iHEARTRADIO and online destination WHAT'S TRENDING are partnering for TUBEATHON, a digital telethon and musical variety show benefiting the AMERICAN RED CROSS on WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20th, streaming live from the iHEARTRADIO THEATER in LOS ANGELES on twitch.tv/whatstrending from 7-9p (PT) with a gaming pre-show from 5-7p (PT).

The event serves as an early kick-off to the AMERICAN RED CROSS' 2016 GIVING DAY on APRIL 21st, a one-day fundraising effort designed to increase public emergency preparedness awareness and raise funds to help families who have been affected by disasters such as home fires.

AMERICAN RED CROSS President/CEO GAIL McGOVERN stated: "TUBEATHON is a powerful platform that brings together entertainers and influencers to raise awareness and funds for families affected by emergencies or disasters. We are thrilled to be involved in this unique concert event as part of our GIVING DAY awareness and educational programs."

TUBEATHON will feature musical performances by MAGIC!, NICK FRADIANI, La'PORSCHE, JESSICA SANCHEZ, ALYSON STONER, BC JEAN & MARK BALLAS, CHANEL WEST COAST, MELANIE MARTINEZ, ILOVEMEMPHIS, CHRISTINA GRIMMIE, JAMES MASLOW, TYLER HILTON, DSHARP, 80FITZ, SKY BLUE, SAM TSUI, JANINA GAVANKAR, ALEX BOYE and HEFFRON DRIVE, among others. The show will also include variety segments and appearances from fan-favorite influencers live from TUBEATHON's TWEET BANK, a modern-day take on a charity phone bank.

Hosted by SHIRA LAZAR with co-hosts BART BAKER, QUDDUS and TARYN SOUTHERN, TUBEATHON's mix of celebrity guests and social media influencers -- who traditionally generate more than 200 million social media impressions combined -- will encourage viewers throughout the live stream to participate and donate to the RED CROSS by using the hashtag #help1family.  For every TWEET with the #help1family hashtag, CRAIGSLIST founder CRAIG NEWMARK will donate $1 to RED CROSS.

Leading up to TUBEATHON, iHEARTMEDIA leveraged the company's multiplatform assets to address key aspects of fire safety and prevention. For the last several weeks, iHEARTMEDIA has launched an on-air and online campaign across its more than 850 radio stations, station websites and iHeartRadio.com, designed to build awareness and drive tune-in to TUBEATHON.

iHEARTMEDIA EVP/Global Music Marketing ALISSA POLLACK commented: "At iHEARTMEDIA, it's a priority for us to focus on the relevant and critical issues that matter most to our listeners and our communities. TUBEATHON is a unique opportunity to deliver a very important message about home fire safety and preparedness by combining the social influence of some of the most popular online celebrities with the national and local reach of all of our 850+ radio stations."

American indie pop duo Heffron Drive—Kendall Schmidt and Dustin Belt—reference their combined efforts with ADAM Audio A7X nearfield monitors as well as a Sub10 Mk2 subwoofer

The monitors are a focal point in the duo’s San Fernando Valley studio that was designed and built by Schmidt. ”The A7X monitors have played a critical role during the production of our latest record; vocals sounded extremely natural with less coloration, as did the low-end, and the highs were smooth, with a clean, three-dimensional clarity,” says Schmidt. “The A7Xs provided a real sense of separation among all the elements within the mix, and enabled the sound that we intended to be revealed in a transparent and realistic fashion.

“This is vital during the recording process,” he continues. “With the ADAMs, I can hear every aspect of what I’m doing and it’s both inspiring creatively and allows us to deliver the best possible results for our audience.” Both originally from Wichita, KS, Schmidt and Belt first crossed paths in Burbank, CA, and began making music together under the name of the street where they met, Heffron Drive. Shortly thereafter, Schmidt became part of the pop group Big Time Rush, which starred in the Nickelodeon/Columbia Records television show of the same name.

Along with a record deal, live performances in television and a movie, Schmidt and the band gained worldwide attention. On the road, Belt joined Big Time Rush as a guitarist.

After releasing three studio albums with chart-topping singles and a global TV audience of millions, Big Time Rush went on hiatus; and Schmidt and Belt put Heffron Drive back in gear with a renewed touring schedule and the release of a studio album, Happy Mistakesin 2013. Happy Mistakes: Unplugged followed in 2015 on TOLbooth Records, an acoustic product recorded entirely In the Sherman Oaks Studio.

The studio is also home to an ADAM Sub10 Mk2 subwoofer, which extends the low frequency capabilities down to 25 Hz. “With my previous subwoofer system, all I got was extended low-frequency response,” Schmidt adds. “With the ADAM Sub10 I extend my LF plus overall tonality—I’m not just shaking the room with mindless thumping. I can isolate the sub as well, all while getting a response within which I can hear the key of the song itself and the musicality within that space of the audio spectrum.” An Apple 12-core Mac Pro with 64 GB of memory provides Schmidt’s studio with plenty of computing power. A Manley Gold Reference microphone is the “crown jewel” of the mic locker; an extensive collection of outboard gear includes a Purple Audio MC77 1176-style limiter, and in Schmidt’s own words, “more Universal Audio plug-ins than anyone could ever use.”

Review By Danielle Gittleman

Source

Heffron Drive, a musical duo made up of Kendall Schmidt (formerly of Big Time Rush) and Dustin Belt, just released their brand new single “Rain Don’t Come” and we absolutely love it.

Wandering been here for days How long since we have found our way Sun above beats down and leathers our skin to hell and browns the face

Suddenly I hear the call To rise above it all We’ll wait it out And after all it’s not the first time We’ve been in a drought so

We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come Rain Don’t Come So we keep dancing

We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come Rain Don’t Come So we keep dancing

Wandering been here for days How long since we have found our way Sun above beats down and leathers our skin to hell and browns the face Suddenly I hear the call To rise above it all We’ll wait it out And after all it’s not the first time We’ve been in a drought so

We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come Rain Don’t Come So we keep dancing

We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come Rain Don’t Come So we keep dancing

We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come We keep dancing but the rain don’t come Rain Don’t Come So we keep dancing

Rain Don’t Come is now available on Google Play

Rain Don’t Come is now available on Amazon Music

Rain Don’t Come is available NOW on iTunes and Apple Music

Kendall Schmidt, left, and Dustin Belt of Heffron Drive arrive at the iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Forum on April 3, 2016, in Inglewood, Calif.