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Melanie Martinez Hot Baldwin Singer Signs With Atlantic Records
Who: Baldwin’s Melanie Martinez, one of the most unique talents to emerge from Long Island, is breaking out nationally in a big way: The 19-year-old recently signed with legendary major label Atlantic Records, and has an important new release hitting the streets today (May 20). Martinez first made her mark as
a contestant on the third season of NBC’s mega-hit talent competition show, “The Voice.” The Artist & Her Sound: Atlantic announced the signing of Martinez in early April; the debut release from the singer/songwriter is The Dollhouse EP, now in stores. The first single, “Dollhouse,” is available now at the iTunes Store. In addition, the track’s popular companion video is fast approaching one million individual views at Martinez’s
official YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/Melmartinez x3. Co-written by Martinez with Kinetics & One Love (B.o.B, Neon Hitch), the dark pop dream of “Dollhouse” has already earned critical notices and some fervid fan adulation. Having spent much of 2013 selling out clubs across the country, Martinez will celebrate the release of the EP with her biggest national tour to date, kicking off June 4 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s World Café and continuing through the end of June ; late in the tour, she’ll perform in New York City. Additional live dates will be announced soon; visit Facebook.com/melaniemartinezmusic for updates. Martinez – currently hard at work finishing her debut album alongside collaborators Robopop (Jessie J, Lana Del Rey) and the aforementioned Kinetics & One Love – has been hailed as a provocative singer, songwriter, and visual presence. The Long Island native first captured the country’s imagination with her arresting performances during the 2012 season of NBC’s megahit talent competition show “The Voice,” driving her unique renditions of “Too Close” and “Seven Nation Army” to Top 5 sales in the iTunes Store. In addition, Martinez’ rendition of “Toxic” lit YouTube on fire, earning more than six million individual page views.
RHYTHM TRACKING
By Jimi LaLumia
Thunder Roars Anew: Congratulations to Danny Garcia, Phyllis Stein, and Hilary Hodgson on the super-successful launch of the most talked-about pop culture documentary of 2014, Looking For Johnny: The Legend Of Johnny Thunders. It’s a rocking love letter to the unsung hero of the 1970s New York City rock scene, as well as a major force in punk rock. There have been attempts in the past to get this subject matter (notably Lech Kowalski’s The Last Rock And Roll Movie) out into the world, but legal matters and music publishing clearances always kept it from happening. Thunders and his second band, The HeartBreakers, got great exposure last year when “All By Myself” was heard in the film CBGB, and it also
York Dolls, without whom there wouldn’t have been the 70s NYC rock scene that came to be – nor would there have been punk rock as we knew it. All that we love about these scenes sprang forth from The Dolls, and the guitar sound that typified New York City glam and UK punk was the guitar sound of Johnny Thunders; it’s as plain and simple as that. He was not a company man when dealing with record labels, so his best work was never released in America, or played on the radio; the truly hip sought out his import albums and CDs and filled concert halls wherever he played, either solo or as a member of The HeartBreakers, Gang War (with Wayne Kramer of The MC5) , Cosa Nostra, and all the other names he adopted through the years.
showed up on the soundtrack album. “All By Myself” was one of the invincible tunes on L.A.M.F., the finest, most enduring album to emerge from the first wave of punk, now available through Jungle Records U.K. Alan Hauser, the main man at Jungle, helped with music clearances for “Looking For Johnny,” and Jungle U.K. will handle the worldwide release of the DVD after the film finishes its tour of the arthouse circuit. For those who don’t know, Thunders’ first band was The New
While we have Looking For Johnny on the horizon, a scripted Thunders film is also in the works, with lifelong scene maker and observer Nina Antonia running the show (find yourself a copy of her JTbased book, In Cold Blood). This will truly be exciting, and will turn a new breed of kids out there on to the greatest star that they never knew about, but will instantly love: Mr. Johnny Thunders. Start collecting those import albums now before the movies are released and the prices go through the roof.
96 Tears The New Single From
JIMI LaLUMIA
Released by Chrome Orange Music/Media
Good Times Magazine - May 20 - June 2, 2014 • 25