Ariel Publicity

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LISA HUGO: Born in Melbourne in 1969, Lisa discovered her passion for music at an early age. Encouraged by her musical family, she began piano lessons at the age of six. At the age of eight she gave her first solo performance to an audience of 400 people – for an eight year old, this was a very important experience. From here on Lisa knew that her life would be music!

MICHAEL WHELAN: If you look up the term “musically versatile” in the dictionary, you will probably find a picture of Michael Whalen sitting next to it.
As a composer, recording artist, producer, music supervisor, sound designer, songwriter and performer Michael has worked at the highest level in every aspect of the music industry. A two-time Emmy® award-winner (with 8 nominations) he has created music for over 500 television shows and specials including countless films for PBS, Discovery, HBO, National Geographic and every other TV outlet in the world.

THE NADAS: For a band with 15 years behind us, The Nadas, we decided to try something completely new and innovative. With technology growing we decided to work with it and create a year-long recording project. Giving an all-access pass to you, the fans through our Internet blog, Almanac.

JANYSE: Janyse, (pronounced Jen-niece) is an award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter and actress of Icelandic and French descent. In 2008, Janyse was nominated for Best Song at the Hollywood Music Awards, Independent Music Awards and the Toronto Exclusive Magazine Awards. Janyse also won Best Jazz CD for her Christmas album. Janyse has a powerful, sultry, soothing voice. Think ABBA meets Peggy Lee meets Karen Carpenter.

F&M: F&M is a gently sardonic, dark and hopelessly clever art-folk band that began as a 48 hour experiment in recording during a fireworks festival.
Delicate, glacial, heady, F&M approaches folk music with refreshing maturity and restraint. Music that breathes.

Christmas Alleluia: This song was recorded mainly straight off the floor with a laptop in 2006. We’ve included this song in our VPK because this recording marks the beginning of F&M – soon after this we began recording our first studio album. We also like the picture it conjures up of the Christmas story.

A Scoundrels’ Christmas: This song was recorded mainly straight off the floor with a laptop in 2006. We’ve included this song in our VPK because this recording marks the beginning of F&M – soon after this we began recording our first studio album. The song is loosely based on the story of one of our political leaders making a fool of himself during the holiday season – the rest is made up. We really are not so mean.

DALA: Amanda and Sheila of Dala were born to sing together. Darlings of the Canadian music scene, they are poised to bring their harmonies and fresh brand of acoustic pop to the world. Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine of Dala ( the duo’s name was formed by combining the two last letters of each artist’s name) have come a long way in a short time. The two best friends, who met in their high school music class and wrote their first song together in 2002, have since performed at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall a total of six times. Darlings of the Canadian music scene, Dala are now poised to bring their fresh brand of acoustic pop music to the world.

THE RADIANT: Mark Mangold(co-writer of "Christmas in New York" and writer of "Hip Hop Xmas") is one of the main songwriters and keyboard player for the band "The Radiant". Based out of New York The Radiant has been together for 1 1/2 years, having played most of the local New York venues, a residency at Arlene’s Grocery. The music speaks for itself. It is rooted in keyboards and akin in some ways to bands like Keane, The Fray, The Bravery, maybe even Coldplay. Christian’s voice harkins to voices like Jeff Buckley, The Muse, Maroon 5 and even Bono at times, though he clearly has a style of his own. The songs range from catchy and accessible, lush and well produced pop songs to dark and ambitious excursions into other dimensions. The musicianship is stellar, the guys having played locally and toured internationally together and in various incarnations...and all this has been brought to bear on The Radiant’s records.

"Christmas In New York" was written by Mark Mangold of the NYC band "The Radiant" and songwriter Aida Brandes. This cheery holiday tune performed by Mark Mangold, NYC singer/songwriter Lyza Wilson and Aida Brandes is the title track on the cd "Christmas In New York." The cd has been a featured campaign in all Duane Reade stores.

"Hip Hop Xmas" was written by Mark Mangold and performed by Mark Mangold, Lyza Wilson and Elijah K. This joyful holiday song has received a great response in NY and beyond.

MEGAPHONE: For the hard rock quartet Megaphone, the mission has been simple: Saving rock n’ roll from the machine, and bringing it back to where it should be – loud, catchy and in your face. That they’re succeeding with that mission is obvious; a huge draw in their native Orlando, Florida, extensive radio play, gigs opening for arena headliners and festival appearances. And with their new album, Exit Silent Mode, filled to the brim with unforgettable hooks, melodies and songs, megaphone is poised to take everything about their band to the next level.

Singer Matt Bloodwell originally wrote the Perfect Gift as a Christmas present for his fiancee Joy. The following year the band decided to embrace the song and release it as a single. "Instead of covering a traditional christmas song, we have this original Christmas song already so let's put it out there and who knows, maybe it will become modern classic. Not only that, but we get to add something special to this amazing time of the year."

FERN: Fern is a high-energy mixture of Shari Lewis and Raffi, sparking kids' imaginations and making them laugh--all wrapped up in a hug! Fern is a grown-up who never grew up and it shows--in the best possible way--through her music.

Santa's Reindeer is one of my favorite songs from my Christmas CD, "Kids! Christmas! Fern!" Turn on your imaginations and think about what all Santa's reindeer do before they pull Santa's sleigh on Christmas Eve!

Caribbean Christmas from my Christmas CD "Kids! Christmas! Fern!" is all about Christmas from a child's perspective who lives where it does not snow at the holidays. This is a sunny song, taking us to the beach and down to Santa's vacation spot! Even the reindeer enjoy it!
If Snowflakes Were Made Of Sugar from "Kids! Christmas! Fern!" makes you wonder just what would you do if all the snowflakes turned into sugar? The song is loaded with ideas about what would happen if sugar snowflakes began falling from the sky! Would you eat them?

THE KATHY FLEISCHMANN BAND: The Kathy Fleischmann Band is comprised of four seasoned singer/songwriter/musicians from NY. Their music is a mix of blues, rock, jazz and folk.

They recorded "Mystery of the Midwest" because a very close friend that moved back to WI and they never had to chance to say goodbye.

They chose to record "Xmas Train" because they wanted to write a holiday song that wasn't bright and cheery since many people have a really hard time
getting through this time of year for whatever personal reasons they might have.

PAUL KLOSCHINSKY: Paul Kloschinsky is a Folk Rock Singer Songwriter from Delta, BC, Canada. He won the 2007 MusicAid Award for Best Canadian Songwriter for my original song Wearin’ Blue. He just released my first album, Woodlands, February 24, 2009 on Prism/Universal in Canada.

JOSHUA STEDMAN: Joshua’s NYC, SF and Miami based soulful, story-telling music sculptures poeticize the impact of the relationships personal to him, but familiar to all of us. He shares life's observations and experiences that tend to illicit that, “Yep, I've been there, too...” reaction in each of us.

He weaves a clever web of funk/soul/rock roots, winding chord arrangements, elusive guitar riffs and deep organic bass lines around subtle rhythmic shifts.

8 BALL AITKEN: Coming from a farming community in Far North Queensland, 8 Ball Aitken is the oldest son of an impoverished family of twelve children. 8 Ball spent his adolescence on a banana plantation, living in a rough tobacco shed with resident rats, bats, snakes, piders as his sleeping companions. He started work as a farm labourer aged fifteen, doing back-breakingly hard work on the mango and banana plantations of the Atherton Tablelands, a man's work for a boy's pay. He had to help support his family with these wages.

OMAR ALEXANDER: Born on New York soil to a Colombian mother and an East Indian father, raised in Florida, only to come full circle and return to New York, Omar Alexander embodies the fluid cultural mix of contemporary America, manages to translate that same mestisaze in his music, which marries a smart, alt-Latin sensibility to no nonsense booty-shaking funk. Omar Alexander & Soulare's sound is a driving, percussive mash--up of sultry guitars, propulsive drumming, and tighter-than-tight horns that come together to ignite international audiences worldwide.