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Voting for the 2009 International Music Festival is now complete and the IMF Champion has been crowned. Below are the IMF finalists who battled it out for the 2009 festival! The judges helped us obtain this talented pool of musicians. But it was your participation in listening to the bands and casting your vote which helped to make the 2009 International Music Festival a huge success. But it doesn't end here. The Anthem 2010 International Music Festival is just beginning. If you are an artist, sign up to participate. If you are a fan, watch for events in your area, or send in a request to have Anthem schedule an event in your area. We are making plans now to provide you a simple way of recommending locations and ways to make the IMF an even bigger success. Again, we want to thank you for your participation. All artists will be returning to the website soon to give you an opportunity to spend more time listening to their music and visiting their websites. We want to thank all of the artists for their participation in the 2009 IMF and look forward to seeing all of you out on the road for the the 2010 Festival. |
Sly-Chi [chee], from Portland, Maine, defies your standard musical genres. It takes more than a word to describe their style. There's funk, soul, a little R&B - all with an underlying jazz edge. Throw in the classic rock and you're pleasantly confused. This unique combination - along with the sheer size of the band - creates an unmistakable energy. The group has horns, 4 singers, a long list of percussive instruments, and a super-tight rhythm section to support all that sound. They pack dance floors much like the bands they're often compared to - Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, Brand New Heavies. The group got started in early 2000 and their family of friends and fans has been expanding ever since. Soon after their debut CD, "Wave Sound", reached best seller status in Maine and New Hampshire, they were voted Best Live Act and Best R&B Act in the 2004 Portland Phoenix Best Music Poll, followed by Best R&B Act in 2005 and 2006. With the addition of new saxophonist, Brian Graham, and Q97.9's Maine Idol Winner, Kelly McKenna, the band has placed in the finals of The 2008 Anthem International Music Festival. Most recently Sly-Chi has released their sophomore album, "The Space," which is now available at Maine and New Hampshire Bull Moose locations. Their first single, "Why," released in early 2008, has had radio play on most Maine stations and a number of college stations across the country. and the band is scheduled for an upcoming appearance on local television show "207."
Stranger Inside is no stranger to great music. This artist is a purveyor of such music, cranking out hard rock tunes that sizzle the brain and speed up the heart and bring on the zest of life, like any great hard rock band should do. Stranger Inside is totally at ease with its music, dropping gallons of talent into each and every song. Stranger Inside is driven. There's no other way to put it. Only undying passion could account for the fierce sense of life that permeates this artist's music. "Music is our passion. It is the one thing that makes us feel like nothing else in our lives; not the stress of work, school or personal issues really matter." For Stranger Inside, music is Shangri-La; it is the ultimate drug. "Music is the only thing that makes us happy, no matter what." It's important to this artist to reach its fans and share its dream. Music is always out there, available for listeners, both through live shows and CDs. Their unstoppable work ethic will lead to the success these musicians crave. "Music is our passion, our dream and everything we do is geared toward accomplishing our goals in becoming professional musicians. After years and over a hundred auditions we have found our brothers in Stranger Inside. We are the best of friends and love making music together."
Upon first glance, you don't really see Britten coming. On the surface, he's cute; he's soft-spoken, and, he's about as nice as they come. And, being that he's from music city, when he tells you that he's a "singer/songwriter", that doesn't really surprise you either. There are a ton of country and contemporary Christian musicians roaming the streets with a guitar on their backs. But once he takes to the stage, with his smooth vocals and remarkable range, all assumptions are out the door. In one word, Britten is "soulful". He can't help it. Since birth, thanks to his father, his down-home country surroundings have been filled with the sounds of Motown legends like Steve Wonder and the Jackson Five and Memphis icons like Al Green. Although Britten is currently working on a project with the help of Grammy-winning producers and personal mentors, Shannon Sanders and Drew Ramsey ("we're like country cousins"), ironically one of his dreams is to someday share a Rolling Stone cover with men like Mayer and Thicke, showing that a white man with soul ("anytime you write from your heart, it's a soulful experience") is not a gimmick. For many, it's a way of life. "I am tired of people trying to label me and put me in a box," he says. "I am not interested in breaking the mold of being a white guy who does soul music. I just want to do good music. There's no color, timeline or genre to that, and I aim to prove that theory with every song that I write and sing." Britten is proud to represent Nashville in the International Music Festival.
Nights and Weekends
Toronto, Canada
Nights and Weekends was born early in 2008 when producer Mike Gonek and singer-songwriter Brendan Beamish committed their full time and energy to doing what they love, making music. Inspired by living young in the city, Nights and Weekends deliver a sound unlike anything being done in Canada right now. With the addition of Jermaine Hamilton, Nights and Weekends' "pop scene, rock action" style has been tearing up stages all over Toronto. Nights and Weekends' dance beats and party anthems keep crowds singing along all night. These three individuals come together to form a unique group of young men with the potential to capture hearts all over the world. Unlike many pop acts, they create their own music and they carry it with authority. Each member is incredibly talented in their own right. But together, the whole is infinitely greater than the sum of its parts. But if you really want to know what Nights and Weekends are all about, all you have to do is listen!
Our band consists of childhood friends and family who know each other really well and their talents compliment one another. This makes creating quality music easy. We have spent quite a few years developing and coming up with our own sound and we feel it is different from anything out there today. It is clean and wholesome and reminscent of music from the 1950's and 60's when music was appropriate for all ages. We take our music seriously and operate the band as a business. We have a reputation for being reliable, looking good and sounding good. We have been influenced by artists such as John Mayer, Cold Play, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Third Eye Blind and even Johnny Cash!
Kari K.'s list of accomplishments of being an independent musician is astonishingly never ending. She is a Singer, Songwriter, and Audio Engineer to the renown Media Tech Institute as well as Assistant Engineer at the talented Hideout Studios. Kari K. mixes, produces, engineers & publishes her own music with an impressive natural ability. Most recently, she was the FIRST PLACE winner out of over 600 contestants of Austin's 3 month long Live Vocalist Competition 2008, "The Showcase". You can feel her powerful & moving lyrics as her soul illuminates through her voice. It is rare to find a solo artist who has SUCH a remarkable stage performance. Not only does her voice dominate the room, her personality shines through her choice of songs and engagement with the crowd. The fans are in awe - singing along and dancing while having the time of their lives as her performance draws their undivided attention. If she hasn't played for you, you'd be missing out not only on a mind-blowing performance, but a well-respected female musician who is passionately dedicated to her work. Kari K. defines the term: True Musician. It's what she was meant to do.
A Pennsylvania based rock quartet with a focus on songwriting, arrangements, and energetic live performances. Kingsfoil was originally formed as an acoustic duo. Songwriting by Jordan Davis and Tristan Martin has matured over the years through their three independent releases (Thoughts on the Floor '02, Blueprints '04, and The Almond Tree EP '05). Following the strong release of the Almond Tree EP, Joe Cipollini was added on drums, and in 2007 Tim Warren finalized the group on bass. With this solid line-up, Kingfoil recorded the five song Bear in the Attic release in 2007. As a four piece, Kingsfoil has seen extensive growth in the south central and eastern PA markets. Drawing on influences like Coldplay, Ben Folds, Love Drug, and Radiohead, their songwriting continues to develop along with their base of fans and friends.
