The Sumner Brothers

Their music has been described as foot stompin, rockin, rustic-roots, country, folk and blues.   They have won The Shore 104.3 fm’s Song Search 2011 Fan Favourite! Their Video for ‘You Will Find Me’ received nearly 500 ‘Likes’ on Youtube tallying nearly 1/3 of the entire number of likes out of 20 entries!   BeatRoute Magazine is proud to host The Sumner Brothers for their last Vancouver appearance before their Pacific West Coast tour taking them down to Los Angeles.   This event also marks the end of Steve Brockley’s Western Canadian tour.   Topping off the bill are Vancouver folk favourites Portage & Main, and Rolla Olak.   “This ain’t no novel, by God, it’s non-fiction. Real, bleeding, pissing, moaning, crying, pleading, questioning, bone breaking, eye-gouging, ear-biting, down in the dirt fighting for your life kind of music” – Don Henry Ford Jr., Lonestar Music, Austin Texas.

Social Network

Ghost Ships of the Mothball Fleet

For decades, dozens of forgotten Navy and merchant ships have been corroding in Suisun Bay, 30 miles northeast of San Francisco. These historic vessels—the Mothball Fleet—served their country in four wars: WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and Desert Storm. After a decade of impasse, the ghost fleet is slowly dwindling as the ships are towed out one-by-one for scrapping. About 15 retired ships are already gone; by 2017, the entire fleet will be just a memory.

Over a two-year period, several close friends and Scott Haefner gained unprecedented access to the decaying ships, spending several days at a time photographing, documenting, and even sleeping aboard them—often in the luxury of the captain’s quarters. Sneaking on-board required months of planning and coordination, and it involved taking significant risks. Of course, things did not always go as planned, but despite several close calls, we were successful in all of our attempts to infiltrate the ships while evading round-the-clock security patrols. See the Full Gallery

Social Network

The Plastics Revolution

We should have recorded the Plastics Revolution in the Condesa in places more or less traditional for a Take Away Show: a street, a store or a roof …   The circumstances ( or abuse of mezcal ) decided to go another way: by a coincidence of names and finally a strange misunderstanding saw in Xochimilco.   Never regret the slight mess …!

Xochimilco is the area of the aqueducts of Mexico, listed as a UNESCO world heritage, is the remnant of canals and marshes on which the city was built, a curious place, dedicated to the culture of flowers and tourism.   Mexicans come in a number of weekends to stay a few hours with the family on one of the many boats and then get straight back buffets and meals for celebrations.   We rented one of those trajineras and dropped off “The Plastics Revolution” to play music. Credit | La Blogotheque

Social Network

Jamel Shabazz Tribute

Screening later this month, as part of BAMcinemaFest here in Brooklyn, NY, the world premiere of Charlie Ahearn’s documentary on the work, life and times of photographer/“urban life” documenter, Jamel Shabazz, titled Jamel Shabazz Street Photographer.   In the infancy of hip-hop, Brooklyn-born photographer Jamel Shabazz documented the pioneers of music and style that would launch an enduring worldwide phenomenon.   Charlie Ahearn, director of the seminal Wild Style, pays tribute to both Shabazz and those who defined hip-hop before it had a definition. Read the rest of the article   Credit | Shadow Of An Act

Social Network

Brian Mackey

Brian Mackey is a singer/songwriter who currently lives in NYC but grew up on the Florida/Georgia border. He has worked everywhere from Nashville to Italy.   One of his songs was featured in the Disney Channel Show Naturally Sadie and his songs have gotten air play in New York – no easy market to crack for an Indie performer.   He has just released his third album, an EP called Honest Love Brian says he is in love with being in love so not surprisingly there are a lot of love and lost love songs on the album. Read the rest of the article   Credit | Jane W

Social Network

White Irish Drinkers

A raucous, touching, vital hard-knocks family drama that offers an exquisitely written script, a series of plot twists and a medley of spot-on performances from young talents Nick Thurston (right out of U.S.C.) and Geoffrey Wigdor, along with seasoned screen eminences Karen Allen, Stephen Lang, and Peter Riegert. It is, more centrally, a coming-of-age, how-do-I-break-out-of-the-boroughs saga that has the unabashed verité, fresh insight, richly developed characters, riveting soundtrack—and high-grade testosterone—that helped to distinguish Saturday Night Fever. . worth the price of admission…and a pint. Read the rest of the article   Credit | David Friend

Who the fuck are Modestep anyway

They like to make NOISE and make your brains wobble with thier low pass filth. Live shows take place every sunday on their live radio stream. Members of the band is as follows : Josh Modestep – Vocals / Production / Keys, Tony Modestep – Turntables / Production / Guitar , Oz Modestep – Live Visuals, Matt Modestep – Drums & Percussion. Check out below, Sunlight,” the new single and video from up-and-coming Londoner dubstep band/remixers. It gets the seal of approval from indie wire for producing a fun song and a video that gets its three older stars to get down to the dubstep beats (with the help of some Jack Daniels, marijuana, and strippers). The band also directed the video Read the rest of the article   Credit | Indie Wire

Social Network

Dred Scott

It was a late friday evening in Denver when I hear Mr. Dred Scott playing music from a street corner. After chatting with Dred and hearing his story, I asked if I could feature him on my channel. He didn’t understand the concept, but he agreed to it anyway. A few days later, we found him on 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver where we proceeded to record him live. We came up with a 7 song EP and decided that would help out our new friend.

Tyler Ward

Social Network

Winning! – Les Twins

Les Twins are members of a larger group of dancers known as the Criminalz in the underground battles as the Les Twins/Criminalz Crew. What inspired their passion for dance oddly was cartoons. They went on to learn almost every kind of dance from classical ballet, break, lock, pop to form a new style dance unique to LES TWINS. You can feel their excitement , fusion of intuitive movement and passion in each performance. Happiness for them is to keep dancing with feeling and willing to sacrifice personal time for training to get all the grooves and techniques down.

They support and respect other great dancers like  BOUBOU PINO, YOSHIE, TATSUO, YOSSHI, Gucchon  and Shunji who are also very unique in their dance style. They believe the country best for house & breakin dance is America. Japan is the best for old school but still leading country  in HipHop dancers but France they say is the best country for HipHop dancers. There passion is to make the dance scene grow! Credit | Dance Delight Magazine

Social Network

FoQus Music Ent – Spotlight

1. Where is FoQus music based out of?

FoQus Music Ent started on the New Brunswick campus of Rutgers University in New Jersey. As of today, all of FoQus’ operations are run out of our Studio in Roselle, New Jersey. So you can say that FoQus Music Ent is based out of Roselle, New Jersey.

2. When was FoQus Music Founded?

FoQus Music Ent – as an idea – was conceived in late December of 2010. The company went into full operation in January of 2011 and was officially incorporated with the State of New Jersey on March 10, 2010. We took the “Ready, Fire, Aim” approach to business building by taking massive action to put our idea and plan into motion ahead of our paperwork. Thank God we were able to secure the name as planned (hahahaha).

3. The company is family run can you tells us a bit about Ebo & Ripo

Yah. The company is family owned and run. With Ripo and myself being the co-founders of FoQus Music Ent. Ripo and myself are the two youngest children — numbers 8 (Ebo) and 9 (Ripo), within a family of 9 (5 boys and 4 girls). In many ways, we are two of the most common-different (is that a real word?) duo you will come across. We are very similar in our level of simplicity and wisdom. But the major difference can be found in our approach. Like Ripo is a straight up machine when it comes to getting things done and he is more tactical with his approach. He is all about doing it NOW and then learning from it. While Ebo is more of the strategist type. He likes to look at the details, discover any patterns or consistencies in the situation, and then recommend a strategic approach to tackle whatever the goal, situation, or task at-hand may be. Although our approach is complete opposites… our true strength comes from the unity of the tactical and strategic approaches, and the level of humility that we both operate from. Ever since we were children, our mom made sure that she reinforced the importance of being able to live an overall humble life. My dad (God bless his soul) used to say, “If you go to your friend’s house and notice that they eat with their hands while sitting down. Then you sit down and eat the same way as they do.” So we took that and ran with it. Here is a little fact: EVERY single bit of success that we’ve ever had in life, was because somebody fell in-love with our determination, imagination, talent and the level of humility that comes with it. So it literally PAYS to step out of your own shoes; see things in the shoes of the other person; and then treat that person according to the way YOU will like to be treated, viewed, or talked about. As easily as it comes, it can also go. All you are left with is those people around you and how they feel about the actions you took towards them when success was coming and/or going away.

4. What does the name FoQus stand for?

The name FoQus stands for: FoQus on One Quest Until Successful

5. How did you come up with the logo?

The logo was actually the most fun part of the brand and company creation. In the beginning, we were 100% positive that we want to go with the word “Focus” because that is something that EVERYONE in the world can use all of the time. Apart from God, we knew that focusing is the one thing that can help everyone in the world get or achieve their biggest dreams, no matter what their situation may be in their present moment. But there were two main challenges in using the word. First, it was TOO serious. To some people, focusing on something can be an intimidating thing to do. Two, there was already a decent amount of companies out there with the word “Focus” in their name. Some people become discovered once their research reveals a confliction with other companies. But Ripo and I saw this as an opportunity to create something completely new and FUN! So we came up with an idea to spread the act of focusing and the state of being focused by making the idea of FoQusing and being FoQus’D … a FUN thing to do. We replaced the “C” with a “Q” and we used the magnifying glass to replace the “Q” and as the symbol of zooming in on something (FoQusing). Our goal was to create a logo that is unforgettable. A logo that will redefine the way we think about the most powerful word (in our opinion) in the English dictionary — Focus. A brand that EVERYONE can be a part of, and will be proud of supporting. After a year and some months since the beginning of FoQus Music, we can personally say that if you shout-out “FoQus 2 The MaxXX” long enough, you WILL become more and more FoQus’d as a person with everyday that you reinforce that saying to yourself. The coolest part is that the reinforcement can be as natural and fun as being a part of the FoQus community or stopping by an Ustream webisode and screaming FoQus 2 The MaxXX (F2TM) with us. Hahaha!

6. What artists are on the FoQus roster?

• Casper G – New Jersey-based Male Hip Hop artist or Rapper
• Face 490 – New Jersey-based Male Hip Hop artist or Rapper
• Moncherie – New Jersey-based, St. Lucian born female Pop/Reggae/Dance artist
• Landon Hood – New Jersey-based male R&B artist or Singer

7. What’s the mission of the FoQus Music brand?

FoQus Music’s mission can literally be summed up in an acronym: I.M.E.Y.A — which stands for Inspire, Motivate, and Entertain Your Audience. In the beginning, we knew that we want the actions we take to be PROOF of the greatness that we KNOW lies in each and every one of our friends and peers (the youth) across the globe. Ripo is 21 years old and I am 24. Within that age range, there are millions and millions of pure-talent and leaders of tomorrow in the world. But it seemed like everywhere we turned, people were losing more and more hope in us (the youth). They did not even make any efforts to hide the fact that they think that we – as a generation – were almost incapable of progressing the world as it was given to us. Because of our age, we were in daily contact with our peers and for some strange reason; we noticed that the media’s direct and indirect shouting of “hopeless youth” became a mental shackle that actually starting to convince our peers to abandon or give up their dreams. It’s like some of our friends were afraid to dream big, to exercise their God-given right to place their vision as far as they can imagine. Why? Because it seemed like EVERYTHING in the media and around us was directly or indirectly saying, “You’re not good enough.” So – along with the cool logo, the exciting sayings and chants, the good music, the challenges, triumphs, and everything that comes with owning the fastest growing music company in New Jersey… the most important thing to us is that every day that FoQus Music Ent is in business is just ONE more reason and Proof for our friends, peers, and youth from all over the world to say: YES WE CAN (No-Barack, hahaha) and immediately begin to start taking ACTION to bring their dreams to life… no matter how BIG or “impossible” other people may say it is. We just want our friends to know that ONLY God can say “Yes” or “No” and since God wants all good things for us, chances are that your dreams and the true desires of your heart is something that God has already said YES to! You just have to work to make it your reality.

8. Does FoQus Music get involved in the Community, Charity, Internship etc?

Yes!! Community service is a BIG thing for us. After the devastating Earthquake that happened in Haiti in 2010, FoQus Music Ent as a team began to collect food, water, and clothing for those that were affected by the Earthquake. While we were doing this, we wrote a proposal to Bloomfield College and later presented this proposal to their Student Government body requesting for their help in putting together a benefit concert for the victims in Haiti. They agreed to the concert, which happened in March of 2010. Casper G performed at this concert along with other local talent and Bloomfield College students. And together, we were able to quickly raise approximately $500 at the door in donations, and created a great deal of awareness to get involved in helping however one can help. In the summer of 2010, FoQus Music Ent and artists were invited to participate and perform at the African Heritage Festival in Montclair, New Jersey. This was an amazing experience because it was a big stage for us to further spread our mission to Inspire, Motivate, and Entertain our generation. Along with other things, FoQus Music Ent launched an Internship Program for the spring 2011 semester by offering an internship to four amazing students (Audio Engineer, Graphic designer, Animator, and Video production). This was an amazing experience for the students and ourselves because we learned a lot from each of the interns, and they were able to walk away with real-life experience on what it takes to create and grow something from scratch. As one intern said, “Wow, this is entrepreneurism on steroids” hahahaha!!!

9. I quote FoQus “We are Fans First” Can you elaborate on that a bit?

We Are Fans First was the only way we could describe the main benefit that we offer to all of the music lovers and fans out there. Our promise is to ONLY put out music that our fans will like. Somewhere down the line in the music business, the people that were responsible for quality control in these major labels took a LONG leave of absence from their job because WE – as music fans – have been starving for good ole quality music. This is actually funny because we literally said, “If all you’re doing is complaining about the problem, then you’re part of the problem.” So – by founding FoQus Music Ent and taking the time to gather a very talented group of individual musicians, we’re now in a position to DO something about bringing quality REAL music to the marketplace for other music-loving fans, like us!

10. How can Venues get at you to book one of your artists?

The best way is to go to our website and click the “CONTACT” tab on the navigation bar and filling out the form.

11. FoQus Music

Check out FoQus Music website

12. Can you share a struggle and triumph that FoQus Music has gone through?

The music business is one of the most challenging industries in the world. Mainly because there is NO exact path to follow to be successful. There are many successful people in the industry, but the things that worked for them might not necessary work for you. So you will have to find your own way that works for YOU. One of the things that come with finding your own way is finding reliable money to fund your operations and releases. Like every business, financial backing or lack off can make or break a company (especially new companies). Funding was not the easiest thing to come around for FoQus Music Ent and until today, the company is truly independent. This means that we 100% fund our company through our own financial abilities. This has consistently been the biggest challenge because our brand is rapidly growing by gaining marketplace support and brand acceptance. As our company became more and more recognized, Ebo has been approached by 3 different people with an offer to put drug money into helping the company grow and being silent investors in FoQus Music. We’re happy to say that we gladly turned ALL three of them down on their offer. Why? Well, if we accept any drug or illegal money … in that very moment, we would’ve completely abandoned our mission to inspire and would’ve became a HUGE part of the problem. You may ask, where is the challenge in saying “no” to someone offering you drug money to run your company. But the challenge comes from knowing that FoQus Music Ent needs the kind of help and resources that the drug money being offered can afford us, but we still say NO. Sometimes when you want something so much, you might do ANYTHING to get that thing. So we are pleased to say that although we want the type of help that a large amount of drug money can buy, we will rather take it one step at a time, and keep trusting God to continue to provide us with a way to keep going. We are happy to let you know that God has NEVER failed us in providing for whatever it is we need at the time we needed it. We triumph through God because He provides us with breakthroughs, divine-inspired help and a team that STOMPS on what any drug money can buy our company. Will Smith once said, “You build a wall by placing ONE brick at a time.” As you can see, we are slowly but surely placing our bricks one at a time.

13. Can you tell us a bit about who the FoQus Music Producers are and how that relationship came to be?

Smoov Sailin is the Executive Producer for FoQus Music Ent. We met Smoov through a mutual friend of ours named Ashley. She was there with us when FoQus started, and one day she told us about a friend of hers that is an amazing producer that just placed a song on Hot 97 titled “Hate is the New Love” performed by Sheek Louch, Uncle Murder, Grafh, and Pure. She said we should meet with him and see what happens. That’s exactly what we did! The meeting was a bit awkward at first because Smoov didn’t say much (lol), but when he started playing his beats and music… The reason for his silence became quickly clear to us. His beats are really that good. Like us, Smoov believes in letting the music do ALL the talking, because that’s the reason we’re all gathered in the first place. He is a very humble guy too!

14. Where can Artists & Producers get at FoQus for Beats, Collaborations Submissions, Networking etc…?

The best way to do that is to visit our website and use the “Contact” page and form to send us something. For musicians (artists and producers) that’ll like to submit audio and beats. Please use the Contact page and form to send a LINK to the audio. Thank you!

15. What advice does FoQus have for young entrepreneurs wanting to start up their own music company today?

Trust God. I know it sounds cheesy, but STAY AWAY from Drug money (it’s just NOT worth it dude)! Have a business plan or guideline. Something that’ll help you take guided steps as soon as possible. If your business plan is stopping you from “starting” then you’re over-working the details involved with your planning. Once you make up your mind and decide to pursue your dreams, you have to be ready for all kinds of obstacles to throw themselves in your way, simply to stop your progress and momentum. Just know that wherever there is temptation, there is also an available way out of that temptation right in front of you. Expect for your patience, dedication, commitment, faith, and everything that plays a role in your ability to succeed — to be tested. Our experience has shown us that you just have to KEEP GOING … No matter what!

16. Who is a Music Mogul or Entrepreneur that has inspired FoQus Music?

There are a couple in no particular order: Will Smith, Jay Z, Diddy, Baby and Slim of Cash Money Records, Bill Gates, and Sir. Richard Branson of Virgin.

17. Okay I got to ask, collectively who does the FoQus Music Family think is the top 5 Rappers dead or alive?

Without starting an East Coast West Coast War? 1. Nas 2. Tupac 3. B.I.G 4. Jay Z 5. Eminem …. Don’t hurt us! Hahahaha…

18. What can we expect in 2012 from FoQus Music?

You can definitely expect to know Moncherie and Landon Hood a lot better as we plan to introduce them with new singles going into 2012. You can also expect new music from Casper G and Face 490. We are in the process of putting together a tour, but as you know, tours take some time to put together and make sure all of the dates, venues, and individuals involved are all on the same page and stay on the same page, so be on the lookout for that. Most importantly, FoQus Music Ent is working on a BIG BIG BIG compilation album set to be released in the first quarter of 2012, which will feature all four FoQus Music Ent artists — Casper G, Face 490, Moncherie, and Landon Hood. We are REALLY excited about the compilation album, and we hope our fans will share the same excitement as we begin to roll out the pre-release material and promotion.

Social Network