The Giving Back Foundation

GIVING BACK FOUNDATION IN ACTION

The first year of life is filled with challenges and adjustments, and is never a time of huge expectations. New babies can’t do much – new organizations likewise struggle to find their feet and make progress.
The Giving Back Foundation (GBF), a Montana-based non-profit entity pledged to help hurting ranchers and farmers nationwide, turned a year old last December, and has been exemplary in growing up into the “good neighbor” premise it was founded upon.
Co-founder and President of the GBF, T.J. Casey of Billings, Montana, says, “As a cowboy and a horse trainer, I have been on or around ranches and ranchers all my life. They have been the backbone of America by providing our food, clothing, and other necessities, and it’s time to give something back. They’ve faced drought, fire, flash floods, tornadoes, blizzards and hail, and there is nothing more devastating to a rancher or farmer than to suffer loss of fields, pasture, livestock, grain, fence or winter feed.”
Alleviating some of that loss is the mission of GBF, and in its first year the fledgling organization found many opportunities to fulfill that mission.

The first money extended to hurting farmers and ranchers went to Colorado, during the big winter blizzards early in 2007. All travel was paralyzed, roads were drifted shut for days, and many cattle died for lack of both feed and water. Even after the crisis, ag producers suffered great expense and continued loss as they tried to dig out from under the snow.
Ranchers and farmers who have endured several years of drought, grass fires, flooding in some areas, and other natural disasters find their savings depleted and no money available when their kids graduate from high school and want to go to college. Realizing this, the Giving Back Foundation reached out to the states of Montana, Washington and Idaho with scholarship money for freshmen coming from farms and ranches into the Ag Department and planning to return to those farms and ranches after college. Under this program, GBF scholarships were given to the University of Idaho, Washington State University, and Montana State University.

In November of 2007 the Sweetgrass Creek region near Melville, Montana was devastated by a fast-moving wildfire that swept across ranches, pastures, hayfields and homesteads with a hungry vengeance, devouring everything in its path. All lost barns, outbuildings, vehicles, fences, winter hay supplies and more. On behalf of GBF, T.J. Casey presented a check to Chuck Rein, president of the Crazy Mountain Stock Growers at the 2007 Montana Stock Growers Annual Convention held in Billings last December.

The sale of GBF’s initial fundraiser, a two-CD set featuring original compositions and performances by 25 of the top cowboy musicians, poets and singer/songwriters in today’s cowboy culture movement, continues, with all proceeds going to GBF.
To buy CD’s or donate to the Giving Back Foundation, go to www.ranchersandfarmers.org, call (406) 442-3420 or write Giving Back Foundation c/o Montana Stock Growers Association, 420 North California Street, Helena, Montana 59601.

Another opportunity for increasing the coffers of GBF will come to Three Forks, Montana on April 26th, 2008. A benefit concert, with donations at the door and all proceeds going to the GBF, will be held at the Ruby Theatre there. This event is in conjunction with the Spring Roundup and Drive of Montana Horses, Kail & Renee Mantle, and the performance will begin after the horses are trailed through the town of Three Forks, around 4 pm. The concert will include a variety of music, humor and poetry from several outstanding artists – Jim Reader, T.J. Casey, Kail Mantle, Rhonda Sedgwick Stearns and the ever-popular Ringling 5.
Last year the Montana Horses trail drive attracted some 16,000 spectators to Three Forks, so this will be too good to miss. Mark your calendars now, and go to http://www.montanahorses.com/html/horse_drive.html for more information on the drive; and to www.ranchersandfarmers.org to learn more about the Giving Back Foundation, a young organization that’s fulfilling its mission in many wonderful ways.

Tom Salta

Tom Salta - GRAW 2 Recording Session at Eastwood Scoring Stage, Warner Bros. Studios - The Fragdolls Interview
courtesy GameInvasion.net


Tom Salta writes and produces emotionally charged electronic and orchestral music for film, television and video games. Combining his expertise in programming and mixing hit records with the highest production values, Salta creates powerful melodies and hooks with a hybrid of lush orchestral strings, hard-driving percussion and edgy electronic music. As comfortable with live orchestras and choirs as he is with synthesizers, computers, and the latest software, Salta’s epic orchestral score for the top selling Xbox 360 video game Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) was nominated for “Best Video Game Score” at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Furthermore, his contemporary and traditional Japanese musical score for Red Steel, Ubisoft’s exclusive first-person action title for the Nintendo Wii console, won IGN’s 2006 Award for “Best Original Score.”

For Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (GRAW2), the latest installment in the smash-hit squad-based action franchise, Salta wrote a more aggressive and expressive original score to enhance the game’s intensive action and memorable, dramatic scenes, with only a few select motif references taken from the first game. To acquire the best performance of these tense and emotionally complex compositions for GRAW2, Salta recorded with the Hollywood Studio Symphony and the Page LA Studio Chorus on the Eastwood Scoring Stage at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, a premier orchestra recording venue for Hollywood’s major motion pictures. Developed by Ubisoft Paris and Red Storm Studios, GRAW2 will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP and PC.

Game Credits Include:
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter 2 (Ubisoft)
Red Steel (Ubisoft)
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (Ubisoft)
Full Auto 2: Battlelines (Sega)
Need For Speed Underground 2 (Electronic Arts)
Cold Fear (Darkworks/UbiSoft)
Still Life (Microids)
Sprung (UbiSoft)
Get On Da Mic (A2M/Eidos)
Ghost Recon 2 (Ubisoft) - co-wrote main theme with Bill Brown

Tom also records under the artist name “Atlas Plug"; a high-energy mix of electronica, orchestral, breakbeat and rock grooves. Visit the Atlas Plug site.

Tom Salta is currently scoring several new video games as well as writing the follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut solo album 2 Days or Die. Tracks from his forthcoming album have already been licensed for several video games.

For a complete biography please visit www.tomsalta.com

WHAT IS VIDEO GAMES LIVE

WHAT IS VIDEO GAMES LIVE!?!?!?!

Video Games Live is an immersive concert event featuring music from the biggest video games of all time. Top orchestras and choirs across the world perform along with exclusive video footage and music arrangements, lasers, synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive one-of-a-kind entertainment experience.

Video Games Live is a complete celebration of the fastest growing entertainment market. The festival atmosphere of Video Games Live includes pre and post show events such as costume contests, playable demos, prizes, game designer/composer meet and greets and more.



Video Games Live combines the energy and special effects of a rock concert, the emotions and power of a live symphony orchestra, and the exciting cutting edge interactive technology of video games all into a live concert event.


The debut performance on July 6th, 2005 at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra saw over 10,000 audience members take part in the biggest video game concert in history.


The concert tour will be renewed with a refurbishment of the show on an annual basis. We will grow each market, one concert at a time, partnering with local symphonies and co-marketing the event with established video game, anime, sci-fi, and comic book related conventions and festivals.



Announced Game Titles in Video Games Live for the 2008 concert tour:

Currently featuring music and exclusive video from popular franchises such as: Mario--, Zelda®, Halo®, Metal Gear Solid®, Warcraft®, Myst®, Final Fantasy®, Castlevania®, Kingdom Hearts, Medal of Honor--, Sonic--, Tron, God of War--, Civilization IV, Tomb Raider®, Beyond Good & Evil--, Advent Rising, EverQuest® II, Monkey Island, Earthworm Jim, Pac-Man, Headhunter, Splinter Cell®, Ghost Recon--, Rainbow Six®, Jade Empire, BioShock, Mass Effect, Contra and a special retro Classic Arcade Medley featuring over 20+ games from Pong® to Donkey Kong® including such classics as Dragon's Lair, Tetris, Frogger, Gauntlet, Space Invaders & Outrun!

For tickets, or more information about the event, please visit http://www.videogameslive.com

Christian Jay

Born in London in '86 into a family of professional musicians, Christian Jay is a unique talent in todays music industry. Since the age of 4 he has been learning his craft, and at the age of 5 he gave his first performance. Though he was classically trained at the Royal Academy of Music, his sound is a blend of neo-soul, hip hop, funk and RnB, and his main influences include D'Angelo, Musiq Soulchild, Glenn Lewis, Jamiroquai and Stevie Wonder, to name just a few. As well as a singer, Christian is an accomplished drummer, pianist, guitarist and bassist, and he feels most at home on stage where his music really comes into its own. His recent shows around the West End have gone down a storm with even the most discerning audiences, earning him the respect of some of the best musicians in the industry. His father spent years recording in every top end studio in London, and when it comes to working in the studio, Christian is equally at home either side of the desk. As well as producing his own material, he has teamed up with Sabre Muzic, and together they have written and produced tracks for acts from both the UK and US.

christianjay.com
http://www.myspace.com/christianjaymusic

passion

i think passion got real talent so i placed him on our blogring and hoping other people will enjoy his music aswell,





check all passion's videos http://www.youtube.com/user/passionsf
shoot me an email @ jeremymanongdo@comcast.net
http://www.myspace.com/listen2passion

T. J. Casey

heres a cool artist joining the Rebelvision network, lets all give him a warm welcome, read all about TJ Casey below

That deep part of T.J. Casey is pure cowboy – and it clearly determines his behavior.

The soul of T. J. Casey was shaped in him by the precepts of his mama and daddy, by his childhood in Montana’s beautiful but harsh and remote Pryor Mountains, and by close association with horses and cattle before he can even remember. Living primitively (by today’s standards), with no electricity, telephone or indoor plumbing taught him just how unimportant money and possessions really are in life.

Mentored by old cowboys and old horses, T.J. learned honesty, humor, respect, trustworthiness, and strength of character. Wild cattle and younger horses taught him mental and physical brawn and agility, and developed in him a good measure of toughness and tenacity.

Interwoven with these forces was the powerful oral history of the cowboy, which T. J. was steeped in through poems, stories and songs, passed down from those who’d gone before. That culture became woof and warp of his soul, so that the songs and poems spawned there today bear witness of and are true to his cowboy heritage.

Spending two thirds of his life so far in a saddle, working with cattle and horses on ranches across the West, gives T. J. Casey and his words and music an authenticity impossible to manufacture . . . they are truly “of the land. “

Being onstage as an entertainer nationwide across the last three decades gives T. J. Casey and his words, music, and presentation a polish and presence impossible to manufacture . . . they are truly “for the audience.”

When this larger-than-life artist steps under the spotlight, looks you in the eye, strums the strings on his guitar and opens his mouth to sing, the cowboy from his soul communicates with you . . . you live the song, the poem, the story. You smell trail dust and campfire smoke, feel sweat and grit on your brow, taste the blessed refreshment of clear spring water after a long, hot day of work….

Experience T. J. Casey, Cowboy from the Soul, at your next event. Solo, or as a duo or trio with his cowboy friends, this many-faceted entertainer will pack the house and send them home satisfied.
tjcasey.net
http://www.myspace.com/tjcaseycowboy

Strange Behaviour

Strange Behaviour an act like no other,This amazing two piece band from enniscorthy in wexford now on their seventh year running,with a fantastic set list and stunning live performances , Strange Behaviour have earned their rightful place on the music circuit,For seven years now the band have being playing covers from Rock n Roll to Charts and now for the first time Strange Behaviour will write and produce original material, (The Next Step) and will be uploaded soon.The Band have a hugh following from all over the country and parts of Scotland and England,There is no place too far, Strange Behaviour have already written hit songs for the popular wexford band Breeze Junkie such as ( Little Angel, All Because of you, Come On Come On, and Two Angels),

http://www.myspace.com/strangebehaviour1