East Village songstress, poet and multi-media maven Rachael Sage has been makinggutsy pop music in one form or another since she was three years old. Her latest offering of “lovely and literate folk-pop-rock” (The Village Voice), THE BLISTERING SUN, is devoted to the topics of vision, clarity, and facing life head on.
A self-taught pianist who honed her skills listening to her parents’ doo-wop, Broadway and Beatles album collections, Rachael debuted her first original material for a captive audience of kindergarten students one fateful afternoon before their ballet teacher arrived and broke up the party. “When I started,” she says, “ I was writing a lot of music that sounded like Elton John - if he’d been a nice Jewish girl from a long line of Russian cantors.” By junior high school, Sage’s dancing abilities had landed her a spot at the prestigious School of American Ballet; but it was really the music she was hearing– in and out of class – that intrigued her the most.
As a teenager, Sage recorded hundreds of demos in the basement on a four-track (her Bat Mitzvah present), arriving at a provocative lyrical and vocal style recently described by Judy Collins as “a great gift...of incredible talent and beauty.” After earning a degree in Drama from Stanford University, Rachael returned to New York and founded MPress Records. A sleepless Sage wrote, produced and designed artwork for a swift succession of releases, including “Smashing The Serene” and “Painting of a Painting”. In the late ‘90’s she attended the Actors Studio MFA program, working as a jingle singer and composing music for a steady string of national commercials, before landing a coveted slot at Lilith Fair by entering their New York Talent Search. “Meeting Sarah McLachlan and so many other inspiring artists was a big turning point for me, and I realized I needed to get out of NY, ditch my six-piece band and hit the road if I really wanted to develop as a performer.” She started booking her own tours, playing over 150 dates a year throughout the U.S and Europe and earning a sizable fanbase along the way.
During the release of her first few albums, advice and support from the likes of Suzanne Vega, Ani DiFranco and Eric Burdon (The Animals) encouraged Sage to stick to her musical roots and “just keep doing what I loved and not think a whole lot about what was going on in the music industry.” As a songwriter, she was energized by the sensibilities of Elvis Costello, Patti Smith and Laura Nyro; as a visual artist (Sage also paints, decorates instruments and designs much of her vibrant stage-wear), pop-art pioneers Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol and Keith Haring were ongoing visual muses.
After receiving the 2005 Independent Music Award for Best Folk/AAA artist and the 2005 OutMusic Award for Best Songwriter for her previous CD BALLADS & BURLESQUE, Sage headed back into the studio and emerged with her newest full-length work, THE BLISTERING SUN. The 15 song album “focuses on the rare moments where action follows instinct, without procrastination.” Fittingly, the cover-art depicts a colorful, super-heroine-esque image of Sage staring unflinchingly at the sun.
ALRIGHT, OK, the first cut on the record, is an upbeat swing number that Sage wanted to sound as though it could be its own type of 1950’s dance, like the twist or the bop. “When I wrote it I was thinking about how often I make diluted decisions simply because I don’t trust my initial instincts. I wanted the music to sound peppy and tongue-in-cheek, ‘cause it’s a hell of a lot easier to play a song about transcending your own weakness night after night when you can envision Ellen dancing along to it and smiling!”
FEATHERWOMAN is a energetic anthem celebrating individuality and independence. Its opening lyric asks “what are the things that I do best that nobody else can do?” and is aptly followed by what might be Sage’s most ambitious story-song yet, the driving, Eastern European flavored “93 Maidens”. Based on the letters of Warsaw teenager Chaya Feldman, whose entire class swallowed poison rather than submit to Nazi torture, it’s the song that Sage admits means the most to her “because I’ve wanted to sing about this brave young woman ever since I read about her ten years ago.” When she read her story, Sage says Chaya and her classmates “seemed like the ultimate feminists to me, despite the tragic context in which they were forced to reveal that strength.” Other highlights on the album include the R&B ballad VIOLET OR BLUE, the jazzy LONELY STREETS (a Peggy Lee inspired ode to solitude in the big city that Rachael penned “after one too many crushes I never should’ve acted on”), and BURNING WITCH, a dynamic jazz-drenched number in which Sage spells out the album’s personal-meets-political creed: ‘cause you’re a burning witch / when you can’t shape destiny”. Produced by Sage, recorded by John Shyloski and mixed by Kevin Killen (Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush), THE BLISTERING SUN features trumpet player Russ Johnson (Norah Jones, Aretha Franklin), drummer Dean Sharp (Moby, Jane Siberry), percussionist Doug Yowell (Duncan Shiek, Suzanne Vega), guitarist Jack Petruzelli (Rufus Wainwright, Gavin DeGraw),cellist Julia Kent (Antony & The Johnsons, Leona Naess), violinist Allison Cornell (Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson), organist Julie Wolf (Dar Williams) and bassist Todd Sickafoose (Ani DiFranco).
Rench
New american music for the 21st century that connects the deserts of the Southwest with the brownstones of old Brooklyn neighborhoods, not manufactured in a record labels boardroom or carbon copied by pasting the 
lastest pop chart sounds together, built with love in a little studio, hand crafted, using whatevers available, running on inspiration and imagination and duct tape, calling on the spirit of Gram Parsons and Otis Redding and KRS-ONE and Dolly Parton and Nina Simone and Willie Nelson and Missy Elliott and Johnny Cash, talented artists getting their voice in the mix, because to make it happen is reason enough, and to share it with the world is all the reason you need, because we tell the truth with music and the truth is beautiful.
Kept secret from the public through the mid seventies was the strange relationship between an aging Lone Ranger and an adolescent Voltron, in which they adopted and raised a young orphan. The young orphan Rench went on to success at the feared World Domination Academy, though he dropped out before graduating, rejecting his training by the nefarious Dr. Destructo. Working with elite musical teams combining hip-hop and country music under various names (Battlestar, Battlestar America, B-Star), Rench and his associates have repeatedly defeated the schemes of Dr. Destructo and his army of vampire robots, and continue to fight evildoers everywhere.
The Red Button
“If The Red Button had been around when I was producing, I would have signed them to EMI.” -- Norman “Hurricane” Smith, Beatles engineer (1962-66) and record producer at EMI (Pink Floyd, Pretty Things, etc)
The Red Button is made up of Los Angeles-based singer-songwriters Seth Swirsky and Mike Ruekberg.
Seth has written songs for dozens of artists over the years ranging from Taylor Dayne ( the # 1 hits "Tell it to My Heart" and “Prove Your Love”) to Al Green (“Love Is A Beautiful Thing”), Rufus Wainwright, Jane Weidlin (of The Go-Gos), Tina Turner, and many others. His solo album, “Instant Pleasure” (with background vocals by Andy Sturmer of Jellyfish and The Rembrandts) was named Best Pop Album at the 2005 L.A. Music Awards. He loves the sun on his face, looking through kaleidoscopes and eating sushi. Mike was the writer and singer for Rex Daisy, who recorded a highly-acclaimed CD with Geffen Records, produced by Paul Fox (XTC). A much sought-after session singer and musician, Mike also wrote the soundtrack to the Adrien Brody, Indie cult film Dummy. He has a pet pig, Peggy.
When they met in 2005, Seth and Mike discovered a shared love of melodic pop songs. So, they started writing together and 11 songs later, She’s About To Cross My Mind was born. Almost immediately praise from the pop critics poured in. David Bash, founder of the International Pop Overthrow Music Festival said in the rock magazine, Bucketful of Brains, “It's all here: merseybeat, bubblegum, folk-pop, and psychedelia - The joint venture of Swirsky and Ruekberg may be the most successful pairing since peanut butter met chocolate!” Goldmine Magazine’s John Borack called The Red Button’s songs “pop music the way God and Paul McCartney must have intended!”
Richard Murray
Irish-born singer/songwriter Richard Murray has, after years of working in almost every capacity the life of a musician has to offer, finally released his first album of original material.
His rich history as a formally trained session musician and producer has served his songwriting well.
This, along with his wide-ranging influences and experiences, has helped to create an edgy, provocative album umbued with dynamic sound and imagery.
Richard is currently promoting “Desert Wind” and continuing his work with other artists.
Remmelt, Muus & Femke
"The best kept secret from Holland" : Jan Akkerman (Focus).
Hugo Remmelt, Thijs Muus and Femke Japing are singer/songwriters from The Hague, Holland. Due to their powerful vocal harmonies, their music is often compared with the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
In September 1995 (Hugo) Remmelt and (Thijs) Muus combined forces.
After doing more than 500 gigs as a duo in pubs, youth centers, regional radio stations, on festivals and the bigger Dutch pop stages, the young lady singer Femke joined them in 2000.
Their debut CD, “Hugo Remmelt & Thijs Muus” (1999), has been awarded as best pop CD from The Hague. Following album, “Bridging The Gap” (2001) appeared in the Dutch charts and got very good reviews.
One of the results of this success was a live performance on national television, where the group played their hit-single “If We Should Fall”.
CD no 3, “The Long Way Round”, broke all the records.
Singles “Move On” and “Here Comes The Sun” got a lot of airplay on many Dutch radio stations and very positive reviews in national, but also international, pop magazines and on websites all around Europe.
Remmelt, Muus & Femke often perform in small theaters, but also appeared on the Neil Young Fan Club Day in Holland and in Germany.
On bigger stages, they have played as support for bands/artists like Poco and Chris Isaak.
Their number of fans is still increasing.
Rob Laufer
A consummate "musician's musician", Rob Laufer began his career playing George Harrison in the hit touring musical "Beatlemania".
His first CD was a self released but critically acclaimed disc entitled “Swimming Lesson” which caught the attention of Discovery Records distributed through Warner Brothers. They signed Rob and released his follow up CD, “Wonderwood”.
The latest album, “The Iron Age”, is released on his own imprint, Eye Records.
He has performed nationally, opening for Santana, Jeff Beck, and shared the Hollywood Bowl stage with a star-studded ensemble honoring George Martin, producer of The Beatles.
Through his affiliation with Criterion Publishing, Rob's music has been covered by Robin Zander of Cheap Trick and many others. He has collaborated with Brad Colerick on an ad campaign for Sears that had him writing tracks for Johnny Cash, Shawn Colvin and BB King. As a producer, Rob has worked on releases by Melissa Ferrick, The Get Set, Gloria Ruben and Wendie Colter and is also an in demand studio musician having contributed to such artists as Fiona Apple, Frank Black and Katell Keineg.
In summer 2007, Rob was a guest vocalist along with Aimee Mann, Joan Osborne and Ian Ball (of Gomez) at the Hollywood Bowl's 'Sgt Pepper At 40'-concert featuring Cheap Trick.
Robert Morgan Fisher is a writer. In addition to novels and screenplays, he is at the forefront of the neo-narrative songwriting movement (neo-narrative = story songs).
He co-wrote four albums of material with Darryl Purpose including folk standards such as "Mr. Schwinn," "Oughta Be A Highway," "Dangerous Game" and "Late For Dinner."
His 1996 debut CD, “Follow A Hunch”, is considered by many to be a lost masterpiece.
In 2005, he released his latest album, the star-studded “Built Myself A Greenhouse, which has the distinction, during the first year of release, of achieving national and international airplay for all 14 tracks. One of those tracks, "A Life In Music," was a finalist for VH-1 2005 Song of the Year in the Folk Music Category.
The Robber Barons
Exploding out of San Francisco's hotbed of musical creativity, The Robber Barons have elicited more descriptions of their music than can be counted. The word that keeps bubbling to the top is "fresh." Having been compared to artists as far reaching as Steve Earle and The Replacements, The Robber Barons run the gamut from Americana to alternative rock without abandoning a pop sensibility.
Utilizing subject matter that has been coined "adult angst" by one reviewer, their rhythmic, string-driven songs encompass universal themes of faith, death, work, heartbreak, pleasure, sin, joy and suffering. The Robber Barons use deceptively simple details to shed an interesting light on things about the American experience. Jay Bennet (formerly of Wilco) calls it "rural contemporary." Whatever label they are tagged with, the inescapable fact is that the band delivers a rootsy and often dark sound with the sincerity of classic country music and the attitude of a rock band.
With three accomplished songwriters in the band, The Robber Barons are able to quickly produce quality songs as diverse as the band members themselves. Within the music can be heard hints of early country, blues, old-time gospel, and punk ideals delivered with a rock and roll abandon. Adding smooth harmonies to fire and brimstone vocal deliveries, their live shows take on the feeling of a southern tent revival.
The band went the DIY route early on, releasing their own e.p. Watch It Burn to wide acclaim and quickly built a loyal following in the Bay Area that soon grew to include most of the west coast. Armed with an arsenal of songs, hundreds of shows under their belts and an ever-growing legion of fans, The Robber Barons are currently hitting the road in support of their new CD “Kerosene Communion”.
Robbin Thompson
Robbin Thompson has been a Richmond resident since 1969. He is the Vice president and co-founder of In Your Ear Music and Recording Corp. A company that composes and produces music for commercials and films.
His musical career spans over 30 years and still counting.
He was the lead singer in the Bruce Springsteen Band Steel Mill, won The American Song Festival twice and so far has recorded ten albums. Thompson along with friend Steve Bassett authored the song ‘Sweet Virginia Breeze’ which is considered by many to be the unofficial state song of Virginia. He has also written and recorded songs with EAGLES bassist Timothy B. Schmit.
Thompson has shared the stage with many recording artists; Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Crosby, Stills, and Nash, Bruce Springsteen, and Bruce Hornsby are to name just a few.
In 1994, Thompson along with partner and fellow composer Carlos Chafin, scored a musical based on the Stephen Crane novel The Red Badge of Courage. Written and directed by Randy Strawderman, "Red Badge" is hopefully on it's way to Broadway.
His film scoring credits include the title song to the cult classic GLEAMING THE CUBE and was the co-writer and vocalist on the song "I WON'T QUIT" in the film THE FIGHTING TEMPTATIONS starring CUBA GOODING JR. and BEYONCE'.
Due to Robbins' involvement with Bruce Springsteen he is proud to have a song on the EMI/CAPITOL release entitled ‘ONE STEP UP/TWO STEPS BACK - The Songs of Bruce Springsteen’. This 2CD set includes artists such as David Bowie, John Hiatt, Ritchie Havens, Ben E. King, The Smithereens, The Bodeans and others.
‘OUT ON THE CHESAPEAKE’, was released in October of 1998. It features songs that Thompson wrote while sailing his boat on the Chesapeake Bay. The cover art of this CD is an original painting by artist JOHN BARBER done especially for this release.
‘UNITED WE STAND’ another Capitol Records release to aid the victims of 9/11 includes Thompsons song, ‘WOULDN'T WANNA BE YOU’ as the single for the album. Artists included on the release were John Lennon, The Beach Boys, Woody Guthrie, and others.
‘ONE STEP AHEAD OF THE BLUES’, his latest release, include performances by EAGLES bassist Timothy B. Schmit and Dave Matthews Band keyboardist Butch Taylor. It also includes a previously unreleased Springsteen song called ‘TRAIN SONG’.
Brand new album ‘Just A Blur In The Rearview’ out this spring.
Rod Davies
Sophisticated Pop? Alternative Adult Contemporary? These are phrases that have been used to describe ROD DAVIES , the recording artist from Melbourne, Australia who is consistantly impressing all who come to know this unique singer/songwriter. Melbourne's Herald-Sun newspaper describes him as:
"a homegrown artist who can tickle your ear with a tune, command attention and, ultimately, make you a fan.........
Davies has what it takes" .
Davies second solo album "Turn the TV On" was released in Australia in October, 2005, through MGM Distribution. Here Davies displays a mature songwriting style, coupled with his talents as a singer, pianist and guitarist. Add to this a three piece band, some carefully orchestrated violins, trumpets and Davies' trademark harmonies and you have the sound of this quirky and charismatic CD.
His debut album, "Beautiful Scars" was released in 2003 and received widespread praise for it's catchy melodies, subtle hooks and thoughthful lyrics. Finding more and more fans through the internet, Davies was soon being noticed in places far away such as the Swedish-based website melodic.net who declared:
"here is a guy you HAVE to check up at once....The production is a lovely mix of acoustic guitars, perfect vocals, intelligent popharmonies and 100% pure melodic madness in refrains and verses.... Australia rules... And so does Rod Davies..."
This sort of encouragement led Davies to seek out the possibilities of working in Europe. So in 2004 he packed his bags and travelled the continent in search of the right partner to make his dream a reality. He returned to Berlin in 2005 to perform make the final arrangements for his first official European release - a compilation album scheduled for a 2006 release through German label ulfTone Music.
"Berlin has already become a very special place for me"Davies says, " and I totally embrace the chance to give everything I have to a whoie new audience".
In between producing his own albums, Davies has worked on the hit Australian TV show "Dancing with the Stars" as well as with many of Australia's best-known artists including the former front-man for "Hunters and Collectors" Mark Seymour who describes Davies as:
"One of Melbourne's best kept secrets. His voice is exquisite - you will be moved...."
The story that began with Beautiful Scars and has matured with Turn the TV On will grow and develop as Davies music; both live and in the studio, continue to move lovers of timeless original music.
Ruth Minnikin
"Ruth Minnikin has a voice that would harmonize happily with the McGarrigle sisters and writes songs of stark but simple emotion that are evocative of Natalie Merchant or Gillian Welch at their respective best."
- Maverick Magazine, UK -
When Ruth's first band, the Booming Airplanes signed with EMI she was just 17 years old. Now ten years later, she is a musician, visual artist and businesswoman with an impressive roster of national and international tours both as a member of such bands as The Guthries, The Heavy Blinkers, and as a solo artist. Her voice can be consistently enjoyed on radio stations in Canada, the US, Germany, France, Belgium, Japan and The Netherlands.
Her drive to stay independent is evidenced in her approach to her latest project. 'Folk Art' is an album that follows Ruth's recording and releasing tradition. The album recorded in 2 days and then mixed in just 1 (with engineer and fellow Heavy Blinker Andrew Watt).
Rachael Sage
Rench
Red Button
Richard Murray
R M & F
Rob Laufer
Robert M Fisher
Robber Barons
Robbin Thompson
Rod Davies
Ruth Minnikin
