Sometimes You Find Gold in the Ghetto … Division, That Is…

It isn’t often that great music reaches out to a community and is successful.  Ghetto Division, a label and production crew of young aspiring DJs from the South side of Chicago, who are changing the club scene around the world.  Ghetto Division hosts events that bring people of all ages together and creates a place for its young to call home.  They have had the privilege of hosting events at Smart Bar, the Metro and many other popular Chicago hot spots.  Ghetto Division has many loyal fans that come out to all their events and represent Chicago’s finest DJs.

Ghetto Division consists of DJs Charlie Glitch, M-Dok, Moonman, Rob Threezy, Rampage, Maddjazz, Lorenzo Vektor, D-51, Sigma and Louie Cue.  Ghetto Division has worked in production with Ghetto Division Records, Mad Decent, Nightshifters, Idiot House, and T & A.  Because of their ability in spinning all kinds of music, such as house, juke, ghettotech, bassline, heavy house, rave, dubstep, techno, Ghetto Division has been fortunate to reach many different crowds.  They have even had the experience of DJing events out of Chicago and the country; they have DJ’ed events in Belgium, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Netherlands, and Puerto Rico.

Ghetto Division first began in Hot Jams, a record store located in Chicago’s Archer Heights neighborhood.  The future Ghetto Division DJs would meet up and work on music all day, everyday in order to be at their best for local events hosted on weekends.  As time progressed, their tracks were gaining a lot of positive public attention.  Front man, Charlie Glitch knew they had great potential and didn’t want to lose track of any of the talent.  So Glitch decided they should become a crew.  The crew hoped that they would be recognized as a strong, versatile crew with a variety of musical influence and knowledge that completes their sound.

Ghetto Division’s DJ Charlie Glitch was born and raised in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood.  DJ Glitch was first introduced to DJing at the age of 12 by his father who was also a house DJ too.   DJ Charlie Glitch was born the minute his father taught him how to put a record on a turntable and he never looked back.  Since then, Glitch started getting gigs at house parties, underground events, and even started producing with Hot Jams at the age of 19.

So far, Ghetto Division has had a positive effect on the community by bringing youth together at events and showing more than the traditional gang lifestyle that surrounds Chicago’s streets.  While many of the DJs agree that education is important, they also agree that when you are successful at something, like influencing the community, you can get hooked. But they do aspire to complete their educational careers.

Because of their positive influence, the DJs of Ghetto Division have said that the task of managing school and their music production can be a struggle.  Some of the DJs had to put their education on pause just to advance in the competing music world.  Sometimes when you’re gifted at what you do, you have to follow those dreams, and hope that it is the right decision.

Last summer, Ghetto Division lost one of its members, Jeff A. Maldonado a.k.a. J-Def.  On July 25, 2009, J-Def was tragically shot and killed, a day after his 19^th birthday, in the Pilsen neighborhood.  J-Def, who was a student at Harold Washington College, was passionate about graffiti art and music.  J-Def did not stand for gang violence and it was unfortunate that gang violence lead to his death.  Ghetto Division learned from J-Def’s misfortune and turned it into a positive example for the Pilsen community to fight against gang violence.  Because of incidents like this, Ghetto Division makes sure they’re accessible to the youth in the community.

http://abclocal.go.com/wls/video?id=6935823

Even though a traditional education isn’t dominant within Ghetto Division, they still believe education is important.  They hold free DJ and production lessons for the community and stream a live radio show every Friday on restrictedradio.com from 4 PM to 10 PM.  Ghetto Division does this because they feel it is important to get the youth out of the streets and involved, since the South side of Chicago is notorious for violence.  As DJ Charlie Glitch says, “It’s important to get them involved in something they deem important, and why not have fun while learning?”

Ghetto Division is currently working on their label and planning tours.  Their upcoming tours range from around the country to Canada.  Eventually, they would like to do a world tour.  Ghetto Division is even working on opening a Ghetto Division store and maybe opening multiple recording studios.  Apart from that, they have been focusing on throwing events, working on new tracks, and gaining exposure.

In Chicago, they can be seen DJing at Smart Bar and the Metro.  On May 7^th they will be at the Abbey Pub, on June 19^th they will be at the Congress Theatre, and July 2^nd they will be performing along with many other popular artists, at Soldier Field.

If you’d like to follow Ghetto Division or get involved, check out these sites for more information:

http://www.ghettodivision.com

http://www.twitter.com/ghettodivision

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ghetto-Division/110151579702?ref=ts

http://www.myspace.com/ghettodivision

http://www.soundcloud.com/ghettodivision

http://restrictedradio.com/

http://www.myspace.com/490710563

Isaura M. Salinas

Just Within My Grasp: Lauren of Lily Monroe

In order to live your life to the fullest, you have to follow your dreams and your heart.  Growing up, I was taught how important it is to have faith and not let obstacles keep me from achieving my goals, no matter how big they may seem. My parents always told my sister and me that we could be anything we wanted. Looking back, I see why they were so adamant on us pursuing our dreams. They missed opportunities in their own lives because they didn’t have faith. Now they both work jobs they don’t enjoy, but they have always been confident that my sister and I will accomplish great things in life and most importantly to enjoy every minute of it. As a senior majoring in Communication at the University of Illinois at Chicago, I’m balancing the practical life of school with my dream of being a musician, and my parents couldn’t be prouder.

Lauren of Lily Monroe

I sing in a group called Lily Monroe with my older sister Christien Cain, who is a UIC graduate with a B.A. in Criminal Justice. The group was officially formed in 2008; however, we’ve sung together our whole lives. It is hard to classify what genre we fit into, but R&B would be the easiest way to put it. Some of the influences for our sound are Michael Jackson, Janelle Monaé, Led Zeppelin, Amy Winehouse, Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson, St. Lunatics, Trey Songz, Drake, and Kanye West, just to name a few. Christien and I are both classically trained violinists, so the ways in which we structure our vocals are similar to the various parts in a traditional orchestral arrangement. Each song is performed with intricate vocal arrangements that often lead listeners to believe that Lily Monroe is only one voice instead of two. We pride ourselves in having such a tight harmony.

We’ve performed at various open mics throughout Chicago, but we didn’t start recording until recently. It started with us doing a few hooks (choruses) here and there and eventually we started working with another aspiring Chicago musician, Boogy. After doing two hooks on songs for one of his mix tapes, he agreed to help us start putting together a professional demo. Up until that point, the only recordings of us singing were videos on YouTube.

The process of recording is still a small issue. Boogy and I are both full-time students, while my sister works full-time in the corporate world. Our schedules are hectic, so trying to find time to record, perform, study, write papers, and remembering to sleep gets hard. Finding the balance between passion and priorities takes practice. For us, it is not rare to be leaving the studio at 2 a.m., just in time to get a moment’s rest for an 8 a.m. class the following morning, or having ideas for a new song running through your mind, while trying to focus on a 12 page paper that’s due by midnight.

My tuition costs almost $5,000 a semester, but it costs me nothing to record. Because of this, school has been my number one priority.  It gets tough when there is movement with my music career because I am tempted to put school on hold to see where music will take me.  At the same time, there’s a fear of never coming back to school, and I’ve come too far in my college career to quit and let all the stress, headaches, and papers be for nothing. Given the economy today and the hard work it takes to become famous as a musician, I know there is going to be a lot of hard work in my near future, but I am putting my best foot forward for both, regardless.

Christien and Lauren of Lily Monroe

Fall 2010 is slated to be my last semester at UIC. I have been working through this spring semester with the comforting thought that I am almost done with my degree. About a month ago, we received word that Umbrella Music Association is interested in signing my sister and me as artists, as well as songwriters. While this is an independent label, it still is a big step into Lily Monroe’s future.  It shows that other people are willing to take a gamble on us and that other people have faith in what we’re trying to do. We are also about to shoot a video for our leading single, “Nerdy Boy,” and start performing again at larger venues throughout Chicago with our U.M.A. family. U.M.A. also has a radio show on 88.9 every Saturday from 8pm-10pm, showcasing all of the talent on the label. With all of this happening towards the end of my semester, it’s hard to focus on schoolwork. 

My plan has always been to work on my degree until something happens with music. With summer quickly approaching and plans being made for how to market Lily Monroe, I’m watching my dream unfold before my eyes. The closer I get to graduation, the more unsure I am about what types of careers I will pursue to bring me happiness. The safe bet is starting to seem risky and my outlandish dream is becoming more of a practical reality. Either way, I will get my degree next fall and continue on towards reaching my dream.

-Lauren Cain

Download your copy of Nerdy Boy free today!

Also, visit Lily Monroe on MySpace!

Advice from a Veteran: A Conversation with Rooney’s Robert Schwartzman

Schwartzman onstage at a recent show. Photo courtesy of Rooney-Band.com.

Although he hails from the West Coast, not the Midwest, Robert Schwartzman began his music career where many of our featured musicians do: in school. As lead singer of the SoCal power-pop band Rooney, he’s spent the past decade balancing several different gigs – college, acting (The Princess Diaries), singing, and songwriting.

Unlike many of our featured musicians, he’s a member of one of Hollywood’s most famous families: the son of actress Talia Shire (Rocky), the brother of actor/musician Jason Schwartzman (Phantom Planet, Coconut Records), Francis Ford Coppola’s nephew, and Nicolas Cage’s cousin, to name a few. The band hit its first big break in 2004, guest-starring on an episode of The OC.

Needless to say, Rooney has avoided some of the financial setbacks facing most college musicians, but Schwartzman and his band mates have worked hard to get to where they are today. He recently took some time out while promoting Rooney’s new album, Eureka, to answer a few of our questions about college, life decisions, and the business of music.

Rooney came together when you were still a student. How did you balance schoolwork and music?

Well, my high school academic life struggled more from starting a band than my college years.  Rooney started [when I was in high school]. It was definitely a distraction and affected my grades.  Not just any grades – it was my junior and senior years, so they were the grades that count!  I was accepted to Eugene Lang College at the New School in New York City.  I wanted to be in a big city and I had friends out there.  I was always writing and demo-ing songs, so I brought all my equipment to college. I also played in a band in New York called Dopo Yume with some friends.… I actually did pretty well in college despite my “passion distraction.”

From left: keyboard player Louie Stephens, guitarist Taylor Locke, Schwartzman, and drummer Ned Brower. Photo courtesy of Rooney-Band.com.

Although I moved, Rooney stayed together, and I flew home once a month to perform in LA.  I spent most of my time at Eugene Lang writing songs in my dorm room.  I sent new demos home to my band mates, and they learned the songs while I was away.  We were able to work up new material from across the country.

You left college early, though, right? What happened after that?

I broke the news to my mom that I was leaving school and heading back to L.A. to pursue my musical career, a decision she still disagrees with. I’m not sure it was the right decision, [but Rooney] got signed a few months after I left school and found a manager and made our first album in the summer of 2002.  It all happened pretty quickly once I left college, but we had already put in the years prior to that and had a good buzz in LA – a big city with many labels.  We were lucky at that time, to get a good deal and label support.

Did school help you in any way with music?

Learning is always important, no matter what you choose to do with your life.  It always helps to know more and to bring new ideas into your life and creative self.  I wanted to go to school to study subjects that I had an interest in and to connect them to my writing.  I wanted to meet new people and have new life experiences.  Living in a new city and being exposed to interesting subjects and people was very inspiring.  I also wanted to make my parents happy.

What kinds of classes did you take?

I studied philosophy, media, and journalism, but I took a music business class at UCLA once I got back to LA.  I needed some background info on the business I was entering.  The first thing I learned and still remember is, “What is the first thing on every executive’s mind?  Keep your job!”  And it’s so true … it’s not about the music or helping artists you work with. It’s every man or woman for him or herself.

It sounds like your time at college really broadened your horizons. Did you ever consider leaving your California music projects behind and pursuing another career entirely?

I thought about focusing on acting and starting a new music life in NYC, but I missed my band mates and I missed the musical life that I started in high school.

What is your advice to college students who might just play in a band part-time but want to make it a career after graduation?

Well, [this is] the reason I said I’m not so sure it was a good idea that I left Eugene Lang for Rooney.  I don’t believe in regrets. I think we have to own the decisions we make and learn from them … not waste time regretting them … although it’s hard to let go of certain things.  I’ve seen so many bands nowadays that are having success right out of college or having success while at college and continuing it as a post-grad pop career.  I’m lucky to have met great musicians that I share things in common with at a young age, but I wonder what my life would be like had I stayed in school and met new musicians there … [if I had] let go of Rooney.

Taking a break from recording Eureka. Photo courtesy of Rooney-Band.com.

What do you think would have been different?

I would have been older, maybe less eager to jump into bed with the first girl I saw.  Maybe I would have taken more risks and been more protective of certain decisions.  I’m really not sure what my life would be like had I stayed in school, but I do miss having had a real college education.  I do what I can and I work hard at what I do.  I try to ask as many questions as I can to wise people in the music business.  I can truly say that I’ve learned through experience.  But, hey, there’s always time for school, right?

Right. Now, about the new album: what can longtime fans expect to hear that makes it different from your past work?

People say [Eureka] sounds more mature, which I agree with.  It’s a step in the right direction for us – not only as an album, but how we made the album and how we’re releasing it.  It was made in my home studio, and it’s coming out on our own label [California Dreaming Records].  It’s how we’ve been wanting to do things and how we did things years ago, and now we have the opportunity [again].  It was only a matter of time.  The album is honest and exciting and it sonically defeats all our previous albums.  We produced and engineered this album, so it’s really exciting to have gotten a solid result … in my garage.  The album is diverse, and it shows the different things we do as a band.  We all have different musical interests, some more similar than others.  Eureka sounds like Rooney, but the songs are better and we’ve grown in many ways.

Since you’re an expert, what unsigned or up-and-coming bands do you think  we should check out?

Castledoor.  Miles Fisher.  The Bridges. [My side project]  SOLOBOB!

Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk to us.  Any final thoughts for your White City fans?

Love Chicago!!! Best music fans around!!! All I can say is I love playing in Chicago, and it’s always a highlight on tour.

–Kayla Zimmerman

Eureka is out June 8, and Rooney will play the House of Blues with Hanson on August 13 (tickets are $30 and can be purchased at Ticketmaster).

Connect with the band on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, and Rooney-Band.com, and follow Robert at his personal Twitter page.