Comments or questions are welcome.
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THE NEW SINGLE
Here's what people have
been saying about our new, intense single (the song)
"We Are American Lions". It was written by our multi-award winning writer, and performed by our world-class musicians...
(You can see some of their comments directly below.)
"Powerful"... "Really Hooky"... " True To Life"... "Edgy and Fast-Paced"... "Gets In Your Head and Stays There"... "I Keep Listening To It and Singing Along"... "Puts A Spotlight On A Very Important Issue"...
THE PROGRESSION
A number of music industry professionals have already heard the song and their reaction has been incredibly positive. Now they're helping us move forward as quickly
as possible. That means,
we'll stay on track for the
new single itself, and more importantly, for the social issues that we and the song are bringing attention to.
THE SONG'S STYLE
The musicians worked diligently in an effort to come up with a dynamic, new sound. In order to do that, they successfully combined
a complex blend of musical styles, including, Alternative, Hard Rock, Rap, Folk, Metal, Funk, Country & Jazz.
The resulting style is an extraordinary hybrid with a unique, new - feel & sound - which listeners say, is both "Intriguing, and deeply Appealing!".
THE LOOK
The "Look" of the song's
video has been described as "mesmerizing and stunning" from the first frame to the last... You can view samples of some of the still photos
that were used in the creation
of the music video on this website's "PHOTOS" page.
(Just click on the PHOTO tab at the top of this page.)
A Brief Note
Unlike the normal approach that mainly focuses on the band members, the musicians performing on "We Are American Lions" wanted to keep the attention of the video on the song - and its seriously important topics - instead of on themselves.
In order to do that, we chose to use dozens of abstract, provocative photographs, but only for the subject matter, and not the band members. Having images like the great fiery lion by Raxon Rex, helped us create a highly "magnetic & compelling" music video. We hope you will both enjoy and be moved by it.
THE FEEL
The "Feel" of a song actually refers to two separate types
of feelings... The first is how the song itself "feels".
Has it been done in a professional manner? Is it clear that significant money, time, energy and thought were put into the planning and recording of it? Do the musicians, the lyrics, the rhythm, the sound etc. each seem polished and professional?
All these elements, if done correctly, will add to the second feeling... How does the listener feel when hearing the song?
If everything goes well, then hopefully the listener will have a powerful and moving experience because of that song.
So, if the song is an up-tempo, hard driving rocker, do people feel more energized and excited than they did before they listened to the song?
Or, if it's a sad ballad about lost love, does the song move each person in some way so that he or she feels more deeply about what they just listened to, or perhaps even about life itself afterwards?
Once again, Anthony and everyone involved, have done everything possible to make sure that the song "feels" right, and that everyone listening "feels" that their time was well spent when they played or downloaded it.
THE SOUND
Since we just covered the subject of the "Feel" of a song, we thought we'd share about the song's sound. Here's why:
The way the sound of a song is put together often has a tremendous influence on how the song itself feels, and how it's listeners feel, both during and after hearing it.
While other elements like the performance, the lyrics, the tempo etc. of a song are certainly very important, the elements involved in the shaping of the"Sound"
are where the song's emotional impact is created!
It is through the sound that the audience actually
feels & connects to the song.
In order to accomplish this, Anthony, Bill (and Sound Engineer, Matthew Maroulakos) supervised the shaping of the sound. Then Roscoe and Jeff gave their considerable feedback as well, so that every element would come together as effectively as possible.
Additionally, Anthony is a Master Sound Designer with a great deal of experience, including working with Academy Award Winners!
Therefore, the "sound" in our song has highest quality possible, and is of a most exciting and artistic nature.
THE MIXING and EDITING
During the recording of a song, many variables occur that create a variety of different "takes" (the number of times that a song is recorded)... It can be due to
a technical, or engineering issue... It can also be due to the singer or one of the musicians wanting another chance to really nail what he or she is going for... Or, it can be because the producer, or the arranger, simply isn't happy with how the song is shaping up.
Because of all these variables, once the recording is completed, the way the song is mixed and edited will have great influence in how the final song feels and sounds.
In turn, that will have a tremendous effect on what a listener will experience when he or she listens to the song.
Bill, Roscoe and Jeff have often edited work that they have recorded. and Anthony spent several years as an award-winning mixer, editor, sound designer, and consultant for his and other clients' projects.
All this experience proved to be extremely important in the mixing and editing of "We Are American Lions"... The reason it was so important was because the song was recorded at lightning speed - literally in a total of 20 minutes - versus the normal time of 8-10 hours!
So Anthony, Bill, Jeff and Roscoe (and again engineer, Matthew Maroulakos) used all of their collective "mixing and editing" experience to maximize every bit of the song's massive potential.
Collectively, they feel very fortunate to have created the most interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking song possible for each listener.
THE LYRICS
"We Are American Lions" was inspired by many, very real-life tragedies, (especially four particular incidents that have occurred recently).
After seeing & hearing news reports about repeated, and unwarranted deaths of so many young people of color, especially a young Cleveland boy of 12 (Tamir Rice), Anthony was so saddened by it all, he decided to write a new song... As soon as they heard about it, Bill, Jeff and Roscoe offered to come in to record it with him.
Because of the subject matter, everyone involved did their absolute best to create the most thought-provoking, powerful, and engaging song possible.
Together they recorded the song with the hope that it would not only illuminate and energize an audience, but also deeply touch and move each and every listener in communities around the country and the world.
THE MARKETING and DISTRIBUTING
As musicians and recording artists, we always want to reach as many people and
as wide an audience as we possibly can. However, because we are independent "indie" musicians without a major label funding us, we're often confronted with a number of special circumstances and challenges that must be dealt with successfully.
Luckily, in today's music environment, there are many new and exciting ways to have a song reach a wide, and varied audience. For example:
In addition to the industry executives who are already helping us, we are also utilizing the services of a number online music distribution outlets and several social networking platforms...
Of course, we hope to reach as many listeners as possible, in order to help spread the word about the social issues, struggles, and challenges that we are trying to illuminate. Hopefully one day we can all work together to solve those challenges in an effective, peaceful, loving manner.
OUR JOURNEY and OUR PROMISE
We will continually strive to create new songs about as many important social and human rights issues as we possibly can. Our deepest wish is to help make the
world a better place - for all people - from all walks of life.
We sincerely, and wholeheartedly invite you to join us along this journey...
We also welcome any thoughts or input you may want to share that might help us achieve a better world for all. If you like, feel free to email us at anytime. Simply click on the "CONTACT" tab near the top of this page...
Many Blessings & Thank You Again for your interest and support... The Band (Anthony - Bill - Jeff - Roscoe)
