MY RADIO
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MY RADIO

Roanoke, Virginia, United States

Roanoke, Virginia, United States
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"Underground Music"

My Radio have been tuning up the Roanoke Valley indie-rock frequencies and gaining steady head wind over the last year. Consistently strong live performances have earned them considerable street cred in the Valley and the release of their upcoming debut later this year will without a doubt establish them as a serious mainstay act in the Southwest Virginia music scene. - City Magazine - September 2009


"My Radio gets airtime on television"

Article by Tad Dickens

The band name My Radio conjures up an obvious image.

But this Roanoke act doesn't believe radio is the best place to break a new band. Then again, My Movie or Television Placement doesn't have quite the same ring.

When singer/pianist/songwriter J.P. Powell and drummer Hunter Johnson put the band together, they had two priorities: making a great record and getting it into as many ears as possible, Powell said.

The best way to do that these days is by getting your songs on television, movies and commercials, something Powell wouldn't have considered a decade ago. But hearing bands such as the Shins, Wilco and others reach bigger audiences via television ads had an impact on him.

"We're not going to drive around in a van for 25 shows a month, hoping that we'll break," he said. "This is a way to get exposure and pay for what you're doing."

Related
Hear My Radio's single, "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah"

In July, My Radio signed a media placement deal with Ocean Park Music Group, a licensing company on the West Coast. Ocean Park represents publishing catalogs from a wild diversity of artists living and dead, including Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Ray Charles, Mercury Rev, Robyn Hitchcock, Modest Mouse, Kaki King, Ike Turner, Jim Lauderdale and another band with Roanoke ties, Southern Culture on the Skids. The firm has placed music on many hit TV shows and movies.

There's already been a little action. The band signed papers to place its song "Yeah, Yeah, Yeah" on a halftime highlight reel for the Cleveland Cavaliers -- home of NBA superstars LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal. Fox Sports Ohio will play the song during at least three telecasts in that region, with the option for more. The money there won't be big, probably about $100 per play, but again, it's exposure that My Radio is after.

"They use that song and LeBron puts up 40 points in the first half, we just get totally lucky, because now our song is piggyback riding LeBron," Powell said. Still, he's realistic: "Just because you have a placement doesn't mean anything's going to happen."

Bigger games could be ahead. Ocean Park just sent out My Radio's recently completed album, "Give Us The Sun," to potential movie, TV and commercial clients. The money there could be huge -- up to $25,000 for a good movie placement and up to $100,000 for an advertisement. The band should hear something soon, Powell said.

A listen to "Give Us The Sun" reveals plenty of songs that could sound great on a movie soundtrack. Turns out, Powell is a movie freak.

"Probably my favorite art form above all others is cinema. That's everything from indie films straight up to your big shoot-'em-up action thing. I love 'em all -- bad movies, good movies. I can't think of a song I've written that isn't at least partially influenced by movies."

Visit blogs.roanoke.com/rtblogs/cutnscratch to hear a podcast with Powell on this subject. - The Roanoke Times - 26sep09


"Not quite a CD release party"

Article by Tad Dickens

FRIDAY My Radio With Colourslide
So, My Radio has a new CD. But it's not "officially" releasing it. In this age, maybe the best thing is to get the songs placed on TV shows, commercials, movies and the like. It's likely you'll hear this Roanoke band in those media soon -- My Radio has signed up with
Ocean Park Music Group, a Los Angeles company whose Web site lists shows such as HBO's "True Blood" and "Entourage," ABC's "Ugly Betty" and "Grey's Anatomy" and dozens more TV shows and movies.
"They don't normally work with unsigned bands so this is a big deal for us," My Radio bassist Jeff Hofmann wrote in an e-mail. Still, the band has actual CDs. You can buy one and hear My Radio play some of the songs live in this show with Florida-based atmospheric pop-rockers Colourslide. Go to blogs.roanoke.com/cutnscratch to hear a couple of tracks from the new disc, and an interview with singer/songwriter/keyboardist JP Powell. Details: 8 p.m. Kirk Avenue Music Hall, Roanoke. $10; $5 with student ID; all ages. myspace.com/ kirkavenuemusic, myradioband.com, colourslide.net. - The Roanoke Times - 03sep09


"Eclectic band headlines show full of good music at Dumas Center"

Concert review: The Old Ceremony
Eclectic band headlines show full of good music at Dumas Center
auditorium
By Tad Dickens | 777-6474

A space once known for hosting the likes of Louis Armstrong, Count
Basie and Duke Ellington got a good dose of its mojo back on Saturday
night.

The Old Ceremony turned on a near-capacity crowd at the 180-seat Dumas
Center auditorium with an eclectic style, incorporating Jewish secular
folk music, jazz, classical and more into its blues-rock machine.

Its lyrics touch on dark themes, with melodies that stick in the head.
Band leader and songwriter Django Haskins likes it that way.

"These [lyrics] make Donovan look like Morrisey," he said, before
launching into a tune that, to an ear untrained in dialect, sounded east
Asian - except for the words "Sorry. I'm so sorry." That was supposed to
be the happy song? What a jokester!

The rest of his lyrics were in English and tended toward such
observations as "You've got lots of friends, but you know it all depends on your
money and your Benz, when you're dumbed down." And that was the
sing-along.

Musically, the Chapel Hill, N.C.-based group is doing a fascinating job
taking chances with arrangements and instrumentation in a world where
most folks aren't much interested in either. Vibraphone? Check. Cello?
Check. Violin? Check. Tympani? Check, though the kettle drum was little
used. But there was no pretension - just good music.

Haskins has an inimitable guitar style. He probably knows all the
cliches. He probably even likes some. But he refuses to use them as stock,
instead grabbing bits like a Chuck Berry-style string bend to briefly
flavor his often time-shifting, highly percussive and occasionally
dissonant leads. The rest of the 6-man band was smoking, too.

The show's hosts, My Radio, preceded Haskins' group with a blast of pop
rock that showed potential for wide success. The band's "Turn Up The
Radio" sounded like Elvis Costello mashed up with the Smithereens.
Singer J.P. Powell was a presence behind his electric piano, singing
strongly and benefiting from a great rhythm section - Brett Lemon on guitar,
and particularly drummer Hunter Johnson and bassist Jeff Hofmann - who
played with the steadiness and taste of big-shot studio veterans.

Special guest Ross Copperman - back from Great Britain, where he is
under contract to Phonogenic/RCA - played a short set that included the
Beatles' "Eight Days a Week," and his own "All She Wrote." His hard work
in the UK hasn't left him weak of voice or stage presence. Somebody get
this guy his own show around here before he gets too big to play a
good, intimate room.

Ex-Roanoker Stephen Sellers - who played here years ago as part of Thee
Wanderers - opened the show. Sellers, now of Wilmington, N.C., writes
interesting lyrics that are full of regret. Unfortunately, his songs'
quality was inferior to the words. He had a nice idea of playing power
chords with open strings shimmering all fuzzed-out below them, but he
didn't use much else.

The members of My Radio said this is the first in what they hope is a
recurring set of local shows held in alternative venues. This was a fine
start.

The auditorium in the historic Dumas emerged as part of the old
building's latest renovation. In roughly a year since it opened, though, there
haven't been regular live music shows there. That needs to change. OK,
visually, it's not impressive - the grant writer for this project
obviously wasn't trying to get enough money to replicate a classic theater
vibe. But the room sounds good. Every seat has a good view. And the
lighting rig is adequate to set a mood on the performance floor. And it is
a floor, not a stage. But what matters is what's happening where the
music is.

And on Saturday, what was happening was good. - Roanoke TImes-Nov.5, 2007


"It's time we broke in the Dumas Center."

SATURDAY

The Old Ceremony

With My Radio and Stephen Sellers. Special appearance by Ross Copperman.

So, Roanoke has this beautiful new concert space, and hardly anyone uses it -- yet.

On Saturday, you can see three good and interesting acts at the Dumas Center's new auditorium. The Old Ceremony, from Chapel Hill, N.C., has developed a pretty idiosyncratic brand of pop music that includes vibraphone and cello. The band has built its road cred touring with Cake, Dexter Romweber, Squirrel Nut Zippers and Chuck Berry.

You can credit My Radio's Jeff Hofmann with the heavy lifting involved in pulling this show together. He and drummer Hunter Johnson provide the seamless groove for J.P. Powell's vocal and guitar work.

Wilmington, N.C.-based psychedelic rocker Sellers is originally from these parts. Bonus: Special guest Copperman will be back around home after months in Great Britain promoting his Phonogenic/RCA release, "Welcome to Reality."

Here's hoping this is the start of a trend at the Dumas.

Details: 8 p.m. Saturday. Dumas Center for Artistic & Cultural Development, 108 First St. N.W., Roanoke. $12. The bands are also accepting food donations for Total Action Against Poverty. Tickets available at the door and at myspace.com/myradioband. Web sites: reverbnation.com/myradio, theoldceremony.com. - The Roanoke Times-Nov.1, 2007


"What a Party"

City Magazine Review of MY RADIO @ Center in The Square Fundraiser
Thursday, July 19, 2007

"Tuesday night... Yes, an otherwise quiet Tuesday night in downtown Roanoke... 150+ descended upon Metro! Restaurant to raise a toast and raise some dough for Center In the Square. My Radio rocked the house (we heart any band that plays Radiohead along side the Beatles' "A Day in the Life"). A ton of fantastic f***ing food courtesy of Metro. We raised over 1,500 for Center and partied into the night. Thanks for coming out!" - CITY Magazine


"I want my MTV! Check out My Radio on the MTV Music blog"

http://blog.mtvmusic.com/2010/03/30/needle-in-the-haystack-presents-my-radio/ - MTVMUSIC.COM


"In an industry inundated with artists desperate for fame, some bands manage to get it right by staying above the water yet under the radar. My Radio is one of those bands."

In an industry inundated with artists desperate for fame, some bands manage to get it right by staying above the water yet under the radar.  My Radio is one of those bands.  Successfully staying away from the chaotic side of the industry and still getting heard, My Radio sets an example for others trying to make it in music. - Ourstage.com


"MTV-affiliate Ourstage.com has made My Radio the featured artist of the week"

Salem, Virginia. It’s a little town nestled within Appalachia in Southwest Virginia, so one might expect to come across plenty of bands playing the high lonesome music indigenous to the area. But loud, assertive rock? Hooks and grit culled from years of listening to the Stones and Elvis Costello, with some Remy Zero pop sensibility thrown in? Less predictable, which makes My Radio an unexpected surprise. The band is adept at turning out tightly packaged rockers, whether it’s the cheeky piano sequences and distorted, guitar peals of “Yeah Yeah Yeah” or the almost ‘80s pop vibe of “Unbelievable.” But it’s probably the track “Stars” that will be your favorite — slow and steady piano rock chronicling life on the road. You can almost feel the wistfulness filtered through My Radio’s instruments. Stalwarts like Kravitz, Cars and Killers are all thrown into the band’s musicology, meaning rock pundits will find lots to like. Forget high and lonesome. Loud and populist is where it’s at. - www.ourstage.com


"Yeah Yeah Yeah in the movies"

http:// - The Joneses


Discography

2010 Stand Up
2009 Give Us The Sun (unreleased)
2008 Self-titled EP

Airplay:
Yeah, Yeah, Yeah appears in the upcoming movie The Joneses, as well as the trailer. The Joneses stars Demi Moore, Amber Heard, and David Duchovny.
-Featured on Mike Cameo's Indies' Top 10 after finishing #1 in Pop and 2nd overall on Ourstage.com in September 2008.
-101.5FM The Music Place
-96.3FM WROV
-National Public Radio
-100.3 FM WRKE-LP
-106.1 FM The Corner

Photos

Bio

MY RADIO
My Radio is a melodic rock accident that happened in Southwest Virginia when JP Powell (Chauncey, Bleu and My Favorite Relative) left Boston for Roanoke. It all started when the singer/songwriter ran into drummer Hunter Johnson (Down Dexter and Justin Jones) at a coffee shop.
My Radio quickly added guitarist Brett Lemon and bassist Jeff Hofmann to round out the group. They have been playing venues (like Iota, The Mercury Lounge, Arlene’s Grocery, The Lizard Lounge, Local 506 and Kirk Ave Music Hall) and festivals (Floyd Fest 2008/2009/2010-main stage, Celebrate Fairfax, Steppin' Out) throughout Virginia, North Carolina, DC, NYC, Boston and South Carolina.
After self-releasing their debut CD titled “Give Us The Sun,” My Radio signed up with Ocean Park Music Group out of Santa Monica, California. They have already landed placements with Fox Sports and are currently featured in the movie, as well as the associated trailer and soundtrack, The Joneses (Demi Moore and David Duchovny), which was released on April 16, 2010.
In addition the following are noteworthy My Radio bullet points:
-My Radio’s song “You Are OK” was selected as a semi-finalist in the International Songwriting Competition for 2009 judged by Jack White, Tom Waits, Loretta Lynn to name a few.
-My Radio’s single “Yeah Yeah Yeah” has been added to 101.5 The Music Place’s regular rotation.
-My Radio’s debut record titled “Give Us The Sun” has been added into regular rotation on FM 100.3 Radio Lanchid (Budapest, Hungary).
-In March 2010 My Radio was the featured artist on MTVMusic.com.
-“Ourstage”, an MTV affiliate, is currently promoting My Radio. They are quoted as stating that My Radio writes “ridiculously catchy songs” that exhibit “hooks and grit culled from years of listening to the Stones and Elvis Costello, with some Remy Zero pop sensibility thrown in.”
-My Radio is just finished up working with producer Micah Wilshire on the new EP Stand Up.

Website:
www.MyRadioBand.com

For all communications please email:
management@myradioband.com