On his new album, “Bird Bones & Muscle”, J Shogren describes his music as 'Pulp Americana' - a singular conjuring of gut-bucket blues, deep-fried southern jive, Holy Ghost revival, polka night at the Grange, she-done-me-wrong hillbilly boogie and backwater bayou bump and swing. But instead of ghosting over sepia-toned museum pieces, Shogren’s music radiates a gritty immediacy, stick-to-your-ribs soul and genuine emotional depth that can only come from an encyclopedic understanding of the nooks and crannies of the what’s been recently called 'weird old America'. “Roots music,” according to Shogren, “reflects reality - a scruffy and gruff exterior sheltering the life and death interior that define us all”. Recalling everything from Dylan to Dr. John to Buck Owens to Leon Redbone to Tom Waits, Shogren shrugs and simply explains, “No veneer; just a coat of varnish to keep out the weather”.
If there is one thing that can be said of Shogren’s music, it is his ability to conjure - his ability to summon different times, different places, different waypoints in the American experience. Yet it’s often his lyrics that leave the most indelible impression. “I chose the title of the CD, 'Bird Bones & Muscle' to illustrate a notion of fragility living next to strength - how fragile and strong a person can be when lost in the wilderness within. How one can be both simultaneously and sequentially flying/falling, alive/comatose, breathing/holding your breath, usually at unpredictable/inconvenient intervals”.
On “Bird Bones & Muscle” Shogren is aided and abetted by three members of the well-respected Jalan Crossland band, including Crossland (banjo/guitar), Andy Phreaner (drums/percussion) and Shaun Kelley (bass). Mandy Bohlender and Dan Tinker provided the harmony vocals and vocal arrangements. “This was a full-on collaborative effort”, Shogren reports. “Fourteen of 15 songs were arranged with the band. So the music has more cohesiveness across songs than early work, even though the song themselves differ so very widely in authentic American styles. Jalan, Andy and Shaun are such pros and nimble musicians who know their instruments so well that they adapted their playing to the different styles of each song”.
It’s not hard to imagine Shogren, who splits his time between Centennial Wyoming and Stockholm Sweden, as the rugged back-country skier and the guy that can catch trout in a rain gutter (he can do both!), but what’s more impressive is Shogren’s day job. A professor of Applied Philosophy, Shogren has served as the King of Sweden’s special professor on environmental science, and as a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change who shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore in 2007. “It’s been a good job”, he winks. Shogren, to say the least, is not your typical, navel-gazing, journal-scribbling folk singer.
With such a busy calendar, why does a guy like Shogren chose to delve into the dusty and often abandoned corners of American culture with his songs? “The need to write songs is an impossible passion of mine”, he says. “Even after a dozen books and hundreds of journal articles, songwriting is the only serious form of expression/writing that works for me. Like most songwriters I write songs because I have to. Songs arrive in and out of the subconscious and sometimes you hang out with them, sometimes you don’t. A good idea sticks, a great idea kicks.”
www.jshogren.com
www.myspace.com/jshogren
Jack Bruce
In 2001 an incredible concert took place, the legendary Jack Bruce performing live with his all-star band; The Cuicoland Express at The Melkweg in Amsterdam. For nine years, only the lucky few who were members of the audience that night were able to experience the magic that took place. Although the show had been recorded, the tapes lay dormant and inaccessible, seemingly lost to the world.
In 2009 an opportunity in New York arose enabling the tapes to be digitally converted, meaning they could be mixed and mastered by Bruce’s long-term producer and friend, Kip Hanrahan.
Off the back of a hugely successful direct artist-to-fan-base campaign with Pledge Music, this live recording is now being released to the public. This will give fans of Jack Bruce, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and composer, the chance to experience original material as well as some of their best-loved Cream and Bruce classics re-worked into a sizzling, energetic fusion of rock and latin jazz. Featuring Vernon Reid on guitar (Living Colour), Bernie Worrell on organ (Parliament, Funkadelic), Richie Flores on congas (Tito Puente, Cachao), Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernandez on drums (Roy Hargrove, Carlos Santana) and Robby Ameen (Dizzy Gillespie, Paul Simon) also on drums, this unstoppable line-up had the audience on fire.
Born in Glasgow in 1943, Jack Bruce won a scholarship to study cello and composition at the Scottish Academy of Music before dropping out aged 17 to join the acclaimed Alexis Korner’s Blues Inc. He went on to become a founding member of The Graham Bond Organization before turning down an offer to join Marvin Gaye’s band to team up with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers - where he first met Eric Clapton - which was followed by a stint with Manfred Mann. In 1966 he formed the legendary Cream with Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton and went on to compose and record some of the best known music of the ’60’s selling in excess of 35 million records in the process. Jack has enjoyed a rich and varied solo career ever since, recording many albums, playing all over the world, winning numerous accolades and being inducted into the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
After recently releasing his critically-acclaimed biography ‘Jack Bruce Composing Himself’ and touring the US, this amazing new live album is sure to give Jack Bruce fans exactly what they want and indeed expect; a musically unique and boundary-pushing experience. Listening to this live recording, you can close your eyes and literally feel like you were there on that special night in Amsterdam back in 2001.
http://jackbruce.com
www.pledgemusic.com
www.myspace.com/jbsasjlffvvd
Jack Tempchin
Jack Tempchin is from San Diego. He grew up in the folk era, singing and playing, performing mainly in coffeehouses.
Jack is the writer of many legendary songs, like “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and “Already Gone” by the Eagles, ”Slow Dancing” by Johnny Rivers, “You Belong To The City” and “Smugglers Blues” by Glenn Frey, as well as many, many others.
As well as writing hits for others, Jack has also recorded and released 6 highly acclaimed solo albums. The most recent one, “Songs”, is all Jack, and all new.
Jackson Browne
Singer-songwriter Jackson Browne has announced plans to embark on a world tour that will extend into the spring of 2009. The itinerary kicks off with a date at the Warner Theatre in Washington, DC on September 15, a week prior to the September 23 release of 'Time The Conqueror', Browne’s first studio album in six years. The initial U.S. leg of the World Tour crosses the country through early November, and will be followed by tours of Japan, Australia and Europe. Tickets went on sale to the public on August 8.
Accompanying Browne on the road is his band of fifteen years: Kevin McCormick (bass), Mark Goldenberg (guitars), Mauricio Lewak (drums) and Jeff Young (keyboards, backing vocals). They have been with Browne since 1993’s 'I’m Alive', playing on 'Looking East' (’96) and 'Naked Ride Home' (’02) as well. For 'Time The Conqueror', they’re joined by new members Chavonne Morris and Alethea Mills, vocalists Browne met in 2001 when they were still attending Washington Preparatory High School in South Los Angeles and singing with Fred Martin & The Levite Camp. They are prominently featured on The Levite Camp’s debut CD, 2006’s 'Some Bridges', an album Browne co-produced, performs on, and which features six of his songs.
This lineup brings its incredible chemistry and collaborative energy to Browne’s forthcoming album, 'Time The Conqueror', set for release September 23 on Inside Recordings, the artist’s own independent label (with distribution through ADA Global). Produced by Browne and Paul Dieter, it’s the 13th studio album of his career, and his first set of new material in six years, following up 'Naked Ride Home'. The new album’s ten diverse original songs display the artist’s ability to address personal, inner-directed reflection and matters of social and political import with equal passion and intelligence – and eloquent lyrics – throughout.
Most recently, Browne released two live albums recorded at dates on solo acoustic tours in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. The GRAMMY®-nominated 'Jackson Browne – Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1' (’05) and 'Vol. 2' (’08), both out on Inside, feature Browne alternately on piano and guitar, performing a diverse selection of career spanning songs. In his four-star review of this year’s Vol. 2 for Rolling Stone, Anthony DeCurtis wrote, “This is Browne at his best, engaging his audience, his own experiences and the world around him, all in songs that will not lose their resonance any time soon.”
For the upcoming U.S. leg of the World Tour tour, a limited number of premium tickets benefiting The Guacamole Fund will be available directly through www.guacfund.org; proceeds support non-profit organizations working in the public interest, in the spirit of Browne’s longstanding activism on behalf of peace, social justice, the environment and a nonnuclear future. Browne is also encouraging concertgoers to come with non-perishable food items for collection by food banks. With this call to engagement, Browne once again enlists his fans’ participation in World Hunger Year’s Artists Against Hunger & Poverty program.
Ever since his acclaimed 1972 self-titled debut album, Jackson Browne has defined a genre of songwriting and performing that is charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He’s been recognized with inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (2004) and the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame (2007), with recent humanitarian honors including the John Steinbeck Award and the Chapin-World Hunger Year Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award.
"Time The Conqueror" available here.
James Taylor
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.james-taylor.asso.fr
www.myspace.com/amchitka
www.twitter.com/amchitka1970
www.facebook.com/pages/Amchitka/60751539970
Janet Martin
A native of Richmond Virginia, Janet now divides her time between New York City and Richmond when not touring in Europe or the United States. If not on touring Janet can usually be found writing, or in the studio - Her latest CD “Passage” will be released in Europe in early 2010. Currently a 2010 European tour is being scheduled to coincide with this release; this will be Janet’s seventh consecutive European tour. Her “Step Inside The Dream” CD was released early in 2008 to critical acclaim both in America, and on the European continent.
Janet’s guitar style took shape at an early age; a direct result of her early influences; from bluegrass flat-picking, to electric rock and blues. A bright new world opened up for her when she began listening to Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page’s use of open tunings; Janet’s acoustic sound today is due in large part to her love of open tunings of which she is a master.
The flat picking prowess she possesses today along with her love of rock and roll sets her apart from most acoustic players; this amalgam of two styles is special; Janet sounds like no other player; male or female.
Her love of rock and roll radio and it’s melody driven songs led her to a songwriting and vocal style that today one can only describe as her own very unique sound; this could not be more evident than on her forthcoming CD, “Passage”. Her voice seems to speak directly to the listener; as if they were in the same room together; a very personal connection indeed. Janet is a multi-published writer with over 30 original songs.
Expressive, passionate and seductive describe her recorded voice; electrifying describes her live performance. Relax with her in the comfort of your home or while driving in your car, do see her live in concert, do spend time with her; experience her anyway you can.
www.janetmartin.com
www.myspace.com/thejanetmartinband
Janni Littlepage
A delicate, beautiful and refreshing talent, Janni Littlepage’s music has been described as romantic, eloquent and richly cinematic. In genres spanning bridges from folk to country to pop and back again, Janni’s resonant voice holds qualities reminiscent of Emmylou Harris, Shawn Colvin, and Joni Mitchell.
“Strange Angels”, her new album and special edition CD, was co-produced with Robinson Eikenberry. It is a masterfully pristine production with a myriad of layers, aural textures and hues. The songs are beautifully written and emotionally transportive, as is the breadth and beauty of Janni’s voice, and the subtle strength and skill of her players.
The album features the musical virtuosity of the late and beloved Kenny Edwards, extraordinary singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist (Linda Rondstadt, Bryndle, Karla Bonoff). Edwards’ distinctive supporting vocals and superb musical talent on guitars, electric bass and mandolin grace
every track, along with collaboration by other gifted musicians.
Accompanying this new release is an artful and luminous music video of the album’s evocative title song “Strange Angels” by wunderkind filmmaker-director Jack Giles Harrison.
Janni’s professional music career began at the age of 21 when she was introduced to Bruce Kunkel, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band who encouraged her to pursue a career in music. Throughout her career she has been fortunate to work with many wonderful and notable artists, producers and arrangers, among them Jon Mark, Jim Messina, Kenny Loggins, Henry Lewy, Malcolm Seagrave, Al Kooper, Chris Brubeck, and Robinson Eikenberry.
The supportive camaraderie of the musical communities in both California and Nashville, TN, offered inspiring and nurturing environments for the deepening of her art. Composing on the piano since childhood, Janni also writes on the Appalachian mountain dulcimer which lends a different
range of color and rhythm to her compositions. In the coastal town of Santa Barbara, California in the 1980's, Littlepage joined Jim Messina’s acoustic trio with singer-songwriter Alan Thornhill, and later performed with Loggins & Messina at the Heartlight Concert in Los Angeles, L & M’s first reunion concert in nearly a decade. During those years working with Messina, she recorded and released her first album “Lady In Waiting” to a delighted audience. Out of print now, this vinyl record is considered a collector’s item by audiophiles worldwide.
Continuing to follow the songwriters’ dream, a move to Nashville in the mid 1990's opened new doors. Janni’s song “A Rain Of Angels”, co-written with award-winning Nashville songwriter Michael Dulaney, was recorded by Lila McCann and appeared on her platinum debut album “Lila” on Asylum Records in 1997.
Returning to California in recent years, Littlepage found further inspiration in collaboration with writers from the international songwriting community through the Listening Room International Songwriters Retreat series. Several songs from this series appear on the new album and are co-writes with Johan Seige of Västerås, Sweden (“A Delicate Dance” and “The Buckeye Tree”), and Parisch Browne of Galway, Ireland (“When The Snow Falls On Baghdad”). “Always Coming Home”, another song written with Nashville’s Michael Dulaney, and a lovely and unusual arrangement of the traditional hymn “Amazing Grace” also appear on this collection. Folkinspired “A Train In The Distance” and “This Road Of Your Own Making” and the incandescent piano ballad “All My Days” were all co-written with longtime lyrical collaborator Vivien Kooper, while the three capstones of this beautifully constructed album were penned alone by Littlepage... the reflective and redemptive “Until The Rains Come”, wistful and nostalgic “Gerry & Her Baby Grands”, and the album’s ethereal yet earthy essential theme “Strange Angels”.
With a curtsy to Folk, a waltz across Americana to Country, a polite nod to Classical, a knowing wink at Rock, followed by a full run towards Orchestral Pop, and back into the arms of Folk, whatever the genre, Janni Littlepage’s music may be defined as poignant and soulful, poetic and uplifting.
Simply expressed... the song of an open heart.
Jenai Huff
Jenai Huff began singing as a child. Her favorite piece of furniture was the stereo cabinet that her father built. Music moved her from the inside out and it still does. Although she stopped singing for almost 2 decades, there were periods where she managed bands because she felt that music could impact the world in a positive way. Now with her first CD, "Transitions", released, she wants to do just that. And certainly the world could use some positive impressions these days. Her pure and soulful voice touches people and stirs their souls. Her style is a little bit folk, a little bit country, with a touch of bluegrass.
"Transitions" was produced by two-time Grammy Winner, Ben Wisch. His two Grammy Awards were for 'Album of the Year' with Marc Cohn, for the album of the same name, and for Mexican superstar, Ricardo Arjona. He, also, plays piano and keyboards on the album. Jeff Pevar, internationally known multi-instrumentalist plays multiple instruments on the album – acoustic, electric, bass, resonator and classical guitars, banjo and mandolin.
Jeff has performed and/or recorded with James Taylor, Ray Charles, Marc Cohn, Jennifer Warnes, Rickie Lee Jones, Crosby Stills & Nash, to name only a few. Background vocals were sung by Eugene Ruffolo, Shawn Thies and Doug Ingoldsby. Sammy Merendino, Tom Lackner and Chris Marshak played drums and percussion. All of the musicians who accompany Jenai Huff on the album are triple A players, as well as her friends.
Each of the songs can be listened to separately and certainly have a stand alone quality. However, when listened to as an album there is a feeling created. Almost as though you had just read a good book.
Currently Jenai Huff is playing her music out in California and later this year will be on the east coast of the United States.
Those who long for the breezy soft rock sound that typified California rock in the early 70s will find Jeff Larson’s latest album, “Left Of A Dream”, a refreshing revival.
Like his pals, Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley, the duo that carries the America banner, Larson excels in creating lush, melodic sounds that are tailor made for radio and other forms of mass-consumption, an instantly accessible and agreeable approach that’s both assured and reassuring.
Not surprisingly, Bunnell and Beckley make their presence known here as back-up players and producers, reinforcing the America comparisons on such songs as “Anywhere She Goes”, ”Ghosts Of San Miguel”, as well as “Where Is Indio, CA?”. However, Larson doesn’t really need the superstar support (Brian Wilson collaborator Jeffrey Foskett also adds to the sunny ambiance); with several other stellar albums already under his belt, ”Left Of A Dream” merely confirms what fans already know, namely that he’s one of the best pop pundits out there these days.
Where others may rely on gimmicks or studio gadgetry, Larson’s forte is simply making memorable melodies. True to form, songs such as ”Wake Up” and ”Red To Rus” tug at the heartstrings and make an indelible imprint even on first hearing.
Chalk it up to the fact that he’s not on a major label, or that radio is simply too constricted to play mass appeal music, to explain the fact that Larson isn’t the major star he ought to be. Whatever the reason, don’t let it dissuade you. Simply put, ”Left Of A Dream” is one of the best albums you’re likely to hear all year.
"Left Of A Dream" available here.
Jim Stubblefield
Founding member of the Billboard charting group Incendio, guitarist and composer Jim Stubblefield releases his 5th solo album, featuring all-star musicians and an excellent blend of Latin guitars and world rhythms. Jim Stubblefield's love of guitar goes back to when he first heard his mom play records by The Beatles. How he eventually ended up making his living playing ethnic flavored fusion is an interesting story.
Over the past eleven years, thousands of fans in search of the exotic and mystical have found the Promised Land in the music of Incendio (the burning ensemble Stubblefield co-founded along with fellow L.A. musicians Jean-Pierre Durand and Liza Carbe). Their 8-disc catalog features titles like 'Misterioso' and 'Illumination', and includes a DVD entitled 'Dia Y Noche'; reflective of their exciting crossover appeal, many of their recordings have appeared on the Billboard and CMJ charts.
"I think I can blame my mother for making this California boy fall in love with so many forms of music from across the world", Stubblefield says. "Long before I picked up the guitar around age eight, she was sharing Miles Davis and John Coltrane with me, and then Andre Segovia and British classical guitarist Julian Bream. From the time I was a teenager, my life was all about traveling. Staying every summer with families in different European countries like Finland and England, and also Russia, I immersed myself in these cultural melting pots and discovered the music not only of those places, but also the music of the Middle East".
"Later I spent time in Sevilla, Spain, the mecca of flamenco music, where I hung out in guitar shops and soaked in the local color", he continues. "My travels have also included Barcelona and Malaga where I got my Pedro Maldonado-guitar, and parts of Portugal. Traveling this much made me realize that there is so much music in the world that's not exposed to us in the U.S. by our media".
Having studied jazz guitar and having played in numerous rock bands, Stubblefield did not venture into more acoustic music until the early nineties.
"My sister introduced me to a Kuwaiti grad student by the name of Waleed Hamad. He had been jamming at the time with Ben Harper and when Ben went off to great success, Waleed and I started hanging out and writing music together. I learned a ton hanging out with Waleed and I got to play with musicians from all over the world".
"Around this same time I discovered old recordings of John McLaughlin's Shakti and I heard Strunz and Farah's 'Primal Magic' CD", remembers Stubblefield. "I just became addicted to this world fusion that was based around the acoustic guitar". In 1997, Stubblefield released his second solo CD, entitled "Cities Of Gold", which ended up being a semi-finalist in a DiscMaker's Independent Music Competition. "I found myself able to play shows at Borders Books & Music, Barnes & Noble, and various coffee houses. The funny thing was, I was selling 50+ CDs per show and I never had to do the club thing".
"With 'Rhythm Of The Heart', I secured a P & D deal with PARAS Recordings which was also Incendio's first record label", Stubblefield recalls. "Then in the fall of 1999 I hired JP and Liza to produce my next project. What was supposed to be my 4th solo CD ended up becoming Incendio's first - 'Misterioso'!"
After recording 4 solo CD's and 7 CD's and a DVD with Incendio, Stubblefield decided to get back to basics. "With 'Inspiracion', I wanted to record something raw and earthy. Nylon-string guitar, fretless bass and percussion - that's all. No synthesizers, extra instruments or multiple solo takes. Almost all of the guitar performances on 'Inspiracion' are one straight take from beginning to end with no editing".
Another interesting fact is that all of the writing and guitar recording on 'Inspiracion' was done in only two weeks. "I basically tracked the guitars as I wrote the songs. My previous release, 'Guitarra Exotica', was roughly a four year on and off project. 'Inspiracion' just happened. I guess I was really inspired and my percussionist, Bryan Brock, suggested the name!"
"I wanted 'Inspiracion' to evoke a more South American, Southwestern and gritty vibe. I thought of the Clint Eastwood spaghetti westerns and I tried to stay very focused on an overall feel for the recording", says Stubblefield. "With songs named 'El Pistolero' ('The Gunfighter') and 'Armadillo' I definitely try to evoke those concepts".
Joining Stubblefield on 'Inspiracion' is Randy Tico on fretless bass and Bryan Brock on percussion. In closing, Stubblefield says, "The overall result of the three of us working together was just fantastic. I really think I made the recording I had been chasing after all these years. I had a great time working on this CD and I hope people like it!"
John David Souther
John David Souther was greatly influenced by Texan Roy Orbison, whose sound he tried to emulate. Following his move to Los Angeles in the late 1960s, he met a young guitarist from Detroit named Glenn Frey. They bonded over their Detroit roots and a common love of country and R&B music. In short order, they began working together while sharing a small apartment in Los Angeles' Echo Park area (their downstairs neighbor was Jackson Browne with whom both Souther and Frey would collaborate on numerous projects).
Shortly after meeting, Souther and Frey formed a folk duo called Longbranch Pennywhistle. Their lone album, released in 1970 on Jimmy Bowen's Amos Records, featured significant contributions from guitarists James Burton and Ry Cooder, fiddler Doug Kershaw, drummer Jim Gordon, pianist Larry Knechtel and bassist Joe Osborn.
After recording an eponymous solo album in 1972, persuaded by David Geffen, Souther formed the Souther Hillman Furay Band with Chris Hillman and Richie Furay. The group released two albums, but creative tensions and lack of record sales (not to mention Furay's discomfort with playing secular music following his conversion to Christianity) led to the band's demise.
Souther is probably best known for his well crafted songwriting abilities, especially in the field of country rock. He co-wrote some of the biggest hits for the Eagles, including "Best of My Love", "Victim of Love", "Heartache Tonight", and "New Kid in Town". He also wrote songs for several of Ronstadt's multi-platinum albums, including "Faithless Love" from "Heart Like a Wheel" and "White Rhythm and Blues" included in her "Living in the USA" album. He also recorded several notable duets with Ronstadt, including "Hearts Against the Wind," "Prisoner in Disguise," and "Sometimes You Can't Win." He wrote "Run Like a Thief," which appeared on "Home Plate" by Bonnie Raitt.
His biggest hit as a solo artist was his 1979 Orbison-influenced song "You're Only Lonely" from the album of the same name, which reached number 7 on the Billboard charts. A collaboration with James Taylor called "Her Town Too" from Taylor's "Dad Loves His Work" album reached number 11 on the Billboard Pop Singles chart.
He was a contributor on the "Roy Orbison & Friends - A Black and White Night" 1987 concert and video, sang The Platters' "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" in the 1989 movie 'Always' and sang the theme song to the 1989-1992 sitcom 'Anything But Love'.
"If The World Was You" is his first new album in 24 years. The album was recorded live in the studio with a five-piece jazz ensemble. It includes the 12 minute 56 second epic 'The Secret Handshake of Fate'.
Jock Bartley
Rock 'n' Roll is alive and well as rock music legends convene in the Colorado Mountains to record on a hot new CD - Jock Bartley, lead guitarist, songwriter and leader of '70s U.S. rock sensations Firefall, has just completed his debut solo CD entitled Blindside.
Bartley is best known for his inspired work on such classic Firefall hits as "You Are The Woman", "Just Remember I Love You", "Strange Way", "Cinderella" and "Mexico".
Recorded between January and August 2006, Blindside features guest appearances by such rock luminaries as:
*Richie Furay, former Poco member and Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame inductee with the Buffalo Springfield,
*Rusty Young of Poco,
*John McEuen and Jimmie Fadden of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band,
*Mark Andes from Spirit, Heart and Firefall,
*John Magnie from The Subdudes,
*Brian Nevin from Big Head Todd And The Monsters,
*Michael Travis of The String Cheese Incident,
*Jake Sproul of Rosehill Drive,
*Bob Harris from Warren Zevon, Frank Zappa and Axe, along with many other notable musicians and singers.
Songs from Blindside effortlessly span the musical spectrum - from rock to pop to blues, the album showcases Bartley's extraordinary songwriting talents. The tender, heartfelt ballad "Veronica So Fair" not only displays Jock's vocal prowess, but could quite possibly be one of the finest love songs ever written! The well-crafted pop-rock title cut, ‘Blindside,’ is the first single.
All songs on Blindside were written by the Firefall guitarist, who also produced the album. Another highlight of this exciting new CD is the positive message song "Call On Me", which was originally written in 1998 for Suicide Prevention. The song became an anthem of sorts for the cause and helped to launch the first national crises hotline, 1(800) SUICIDE. A portion of the proceeds from the sales and performance of "Call On Me" will be donated back to Suicide Prevention, helping to reverse the terrible national statistics.
Joel Rafael
On April 8, Southern California-based singer-songwriter Joel Rafael will release THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH, his first album of original material since 2000’s acclaimed Hopper. The disc comes out on Inside Recordings, the independent label founded by Jackson Browne and his management team; 
distribution is through ADA. It follows up Rafael’s two renowned albums saluting the songs of Woody Guthrie, ofwhose music he’s considered a natural and pre-eminent interpreter. Joel Rafael is also the recipient of the Kerrville Folk Festival’s 1995 “New Folk Emerging Songwriter Award.”
Blending troubadourial eloquence, timeless folk and timely political observations, THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH opens with its lead single, the forthright and simply-worded protest song “This Is My Country,” with backing vocals from Rafael’s friends David Crosby and Graham Nash. “I wish I had written this song,” says Nash, adding, “it’s so powerful and profound…a call from his heart to ours.”
Throughout, the album is driven by this directness. It’s also colored by Rafael’s plain-spoken delivery–as gentle as it is affecting–and wry, understated way with a moving lyric. In a recent piece on Rafael, screenwriter Bob Krakower described his singing style as, “a voice that sounds like a cross between Mercy and Vengeance,” continuing, “he walks and talks as if he came off the pages of a 1930’s Steinbeck novel…his is as authentic as any American voice you have heard in a very long time.”
That authenticity informs Rafael originals including the homespun yet elegant philosophical gem “Time Stands Still,” the resonant “Song Of Socrates” (inspired by the film The Peaceful Warrior) and “Reluctant Angel,” a meditation on sharing one’s gifts with the world. Highlights also include “Promised Land,” which he calls a, “to hell and back song,” the free-spirited folk ballad “Wild Honey” and “Missing Pages,” whose theme of resistance to fear-mongering echoes the album’s social justice message.
Two of the thirteen tracks are covers of other songwriters’ work – “Rich Man’s War” first saw the light of day on Steve Earle’s 2004 album The Revolution Starts Now. “Thematically,” says Rafael, “it was perfect for this record.” “I Ought To Know” is by longtime friend Jack Hardy, one of the forces behind the historic Fast Folk series (now in the Smithsonian). When he first heard Hardy perform it at the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival, Rafael says, “I was knocked out by it and knew I wanted to record it.”
Rafael has performed at that same Festival since its 1998 inception in Guthrie’s hometown of Okemah, OK, and will be a featured performer when it takes place there this year from July 9 through 13. Long renowned for his fluid interpretations of the legendary artist’s music, Rafael is also a member of the national touring cast of the famed Woody Guthrie revue Ribbon Of Highway, Endless Skyway.
Rafael’s recorded tributes to Guthrie, also out on Inside, are Woodeye (’02) and Woodyboye (’05), The Songs of Woody Guthrie, Volume 1 and Volume 2, respectively. Together, they present Rafael’s elemental takes on twenty-four Guthrie–and two Guthrie-inspired–compositions. Five feature music Rafael created for previously unpublished Woody Guthrie lyrics, given to him by Nora Guthrie, who directs the Woody Guthrie Archives and oversees her father’s legacy. Woodeye and Woodyboye, which contain guest appearances by Artho Guthrie, Jackson Browne, Jennifer Warnes and Van Dyke Parks, will be available in special bundled packages with THIRTEEN STORIES HIGH (and individually).
John Mitchell & Sofie Jonsson
John and Sofie first met at the Invershin country roots festival in Scotland in 2005 and realised they shared the same musical inspirations. They began performing at various venues, dances and sessions all around the Highlands. In 2006 the newly formed duo moved to Sofie’s native Dalarna in Sweden. Since then, they have been constantly performing and enthusiastically evolving as a duo and as part of a multitude of musical constellations. As a duo, they play both Scottish/Irish material and bluegrass and country, as well as spending their winter seasons playing after-ski gigs in the ski resort of Sälen, Sweden, and spreading their acoustic folk music mix to a large number of people from all over Sweden and abroad.
Together with Ulf Nygårds, as the trio The Albadukes, they have played at Carlshamn Country Festival, Torsby Country Festival, and the Folk & Rock Festival in Segmon, Sweden. They have played at the Swedish national country music championships in Sälen and at the Lida Country Festival with country singer Andreas Silver from Malung, and at the Northern Roots and the Belladrum Tartan Heart festivals in Scotland with Americana trio The Cross-eyed Gals.
John and Sofie regularly perform in Scotland, and they also played a few gigs in the US in 2009 and in Prague in 2010.
Performing on a regular basis (around 100 gigs per year) has allowed John and Sofie the pleasure of having the possibility to hone their performance skills and stagecraft, and in 2010 they decided it was time to capture their music on an album. Recorded in December 2010 to January 2011, "Western Highways" is John and Sofie’s debut CD and reflects their background in Celtic and American music while also introducing some of their own material. They look forward to presenting the material and themselves to as wide an audience as possible.
www.johnandsofie.com
www.facebook.com/johnandsofiemusic
John Batdorf
John Batdorfs uniquely passionate vocals and guitar playing landed him his first major record deal back in the 70s with Atlantic Records, and he's continued to develop and grow as an artist to this day. As the song writing and lead vocal half of Batdorf and Rodney, John began honing his craft and developing his own style back in the early 70s.
After the breakup with Rodney, John did an album with a group called Silver and toured the country promoting their album at venues with the likes of America, Doobie Brothers, Poco and Hall and Oats. Fans devoted to his sound recognized Johns voice on several radio and television projects in the 80s when he worked as a top LA studio session singer. When he wasn’t touring with bands, or producing music for a variety of clients, he never stopped writing songs.
In the early 90s he partnered with fellow songwriter Michael McLean and released a handful of albums that captured a personal resonance John found with his universal songs of hope and inspiration. It’s as if with each stage in his artistic journey, he developed a greater understanding of the power music to impact our daily lives. Never one to stagnate creatively, John expanded his artistic palette from acoustic driven pop/rock to story driven melodies.
From 1996 to 2002 he worked as a TV composer for the hit series 'Touched by an Angel' and 'Promised Land'. Now into the second half of the new millennium, John has recorded a new CD with James Lee Stanley "All Wood And Stones" (a highly original take on early Rolling Stones songs, done acoustically with tight harmonies) along with his first solo EP, "Side One." His first full length solo CD, "Home Again" is an acoustic guitar and vocal enthusiasts dream come true!
Johns’ next CD, "Still Burnin'" teams him up again with Mark Rodney. The duo recorded a live show at XM Studios in Washington D.C. revisiting many of their great songs from the 70s. Also John and Mark have recorded two brand new songs in LA that are also included in the package. This marks the first new Batdorf and Rodney recordings since 1975!
Now in 2009, at last, after one year from writing to mastering, Johns' finest CD ever, "Old Man Dreamin'" is taking on the world!
Check it out.....
www.myspace.com/johnbatdorf
www.sonicbids.com/JohnBatdorf
Jon Strider
Jon Strider, a 5th generation, native Californian, began performing music in the (San Francisco) Bay Area, emerging with an artistic destiny shaped by the cultural and artistic upheavals of the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. As the father of a form of music described as "rhythm'n'folk", Strider has synthesized the rock and acoustic worlds, a hybrid of storytelling, grooves and keen empathy.
Strider’s latest album on New Sky Records - ‘Fresh Tracks’ - takes his West Coast/Austin/Nashville-influences to amazing new heights of singer-songwriter brilliance. A true tale of an American immigrant. Scandinavia bound. Songs of love, hope and disillusion, hearthache and joy. Helped by rising star producer, Amir Aly, the album’s breakout hit single, “Apple Pie Song”, is a slice of pure pop perfection. Indeed, everyone of these “Fresh Tracks” is a sonic delight.
Strider has toured the world, recorded 6 solo albums, produced dozens of other artists, found a radio audience, built recording studios, scored films and television shows.
Jon is also a dynamic, hardworking and captivating live entertainer. His 400+ original song catalog, brims with a colorful life, fully lived.
Credits: As a keyboardist/back-up vocalist :
Eddie Money, Larry Graham, Van Morrison, Mink Deville, Chuck Berry, John Lee Hooker, Dan Hicks, Boz Scaggs
As a producer/singer-songwriter/session musician, Jon have produced or co-written or recorded with the musicians from the bands of :
Paul Simon, Elton John, Don Henley, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, Dwight Yoakam, George Thorogood, Steely Dan, Tori Amos, John Hiatt, Little Feat, Delbert McClinton, Allman Brothers Band, Whitney Houston
Joni Mitchell
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.jonimitchell.com
www.myspace.com/amchitka
www.twitter.com/amchitka1970
www.facebook.com/pages/Amchitka/60751539970
Josh Rouse
The Past. The Present. The Future.
This record is in some ways unique. One that bridges both history, and what is to come. All highlighted in a musical collection that also reflects the current day, and the here and now for the artist. This is the world of Josh Rouse circa 2011: An American, born in the Midwest, who has over his life called many parts of the United States home, but an American now living a more cosmopolitan existence in modern Europe. The common thread through this rich journey has been the music – distinctive, appealing, and much celebrated across the globe. And so the life of Josh Rouse, of the Artist, is reflected in this set of new recordings, a new album, his 9th overall, and with the simple title, ‘Josh Rouse and the Long Vacations’.
This album we are talking about was recorded in Spain, but decidedly not “Spanish” in feel, or not, as some might say, ethnic. This is an album that, in some fashion, reflects a reprise of the singer-songwriter’s roots. It encapsulates a past for Rouse that is steeped in that American Midwest, infused with the spirit of the endless plains and a homespun existence in Nebraska. And a past also touched by the American South – one with a distinctive friendly nature, like a warm hug by a lake on a glorious summer evening. It reflects a life growing up with the smooth uplifting sounds of early 70's AM radio. The soft rock sounds of the Artist’s youth. That is the past.
But this album is also informed by the present. While not sounding what could be described as “latin”, there is no doubting that La Furia Roja is manifested in the tracks within. This is an album recorded in this European nation, which – by definition – adds its own distinctive texture to the sounds and spirit and feel of these nine songs. Spain – a land where an afternoon siesta is still a holdover from what
now seems like a past, simpler life. A society inspired by the glorious sun-soaked beaches of the Mediterranean, where life is free and easy. And modern Spain – which embraces a mixture of the old and new, where 21st century architecture nestles alongside ancient buildings. This is
Spain – a forward thinking country, living beyond the traditional rules by which the crossroads of commerce and culture must adhere. A nation exemplified by the bright colors and bold brush-strokes of artistic masters such as Miró and Picasso, reverentially embracing culture – where
art is life, and life is art. This is what inspires the Artist, and has motivated the formation of these songs.
And the album is steeped in the future – a new decade in 2011, and on toward the years ahead. This is a future where the world is no longer carved into distinct small units, where life has become universal – a melting pot of different cultures, and personalities, and influences – one reflecting a cosmopolitan spirit, with no boundaries. This is also a future where technology breaks down barriers and distance. It is a world that has enabled an album to be recorded for posterity, in part in Williamsburg, Brooklyn; in Barcelona, and on to Valencia, Spain; where it is gathered together as a cohesive whole. Indeed, Valencia – the city of arts & sciences embracing the avant garde & the futuristic – one that could be said to epitomize, the future.
"Josh Rouse & The Long Vacations" - Released by Bedroom Classics/ADA Global on September 27th, 2011.
www.joshrouse.com
www.myspace.com/joshrouse
Joey + Rory
Award-winning duo Joey + Rory have set October 11, 2011, as the release date for their "A Farmhouse Christmas" album on Sugar Hill Records. In a unique move for holiday albums, 10 of the 12 cuts on the new CD are either new songs or cuts never released as Christmas songs.
The farmhouse Christmas theme for this album is right at home for the duo, as their personal lives are rooted in the 1870’s farmhouse where they live in the small community of Pottsville, TN. “We made this record with hopes of trying to bring the listener into our home and share a small piece of our world at Christmas time with them”, Joey says. “Christmas means so much to Joey and me”, Rory adds. “It brings on so many feelings that other times of the year just don’t. We seem to laugh (and eat) more, think deeper, reminisce more, and for a short time, most of our priorities all to come into perspective”.
“Some people might wonder why we haven’t filled this record with more of the Christmas standards”, said Rory. “Well, the truth is, we feel like that’s what everyone seems to do, and we’d rather try to add a new song or two to the list of holiday classics that people listen to every Christmas, rather than just give them another take on the songs we all know and love”.
Humor is interspersed among touching original songs that fall right in line with Joey + Rory’s faith. The Garth Brooks and Kent Blazy-penned “I Know What Santa’s Getting For Christmas” is nothing but playful fun, and “What The Hell, It’s The Holidays” is as entertaining as it is irreverent. The spend-the-holiday-at-the-beach themed anthem “Let It Snow (Somewhere Else)" that Joey + Rory wrote with James Slater and Tim Johnson, was aptly penned while at a songwriter festival in Key West. And “Another Wonderful Christmas” shows that the holidays are, at times, more like “Christmas Vacation” than “It’s a Wonderful Life” around the Feek household.
Rory wrote the beautiful original album opener “It’s Christmas Time” during a visit to Joey’s family farmhouse in Indiana. “I woke up one morning and found myself thinking about what it must have been like when Joey was a little girl, waking up all those Christmas mornings in that very house”. Montana’s own Stephanie Davis wrote “The Diamond O” and “The Gift” for the album, the latter of which Rory calls, “an absolute masterpiece”. Of Joey’s personal favorite on the album, “Remember Me”, Rory says, “Some songs you labor and labor over and some just seem to magically write themselves. This one was all magic”.
“Away In A Manger” and “Blue Christmas” are the two solo standards on "A Farmhouse Christmas", but another highlight is an unlikely song for the holidays. Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December” was never meant to be a Christmas song, but Joey + Rory felt it fit perfectly. “We can’t begin to tell you what an honor it is to have Merle singing on it with us”, said Joey. “There are some dreams that even when they come true, you still think you must be dreaming… and this is one”.
www.joeyandrory.com
http://publicity.sugarhillrecords.com
Jubal Lee Young
Jubal Lee Young's songs are reckless, deep and spiritual, meticulously crafted and delivered by an amazing voice that can go in a heartbeat from a falsetto whisper to a lions roar.
The only son of singer-songwriter Steve Young (‘Seven Bridges Road’, ‘Lonesome Onry and Mean’) and Terrye Newkirk (‘My Oklahoma’, ‘Come Home, Daddy’), Jubal grew up around the best of the 70's and 80's Country, Folk, and Bluegrass artists, who happened to be his parents amazing circle of famous and infamous friends.
Those influences are certainly there, but there is a decided edge that comes from listening to a lot of stuff that rocked, too.
Young has experienced life’s darker sides, yet transcends them in his songs. Along the way, he came up with a unique sound that encompasses the diverse styles of the musically fertile Southland, but with a genius for intelligent lyrics and wry humor that is altogether fresh.
Jubal Lee Young has learned from the greats, first- hand, right there at the kitchen table. You can hear it.
He’s the real deal.
Jude Davison
Jude Davison has written and produced a massive 19 albums of varied musical styles and genres with songs that include Americana, rock, pop, country, soul, gospel, blues, mariachi, Dixieland and even a trilogy of spoken word-music albums.
In 2009 and 2011 he released the back-to-back critically acclaimed albums 'Circo De Teatro' and the sprawling double disc, 'Outskirts Of Eden'.
In April 2011 both albums received recognition at the BCIMA Awards, Canada, winning "Concept/Collaboration Album Of The Year" and "Best CD/DVD Artwork/Graphics", respectively.
Both albums have garnered rave reviews and sparked comparisons to musical heavy weights, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan. One Belgium reviewer wrote that 'Outskirts Of Eden' is “another highly recommended musical masterpiece from this talented all-round entertainer”, while a UK review called it “Davison’s 'Blood On The Tracks'.”
Both albums continue to receive radio airplay throughout Europe and Davison’s stellar nine-piece band brings audiences to their feet with shows that combine great musicianship with concert theatrics.
Jude Johnstone
Jude Johnstone’s songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in the music industry including Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Stevie Nicks, Trisha Yearwood and Bette Midler. Her songs have also been featured in television shows 'Nurse Jackie', 'Army Wives' and 'Lie to Me'. Jude is not only a respected and accomplished songwriter, but a recording artist with four critically acclaimed CD's released over the past 8 years on BoJak Records. However, somehow she remains a relatively unknown artist to the general public, but that is about to change with the release of her fifth CD, “Quiet Girl”.
“Quiet Girl” returns Jude to the Americana flavor of her first two CDs “Coming of Age”, and “On a Good Day”. Owing to her immense reputation the project attracted pro bono contributions from a premier list of guest artists: Emmylou Harris ('Quiet Girl'), John David Souther ('On That Train'), Susan & David Cowsill and Rodney Crowell ('Cry for New Orleans'), Jimmy LaFave ('I Don’t Wanna Go Home'), David Mansfield ('Quiet Girl', 'On That Train') and Clarence Clemons ('Don’t Wake Me Up').
“Quiet Girl” lives up to the soulful songwriting you might expect from someone with Jude’s track record. Her intimate, passionate vocal style is delivered with thoughtful and heartfelt lyrics throughout this impressive collection. The catchy title track features background vocals by Emmylou Harris, the haunting “The Smell of Summer”, and the poignant “On That Train”, are some of Johnstone’s most compelling songs.
“Cry For New Orleans” features vocals by Susan and John Cowsill, whose brother died in New Orleans during the tragedy of Katrina. And the person who gave Jude her first break, Clarence Clemons, plays sax on “Don’t Wake Me Up”. Don’t miss this exceptional artist. Give “Quiet Girl “ a listen and hear what attracts revered Hall of Fame artists to her music.
Judy Collins
Folk icon Judy Collins will release her new album 'Paradise', on June 28th, 2010, on Wildflower Records. The collection of songs selected for Collins’ latest project reinforces her lifelong commitment to quality songwriting and worldwide reputation as one of the finest interpretative singers in any genre. 'Paradise' is a collection of songs with universal themes, desires, and cries of a human being searching for paradise here on earth. There are 10 heartfelt songs with tales to tell about finding love, losing love, personal freedom and redemption. Collins teams up with the legendary Joan Baez and Stephen Stills on two tracks.
'Paradise' provides a modern take on the times, with brand new renditions of archetypal songs made fresh with Collins’ striking arrangements and intimate, breathtaking vocals. The material here is drawn from great sources such as Jimmy Webb, Tom Paxton, Joan Baez, Tim Buckley, and Stan Jones, to name a few. The duet of Collins and Baez singing “Diamonds and Rust”, Baez’s 1975 hit single, is stunning as you listen to their angelic harmonies revealing sincere feelings on the complexity of love in haunting words and melody. And, with the often-recorded Tom Paxton song “Last Thing On My Mind”, Judy Collins pairs up with Stephen Stills to create a fresh and sweetly melodic track, beautifully weaving their complementary voices together with soft and jangly guitars of a song reminiscing a couple’s breakup. The poignant duet from these two former lovers, singing “I could’ve loved you better, didn’t mean to be unkind, don’t you know that was the last thing on my mind” make for a wonderfully lilting and bittersweet tune.
Renowned for her activism and performing socially relevant material Collins’ 'Paradise' includes the recording “The Weight Of The World,” by emerging artist Amy Speace, an anti-war song with powerful and personal lyrics. Singing about a brother unthinkably heading off to fight, Collins’ voice is a plaintive, universal cry of the unspeakable senselessness of losing a loved one to war. We can feel the weight of her world in the intimacy of the song’s lyrics, resonating with “The weight of the world, too heavy to lift/So much was lost, so much was missed/It doesn’t seem fair that any boy or any girl/Should have to carry the weight of the world”.
'Paradise' concludes with a song of hope and wonderment as you listen to Collins’ enchanting recording of the#1 movie song of all-time, “Over The Rainbow”, Her recording of this song is also included on a CD insert to her new children’s picture book project, also titled “Over the Rainbow”.
www.judycollins.com
www.myspace.com/judycollinsmyspace
Jump4Joy
Welcome to the wonderful world of Jump4Joy! High energy music and great entertainment performed during constant touring. Standing ovations in New Orleans, Moscow, London, Havanna, Marseille and Seoul.....
The band :
Ulf Sandström is a groove oriented piano and organ player with a soulful voice. He wants to entertain you, and will weave a web of verbal bridges until he succeeds. "Mighty" Bo Gustafsson is a power-honker on the tenor sax. His roots in jazz and ska music shine through when he picks up the alto. Bo and Ulf have toured a century, and perform like one entity.
Kenneth Björnlund and Surjo Benigh have performed together over fifteen years as one of the tightest rhythm sections this side of the river Styx - Strong, yet flexible, like silicone lips on a Las Vegas showgirl.
A constant evolution :
Jump4Joy is a constant experiment, where Ulf & Bo bring their very special humor and energy as a duo or quartet to club gigs, concerts, festivals, theatres, burlesque shows, dance events, corporate events, symphony arrangements and gospel choirs.
www.jump4joy.se
www.youtube.com/ulfsandstrom
www.myspace.com/jump4joyulfsandstrom
Justin Currie
When Del Amitri’s singer-songwriter Justin Currie released his first solo album, "What Is Love For" in 2007 he described it as ‘eleven thunderously dreary dirges’! Fortunately, not everyone agreed with him, and the album won accolades from critics, fans and fellow artists, as a thing of dark and starkly honest beauty.
Now Currie returns with a second album, "The Great War", which delivers a bracing set of original compositions that break yet more creative ground – And should further cement Currie’s place as an ambitious and versatile solo artist.
"The Great War" finds Justin delivering some of his most compelling work to date, with such memorable numbers as "The Way That It Falls", "At Home Inside of Me" and the epic "The Fight To Be Human" overflowing with catchy melodicism and vivid wordplay, while "A Man With Nothing To Do", "Can't Let Go Of Her Now" and "You'll Always Walk Alone" offer a trenchant mix of romantic idealism and hard-won experience.
"I didn't want to repeat what I'd done on 'What Is Love For'," Currie states. "'What Is Love For' was intended as a very introspective record, and it was so sad and dark that I didn't really expect it to get any airplay. But 'The Great War' is much brighter and more accessible; there are actually three or four positive love songs on there, which is unusual for me. This time, I wanted more major keys, and more variety in the tempos. I don't write a lot of up-tempo songs these days, so it took me a while to write enough to be able to get the kind of balance I wanted.
"I also used the device of making little jokes out of the songs", he continues, "so quite a few of the songs on 'The Great War' have punchlines that completely reverse the assumed meaning of the song. I find that enormously satisfying when it works. A famous poet, whose name I forget, said that a poem must always have a little revelation at the close — a quiet epiphany — and I see no reason why songs can't sometimes do the same. Why repeat to fade? Why not end on a handbrake turn, a slap in the face or a 'reveal'? I tried to make the entire album do this, so that the last line of the last song is an unmasking".
Justin Currie has plenty of experience in defying musical expectations. He was still in his teens when he co-founded Del Amitri in his hometown of Glasgow. Between 1982 and 2002, the band evolved from resourceful D.I.Y. indie combo to international hitmakers, releasing six much-loved studio albums before amicably parting ways.
"It's a big difference being a solo operator", Currie observes. "What you lose in companionship, support and input, you gain in creative control. But most of the elements of what I do haven't changed all that much. I'm still looking for melody and lyrics that I can feel something from, and trying to put them into the standard structures of the rock or pop song. I love those structures; to me, the verse/chorus/middle-eight thing still seems filled with endless unexplored possibilities".
"The Great War", which was recorded and mixed by frequent Del Amitri associate Mark Freegard, features Currie on lead vocals and various instruments, along with a talented group of players that includes ex-Del Amitri guitarist Mick Slaven. Currie considers the album's title to be "a nice broad and flexible metaphor", adding, "Album titles are hard; you have to find something non-specific that still somehow suits a collection of songs. I noticed a few common references to struggle and conflict in the lyrics. I don't think there's a single song on the album that the title doesn't resonate with in some way".
The combination of uplifting tunes and darker lyrical themes has long been a recurring motif in Currie's songwriting. "Del Amitri were often described as 'bittersweet' for that very reason", he notes, adding, "Do I do this deliberately? I don't know. I am an enormous devotee of pop melodies, from Cole Porter to Amy Winehouse, Smokey Robinson to Buzzcocks. Lyrically, more often than not, I seem to gravitate towards the ambiguity of feelings, the struggle with motivations and doubt in relationships, self-loathing and disappointment — somber things sometimes, but with a scintilla of hope, or at least catharsis. As a songwriter, I use melody to make all of this less maudlin, hopefully, and to create tension”.
"I love to undermine a lyrical conceit with a contrasting tune", Currie asserts. "I like to sew doubt in the listener's mind. Does he mean these things? Is this song actually as melancholy, defeatist or cynical as it seems? Or is this guy a romantic who's optimistic about the consoling power of love?”
"If I have a mission as an artist", he concludes, "it would be to get a little more poetry into the great warehouse of rock music. All I can do is get it out there and fight to be heard; that's the great war."
J Shogren
Jack Bruce
Jack Tempchin
Jackson Browne
James Taylor
Janet Martin
Janni Littlepage
Jenai Huff
Jeff Larson
Jim Stubblefield
JD Souther
Jock Bartley
Joel Rafael
John & Sofie
John Batdorf
Jon Strider
Joni Mitchell
Josh Rouse
Joey + Rory
Jubal Lee Young
Jude Davison
Jude Johnstone
Judy Collins
Jump4Joy
Justin Currie
