Thursday, November 12, 2009

KAW Creation Release New Single – “Brand New Plan”


KAW Creation, consisting of the song writing team of Kaufman, Allen and Wood, today announced the release of their latest single, “Brand New Plan”


Sydney, Australia 13th November – KAW Creation today announced the release of their latest single “Brand New Plan”.


Written as a country rock song, with steel and acoustic guitar and a double fiddle line, “Brand New Plan” is essentially a four minute musical chick flick condensed down to fit a four minute story line.Letha Allens’ sublime vocal take on the state of inter-sex relationship struggle is cleverly crafted into a rocking country tune, with both an attitude to the future and a wink at the status quo.


The writing and production team of Kaufman, Allen and Wood, with finishing touches from sound engineer Thomas Wind, has once again captured an essence of what needs to be portrayed, and thrown it full force, back at the attitude from where it came.If you enjoy your country rock with a bit of bite, and with a tongue planted firmly in the cheek, then “Brand New Plan” is a certain listen in an uncertain world. Although mainly for the girls, the opposite sex will also smile at the wry sense of humour and “tell it as it is commentary”


“Brand New Plan” is available as a digital download everywhere, ( including iTunes, Rhapsody, Limewire and Napster ) from 16th November 2009, and is available for preview at KAW Creation’s home page at Independent Artists . Commercial broadcasters are invited to download hifi copies directly from Airplay Direct.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Bring on the Angst , it's Good for the Creative Mind


Well, the week ended pretty much OK. With a case of writers' block eventually fading into the ether, and the prospect of a couple of interesting projects in the pipeline**, life was looking only dull rather than bleak. It was time to head off to an industry party.

As one who rarely attends such events, I find them refreshing in their total honesty towards a field whose greatest endeavour is to put a brave face on a plight, which for most, is one endless round of ups and downs, swings and roundabouts, obstructions and frustrations. The sound engineer who comments that those computer nerds are ruining business for everyone by providing cheap and accessible technology, although the average punter has no idea how to use it and over compresses everything to an ear bleeding zero. The television studio producer who laments the fact that he will no longer have a studio to work in, on the account that the real estate on which it stands is to be sold to the highest bidder, and the programmes and the building in which they were made will be outsourced, himself not included. The budding director maxing out the credit card to provide interim funding until such times as the "big finance" guys will fling themselves at his latest project of utter brilliance, and rescue the tortured soul of a true artist. The musician who can't sell any CD's because his music can be found on the internet for free, and most of the venues around town have stopped hiring musicians, having replaced them with the appropriate hippest and hottest knob twiddlers of the minute.

You would think that it would be easy to become depressed under such conditions.

But this is not the case. With a smile and a shrug of the shoulders to indicate that this is always the way it has been, all involved merrily laugh off such minor setbacks as trivial afterthought, and carry on forward. It has been this way for millennia and will probably be so for millennia to come. From the time of the first rock art ( that's the caves, not the music scene ) when Adam first slung mud at something and made it stick, the humble artist is the one who inspires both looks of admiration and total pity, all rolled up in a feeling usually reserved for the feeble minded.
But it's OK ! We're tough, we're resilient, and it is because of it that the latest compositions of the angst ridden soul are born. Without angst and without a reason to bemoan, we would have no art to create. So please keep putting out cheaper and cheaper computers, please keep selling the real estate in which we work, please keep providing endless finance to those who can't afford it, and please keep stealing the music for which we are trying to make a living.

For without all of that, we would be well off, middle class, boring, fashion conscious, media guzzling, consumeristic, uncaring dullards with nothing to moan about at industry parties. And with no angst, there would be no art to create. Now that really would be bleak......


** niteshifts’ new single “Linda Lou” with the band KAW Creation, now available on iTunes , Amazon , eMusic and Limewire and coming soon to Rhapsody .

Monday, June 29, 2009

KAW Creation Announce the Release of the Single "Linda Lou"


KAW Creation, comprising of the song writing team of Allen, Kaufman and Wood, today announced the release of their third single, "Linda Lou".


Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) June 30, 2009 -- KAW Creation, comprising of the song writing team of Allen, Kaufman and Wood, today announced the release of their third single, "Linda Lou".

Departing musically from their two previous releases, "Linda Lou" is a Southern rock song inspired by song writer Letha Allens childhood in Saylerville, Kentucky. The use of natural instrumentation, (acoustic guitar, mandolin, harmonica) layered over a soulful, danceable, country back beat, and a solid electric rhythm section, provides both depth, and lightness to complement the solid performance of vocalist, and co-writer, Mark Kaufman.

Kaufman, who also provides most of the instrumentation, is accompanied by Allen's solid vocal performance, resulting in the delivery of a unique story line that inspires the listener to turn it up load and get out of their seat.
Best described as blues infused country rock with a Bo Didley flavour, "Linda Lou" was produced in Sydney by Australian producer Geoff Wood, and mix/mastered by engineer Thomas Wind in Denmark. The international focus of this release crosses world boundaries of country and rock and will appeal to those fans who enjoy a unique blend of styles. "Linda Lou" creates a rousing and uplifting toe tapping country rock experience.
Broadcast quality downloads of "Linda Lou" are available to licensed commercial broadcasters, exclusively at Airplay Direct. Streaming and downloads of "Linda Lou" are available to the general public exclusively from KAW Creation at Independent Artists Company.


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Sunday, June 14, 2009

I Woke Up This Morning ......



The blues. To sing them or not. To play them or not. It seems most have, and will continue to do so.

Having performed and written in a few genres over the years, there is no doubt that to sing a sad song, a really sad song that lets it all out, can really be an uplifting experience. Duplicity of the situation aside, there just seems to be something wistful and melancholy about sitting in a smoky bar at 3 am, either as the performer, or as the only set of ears in the joint, and listening to the final few bars of a tune which contains both a sublime sadness, and a sense of “it’s OK, life will continue on”.

Having being on both sides of the listening experience, the blues may just have to be the one form of music that is universally recognised, and keeps on re-inventing itself. At the sake of conjuring up the shrimp scene from Forest Gump, you’ve got the blues, the Delta blues, blues rock, rock blues, jazz blues, country jazz rock blues, The Blues Brothers, The Brothers Grimm…. no, maybe not them, but you get the picture. And so it goes on. Played at one time or another by almost every musician on the planet, there must be something in this stuff which keeps it going.

I learnt to play the blues many years ago from an old musician, now very old, who was a piano player in a well respected hotel. I’d drop in late at night after playing my pub gigs. John would be sitting there at the piano, in his tuxedo, quietly tinkering away, filling the air. We’d have a chat in his breaks, sit and have a beer and talk music. Those were the days where the musicians were expected to talk to the guests, and it didn’t hurt things that it was also the days where the lead acts had a discretionary bar tab to use as they saw fit. I’d get up and play a couple of numbers, we’d play the occasional duet, and then I’d wander off into the night, to get some sleep and do it all over again the next evening. After travelling for ten years, I went back to that hotel. There was John, still as entertaining as ever, raising up a storm on the ivories. And as a true host that he was, he still remembered me by name.

The good thing about travelling of course is that you meet some very entertaining individuals. In retelling musical oddities, I can’t recall of how many little snippets contain the words “blues” “past midnight” “mildly sozzled” and the various combinations and derivations of the same. Travelling to London via Sri Lanka, we decided on a 2 day stopover in Colombo. The dinner entertainment was a trio of wandering Sri Lankins dressed as Mexicans, playing Hawaiian songs. Quite a treat. Of course, who wouldn’t end up in the bar with them, well after midnight, playing the blues ? Or sitting down next to a piano player on an old upright in a Tunisian hotel, only later to find out you’re playing the blues with a Spanish pathologist ? Or going to the infamous jam session, where no-one knows any songs, and playing a good ol’ 20 minute rendition of the song that has yet to be written. 12 bar of course, and at least everyone got a solo.

The blues don’t discriminate. Words aren’t necessary, and when they are, they are only there to entice the audience back from falling asleep. Best written when one is either annoyed, sullen, lonely, drunk or depressed, the best lines of course, just have to be “I woke up this morning”. In point of truth, it is usually “I woke up this afternoon”, if at all. That doesn’t seem to fit the rhyme scheme properly, but what’s a little artistic licence, if not to be used , and used over and over and over again. Is it 3 am yet ? Just checking………

A free stream and mp3 download of a slow southern blues, “Sad Song for Your Baby”, featuring the sultry vocals of Australian session vocalist Linda Rae Harris, is available by clicking the picture on the right.

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Caught in the Loop


After fruitlessly trying over and over to plug in the acoustic guitar, and getting a sound resembling a sitar in a train tunnel, the time had come to dig deep, bite the bullet and go in search of the infamous, and these days well regarded loops from the masters.

Now, I don't mind a good loop. They're great for those repetitive bits that really aren't worth hiring a drummer or bass player for when fleshing out a song, and exceptionally good if they're a sound effect and you happen to slip off the mouse and send the things spiralling out of time control. Talk about originality.

Not being a guitarist, I've never really worried about the guitar tracks. Just phone up a guitarist friend, send an email to an anonymous web server, pay a few bucks or scratch a few backs, and said track miraculously appears in the in box ready to be fitted seamlessly into the music of the moment. This was not the case in this case. Friends on holidays, unanswered emails and a dirge of new possibilities simply add to the confusion of how to get the damn backing track finished without the most important bits resembling a wobbly wind chime shaking in a junkyard breeze. There are a number of considerations here however. Patience and persistence simply don't work in regard to Brilliant Idea No1 on account of the musician in question having no idea that his musical abilities on acoustic guitar are far from brilliant.

So off we go on a musical odyssey, in search of the perfect guitar loop to complement the perfect but erratic accompliment . And what a host of material to choose from. Music sites abounding with the latest offers and discounts, all conveniently packaged and shipped to the door within a manner of days. A small thought creeps in here, that if it takes a couple of days to arrive, what about finding that unfindable riff on an internet site of dubious repute ? A quick look provides a simple answer. With URL's resembling the length of a Beijing telephone book, and a whole host of options ending in the domain name .ru, it's quite obvious this line of questioning will result in the immediate and systematic destruction of one or more hard drives, and a locking of the Windows which will require expert intervention. Best left alone.

After careful consideration of the viable alternatives, and not being a student, pensioner or other worthy individual of society in order to receive the maximum discount, ( Oh, that's right I'm a musician, which says it all really ) the appropriate title is selected and it's time to fill out the form. The little padlock arrives on the lower corner of the screen and provides great assurance to the one who is about to send his credit card details and entire financial viability into the abyss of the digital realm. At least the web site does not end in .ru.

Now it's time to sit back, and over the next couple of days, watch the little parcel make it's way through the twists and turns of Fedex, thanks to the helpful little tracking programme that has been sent via email. Oh good, it's got to Dallas, yippee it's passed through Hawaii, and what do you know? , it's landed at Sydney airport and is clearing through customs. It's always great to deal with a company that knows the difference between Australia and Austria. Ok, it's now the afternoon and it hasn't arrived. The little tracking programme said it would be here by this afternoon and it's nearly 4.30. Time to take the kids to their swimming lessons. It wouldn't arrive while I was away for an hour would it ? You bet it would. Upon our return, there is a white card at the doorstep stating "We called with your parcel, but you weren't in." . NO BLOODY KIDDING ! OK, calm down. Just leave the signed card at the door, and they will leave the package next time they come around. Hopefully tomorrow.

Tomorrow arrives, and there, in the morning, sitting in the gleaming sun, is the little package. But wait. It looks a bit strange. The glee of receiving such a wonderful new toy is replaced by the horror, that upon opening, the case has bent up at the edges, on account that it has been sitting on the hottest part of the porch and has been quietly baking, hotter than a Bondi blonde. Never mind, the disk might be all right, and upon examination seems to be flat to the naked eye. Right, lets test it. Waiting, waiting........loaded ! Yippee, the little package has come to the rescue, and it's contents are just what is needed to satisfy the composer who is without guitarist. A quick mix, and email off to the collaborator, and all is well in music land.

Well, that wasn't so bad. Time to lean over the computer monitor and have a beer in a dark and cold room. That just doesn't sound right. It should be a beer hunched over an acoustic guitar on the porch in the sun. Oh well, never mind, the lead probably wouldn't stretch this far anyway, and the little disc has had more than enough sun for both of us. Thank goodness for modern miracles, it's a bloody miracle they happen at all.



As a reminder that not all loops are of a single instrument, an example of the neverending loop is available by clicking the picture to the right. Titled " Ongoing Classical ( Loop )" , such repeating loops are best suited as background music for web pages and multimedia applications, and incidental music for vision.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Scott Campbells' Song "On Opening Day" Played to 50 Thousand Baseball Fans

When you’re a die hard music fan, and a diehard baseball fan, it doesn’t get much better when one of your own songs is played to a full stadium on opening day. An extract of that story by fellow indie Iggy Taylor, is published below.

Barrington NJ, January 4, 2009 - The Philadelphia Phillies shocked the world when they won their second only World Series title in their 126 year history. Songwriter Scott Campbell wonders if he might have helped. Campbell, who resides in Lakeland Florida, wrote a song titled “Opening Day” and sent it to his NY producer friend Mike Caro. Caro suggested the song be properly recorded, and asked John Daubert of the band, Too Little Time to lend his lead vocals for the final demo. All three had known each other though the online music networking site, Just Plain Folks.

Daubert, a dedicated fan and former baseball player himself, attended the Phils pre-season game in 2008. Running into his idol, Greg Luzinski, the two spoke of baseball and music. Daubert mentioned Campbell’s song “Opening Day” and said he had a copy of the CD with him. Would he be interested in listening to it ? Luzinski took the CD and said he would pass it on to the “office”. Two days went by when Daubert received a call from his granddaughter saying “Opening Day “ was being played over the loudspeakers at the Phils home opener.

Now call it luck that the Phils went on to win the World Series after the song “Opening Day” was played, or simply a strange coincidence that the C.D. was given to Luzinski, who happened to play in the only other World Series that the Phils won. Whatever the reasons, the band Too Little Time is suggesting to all fans and the players not to “mess with karma”. Good luck has already come to a team that has played the song. Why take chances? The band stands ready to help.If you agree that “There’s too little time to prevent bad karma”, you may write to your favorite major league baseball team and ask the song be played for the 2009 opener, or to the Philadelphia Phillies at: Philadelphia Phillies, One Citizens Bank Way, Citizens Bank Park , Philadelphia, PA 19148.

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Postscript ; The song Opening Day, was once again played to a full house in 2009, and now also resides permanently at the Baseball Almanac . Interested parties are invited to listen to the song, from Scott Campbell’s album, “Scott Campbell and Friends”, and a free music mp3 download while the link remains valid.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

New Single By Letha Allen "You Do It Right" Released Via Airplay Direct


The long overdue single by Letha Allen, is to be released December 1. With soulful vocals delivered over a solid acoustic rock groove, "You Do it Right" is a number that stands out beyond the usual suspects.

Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) December 1, 2008 -- Equinox Entertainment and Letha Allen Music in association with The Graveyard of Songs announce that "You Do it Right", the new single by Letha Allen, will be released to radio nationwide and internationally the week of December 1, 2008.

Written by singer/songwriter Letha Allen (ASCAP), composer/guitarist Mark Kaufman (BMI), and composer/producer Geoff Wood (ASCAP), over the month of October 2008, and recorded in studios in Michigan, Minneapolis and Sydney, "You Do it Right" is the unique culmination of a global collaboration of artists. Produced by Equinox Entertainment in Australia and Denmark, and released to over 940 stations globally, "You Do it Right" is truly an international record.
With soulful vocals delivered over a solid acoustic rock groove, "You Do it Right" is a number that stands out beyond the usual suspects of everyday musical fare. Broadcast quality downloads as well as streaming plays are available to commercial broadcasters, exclusively and immediately from Airplay Direct. Internet downloads of "You Do it Right" are available to the public exclusively from Independent Artists Company . Interested parties are invited to contact Equinox Entertainment for broadcast quality preview, commercial review and available interview dates.
Now available on iTunes , Amazon , and Limewire and coming soon to Rhapsody .

Equinox Entertainment wishes to thank those who are supportive of our artists and their music, for your continuing and ongoing support.

Contact: Geoff Wood
Ph +61 2 9913 3493

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Latest Single By Letha Allen "Love Rains Down" Released Via Airplay Direct



The latest single by Letha Allen, "Love Rains Down" is to be released April 14th. The follow up to the successful single, "You Do It Right", "Love Rains Down" talks of a travellers thoughts of returning home, and incorporates them into a patchwork of vibrant sound and texture.

Sydney, Australia (PRWEB) April 12, 2009 -- Equinox Entertainment and Letha Allen Music in association with The Graveyard of Songs announce that "Love Rains Down", the new single by Letha Allen, will be released to radio nationwide and internationally the week of April 14th, 2008.


Love Rains Down

Written once again by the song writing team of Allen, Kaufman and Wood, (ASCAP / BMI) and recorded in studios in Michigan, Minneapolis and Sydney, "Love Rains Down" is the unique culmination of a global collaboration of artists. Produced by Equinox Entertainment in Australia and Denmark, and released to radio globally, "Love Rains Down" is a true compliment to the previous successful release of the single, "You Do It Right".
"Love Rains Down" tells the story of a travellers' journey home. With soaring vocals placed over a strong percussive backbeat, and floating harmonies complimenting a strong and uplifting vocal performance, "Love Rains Down" is a song which resonates with emotion and recognition.
Free WAV and mp3 downloads, as well as streaming plays are available to licensed commercial broadcasters, exclusively and immediately from Airplay Direct. This new service is FREE to radio programmers and DJs and allows us to deliver our broadcast quality tracks to you quickly, efficiently and cost effectively.( Letha Allen at Airplay Direct ) . Internet mp3 downloads of "Love Rains Down" are available to the public exclusively from Independent Artists Company beginning April 14th, 2008. Interested parties are invited to contact Equinox Entertainment for broadcast quality preview, commercial review and available interview dates.

Now available on iTunes , Amazon , and Limewire and coming soon to Rhapsody .

Equinox Entertainment wishes to thank those who are supportive of our artists and their music, for your continuing and ongoing support.

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