PR: Swill Gets Kickstarter Boost Before Austin Film Festival
Courtesy Melanie J Cornish.
Securing a boost from an impromptu appeal on Kickstarter.com, Texas filmmaker Andrew ‘Bird’ Rogers set to work filming his latest movie Swill last weekend on location in Austin, TX. The movie, which stars Chicago entertainer Kris Warren will be reaching the July 15th deadline to submit to the Austin Film Festival in the hope of it premiering there.
"The film has been a personal goal of mine for a year now,” explained Rogers who graduated from Northwestern University in 2010. “What started as a quest to sell a spec script turned into a group endeavor to potentially rock the Austin Film Festival."
The movie, which examines the ‘the ideas of paranoia, mass communication, and alcohol abuse - all with a view to the end of the world,’ will see Kris Warren take on his first acting role as ‘Doug,’ a small town guy who never looks for trouble, who stands firm as the rock of the group while being tested in extreme situations. Playing ‘Doug,’ the ‘Blow Up’ star applied the same level of enthusiasm and expertise to his debut as he has continually to his music career.
"I know myself as a music artist already, and I find it truly amazing just how much I have learned about myself through acting,” shares Kris Warren. “Music makes me feel free, and in all honesty, acting has the very same effect on me.
“After the shoot last weekend I am very excited about my future in acting and feel confident that the steps I have taken to nurture my acting capabilities have paid off," Warren concludes.
Video: Funk Volume Announces Documentary Film Independent Living To Be Released Fall 2013
Courtesy Audible Treats.
"People always say, 'Well that's the industry standard.' Fuck that, we are the standard now," says rapper Hopsin in the trailer for his label, Funk Volume's upcoming documentary film, Independent Living. Funk Volume has been stealthily been growing their fan base by doing things their own way.
Known for their unorthodox business acumen, regionally and stylistically diverse but small roster, and immensely proactive and supportive fan base, artists Hopsin, who is also a co-founder, Dizzy Wright, Jarren Benton, SwizZz, and DJ Hoppa, along with co-founder Damien Ritter, are proud to share the trailer for their upcoming documentary film, Independent Living. Clocking in a combined amount of over 1.5 billion YouTube views, over 1.5 million Facebook Likes, with pre-orders of albums in the thousands, and regularly charting in the Top 10 on iTunes and in Billboard, there's no denying that Funk Volume has earned their position as an independent label to watch and learn from.
In the short trailer, Funk Volume pulls back the curtain on the philosophy and non-traditional tactics they've embraced to become one of the most successful independent hip hop labels today. Filmed during their Funk Volume 2012 Tour when they blazed through 44 cities in 50 days, the documentary displays the five artists' relentless dedication and work ethic as they play to sold-out crowds during a time when the industry is being turned on its head. Says Dizzy Wright, "I'm a daddy, I'm paying for daycare so when I'm on the road, this my job. It's also my dream." Echos DJ Hoppa, "Not only is this a lifestyle and a passion but at the end of the day, it's a job. You can't just be dope, you have to be dope and hustle." Hustling and being strategic comes naturally to Funk Volume. With no real office and a strong emphasis on in-house production, touring, and video production, the label is ignoring industry standards and succeeding. Says Damien, a Stanford Business School graduate who worked with Fortune 500 companies, "We're trying to do something that hasn't been done in a while - bring it back to the artist. From the beginning, we concentrated on building a fan base and concentrating on social media. We knew booking agents, press, and other industry people would come knocking eventually and once they saw what we were building, they did."
The rest of 2013 will see Funk Volume keeping busy with Jarren Benton releasing My Grandmas Basement next Tuesday, June 11th, Dizzy releasing his Golden Age mixtape in July, Hopsin releasing his next full-length project Knock Madness in the fall and SwizZz working on his next project. While the artists remain busy churning out music and hitting the road, Damien is currently working on a book to help independent artists better understand what it takes to build a career in music.
Tour: Souls Of Mischief Announce 20th Anniversary "Still Infinity Tour"
Courtesy Audible Treats.
It's astonishing to believe that is has already been 20 years since Oakland, CA rap group Souls of Mischief released their debut album 93 'til Infinity. In celebration of their 20th anniversary Tajai, Opio, Phesto and A-Plus are going on a national 50 city Still Infinity Tour starting in Nebraska on June 18th. Souls will tour with a 7- piece live band and perform the entire album from beginning to end plus rare cuts and new tracks.
To commemorate this anniversary, the four-man crew will also release a remix of the single "93 'Til Infinity" featuring an all-star roster of talent (names to be announced this summer.) They will also act as brand ambassadors for a limited capsule collection with iconic fashion and lifestyle brand Ecko, who also turns twenty years old this year. The tour gives fans the opportunity to not only get limited Hiero merchandise but also a chance to preview upcoming material. Fans are also granted the option to purchase an Infinity Package ticket which allows them to meet the group after the show, receive an autographed commemorative poster, and sticker at StillInfinity.com
The Hieroglyphics collective which includes Souls of Mischief, Casual, Del the Funky Homosapien, Pep Love, and Domino will release The Kitchen LP on July 16th.
6/18 Omaha, NE @ Waiting Room
6/19 Madison, WI @ Majestic Live
6/20 Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
6/21 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
6/22 Rock Island, IL @ The Rock Island Brewing Co.
6/23 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
6/24 Columbus, OH @ The Basement
6/25 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Stache
6/27 Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
6/28 Patucket, RI @ The Met
6/29 Edgartown, MA @ Flatbread Company
6/30 Allston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
7/3 New York, NY @ SOBs
7/5 Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
7/9 Baltimore, MD @ Sound Stage
7/11 Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel
7/12 Virginia Beach, VA @Jewish Mother
7/13 Raleigh, NC @The Pour House Music Hall
7/14 Asheville, NC @ Orange Peel
7/15 Nashville, TN @ Exit/In
7/17 Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggys
7/18 Atlanta, GA @ Terminal West
7/19 Charleston, SC @ The Pour House
7/20 Jacksonville, FL @ Jack Rabbits
7/25 St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre
7/26 Orlando, FL @ The Social
7/27 Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
7/28 Baton Rouge, LA @ Spanish Moon
7/30 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry's
7/31 New Orleans, LA @ Hi Ho Lounge
8/1 Houston, TX @ Fitzgerald's
8/2 Austin, TX @ Red 7
8/3 Dallas, TX @ Trees
8/4 El Paso, TX @ Tricky Falls
8/6 Grand Junction, CO @ Mesa Theater
8/7 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up
8/8 Fort Collins, CO @ Hodi's Half Note
8/9 Denver, CO @ Casselman's
8/10 Durango, CO @ Animas City Theatre
8/12 Alburqurque, NM @ Sister Bar
8/13 Flagstaff, AZ @ Green Room
8/14 Phoenix, AZ @ Club Red
8/15 Solana Beach, CA @ Belly Up Tavern
8/16 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
8/22 Vancouver, BC @ Venue Night Club
8/23 Seattle, WA @ Crocodile Cafe
8/24 - 8/25 Eugene, OR @ Kaleidoscope Festival
Worcester, MA's own, ARIEZ ONASIS, drops off another one off his upcoming ADRIAN SWISH-presented "THEME MUSIC" which drops next week - June 11th! This time with an assist from TUGE and an upbeat track from JussLu.
Toronto duo OSIYM drops the 2nd single from their EP Drunk Words X Sober Thoughts just in time for the summer rush. Scumbags picks up where 1st single Chase Life left off, bringing a spitfire flow over the bass-heavy Bass & Bakery production. The single comes just before the duo performs during NXNE, hitting the stage at The Crawford on Friday, June 14th.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE // Miami based record label Triple R Records and its leading rapper Swazy Styles are excited to release the anticipated and critically acclaimed mixtape, "Bitch I Make Music", which is the perfect soundtrack to this year's summer, full of amazing and electrifying club and party anthems. Swazy Styles' brand new mixtape is hosted by Pitbull's official deejay, DJ Epps, and official Stanton deejay, DJ Ballistic Billy.
Audio: Ads Antalik - "Mind Frame '13 (Prod. Pete Rock)"
Courtesy RARE Nation.
Ads Antalik, Pittsburgh's most exciting, young emcee really knows his history, often paying homage to some of hip hop's legends. This time, he laces Pete Rock and Freddie Foxxx's classic "Mind Frame" with his impressive, energetic flow. Ads sights Pete Rock as one of his biggest influences, so it's no surprise that he tips his hat to the producer / rapper extraordinaire who struck gold with "Mind Frame" over a decade ago. Ads is preparing his debut R.A.R.E. Nation release, set to arrive late 2013.
The Young Star Life's power player, MOGZ, drops some pre-game material for this years NBA Finals with the release of "Hoop Dreams" from upcoming '23' effort. He reminds us that success is inevitable for all who pursue their natural born passions with diligence. Showing and proving he will be a main stay in the Hip-Hop field of experts ranks second to lifting up the listeners to a place of fulfilled potential when it comes to MOGZ and his unique skill set.
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