If good things come to those who wait, then Nashville-based rocker Stephen Vickers must finally be getting his due. With a career that has taken him from his hometown of Montgomery, Alabama to Los Angeles and back to the South, the power-rock troubadour's arena-ready anthems have earned him the title of Stereofame.com's Artist of the Month for February 2010.In a modern rock landscape dominated by half-hearted crooners clinging to what remains of the grunge movement (insert Nickelback), Vickers' self-assured baritone and honest lyrics serve as a welcome relief. While he counts late 90s alternative acts such as Matchbox Twenty and Third Eye Blind among his wide range of influences, Vickers points to his childhood as his earliest introduction to music. "Like pretty much every southerner, I grew up singing in church," Vickers said. "Towards the end of high school, I started taking the guitar more seriously. I would try to learn things like Dave Matthews songs and then just started writing my own stuff." After graduating high school, Vickers picked up and moved to Los Angeles at the urging of his good friend and fellow musician Ken Merrione. Unlike so many others who migrate West with dreams of stardom only to watch them fade beyond the horizon with the setting California sun, Vickers' rock-ballad "Give You My Life" (recorded with Merrione) caught the ears of L.A. radio station Star 98.7 and earned him and his band a spot among the top five finalists for its "Rockstar Search" contest. "That was a pretty cool experience being in L.A. and hearing my song on the radio," Vickers said. "We got to perform at the Key Club on the Sunset Strip with all these other amazing bands."
After the untimely passing of his friend and mentor Merrione (and much soul searching), Vickers moved to Nashville to return to his Southern roots and reinvigorate his songwriting. These days, Vickers is busy working on new material that he hopes to release later this year. "Describing the new songs to people I tell them to imagine if Rob Thomas wrote an album for Chris Daughtry and it was produced by Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic," he said.
No doubt, Vickers will have a whole new group of fans eagerly awaiting his latest offerings as a result of his selection as Artist of the Month. Vickers praised Stereofame as a unique platform through which his music can reach a worldwide audience. "It's a lot like Myspace but devoted specifically to musicians," Vickers said. "I recommend it to everyone I meet because it's such a great way to get feedback on your music."
As Stereofame's February 2010 Artist of the Month, Vickers will get valuable exposure to an international audience in addition to a $1,000 prize. Stereofame is a one-of-a-kind community where artists are judged objectively by the listening audience. Artists gather more points as they rise in rank and refer their fans from other sites. Plus, artists can sell their music here, too, so they're getting serious points while making money, something iTunes doesn't offer! Listeners are also rewarded for their input, as they can earn points for listening to a song and giving it a "thumbs up or down," and writing thoughtful reviews. They can help talented artists get the attention they deserve by signing artists to their virtual record label and then promoting their signed artists to their friends. Of course, fans get tons of points for buying music and bringing people to the site, too. All these points can be cashed in for various prizes such as iPods, musical equipment, gift cards and more.
Think you've got what in takes to be Stereofame's next Artist of the Month? Then go to Stereofamecom and upload three songs to www.Stereofame.com/contest/aom. And if you're a fan, log on to Stereofame.com today to help some of tomorrow's biggest and brightest stars get heard and earn some sweet prizes at the same time!
Labels: aom, contest, Stephen Vickers, Stereofame.News
Borrowing their name as a homage to Vladamir Nabokov while giving a nod to his book, Lolita, the band lives up to Nabokov's idea of having an alter ego with their uninhibited rocked-out stage performances yet somewhat shy & intellectual personas offstage.
