My Getaway is fast-tracking out of Central Florida and is comprised of five best friends. This past summer, My Getaway recorded in Chicago with producer, Marc McClusky (Powerspace, Hit the Lights, Ludo). The band recently had their final product mixed by Jeff Juliano (Lifehouse, Jason Mraz, John Mayer). With their live show, "being an excellent display of raw emotion, bursting with enthusiasm", the boys are excited about the future and their potential.

The title track of The Who’s 1965 debut American album, The Who Sings My Generation, with such stuttered lyrics as “talkin’ ‘bout my g-generation,” introduced one of the most important and revered bands of the 1960s — and one of the very few to still remain active some four decades later.

It’s not exactly the same band, of course. Keith Moon, The Who’s original drummer and the embodiment of the outrageous rock & roll fantasy lifestyle at its most extreme, succumbed to the fast life in 1978. Original bassist John Entwistle followed suit, though he lasted until 2002. But surviving vocalist Roger Daltrey and guitarist/vocalist/ songwriter Pete Townshend trudged on, performing the classic hits without a new studio album from the band since It’s Hard.

But that album, which yielded the minor pop hits “Athena” and “Eminence Front,” came out in 1982 — over 24 years ago! So the fall 2006 release of Endless Wire was greatly anticipated and ecstatically received. Many critics felt that it was the best work by Townshend (who continued to issue solo albums since It’s Hard) in years, if not decades.

There are key differences, to be sure. On the critical musicianship side, Zak Starkey, Ringo Starr’s son and The Who’s more-than-able touring drummer since 1996 (he actually received his first drum kit from his idol Moon), is present; equally estimable bassist Pino Palladino, who assumed the band’s touring bass role after Entwistle’s passing, is another seamless fill-in.

In the vocal department, Daltrey’s bluster has aged well and is altogether fitting: Always the delivery vehicle for Townshend’s lyrics, Daltrey has been supplied with songs showing the observations and reflections of a complex man now in his sixties. So while the album’s opening track, “Fragments,” may hark back to “Baba O’Riley” (from 1971’s Who’s Next) with its dainty keyboard play, it is not at all the “teenage wasteland” of that song’s stirring verse. Nor is Endless Wire a mere throwback to earlier Who work in other aspects, though there are plenty more links with the past that are just as obvious, both musically and thematically.

Rather, Endless Wire is Pete Townshend at his most pensive and philosophical — and modern. In “Fragments,” the artist who with his band helped define England’s modernist (mod) youth subculture of the mid-1960s, experiments with composer Lawrence Ball in creating music by way of the “Method” — an interactive music composition tool — as envisioned in Townshend’s three interlocking rock-opera projects: Lifehouse, which The Who released in 1972; Psychoderelict, Townshend’s solo album from 1993; and The Boy Who Heard Music, his blog’s novella written over the past two years.

In that novella, “Fragments” is a big hit song by the three-piece band that is the center of the story. By itself, it’s an existential exploration of man’s place in the universe, though it returns in shorter instrumental form in the middle of “Wire & Glass,” a 10-song “mini-opera” tie-in with the novella that makes up the second half of Endless Wire (the album’s title track is itself a song from this part of the program).

“Man in a Purple Dress” is simply Daltrey backed by Townshend’s acoustic guitar, and in its mocking rejection of priestly hypocrisy, is one of three songs Townshend wrote after watching Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ. The frenetic rocker “Sound Round” evokes youth at life’s crossroads, “We Got a Hit” is a cynical take on stardom, and “Black Widow’s Eyes,” with its “Pinball Wizard” power-chording, is an ironic love song situated in the horrific Beslan (Russia) school massacre.

Giving it a final context, then, Endless Wire, seems an extension of The Who’s skeptical 1970 hit “The Seeker,” in which Daltrey gives voice to Townshend’s dismissal of Dylan, The Beatles and Timothy Leary, none of whom can provide life’s big answers. Ever the spiritual wanderer, Townshend, who was heavily influenced by the Indian guru Meher Baba, perhaps tenders his own answer in “Mirror Door,” the mirror, incidentally, being a key symbol in Tommy.

Citing such musical luminaries as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra and Johnny Cash, Daltrey’s voice concludes, “Music makes me, makes me strong.” As always, though, they are the words of Townshend, whose musical strengths have never been more pronounced as the creative genius behind The Who.

S O S
Evan Bogart
Edward Cobb
Jonathan "JR" Rotem
Embassy Music Corporation
Here's Lookin' At You Kidd Music
Jonathan Rotem Music
Reach Global Songs
Southside Independent Music Publishing LLC
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

SAVIN' ME
Daniel Adair (SOCAN)
Chad Kroeger (SOCAN)
Mike Kroeger (SOCAN)
Ryan Peake (SOCAN)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Nickelback
Roadrunner/IDJMG Records

SHAKE IT OFF
Mariah Carey
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

SHE SAYS
Howie Day
HKD Music
Howie Day
Epic Records

SO SICK
Ne-Yo
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Ne-Yo
Def Jam/IDJMG

SOUL SURVIVOR
Young Jeezy
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Young Jeezy Music
Young Jeezy featuring Akon
Corporate Thugs/Def Jam Records

STICKWITU
Franne Golde
Kasia Livingston
Robert Palmer
Franne Gee Music
Myia’s Koala Bear Music Publishing
Notting Hill Music, Inc.
Parchi Music
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Pussycat Dolls
A & M Records

SUGAR (GIMME SOME)
David Byrne
Trick Daddy
First and Gold Publishing
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Trick Daddy featuring Ludacris & Cee-Lo
Slip-N-Slide/Atlantic

SUGAR, WE'RE GOIN' DOWN
Andrew Hurley
Patrick Stump
Joe Trohman
Pete Wentz
Chicago X Softcore Songs
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Fall Out Boy
IDJMG/Fueled By Ramen/Island

TALK
Karl Bartos (GEMA)
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Coldplay
Capitol Music Group

UNFAITHFUL
Ne-Yo
Super Sayin' Publishing
Zomba Songs
Rihanna
SRP/Def Jam/IDJMG

UNWRITTEN
Natasha Bedingfield (PRS)
Danielle Brisebois
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Gator Baby
Natasha Bedingfield
Epic Records

WALK AWAY
Kara DioGuardi
K'Stuff Publishing
Kelly Clarkson
RCA/RMG

WHAT HURTS THE MOST
Jeffrey Steele
Gottahaveable Music
Songs of Windswept Pacific
Rascal Flatts
Lyric Street

WHEN THE STARS GO BLUE
Ryan Adams
Barland Music
Tim McGraw
Curb Records

WHERE'D YOU GO
Mike Shinoda
Kenji Kobayashi Music
Zomba Songs
Fort Minor featuring Holly Brook & Jonah Matranga
Machine Shop/WB

YOU AND ME (2nd Award)
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

YOU 'RE BEAUTIFUL
James Blunt (PRS)
Amanda Ghost (PRS)
Sacha Skarbek
David Platz Music, Inc.
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Universal-Songs of PolyGram International, Inc.
James Blunt
Atlantic Records

YOUR BODY
Bigg D
Marcus "Pleasure" Cooper
Jim Jonsin
Corey "Slick' Em" Mathis
Diamond "Baby Blue" Smith
Joseph "Blue" Smith
Spectacular Smith
Black Boy Hatchet Music
EMI-Blackwood Music, Inc.
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Pretty Ricky
Atlantic Records

WE BELONG TOGETHER
Darnell Bristol
Mariah Carey
Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds
Sid "Uncle Jamz" Johnson
Patrick L. Moten
Sandra Sully
Bobby Womack
ABKCO Music, Inc.
Ballads By Design Publishing
Hip Chic Music
Mister Johnson's Jams Music
Rye Songs
Songs of Universal, Inc.
Sony/ATV Songs LLC
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Mariah Carey
Island Records

YOU AND ME
Jude Cole
Jason Wade
Dimensional Songs of the Knoll
G-Chills Music
Jude Cole Music
Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.
Lifehouse
Geffen Records

Born in Boston and raised in Kentucky, Colorado and South Florida, school brought her back to Cambridge. She started to sing as a child and spent years studying classical voice and piano, and in high school sang in everything from alt rock garage bands and Motown funk bands to jazz and classical choirs and church. At the end of high school, she taught herself guitar when an uncle gave her his old acoustic. But the sum of these parts wasn’t clear to anyone until she left home for college, where the truth was revealed on the streets of Harvard Square.

Mieka’s ability to captivate audiences first made her a favorite of Boston’s best clubs including The Paradise Lounge, House of Blues, Club Passim and Kendall Café - and next at New York’s renowned Bitter End, Living Room, Makor, Knitting Factory and Village Underground. In Summer 2002 she graduated from Harvard with a degree in Biological Anthropology, won BMI’s Rock Boat Song Contest, and placed top three at the famed Telluride Troubadour Competition. In 2003 she was invited to perform at four of the top music festivals in the country: The Newport Folk Festival, On The Bricks in Atlanta, Dancin’ In The District in Nashville and a return trip to The Rock Boat. 2004 included the month-long Citizen Cope Northeast Tour, the first ever BMI/NACA “See It Hear First” showcase, sharing a bill with Eric Clapton at Boston’s Tweeter Center, and winning the prestigious Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriter Showcase. In 2005 she was nominated for a Boston Music Award, won the first ever Starbucks Emerging Artist Award, and recorded a new EP with producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Jason Mraz, Rachel Yamagata, Josh Kelly, Lifehouse, Liz Phair, Trevor Hall and others), due to be released in early 2006.

Over these first 36 months of her young career, she’s become the embodiment of the musician road warrior: A girl, a guitar, and a car - crisscrossing the country and playing over 450 club and college shows from northern Maine to southern Florida, from the Pacific Northwest to southern California, from the Colorado Rockies to the Tennessee valleys to the Great Lakes States and all points between - and back around the bases of street corners, cafés and clubs of Boston - even sliding into home plate at Fenway Park for a National Anthem. She has shared the bill with such artists as Eric Clapton, Wyclef Jean, Jason Mraz, John Legend, the Black Eyed Peas, John Hiatt, Blues Traveler, Martin Sexton, Jesse Harris, Mindy Smith, Edwin McCain, Citizen Cope, Shawn Mullins, Marc Broussard, Talib Kweli, North Mississippi All-Stars, Ben Lee, Tift Merritt and Erin McKeown, among many others.

A recent Boston Globe feature on her perhaps said it best: “While the eyes may be the windows to the soul, Mieka Pauley lets you in through her voice (as unstoppable as a flood) and through her lyrics (as personal as diary entries). She’s making her voice heard, and not just on the streets of Harvard Square.”

As the top winner, Pauley's prizes include a trip and performance slot at the 2006 Kauai Music Festival in Hawaii (provided by BMI), $1,000 in gifts and goods from Starbucks, as well as studio time, local radio play, CD duplication and other valuable merchandise.

The Boston native has also been nominated as Female Singer/Songwriter of the Year for the 18th Annual Boston Music Awards, being held September 28 at the Avalon Ballroom. She will perform that evening during the ceremony, as well as on September 30 at a BMI-sponsored showcase during this year's NEMO Conference.

Pauley, who is currently in the studio with superstar producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews, Lifehouse), also won BMI's Rock Boat Song Contest in 2002.

photo by Josh Rothstein]]> 2005-09-20T18:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/234021 Artists, Branch, Michelle, Hill, Ingram, Ingram Hill, Lifehouse, Maroon 5, Presley, Lisa Marie, Musical Styles, Pop, Rock Ingram Hill was in New York City recently for a show at Irving Plaza, and BMI executives were on hand to greet them. The band's major label debut on Hollywood Records, June's Picture Show, is a follow-up to their self-released EP entitled Until Now. Described as "pop rock with a Southern twist," Ingram Hill has been touring endlessly, sharing stages with artists such as Jason Mraz, Michelle Branch, Lisa Marie Presley, Saliva, Lifehouse, Maroon 5 and O.A.R.

Pictured at the Everfine Artist Management office before the show are BMI's J.W. Johnson, band members Phil Bogard, Matt Chambless, Justin Moore and Shea Sowell, BMI's Samantha Cox, and manager Dave Roberge.

Photo by Stephanie Copeland

Toby McKeehan

Kirk Franklin

Congratulations to BMI's 2003 Dove Award nominees:

NINE NOMINATIONS:
Toby McKeehan

EIGHT NOMINATIONS:
Kirk Franklin

SEVEN NOMINATIONS:
Wayne Haun

FOUR NOMINATIONS:
The Crabb Family
The Hoskins Family
Jars of Clay

THREE NOMINATIONS:
Audio Adrenaline
Dottie Peoples
Mark Schultz
Mike Bowling
Monroe Jones
The Oak Ridge Boys
Rebecca St. James
Trin-i-tee 5:7

TWO NOMINATIONS:
12 Stones
Yolanda Adams
Kenny Bereal
Steven Curtis Chapman
Don Clark
Nate Clemmons
Jeff and Sheri Easter
Vince Gill
Gold City
Greater Vision
GRITS
Israel Houghton
Jennifer Knapp
Will McGinnis
Mike City
Mark Stuart
Smokie Norful
Charlie Peacock
Karen Peck and New River
Pillar
Barry Poynter
Aaron Sprinkle
The Blind Boys of Alabama
The Canton Spirituals
The Lewis Family
The Paynes
The Perrys
Harvey Watkins

SINGLE NOMINATIONS:
Adore
Adam Anders
Paul Allen
Luther Barnes
Ron Block
Kevin Bond
Matt Bronleewe
Tyler Burkum
Buster
Marc Byrd
Eddie Carswell
Teron Carter
Ed Cash
Charlie Daniels Band
Alvin Chea
John Chelew
Chigger Hill Boys & Terri
Michael Clemons
David Corlew
Jim Cooper
Cumberland Quartet
Cedric Dent
Chris Eaton
Fleming & John
Paul Fox
Brian Free & Assurrance
Paul Garcia
Ernie Haase
Tom T. Hall
Fred Hammond
Sanchez Harley
Dan Haseltine
Rick Hendrix
Bob Herdman
Norman Hutchins
Rodney Jerkins
Tim Johnson
Stacey Jones
Joy Electric
Joel Kibble
Mark Kibble
Lifehouse
Lordsong
Dorothy Love-Coates
Charlie Lowell
Merlin Lucious
The Martins
Stephen Mason
Kevin Max
Curtis Mayfield
Claude McKnight
Brent Milligan
Dave Moody
The Nelons
Matt Odmark
Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet
Out Of Eden
Paul Overstreet
Joe Pace
Sandi Patty
Brian Peters
Otto Price
Doug Riley
Professor James Roberson
Ric Robbins
Marvin Sapp
Shavoni
Pamela Sheyne
Charlie Sizemore
Skillet
Southern Brothers
Pete Stewart
Mike Speck
Take 6
Ben Tankard
Michael Tait
Michael Anthony Taylor
Stephen Tedeschi
David Thomas
Up In The Mix Music
Miguel Angel Villagran
Asaph Ward
Cornelius Dwayne Watkins
Cece Winans
Joe Wolfe
Gerald Wolfe

After all, the then-threesome — which now includes bassist Sergio Andrade, drummer Rick Woolstenhulme and newest member guitarist Sean Woolstenhulme, Rick's brother — went from cutting its teeth at church fairs near their suburban L.A. home of Agoura Hills to virtually overnight success. The band's debut album, No Name Face, sold two million copies and produced the ubiquitous radio hit, "Hanging by a Moment," winner of the BMI award for Most Performed Song on College Radio.

But, as Wade points out, he first wrote "Spin" when he was 16 years old, more concerned with his parents' divorce than rock stardom. Lifehouse's first album was filled with songs of emotional and personal anguish, so the band's chief singer/songwriter decided to lighten up this time thematically. At the same time, the music has become edgier and more prog-rock, with an array of different guitar sounds introduced by long-time producer Ron Aniello, who discovered the band, and noted mixer Brendan O'Brien.

"One thing I'm doing this time is not trying as hard,” says Jason shortly before the album's release. "I think I spent almost too much emotion and energy on the songs for the last record. This time, I put the recorder on the table, had a melody and just kind of let the lyrics come to me naturally, without thinking too much about them. It's about letting the song happen as opposed to trying to write it."

Sergio, who co-founded the band with Jason when the one-time neighbors discovered a kindred spirit for guitar-heavy, melodic rock, acknowledges the newfound freedom earned from their success allowed them to experiment in the studio. "We knew what to expect this time. We understood how the process worked. That allowed us to take more charge of things and focus on how to really make this our own."

The group has honed itself on the road by touring with matchbox twenty and Pearl Jam. Jason says the band has developed a chemistry and signature sound they didn't really have before, using sound checks to work out the material for the new album.

"We wanted to strip it away and make every single part count, let the song come out and breathe," says Wade. "Every single thing on there has to matter. When you take things out and just let it be organic, then, all of a sudden, the sound becomes a lot bigger."

Even more than the band's music, though, what has attracted such a devoted flock is Jason Wade's combination of heartthrob appeal and his uplifting messages of faith, belief and spirituality.

"That's my favorite part of it," he says of reaching people through his music. "Because it makes me realize I'm not crazy. I'm not alone. If I touch someone or help someone, it does just as much for all of us."