INDIE NEWS BEAT 
December 27, 2007 Edition
- Indie-Music.com Announces The Top 25 CDs And Top 25 MP3s Of 2007
- Hdnet To Premiere "Meat Loaf Three Bats Live"
- Amy Speace Invited To Play Official NERFA 2007 Showcase
- BigUp Radio Celebrates 100th Episode Of Boom Shots Show
- The Cafe Ole Delivers Flamenco Inspired Jazz On Debut CD
- Organic Farmer Wins Great Lakes Songwriting Contest
- Book Of Games Covering Music In Games
- Slim Man Nominated For International Vocalist Of The Year
- Our Funeral Forgotten - "I Am Gone, You Are Dreaming Me" CD Release
Indie-Music.com Announces The Top 25 CDs And Top 25 MP3s Of 2007
 Indie-Music.com, the online musician magazine and directory, has announced the results of its Top 25 CDs & MP3s of 2007, spotlighting the best indie talent in all genres and exposing these deserving artists to a larger audience hungry for new music.
Winners were chosen in 2 categories: The Top 25 CDs among the hundreds of independent discs reviewed on the site in 2007; and the Top 25 MP3s from the thousands of songs posted to the website this year. Criteria for judging included performance, production, and song quality.
One of the most respected and imitated indie music sites on the web, Indie-Music.com has been serving the Independent Music Community since 1996 with monthly Featured Artists, CD Reviews, streaming audio, how-to articles, industry directory, and much-needed recognition. The site offers a wealth of information to artists trying to survive & thrive in today's competitive music industry.
Amy Speace Invited To Play Official NERFA 2007 Showcase
 Wildflower Records artist Amy Speace has been invited by the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance Conference (NERFA 2007) to perform their official showcase on Friday, November 9th at 8:35 PM. The conference is being held from November 9 - 11 at Kutsher's Resort and Conference Center in Monticello, New York.
On her new album Songs for Bright Street, New York-based singer/songwriter Amy Speace demonstrates why she's quickly become one of her adopted hometown's most celebrated emerging artists. Possessing a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny knack for nailing complex emotions in song, Speace has attracted accolades from media across the country.
[Amy] turned in a downright terrific 30-minute set. With her superb stage presence and even better singing voice, Speace turned the crowd on its ear and left us all wanting to hear more. - Aimsel L. Ponti, Portland Tribune, Sept 18, 2007
[Speace] is a storyteller of the first order and a wordsmith par excellence. She has a big, booking voice that can express dulcet hushed tones, and she often sounds like Lucinda Williams but without the lived-in feel...just give her time. - Paul Maldonado, Albequeque Tribune, July 27, 2007
Like [Judy] Collins, [Amy] has a strong, clear voice, though more on the gutsy side. Her songs...are delivered with big-voiced clarity. - Josef Woodward, Santa Barbara News Press, September 24, 2007
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BigUp Radio Celebrates 100th Episode Of Boom Shots Show
 Bigup Radio, Inc., operators of the industry-leading BigUp Radio network of Reggae internet radio stations and leading web-site (www.bigupradio.com) for Reggae CDs, DVDs, vinyl, news and reviews, is pleased to announce the milestone 100th Episode of the Boom Shots show on BigUp Radio.
On announcing that BigUp Radio will be celebrating the 100th episode throughout the month of October, BigUp Radio's CEO Raoul Krakowski commented, "Boom has been with us as we grew from thousands of tune-ins to over two million tune-ins last month and the thousands of fans who now listen to his show each week understand exactly why we're thrilled to have him in the BigUp family and to continue bringing our listeners into the world of DJ Boom."
As the first show to launch on BigUp Radio, Boom Shots laid the foundation for the lineup of great selectors and programming listeners have come to expect from Bigupradio.com. Hosted by DJ Boom (Bassmentality Sound), the idea came for the show when Bigupradio.com CEO Raoul Krakowski heard a few mixtapes from the Baltimore based Selector. From a small start, Boom Shots has brought listeners up to the minute music, celebrity interviews, and a reliable weekly source for good music.
During the 100 episodes of his Boom Shots show, a who's who of Reggae music have made guest appearances and done interviews with DJ Boom including Ziggy Marley, Shaggy, Sizzla, Buju Banton, Elephant Man, Jah Cure, Da'Ville, Richie Spice, Morgan Heritage, Anthony B, Twin of Twins and many more.
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The Cafe Ole Delivers Flamenco Inspired Jazz On Debut CD
The Cafe Ole band has just released their debut CD on September 26th with an accompanying CD release party at Hugh's Room. The Cafe Ole is a flamenco-style jazz band that recently received a recording grant from the Ontario Arts Council. The band's brand new CD has just been nominated in the 2007 Toronto Independent Music Awards, the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Music Awards, and the Ontario Independent Music Awards.
This new and upcoming band boasts a soulful lead singer (Celia Palli), an acclaimed jazz producer (Roberto Occhipinti), a multi-Juno winning saxophonist (Mike Murley), and two award-winning songwriters (Dustin Shaskin & Diego las Heras). Las Heras's composition "Cuanto Tardaré" won the top prize in the 2006 Luis Advis International Songwriting Competition in Chile and Shaskin's composition "Mujer de Ojos Color Triste" won the Song Of The Year contest in April 2007 (www.songoftheyear.com). Both songs are featured on The Cafe Ole's debut album.
"When you listen to our music you can hear the passion of our band. It is this blend of passion, jazz, and flamenco-style arrangements that embody our work," explains Dustin Shaskin in regards to the unique style of music his band is known for.
The Cafe Ole's debut CD entitled "Cuanto Tardaré" was released on September 26th and is available through their website and record stores.
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Organic Farmer Wins Great Lakes Songwriting Contest
 An organic farmer from southern Michigan, an art publisher from Wisconsin, a sophomore from the University of Michigan, and a former child actress from New York City are among the winners of the 2007 Great Lakes Songwriting Contest.
The Grand Prize goes to Billy King of Brooklyn, MI, for his song, "I Don't Write Love Songs." Two songwriters won in multiple categories: Jon Troast of Lake Geneva, WI, won first place for his song, "Was It Ever Really Mine?" and second place for "The Most." Roger MacNaughton, of Ada, MI, won second place for "Samba for a Rainy Afternoon" and third place for "Charlevoix Keepsake."
Jordan Keller of Vicksburg, MI, won first place for "My Brother's Hymn." In addition to Troast and MacNaughton, two additional second-place winners are: Alexander Wood of Madison, WI, and Dan Hazlett of Waterford, MI. Six third-place winners have been announced: Whit Hill, Chris Nelson, and Jim Smith, all from Ann Arbor, MI, and Stacia Petrie of Detroit. There were also 18 finalists and 40 honorable mention songs from across the Great Lakes region of the U.S. and Canada. Biographies and photos of the winners are available at the contest website, www.GreatLakesSongs.com.
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Book Of Games Covering Music In Games
 Book of Games Volume 2 takes up where Volume 1 left off and further establishes the series as the ultimate reference on videogames for gamers, parents and industry professionals alike. Book of Games is an international collaboration with contributions from more than sixty people.
Highlights from the book include:
Music in Games - an interview with Greg O'Connor-Read(Founder of Game4Music.net) and Jesper Kyd (Composer for the Hitman Series).
Detailed Coverage of 100+ New Games on All Major Platforms.
Over 1,000 Quality Photos and Artworks.
Feature on Videogames as Art.
"I think that this book will do more to bring an understanding of the videogame culture to non-gamers than any collection of web sites and media articles could possibly do" Tami Quiring, KillaNet.net
The Book of Games Volume 2 (400 pages)
Editors: Bendik Stang, Morten A. Osterholt, Erik Hoftun and Hans Christian Bjorne,
Pub. Date: November 1, 2007
Publisher: gameXploreŽ N.A. Inc
ISBN-13: 978-82-997378-21
Distribution: North America: Independent Publishers Group, Chicago. Europe: gameXplore Europe
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Slim Man Nominated For International Vocalist Of The Year
 Pop/Jazz vocalist Slim Man has been nominated for International Vocalist of the Year by the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards committee. The CSJ Awards, now in its fourth year, will be held in Ontario, Canada, on Friday, March 7th, 2008. Slim Man's latest CD, Solstice', earned him the nomination.
Slim Man's previous CD, 'Jazzified', was awarded 'Best Contemporary Jazz Album' in the 2001 Jazziz Readers Poll. This is Slim Man's first nomination for the Canadian Smooth Jazz Awards. Past winners include Diana Krall and Al Jarreau.
"I did a German tour with Randy Crawford [another nominee], and she has an incredible voice. I always considered myself more of a songwriter than a singer. I know it sounds trite, but I'm happy just to be nominated." Slim Man got his start as a songwriter at Motown, where one of his first songs was recorded by Angela Bofill on her debut CD "Angie".
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Our Funeral Forgotten - "I Am Gone, You Are Dreaming Me" CD Release
 Our Funeral Forgotten is proud to announce their first full production CD release. "I Am Gone, You Are Dreaming Me" (2007) available at www.cdbaby.com & itunes.
High-energy, alternative rock for the darker soul, Our Funeral Forgotten is Mike Sanchez (vocals), Ryan Apodaca (guitar), Steve Zamora(guitar), Jeff Orcutt (bass), and Kevin Greene(drums) - four young musical alchemists whose philosopher's stone has conjured a new millennial hybrid now known as "Emotional-Metal."
Forged in synergy with bands like HIM, Daniel Lioneye, Black Sabbath, Pantera and KISS, and tempered by the spirit of artists like Johnny Cash and Buddy Holly, Our Funeral Forgotten begins its ascent with hard-driving beats, knife-edge guitars and no-holds-barred, heart-on-your-sleeve vocals. Our Funeral Forgotten have the live show that will make your ears bleed and break your heart.
If you like HIM, U2, Linkin Park you will love Our Funeral Forgotten.
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Provided by the MusicDish Network. Copyright © MusicDish LLC 2007 - Republished with Permission
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