Volume 2, Issue #10

Fabian

Fabian Proano’s ability to overcome several obstacles he faced early in his life will undoubtedly fuel his eventual rise to fame in the music industry. The 32-year- old endured a rough childhood to say the least when his father left him shortly after his birth and his mother’s unfortunate passing that followed nine years later. Instead of giving up on his dreams of being a musician, Fabian conquered the odds and launched an independent musical assault on the internet. He’s totaled 29 top ten singles thus far and has spent over 40 weeks at the top of Amazon.com’s music downloads chart.

Five Questions for Fabian:

1) Did your experiences lead you to music? “Yeah. It was a way for me to let out my frustrations. Kind of self-therapy. I always felt I could sing and after all that had happened to me I developed a drive to prove that I could.”

2) You first started out performing standards such as Frank Sinatra. What propelled the transition to dance?
“When I was living in Myrtle Beach I started going to all these clubs. I wanted to become my own unique artist. To sing my own songs with my own lyrics. I wanted the music to be much more uptempoed. I feel that dance music gives you more of an opportunity to push boundaries and try different things.”

3) After discovering dance, what pushed you in the direction of electronica? “Electronica stands out. I wanted to get into it because it’s so unique. One of my very first albums was a Depeche Mode one. I loved the sound of it and and always thought to myself I could create something like this.”

4) Tell us about your tribute album “Let the Children Sing” that you produced last year. “A person in London actually heard the single “Let the Children Sing” in the internet and felt it was a perfect theme song for a UNESCO endorsed project called “New Songs for Peace”. It’s a project which challenges people to think about children and how war and violence are threatening them. They even put the song on there website.”

5) You have over 80 songs recorded and an unreleased album entitled “Secret Repertoire”, yet you haven’t made it to the mainstream yet. Are you getting impatient? “Not at all. It’s all about dreams and believing. Usually, when I wish for something it doesn’t happen. My personal goal is to have the majority of the songs remastered and sold as singles. I think that is the way for me to really break in.”

----Joseph Barracato  

Bionic

After writing music together for almost a year, Bionic’s Steven Archambault and Mark Fitzpatrick submitted a slew of material to legendary producer Anthony Resta (Duran Duran, Hoobastank). Resta was intrigued and decided to to work with them. The duo went out and recruited drummer Michael Ostuni and eventual bassis Craig Spear.

The band then hit the New England circuit with everything they had and created a serious buzz for themselves, while living in the studio on off-nights to put together an unbelievably crisp demo. Bionic’s members all have prior experience in the business and are showing their patience while searching for a major label to make sure it’s a perfect fit. It’s only a matter of time until they break.

Five facts about Bionic:

1) Recently the band slowed down in booking gigs after playing several shows a week for a long period of time. What influenced that decision? “We’re trying to play select shows now. It’s more of a strategic move. We want to play certain venues. Plus we really wanted to dedicate more time to the studio.”

2) Several stations in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine have been giving your singles heavy airtime. Has it been fulfilling to hear your music on the radio? “It’s intense. It reenergizes you to know that people are hearing your music. It makes you strive even harder for the next level of success that in this case would be a record deal and a tour.”

3) You’ve been fortunate to perform on the same bill with such talented bands as Ra, Trapt and The Darkness. What did you get out of those experiences? “The opportunity to kick some ass and have people remember you. It’s not so much as opening up for someone popular as it is for getting noticed.”

4) With an impressive demo already recorded, you’ve continued working on new material in preparation of completing your first LP. What’s the game plan from here on out? “We are in the preproduction stages. That’s what you do before you go to a major studio once signed. We are shopping our stuff right now and some people are showing serious interest, but nothing is cemented yet.”

5) The band has been influenced by a handful of recent rock bands, yet its the Beatles that you mention as most significant. Why? “Because we are all children of melodies. We all grew up listening to them. Our focus is to put melody first. Hard vocals have dominated the rock scene for a long time and we want to change that.”

----Joseph Barracato

Nirvana Box Set Reminds Us of a Great American Rock Band


Courtney Love tried her hardest, aggravated every Nirvana fan in the world but in the end failed miserably in her attempt to keep the masses from getting one last, huge dose of the Seattle trio. The long, agonizing wait is almost over as Universal Music Enterprises have just announced that a three-CD boxed set from Nirvana will be available this November. Limited editions will include a DVD, that features a Kurt Cobain-led band playing at a 1987 house party. You have got to be kidding me, right?


This is the same boxed set that was intended for distribution three years ago in December of 2001. That was until Love decided to appear in a courtroom as a plaintiff for a change and keep the surviving members of the group (Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic) from releasing the track "You Know You're Right" in the set.


Grohl and Novoselic bashed Love in the tabloids saying the talented, but insane former Hole front girl was keeping a nation of Nirvana fans from hearing unreleased music for her own personal gain. The battle finally ended in September 2002 when the single highlighted a best-of-compilation record that October. The album has since gone on to sell 1.45 million copies in the U.S., while “You Know You’re Right” rocketed to No. 1 on both Billboard's Modern and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts.


Either of those achievements aren’t going to look that impressive once the boxed set hits the shelves. It’s sure to top of every rock fans Christmas list and insiders predict it to be the highest-selling boxed set ever. It will contain Nirvana’s entire catalogue, including rarities and b-sides. But most importantly it gives Nirvana fans and music lovers alike another chance to enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the finest American bands ever.

----Joseph Barracato

Q: Is the RIAA friend or foe? -- J. Razor

A: In many ways this question is a double edge sword. The RIAA is an organization that was setup to govern and protect the rights of its members (record labels). Therefore, if your company is a member of their organization then you probably view them as a friend.

However, if you are the average consumer your perspective of the RIAA is probably very different. This organization is the behemoth that sues anyone and everyone they suspect of infringing (illegally downloading) on the member’s rights. This organization has also proposed anti-tech legislation (the Induce Act- S.2560) in the US Senate that could undermine the very fabric of innovative technologies in the United States.

This legislation would prevent companies from developing products that enable consumers to copy content to personal devices. This means that products like the iPod and Tivo would become ultimately become illegal. This kind of legislation stifles our ability to explore and create new products and services. It also implies that 100s of companies will have to open offices other countries to avoid penalties. In this regard I suspect the RIAA will be viewed as a foe to more people than they expect.

Have a question? Submit it to: questions@theindustryresource.com