Jillian Aversa

News, news! Hope you can make this... Origins *Live Event* & Remix Contest The generous folks over at OurStage.com have offered to host a live "PartyLine" event on my behalf this coming week, and I'd love for you guys to be there! PartyLine is a real-time online chat and media-sharing forum (kinda like IRC, but with more stuff), allowing artists like me the opportunity to host private get-togethers centered around news, releases, and just plain old fun. But this one will be extra special for three reasons: 1. EJ Quinn Strassel will be conducting a live interview with myself and zircon! 2. OurStage will be promoting the event, so hopefully we'll see some new faces there. 3. And this is the whopper... By popular request here on OCR, I have decided to start up an official **Origins Remix Contest**. Those interested in entering will be provided with all of the instrumental and vocal parts on each of three songs from my album, from which they can base their new interpretations. I will be offering some great prizes/exposure to the winners... So I encourage you to try your hand. ^-^ Everything you need to know (and download) to get started will be announced live at the PartyLine... so don't miss it!!! Who: Jillian Goldin, zircon, EJ Quinn Strassel - and YOUUU When: Tuesday, July 15th @ 8:00 pm EST Where: ourstage.com/partyline/jilliangoldin (note: the link won't be active until this time) How: To enter the party, you have to register an account at OurStage.com (assuming you don't already have one). Don't worry; it's quick, painless, and of course free. Once you're logged in, just enter the above partyline URL into your browser's navigation bar, and you'll be chatting with the rest of us! It's that easy. (If you're interested in entering the Remix Contest but unable to make it to my PartyLine, I will still post a thread here with the info - so you won't be out of luck.)

It would be an honor...

The last one looks a lot like Sakaki-san from Azumanga Daioh. Same body type, hair, and especially the arms folded pose.

Have a wonderful wedding, and honeymoon!!!

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Haha, love that No Loitering pic! Man, we were awesome. Xerol: do you know when Doug was planning on coming down to Baltimore? I definitely wouldn't be able to go the weekend of the 12th and 13th (music video shoot), and possibly not the weekend after for the same reason. Late July may also be a visit home to Boston, so I dunno yet if I could do this one.

zircon and my collab "Deliverance of the Heart" could also potentially work well. ^-^ Other relaxing/New Age tracks I really like: GrayLightning - "Asian Twilight" and "Drifting Towards the Stars" Harmony - "NightTime Evolution" and "Dragon Song" The Wingless - "PearlSong" Destiny - "This Heart"

AHHHHH, Andy got THIRD place, and sgx got 6! So close this month. EDIT: Oh yeah, and 8 minutes before it ended Andy was #1. This competition is crrraaaazy!

Yeah... Wow. Amazing what people can convince themselves to believe about OCR. This is getting pretty ridiculous. I don't even know of more than 10 OCR people voting right now if that, so you guys really have the wrong idea.

Hehe, well that's not quite right. I offered digital downloads of my CD for people joining my fanclub, in conjunction with the "get more fans" contest back in March. But as you said, it's not against the rules either way.

As I have stated before in this thread, despite that I am a fan of sgx's music I think Lori should have won Techno this month, voted as such, and was pretty dismayed when she lost it at the very last minute. zircon was #1 in New Age/World for the greater duration of the month, as well as in the semifinals - then dropped down from #1 to #7 in the last five minutes. It can happen to anyone, unfortunately. I also agree that enticing people with an "if I win" deal is not the most upstanding tactic, but the rest of us choose not to do it. Despite how it may seem to those on the outside, we are individuals here and make choices independently of each other. I vote for the people whose music I think most deserves it. And yes, there are several OCR artists who are above and beyond a lot of the stuff that makes it up there. sgx and zircon are usually in that category. There are many other OCR artists that have entered in the last couple of months who have not made it to the Top 20 yet, so I don't think it's reasonable to say that the ones who do are abusing the system. They have been making FREE music for years and years, and earned every single fan by their own merits. Just like anyone with a mailing list, blog, or forum would ask for support in the contest, we do so here. It's really no different. I also think some outsiders may not realize exactly how many people DO even vote for these artists in the finals. Conservatively, I don't think it has ever been more than 20-30 people at the MOST. That is probably even smaller than what most serious bands and artists rally up. So why does OCR suddenly get targeted? The past four months in a row have featured Just Plain Folks member wins, and the JPF forums have several threads on the topic. I've even linked Daniel Palmer to a previous OCR thread just like this one, and his reaction was: "Thanks again for reaching out and BIG congrats on getting your fans to join in and support you." I will forward anyone the message if they're skeptical. And do you guys remember that "new fans" contest OurStage had back in March, where they said that anyone earning 20 new fans to their club that week would be submitted to AOL Music for consideration? Well, there were half a dozen people that ranked higher than zircon and myself, and still did not place as well in the finals: http://www.ourstage.com/profile/danielpalmer/posts/15 I genuinely hope that any skeptics will discover this information, and take it into account. We are just regular people here, doing what OurStage asks all the quarterfinals to do: get fans to vote. The end.

sgx: I did a shout out to OCR (and you and Andy) in my OurStage interview after I won the grand prize. It's not a secret, but I don't know how many people follow the written stuff. The OurStage staff, at least, have no problem with the community whatsoever. :> Also, Lori and I have been in touch before because she's also a Mystic Soundscapes artist. She loves Andy's music, too, so she may have read up on us out of curiosity.

You should be very careful about misrepresenting other people, PhiJayy. Seriously, though, you've made your point. Fans and friends here aren't going to stop voting because of your protests. So unless your intention is to be as much of a party pooper as possible (and I should hope it's not), why not give it a rest? Talking in circles will get nobody anywhere. I'm looking forward to tonight. I think the best part about this whole contest is how it creates such funny conversation in IRC during the last few hours. XD

I wasn't dissing smooth jazz! I like it, and I love "Drum and Bossa." Just saying that I think any kind of smooth jazz is appropriate for elevators and stores etc (not only for them), because it's relaxing and generally inoffensive. ^-^

Seriously, this controversy is getting annoying. I think everyone has made their point by now, no? Let's just have some fun and vote today! Both zircon and sgx are incredibly talented, hardworking individuals... They deserve our support, because we are an enormous portion of their fan base. I'm going to do all 1,128 rounds! What are you going to do?

sgx: No, he didn't win anything. I donated a portion (less than half) to him for his countless hours of work mixing & mastering my entire album. That was payment, nothing else. I was going to give it to him out of my own money in the first place. It wasn't his song, and it wasn't payment for the song. For the record, jewbei, I thought your track was awesome. I think the Lori Cunningham remix should have won Techno (and it almost did until the last 5 minutes), but you were a close second in my mind. You should still be proud! ^-^

Fire, fire, fire Most people's sticks had gone out by this point Kroze with his enormous treat from Coldstone Creamery And that's a wrap!

zircon's beefy hands from slapping burgers together Nice work, everyone! (Except djp because he didn't do the pose.) Sporknight is here now too. He's the guy in the brown shirt, standing in the back! Lighting sparklers Wheeee, fire!

Oops. Andy SWEARS this was an accident... Taucer and zircon - true candid! lol, that's Dave's license Artsy fartsy shot :3

Taucer, Katsurugi, Xenon Odyssey, Bahamut, Hyde, Escariot, and Kroze at the bowling alley Group shot! Clockwise from left: pixietricks, zircon, José, Palpable, Amy, Xerol, Xenon Odyssey, Anna, Kulaman, djp, Bahamut, Kroze, Nicky, Escariot, Hyde, Taucer, and Amy II Getting our BBQ on Work it with that apron, Katsu

Okay, here come my pics! (4 at a time... yay) Everyone watching Taucer toss his balls Dramatic shot! Line of people waiting for the R5 HydeGFF has the dough for "bowling." Riiiight... ^_~

Less scrutinizing, more voting! ^_~

It was great to meet you, Hyde! I'll post all the pics sometime tomorrow evening prolly. Thanks to all who came.

Speaking of infos... WE ARE MEETING AT 30TH STREET STATION, NOT THE MANAYUNK PRETZEL Bahamut (hehe) somehow thought we'd be convening at the pretzel first, so I just want to make sure nobody else had that assumption. ^-^

All smooth jazz is elevator music. Some people love it! The genre has definitely grown on me. ^-^ It looks like "Rainforest Majesty" and "Drum and Bossa" may make it to the semis, at this rate. They are #1 and #3 respectively.