THE ASCAP EAR - Vol. 2

Welcome to The ASCAP Ear, a special promotional compilation featuring a richly diverse collection of talent featured in our showcases or workshops over the past year. Ranging stylistically from film composers to rock bands to singer/songwriters to R&B to Latin music, The ASCAP Ear is another example of the innovative ways that ASCAP can help its members to develop their careers. The ASCAP Ear is not for sale: it is a promotional CD that is distributed throughout the music and film/television industries, not only to help promote the careers of the members featured on it, but also to show that ASCAP is a great resource for identifying new talent.

This is actually the second volume of The ASCAP Ear. Volume One was released in the fall of 1998 and received a phenomenal response: not only have many of those members gone on to major recording and publishing deals, but the group Citizen King has seen their song "Better Days," featured on the first Ear CD, used as the theme for a new television show on Fox called "Malcolm in the Middle." And Toni Estes (also featured on the CD), signed with Priority Records and saw a song she co-wrote, "It's Not Right But It's Okay," performed by Whitney Houston and nominated for a Grammy.

It will be interesting to see what the members featured on this second ASCAP Ear CD have done in a year's time.

EMMANUEL FRATIANNI Born in Switzerland of Italian heritage, Emmanuel attended Montreux Jazz School. Several years later, he returned as a professor, teaching piano and jazz harmony. In 1995, the City of Montreux offered him a commission to write a piece for a symphony orchestra and his own jazz quartet. In 1996, he moved to Los Angeles to study orchestration and film scoring at UCLA, and in 1999 was selected to be a part of Society of Composers and Lyricist's Mentoring Program, as well as the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop. He continues to actively work as a composer, orchestrator and arranger in Los Angeles.
frati@earthlink.net
c/o Jean-Paul Monsche
phone: 323-735-7379

MUSE One of the most buzzed-about rock bands in recent memory, this trio grew up together in the south of England. Barely out of their teens, the group proudly cites Nirvana, Radiohead, and the Smashing Pumpkins as influences. Muse signed with Maverick on Christmas Eve 1998, and have emerged with their stunning debut album, Showbiz, a tidal wave of serrated guitar noises and seething lyrical anger; it reveals a band determined to match and surpass their mentors

SOUL JAHZ is a gospel hip-hop group consisting of two brothers and their sister, ranging between the ages of 15 and 19. The multitalented siblings write, compose and arrange their lyrics, as well as co-produce their music. They have performed extensively in Southern California and Nevada, and consider it their mission to "win souls to Jah" (God in Hebrew). Potential converts need only spin this song...

C/O CIW2 Inc. Management
6709 LaTijera Blvd. #141
Los Angeles, Ca 90045
phone: 323-298-0186

FIVE DEGREES OF SOUL combine jazz, funk, soul, pop and hip-hop with Latin rhythms into an eclectic blend of Latin acid jazz. The band formed five years ago in Los Angeles and has since swelled to seven members, including one of the tightest and most talented Latin percussion and a horn sections around.

c/o Larry Solak
@ Casanegra Entertainment
11664 National Blvd., PMB 371
Los Angeles, CA 90064
phone: 310 391-0779
larrysolak@hotmail.com

JUSTICE LEEG A highlight of ASCAP's 1999 South-By-Southwest showcase, Justice Leeg is an LA-based outfit masterminded by Papa Goose, Rey Loo, and Mathai. With song titles like "Rational Faculties," "Can't Stop The Sunrise," "Birds Know Me," and "Joe Jackson," the group's self-described fusion of "pop/hip-hop" is as unique as it sounds!

c/o Manager: Andre Fischer
phone: 310-572-9986

JEFF KLEIN From listening to the music of Nick Drake, Van Morrison and the Replacements, singer/songwriter Jeff Klein created his own blend of "alterna-folk," performing all across the East Coast. He moved down to Austin, Texas at the end of '98 and within two months found himself a favorite on local radio and onstage at some of the city's prestigious venues -- including ASCAP's "Quiet On The Set" showcase at South-By-Southwest '99.

Management: Damon DeSio
PO Box 82374
Austin, TX 78708
phone: 512- 656-5146
fax: 413- 487-6360
damondesio@earthlink.net

JASON FREDERICK Film and music have been Jason Frederick's main interests since seeing the film Goldfinger on television as a nine-year-old. He has written for film, television, stage and commercial radio, and his music has been released on MCA/Universal and Mystery Tone Records. His latest project is Black Frankenstein, featuring Julie Adams.

jasonlomax@aol.com

SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER Led by the winsome singing of Leigh Nash and the crafty songwriting and guitar playing of Matt Slocum, the Nashville-via-Texas group make warm, sweet American pop music that has proven to have mass appeal. Their decade of hard work paid off in 1999 with a gold record for their infectious single "Kiss Me." The band also appeared on a "Quiet On The Set" showcase in L.A in 1998. It's quite likely we'll be singing a song of Sixpence for some time to come.

c/o Squint Management
1401 Chestnut Avenue
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
phone: 310-545-4032

TOM ANDERSON With lyrics and a whisky-soaked voice that evoke the images and romanticism of the American heartland, Anderson is the most recent in a tradition of songwriters that includes Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty and Neil Young. In 1998, he was awarded ASCAP's prestigious Sammy Cahn Award for outstanding lyrical achievement and also recently signed a publishing deal with DreamWorks.

c/o Molly Kaye
Dreamworks Music Publishing
phone: 310- 234-7818

SYDNEY FOREST Originally from San Diego, Sydney was signed to a deal with Disney Music Publishing shortly after she began gigging in LA. Her lyrics and music have gained a great deal of attention including the National Academy of Songwriters' Lionel Richie Songwriting Award. She credits the literature she loves, from Dickens to Balzac, Dr. Seuss to Shel Silverstein, with inspiring and influencing her lyrical talent. She currently appears on the WB network TV series Popular in which she performs her own songs as melodic interludes.

c/o Brian Rawlings
Disney Music Publishing
phone: 818- 569-3228

MY FAVORITE RELATIVE Originally from Switzerland, My Favorite Relative burst onto the Boston scene last year with a debut EP, On Holiday, and a live show that garnered them six Boston Music Award nominations (more than any other unsigned artist), of which they won "Best New Rock Band" and "Best Debut Independent Album". The band was also featured in and on the soundtrack to the successful independent film, The Opposite Of Sex, and somehow found time to play a handful of ASCAP showcases.

c/o Pete Galli, Galli Management
265 N. Beacon St.
Brighton, MA 02135
phone: 617-782-4192
mfr@cybercom.net

WILLIE MACK Hailing from Chico, Texas, Willie Mack has been performing and writing songs since the age of 11. He developed a strong following in and around the South while still in his teens. After high school, he made the move to Nashville where he attended college continued to hone his talent and songwriting skills. Since graduating, Willie has made big strides in creating his own unique style, much like his influences Merle Haggard, Steve Earle, Jim Lauderdale, Bruce Springsteen, Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

c/o Pat Finch
Famous Music
65 Music Square East
Nashville, TN 37203
phone: (615) 329-0500

TROY JOHNSON has been writing songs for eight years now, developing his honest sound while growing up in a town near Houston, Texas and through his move to Nashville nine years ago. He creates a vision of truth through his lyrics and music that connects on a timeless level. Troy currently has a successful outlet as a staff writer for a co-publishing venture with Sony/ATV, for which he has written cuts by Ricky Van Shelton, The Ranch, Shana Petrone and the Dixie Chicks.

Higher Ground Management
Robert Hicks
P.O. Box 590
Franklin, TN 37065
phone: 615- 794-1007
RBH3HGM@aol.com

PAUL THOMSON An accomplished pianist, arranger and music engineer, Paul combines his classical/orchestral background with contemporary underground and club influences to create his music. His work -- including themes for several shows and many commercials -- has appeared extensively on British television, and he is also much in demand as a producer and as one half of the "Down To Defenin" remix team.

c/o Karen Elliot
Air-Edel
18 Rodmarton Street
London, W1
(+44) 171 486 6466

MAICA is a young Latina who compares her music to tapas: a variety of tasty appetizers, in this case, flamenco, techno and pop. She has been living in Los Angeles for five years and her autobiographical songs are a fascinating blend of her influencesphone:

323-954-9550.

DERRYL PERRY is so Texan that he grew up in Texas City, Texas and attended the University of Texas at Austin, which is where he began writing songs. He began making trips to Nashville and formed several co-writing relationships there, and became a Music City resident soon after. He has since had several songs cut and even had one performed on the Grand Ol' Opry radio broadcast.

phone: 615-781-8642
derryl@derrylperry.com
http://www.derrylperry.com

JENI FUJITA Soon after her transition from the Bay Area to New York City in 1996, Jeni was enlisted to sing on Wyclef Jean's debut solo album, The Carnival, and soon wound up as one of the lead singers on his Grammy-nominated hit version of the Latin classic "Guantanamera." She also appears extensively on Fugee guitarist John Forte's solo debut, Poly Sci. Equally informed by hip hop, jazz, folk, R&B and pop, Jeni's vocals and lyrics give a raw and uncensored perspective into her soul.

c/o NTZ Management, Inc.
325 W. 38th Street, #308
New York, NY 10013
phone: 212-563-5330

TIORAH Not just a sect of the Buddhist religion, Tendai (pronounced Ten-Dye) is also an extremely talented young singer whose natural musical skills have resulted in impressive ability on drums, guitar, clarinet and saxophone. She began working as a singer in high school, and eventually emerged as a songwriter as well. Her writing talent has blossomed into the lyrics for her group Tiorah's first album.

Tendai Price & Anthony Sims
c/o Tabetha D. Thorpe
The Entertainment Group
PO Box 83934
Los Angeles, CA
phone: 323-291-8800
fax: 323-291-8885

IVAN Born in Madrid, Spain, Ivan, a.k.a. Juan Carlos Ramos, signed to CBS Records at the age of 17, and his first single, "Sin Amor," reached #1 in Spain. After a series of chart-topping singles in Spain and Latin America, he moved in a more dance direction and recorded his album Fotonovela, which scored #1 slots in France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Portugal and Luxembourg, and has sold over six million units worldwide. After a hiatus, Ivan is back with an incredible new album, led by this new single, "Para Hacerte Mas Feliz."

DLN Management
c/o Gustavo Fernandez
45 NE 45 Street
Miami, FL 33137
phone: (305) 576-7372
fax: (305) 576-7788
delanuca@aol.com

ANGELA COTTA This native Californian studied music at the University of California at Santa Barbara, and then studied film music at USC. While there, Angela received a scholarship for film and television scoring, and was then chosen to participate in the ASCAP Film Scoring Workshop, in which the song featured here was performed at the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios.

4760 Kester Ave., #12
Sherman Oaks, CA 91403
phone: 818-986-7927

To see other issues of The Ear, click here:
The ASCAP Ear, Vol. 5
The ASCAP Ear, Vol. 4
The ASCAP Ear, Vol. 3
The ASCAP Ear, Vol. 2
The ASCAP Ear, Vol. 1

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