YOUNG GUNS MUSIC MAGAZINE FEBRUARY 2015
ELORA Launching Young Guns Music Magazine Page 2
This Month Inside YGMM
hot
Annie & Kate
Artist of the Month
Jorge & Nicole
Mike Dean
Round Rock, Tx
San Antonio, Tx
The Knock Outs Corpus Christi, Tx
Yvette Cruz Douglas, Az
MO MO FEST 2015
Featured Article Buying an Electric Guitar By: Carlos Angritt
Be a Rock Star Want to Be in Young Guns Music Magazine. Find out How.
OUR SENIOR EDITOR
ELORA
Welcome to Young Guns Music Magazine online and our inaugural edition. I’m so excited that our magazine has finally become a reality. In December 2014, we launched our Facebook and blog page. In Janurary 2015, we launched our website: www.younggunsmusic.com and today, we launch Young Guns Music Magazine. We have big plans for Young Guns Music Magazine. Our mission is to help local and regional talent by promoting them via our social network and within the pages of the magazine.
We are collaborating with other online media, who have a similar mission as ours, such as 210 Local and Arista Music, with their four internet Radio stations, to help promote local, regional, and up-andcoming artists with their social media promotions. By combining our resources, and the power of the Internet, we are able to reach thousands of people. As an artist, I know first hand how hard it is to find a good, effective platform to promote your music. We realize that even with our callaboration with other online media, we will not be able to achieve our goal of promoting artists by ourselves. We need artists to help promote our magazine on their own social media. We invite artists to submit their biographies and samples of their music so that we can include them in our publication. Each month we will feature emerging artists and name our “Artist of the Month”. In addition, we will feature a “Cover Artist” to be placed on the front our magazine. We also invite artists or music enthusiasts to submit articles for publication. We are looking for music related articles that will be beneficial to our readers. Our goal is to create a community based publication that is open to musicians of all genres who can share with our readers a bit about themselves, their music and important events. We will work hard to develop our magazine and increase our reader base. We also welcome your feedback and suggestions on issues that you feel are important for us to cover. Thanks so much for taking the time to view our first online edition. We hope you will continue to be an avid supporter of our magazine and share our publication with friends and family over your own social media.
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Special Thanks to Jackie Willome Photogaphy for providing our Cover page photo
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Annie & Kate Newest Members of the National Academy of Recording Artist and Sciences. Page 7
Jorge & Nicole Performing beautiful acoustic music in San Antonio. Page 11
Yvette Cruz Coming to San Antonio, Texas 2015 Tejano Music Awards. Page 12
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The Knock Outs Rocking Corpus Christi, Texas Page 14
Mike Dean Artist of the Month January 2015 Page 15
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2015
The MoMo Experience is an event dedicated to help local talents gain recognition in our community place where artists can freely express their works and creativity. Artistry takes many forms to include painting, graffiti, screen printing, photography, live music, sketching, craft making, airbrushing, dance and much more. This is also an event where patrons can have a great time and appreciate works of art in all forms and aspects. As part of "The Experience"; patrons will also enjoy DJ’s, fire dance, body painting, comedy, belly dancers, burlesque, live art, independent fil, a fashion show and much more. This event is now in its 5th year and continues to grow due to its popularity and range of entertainment that is incorporated in to the event. For more information visit: www.momoexperience.com or contact Moises Mota @ 210 625-0294 MoMo Fest 2015 is schedule for July 18, 2015 at LaVillita Historic Art Village located in the heart of downtown (418 Villita St. SA, Tx 78205. Here is a partial list of confirmed bands:
Chris Arellano Lil Glock/Evenge Salty Peach Vilela Celeste’al Descent Elora & Gasoline Alley 6
Meet Annie & Kate, two15 year old fraternal twin singer/ songwriters who are from the live music capital of the world, Austin, TX. With their strong multi-instrumental, songwriting abilities; Annie & Kate have been on the rise in the Central Texas music scene. We were fortunate to catch them recently performing here in San Antonio, Texas at the Arneson River Theatre where their signature harmonic blend impressed audience members.
ANNIE & KATE Round Rock, Texas
Annie & Kate have been in music for most of their lives. Having started piano lessons at age six, the girls added several more instruments to their show. Between the two of them, they sing, write music, play piano, electric and acoustic guitar, bass, drums, percussion, ukulele, flute, clarinet and harmonica. Like most young artists they have sharpened their skills performing with different teen bands. In August 2011, they decided to branch out on their own as a music duet. Combining their acoustic rock sound with their lyric driven songs, their harmony infused music draws audiences both young and young at heart. Annie is the duo’s guitarist who also plays keyboard and fronts the duet. She has been recognized for her strong guitar skills, and her ability to write music well beyond her years. Kate performs on the keyboard, but also plays a variety of percussion instruments for the group. Performing with a variety of percussion instruments not normally seen on stage, gives the duo its unique sound. At just 13 years old, Annie & Kate's first EP, "Lost And Found" was released September 2012, with five original songs. Their first full length CD, "Running Out Of Time", quickly followed in February 2014 with eight originals. Their music is available on Amazon and iTunes, or can be streamed on Spotify. The duo has already been recognized for their work, winning the International House of Blues Foundation, Bringin' Down The House Teen Band Competition, and were named the number 5 Under 18 Band at the Austin Music Awards. The talented duo have played at notable venues including Parish Underground, the Austin airport, The Long Center, the Houston Toyota Center, Houston / Dallas House of Blues, the Austin rodeo, Houston Grand Prix, and the Arneson River Theatre in San Antonio. One of the great things we discovered is that it’s not just about the music for these two talented teens. They take the time to use their talents as advocates of children's charities and music organizations, Annie & Kate volunteer their time and talent for organizations such as Tunes ForTots, the Fender Music Foundation and Austin's 18 Below. These two young ladies are certainly two Young Guns to watch. Check them out on www.annieandkate.com
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Carlos Angritt,
Carlos Angritt is a 35+ year musician who plays various styles of guitar and music, from flamenco to metal.
Buying An Electric Guitar Tax refund time is coming up and a lot of people will soon be buying guitars. Perhaps an upgrade for themselves or for their kids who are longing to own their first electric guitar and learn how to play. What guitar is right for you? You would think it’s easier for an experienced electric guitarist to make a choice but you might be surprised. In fact, when you’re willing to invest more money the sheer number of choices multiply exponentially! So anyone from beginner to expert might benefit from this article. Is an electric even the right choice? As an electric guitarist who first started on a classical guitar at age 11, I benefited from the experience. The classical guitar’s nylon strings are easy on the finger-tips. Yet, the thicker strings force you to strengthen your fingers and arms more so than an electric guitar. When you make the switch to electric you’re better prepared. You can buy a decent classical guitar with good action (easy to play) in a pawn shop for close to $100. If your kid is a beginner and you want to make sure they have some passion for the instrument, that’s an inexpensive way to find out. If they don’t quit after 6 months or a year and want to switch up to electric, you can feel your money isn't going down the drain. Once you’ve made the choice that you’re ready for an electric, where do you begin with so many options available? It can be a daunting task!
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Y O U N G G U N S M U S I C
JUSTALKING!
Guest Writer Young Guns Music Magazine
There are… Big-name brands (Fender, Gibson, Ibanez, etc.) ‘Budget’ brands (Kramer, Cort, Epiphone, etc.) Different numbers of frets (21-24), what is a scalloped neck? (Sounds yummy.) Pickup brands, types and configurations (single/double coil, etc.) Body styles (V-shape, Strat-type, Les Paul type, semi-hollow, etc) How important is a whammy/tremolo bar?
A few key things that will affect your decision are budget, current skill level and purpose. If you’re a beginner not wanting to invest too much initially, you can easily get a quality guitar for less than $300. If you’re wanting a top-of-the-line Ibanez you might be looking at $3,000 or more. So, your choice will not only depend on your budget and skill level but what you are looking to accomplish in the near and long term. If you’re not a serious musician and are casually exploring your inner guitar god, you can get a new Fender Squire guitarpack (guitar, amp and case) for about $200. A used guitar will probably run half that. If you’re trying to start your first metal band, you probably want to spend more on a decent amp than a guitar. If you’re an experienced metal shredder and have very specific preferences you’ll be wanting to think about more of the technical aspects of your guitar. Do your research! If you’re picky about pick-ups, maybe spend less on the guitar itself and have your favorite pick-ups installed. My favored configuration is 3 humbucking pickups for the widest tonal range. Keep in mind, humbucking pick-ups can fit in a single-coil slot. Are you all about arpeggios? Think about getting a 24-fret neck that will give you two full octaves to play with. Don’t care much about sounding like Eddie Van Halen? Get something without the tremolo bar if you are paranoid about your guitar going out of tune. I prefer tremolo and have mine dialed in so that it’s always in tune but not everyone is that fortunate. So there’s a guitar out there for you. Get out there and try them out, see how they feel and sound. Think about playing them on the same amp you own so there are no surprises. The bottom line is you get what you pay for. If you spend money on a good name brand, there’s less chances of having problems with imperfect necks or shoddy hardware. If you buy new, you have warranties, exchanges, store favors, etc. Big-name stores like Sam Ash will price-match so if you find your guitar for $100 less on some obscure website, print it out and bring it in! If you’re not so worried about perfection, think about taking an experienced guitarist with you to check out any used guitar you consider. They’ll know tricks like how to look at the neck at an angle to easily spot warping, checking every fret for buzzes (without distortion which can mask those problems), potential hardware issues, etc. A good set-up from a reputable technician will help you dial in the feel and sound of the guitar but if it doesn’t feel decent initially, beware. Best of luck on your journey and I look forward to hearing you rock the world!
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Jorge& Nicole San Antonio, Texas
Every now and then we are fortunate enough to discover some great music and musicians. This past week while shopping for Christmas gifts for family and friends we were fortunate enough to come across Jorge & Nicole. We've heard of them but never had the opportunity to see them perform live. This was a real treat not only for us here at YGMM but for all who had the opportunity to hear their performance at Ingram Mall this Christmas Season. Jorge is heavily influenced by Michael Hedges and Phil Keaggy with their fingerstyle guitar playing while employing innovative techniques such as slap harmonics, percussive effects and two-hand tapping. Jorge & Nicole are a husband & wife acoustic guitar & bass duo based out of San Antonio, TX. Jorge has been playing guitar & singing since he was a teenager in high school for his church. His musical background and heritage goes back even further. His grandfather and great-grandfather were both professional musicians from Mexico. In fact Jorge’s first words were not spoken but sung. His first steps in music began in both middle and high school band playing the trombone. He began to learn to sing and play guitar in order to lead praise & worship songs that were growing in popularity at local church youth camps. Adding to the duo's beautiful instrumental music is Nicole; Jorge's beautiful and talented wife. Nicole plays bass guitar. Her bass playing began with a wedding gift from a friend, a bass acoustic guitar. Her musical growth began to take off with the formation of her first band, Adamina in 2010. Adamina include Jorge & Nicole as well as the band’s co-founder Hector Gomez and was heavily influenced by the Gipsy Kings and Ottmar Liebert. The current hiatus of Hector led to the formation of the dynamic duo known as Jorge & Nicole. Nicole now plays the acoustic bass guitar as well as the acoustic fretless bass guitar and is deeply influenced by Michael Manring and Jon Gagan. The bands musical format includes a vast array of musical styles and settings. They have performed in both religious and nonreligious settings. They have lead praise music at worship services, youth events as well as performed at wedding ceremonies and receptions. They are available for all types of events, private parties, benefits, fundraisers, grand openings, restaurants, networking events, corporate events, coffee houses and festivals. These two are ones to watch and YGMM will keep you updated on their performances through out the year. You can check them out on their ReverbNation Page: http://www.reverbnation.com/jorgenicole
ACOUSTIC 11
Yvette Cruz Douglas, AZ
Young Guns Music Magazine works hard to search out the best and brightest up and coming singers, song writers and musicians from all genres through out the great state of Texas. This time, however, we decided to search a little West to the state of Arizona and the search was well worth it. Yvette Cruz is an up and coming Tejano Artist who is making some great music. Her dream has always been to become a singer and entertainer and she shows us a great example about if you hold on to your dreams and working hard; dreams can come true. Yvette grew up in Silver City, NM and started performing at the age of 9. Her hard work and dedication to her music soon paid off and by the age of 13, she began opening up for Tejano artists such as Elida Y Avante, Ruben Ramos, Stefani Montiel, La Differenzia, Patsy Torres and Pete Austudillo among others. Yvette recorded her first demo song "Angel Baby" at 15 years old when she asked her parents to record a demo instead of having a quinceanera. This turned out to be a smart move for the talented teen because it later turned into a full length album titled: "Lagrimas y Lluvia" which was recorded at Melody Ranch Studios in San Antonio, Texas. In 2003, she went on to record several rancheras including the classic "Me Piden" and "A La Que Vive Contigo". Both songs received substantial airplay on the New Mexico air waves and several internet radio stations. She stepped away from music for a short time to complete her Associates Degree in Business Administration but her passion for music remained burning inside her and she quickly returned to her music without skipping a beat. Most recently in August 2014, Yvette was invited to perform at the National Tejano Convention Artist Showcase in Las Vegas, NV where she showcased her music and talent to a broad range of Tejano music fans. In October 2014, she recorded and released her latest single "Si Quieres Verme Llorar, Yvette now resides in Douglas, AZ and is excited about getting back into the studio working on some new projects and a follow up album. We're confident Tejano fans won't be disappointed with her new works and when the album is complete Young Guns Music Magazine will be there to bring you an update.
Tejano Artist 12
Close your eyes and picture this: It’s 2025 and San Antonio is host to the largest music festivals in the nation. You don’t have to go to SXSW anymore because the same types of festivals are occurring a few blocks away. There are national music acts that call San Antonio home. Finally, people are coming from all around the country to record in a San Antonio recording studio. This is my vision for my hometown, our talented musicians, and our booming music culture. My love for our local music scene can really be attributed to my first time hearing Girl in a Coma at Josabi’s a few years back when they opened for The Toadies. I couldn’t believe they were a local, all girl band, that sounded really amazing. After that show, I started learning about the struggling scene that we have and really how little attention San Antonio musicians/bands really got in comparison with Austin. I’ll save my ‘boo Austin’ stuff for another time though. Fast forward about a year, a bunch of GIAC shows, and another GIAC album, and the girls are sitting in the Gibson Tour bus for a meet and greet in front of Sam Ash at San Pedro. The announcement that the girls would be at Sam Ash had probably only been sent out the prior day or so, it was in the middle of the day, and during the middle of the week. When I showed up, there were three people there to see the girls. This initially frustrated me since I had kept hearing people talk about the lack of a music scene, and yet none of them were here to appreciate what we did have. Then, I realized I had an opportunity here. After chatting with the girls for a little bit, getting a poster signed, and almost tumbling out of the bus (those darn deep steps), I ran back to my car. I quickly scrawled out about twelve questions that I thought people would want to know about the girls, grabbed my two cameras, and got four bottles of water. When I got back to the bus, I bribed the girls with the bottles for some interview time. Needless to say, they were very gracious and patient, and about an hour later, I had finished my first interview. Since that time, I’ve interviewed about twenty local musicians, bands, artists, filmmakers, and entertainers, started three podcasts (combining two), launched two websites, spent countless hours (and some cash), and threw a fundraising concert, all without profiting a single dime. Why am I telling you this? I’m not bragging, I’m not trying to be selfless, and I’m not looking for sympathy. I’m telling you this because I’m just like them. They just want to make music and be successful enough to have their music feed them, clothe them, and put a roof over their heads. One thing makes this very tough. San Antonio (by and large) doesn’t provide enough support for local music, film, art, and entertainment. We’ve come a long way and there are plenty of people trying to do all of this, but not everyone’s on the same page and resources are so spread out, it makes it incredibly difficult to get a movement going. If you don’t see it immediately, you probably won’t find it, but the scene is there. It just needs all the help it can get. Hopefully 210 will be a part of the larger picture, hopefully Young Guns Music Magazine will be there, and hopefully you all will be there too. Just remember, close your eyes and picture the future. Mario Zamarron is the Creator/Owner of 210 Local Media, launched in 2013. You can visit the website at www.210LocalMedia.com, like their Facebook Fan Page /210LocalMedia, follow them on Twitter @210LocalMedia, and listen to the podcasts (210 Local Music, 210 Local Music RADIO, and It’s a Guy Thing Podcast) on Stitcher, iTunes, and Spreaker. If you’d like to email 210 Local Media and it’s affiliates, you can reach them at 210LocalMedia@Gmail.com
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Y O U N G G U N S M U S I C
THE KNOCKOUTS CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
Yvonne, Cecy, Jason, and Emily; a four-piece rock & roll/ punk-powerhouse better known to South Texas as The Knockouts. With just a few months of playing together, these seasoned musicians have been creating a buzz across Texas in 2014 that will only see an increase as the band is now in-studio, hard at work on original material to feed their craving, growing audience in 2015. A quick drum-count from Yvonne, the beautiful shine off of Emily’s Flying-V, Cecy’s ability to make bass look easy, and a loud, shredding intro from Jason signifies the fiery start of a Knockout’s show and a soothing thought that rock & roll is alive and well. Self-proclaimed ‘Brat-Punk’, this four-piece plays unapologetically and with absolute ease, ripping through their current set list in a way that can make you forget who the hell sang the song in the first place [or why you should even care]. The Knockout’s have been packing clubs that see a wide-range of audience with one common thread; rock & roll. Barely stopping between songs, more for your sake than theirs, you can see a variety of musical influence that account for their Ramones-like speed and Billy Idol sneers. Energetic, fun, and aggressive, every Knockout’s show leaves the audience with a desire to keep the band on stage for just one more song. In a world consumed by pop music and safe sounds; the Knockout’s are on a high-wire with no safety net, ready to take you along for the ride of your life, rather you’re ready or not.
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ARTIST OF THE MONTH Each month the Editors of Young Guns Music Magazine will select an “Artist of the Month” to be featured. With so many great talents in all genres in Texas it won’t always easy to select a deserving artist, but in this case the artist that has been selected is a known talent of our Editors who have had the opportunity to see, hear, and perform on the same stage with our selected artists. When first deciding on who YGMM should consider; he was one of the first to come to mind. It was his dedication and passion to his craft that help set him apart from others considered. We are happy to announce Young Guns Music Magazine’s very first “Artist of the Month” is; Mike Dean of Worst Case Scenario. If you ever have the opportunity to see Mike Dean perform; you are pretty much guaranteed to see him put on a great show with his guitar skills and stage presence.
MIKE DEAN
When asked how and when he first learned to play guitar Mike, who is now 18, said it all began when he was 12 years old. A friend of his handed him a guitar and said “play”; and ever since then he was hooked. His genre of choice, at the time, was metal. He was heavily influenced by the music and guitar playing Kirk Hammett of Metallica and learned how to play their music, but quickly got in to the music of artists such as Yngwie Malmsteen, Steve Vai and Joe Saturani. He’s become an avid student of music practicing for long hours and viewing videos to learn more about techniques and the art of playing. He and a friend of his started his first band which was called Abstract. Mike said that his first band never performed any shows; “We just played because it was fun and got the police called on them many times; but it was worth it”. He also performed with two other local acts for a short period of time before joining his current band, Worst Case Scenario. He describes his style and music as “Blues fusion of Metal or Progressive Metal”. We asked Mike this question: if you could give any advice to someone who is just starting out playing; what would it be? He said; “my advice would be just to be yourself. Learn at your own pace and remember that consistency is the key to whatever you want to become in music. Your style is you, so NEVER say that you suck. In fact, burn those words out of your vocabulary”. Mikes goals for 2015 are first to graduate High School, look for work and to continue to make music with his band. He really enjoys writing music and hopes to one day showcase his talents as a song writer and musician. “I want to be a part of making San Antonio the new Nashville; the new city of Rock n Roll’. Mike is certainly a Young Gun to follow. We wish him luck in all his future endeavors.
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EDITORS BE A ROCK STAR Want to be in a future edition of Young Guns Music Magazine? Submit your bio with a high quality photo of you and/or your band. We also ask that you submit a link to your music or music video where we can find out more about your music. Submissions can be emailed to: info@younggunsmusicmagazine.com. We' will do our best to reply to all submissions. We've already received quite a few so we ask for your patience. Keep Rocking!
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SAVE THE DATE Saturday March 28, 2015 2015 JDRF Promise Ballat the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa'
The 2015 JDRF Promise Ball theme is “Generations of Hope” – chaired by Michelle and Doug Koskie. The black tie event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hill Country Resort & Spa on Saturday, March 28th at 6PM. This will mark the 16th anniversary of San Antonio’s Promise Ball. Raising more than $30 million since the inaugural event in 2000, the Promise Ball remains a critically important vehicle to raise funds that support research, treatment and prevention of Type 1 Diabetes. Promise Ball guests will enjoy an elegant cocktail party followed by a seated dinner. The event boasts a Silent Auction powered by wireless handheld electronic “BidPals”, once-in-a-lifetime Live Auction items, and a live performance by Juice. Most importantly, all guests will have an opportunity to participate in the Fund A Cure program, where 100% of the donations directly support diabetes research. We also have an event website where you can purchase tickets and sponsorships online, along with give to Fund A Cure and donate auction items!
Contact: South Central Texas Chapter
8700 Crown Hill Blvd., Suite 803 San Antonio, Tx 78209
Phone: 210-822-5336 Fax: 210-822-1443 Email: scentraltexas@jdrf.org
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Contact us Email: info@YoungGunsMusicMagazine.com Web Page: www.younggunsmusicmagazine.com
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