Tag: "heather evans"

Fun Facts: State Tree: buckeye, State Song: “Beautiful Ohio,” State Beverage: tomato juice

Home of: The Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, Devo, Attack Attack!, The Black Keys, Guided By Voices, Neil Armstrong, Paul Newman, Bow Wow

Continue Reading 50 States In 50 Weeks…Week 34: Ohio

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Just a few more days now, hope everyone has their chimneys clear and ready to go. The holiday spirit is so strong for everyone at OurStage that we’ve decided to give you our gift early; this pack of free holiday downloads! Just click the button above to get your tracks. You can preview these seven hand-picked songs below. Enjoy, tell your friends, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

In the age of “generation Obama,” community service organizations and charities are gaining momentum in their efforts to promote and fund a number of good causes. These days, there is an ever-growing call for action on many fronts—both mainstream and unconventional—and the music industry is responding. New artists are emerging as advocates in support of charitable work, human rights and similar causes everyday, a positive trend that can bolster both career and personal beliefs.

One such organization benefiting from industry support is called 5 Rights Inc. 5 Rights exists to try and promote “a local, sustainable culture of human rights.” These rights are protected by a United Nations bill and are the basis of the organization’s goals. We caught up with 5 Rights representative Jeff Lipman, who has worked closely with community-minded OurStage band the Adam Ezra Group. When asked about the advantages of an artist supporting a cause, Lipman agreed with the idea that musicians can raise awareness by encouraging  fans to take an interest in a particular cause. This is especially important for the 5 Rights organization since basic human rights is a global topic that needs greater awareness. Although 5 Rights doesn’t focus solely on the music industry as a partner in their cause, they do plan on organizing some human rights festivals, utilizing music as a central point of the event.

When talking about 5 Rights and the music industry, it’s almost a given to discuss Calling All Crows. This is an organization that was started by Chad Stokes (Dispatch, State Radio) and his activist partner, Sybil Gallagher. Per their Website, Calling All Crows is dedicated to mobilizing musicians and fans to promote human rights.” We spoke to Matt Wilhelm, Co-Operator of Calling All Crows, to get his opinion on bands’ roles in charitable organizations. He agrees that a band can bring a new level of awareness and passion to a cause, beginning with the community of fans that surrounds the artist. But Wilhelm also feels that it works both ways. If a band can be a catalyst for activism, then a band can also benefit from the community of fans they gain from supporting a particular cause. In his words, “doing good and doing well are not mutually exclusive.” Bands like State Radio and Dispatch have certainly supported this idea in the past as evidenced by the droves of fans coming out to hear both their music and their messages of political, environmental and social activistism.
Continue reading ‘BENEFIT BANDS TO BENEFIT THE COMMUNITY’

Every once and a while, great artists on OurStage slip through the cracks and don’t get proper recognition. They do well but for some reason that winning channel spot continues to elude them. Maybe they just have bad luck, or maybe their competition is just too tough, but either way let’s take this moment to commemorate some of our best artists who have not been properly celebrated with a channel win. This will be my last blog post before I move on from OurStage, so I wanted to make sure that I gave some of my favorite OurStage musicians their just deserts before I moved on.

In this post:
White Light Riot (Rock)
Heather Evans (Pop/Rock)
American Babies (Folk/Rock)
Derek Adams (R&B/Hip-Hop)
Sean Bell (Hip-Hop)

Rising singer/songwriter Heather Evans is no stranger to OurStage. After she joined OurStage in 2008 at the age of 21, her soulful and strong voice was recognized immediately by fans on OurStage. She fought for quite a while though, before she took a Top 10 spot in February’s Indie Rock rankings. An avid singer who’s mature sound carries her experiences well, Heather recorded her first full album when she was just fifteen. That album, “Impatient Heart” has since sold many thousands of copies.

Incorporating her humble and honest nature, Heather often sings of her strong personal faith. “Battle Scars”, which finished 2nd in Indie Rock in February on OurStage, carries a particular message of staying true to yourself.

“Ride on, you soldier of the Lord … Battle scars will heal, they will heal”

Hailing from central Ohio, Heather doesn’t just sing about her own origins and ordeals. She is also active in charities and benefits to help end human trafficking and sex trafficking in Asia and Africa. You can read more about the organizations she works with, Shared Hope International and Hear The Cry.

Check out more information about Heather Evans on her profile, or check out her album on iTunes.