Thursday, October 16, 2008
RED ALERT: Old Navy Sponsorship!
Monday, October 13, 2008 Sunday, September 21, 2008 Sunday, September 07, 2008 Our "Rug Burns" E.P. version of 'Photgraphic Memory' jumped to number 1 on Live365.com station Spiderwebradio's top independant tracks! Friday, July 11, 2008 A few weeks ago, yours truly (Uni) had a conversation with Jacqui Duong from Australia's Fusion Music Magazine. Here is an excerpt from that interview: Fusion: Who was your music idol growing up? Uni: Who you're talking to today is a fusion, hey, there's a plug for ya', of some of the most far-out singers, showmen, carnival barkers, ringleaders, auctioneers, and used car salesmen in history. But if pressed, I could just throw it in park at the letter F in the alphabet and go with either Frank Sinatra or Freddie Mercury. Have you always wanted to play and record music, or did you imagine your adult life with a different job? Can you talk about some of the most important things you've learned about playing music in a band? What's your stance on drugs, sex and rock and roll? Sunday, June 29, 2008 New York City-based Talent In Motion (TIM) magazine has featured the band in its newest issue, in article entitled, "Making Music To Live By." "There is the music of life – think pieces, songs of moral outrage, conceptual melodies designed to re-awaken past, painful losses. And then there's music to live by. Red Carpet Rats cranks the latter." You can read the whole piece at http://timmag.com/spring08/43.php3.
Talent In Motion is a quarterly published arts and entertainment magazine addressing an industry where the worlds of fashion, film, art, music and nightlife converge. This constantly evolving publication includes articles on emerging artists, with a focus on celebrity events and fashion editorials. Saturday, June 07, 2008 The "Rug Burns" E.P. version of 'Photographic Memory' jumped two spots to number 2 on Live365 station Spiderwebradio's top independent tracks! Spiderwebradio broadcasts from Lasalle in Ontario Canada; the station has listeners in 138 U.S. cities and 40 countries. They are 3 in the genre and 590 out of 10,000 stations overall on Live365.com. You can check it out at http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=120104451&blogID=401198970 The "Rug Burns" E.P. version of 'Photographic Memory' is currently at number 4 on Spiderwebradios' top independent tracks! Spiderwebradio broadcasts from Lasalle in Ontario Canada; the station has listeners in 138 U.S. cities and 40 countries. They are 3 in the genre and 590 out of 10,000 stations overall on Live365.com. You can check it out at http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=120104451&blogID=401198970 Friday, March 28, 2008 "Along with the music and the photo, the biography is the unofficial third part of the holy trinity of band promotion. However, it is often the most overlooked or neglected part. This is unfortunate, knowing how, just as easily as a poorly recorded song or misrepresenting picture can sour an individual on an act, so can a lackluster biography. Now more than ever, a well-written biography is absolutely essential with sites such as MySpace, Facebook and the like, and the listen/look/now-on-to-the-next-profile, culture they have created. So this month your ’Indie Insider’ will be taking you inside the band biography, and outlining a few points that bands have to keep in mind, and a few they should avoid, when writing a proper bio." You can check the whole article out at www.acedmagazine.com. ACED Magazine is an entertainment and lifestyle publication catering to guys and girls, with an online, world-wide presence, reaching 3 million readers on average per month. January 21, 2008 Indie Music Stop, "Where Your Music Matters", is all about indie music and the artists that perform it. Last month, Uni spoke with magazine senior writer C.W. Ross. Here's the truth and nothing but . . . or at least all that can be printed without making you sign a waiver first! IMS: What do you hope that people take away from listening to your music? Uni: Red Carpet Rats offers good-old fashioned, school's out, big blockbuster, summer fun. It's Will Smith versus the aliens. Russell Crowe against the Romans. The underdog of all underdogs fighting for truth, justice and your entertainment dollar. I like to think that listening to RCR is like riding the Cyclone at Coney Island, where you might feel a little light-headed afterwards, but man it was fun while it lasted. Yes, yes! Not only is 'Photographic Memory' in the Top 40 on the Big R Radio Network's 100.8 'The Hawk' - The New Top 40 Hits, and 'Written In The Scars' is on their Alternative Radio affiliate, the network has chosen RCR as their Feature Artist! If you're not in the Seattle area, you can stop by www.bigrradio.com, streaming to millions of people every month, and give a listen. December 9, 2007 Take a look at the Red Carpet Rats and a variety of judgments may jump into your head. If your mind works nearly as rampant as lead singer Uni's does, you might think "U2/Velvet Revolver hybrid" or "That's a lot of hair," but what you'll learn is that this band is more than the latest rock-pop group to hit the circuit. They are here with obvious ambition, a principle held up by sharp lyrics, memorable riffs and unparalleled style."From the XXQs: PEV: What was it like the first time you guys performed together as a band? October 11, 2007 . . . and are we humbled! Rob has played violin/fiddle on over 400 (whew!) records for artists such as the aforementioned Mrs. Lange, Garth Brooks, and Mr. 'Sweet Caroline' himself . . . Neil Diamond, selling approximately, I don't know . . . about a bazillion records! And he's as cool as he is talented, what with having the patience to sit there and answer all the endless Mutt questions we threw at him . . . ha, sorry man! Truly an honor. Kevin has sold over 80 million albums and singles as a Producer and Engineer working with artists ranging from Elton John and Stevie Wonder to Henry Rollins and Kenny Chesney. Kevin was also the Producer, Engineer, and Mixer of REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity (which included, you know . . . "and I'm gonna keep on loving you") to the tune of 15 million albums and 4 million singles worldwide. In country music alone, he has mixed more than 45 number 1 and top 5 singles since '94. You can check him out in our top friend's list.
Dear friends,
Thanks to you guys—our fans—we caught the attention of a hot new digital music company called trueAnthem. They love that you guys are hungry for our music and naturally want to share it with friends. trueAnthem has asked us to join their young roster of bands in exploring a new widget based model for releasing music online. Old Navy will be sponsoring the pre-release of our album, enabling you to get our music for free. So go to www.trueanthem.com today and download our music from our brand new widget! You'll hear us introducing each of our songs with an audio spot that we recorded in the studio specifically for this release. Then, click "Grab this" and post it across your MySpace, Facebook and other social networking pages. Encourage your friends to do the same. With your help, our music will spread faster than it ever has before. We psyched to be able to give our music away for the first time and also proud to join the elite group of artists chosen in these early stages.
So, to recap the top two things you need to know:
1. You can download our music FOR FREE today!
2. You can also help us spread the music—grab those widgets and post away!
Thanks for all your support. We truly couldn't ask for a better fan base.
Peace,
Uni, McCabe, Doc, Tige
RED ALERT: RCR in Hot Topic stores nationwide starting on Halloween!
We are excited to be involved in a compilation CD put together by LBM Music Zine and distributed to every single Hot Topic store in the country beginning on October 31st. And the best thing about it is that they are going to be made available FREE to the public. Happy Halloween!
RED ALERT: RCR has two songs in the Top Ten on the mainstream chart on internet radio!
Our 'Rug Burns' E.P. versions of "Written In The Scars" and "Photographic Memory" are currently numbers 4 and 10 on the mainstream chart at Spiderwebradio at Live365.com. The songs are also numbers 1 and 2 respectively on the indie chart. Spiderwebradio broadcasts from Lasalle, in Ontario Canada, the station has listeners in 138 US cities and 40 countries. They are 3 in the genre and about the top 5% of stations overall on live365.com. Thanks again to all of you who voted and stay tuned for more exciting RCR news to be released very soon! Check it all out here, and their blog.
RED ALERT: RCR hits Number 1 on Live 365.com radio!
Spiderwebradio broadcasts from Lasalle, in Ontario Canada, the station has listeners in 138 US cities and 40 countries. They are 3 in the genre and about the top 5% of stations overall on live365.com.
Thanks to all of you who voted!
You can check it out here. RED ALERT: Interview in Fusion Magazine
Ever since I can remember, I've imagined myself standing on a stage, singing, dancing, telling a few jokes, bowing, then running off into the wings. Seven years old with a dream of playing bars, clubs, arenas . . . hell, cruise ships, whatever! Traveling. Like a salesman, selling laughs. There, you just got one on the house!
The things you learn playing in a band are no different than what you learn in kindergarten. You learn to share. You learn to communicate. And most importantly, you learn that to get the attention of the prettiest girl in the room, you have to do something spectacular. Be it jumping headfirst off your desk into Paper-Mache City or stage-diving a crowd of people that parts like The Red Sea. The same principle applies in both cases.
My stance? Aggressive. Which is pretty much my stance on just about everything. Now I don't advocate doing anything that is harmful to yourself or to others, but I'm not one to be telling anyone how to live their life. And what's a drug today anyway? There are doctors out there who say that exercise is a drug, so what do you say to that? What's my stance on exercise? Let's see. What was the question again?
Check out Fusion at http://www.fusionmusicmag.comRED ALERT: RCR featured in N.Y.C's Talent In Motion magazine!
RED ALERT: RCR song climbs to number 2 on Live365.com!
RED ALERT: RCR song at number 4 on Live365.com!
RED ALERT: Uni's feature in ACED Magazine is 'Bio Logic'!
Here's a bit of Uni's newest column, entitled 'Bio Logic':
RED ALERT: RCR has TWO songs in rotation on Seattle's 102.7 Movin' Radio!
Due to a huuuuuuuuge number of requests and kudos for 'Photographic Memory' and 'Written In The Scars' at Seattle's Big R Radio, their affiliate, 102.7 Movin' Radio, has added 'Photographic' to their Top 40 programming and ''Scars' to their alternative programming.
For those of you not in the Seattle area, you can stop by www.1027movinradio.com (streaming to millions of people every month) and check 'em out. Give a listen. Hell, even leave a comment and request some RCR!
A big thanks to all of you who have taken the time on our behalf and continue to send in requests and comments.
Uni interview with Indie Music Stop magazine!
IMS: For anyone that hasn't heard your band's music before how would you describe it?
Uni: Red Carpet Rats is driving against traffic down a one-way street and yelling, "But we ARE going one way!" kind of music. It's songs to tailgate by. Makes you feel like you're hanging, I believe the criminal term here is loitering, in the parking lot, with one arm around that special someone and the other around your beverage of choice. Mine is Jack Daniels by the way. Yes sir. No deep, introspective, stroke-your-beard-like-you're-listening-to-Radiohead, intended message here. At least not yet. We consider it our moral and civic duty to use any means necessary to help you forget about any harmful toxins that may be in your life. And we're glad to be of service.
IMS: Who are some of your musical influences?
Uni: As a band, our musical influences cover a range wider than the state of Oklahoma. All swinging I might add. And when I say swinging, I mean in a Miles Davis at the supper club in a 3 A.M. jam kind of way. You want our back-story, I'm talking the ups and downs and ins and outs and in betweens of the 20th and 21st century's most slammin' popular music. Singing the praises of heaven movers and ground shakers from Van Morrison to Van Halen. Black Sabbath to The Black Crowes. Not just one, but both Elvises. Or is that Elvi? I'm not sure.
IMS: What is the most interesting live show you ever played?
Uni: Funny how the mind works. You say interesting, I think excruciating. Ya' see, at one time we were gonna be cool and flirt with some alternate tuned guitars. RCR rocking classically like the Stones. Get our collective Keith on, so to speak. Had a few songs worked up. It was gonna be brilliant. Well... cut to the opening of our show when our fearless lead guitar player McCabe hits the first few chords and gets a "what the hell was that?" look, not only from the rest of the band, but also everyone in attendance. Ok. Gotta roll with the punches to get to what's real, right? And hey, it's not that bad, he can just switch to the guitar that's in the appropriate tuning, can't he? Of course not! Cause our rent-a-roadie-for-the-night got his wires crossed and thought we played all of our songs in that tuning. So here we are mid-song, as McCabe disappears to give someone side stage a piece of his mind and a few other things, while yours truly is left soldiering on with, oh yeah, of course my guitar was also tuned incorrectly! To make a worst-experience-of-my-life story short, we were a three piece for about 4 of the longest minutes in recorded history, sounding like a bad version of a band playing a bad version of a bad Sex Pistols song. I'm nevertheless proud to say that eventually we came out the other side and, after much therapy, have fully recovered, and are now ready to lead relatively happy, semi-productive lives.
IMS: What music do you have availiable now and where can people buy it?
Uni: Right now, we are threatening to release our first full-length RCR CD. It's our maiden voyage into parts unknown. Songs of faith, hope and jealousy. No, that's not the title, but it should be. We're calling it 'The Big Picture'. Just so we don't lose sight, ya' know? And when we are finally ready to unleash the beast onto John and Joan Q. Public, it will be available in all the usual locations. And some of the unusual ones. From iTunes to IHOP, that's our marketing strategy, and also where we get our sense of style.
IMS: What was the last two band's music that you listened to besides your own?
Uni: I've been up to my ears in RCR stuff for the past I don't know how long that unfortunately I haven't really had the chance to give a good listen to much else. And honestly, throughout the recording process specifically, I tried to implement a little something I picked up from producer extraordinaire Michael Wagner, who doesn't listen to anything except what he's working on at the time. Buuuuut, there's always a but, isn't there, now that the record is finished, I've accepted my mission and entered phase one of Operation: Full Media Assault. Sounds all military-like, huh? Nothing to be too afraid of, or maybe it is, it's my own radio show, 'Club Uni', on the U.K. based station Error FM, streaming on www.errorfm.com and airing every Monday at 6 P.M. EST. That's 6 A.M. the next day, for those of you in Bangkok! I'm spinning a lot of pop rock stuff from the way-back and not-so-way-back machine, and looking forward to becoming a hyperactive listener again. Feel free to stop by. I'll leave you + 1 at the door.
IMS: You mentioned a Red Carpet Rats comic book that's in development will you tell us a little bit about that?
Uni: A while back, an engineer we were working with once told us that given our vibe, he wouldn't be surprised if one of us could fly. Now normally I'd chalk this kind of talk up to an over abundance of pot smoked in the 90's. However this time I thought, well that's it right there. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner! What better way to get the Red Carpet Rats message to the people than that age old purveyor of the superhero credo, the comic book. So after brainstorming a premise, I beat the streets to get a first class company interested in the project. Just dotting the i's and crossing our fingers at this point. With any luck, we'll have a booth at the next Comic Con, sandwiched tightly between Supergirl and the ladies from Sin City!
IMS: Anything we missed that you want to touch on before we end the interview?
Uni: That all depends on what you're wearing! Actually, thanks to you and Indie Music Stop, we're flashing the Batsignal as we speak requesting everyone to be in attendance as we make our way across the map. It's a block party, covering about 65,000 blocks. Dress appropriately. Or as inappropriately as you like. Oh don't worry, the band will be cooking. Look for me, I'll be the one wearing cowboy boots and the 'Kiss Me, I'm The Singer' apron.
You can check out the whole piece at www.indiemusicstop.com in the interviews section.
December 15, 2007Uni gets his own weekly radio show on Error FM!
Uni will now be on U.K.-based radio station) Error FM every Monday at 6 PM E.S.T. . . that's 6 AM on Tuesday for those of you listening in Bangkok! The show is called 'Club Uni'. He'll be playing . . . well, you'll just have to listen now won't you! You can check it all out and listen at www.errorfm.com. Here's the flyer:
RCR hits Seattle's Top 40 on 100.8 ’The Hawk’ and more!
RCR feature and interview with Uni in PensEyeView Magazine!
PensEyeView president Richie Frieman has spoken to some of the greatest artists in our culture today; Singers, songwriters, painters, sculptors, fashion designers and visionaries of all kinds. Now it's RCR's turn. Feature and 20 Questions (or XXQs as they call 'em) with Uni.
Uni (RCR): I'll tell ya, it's one of those things, I feel this every time I get on stage with these guys, is that all the work and everything that we put into it, it's worthwhile when we get onstage and that's kind of the way it was from the first time. I felt like wow, I've been playing with these guys forever and it's almost like I knew them all along so that's kind of what it was like.
PEV: What's one thing that fans would be surprised about the guys in Red Carpet Rats?
Uni (RCR): Are little kids going to be reading this? No, I don't know if this would surprise anybody, but we are a family and as with any family we fight and we argue and we'll kick and scream. We have our dysfunctions just like anybody else but at the end of the day we consider each other brothers, really.RCR on 1.FM radio's newest music chart!
'Written In The Scars' and 'Photographic Memory' are presently at the second and third spots respectively on the 1.FM newest music chart. Check it out at http://www.1.fm/Stations/HighVoltage/TuneIn.aspx. Hell, throw in a request (or two) while you're at it!
Rob Hajacos (Shania Twain) guests on RCR record . . .
September 15, 2007Grammy award winning engineer Kevin Beamish to mix RCR debut!
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