Loudenergy Links Artists and Fans

For every No Doubt, Sugar Ray and Lit, there are countless talented, fledgling rock bands toiling away in some musty garage. Even the handful of musicians who garner recording industry attention often wind up disappointed because major labels no longer nurture acts. It’s a cutthroat business--if a first recording commercially stiffs, the band is shown the door.

Enter Ruben R. Lozano II. The cyber-driven maverick put near-revolutionary ideas in motion when he launched Loudenergy.com in February 1999. Emphasizing ongoing, broad-based artist development and a spirit of cooperation, Lozano--the Newport Beach company’s 29-year-old president and chief executive--is hoping to fill a void by bringing industry professionals, aspiring artists and fans together.

Loudenergy.com has its own record label, LE Recordings, and performs a professional A&R; (artist and repertoire) function for producers and artists. Staffed with more than 40 veteran producers--including Andy Gill (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Gang of Four), Barret Jones (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), Terry Manning (Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, Lenny Kravitz), and Brad Wood (Liz Phair, Smashing Pumpkins)--the interactive label tries to cultivate new talent by evaluating songs uploaded to https://www.loudenergy.com.

In addition to critiquing the music and offering technical tips, the producers participate in online message boards, chats and interactive Q&A; sessions. Not surprisingly, the submissions are pouring in: about 2,500 each month, usually two to three songs per band.

The idea is to find bands with some originality and commercial potential. Sixteen of these acts can be sampled Saturday for free at Loudenergy.com’s Local Artist Showcase at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim.

“Once you attach business to art, you simply need to make money,” says Lozano, who also founded Maya-Mex Imports, a company that sells goods from Guatemala, Mexico and Thailand.

“We’re giving artists the resources to build their own careers,” Lozano says, “particularly with marketing .... At the same time, the focus needs to be on artists and the music-buying public--not product, price points and trends. We want to help introduce new sounds too.”

John Maurer, bass player in Social Distortion and Loudenergy’s vice president of artist relations, plays a key role. Maurer joined the Loudenergy team because he was frustrated seeing good local bands unable to get to the next level.

“I’ve always wanted to work with unsigned bands,” says Maurer, who so far has inked two Orange County bands to LE Recordings: noisy punkers Foxy and rockabilly group Hellbound Hayride.

“I could sign 10 bands that sound just like Blink-182, but I have no interest in that. I dig the grassroots scene and meeting people ....It’s very exciting to see music grow to its potential. That’s what keeps me young.”

Obscure Band Signs Multiple-Record Deal

While Napster and MP3.com have helped bands gain exposure, Loudenergy.com aims to go further. Its biggest success story is securing one band’s multiple-record, multimillion-dollar deal with Immortal Records, a division of Virgin Records.

Transmatic, a rock band that was practicing in an Indiana barn at the time, caught Maurer’s ear when he heard its uploaded song “Blind Spot” on Loudenergy’s Web site. Its melodic, radio-ready sound led Maurer to pair Transmatic with producer Brad Wood, a 15-year veteran.

After Transmatic recorded a five-song EP on LE Recordings, Immortal signed the quartet to its deal. As part of the pact, Loudenergy.com owns the band’s initial EP and will share in unspecified profits from its first release on Immortal Records. Is this rags-to-riches tale indicative of things to come, or merely a fluke?

“I believe the Transmatic story can become the rule .... We can do it again,” Lozano said. “I say this because we have a system in place that not only can identify a band with talent, but has the know-how to either directly take them to the next level, or hand them off to a major label that is as enthusiastic about the group as we are.”

Local artists participating in Saturday’s showcase at the Sun Theatre are so far pleased with Loudenergy.com.

“It’s a unique site, because in addition to exposing more music to more people, it’s a smart organization with experienced staffers and incredible contacts,” said Mitch Townsend, lead guitarist in the Huntington Beach-based Killingtons.

Singer-songwriter Coleen Rider of Long Beach liked the feedback she received from her producer. “I uploaded two of my songs, and the criticism and advice I got was invaluable .... They provide an incredible service to the artists,” she said. “Plus, they’re not just focused on one type of music. I branch into different directions--sometimes using acoustic instruments, strings, the piano--and they understand where I’m coming from and what I’m about.”

Any problem with making selections of their music available for free on Loudenergy.com? “We love doing it; we’ll put anything up there,” said Townsend. “For a band in our position, it’s like free advertising. You can get so much more out of your effort if you have someone with resources leading you down the right avenues.”

Like so many dot-coms, Loudenergy felt the pain from last year’s tech crash. But unlike many, the company is still standing.

“It’s been a roller coaster, that’s for sure,” said Lozano, who prefers wearing shorts and flip-flops. “But we’re going to announce a couple of new programs that will take us to a level of profitability. The big thing is to persevere, to stay true to our vision and not get sidetracked by the volatility that’s around us. It’s all about working hard and believing in yourself--and there’s no shortage of either one around here.”

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* Loudenergy.com’s Local Artist Showcase, Saturday at the Sun Theatre, 2200 E. Katella Ave., Anaheim. Featured bands include Sunchild, Jay Buchanan, Coleen Rider, the Killingtons, Hellbound Hayride, Mark Curry, Ozma, the Shutdowns, El Mysterioso, Hutch, Snapdragon, Phil the Agony, Lucky 7, Pop Narcotic, Darren McNamee, Needless, noon-8 p.m. Free on a first-come, first-served basis to all fans registered on https://www.loudenergy.com. All ages. (714) 712-2700.