Sharp Notes March 07 2001

Hit me! Evander Holyfield remains serious about his 2-year-old Real Deal record label. He’s just signed R&B bands 4 Shades, a male vocal group, and Exhale, a similarly styled female act, hoping for that elusive knockout radio punch.
Mark Stopper, former drummer of Grand Moff Tarkin, has joined The Evils just in time to add beats to their musical wickedness at GSU’s Cinéfest this week. They play before the midnight movie Rock ‘n Roll Frankenstein Sat., March 10. The previous night The Helgas have a go at the same flick.
Up the creek. Singer/songwriter Ben Dunlop has had his songs “optioned” by “Dawson’s Creek” for the current season. Read all about it at www.abstractvisions.net/index2.html.
In this week’s OutKast news, the group is developing their own line of clothing, geared toward the male hip-hopper in all of us. Look for the camouflage, leather and safari-style threads to be available this summer, with women’s gear soon to follow.
While TLC members continue pursuing solo careers, look for a few new TLC tracks to be added to the trio’s greatest-hits album, due for the fall.
High and low. Red Lab recording studio recently received a high- and low-tech facelift with the addition of new equipment, both analog and digital. Even though the whiz-bang hot Pro-Tools has been installed, the mastering suite is retro-outfitted with good old-fashioned tube equipment. Recent projects at the facility include the ongoing King Lear Jet album and the X-Impossibles’ rendition of Buddy Knox’s “Party Girl” for a forthcoming American Graffiti soundtrack covers album. The latter holds the record as the fastest tune ever produced at the studio — four hours total, including load-in/out, overdubs and mixing.