GUITAR CENTER HELPS EMPLOYEES PURSUE THEIR DREAMS WITH FRESH CUTS VOL. 3 COMPILATION CD
(Guitar Center | Posted 2008-10-28)
Guitar Center, the world's largest musical instrument and professional audio retailer, announces the new compilation CD Fresh Cuts Vol. 3. The release, the third in an ongoing series, is part of Guitar Center's GAIN Program, designed to give GC employees an outlet for pursuing their music industry dreams. As such, the disc features recordings by members of the GC family, hand-selected by none other than legendary producer and hit maker Just Blaze from a pool of GC employee submissions. Blaze is also included on the CD himself, via "Exhibit A (Transformations)" - a song produced by Just Blaze, written by Jay Electronica and engineered by Mike Chav. 50,000 CDs will be available for free while supplies last at over 200 GC locations, starting October 25, 2008.
Since arriving on the national hip-hop scene in the late 1990s, Just Blaze has collaborated with some of urban music's biggest stars, including Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Usher, T.I., Snoop Dogg, Kanye West and countless others. Following a successful stint as in-house producer at Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, Just Blaze founded his own label, Fort Knocks Entertainment, through Atlantic Records in 2005, where he continues to produce hit records and showcase new talent. Jay Electronica has been building a steady underground fan base in the hip-hop world, earning respect as a rapper from such luminaries as Erykah Badu and Nas. A successful example of how the Internet can be used to enhance new industry business models, Jay Electronica has promoted himself by emphasizing his MySpace page and word-of-mouth, and it is expected that Jay's star will continue to rise in the future. Mike Chav has worked as an engineer, mixer and/or producer for some of the biggest names in hip-hop, including Eminem, Snoop Dogg, The Game, Method Man, Busta Rhymes and many more.
The GAIN Program was launched in March 2007 by Guitar Center to help GC team members achieve their musical aspirations. At the heart of GAIN is an extensive private social network where GC employees can post music, pictures, blogs and online discussions, in order to share with and learn from each other. In addition, GAIN presents a number of other benefits, deals, offers and opportunities to its participants, including partnerships with a number of vendors, services and institutions (music-related and non-music related alike). The Fresh Cuts CD series, inaugurated by GC and GAIN in 2007, offers GC employees a chance for their music to be heard with special participation from industry figures such as alternative rock legends The Smashing Pumpkins, who selected the tracks and contributed an exclusive song of their own for Fresh Cuts Vol. 2. The GAIN program continues to build relationships with companies, organizations and individuals who can provide exposure, insight, tools and opportunity to the musicians who work for Guitar Center.
Greg Trojan, Guitar Center COO and President, reflected on the Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 CD: "Guitar Center encourages all of its employees to pursue their musical dreams. The GAIN Program and projects such as the Fresh Cuts CD series provide promotion and opportunity that might not be otherwise realized by the individual participants. Partnering with such respected industry figures as Just Blaze, Jay Electronica and Mike Chav makes these projects all the more meaningful for everyone involved."
Fresh Cuts Vol. 3 Track List:
1. Jay Electronica - "Exhibit A (Transformations)"; Produced by Just Blaze for Reset Button Music / NQC Mgmt; Recorded by Andrew Wright and Michael Chavarria; Mixed by Andrew Wright and Michael Chavarria; Mastered by Nobody for Missed Deadline Entertainment; myspace.com/justblazeradio, myspace.com/jayelect, myspace.com/mikechav
2. EMC - "Leak it Out"; Featuring Vinson Johnson of Guitar Center Ft. Myers, FL; myspace.com/emcthegroup
3. Simpler Machine - "Monday Man" Featuring Dave Isaac, Vintage Inventory Manager, and Anoush Saboktakin of Guitar Center Hollywood, CA; myspace.com/simplermachine
4. The American Life - "Wait"; Featuring Daniel Domann and Jim West of Musician's Friend, Kansas City, MO; myspace.com/theamericanliferock
5. Paxtin - "What We Are"; Featuring Patrick Crandal of GuitarCenter.com and Ryan Jones of Musician's Friend Salt Lake City, UT; myspace.com/Paxtin
6. Reapacussionz - "Revelationz"; Featuring Jose Ruiz, Department Manager, of Guitar Center Springfield, NJ; myspace.com/reapreproyalty
7. 48sin - "Sipping Down the Barrel of a Gun"; Featuring Patrick Windsor, Assistant Manager, and Justin Flanigan of Guitar Center North Chicago, IL; myspace.com/48sin
8. Beautiful Vision - "Redirect"; Featuring Thomas Aniano, Assistant Manager, of Guitar Center Carle Place, NY; myspace.com/beautifulvision
9. The Hollow Sound - "Of Arms and Ocean"; Featuring Justin Poirier of Guitar Center Boston, MA; myspace.com/thehollowsound
10. Marti Stevens - "Back Again"; Featuring Marti Hargrave, Inventory Control Supervisor, Stores of Guitar Center Management, Westlake Village, CA; martistevens.com
11. Regenerated Headpiece - "The New Animal"; Featuring Brett Isler, Retail Leadership Trainer of Guitar Center Management, Westlake Village, CA; regeneratedheadpiece.com
12. The Last Pop Band - "Keep It Down"; Featuring Tom Steimel and Rob Dickey, Operations Manager of Guitar Center Grand Rapids, MI; myspace.com/thelastpopband
13. Scott Orlans - "Dark Matters"; Featuring Scott Orlans, Assistant Manager of Guitar Center Pasadena, CA; myspace.com/scottorlans
