SABIAN CROWNS NEW YORK BAND
‘ME TALK PRETTY’ WINNER OF NATIONAL ‘DREAM SPOT’ CONTEST

 

As Part of Grand Prize, Band Joins Vans Warped Tour Beginning Aug. 5

 

NEW YORK CITY (July 11, 2008) – It’s been a long road for all the musicians involved in this year’s SABIAN “Dream Spot” competition, but the payoff is sweet for one band. New York-based Me Talk Pretty was the last one standing after landing the most fan votes, which secured the band a spot on the 2008 Vans Warped Tour. In addition to touring 10 dates on the Tour, Me Talk Pretty receives a one-year SABIAN cymbal endorsement for the group’s drummer, a one-year 3-D micro-site on CafeSonique.com and a $10,000 credit for gear from a participating SABIAN retailer.

 

Me Talk Pretty will catch up with the Vans Warped Tour in Canada on Aug. 5, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The band will play on the “KiaKevinSays” stage, the launching pad for popular SABIAN bands such as My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Avenged Sevenfold and All-American Rejects.

 

“The SABIAN ‘Dream Spot’ competition is an amazing opportunity for this relatively undiscovered band,” said Stacey Montgomery-Clark, SABIAN vice president of marketing. “It was tough to sift through the group of talented performers that entered, but ultimately the fans made the decision after listening to songs from all the bands – which made it that much sweeter for the winner. Me Talk Pretty is an excellent addition to this year’s Vans Warped Tour and we’re excited to see what the future holds for them.”

 

Hundreds of bands submitted entries in the “Dream Spot” competition. Preliminary judging was conducted by a panel of industry professionals, including Vans Warped Tour representatives and SABIAN’s artist relations team, who narrowed the list down to 10 finalists. The finalists’ videos and songs were then posted on SABIAN.com and CafeSonique.com for fan voting.

 

Me Talk Pretty is composed of four members: Julia Preotu (vocalist), Leon Lyazidi (guitarist), James Kluz (drummer) and Nate Meng (bass). After being together for three years, the band has built a solid fan following and made a name for itself in New York — not an easy task considering the number of aspiring musicians in the area.

 

In an interview after the winning band was announced, Me Talk Pretty guitarist Leon Lyazidi said: “We’re very proud of James because he is so talented, and this endorsement by SABIAN and the Vans Warped Tour will hopefully get him the recognition that he deserves. On behalf of the entire band, we feel extremely lucky and honored to have been selected.”

 

Attributing the band’s unique sound to its members’ multi-cultural backgrounds, Lyazidi added: “We’re all about cultural music, but we also try to make our sound digestible to the American public and its preference for current mainstream music. We try to stay true to our heritage — with an American twist.”

 

For more information on Me Talk Pretty, visit metalkpretty.com.

 

Other finalist bands vying for Dream Spot included: From Ritual to Romance (Bakersfield, Calif.), Hazelden (Los Angeles), Karrigan (Orlando), Robot Love Story (Chicago), Solegion (Indiana, Penn.), Stereo Skyline (Long Island, N.Y.), The Crash Moderns (New York City), The Sophomore Attempt (Jacksonville, Fla.) and Venture (Dallas/Fort Worth).

 

About The Vans Warped Tour

The Vans Warped Tour, a music and extreme sports festival, was created in 1994. This year, the tour will feature more than 80 bands. Along with music, the tour features half pipes and ramps for skaters and bikers. The Warped Tour kicked off in late June and continues through the end of August.

 

About SABIAN

SABIAN is globally renowned as the world's leading designer and maker of musical cymbals. With endorsers including major drummers Phil Collins, Neil Peart (Rush) and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Keith Harris (Black Eyed Peas), Bob Bryar (My Chemical Romance) as well as renowned percussionists within the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Los Angeles Symphony, Royal Opera House – Covent Garden and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, this award-winning company offers cymbals and sounds for every musical application, playing level, and price point. By combining centuries-old traditional craftsmanship with modern innovation, SABIAN ensures quality and value in every cymbal, while unique offerings including ready-to-play ‘Sonically Matched’ cymbal sets highlight an unmatched dedication to ensuring every player sounds great. Headquartered in Meductic, New Brunswick, Canada, and with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and the Far East, SABIAN is also the world's largest cymbal maker.

 

Source: Sabian