDENT MUSIC MOVEMENT as we lobby our support for Mitch Wetherington as he seeks to expand his audience, all the while continuing to create and perform TRANSCENDENT MUSIC.

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Lyrical Profet

The Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Lyrical Profet

Lord knows making it in the music industry is no easy task.  We all know those who have come and gone.  There are those hometown heroes who seem destined to be recognized by the major record labels.  We also know those who captivate local audiences and work day in and day out to earn and preserve their unwavering support.  Some artist are infatuated with the celebrity aspects of music, I do not blame them.  However, there are some artists with a message.  These artists are not motivated by money or fame.  They explicitly and solely seek to speak to the masses using the beloved medium called music.  So here we are in the age of Youtube, Myspace, iTunes and the like.  What an opportunity for an aspiring musician or artist to become known or better yet, disseminate their message to the world through music.  With that said it gives The Transcendent Music Movement great pleasure to present someone who is doing just that, the lyrical and poetic maven, Kyrah A Ayers, better known as Lyrical Profet.

Poetry by the Bay

Born in the Bay Area of California, Lyrical Profet realized his adoration and innate gift for writing.  More specifically he found himself writing poetry.  This Fresno State Mass Communication major graduated, and supplemental to his career began writing and performing his poetry publicly.  It all began as an innocent hobby.  He wrote inspiring words and strung intricate combinations of words and other literary devices together over beats that he created.  Lyrical Profet began performing his spoken word in local venues in the bay area.  He later began a local event called Poetry by the Bay to showcase local talent.  He is the host of this event and it has been growing in popularity since its conception in 2008.

Product of Environment (P.O.E.)

From Lyrical Profet’s Poetry by the Bay event and others he began to be more comfortable on stage in front of a live audience.  He has always felt comfortable as a writer but performing on stage was a new challenge.  His ultimate goal is and was to merely be a songwriter for other artists to perform but Lyrical Profet could not deny his calling to the stage.  From Poetry by the Bay and other local events Profet formed his own band.  This band along with a vocalist made up P.O.E.  P.O.E. stands for Product of Environment.  Profet began to market his music empire as Profetic Lyrics, which became the name of his business.  Profet’s spoken word performances as P.O.E. stimulated him to tap in to his love for Hip Hop and begin writing more Hip Hop songs.  These songs included R&B vocals and the eclectic instrumentation from his live band.  Profet graced every track with the same intelligent and thought provoking songwriting.  His performance as a Hip Hop vocalist and the energy derived from the live band provoked excitement from crowds wherever they performed.   Lately though, Profet has been working on solo productions.

This is my Prayer

Lyrical Profet has been releasing individual tracks periodically while he has been working on his latest major production; a mix-tape entitled This is my Prayer.  He recently released the video for the title track This is my Prayer and has set a release date for the mix-tape of January 7, 2012.  The music of Lyrical Profet is sure to possess profound songwriting and lively instrumentation.  Lyrical Profet is one hard working artist with incredible talent and tremendous potential yet.    Profet is doing great work to promote his music and his message.  The Transcendent music movement encourages you to further explore his work on the various social and media mediums highlighted throughout this blog.  Also continue to support the movement to support artist such as Lyrical Profet as they continue to create TRANSCENDENT MUSIC.  

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Negotiation and Deal-Making with Bryan Mahanes

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Negotiation and Deal-Making with Bryan Mahanes

Negotiation and deal-making is an integral part of the entertainment industry.  It often takes place in the relationships between artists, managers, venue owners, record labels and other entities in the music industry.  In this blog we will look in to the subject of negotiation and deal making as it pertains to the owner of OtherBrother Entertainment, Bryan Mahanes.

OtherBrother entertainment is an artist management and entertainment service provider in Charleston, South Carolina.  They have been providing these services to both local and national artists and clients for about seven years.  As the owner of this company, Bryan Mahanes core responsibility is negotiating and making deals on behalf of the artists he represents or the clients who seek their services. 

This seems like a simple business model and I would argue that it is.  However, there are varying interests, personalities, emotions, and other things that make his job a balancing act each and every day.  Bryan is responsible for satisfying the interest of three parties in any given deal.  He has to consider the interests of the artists, his company, and the venue in which they will be performing. Bryan provided me with an example of how a typical negotiation would flow.

Initially, Bryan would ask the artist their rate.  This commences the first negotiation.  Bryan’s responsibility at this point is to accept this price or negotiate an alternate price that the artist is willing to agree to and that satisfies the interest of OtherBrother Entertainment.  As you can imagine, this is the point at which he is most likely disposed to deal with negotiating concepts such as status (respective level of achievement), mutual benefit (satisfying all parties involved), and leveraging power (exploiting his credentials).  The personalities, emotions, and interest of the respective artists have to be considered during this negotiating process with extreme delicacy.  Bryan made it clear to me that he values the artists they represent.  He realizes that they are his company’s product.  Therefore, it is imperative for him to clearly identify the respective interests of every artist he works with.  After learning about that artist’s personality, interest and emotional need, he can tailor a proposal that accommodates them.  Most artists elicit an acknowledgement of their respective status and musical talent.  This is the biggest emotional concern of a lot of the artists Bryan deals with, which he says, makes dealing with personalities very challenging.  However, he is successful because his approach is one that is humble and accommodating to his artists. 

He also has to negotiate when dealing with clients or venues that request their entertainment service.  Much of the negotiations are the same.  Primarily, he negotiates the price point.  At this juncture in Bryan’s job he has to negotiate a price that is affordable to his client, satisfies the price agreed upon with the artist and generates revenue for OtherBrother Entertainment.  This requires a little more savvy as a salesperson.  These negotiations require extensive research in valuing the worth of the event.  Bryan is able to leverage his experience in the industry as objective criteria, proving his ability to provide the best match of entertainment for the event.  He also can propose a cheaper artist as BATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement), in the event that the price point he proposes is too high for his suggested artist.  Emotionally, these clients are seeking autonomy.  They want to be in control of their event, whether it is a wedding planner or a venue owner.  Though Bryan may offer his suggestion he has to resist forcing an artist on a client.  In negotiating this, he has to yield to their role in planning or organizing the event.  All of these negotiating obstacles are a part of what Bryan confronts on a daily basis.

Negotiation and deal-making make up a tight rope that personnel in the entertainment industry, and Bryan Mahanes, as owner of OtherBrother Entertainment, have to walk everyday.  Bryan attributes his negotiating success to his humility, tremendous interpersonal skills, his calm demeanor, and working tirelessly to make his artists and clients happy.  These two components comprise the company’s essential products and customers, and without them, his company would not survive.  As OtherBrother Entertainment continues to promote incredible artists and provide impeccable service to its clients, the Transcendent Music Movement offers its support and a tip of the hat to Bryan Mahanes for his successful business practices and negotiating acumen.

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Goat Rodeo Sessions

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: Goat Rodeo Sessions

Once again, we have discovered musical genius.  Before I proceed, allow me to briefly reintroduce this blog to ensure that this album review is put in perspective.  The Transcendent Music Movement has set out to preserve and promote music that is transcendent through this blog and other means.  The music we promote transcends any status quo, resists any sense of mediocrity, and challenges your musical understanding.  With that said, the Transcendent Music Movement is pleased to present Goat Rodeo Sessions.

Goat Rodeo

I am sure you are asking what in the world is Goat Rodeo Sessions?  It is the title of the album that was collectively composed, performed and recorded by four legendary musicians.  This enigma of an album title actually has a relevant and applicable meaning.  First, session most likely describes their meetings for composing and recording; but of more interest, what is a goat rodeo?  A goat rodeo basically describes a situation that is so chaotic that it would require some sort of miracle or unlikely coincidence to restore order.  I formulated that definition from listening to their description during their interview on their iTunes deluxe album.  In that interview the musicians, who I will introduce later, explain why they consider their collaborative album to be a goat rodeo.  Mandolin player Chris Thile is quoted in the interview reading an Urban Dictionary definition, which says “a goat rodeo is about the most polite term used by aviation people and others in higher risk situations to describe a scenario that requires about 100 things to go right at once if you intend to walk away from it”.  Let’s meet the band. 

The Band

Yo-Yo Ma is a classically trained cellist who is famous for being one of the best selling classical artists in the world.  He has performed for eight U.S. presidents to include the 56^th Presidential Inauguration, invited by Barrack Obama.  I could tell you more, but I think you get it.  He is an incredible musician. 

Stuart Duncan is a Country, American, and Bluegrass fiddle player.  Duncan is known to be America’s favorite fiddler player as described on the Nashville bluegrass Band’s website.  Even if he is not recognized by name his superior fiddle skills are gaining him increasing personal notoriety.  He also plays the mandolin and banjo on a few tracks on the album. 

Edger Myer is a recording artist for the Sony Classical recording label along with Yo-Yo Ma.  He performs music of the classical, pop, country and folk persuasion.  Myer’s website outlines a recent claim by San Diego Magazine that recognizes him as, “the best bassist alive”.

Chris Thile is a spectacular mandolin player who has been raved about since he was 12 when he released his first solo album and was called a child prodigy.  Just like the rest of his band mates on Goat Rodeo Sessions, Thile has been the recipient of many awards.  Thile performs mostly country and bluegrass with two award winning bands, Nickel Creek and the Punch Brothers.

Aoife O'Donovan also joins the band to record vocals on two selections.  O'Donovan is a folk and bluegrass vocalist who is an up and coming star.  She sings with a band she started called Crooked Still.  They plan to release their first full length album in 2012.  She also performs with other artists and has a solo career as well.

Goat Rodeo Sessions

            These unique musical backgrounds alone, alludes to why they consider their work to be a goat rodeo.  This is a group of artists, who were highly unlikely to share a stage and perform together as a band.  In almost any interview the members of this unprecedented quartet rave on and on about the magical experience they had creating music together.  They always seem to acknowledge their unorthodox mix of styles and instruments, which explains clearly why they named their album Goat Rodeo Sessions.  Mandolinist Chris Thile is quoted saying, “I think it's the kind of thing that maybe classical music listeners will think is bluegrass and bluegrass listeners will think it's classical. Hopefully it lands in the nebulous zone where it can't really be named," in a 2011 Billboardbiz.com interview with Gary Graff.  These individuals, who are each spectacular in their own right, took the goat rodeo that was them creating an album and ingeniously merged their unique individual talents to form a marvelous creation.  

The masterpiece that they created is packed with scores of incredible complexities with melodies stemming from bluegrass to classical - all the while avoiding any definitive classification.  There are even dollops of folk, funk and pop interwoven meticulously throughout the album.  This unimaginable fusion of musicians and instruments produced one of the most unique and clever albums that I have ever heard.  These artists who are incredible as individual musicians managed to successfully collaborate to create an entire album that oozes excitement and epitomizes TRANSCENDENT MUSIC.

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: J. Wils

Transcendent Music Movement Presents: J. Wils

            Ok Hip-Hop heads, I got something for you all.  It's no secret that Drake, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Wale, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and some others have really been representing lately for Rap music.  This group of artists has been dubbed as Backpack Rappers or New Era Rappers by me and some other Hip-Hop heads.  These artists brought intellect to rap during a time when rap music was considered, by most, to be on the verge of death.  Let us be honest!  Over the past few years it was beginning to seem like anyone could make it as a rapper with any ignorant message and lyrics that corresponded to some stupid dance. 

Backpack Rappers

Thank the Hip-Hop gods for these New Era Rappers!  The lyrics of these artists have had much appeal to students pursuing higher education.  Most of the artists themselves have spent at least some time in college hence their nickname, Backpack Rappers.  Obviously, a college education does not make you a great lyricist or even a smart person for that matter, but it has evoked an intelligent style of Rap music that has become quite popular.  So regardless of education or the lack thereof, the complexities of this group’s lyrics, clever punch lines and tremendous use of literary figures of speech, has appealed to a more scholastic listener. 

The New New-Era

These artists have paved the way for the effective deviation from the traditional gangster rapper and the dance rapper or as I call them, the mickey mouse rapper.  It is true though; there is truly a new era of rap led by these New Era Rappers.  So it gives Transcendent Music great pleasure to introduce and promote a new artist who embodies the essence of this new era of rap, J. Wils.

J. Wils, born Justin Wilson, was born in Charleston South Carolina.  To be frank, the kid is without a doubt a diamond in the rough.  We all are aware of the unique, catchy yet largely silly music that has come out of The South.  Well, he does not fit that traditional mold.  J. Wils represents for the new era of rap music and is personally seeking to portray the South in a new light. 

I discovered J. Wils’ profound lyrical style on YouTube.  The content of his raps reflected his atypical colligate experience.  He attended and graduated from The Military College of South Carolina, The Citadel which explained much of the military jargon used in his raps that probably could only be appreciated by those who attended that elite institution.  He was also involved in a series of dorm room rap battles that became viral across his campus.  From this innocent display of lyrical talent, J. Wils’ passion for Hip-Hop, production, and representing The South intelligently, was ignited.  He began making beats and rapping on other popular artists’ beats.  He began to write relentlessly.  Before long he and his college roommate, Justin Ramie, recorded their first music video for their song, ChuckTown Anthem.  This was their first and rather deliberate attempt to present The South positively and intelligently, with regards to Rap music.   

Fashionably Late Mix tape

Later, after graduating from college, J. Wils launched his solo career and has grown tremendously as an artist.  Just as many of those new era artists who I described earlier did when they broke in to mainstream Hip-Hop, he released a mix tape.  J.Wils recognizes exactly where he fits in and he respects his fans enough to know that he has to earn their continued support.  He makes that clear by launching a free mix tape to help boost his popularity and earn the support of listeners. The name of his mix tape, Fashionably Late, has meaning that exemplifies J. Wils’ confidence and his desire to be regarded as one of Hip-Hop’s New Era artists. 

I recall a conversation I had with him a couple of years ago when his mix tape was being conceptualized.  He was expressing to me the fact that there were all of these new Hip-Hop artists who had become rather popular, and how he felt he was on par with most of them from a lyrical standpoint.  I agreed with him whole-heartedly.  Then he explained his reasoning behind the name of his mix tape.  Those other rappers, most of which were listed above, had for all intents and purposes arrived as prominent rappers.  Hence, he considered himself fashionably late to what we are calling New Era Hip-Hop.  There birthed the title of his first mix tape, Fashionably Late.

Let it be known that I have absolutely no reserve in comparing J. Wils to Hip-Hop artists of the likes of Drake, J.Cole, Kid Cudi, Wale, Kanye West, and Lupe Fiasco.  The kid is that good.  The thing that he is missing is some sort of corporate backing to really propel his career and introduce his music to the world.  Artists like J. Wils are the precise reason for Transcendent Music's mere existence.  So as we continue in our movement to preserve and promote TRANSCENDENT MUSIC, we offer our full support and highly recommend that you listen to and support this transcendent artist, J. Wils.

Expectations

Incorporating Expectations to Create Meaning and Purpose

Expectations!  This is what came to mind after viewing Viktor Frankl’s address entitled, Why to Believe in Others.  In this address he spoke adamantly about how we should be idealist towards men by over estimating them.  This is to say that we should have high expectations of man.  He says that the realistic view of man is that they predominantly want to find meaning and purpose in life.  This is as opposed to the surprising minority who prefer to just make a lot of money.

His presentation was for the sole purpose of enlightening his audience.  Frankl’s speech helped me understand the behavioral psychological method of motivating people.  This method of over estimating them or as it resonates with me, having high expectations, is something that can be useful in motivating future employees.  Whether or not the majority of people still seek to find meaning and purpose in life as opposed to just making a lot of money, I am not sure.  After all Frankl’s speech took place in the 70’s.  Nonetheless, the importance of expectations and faith in mankind are absolutely still necessary components in effectively leading others.  This is how I can apply the contents of his speech to better effect individual’s behavior, individuals being my future employees who will represent my brand.

His speech helped me further my understanding of the need to form expectations for your company but also of your company.  As a business owner you conceptualize how you want your business to be perceived by potential or existing customers.  As a result of your branding, advertising and marketing efforts, the consumers adopt expectations or attempt to make meaning of your business. 

In the words of our beloved Republican presidential candidate, Willard Mitt Romney, “corporations are people my friend.”  With this in mind, my corporation will seek to create meaning and purpose for its employees and for its customers.  This is where it gets tricky, I will have high expectations for my corporation (employees) to satisfy and modestly surpass the expectations of its customers.

Once you have written the story you have set the bar for what your customers should expect.  To stray from that would be inevitably detrimental to maintaining the trust and ultimately the support of your customers.

My fundamental understanding of Business Story telling and Brand Development was realized from this speech.  This subject is about formulating expectations, brand development; promoting those expectations, business storytelling; and living up to those expectations, operating a successful business.

SPARS: A Trade Association for Recording Professionals

The industry niche trade association that I discovered and am interested in is SPARS.  SPARS is The Society of Professional Audio Recording Services.  According to their website SPARS provides access to knowledge, latest trends, and other professionals.  They are an association that includes audio recording and mastering facilities, manufacturers, engineers, producers and multimedia specialists.  They support businesses in the recording industry and the individual professionals who work in the audio recording industry.

SPARS writes on their website that they do not exist to make money but they exist to serve the industry.  SPARS is a trade association that connects personnel in the audio recording industry and serves them as a resource.  They offer countless educational opportunities for its members in the form of seminars, publications, business resources and other support programs for its members. 

Their current programs and services seem extensive and beneficial to its members. They host BizTech and eStudio conferences, which address current business and operational issues.  Their multiple publications include SPARS Time Code Primer, which is a hands-on guide for synchronization.  They also have their Occupational Handbook, Business Policy Pamphletes and their electronic newsletter, SPARS eTracks.  They have many resources for business owners such as the SPARS Test that can be used to assess the job knowledge of current and potential employees.  I think that one of the most valuable assets of being a SPARS member is the experience and resource you have in the other members.  According to their website, “Each SPARS board member has pledged to be available to answer questions, offer advice, or help steer you to the right resource.”  That alone is worth the membership, particularly for someone new to the industry.  Another excellent service they offer is their University Lecture Series.  This program offers expert seminars for students of various business or technical sophistication, as published in their brochure.  They also offer a grant for students pursuing industry related education. 

The impact of SPARS on the industry is priceless.  Their programs result in efficient and proficient business and operating practices.  As a future business owner in the audio recording industry, it would be reckless for me not to utilize the resources that this trade association offers.  The members are all industry professionals with a wealth of knowledge and most have many years of experience.       

Much of what this trade association does is provide endless resources for its members to be successful in the audio recording industry.  They do not seem to involve in any type of legislative or industry policy matters, however.  They are extremely malleable in the way that they adapt to changes in the industry though.  For example in 1979, when SPARS began they were made up of the small group of recording professionals who dominated the industry.  Now that recording facilities have extended throughout the country and technology has provoked drastic changes in the recording process, SPARS stays true to its roots.  They adapt and continue to serve each other.  The founders began the organization because they realized that they all had similar issues that they faced owning and operating recording facilities.  They used this organization to consult each other to solve problems collectively and to share valuable information.  SPARS perpetuates the spirit of its founders by continuing to focus on learning from and supporting its members.