SuperNormal Records has booked the bands for the first annual Arizona WinterFest: Beat the Heat Beer Festival. This event will be a showcase of local Arizona Talent, and great craft beers. No cover bands here. We are featuring your Local Arizona Music Scene on The Venue of Scottsdale’s stage from 3pm-10pm. For more information on the event visit. www.beattheheatwinterfest.com
Schedule of Performers
3-4:30pm Jack Young
Local singer/songwriter who has been playing the Arizona scene loyally for years, Jack Young “The Ambassador of Arcadia” takes the stage at this years BTH: Beerfest.
Although the band does not have mop tops and Liverpudlian accents, they are heavily influenced by The Beatles. Their bouncy pop sentiment makes for a lively show. Together; Mike Chapman, John Hayden, Adam Wolin and Michael Levin’s combined talent, friendship, and experiences are Dirty Lingo.
Kings of Last Call are a Power Pop/Rock and Roll band from Phoenix, Arizona. Blending Alt-country, rock, and pop, KOLC’s songs hint at influences as broad as Wilco, The Jayhawks, and Tom Petty.
Formed in 2008 from the ashes of Kiras Rage and South Mountain Lights, the band solidified its lineup in early 2009 and released its first full-length CD, From Memory, in December 2009.
Steeped in funk style LPP is blends common elements from disparate genre’s and creates a smooth unique sound layered with sick beats, sweeping guitars, and the one constant; Mister Dinger’s witty lyrical world-view which makes for kind conscious hip-hop.
From sinuous extended jams, to tight and terse rock songs; Quixote is a genre promiscuous original band from Arizona. Comprised of three members: Tyler Christensen, Adam Kohler, and Ehren Stonner – Quixote lays down songs that transcend the genre line while serving their one soverign master – The Groove.
Quixote is being featured on KKNT 960 am today between 3-5pm.
Listeners?
Want a free CD? just e-mail quixotephx@ gmail.com between the hours of 3-5pm today (september 13th) and we will send you a free LIVE CD! Just include the following information in your e-mail:
Name
Address (where you want the disk sent)
E-mail address/phone # (incase of issues)
Thanks to Erich Seilaff and KKNT for supporting LOCAL MUSIC!!
SuperNormal Records is in discussion with PUMP AUDIO, a new venture in song placement agencies, in order to further propagate our music into television shows and commercials. Wish us luck!
License this music for commercial use through Pump Audio
Founded in 2001, Pump Audio is a new kind of agent for independent musicians, digitally connecting them with buyers in the mainstream media. With Pump Audio, artists can license their music into productions without giving up any ownership, while TV and advertising producers can discover new music ready for use.
With a growing catalog of tens of thousands of songs, all by independent artists from around the world, customers access music through Pump’s innovative search software and delivery services, the Soundtrack Service online, and the PumpBox™, which is currently on the desktops of thousands of creative professionals worldwide.
Tyler is back home editing video and making sense of it all. Through a generous donation from Marilynns.com, SuperNormalRecords.com has a new control center. Head on over to Marilynns.com and poke around a bit. Hit’s are thanks; Hope ya get a million.
Mom made this
Coming Soon!
SuperNormalRecords.com will be getting a new look.
We’re going mobile! VW Bus promo vehicle coming in May!
Side Projects: Ehren Stonner (drums), Adam Kohler (bass) Band Name:__?__
On December 14th, Tyler Christensen dropped into Gecko Park Studios in Phoenix for a one-hour interview and on-air performances of his music. [LISTEN TO THE PODCAST] ”Sunday Morning Coffee with Sarge” is a social and political topical program with an everyman point of view. Sarge Phelps, the host, is fresh off of a stint with progressive radio powerhouse KPHX. Jeff Farias, Sarge Phelps, along with ’Will from Chicago’ continue the momentum they built at KPHX and are breaking ground and treading water in a new-media environment where their local contemporaries have yet to tread.
“We had a great discussion about the benefits of Public Transit. See, I was contacted originally by Sarge to do an interview about the Public Transit Tour I went on in May of 2008. Since that tour, it has kind of been a mission of mine to be an advocate of sorts for the use of public transportation. The first interview took place on June 22nd, 2008 at KPHX Studios in Phoenix. [LISTEN TO THE June 22nd PODCAST] This time around, the interview was much more SuperNormal. I had an address for a house in Phoenix, and a Cabbie at the ready. – Tyler Christensen
The Webcam stand is a Jack-in-the-Box
Tucked in a modest Phoenix home is Gecko Park Studios; Jeff Farias’ Indie production facility. The productions that eminate from this little nook are complete with a live webcam, chatroom, and an in-studio-moderated blog simultaneously delivering a complete listener experience. All shows are broadcast live on thejefffariasshow.com and podcast online for later review.
This is the future of radio, and it is much the same as the future of music: Modest, independent, and format pervasive. The new media economy is hissing and ready to go. The hammer is going to drop soon and the people poised to deliver the content will find a welcome audience waiting for them. – Tyler Christensen
There are many exciting developments in the works for SuperNormal Records, and it’s flagship artist, Tyler Christensen. We will continue to update you after we ring in the new year.
“Party now, blog later. Have a Happy New Year!” – Tyler Christensen
SuperNormal Tyler LIVE at Mama Java’s: GoodBye Beginning
How’d it go?
On December 26th. Tyler Christensen (SuperNormal Tyler) played to a packed house at Mama Java’s Coffeehouse in Phoenix, Arizona. The show started at 8pm with Tyler casually strolling through the doors and saying hello to his awaiting friends and family. This show was a rare and welcome occurrence for the artist, as he mentioned in opening his set. This Indie Rock and Roll deal consists of late night shows in whiskey bars and the like. The cozy, intimate setting of Mama Java’s provided the perfect atmosphere for a simple acoustic singer/songwriter performance.
“It’s great to do a show at a place like Mama Java’s, in that, you’re performing in a silent room save for the barista machine firing up every few minutes. You couldn’t ask for a better crowd then the one at Mama’s last night. Attentive and appreciative, they made the night what it was. Good Show.” – Tyler Christensen
And a sizeable crowd, it was. Every seat was taken in the place with patrons sipping coffee and tapping their toes to the tunes. Well, every seat except for one was taken, to be honest, the empty chair on stage with Tyler made a good spot for his songbook to be sprawled out. Tyler flipped the pages and flowed through his songs in a casual “relax, I’ve done this before” manner.
Kick-back, put your feet up… It’s an intimate little place.
The Setlist
Tyler opened his set with “The Things I’m Gonna Miss” a slow solemn song setting the tone for the evening. The tone set was not solemn, however, more like captivating. Starting the set with one of his more reserved, and memorable songs locked the crowd in for the evening. From the first note Tyler held ‘em and didn’t let them go until it was closing time. Breezing through his latest material such as: “Muse”, and “Carousel” to ‘digging into the vault’ to pull out older material that Tyler hasn’t played live in years, it was a full survey of this Singer/Songwriters repertoire.
The Break
Around 9:00pm, Tyler took a short five minute break and mingled with the crowd milling around. Meeting with friends from over ten years past, Tyler had a crowd as varied and diverse as his musical history. Colette Panagos, a high-school friend from back in the days of ‘Promiscuous Chicken’, Tyler’s first band in High-School. Jessica Bonnet Jennings, a fellow face-in-the-hall all through Junior High School and Chandler High, and her husband were in attendance as well. Who needs a high-school reunion, this was much shorter and all parties involved didn’t have to do that ‘reunion small-talk’ and ‘reminiscing.’ It was just a nice evening out. Chatting in the cold and some parting, then, Tyler returned inside for the second set.
The Second Set
Returning to the stage at 9:15, there was only fifteen minutes of showtime left. Tyler thanked his hosts and spoke a little about the neighborhood. A recent new-comer to this part of town, Tyler spoke of his affinity for the local independent businesses supporting live music in the area. Mama Java’s, Darwin’s Waiting Room (Famous Wings), and others were mentioned in gratitude by the artist.
Thanks for the show Mama Java’s!
The Indie Corridor
Indian School Road is seeing a sea-change of sorts. From the Great Escape, to The Vig, To Darwin’s, to Hazelwood’s, to Mama Java’s, Independent restaurants and pubs, and coffeeshops, as well as retail locations are buiding a tight-knit community of mutual support. A recent influx of energy was brought about by the independent businesses in the area focusing on all-things-local. There are no illusions of grandeur in this little pocket of culture in the Valley of the Sun. Humble business owners open their doors each day, and just ‘do their thing.’ When the night falls, the baristas and bartenders set up PA’s for their local musicians and artists dropping in to hawk their latest wares. The Indie Corridor is experiencing an ebb and flow of a perfect partnership between artists and community.
GoodBye Beginning
Take it to mean what you would like it to mean. A goodbye to a beginning is a beginning of sorts; A prelude to the next step. A movement ever-upward, humility in-tow and a handful of genuine intentions. That can be said for Tyler,and for this little local business community.
“Grow Slow.” Tyler says,
“In this fast-paced, quick-fix-perscription kind-of-world we live in, it’s important to rise above all that noise. In this little section of town I call the Indie Corridor, we’ve got the right idea. There’s no flashy-glossed-over marketing needed. The guy rocking your party is the guy you saw this morning at 8 am dropping into Mama Java’s for a little retina relaxer. And the girl hanging out talking about her artwork is the same girl who gets a pack of smokes every morning at the Circle K with two-dollars cash-back for the bus. This is my little, real neighborhood. No veneer, no catch-phrase – This is home.” – Tyler Christensen
First Friday Artwalk Downtown Phoenix, Featuring Ashley Pope Ronnfeldt
On Friday December 5th, 2008, Rockin A Gallery in Downtown Phoenix had it’s doors open for the monthly “First Friday’s Artwalk”. One of the artists featured was Ashley Pope Ronnfeldt, a local Phoenix artist and painter. Ashley had half of the gallery space at Rockin A devoted to exhibiting her latest works.
Her work is a blend of raw elements and textures with central figures dominating the canvas or fiberboard workspace. Utilizing various materials as her canvases, Ashley imparts a natural element to her often un-natural scenes. Hairy an acrylic on fiberboard mixed-media piece features an over-sized female face super-imposed on a rough texture of black and white symbolizing a dissonance or noise akin to what an analog television will look like on February 19th, 2008 if you don’t don’t have cable. In the figures hair are ransom-note-style cut-outs of words and phrases, positive clear messages atop a static charged background and our main character treading somewhere between the elements.
Other works display a more innocent and soft tone, like the acrylic on canvas piece titled New Begnnings. Again texture takes precedent with the background being a rough-hewn white which resembles a cloudy sky that fades to ominous dark edges. Overlayed is an image of a young girl dragging a cluster of balloons through the sky. A blond hapless dreamer pulling her puffed up dreams behind her and forging on unrepentant or heedless into the possible pratfalls in the dark spaces.
First Friday You Say?
The first Friday of every month downtown art galleries stay open late into the night and art lovers embark on self-guided tours of art exhibitions, musical performances, bars, and restaurants. First Friday’s began when local business owners began to occupy spaces downtown and open community art spaces and music venues to highlight what has always been a thriving art community.
As early as 1988, with the passage of the bond election to build the new central library, the Arizona Science Center, and the Phoenix Museum of History came the official recognition of the existing organic art movement in Phoenix. This new infusion of energy led to the Jackson Street Studios, an arrangement to accommodate artists displaced by the America West Arena (now the US Airways Center). A local community art association responsible for maintaining events like First Friday, Artlink was founded with this energy and some of the art spaces existing during that time, such as Alwun House, live on today. {1}
Attend a First Friday Artwalk
First Friday has grown. During the 1998 season, there were 13 spaces open each Friday. There are now more than 90 participants in the First Friday Artwalk. Spaces are situated from Indian School Road to Buchanan Street, from 12th Street to 17th Avenue. Impossible to walk in one night, a free Shuttle-Link service allows Phoenix First Friday visitors to reach most of the spaces. If you aren’t already familiar with First Friday’s routes, just stop at the Phoenix Central Library first and pick up a current map. {2}
When is First Friday?
The First Friday art walk in downtown Phoenix is held on the first Friday of every month, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information about First Friday, contact Artlink at 602-256-7539.
SuperNormal Tyler dropped into Darwin’s Waiting Room (Famous Wings) in Phoenix, Arizona for a solo acoustic performance. At 11:11p.m. Tyler Strolled through the door with an acoustic guitar, and harmonicas in a case, and a jam packed backpack on his back complete with a chrome mic stand sticking out of it like a large antennae. The quintessential ’indie’ Tyler had just hopped off of the 41 westbound bus and was making a casual beeline for the stage.
“I have begun to play local shows in the same vein as I did when I was on my Public Transit Tour of Portland, Oregon (May 2008). The idea was to utilize public transit to get to all of my gigs. I think I have nearly perfected the method of light travel and pre-planning to the point where I prefer to not rely on anything but the hopes of a good time. No cars, no MPG’s, no CFC’s… I think that I just might be the greenest musician on the planet.” – SuperNormal Tyler
Well, green to a point, he sure did bring a lot of paper with him. A key component of Tyler’s live show’s is the ream of paper stacked up on whatever is handy, be it a barstool or a table. Due to his prolific songwriting Tyler is constantly workshopping new tunes and a live performance is sure to be a presentation of his latest efforts in songwriting. No two shows are the same and no matter if you saw him play last night or twenty minutes ago, it is a fresh experience packed with new material everytime.
Tyler Early In The Set
Blazing through his set and shuffling through the ream, about an hour in Daylon Greer the Local ‘King of Covers’ walked through the door. JT’s, a local pub down the street ,was having their 11th anniversary, and Daylon had been out celebrating and bar hopping all day. It was great to see these two local performers interact on stage, even if the whiskey was playing Daylon’s harmonica more than he was. After depleting the bar of a fair share of it’s stock of Jack Daniel’s Daylon and his girl headed out the door and back into the night.
Daylon Greer and SuperNormal Tyler
Tyler closed out his set with a message by playing his song “Walking”. Indulging, as he rarely does, in a little songwriter/storyteller moment, he explained the story behind the song. An up-beat, positive number about a simple walk downtown, the crux of the story and the reason for the song relies on when Tyler was doing laundry in a laundromat downtown and took a walk around the block while his clothes (complete with his favorite shirt) was tumbling in the dryer. He returned to find the door open and his clothes gone. Rather than let the experience sour his chin-up stroll around downtown marvelling at passers-by, and passing on a little good cheer on a day where ‘morning made a masterpiece’, Tyler released the negative overtones of the theft by crafting a little ditty. ’ my clothes are gone/i hope whoever needs’them puts them on and goes out walking/head held high in pride/ in their brand new clean clothing’ . The resounding choruses reverberating across the bar and out the door into the end of the night; ‘we owe eachother the world / and the world don’t owe us a thing’.
