TO WHOM IT MAY Date Signed: May 17, 2018 Label: G4L Records Band Members: Jonathan Jourdan, vocals, guitar; Dexas Villarreal, drums; Robb Mars, bass Type of Music: Progressive/Hard Rock Management: Jerry Nettles - Bronson Management Booking: N/A Legal: N/A Publicity: Denise Kovalevich, denise@dmkpublicity.com Web: towhomitmay.net A&R: Kevin Martin
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est Coast entrepreneur Markus Muller-Stach and Candlebox’s Kevin Martin recently launched a new label called G4L Records. Their first signee is the Galveston, TX rock trio To Whom It May (THIM). The band’s virgin release for the new imprint is called The Great Filter and, according to vocalist-guitarist Jonathan Jourdan, the title is personally significant. “We had been performing with a lead singer under a different name for nine years,” explains the frontman. “When that setup ran through its cycles we decided to keep going with me as the singer, even though I never sang before. For the next four years, we wrote our record while I also was learning how to sing. It was a very humbling experience.” They had been pursuing music for so long the band believed this album would literally be their last hurrah. “The Great Filter refers to the theory by Italian physicist Enrico Fermi that there is a step in the evolutionary process of life that is almost impossible to get past,” says Jourdan. “And to us that was kind of how we felt about making this
“It was all about them believing in us.” record. Are we gonna clear it? Is this gonna be the end of us? The album concept was perfect because it’s been a real uphill battle for us to finish this and find where we belong.” THIM had been touring incessantly, having amassed a large following in their native Texas and doing a successful national tour with the band Nothing More. Their fortunes shifted, however, when a five-day regional run with the legendary group Candlebox turned into a golden career opportunity. “We hit it off with Kevin and Markus right away,” says Jourdan. “We were sitting in a great position because our record was done and we were looking at a home for it. It was real serendipitous for us because they seemed to be interested in what we as artists wanted to do. It’s been killer working with them. I can’t say one bad thing. Those guys are solid!” The Great Filter dropped on July 20. “We had looked at a few other options," concludes Jourdan. "But nothing felt right. It was all about ‘We think you’d fit into this pre-molded space, or if you nip and tuck this we could work with you.’ With G4L it was all about them believing in us and helping us take our musical ideas to the next level.” – Eric A. Harabadian 26 September 2018
musicconnection.com
CASANOVA
Date Signed: 2017 Label: RocNation/Def Jam Type of Music: Hip-Hop Management: Dave Gordon Booking: officialbooking2x@yahoo.com Legal: Hector Baldonado Publicity: Fairley McCaskill, Lydia Kanuga - Lydia.Kanuga@umusic.com Web: facebook.com/casanovatwox A&R: Jason Carbonell
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rooklyn rapper Casanova saw his debut EP Commissary drop at the end of June via Roc Nation/Def Jam. The iconic hip-hop label realized that a deal with the blossoming, romantically named hiphop artist was a no-brainer, and his “Set Trippin’” single managed to pull in over 15 million Youtube views. The guy clearly has a gift for attracting attention and, in this era when the power of the labels has in fact been diminished, an effective online presence is all-important. Casanova only started rapping about two years ago, influenced by the likes of Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Meek Mill and some local New York artists. It all started to happen fast, and he realized that he could make a career out of music just a couple of months later when he started to get paid. “Once I started getting money for shows and stuff,” he says. “That’s when I said, ‘Hold on, this might be a career for me’.” The rapper describes his style as a mix of DMX, M.O.P. and 50 Cent, and says that he has a New York gutter sound. That said, while his influences are fairly clear, Casanova says that it’s vital to be different,
“I’ve got the best of both worlds.” to be doing something new, if you’re going to pull in those big online numbers. “That helps a lot,” he says, with typical brevity. “You’ve just got to think of different stuff.” It’s been working for him so far. “Don’t Run,” his first original song which was released in 2016, did extremely well in the New York clubs, and was remixed by Fabolous, Young M.A., Dave East and Don Q. His debut song was followed by his debut mixtape, Be Safe Tho, which, according to a press release, “paid homage to longtime friend, notable podcast host Taxstone, who helped the rapper make a career out of music, and introduced him to [Memphis] Bleek [of Warehouse Music/Roc Nation].” Chris Brown appeared on the track “OHB,” and the pair toured together in the spring of 2017. According to Casanova, it was through Roc Nation that the partnership with Def Jam came to be. “They wanted to help and Roc Nation let them help, so I love it,” he says. “It means a lot to me. That they would consider helping me. It’s amazing—I’ve got the best of both worlds.” The Commissary EP is the logical next step, and Casanova is pleased with the way it turned out, as well as the extremely positive reaction that he’s been getting to it. “I’m definitely pleased,” he says. “I’ve been getting good vibes from my EP, everybody said they loved it, I’ve just got to continue to work.” A statement from his label says that the EP is a continuation of Casanova’s transition “from playa and convict, to rapper and legit businessman,” and it certainly sounds like an artist that is growing. And he’s not done yet.“I’ll give them a little more—a mixtape, and then an album,” he says. – Brett Callwood