Sunset Sessions In Rancho Bernardo
by Jay Allen Sanford 8.10.7

"Our show was inspired by programs like Austin City Limits, Sessions at West 54th, and Live from Abbey Road," says producer Stuart Allman of his impending TV series Sunset Sessions. "Why shouldn't unsigned San Diego musicians have a forum to inspire each other? I hope to feature everything from folk, metal, hip-hop, jazz, just as long as you play an instrument. Pressing 'play' on a laptop computer doesn't provide the visual inspiration I envision."

The show - filmed at Studio West in Rancho Bernardo - uses a crew comprised of local audio-video professionals. "Some of them do this for the passion of music, but mainly because producing a show like this meets their artistic needs.This isn't about money or personal fame. In fact it's more of a personal endless money pit for me at this point, but what I'm buying is the ability to share my long seasoned passion with the San Diego music community."

So far, Citizen Band and Barbara Nesbitt have been filmed performing for a live audience at Studio West, an 8,000 square foot facility. Allman hopes to announce which TV station(s) will air the programming shortly. According to Cathryn Beeks, the show's music coordinator, "The best way for bands to be considered for future episodes is to play a ListenLocalsd.com showcase."

cathryn@listenlocalsd.com

http://www.ListenLocalsd.com

http://www.studiowest.com

"The life of an open mic host is not nearly as glamorous as it would seem," blogs Isaac Cheong, host of Lestat's Open Mic night. "My colleagues and I toil weekly in near anonymity, as the guy or gal who makes sure the people can hear you, keeps track of who's playing when, and gets to hear the litany of complaints about how they need to play that night even though they showed up two hours late for the signup because their girlfriend's cousin is in town, or how I should cut the EQ a few dB at 4KHz because it's too sibilant, or how someone needs to take twenty minutes to set up their laser light show for a ten minute set."

Cheong - who also plays guitar for She Blonde Swede - has hosted area open mic events at the Hot Java Café, Mikey's Coffeehouse and elsewhere. "We [open mic hosts] do it because we get some stage time. But here's the thing, when we play, it's usually at the beginning when there's nobody around, or at the end when there's nobody around...Lord knows it's not for the money or throngs of open mic groupies." ( www.myspace.com/isaac )

Tiernan Tunes
by Jay Allen Sanford 8.10.7

Singer/songwriter Michael Tiernan recently licensed his song "I'm Ready" for an upcoming episode of the ABC TV series Men In Trees. " It basically just came out of the blue," he says. "When I got the call, they were ready to send the contract." He pocketed a $1,000 fee. "Residuals will depend on frequency of repeats and hopefully syndication.  The series is done by the writer of Sex and the City, so I hope this one becomes as successful. It's almost the whole song, airing through two major scenes, which contribute to higher royalty rates, so hopefully I'll see some further bling down the road." 

"The song has to do with sitting under the night sky and feeling really courageous and hopeful about life.it'll be used during two very pivotal moment in the lives of a couple of characters, but I don't think I'm supposed to give away the exact details." The program placement is Tiernan's first network TV sale, though he says he previously licensed his music for exercise videos.

"I was hoping the Men In Trees deal would include a date with Ann Heche, [who plays] the main character, but no dice. I'm actually not sure what side of the [bi-sexual] fence she's on these days anyhow." Tiernan recently released his third album "Spaces," co-produced by Sven-Erik Seaholm.

www.tiernantunes.com

www.myspace.com/tiernantunes