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Gorgeous Got a Gun vs. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
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Remember battle of the bands from your local burg? You know the one 12 of your friends entered despi...Remember battle of the bands from your local burg? You know the one 12 of your friends entered despite the fact they had only been practicing together every Tuesday for two months. The battle of the bands contest put on to promote the upcoming Hollywood summer blockbuster Scott Pilgrim vs. the World was kinda like that. But instead of the grand prize being a chance to play a Friday night gig at Pizza Hut in this iteration of the battle the winning act won the opportunity to have their video included on the DVD release of the movie, and a chance to headline 2 shows at an exclusive Comic Con event. As you could imagine the sheer amount of talented musicians who entered this contest was staggering, it actually had to be capped off at 1,000 acts. Out of those 1,000 bands 8 were selected to battle it out online in a head to head bracket in which the winner was voted on by the fans. The group who had the mettle to take on all comers and prevail was Southern California indie pop band Gorgeous Got a Gun.
Fronted by the armed and dangerous Veronica Torres Gorgeous Got a Gun (GGG) is aimed at blending a dance pop vibe with more traditional guitar driven rock anthems. This style is best exemplified in their song that took down the contest “Violent Games”. It’s carefree rock thats hooks are easily accessible regardless the age.
GGG used their opportunity at Comic Con 2010 to unveil their rock power to a bevy of new fans that waited in line for hours to get into the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World experience. Day two of the event saw Scott Pilgrims’ Jason Schwartzman introducing GGG before they put the finishing touches on a memorable performance.
In a world where it seems some bands fall into fame it’s nice to see a band like GGG fight and win their shot at rock stardom.
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‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ plays ‘Violent Games’ with L.A. rock band ‘Gorgeous Got A Gun’
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Friday, July 30, 2010
Posted by Jacob Burch at 12:27:09 PM PDT
In the new film Scott Pilgrim vs...Friday, July 30, 2010
Posted by Jacob Burch at 12:27:09 PM PDT
In the new film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Michael Cera takes on the girl of his dreams’ seven evil exes. But in reality L.A. based indie-rock band Gorgeous Got A Gun beat out thousands of other entries in an online-promotion for the movie.
And to the victors go the spoils! Gorgeous got to play at the Scott Pilgrim event at Comic-Con in San Diego, and their music video will be featured on the Scott Pilgrim DVD.
The band stopped by our On The Red Carpet studios for an acoustic performance of their winning song Violent Games.
To learn more about Gorgeous Got a Gun, just click here.
And check out their amazing acoustic performance for host Rachel Smith below:
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L.A. band Gorgeous Got a Gun score Comic Con gig through new media
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July 23, 2010
Despite what Prince may say, the internet isn't dead and it's not over. With regard...July 23, 2010
Despite what Prince may say, the internet isn't dead and it's not over. With regard to music, we've only just begun to see what the internet can do. The internet can be used not only as a distribution vehicle for music, but also as a way to break new artists. YouTube and MySpace have the lead in that department so far, having helped artists like Justin Bieber, Sean Kingston and Dondria break through to the masses. And now older media has figured out that this internet thingy could lead to something fresh and interesting.
In an effort to promote their new film "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World" starring Michael Cera, Universal Pictures launched a Battle of the Bands contest in which the winner would get their song and music video featured on the DVD version of the film and perform at Comic Con in San Diego. That's an unreal amount of free exposure for an indie band like Gorgeous Got a Gun. Fans were able to vote for the L.A. band online and share their votes via social media, further extending the band's reach into their own respective social networks.
Like No Doubt and Paramore, Gorgeous Got a Gun is led by a frontwoman, rather than a frontman. Veronica Torres marries pop music sensibilities with a raw, rugged rock sound provided by the rest of the band. It's grungy glamorous really, but there are still hooks here that make it palatable in a pop/rock way.
Check out their winning video "Violent Games" below
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And the Scott Pilgrim Award Goes to…
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by Panos in News
I’m dying to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I heard all kinds of great stuff a...by Panos in News
I’m dying to see Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. I heard all kinds of great stuff about the movie that stars Michael Cera but the thing that jazzes me the most is to see the video of LA-based Gorgeous Got a Gun that won the Sonicbids-powered Universal Pictures contest called Indie Rock vs. the World in the DVD release.
As promised, this was an epic head-to-head battle that started with 1,000 bands and more than 55,000 votes, which led to Gorgeous Got a Gun and Eleisha Eagle in the final round. The contest was so intense it came down to only 21 votes, making Gorgeous Got a Gun the winner with an opportunity to play at Comic Con on Friday, July 23 and Saturday July 24 in San Diego, CA and have their music video in the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World DVD.
Because the contest was so close, we wanted to be sure that the dedication of both bands was recognized, so we are working with Universal Pictures on a package for Eleisha Eagle to show our gratitude and congratulate her and her fans on their hard work.
Check out the winning video below. And, for good measure, also take a look at Eleisha Eagle’s awesome runner-up entry, right after that. Power to the Indie people.
Panos
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Gorgeous Got A Gun & Indie Rock vs. the World
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by Brad Holmes in Marketing & Networking, Sonicbids Blog, Sonicbids Members, Success Stories
Back...by Brad Holmes in Marketing & Networking, Sonicbids Blog, Sonicbids Members, Success Stories
Back in May Sonicbids teamed up with Universal Pictures to launch our most epic contest yet, Indie Rock vs. the World. The contest was tied to Universal’s new film, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (in theaters tomorrow), and offered one artist the chance to play live at Comic Con, as well as have their music video featured on the Scott Pilgrim vs. the World DVD and in national retail stores. After months of grueling competition and nonstop hustle, Los Angeles’ Gorgeous Got A Gun were declared the winner for their song/video “Violent Games.” We recently caught up with GGG singer Veronica Torres, who shed a little light on the band’s long road to Comic Con.
What interested you about the contest and what motivated you to submit?
It was interesting that it was a free submission and that Michael Cera’s photo was on the description. We started reading about the contest and it seemed exciting. We hadn’t heard about the movie until then, and the whole idea of an indie rock band supporting this movie sounded awesome.
Describe what the last 2 months of your lives have been like.
Hectic and focused. Once we found out that we advanced to the top 8 we immediately had to gather our creative team to brainstorm and make the music video. We even had a lunch meeting/conference call in a car at some point since we had to use every spare minute of our lives we had to make this happen. We were so excited with how it turned out, shooting in 1 day and having our friends edit the video in 3 days to complete what turned out to be the winning video. From there, the voting process was crazy but we rallied all of our fans/family/friends to get the word out. Before we knew it people from ALL different states were voting for us! We actually gained fans from this contest!
How did you go about promoting yourselves and driving fans to vote?
We used all the new social media sites, Facebook/Twitter/Myspace to start spreading the word. We call our fans the Gorgeous Party People and they really helped to get the word out. We also had a lot of blogs writing about us and the contest: we were getting Google alerts right and left with people blogging about GGG and voting for us and we were really stoked on that. We also had radio stations across the nation finding out about the contest and playing us and having people vote. That really helped.
What did you get out of the contest? Was it worth it?
All the hard work paid off. We had a blast at Comic Con and were able to play in front of hundreds of new fans. We also got a TV spot out of the contest, we were on ABC’s On The Red Carpet and are shooting a segment called “Blowin’ Up” to be aired in Journey’s stores nationwide. Things keep on rolling around from this contest, seems like it’s starting a snowball for us, and we are so grateful.
How was Comic Con?
It was all of our first times at Comic Con, so it was really cool to see all the promotion that goes into the event. Playing the Scott Pilgrim Experience was one of the biggest events of our entire Comic Con experience. It really felt like people were all there to support everything Scott Pilgrim related, even Gorgeous Got a Gun. We passed out thousands of flyers to the continuous line of Scott Pilgrim fans for our shows and a lot of kids already knew who we were. Some even told us they had voted for us, so it was an epic experience to actually meet some of these fans out there that believed in us and voted.
What was your favorite part of the whole experience?
Playing the show of course! We all really wanted it bad and when we get on stage we felt at home and right where we were supposed to be. Thanks for this opportunity Sonicbids and Universal!
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You can see more photos of Gorgeous Got A Gun at Comic Con on their website and don’t forget to check out their EPK. Also, check out their winning video for “Violent Games” below.
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Live Review: Gorgeous Got a Gun @ The Music Box
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Gorgeous Got a Gun performed at the Music Box last week as part of the Bikini Rock Fashion Show host...Gorgeous Got a Gun performed at the Music Box last week as part of the Bikini Rock Fashion Show hosted by Swoop Magazine and Graffiti Beach. As soon as the band performed, they immediately drew a crowd. Attendees made their way towards the stage to watch the band exude infectiously energetic, catchy tunes without coming off as cliché or corny. The vocals reminded us of Monique Powell and Stefy Rae with a tiny hint of Gwen Stefani. It didn't hurt that front woman Veroica Torres sported a fashionable feathered skirt, which seemed almost perfect since the event was, after all, a fashion show.
This band is definitely one to watch as they deliver fast-paced guitar riffs courtesy of Ernesto Rivas, explosive drum beats a la Josh Zeigler, bass thumping beats from Jimi Blaze and overall edgy songs that will make your body move. Check out the band in action below:
For more information, check out:
www.gorgeousgotagun.com
www.myspace.com/gorgeousgotagun
www.facebook.com/gorgeousgotagun
www.twitter.com/gorgeousgotagun
www.sonicbids.com/gorgeousgotagun
www.youtube.com/gorgeousgotagun
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Gorgeous Got a Gun Album Review
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Gorgeous Got a Gun
Gorgeous Got a Gun
Review by Rick Damigella
True story – a band I’d neve...Gorgeous Got a Gun
Gorgeous Got a Gun
Review by Rick Damigella
True story – a band I’d never heard of began following me on Twitter a couple months back. It was a band from Los Angeles called Gorgeous Got a Gun. “Very cool name,” I thought, so I checked out their web site to see what they sounded like. I was, to put it bluntly, blown away by what I heard. I can honestly say each of the songs streaming on their site hooked me instantly.Soon after, the band started tweeting about pre-orders for their debut album. I ordered one and when it arrived the first listen was magical. Here was a band I knew absolutely nothing about. No record company PR person had pitched them to me. I was listening to their sonic creativity explode from my speakers simply because somewhere in LA, one of the members made one simple mouse click to follow a music fan on Twitter. This connection proves social networking is more than just posting links, tweeting hashtags or commenting about how awesome/mundane your meal was. In this day and age, it is a powerful tool to reach new fans, even if it is one fan at a time.
Gorgeous Got a Gun’s sound is fresh and original, filled with a vibrant energy, a bit of angst and a remarkable amount of fun. For a debut release, it is pristinely recorded and very fully realized on a performance level. You don’t often hear this kind of quality from a first outing. Without sticking a genre epithet on them, let’s just call it 21st century rock and roll. The first of my three favorite things about GGG is how they masterfully blend guitar riffs with keyboard lines to create their sound. The second is Veronica Torres’ vocal style; confident, powerful and real. The third is their incredible choruses. I will touch on them in the song-by-song section. And while I could say a few buzz words or tell you that if you like bands A, B or C then you will like Gorgeous Got a Gun, that is hardly a fair way to convince you how great they sound. You should experience Gorgeous Got a Gun first hand. You might just find yourself as caught up in their sound as I am.
Track by Track Review
Slide
Bouncy synths and pulsing guitar lines play in the first song, which takes off at a full tilt pace in the chorus and never lets up. The band plays with a tightness and energy like they have been together their whole lives. This is just the first of many fantastic performances by vocalist Veronica Torres and is among my favorite songs here.
Violent Games
I’ve said it before in reviews that I am a sucker for the proper mixture of synths and guitars in music. GGG hits the sweet spot of that mix with this song. Torres’ voice pulls you in as she emotes “you’re not beautiful when you hate me” with declarative urgency in the chorus while bassist Jimi Blaze holds the whole thing together with his killer four-string rhythms. This is easily my second favorite song of the album.
Jump Ship
Just the right amount of twang on the guitar strings sets up the next song, which continues the near break neck pace of the album. To call GGG a high energy rock band is almost an understatement. There is no shoe gazing happening here. I challenge you not to dance or bop your head as you listen.
Confined
Dual chiming and chugging guitar riffs, punctuated with short disco percussion noise fills, make this another great example of the band’s use of synths and electronica adding to their overall rock sound.
Walk Away
Here is my favorite song on the album. Scratchy noise and piano open this number which quickly transitions to the clever use of putting the chorus at the very start of the song. This is another high energy number, but between the choruses, the band pulls back slightly and lets Torres purr the lyrics a bit more subtly. The infectious chorus is what this song is all about though. When it kicks in, Torres belts out “walk, walk, walk away” as one guitar matches her tone and phrasing in a harmonizing fashion. This is exactly the kind of song you want stuck in your head for no reason.
Noise Machine
Blending mid-tempo sections with a pounding chorus, this song features some excellent bass lines and hand clap percussion and yet another chorus that should have live audiences singing right along.
Get in Line
The band finally takes a bit of a breather and slows things down into a sensual, bluesy vibe. Ron Evans adds some great harmonica while Chris J. Evans’ six-string wails imploringly like the estranged lover in the lyrics. The chorus has the familiar “pull you in” delivery and sonic palette of the previous numbers, just much more moody.
Caught Up
And we are right back with the rock! It’s at this point in the album that you realize just how solid a song writing team Torres and Evans are. Song after song they masterfully build unique choruses that compliment each song and stick with you in such a good way.
Wanted Me
A dreamy blend of guitars and synths make up the back bone of this mid-tempo song. Veronica Torres delivers her vocals with finesse, especially in the plaintive lyrics of the chorus.
Message to Myself
This cut overall has a much darker feeling, from the guitar and keyboard tones and especially in the discordant strings, which add an eerie sonic texture.
Bang!
In a similar vein as “Get in Line,” this slower, brooding and features melancholy harmonica. Once again though, the number comes to life in the chorus, this time featuring multi-tracked vocals singing lyrical lines that are at one moment competing with each other and by the end of the line have joined to become one.
Lift Yourself
The fast paced guitars are back and drummer Nick Hoffman sneaks in some fun and unexpected fills. I’m not sure if that’s a flanger Chris Evans throws on his guitar at one point, but it sounds extremely cool.
Better Days
This one feels more stripped down as there are no (or at least no obvious) synths to be heard. Now if you have read this far (and I sincerely hope you have!) then you are intrigued enough to check out Gorgeous Got a Gun for yourself. Listen to some of the samples on their website or better yet order yourself a copy of this excellent album. If you are lucky enough to have them play live near you, I encourage you to see them as well. While I have not yet seen them play live, based on what a great listen this album is, I have to believe their live performance will be just as good.
supersonic
