Friday, December 11, 2015

My December to Remember Christmastime News...


Hi there,
A very merry and joyous Christmastime & a Happy New Year in 2016 to you!  Thanks for being my fan, and for purchasing, sharing & listening to my music, and for all your support in 2015! Many exciting things are happening, but above all I wanted to wish you all a truly memorable & blessed Christmas! 
Just a few updates:
My New Album "Dream of You"
As many of you know, my album is scheduled to be out very soon. We had a setback because I was ill for over a month, and couldn't sing! But it's back on track and we're almost finished mixing in Nashville, and on  to mastering, and then the album will be out-hopefully in time for Valentines! If you want to reserve your signed copy, please feel free to email me or respond to this email with your address and the number you want. I'll hold one (or more) for my email family for just $10 plus $2 shipping each in the Continental US (shipping is for up to 4)!!   This is a great deal because it will cost over $15 ea. to get one hardcopy if you order it after release...The songs are beautiful and a little different than my "usual". They're very honest & personal, with a bit of a folk, country-pop edge. I call it Amerifolk Pop-Country. There's also a little Latin jazz and even some rock-n-roll!
I think you'll enjoy the songs, and really relate to the lyrics. BTW- One original Single, "Stronger", already won Song of the Year at the 2015 IMEA Awards in Atanta on Oct. 24th, 2015, & Prime of Life was awarded Top 5 Finalist on Song of the Year.com, and nominated for Song of the Year at the 2015 IMEA awards! This album is actually based on the story of my life.  A story all of us can relate to: the dreams of youth, falling in love, aspirations, challenges & regrets, moving on, dealing with changes, and finally: love & acceptance. I sing about romance, the real meaning of love, the importance of family bonds, disappointments & heartbreak, finally growing up! and being happy and content right where you are now.
Please listen to some of the new songs here: www.Reverbnation.com/Deborahwedekind & please let me know what you think of my demos of "Stronger", "Prime of Life", "Recipe of Love" & "Dream of You" ok?
Upcoming Shows
Since we've been working so hard on this album, we only have a handful of shows coming up, but I still wanted you to know about them...Most are private company Christmas parties, but I have a few shows coming soon:
New Years Show...in Boquete, Panama!  Stay tuned, I'm sending info to my Latin American/Panamanian friends soon! This show will be much different than my Christmas show at the Rock- more Jazzy and more dance music!
Feb 13, 2016, 7-9pm  Valentine's Show at the Bender Performing Arts Center, Humble.   Featuring jazzy-pop standards by classical Soprano Megan Stapleton, & Mezzo Soprano DeDe Wedekind :) More show information TBA!

Have a wonderful Christmas and God bless you & your families!
DeDe & Larry (Cookie & Sugar too!) Wedekind :)
DeDe's Official Website:  www.DeDe-Music.com  Hear samples of DeDe's music and get albums!
Twitter:  @DeDeWMusic

Friday, October 16, 2015

Sign the Petition....for the US to STOP Music & Copyright Online Piracy!

Hi there,

As an independent Singer/Songwriter, Anti-Piracy's a subject that's near and dear to my heart: my music copyrights, sales, and revenues have been personally all but destroyed by online music & video internet piracy, and this is happening worldwide unfortunately. These folks are not just stealing our songs, they're stealing our copyrighted art, our identities, and our very livelihood: the income we rely on to support ourselves & our families, and to keep on writing and performing music!  I liken it to this scenario: would we tolerate it if someone walked in to a museum and took an original painting off the wall, copied it- and sold it to millions of people along with the original?

Whether you're an artist or just enjoy music, I sincerely hope you'll take just a few short minutes to read a very brief article below by William Buckley of FairPlay Inc., and SIGN the Petition on the site link below.  Online piracy effects all of us in one way or another, so keep all of the great new music & videos coming-take action now!

Thanks so much!
DeDe   www.DeDe-Music.com  & www.youtube.com/1DWedekind



SIGN THE PETITION. Art is not a digital file. Stop penalizing creators and close the loophole that has provided an unintended Safe Harbor for online piracy since 1999.
SIGN THE PETITION. Art is not a digital file. Stop penalizing creators and close the loophole that has provided an unintended Safe Harbor for online piracy since 1999.
Please share this important message with others...

Musicians, songwriters, filmmakers, authors & photographers have lost billions of dollars to online piracy due to a loophole in our existing copyright laws.

Thursday, October 1, 2015

Why in the World Would I Enter a Songwriting Contest, What the Hec is the IMEA? & Some GREAT Artists to Check Out!


So many of you musicians have asked me about winning awards: how do you win songwriting awards?, how and why do you enter song contests? etc., etc.  So I put together some basic info for you, below. I would love it if you would read about some of these extremely talented artists and see how many of them have recently won some pretty big awards.  Considering there're probably 100's of 1000's of good musicians out there, I believe that some of these awards in your pocket really can motivate you, get you the recognition you deserve, and set you apart from the crowd....


To Pre-Order hardcopies of my NEW album, “Dream of You” for only $10, just click HERE.

Also, what’s the IMEA?  Read below about what’s happening with the 3rd Annual IMEA Awards Show in Atlanta on Oct. 24, 2015, and please don’t forget to VOTE for DeDe HERE thru Oct. 7!  (Just click, enter your email, vote for DeDe for #2 & #22, and click on "SUBMIT" at the end. Simple, and thanks so much for your vote!!
___________________________________________________________

WE ARE LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY FROM THE 2015 IMEA AWARDS. I. REPEAT. WE ARE LESS THAN ONE MONTH AWAY FROM THE 2015 IMEA AWARDS.

Wow, this year is just rolling by so quickly. It seems that just yesterday I was on a conference call with the Nominating Committee finalizing the submission forms and booking the venue. Now, we are in the final stage of planning.

Over the past two months, I've exchanged an infinite amount of emails with IMEA members who are nominated. Many of them have been a part of the awards in the past years and many of them are new this year.

One of the things that I liked to tell newbies about the event is that it is like a homecoming or a family reunion. Although many of us meet for the first time on the weekend of the awards, it is an instant connection and feels as if we have been best friends or relatives our entire lives. That's beautiful. Many organizations, and award programs, are competitive. I am so glad that that is not the case with our organization.

I would also describe the event as a magical experience. From the hustle and excitement of the red carpet to the moment you step foot into the theatre, you immediately know that you are surrounded by talented and artistic people. You can feel it in the air. Another beautiful thing.

We have been working extremely hard to make this program a success and we could not do it without all of you. Thank you so much! If there's something you would like to see us doing that we aren't or if you have a suggestion on areas that we can improve our organization, please let me know.
-Colt Chambers

IMEA MEMBER NEWS:

DEDE
DeDe Wedekind, or just “DeDe” as she often goes by, is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Texas. Over the past 3 years of her 4-year career, DeDe’s been a repeat FINALIST in many International Songwriting Competitions including: the International Songwriting Contest, the UK Songwriting Contest, the 2014 Annual Dallas Songwriting Contest, and Song of the Year.com’s 2015 Songwriting Contest.  She also won 2 Albums of the Year (and one Song of the Year), from the International Music & Entertainment Awards in Oct. 2014. The Adult Contemporary Album of the Year was her 2nd album, "Love and Fairy Tales", and the IMEA Holiday Album of the Year was "World of Christmas”, DeDe’s 3rd album. 

She’s currently collaborating with Los Angeles-based Multi-Platinum Producer & Songwriter, Kevin DeClue (who’s worked with Hillary Duff, Charlie Midnight & Rihanna), on her highly anticipated 4th album, "Dream of You", releasing on Oct. 27, 2015. For "Dream of You”, which just wrapped recording in Nashville, DeDe wrote or collaborated on the writing for all the songs, including one of her new singles, “Love Is”.  On Sept. 19th, DeDe performed and recorded “Love Is” in Nashville’s Studio 515, with Multi-Platinum mega-hit Songwriter & Producer, Andrew Fromm (songwriter for the ‘NSync “Millenium” album, the Backstreet Boys, Marc Anthony & many others), who not only helped arrange the piano part, but also played the piano on this track for DeDe's album.  Two songs from this album have already been nominated for major Music and Songwriting Awards: "Prime of Life" was a Song of the Year.com Finalist in July 2015, and both "Prime of Life" & "Stronger" are nominated for Song of the Year in the 3rd annual IMEA Awards in Folk and Adult Contemporary respectively!  DeDe will be a Featured Artist at the 3rd annual IMEA Awards in Atlanta on October 24, 2014.

Crossing many genres and styles, DeDe is becoming known for her inspiring melodies and vocals, and her honest, yet uplifting lyrics. A nationwide terrestrial major market radio campaign by a leading Nashville Radio Promotion Company starts early this Nov. for 2 hit singles which appear on her new album: “Stronger” and “Prime of Life”.  Hear and purchase DeDe’s music at: www.DeDe-Music.com & Become a Fan and receive monthly news, shows & song updates: www.Reverbnation.com/DeborahWedekind.

YURI
Russian-born and Israeli-raised guitarist Yuri Liberzon ranks among today’s foremost classical guitarists in the United States and the world
His playing has been described as “Transcendent technical prowess at the service of gracious musicality. He is a natural born guitarist”. Washington D.C. Guitar Society wrote: “Mr. Liberzon was terrific. World-class mental acrobatics. Very pleasing results.”

His debut album Ascension was released to both domestic and international listeners on Friday, July 17th 2015.

It wasn’t long before the album received a stunning review from classical music critic Dan Cohen at The Muse’s Muse. He writes: “...he's all about melody, all about communication, all about heart. It's his Ascension, to be sure, but he wants to take us with him. My advice to you-- drop everything and go!” The album has also been submitted to the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences for first-round consideration at the upcoming 58th Annual GRAMMY® Awards.

It showcases the talent and resources of the San Francisco Bay area: performed on a 2011 Gil Carnal (a Santa Cruz luthier) guitar, recorded at the Robert Blitzer Art Gallery in Santa Cruz, mastered at Michael Romanowski Mastering in San Francisco, and produced by Yuri Liberzon and Nahuel Bronzini.

Yuri’s success in the United States began with full scholarships to study with two of the world’s leading guitar figures: Manuel Barrueco at the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, and Benjamin Verdery at Yale University School of Music. Mr. Liberzon went on to successfully complete his Graduate Performance Diploma and Bachelor’s degree from Peabody and finally a Master’s degree from Yale. His skills have also earned special recognition by the USCIS; Mr. Liberzon was granted Alien of Extraordinary Ability United States Permanent Residency based on his achievements in the music field. In addition to arrangements and transcriptions, his expertise has also been called on to judge competitions in the United States, most notably the Beatty Music Competition for the Classical Guitar in Washington D.C.​

STAGE REPUBLIC
When Dutch recording artist and actor Corjan de Raaf (Raven) founded Stage Republic at the end of 2013, he had no idea things would take off as they did. "Firstage", the debut album produced 3 singles that made it into the Dutch national indie chart, with "All Out" topping the list on #1. Outside the home country of the Netherlands "Firstage" was playlisted at over 200 US College Radio Stations and became a pop hit in South-Korea. A double IMEA Award nomination (Best Alternative Album & Best Alternative Group) became the icing on the cake.

The 2nd half year of 2014 saw the release of "Seconder" the EP with another charting single for the band in "Us Against The Rest". After that it was time to start working on new material. The song "Big Blue River", nominated for this year's IMEA "Best Pop Song" category, had all the elements of a clear new direction for the band. Where "Firstage" was centered around Raven's mantra of "refuse to think it's hard", in the new material the artist explores what is happening to us and how that affects our lives. The phrase "Had to drown to come clean" from the nominated song sums that up nicely. Still, the trademark Stage Republic messages of hope and perseverance are always there as are the electro-pop 80s roots, be it less dominant than before.

Stage Republic frontman Raven will be one of the proud presenters of this year's award ceremony.

BLACK JEWELZ
Black Jewelz latest video "#100 BARZ" was released September 7, 2015. The video "#100 BARZ" provides the audience with exceptional imagery coupled with raw lyricism. This follow-up to "The D" is the second video from the "illethal" Mixed tape.

THE MAJOLLY PROJECT
Based in Bangalore, India, The Majolly Project has already proved their mettle by winning ‘Best Emerging Artist’ and ‘Best Song’ for their debut single "Dark Room" at the Global Music Awards. This single is also currently nominated as Rock Song of the Year at IMEA presently.

A young band (founded in September 2014), concert pianist, teacher, singer and choir director Neecia Majolly is the frontswoman/songwriter/arranger, with Anish Thomas Panikkar (keyboards/arranger) and Ashwin Shekhar (drums/percussion). Coming from different musical backgrounds ranging from Western Classical to Electronic to Indian Classical to Progressive Rock, The Majolly Project has just released their explosive second single Whitebone showcasing their unique sound which they call CEPR (Classical/Electronic/Progressive Rock) based on the disturbing issue of ivory poaching.

The Majolly Project can be found on facebook, twitter, youtube and reverbnation. Both singles are on sale on www.cdbaby.com.

DYLAN GALVIN
After a very productive trip to LA, I will be collaborating with producer Matt Champlin, who won a grammy for his work on the new Sam Smith album. 

I will be having an album release party with my other project, Iz'em, a polyrhtymic, textural, modern rock group, in D.C. at the Velvet Lounge on U-Street October 9th.  Baltimore's 98 Rock will be broadcasting the entire show live to listeners.  The photo attached of our band was taken by the phenomenal Richie Downs, I highly recommend him to any musicians looking for a high quality photographer on a budget.

Also I'm working on some new music, including some finger tapping techniques and beatboxing that my audiences are really loving. 

I hope this puts you in a trance. #dubstep #beatboxer pic.twitter.com/xR9JyTHb8m
— Dylan Galvin (@DylanGalvin) September 24, 2015
You can stay up to date with me at www.dylangalvin.com.

FIND IMEA ONLINE...
www.Facebook.com/IMEAOnline
www.Twitter.com/IMEAOnline
www.Facebook.com/IMEAAwards
www.Twitter.com/IMEAAwards

CONTACT US
info@IMEAOnline.com


I hope you enjoyed this latest artist, contest and IMEA update! 
Thanks and have a great Fall!
DeDe J


Saturday, August 22, 2015

NEW! Please listen to my Interview on Unclaimed Bands with "DeDe & the Dreams" Band & Multi #Platinum #Record Producer Kevin DeClue...

Here it is! Aug. 19, 2015 Unclaimed Bands Interview with DeDe #0199:   https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/dede-0199/id349887175?i=350031121&mt=2

Please Listen & Share!  It's short, very interesting! & includes some of my new music and lots of info about my new album "Dream of You" coming in February 2016! 
You can find out more about me, DeDe Wedekind here: 

DeDe's Official Website, SignUp for a Free Download!: www.DeDe-Music.com

Listen & Purchase MP3's here: Reverbnation.com/DeborahWedekind

LIKE DeDe on Facebook and get news & updates: Facebook.com/DeDeWedekind

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

July/August Summer Scorcher News….DeDe :)

This is the hottest few weeks I can remember in Houston in many years…but I wanted to share some cool info & news with you!


From my new album shoot "Dream of You"- coming in October 2015!
Photo by Gerry Garcia Photography- Los Angeles

FRIENDS...

A friend can help carry us through the storm to calmer waters. A friend stands by us when everyone else has given up on us. Friends are God’s gift to us through hard times and good times in life.  Got laid off from a job or struggling with health issues? Having relationship troubles? The one who listens and helps without question is a true friend.

Sometimes our best friends know more about us than we know about ourselves. They congratulate us when we have a success or reach a milestone. They can be an angel when we’re sick, or when we need help or encouragement. We don't have to worry about what we say or how we say it, we can just be ourselves around them.

When I write a song, I rely on my family and friends to encourage me (and critique my songs!) so that I can shape them into something that will bring a certain honest message to others that they can relate to-and may just help them through a tough time or make them smile in recognition of having someone out there who shares their same feelings.

The one who can admire us, critique us, and love us genuinely is a dear friend. I cherish all my fans and friends including you, my email family. Please share your news with me so that I can encourage you too! Happy Friendship Day!

DeDe J

NEWS:

My upcoming album, Dream of You (Oct. 2015), is still a work in progress, but exciting things are happening with the addition of award-winning and well-known songwriters/producers: Mick Walsh and John Heldt to the production team.

2 of the 10 songs are almost completed or completed: Dream of You, (the title song written by me and Kevin De Clue), and Prime of Life, Finalist Winner in the Folk Song Category of the July 2015 Song of the Year.com Songwriting Contest (written by DeDe, Joey Leone & Kevin DeClue). We now have 6 songs recorded, and are working on the remaining 3-4 over the next several weeks.

We are in the process of booking shows and concerts and Radio interviews/shows over the next few months preparing for the Oct. 2015 release. We are expecting this album to be the most well-written, one of the best produced, and the most well-received album to date based on feedback our production team is already getting...  more information coming soon!

SHOWS:

Thursday Aug. 6th 6-8pm  Lake Houston Fundraiser & Show at the Nathaniel Center- Benefitting Village Learning Center (a 501C3 Adults with Special Needs living & helping Community Center in Kingwood).  Bring the family to hear the Village Choir, some great performers, and see some magic! For more information or to register: 281-358-6172 or http://www.villagelac.org Advance table seating available, general admission only $10 per plate at the door.

Sunday Aug 9th: DeDe shares a few new songs at the 10:30am service at Northpark Christian Church, 1599 Northpark Dr., Kingwood, TX 77339   Come be blessed & inspired by this great fellowship!

Thurs. Aug. 27th, 7:00-8:15pm  DeDe’s a Showcase Artist at the New Orleans House of Blues as part of  the Lifetime Achievement & Songwriter Showcase at the 10th Annual NOLA Cutting Edge Music Conference. FREE ENTRANCE to this event 6:30-10:30pm!  The House of Blues is on Decatur in the French Quarter, AND you can get Significantly DISCOUNTED Hotel rooms here: Booking.comConference Discount Hotel Link Hear DeDe’s great band, PLUS originals from her upcoming album: “Dream of You” (coming Oct. 2015)

Saturday Sept. 5th 2:30-3:45pm  DeDe Performs Live as a Featured Artist at the Light at theLighthouse Festival in Point Fermin Park, San Pedro, CA (just south of LA near Long Beach).  DeDe, Larry, Kevin, and their awesome band will perform inspiring new songs and covers of Contemporary Christians hits-come be a part of this fun & family-friendly free annual festival!

I really do hope to hear from you, and see YOU at one of my upcoming shows!
Hugs, Blessings & Peace,
DeDe :)

DeDe’s Official Website:  www.DeDe-Music.com
DeDe on Facebook:  www.Facebook.com/DeDeWedekind
DeDe on YouTube: www.Youtube.com/1DWedekind

DeDe on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeDeWMusic or @DeDeWMusic