Monika's Blog

I am fortunate to live in such a great state. I am even more fortunate to be visiting my Grama in Arizona this weekend! However, the Grammys have decided to treat us all, in the Mountain Time Zone (edit: and Pacific Time Zone), as people who do not matter. Why? Because we are the ONLY time zone(s) that does not get to see the Grammys performed live!

Why does this matter? In case you didn’t realize, it is 2012. If you are 27 minutes late with the news, you are old school. Add another 33 minutes on to that? Chopped liver. So, why do the Grammys insist on treating everyone in the Mountain (and Pacific) Time Zone(s) like we do not deserve to watch these shows in real time?

When the Grammys go from show to commercial, they pride themselves in saying “Follow us on Twitter and Facebook!” but that just screws us all in these states which do not matter as they are posting all the winners as they happen…live! Which means EVERYTHING is already ruined for me.

This is not just a problem with the Grammys, but many awards shows (*ahem* Emmys *ahem*) are shunning these time zones. They need to realize that it is all or nothing these days. If you aren’t watching it/reading it/tweeting it live, then you are so “30 seconds ago.” Sports get it! The Superbowl wasn’t tape delayed. That would be stupid, right? Why doesn’t music get the same respect?

The music industry as a whole is seeking more respect for their craft and artistry, but the same must be reciprocated. People that view the Grammys are the die-hard fans. The loyal ones. These people are also living in a digital age and issues like this matter. People will not continue to put up with this bullshit, they will find other means to either watch or they will boycott these shows.

Grammys (and all “live” award ceremonies) what do you say? Can we fix this delay ‘problem’?

People of the Mountain and Pacific Time Zones (and those that believe in equality) let’s show the Grammys that we DO matter! Please RT this and tag @TheGrammys on Twitter (#grammys) and post on Facebook/TheGrammys to show them we are sick of being treated like this!

…that make me happy.

When listening to Jimmy Eat World this morning I clicked on similar artists, and there was Tickle Me Pink!! I was so excited to see them listed with such great artists.

(more…)

Drumroll….

Congrats to…

The Heyday!

My Body Sings Electric!

Churchill!

Churchill // Change from Tim Twinem on Vimeo.

Can’t wait for Saturday!!

Well I didn’t do too bad with my picks for Hometown this year! Here are the Top 12:

The Heyday
My Body Sings Electric
Beats Noir
Saints
Monroe Monroe
Eldren
Reno Divorce
Fierce Bad Rabbit
Swayback
Churchill
The Photo Atlas
In The Whale

Hear Alf read all the winners here:

Yes, Kaila and I were a bit excited about who got in.

Now, DO NOT forget to sign up for the surveys! You have until Friday at 5:00 PM.

Who do you think will make it into the top 3?

Christmas has arrived early for me this year! And no, I am not talking about my new car (although that is a great Christmas gift. Thanks Mom and Dad!). Next week is the week that I will be listening to KTCL 93.3 as many hours of the day as possible. Why? Because it is Hometown for the Holidays!!

You’ve never heard of Hometown for the Holidays (HTFTH)? Well, if you live in Denver and care about local music as much as me (or even just a little bit), then you have to join me and support 93.3 this week. Each year they hold this contest for local bands in Colorado. Bands each submit one song, the DJ’s select 10 bands, all of whom are played on the radio for the next week or so, while YOU vote for the best. The top 3 will then play a show at Casslemans on December 17th, where, again, YOU will select the winner!

This year there were so many great bands, that there was a 4 way tie for 9th, so there will be 12 bands to select from!

Hometown for the Holidays Music Survey

I was lucky enough to attend the first ever HTFTH in 2006, where Tickle Me Pink came in 2nd place!! There were only a handful of people that made it to the concert that year at the Gothic though because of the HORRIBLE snow storm that year. Remember that? When everything shut down? Yea, I do too. Either way, Tickle Me Pink put on a fantastic show:

It’s no secret that I have become friends with many of the local bands over the past few years, and I have been lucky enough to have heard many of the HTFTH submissions already. I do not envy the DJ’s at KTCL! There are SO many good songs, and I have only heard a handful of the 200+ that were entered.

One of my favorites so far is Churchill’s song Change. The song is a slight departure from their usual songs, and while it sounds a bit like something Adele might sing, they keep their style with the mandolin and harmonies. The video they made for the song is fantastic as well:

Churchill // Change from Tim Twinem on Vimeo.

Eldren submitted their song Sleepy Walker, which starts off with a little bit of a MGMT feel and slowly progresses into their style. The video is fun, but the recording just doesn’t do Eldren justice, as they are a fantastic live band, and I encourage you to go see them whenever possible.

Another one of my picks is slightly biased, but I am posting it anyways. Inca submitted their song as well! Why is that biased? Well, it is a collaboration between my brother, Stefan of Tickle Me Pink, Joey of Tickle Me Pink and Randy of the Heyday.

A few others that I can’t link to are Doctor by My Body Sings Electric (which was stuck in my head from the first time I heard it), Still Time by Bop Skizzum (the first with their new singer Julie), Somebody to Someone by The Heyday and Animal by Homemade Explosives. Other bands that I believe submitted are Take To The Oars, Petals of Spain, Sam Lee, Vices I Admire, and I am sure MANY more that I am forgetting!

So, seriously, go sign up for the surveys now. Regardless of who makes it in the top 3, I can guarantee you will see me at Hometown for the Holidays this year!

Seriously, to all of you that were not at this show last week at the Marquis Theatre (and this is directed to just about everyone I know because there were NOT enough people there), you missed a fantastic show!

Opening for Company of Thieves was Popcult (seriously awesome local band), but of course COT stole the show. Genevieve Schatz is an amazing performer who captivates the audience the moment she got on stage in her sparkling dress.

Not only does she know how to dance, but her voice is incredible. Don’t believe me? Watch the video below, where she covers Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down:”

And Oscar Wilde:

So, some of you already know this, but in case you have not heard, I have a new full time gig!

Last week was my first week being a full-time employee of BlogFrog! For the past month, I have worked with BlogFrog as a contractor, and after my contract was up, they offered me a permanent position!

What exactly is BlogFrog?

This isn’t the easiest thing to explain in a few words, so I will borrow some words from a recent writeup from The Next Web on what BlogFrog is:

There are literally millions of blogs around the Internet, many with similar interests, feel and audiences, and yet there’s not been a good way to let those audiences connect.

Enter BlogFrog. It solves this problem…

BlogFrog is focusing on being the social network for niche websites. Up to now, it has stayed primarily focused on the the spaces in which women are more typically interested. According to Banks, this is due simply to the fact that women are “more likely to reach out to people they don’t know and strike up a conversation.”

Apparently it has worked well. To date, BlogFrog services 65,000 registered blogs, across 10,000 active communities that reach 10 million users.

You can read the whole story here.

Now that you have a better idea of what BlogFrog is, what do I do exactly? Well, I am an Account Manager, so I get the best of all worlds. BlogFrog partners with brands to build communities for them, or assist them with working with bloggers for sponsored conversations. Does it sound like I am speaking gibberish? Yea, I thought so. Once again, Brad McCarty from The Next Web is better with words than me:

Brands can do a couple of things within the BlogFrog network. They can either build a niche community which they then own (Whirlpool, for instance, might build a community where stay-at-home moms discuss the ways in which they make their hectic lives easier), or a brand can choose to start a topic inside of a blog, capture all of the comments related to it, and then channel those comments to a community page. In short, they aren’t paid posts, but rather paid topics where the blogger still has the chance to speak her own mind about a subject.

Since BlogFrog has grown so much this year (from 5 employees to over 20, and it is only October!), we have had to move offices. The new pad is at 55th and Central Ave in Boulder, CO. and it is HUGE! Take a look:

Sneak Peek at BlogFrog’s new office from Holly Hamann on Vimeo.

There you have it. I’m excited to a part of the team at BlogFrog, and as usual, I’m sure I’ll see many of you at a tech event, concert, or local coffee shop. Tap me, say hi, and feel free to inquire.