Inside Stereofame

The boys from Fatkid Dodgeball know a thing or two about hard work. In fact, the Columbus, OH quartet seem to embody the working class mentality of their blue-collar hometown. Even the names of the members (Frank - Vocals/Bass, Bull - Vocals/Guitar, KC - Guitar, Ryan - Drums) sound like nicknames hurled between factory workers.

"There's a great scene in Columbus, lots of really good bands," Frank said. As Stereofame's 2009 Artist of the Year, Fatkid Dodgeball (the unusual name comes from a saying of one of Frank's college roommates) are in relentless pursuit of the perfect rock performance. "It's the energy, that hard rock edge with some sing-alongs and real solid melodies. I think that's what we've kind of grown into," Frank said. That mission has already taken them across the country but the foursome has fought the urge to move to a larger market and has instead decided to plant deep roots in the Columbus scene. "It can be difficult to get noticed outside of Columbus," Frank said. "But it's not like New York City where it's difficult to get on anyone's radar because everybody is in a band."

The rockers have found a niche spreading their high-energy live shows to an appreciative audience of students in Ohio. "The cool thing is there's a college in just about every corner of the state," Bull said. "So that helps us a lot by giving us places to go out and play with a built in crowd."

With a sound that recalls the hard-driving guitars of the Foo Fighters and the melodic sensibilities of bands like Jimmy Eat World and New Found Glory, Fatkid Dodgeball, known to their fans as FKDB, are poised to explode in a genre that hasn't seen many fresh faces for a while. Despite the band's collective affection for distorted guitar driven rock tunes, it is FKDB's democratic approach to songwriting that has accelerated the group toward a more mature sound. "When we really found our sound is when we stopped trying to sound like anyone else and started doing what came natural to us," Frank said.

As FKDB's sound continues to evolve, it's relevance hasn't been lost on Stereofame's online community. Users & judges on the site rewarded the band with Stereofame's coveted Artist of the Year honor, which carries with it a prize of $5,000. "The best thing about Stereofame is it's a way to get instant feedback," Frank said. "We can put up an exclusive track and get it heard by people who really know and love music."

Stereofame is a one-of-a-kind community where artists are judged objectively by the listening audience. Artists gather more points as they rise in rank and refer their fans from other sites. Plus, artists can sell their music here, too, so they're getting serious points while making money, something iTunes doesn't offer! Fans of music are also rewarded for their input, as they can earn points for listening to a song and giving it a "thumbs up or down," writing thoughtful reviews, and helping talented artists get the attention they deserve by signing artists to their virtual record label and then promoting their signed artists to their friends. Of course, fans get tons of points for buying music and bringing people to the site, too. All these points can be cashed in for various prizes such as iPods, musical equipment, gift cards and more.

Think you've got what it takes to become Stereofame's next Artist of the Year? Then go to Stereofame.com upload three songs to Stereofame.com/contest/aom and try to first win Artist of the Month honors. And if you're a fan, log on to Stereofame.com today to help some of tomorrow's biggest and brightest stars get heard and earn some sweet prizes at the same time!

Labels: aoy, contest, FKDB

Search for "winter" to see a surprise.

Thanks to www.icondrawer.com for the graphics.

"It's time to see all the places we will go," croons Braz, lead singer of the New Jersey based Mere, in their song "Higher." That type of optimism is peppered throughout Mere's music, indicating that Braz and company are ready to discover all the places they will go. With a sound that is, at once, hopeful and triumphant, Mere seem prepared to take their message as far as they want. Whether tackling weighty themes of heartbreak and turmoil or celebrating the beauty in the relationships around them, Mere's music always looks for the light at the end of the tunnel. "There are good things and bad things in life and we're happy to talk about them all," guitarist Brian Bason said, "but at the end of the day, life is beautiful."

The quintet's shared focus on tightly packaged melodies and hook-driven songwriting makes them instant radio fodder, helped along by Braz's soaring vocals. Fittingly, "Higher" has gathered attention as a theme song of sorts (it has been featured by NBC as part of their Olympics coverage) and for a band who eschew musical excess, the track is a microcosm of Mere's collective focus on the craft of songwriting. "We like to treat notes like they're expensive," Bason said. "You have to spend them like they're money. Sometimes you have to spend money to get something good but you should never spend frivolously."

As Stereofame's December 2009 Artist of the Month, that message is one step closer to reaching the mass audience Bason has in mind. As a band who unabashedly wear their hearts on their sleeves, Mere has crafted a sound that blends the melancholy pop sensibilities of Lifehouse with Braz's vocal prowess that recalls the best of bands like Starsailor and Dishwalla. Their efforts have not gone unnoticed by the Stereofame community, where they are ranked among the top fifteen artists on the site. "The best part about Stereofame is that the community is full of really great music fans," Bason said. "They support the artists like no other site."As the latest in the growing list of Stereofame's Artists of the Month, Mere get to take advantage of the site's ability to introduce artists to a national audience like never before. In addition to a $1,000 cash prize, Mere is now eligible for consideration as Stereofame's Artist of the Year, which carries with it a $5,000 cash prize.

Labels: aom, contest, Mere