Called “the most famous talent scouting event” by The London Paper, the April edition of BMI Sessions will continue to showcase the best of the UK’s buzz bands. Slated for April 3 at 229 (Great Portland Street, Venue 2) at 8 p.m., this month’s musical movers and shakers will be The Research, Birdman Ray, Kick Superb and Little Fish.

Wakefield’s The Research dish out sassy guitar-driven “teen fury” in the vein of contemporaries The Cribs. The ardent Birdman Ray fuse bluesy strings with scuzz-rock, forming an amalgamation of infectious Weezer and stripped-down White Stripes garage rock. Vivacious Kick Superb bring together the best of the post-punk era with chantey terrace tracks reminiscent of The Clash and The Jam, while Oxford’s mighty rock duo Little Fish combine shades of PJ Harvey and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, entrancing audiences with their anthemic mix of rock, punk and stunning live delivery. The pair recently opened hometown shows for Supergrass, whose frontman Gaz Coombes subsequently dubbed Little Fish lead singer Juju the “new Patti Smith.”

Kick Superb www.myspace.com/kicksuperb

Little Fish www.myspace.com/littlefishmusic

The Research www.myspace.com/theresearch

Birdman Ray www.myspace.com/birdmanray

Phil Bensen

New Jersey native Phil Bensen mixes originals with classics from Marvin Gaye and The Temptations, creating quite a stir with a booming, Motown-influenced voice. “People have come up to me and said, ‘I can’t believe you pulled it off’,” says Bensen. When people see him live they are bound to remember that voice. It’s got the timeless quality that the best Motown songs have; hearing it just seems to take you back to memories long since forgotten. Bensen recognizes that his voice will be what takes him places, but wants to make sure he’s viewed as a complete songwriter as well. “Vocally, I’ve always loved Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, and newer guys like Gavin DeGraw and Jason Mraz. I just want to always get that smooth but powerful… and believability when I sing.”

A Love Like Pi

A quartet featuring bass, drums, guitar/vocals and a keyboardist who uses several different synths, Red Bank, N.J.-based A Love Like Pi plays extremely danceable electronic pop with the energy and attack of punk rock. Lead singer Lief explodes all over the stage with a contagious emotive force, and their self-titled three song EP does a commendable job of capturing that energy. It’s a fantastic progressive, electronic-tinged emo debut that will undoubtedly turn many heads; they’ll soon be giving the Yeah Yeah Yeahs a run for their money.

Stab the Matador

Stab the Matador was formed in 2005 during their high school senior year by Luke Brandfon (guitar), Graham Watson (drums), Corey Cavagnolo (vocals, keyboard), and James DeVito (bass). Jumpstarted with a clear ambition to create energetic rock with an affinity for infectious dance beats, the Westchester, N.Y., quartet dedicated all their time to writing, rehearsing and performing. They are described as a band that “clutches that human desire to just go crazy and dance.” Since debuting at the Knitting Factory in NYC in early 2006, the band has performed with such groups as Snowden, Under the Influence of Giants, ImaRobot and Matchbook Romance, and have been compared to pioneering artists such as Gang of Four and Joy Division, as well as contemporary bands such as The Rapture and Les Savy Fav.

BMI’s Ben Tischker, Samantha Cox and June Neira get caught on camera with Derek, Justin, Casey and Aaron from Throne, and attorney Jeremy Rosen

Indie rock trio Throne features 18-year-old singer/songwriter and bassist Derek Trafton, his brother, 15-year-old drummer Casey Trafton, and their cousin, 18-year-old guitarist/keyboardist Justin Millar. For the last five years, the band has been drawing large crowds to their shows, opening for such heavy-hitters as Green Day, Good Charlotte, Blink 182 and Sum 41. Voted “Best New Band” by the Hartford (Conn.) Advocate in 2001, Throne spent most of 2006 writing and recording in the studio with Billy Martin of Good Charlotte, who co-produced a few songs.

On their upcoming Execution Style/Universal release, Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive?, the Bangkok Five prove that they are more than mere contenders along for the ride. Hailing from Hollywood, the Bangkok Five learned early on to ditch the white belt ethos of their Silver Lake siblings; the whole “Look at me, I’m not trying, I’m so ironic” thing. 

Armed with this deep reverence for their D.I.Y. predecessors and willingness to embrace current technologies, tB5 released their 10 the Hard Way EP in the spring of 2005.  “The best thing about doing it yourself is you don’t have to apologize for it. People either vibe it or they don’t,” says lead guitarist Holcolm Ks. 

The Bangkok Five backed up their self release with a solid five month tour of America, which they booked themselves on MySpace. “This band is all we have, we gave up apartments, cars and every other responsibility that got in the way of us doing this full time. There was no tour support. Every night was a fight to eat, pay for gas and find a place to crash… Intrinsically, the people who came to our gigs felt this. Nightly we would hear how touched they felt by our performances and our death or glory commitment,” says vocalist Frost.

Holcomb Ks.’s riffs are the sonic equivalent of candy flipping. Don’t ask, just say, “Thank you, sir; may I have another?” And did we mention vocalist Frost? Witnessing him, is seeing James Brown and Tina Turner’s bastard love child hopped up on Spanish Fly. Frost’s soaring vocals paired with the mighty tB5 rhythm section’s throbbing floor tom beats and distorted baselines is sure to cement Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive? as a permanent staple in strip clubs nationwide.

Singer Frost’s DJ background is evident on songs like “Karmakazi” and “Spread Eagle.” “I found that more and more of the kids I was spinning for wanted hip shaking rock jams instead of the tried and true electronic stuff I grew up with,” says Frost.  “I had had a lot of experience with early punk and garage rock through my older brother and sister so serving it up wasn’t a problem. Besides, bands like Interpol and Yeah Yeah Yeahs were clearing the way for a new type of dance music…this revitalized the dance floor, my DJ performances and brought me to fully comprehend this band’s relevance,” says Frost. 

In the last year the Bangkok Five has shared stages with Peaches, Hot Hot Heat, Mooney Suzuki, (International) Noise Conspiracy, River City Rebels, Zeke, The Bronx, Danko Jones, Young Heart Attack, and had the honor of playing the U.K.’s Download Festival with the Stooges, Linkin Park and Metallica. When asked why they are doing this, the band will tell you they want to address the new electronic generation. “From personal blogs to online diaries, our worlds expand and converge every second of every day.”

They quote the title song of Who’s Gonna take Us Alive?: “We got MySpace chicks in all their favorite positions; each one’s a star in her own indiscretions; we got Suicide Girls from all 50 states; who know the teaches of Peaches and the bangs of Betty Page...”

“We wanna be the soundtrack of the ‘Rainbow Field Party’ generation.”

What’s that you ask? The answer’s at the fingertips of anyone who wants to know. And speaking of the field parties, tB5’s “Rainbow Field Party 2005-2006” national tour in support of their self-released 10 the Hard Way EP and their upcoming Who’s Gonna Take Us Alive? full-length CD will continue throughout 2006. 

After releasing a handful of EP’s on a slew of underground labels, Her Space Holiday signed to the New York based Tiger Style Records in 2000. Which in turn lead to a licensing deal in Europe with Wichita Recordings (also home to Bright Eyes, The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, My Morning Jacket and Ruby). HSH has toured both nationally and internationally with such bands as Bright Eyes, Bob Mould, Pinback, American Analog Set, Arab Strap, etc, and has continuously remixed work for artists such as REM, Bright Eyes, Elastica, The Faint, etc.. The release of 2003’s “ The Young Machines” reached # 2 on CMJ’s top 200 and garnered critical success in the music industry.

CMJ describes HSH’s upcoming full length The Past Presents The Future “As a hopeful sci-fi soundtrack, comprising equal parts of Star Trek and Kanye West. “ The record will be released on September 27th and Marc will be bringing his live show to the Troubadour on September 18th at 10pm, along with the U.K. band The Rakes for a KCRW-sponsored show. Interesting band fact--The 2004 Polish Idol Winner Monika Brodka covered Her Space Holiday’s “ My Boy Friend’s Girlfriend” earning her the Polish equivalent to a Grammy for the “ Debut single of the year.”

Conor Oberst, the 24-year-old wunderkind and brainchild behind Bright Eyes, already has seven Bright Eyes albums under his belt at his still-tender age. Blessed with an ability to get deep under the skin of post-adolescent angst within mature musical compositions, he has become a darling of the young set while catching the ears of older listeners and fellow artists. In short, he is a great American songwriter in the making.

Hailing from Omaha, Nebraska, which he has helped become a new musical hotspot through his work and that of his collaborators and compatriots, Oberst started writing songs at the age of 12. Working on a four-track recorder in the basement of his family house, he released the first of two albums by his first band, Commander Venus, by the next year, catching the attention of the indie rock scene.

Shifting his vehicle of expression to Bright Eyes, which features a rotating cast of players on albums released on Saddle Creek, the label started by his brother, Oberst has enjoyed ever-increasing critical acclaim and a rapidly growing base of fans.

In recent years, the prolific Oberst has pursued a dizzying range of collaborations and side projects as well as releasing albums and EPs with Bright Eyes. His latest triumph is the simulataneous release of two albums: the songwriter-oriented collection I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning , on which he shares vocals with Emmylou Harris, and the more rocking and electronic Digital Ash in a Digital Urn , which features a cameo appearance by Nick Zinner of modern rock darlings The Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

"A theme that runs through a lot of my stuff is I believe there's a kind of salvation through music and love and that kind of stuff," explains Oberst. "Even when I'm writing what is a pretty depressing number, I try to sew some silver lining into it."]]> 2005-03-09T17:00:00-05:00 http://www.bmi.com/news/entry/233913 Artists, Aguilera, Christina, Akwid, Alabama, Audioslave, Banton, Buju, Batson, Mark, Black Eyed Peas, Blind Boys of Alabama, The, Blue Highway, Bowie, David, Branch, Michelle, Brecker, Randy, Brooks & Dunn, Buffett, Jimmy, Cam'ron, Cash, Rosanne, Clarke, Stanley, Corea, Chick, DiFranco, Ani, Eminem, Evanescence, Flaming Lips, The, Floetry, Foo Fighters, Fountains of Wayne, Franklin, Aretha, Gill, Vince, Gorillaz, Green, Pat, Guy, Buddy, Hamilton, Anthony, Hargrove, Roy, Harrison, Rich, Hill, Faith, Hugo, Chad, India, Intocable, James, Etta, Jane's Addiction, Jarrett, Keith, Jars of Clay, Jones, Norah, Keith, Toby, Kelly, R., Kenny G, Korn, Krauss, Alison, LaBelle, Patti, lang, k.d., Larrieux, Amel, Les Nubians, Lewis, Glenn, Lil' Kim, Linkin Park, Lonestar, Los Tigres del Norte, Loveless, Patty, Matrix, The, McBride, Martina, McClurkin, Donnie, McGraw, Tim, McLachlan, Sarah, Metheny, Pat, Miguel, Luis, Mirwais, Molotov, Muddy Waters, Nelson, Willie, Neptunes, The, Neville, Aaron, Nickelback, Parton, Dolly, Queens of the Stone Age, Roots, The, Scruggs, Earl, Setzer, Brian, Shorter, Wayne, Snoop Dogg, Sting, Tedeschi, Susan, Twain, Shania, Vincent, Rhonda, White Stripes, The, Williams, Lucinda, Williams, Pharrell, Wilson, Charlie, Wonder, Wayne, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Yeston, Maury, Zevon, Warren, Musical Styles, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Rock 46th Annual Grammy Awards, announced December 4 at a press conference held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. Pharrell Williams of red hot production duo, The Neptunes, leads the BMI pack with six nods including three individual and three with partner Chad Hugo, who himself earned five. In addition to nominations for Album of the Year as producers and Best Rap Song as songwriters, the pair is also up for the coveted Producer of the Year Grammy.

Evanescence

The White Stripes

Rock band Evanescence also topped this year's list, picking up five nominations including Best New Artist and Best Rock Album for their multi-platinum breakthrough release, Fallen. Other five-time nominees were rapper Eminem and the late Warren Zevon. Also receiving multiple nods were Willie Nelson, Jack White of The White Stripes (three with his band and one individual), and classical composer Jose Serebrier with four each and Christina Aguilera with three, including Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her smash hit, "Beautiful."

Willie Nelson

Eminem

Warren Zevon

The 46th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 8, 2004, at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. on the East and West Coasts.

BMI's Grammy Nominees

SIX NOMINATIONS
Pharrell Williams

FIVE NOMINATIONS
Eminem
Evanescence
Chad Hugo
Warren Zevon

FOUR NOMINATIONS
Willie Nelson
José Serebrier
The White Stripes

THREE NOMINATIONS
Christina Aguilera
Jeff Bass
Michael Brecker
Chick Corea
Anthony Hamilton
Alison Krauss
Lil' Kim
Shania Twain

TWO NOMINATIONS
Audioslave
Black Eyed Peas
Jorge Calderón
Ry Cooder
Foo Fighters
Fountains of Wayne
Aretha Franklin
Rich Harrison
Heather Headley
Bishop T.D. Jakes
Toby Keith
R. Kelly
k.d. lang (SOCAN)
The Matrix
Martina McBride
Aaron Neville
Nickelback (SOCAN)
Pink
Neal Pogue
Earl Scruggs
Wayne Shorter
Snoop Dogg
Sting (PRS)
Union Station
Doc Watson
will.i.am
John Williams
Lucinda Williams

ONE NOMINATION
Mirwais Ahmadzaï
Akwid
Allman Brothers Band
Audio Adrenaline
Marcia Ball
Luther Barnes & the Sunset Jubilaires
Buju Banton (PRS)
Mark Batson
Steve Berkowitz
Eddie Blazonczyk's Versatones
Carla Bley Big Band
Blind Boys of Alabama
Blue Highway
Michelle Branch
Randy Brecker
Brooks & Dunn
David Bowie (PRS)
Joe Budden
Jimmy Buffett
Martin Buttrich (GEMA)
Café Tacuba
Michel Camilo
Cam'Ron
Caribbean Jazz Project
Rosanne Cash
Stanley Clarke
Eddy "The Chief" Clearwater
The Crabb Family
The Crusaders
Sam Cooke
Adrian Cosentini
Diamond Rio
Ani DiFranco
Reggie Dozier
Jimmy Douglass
Eagles
Fred Ebb
Kurt Elling
Scotty Emerick
The Flaming Lips
Floetry
Bill Frisell
Kenny G
Vince Gill
Gorillaz (PRS)
Percy Gray, Jr.
Buddy Guy
Eddie Gonzalez
Jimmy Gonzalez y El Grupo Mazz
Pat Green
Stephan Haeri
William Hamilton
Roy Hargrove
Faith Hill
Dave Holland Quintet
Eric Idle (PRS)
India
Intocable
Jane's Addiction
Etta James
Keith Jarrett
Jars of Clay
Norah Jones
The Jordanaires
John Kander
Peter Kater
John P. Kee
Garrison Keillor
Kitaro (JASRAC)
Korn
Dave Koz
Nathaniel Kunkel
Patti LaBelle
Amel Larrieux
Glenn Lewis
Mark Levine
Linkin Park
The Light Crust Doughboys
Lonestar
Irving Lorenzo
Patty Loveless
Luis Miguel
Timo Maas (GEMA)
Marilyn Manson
Masters at Work
Donnie McClurkin
Del McCoury Band
Tim McGraw
Sarah McLachlan (SOCAN)
Jim McNeely
Joel McNeely
Pat Metheny
Bette Midler
Ismael Miranda
Molotov
Joel Moss
Newsboys
Bob Norberg
Les Nubians (SACEM)
The Oak Ridge Boys
Walter Ostanek (SOCAN)
Joe Pace
Dolly Parton
Nicholas Payton
Ray Price
Queens of the Stone Age
Eugene Record
Relient K
Don Rollins
Roomful of Blues
The Roots
Scott Rouse
David Sanborn
Pete Seeger
The Sensational Nightingales
Thomas Z. Shepard
Brian Setzer Orchestra
Sean Smith
Luciana Souza
Los Straitjackets
Micheal Strange, Jr.
Jimmy Sturr
Howard Tate
Susan Tedeschi
Télépopmusik (SACEM)
Jacky Terrasson
Los Tigres Del Norte
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
Caetano Veloso
Rhonda Vincent
Redd Volkaert
Muddy Waters
Charlie Wilson
Gerald Wilson Orchestra
Kim Wilson
Vickie Winans
George Winston
Wayne Wonder
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
"Weird Al" Yankovic
Yerba Buena
Maury Yeston
Yellowjackets

The garage band certainly has its college-rock credits in order: lead singer Karen O. first met drummer Brian Chase at Ohio’s Oberlin College and hooked up with guitarist Nick Zinner after transferring to New York University to study film. At the time, Zinner, a Bard graduate, was playing with the Boba Fett Experience with four other Bard alums. "It was more like psychotherapy than a band," Zinner told New York magazine about the Experience.

Zinner and O. brought in Chase after the departure of their first drummer, and the current Yeah Yeah Yeahs lineup was born in late 2000. The group set to work writing material and soon found itself supporting both the Strokes and The White Stripes, building a reputation for its no-holds-barred live show, centered around Zinner’s avant guitar stylings and O.’s sometimes over-the-top vocals.

In late 2001, YYY released their self-titled debut EP, produced by former Boss Hog guitarist Jerry Teel, on their own Shifty label. The band consolidated its reputation by supporting Girls Against Boys in the U.S. and the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion in Europe, following that with its own U.K. headlining tour.

The YYY approach to songwriting can be deceptively simple. While O.’s punky vocals can be sometimes deliberately grating, conjuring up anyone from Iggy Pop to early Blondie, the group is sure to include pop-friendly hooks and an occasionally sly sense of humor. "That's been our M.O. since the beginning," O. told New York. "It's putting those hooks in places you wouldn't expect, pairing very discordant and very catchy stuff."

Critical and audience approval led directly to major label interest, with the result that YYY has been getting courted pretty heavily by some of the biggest executives in the rock business. Not too shabby for a group that, as of October of this year, had released precisely five songs.