Social Media

We hear about them more and more every day: Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and LinkedIn. These Social Media sites are the new meeting places for people to catch up on the latest gossip, find out what family is doing, and just plain rant about anything and everything. While many are bemoaning the rise of Social Media as detrimental to society as a whole, it doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon. You either jump on the Tech. Train, or you get left out of the loop.


A great starting place for getting your feet wet in social media can be found here:

CLICK HERE

This is a smaller section of a larger article, but you’ll find great 1st contact advice on starting your profile, joining groups, and adding friends.

Who would have thought 2 decades ago that making friends was going to involve pressing a button on a keyboard?

Do you have any stories to share about your own foray into the world of Social Media? Leave your story in the comments, and share your experiences!

FOOD IN VEGAS

Vegas is really a Foodie destination these days. So many choices and so many big name chefs are represented in Vegas. While there with the NTO’s, we had a chance to sample some really wonderful cuisine.

Tao

This bistro has an Asian fusion menu that has the restaurant and nightclub in the same venue located at the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian hotel. Cuisines from Hong Kong Chinese, Japanese, and Thai make up the menu selections. We had hot edamame which are steamed soy beans in their casings sprinkled with sea salt. Service was fantastic and attention to the patrons was prompt. Some had sushi and sashimi. I chose the wok-seared New York Sirloin with Shitake Mushrooms and Szechwan Potatoes. The portions were huge, so I could only make it half way through the dinner. But everyone was pleased with the selections.

Lavo

Located in the Palazzo Hotel and Casino, this Italian Restaurant/Nightclub/Lounge was hopping when we visited on September 3rd. The music was quite loud, so be prepared to shout at each other, or just rock out in your seat. While waiting to order, one of the ladies looked up and said, “Hey, that’s LMFAO!”, and they walked right around our table to the VIP section. What are the odds that in Vegas we would run into another Cherrytree Records artist while there celebrating our boys from Tokio Hotel?

We all agreed to get some appetizers. OMG! The Crispy Fried Calamari was tender and crisp all at the same time. And the Prosciutto service was delicious. Some of our group did not like the grapefruit that was served with it, but I found it refreshing after the salty food.

I also chose to try a bowl of the Lobster Fra Diavolo Bisque. They served me the bowl with the cream/butter/lobster in the middle, and they poured the bisque over this. It was fabulously decadent!

After appetizers and soup, I found it impossible to get through all of my entrée. But the Center Cut Filet was perfect, as well as the roasted asparagus I ordered to accompany my entrée.

SushiSamba

Our last night in Vegas was a tough call. We finally agreed on SushiSamba, a fusion of Japanese, Brazillian, and Peruvian flavors. This fine dining experience was the perfect end to our journey. We began with drinks at the bar while we awaited our table. I am now completely enamored with Cucumber Martinis. This one had a hind of spice to it. Complete bliss!  Michelle had something fruity and yummy, and wow!  It looked so pretty!

At our table, we decided to go family style and share several dishes. We had Japanese Vegetable Tempura, Lamb Robata (grilled meat), and the Chef’s Inspiration Sushi/Sashimi plate. The lamb was so spectacular and just cooked to perfection with an amazing sauce/glaze. The sushi and sashimi was first rate and melted in your mouth! I think it amazing that we were able to order the Rosca, a doughnut served with a hazelnut/chocolate dipping sauce. Yes, we rolled ourselves out when we were done!

The Vegas experience is not complete without trying at least one of the culinary masterpieces available. Be adventurous, and you will be pleasantly surprised!

Why Go To Vegas?

While having a quiet moment in Vegas, I wondered - What draws people to Vegas?

Get Married! 
We saw a few couples tie the knot and a couple others have their bridal showers. Vegas has a range of settings for discerning tastes from the highly romantic, classical backdrop to a showy, glitzy affair.  But what does it matter when the bride and groom are exchanging their vows and tying the knot the way they want.

Gamble!
Vegas has tons of ways to play the games of chance. Each hotel has a busy casino area designed to invite and hold you hostage for a few hours. Slots, Black Jack, Roulette and on and on with music blaring overhead to add to the sensory overload.

Shows!
You can't come to Vegas and not take in a show or two.  There are many shows that have hit the Broadway scene and now have its Vegas-dedicated troupe.  Cirque du Soleil has a variety of shows at various hotels for all tastes and moods. Think I'm kidding - Mystere at Treasure Island; O at Bellagio; Zumanity at New York, New York; Ka at MGM Grand; The Beatles Love at the Mirage; Criss Angel Believe at Luxor; Viva Elvis at Aria Resort & Casino.  Then you have the sexy night shows that Vegas is known for...wowza!

Nightclubs!
The Vegas night scene has a standard dress code--women wear itty bitty black dresses. Shoes with heels that can take an eye out. Make-up; boobage; and anything else you want seen put on display. Men--pretty much whatever you want. Music pumps at levels that can resusitate the heart or pop out an ear drum. Security and bouncers all seem to have eaten too many of their Wheaties. You do not want to mess with these broad shouldered, muscled black-suited men.

Shopping/Eating!
I say these are about equal on the list.  There are respectable outlet malls with high-end stores to the usual suspects. The hotels also all have designer boutiques that may require a month's mortage or two to purchase one item. As for eating, many of the well known chefs have restaurants bearing their name.  Their photos are prominently displayed like rockstars of their culinary world. Once you taste the fare, you can understand why all the fuss.

Vegas has diversity. I love it because there is something for everyone.  I also think that it bears mention that Vegas employees are so nice, helpful, and accommodating. Thank you for a wonderful time.

Happy 21st Birthday, Tom and Bill Kaulitz

Happy Birthday, Tom and Bill Kaulitz!

There are certain milestone birthdays that inspire major celebration. Turning 21 years old is up there on the list for major fanfare.  And why not? For most places, in the U.S., 21 years old is the legal age to be considered an adult.  The twins of Tokio Hotel have entered the new phase of life - welcome to adulthood, guys.

In tribute to this day, we have an interview from Martin Kierszenbaum, who is a key component in the Tokio Hotel phenonmenon around the world.  Martin is the is head of A&R at Interscope Records and president of Interscope’s subsidiary Cherrytree Records. He was gracious with his time to answer a few of our burning questions.

NTO: I (Michelle) have a daughter who wants to be a film director. Advice given to her is not to major in film directing, instead take a curriculum that is broad and well-rounded. So applying this advice to the music industry, what would you tell a college bound teen who wants to be on the management side of the music industry?


Tricia, Eileen-her daughter, Martin

MARTIN: I believe you need both to pursue a career in your field of choice: a general, well-rounded education to develop things like writing skills, organizational abilities, finishing an assignment, working in teams, navigating an administrative system, mastering general math and gaining a basic understanding of arts and sciences. In addition, you need to study and develop your knowledge of your particular field so you can function effectively and achieve within its discipline. The latter can usually be done on-the-field while the former acts as a base. However, I’ve found that it’s best to try and develop a measure of both simultaneously by getting on-the-field experience (through a job, internship and/or independent research, for instance) while pursuing your studies at the same time, if possible.

NTO: How would you describe the landscape of the music or music recording industry? Are you a "glass is half full", "glass is half empty", or "stop your whining" type of person?

MARTIN: Ever since I entered the recording industry, I’ve been hearing “well, kid, you missed the heyday of the music business.” And yet, I’ve managed to make a career in it and work in what I love. I’m grateful I’ve been able to work with artists, producers and executives who have had long careers and they’ve taught me that if you work hard and do good work, there will be a demand for it. My father instilled this in me by example from an early age too. I believe music is beautiful. It inspires and nourishes the human soul. There will always be a place for music. The means of making and distributing it may evolve but music is an essential. I love music and I’m committed to protecting it and the artists that make it. I’m also excited by the ability to communicate directly with the audience and learn more about how they want to absorb music.

Swedish pop star - Robyn

NTO: CT is the only record company that we've registered with and follow online. The online presence has helped create the brand loyalty and introduced us to other singers like Robyn, Lady Gaga, and La Roux. Who is the worker bee behind the online strategy? (By the way, love the acoustic sessions on the website!)

MARTIN: Thank you. It’s an honor to hear this from you. Cherrytree functions under a philosophy that information should flow both ways: from our artists and us to our audience and from our audience to our artists and us. The more direct the communication, the deeper the relationship and the more satisfying it is for both. The team here at Cherrytree -a wonderful group of individuals with whom I have the pleasure to work every day - is very interested in receiving information from our audience about what music they want to hear and how they want to hear it. We treasure that relationship and work hard to provide exclusive entertainment and information back to our audience. Our artists’ creativity drive the content. I’m also very involved in the content creation, as is the whole team. The editorial is created and shaped by our personal “pop alternative” taste and I think you can feel that through CherrytreeRecords.com and CherrytreeRadio.com. There’s no way to concoct that feeling. It entails sleeping very little and working really hard to think of entertaining ideas, initiatives, contests, “’treeflips,” web episodes, videos, etc. But it’s what we love doing. We want to make CherrytreeRecords.com a robust entertainment and cultural experience.

NTO: Unfortunately, Michelle missed the wonderful meet up you held recently at the El Adobe. I (Tricia) attended and captured the experience on the blog. Will there be others, whether in L.A. or elsewhere? (Since Michelle’s an east coaster)

MARTIN: I hope so. I thought Cherrytree El Adobe was loads of fun and I’m thankful to our artists and our Rec’ers – our CherrytreeRecords.com community – for turning up and helping to create what was an extraordinarily special event.

NTO: What prompted you to step up and be founder of a record label? We'd love to have a bio to show your journey. It's one thing to think of something that huge, but to take the steps to do it and then have several years of success under your belt is a massive accomplishment. Kudos!

MARTIN: Well, thank you. I started as a musician and songwriter. My sister is a musician too. She and I grew up practicing, taking lessons and playing in ensembles. Writing songs and making music is when I still feel the happiest other than hanging out with my family and friends. As I was coming up, I realized that I also had a knack for interfacing with people on the music business side and on behalf of my fellow musicians (band members, writers etc.). I began to hone that ability at the same time I developed my music making skills. That led me to getting a job at a record company. That’s where I felt I could best apply both sets of skills. All of the most renown record companies were founded and run by creative individual: e.g., Barry Gordy, Herb Alpert, etc. I think that might be one of the reasons some of the best music was made around the time those individuals ran labels. Because they fostered an environment that encouraged artists to feel safe, free and push the creative envelope. I aspire to that every day even if I know I can’t come close to filling those gentlemen’s shoes.

NTO: Pardon our ignorance of the inner workings of the business. Would I, a singer or band, approach you with a CD and a letter asking you to listen to my work? Or do I have to come represented by a manager or some other professional? What is the typical way to get signed to CT?

MARTIN: Yes, you could. I’ve found that the best way to discover talented individuals is to just keep my antennae on and honed. A new artists can come from anywhere. That’s why I travel a lot and spend a lot of time researching and staying in communication with colleagues. We also check out submissions via our web site.

NTO: Our goal is to increase the band's exposure to the 25 year olds and up. We're not shy to say that we're in the 40+ group. Realizing that our demographics may not be online as much as a younger group or not be willing to register onto a fan forum, we started the blog (http://nto4tokiohotel.blogspot.com) as an easy introduction to us and the group.

MARTIN: Thank you for this support.

NTO: How did the first introduction to TH occur?

MARTIN: I caught a glimpse of their Scream video – German version – online and flipped my lid. I contacted them right away – via our friends at Universal Germany - and, luckily, convinced the group to sign to Cherrytree Records for the USA.

NTO: Were they the youngest artists you've ever worked with? Outside of general teen angst (bless you on that), are there any challenges to working with young artists?

MARTIN: I think t.A.T.u. were 16 and 17 when I signed them and I think TH must have been about the same age when I started working with them. We are very protective of our artists and their vision in general so, in that regard, their age doesn’t make a difference. The members of TH are very smart and make decisions in a very astute and measured way with the help of their management team. It’s a pleasure to work with them.

NTO: When you consider the breadth of their career (with more to come I'm sure), can you share how you feel about TH’s current and future success?

MARTIN: Tokio Hotel are really talented and true originals. As with all true originals – and these are rare – they will evolve, change and keep us interested and entertained. That bodes well for a long career and we’re pleased to have a chance to play a part in that.

NTO: Please feel free to share anything else that you'd deem appropriate for the blog.

MARTIN: I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your interest in - and support of - Tokio Hotel, Cherrytree Records, our artist roster, CherrytreeRecords.com and CherrytreeRadio.com. Thanks too for inviting me to do this interview.

NTO: Thank you very much.