New Clients: Reality Stricken

"Every track on this EP leaps out of the speakers with enough force to blow down an entire block of rowhomes. This is the real rock sound of today, with big, loud riffs and chords, massive drums, and huge walls of shouted vocals. [...] There is simply not a dull moment on this record, and by the time it's over you'll be cheering for more. All you can do is hit 'Play' again. With releases this good, it's about damn time that the Philly-area rock scene got its due."

So I wrote when I reviewed Norristown, PA's Reality Stricken on One Note Ahead in September. The sad news is that now, I must stop featuring them on One Note Ahead. The good news is that now, I am their publicist!

Check out the fantastic EP I reviewed, Signal Fire, and I'll keep you posted about big shows.

Music and more: http://www.myspace.com/realitystricken

One Note Ahead text copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

New Clients - Bad Apples

I'm happy to welcome to my client roster an up-and-coming trio known as Bad Apples. Their jazz-funk style also incorporates elements of rock, blues, and soul. All three regular members sing, sometimes offering gritty leads and sunny harmonies in the same song. From New Haven, Connecticut, Bad Apples have toured the United States and are currently gigging frequently in the Northeast. As you might have guessed, I will be promoting them in the Philly area specifically. In fact, they have a big show approaching on January 27th at The Blockley Pourhouse. For this one, they'll most likely be joined on stage by a full horn section, making this show a must-see.

Check out the band at: http://www.myspace.com/thebadapplesarebitter

And if you cannot see them in person, you might like to know that they have two albums out, both easily available online. The second, Today Begins At Night, was just released in July.

Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

New Josh and Pete Band Video; Updates

I posted this video on the 11th along with some news about my PR work and clients, but things have changed so much since then that I had to delete that blog entry and post a new one.

There haven't been many updates recently because, after being quite busy for several months, I've hit a slow patch as a publicist. Things are really just up in the air with The Absolute Zeros, as they continue to iron out various business details and work on new music. After a frenzied 2009, The Josh and Pete Band will be (deliberately and intentionally) slowing their pace for a while. Over the past two to three months, I've been in talks with a few interested parties about some intriguing prospects, but as of yet no solid deals have materialized. As you might have guessed, there's a lot of economics and politics behind all of this, whether it's lack of funds, contractual issues, venues shutting down because of expired leases or code violations, or just the demands of other jobs. But part of it is also the nature of this line of work: sometimes you're up, sometimes....

I'll keep you posted on new developments. Meanwhile, enjoy this new video for The Josh and Pete Band's song "Miscommunication" and keep your eyes on the band's new website (currently under construction).

The Josh and Pete Band: Show Review!

I told you the August 13th show might get reviewed......well, here it is. Review and photos by Kate Bracaglia for Phrequency:

http://www.phrequency.com/blog/World_Cafe_Jazz_NightPlus_a_Little_Story_Rock.html

So, to recap: Philly Fun Guide page (probably no longer online because the event is over) with the exact event info I submitted and the photo the band and I chose. The Philly2Philly interview I discussed in the previous blog entry. A review with photos on Phrequency. Plus, inclusion in the concert calendars on high-profile blog sites The Broken Bell and Philly EDGE, the latter also running a brief story on the show in advance. All for the World Cafe Live Downstairs debut of a band that hasn't even been playing out for a whole year.

This is the most successful PR campaign I've run yet. Not by a wide margin, but still.....

The Josh and Pete Band: New Interview

The aforementioned Philly2Philly interview is up! http://philly2philly.com/entertainment/hottest_bands/2009/8/7/21233/the_josh_and_pete_band

We might also get a review of the August 13th show, but I'm not going to reveal anymore details until I know for sure.

The Josh and Pete Band: Still Rising

The Josh and Pete Band are still on the move. They made their World Cafe Live debut in the Upstairs level last month, and on August 13th they'll be debuting in the Downstairs level with Agent Moosehead and The Juice. To coincide with that, we are doing some serious PR for both the show and the band.

Here is the event's Philly Fun Guide page, with the exact description, info, and photo that I submitted: http://www.phillyfunguide.com/event/detail/52917

PFG sometimes edits these things, so when PFG publishes exactly what I submit, I am honored.

Look out for an interview with the lads on Philly2Philly soon.

I'll let you know about other successes in this campaign if we get them, but I can say that I haven't even been running this campaign for a week and we're already doing pretty well!

Josh and Pete Band/Absolute Zeros Updates

Two of my bands (well, maybe not my bands!) have major turning points approaching.

Having already played beloved Philly venues like The M Room, Tritone, North Star Bar, and Millcreek Tavern, The Josh and Pete Band will be making their debut at The Fire on June 11th. It's the next step forward for these lads who have only been playing out since last autumn.

The Absolute Zeros' lead guitarist Austin Madert is moving away from the Philly area and will no longer be with the band. If you've seen The AZ's in person, you know why I call him "Awesome Austin." Austin's farewell show with the band takes place on June 20th at Connie's Ric Rac. It's also the birthday bash for bassist Steve La Monica.

I sincerely hope you can check out and help spread the word on these shows. You can get more information by clicking on the bands' names or by contacting me. Thank you.

The Josh and Pete Band Featured in Metro!

Take the greatest rock and harmony-pop bands of the 1960s and '70s. Add in equal parts snark and sensitivity. Dress each member in flamboyant outfits. You've got The Josh and Pete Band.

I became their publicist in late January of this year and during my second campaign for them (and only my first FULL campaign for them), I scored them this fabulous feature:

"5 Questions With Josh of the Josh and Pete Band" (Metro Philadelphia, March 19, 2009)

(The copyright in that piece belongs to Metro. As far as I have been able to tell, Metro did not post that piece online, so I am sharing it now for informative purposes only. Metro is a daily paper and I did not share that piece publicly until after March 19th.)

My work with The Josh and Pete Band looks like it will continue to surge forward. Meanwhile, my roster's looking a little thin and I am interested in expanding. If you think I can help you, let's talk.

For more info on The Josh and Pete Band: http://www.thejoshandpeteband.com

Text and photo copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

[revised August 14, 2009]

The Absolute Zeros - PR So Far

The Absolute Zeros are one of the most well-respected live bands on the Philly scene. Their raw soul-rock sound just keeps getting harder and tighter. I became their publicist in June, 2008 but would you believe that even though I've been working with them since then, I've had to run only one major campaign for them? They headlined a MAD Dragon Records concert on November 23, 2008 (they weren't signed to MAD Dragon Records but were booked through the label's affiliated booking agency). I promoted this show in conjunction with the folks at MAD Dragon, many of whom I already knew and had even worked with as a music journalist. It was a pleasure working with MAD Dragon and we did quite well. Sadly, most of the advance publicity has since been removed from the 'net. Philadelphia Weekly's online edition featured the concert and flyer in its "PW Recommended!" section. Philly Fun Guide and Philly Music Network Fans also featured the flyer; Philly Fun Guide's page included my event description as well. Philly EDGE ran a blurb about the show in its "Local Music News" feature on November 5, 2008.

These pieces remain online:

"This Weekend" and "Sunday Showcase with Andrew Lipke, Absolute Zeros" (The Broken Bell, November 20, 2008 and November 21, 2008 respectively)



For more info on The Absolute Zeros: http://www.myspace.com/theabsolutezeros

Text and photo copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

[revised August 14, 2009]

Laura Cheadle PR Highlights

Laura Cheadle blends old-school R&B and funk with a contemporary pop/rock sound to create an engagingly soulful brand of singer/songwriter music. She hired me as her publicist in March, 2008 and I was active in that role from April, 2008 through February, 2009. I promoted for her when she and I deemed such work appropriate or necessary. Here's some of what I accomplished:

"Laura Cheadle, Downtown Harvest Rock Milkboy Coffee" (Cheap Shot! Philly, June 7, 2008; later republished on Crunkbox)

Philly EDGE chose Laura's "Live On" as its "Track of the Week" on August 20, 2008, also plugging her upcoming appearance at the Beta Hi-Fi Festival, which we were promoting. That page went offline at some point and I have not been able to retrieve it.

Philly Fun Guide prominently featured Laura's Philadelphia Live On CD release show (which took place on February 20, 2009) with our flyer and a slightly revised version of the description I submitted; unfortunately, Philly Fun Guide does not archive such things.

For more info on Laura Cheadle: http://www.lauracheadle.com

Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

[revised August 14, 2009]

Audible Eye

Audible Eye is not a one-man band; he's a one-man jam. Playing numerous instruments with various parts of his body (hey! keep your mind out of the gutter!) while singing, he is just as comfortable busking in a train station as he is playing to a sold-out crowd at a major venue. On January 25, 2008, he did just that for his debut headlining show. I promoted it for him and we got this really nice review:

"From The Street to the Stage: Audible Eye" (Crunkbox, February 12, 2008)

For more info on Audible Eye: http://www.myspace.com/audibleeye

Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

Downtown Harvest PR Highlights

The first act I ever represented as a publicist was the Philly-based quartet Downtown Harvest, whose music incorporates rock, jazz, electronica, funk, and many more styles into a sound that has to be heard to be believed. I worked steadily for the band's organization from December, 2007 through April, 2008, remaining on board through the end of May, 2008 to promote one more show and tie up loose ends. Here are some of the features I scored for DTH as their publicist:

"Remember the 90s? Downtown Harvest Put the fun Back in Indy Rock" (Crunkbox, February 12, 2008)

"Downtown Harvest: Golden Dragon" (Perfect Porridge, Feburary 21, 2008)

"Downtown Harvest :: Golden Dragon" (musicreviewer.com, May, 2008)

"Laura Cheadle, Downtown Harvest Rock Milkboy Coffee" (Cheap Shot! Philly, June 7, 2008; later republished on Crunkbox)

The January 16, 2008 issue of Northeast Pennsylvania's The Weekender included an excellent article, "Downtown Harvest brings buzz to NEPA" by Mike Lello. Sadly, the piece can no longer be viewed online. I hope you were able to get a print copy!

For more info on Downtown Harvest: http://www.downtownharvest.com

Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

[revised August 14, 2009]

Introduction

What does a music publicist do, exactly?

Technically, a publicist is a liaison between an artist and the press. Since people hire me because they or the artists they handle are looking for more exposure, my main duty is to try to convince members of the press (which now includes the various online outlets) to write about the artists I represent. Once I've located writers and editors worth contacting, I might offer or send them CDs for review or invite them to come out to a show. Maybe I just encourage them to include a show in their listings or run a blurb promoting it. I set up interviews when necessary or appropriate, follow-up on CD submissions, thank writers for nice writeups, and perhaps also keep in touch with writers and editors and form lasting relationships with them. If I'm expected to attend a show I'm promoting -- I'd better be there unless I'm snowed in or feel like I'm dying!

That said, the press can be difficult to break into, and sometimes I just don't get a good press response to a particular show. Even if I do, I might feel that more can be done to promote the show and I might just do it. So while my official duty is to get the show written about, my unofficial duties can involve plugging the show on the internet, reaching out to photographers, videographers, musicians and music industry figures, or just talking up the show through word-of-mouth. However, no one I represent should take any of these "unofficial" services for granted unless they are specifically named in the terms of my employment.

This blog will chronicle samples of my work which I consider most useful to those who are curious. Some of the posts will include artist photos I have taken, posted only with the artist's permission.

Copyright © 2009 S.J. Dibai. All rights reserved.

[revised August 11, 2009; edited August 14, 2009]