January Update

I should really post here more often...there's so much music news and new music, it's overwhelming to write about..

But first, I want to give a big congrats to Those Mockingbirds who sold out Maxwell's this past Friday for their vinyl release of 'FA SOL LA.' Shafyer James, Birdhand, and the sun the moon the stars were awesome, too! I'm proud to have them on the Star Beat Music roster. You can still get pre-order packages of the 12'' at www.starbeatmusic.bigcartel.com. We're running low on mediums and XL t-shirts in the ultimate package, so hurry. I'm pleased with these packages and think you will enjoy them. I will be throwing in some random goodies for those who pre-order. The offical release date is January 31st. We get our stickers and t-shirts this week and then I'll be shipping orders by Saturday.

There's also been some news...
SOPA. The Sleeping and Thursday disbanded. At the Drive-In and Refused are reuniting. Don Giovanni Records signed Hilly Eye, will put on their annual showcase at Music Hall of Williamsburg with Screaming Females, For Science, Shellshag, Laura Stevenson, and Black Wine, released the new Waxahatchee record, and are releasing a NOUN 7'' and LP, plus a Screaming Females 7'' and new LP. This is only what I can remember off the top of my head but there's a ton of cool stuff happening.

On the sadder side. I've gotten word that The Court Tavern in New Brunswick and The Irish in Kearny will no longer be doing shows. I'll offer my thoughts at a later time. But this is a huge blow to the scene. The Irish was only a 15 minute bike ride away and I saw Screaming Females, Trophy Wife and Bern & the Brights there. It's sad that there are getting to be fewer spots in NJ to put on shows.

But in Brooklyn things are still happening. My group, Permanent Wave, has been putting on several shows. I'm excited for the MEN show this Thursday in Brooklyn and Traveling (Ginger of Good Luck's new band) and Allison Weiss on Feb. 5th! Check out this BK based feminist group here: http://thepermanentwave.wordpress.com/

I'll have some news on a new release coming in the next few weeks and will let you know a record store to pick up Those Mockingbirds 12''. Hopefully come February, we'll be in full action as a label, blog, and consulting service.

Thanks for all the support so far.

-Star

24 years ago a star was born

It's my birthday today. I'll be enjoying a sweet cake with chocolate pudding filling, dinner with my best buddies, and a Permanent Wave hosted benefit show for Project Envision of Williamsburg at Death By Audio. The show features my local Brooklyn sweethearts, Aye Nako, along with Claire's Diary, Haybaby, and Puppies. I'm pumped to spend time with some fellow feminist, pop-punk loving friends for a good cause. Now to reflect on this blog. 

When I started Star Beat Music in 2008 it was to promote the bands I love. Today Star Beat Music has evolved into a multipurpose music website that serves now as an indie label based in Newark, NJ, a music blog, and consulting service. I'm proud of where we're going and am excited to offer my help to bands whether it's a new release, a publicity campaign, booking a local show, or recommending companies for bands to work with.

The biggest challenge I've discovered so far is trying to remain professional, fair, and still D.I.Y. Maintaining good business ethics while still keeping things do-it-yourself is hard to balance. But I think the key is to understand the project well. Depending on the format of the release, the scoop of the project, and the band, things are different. Each investment requires a certain eye for detail and special attention. Each band has their own needs and it's important for me to figure out what a band wants to get  ofeach project. All I ask for is some respect, credit, and thanks. I put my all into this and it's discomforting to know you're not appreciated.

My goal for Winter 2012 is to have three releases out in three different formats (vinyl, cassette tape, and CD). Originally I only wanted to put out one release for fun but this has evolved into something bigger and I'm running with it while I'm head over heads in love with these bands. My first release is a one-sided 12'' EP for Those Mockingbirds “Fa Sol La” out on January 31, 2012.

I'm putting my everything into this venture as an indie label. I'm happy to have Jeff Lambert working with me on the first release. I'm handling pressing, publicity, and mail order, and he's handling marketing and distribution.

Thank you for all the kind words and support. More news and updates to come.

An Update

I apologize for the lack of updates and posts lately. I've been terrible at keeping this blog up-to-date. To give myself incentive to post, I ventured to do a post a day in tribute to Women's History Month but I sadly didn't get past the fourth day. A lot of what I planned to write was personal. For instance, some of the musicians I was going to feature are friends of mine and it's somewhat weird praising and writing about friends. Also, it's hard to write about those that have inspired you. Some for me include Le Tigre, Selena, Kimya Dawson, The Gits, Otep, and then there's local musicians and artists I admire like Bern and the Brights, Cristy Road, Angie Boylan, Rachel Rubino, and Kate Crutchfield, to name a few. Even mentioning them here took a lot. To open up in this was is hard. My coverage on this site focused a lot on news. News stories were a way of sort of holding back on talking about what I actually thought. I want to write with emotion and thought and express how I truly feel. I don't want to write as a music journalist, but as a music fan. I think there is indeed a difference there. Anyway, I'm going to try and continue my Women's History Month feature, even if I just end up posting only a handful more and bring you some more posts. As always thanks for reading and I encourage you to check out the posts I've written on Mindtroll, Plastiq Passion, Pink Flag, and Amy Klein.