Earl Cohen
Producer/Engineer
www.earlcohenproductions.com

Earl Cohen has worked with a veritable “Who’s Who” of today’s top recording artists in his 35+ year career in the music industry. His credits have appeared on more than 80 million records worldwide.

Upon graduating high school in 1973, Cohen began mixing for live rock bands in his native Connecticut and toured all over New England. Even at an early age, his musical tastes were expansive. From British Rock to Motown, he was influenced by The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Genesis, The Rolling Stones, Deep Purple, Smokey Robinson, The Temptations, and Marvin Gaye, etc. These musical influences helped to shape and define his listening spectrum.Cohen went on to study audio engineering at The Recording Workshop in 1980. Upon graduating, he worked at Jhana Sound Studios in Connecticut which led him to work with Michael Bolton, Cyndi Lauper, and Felix Cavaliere (The Rascals a/k/a The Young Rascals). While working on the top ten hit “Tragedy” with Jeff Cannata’s Arc Angel, Cohen also worked on the #1 dance smash hit “Avenue B” for The Major Thinkers with producer Ron Bacchiocchi . He continued to mix live shows throughout the early 80′s with various rock groups.

In the late 80′s, Cohen received a call from producer Kashif to work with R&B singer Johnny Kemp. The project lasted six months resulting in Kemp‘s gold single and #1 hit “Just Got Paid“, which remained at the top of the dance charts for eight consecutive weeks. This was Cohen‘s first gold single and #1 smash hit. Subsequently, many other R&B producers began calling on him. Shortly thereafter, he scored another R&B #1 hit “My First Love” with David and Wayne Lewis. While working with them on their LP for the following two years, Cohen scored yet another top ten hit with George Benson’s ”Let’s Do It Again“. At that time, he was introduced to producer Barry Eastmond. He worked with Barry for the next six years recording and mixing various artists resulting in many top ten hit records for the likes of Jeffrey Osbourne, Freddy Jackson, Keith Washington, Siedah Garrett, and a Grammy Award for Anita Baker’s ”I Apologize“. Cohen then met producer Joshua Thompson leading him to mix what would become Joe‘s smash hit “All The Things Your Man Won’t Do” which became a platinum single and #1 airplay for 1996. He then had another top 10 pop hit with “I Want To Know” which resulted in Joe’s LP going double platinum within a few short weeks. Cohen then had more top ten smash hits with “Don’t Be A Player” and “Faded Pictures” produced by Joe. He went on to win a Best Engineered LP Grammy Award for his work on “Ear-Resistable” for the legendaryTemptations. Later, Cohen recorded and mixed records for Usher, Tina Turner, and Olivia’s top ten hit “Bizzounce“. Around this time, He was asked to work with producer Kenny Smooth which lead him to work with Pink  back when she was in the group LaChoice. Cohen then recorded/mixed the top ten single “That Other Woman” with Changing Faces produced by Joe. From there, he worked with the Australian group Kaylan landing yet another gold single and top ten hit “Rock Me All Night“. During that time period, producer Brian Ressler asked Cohen to mix Nelly‘s smash hit “Hot In Herre“. Cohen later teamed up with producer Rob Fusari to record Destiny Child‘s smash #1 hit “Bootylicious“, and additional engineering for Whitney Houston‘s #1 dance hit “Love That Man“. The duo went on to work with Will Smith, O Town, Kelly Rowland, Jessica Simpson and international Russian superstar Valeriya.

In late 2006, Fusari and Cohen were searching for a female artist who played piano, wrote, and could really sing. Then came an artist named Stefani, who would later be known to the world as Lady Gaga. Fusari and Cohen were on the forefront of the next super star in the making. Over the next two years, they mixed and recorded over 20+ tracks forLady Gaga‘s multi platinum Grammy Award winning record “The Fame“. The rest is history.

Cohen just finished mixing actress/singer Cierra Ramirez title track “You Don’t Know” from Lionsgate Films upcoming movie “Girl In Progress” (April/2012 release) with producers Calvin Gaines and Timothy Temper (www.tempermusicgroup.com). Currently, Cohen is developing new and upcoming artists along with a hit-making team that will soon bring them to the top of the charts.

Early training

Ken Lavigne is a singer, composer, communicator and consummate entertainer.  Recognized early for the outstanding timbre of his lyric tenor voice as well as the ease and agility with which he sings, Lavigne undertook thorough vocal and music training in his native Victoria, BC, at the University of Victoria with Susan Young and Alexandra Browning-Moore and at the Victoria Conservatory of Music with Selena James.  Further study took him to Wales where he studied with Stuart Burrows and to New York for training with Joan Dorneman.

Classical & Opera performances

With his voice, his presence and his interpretive strengths, Lavigne had the option of taking the traditional route to a career in opera.  Following his 1998 debut in Massenet’s Werther, major roles followed in Nabuko, La Traviata,  Cenerentolla and The Barber of Seville with Pacific Opera Victoria, the Portland Opera and the Burnaby Lyric Opera.

Despite Lavigne’s recent branching out to cross-over solo concerts, he is still in great demand as an opera performer, not only in traditional roles such as Spoletta in the Pacific Opera Victoria’s 2005 production of Tosca, but also in new and sometimes controversial productions such as Victoria Philharmonic Choir’s 2007 interpretation of Handel’s Samson, presented in a post-war Palestinian setting.

Solo & Orchestral appearances

Ken Lavigne has a long and impressive list of solo concerts and Symphony performances over the short history of his career between 1997 and the present. In 2002, he was chosen to represent Canada at the Tipperary International Song of Peace Contest. His performance won first place and he subsequently had the honour of performing the same winning composition for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s Royal Jubilee Celebrations in Victoria BC.

As featured soloist, Lavigne has appeared with a number of symphony orchestras including the Vancouver Island Symphony, the Palm Court Light Orchestra and the Prince George Symphony . Each Christmas, Lavigne lends his talents to the partnership of the Pacific Maritime Forces Naden

Band and the Salvation Army.  He has been recently lauded for his interpretation of Stan Roger’s Canadian classic, North-West Passage, which he debuted in December, 2007 with the Naden Band.

Ensembles

The Canadian Tenors were established in 2004 with Lavigne as a founding member. He completed the inaugural BC tour with the group, after which he co-founded the successful trio, Romanza, which toured over a period of three years throughout BC and into Ontario with additional appearances in New York City and San Francisco.

Solo Cross-Over development

In 2007, Lavigne shifted his focus to independently producing solo cross-over concerts and CDs.  The concerts are highly-produced, professional evenings of entertainment, designed by Lavigne, with music ranging from ballads and musical theatre favourites to familiar classics and operatic arias. The music is interspersed with personal vignettes and background notes on the music delivered with the warm and audience-winning charm which, along with his strong flair for comedy, have become Lavigne’s trademarks. The concerts are backed by a small ensemble of Canadian musicians and often include other Canadian vocal and instrumental soloists.

Recordings

Lavigne’s recordings – his debut album, On the Street Where You Live and his second release, Believe – have sold in the thousands and selections from both have been featured on a number of CBC programs.  His third album entitled O’ Night Divine features  Christmas classics and was released November 30 2008

Ken Lavigne made his New York debut on the famed Carnegie Hall stage, accompanied by the New York Pops Orchestra under the baton of Simon Capet. This achievement was a dream come true for the singer, and after having received three standing ovations for his performance in New York, the debut has led to further engagements across North America. Including exclusive engagements with famed LA producer David Foster.

SS media co has been a life saver. I was on a deadline and needed a website within 2 days or less. They met my every need and demand.  SS media co worked around the clock for me and for that I am very grateful. These guys are the real deal! As you can see from my website, their work is amazing. I’ve had nothing but great reviews. I will 100 percent be using them again. They literally have been my website Angels and I cannot wait to see what else they come up with for me.

- Schara Taylor

Schara Taylor is one of Canada’s most promising upcoming pop-rock Artists. Over the past ten years, Schara has worked with some of the most critically acclaimed international and domestic musical producers. Currently, Schara is working on her self-titled debut album with Sean Hosein who has written and sold over forty million records worldwide and has worked with chart toppers the world over. She has also partnered with composer Jim Guttridge to compose and create a score for Nasser Entertainment Group where they are negotiating a five-picture movie deal. The first of which will feature Schara’s song, “ RIDE” for the upcoming feature film, DAWNRIDER, staring Donald Sutherland and Jill Hennessy. Schara’s unabashed emotion and powerful voice have captivated audiences. Coupled with her ability to craft catching pop tunes, she is an unstoppable force.
Her songs have garnished the attention of other well-known recording artists. Schara is 22 years old and is a perfect blend of East Indian, Scottish and Portuguese ancestry and was born in Credit Valley, Ontario in 1989.

Schara continues to work with music vocal coach; Judith Rabinovitch who also works with Sarah Mclachlan and Avril Lavigne Schara also worked with Juno award winner Bill Buckingham. Together they wrote and co-produced her second demo, “Looking for a Sign”. Schara also worked with Dane DeViller from Banana Toones. Schara at the age of 12 worked with 2002 Juno nominee, Composer, Producer and Songwriter, Syd Perez in Vancouver, BC. Collaboratively, Syd and Schara wrote three songs on her first demo.

Prior to working with Syd, her accomplishments took her to compete at the Shaw Discovery Talent Showcase in Vancouver, BC. Here, she performed in front of a live audience at the 2001 Pacific National Exhibition. This province wide musical showcase received more then 20,000 entries. Only 45 entrants were selected to perform in each category. Schara ranked amongst the top 5 competitors in her category of “Pop” music.

Schara also took home second place honours in both Pop and Folk categories in the 53rd Annual Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival in March, 2001.

For the past several years she has been honing her vocal and musical talents in a myriad of ways. She has been studying and learning vocal techniques in both Pop Contemporary music as well as Classical Theatre.

Schara’s love of music also expands to include the piano and guitar. She began early at the age of five by taking piano lessons. She completed her fourth year of Royal Conservatory Piano.However only plays instruments for writing purposes. She also has been co producing her own music. Schara takes complete control of her destiny to become the pop diva that she desires responsibly. In every way she continues to grow by adding new musical dimensions to her already impressive portfolio.

We look forward to finding the right team that will help catapult Schara into her destiny of stardom.

The development of M3Artistry.com is the second project we have worked with Melissa M. Merstsky, we had previously collaborated on another project Wassabi Collective. M3Artistry.com showcases Melissa amazing talents in Makeup, Body Paint, Hair, Traditional Artwork & Music.

Our task was to take Melissa’s stunning artwork and create a site that would complement each individual piece but also capture the artists personality. If you know Melissa we think you’ll agree that we hit the mark very well. From the M3 Artistry logo we designed to the flow of the entire site, this site feels like home to Melissa M. Merstsky.

All photographs we’re taken by Melissa M. Merstsky.

Gandhi once said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” With perpetual strive, sheer determination and an open heart, this is what Alexandria Maillot wishes to accomplish through her passion for the arts.

The newly Vancouver-based teen has already developed a wealth of experiences and an impressive resume from performing opportunities that have included: Showcasing her talents to audiences overseas in Egypt and Romania, winning numerous competitions like the PNE Shaw Star Discovery Talent Search and Victoria Idol, being featured on Virgin Radio’s Best of BC program, and catching the attention of impresario David Foster and earning a spot onstage with famed singer Jann Arden during a televised concert in Toronto.

A graduate at the age of 16, Alexandria’s most recent successes include recieving 2nd place in the BC Musician Songwriting Magazine, and is currently featured on Oprah Winfrey’s website as part of “Oprah’s Search for the World’s Smartest and Most Talented Kids” section.

One of her original songs, Revolution, was picked up by Universal Music in Europe and appears on the debut album by Swiss recording artist Stefanie Heinzmann. The song was the third single (with an accompanying video) from Stefanie’s album “Masterplan”, which went gold in Germany and Switzerland and was Top 10 in the EU.

In 2009, Alexandria was chosen as one of the Top 20 artists/bands out of 450 applicants in British Columbia to be a part of the inaugural The Peak Performance Project, a $5.29 million plan designed to kick start the international music careers of three emerging B.C. artists every year for the next seven years. The project is administered by the Music BC Industry Association and funded by 100.5 The PEAK through CRTC approved Canadian Content Development Funding.

Most recently, Alexandria was featured through 95.3 Virgin Radio for the “Best of BC” program as well as Ourstage.com and MTV’s “Needle in the Haystack” feature.

Alexandria has always made it a priority to help others through her music. Over the years, Alexandria has been involved in various charities like the Easter Seals Program, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Breast Cancer Research and Epilepsy Awareness, and has organized fundraisers for local food banks and independent groups. She has promoted self-confidence and inspired the use of creativity and imagination while touring elementary and middle schools, and has put together vocal workshops and Youth Talent Showcases to help young music enthusiasts get started in a positive manner. With a maturity far beyond her years, Alexandria knows the importance of being surrounded by a supportive atmosphere, and does her best to be a mentor and role model for her peers.

Alexandria is ready to take on the world. The question is, is the world ready to take on Alexandria?

“Wayne Lavallee is a superb storyteller, a gifted singer and a guitarist par excellence…I don’t know if the spirits haunted these sessions, but there is magic in every song.” So says XRoads Magazine from France about the new album from this award winning Vancouver artist. The long awaited follow up to the break out success that was 2005’s ‘Green Dress’, ‘Trail of Tears’ takes things into a whole new direction. Working with producer Johnny Ellis (Barney Bentall, Ridley Bent, Jeremy Fisher, Be Good Tanya’s) Lavallee has deliver an impressive, gritty set of songs about loss and power of place that leads to celebration.

From a home base of acoustic folk roots, Lavallee roams from blues to rock to Native chanting with a sense of artistic freedom that transcends easy classification, leaving one with the distinct sensation that they’ve just crossed paths with an unusual singer-songwriter, and a major one at that. The album was completed in Vancouver last spring and was released in Europe last summer 2009, on the Dixiefrog label out of France.

In early November 2009, Wayne did a 10 date solo tour across France – and garnered glowing several press reviews along the way., “The voice of Wayne Lavallee taps into his mystical roots…an album supernatural and enchanting.” Offered The Review BCR and Guitarist Magazine proclaimed “This Cana- dian songwriter, goes well beyond, with songs like ‘Trail of Tears’ and ‘Star Spangled Sensation’. Superb!” This is an album that is striking a chord with everyone who hears it.

Now that he’s back from France, the Canadian album of “Trail of Tears” was released Jan 2010 through Outside Music. With the arrival of this new album, Wayne continues his ever-growing presence as one of the most significant songwriters and storytellers for his generation.

More about Mythos
Mythos has been described as ambient yet groove oriented, ethereal yet grounded, and otherworldly.  The Canadian duo first achieved international acclaim with their self-titled 1998 Higher Octave Music/Virgin Records debut, combining electronic sounds with an eclectic range of ancient and modern flavors. The album quickly reached No. 18 on the Billboard New Age albums chart, and the duo’s second release “The Reality Of A Dreamer” reached No. 6 on the same chart. Victoria’s Secret used the music of Mythos for their Cannes 2000 fashion show, and many film and television shows have used the music of Mythos to enhance their visuals. Mythos songs have also been featured on several compilation CDs such as Warner Music’s “Escapes II”, the Due South compilation CD, and a special charity CD “Love Conquers All” featuring Canadian artists in support of the September 11th fund.

Bob D’Eith (piano) and Paul Schmidt (guitar) collectively wrote, produced, and performed on the albums with the help of various session performers.  The centerpiece of the Mythos sound rests on the beautiful acoustic guitar and piano, which are accented by haunting and powerful vocals. Tastes of different cultures are combined to achieve an ancient yet timeless ring.

Mythos last album was entitled “Eternity”, a 16 track collection that combines the timeless and ethereal qualities with expanded influences including jazz, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, and British electronic flavors. Although traditionally wordless, their most recent work features the lyrical vocals of acclaimed session singer Tania Hancheroff and Canadian Music Award winner John Bottomley.

In 2003, with borrowed monies he started 105 Recordings Limited LLC, a music production company.  Due to an opinionated legal battle, Sutton was incarcerated shortly after.  However, his sheer will would rule against his criminal conviction.

In 2005, from a prison cell he penned four books, which includes his compelling life story ‘CONVICTED BUT NOT CONVINCED From Bars to Ballads.’  Later, Mr. Sutton decided to promote and distribute his recordings and books himself.  Lloyd W. Sutton is a superb producer and a prolific songwriter.  His songs ‘Mirror Image’ and ‘Sinless Sex’ opened the ears of the mass media, and his country tune ‘Red Mustang’ has struck a chord with commercial audiences across the nation.

105 Recordings Limited has signed a stable of little-known artists who all have strong work ethics and promising careers.  Sutton has taken quite a bit of criticism for his approach to health giving with his outlandish commentary and wayward opinions but he proclaims its all for a good purpose.  “The hospital doesn’t differentiate in helping people, so why should I?  I want to be an assistance to all mankind, not just one special grouping,” he says with a peculiar smile.  Mr. Sutton is in the early stages of independently filming the documentary movie, ‘From Bars to Ballads’, to visually display his incredible turnaround, further proving that a haunting past doesn’t always mean darkness, but a light forever visible even if you’re the only one who can see it.  His new life mantra is BUILD THE DREAM AND LET IT BUILD YOU.  Sutton’s vision of becoming a successful businessman is noteworthy and it’s helping to restore his once stained character and warped reputation in the process.

SS Media Co is pleased to announce the relaunch of tamardavis.com for Grammy Nominated Artist Tamar Davis.  This is the second website SS Media Co as developed for Tamar Davis and the first “OnePage” we have launched since the announcement of our “OnePage” package. The site showcases Tamar’s official debut album “My Name Is Tamar” due in October and is the central hub for all of Tamar’s current projects, including her tour with Tyler Perry’s  play ”Madea’s Big Happy Family”.Check out tamardavis.com now

Her Name Is Tamar Davis
In an age of gimmicks and over processed sounds, the nostalgic idea of authentic vocals and magnetic stage presence seems un-imaginable. But there’s power in experiencing Grammy-nominated artist Tamar Davis: reminiscent of funk, soul, rock and R & B. She evinces passion meeting entertainment through her authentic, high-energy performances that makes her “Prince’s favorite singer” ~ Washington Post.

Unlike the vast majority of post-Whitney/ Mariah Carey soul singers, Tamar Davis is a true entertainer with a fully developed stage presence. She’s sassy and sexy but also able to laugh at herself, a trait solely missing from a genre filled with dour, overly serious women ~ Pioneer Press

This GRAMMY- NOMINATED songbird discovered her gift at age three.  By nine, the Houston native was a lead vocalist in a group of six singing, dancing, rapping preteens called Girls Tyme. After losing on Star Search, the budding stars continued on separate paths. Tamar opted to pursue a solo career. (Three of her former girl friends–Beyonce’ Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Latavia Robertson—would eventually form powerhouse Destiny’s Child.) A few years later, Tamar’s demo caught the attention of music royalty: Prince. Tamar was invited to hisPaisley Park studio and offered a production contract. Though she didn’t get to meet his royal badness and a deal wasn’t sealed, a seed was planted.

Tamar cultivated her talent at Houston’s Fame equivalent—The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts—and was among 20 honorees selected from a field of 8000 international applicants for the Presidential Scholar for the Arts award. Intent on furthering her career and her education, Tamar headed to Los Angeles to study music at the University of Southern California.  She graduated not only with classical training and a Bachelor of Music degree, but also with the ability to sing in French, Italian, German, and Swahili.

Tamar returned to the Star Search stage in 2004 for the “Battle of Champions.” Despite praise from judges like Naomi Judd—“ You have an amazing voice”–and show host Arsenio Hall—“It’s so unique. It has a Stephanie Mills/Whitney Houston vibe…”— she didn’t prevail in the competition. She also auditioned for the fourth season of American Idol; but didn’t make it in front of the three charismatic judges.  A producer’s critique: Tamar was too polished.  She advanced to working with Joe Sample, Lee Ritenour, and Tamia.

In 2005, Tamar was re-introduced to Prince by famed choreographer Fatima Robinson.  Tamar not only joined his band but also performed at his renowned house parties, joined him on stage for a solo at the NAACP Image Awards, and contributed background vocals on Prince’s 3121 album.  By the end of the year, the student and teacher were both signed to Universal Republic Records.  Now, Prince was ready to introduce his “favorite singer” to the world.

In 2006, the dynamic duo set off on a cross-country, 11-city tour. At the electrifying, sold-out shows reminiscent of old soul revues, the leading lady’s performances were the talk of the town.  Commanding the stage, Tamar won over legions of Prince fans across the world and gave music critics something to talk about.  A veritable knockout with voluminous hair, desirable curves and feisty moves, Tamar was by Prince’s side on “Saturday Night Live,” “Good Morning America,” and both the 2006 BET and Brit Awards.  And yes, that’s Tamar working it in his Fury video.  With the introduction made, new fans yearned for more. Yet, the world wouldn’t get to know Tamar as quickly as planned; Universal decided not to release her album due to a departed relationship with her mentor and the record company. But you can’t keep good music down. One of the many songs Tamar and Prince co-wrote and recorded, the forcefully inspirational duet “Beautiful, Loved and Blessed” was recently nominated for a GRAMMY.

Remarkably, she is now one of the first unsigned R&B artists to have been nominated for music’s highest honor and was just named Houston’s Rising Star 2007 (Ensemble Theatre). Honoring her rising star, Tamar Davis continues to climb both onstage and in the studio, currently cast in Tyler Perry’s new stage-play “Madea’s Big Happy Family,” completing his short-run tour of “Laugh to Keep from Crying” and previously showcased as the nuanced lead in Perry’s hit stage play “The Marriage Counselor” (New York Times). Finding favor with the television/movie mogul, Tamar then showcased a tear jerking “To Dream the Impossible Dream” for the grand opening of Tyler Perry Studios. The question of the evening became “who was that singer?”

The answer can be found on her second studio, yet first released self-titled album “My Name is Tamar…” (2010) It displays her distinctive sound, a result of a steady diet of artists as varied as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Sting, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Yolanda Adams, Barbara Streisand, Janet Jackson, Prince, Chaka Khan and AC/DC. It is a genuine collection of anticipated songs resonating the importance of lyric to melody and passion to performance. It blazes her bold, golden pipes with incisive tone and timbre through lyrical magic. With infectious party songs and soul ripping ballads, Tamar redefines an era where Rock and R & B were still kissing cousins. It’s a gathering of fresh sounds from a veteran artist dedicated to the communication of music and audience. Being true to the relationship of artist and song, Tamar delivers honesty and compassion both on record and live.

Tamar is now ready for the world to hear her story through song…

D’Eith & Company Entertainment Law can help artists negotiate and understand such agreements. Bob D’Eith and Kurt Dahl have a combined experience of over 25 years dealing with any type of legal agreement imaginable related to the music industry.

We also provide extensive services to managers, producers, record labels, publishing companies and other music-related entities to fulfill their legal needs.

Along with offering comprehensive legal advice, Bob and Kurt also provide advice and consulting in all areas of the music industry, whether you are an artist, label, manager, agent, or other member of the music community.

Clients can pick and choose from individual services or create packages. Flexibility is key. We provide everything from funding applications to publishing assistance to comprehensive marketing plans. Bob and Kurt bring a combined 25+ years to the table, to help you get the most out of your music business goals.

Check out http://www.adagiomusic.ca and follow them on facebook - Adagio Music & D’Eith Entertainment Law