Getting To Know . . . . Tiffany 'SongBird' Starks

I recently had the chance to meet with Tiffany Starks and find out more about her, her music and her thoughts on today's musical landscape. We went off topic a little when we started discussing the state of current music, but I had a great time speaking with her.

Getting To Know . . . . Will Brown

I had an opportunity to speak with a profoundly talented young man making his mark in the gospel world. Will Brown is the leader of the group Will Brown and Another Level. They are a small group located in Newark, NJ that was started about five years ago. I had a discussion with him about why he does what he does and what he hopes to do. In the first section, he discusses his background, gives some info on Another Level and how he writes music.

In the second part of the interview, he talks about his musical progression, an album that he loves and what type of impact he hopes to make in the industry and the world.

A Year in the Life of Harambee Records, Part 2

This is the second six-month installment of my assistance with Harambee Records. At this point, we are getting closer to producing an album for Will Brown and Another Level. In order to ensure that everything is done properly, the correct protection is needed. I helped Will Brown secure the proper copyright information for the fourteen tracks on the album. It is also important to make sure that everyone involved in the songs gets paid correctly. Splitting the copyrights properly between the parties is a timely process and took about a month to complete.

While this is going on, it is important to keep the groups in the public eye. I helped find venues for other live events for both Tiffany and Will Brown & Another Level. They were also asked to sing with other artists in the area. I assisted in the review and approval of the live contracts for these events. I also made sure that they had transportation to the concerts to ensure they arrived on time.

During the recording process I learned the importance of different types of engineers for the studio. There is a tracking engineer who handles the basic music for the track and then you have a recording engineer who makes sure that the sound is correct when recording the vocal parts of the song. It is also important to have the proper producer with the correct engineer. I researched the mastering engineer for Will Brown’s project since it is in the final stages of creation. This person will finalize and polish the product for distribution and duplication to the masses. Below there is a clip of a studio session going over the little things that can come up in song when reviewing for final mastering.

Over these last twelve months I have learned so much about the recording process and how much work it takes to put out an album. I will continue to work with Harambee Records because even though it’s a lot of work, the fun is seeing the final product. I haven’t see a final product yet so I want to stick around for that.

Welcome to Who's the Bose!

This space will be a place for me to speak on different things I feel about music and other current events. I am interested in many different things and will hopefully be able to talk about them here. Now don't be surprised if you see an article about sports or current events on here. I have no specific direction for this blog yet. I am going to let the writing spirit lead me.

Music is my first love. I am always listening to music; in the car, in the shower, at my desk at work. It helps me get through the day, especially at work. Poetry is also one of my loves. For me, it is a way to express many things you sometimes can't say. My business plan is a combination of these two loves.

Business Plan

Café Lush will be a full service café with space for spoken word, live music and DJs. The music will primarily be R&B, Neo-Soul, and Hip-Hop. It will be based in East Orange, NJ focusing on an underrepresented market. There are no other such locations for young people to go to hear spoken word and different types of live music in the area. The need for such a venue is the growing interest in spoken word. Def Poetry on television and slam competitions across the country are producing a greater interest in this type of expression.

With this business I hope to give young adults an outlet to express themselves. I also hope to impart knowledge about the entertainment industry through various classes to be offered.

A Year in the Life of Harambee Records, Part 1

Since I have been doing so much work with Harambee Records, I haven’t had time to update with monthly reports. So I will do a six-month update.

In June, Harambee Records had a concert to showcase their artists and I was heavily involved. For the concert I helped with the marketing and publicity of the artists and the event. It was important to have sponsorship through advertisements in the programs to fund the concert.

Scheduling rehearsal for the artists was important to make sure that the sound was good for the event. It was also necessary to ensure that equipment was set up and broken down correctly and in a timely fashion. We coordinated security for the artists and their belongings. This process took about a month and a half but it was well worth it. The concert went off without a hitch and all had a good time.

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Will Brown & Another Level

Tiffany Starks

Once the concert was over, it was important to send thank you notes to the donors. This helps to maintain a relationship with these donors who can help with future events. In order to keep the projects moving forward for the artists it was important to schedule recording times for the artists. Will Brown and Another Level needed to get their musicians into the studio to begin the recording of the tracks for their album.

We had to schedule a photo shoot for Tiffany Starks, another artist on the label. I assisted with securing designer wardrobe rental and a location for the photo shoot. These photos were used in promotional materials for her CD and press kit. This was an exciting event because I had never been to a photo shoot and you could see the creativity growing as the day went on.

There has been a lot of work in these first six months and there will be more to come. I am looking forward to learning more about the recording process.