Singer/Songwriter Abi Tapia, producer Chris Gage and MoonHouse Records announce the release of Abi Tapia's “The Beauty in the Ruin”.
Austinites Abi Tapia and Chris Gage joined forces in 2005 when Gage produced her sophomore effort – “One Foot Out The Door”. The CD spent time in the Top 40 on the Americana chart and established Abi as a bright new talent on the Austin, Texas music scene. The CD was recorded at MoonHouse Studio, Gage’s south Austin studio that he co-owns with partner Christine Albert (Albert and Gage), and the couple got to know Abi well, becoming strong supporters behind the scenes. When Abi returned to Chris to handle the production on her third album the partnership deepened, eventually leading to a licensing agreement for the new album with Albert and Gage’s MoonHouse Records. In the middle of the recording of “The Beauty in the Ruin”, MoonHouse Studio moved to a commercial location and the project was put on hold for six months while remodeling took place. Abi’s music christened the new space.
Tapia’s songwriting and voice are stronger than ever and the CD showcases her knack with a hook and ability to universalize her experience. “The Beauty in the Ruin” explores sadness and frustration, but is never maudlin and is always hopeful. In “The Easy Way”, she flirts with the idea of willingly sinking into depression; “My Miner” explores the helplessness of loving someone who works a dangerous job; and “Beware” lists the endless dangers facing Americans, especially a woman traveling the highways alone. But when it came time to name the album, she found there was a common thread of hope, redemption, and joy in all of these supposedly sad songs. “The beauty in the ruin” is a lyric from “Flying,” mostly written on an airplane over Louisiana, looking down at the complex relationship between ecology and manmade infrastructure, which from 30,000 feet she found awe-inspiring.
The music straddles country, folk, and rock with ease, incorporating fiddle and pedal steel as well as some crunchy electric guitars and big drums. Chris Gage enlisted Austin studio veteran Glenn Fukunaga to play bass and Bruce Logan to fill the drum throne. Gage’s musical versatility is showcased throughout on keyboards, guitar, Dobro, mandolin and percussion, while fiddler Eleanor Whitmore and pedal steel master Buzz Evans sweeten the mix. Background vocals are shared by Abi, Christine Albert, Chris Gage and Bill Small (Walt Wilkins and the Mystiqueros).
"Beauty In The Ruin" available here.
www.abitapia.com
www.moonhouserecords.com
Ad Vanderveen
Ad Vanderveen is a singer/songwriter and guitarist whose star has been rising over the European and American musical landscape throughout the past decade. Although born a Dutchman (Hilversum, 1956), half of his family are Canadian and that may be one of the reasons why his music is firmly rooted in a style nowadays known as Americana.
His early musical influences were 60s Rock & Roll bands and the classic singer/songwriters from the 70s. Vanderveen played guitar and wrote songs from age 14 and played in many R & R bands before founding his own band Personnel in the early 80s. After 2 LP's the band recorded "Personnel Only", their breakthrough CD, for Polydor Records. The follow-up album "Continuing Stories", recorded in Nashville and produced by Bill Halverson, featured guest appearances by Al Kooper, Flaco Jiminez, Al Perkins and Leland Sklar.
Ad decided to leave the band to focus on his work as a solo artist in the early 90s. Since then Vanderveen has produced an impressive body of work, consisting of 11 solo cd's and several side projects, like with his garage band "The O'Neils" and with Eliza Gilkyson and Iain Matthews in "More Than A Song".
Ad Vanderveen's music is often described as colorful and rich in dynamics, ranging from intimate acoustic to full on electric improvisation. His highly acclaimed records and excellent reputation as a live performer are spreading, both in the old world and the new.
"Still Now" available here.
Adam Klein
The slow, lazy rolling days of summer in the south. Fireflies and little league games in the evening time. Reminiscences of a past lover and a girl who got away. Finding one's self unraveled on a still, dark night, the promise of youth and potential unfulfilled. These are some of the images and feelings evoked in Athens, Georgia-based singer-songwriter Adam Klein's 3rd album, the nostalgic coming-of-age collection "Wounded Electric Youth. "Wounded Electric Youth" finds a songwriter in stride, an artist building upon the strengths of his previous releases and expanding his palette with dynamic melodies, fuller arrangements, broader instrumentation, and a bolder sound.
While Klein followed the sparse, rustic country folk of his debut release "Distant Music" (2006) with the Americanameets-Texas singer-songwriter story songs of the acclaimed sophomore offering "Western Tales & Trails" (2008), "Wounded Electric Youth" is a folk-pop delight rooted in Americana and featuring Klein's signature rustic stylings. Characterized by a warm, rich sound, Klein's blend of Americana, folk-rock, and indie pop bring to mind such perennial favorites as Wilco's "Summerteeth", "Pneumonia" by Whiskeytown, and Son Volt's recent work. The bold rhythm section is nothing short of mid-late Beatles. It may seem familiar, yet in Klein's hands the sound is uniquely his own.
"Wounded Electric Youth" is a remarkably versatile third offering. Opener “Driftin'” is an ode to summertime in Athens replete with ukelele and bells. “To Be A Loner”, “Anna (You Were Supposed To Be Mine)”, and “Griffin's Song” represent Klein's first foray into a catchy pop aesthetic, the latter two featuring thick horns and driving guitars. Amidst this framework Klein yet again brings a strong lyrical story song, “Of Pirates & Vagabonds”, and the straightforward country number “Wayward Son”. “Tired Afternoon (Out for Love)”, meanwhile, is colored by Randall Bramblett's light, ethereal piano touches, soft trumpet, and Bill Frisell-style electric guitar work compliments of Brooklyn's Raphael McGregor. The dreamy “Once In Paris” finds Klein's falsetto gliding along silky organ chimes, deep baritone guitar and drums, and splashes of cymbals.
"Wounded Electric Youth" is sweet, whimsical nostalgia, touches of pain awash in the stunning warmth of life lived. Mastering engineer Tom Lewis (R.E.M., Allman Brothers, The Whigs) hails it “the most completely realized record” to come out of Athens in recent years. As with "Western Tales & Trails", "Wounded Electric Youth" was recorded and produced over a period of months by AJ Adams (ex-Bloodkin, The Granfalloons) at his Troubadour Den studio in Athens with a returning cast of talented players.
Featuring a broad stylistic range filtered through disparate influences from the 60's poprock of The Beatles, lushness of Beach Boys, and folksy Americana, "Wounded Electric Youth" is a striking, beautifully crafted, and pure set of timeless originals. Lyrically potent, Klein creates a lovely balance of heartbreak and sheer, sparkling-pop joy.
Klein's music has garnered praise from Paste, No Depression, Americana UK, Georgia Music, Maverick Magazine, Flagpole, and Performer Magazines.
In early 2010 Klein traveled to Mali, West Africa, where he recorded a Malian Mande music album, titled "Dugu Wolo", and produced a making-of-the-record documentary film. Klein is the founder of upstart independent label Cowboy Angel Music and co-organizer of the annual Athens Americana music festival in Athens.
www.adam-klein.com
www.cowboyangelmusic.com
The Adventure Spirit
The Adventure Spirit is a harmony driven, country-soul-pop group from Melbourne, Australia. Based around the songwriting of its two vocalists, Tim Fry and Leigh Young, the band traces its influence to songwriters such as Bob Dylan, whilst taking musical cues from artists like Oscar Peterson and Steve Cropper.
Formed as a home recording project in 2005, Tim, Leigh and drummer Mirra Seigerman made an album of their songs, known as a gem- and electronic/folk-, and Simon & Garfunkel/Flaming Lips-styled affair, which became an underground, freely-distributed hit in the hills district of Melbourne.
The following year they recorded a folk inspired album, "Hope Shall Carry On", which would later be released in 2008. The project became a fully fledged band when bass player Ben Tansey was recruited at the end of 2006, changing the sound considerably.
While the folk influence remained, Ben’s pulsating double bass playing lent the group a country/pop sound which became more pronounced as the years went by. With material ranging from the berserk rockabilly song "Terra Nova Blues", to the delicate ballad "Everyone Moves On", the Adventure Spirit became known for having an unusually strong variety of tunes, united by the soaring sound of Tim and Leigh’s vocal blend and Mirra’s jazz-inspired drumming.
The group enjoyed a little radio airplay following the release of "Hope Shall Carry On", and earned a reputation for compelling songwriting and intimate live performances. It was around this time that fans nicknamed them ‘the spiz’ using some seriously unsophisticated australian wordplay.
In the last two years the songwriting has grown to include elements of soul and blues music, and these influences are evident on the brand new album "Grand Standard". Recorded by Craig Pilkington at Audrey Studios, this album affirms The Adventure Spirit’s readiness to reach larger audiences in australia and abroad.
http://theadventurespirit.com
www.myspace.com/adventurespirit
Albert & Gage
MoonHouse Records is proud to announce the release of "Albert & Gage – Dakota Lullaby (The Songs of Tom Peterson)". This is the sixth CD for the Austin, Texas duo since teaming up in 1997. Christine Albert and Chris Gage will be continuing their active performing schedule throughout the summer to support the release.
Although Albert and Gage are prolific songwriters, for this project they drew entirely from an extensive catalog of undiscovered gems written by Gage’s old friend from Sioux Falls, South Dakota – Tom Peterson. Virtually unknown outside of South Dakota (although he is somewhat of a legend among his peers in the Midwest), Peterson lived for awhile in Nashville but his songs never found the wider audience they deserve. On the liner notes Gage says “I’ve been singing Tom Peterson songs on stages around the world since 1975, but I had to hear 10,000 other songs before I realized just how great Tom’s are.” And Christine mentions that listening to old recordings of Tom’s music made her feel like she had “just struck gold in the Black Hills”. You can hear the affection and reverence that Albert and Gage have for the songs and for Mr. Peterson himself. Tom Peterson makes his home in Sioux Falls and works in production for a local television news program.
Gage’s multi-instrumental chops are well known through his work as a producer and a sideman (Roy Clark, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Jerry Jeff Walker) and he guides a world class band through classic Americana style arrangements on Dakota Lullaby. He shines on guitars, piano, organ, and dobro and that distinctive Albert and Gage harmony is prominently featured throughout. The duo take turns singing lead and you can almost hear the prairie wind as they wrap their voices around the ballads, the blues, the country, swing and bluegrass that grace this album. The music is pure Americana and Albert and Gage deliver it with the integrity and care that these great songs deserve.
Austin’s studio A-list, Paul Pearcy, David Carroll and Glenn Fukunaga, make up the rhythm section and are joined here by other hot Austin players - Lloyd Maines on pedal steel, John Mills on saxophone and Michael Austin on clarinet. Chris and Christine took advantage of borderless digital technology and added Canadian Mike Stevens on harmonica and South Dakotans Kenny Putnam on fiddle and Boyd Bristow on harmony vocals.
Ali Eskandarian
Ali Eskandarian’s transnational upbringing makes him a prescient voice for our era. The Iranian-American troubadour draws upon influences as discrete as American folk, rock and traditional Persian music to craft songs about love, travel, politics and loneliness. The results have earned him comparisons to greats like Bob Dylan and Jeff Buckley.
Ali was born in Pensacola, FL, on September 11, 1978, to a father who was an officer in the Iranian Air Force. Growing up in Tehran, Iran during the Iranian Revolution, Ali found strength in music. “I was always around music,” he explains. “It’s hard to find an Iranian party without dancing and singing. The Islamic revolution has not been successful in trying to stop people from having a good time.” After the death of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1989, the family was granted political asylum in Germany. After two years, they relocated to Dallas, Texas, where Ali experienced an arts-filled adolescence. After attending college in Plano, Ali moved to New York in 2003 to pursue his dream. He said, “I eventually realized how much music meant to me and that I could be a musician.”
Buzz has built around Ali’s live performances, which include shows at the Living Room, the Rockwood Music Hall and a summer residency at Washington, D.C.’s the Red and the Black. Ali’s highly anticipated debut album, "Nothing To Say", is slated for a late 2008 release on Wildflower Records. Produced by Rob Friedman, whose work was featured on Dan Zane’s Grammy-winning album "Catch That Train!", "Nothing To Say" exhibits diverse sources of musical inspiration. Standout track “Memphis” is motivated by the Americana of Willie Nelson, telling the story of a wanderer who is persistently drawn back to this mystical American city. Meanwhile, “Eastern Fancy” reveals the Persian influence of singers like Farhad and Dariush, with Ali’s powerfully austere voice front and center against an acoustic guitar background.
Ali’s intensely personal blend of East and West is an adventurous, politically compelling addition to the musical landscape of 2008/2009.
"Nothing To Say" available here.
www.myspace.com/alieskandarian
www.wildflowerrecords.com
All Day Sucker
Their time is now.
“As musicians, we use the framework of pop music aesthetics to make pop music wonderful, be it through song structure, melody or harmonies,” All Day Sucker singer Morty Coyle states. “We’ve been praying at the altar of pop music our entire lives. Now we’re ready to take our place in the church.”
All Day Sucker may be somewhat new to the music scene, having just released their second CD that’s brimming with heady, street-smart yet refreshingly sweet, sophisticated melodic rock. What gives their instantly memorable hooks a soulful resonance are sharp musicianship and a grounded lyrical sense that illuminates mature, authentic feelings.
This isn’t a group conceived in a flash-in-the pan marketing plan, or thrown together to appeal to someone’s idea of a target demographic. Core members singer Morty Coyle and keyboardist Jordan Summers started playing together in high school, fronting bands that cut its teeth in jazz, as well as pop, R&B, new wave and blues classics. While recording original material, they became an underground sensation, performing those jaw-dropping covers at Canter’s Kibbutz room open jam in Hollywood.
Eventually, Coyle and Summers decided to get serious with their music career and formed All Day Sucker — although they almost gave that name away. “During rehearsals, we realized that we didn’t have a name, then someone mentioned the Stevie Wonder song, ‘All Day Sucker,’ and we all thought it would be a great name for a band,” Summers recalls. “At the same time, we were friends with Maroon 5, who were originally known as Kara’s Flowers—but they didn’t like their name. We told them to use All Day Sucker, but they told us to use it. It went back and forth for a while until we settled on our respective names.”
With band name in hand, they continued to hone their original material, showcasing their improving musical chops and wizened lyrical perspective. “It was an evolutionary thing,” Summers says. “After listening too much to others early on, we decided to trust our own instincts, bringing in more of our personalities and presenting more rock-pop harmonies that people like to listen to.”
“The difference in our music is as stark as comparing a sandbox star with a professional athlete,” Coyle adds. “In our early songs, we were a force of adolescent hero worship. We were trying to be something that we wanted to be, not what we were. When we finally started All Day Sucker, we wanted to truly represent what we are.
Blessed with great songs, sharp chops, a cunning attitude and a mature sense of self, All Day Sucker is ready to venture into the seen-it-all music scene and emerge as a fresh, clever and unique musical presence. “Jordan and I have never been completely starry-eyed about this, as there always has been a certain level of understanding of what we were doing,” Coyle says. “Now we realize that it’s a much a folly for a 30-year-old to sing about hating his parents, as it is for a 16-year-old to explain what’s it’s like to live in real world. At a certain point in your creative life, you have to speak with your own voice. All Day Sucker has enabled us to find our voice.”
Allan Frank
"There is nothing I'd like more, than to take you with me to somewhere you've never been, yet somewhere you'd want to go back to, again and again."
Allan Frank is an artist whose songs invite the listener on a heartfelt journey through life. He's not only a genuine musical storyteller - he's a gentle pied piper who creatively encourages us all to follow our dreams. His captivating lyrics in combination with strong melodies make that journey worth taking.
Born in Central Illinois, Allan’s roots run deep through Midwest, where he developed an interest in folk and traditional music. He got his first guitar at sixteen and never put it down. Attending Quincy College, located on the banks of the Mississippi, he earned a BFA in theater and also studied art. During this last year at Quincy he gained a strong interest in songwriting where he began to pen his own tunes. After college his journeys then took him to Europe in the late 70’s where he played and sang cover tunes and his own compositions in pubs in Frankfurt, Germany. He later moved to Hamburg where, busking on the streets, he met fellow American and German musicians who soon formed the short-lived band Deliverance.
He and one of his band mates then moved to Los Angeles, California. During the next several years, Allan maintained his interest in writing and composed several songs while earning his living in the Aerospace and Defense industry. In the late 90’s he decided to take his songwriting to the next level.
He “retired” from the Aerospace industry to study songwriting full time. He enrolled in classes and workshops in Los Angels and Nashville and over the next few years honed his craft with professional writers/teachers at SGA (Songwriters Guild of America), NSAI (Nashville Songwriters Association International) and at UCLA (University of Southern California) where he earned his Songwriter Certification. During that time he won songwritng awards both in the US and internationally, including 1st place for Best Country Song in the 2000 International Unisong Competition. He was also selected by two-time Academy Award winning songwriter, Al Kasha, to edit Kasha’s and Joel Hirshorn’s book “How to Write a Hit Song.”
Allan, by virtue of his accomplishments, began to write with top writers in Nashville and Los Angels including mega-hit writer Gary Burr and Grammy winning songwriter Chris Tompkins. Around 2005 Allan decided to try his hand at recording his own material.
He spent the next couple of years learning recording in the studio and studying voice and vocal technique. And in 2007 began working on his first CD, the ambitious “The Road So Far”. Recording in Nashville, North Carolina and Los Angeles, he brought all those elements together with noted American producer Ed Tree to finish production in late 2008, and completed manufacturing in the second half of 2009.
In August of 2009 he held his “hometown” release party to high acclaim. In November 2009 he “tested” the European appeal by releasing to some radio markets, and received very favorable response. In early 2010 he performed at the Berlin Country Music Messe, in March 2010 had his USA CD release, and late 2010 will mark his official European release.
www.allanfrankmusic.com
www.myspace.com/allanfrankmusic
Allan Thomas
Allan Thomas' musical adventure began in Brooklyn, NY, when at age 12, he joined an a-capella doo-wop vocal group, performing at local events. In 1966, at age 18, he signed his first solo record deal with noted producer Huey P Meaux, who released Allan's first single on Scepter Records.
Becoming a songwriter at 19, Thomas soon played the Greenwich Village coffee house circuit, and in 1971 Sire Records released his first album of original songs 'A Picture', produced by Richard Gottehrer. Allan then toured the US, opening for acts such as Cannonball Adderley Quintet, Weather Report, Richie Havens, Taj Mahal, and elder blues men Bukka White and Arthur Cruddup.
In 1972 Thomas was invited to improvise vocals on the Cannonball Adderley Quintet song 'Behold', which appeared on the groups 'Soul Of The Bible' concept album. Allan also opened for the quintet at the Troubadour and Lighthouse clubs in southern California.
AT was a staff songwriter for ABC Music in the late seventies, and moved to Kauai in 1983. He released his second album 'The Island' on his own Black Bamboo Recordings label in 1989. The CD was produced and mixed by industry veteran Stephen Barncard of Grateful Dead and Crosby & Nash fame. The CD played on over 150 radio stations nationwide.
In 1997 Allan released his third album 'Coconut Culture', produced, recorded and mixed by music business heavy Mike Shipley (Alison Krauss, Maroon 5, Tom Petty) featuring a duet with Graham Nash on the song 'The Navigator'. On this album AT begins using several alternate guitar tunings that were gifts from David Crosby.
In 2005 Allan was assistant engineer on Donald Fagens' (Steely Dan) third solo CD 'Morph The Cat'. Thomas also played rhythm guitar and sang backing vocals for both Fagan and Todd Rundgren in a benefit concert in March of 2005.
2007 saw the release of Thomas' 4th album 'Making Up For Lost Time', again joined by Graham Nash on the song 'Ray Of Hope'. This record features Jimmy Johnson from the James Taylor band on bass, and the drummer from the group Chicago, Tris Imboden, on drums.
At present Allan Thomas has just released his newest CD 'Deep Water', featuring David Crosby and Graham Nash. The record also features members of the Bonnie Raitt, Neil Young, Van Morrison, James Taylor, CSN, and the Yellowjackets bands.
Allison Moorer
Allison Moorer is set to release her Ryko debut, 'Crows', on February 10, 2010. Produced by R.S. Field (Buddy Guy, John Mayall) at the House of David Studio in Nashville, TN, the 13-track album is a refined and lyrically honest collection of songs that is a marked stylistic departure from her previous work. 'Crows' is the anticipated follow up to her critically acclaimed 2008 album, 'Mockingbird', which was a celebration of songs composed by a stunning cast of female songwriters including Nina Simone, Patti Smith, Cat Power, her sister Shelby Lynne, and more. It also follows Moorer’s first Grammy Award Nomination for the song “Days Aren’t Long Enough,” a composition she co-wrote with her husband, Steve Earle, for his Grammy Award Winning 2007 album 'Washington Square Serenade'.
Speaking with Billboard Magazine regarding 'Crows', Moorer stated “I really just set myself free and just threw all the rules out the window.” Regarding the album’s title, Moorer offered “We have crows in the yard at our place up in Woodstock. I am a little obsessed with birds, and have been told that they are indeed our messengers from the other side. So I decided that instead of letting the crows make me uneasy, I would start to consider them as friendlies, and that they were actually bringing me a message of comfort.”
Ruby Marchand, head of A&R for Ryko, stated “Ryko is enormously proud to welcome Allison Moorer to our family of artists. Allison’s extraordinarily evocative songs and vocal style capture her unique signature in the singer/songwriter community. With the February 2010 release of 'Crows', Ryko celebrates the beginning of a worldwide relationship with Allison through an album of astonishing breadth and scope.”
Moorer’s 1998 song, “A Soft Place To Fall,” was included on the soundtrack to the feature film 'The Horse Whisperer', which led to an appearance in the film itself, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. The opportunity gained her worldwide attention and set the stage for her career. Since, Moorer has been featured on releases by Joan Baez, Kid Rock, Chieftains, and Los Straitjackets. She was seen in 2008 starring in 'Rebel Voices', a play based on Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove’s best-selling book Voices of a People’s History of the United States. The play combated hopelessness by igniting the forces responsible for arousing change and celebrating the indomitable human spirit. On December 13th, 2009, Moorer will be seen in 'The People Speak', a beautiful and moving film inspired by A People’s History of the United States, and Voices of A People’s History of the United States. The film, presented by The History Channel, also features Bob Dylan, Morgan Freeman, Bruce Springsteen, Danny Glover, Matt Damon, John Legend, Rosario Dawson, Josh Brolin, Benjamin Bratt and more.
Check out the brand new video of "The Broken Girl" right here.
www.allisonmoorer.com
www.myspace.com/allisonmoorer
Amchitka 1970
Greenpeace Canada is set to release an exclusive two-disc, re-mastered live recording of "Amchitka - The 1970 Concert That Launched Greenpeace", featuring Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and the late Phil Ochs. The concert, a fundraiser to protest U.S. nuclear bomb tests near Amchitka, Alaska sees a first-time release on 10 November. The CD is available exclusively through Greenpeace and all proceeds will benefit the organization.
“We are pleased to offer this musical slice of history to Greenpeace supporters and music lovers around the world,” said Bruce Cox, Greenpeace Canada’s executive director. “This CD is a piece of musical magic. It contains never before heard songs, duets and chatter that capture the confidence and hope of the times. It carries a timeless message that change is possible.” The concert, which took place at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia on 16 October 1970, was organized by former trial lawyer and activist Irving Stowe. As co-director of the 'Don’t Make A Wave Committee', he raised enough money to send 11 peace activists by boat, christened The Greenpeace, to the Aleutian Island of Amchitka. The activists were unsuccessful in stopping the tests, but their voyage in 1971 marks the birth of the worldwide organization known today as Greenpeace.
“The Amchitka voyage would not have happened without the concert, and so we owe a debt of gratitude to Irving Stowe, and the talents of Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Phil Ochs for generating the momentum that ultimately launched Greenpeace,” continued Cox. “The activists that traveled to Amchitka set the example that has guided and defined Greenpeace: non-violent direct action to protect our environment and motivate societal change.”
The upcoming release features concert performances by then-rising Canadian star Joni Mitchell and a 22-year old James Taylor. Protest singer, Phil Ochs kicks off the CD. Earlier that year Mitchell had been named Top Female Performer of 1970 by Melody Maker magazine and Taylor had released his major breakthrough album "Sweet Baby James".
Of the historic concert, Amchitka emcee and Canadian broadcaster, Terry David Mulligan says, “The crew of ‘The Greenpeace’ took hold of our hearts and minds and pulled all of us along. As always, music carried the day.”
Get the background to this amazing story, right here.
www.myspace.com/amchitka
www.twitter.com/amchitka1970
www.facebook.com/pages/Amchitka/60751539970
Amelia Curran
Amelia Curran is a seeker. Nearly a decade ago she left St John’s for Halifax, but still pines for Newfoundland every single day. With a number of East Coast Music Award nominations and an extensive discography, including: 'War Brides' (2006), 'Lullaby For Barflies' (2002), 'Trip Down Little Road' (2001) and 'Barricade' (2000), Curran knew it was finally time to make a record at home.
Over the past two years she recorded with Don Ellis in various caverns in St John’s, the city of legends, from the abandoned CBC building on Duckworth Street to an old farm house on the fringes of town. For Curran St John’s captures the essence of her inner huntress.
A songwriter by trade, but a writer at heart, Curran believes language is everything. She describes the craft of song-writing as an act of “expressing the inexpressible, a means of describing the indescribable”.
“Bye Bye Montreal” could pay homage to Leonard Cohen and the thriving arts scene of yesteryear, but that’s the beauty of Curran. She never explicitly says what her songs about. She just opens the door and allows room for various interpretations and relationships. “All Hands On A Grain Of Sand” speaks to Curran’s ability to elevate the lyrical into the poetical. Her desire to reconcile the past and move into the future is a constant struggle.
“Ah Me” manifests biblical myths into self-reflexive epiphanies, while “The Mistress” is part confession, part obsession. A narrative-driven internal contention of what it means to be the other woman. “Mad World, Outlive Me” mines for the truth and untouchable gems held deep within the soul. With splashes of folk and cabaret aesthetics, “The Company Store” wades through a lost way of life. “Julia” turns the page on a bleeding heart, while “Tiny Glass Houses” shatters expectations and rebuilds the broken places within us all. “The Dozens” is a toe-tapping rendition of harnessing one’s inner lover.
Retribution arrives in both “Love’s Lost Regard” and “Wrecking Ball”, but it’s the album’s closer, “Last Call” that leaves listeners thirsty for another round.
Amy Allison
"Sheffield Streets" marks the triumphant return of one of America’s singular songwriting voices.
Over a decade of performing and recording, Amy Allison’s unforgettable voice has drawn endless comparisons to a host of singers from Loretta Lynn to Billie Holiday.
Still, it is her tuneful, eloquent songcraft that continues to draw the strongest accolades from critics, fellow artists and devoted fans. Her body of song transcends genres and eras, melding traditions of old and new country, brill building pop, folk blues, show tunes and jazz standards. Her songs of love, longing, heartache and melancholy are at once sophisticated, heartfelt and instantly memorable.
Amy is the daughter of Mose Allison, renowned jazz musician and songwriter, and grew up on Long Island, a suburb of New York City.
The 11 original tunes on "Sheffield Streets" are the culmination of a lifetime of songwriting, and are arguably her best yet. With heart-tugging balladry, humor, and a down-but-not-out fortitude in the face of adversity, her style is at once nostalgic and contemporary, poetic and plain.
Producer Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Lone Justice, etc) wisely puts Amy’s voice front and center, keeping the arrangements earthy, memorable and tailored to each song.
From the girl-group harmonies and pop verities of lead-off single “Why Must it Be?” to the strangely smouldering yet wistful ballad “Anywhere You Are”, Heffington’s vivid production colours Allison’s material perfectly.
The one non-original is a wry duet with long-time fan Elvis Costello on a cover of her father Mose Allison’s 1969 classic “Monsters of The Id” featuring a gorgeous solo by Mose.
www.amyallisonmusic.com
www.cdbaby.com/cd/amyallison5
www.myspace.com/amyallisonmusic
Amy Raasch
"She's got her own inner groove; nothing tentative about it. A force to be reckoned with.” - Don Was
Amy Raasch’s win in the 3rd Annual GINA/LAWIM Singer/Songwriter Contest for the Missing couldn’t come at a better time. She is just finishing up her debut album, which will feature her winning song, “Missing:” the story of a missing child told from the perspective of the child’s best friend. Likened to songwriting powerhouses Joni Mitchell, Ryan Adams, and Jane Siberry, her debut is an organic, intimate exploration of love versus independence.
"Her music is extremely inventive & narrative; it turns me on.”
- Michael Mollura, Music Connection
Every song is personal: it’s as if she crawls into the skin of the characters that speak through her songs. In fact, her first song was written in the voice of the character she played in feature film “the four corners of nowhere,” a Sundance pick soon to be released on DVD.
“Sophisticated, solid and comfortable like the seats of a Rolls Royce...Miss Raasch opens delicately for us the doors to her kingdom. One would have to be deaf -- and blind – to stay outside.” - Hector Zazou
Smoldering with breathy intensity one moment and exploding into full-voiced ecstasy the next, her dynamic live sound has lit up stages from Genghis Cohen, the Knitting Factory, Room 5, and Dragonfly to legendary NYC venues the Bitter End and CBGB’s. Following her acclaimed six-month residency at Tempest, she was named one of Music Connection’s "HOT 100 Unsigned Artists" for 2006.
"In a world full of derivative artists, she has a sound all her own."
- Paul Ill (Christina Aguilera, Linda Perry), Paul’s Pix, L.A.
Her distinctive guitar sound is based on open tunings of her own invention, and is complimented by an accomplished group of musicians. Drummer Dony Wynn (Robert Palmer) laid the foundation at Music Lane Studios (Sheryl Crow) in Austin, Texas. The production team included Austin-based producer Emile Millar (Kelly Dalton, Postfontaine, The Lapdancers), engineer Thom Flowers (Bad Astronaut, Sugarcult, Tim Cullen), and multi-instrumentalist Gar Robertson (Valentine’s Revenge, Sredni Vashtar). Patrick Warren (Fiona Apple, Aimee Mann) contributes lush, vintage keyboard sounds, with Milo DeCruz (Ryan Adams, Duncan Sheik) on bass and Stevie Blacke on strings.
Recently, she recorded a song for internationally acclaimed French producer Hector Zazou. Hear her multi-layered harmonies on “J’irai Pleurer Sous La Pluie” (“Cryin’ in the Rain”) on Zazou’s next record, “Looking in the Rear View Mirror.”
She is very proud to support GINA 411, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring together media agencies and artists to create an avenue of hope and awareness that can guide people whose family members become missing.
Amy Speace
"I kind of spilled blood all over this project," Amy Speace says of her new album 'The Killer In Me', which marks a quantum creative leap from the artist's 2006 breakthrough effort 'Songs For Bright Street'. While that release won her widespread critical acclaim and a loyal international fan base, 'The Killer In Me' finds the New York-based singer/songwriter forging into deeper, darker lyrical and musical terrain, borne largely out of her self-imposed isolation during the final separation of her long marriage.
"This is the record that I needed to make," Speace states. "In many ways, it was the hardest thing I've ever done. And in some ways, it was the easiest. Writing the songs was emotionally difficult, deep and intense - it was kind of an exorcism. But in the end, the songs flowed pretty quickly. You write the things that you’re afraid to say out loud.”
'The Killer In Me's' 12 soul-baring new songs maintain the effortless melodic appeal of her prior work, while delivering complex emotional insights that give the album startling intimacy and resonance. "The Killer In Me" chronicles a strangled co-dependent relationship, while "Haven't Learned A Thing" offers absolution for the continuing struggle in the attempt to connect with another and never getting it completely right. “This Love” speaks to the hope and uncertainty that comes with the onset of a new relationship. The album covers more terrain than romantic relationships, closing with “Piece By Piece,” written as a prayer to her father, wishing him peace and love after the death of his brother.
Most of the album was written in the rural isolation of a rented cabin in the Catskills after her final separation from her husband. "It was just me, some books, my journals, my guitar and the songs, with no phone and no TV," she explains. "I spent a lot of time reading and hiking and chopping wood for the stove, and wrote the songs that form the emotional center of this album.”
"The situation," she continues, "forced me to sit with a lot of silence, fear and confusion and make a kind of peace with them by writing songs to keep from going crazy. That's when the album started making sense to me and became a whole different thing. Something shifted when I realized what was going on in the world outside mirrored what was going on inside of me, and I wanted to write songs that bridged that divide.”
Speace recorded 'The Killer In Me' with her longtime producer and lead guitarist James Mastro, of Bongos/Health and Happiness Show fame, and her longstanding live band the Tearjerks, comprised of guitarist Rich Feridun, bassist Matt Lindsey and drummer Jagoda. The sessions took place at alt-pop legend Mitch Easter's Fidelitorium studio in North Carolina, with Easter lending his talents as engineer. Also on board is English rock icon Ian Hunter, who adds his distinctive vocals to a pair of songs.
Born in Baltimore and raised in small-town Pennsylvania, Speace initially had her sights set on a career as a playwright/actor, graduating from Amherst College and toured with the prestigious National Shakespeare Company. After moving to New York, she had roles in various off-Broadway productions and independent films, ran her own theater company, and taught Shakespeare in the New York City school system. After teaching herself to play guitar, she began setting her poetry to music, and quickly found songwriting to be the most creatively fulfilling thing she'd ever done. She soon began performing as half of the female duo Edith O. Speace made her solo debut with the 2002 release 'Fable', recorded with $5000 donated by fans and released on her own Twangirl label. Giving up her hard-won acting career to become a full-time musician, she hopped into her car and hit the road, booking herself into every club, café and college that would have her. After catching a performance at the SXSW music-industry festival, Judy Collins' manager brought Speace to the attention of Collins, who signed her to her Wildflower label. Her debut for the label, 'Songs For Bright Street', received warm praise from critics, including those in Europe, which has enabled her to build a strong touring base there.
Reflecting on making 'The Killer In Me', Speace concludes, "I got into music with my eyes wide open, having already been doing something else. I knew that the kind of music I wanted to make might be outside the realm of what's on the radio, but I didn't care. I just wanted to make something that's real. I’m as proud of this album as I am anything I’ve ever done."
"The Killer In Me" available here.
Anais Mitchell
From her current home base in a 200-year-old farmhouse in rural Vermont, Anaïs (“uh-NAY-iss”) Mitchell writes songs that are as intimate as conversations and as rich in detail as short stories. The daughter of “hippie back-to-the-landers” whose father was a novelist and English professor, she remembers her family’s home (another farmhouse in the same state) containing “a library full of novels, and lots of old folk and psychedelic rock albums. The books and the records all lived in the same room, which I am sure led to me thinking of songwriting as a kind of literature, a noble poetic enterprise”.
No surprise, then, that the reference points of her music may seem to come from all over the map while still interconnected: the country ballads of the Carter Family, the hard-edged cabaret of Brecht and Weill, the story-songs of Randy Newman, the vast narrative scope of Pink Floyd’s 'The Wall', and the intricately crafted tales of her namesake, bohemian feminist Anaïs Nin, to name a few. All of these influences come together in 'Hadestown', an epic “folk opera” retelling of the Orpheus myth. The saga of the poet who ventures into the underworld to rescue his dead wife — a tale now set in a post-apocalyptic world of poverty — began as a live performance created in collaboration with fellow Vermont artists director Ben Matchstick and arranger/orchestrator Michael Chorney. In their neck of the woods — TV-less by choice, far from big cities, in a land of radical politics and culture — making your own entertainment, and getting your friends and neighbors to help you flesh it out, is the only way to go. After fine-tuning the show, the trio gathered a cast of two dozen, commandeered a silver-spraypainted schoolbus, and hit the road (through several blizzards) for a couple of ragtag D.I.Y. tours of New England. The next logical step? 'Hadestown', the album, performed by a dream-team lineup including Ani DiFranco, Justin Vernon/Bon Iver, Greg Brown, and Mitchell herself, among others.
Mitchell may have grown up in the middle of nowhere, but she’s seen more of the world than you might expect. “I always traveled a lot as a kid”, she recalls today. “My mom had a little axiom about things it was OK to spend money on: ‘food, books, travel, and friends.’ (We later amended that to include records.) My parents wouldn’t buy me a cool jacket or a videogame or whatever, but they would ship me off to Europe or Japan. Later I ended up studying in Costa Rica, Austria, and Egypt. I always loved languages and the feeling of being out of context — which is maybe why I love traveling as a songwriter now… It feels natural”.
It also felt natural, after she had plenty of original songs under her belt, to start getting them out to the world, so in 2002 she took an early stab at recording a self-released album (now out of print), and two years later she made the disc she considers her true debut: 'Hymns For The Exiled', released on the Chicago-based indie Waterbug Records. That project brought producer/musician Chorney into the mix as a frequent collaborator.
A copy of 'Hymns' gradually made it to DiFranco, who offered to release her next album, 'The Brightness', in 2007, followed by a unique vinyl/CD collaboration with fellow singer/songwriter Rachel Ries, 'Country E.P.', in 2008, and now the 'Hadestown' recording. 'The Brightness' inspired a reviewer from the Boston Globe to praise Mitchell’s “vivid snapshots of sweetly ordinary moments,” while Acoustic Guitar called her “a songwriter of startling clarity and depth, equally skilled at turning a melody or lyrical phrase into what you didn’t know you needed until you heard it”, adding that she “weaves her stories into an effortlessly beautiful and cohesive tapestry with the skill of an artisan’s carpenter, showing no seams”.
Anaïs Mitchell is the rare musician who is equally comfortable wielding an acoustic guitar alone onstage, sharing a disc’s worth of alt-country duets, or scripting a vast operatic journey into the underworld. She’s a fearless explorer, and her world just keeps getting larger.
www.anaismitchell.com
www.myspace.com/anaismitchell
Andy Rajeckas
Music has the power to excite, uplift, soothe, inspire , heal, renew and refresh and open the mind, the heart and the soul. Songwriter-composer-pianist Andy Rajeckas has been writing, performing and recording music with this spirit and intent for over 30 years. As a co-founder of the former animal rights band Ahimsa in the late 80's and early 90's Andy toured the United States and released the acclaimed single " Welcome Home" in 1989.Since then he has continued to write and record vocal and instrumental music.
He latest release is "Peacework", co-produced with acclaimed producer Rick Savage, which featured acclaimed singer-songwriter Eugene Ruffolo, as well as singer Margaret Fiellin, horn players Darryl Dixon, Dave Watson (Alicia Keys, Rolling Stones, Mariah Carey), Mark Egan ( Sting, Pat Metheny Group), Karen Workman, Gwynne Michaels and others - All performing 12 beautiful and uniquely original songs in an inspirational theme and spirit that has received wide critical acclaim.
Andy performed "Heal The World With Me" with singer Gwynne Michaels at the United Nations in New York City in late 2008. He has also performed many of the songs at various venues including the S.G.I. Buddhist Culture Center in New York, the S.G.I. Community Center in East Orange, NJ, as well as an inspired, emotional outdoor performance at the Unity March against hate crime in Hardwick, NJ, in November 2008.
Some of Andy's past and ongoing current projects include master songwriter Elliott Willensky (who wrote for Michael Jackson, 5th Dimension, Whitney Houston and others), Dreammakers Music president, songwriter and producer Mark Salamone, as well as upcoming act Skylar May.
Currently Andy, along with songwriting and production partner Mark Salamone, has co-founded Tune Pool Music, and is engaged in several ongoing projects, including writing and producing the debut record for upcoming pop/hip-hop artist Bella, pop-rock artist Joe Vivona, and a soon to be released single for upcoming young pop sensation Skylar May.
Anna Wolfe
Anna Wolfe was born on March 10th, 1972, the third of five children and raised on an Arabian horse farm outside of the two stop light town of Kirtland, Ohio. Anna’s family lineage is filled with artisans.
It was the woods that gave her inspiration, as she would literally imitate the songbirds as she walked and played outside. She gave her first performance at age three and started to make up songs in play soon after. Her mother reports that “Anna came out singing and hasn’t stopped since.” At age nine, with guitar lessons, came the further knowledge that she could write songs, and she wrote many throughout grade school and beyond recording six albums of all-original material.
In 2008, Anna was signed to the Muddy Sunshine label in Nashville, TN, the town in which she now calls home. "Love", her seventh all original recording, is her first release on this new label.
Wolfe's music has been compared to such greats as Joni Mitchell, Laura Nero, Joan Baez, Annie Lennox and Kate Bush. With classically inspired piano and guitar and with vocals and lyrics that stem from roots folk, she performs with poetic grace and natural wisdom. Having fronted five bands, including her Albuquerque band, "Anna Wolfe and the Hounds of Carlisle", Anna is currently booked as a solo act.
"Love", is true to her solo, live performance. With fantasia, faith and authenticity, Anna’s compassionate lyrics offer comfort and character. Her music is a gentle hand on the brow and loving arms for anyone who may need them. Her imagination exceeds the ordinary and blossoms free with melodies of grace. Wolfe’s music is gentle, yet vivacious. Anna Wolfe is unassuming and down to earth with one ear to the sky.
www.annawolfe.com
www.muddysunshine.com
www.myspace.com/annawolfesings
Annie Gallup
A lifetime’s dedication to her art has made Annie Gallup an icon among people who take songwriting seriously. Unabashedly imaginative and sensual, her elaborate song-length works of fiction crackle with wordplay and pulse with insistent rhythm. Borrowing forms from ancient folk tales to modern poetry, Annie sings over her bluesy guitar figures as if sharing secrets. Not many songwriters take the kinds of risks that Annie does, and barely any can pull them off with such deft, startling mastery.
Annie grew up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, daughter of a printmaker and a woodworker. She studied dance as a child — dancing and performing came to her naturally — but music, country blues in particular, was her secret obsession. As she taught herself to play guitar (hiding in her room after school, copping licks from old Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson and Dave Van Ronk albums that she found at the public library) it never occurred to her not to write songs for herself to play. So by the time she began performing publicly in the early 90s (after attending the University of Michigan School of Art and then moving west to chase her incurable wanderlust) she had internalized a songwriting style that was very distinctively her own, and that had evolved from her fascination with country blues, her love of words (Alice Munro, Grace Paley, Margaret Atwood, Stephen Dobyns), a dancer’s sense of rhythm, and the sort of playful inventiveness that comes from doing something purely for its own reward.
Annie currently resides in Santa Barbara, California. She tours and records solo, and as the duo, Hat Check Girl, with Peter Gallway. She is the winner of many songwriting awards, including Kerrville New Folk, and she was honored with a Michigan Arts Council grant in 2001 to write and perform her first one-person performance piece, 'Stay Me With Flagons'. She has been on the road, performing at concert venues and festivals throughout North America since 1994, and in 1999, with the release of 'Steady Steady Yes', Annie was featured on NPR’s 'All Things Considered' in an interview with Noah Adams.
http://anniegallup.com
http://hatcheckgirl.net
Annie Keating
“Keating is a wise mix of Lucinda Williams songwriting, Gillian Welch guitar and a vocal all her own. One of these singer-songwriters that lets her music do the talking. Her style invokes a cross between Willie Nelson and John Prine, and you don’t get any better than that!”
You don’t get any better than that. No frills, just passionate music and intimate songs, both tough and tender. Her sultry voice cuts straight to the heart.
Childhood, relationships, battles won and battles lost. There’s an honsety here, real and brave, that lets you know this is a woman who will travel roads not taken and go the distance.
Through her journeys, Annie Keating writes songs that takes us places.
Annis Brander
"Glass People In The Woods" is Annis Brander's 2nd album after her well-received debut in 2009. The release date is set for September 27th, 2011. She is very excited about this project, as it is described as dark, fateful and personal.
Annis was born in Baljered, a tiny village about 10 miles from Gothenburg, Sweden. As a young girl Annis used to play the piano and violin, but in her early teenage years she lost interest – as it wasn't cool enough to carry around a violin case at school. Five years later, Annis moved up north to study to become a chef, but instead she got inspired by her new friends at the Rock Music High School. Borrowing her mothers old guitar and reading through a manual on basic guitar chords, she wrote her first song in a week. She was hooked!
One evening, whilst working as waitress at a hotel, Annis surprised everybody with her knowledge of music as she picked up a guitar that was standing alone in the corner of the room and began to play. Some of the guests suggested her to sing some country music because of "the sound in her voice" – and like Forrest Gump would say, she responded, "well... I can do that". Shortly after that, even though she never listened to country music before, she found herself booked at the largest country music festival in Scandinavia at the time. From having had a quite mediocre taste of music, she now discovered and started to appreciate some of the American artists like Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Dolly Parton, Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Patsy Cline.
The following years, from the year 2000 and onwards, Annis makes her living by traveling around Sweden and Norway doing what she loves most, performing in front of a live audience. Going back to the fall of 2004, she met Bert Karlsson, the founder of Mariann Records, a well-known Swedish record company. That meeting resulted in the release of the single "One Suitcase" in May of 2005. It was frequently played on Swedish National Radio and it hit the number one spot on the "Pop I Topp"-chart for several weeks in a row. Later that year "One Suitcase" was one of the songs on the best-selling compilation CD "Absolute Women".
In 2006 Annis moved to Stockholm. She gathered up with some wonderful musicians and it was love at first sight. It was at this time that she first felt completely at home with the music she was performing. During the spring of 2007 the dream of making an album finally became a reality. Hearing some of Henrik Åström's productions (Miss Li, Oh Laura), she really liked his way of thinking. Titiyo and I’m Kingfisher (Thomas Denver Jonsson) was appearing as special guests on the album. Annis' debut "If It's A Dead Fish, It's A Dead Fish" was released January 21st, 2009.
For her new album Annis and her producer Henrik Åström decided to record live in the studio as much as they could. They both prefer the "live" sound rather than perfected studio recordings, so the entire band gathered and played together, creating the sound they were looking for.
"Glass People In The Woods" consists of ten songs, most of them written by Annis. The lyrics within her songs contain elements of friendship, vulnerability, death and, of course, love. Currently, the single "More Than Ice Cream" has high rotation on Swedish National Radio P4 and local stations around Sweden.
http://annisbrander.blogspot.com
Anouschka
"I am convinced we must find our way back to a mystical reverence for the harmony between animals, man and nature, and leave a world of wonder for the children of tomorrow. With my music, I hope to make a difference."
Singer-songwriter Anouschka believes in working for a better world. Her slogan “Good music for a good cause” ties in various causes with her performances and releases. Proceeds from her second album release went to a scholarship foundation for children in Kenya.
Her current release funds her two months in South Africa studying wildlife conservation while earning a South African Field Guide certificate. She is currently working on the music for a campaign with a wildlife expert in South Africa. Anouschka also volunteers at her local animal shelter, the largest in Europe.
Anouschka was born in Sweden, but raised in the United States, Europe and Asia. This international background is vividly reflected in her music, where she draws upon various influences with ease. She speaks French, English, Swedish and German. After graduating from Tufts University with a BA in Political Science, Anouschka, rebel and guitar babe at heart, moved to Stockholm and joined an all-girl rock band.
An offer for a TV project in Boston lured her back to the States. She spent some years in New York working in advertising (while moonlighting in a comedy group). In 1991, she was accepted to the prestigious Berklee College of Music. While there, she won numerous songwriting awards as well as a scholarship and graduated Cum Laude in 1995. After graduation she worked as a music teacher in the Boston inner city schools. At the same time she released her debut EP “Anouschka”.
Unfortunately, a herniated disc and consequent spine surgery forced her to take a break from stage work. In 1995, looking for a slower pace, she returned to Sweden. In Stockholm she stood out as the only woman at jams who could play guitar, bandlead the men while improvising tunes on the spot. These blues influences and improvisational approach are heard in her album “My Kind of Heartbreak,” which was recorded in a small analog studio.
“My Kind of Heartbreak” went on to place on the Americana Charts (AMA) in the USA for 2 months, positioning her next to the likes of Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan on playlists. "Man Like You" shot to no 2 at the Midnight Special Blues Radio in France.
While in Sweden Anouschka also earned a Masters at Stockholm University in Natural Resource Management, and acted in Danish and Swedish TV commercials. Aside form music, her passions are wildlife conservation, education, and poverty alleviation.
Her new mini-album "So Why?" has just been released.
www.anouschka.net
www.myspace.com/anouschka007
www.myspace.com/anouschkatunes
Anthony Crawford
Anthony Crawford, born May 5, 1957, in Birmingham, Alabama, was a "star" in the hospital nursery where he was tagged "Pistol Pete" by the nurses, and has been known by his parents as Pete ever since. His musical talent began to bud at age five when asking for a twelve string guitar. His little hands were too small to fit around the neck and the guitar was later replaced. He had a natural yearning to pursue music and will tell you that he was/is influenced by everything really.
"I always wanted to feel the coordination between both hands, always fascinated by artists who could finger pick. I never thought of music as an avenue to be famous...it was the act of doing it that intrigued me. It was never a self serving highway of success in my mind. And still to this day it is about the love of music instead of what it can do for me."
By the time Anthony was older, he and his brother cut grass and worked odd jobs in order to buy a Martin guitar. This really inspired him, and the Martin became his constant companion. Anthony began performing while in Mt. Brook High School, singing in such school productions as 'South Pacific'’ and 'Fiddler On The Roof'. He also performed in a couple of nightclubs around town which brought plenty of recognition and a steady following. After winning a contest in downtown Birmingham, he found himself on the stage of The Grand Ole Opry with Roy Acuff.
Nashville became home to Anthony, performing live at Opryland, touring with the Sonny James Band, and doing television shows with Ralph Emery and Hee Haw. He caught the eye of many in Nashville including Rounder Records and Little Dog Records. After traveling throughout the Southeast, playing various string instruments, his associations expanded to include tours with Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks, Neil Young & The International Harvesters, Neil Young & His Electric Band, Steve Winwood ('Roll With It'-tour), Dwight Yoakam, Pegi Young Band, Nicolette Larson and Blackhawk. He currently is on the road touring with Neil Young on what's been coined 'The Neverending Tour', otherwise known as 'The Continental Tour'. Playing improvisational blues riffs on Neil's 'Tonight's the Night and 'Speakin' Out', Neil has taken full advantage of what Anthony is capable of bringing to the table and he has not disappointed.
Known in the industry not only as a musical prodigy for the ability to play any instrument, Anthony has proved himself to be a gifted photographer as well, taking the album cover photo for Neil Young's 'Chrome Dreams II'. His inspiration came from seeing Neil's old rusted out cars at his home in Redwood City, CA while rehearsing for the Chrome Dreams Continental Tour. The collection can now be viewed at various museums throughout California.
With a seemingly unending array of gifts, videographer has now been added to Crawford’s list of professions, soon releasing a new documentary on CD/DVD titled, ‘On The Road With A Rock Star’ that captures day to day life with Neil Young and the gang as well as internal thoughts and views while on the road.
A prolific songwriter, Crawford has unbelievably written over four-hundred songs and had them recorded by artists such as Steve Winwood, Pegi Young, Kenny Rogers, Lee Greenwood, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Billy Burnette and Lorrie Morgan. It’s no wonder his talent has lead him to the forefront of musical greats. Having created several solo albums including his self-titled debut album and 'Radio Cafe', his latest, 'Five Is Red', is his proudest accomplishment to date. It is a true collaboration recorded with the band Everest (who records on Neil Young's Vapor Records), as well as Bo Koster from My Morning Jacket.
www.anthonycrawford.com
www.youtube.com/woottoots
www.myspace.com/crawfordanthony
Árstíðir
Árstíðir is a vocal-based indie band from Reykjavík with a sound unique to the Icelandic music scene. All six members are distinguished players known from various bands in the Reykjavík soundscape. Over the three years since Árstíðir’s formation the band has released two records praised by trendsetting music critics, had two number-one hits on Icelandic radio, made several TV appearances in Iceland, Sweden, Russia and the Czech Republic, and played sold out venues all over Europe.
Aside from their trademark vocal harmonies, it is Árstíðir’s instrumentation that set them apart, effusing a warm tide of resonant acoustic and baritone guitars, virtuosic piano, and melismatic strings. The result is an unusually wide sound spectrum, further emphasized by the impressive vocal range of all six members. Consequently, Árstíðir’s music is a rare composition of the clear-cut and the complex. Their songs are easy to fall in love with yet mixed with diverse influences such as progressive rock, indie, classical music, and Icelandic folk music.
Árstíðir was formed in Reykjavík in the summer of 2008 by Daníel Auðunsson, Gunnar Már Jakobsson and Ragnar Ólafsson. After four weeks Árstíðir got their first break supporting the Icelandic pop giant 200,000 Naglbítar on the main stage of Reykjavík Culture Night. During the fall of 2008, Árstíðir continued to support 200,000 Naglbítar at a series of concerts and was joined by its fourth member, renowned cellist and sought-after session player Hallgrímur Jónas Jensson. Árstíðir also recorded their first single 'Sunday Morning' and the song became a number-one hit on Icelandic National Radio. In December Árstíðir’s concert at the historic Fríkirkjan church in Reykjavík was recorded and released as an EP, 'Live At Fríkirkjan', on Árstíðir’s own label Nivalis. It was mixed by multi-instrumentalist and producer Ólafur Arnalds, a friend of Árstíðir who has continued to collaborate with the band on their most recent album.
In 2009 Árstíðir snowballed into a six-piece when two more distinguished musicians joined: piano prodigy Jón Elísson and virtuoso violinist Karl Aldinsteinn Pestka. Following the release of their eponymous debut album in June, Árstíðir embarked upon a lengthy tour of Iceland and played several festivals, while the single 'Með Hallandi Höfði' became another number-one radio hit. The fall brought more high-profile concerts, such as playing the main stage of Iceland Airwaves, which generated considerable international media attention.
During 2010 Árstíðir's debut album was officially released in Sweden by Adore Music/Border and acquired international distribution through Norwegian-based Phonofile/Artspages. In the summer and fall, Árstíðir toured Scandinavia and Russia and were met by sold-out venues, local fan clubs, and high praise by both audience and media.
Árstíðir has broadened their musical direction in 2011, commencing work on their second album 'Svefns Og Vöku Skil'. The album was recorded in June at the legendary Icelandic studio Hljóðriti with Ólafur Arnalds as producer. Since July, Árstíðir have toured in Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Bulgaria and Russia, representing Iceland’s largest foray into the Russian Federation to date.
www.arstidir.com
www.myspace.com/arstidir
Art & Lisa
It was a Sunday afternoon, downstairs in the coolness of Arkey Blues Silver Dollar in Bandera, Texas. Art was not really playing much music at the time, but had decided to join in the weekly jam session and relax a bit. Then it happened. This girl, this beautiful lady walked up and said "hey, do you know 'You're The Reason God Made Oklahoma', and would you sing it with me?". Well, that was the beginning of Art and Lisa.
Art Crawford was born in Texas, but raised in Oklahoma to the sounds of red dirt music before we even knew there was such a thing. Although, deeply rooted in gospel, when he went to college he was introduced to the sounds of Woody Guthrie, Bob Childers, Jimmy Lafave and so many others, that have influenced the direction of his music. When Art moved to Bandera in 1994, he didn't know there was a music scene there. One day while doing laundry he wandered across Highway 16 onto the front porch of a place called 'The Forge', an actual blacksmith forge that just happened to sell beer and was the gathering place for local and out of town musicians to get together and play music. So the next trip he made to Oklahoma to visit his family he brought his guitar back with him. While he wasn"t a "regular", he did start showing up from time to time and the passion of the songs forgotten began to resurface.
Lisa Beck (maiden name Alexander) was born in Lubbock, Texas, and mostly raised in the San Antonio area. She had a passion for music early on, as she grew up listening to the sweet harmonies of her mom and aunt, who in their early teen years had performed in an all girls quartet in Lubbock. Her uncle played guitar and mom played a little piano. When she turned fifteen her uncle gave her a classical guitar, showed her three chords and told her that was all she needed to play any country song. While she loved the country music of George Jones, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Dolly Parton and Kris Kristofferson, she also was taken with the harmonies of Simon & Garfunkel, Eagles, George Jones & Tammy Wynette and The Judds. She spent lots of her spare time following her mom around the house and singing three part harmony with mom and younger sister. She married and moved to Atlanta where she played for twelve years in a little country gospel band, all the while longing to go back home to Texas where her family and heart was. When she divorced after 18 years of marriage she did just that. She had visited Bandera only once before a few years earlier and knew it was the perfect place for a homegrown Texas girl to make a new start of her life.
The new album "Healin' Time" by Art & Lisa has just been released. Lisa's voice takes us to another time and place. Not only are the songs excellent, but the production takes full advantage of the excellent guitar of John Inmon, and the fiddle of Richard Bowden. The last song on the album, "Healing Waters", was written by Walt Wilkins and puts a finishing touch to an entire album on the power of healing. There are songs of broken families, lost love, disappointment, sorrow and saints.
Aztec Two Step
Rex Fowler and Tom Dean emerged as prominent folk-rock artists in the 70's. Rex’s band, Aztec Two Step, burst upon the scene with their self-titled debut album on Elektra Records in 1972. This, and their three subsequent albums on RCA Records, were staples of college and progressive FM radio and helped usher the music of the 60's into the 70's and beyond.
Tom Dean and Alana MacDonald's band Devonsquare was signed by Ahmet Ertegun, the legendary chairman of Atlantic Records, after hearing Dean’s "Walking On Ice" from their self-released album of the same name. Devonsquare went on to record another CD for Atlantic titled "Bye Bye Route 66", which spawned several critically acclaimed singles including "If You Could See Me Now", featuring Alana's powerful vocal performance.
Collectively they have toured worldwide, been reviewed in Rolling Stone, performed on David Letterman and shared stages with such musical luminaries as Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt and The Band, and continue to distinguish themselves as esteemed song-writers, performers and recording artists in the venerated genre of folk-rock music.
Along with several prominent studio musicians, Rex and Tom have teamed up in this labor of love to celebrate the genius and artistry of John Lennon. As a gift to John for his 70th birthday on October 9, 2010, they have re-imagined exquisite acoustic renditions of Lennon’s legendary Beatles songs. Besides a smattering of tasteful percussion, Rex and Tom’s distinctive acoustic guitar and vocal stylings and the beautiful voice of Alana MacDonald, featured instrumentation include cello, violin, mandolin, mandola, bass, slide guitar, accordion and chromatic harmonica.
Happy Birthday John!
www.aztectwostep.com
www.rexmarchfowler.com
www.johnlennonsongproject.com
Abi Tapia
Ad Vanderveen
Adam Klein
Adventure Spirit
Albert & Gage
Ali Eskandarian
All Day Sucker
Allan Frank
Allan Thomas
Allison Moorer
Amchitka 1970
Amelia Curran
Amy Allison
Amy Raasch
Amy Speace
Anais Mitchell
Andy Rajeckas
Anna Wolfe
Annie Gallup
Annie Keating
Annis Brander
Anouschka
Anthony Crawford
Árstíðir
Art & Lisa
Aztec Two Step
