The Twin Cities are never short on musical talent, and Sounds of Blackness is proof of that. The Grammy Award-winning group crosses multiple genres by infusing gospel, jazz, soul, R&B, and hip hop.
Founded in 1969 at Macalester College in St Paul, Sounds of Blackness have released 11 records, including the album, The Evolution of Gospel, whichreceived a Grammy in 1992. Their newest release, The 3rd Gift: Story, Song, and Spirit, will hit stores on August 25th. It includes a mix brand new songs along with some traditional songs and a new recording of the hit, “Optimistic.”
If you want to check them out before their new album hits stores, they will be making TV appearances on local TV news shows in the Twin Cities. Here’s where you can see them:
August 15th, 9 AM on KSTP-TV’s Morning Show with Sheletta Brundidge
August 24th, 10 AM on KARE 11-TV’s Minnesota Showcase
They will also be holding CD Release party at the Mall of America on August 25th. Come down to the Rotunda at 6:30 PM. The performance is free and open to the public. You can check out the video below to hear a new recording of “Optimistic,” which will be on their new album.
While music albums make up the bulk of our projects at COPYCATS Media, we also have customers who produce comedy albums. Lately, nobody has been funnier than Mary Mack. Being from Minnesota and Wisconsin, her style and material are both big hits with the employees in this office.
The general public has this perception that comedians are to be funny all the time. This often leads to disappointment when meeting them offstage and they are just normal people like you and me. In fact, some may seem somewhat dull or even shy. I guess that’s why they call it a comedy “act” or “routine.” These performers spend time writing these funny jokes and observations to tell over and over again. But Mary seems to carry the same persona both onstage and offstage (just ask any of our employees who have spoken with her on the phone). She has a genuine style that relies more on storytelling and life experiences.
Her career is really beginning to take off, as she has appeared on NBC’s Last Comic Standing and on Comedy Central. If you’re looking to check out some of her material, there’s a lot of it out there. You can purchase her albums (Either You Wake Up or YOu Don’t and Pinch Finger Girl: A Tragedomedy) at CD Baby or view some video clips at her website, www.marymackcomedy.com. She also keeps a hilarious video blog at her MySpace page, too.
If you’re simply too lazy to click on any of those links, then check out the embedded video below.
We’ve been digging up some of our favorite artwork from all the CD duplication projects we’ve done over the years at COPYCATS Media. There’s a lot of good looking designs, but here a few that stuck out to sales rep Zac Boyd.
Zealous Bride, s/t EP
Jordan Rudess, Notes On A Dream
Jason and The Beast, Birth of the Beast
If you’d like to check out some other favorites, go to these other posts by Justin Kristal and Ed Bonach.
It’s Friday, so we’re posting some more of our favorite cover art from past CD duplication projects here at COPYCATS Media. Here are some of Ed Bonach’s favorite covers:
Recently, we stumbled upon a blog posting a bunch of stunning cover art. You’ll see some classics on there, like Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of The Moon,” as well as fairly new albums like Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown,” too.
We decided we’d post some notable artwork that we’ve seen come through our office over the years. I’ll post some suggestions from each employee here at COPYCATS Media. Here are some of Justin Kristal’s favorites (click on images for more information about the band/album):
If you are an upcoming band in the Twin Cities area, you should think about signing up for Battle of the Bands 3. You can enter by filling out the form at their website.
The stakes are high for this competition, as the grand prize package is valued over $65,000 with items including but not limited to: a recording session at Masters Recording Institute, a year worth of Pizza Hut pizza, a prize package from Twin Town Guitars, and a retail ready CD package from your favorite CD replication company.
Here is a full description of what COPYCATS Media will be adding to 1st place prize package:
1000 Retail-Ready CDs
Glass-mastered, replicated CDs with full color imprint on the disc
6 panel insert and traycard printed 4/4 (full color on both sides)
Packaged into jewel cases with your choice of black or clear tray
Polywrap, barcode, and topspine sticker all included
500 Full Color Posters 11″x17″ posters printed 4/0 (full color, CMYK print on one side)
Graphic Design Services Our design team will bring your ideas and concepts to life
Professional Audio Mastering Services We’ll give your album that extra pop to make it sound its best
Free reference master sent for your approval before replication
We’re also contributing a prize for the runner up package, too. Here’s what you’ll get along with a $500 Taco Bell certificate from Border Foods:
500 Digital Download Cards Cards are printed 4/1 (full color on the front; black and white on the back)
Each card has a unique code to redeem for your music, video, and artwork online
You can distribute however you want: sell them or give them away for free
There are plenty of other 2nd and 3rd place prizes from other sponsors. Click here for a full list of prizes and rules. We hope to see you at the Fine Line Music Cafe on August 6th!
When you work at CD duplication company like COPYCATS Media, you get a lot of perks. One of those obvious perks is seeing and hearing a lot of talented musicians come through our office. Here’s one that stuck out:
Last fall, Nina Yasmineh released an EP and we had the privilege of duplicating her CDs. Although she’ll be graduating from high school in June, her songs and voice have an incredibly mature sound. She’ll continue performing and recording as she attends college at New York University this fall.
CD cover for "Real Good Thing"
What’s really impressive is the way she has promoted and put herself out there in a short amount of time. While she has been singing for nearly all her life, her first live performance was in January. Since then, she won second place in a highly regarded local talent competition and has been playing a steady stream of solo coffee house shows. According to this article from the Knight Errant, her music has received radio airplay in Mexico, and her album has been ordered by fans in Japan.
Just last month, she was featured in a music blog run by Teen Vogue magazine. How did a nationally published magazine find out about her music? Simple: Nina just sent a CD to their office and they loved it. When she plays her first gig in New York, she’ll have some fans out there already.
We at COPYCATS Media wish her the best of luck as she heads to NYU this fall and can’t wait to hear her first full length album. If you’d like to hear more of Nina Yasmineh’s music, you can buy her EP, “Real Good Thing,” on CD Baby or iTunes.
A place called the 501 Club recently opened here in Minneapolis. The owners are the same people who own and operate the 331 Club in NE Minneapolis. That place is an excellent venue to see live music, so we’re glad to see them venture downtown. It’s near the Metrodome in the space formerly occupied by Matty B’s (which was owned by former Vikings center, Matt Birk).
There’s a grand opening event tomorrow night, but if you’re looking for something to occupy your Thursday night, head over there tonight. COPYCATS Media customers Zoo Animal and The Softrocks are both performing ther this evening. There’s a good chance you’ll find Ricky Coles there, too.
Andy from local Minneapolis band Speed’s The Name recently picked up their CDs from our office. The design and packaging looks sharp and we hope they’re satisfied with them. The big CD release show is at The Hexagon on May 30th. You can check out their MySpace page to hear some tracks and check out some other shows they are playing soon (including tonight at The Nomad).
Well, we’re not officially heading down to Austin as a company. It would be quite a big expenditure to sponsor an event or set up a booth at their show. Plus, we have a business to run up here. Those CD and DVD duplication projects aren’t going to finish themselves.
But that doesn’t stop some employees from taking a little personal time off and flying to Texas on their own dime. Two of our sales guys, Zac Boyd and Justin Kristal, decided to take that trip for a little rock and roll, relaxation, and warm weather. They’ve promised lots of photos, and have provided some updates via Facebook. Hopefully they’ll run into a few customers of ours. Be sure to check back here or our Facebook page for pictures and other updates.
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