07/02/2009

Come Hang out with us next Tuesday (and every Tuesday) at the WonderBar in Asbury Park NJ.  This week's lineup includes Montagna & The Mouth To Mouth, Brook Pridemore, and Kenny Junior.

07/02/2009

Asbury Park Venue Hosts “Monkeying with the Movies” on July 18

ASBURY PARK (June 30, 2009) – The ShowRoom, Asbury Park’s independent cinema and multi-purpose venue, will host the musical group Monkeyworks, a seven-piece electro-acoustic music ensemble, for a special “Monkeying with the Movies” live event. The group will score music to silent film classics live at the Cookman Avenue movie theater on Saturday, July 18 at 8:00 p.m.

Monkeyworks is known for its unique, interactive performances and impromptu compositions. At The ShowRoom, they will bring improvised, live music to silent film classics starring Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Laurel and Hardy, Keystone Cops and Felix the Cat. The group will then take requests from the audience to compose and perform songs on the spot.

“The ShowRoom is thrilled to welcome Monkeyworks to Asbury Park,” said Nancy Sabino, co-owner of The ShowRoom. “Our venue provides a blend of film, music and culture that creates fun, interactive experiences for our audiences. Monkeyworks are the ideal performers to highlight the multifaceted, theatrical experiences that The ShowRoom was designed for.”

Monkeyworks has been together since 1997 and has recently released a second CD entitled “Seeking.” Combining styles such as Jazz, Rock, African, Cajun, Middle Eastern, and Ambient music, the group creates a truly diverse and one-of-a-kind experience for audiences. Monkeyworks’ unique sound and concept has led to performances at famous musical events and venues such as the Guggenheim Museum’s WorldBeat Jazz concert series and the Knitting Factory.

For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit www.theshowroomap.com or call 732-502-0472. Tickets for “Monkeying with the Movies” are $10.00. For more information on Monkeyworks, please visit www.monkeyworksmusic.com.

About The ShowRoom Opened in April 2009, The ShowRoom is both an independent film theater and a multi-purpose venue located at 708 Cookman Avenue in Asbury Park, NJ. In addition to screening critically acclaimed, independent, classic, foreign, family and festival-winning film, The ShowRoom endeavors to provide the community with a versatile space for business meetings, art openings, live performances, book signings and more. Owners Michael Sodano and Nancy Sabino are film-industry veterans with more than 25 years of experience in creative communications for corporate productions. With The ShowRoom, first-rate cinema is becoming yet another component in Asbury Park’s growing downtown arts community. For more information, or to learn about film screenings, please visit www.theshowroomap.com or call 732-502-0472.

06/26/2009

Our friends over at On The Verge have an interview up with the band Hanson. They cover a number of topics including the reason behind their barefoot walks, their new album, and much more.

Hanson hosted its 102nd Walk around the world raise AIDS awareness at Montclair State University in November. On The Verge was there for every freshly manicured, barefoot step, along with about 200 other action takers. Later on, we invaded the brothers dressing room to discuss the importance of The Walk Campaign (Hanson generously donates $1 per walker to help African children) and the bands secrets for self-made success in todays music industry. Aspiring indies, grab a pen and paper because youre going to want to note the words of wisdom from Issac, Taylor and Zac.

For more videos from On The Verge, visit www.planetverge.com

06/26/2009

Our friends at On The Verge have posted a video interview with Jet Lag Gemini. The band talks about their current tour, their new album, and more.

For more from On The Verge, visit www.planetverge.com

06/26/2009

Check out On The Verge featuring Butch Walker. In the interview, he covers a variety of topics, such as what makes his new album "Sycamore Meadows" different from previous albums, his friendship with Pink, and more.

It's no secret that we love Butch Walker. He's decorated the pages of Planet Verge since we were a mere print zine and now he's lighting up our airwaves. This is the first in a series of segments we're bringing you on the former Marvelous 3 frontman turned mega-awesome solo artist/producer. Hop on the tour bus with us before his show at Maxwells, NJ and then tag along as we head to the Stone Pony and chat with Butch fans.

For more great interviews from On The Verge, visit http://www.planetverge.com.

06/26/2009

If you're in the area on June 30th, stop by the Wonderbar at 1213 Ocean Ave in Asbury Park. Our friends at ShoreAlternative.com are putting on a show featuring Chemtrail, Future Future, and Brick Mortar. There will be guest Djs and ticket giveaways. We will have a table set up as well, so stop by and say hi while you're there. Don't miss out on what is guaranteed to be a fun night!  

06/24/2009

Interesting article on how Amanda Palmer used Twitter to gross over $19,000 last month.  Yes - she may not exactly be 'indie' but there are still plenty of creative ideas for marketing your band on Twitter...

http://mikeking.berkleemusicblogs.com/2009/06/23/how-an-indie-musician-can-make-19000-in-10-hours-using-twitter/

06/17/2009

Mi2n has a great writeup on out friends over at Planet Verge.

The girls of Planet Verge have teamed up with digital network ambush.tv to produce On The Verge, the Internet TV show that is one-part band interviews, one-part scene and one-part philanthropy. It’s “What’s Hot and What’s Important”, but most of all, it’s what the On the Verge hosts live and breathe. Producers/Hosts Joelle Caputa, Jordana Reim and Jess Sager bring viewers backstage for OTV-exclusive acoustic shows, to the red carpet, the runway and… the farm (watch and see!). The girls are playful and conscientious, some straightedge, some vegan, and all living it up with regular doses of rock n’ roll.

Planet Verge and ambush.tv began production for On the Verge in October 2008 and are proud to announce the debut of episodes online at www.planetverge.com. Episodes are filmed on location as well as at the ambush.tv studios in Hoboken, New Jersey.

read the full article here

06/09/2009

Our friends over at On The Verge have some pretty cool stuff going on. Go check out their recent interview with The Academy Is...

In one the the first ever On The Verge interviews, Jordana sits down with William Beckett and Adam Siska of The Academy Is... at Atlantic Records for an intimate chat about their album Fast Times at Barrington High, the guys' favorite high school memories, Adam's love for older women, William's history of being a heartbreaker and much more. See how far these guys have come since their cafeteria days at Barrington High and maybe even learn about the inspiration behind their song, "Beware Cougar." (Cue: eyebrow raise).

06/01/2009

05/29/2009

The popularity of IndieCards is constantly increasing, as there are many uses for this innovative promotional tool. Whether you are a musician, a label, a small business owner, a radio station, or just an average joe, IndieCards can be used to your benefit in a number of ways. Still not familiar with the concept of IndieCards? Here are the top 4 ways IndieCards can be used:

1) Hand Out As Demos
If you have ever been to any kind of concert, I'm sure you have been handed a band's demo CD before. It is always great to get free stuff, but sometimes it is inconvenient to carry around a bulky CD. Do your fans a favor and get IndieCards, so when you hand them out, they can just stick the cards right in their pocket

2) Promotional Postcards
In addition to just including your music on the card, you can also use the physical card as a method of advertising as well. Bands can include information on the actual card as well, including the band name, website, show dates, and other items. Instead of handing out postcards and a CD, why not just get IndieCards, where you can combine the two in this compact format.

3) Replacement For CDs
We already went over how handing out IndieCards is more convenient for fans at concerts due to its compact size, but for full length CDs in general that people purchase anywhere, it is also a good alternative. People like sleek products, and it seems like the smaller the product, the better. Cell phones used to be the size of a brick (e.g. the Zack Morris phone), but have evolved into fitting comfortably in the palm of your hand. The same case works for music, as it is a lot easier to handle something the size of a credit card than a bulky CD case.

4) Added Value To Sell With CDs and Vinyl
Although IndieCards are becoming the new trend in music distribution, there will always be people who prefer CDs to the cards. For the people who still enjoy purchasing CDs, you can still get IndieCards to include with the CD as a bonus for the customers. This gives them the option to either use the CD or IndieCard to listen to the music. This extra bonus also entices the customers to purchase the CD since there would be an added value to the purchase.

It also comes in handy with Vinyl records. Not everyone who buys Vinyl records has a record player and many people want to be able to put their music on their iPod. By releasing IndieCards with a 7” or full length vinyl record, it gives the people the ability to enjoy your music in multiple formats.

Don't miss out on IndieCards, available here at BandsOnABudget.com!

05/28/2009

While it may not directly pertain to all y'all bands on a budget, we'd like to plug a great new iPhone app released by our friends over at Zetetic.net.

Strip is a secure Password Manager and Data Vault that protects your sensitive information with 256-bit AES encryption.

Store your passwords, financial details, and other data without fear of prying eyes, device loss, or theft. Perfect for IT, legal, medical, and business professionals with a need for security and confidentiality.

For more info check out the Lite Version in the itunes app store at http://bit.ly/tdwgi

05/26/2009

Just a quick post memorial-day tidbit - gradedbutedible.com posted a review of our services on their website - check it out or see below...

"Technically, night one. We got here late, cuz I hadda drive way long to pick up my awesome new shirts, which I friggin LOVE. In fact if you need shirts, and you're in NJ or somewhere near, you should buy your shirts from Bands on a Budget, because his prices are great, and Bret's an awesome guy. So anyways. We drove a long time (me= me n Randy), Connecticut BLOWS, and we got here and went to check in to the con Thursday night. And the badges SUCK this year. What the hell? I'm gonna try to post tomorrow about Friday, so maybe check back? If I can pull my shit together I will really post all weekend! EXCITING."

http://gradedbutedible.com

05/15/2009

Many thanks to Drew for whipping up this video short interview for us.  Check it out here:

Here's the link to the higher resolution version

05/15/2009

There are many bands looking to make an impact in the local music scene, but it seems as though one band stands out above the rest; that band is Ben Franklin. No, Benjamin Franklin didn't rise from the dead and start a kick ass band, but even if he did, it wouldn't be able to touch this Brooklyn  band.

Ben Franklin is a group of really enthusiastic and creative characters that chose their namesake for obvious reasons: they get excited and make things. The music tends to follow their interests, fairly all over the spectrum of rock. All three of them are battle-tested from previous acts (Days Awake, The Meltdowns, The OAOTs) and years of playing live. Forming in Dec 2008, Ben Franklin were able to put their first show together in a mere four rehearsals.

Ben Franklin consists of singer/guitarist Billy Gray, Eddie Garza, who sings and plays bass, and Sarah Tomek, who sings and wails on the drum kit. 

The band is releasing their first EP,  These Are the Most Delicate Songs, Saturday May 16th at I.M. Automata Chino in Jersey City, NJ, followed by releasing their first full-length album in early Summer 2009 on Tank Crash! records.

To hear more from Ben Franklin and get updates on what is new with the band, visit their myspace page at www.myspace.com/wearebenfranklin.

05/12/2009

BandsOnABudget.com is proud to announce that we will be sponsoring the 3rd annual Asbury Rock Stars Charity Softball Tournament. On August 8th, 2009, the tournament kicks off at Bert Willis Field in Neptune, NJ featuring eight softball games with more than 80 players fighting for charities of their choosing.

The idea of a charity softball tournament featuring Asbury Park based musicians came from Rick Barry, who presented the idea to friend and event planner Ali Fisk. Shortly after, Shannon Breslin and Mallory Massara became involved with the project as well, helping organize different aspects of the event. Last to join in was BandsOnABudget.com's own Danny Croak, who donated all of the screen printed shirts for everyone involved.

The tournament is proving to be successful way to raise a substantial amount of money for a good cause. The number of participants in the tournament last year doubled from the previous year, and it looks as if it will continue to grow again this year. Sign ups end on May 24th, 2009, so anyone who is interested must visit www.asburyrockstarscharity.com and register by that date.

We encourage everyone to check out the website and donate for this great cause. It will be a fun and friendly game that will bring people together to raise money for different charities. Bring your friends, family, and whoever else you can find to have some fun playing softball with some musicians for a good cause.

05/11/2009

BandsOnABudget.com has released a Spring Sampler IndieCard featuring 11 BandsOnABudget.com customer's original tracks.

For those who are not sure what an IndieCard is or how it works, IndieCards are used as an alternative to CDs. The cards are about the size of a credit card and contain a unique code on the back. By entering the code on BandsOnABudget.com, you gain access to exclusive content from the band.

The Spring Sampler IndieCard features various genres of music to include something for music lovers of all kinds.

Track listing for the sampler:

1.Blameshift – F.A.K.E. (myspace.com/blameshift)
2.One False Move – Drowning Melody (myspace.com/1falsemove)
3.At Rest – Dressed For Death (myspace.com/atrestmusic)
4.They Sound Like Robots – Allisyndrome (myspace.com/theysoundlikerobotsnj)
5.The Emmaus Project – Can You Tell Me? (myspace.com/theemmausproject66)
6.Natalie Gelman – Never Had You (myspace.com/nataliegelman)
7.C.O.G.- Child of God – Know Your Bible (myspace.com/pdsoul)
8.Bess Rogers – Bulldozer (myspace.com/bessrogers)
9.Tommy Strazza & The Model Citizens – Detour (myspace.com/tommystrazza)
10.Eric Ginsberg – Break My Rules (myspace.com/ericginsberg)
11.The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa – The Shooter Is Me (myspace.com/theecstasyofsaintteresa)

Give the sampler a listen, and while you're here, check out the new merchandise specials here at BandsOnABudget.com!

05/04/2009

05/01/2009

Just a few new/updated specials to throw at you today - full newsletter coming next week with lots of goodies...

1000 Static Data IndieCards™
FREE w/ 100 piece T-shirt Orders.

1000 Static Data Indiecards™ $79

With Any T-shirt Order, otherwise only $99.

24 White Shirts: $99

Gilden G500 100% Cotton T-shirts,
1 Color, 1 Location Print

5000 4x6 Postcards: $169

Doubled Sided, Glossy, Full Color

50 11x17 Posters: $75
100 11x17 Posters: $99

Full Color, 1 Sided

To order Contact Us

04/17/2009

Happy Friday all - just wanted to give a quick plug to our friends over at ShoreAlternativeRadio.com

ShoreAlternative.com is an Internet based radio station/lifestyle network dedicated to playing the best of Indie Rock/Alternative in an easily accessible manor. It is made easy to listen in any time of the day on your computer or even on the go with your iPod Touch or iPhone.

ShoreAlternative.com plays the likes of Radiohead, TV On the Radio, The Cure, The Shins, Death Cab for Cutie, Muse, Lilly Allen, Bjork, Depeche Mode, Beck, My Morning Jacket, Fleet Foxes, Kings of Leon, Arcade Fire, Morrissey/Smiths, Interpol, and many more bands. They play good music that you won't hear on other stations.

You can also find what's happening with your favorite bands in the Alternative News section of the website, including updates on album releases, news on bands, and more.

Find Top 20 lists as well as the Top 10 Buzz Songs on ShoreAlternative.com. Bands currently on the top of their charts include Depeche Mode, U2, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Kings of Leon, and Coldplay.

In addition to the top artists charts is the Artist of the Week section of the site, where each week, a different artist is profiled. This week, The Soundscapes is the band holding this honor. This is a good way to give bands selected as the Artist of the Week exposure to a large audience who may or may not know who they are.

Stay tuned to ShoreAlternative.com to listen to the best of Indie/Alternative music from wherever you happen to be.

04/02/2009

04/01/2009

For Immediate Release April 1st, 2009 Asbury Park, NJ

This ain't no April Fools Joke...

BandsOnABudget.com would like to announce the launch a new digital download service for artists & musicians. Dubbed IndieCards™, this online service accompanies our line of digital download products and allows your friends & fans to download exclusive tracks, content, and whatever other media you want to share with them.

For more information and pricing for our digital download card products please visit http://www.BandsOnABudget.com/viewpage/digitaldownloadcards

03/28/2009

For Immediate Release
March 28th, 2009
Asbury Park, NJ

BandsOnABudget.com is proud to announce that we now supply static data download cards. Our most budget-minded option, static download cards are made of recycled paper, are full color, front and back, and feature a uniform 'static' code on the entire set. These cards are perfect for giving away in lieu of demos or as promotional items.

Static data download cards start as low as $89 for 500 cards. They are also available in quantities of 1000 for $99. Want more than 1000? Call us for pricing on quantities of 2500, 5000, or greater.

Looking for something more? As always, we offer the regular 30mm digital download cards starting at $235 for 500. This card contains full color on one side and black and white on the other. Full pricing details are available at: http://bandsonabudget.com/viewpage/digitaldownloadcards.

Don't miss out on this great chance to promote your music for a low price with digital download cards, available now at BandsOnABudget.com!

03/28/2009

Our not so secret digital download card service has been slowly been rolling out as of late.  Were ready to start beta testing the system and need a few bands willing to beat on our system. 

What are the benefits you might wonder?

Well, first you can get in on the ground level of our brand new, cutting edge service, and quite honestly, you'll get bragging rights.

Better still (well, what can be better than that), you'll also get a free portal for your band to host their music and have your friends, family, and fans download content.  Think of it as a faster, not as annoying version of purevolume or myspace.

Want to get started - it's free and simple - just visit http://BandsOnABudget.com/contact and tell us you're interested in being a beta tester.

Cheers

The BandsOnABudget.com Team

03/26/2009

2009 SXSW Frank Turner Review
By Nina Chiminec

Buried amongst the names of over one thousand bands at the South by Southwest Music Conference, it takes something special to make your way onto someone’s schedule three times in two days. With eyes glazed over, I finished going through the entire list of artists playing the festival this year, and starred the shows that were a priority to me. My coworkers laughed as they asked “Who is this Frank Turner guy, and why is he on your list THREE times?” I explained that I’d be happy to make it to one of the shows and I didn’t realistically think I’d catch more than that. To my surprise, the only thing that I needed after my 4:00am wake up call to the airport on Thursday was a cold beer and some Texas sunshine. By the afternoon I was heading toward the power center of the festival, Sixth Street, and I had one artist on my mind. While standing at the door of The Wave, going through all the routine verifications needed to enter an Austin bar, I heard Frank right above me on the rooftop stage. How appropriate that the words I could hear while waiting at the door downstairs were “always on the guestlist, but always stuck in traffic”. Finally I got through the door and I was already able to check my championed artist off my list for that year

The one other time I saw Frank Turner before this moment was unintentional, and it was months prior. Some artists hook you in with their voice, some with their playing, but this English boy captures his audience with his soul. Yes, I’m fully aware of how cheesy that sounds, but I’m easily influenced by inspiration, and he had me hooked from song one. Fast forward half a year and half a country; I’m reunited with the songs that I listened to so much that I had to put myself on probation in order to not get too sick of. Unlike the acoustic set on the Revival Tour, this time around Frank was joined by a band which he admittedly only met that morning. Obviously very professional musicians, they seemed to have a good time playing familiar songs and let Frank rest easy while he captured every last sardine on that rooftop. Without much need to chat between songs, Frank shared the stories of his life with each song he sang. We learned of the death of a dear friend in “Long Live the Queen” that would tear anyone’s heart out if it wasn’t coupled with an uplifting musical overtone. He reminisces about old friends, plans for revolutions, and lost passions, without sounding defeated. If anything, he was singing his heart out as if to beg us to live our lives, and to remind us that “life is about love, lost minutes, and lost evenings, about fire in our bellies and about furtive little feelings”. It’s clear that Frank’s lyrics are more like real-time thoughts and experiences, than a process where he sits down and has to think of things to say. And maybe I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in the desire to be inspired like that sometimes. So much in fact, that after dinner that evening two more of my friends were intrigued enough to see him. So off to show #2.

It must have been the lighting at Latitude 30 because Frank eerily resembled a young Bruce Springsteen as he took the stage. Being from New Jersey, my small entourage of inherent Springsteen fans nodded in approval when he first opened up and shared his life with us. I was slightly disappointed at first by the similarity of the day’s two set lists, but with his inexhaustible energy, his presence just never gets weary. When he stops singing his songs as if he got his heart broken last night and just wrote a song about it this morning, then maybe I’ll stop listening to them like it’s my first time. He also completely redeemed himself by debuting a newly written song, which in my opinion paid homage to the style of Billy Bragg even more so than his other songs. The gist of the song was that there is nothing special or different about musicians and famous people; in the end, we’re all the same. As if we didn’t think you were humble enough, Frank Turner. Making jokes about his almost-white jeans, he neared the end of his set with a cover of The Postal Service’s “The District Sleeps Alone Tonight”, convincing the audience that if they weren’t familiar with the song, well then they’re just not Indie Rock. The thing about these down-to-earth artists with their hearts stitched on their sleeves is that they make you really want to just sit down and have a beer with them. So with my ego waiting in the crowd, I approached him, as nothing but a fan, to buy him a beer at the bar. At this point I would have thought I’d already be on overload, but when his group invited me to accompany them to another show down the road (which somehow I hadn’t even heard about), I nodded yes, waved goodbye to my friends, and headed into the night.

I don’t think that Frank’s 11:00 show at the intimate hole-in-the-wall bar, Plush, was part of the official music conference, but that provided a more suitable vibe. As we entered, the room was dark and crowded with its attention on Jonah Matranga from the band Far. Not even one Shinerbock later, I was sitting on a tall stack of cinderblocks behind the stage watching Frank play his first acoustic show of the day. In this environment, you can see how Frank’s musical background is rooted in punk and hardcore. He thrives off of the energy and intimacy of his audience standing feet away from him, with only his own height to separate him from the crowd. Even with the heaviest genre influencing his music being folk, that passion and anxt in his songs were clearly not inspired by country sunshine. Now, I can’t say that I have a slew of friends that reside in London, but I’m confident to say that there are few people more proud to be from there than Frank. Not surprisingly, his songs greatly reflect the roots of his country, and his own personal life story growing up there. His songs may not dwell solely on politics and revolution, but five minutes into a conversation with him, this profoundly intelligent person didn’t need to tell me that he had a history degree. Charming and smart. With a third, slightly more sweaty, but ever-powerful Frank Turner show under my belt, we watched half of a Lucero set at Dirty Dog Saloon, and called it an early night (which in Austin just means slightly before last call).

Anyone that has made the pilgrimage to SXSW before has probably noticed the pattern that takes place. Most people get in and relax on Wednesday, Thursday is a party day, Friday is a recovery day, and Saturday is the last hurrah. As it happened, Friday was indeed a bit hazy (looking back it was probably attributed to the whiskey breakfast more so than the lack of sleep). I hadn’t planned to go to another Frank Turner show that weekend, but without realizing it, I had managed to spread the word about my talented new English friend to an even larger group of co-workers and friends by the time his show came around on Friday night, so there I was again. This fourth and final show was at a little bar called Friends, which proved to be very appropriate for Frank. Upon entering the packed little room, I was completely intrigued by a really funny musician standing on a chair on the stage. Not realizing any sort of connection, Frank asked if I knew the song of his “I Knew Prufrock Before he Got Famous”, one of my favorites, which I composedly confirmed that I did. The next few minutes were like seeing a book you’ve read 100 times come to life. He pointed to the man on the stage, his friend Jay from Beans on Toast, and explained, “Jay is our St George and he's standing on a wooden chair, he sings songs and he slays dragons and he's losing all his hair”, then he calls over his friend Justin and introduces him to me as “Justin is the last great romantic poet, he's the only one among us who is ever gonna make it”. That night, his songs really came to life for me, and I don’t even think it was the whiskey. What was also different about this show was that there were so many artists, that they each had a mere 15 minute set. Maybe they were judging Frank’s following based on his minimal fan base at last year’s festival, but they were in for a surprise. Not even 5 songs into his set, the venue was giving him the boot. Together with the crowd, Frank pleaded for one more song, but to no avail. He had had enough time to get the room mesmerized, and we were hungry for more. “Out to the streets!” was the last thing to go through the microphone. Only Frank Turner. Only Frank Turner could stand in the middle of Sixth Street, amongst a flowing river of people by the thousands, standing safely in a nest of fans, with only the amplification of his own vocal chords and the help of some friends to finish his set. The last two songs, right there on the street, proved to be a truly memorable moment for all of us. We sang our hearts out, arms around strangers, trying to help Frank tell his story, and creating one for ourselves too. We were all proud to be a part of something that night.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the business of the music industry, that I forget what roped me in to begin with. As many people in this field can attest, such a huge amount of music goes through our ears that it can get hard to hear it after a while. On a personal level, one musician sang, and he sang to me. He reminded me that it’s a sunny day, and I need to get outside. There’s a lot of life to be lived, and even if we had 100 lifetimes, it wouldn’t be enough to do it all. When you stand in a crowded room amongst a sea of people, and we each feel like the words are being sung just to us, that’s what it is to be inspired. I’m not sure if it took all four shows to bring this kind of perspective back into my life or to remind me of my love for music, but I can honestly say that I came back from Austin a little different this year.

Nina Chiminec is a contributing writer for BandsonaBudget.com who works full time doing PR for SPV Records. She works with such bands as Motorhead, Sepultura, Skinny Puppy, etc. In addition to her PR background, Nina was also the bassist and manager of the NJ- based band Avery for 8 years.

03/25/2009

Typically we've been using our "live from" series to promote up and coming artists but it's no secret that the staff over here at BandsOnABudget.com are huge Bruce Springsteen fans.

Being situated in Asbury Park, it's also no secret that before any summer tours he typically sets up shop in Convention Hall on the Asbury Park Boardwalk for a week or so to rehearse and work on a live show.  The culmination of this year's rehersal were two live shows where he played in front of around 3000 rabid fans, including your's truly.

Below are a few pictures and the setlist from the March 24th, 2009 show at convention hall.  Enjoy!

Photos
(courtesy of Nina and her Iphone)

Setlist

"Badlands"
“Outlaw Pete”
“My Lucky Day”
“Night”
“Out in the Street”
“Working On a Dream”
“Johnny 99″
“I Ain’t Got No Home”
“Good Eye”
“Radio Nowhere”
“Candy’s Room”
“Because the Night”
“Mary’s Place”
“The Wrestler”
“This Life”
“Long Walk Home”
“Surprise, Surprise”
“Badlands”
“No Surrender”

Encore:
“Hard Times Come Again No More”
“Mustang Sally” (w/ John Eddie)
“Thunder Road”
“Born to Run”
“American Land”
“Seven Nights to Rock”

That's it for now.  We have a lot of updates coming soon including a SXSW roundup and a "Live From" Blog featuring Frank Turner.

Bret Morgan is an owner of and web developer for BandsOnABudget.com and DBLSystems.com. In his free time he enjoys surfing, ashtanga yoga, riding bikes (both motorized and foot powered), and reading. His current beer of choice is Carlsberg. He can be contacted at bret [at] BandsOnABudget.com

03/21/2009

Bands On A Budget, Ben Franklin, web development and more were all discussed on the latest blog over at Zetetic.net - go check out the full article: http://zetetic.net/blog/2009/03/20/bands-on-a-budget-ben-franklin/

03/19/2009

Just a quick thursday afternoon update.  If you're local to Monmouth County, NJ go check out the quick mention of BandsOnABudget.com on page 20.  If you're into that sort of thing... ;)

That's all now now, be sure to pick up our Austin 2009 sampler at SXSW this weekend in Texas.

03/06/2009

02/27/2009

BandsOnABudget is a merchandising company geared towards giving musicians a one-stop outlet for affordable band merchandise. Custom merchandise sold on their website, BandsOnABudget.com, includes T-Shirts, Hooded Sweatshirts, Posters, Postcards, Stickers, Vinyl Banners, Short-Run CD Packages, and the newly listed Digital Download Cards, all at very affordable prices. New items are constantly being added to their already impressive inventory of offerings.

Don't want to order through the website? Visit the storefront located at 626 Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey, where staff will be happy to help you with your order. Store hours are Monday thru Friday 9AM-6PM.

In addition to merchandising, BandsOnABudget.com also supplies a number of informative blogs for musicians across the world, giving tips on how to book a tour, how to market your band, and more.  BandsOnABudget.com has also recently added a new blog series, entitled Live From BandsOnABudget.com, where a new band or radio station is profiled each month. This is a great opportunity to provide exposure for musicians from all over to a large amount of people.

BandsOnABudget.com is not limited to just musicians. The merchandise is available for anybody interested, and is great for small businesses, schools, brokers, and for promoting events.

Not only does BandsOnABudget feature a wide variety of merchandise, but many of the items offered use Eco-friendly materials. They offer the option of using organic and recycled material for T-Shirts, Postcards and Digital Download Cards on recycled stock, as well as an Eco-Wallet made out of recycled cardboard for CDs. Go green with BandsOnABudget.com!

The storefront is located at the center of the burgeoning New Jersey music scene, with musical events occurring on a nightly basis. Some famous musicians, including Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi, got their start only miles away from where the store is located in Asbury Park. Newly popular bands like Saves The Day, Senses Fail, My Chemical Romance, The Gaslight Anthem and many more call New Jersey their home as well.

Since it's inception in 2006, BandsOnABudget.com has sponsored and been involved in events such as the South By Southwest Music Conference in Austin, TX, the CMJ Music Conference in New York City, The Dewey Beach Music Conference, & the Seaside Music Festival.  BandsOnaBudget.com also sponsors and promotes nearby events at The Wave Gathering Festival, Collide-A-Scope, Asbury Park's Monthly Art's and Music Night, as well as shows at O'Tooles, located inside the Convention Hall on the Asbury Park boardwalk. They also work with non-profits including the Asbury Park Rockstar Charity Softball Tournament, Surfrider, & the Arts Coalition of Asbury Park (Artscap).

With a prime location and the desire to give back to the music scene, BandsOnABudget.com continues to provide affordable merchandise and exposure for musicians all over the world.

For more information, visit www.BandsOnABudget.com, call 1-866-471-3868, or stop by the storefront located at 626 Mattison Avenue in Asbury Park, New Jersey.

02/26/2009

BandsOnABudget.com is proud to announce the availability of two new products into it's line of affordable line of merchandise.

First off are our state of the art digital download cards. These 30mm "credit card" sized download cards are perfect for use as a promotional giveaway or to sell at shows in lieu of a traditional CD or DVD. Available now in quantities starting at 500, each card contains a unique pin number where your fans can download and access your mp3s and other digital content. For a quote or for more information be sure to visit our digital download card page.

And secondly, if you haven't checked out another recent addition, our short run CDs, you don't know what you're missing. Starting with quantities as low as 100 our short run CD's come in a variety of packaging including screen printed sleeves, eco-wallets, and recycled cardboard. We'll post some photos on our site soon enough, but for now, if you're local to Asbury Park, NJ, stop on down and see them for yourselves - not only are they affordable, they're certainly one of the most unique items you'll ever be able to add to your merch bin. Check out pricing for our short run cd's here

02/13/2009

01/30/2009

Amongst the current sea of bands that make up the ever-bustling NJ music scene, few stand out quite like River City Extension. Perhaps it's the fact that their range of influences spans across genres and ties together sounds inspired outside of their immediate demographic. Whatever the reason, their unique upbeat folk/rock sound adds a refreshing twist to the music scene and is sure to grab any first time listener's attention.

Along with vocalist Desiree Hartman, cellist Jennifer Fantaccione, and bassist Michael Costaney, frontman Joe Michelini started River City Extension in August of 2007. Soon after, some additions and rearrangements were made, to perfectly construct this unique musical ensemble. This included the additions of Nick Cucci, and trumpet player Dan Melius, while Mike Costaney took on a new roll as drummer. To add new musical elements, Matt Goold recently joined in on banjo and mandolin, along with Matt Lonnergan on bass. If you've seen this band live, you can see how naturally these members perfectly contribute their piece of the puzzle.

The 2009 release of their EP, entitled NauticalSabbatical, exhibits exactly what the band is about: creating something unique, and incredibly musically pleasing. The title track off the EP drags you in with its intense intro and takes you on an incredible musical journey.

The next track on the EP, "Clever and Quickness", is my personal favorite. Right off the bat, the upbeat song makes you want to get up and dance. The diverse usage of instruments and vocals makes this track incredibly fun to listen to.

River City Extension slows it down a bit with the song "It's No Ha-ha-ha". With its harmonica hooks and strong lyrics, this song demands multiple listens; after you hear it once, you won't want it to be over.

NauticalSabbatical does a good job establishing the fun, upbeat style that River City Extension is all about. Music fans will, without a doubt, be hearing more from this group for time to come.

To learn more about River City Extension, visit them at Myspace.com/rivercityextension.

Drew Chiminec is is a contributing editor for BandsOnABudget.com. He can be reached at drew [at] bandsonabudget.com.

01/26/2009

BandsOnABudget.com Winter Specials
Current Specials (thru 4/01/2009)

24 White Shirts: $99
Gilden G500 100% Cotton T-shirts,
1 Color, 1 Location Print

25 FREE Tour Posters
With New Printed Apparel Orders of 36+ Pieces

24 Hoodies: $11.78 each / 24 Zip Ups: $14.78 each
1 Color, 1 Location Print

5000 4x6 Postcards: $169
Doubled Sided, Glossy, Full Color

50 11x17 Posters: $75 / 100 11x17 Posters: $99
Full Color, 1 Sided

4'x2' Vinyl Banner: $49 / 8'x2' Vinyl Banner: $99
Full Color with Hems & Grommets

1 Color Stickers: $79 for 500 / $99 for 1000
Available Sizes: 2" Square, 2" Circle, + more

Short Run CD Specials:
100 CDs - Jewel Case, Full Color CD 4/4 2-Panel Insert, 4/0 Traycard w/ Black Tray - $279 (or $269 with new 36+ T-Shirt Orders)
100 CDs - Jewel Case, Full Color CD 4/4 4-Panel Insert, 4/0 Traycard w/ Black Tray - $310 (or $299 with new 36+ T-Shirt Orders)
100 CDs - Full Color 5" Jacket Full Color CD - $279 (or $269 with new 36+ T-Shirt Orders)
100 CDs - 1 Color Screen Printed 5" Jacket (Cardboard Sleeve), Full Color CD - $209 (or $199 with new 36+ T-Shirt Orders)
100 CDs - 1 Color Screen Printed Eco-Pack With Insert Pocket, Full Color CD - $309 (or $299 with new 36+ T-Shirt Orders)

100 Full Color CD's (no packaging) - $109
100 Full Blank Color CD's- $89
100 Full Color DVD's - $179
100 Full Blank Color DVD's - $159

Click here to order or call 732-701-9045.

01/23/2009

BandsOnABudget.com is now offering a line of short run CD & DVDs, Digitpacks, and Eco-Wallets. These affordable options are the perfect solution for bands and musicians that want to shop a demo, have something to give away at an event, or just aren't looking to press 1000+ CDs.

Available in quantities as low as 100, package your short run CD order with a t-shirt order and save even more. To see a full list of prices please visit our short run CD page.