Cato, Carter, and Cleveland visit their alma mater.

By Zac Taylor
Managing Editor

Last Friday in the Steve Heck Room, three NYC-based Berklee alumni spoke to a room full of current students who were interested in making the move to the big apple. Les Cleveland (’05) is a drummer and bass player, who has performed with artists such as Roberta Flack and Prince. Louis Cato (’04) is also a drummer and bass player (although he seems to play everything), who has performed with Stevie Wonder, Marcus Miller, and is close with Cleveland as both a friend and colleague. Matt Carter (’03) is the general manager of acclaimed MSR Studios, and has overseen projects that have won Grammys, and many other records that have done platinum and gold.

All three alumni talked about how their careers first started in the professional world, and how it led them to the big apple. “It’s hard to build a scene in Boston,” Carter said in regards to his decision to move to New York after finishing his MP&E Degree. “I was playing three to five nights a week at Wally’s, only making $50 a gig,” Cato said in concurrence. “Make sure you save a lot of money before you go,” Cleveland added.

The three alumni talked in detail about the importance of networking. “Don’t call someone and just say ‘Hey—you got a gig for me?’ Go to the movies, go shoot some pool, or play cards,” said Cleveland, who lives in a house full of musicians in Brooklyn. “Pay attention now to the people you go to school with,” said Carter.

“Even more than who knows you, it’s who likes you.”

Berklee students soak in the advice. Photos by Karen Bell.

Many students and even some parents asked questions with regards to how Berklee helped them, how they paid rent, and other aspects of their lives. “There’s no way you know what you’re getting into,” said Carter. It was a highly informative session, which closed with Cato articulating the crucial entrepreneurial mindset: “Be ready to be tired, be ready to hustle, and always be ready to put yourself out there.”

By Liz Turner

The Boston Ballet’s production of Coppélia is truly a magical performance the entire family can enjoy. This ballet tells the comedic story of a doll that comes to life, and results as a love conflict throughout the villagers of the town. This ballet based on the book Der Sandmann by Charles Nuitter and E.T.A Hoffman, and was first premiered by the New York City Ballet in 1974. Since then, the Boston Ballet is the third company in the world to perform this classic, making its debut this spring for the Boston Ballet.

Coppélia’s beautiful choreography was created by the legendary George Balanchine, which the Boston Ballet creates an excellent performance of replicating his exact choreography.

The music of Coppélia by French Composer Leo Delibes (1836-1891) is performed by a 50-piece orchestra, which carries out the romantic style of the 19th century. Delibes was known for writing great operas and ballet’s and was considered a “Dancer’s composer” for inspiring movement with his music.

Coppélia is presented by the Boston Ballet, which is performed by more than one hundred incredible dancers from around the world, along with local children who are studying ballet.

Coppélia leaves you with a warm and magical feeling that you don’t want to end. If you have never been to a Boston Ballet Performance before, you do not want to miss this! Coppélia is playing at the renowned Boston Opera House, located at 539 Washington St.

The Ballet is being performed now until April 18, tickets can be purchased through www.bostonballet.org or at the Box office at the Boston Opera House, which is opened M-F 10 to Curtain, and on weekends 11-curtain. Tickets range from $25 to $140, and is well worth it for this inspiring Ballet.

Press Release Courtesy of Brian Grzelak

If you are thinking of moving to Los Angeles, don’t miss this information session. Peter Gordon, Director of the Berklee Center in LA, will offer his insights gained from 30+ years of experience in the music industry centered in LA. He is a wealth of knowledge on making a living as a musician in LA. If LA is your choice destination, this is one session you can’t do without.

Making the Move to Los Angeles
Friday, April 30, 2010
1:00 PM-2:00 PM
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St., Steve Heck Room
Boston, MA

Berklee LA Internship Program Coordinator Justine Taormino ‘06 will be speaking with students and alumni about making the move to LA and LA based internships. Justine is also our alumni chapter leader for Los Angeles, so she is a great person to get to know whether you will be involved in the internship program or not. She made the move within the last handful of years and can offer great insight into what you really need to do to set yourself up properly.

Don’t miss it!

Maya Chosé, Esq.

By Maya Chosé, Esq.
Contributing Writer

If you are already in O-1 status and are reaching new milestones in your career, you may well be poised for the EB-1 work based immigrant status–the only road to a green card that allows a self petition and spares the petitioner / applicant from obtaining the often times onerous labor certification.

The EB-1(a) green card is reserved for those aliens who can clearly demonstrate that they are at the very pinnacle of their profession and have established themselves as being “an alien of extraordinary ability or achievement in the arts, sciences, education, business or sports.” Although at first the standard seems unattainable, a closer look reveals flexibility that rightfully allows highly accomplished individuals who may not boast a Grammy or Nobel Prize to attain EB-1(a) status.

The challenge for anyone considering EB-1(a) classification is convincing immigration officials that the alien is indeed at the very top of her specialty within her given industry. When it comes to solving this challenge and when the EB-1(a) applicant has not received a national or international industry award, the workload required can be significant. The manageability of this challenge depends on good judgment, persuasion and keen determination.

The preliminary emphasis in an EB-1(a) review is placed on the ‘field of endeavor’ or area of expertise. To pass scrutiny, the petitioner must take care to narrowly define her occupational specialization (e.g. instrumentalist) within her field of expertise (e.g. music). For example, if a musician is a critically acclaimed instrumentalist and also a bandleader, manager, and sometimes producer, she should focus on one area where she has the most evidence of acclaim.

Once the applicant has narrowed her area of expertise, the focus is laid on the applicant’s personal achievements in her field to prove her being among the top of her field. A right approach to evidencing the applicants achievements is the key in a successful EB-1(a) petition.

In the absence of an internationally recognized award, one can establish oneself as an Alien of Extraordinary Ability by providing documentation which satisfies any three (3) of the following criteria:

• Receipt of lesser nationally or internationally recognized prizes or awards for excellence.

• Membership in associations which require outstanding achievements of their members, as judged by recognized national or international experts in their fields.

• Published material in professional, national or international (i.e. not regional) trade publications or national/international media about the alien and relating to the alien’s accomplishments in her field.

• Participation as a judge (individually or as a part of a panel) evaluating the work of others.

• Original scientific, scholarly, or artistic contributions of major significance.

• Authorship of scholarly articles in professional journals or other major media.

• Artistic exhibitions/shows.

• Leading role within an organization/establishment with a distinguished reputation.

• High salary/compensation for services in comparison to others.

• Commercial success within the performing arts, as shown by either box office receipt figures or, compact disk, video, or DVD sales figures and critic reviews. The alien must also show that the alien’s admittance into the United States will substantially benefit the United States in the future.

This means the petitioner must be prepared to collect convincing testimonials from colleagues and luminaries that will detail the petitioner’s contributions to the field, accomplishments and leadership capabilities. In addition to professional testimonials, the applicant must provide evidence of any and all certifications, memberships and awards that she was credited with during her career. Although these criteria are similar to those for O-1 qualification, the EB-1(a) review is more stringent and requires providing additional evidence to demonstrate the significance of each accomplishment. For example, if the applicant has received an award, she must submit documentary evidence establishing the criteria for selection, including evidence regarding who is eligible to compete for such an award and evidence establishing the reputation of the award granting organization.

As mentioned above, no labor certification is required in EB-1(a) cases and an alien that qualifies as an Alien of Extraordinary Ability need not seek employment or have a job offer. An EB-1(a) candidate may petition for her own permanent residency without the need for an employer sponsor, as is generally required in employment-based petitions. However, the alien must prove that she will continue to pursue her career within the United States. Examples of supporting documentation include letters from prospective employers, a statement from the alien detailing her future work plans and other evidence of future work commitments.

In closing, choosing an experienced attorney who keenly understands the standards and carefully assesses the strength of each piece of evidence is paramount. Our firm works very closely with clients to ensure proper evidentiary and organizational benchmarks are satisfied so that you may be confident that your case is presented as persuasively and coherently as possible.

The Law Office of Maya Chosé
315 Bleecker Street, Suite 382
New York, New York 10014
Telephone: (917) 374-0057
Facsimile: (212) 675-6330
Office Hours by appointment only

Press Release Courtesy of Nicole Egan

Keeping the HeartB.E.A.T is an 8-hour dance marathon event benefiting the Jimmy Fund that will raise funds to aid the fight against pediatric cancer at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The event, produced by the Berklee Entrepreneur Action Team and the college students of Boston, will be held at the House of Blues Boston at 15 Lansdowne Street on Sunday, April 18th from 4:00pm – 12:00 am. Keeping the HeartB.E.A.T will feature a wide variety of music from: Kid:Nap:Kin, Endway, Dirty Dishes, McAlister Drive, With Engines, The Agari Crew, Dopapod, and the Michael Jackson Tribute Band. There will be dance teams, Static Noyze from MTV’s “America’s Best Dance Crew”, The Movement and Slap Bracelets, and DJ’s, DJ VFRE$H and DJ Keef D, performing throughout the night, in addition to over 100 student volunteers that will dance for 8 hours.

Keeping the HeartB.E.A.T is an all-ages, community event that is open to the general public with purchase of a ticket. To purchase a ticket to the event or donate to the cause, visit www.KeepingTheHeartbeat.org

Keeping the HeartB.E.A.T announces the current list of sponsors for their pediatric cancer benefit and are still looking for more interested sponsors. The official sponsors of Keeping the HeartB.E.A.T are Slaight Communications, The Upper Crust Pizzeria, Paradise Bakery and Cafe, Sam Ash Music Stores, b.good Burgers, CityView Trolley Tours, Keep the Edge Studios and Flying Dutchman Recording Studios.

For more information, contact Nicole Egan at 267-391-7763, e-mail KeepingTheHeartbeat@Gmail.com or visit http://www.KeepingTheHeartbeat.org.

By Zac Taylor
Managing Editor

At last month’s South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival, over 1,700 bands from all around the world came to Austin, Texas to partake in this renowned networking event. Throughout the week, there were a handful of Berklee showcases, both unofficial and official ones. On Tuesday, March 16, Tono Music Group sponsored a showcase at the Flamingo Cantina which featured predominantly Berklee musicians. Kris Roche opened the show, offering reggae-infused acoustic pop with feel-good hooks and monster grooves from Derek McWilliams on bass and Bruno Esrubilsky on drums. Next up was Zac Taylor & The Drugs, followed by Egypt-native Yasmin Tayeby, who played a lovely solo acoustic set. Heavy Rotation Records’  Nini+Ben, Ann Driscoll and Jordan Tarrant, came next, all of whom played scathing sets.

The hostesses of the evening, Evelyn Brown and Ashley Root (a.k.a. Merry Go Round), headlined the evening backed by their new amazing band. Since graduating Berklee this past December, Brown and Root have made Austin their home base, and just released their debut self-titled LP through Tono. The band performed cuts from the record, including pop-country gems “Be With Me,” “Ferris Wheel,” and “Better On My Feet.” Country Rock powerhouse Sam Riggs Band closed out the evening.

Jordan Tarrant performs at Lucky Lounge

The next Berklee function was an unofficial showcase at the Lucky Lounge the following Thursday afternoon. Alumna Amber Rubarth started the show with her unique brand of jazzy pop noir. Jordan Tarrant took the stage next, thumping out bluesy rock with Russell Lacy twanging on Telecaster, Derek McWilliams pumping on P-bass, Tommy Bohlen pounding on pedal steel, and Curran McDowell rocking the drums. Alumna Sara Houser, Grant Himmler, and Ali McGinley, a.k.a. A House A Home, all of whom moved to Austin last year, played a lovely set of pop rock tunes, followed by a powerful solo set by Melissa Ferrick.

The official Berklee Showcase took place Friday afternoon at Friends on 6^th Street. The room was packed for this 5^th annual event, which was hosted by alumna Sarah Sharp, and featured current students, alumni and also some students who have taken online courses at BerkleeMusic.com. Many Berklee faculty were in attendance, including President Brown and Music Business & Management Professors Jay Fialkov and Jeff Dorenfeld.

The lineup:
Shayna Zaid & The Catch
Love Like Fire
Ann Driscoll
Jordan Tarrant
Stefan Wm
Nini+Ben
The Young Republic
Audible Mainframe

Justin Hancock, Bruno Esrubilsky & Ann Driscoll.

Ann Driscoll, who is on the current Heavy Rotation Records roster, strutted her stuff onstage with her new orange Gretsch guitar, and her band sounded in top form on fan favorites like “I Wanna Be Your Zombie” and “Trophy F***.” “The Official Berklee Party was at Friends was the most fun,” Driscoll said. “At each showcase, we played only 5 songs, which is fun and exciting—to play your greatest hits. No filler, all killer, as they say.”

HRR Labelmate Jordan Tarrant had the most Texified sound of the lot, considering he’s an Austin native. A highlight of the show was an exceptional performance by Nini+Ben, who played tracks from their record The Reasons We Try, as well as some new songs that showed hints of a more dynamic, experimental direction a la Wilco.

On Saturday, President Brown hosted a BBQ, at which Nini+Ben performed, followed by another Tono Music Group Showcase at Waterloo Icehouse later in the evening. Many of the same acts from the Flamingo Cantina showcase performed stripped down acoustic sets, including Kris Roche, Zac Taylor, Jordan Tarrant featuring Russell Lacy, and Dave Scher. Sam Riggs Band and Nini+Ben played full band sets, and the showcase ended with a breathtaking set from Merry Go Round.

“The SXSW experience was one I’ll never forget,” said drummer Bruno Esrubilsky. “Spending a whole week with amazing friends and musicians in one of the coolest cities I’ve ever been before was just amazing.”

Press Release Courtesy of Brian Grzelak

Meet and ask questions of alumni who have successfully made the move to NYC!

Panelists:
Les Cleveland ‘05
Full-Time touring and recording musician. He has performed with Larry Graham, Prince, Patti LaBelle, Sheila E, Roberta Flack, Mike Phillips, N’Dambi, Dave Weiner

Louis Cato ‘04
Shared the stage with Brian McKnight, Roy Hargrove, Stevie Wonder, Marcus Miller, Wynton Marsalis, Wyclef Jean, Sean Jones, Solange Knowles, Norah Jones, Christian Scott

Matt Carter ‘03
General Manager of MSR Studios, a full-service, multi-room facility with a long-standing history of Platinum and Gold winning recordings. Recent clients include Erykah Badu, Pat Metheny, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, The Roots, and Booker T.

Friday, April 9, 2010
4:00 PM-6:00 PM
Berklee College of Music
1140 Boylston St., Steve Heck Room
Boston, MA