Shitty rainy nights are perfect for catching a show at the local movie house. My mate Ben sent over the trailer for a new documentary called Anvil! The Story of Anvil and said my local East Village cinema was screening a one-off show . I’ve never been a metal man but I love a good story and this one looked like a peach. We arrived at the box office just shy of the 10pm showtime only to be told that the session was sold out. It was then that I spotted Robb Reiner, Anvil’s drummer who said that the band is playing after the screening.
Suddenly I had a near hysterical need to be in on this event. I spied Ben looking over the publicists’ shoulder at the VIP list. At this juncture I should to inform you that I’m Australian (read: criminally trained mind) and he’s English (read: dodgy). He tells me that the only name he’s been able to glean from the list is Sebastian Bach. I’m always up for a blag and asked the publicist whether she believed that I was Sebastian Bach. As she’s furiously looking through the VIP list to find his name blissfully unaware that I was not in fact captain spandex an English bloke who was obviously impressed by our enterprising spirit gave us a cheeky grin and passed us a couple of free tickets. It turns out that our ticket angel was the film’s Director, Sacha Gervasi who when introducing his film says that the first time he saw Anvil play he had to graft his way into their sold out show. Ben leans over and whispers “The lord loves a trier”. Amen to that.
As the credits begin to roll at the end of the film the crunchy squeals of speed metal envelop the room as Anvil begin their 30-minute live set. I managed to scoot down to the stage floor and catch the action up close. Here’s what I managed to catch on my dodgy cell phone. What you see here is a glimpse of the sincerity and passion that has enabled this remarkable band to get their (belatedly) deserved plaudits.
It’s not every day that the likes of Helena Christensen and Chris Martin are mingling in the foyer of your local theater after a show. I managed to glad hand Lips on my way out and after congratulating him on the show joked that it was good to see that he’d pulled the Danish supermodel. “Helena Christensen” he said. “I have no idea who she is”. Perfect.
Do yourself a favor – go and see this film. Tell your friends to see this film. They will like you more as a result. I’ve seen a few music documentaries in my time but this tops the lot. It’s majestic. Better still after seeing Anvil play I’m a newly minted metal man. Wrok on!
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About
gogoyoko is a fair play social music marketplace, where artists and music fans can transact and interact. We’re an online music shop, but also so much more.
Artists
We do not only offer artists a revolutionary cut from their music sales and revenue from streaming. We provide them with the platform to create their online destination and manage everything themselves; the sale, promotion and distribution of their music, without the use of middlemen.
Fans
Music fans are provided with the tool to discover, stream or buy and download music straight from the source. They can also create a profile page and socialize with their favorite artists, friends and other music fans, find gigs, events and tour dates via our global music map and read and write all about music.
Background
After years of experience from selling their music in the US, UK and mainland Europe - seeing most of the money of the transaction being swallowed by middlemen - a group of artists was led to create what they saw as a dream platform to enter the global music market. A place where they would not only get exposure and be in contact with their fans, but also receive a fair share of their music sales and the streaming of their music.
We provide artists and other music right holders with the platform to create their online destination and manage themselves the sale, promotion and distribution of their music.
By artists for artists
gogoyoko is made by artists for artists and is all about fair play. That’s why we strive to keep the best deal out there for artists. Apart from legal obligations (royalty and transaction fees) we don’t take any cut from music sales. Additionally, we share 40% of our income from advertisements with artists based on the streaming of their music.
gogoyoko consists of four primary sections:
The Social Network, where artists, record labels, music professionals and music fans create profiles, interact and contribute to the ever-changing music scene
The Store, which can be customized by artists and record labels, and embedded to other sites on the Internet
The Music Magazine, where music fans can impart and keep up to date with new releases, exclusive interviews, reviews, special offers etc.
The Worldwide Music Map, a (groundbreaking) tool to find gigs, events and tour dates any where in the world
gogoyoko was born in Reykjavik, Iceland, in November 2007. Today the team is based in Germany, Norway, India and Iceland.
Charity
We believe in social responsibility, doing good and running our business with a contribution towards charity and environmental issues. We like to believe that our users and partners think the same. Therefore, charity is an important factor in the philosophy behind gogoyoko.
10% of our income from advertisements goes to partnering international charity and environmental organizations. This means that everybody visiting, buying and selling through gogoyoko contributes.
In addition we provide all gogoyoko users with the opportunity to donate to our charity partners through various means. Artists can donate 10% of their music sales and users and browsers can donate directly to the organizations on a special charity page.
The charity page is the place where everyone on gogoyoko can monitor how much has been donated to charity through gogoyoko, learn about the organizations and follow their latest news and projects.
Stuart, sorry I overheard that conversation as I was very close to where you and Lips were chatting. Lips was funny..
Comment by Rene — June 7, 2009 @ 05:38