Elevation Wins MTVU's "The Freshmen" Video Competition

Congrats to our boys in Elevation. Their music video for "Razoreyes" feat. Kimberly Stewart is this week's winning freshmen video on MTVU.com. They have now been added to the rotation on MTV!

All this week Elevation's "Razoreyes" video will be on MTVU's "The Freshmen" where up-and-coming artists compete for automatic rotation on MTV (Click the image below to vote).



Voting ends this Friday the 6th @ 2pm (EST)

50 Records' Director of A&R on Cities 97

Drew the A&R guy sat down w/ BT and Lee of the Cities 97 Morning Show last Friday.

Drew discussed his involvement w/ Hope Rocks! over the last two years and 50 Records' artist Elevation.

Listen to the interview HERE

50 Records' Director of A&R on Cities 97 this Friday

Drew Pearson, director of A&R at 50 Records, will make an appearance on the Cities 97 Morning Show this Friday the 25th at 8AM (get up early!). He will discuss Hope Rocks! Volume II, a CD he compiled to benefit Faith's Lodge. The CD features the best in Midwest music including Soul Asylum, Atmosphere, Solid Gold, and many more...

Faith's Lodge is an organization that assists families in coping w/ the serious illness or death of a child.

*Co-founders Mark and Susan Lasek were on the Morning Show last week.

For more information on Hope Rocks! Volume II and the CD release party this Saturday CLICK HERE...And don't forget to tune in to 97.1 this Friday at 8AM.

An Interview w/ Elevation Lead Singer Nathan Smith

Check out an in-depth interview w/ Nathan on the Sacre Bleu Wine blog HERE.

For more info on Elevation:
http://myspace.com/elevation

New Elevation Music Video: "Razoreyes" (feat. Kim Stewart)

For more on Elevation:
http://myspace.com/elevation

50 Entertainment Creative Director Finishes Second Year of Lifelong Documentary

Fun fact; this press release is 365 words long, just like Minneapolis artist Nate Maydole's year long film. Maydole, filmed a word each day for 366 days in 2007-08 and he didn't stop there. With a new theme to tackle, he set out to continue his journey to say one word a day for the rest of his life. His 2008-09, 365-day film titled, Word of the Day, Chapter 2: Memory, focuses on what we remember and what we forget day to day. "It's amazing how much information is given to us everyday. Memory is such a vital part of our existence," states Maydole. Regarding what inspired him, Maydole explains, "After I completed year one I wanted to continue to develop the, 'Word of the Day', concept into a different, unique theme. Memory was the first thing that popped in my head and it just stuck... Saying one word a day grows on you, it's like brushing your teeth. Once you start you never want to go back to having bad breathe again." Maydole plans to choose a new topic and release films annually over the course of his life. This year's film includes many locations and national landmarks such as the Space Needle in Seattle and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. Maydole also captured one word while zip lining in Vancouver. "I just had to do it," says Maydole after the guide strongly recommended he didn't. In 2008 Maydole stated, "I was inspired to use my passion for film to chronicle my life, so that annually I can look back and be reminded of the last year, and in 30 years I will be able to see the true metamorphosis. It is a simple concept that I hope others will be inspired by, too." See: http://www.natesword.com



*Click here to see Nate's interview on Kare11 news (5/20/09)

Former 50E Intern Advancing in Blogosphere

Kyle Bylin, former 50 Entertainment Intern, is promoted to Associate Editor on Hypebot.com, popular music and technology business blog.
MINNEAPOLIS (February 18, 2009) – Hypebot.com announced this month that former 50 Entertainment intern, Kyle Bylin has been promoted as the sites new Associate Editor. Throughout Bylin’s deeper explorations of the music industry, communization (tribes) and branding he has earned a title in the blogosphere as a music industry philosopher.
Bylin’s articles are best known for his insightful and advanced look at the impacts in which social evolutions relate to the way audiences consume and interact with music.

Kyle began posting on hypebot after being discovered by Bruce Houghton on 50 Entertainment’s blog. Bylin continued to appear as a guest poster on Hypebot.com until his promotion as Associate Editor.

Katie McNabb (50 Entertainment) explains, “We encourage our interns to enlighten us on trends in the music industry and where they see opportunities for growth in the industry. Kyle was able to connect to some of the world’s must influential and creative thinkers in branding and take that knowledge to develop his own theories and philosophies.”

Please click here for a collection of Bylin’s work.

About Hypebot:
A journey of music, technology and the new music business.
See: www.hypebot.com

ArjanWrites.com - "Razoreyes"

"Ready to disco, rock and roll around a little? Check out the brand-new single from emerging Atlanta outfit Elevation. Engineered by Mark Endert (The Fray, Madonna, Maroon 5), this quintet presents a potent blast of pop rock in the vein of The Killers, Oasis and Thriving Ivory. "Razoreyes" packs a steady hook, and the song's small doses of disco, strings and piano keeps it sounding fresh and diverse."

*For the original article/free download click here

Elevation: Featured Artist on thefrontloader.com

Being in a band isn’t as easy as it may seem. Musicians will often compare the band relationship to a marriage… personalities will often clash, disagreements will arise, and breaking up is sometimes the single most difficult thing to do because everyone wants to do what’s best for the group, and not for the individual. Joining a band is a huge commitment, not only to the other members, but to the music as well.

Atlanta’s Elevation is a great example of the heights a band can achieve by rebuilding until they get it right. Originally formed in 2002 by singer Nathan Smith, Elevation has taken a few years to put all the pieces together, but now that the members have been solidified, they’ve released an excellent new album called Strangelove. It’s loud, it’s big, it’s rockin’, it’s emotional, and it’s really, really, really catchy.

My first introduction to Elevation was their first single, “Razoreyes.” This song is a fine representation of their sound… it’s got a retro feel to it, but as a whole it’s as current as the daily news. The pseudo-disco beat immediately catches your attention, and once the chorus hits, you’re hooked. “Razoreyes” also showcases their excellent pop sensibility, as there are hooks pretty much everywhere in the song. It took me a good day and a half to get the chorus out of my head.
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After digging on “Razoreyes” for a while, it was time to move on to the rest of the album. Strangelove is full of songs that I can hear on the radio right NOW. The production, musicianship, and song writing would all have absolutely no problems sliding into any rock radio program, but don’t let that statement fool you… although Elevation writes some excellent pop songs, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t more underneath the surface.

One of the many examples of this for me is the beautiful “Not Going to Beg.” This delicate piano driven piece brings Smith’s voice front and center, and I think this is his finest performance on the record. The song has a gorgeous melody, yes… but it’s how he handles the melody that pulled me in as a listener. He’s got a set of pipes, that’s for sure, but “Not Going to Beg” showed me that he’s able to be vulnerable without losing any of his strength.

I love how he sings the line, “And the way you looked at me just sank my heart.”

While looking through the Internet for more info on Elevation, I came across this studio video of “Not Going to Beg.” Take a few minutes and watch it… it’ll give you an idea of how the song came together.

I’ve posted this track in the Dig-it section below, along with the single, “Razoreyes.”

Another choice track is “Be Free.” This uplifting song begs to be performed live, and is, hands down, my favorite song off the album. The structural simplicity allows the rest of the band to take the time to work their dynamics, and they definitely work it to the limit. The coda is just as huge as you hoped it would end up being… I have a feeling that this is a show-stopper in their live performances.

“Be Free” is also one of the stronger lyrical moments for the band. I dig the message of the chorus:

The world still turns as you sleep
So just let it be
Come on be free
It’s all right to believe in the things you can’t see
Come on be free

Some sound advice given there. It may not be a new message, but it’s one that I think a lot of us can relate to.

Strangelove carries a hefty fifteen tracks, so it might take a while to digest it. It’s a fun listen, though, and well worth the time spent. Good song writing is always the number one priority for any record, and Elevation has put together a quality collection here. Without the song, nothing else matters.

The album was released in August 2008, so the band is still out on the road in support of it. They’ll be in Athens, GA for a couple of shows starting tonight… if you’re in the area, go check them out. Judging by the energy they show on the record, I have no doubt that you’ll get your money’s worth.

Here are the details on those two Athens shows:

Jan 26 2009 @ 9:00P - TASTY WORLD w/Lights Resolve in Athens, Georgia
Jan 27 2009 @ 9:00P - MASQUERADE w/Lights Resolve in Atlanta, Georgia

Visit the band on MySpace. You’ll find a few more songs to sample, and a short video documentary on the band.

Pick up the record, dig it, share it, see a show, grab some swag, spread the word…

*Link to the original article on thefrontloader.com