What’s better than being a co-star on a hit TV series? Being a singer in a rock and roll band. At least it is for Tina Yothers, who played Jennifer Keaton on the 1980's sitcom, Family Ties. The grown-up siren has attained her life-long dream as the front woman in Jaded, a SoCal seven-piece that formed in 1994, with Yothers, mastermind bro Corey and guitarist Michael Anderson at its creative core. With a staunch fan base accrued over six years of tireless performances, Jaded has made their long-awaited Harvest Product /Afterdark Entertainment indie label debut with Confessions.
Produced by Cory Yothers, who fills out the band’s big sound with keyboards, scratching, electronic loops and a variety of other instruments, Jaded’s funky, rhythm-rich style is positive, passionate and mainstream enough to offer a special listening experience to everyone. In addition to the Yothers and Anderson, Jaded features the groove-heavy beatmeisters Brett Arcement (drums) and Francis DeCosmo (bass), as well as their not-so-secret weapon Fike (trumpet).
"With my career cross-over, people are expecting to hear some angst, anger or shock value," Yothers notes, "but our sound is very mainstream and very non-threatening. It’s full of melody and nice music. It’s not following the trends that are being set at this moment. Totally sticking to what makes us feel good is our own trend."
That’s where Jaded’s unique creativity comes in. Their songwriting is a natural, unforced and spontaneous process, with Tina Yothers writing the lyrics and Cory Yothers and Michael Anderson building a melodic foundation of funk, R&B and edgy guitars. Keyboards and trumpet (an instrument Tina Yothers loves) contribute flourishes that put the irresistibility factor over the top. Yothers, who has always been tight with her bro, credits her his musical genius for Jaded’s inimitable sound. The result is a collection of songs that stick to your soul.
"I pride myself on the fact that Confessions is from my heart and this is what I’ve always wanted to do" says the sultry-voiced Tina Yothers. "The biggest lesson I’ve learned in life with the help of friends and family is to not give up and to follow my dream."
She’s not only tracked that dream, but has captured it, too. As for making the transition from acting to music, Yothers philosophically states, "It has its definite plusses and minuses. Maybe if I wasn’t the girl from Family Ties and didn’t have this baggage," she laughs, "we may have been picked up a couple years ago by a major label. We may have been too risky for them to get involved with. It’s not a surprise that we had to release Confessions ourselves with Harvest Product and Ground Level Distribution."
To the victors go the spoils, and so it is with Jaded, who had nothing to lose but their dream, had they played it safe.
"There’s a ground level (no pun intended) sense to the whole project. Working from the streets is a huge opportunity to reach the world. It doesn’t take $10 million to promote a record," Yothers logically points out. "We’re in a great position; it’s all us right now and we’re completely stoked."
Yothers is fully aware of the extra high expectations that Jaded’s potential audience has because of her background, but she also has a clear perspective on the situation. "I know some people think, ‘You’re an actress. You grew up on TV. Why should I believe you’re a singer? Where’d you find the time to learn that?" she laughs. "You can look at any interview I’ve ever done, even when I was nine or 10, and music has always been a part of those conversations. My main goal in life has always been to be a singer in a band."
All it takes is to hear Confessions or see Jaded perform to be convinced that Yothers is the real deal, conveying feelings that listeners recognize and relate to as their own.
Hear some more songs on their website. Send them an email and let them know that there are some real fans out there.
Fisher is the first music success story of the Internet. The duo’s songs have been streamed and downloaded from various Internet sites nearly 2,000,000 times in the last year, and they are the first artist signed to a major label because of its New Media success. Fisher’s first big break arrived via a soundtrack. The gold album for Great Expectations, the 1998 film starring Ethan Hawke and Gwyneth Paltrow, included Fisher’s “Breakable” alongside tracks from Tori Amos, Scott Weiland and Iggy Pop, among others. Now there’s True North, featuring the new songs “Human” (“about not becoming a victim,” says Kathy), the darkly amusing “Miseryland” and the cheatin’ tune “Simi California.” Of course, great artists utilize tools that help them express their emotions - turning feelings into songs.
"I honestly don't think I'd be where I am today if it was not for Macintosh computers," says Ron Wasserman.
"I've been using them loyally since 1989, when I obtained my first real steady gig scoring television (Power Rangers, X-Men, Sweet Valley High, etc.). Every single Fisher song we've written was created on a Mac. The CD "True North" was recorded and mixed entirely using Pro Tools and Mac. How much do I love Mac's? I have 2 ibooks, 2 iMacs, 2 G3's, and the Cube."
The band's latest addition is a Titanium G4 with a MOTU 828 FireWire audio device, which Wasserman uses for Fisher's live shows.
To watch the video on your television, be sure to get MacAddict's 5th Anniversary DVD! Find out how in the magazine.
Exodus Revealed is the closing credit cue for the one-hour documentary of the same name, describing the successful search for the chariot wheels left at the bottom of the Red Sea, after the Pharaoh’s army was destroyed in the Israelite exodus. It is a fascinating documentary, requiring no musicians except for a Duduk player (which is featured at the very end of the cue). As such, all sounds, both ethnic and orchestral, are synthetic, and played on Kurzweil K2500s, utilizing various sound libraries.
All of the tracks were recorded on a Power Mac G4/500 equipped with a Cheetah UW 160 SCSI drive, using Logic Audio Platinum and a MOTU 2408.
Mark Edward Lewis has been scoring film, documentaries, commercials, and software products for over ten years. Classically trained, yet rooted in modern styles, his music blends the most dramatic elements of orchestral music with powerful aspects of synthesizer technology. Creating incredible soundscapes with his impressive MIDI studio, Mark marries divergent musical styles into seamless fabrics perfect for dramatic underscore.
Mark is also an avid recording producer and engineer, having worked on several record projects – many of which have soared to the top ten sellers in Asia.
DJ Fakt is an avid Mac user who has been writing music since he was 8 years old.
"I used to bang on a steel rack and cookie cans with a pair of chopsticks. That's probably what developed my sense of rhythm. Soon after, my father bought a family tape recorder, which changed everthing. It set the path for my future in music and audio. I remember singing into the tape recorder, playing it back, and singing a harmony part with it. I didn't even know what a harmony was at the time, but it was nice."
Jump forward to 2000, when Fakt started putting together a "real" MIDI studio. "I played in a band for several years, but I never liked my role as a keyboardist. I always felt like I was in the background and nobody noticed me. I also didn't like the idea of playing other people's music. My heart was into composition and recording. I guess I'm not a "live" person. So I bought a ton of MIDI and recording equipment, along with a Power Mac G3 computer. After a few months of learning Cubase VST, I eventually decided to record and release some music. Minor Things is the first polished recording that I've released. It's airy quality makes me feel like I'm "in love." Not with anybody or anything, just that feeling.
DJ Fakt plans on starting his own label in the future. Right now, he prefers the studio life of writing and recording.
