CD release party drops island music for NMI

Last Friday, the Hard Rock Café hosted a CD release party for the new music compilation album called Music Of The Marianas: Made In Saipan Vol.1. The album was produced by 11th World Productions and features 20 songs, all by artists from the CNMI.

There are many different styles of music on the record including reggae, rap, dance, and folk. Almost all of the artists from the album performed live sets at the CD release party. This included recent recipients of the “CNMI’s Got Talent” grand prize and Governor’s Choice awards. Out Of The Ordinary, whose original song Island Vibes is the opening track on the album, as well as up-and-coming reggae superstar Uprooted, who recently opened for Tribal Theory, captivated the crowd with their all-original music.

Saipan’s underground hip-hop community was represented by Joshua Q. Castro (aka ZosZengZung), Fakiezero, and Toots Lizama (Toots and Bennett), who all performed at the event and got the crowd moving and grooving to the beats. Travis Kaliga played several original songs on ukulele including I Had A Dream and Situation, which are both featured on the compilation.

Christen Steinkuller and Aamir Malik each played an acoustic set of mellow music followed by the two producers of the album, John Ulrich and Jason Wakeham, who are also both singers/songwriters and each contributed a song to the album.

The show began with the Maranatha Church Choir, who blessed the stage and sang some traditional hymns, followed by Gigi and Bobbi who played songs including their original Saipan anthem, Coffee and the Beach.

Overall, the night was a huge success and all the performers and attendees seemed to have a great time, said Ulrich of 11th World Productions.

The artists who were not able to perform but are included on the album are Walter Manglona, Mary-Jo Camacho, Syncphonic Vibe, and Ivan Santos.

The Music Of The Marianas album started as an idea by Ulrich who wanted to make a record showcasing the many diverse and talented musical artists in the CNMI in order to help them get wider exposure and hopefully make some money from their art. He worked with bands and artists at no charge, recording, mixing and mastering the music in his studio. All profits from sales of the album are shared among the contributing artists.

This project was a true labor of love and the product is an album that is solid from start to finish, which represents the musical diversity of the CNMI and includes something for everyone, said Ulrich.

Get your copy today! Enjoy the island vibes of the CNMI and support local music! The album costs $20 for 20 songs and is available now as a digital download at www.musicofthemarianas.com or on CDs which are currently available at Franken Brau in San Antonio. The CDs should be available for purchase in other retail locations around the island in the coming weeks.

Ulrich and Wakeham have already begun planning for Volume 2 and will be seeking local musicians with original music who are interested in participating. You can email musicofthemarianas@gmail.com for more information. (PR)