I had the pleasure of seeing the “Just Imagine” John Lennon tribute show, based at Planet Hollywood. I was the most animated person in the room. This was about a Beatle, this is John Lennon music. How can people sit still? Why am I so different that when a drummer starts drumming? I feel it in my bones. This band was so good, I couldn’t possibly sit still.

Speaking to the keyboardist, my friend Cosmo Topper, who came in from los Angeles to do the Las Vegas-based show, I said “Vegas audiences are the worst”, the drummer overheard us, and said “no, L.A. is the worst”.

Well, if that is the case, why is live music still alive at all?  What has happened to people’s souls? I thought the music of The Beatles was universal. The theatre was 1/3 full and half were too young to remember the Vietnam war, the 60′s and the whole hippie movement.

But music is music, it heals the soul, it reminds you that  you are alive. The musician/singer/actor who played John was very very good. I felt like I was at a John Lennon concert.

He mentioned the lost Beatle, drummer, Stuart Sutcliff, who died of  brain cancer. He speaks of the loss when his mother pawned him off on his aunt and then his mum died from an off duty drunk policeman. His father left and seemed to never come back, unclear if he died in the war or something else.

He admits to being a bad husband to Cynthia and worse father to Julian. Then Later on, when the love of his life Yoko gives him a another son Sean. HE is the love of John’s universe. I hope Julian doen’t see this show. He doesn’t pay tribute to anyone but Paul, mentions Ringo and omits George. entirely. But the reason it inspired me to write this because he constantly reminds us that he was unhappy. Success and fame do not bring happiness.

That is what I want to talk about when the show is over. It should be enough to leave a body of work that you are proud of and leave a legacy that will define you. You don’t need the stress and pressure of superstardom.  If that happens to you and you want it, you need to be ready.

You need the right support group around you and advisors. You shouldn’t step on people on your way up.  All the voice coaches, dance and acting coaches that helped you get there should be not left in the dust.  Remember who you are and that is who you need to stay. When you are on stage,  think  “Miley Cyrus” and fans are screaming your name,when the concert is over, and you are alone in your hotel room with 22 more hours until the next show, you need to lead a life that you can be proud of.

You need to be well read, and able to converse at a party with record execs. You need a good education, both in history, english, and the industry. Who was in the “Who”… or the “Doors”? “Traffic”what band members branched out from what bands to be huge stars on their own?

You want it. OK, go for it, but do it with the power of knowledge, and class.

Rock on!

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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Ok, you are writing your own songs. Good for you. My student Dayna had her song “Livin’ A Lie “ played on the local radio today. They entered her in a contest for best songs that will be voted  on by radio DJ’s in New York. This could be a good break for her.  It was a small local contest and the DJ was blown away by her studio recorded professional product.

But what happens when you have a hit song? Here is what you need to know.

Royalties: Mechanical royalties are paid for physical sales, CDs downloads, vinyl records and tapes.  Performance royalties accrue as a song is played on the radio, piped in music, or live performance.  Syncopation, or Sync fees are earned when a piece of music is used in a TV show or movie. There are also streaming royalties for internet and digital uses, such as ringtones and telephone service.

Radio airplay pays the most. Sales are way down because of the internet, people skip buying the CD’s to purchase singles from the internet. As well, illegal downloads really hurt the royalty stream. The most money now comes from live performances.

Radio airplay is collected by BMI {BROADCAST MUSIC INC}  and  ASCAP {AMERICAN SOCIETY OF COMPOSERS AND PUBLISHERS}and SESAC {SOCIETY OF EUROPEAN STAGE AUTHORS AND PUBLISHERS} They pay quarterly taking out expenses and distribute the remainder to songwriters based on the amount of airplay during that quarter.

All About Rights: It’s all about the deal. A writer owns it all until he has to find a publisher, when you are a new comer, you lose either all the rights or 50% of them just to get your song published. Sometimes, you can negotiate reversion rights, where after a certain amount of time, you can get some of your rights back.

Do your homework, study, Michael Jackson bought the Beatles catalogue and owns all the rights to the Beatles songs.Unfair, no, reality, yes. Now his kids own the rights. there are resources to educate yourself: “All you need to now about the music business” by Donald Passman. “Music, Money and Success”, by Todd and Jeff Brabec. When you write , it time to join ASCAP and BMI.

You can get very wealthy by scoring movies like John Williams. But if you are in it to just be in it and love it, then read up and try not to give it away.

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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My student, Torey, and I were talking about age, and the business of getting too old to be marketable. To a degree, a lot of record execs do like them young. But I know of a 29 year old who just showcased in Los Angeles and the label is courting her to join them.

There  are the tween markets, for the 13 year old buyer, but there are other markets for more mature artists in their twenties and yes, even thirties.

I remember K T Oslin, a great country songwriter and singer. She didn’t have her first hit til she was 45. This was in the eighties, and I bought and sang many of her songs. A lot of songwriters don’t intend to become singers, like Carole King and Neil Sedaka, to mention a couple. they somehow wound up singing their own songs.  I noticed on American Idol that Kara DioGuardi is a much better singer than Paula Abdul was, but Kara is known for her great songwriting. Paula was a great dancer who got lucky with material they could tweak in the studio.

When my song in 1964 only went to 75 on the Billboard charts, I was pretty much finished with the label. They wouldn’t spend anymore money on me. But, did I stop? No, I had a great  time singing my way through my life and getting paid well for it. It is a long career that continues, today.

Sometimes things aren’t meant to be, you need to get some life experience and stage experience before you have the pressure of hitting it big. What if you don’t hit big? It isn’t the end the world. In every town in every place of the world, someone is looking for good music.

You won’t have a publicist, a manager, and a makeup artist, you will have more… the control of where you work, hat you wear, and what your pictures look like, you can shape your own image and be your own boss. As someone who did it my way for my entire life, I am living proof, that a has been at 14 can be on top again at 16 and be opening for Steppenwolf!

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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OK, get ready, July 17th in Nashville, and August 19th in San Fransico, are the two locations that stand out. Los Angeles is on the map, but no date. The minimum age has been lowered the age to 15. Thank you Justin Bieber.

So, if you have procrastinated about WHAT you will audition with, How you will handle it, or if you will do it online, it is time to get on it.

Every year  I get last minute singers who want a two week crash course in audition expertise. I’m not going to tell you that you should have been coming to me for months now, but , some people have thought of it, and they are ready.

Between America’s Got Talent, The X Factor (in 2011), American Idol, and finally YouTube, you have the venues and the visability to get noticed. So don’t just stand there, or, if you are sitting, go on, Get on You Tube, I tunes, figure it out. What singers songs makes you a better you? What shows off your range and your personality. what will dazzle them?

Number one rule of advice: Video yourself. look at how they will see you. Get others to chime in on how you are doing. No, not mom and dad, someone objective. So, if you don’t go to a pro for help and plan on a do it yourself crash course, your time is NOW!  See you  in Hollywood, don”t sign anything with anyone, that town will swallow you whole.

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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This weekend, the Suncoast Hotel booked the local vocal group Fifth Avenue as the showroom headliner.

Fifth Avenue member, Jerry Jones, is a friend, and I went to support him, support live music, and simply enjoy the show.. The band was great, Bill Fayne, on keys and Musical Director,  John Wedemeyer on guitar, Mike Meecham, on drums, Jamie Hosmer on second string keys, and last but not least the infamous Lenny Lopez on vocals and percussion.

The audience was filled with celebrities and retired gray-haired seniors who live nearby, play the slots and see whatever show is there. The people next to us had no idea who they were seeing. The showroom was filled to capacity.

The show opened with big screen comedic bit on cavemen about how harmony started, featuring Sid Caesar. The cavemen dropped heavy boulders on the feet of people and their screams became a vocal choir. Very funny concept.

Fifth Avenue then sang us through vocalese history and did bits of songs from different decades, another clip from the Music Man with Robert Preston setting up the barbershop music segment.

A significant chunk of the show took me down memory lane. My dad was the drummer for the Hi-Lo’s (which is mis-spelled on Fifth Avenues website). I grew up on the music of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, when Annie Ross left, it became  Lambert, Hendricks, and Bavan. I was singing “Twisted” and “Cloudburst” as a child. So, it was great to hear this music again. Are they as clean and precise as the Hi-Lo’s? No, not all the time, but the performances were superb.

The arranger Rob Hyatt is extremely talented as a vocal arranger, I just felt that some arrangements were unnecessarily complex. At times, less can be more.

I was in a vocal group, Commonwealth, and I know the hours and hours of rehearsal it takes to pull this off. We used to sing the horn parts and use fewer musicians, and had to be perfect every show. It is very demanding and I hope the audience realized just how hard these guys worked to make it happen.

The singers, Jerry Jones, Bryce Robinson, Jeff Celentano and Rob Hyatt, all have great stage presence and are funny, too.  Rob has an amazing range, went from top to bass, and Jeff has a great lead singer voice. Bryce has a great voice for theater and recording. Jerry has the mid-range, root note range with warmth in it.

Together, they do have what it takes to be a great group. Guest and new singer for the band, Tyriq Johnson joined them for Maroon Five’s “Sunday Morning”, the song they did for the TV show “The Sing Off”, they are waiting to see if they come back to do the show this coming season.

They opened with “Come Rain Or Come Shine” one of my favorite songs, and when they got to the 70′s era, Jamie and Lenny sang The Beatles’ “Come Together”.

One of the high points of the nights for me was the Fifth Dimension’s “Up, Up and Away”. Beautiful job on a splendid arrangement.

They spoofed The Jordanaires singing with no lead singer, and brought someone up from the audience to play Elvis, He didn’t know the song and it was pretty  funny when “Teddy Bear” was just back up. They killed it when they did the Four Seasons because Rob had that high Frankie Valli range.

If you get the chance to see Fifth Avenue, You will have a good time.  If you are a music lover, you will love every genre they cover, and that is many.

It all ended on a positive note for me, go on guys, Sing Sing Sing.

Jessica Marciel
Las Vegas Vocal Training

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I love that the TV show, Glee, has taken off.  The musical numbers are beautifully crafted. The talent is endless. I find the adult content in a high school realistic and brutally honest. My favorite singer {alive} is Idina Menzel, the brilliant casting of her as lea Michelle’s mother, is genious.. They sound so much a like that on the CD I can barely tell them apart.

Every cast member has their own unique talent and niche. They have infused some dancers to really make it a production everytime they do a number. Kristen Chenowith, and Neil Patrick Harris have added a lot. The coach character, antagonist, Jane Lynch can get on my nerves and sometimes I wish she would take a week off. Mercedes, the black singer is amazing, and is consistent. When they took the coach and let her run with Madonna’s Vogue, I was shocked. Even she could sing!

I think all my students should watch this show as homework, this is a study of people who know their craft. triple threats, sing, dance, act. The subject matter may be a little mature for the little ones, but if you are over 11, this show is for you. The producer, Ryan Murphy, has struck a chord with the country. He knew exactly what would work, who would would work, and gave us this magical gift, Glee.

Glee is this generation’s Fame; and they knew the formula. I’m hooked, I am even looking forward to the Thursday night re-runs starting soon. Any show that can do Lady Gaga’s Poker Face as a ballad with Idina and Lea kicking butt, is worth gold.

Watching Glee, in its entirety, or just for the music performances, is worthwhile for every singer. Both Seasons 1 & 2 are out on DVD. It’s worth the investment.

Jessica Marciel

Las Vegas Vocal Training

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