Its Voodoo, Baby
Cedar Knolls, NJ (PRWEB) May 6, 2005
In the music business, only a handful of local bands are lucky enough to get beyond club dates and gig-related CD sales. Voodoo Babies, named after a good luck trinket sold in casinos, is one such band having opened for such headliners as Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Joan Jett, Goo Goo Dolls, and Smashmouth. But it was having their music featured in a TV commercial that proved a catapulting career move for this Pittsburgh band.
Voodoo Babies founder and lead guitarist, Jay Scholl, comes from a musical family. His grandfather, a professional jazz and classical bassist, guided and paid for Scholls guitar lessons when he was a teenager. Through him, Scholl was able to study with several of Pittsburghs accomplished musicians; an influence evident in Scholls polished lead guitar playing.
Scholl met Lori Bernish, the bands lead singer, though a friend who had spotted her when she was performing karaoke at local bar in 1996. Invited to audition for the Voodoo Babies lead singer slot, Scholl recalled, She was the last singer we auditioned and we clicked right there. She has a great voice and really knocked my socks off. We even wrote a song on our first night. Today, Bernish and Scholl front the band that includes rhythm guitarist Darek Eberhart, drummer David Ray, and bassist Jesse Mellor.
As fate would have it, Bernish, a long-time songwriter, was working for a Pittsburgh booking agency when a chance meeting with Michael Boltons guitarist, Chris Camossi, came about. Camossi, who has produced songs for Britney Spears and Mariah Cary, clicked instantly with Scholl. They kept in touch with Camossi and about a year later, he produced their second CD, Bloom. During that time, Camossi showed Scholl how to draw people in with a hook when writing songs a skill now second nature to Scholl and unmistakable when listening to his material.
In another twist of fate, Bernishs day-job also led to another career opportunity for the Voodoo Babies. While booking shows for The Pittsburgh Brewing Company, she learned the brewer was looking to record a jingle for their Iron City Light (IC Light) Beer. Using her connections, Bernish convinced the companys marketing executives to use her band. Written and performed by the Voodoo Babies, the jingle was recorded and used in an IC Light TV commercial. Jay can just play a riff and I can sing right over it said Bernish of their song writing collaboration. Its a very fast process.
The IC Light TV commercial, which shows the Voodoo Babies name on screen, was aired locally for the first time during a Pittsburgh Steelers game. I was at a friends house watching the game and was in the kitchen getting something to eat, when the TV commercial first hit the air, Scholl recalled. My friends called me into the living room, Hey Jay your commercials on. I caught just the end of it and then the Steelers game came back on. We were saying, Wow everyone in Pittsburg saw that! I felt happy we were making some progress and that people were recognizing I was a good songwriter. I knew that commercial got out to a lot of people because everyone watches the Steelers games.
Pleased with the results, Pittsburgh Brewing agreed to sponsor the recording of Voodoo Babies third CD, Everything. The old saying the third time is a charm proved true, as this would be the break-through CD. A local Pittsburgh production company offered to produce a music video free-of-charge provided Pittsburgh Brewing would allow the video to be part of the final CD. Explained Scholl, The production company wanted to gain exposure to get other bands to use their services for music videos. All parties agreed.
The guy who shot the video, Scholl recalled, is a cameraman for the local CBS Studios in Pittsburgh and has some really top-notch equipment. I remember one day we shot video for 14 hours. The video was a $ 20,000 perk, for free! In the end, Voodoo Babies had both a CD and a top-tier music video.
To give Everything additional exposure, the Band decided to put one of their songs on MP3.com. They ended up with more exposure than they bargained for. Explained Scholl, We put Can You Feel It on MP3.com. Then one day I received an email from TRIMSPA. They wanted to use one of our songs in a commercial they were doing with Anna Nicole Smith. At first, I took it with a grain of salt, he recalled. Being in this business for a while, you hear a lot of things that dont end up happening.
Bernishs reaction to the TRIMSPA e-mail was similar to Scholls. When Jay called and told me about TRIMSPAs interest in Can You Feel It, I didnt think much of it, said Bernish. I dont get excited about something until it happens.
I just wanted to make sure TRIMSPA could use our songs in any way they wanted, but I also wanted to be sure that we kept the rights to our songs, explained Scholl.
TRIMSPA and the Voodoo Babbies worked through the details. When producing the TRIMSPA radio and TV commercials, which utilized a voice-over, Bernishs vocals competed with the narration and needed to be remixed. The radio commercials were going to produced first. I was very intrigued and couldnt wait until I heard how they were going remix the song to make it fit, said Bernish.
According to Scholl, TRIMSPA did a really good job with the remix. I heard the TRIMSPA radio commercial on the air when I was in Los Angeles and they did something cool to the drum sound that almost made it sound like a dance song. I had never even thought of that! he exclaimed. We all thought it sounded great!
As a musician and music fan, Scholl makes a habit of watching the televised music award shows. Not surprisingly, he was at home and tuned in to the 2003 RMAs (Radio Music Awards) when TRIMSPAs new TV commercial, featuring Anna Nicole Smith and Voodoo Babies Can You Feel It made its national Television debut. The commercial shows Smith getting out of a limo in front of the media where she reveals the secret to her makeover as TRIMSPA Baby.
Scheduled as the first commercial in the very first commercial break, Scholl was unaware that the TRIMSPA commercial would air so early in the show. Reminiscent of the local Pittsburgh Brewing commercial, he was once again in the kitchen. I like to eat and Im always in the kitchen making sandwiches. Im Italian, what can I say, Im into cooking, admits Scholl. So, I was in the kitchen and my girlfriend starts calling me from the other room Its on, its on! and I came running out and there was our song.
Since the TRIMSPA commercial, the Voodoo Babies find their local celebrity status elevated to an even a higher level around Pittsburgh. At concerts were treated with a lot of respect, brags Scholl. We are able to go backstage and meet people, and we have no problem getting into the dance clubs, he notes, adding, Pittsburgh is a family orientated, small big city and everyone takes a lot of pride as one of their own doing really well.
My phone at home is always ringing, said Bernish. People are always asking, Is that you singing on the TRIMSPA commercial? It has generated a very positive response.
If it wasnt for MP3.com, the Voodoo Babies and TRIMSPA may never have connected. Its really a shame MP3.com isnt around anymore. It was a great way for the public to preview a bands music, explains Scholl. Without MP3.com, I dont know if our song would have been in the TRIMSPA commercial, reflects Scholl. The TRIMSPA commercials have given Can You Feel It an extensive amount of national exposure and really opened a lot of doors for us. Its a great way to open a conversation when talking to record labels and industry people. When I ask, Have you seen the TRIMSPA commercials with Anna Nicole Smith? they immediately say, Oh yeah, Ive seen that commercial, its cool! Well, thats my Bands music, he says with pride. I would encourage a record label to release it as a single. I have seen the reaction from people who attend our shows and they love the song! Even Anna Nicole Smith loves it!
Scholl won a Telly award in 2004 for Can You Feel It and some say this local bands progress has been a combination of a little luck and a lot of talent. Others just say, Its voodoo, baby.
About TRIMSPA, Inc.
TRIMSPA Inc., headquartered in Cedar Knolls, New Jersey, is the maker of TRIMSPA® X32, a leader in weight-loss supplements. TRIMSPA® X32 is the Official Weight Loss Product of the Hawaiian Tropic®, Mrs. America® and Mrs. World® Pageants. TRIMSPA Inc. is a supporter of various high-profile celebrity events, such as the American Music Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and more. TRIMSPA, Inc. is an associate sponsor in the NASCAR® Busch Series racing circuit through Braun Racing. The company has worked with numerous charitable organizations including the Millennium Women’s Foundation, Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation®, American Cancer Society®, and Make-A-Wish Foundation®. For more information about TRIMSPA Inc. and its other products visit http://www.trimspa.com or call 1-800-TRIMSPA.
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