Las Vegas Weekly

LimeWire brings Vegas music to the masses

The Big Friendly Corporation is one of 30 local bands to be featured on Ear to the Ground: Las Vegas.

Photo: Corlene Byrd

No one knows the Las Vegas music scene better than Las Vegas.

Which is why LimeWire Store, the new digital music store belonging to the peer-to-peer file sharing software, agreed to team up with UNLV's Music and Entertainment Industry Student Association (MEISA), to release Ear to the Ground: Las Vegas.

The Vegas version is one in a series of music-scene samplers from various cities across the country. The chosen locations weren't just the music-heavy Meccas, but also some towns with vibrant but lesser-known music scenes.

"The first edition of Ear to the Ground focused on NYC," says Tom Monday, director of partner relations for LimeWire. "When we decided to reach further, we wanted to make sure we spotlighted not just the locales that had a known music scene like San Francisco, but also spots like Athens, Georgia, who have a lot going on but don't get a lot of attention paid to them. It's a lot more fun discovering entire scenes we didn't know existed."

Available only at LimeWire's online store, the free digital download of Ear to the Ground: Las Vegas features 30 local bands from a variety of genres.

The collaboration between MEISA and LimeWire Store came about when Paul Bordenkircher, adjunct instructor for music business and technology at UNLV and faculty advisor for MEISA, received word of the Ear to the Ground project, designed to promote LimeWire's newly opened online store. Bordenkircher leapt at the chance to expose local music to the masses and get his students some hands-on experience in the industry at the same time.

"I had gotten a news release on [Ear to the Ground] focusing on local artists — I didn't know if they were doing a cooperation, but I contacted them right away thinking it would be a great practical experience for our students," explains Bordenkircher. "We know we have a sullied reputation as the only thing here being Elvis impersonators and stripper poles, and we wanted to purpose that there is a valid music scene here."

Agreeing to the collaboration with a local university was a first for LimeWire Store, but they saw the potential of getting in with the locals. As Bordenkircher says, "Who would know the local music better?"

Choosing the featured bands — ranging from indie-pop outfit The Big Friendly Corporation to punk-rock staples Happy Campers — was put into the hands of MEISA members, who spent their winter break evaluating acts according to a set of criteria.

"[The Students] started researching bands and listening to music off of home music websites or MySpace — then ranking them on product quality, musical quality and style of music," says Bordenkircher, adding that LimeWire Store was happy with students' final results.

"LimeWire was very flexible. They liked all the bands that were brought on the list, so they wanted to leave it open to all 30 bands to be included."

As for the bands themselves, being included on the mix allows for greater exposure — for free!

"I said, if there is no cost we would be in," says Happy Campers singer Isaac Irvine. "Cause I get like three emails a week asking us to be on [compilations] that want you to chip in a couple hundred bucks or something."

Irvine also says he feels as though the opportunity to represent the local community is important. "We have always been proud to be from Las Vegas and want to help showcase what our town has to offer."

Another artist perk? Each act was allowed to personally choose which song was to represent them to the nation.

"I'm leaning toward "An Uncomfortable Silence," says The Big Friendly Corporation's Tim Styles of the last track off the group's newest album ...And So It Goes. "It shows off everybody's vocal strength and there's a big orchestra part. I think that's us at our best."

With the arrival of Ear to the Ground: Las Vegas on April 27th, the nation will get the chance to see Las Vegas music at its best.