I.R.S. (International Record Syndicate) Records is a record label, launched in the United States in 1979 by Miles Copeland III along with Jay Boberg and Carl Grasso. Miles was also the manager of Wishbone Ash, The Police, and later, Sting, as well as other bands. I.R.S. was the sister label of Copeland's Illegal Records (UK).

I.R.S. releases were distributed by A&M Records until 1985, by MCA Records until 1990, and finally by EMI until the label folded in 1996. In 2011, EMI revived the label; currently^[when?], the label has Chiddy Bang and Foxy Shazam on its roster.

History[link]

In 1985, Copeland brokered a deal to switch the label's distributor to MCA Records. Under the agreement, A&M continued to release the label's pre-1985 catalog, much of which still can be found under the A&M banner.

In 1990, the band Green Day included a letter from then-I.R.S. college radio rep Lori Blumenthal in one of their last cassette releases for Lookout Records. The letter expressed IRS' interest in signing the band to the label. A reply letter from Lookout, also included in the cassette artwork, deemed I.R.S. a "cheesy" and "washed up" record label, and they expressed their loyalty to Lookout! Records.

The last IRS release was the 1996 Buzzcocks CD All Set before it folded. Shortly after, Copeland formed Ark 21 Records.

The label was revived by EMI in 2011.^[1]

Faulty Products[link]

Faulty Products was the UK holding company for I.R.S. Records of the UK record labels set up by Miles Copeland III. It included Illegal Records, Deptford Fun City Records and others. Faulty Products was also an American independent record label, and distribution company for other indie labels, between 1980 and 1982. Faulty handled artists that didn't go through I.R.S.' distribution deal with A&M Records.

[edit] Illegal Records

Illegal Records was set up by Copeland with his younger brother Stewart and the manager of The Police, Paul Mulligan.^[2] The label released The Police's debut single, "Fall Out".^[3]

Deptford Fun City Records[link]

Deptford Fun City Records was set up by Copeland in the late 1970s as an outlet for Deptford bands such as Alternative TV^[4] and Squeeze.^[2][5]

[edit] No Speak Records

I.R.S. No Speak, also known as No Speak Records, was set up as an all-instrumental imprint of I.R.S. in January 1988. The label featured some of the many talented guitarists (and a few other instrumentalists) forced into unemployment by the Punk and New Wave music takeover of the music industry.

The Cutting Edge[link]

From 1983 to 1987, I.R.S. Records sponsored a weekly MTV show called I.R.S. Records Presents The Cutting Edge, hosted by Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones. The series focused heavily on bands that recorded for the label.

Re-Launch[link]

I.R.S. Records re-launched in 2011 as a joint venture between Crush Management and EMI.^[6] Foxy Shazam and Chiddy Bang are signed to the label.

On The Charts[link]

On the Charts was a 1994 compilation album that chronicled the acts of I.R.S. Records from 1979 to 1994, featuring the following:

1. Our Lips Are Sealed - The Go-Go's
   
2. Mexican Radio [Edit] - Wall of Voodoo
   
3. Only a Lad - Oingo Boingo
   
4. The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades - Timbuk 3
   
5. Save It for Later - The English Beat
   
6. She Drives Me Crazy - Fine Young Cannibals
   
7. Mad About You [Single Mix] - Belinda Carlisle
   
8. Tenderness - General Public
   
9. The One I Love - R.E.M.
   
10. Joey - Concrete Blonde
    
11. Rain in the Summertime [Edit] - The Alarm
    
12. Dizz Knee Land - dada
    

Acts[link]

Acts on I.R.S. included R.E.M., The Buzzcocks, The Go-Go's, Belinda Carlisle, Jane Wiedlin, Gary Numan, The English Beat (North America), General Public (North America), Camper Van Beethoven, The Cramps, Wall of Voodoo, Squeeze, The Animals, Wishbone Ash, Marillion (US & Canada only), Henry Badowski, Karel Fialka, Nuclear Assault, Human Switchboard, The Fleshtones, Oingo Boingo, Doctor and the Medics, Suburban Lawns, Over the Rhine, The Alarm, Skafish, John Cale, Renaissance, Sahotas, Caterwaul, Gren, Dread Zeppelin, The Surfing Brides, Show of Hands, Lords of the New Church, Fine Young Cannibals (North America), The Truth, Foxy Shazam, Chrome Molly, Black Sabbath, Let's Active and Concrete Blonde.

An instrumental-only imprint, I.R.S. No Speak, released albums by Wishbone Ash, Stewart Copeland, and William Orbit. I.R.S. also produced the feature film Shakes the Clown, which starred Bobcat Goldthwait. They released David Lynch and Alan R. Splet's soundtrack to Eraserhead in the 1980s.

See also[link]

• List of record labels

References[link]

External links[link]

• I.R.S. Records I.R.S. Records history 1979-1985, Billboard charts; photo galleries; US and international discographies.
• Discogs: I.R.S. discography
• Illegal Record discography discogs.com
• Faulty Products discography irscorner.com

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (April 2010)

Mitch Easter producing Game Theory's Lolita Nation. L-R, Mitch Easter, Michael Quercio (3 O:Clock) and Scott Miller (Game Theory). San Francisco, California 1986

Mitch Easter is a songwriter, musician, and producer. As a producer, he is probably best known for his work with R.E.M. from 1981 through 1984, though he has also worked with many other acts including The Hang Ups, Pavement, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, The Connells, Velvet Crush, and SalemSpeaks.

As a musician, Easter played with the Sneakers during the late 1970s; was the frontman for the band Let's Active during the 1980s; and more recently, has been a member of quasi-supergroups The Orange Humble Band and Coronet Blue. His first solo album was released in 2007.

Although commercial success eluded the group, Let's Active's offbeat pop style of jangle pop/power pop was a major influence on later groups such as the aforementioned R.E.M.

Biography[link]

Born as Mitchell Blake Easter November 15, 1954, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Mitch Easter was deeply involved in music from an early age. He played in a number of school bands, some of them with his childhood friend Chris Stamey. The two eventually formed the Sneakers, who released a number of singles and an album in the late 1970s. Stamey and bandmate Will Rigby eventually formed The dB's and moved to New York. Easter did likewise, but soon returned to Winston-Salem to set up Drive-In Studio in his parents' garage.

Drive-In Studio became an integral part of the local indie-rock scene, recording a number of bands at knock-down rates. It was at this time that Easter formed Let's Active with then-girlfriend Faye Hunter and drummer Sara Romweber. Around the same time, Easter worked with R.E.M. to record their debut single, "Radio Free Europe." This initial work led to a number of collaborations with the band, with Easter producing their debut EP and (with Don Dixon) their first two albums. Let's Active toured with R.E.M., which led to a recording contract with I.R.S. Records.

Weathering several line-up changes, Let's Active released an EP and three albums before splitting up. Easter had by then become known primarily as a producer, and worked with a number of artists, some of them perhaps because of his influence on the early R.E.M. His production credits include recordings by Pavement, Helium, Pylon, Suzanne Vega, Game Theory, Marshall Crenshaw, folk duo John & Mary, Ken Stringfellow (of The Posies), and SalemSpeaks.

Easter's current recording studio is The Fidelitorium, near Winston-Salem. He currently plays under his own name. His first solo album in 18 years, Dynamico, was released on Electric Devil Records on March 13, 2007.

External links[link]

• MitchEaster.com
• Fidelitorium Recordings
• Mitch Easter Official MySpace
• Interview with Easter
• Interview with Mitch Easter in Rocker Magazine 2011

The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page. Please do not remove this message until the dispute is resolved. (June 2010)

Foxy Shazam
Foxy Shazam performing in Sydney, 2011.
Background information
Origin	Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Genres	Glam Rock Alternative Rock Pop-Rock Post-hardcore
Years active	2004–present
Labels	Sire/Warner Bros. Records
Associated acts	Look Afraid, V-MOB, Train of Thought, Cadaver Dogs, Skin Curtain, Tub Ring
Website	www.foxyshazam.com
Members
Eric Sean Nally Loren Daniel Turner Daisy Caplan Schuyler Vaughn White Aaron McVeigh Alex Nauth
Past members
Joseph Allen Halberstadt Elijah Rust Jamison Pack Teddy Aitkins John Sims Skylyn Ohlenkamp

Foxy Shazam is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in 2004. The band is composed of lead vocalist Eric Sean Nally, guitarist Loren Turner, pianist Sky White, and bass player Daisy. Later, trumpeter and back-up vocalist Alex Nauth joined, and Aaron McVeigh became the band's permanent drummer. After forming, the band immediately recorded The Flamingo Trigger independently, then committed to an extensive national touring regimen. Shortly thereafter, Foxy signed with Ferret Records and recorded its second album, Introducing, which was produced by Casey Bates (Chiodos, Portugal. The Man).^[1][2] and released on January 22, 2008. The following year, the band recorded its first major label record with multi-platinum record producer John Feldmann. Foxy Shazam signed with Sire Records (a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records) and released its self-titled major label debut in 2010. The band's fourth studio album, The Church of Rock and Roll, was released in January 2012.

The band name originated from a slang phrase used by students at vocalist Eric Sean Nally's high school. "Foxy shazams" meant 'cool shoes'. (e.g. "Those are some foxy shazams!").^[3] In a Rockline radio interview in March 2012, Eric stated that this was not the case by saying that the truth is not as interesting as real life. He had been lying about it for 5 years and it just stuck.

Biography[link]

In 2008, they were named one of the "100 Bands You Need to Know" by Alternative Press. They toured with bands such as the Strokes, the Fall of Troy, Hole, Portugal. The Man, Tub Ring, the Dear Hunter, Tera Melos, Free Energy, Bad Rabbits, Panic! at the Disco, and the Young Veins. In 2010, Foxy Shazam was included on the Spin (magazine) list of "Ten Bands You Need To Know".^{[citation needed]} Also in 2010, vocalist Eric Sean Nally helped write songs for Meat Loaf's album Hang Cool, Teddy Bear.

Foxy Shazam previously played the Lollapalooza festival, also appeared in various magazines to help support its latest release, such as Alternative Press and Spin. The band played a 3-song set on Fuel.tv's The Daily Habit Show, ^[4][5][6] performed a 5-song set on shockhound.com, ^[7] as well as performing an acoustic three-song set for Spin magazine; one of which was a brand-new song titled "I'm in Love with a Boy."^[8] They also performed a full set, with interview. on Chicago's JBTV in July 2010,^[9] and later performed a live and exclusive version of "Oh, Lord" for music discovery app Shazam.^[10]

In 2010, Foxy Shazam was named a spotlight band for the 2011 Vans Warped Tour.^[11]

On February 7, 2010, the band's single "Unstoppable" was featured in Super Bowl XLIV.^[3] It was featured in the video game NHL 11 and also on the Cartoon Network's second live-action show Tower Prep, as a theme song. It was also in a trailer of the movie Your Highness, and has been featured in a series of commercials for MLB Network.

On October 6, 2011, "I Like It" was released for free on their Facebook page and the new album, The Church of Rock and Roll, was released on January 24, 2012.^[12] The album has a more refined, produced sound than previous records and contains 11 songs. They were able to secure the opening slot on a tour with The Darkness, before embarking on their own headlining tour later in April 2012.^[13]

Music style and influences[link]

A quotation from lead singer Eric Sean Nally about the band's influence: "When I listen to a Foxy Shazam record I think of Evel Knievel; Bruce Springsteen; my childhood; Van Morrison; my old friends from high school I don't talk to anymore; Elton John; the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and beyond; Iggy Pop; and my first kiss."^[3]

Eric Sean Nally said that an album that influenced him was Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill.^{[citation needed]} Many media outlets compare the band to Queen and Meat Loaf because of its use of theatrics and over-the-top lyrics. One live review stated, " If Noel Fielding and Freddie Mercury had a love child it would be Foxy Shazam vocalist Eric Sean Nally." ^[14] The magazine Alternative Press compared the band to bands like Queen, My Chemical Romance, and The Darkness, while also believing that the band has a very unique sound that should best be seen live.^[15] Lead singer of punk rock band The Squids Joey Spatafora has declared Foxy Shazam "The 2nd greatest rock and roll band of all time behind only The Beatles", and predicted Foxy Shazam would be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame the very second that they are eligible in 2029.

Members[link]

Current members

• Eric Sean Nally - vocals
• Loren Daniel Turner - guitars
• Daisy - bass
• Schuyler Vaughn White - keyboards
• Alex Nauth- horns/backing vocals
• Aaron McVeigh - drums

Former Members

• Joseph Allen Halberstadt - drums
• Elijah Rust - drums
• Jamison Pack - drums
• Teddy Aitkins - drums
• John Sims - drums
• Skylyn Ohlenkamp - bass
• Trevor Erb - bass (tour fill-in)
• Scott Hogle - guitar (tour fill-in)
• Baron Walker - bass, keyboards (tour fill-in)

Discography[link]

The discography of Foxy Shazam, an American rock band, consists of four studio albums, seven singles and five music videos.

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

Music videos[link]

Non album songs[link]

• "Walking in the Air (Howard Blake Cover)" - 4:08 (from "Gift Wrapped – 20 Songs That Keep on Giving!")
• "Heaven on Their Minds (Tim Rice Cover)" - 4:51 (from "Gift Wrapped Vol. II")
• "Drain You (Nirvana Cover)" - 4:09 (from SPIN's Nirvana tribute album: "Newermind")
• "Hybrid Moments (Misfits Cover)" - 2:02 (Released through Foxy Shazam's Youtube)
• "I'm In Love With A Boy" - (SPIN exclusive track)

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website

Kent Graffiti in Frankfurt am Main (2006)

Klark Kent (born 1973 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany) is a graffiti artist and music producer.

Klark Kent has been writing graffiti since 1989, and has gained international credit for his work over the years. Besides books and magazines his art was shown on several exhibitions worldwide, including the Galleries Vincent Louis (1998) and Pacifico Fine Art (1999) in New York. Some of his pieces were used in the 2006 video game "Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure" by Marc Ecko.^[1] He is a member of the Montana Writer Team,^[2] a group sponsored by spray paint manufacturer Montana Cans. Together with his team mates and friends Atom, Can2 and Smash137 he realised many Projects around the world, including city trips and exhibitions. In 2007 they painted a huge wall in Dubai.

Klark Kent has developed the Online Graffiti Game "Bomb the World" where users can virtually paint trains at 20 locations worldwide. The Game has won the „People’s Choice Award“ at the Flash Film Festival NYC^[3] in 2004. Klark Kent is currently working on a new version.

As a musician he created the theme song for "Bomb the World" as well as the Instrumental for a song competition held among users of the game. His productions appeared on many mixtapes, mostly by local German rap artists.

Trivia[link]

• Klark Kent has his own colour called "Kent Heat Red" by Montana Cans.
• Klark Kent is a member of TNB (The Nasty Boys), a graffiti crew founded by the famous New York old school writer TKid.
• He is also a member of SUK (Stick Up Kids), an international crew founded by German artist Can2.

Further reading[link]

• Ruedione: Montana Writer Team - Graffiti at its best. Publikat Verlag (Deutschland) 2006, ISBN 3-9809909-5-8
• Graffiti Art #1: Deutschland - Germany, Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf (Deutschland) 1995, ISBN 3-89602-028-5
• Graffiti Art #5: Frankfurt - Rhein-Main-Gebiet, Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf (Deutschland) 1996, ISBN 3-89602-067-6

References[link]

1. ^ Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure: http://www.starpulse.com/game/Marc_Ecko's_Getting_Up:_Contents_Under_Pressure/H45505/H47300/7/0/
2. ^ Montana Writer Team: http://www.montana-cans.de
3. ^ Flash Film Festival Gewinner: http://www.flashforwardconference.com/past_winners.html

External links[link]

• Official Klark Kent website
• Bomb the World homepage

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Junior Vasquez, (born Donald Paul Mattern, August 24, 1949,^[1] Lancaster, Pennsylvania), is an American club DJ and remixer/producer.^[2]

Career[link]

Mattern moved to New York as a young adult in 1971 with ambitions of becoming a fashion designer, even briefly attending Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and working as a hairdresser for a while.^{[citation needed]} However, Mattern soon became fascinated with NYC nightlife especially with the work of DJ Larry Levan at The Paradise Garage^{[citation needed]}. After adopting the pseudonym "Junior Vasquez", he commenced his career in music production in the 1980s. Vasquez began to work with DJ and pop remixer/producer Shep Pettibone, and together they co-produced and edited numerous singles from such artists as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, MC Hammer, Prince, Pet Shop Boys and others. It wasn't long before Vasquez landed a brief residency at Club Bassline, where he began to make a name for himself as a live DJ.

Many of Junior Vasquez's earliest underground hits were released under the name "Ellis D," including the seminal gay house track, "Work This Pussy." Vasquez also released the tracks "Just Like a Queen," "My Lolleata," "It's Scratched," and "Took my Love Away" under the name "Ellis D." The style of the tracks release under the pseudonym "Ellis D" are largely credited today with having influenced the sound of house music generally, and particularly the sound of most all subsequent "gay" house singles.

From 1989 to 1995, Vasquez gained national prominence, along with music industry influence — through his residency at the original Sound Factory, a club he co-founded with Richard Grant, which was located at 530 West 27th Street in Manhattan's Chelsea district. Vasquez quickly built a following of loyal fans who became known as "Juniorites". Devoted to Vasquez's musical style, personality, and the spectacle of his weekly Sunday morning after-hours parties, his fans made Vasquez one of New York City's most popular DJs. Soon afterward, major record labels began soliciting Vasquez to produce club-friendly remixes for their top singers utilizing his personal beat-driven house style. Due to a rise in demand from these labels, many singers and musicians such as C+C Music Factory, David Morales, Björk, Marilyn Manson, and Madonna were known to frequent his Sunday morning events. Working with many popular artists allowed Vasquez to create his own repertoire of exclusive "Private Collection" of authorized remixes (along with several unofficial remixes) which were not released to the market and thus made his live sets even more distinctive to his following due to the fact that they could only be heard at Vasquez's Sound Factory events.

Junior Vasquez was also closely associated at this time with The House of Extravaganza, a gay drag house which enjoyed great prominence in New York City at this time (perhaps in part due to its association with Vasquez). In the early '90's Vasquez released his single "X," which sampled a gay man saying the word "extravaganza!" (the voice sample was taken from the film Paris is Burning). The track became a house music phenomenon, and was followed up soon thereafter with the equally as influential and successful "Get Your Hands Off My Man." More than any other two tracks, "X" and "Get Your Hands Off My Man" brought Junior's "factory sound" to even greater prominence in the house music scene.

After the Sound Factory was closed in February 1995, Vasquez held residencies at the Tunnel (1995–1996), and at ArenA (held at the Palladium) (1996–1997) where his suspended booth was custom-designed by designers Dolce & Gabbana. In 1997, he returned to the former site of the original Sound Factory, now called "Twilo". Remodeled to include a custom-designed DJ booth for Vasquez's exclusive use and fitted with new cutting-edge audio technology known as "Phazon", Vasquez's residency at Twilo lasted until May 2001 when the venue was abruptly shut down by order of the city. In 1997 Ian Jenkinson and Inner Rhythm Artists Tribal Gathering enlisted Vasquez for the Largest single artist DJ event in UK history at the London Arena. Problems with the venue saw the event split between the two largest clubs in the country, Ministry of Sound and Cream.

With the demise of Twilo, Vasquez began a new Sunday morning after-hours residency which he named "Earth" at the highest capacity club space in New York City, Exit Nightclub. Vasquez's gig at Earth ended without fanfare in 2002. In the years that followed, he held shorter-lived residencies at various clubs in New York, including Discothèque, Sound Factory (so-named by Richard Grant who retained legal rights to the name and opened in a new space located in the Hells Kitchen section of Manhattan shortly after the closure of the original site), Pacha (which opened in the site where the new Sound Factory once stood), Spirit (which opened at the former space where Twilo once operated), and The Roxy.

In 2010 Vasquez held a residency at club Love in NYC's West Village where he hosted a successful bi-monthly Sunday afternoon party known as Sunday Mass, as well as occasional engagements at Cielo (a small bar in Manhattan's Meat Packing District section). In 2011 he continues to spin at occasional events at various venues around the world.

In addition to his work as a DJ and remixer, he has co-produced albums for John Mellencamp, For Real, Lisa Lisa, Cyndi Lauper, among others, and individual LP tracks for Madonna, Cher, Wild Orchid, Kristine W, and others. Junior, along with his record label JuniorVasquezMusic, is also known for introducing new artists, including many crossover singers, to dance/pop music scene. Some of these artists include Vernessa Mitchell, Jason Walker, Casey Stratton, Quentin Elias, Vivian Green, and Sam Harris.

Madonna controversy[link]

Vasquez had a public falling out with Madonna in 1996, after the release of an unauthorized single titled "If Madonna Calls". The original version that Vasquez plays at nightclubs contains what is widely believed to be an actual phone message from Madonna left on Vasquez's answering machine.^[3]

The song lyrics are as follows:

(voice recording ostensibly left by Madonna on Vasquez's answering machine at his home in New York):

"Hello Junior, This is Madonna. Are you there? (short pause) Call me in Miami."

This is followed by the voice of a male that says:

"If Madonna calls, I'm not here"

This is followed by hard tribal rhythms, with the samples of the message still playing in the loop of the track, and the male singer repeating the words shown above along with "Hola Señorita Cosa" ("Hello Ms. Thing"). Towards the end of the song, the words change and the male voice concludes by saying:

"If Madonna calls…actually if she calls just disconnect her. That's right if she calls, tell her I'm not here."

The song reportedly was produced after Madonna failed to show up for a surprise performance at one of Vasquez's parties held at New York City club "Tunnel" at the last second. Although never confirmed, Madonna did not approve of Vasquez's actions,^[4] ending their professional relationship on bad terms.^[5] Chances for reconciliation are impossible according to Madonna's longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg, who in a June 2003 news story in New York Magazine said “I can assure you that Madonna will never work with Junior again." ^[6]

Personal life[link]

Mattern is openly gay and has overcome an addiction to methamphetamine.^[7][8]

Discography[link]

Selected remixes[link]

Note: The industry standard by which a remix is considered "commercially released" is the track has been made available legally for retail sale. This can mean the remix was released on a CD single, 12" vinyl single, cassette single, or it can mean the remix was released on one of the artist's albums (usually on a greatest hits compilation or as a bonus track to a studio album's international release). Other times it was included on a compilation or soundtrack album. The tracks listed below have all been released commercially in one of the aforementioned forms, with a few exceptions which are indicated with a note in parenthesis explaining the track's status. With the advent of Internet-selling using programs such as iTunes, that type of release is also considered commercial as it results in a profit and the artist and management oversee what is available on such programs.

References[link]

External links[link]

• Junior Vasquez on Facebook
• Junior Vasquez on Myspace
• Junior Vasquez at the Internet Movie Database
• Discography at Discogs