We are pleased to announce the expert panelists who will judge talent at our first Rock Music Contest on June 9 at 8:00 p.m. at Skinny’s Lounge in the NoHo Arts District (Los Angeles). These experts include:
DJ Ashba, Ashbaland, Inc. and Sixx: A.M.
Jan Linder-Koda, Producer, Angel Diva Music
J. Scavo, General Manager, MySpace Records
Robert Walls, President, Harry Warren Music
VP, Four Jays Music & Red Queen Music
For more information and bios on our expert panelists, please read on!
Photo: DJ Ashba
ROCK LAMN Jam Panelist Bios
DJ ASHBA
Ashbaland, Inc. and Sixx: A.M.
DJ Ashba was born in Monticello, Indiana on the early Friday morning of November 10th. At age 1, the Ashba family moved to Fairbury, Illinois, a small country farm town where he grew up. His father left him at age 3, leaving his mother to raise him. His mother is an amazing classical pianist, who started teaching DJ about music. He was instantly obsessed with it. DJ started playing piano at age 3 and played his first recital at age 5, where he performed Beethoven’s classical masterpiece :Ode To Joy.” At age 6 he began studying the drums. DJ would set up garbage cans, pots and pans, buckets, and whatever else he could find to resemble a drum kit. He would beat on them for months and months, hours on end. After finally getting a real set, he studied rhythm. At age 8, DJ worked detasseling corn in the fields for one year until he was able to buy his first electric guitar out of the Sears catalog. The Harmony White Flying V was priced at $89.00. As he rode on the bus to the corn fields each day, he sat with a friend he made, an older guitar player from a local band. DJ would take his pocket knife and carve a fret board on the seat in front of them. His buddy would take the knife, pole 3 holes, and say “That’s an A chord, go home and practice that tonight.” Everyday DJ looked forward to going to work so he could learn a new chord. DJ grew up in an 8-bedroom house with no TV, due to his religious mother. He would sit in his room and practice his new guitar 17 hours a day. At age 16, DJ went to live with his father in Logansport, Indiana for a year, before moving back to Fairbury. For his 16th birthday his dad took him to his first concert: The Mötley Crüe – Girls, Girls, Girls Tour. It was the night that changed his life forever. At age 19, DJ packed up all his things in his mini van and drove himself to Hollywood, California, where he joined a band called Barracuda. He toured with the band for two years. He then released his first instrumental album, “Ashba: Addiction To The Friction,” and signed his first record deal. DJ went on to win 6 Best Guitar Player awards, DJ Ashba co-founded the band Beautiful Creatures and landed a deal with Warner Bros. Records. He wrote all the music for the Warner release, and song such as “Ride” landed in the Warner Bros. motion picture Rollerball. The song “Wasted” landed in the movie Valentine. In addition, the song “1 a.m.” landed in both the hit TV show Smallville and The Howard Stern Show. The first concert Beautiful Creatures played was with KISS on the farewell toured in front of 60,000 people. The band’s numerous other tours include Ozzfest 2001, The Rolling Rock Tour, a Japanese tour and dates with Marilyn Manson. Beautiful Creatures released the video for “Wasted” on MTV and a full concert for HBO Reverb. National TV hits include the band’s appearance with Knoc-Tourn-Al on the Craig Kilborn Show. Two performance highlights that stand out were at the Sundance Film Festival and Mile High Stadium. DJ Ashba is endorsed by over 20 major music companies. He has toured the world blowing away audiences with his out-of-control stage performances. DJ has appeared in Rolling Stone and numerous other worldwide ads and videos. In 2003 DJ founded Ashba Media, Inc., The Creative Agency. Ashba Media was announced The Agency of Record for Virgin Entertainment. AMIU designs the look and feel of every Virgin Megastore. Other clients include Ovation Guitars, Royal Underground and more. DJ owns two corporations, Ashba Media, Inc. which handles the art side of things and Ashbaland, Inc. which handles the music side of things. These days, DJ Ashba has teamed up with Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx and James Michael to create the mega-hit band Sixx: A.M. (Sixx, Ashba, Michaels). The album entitled “The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack” features their #1 hit song “Life Is Beautiful.” DJ heads out on tour with Sixx A.M. this summer on Crüe Fest 2008 Tour. DJ will also score the entire horror film called Covet and playing a lead roll in the film.
JAN LINDER-KODA
Producer
Angel Diva Music
Jan Linder-Koda is a producer, singer, songwriter, and actor. She specializes in an artist development program that results in a radio-ready product with hit songs and a dazzling album package. Jan has worked with 17 Grammy winners including Lou Rawls, Narada Michael Walden, Taryn Manning and David Hasselhoff to name a few as well as last year’s LAMN Jam Slam winner Tim Fagan, currently on tour with Colby Caillet. Most recently, Jan’s song “Just What I Needed” was featured in the film The Blue Tooth Virgin. Her CD of children’s music (Sophisticated Lullabies) is available on Amazon.com and CDBaby. Proceeds from CD sales go to support Cure Autism Now. A frequent guest expert at LAMN Jams since their inception in 2006, Jan works with artists to improve their craft, technique, performance and stage presence. Called “Awesome!” and “Unbelievably helpful!” by her clients, Jan’s specialty is helping each artist create a compelling package that fits his unique style and doesn’t comprise his integrity.
More info: www.angeldivamusic.com
myspace.com/angeldivamusic
J. SCAVO
General Manager
MySpace Records
[bio forthcoming]
ROBERT WALLS
President, Harry Warren Music
VP, Four Jays Music & red Queen Music
At age 17, Robert ran away from home in Madrid, Spain to go to London to see Pink Floyd’s “The Wall”. He moved to Hollywood in 1980 to play guitar in a metal band, saw Randy Rhoades, Eddie Van Halen and various others play, put down his guitar, and became a photographer instead. From 1981 to 1994, Robert did concert photography for local, national, and international magazines covering mainly Los Angeles club scene, with some national tours thrown in. As far as he can recall from the now hazy days of the 1980s, he photographed well over 5000 concerts. Currently Robert is Vice President Four Jays Music Publishing, which covers standards from 1924 to 1960. He is also President of Harry Warren Music, running day to day operations and working hits like “I Only Have Eyes for You,” “At Last,” etc. Lastly, he is Vice President of Red Queen Music, mainly comprised of Urban and Rock catalogs.
