Whats the word this week at Hitplay

As soon as Elisa Girlando finished her third song at Kroughs open mike last Thursday she was approached by the talent agent wanting her to play the club. By the end of the first 30 seconds she had the place under her spell. Codos to Dave Bollard for his jembe support.

SONY/RED showcase is Thursday august 6'th 7pm sharp at the livingroom. Nice story on Elisa in the living room artist page

Elisa will be performing on her own without the famed "out of truth" august 14'th in Sparta NJ at Dykstra park 7:15 sharp

Elisa and out of truth are slated to open the HIP video promo night at Maxwells Friday august 21st, should be a rocking night don't forget your earplugs!

Hitplay is debating whether to place one additional song on the rise-up CD for hard release. The song "again and again" is so powerful that hitplay president Phil Garland is seriously thinking of making the addition.

peace

dave.hitplay

killing em at Kroughs

Just finished an open mike show at Kroughs in Sparta NJ. Went down to the club to meet Elisa Girlando and her pals so she could work on some piano vocal things. Also meeting Mike who was working with HIP video promotion. They wanted CD's to give to PD's so Elisa signed 60 of them for the team.

Anyway I'm listening to one after another come and go and I start to realize Elisa is going to slay this crowd. Then I think I should have some fun and go up there with her, so I drive home pick up my Jembe and get back in time to play the spot.

30 seconds into this thing the mood at the club changes people go from indifference to awe. I mean awe. Elisa killed this place people were screaming. When she was done the booking agent came up and said she needs to play there asap. I've been playing for years and very few times in life do yo get that feeling where you are certain you are destined to be a winner. With Elisa tonight I had no doubt. She will be a major talent within the next two -three years. What a great feeling that is.

peace,

dave.hitplay

HIP video promotion looks good

Spent the day interviewing and talking with potential promotion companies for the Elisa Girlando CD. I think I'm liking HIP video promotion and the musebox. Will be meeting with them in the future to begin a marketing plan to work in conjunction with the SONY RED team.

Spent the evening rehearsing for Elisa's upcoming NYC debut. We are awaiting the date but it should be happening in June. The band is cooking and Elisa sounds terrific so don't miss that show!

Tiger Bill just sent me a slew of video snippets from the Boodles gig and they look great Ill try to get them onto the blog soon.

peace,

dave.hitplay

That Loving Feeling

What makes a band a special thing? Why are some groups of very talented players uninspiring and the next group so much more to behold? That is the magic and mystery of music is it not?

I've had the privilege over many years of playing in many bands. Some with great players who underachieved. Some with average players that made great music and inspired fans to love them.

I've been thinking a lot about this during the past week. Playing with "Out Of Truth" has been a great honor. A rare mix of great players who when they get together make awesome music "the magic factor". But what keeps a group together is respect and a feeling of familia. Like the crazy family that if you say anything bad they all gang up on you: that's how a band needs to be respect for each other and the music.

Tonight I'm going to bed loving the music and respecting the players and unable to wait to play the music for the people. That is a comforting place to be.

peace,

dave.hitplay

Another Great Show

Well it was quite a night at the  Mohawk house. After some serious technical sound problems delayed the start of the show by over an hour thing s settled in nicely. Props to Screaming Colour for opening the show and cutting their set short to get Elisa on stage by 10pm.

What followed was a 2 hour master concert by Elisa and Out Of Truth. The show rocked and as we left around 2AM I could feel the great vibe still lingering in the air. 

Next week we pick a publisher for Elisa and HitPlay records.

dave.hitplay

Man this is a lot of work

A GamePlan for the Elisa Girlando Project :updated MAY 09

 

1)   CD : completed and mastered.

a.    Tittle? Y/N “rise-up”          actoion:

b.    Graphics: new photo? Y/N action:

c.     Art work: disc makers? Or private artist?

d.    Liner Notes: Elisa with edit by Phil

e.     First run 1000 copies for promotion 1000 for sale?

2)   Live:

a.    NYC: Have RED/SONY book city showcase have in house marketing staff work the party

b.    Tour: Currently looking at 12-14 dates Conn/NY/NJ/Pa/Del

                                                     i.     Continue to work with agency to get this coordinated

 

3)   Promotion:

a.    HitPlay PR: finish RED release send to PR web

b.    Do monthly PR web release

c.     NJ Girl does good interest article: get to all NJ papers this week

d.    Coordinate promo release on E-Girl with RED (next meeting)

e.     Radio: 8 week initial campaign for industry awareness. Need RED input here

                                                     i.     College

                                                       ii.     AAA

                                                         iii.     Adult AC

4)   Internet:

a.    What will RED be doing need to hammer down next meeting with contact people and responsibilities

b.    Blogs/websites/socialmedia/streetteams/design what cant get from RED need to purchase

c.     How can Hitplay Mike coordinate this with RED

 

5)   Publisist: what is the best timing before during or after CD release.

a.    If before need recommendations from RED and start the process now

6) Alternative Branding: per RED we cant do this

 

 

 

CD COMPLETE !

The debut Elisa Girlando CD is finished and will be delivered to RED music tomorrow. The CD contains 10 tracks. We anticipate a digital release in approximately four weeks and a hard copy release four weeks after that. Now comes the real work marketing and playing live. Should be Fun!

DAVE.HITPLAY

New! - "Another Songbird" Music Video

A Strategy Develops

After our 2 hour meeting with the president and vice-president of RED music our Elisa Girlando CD release strategy is starting to develop. 

First we are going to go with the song "another songbird" as the single. The new video is up on the net and I would ask you all to check it out. The video came out great, it is "art". Most times we would not lead a new act out into the market with a ballad but the song and performance are so special we have to take the chance.

Next we are going to team up with the RED Internet team and really boost E-Girls web presence and style. Watch the sites over the next month we should see quite a lot coming from our RED partners.

The goal is to begin having Elisa play regionally with a strong Internet presence in an attempt to build on the buzz surrounding Elisa. Once that occurs we will have ammunition to go after larger venues and radio.

Our meeting was very positive and business like as the RED team really is looking for ways to break E-Girl to the world. It should be a fun ride.

peace,

dave.hitplay

Phil dont hit the soundman or the daniella cotton story

We were asked to play with Daniella Cotton today for a summertime concert. We played with her last summer and the mix of her rocking with Elisa's bluesy vocals was pretty good. So why are we hesitating??

Well the show last year was one of our worst, and not because of anything we did. The sound company was a bunch of knuckleheads who treated us like a lame opening act rather than the powerhouse band that "out of truth" is and the great vocalist that Elisa Girlando is. We are peace loving people here at hitplay but I thought Phil was gonna deck somebody. So when we were asked today I hesitate to say yes because if things go the way they did last year.... We will all need bail money for this show:)!

Any rate on a good note we are scheduled to go into RED next week and meet about the E-Girl release so this show is really taking a back seat in my mind.

peace,

dave.hitplay

A tremendous show another milestone

This past weekend we had the debut performance of Hitplay recording artist "Elsia Girlando and Out Of Truth". The show took place at Bodles Opera House in Chester, New York. We choose this venue for their love of music. We also wanted to see how the band and E-Girl would mesh, away from the NYC crowds.

Well we couln't have been happier. E-Girl sang her heart out, the band played their guts out, and the near capacity audience was BLOWN AWAY!!!! What a night!

After a discussion with CEO Phil Garland, who performed with an intensity I have never seen before, we all feel the band is capable of playing with anyone anywhere in the world. Elisa's vocals where spot on perfect, and the banter between songs was both relaxed and intirguing. The show is ready to go my friends so dont miss it.

Also today I was notified by Mike Lewis, director of internet marketing at HitPlay, that E-Girl's myspace page surpassed 19,000 hits tonight.

Another great week here at HitPlay.

peace, 

dave.hitplay

My MySpace Hell or how 4 months work disappeared in an instant

Well hitplay fans, we can't have a great week all the time now can we. This week started out very hellish! I was getting ready for E-Girl to hit 19,000 myspace hits this week in conjunction with her top ten listing on the reverb nation charts. Then it happened.

I logged onto the myspace page and it was GONE! Gone I said. No 19,000 hits no 3500 email fans no 11,000 listens to E-Girl songs. Gone all gone. Just a note saying the page has been deleted! We spent the next three days trying to figure out what the --- happened and were getting nowhere fast.It got so bad we were making plans to just start a new page, after four months work!

And by the way you cant get any info from myspace if you need it, nadda nothing.

Then just as mysteriously it was back. Like a lost child showing up at the doorway it reappeared. I aged a few years and got a cold from the stress, but its back home safe and sound. I am well a little wiser. 

 My take home point, nothing is a sure thing and the Internet can be a very mysterious place.

Don't forget boodles this Saturday night.

peace, 

dave.hitplay

Elisa Girlando breaks first top ten chart!

Elisa Girlando (aka E-Girl) has just broken her first top ten chart! We just came in at number nine on the reverb nation blues chart, on the strength of our upcoming single "another songbird". You can listen to the song on the reverb nation site. Our first milestone before we even get the song over to RED music. I hear a buzz, do you?

Elisa also top 18,000 hits on myspace this week and is rapidly moving towards 19,000 hits. Our strategy at hitplay seems to be working. Find great songs, mix them with great musicians (out of truth band), and let Elisa finish them off and we would have that "retro-fresh" sound, the "HitPlay Sound". Slowly start to spread the word and let it build.

Don't miss Elisa and out of truth at boodles opera house Sat March 28'th at 9pm

Its fun to be here at hitplay 

peace,

dave.hitplay

The Blues or not the Blues? That IS the question.

We had an interesting conversation today at hitplay. We posed a question vital to the success of the E-Girl CD. On the surface easy to answer but when we really thought about it it became much more difficult. 

And what is the question you are asking?

How should we characterize Elisa Girlando's music. Is she blues, contemporary blues, aor, pop, RnB? 

On the surface we felt that E-Girl was definite contemporary blues. But what about the single "another songbird". That's not blues that's definitely pop, and so the dilema. If we push blues the audience may be smaller, but it would be easier to climb up the charts. This is evident by our reverb nation chart climb with minimal promotion (currently number 20 on the blues chart). But there are more pop fans and although it is harder to get noticed when you do the rewards can be greater.

So we are going to sleep trying to decide what we will ultimately do with the Elisa Girlando CD. Although we thought we had it all down we go and start thinking again, and that can usually means trouble my friends.

Listen to the songs and tell us what you think.

dave.hitplay

Elisa Girlando playing Boodles Opera House Chester,NY

We had a great weekend in the studio. Completed the drum tracks for 7 songs on the Jon George project. The songs are great catchy tunes and I cant wait until you get to hear some of it. Perhaps when they get further along Wayne George and Phil Garland will let me put a tune or two on-line???

We also recorded a new track for Elisa Girlando, and man is it good. We all felt very strong on this tune as a possible single for the new CD so much so we had to get in and record it immediately. I am here to tell you it will be a monster- remember you heard it hear first.

If you cant wait to hear the new tune "scheming", click over to E-Girls reverb nation page and check out "songbird". The song is rising up through the blues charts before the release and is now as of today number 20 on the reverb nation charts. Wow number twenty before we release it on SONY/RED music. Do you hear a buzz?? I do.

We are ready to start playing live and the first show will be at boodles opera house in Chester, NY. If you want to see a great artist backed by an awesome band them come to this show you will love it!

peace,

dave.hitplay

A Drummin Kinda Weekend

Hey there hitplay fans. This is gonna be a fun weekend for our hero (that's me). I get to go to the studio and play drums all weekend long. Boy this hitplay lifestyle is really tough on a boy!

First up is a new song for ELisa Girlando. The hitplay studios and E-Girl teamed up with talented songwriters Max Huber and Jav (his central American sidekick) to write an awesome song.Max, Elisa, and Jav are a great songwritting team and we cant wait for more. We at hitplay feel so strong about the song that we want it on the finished CD. SOOOOOOO its back t the studio I go. When you get that special feeling with a song you gotta run with it.

Next up is a great project and a possible future release at hitplay. The Jon George project. This is a tremendous project and I'm honored that Wayne George asked me to be a part of it. Once this gets a little further along I'll have more to say about it.

Well I need my beauty rest cause I'll be drumming all weekend long.

peace,

dave.hitplay

Candace Giaquinto joins Out Of Truth band

We are pleased to announce the addition of Candace Giaquinto to the "Out Of Truth" band. Candace is in rehearsal with the band and will be playing percussion, some bass, some harp, and backing vocals. The band will be supporting Elisa Girlando with her up coming CD release on HitPlay records.

Candyce Giaquinto’s powerful and distinctive vocals reflect a unique blend of influences ranging from R&B, soul and blues, to jazz and rock. But whatever the style, one of her greatest talents lies in her ability to always deliver a genuine and emphatic performance.

In addition to her vocal prowess, Candyce also plays flute, bass, harmonica, mandolin and percussion. She is an accomplished writer as well and one of the primary writers on the most recent album by The Suits, as she was for her former bands, Bliss and The Adults. Working out of her home studio, she has also written and produced several soundtracks.

Candyce's compositions are as diverse as her vocal talents and reflect a variety of styles from austere and moody to searing Latin, jazz and Afro-Cuban inspired pieces. Lyrically, she will take you on an emotional journey, often told through the eyes of one of her vivid characters.

Throughout her musical career Candyce has performed in numerous venues where she has shared the stage with Black Sabbath, Colin Quinn, Room Full of Blues, Papa John Creach and Kathleen Turner. She has also entertained many foreign dignitaries including the Prime Minister of Italy.

In the summer of 2004, Candyce traveled to China as the featured vocalist and percussionist in an R&B / jazz / reggae band, touring seven cities including Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

In addition to her live performances, Candyce has spent a great deal of time in the studio recording her own compositions, jingles, corporate tracks and has recorded work for “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos”.

Wherever and whatever the performance, Candyce’s expressive renderings are sure to leave a lasting impression.

You can see Candace live with Elisa Girlando and the Out of Truth band throughout 2009. Its shaping up to be an awesome year isn't it!

New Video from Elisa Girlando and Out of Truth Band

Welcome Amanda Carl

HitPlay records is proud to announce songwriter and recording artist Amanda Carl has joined our team. Amanda has co-written several of the songs on the upcoming Elisa Girlando CD. The songs, co-written with Phil Garland, include the first single on the CD "songbird", as well as  "rise up" and a little bit".

Additionally, Amanda produced the live "in the studio" video for Elisa Girlando, and performed background vocals on "a little bit". 

Amanda has also been seen around the studio and that raises the possibility of a studio album. Finally, Amanda can be read on the hitplay blog from time to time.

HitPlay is about the "artists" and we feel we have a great one with Amanda; so stay tuned....

dave.hitplay

Decisions decisions

The CD is mastered and we have it in our little fingers. Man does it sound good. 

Now we are faced with very BIG and very IMPORTANT decisions here at HitPlay.

First: Do we go with our gut and release "songbird" the ballad as the first single. When you get a vocal performance like we have on this with the power of a great song it just seems to be a tremendous way to introduce Elisa Girlando to all of you.

Second: Do we bring RED all the songs we have complete for digital upload or do we just bring a couple of the singles to go digital.Digital uploads plug the songs into the SONY/BMG/RED universe. We would only wait because we have one more song to record that we feel could also be an extremely strong single and want RED to have the entire package before we give it to them.

Third: Now that we have most of the music complete do we start placing the songs online for you all to hear  through the hitplay core platform we have spent the last three months developing, before RED releases them? My feeling is lets get the tunes out to the public.

Fortunately we at HitpLay have some pretty good music brains working through these questions this week (myself excluded). Tom Carraba at SONY/BMG has an advanced copy of the CD and we are looking to ask his opinion on these questions as well. Tom was instrumental in introducing us to Allan and Bob at RED music so all parties involved value his thoughts and opinions.

These are important questions and it gets to the meat of the blog; this is the stuff success or failure is made from.

More to come,

dave.hitplay