LINER

Second Spring Wins Derby for LINER

Second Spring Music Publishing has signed UK alt rockers LINER to an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement. The band has been at the center of attention among bands out of the buzzing music scene in Birmingham, England.

Los Angeles, CA (Billboard Publicity Wire) May 29, 2007 -- Second Spring Music Publishing has signed British alt rockers LINER to an exclusive worldwide publishing agreement. The band has been the focus of much A&R gladhanding over bands from England's 'second city'.

BBC's Radio 1 calls LINER, "Simply one of the best bands around today." The band's contagious songs have brought the band critical acclaim and played a significant role in drawing attention to the boiling music scene in their hometown of Birmingham, UK. Described by the British music bible NME as "Charismatic," LINER's performances have drawn comparisons to The Small Faces and The Clash.

Birmingham has a history as a breeding ground for new talent. In the late sixties, it was in Birmingham where Judas Priest and Black Sabbath forged a new brand of music that came to be known as heavy metal. In 1970, Birmingham gave birth to Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) who, to this day, holds the record for the most Billboard Top 40 hits of any band. The city offered cutting-edge talent once again just a few years later in 1975 with original punk bands The Sussed and The Killjoys. Not since has the city's music scene drawn as much attention as it attracts today.

"This is a groundbreaking band," says Second Spring founder and CEO, Chris Violette, of LINER. "Their songwriting is brilliant and timely, and way beyond their years," adds Violette, music supervisor and former A&R manager at Island Records who contributed to the marketing of the cranberries, Melissa Etheridge, and U2, among other artists. "Add to it the band's raw energy and some very soulful performances -- we couldn't be more optimistic about their future."

Second Spring, barely two years old, appeared to be the long-shot in landing the buzz band given the field of major suitors. The nascent publisher, however, has become a competitive alternative to major publishers with its aggressive artist development efforts and transparent accounting practices.

LINER is managed out of the UK by Scott Roe, owner and founder of Solar Creations, who brokered the deal with Second Spring.

"It's a real buzz to be working with such forward thinkers who are passionate in what they do. Chris has a wealth of experience in the business and really understands what the band and their music are all about," says Roe of Second Spring.

LINER is Alex Callaghan, Ben Kennedy, Tom Kennedy, James Fyfe.

About Second Spring: Second Spring is a next-generation music publishing company engaged primarily with groundbreaking artists of the 'do it yourself' generation from around the world and companies that commission original music subsequent to their core business but do not have the means to develop their music assets into a profit center. Its catalogue of groundbreaking music is administered outside of North America by Universal Music Publishing Group, the world's largest music publisher by market share, allowing Second Spring to perform with the flexibility and speed of a boutique-ish company but with the resources and footprint of a global enterprise.

### - Billboard

By the looks of it Liner (pictured) have been attracting a fair bit of attention lately (check out this bit from Billboard Magazine...yes THE Billboard Magazine...it mentions Birmingham's 'boiling music scene'...yes OUR Birmingham! It's official. Birmingham rocks...but then we knew that already right?). They've been signed to a worldwide publishing deal by a US crew called Second Spring in a deal brokered by Solar Creations and, I believe, they've got a song in a forthcoming film (but I have no idea what it is...what am I now, Mark chuffing Kermode? I'd like to be...then I could get close to Lauren Laverne of The Culture Show...). Are they worthy of all this? Yep. They just look right. Which is, although it shouldn't be, obviously a big deal in the worldwide music biz. Diamonds in particular is one song that really stood out live. A belter of a tune that blends Joe Jackson at his prime with a slab of Kasabian glam swagger. Keep an eye on this lot. - The Hearing Aid Blogspot

Music Week highlights nine birmingham buzz acts threatening to make the break from local heroes into the nation's consciousness.

First up is LINER. With their latest single, "Money", Liner have delivered a punchy rock song with strong first-listen appeal and one that should have no trouble ensuring the band a footing with specialist radio and media. The band has found early support from NME, who called them "charismatic", and Media Assassin, who said of the band's live show, "Watching Liner is something of a religious experience." LA Publisher Second Spring Music recently signed the band to a worldwide publishing deal and they have enjoyed airplay from Radio One and XM Satellite. - Birminghamusic.com

LINER are a four piece from Birmingham, UK who have been getting a lot of notice recently in the music press. You can hear a number of influences on this five track EP but none more than sounding like The Clash on ONE KISS. There is a raw feel to the tracks on this EP especially on the opening track GREED. While the likes of The Libertines have been compared to The Clash, mostly thanks to Mick Jones' production, Liner can claim that they have had no help to reach their sound. This sounds like a group that can go places and we can only wait to see if they actually get signed to a major record label.

5/6 Stars - Phase 9 TV