When Talain Rayne Blanchon was a senior in high-school he had no piano, no voice, and no clue music would come for his heart like it has. The journey didn’t begin until a teacher helped him buy his first keyboard and record his first song that year. Writing music quickly became Talain’s livelihood, keeping him afloat amidst stormy seasons. He clung to songwriting through college with a fervor that has not subsided. In spring 2009 his growing passion led him to study abroad at the Contemporary Music Center on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts with 30 other young, aspiring musicians. He thrived on the island, writing music amongst a strong community of like-minded artists, scratching harder at this musical itch that wouldn’t quit and developing a sound all his own.
Talain’s music emanates the creativity and passion of someone who’s been writing and playing for much longer than a mere four years. His dynamic personality is reflected in the melodramatic, electronic-infused, pop-rock that is bound together by his characteristic voice. He draws inspiration from varying influences like Sleeping at Last, Coldplay, Sigur Ros, The Rocket Summer, and Shiny Toy Guns, As for the songs themselves, they are influenced by nostalgia and his closest relationships, in a form more reminiscent of a child’s dream than a cookie-cutter song. “A lot of the songs have scenes that don’t quite seem to connect, kind of like a child’s dream,” says Talain. “They’re summed up in memories; each scene and every word is a part of the story, part of this child’s dream—” A dream that tugs on listeners’ hearts, despite being incredibly specific to the writer alone. In songs like “Family Wall” he doesn’t hold back personal family struggles: “So tempted to say/ that all the photographs/ all the times we laughed/ WERE THEY REAL?/ Mommy left ten years ago/ with that burger-face pic on the patio.” Nor does he hold back the hope and love that is so integral to his character. In “Owls” he sings for his friends, “Please get inside cause something’s coming/ no emotion, no lies, and no religion/ it’s real enough/ just something I call love.”
Fans can view all performances live online on Slurpee's Facebook fanpage (www.facebook.com/Slurpee) and then vote at Slurpee.com for their favorite band for three days immediately after each event. Also, one song from each competing band's performance will be posted on Slurpee.com. The group with the winning votes from each of the four events will continue on to the next round of competition.
Four semi-finalist bands will travel to Dallas where they will each have three days to create music videos with amateur video crews. Their music videos will be shown on Slurpee.com. Again, fans will vote for their favorite music videos. The two winners from this challenge will battle it out when each performs a special engagement in their respective home towns. Live video of their performances will be streamed on the Slurpee Facebook fanpage. Fan votes will be collected over two days and the winner will be announced on Sept. 30 on Slurpee.com.
The top band will receive the grand prize of $10,000 and a chance to record in-studio and be featured on Wolfgangsvault.com.
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