I want you all to know why I believe so strongly in a group of musicians – spearheaded by two very talented singer/ songwriter /producer /human beings Nicolay and Phonte – these underdogs who write, produce, have created their own version of their “label”…book their own shows, promote their own stuff all by themselves…and they just got their first ever Grammy Award nomination – no major label, no huge radio play, no merchandising deal or international tour…they got it because they are talented! I dig their music. I hope you check them out and help me spread the word by becoming a Facebook fan and Tweeting them and MySpacing them and whatever you can do. For a free download of their Grammy-nominated song, hit http://www.theforeignexchangemusic.com/daykeeper.php. For more info: http://www.vimeo.com/8165330 http://www.theforeignexchangemusic.com. Ride the wave because you’re going to be hearing an awful lot about The Foreign Exchange. Happy New Year!
THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE
Here’s what first grabbed my attention:
NAPSTER BLOG REVIEW OF FE’S FIRST L.A. PERFORMANCE:
“The line at the world famous Roxy … stretched two blocks the night of Sunday, June 14. I've been to many shows at the Roxy in the past, but only once before, for a John Legend show, has the line been as long. While I knew that the Foreign Exchange would bring in an audience, I didn't think it would be like this. Never mind the fact that this would mark FE's first performance in L.A. Never mind that their latest album Leave It All Behind is one of my favorite albums from last year and was my candidate for Album of the Year when it came out. Phonte, Nicolay, YahZarah, and Darien Brockington all took the stage with their band and gave one of the best performances from a group that I've seen in awhile. FE puts in work, and it shows. Do not pass up the opportunity to catch Foreign Exchange live when they come to your town. I repeat, do not sleep. Bite the bullet. Wait in line. I'm glad I did.
Then here’s what really intrigued me:
¯ They write and produce. They are their version of their own “label.” They book and promote their own shows (they book venues THEN talk to promoters!). They aspire to have the creative staying power of Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
¯ Nicolay is from the Netherlands and Phonte is from the U.S. They met on a music message board based on similar interests in the kind of music they were each making. They worked on their first album solely via Internet exchange and conversations. They didn’t meet face-to-face until the album was completely done. Even though they now live in the same country and even the same state, this is how they still make music today -- exchanging ideas and input…collaborating through the music and never face-to-face. The exchange might seem foreign but listen to the music and you’ll hear and sense they are total, musical allies.
¯ After working in the traditional music biz/label/artist behemoth, they decided they wanted to do things on their own: musicians making the music they want to make, when they want to make it and how they want to make it. All while also assuming 100% of the risks. They sell out performances. They sell albums. They are in high demand by other artists. And they just received their first GRAMMY nomination in Best Urban/Alternative performance for their incredible single “Daykeeper.”
Roecker Letter
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And here’s a glimpse as to why I am working with these tremendous human beings:
From FE’s Web Site Addressing their GRAMMY Nomination
“We haven't come forward with a personal press release or statement of any kind because truthfully, the past week has been a whirlwind of events and its taken us awhile to really wrap our heads around all that's happened.
“Needless to say, we are both filled with feelings of shock, wonder, amazement, nervousness, humility, and extreme gratitude.
“We have prepared a short video… that describes the FE story and gives an overview of our journey from random obscurity to fully independent Grammy nominated artists. Consider this our pre-Grammy acceptance speech...lol. We encourage all of you to pass this along and spread the word, as we feel our story is a big inspiration to artists everywhere. Every once in a blue moon, the good guys do win.”
¯ http://www.theforeignexchangemusic.com
I hope you check out some of the links I’ve included here. I hope you dig them as much as I do. If you do, spread the word because this world will benefit from embracing The Foreign Exchange. I think they’re going to be influential in changing the music business. Perhaps it will be the Music Creation & Exchange.http://theforeignexchangemusic.com/
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