LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Re:wind Entertainment) - For the first time in music history, two artists, Jason Damato and Tom Freund, will embark on a 'Seven Sites Virtual Tour'. Each artist will feature seven songs recorded live, and then one song per artist will be broadcast weekly on seven sites over a period of seven weeks. Foregoing the 'on the road' style of touring and all that goes with it, this tour will have the artists tour virtually to a potential audience of 100 million music fans.
The sites confirmed to participate include YouTube, Imeem, iLike, RockYou, DoSomething.org, Daytrotter and Joost.
Jason Damato is an LA-based singer-songwriter whose debut EP, Floating Down A River, was released digitally in late January. As an indie artist, Damato thinks the tour is a unique and fun opportunity to reach more fans, 'This was so much fun to do and I hope that the good folks out there in the online communities dig this whole thing. Maybe next time we can do it with an actual live audience!'
Tom Freund is a seasoned musician who has previously worked with Ben Harper, The Silos, and various other artists. His latest album, Collapsible Plans, was released in July of 2008. Freund, who is no stranger to touring, believes the tour is great not only for fans but for music discovery. 'The virtual tour really sparked my interest in reaching the fans without leaving LA county. Same intensity of a live gig, or live TV cause you know they're out there tuning in.'
The 'Seven Sites Virtual Tour' which is the first of its kind has many benefits aside from the artists never having to pile into a van. In the current economic state, the tour gives music lovers a chance to see two artists from the comfort of their own home without spending a dime on tickets, fees, parking and gas. The tour also helps alleviate some of the environmental problems of touring such as air pollution.
Drake Sutton Shearer, the Executive Producer of 'Seven Sites Virtual Tour', says, 'Currently, nothing comes close to the real thing, but we wanted to experiment and create a tour that would mix live performance with social media on somewhat of a regular tour schedule. In the process we hope more folks will discover the unsigned talents of Jason Damato and Tom Freund. '
The tour was recorded and filmed live at Broken Wave Music in Glendale, CA. Three time Grammy winner Warren Riker engineered and mixed the performances. In addition to the live music performance, each tour stop will feature an on camera interview with Damato and Freund, hosted by Jason Hollis from Broken Wave Music.
The tour begins on April 6th on imeem and runs through May 24th ending on Joost. The songs from both artists will be available online at the end of the tour through various digital service providers.
For more information visit: www.sevensitestour.com
For more info on Jason Damato visit: www.jasondamato.com
For info on Tom Freund visit: www.tomfreund.com
VIRTUAL TOUR DATES
WEEK 1: 4/6 - 4/12: imeem.com
WEEK 2: 4/13 - 4/19: Youtube.com WEEK 3: 4/20 - 4/26: iLike.com
WEEK 4: 4/27 - 5/3: DoSomething.org WEEK 5: 5/4 - 5/10: RockYou.com WEEK 6: 5/11 - 5/17: Daytrotter.com
WEEK 7: 5/18 - 5/24: Joost.com
PHYSICAL TOUR DATES 2009
JASON DAMATO
04/07/09 Room 5 Los Angeles, CA
05/27/09 Asana Tea House Santa Cruz, CA
05/28/09 Sue's Coffee Roasting Co. Gilroy, CA
05/30/09 Mongo's Grover Beach, CA
07/22/09 Asana Tea House Santa Cruz, CA
07/24/09 Linnaea's Cafe San Luis Obispo, CA
TOM FREUND
04/11/09 East Coast Blues & Roots Festival Byron Bay, Australia
04/12/09 East Coast Blues & Roots Festival Byron Bay, Australia
04/14/09 Hopetown Hotel Sydney, Australia
04/18/09 Blues Highway Festival Utrecht, The Netherlands
04/19/09 Paradiso/Amsterdam Amsterdam, The Netherlands
04/22/09 The Cobblestone Oldenzaal, The Netherlands
