Author: Hannah Clyne '19
Blue Hawk Records is proud to announce that their 13th compilation album, Superstition, will be released December 5th! The Applied Music Industry III class has been working hard all semester to make this release their best release yet!
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Auditions were held on September 17th and the class picked 5 artists to feature on the album. They include Megan Chase, Briana Lynn, Tina Siciliano, Max Adolf, and Shane Tieger. Each artist will have the opportunity to record their song at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park. 

​Megan Chase, a Freshman Psychology major, is thrilled to be featured on the album. “Working with Blue Hawk Records has proven itself to be such an amazing experience and an opportunity I will never forget. Being able to actually go through the recording process with one of my songs, “Wallpaper” is truly a blessing and I’m so excited for everyone to hear it!” Megan is a self-taught singer/songwriter from Bayville, NJ who strives to help others cope and find beauty in life through her music.

​In celebration of the album release, the class will be hosting a release show on release day, December 5th, at Monmouth University’s Lauren K. Woods Theatre. The show will include performances from all artists as well as merchandise and snacks. In addition to the release show, the class will be holding a pre-release show on December 2 at The Saint in Asbury Park starting at 1pm. The show will feature performances by all current Blue Hawk artists, as well as previous compilation artists. The class is ecstatic to be working on their 13th compilation album and cannot wait for everyone to hear it on December 5th.

​Authors: Jenna Hawryluk '20 and Samantha Moss '20

Earlier this semester in Woods Theater, Blue Hawk Records held auditions for their 13th compilation album. Over fifteen different people across all majors auditioned to be a part of the prestigious label. All of the auditions gave it their all with their original pieces of music. Included in the auditions were not only Music Industry majors, but a diverse group of majors including Psychology and Business Administration. Each person that auditioned had a time slot of fifteen minutes to show who they are as an artist. After intense deliberation, the Blue Hawk team hand-picked five artists that they believed could bring something unique to the upcoming release.

The Blue Hawk Records team is excited to announce the new artists that will be joining their latest record. The chosen artists include Briana Merkerson, Megan Chase, Tina Siciliano, Max Adolf, and Shane Tieger. General manager Cheyenne Devincentz is excited for this new journey. “We had a great turn out again this year! It’s so cool to be a part of the audition process and see everything from the record label perspective,” she said. “Our goal is to reach as many people as possible with various styles of music that everyone can listen to! I am so excited to start the recording process again with our five new artists!”

These five artists will be recording their songs at the famous Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Freshman Music Industry major Tina Siciliano, pictured below, is excited to join the album with her song “I’m Gone.” “I am excited about working with Blue Hawk Records! There’s a feeling of excitement and a little bit of the unknown. I’m looking forward to the next few months being a period of transformation,” she stated. She joins Briana with “Never Get Too Comfortable,” Megan with “Wallpaper,” Max with “Miles,” and Shane with “Fist Fight.” The newest album will be available on all streaming services December 5th!

By: Hannah Clyne ‘19

Following the release of their spring album “After Midnight,” Blue Hawk Records’ is back again to work on another album release! Blue Hawk Records’ Applied Music Industry III class is calling all Monmouth musicians to audition for their 13th compilation album. Their twelfth album, released last April, featured six songs; five originals from Monmouth students and a cover of Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight.” The title track featured Monmouth University President Grey Dimenna on the guitar, as well as members and faculty of the music industry department.
Joe Rapolla, chair of Monmouth’s Music and Theatre Arts department, will be working with the class and overseeing all aspects of the album’s prodution. Those chosen to be featured on the 13th album will have the opportunity to record their original songs at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park, as well as many opportunities to perform around campus. Cheyenne Devincentz, who worked as a general manager of the class last semester, is ready to work on yet another album release. “I am so excited to be involved in such an interesting project again to start off my senior year! Last semester was such a learning experience for me and has definitely furthered my interest in the industry. I am looking forward to working with all my amazingly talented classmates once again to create something that is even better than anything Blue Hawk Records has produced to date.”
Auditions will be held on Monday September 17th in Woods Theatre starting at 7:30pm and are open to all Monmouth students and alumni. If you are an artist with original music and want a chance to work with Blue Hawk Records, email bluehawkrecords@gmail.com to reserve your time!

​Author: Hannah Clyne ‘19
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Blue Hawk Records’ Applied Music Industry II Class is proud to announce that Monmouth University President Grey Dimenna will be featured on its upcoming album, After Midnight, which is scheduled for release on April 18. Dimenna, a budding guitar player, said he was thrilled to be included in the project. “Blue Hawk Records is one of the coolest student activities. I have several of the CDs they have released and am always amazed at the quality of the music and the professionalism of the production.,” Dimenna said.
 
The groundbreaking album, which marks the 12th release for Blue Hawk Records, includes the first cover song in the history of the student-run record label, J.J. Cale’s “After Midnight.” The song, which became a breakthrough hit for Eric Clapton in 1970, is also the name of the spring album. Dimenna said that he was extremely honored that students asked him to play on the titled track. Recorded with Dimenna on guitar at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park, N.J., the cover song is a collaboration between Monmouth University faculty, and members of the Music Industry program.

Joe Rapolla, chair of Monmouth’s Music and Arts Department, said that Dimenna’s involvement with the project exemplified the core values of a Monmouth University education. “Our students always hear about our commitment to a personalized education experience. Having President Dimenna contribute to the record is a terrific example of our commitment in action,” Rapolla said. “Our chief executive was learning right alongside our students in one of the most legendary centers of music in America,” Rapolla added.

​In the weeks prior to the recording session, two members of the Applied Music Industry class, Antonio Gonzalez and Zack Sandler, prepped President Dimenna for the session. “President Dimenna has a great passion for music and learning how to play the guitar. What other University President do you know that does a photoshoot on his motorcycle wearing a leather jacket?" Sandler said. “After we finished each guitar lesson, President Dimenna would go home and practice his parts. He even took his guitar on the road when traveling with the school’s basketball team so that he could perfect his part.” Sandler participated in the recording session and was thrilled to work with President Dimenna and all members involved.

The class is in the final stages of preparing for the release of the album, which includes five original songs; “Hold on Close” by Brianna Scangarello, “P. T. L” by FRANCESCA, “Live it Up” by Brad Kraft, “Give Up” by Wynward, “All on U” by Shadiyah Jai and Carlos Forde, along with the cover of “After Midnight.” The formal release show is scheduled for April 18, starting at 2:45pm, on Monmouth’s Residential Quad.

Author: Jenna Hawryluk '20

Leading up to Blue Hawk Records twelfth compilation album "After Midnight", the Blue Hawk team will be holding an exclusive listening party to commemorate the album this Wednesday, April 11th at 7pm. The listening party will be graciously hosted at The Outpost in Asbury Park, a brand new space designed as a contemporary "rest-stop" for international touring musicians. The album itself will feature all the original songs from the artists, and an special cover of Eric Clapton’s “After Midnight,” recorded with help from Monmouth University’s own President Dimenna. The listening party will take place at The Outpost in Asbury Park, NJ an entire week before the album is officially out on the 18th. People attending will be able to experience our twelfth album in an intimate and exciting way. You will be able to experience how the artists auditioned acoustically, and how the songs were developed into what you hear on the album.
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“I’m looking forward to it. It seems like a great opportunity to casually connect with everybody behind BHR outside of the academic and professional interactions. I’m especially excited to hear the artists’ music so that I can see how well their hard work and talent has paid off for them” -Brad Kraft (After Midnight Artist).

The album features FRANCESCA and her song “P. T. L”, Brad Kraft with “Live it Up”, Bri Scangarello with “Hold on Close”, Wynward and their song “Give It Up”, and a special collaborative effort by Shadiyah Jai, Carlos Forde, and Drew Fournier with their song “All On U”. Every artist had the opportunity to record their originals in the prestigious Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park,  and all produced an amazing addition to the album. All artists will be in attendance at the listening session, and are excited to have their work be finally put into the world. 
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“We’re excited to be apart of the After Midnight compilation and we’re looking forward to hearing music from the other acts.” -Wynward (After Midnight Artists) 

“I'm excited for the listening party! I think it's going to be really cool to have everyone together hearing what came out of all the hard work and long nights everyone put in to make this album. This was such a cool journey to be a part of; I can't wait to hear how it turned out!” -Bri Scangarello (After Midnight Artist) 

The Listening Party will be held from 7pm-9pm and will have refreshments for all our guests. Join us at #OutpostCity in Asbury Park at 200 Cookman Avenue, and make sure to RSVP to the event on our Facebook page (Blue Hawk Records). You can click the button below to get to the event page easily. For all other updates, make sure to follow us on twitter, snapchat instagram, and more to be apart of our journey leading up to April 18th! 

Author: Katie Coffman '20

Last semester, Blue Hawk Records released their 11th compilation album entitled Volume 11. The album featured 5 artists and included everything from singer songwriters to full bands. Each of these artists had an amazing opportunity to grow as a musician and an individual by being on the album. Now that it has been almost an entire semester since the release, I decided to meet up with each artist and ask some questions about how the experience of being on the album has impacted them. 

Next, I had the honor of interviewing Jacke Tripp. He says that “Getting the opportunity to work with everything that Blue Hawk records offers, like recording in Lakehouse studios and performing at the House of Independence was a really fun experience and only inspired me to continue working on music”. He noted that seeing the “intricate parts” of the industry really opened his eyes and only made him want to be more of a part of the it. Since the release of his song “Bliss” on Volume 11, he has released two more singles; “Onto the Next One” and “Nights Never Change” featuring Indy. Jacke mentioned that he plans on releasing another single before the end of the semester, and this Sunday April 8th, Jacke will be performing at the Battle of the Charities from 12-4 at Monmouth University Shadow Lawn. Tickets are $5, and all proceeds will be given to 10 different non-profit organizations. Jacke is on Facebook as “Jacke Tripp”, Instagram (@Jacketrippmusic), and Soundcloud! 

​​Next, I had the amazing opportunity to interview Ray Laux from the band Malibu. Malibu performed their debut single “Brighter Blue” on the album. He said that Lakehouse Studios was such a professional environment that they loved recording their first single there. Since the release, they have put out two more singles independently. Ray says that they have done alright, but “Brighter Blue” has been their most successful song so far. He credits his bandmates with a lot of that positive feedback from their first single, saying they really hit the ground running with a lot of great promotion. Their new single “Broken Line” is being released today, April 6th, on all digital music platforms! You can see Malibu  perform live at the Semi-Final round of Stone Pony's Rock To The Top Competition on April 29th! For more information, check out the band on social media. The band is on Facebook (@MalibuNJ), Twitter (@MalibuBandNJ), and Instagram (@MalibuNJ)! 

The final two artists will be talked about in part 2 of this blog post, which will be posted next week! Check back next week to catch up on The Nooks and Tim DiDomenico.

Author: Jenna Hawryluk ‘20

When the Applied Music Industry II class at Monmouth University held auditions for the twelfth Blue Hawk Records compilation album, they were excited to select five different talented students to be a part of the record. It was then that they met Francesca. She is one of the lucky artists to be featured on the twelfth album entitled After Midnight. Francesca is currently an English and Creative Writing major, graduating from Monmouth University in 2020. With a passion for music, she auditioned for the student-run record label and blew everyone away.

Her original song, “Post Traumatic Love,” will be featured on After Midnight, and she is very excited for people to hear her work. This is not her first musical endeavor, as she has been working on an independent EP which is on track to release in the Spring of 2018. Last Wednesday night on Monmouth University’s radio station, WMCX, Francesca gave listeners an acoustic first listen to her song, “Post Traumatic Love”. It is a strong addition to Blue Hawk Records' compilation album, and Francesca’s beautiful and unique voice will certainly speak for itself on the record.

​Author: Hannah Clyne ’19

West Long Branch, New Jersey. On Wednesday, January 31, 2018, The Blue Hawk Records Applied Music Industry II class hosted auditions for their Twelfth Compilation album. The turnout at Woods Theatre was large, ultimately making the final decision extremely difficult, but by the end of the night, the class was able to choose five artists to feature on their newest album. The artists, all of various majors and years, include Brianna Scangarello, Wynward, Brad Kraft, Francesca Longiro, and collaborative act Shadiyah Belton, Drew Fournier and Carlos Flores! 

​The chosen artists will be recording each of their songs at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park, New Jersey and for some, this will be their first experience in the studio. Brianna Scangarello, pictured above, will be recording her song “Hold on Close.” “I was honestly really nervous to audition, but my friends in the band Malibu, who were on the Blue Hawk Records’ Volume 11 Compilation Album, were also playing with me, so that definitely helped calm the nerves” said Bri. “It was such a fun experience, and when I got the call that I made it onto the album, I started jumping and screaming from excitement. Everyone in Blue Hawk Records is really cool and great to work with and I’m so excited and grateful that I get the opportunity to learn more about the industry, while doing something I love, alongside some really great people.”
                 
In the upcoming weeks, Blue Hawk Records’ A&R and management teams will be working with each artist in order to prepare them for their recording sessions and upcoming performances. The class will also be working all semester long with Joe Rapolla, the Chair of the Music and Arts Department at Monmouth University, to prepare for the album release.
 
The 12th album is on track to be released on Wednesday, April 18th and a celebratory release show will be held on the same day on the Residential Quad starting at 2:45pm! To stay up to date with Blue Hawk Records’ Album 12, make sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For even more updates, text BHR to 882-02 to receive updates straight to your phone!

​Each single on Volume 11 was recorded at Lakehouse Recording Studios in Asbury Park, as per their partnership with Monmouth University and Blue Hawk Records.  “Recording at Lakehouse is such a privilege,” says senior Olivia Rohlfs of The Nooks. “My band was granted access to one of the best recording studios in the state all because the Blue Hawk team sees potential in our original music.” 


Volume 11, whose title is inspired by the cult-classic movie, Spinal Tap, will be available for streaming and digital download on December 6th. Monmouth students are invited to attend a release show held in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center at 2:45 PM that day. Tickets for the House of Independents showcase are available for $8 on House of Independents’ website and can be purchased the day of show for $10. A portion of the proceeds will support student programming.

Creator: Taylor Coigne '19