http://lptimes.com/news2008/dec/news12262008.html

Linkin Park rises to new heights

December 26, 2008
Jam Showbiz

Linkin Park's new double-disc live CD/DVD, Road to Revolution, finds the rap-metal group documenting its mega-show this past June at the prestigious outdoor venue, Milton Keynes National Bowl, about an hour north of London, England.

The occasion marked the first time the L.A. band had taken its so-called Projekt Revolution tour to Europe and it was also the biggest date thus far (with an estimated audience of 50,000) and featured Grammy-winning collaborator Jay-Z of Numb/Encore fame also on the bill.

"It seemed like a really great show, one of the more unique ones on the tour," said Mike Shinoda, Linkin Park's rapper-keyboardist-backing vocalist-rhythm guitarist down the line from Los Angeles recently.

"So we figured we would kind of capture a snapshot of where we were at the end of this touring cycle. It was the biggest Projekt Revolution show so it was just a good feeling to get Project Rev outside the states and have such a massive reaction."

Linkin Park -- which has sold 50 million albums beginning with the 2000 breakthrough disc, Hybrid Theory -- currently is working on its next studio record but Shinoda wouldn't say much about the sound so far.

"At this point I'm producing it, but there's a possibility we'll bring somebody else on board, and I don't know," said Shinoda. "I put up a new picture on mikeshinoda.com of us working and stuff, thought it would be fun for the fans to see we're actually working on some new stuff.

"And it kind of went crazy. I think my viewer traffic went up 150% or something."

The new disc will be the followup to 2007's more guitar-based Minutes To Midnight, produced by Rick Rubin, which spawned an amazing five singles, but Shinoda didn't know if Rubin would be back.

"It's been such a ride, when we put out that album, we had been gone for a few years and we didn't know what the fans would think of the new direction, and now looking at this whole thing, it has spawned more singles than any other album, and it's just great to look back at it and say, 'Okay, we took a huge risk, and luckily the fans are still with us.' "

The new work-in-progress Park disc has been described by lead singer Chester Bennington as a "concept" album.

And Shinoda said the band is "still excited about experimenting, trying to push the boundaries of what people know Linkin Park to be. It's hard to say where we're going from here but I definitely feel like Minutes To Midnight opened up lots of doors for us, sonically and creatively, because Hybrid Theory and 2003's Meteora were so similar that I think we all felt like if we did another record like that we'd start to get really bored."

In addition to Linkin Park, Shinoda -- who has also produced tracks for the likes of Lupe Fiasco -- formed his own side band, the more hip-hop oriented Fort Minor, which offered up a 2005 debut, The Rising Tied. But he doesn't think he'll be pursuing Fort Minor projects for the time being.

"I think the reason I did Fort Minor in the first place is because I was stealing those songs that couldn't belong on a Linkin Park record and now I feel like maybe they could," Shinoda said. "We really kind of changed with regards to our creative dynamic, like our in-studio dynamic, things are different now so I feel like if I have any energy that would be Fort Minor energy it kind of be directed onto a Linkin Park album. I think all the guys are really happy with how things are going and we feel like we can do many different things that we couldn't do a few years ago."

Park's Shinoda a man of many talents

Linkin Park rapper-keyboardist-backing vocalist-rhythm guitarist

Mike Shinoda is also an accomplished graphic designer and illustrator and 1998 graduate from the Art Center College Of Design, who is involved in all of the L.A. rap-metal band's artwork, including album covers.

He just had a show at the Japanese American Museum in L.A. called Glorious Excess (BORN) with information and images available at mikeshinoda.com and will do another show called Glorious Excess (DIES) at the same gallery in January.

"It's kind of focused around a make-believe celebrity character," Shinoda explained.

"It's kind of what you want to make of it, what he does and what he's about, he's kind of a rich, shallow, dangerous celebrity. He doesn't really have a talent except for being what he is."

Not that it's based on anyone he knows.

"It's a little bit of what I read," said Shinoda before adding, "Actually I stay away from the tabloids to a large degree and I should say I don't like reading them and in doing this series, I had to do some research. But I felt buying these tabloids that I don't feel like I should be supporting them because I'm kind of taking shots at the lifestyle. So I went from buying a copy or two of the magazines saying, 'Okay, I'm not going to do that,' so then I stole them from the airport lounge, and I felt bad doing that because I was like, 'I can't justify stealing these now. That's not good.' So now I just do my research online. Or if somebody already bought the magazine then I'll borrow it."

December 31, 2008
2008 Albums of the Year. Five albums, not in any order. To paraphrase Ferris Bueller, "They are so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking them up." Click on any title to buy the album.

MGMT "Oracular Spectacular"

Fucking sensational; ten tracks of goodness. These guys know how to create a vibe, and they prove it with every note, beep, and echo on this skillfully crafted album. They do the indie synth-rock thing better than most, but are equally capable when they decide to break into '80s inspired psychedelics or 70's dance-funk. Check out "Weekend Wars," "Time To Pretend," and "The Handshake."

Crystal Castles "Crystal Castles"

One of the most unique and bizzarely exciting albums I got this year. Rick Rubin turned me onto this duo, music-maker Ethan Kath and vocalist Alice Glass. I think he described it as punk-rock dance music with distorted video-game noises. "Alice Practice" and "Untrust Us" are two standout tracks to get you started.

Santogold "Santogold"

Amazing record, a killer debut. This year, she went from hipster name-check to singing the chorus on a Jay-Z single. Hype aside, the record is pretty incredible. She gets some comparisons to M.I.A., but there's an obvious place she bests this competitor: songs. Santogold does a lot of stylistic wandering on this record, and nails each one pretty solidly. Faves: "L.E.S. Artistes," "Shove It," "Starstruck," and "Creator."

Metallica "Death Magnetic"

Not much I need to say about this one. Metallica hath returned. \m/

Kings Of Leon "Only By The Night"

My friend Corey has been trying to get me into this band for years. This was the record to do it--their best album by far. A well-rounded album, smoothly traveling from dark and moody ("Closer) to uplifting ("Use Somebody") and fun ("Revelry") while maintaining an unmistakably unique and consistent sound--but Singer Caleb Followill's intense, impassioned howls take it over the top. Awesome.

Special mentions: The Roots "Rising Down," Vampire Weekend "Vampire Weekend," Lil' Wayne "Tha Carter III," Nine Inch Nails "The Slip," and Rise Against "Appeal To Reason."

Happy New Year, stay safe

mike

EDIT: I'm putting a video by each artist on the next page...

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/Recomme … _year_2008

что это такое?

January 5, 2009
Continuing to answer questions by my 5 Wemix contest finalists. This one by Pilot Touhil:

As an unsigned artist, what online distribution service would you recommend? I was thinking of either using TUNECORE or maybe CD BABY but i would like to hear your opinion. Thanks".

Pilot, I did a bunch of research on this one for you. I asked people who they thought the best online distribution service was (and I didn't mention Tunecore or CD Baby, in the event that people suggested another service)...although CD Baby, TheOrchard, and Nimbit were mentioned, TUNECORE seemed to be one that people recommended most often. From Mr. Red Baron:

"Artists pay an up-front fee to open their account, and they select which stores they want to sell their music. They earn ALL the revenue and do not have to pay a percentage to Tunecore. The backend is really smart, much like a bank account. TuneCore charges $0.99 per track, $0.99 per store per album, and $19.98 per album per year storage and maintenance. Or, just put up one song as a single for a flat price of $9.99 per year, all stores included. This eliminates the need to hit LaLa, Amazon, Rhapsody, etc- which are commonly used places for artists to sell."

Nine Inch Nails did their last album with Tunecore, if that says anything to you. I've also heard that TheOrchard is great because they have a strong ability to handle physical distribution as well, which will probably play some role in how you get your music out. At the end of the day, I'd say to research all the options and figure out which one is best for you.

Good Luck!

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/Respons … ot_touhill

http://www.blender.com/Blenders1001Down … 45241.aspx

Mike's Top 10 downloads

January issue of Blender has a list of Mike's Top 10 songs of 2008.

http://www.blender.com/MikeShinodaPicks … 45643.aspx

The Linkin Park MC-Producer shares his top nine from '08 and his old fave.

1. "Dr. Carter," Lil Wayne
“I had to limit myself to songs from this year—otherwise, it’s just too hard to narrow down. Lil Wayne is killing it right now, but this song proved to me that he isn’t just the hot rapper of the moment. The concept is genius, and the rhymes are just ridiculous.”

2. "Rising Down," The Roots feat. Most Def and Styles P
“For a while it felt like they were trying to do the mainstream commercial thing, but the Roots and mainstream commercial aren’t really meant for each other. This song is a monster: very conscious, very dark, very political. I don’t think, like, Soulja Boy could pull it off.”

3. "Use Somebody," Kings of Leon
“No disrespect, but I always thought they had this cool factor that took priority over everything else. Now they’re just making good music, period. This is soulful, rootsy, bluesy and universal.”

4. "Swagga Like Us," T.I. feat Jay-Z, Lil Wayne and Kanye West
“When I first heard M.I.A. sing the ‘swagger like us’ line in ‘Paper Planes,’ I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone sampled it. But this lineup is just incredible.” 

5. "Cyanide," Metallica
“An absolute monster. Welcome back, guys—we missed you.” 

6. "Waiting Room," Fugazi
“This song came out in 1989—an all-time favorite from the first band I fell in love with. Literally everything about it is great. Just download it, trust me.” 

7. "Black President," Nas
“Of all the celebrity Obama endorsements, this one felt the most real. It’s honest, conflicted and complicated.”

8. "M79," Vampire Weekend
“I heard about these kids on Current TV. I saw the name and thought they were some
kind of hardcore metal band. Then I heard the music. It’s good to have some records in your collection that are upbeat and fun, for when you’re hanging out in the backyard or driving
to the beach. It’s a perfect summer song.”

9. "Let's Ride," Wale
“I check out music blogs a lot, which is where I first heard Wale. He’s part of this D.C. scene—it’s all very loud, the opposite of that spare, minimal old-school vibe–and he’s got a great flow. And his Seinfeld mixtape is hilarious.”

10. "Body Snatchers," Radiohead
“One of the best bands of our generation. I wasn’t crazy about Kid A—it felt like they were wandering off a little too far into space. It’s good to have Thom Yorke orbiting planet Earth again.”

January 15, 2009
FORT MINOR fans have asked me, "What's up with Styles Of Beyond? Aren't they signed to Machine Shop? When is their record coming out?" The answers are long and complex, but the short version is this:

S.O.B.'s record was supposed to come out years ago. Due to a variety of creative and non-creative decisions by S.O.B., Linkin Park, Machine Shop, and Warner Bros., we held back in order to work on the record and the release plans. After months of hard work by the group, we ended up finishing what we feel is a great record, entitled "Reseda Beach."

Warner Bros., however, wasn't as thrilled about the record as we were. They weren't committed to spending a healthy budget on it; they intended to limit the hours and funds spent on its release. We felt that limiting the attention put on the record would basically cut its legs out from beneath it, and it would never get a chance. There was a lot of disagreement between everyone about this topic, but it essentially became a stalemate.

With that said, we've come to a few decisions. Firstly, due to ongoing differences between Warner Bros. and Machine Shop's views on the creative and non-creative aspects of our albums, we will be putting Machine Shop Records on hiatus until another time. We're not angry with WB. We had always hoped that MSR could be an artist-driven label with special attention on the best creative ideas and good music; until we see eye to eye with our partner, we can't see how it could be a productive relationship. Machine Shop will still promote projects (like Linkin Park) with our marketing branch, but the artist development / record label part of the company are going to hibernate for a while. The market is too tough and the intentions and ideas of the two entities are too different for it to be a productive situation at this time.

Secondly, we worked out a number of other options for the Styles Of Beyond, and WB has generously agreed to let them explore options elsewhere. S.O.B. will likely be releasing the album independently. Look forward to more info about the record as it materializes, at http://www.myspace.com/stylesofbeyond. My bandmates and I believe in the group, and wish TAK, Skully, Cheapshot, and RYU all our best. You'll see more about S.O.B. here one this site as their project progresses.

And lastly, some great news: in the meantime, RYU of Styles Of Beyond has been working with some mutual friends (including Apathy and Scoop DeVille, among others) on a new project called The Get Busy Committee. They just finished a new song and video for a new song called "My Little Razor Blade." Here's the world-premiere of the video and song...enjoy!

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/Respons … chine_shop

January 21, 2009 By Secret Asian Man
Note From Mike: Yesterday was a busy day! I was going to post a clip of the inauguration, but since it's available everywhere else, I decided not to post. Also, Happy Birthday to Mr. Rob Bourdon--we had a nice dinner last night to celebrate. On a random note, congratulations to Shepard Fairey -- his famous Obama piece has been inducted into the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian. Pretty amazing, considering the guerilla art /graffiti nature of his past campaigns!

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/blog/Humor-S … rban_ninja

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/comments/Res … _guy__gryn

January 22, 2009

From Mr. Nice Guy: I have been through a lot over the past ten years, and I am at the point where I am looking to get my foot into the door.  Can you examine me, my abilities, my band GryN (wwwmyspace.com/GryNpa), and some of the videos I have created to express my form of art?  What are my strengths, and what are my weaknesses? I know it's a lot to ask, but I am confident that if you give me the attention, you will not have wasted your time.

Firstly, the music is cool, kinda a neo-reggae or ska sound mixed with some modern alternative rock...but I'd rather talk about how you're meeting new fans.

It may be obvious, but a lot of new artists miss an obvious step: when thinking about where you're promoting online and offline, go where fans will most likely be. Promote RELENTLESSLY in a large variety of places where they listen to something similar. What well-known band's fans might like you guys: Sublime? Flobots? Jack Johnson? Aquabats? No Doubt? I'm not saying you guys sound like those other bands, but there is definitely enough of a connection that you should go to all of their message boards, make some friends, and let people know you exist.

When you play shows (which you should) make sure to record them, put your best song(s) up online, and show your new friends and fans where they are.

Also...my first impression was that the name is a little weird (sorry). Maybe there's a great story behind Gryn / GryNpa, but nonetheless. I'd say that might be something you want to think about Once you settle on a name and build a fanbase, changing the name is a difficult task, and can potentially cost you a lot of fans. Get the best name and stick with it.

Lastly, there's no bio on the front of the myspace page! You've got to have one. People want to know who you guys are, and what you're about. Is there a bigger message or story behind you guys personally that will enhance my experience with the music and group? Keep your bio succinct, compelling, and to-the-point.

Hope that's helpful. By the way, you've got a lot of content on there already. Good songs and videos, so you're off to a great start. And to any other artists who are reading: these things are definitely bases you should have covered. Make sure you do, and move on from there.

mike
===============

Posted  by Jaclyn

Nice to read interesting stuff again! The funny thing is that when i was asked by a friend how to promote their band on myspace, i gave exact the same advice ))) coz i've noticed that the bands who send requests for me, find me on music myspaces that's of the same style as they are. The advice about the name of the band is pretty cool. I think that the name is to be easy to shout out, also to shout out for ppl who are not english speaking, so Hybrid Theory was tongue breaking name ) To record shows is always useful, you never know when you need them and there are a lot of fans who like to collect every shit of their fave band. If you become famous, your very first gigs will be priceless.

http://www.mikeshinoda.com/comments/Spe … pprentices

January 23, 2009
Last night I visited the Museum Of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in L.A., and had the privilege of speaking with a group of students from their Apprenticeship program. I met for about an hour with twenty exceptionally bright young people about art, music, credibility, commerce, and Lil' Wayne (they seemed intrigued / repulsed by him for some reason, LOL). We looked at my art, and the creation of the art of Minutes To Midnight, including in-progress versions of our logo and and album cover from that album. It was a lot of fun, and I probably learned as much as the "students" did. Thanks to Denise Grey and my friends at JANM for helping put it together. Here are some images...

Incidentally, I would feel guilty omitting the fact that MOCA, JANM, and museums of their kind deserve your support. In tough financial times, these institutions are hit pretty hard. Whether you want to donate money, or simply visit to take in their incredible collections and exhibits, your help is appreciated.

http://www.moca.org/

http://www.janm.org/