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Liquid Blue

March 18th, 2008 Posted in Music

Liquid Blue is sizzling With a broad base of experience, a well-rounded cast, a host of awards and even a Guinness World Record, they are a sure thing for the next time you want a crowd up and dancing!

Scott Stephens, founder of Liquid Blue and the band’s spokesman, is especially proud of their record-breaking achievement of traveling to and performing in 100 different countries! “The next closest is the Rolling Stones I believe, who have been to somewhere around 45 countries.” Wow, if that’s not an impressive little statistic, what is?
Liquid Blue was voted Best Dance Band In America in the National Music Awards in 2001 & 2007, Best Band in the International Music Awards in 2006 & 2007, were finalists in the Billboard World Song Contest for Best Pop Song of 2006 and even won Dance Song of the Year from VH1’s Song of the Year Awards in 2004!

So, how has Liquid Blue been able to have such unprecedented success worldwide? “We were able to develop pretty good followings in Europe and Asia, which is where the bulk of our traveling takes us,” Scott says. “I think there are about fifty countries in Europe and we have been to about 45 of them, so that’s nearly half of our total in one continent.”

One of the keys to Liquid Blue’s success is not only in their ability to write original music and play their own songs (which they do), but also in their ability to read the audience and know what they really want to hear. Whether it is a classic cover or some of Liquid Blue’s own great music, the only agenda Liquid Blue has is entertaining. “People have really taken to our music, and we also throw in a lot of popular songs. It depends on where we are. We will do songs from other artists that we know are popular in those particular locations, sometimes we even sing in the language of the natives. Whatever it takes to make it the greatest show possible.”

International touring isn’t something a lot of bands think of doing or want to do, but for Liquid Blue, it was clear that it would be a huge reward and success for them. “We had some great promoters in the areas where we have been able to build strong followings. Our best people have probably been in Asia, and have been able to take the music we have given them and run with it.

“We like to travel. We like to be in different countries. We love meeting new and different people. For us, it is all positive. We have all been living in the U.S. all of our lives and will spend 6 or 7 months here during the year, but the international markets really open up new and exciting opportunities for us all of the time. Everyone in this band loves it here in the U.S., but overseas it can be very different. It is rewarding for people that enjoy new things. Certainly not everyone is like that, but fortunately all of the band members of Liquid Blue are. We all enjoy new things, new challenges, meeting new people and new experiences.”

Liquid Blue is a band united. While there are several incarnations of the band in one form or another, a large majority of shows the band performs are as the standard core which makes up the unit. “95 percent of the work we do is done as the complete band Liquid Blue. We also have a duo, Two from Blue, which does a few shows. We have a group called Liquid Lounge, which is a perfect set-up for cocktail hours and ceremonies and other formal occasions and includes four members. We have a bigger group that can be anywhere from 12 to 20 pieces, which we call Big Blue. That arrangement is perfect for larger corporate events where the clients want a full horn and rhythm section with the band and even extra dancers to make it a big extravaganza.” LB even offers DJs for breaks and warm-ups along with other specialized entertainment options based on their client’s needs.

As impressive as Liquid Blue’s record is, perhaps even more amazing is the time in which they have been able to accomplish all of their impressive credits. Liquid Blue has racked up all of their accolades including hits (their single “Real” went to #4 on the NMW Adult Contemporary Top 40- right between Goo-Goo Dolls and Lenny Kravitz) and an incredible travel log in just over 10 years! “We have done about 1400 shows in the past 10 years and we have never had to cancel or miss a show or had any major problem at any performance. That is something we are incredibly proud of and we believe it extends our reputation when people realize just how reliable we are.”

Liquid Blue obviously does many types of shows, but for the corporate market, they have learned to deliver just what the client wants and needs. “We are known for a really high-energy, get ‘em up and dance show. The Blue Girls, who are out in front, probably have the most extensive repertoire of choreography of any group I’ve seen. They have almost 300 routines they need to know to be in the band and, when we have a new girl come on, she has to train for almost six months before she can ever touch the stage for the main show. I believe the Blue Girls are one of the things that makes us really unique.”

All three of the lovely ladies sing lead in addition to their moves (not to mention being easy on the eye). “Each of the girls is featured at one point or another in the show. Nikki Nova has been our long-time main lead singer, but when the other girls step up, everyone is always smiling and surprised they are all that talented, can dance that well and of course, look that great.”

A strong presence of male vocals makes Liquid Blue a well-rounded group, with multiple voices able to bridge just about any musical gap needed. “We have three males that sing lead, so we can cover a lot of material all told.”

A “lot of material” may be an understatement. If you had any concerns that Liquid Blue may come to your event without just the right song set for your audience, think again. It doesn’t matter what it is, chances are Liquid Blue will be able to play it or something close for you.

“Right now we have over 500 songs at our disposal. We currently have about 100 songs for every decade of contemporary music dating back through the 50’s. So, we can do a tribute show for any age group and in quite a few styles of music.” The group just performed a 90’s theme night for the San Diego Padres, and can also remain genre specific for entire performances in Rock, R&B, Blues, Country, Reggae and many other styles.

One exciting aspect of Liquid Blue’s incredible song list is a feature that event planners and producers will absolutely love the band for. On their website at liquidblue.net, there is an actual sortable database of all the songs they perform! “The client can go to our website and choose the songs they want us to perform, or at least narrow down the range so that we can help them get the best show possible.”

One thing Scott points out is the band’s especially adept skill in knowing what their audience wants to hear. “We are always happy to listen to our specific client’s requests, but we are really good at reading a crowd. Some of our best shows have been when we started out with a crowd favorite and then built the show based on what the audience seems to like the most.”

Customization is the name of the game for many performances and Liquid Blue is equipped to handle requests from their clients beyond just the set list. “We work with the client to make whatever they want to happen during the show a success. Obviously we understand that every show is different and we are prepared to handle that. We often bring a CEO or high ranking official onstage by request and we have a number of theme shows that can fit into a variety of events. If one of the 12 to 15 event themes we already have doesn’t suit a particular party, then we can certainly put one together upon request.”

Liquid Blue is obviously an accomplished act, and anyone would be hard-pressed to choose a crown jewel among those achievements. In Scott’s opinion, the most pertinent to the corporate market and our readers would be the National Music Awards for Best Dance Band. “We won that award twice, in 2001 and 2007, which was significant to us because the National Music Awards platform is really geared toward the corporate market. The term ‘dance band’ means to us anything that gets people on their feet and gets the party going with the best and often most popular music. The fact that we were selected for that was special to us.”

Liquid Blue wants to continue to spread its music to more people in more places, but also wants to direct a serious focus here in the States, particularly in the arena of corporate, special and other private events. “We are planning to actually limit our travel more just so we can work toward a larger presence in the corporate market. For the last six years, we have been out of the country a lot, but we plan to be more available here in the U.S., though we will still probably spend about a quarter of the year internationally.”

The wonders of technology never cease and were it not for some of our modern day marvels, Liquid Blue would have never seen the global level of success they have. “I don’t think what has happened to us now could have happened in the eighties. The Internet and the level of communication it brings can instantly take us across the world for planners and concert promoters anywhere. We have always tried to utilize technology in the most effective ways for our band; in fact, I believe we had one of the first agent-friendly websites ever back in ’95 or ’96. We are currently working on updating and improving that now.”

Liquid Blue isn’t just a great cover band- they also have a collection of original recordings, including the hit single “Real” mentioned earlier. Their debut CD Supernova sold over 35,000 copies in the U.S. and even more in Asia. The disk was produced by David DeVore (12 multi-platinum LP’s) and mixed by two-time Grammy winner Joe Chiccarelli and has been a top-ten seller at CD Baby. Tracks from Supernova have appeared on 20 different compilation albums alongside artists such as Jane’s Addiction, Sonic Youth, Jurassic 5, Ani Defranco, Robert Fripp, Pete Seeger and more. Scott gives us some insight on Liquid Blue’s original sound.

“Our music is really a blend of East and West music and culture,” he says. “We include western rack instruments along with things like sitar and tabla. We bring things together in a sort of World Pop format, as some people have called it.” Scott explains the major benefits of having a world appeal with an eclectic instrument base, while still retaining a Western Pop sensibility. “Our music is quite commercial despite the fact that we blended those instruments in and I think that has also helped us internationally. When people hear things overseas, especially because they are hearing it in a different language, it is easier for them to digest when it is Pop music versus anything to avant-garde. If you want to do something in Jazz, it may be harder for people too understand, especially in another language they may not understand so well.” The group is looking forward to expanding and doing more original music in the future.

Liquid Blue started as a band with Scott and his long time friend Michael Vangerov. The two had played together in a Hard Rock band in the L.A. 80’s music scene and quickly formed a friendship. While the two parted ways for a while, eventually Scott asked Michael to become a part of a new project now known as the most traveled band in the world. “When we founded the band, we had a really international outlook on things already. I think we see the planet as being a little bit smaller than might be typical, even more so now that we’ve traveled so much. I think that Pop and Rock music have been beaten to death. Everything you can do in Rock has been done. We grew up in the Rock era and we love Rock music, but it is just hard to do anything new in that area. I don’t think what we are doing is so dramatically different or extravagant, but by blending the Eastern and Western elements together, we feel like we have visited a little bit of our own territory and it leaves a small mark for us that is somewhat unique.”

If you aren’t convinced yet that Liquid Blue could be something new, exciting and powerful for your audience, head over to liquidblue.net and check out some of their music and some of the impressive list of clients they have performed for in the past, including many Fortune 500 companies.

Their most recent triumphs include a sold-out New Year’s Eve show in Beijing, China, which was broadcast live on CCTV and around the world, netting the band millions of viewers in the process. Just prior to that show the band played to a sold out stadium of 35,000 people. “This was our third trip to China in 2007 and our eighth overall, and our popularity there just seems to continue to grow. On this trip, we were greeted by fans everywhere including the airport, hotel and at the venues. We are the very first western band to be signed to a Chinese record label, as their Pop music scene is in its infancy. Right now, in China it is very much like the music scene here of the 50’s and 60’s and we are privileged to be a part of this country’s formative Pop culture. China is the fastest growing economy in the world and we have witnessed first-hand the rapid changes in their fledgling music industry.”

You might think it could take some pretty rough and tumble folks to handle the incredible amount of touring and culture shock these guys do; and in a way, you’d be right, at least in Scott’s case. Long before his success with Liquid Blue, he was already a prominent figure in the L.A. music scene- and a star Roller Derby skater. Check out the photos of Scott skating alongside cars on the freeway on their site, under his bio in the band members’ section.
Now, as we close, we present a great gem of Rock n’ Roll history. As an avid player in the L.A. music scene, Scott was around some of the hottest musicians of the day. In fact, he was actually a writer for a publication called Raw Power, which focused on the happenings in that scene. One of Scott’s most exciting interviews was with a man who is now a veritable Rock God, but at the time though he had been in the spotlight, was not entirely successful. “Michael and I have been involved in the L.A. rock scene since we were in our first band together as teenagers. Eventually I got the job working for Raw Power and I got an interview with Ozzy Osbourne just after he was kicked out of Black Sabbath. It was a sort of dark interview, because Ozzy didn’t really have any prospects at the time and was pretty down and out. Black Sabbath was huge, but he had nowhere to go and no supporting musician’s for a solo career. We knew a lot of the musician’s around the scene, and one hot young guitarist stood out that we introduced to Ozzy.” The casual reader may not see where this is going, but anyone that is a fan of Ozzy has probably already been struck like a ton of bricks; this writer certainly was. That young guitarist that they introduced to Ozzy that day was none other than the late great Randy Rhoads. As the man responsible for the searing opening guitar riff everyone remembers from “Crazy Train”, Randy is largely credited with injecting Ozzy and his career with a bit of flash and a ton of talent. They soon recorded an album, bit the head off a dove and the rest, as they say, is history. Sometimes we never know when a casual introduction will change the world.

Liquid Blue is a band that knows what their audience wants. They are completely prepared to deal with any corporate client’s special needs and are highly qualified for the job. Consider them if you want to impress and excite everyone at your next event.

BOOK IT!
Dynamic Artist’s Management
510-558-4000.