Ernest Chapman
I'm in the business of tranceformation, trained from young age by a hit songwriter mom and a therapist dad. Losing my father at 12 put me on a search for the deeper meaning behind everything, which led to decades as a pilgrim seeking the holy grail of personal transformation through music, video, performance, and the written word. As digital disrupted the dinosaur music biz, I became the canary that lived, developing into a teacher. Insatiable curiosity led me to invent new ways of learning music and I realized I had a product, so I studied branding and marketing to share it far and wide. In the process, I met fantastic mentors who showed me new ways to use my skills in strategy, innovation, empathy, and creative execution to help others find the WHY and tell their stories. TEAM iLLUMiNATi is the purple gummy bear of the Nashville music scene; a totally unique, fascinating, and much-appreciated surprise. Half Ben Folds, half Frank Zappa, and a third Nine Inch Nails, TEAM iLLUMiNATi is the brainchild of lead singer/architect Ernest Chapman. The new album, “American Dream,” produced by Matt Rollings and Ernest, is currently available for free at , and is also available on iTunes. From painting future landscapes with “We Are” and “American Dream,” exploring life’s struggles and successes in “Ashtray” and “Beautiful In There” to creating an interweaving mesh of hooks, colors and straight out balls to the walls rock with “The Only One” and “Hotel,” TEAM iLLUMiNATi creates an eclectic atmosphere that rings to the core of the human spirit. Though Ernest plays most of the instruments on the album, TEAM iLLUMiNATi live consists of steady bassist and co-writer Jessie Friedman, drummer Charlie Blevins, and guitarist Bobby Holland. Past members include Jerry Roe (Head Automatica, Michelle Branch), and Charlie Morgan (Elton John, Bjork). True to the diversity of the project, TEAM iLLUMiNATi has been featured on Bob Harris’s famous BBC Radio One show, comedy podcast The Awful Show, the Deepak Chopra Wellness Radio Show, The Grief Blog Radio Show, and a tribute CD dedicated to Martin Luther King called Dream On!, which raises money for charity. Other projects lead singer/architect Ernest is involved with include playing on the score for a fake porno documentary called “Love Shack” with TEAM iLLUMiNATI Co-Producer Matt Rollings (also the keyboard player for Mark Knopfller), and Leland Sklar (bassist for Phil Collins, Randy Newman), and appearing in a documentary called “Protest Nation”, set to be screened at Sundance next year (http://www.protestnation.com). Currently un-signed, TEAM iLLUMiNATi has dedicated itself to finding new and creative ways of getting the music out, enlisting the help of friends and fans. In January 2009, TEAM iLLUMiNATi created an online contest to spread their music, at http://www.777contest.com. Anyone who sends their friends there to download the entire album for free can win stickers, glow in the dark t-shirts, and even an iPod shuffle, courtesy of TEAM iLLUMiNATi. Ernest appeared on the radio show Healing the Grieving Heart, to discuss “Loss of a Parent: Healing Through Music.” To hear Ernest’s music and his interview with Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley, click on the following link: www.voiceamericapd.com/health/010157/horsley010809.mp3
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