SALIM NOURALLAH on SALIM NOURALLAH:
Born in Alton, Illinois. Eldest child of Fayez and Karen. Mom was an art major, dad an accountant. Opposites attract and then raise dysfunctional children. Faris was born just 18 months after me. He plays music too. In 1970 we moved to El Paso, I was just 3. Our names were strange, to the general amusement of other kids. I wore big glasses. They made fun of me alot. Boohoo, I know. When I was 9 I saw The Beatles ‘White Album’ in K-Mart. I got my grandmother to buy it for me. It changed my life. When I was 16 I started writing songs. My brother was the only one who believed they were worth a crap. It screwed up his life. He started playing drums. I played guitar. He sold his car for a drumkit then moved to guitar. I moved to bass. We moved to Denton, Texas. I hate Denton. We made Nourallah Brothers in 1999 on an 8-track then quit playing music together. Faris has released 3 solo CDs on Western Vinyl/Secretly Canadian. I have 2 (‘Polaroid’ & ‘Beautiful Noise’) plus one 6-song E.P. called ‘A Way To Your Heart’. And I still hate Denton.
TAPETE on BEAUTIFUL NOISE :
A whole while back my drummer and general music-connoisseur Lars Plogschties brought my attention to the wonderful Nourallah Brothers (Salim + Faris) from Denton, Texas, who, as a duo (Nourallah Brothers) and solo were bringing truly wonderful, bittersweet music to the world. So I was quite pleased when Salim contacted me about sending his newest album „Beautiful Noise“ for Tapete to release. „Beautiful Noise“ is full of soft, precise, excellently crafted new Pop classics, made for folks like me who like to spend a while at home with their favourite new album. Sit back, have a listen and let this music become part of your life, too.
Dirk Darmstaedter (tapete records )
Sally Spring
Sally Spring, a folk-rock legend in the New York and Los Angeles music scenes during the 70s and early 80s, has just finished "Mockingbird," her fourth recording, that features not only her inimitable voice and evocative, powerful songwriting but also contributions from Gene Parsons (The Byrds), Tift Merritt, Marshall Crenshaw, Caitlin Cary (Tres Chicas, Whiskeytown), Fred Smith (Television), and Thad Cockrell.
Sally's new CD was produced by Ted Lyons with Chris Stamey (The dB’s) and recorded in Hoboken (The Pigeon Club) and Chapel Hill (Modern Recording), the CD also includes a bonus track of Gene Parsons and Sally singing a duet on the Gram Parsons classic "Hickory Wind".
"Mockingbird" also features performances by Jim Mastro (Ian Hunter, Jayhawks, Bongos), Graham Maby (Natalie Merchant, Joe Jackson), Brandon Bush (Train recordings), Faye Hunter (Let's Active), John Teer (Chatham County Line), Lyons, Stamey, and NYC guitar ace Rich Feridun.
"A captivating performer"
--Variety - NYC
"The real show-stopper was Sally Spring."
--Sing Out
Scott Albert Johnson
Songwriter, singer, and harmonica player Scott Albert Johnson has lived a nomadic life. Born in St. Louis and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, it was his thirst for knowledge and inspiration that eventually had him living in more zipcodes in just a few years than most of us do in a lifetime. In cities on both coasts (and some in between), Johnson immersed himself in the local culture before realizing that he'd ultimately find the most success - both musically and personally - by returning home.
"My decision to move back to Mississippi - and I have always considered it to be home, even though I lived away for many years - was affected by family, musical, and other personal considerations," he says. "It was the best decision I've ever made. I wouldn't trade my experiences living all around the USA for anything, and I still really like all of those places I lived, but it feels right being here. Music seems just to live in the air down here."
It was while performing with artists he admired - including Dorothy Moore, Bloodkin, Jerry Joseph and R.E.M.'s Mike Mills among many others - that Johnson began work on his debut CD, Umbrella Man. The rootsy songwriter's newfound sense of home and stability reveals itself throughout the album, which was recorded in Jackson and New Orleans. Like many of Johnson's musical points of reference (including Mark Knopfler, Randy Newman, Bruce Hornsby and Van Morrison), his songs are lyrically tender and thought-provoking while his warm, rich voice and considerable harmonica skills are on display throughout.
"I've always felt most influenced by, or attuned to, artists who are kind of what I would call triple-threats, says Johnson. "They sing well, they play at least one instrument very well, and they write great songs. I take each of these three parts of the equation as seriously as any other part. I also feel most in tune with artists who kind of 'are their own genre,' borrowing from many different kinds of music. I hope my music reflects that."
Umbrella Man was self-produced over a period of three years with local and regional musicians providing the backdrop for Johnson's tuneful ruminations on life, love, and the true meaning of "home." In addition to nine original songs, the album also includes a faithful harmonica version of Wynton Marsalis' "In the Court of King Oliver", featuring a cast of stellar New Orleans musicians that includes legendary drummer Johnny Vidacovich.
It's been a long haul, but Johnson's career goals are simple.
"All I have ever wanted, from a musical standpoint, was to be able to make a living sharing my music with as many people as possible," he says. "That sounds like a reasonable enough expectation, but there are so many great musicians who struggle to get their songs heard. I'm very grateful for each person who tells me they like my music, or buys my album, or comes to a show, because it means I've made a connection with them, and it brings me one step closer to my goal."
Screamfeeder
Screamfeeder are a 3 piece noisy pop / indie rock band from Brisbane, Australia. Lovers of loud and beautiful music since the day they were each
conceived, they have been compared to all the greats; Husker Du, The Jam, GBV and The Who. Comparisons aside they rock in their own unique / sublime/ chaotic way. Contradictions and dualities abound within Screamfeeder, and therein lies their beauty.
After the success of their first US and UK tour in March / April 2004 and their recent visit to Japan in September 2005 the band are planning on making regular overseas visits. Their album Take You Apart is now distributed through In Music We Trust in the US.
Meanwhile in Australia Screamfeeder have just released their Delusions Of
Grandchildren EP, which follows hot on the heels of the 21 track “Introducing Screamfeeder: singles and more 1992 - 2004” which spans their remarkable 12 year career.
For more info please see the band’s websites at :
www.screamfeeder.com
www.myspace.com/screamfeederrock
Shane Alexander
The dynamic collection of ten new songs was recorded over two weeks during late September/early October in Los Angeles. Shane Alexander once again teamed up with critically acclaimed LA production duo, Heroes & Villains, with whom he made his 2006 release Stargazer. Also returning from Stargazer: drummer Charlie Paxon (James Blunt, Colin Hay), Billy Mohler (Macy Gray, Liz Phair) on bass, piano, keyboards and electric guitar and Kim Bullard (Goo Goo Dolls, Tori Amos) on Hammond organ. Chad Crawford on bass and Jeff Friedl on drums also appear. Veteran producer/engineer/mixer Toby Wright (Alice In Chains, Wallflowers, Chris Whitely, Trey Anastasio) mixed the record.
Stylistically, the new album has a sound all its own and features some of Alexander’s best studio performances to date. There are more up-tempo songs than his previous effort, including the anthemic opener “Amsterdam”, the driving “Difference of Opinion” and the groovy “Outside the Lines”. After touring so much as a solo acoustic artist, Shane obviously sought to get back to a “band sound” and something that could get a crowd moving. However, there are still Shane’s trademark acoustic ballads - the title track is a delicate, infectious song with soft finger-picked guitar and doubled vocals that whisper “all is as it should be” and the sunshine-infused “Coffee Kiss” will be sure to please fans of songs like “Valentine” and “Front Porch Serenade” from his two previous efforts.
In 2007 Shane Alexander performed for the biggest audiences of his career when he opened for SEAL’s U.S. tour, in addition to his own touring in the US, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. Nearly all of the songs from Stargazer were licensed for television, including: ABC’s Brother and Sisters, Big Shots and What About Brian?, FOX’s Bones, MTV’s Real World and Laguna Beach, CBS’s Criminal Minds, ABC Family’s Wildfire, and shows and movies for both Nickelodeon and Lifetime – exposing Shane’s songs to millions worldwide.
In 2006, Alexander was asked to open two US tours with Jewel and one US tour with Lisa Marie Presley – armed only with an acoustic guitar; he won over thousands of new fans night after night.
In 2005 the debut album The Middle Way earned accolades and abundant regional airplay in the states. The song “The Open Road” received national airplay in the Netherlands which led to a distribution deal in Holland and Belgium with Lucky Dice Music. Playboy Netherlands gave the record 4 stars - this would happen again in 2006 with Stargazer.
Shane Alexander’s The Sky Below is scheduled for a February 19th release with a full band international tour to follow.
When your ears meet Simon Lynge, they meet the extraordinary. You hear that deep down connection to the source of great songs, wooed forth by a song-lover with the alchemical skill to turn brilliance into gold. With his debut album, “A Beautiful Way To Drown”, the ‘Goldrush’ is on. Recorded at Bright Orange Studios with co-producer Matt Forger (Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney) “Drown” introduces Simon as a fully-formed contender for pop-legend status.
The project worked like a magnet that attracted world-renowned talents like bass-player Lee Sklar (Jackson Browne, Crosby & Nash, James Taylor), guitarist Shane Fontayne (Marc Cohn, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen), drummer Jay Bellerose (Marc Cohn, Madeleine Peyroux, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss), and bassist Freebo (Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall, Crosby Stills Nash). “Drown” is a musical beauty worthy of a wide audience.
THE MUSIC:
6 Sketches – “Live” EP (2004) – features 6 tracks performed live in Copenhagen, Nashville and Los Angeles (available on-line and at shows)
Beyond My Skin – EP (2007) – features 6 acoustic studio tracks – 2 acoustic versions of songs from the forthcoming (available on-line and at shows)
A Beautiful Way To Drown (2008) – soon to be released – Simon’s first full-length studio album.
Sorta
Sorta. It is an explanation given again and again, but the name says it all. The music isn't alt-country, roots rock or pop. Its sorta all of those things. With songs about love, birth, loss, loneliness and murder, Sorta encompasses everything under the sun.
With a brand new album and a brand new member, Sorta is reaching a new level of sound and songwriting rarely seen in today's music environment. What singer/guitarist Trey Johnson and bassist Danny Balis started as a two-man band has evolved into a six-piece sonic boom of musical magic. Drummer Trey Carmichael and the three-pronged multi-instrumentalist attack of Carter Albrecht, Ward Williams and Chris Holt add much to the vision Johnson and Balis shared six years ago. The reason the band was created was to write good songs and play the music they wanted to play, but what Johnson, Balis, Albrecht, Williams and Carmichael produced was a one of kind band.
During the six years of Sorta, numerous people have taken note of the band and the eclectic sound they continue to generate. In 2004, Sorta released Little Bay to a wildfire of fanfare and critical success. The album was lauded for its original direction in several music publications and was named the ..3 album of 2004 by KERA, landing the band a spot just behind Texas legends Willie Nelson and Norah Jones. Of course, what KERA was treated to in 2004, true fans of Sorta had witnessed for years.
The band, and some of its individual members, have been nominated a number of times for the Dallas Observer Music Awards. The most recent nomination lead to Sorta being named Best Act Overall for 2006 at the ceremony in May. In addition to the Sorta accolades, three members of the band have been recognized for their individual talents. Albrecht and Johnson were honored at the 2003 Observer music awards, winning Best Musician in Dallas and Male Singer of the Year, respectively. Holt brings an equally impressive resume to the table, having just won Best Instrumentalist for 2006 while earning his second consecutive Musician of the Year award.
Much like the songs they write, Sorta proves time and time again they are no one-trick pony. Whether their music is pumping through amps at a theater or unplugged in an intimate setting, the hypnotic melodies always sound perfect and everything works just right. Sorta is the true definition of a band; six members who create a symphony of sound which is at the same time intricate and accessible.
Make no mistake, Sorta brings the same versatility and tight-knit sound to their albums. From their first EP Plays for Lovers, to their upcoming release Strange and Sad but True, the band continues to display their diversity. Whether picking up the pace or slowing the tempo, Sorta always produces a consistently beautiful sound.
With the release of Strange and Sad but True, Sorta proves once again they are a band that no one can label, but everybody can love.
Spanking Charlene
The collaboration between Charlene McPherson and Mo Goldner began with an East Village bar flirtation that turned into a drunken slutty song fest. After that wild night, a band was born.
Lakeside Lounge owner Eric "Roscoe" Ambel heard that wildness in their first demo and booked them into the studio to record their first album.
"Dismissed With A Kiss" reveals the heartache of the working class fuck-up. Tales of a dog on Prozac, dreams interrupted by job and love gone damn wrong, capture the pain of an unwanted existence.....
Starcrossed
“In the beginning, there was R.J. Fox. Then there was the original Oasis. Today, there's STARCROSSED!”
Laura Allen and Sherry Fox spent their early years in rock n' roll, and with the release of 'Starcrossed' they take listeners back to the time where hard-driving music and female lead singers ruled the airwaves.
Those familiar with the story of 'the greatest band you've never heard' know the secret behind the title, but the results are anything but 'starcrossed'.
Exhilarating, intoxicating, and sometimes wistful, ‘Starcrossed’, the new CD by Laura Allen and Sherry Fox hits the stores this fall.
Like the unexpected return of a former love, Starcrossed strikes chords that resonate, both musically and lyrically. The powerful vocals lead a tight band of rockers captured live in the studio, and vividly reconnects to an era of rock that has been 'a long time gone, but certainly not forgotten.
Stayton Bonner
Rusted Cadillac tailfins groan in the dust-peppered wind as graffiti cans scatter before your feet. Shielding your face against the harsh horizon, you reach down and pick up a battered CD jewel-case reflecting sunlight from the shadow’s edge of Cadillac Ranch.
“Stayton Bonner,” you mumble, wiping dust off to read the name. “Cadillac Road. Huh.” As the rumblings of an electric storm on the distant prairie blow a hard wind against your face, you turn and run back for the car, slamming your door against the dust and putting the CD on play. With the storm billowing in your rearview mirror, you find yourself tapping your fingers on the steering wheel to the music, nodding along with the beat as the dust falls from your clothes.
Resurrected from the graveyard of popular American music, Cadillac Road is a wild ride to the crossroads of where rock and country first began. As evidenced by the album’s title track, a chronicle of his roadtrip to Stanley Marsh’s Cadillac Ranch on the outskirts of Amarillo, TX, Stayton Bonner is intent on finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places, shadowed regions dusted over in the wake of current top forty acts. Whether singing about the merits of Black Bush whiskey in an Irish pub, strolling the lanes of a second-hand bookshop, or enjoying a seventies easy listening song with his wife, Bonner relates his own experiences and passions into art with melodic and honest writing.
Besides producing Cadillac Road, Hunter Perrin and Paul Beebe also played as Bonner’s band on the CD. “Stayton and I met during college,” Perrin relates. “We both had a common interest in bluegrass music and facial hair.” Living in LA years later, (his day-job as touring and recording guitarist for John Fogerty keeps him busy,) Perrin heard about Bonner’s songwriting award at North Carolina’s Merlefest and gave him a call. Several short tours later, they decided to make a record, enlisting Perrin’s old friend and Houston Renaissance man Paul Beebe as a co-producer.
Cadillac Road traverses the musical landscape from ballads to pub sing-alongs, while rocking in a way the Rolling Stones circa 1976 may have sounded if they’d been making their living touring Texas roadhouses. Listening to the songs, you may be moved to find yourself looking at the seemingly mundane aspects of life in a whole new way. As Bonner sings about living in the desert on Cadillac Road, “Here your outside world’s got to come from inside.”
When not playing music, Bonner can be found writing journalism, prose, or whatever else he can muster. In November 2006, Three Dog Books released "The Bookman", Bonner's biography on author Larry McMurtry.
Stefanie Fix is a rather recent arrival to Austin, TX but she always seems to attract the cream of the crop [more on this below]- she's a songwriter's songwriter - she's inspired to push the envelope on the confines of what defines the genre of singer/songwriter. She says she just got bored with the straight forward, "well crafted" approach to writing songs- first and foremost Stefanie is an Artist, make no mistake- she means it with a capital "A" and she make no apologies for her approach. She's also an accomplished guitar player transitioning easily from percussive strumming to melodic picking to slide guitar.
Stefanie's about to head back into the studio to make what will be her fourth CD- there's no working title yet since that will grow out of the sounds they create- It's being produced by Stephen Doster [Willie Nelson, Nancy Griffith, Dr.John] & Johnny Goudie [Goudie, Canvas, Endocine]. She's also enlisted some of the top players not only in Austin but in the world on this recording they include Dony Wynn on drums [Robert Palmer, Steve Winwood], Brad Houser on bass [Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians], Stewart Cockran on keyboards [54 Seconds] & John Sanchez on guitar [The Summer Wardrobe]. The line up alone is enough to make you sit up and take notice.
She says, "When I decided to pair these two guys together I just thought they were both so talented. Johnny is a great musician and he's had a lot of exposure to the bands that really started to influence me in past few years. Stephen on the other hand is a great guitar player and songwriter and he's produced a ton of albums- he has a musical depth and sensitivity that speaks to the kind of songs I'm writing now. Stephen and I just feel the same way about what music is- that is, what music means to us and what we want to achieve by continuing to make music. I just thought it'd be a really challenging, inspiring pairing- they both have such different strengths that I thought either we're going to tare each others heads off or we're going to make something really great".
Stefanie's last full length CD, SUVIVAL was co-produced by Larry Campbell [Bob Dylan's Guitar/Fiddle player] and the late Bob Mayo [Hall & Oates/Peter Frampton Piano player]. It was recorded at The Loft Recording Studio when she was living in upstate New York. The CD received a plethora of great reviews - AMG gave it 4 stars and Stefanie was touring all over North America with SUVIVAL in tow.
Stefanie gradually began to realize that the music she was most excited about wasn't necessarily the type of music she was making. This became the seed for her next project Limited Sight Distance [LSD]. She wanted to create a sonic experience for the listener that could match the power, intensity and content of her lyrics, while simultaneously using her versatile and expressive voice in a less conventional manner. Having mastered "the craft" of songwriting, Fix made a clear and conscious choice [with LSD], to abandon those confines for the sake of pure expression and artistic exploration. The project included contributions from Adam Snyder, Jason and Justin Russo [all formally of Mercury Rev] and John Parker [Varnaline]. It was produced by Kevin McMahon whose past credits include Home [Jet Set Records] Cakelike (Vapor Records) and The Mooney Suzuki (Telestar Records). See, what we mean about attracting the cream of the crop. Folks like this just always want to work with her because what's she's doing is worth being a part of.
With the new CD Stefanie says she wants to find a way to merge these two different styles of music. "I really want to make something that I haven't quite heard anywhere yet- I want to draw on classic, brilliant producers like Daniel Lanios and George Martin while at the same time get the raw lo-fi qualities of producers like Dave Friedman and Kevin [McMahon]. With this in mind I don't want to lose the song to the sound- I really want us to find a way to allow the listener to fully hear the song as a crafted piece but have these sonic landscapes and movements where they can lose themselves in the music if they want to".
Be looking for the new CD in the spring of 2007. In the meantime Stefanie plans to keep playing live in the Austin area.
To be starting a solo career in your late thirties, it takes guts. But considering the idyllic surroundings of his breathtaking home in the woods of Mistelås in the southern parts Sweden, there really cant be any better place to start for Stefan Leoson. The enviroment, meadows, green pastures and fresh country air, is so beautiful it must be ideal for a singer and songwriter looking for peace, quiet and inspiration. But, make no mistake, 
Stefan Leoson is no rookie and the impressive work that is his first solo album, Pennies And Heartaches has nothing to do with beginners luck. His musical background is as diverse as his personal. From heavy metal merchant in local heroes Ariel in his adolescent town of Lessebo, via eclectic Swedish pop with the semi-successful Picassos Äventyr combo, through personal setbacks (including a near-fatal motorcycle accident) and successes (starring and arranging musicals in Växjö). And further more, the late advent of true love in the shape of wife Karin, and their two children. All of this, and more, can be heard in Stefans music.
Pennies And Heartaches, was created, or more correctly conceived, in his own Steps studio and it is literally the work of one man. Not because it was a necessity, but because it was convenient. The amazing thing about it is that it sounds like a band record homogenous, accessible and yet diverse in its emotional range. The influences, ranging from Coldplay and Travis, via the likes of Del Amitri and Jars of Clay, has comfortably found their place in Stefans music, sprung from a tradition of songwriting where melody comes first. It is a grown mans work, with lyrics capturing the big issues of life through the little details. Not bitter or cynical, but exciting, almost exhubarant, filtrated as through the eyes of a curious and wonderous child. It is, simply put, beautiful.
The start-and-stop-arrangement on opener I Dont Know Where To Start, a statement if ever there was one, the infectious The Beggar And The Queen, a local hit, and This Spell display the catchier side of Stefans songwriting, while the thrilling Running Wont Make Your Problems Go Away, the low-key masterful Killing Time and killer closer What Ive Done perfectly balance the record and turns it into a coherent musical piece of talent and passion. The vocal delivery is magnificent understated at times, raucous, almost angry at times, but always emotive and engaging, and it makes you wonder about whether these songs are sung from the heart, or from that peculiar place we call the soul. And although Pennies And Heartaches may de facto be a debut, it sounds, and feels like Stefan Leoson is a bonafide artist, a singer and songwriter who, despite his own statement, undoubtly knows where to start and that there is no stopping him now.
Steve Mednick
Steve Mednick’s untrained voice, melodies and lyrics work well around a full acoustic band, and also when he scales down to solo singer-songwriter mode on piano or guitar.
Sure, he’s got an anti-Bush song (“Sidestepping [in the Dark]”) — those are now mandatory by law in the folk community.
But instead of going down the same well-worn, rutted folk road, Mednick has a John Hiatt/Warren Zevon aura around his work, especially on “Second Heart” and “Roxbury Interlude.”
Mednick released his debut album “Dark Ages Reprise” late 2006, and early 2007 saw the release of “Bucket Of Steam”.
For release in December 2007 is his brand new album ”Ambling Toward The Unknown”, and as if this wasn’t enough, a 4th CD, “Sunset At The North Pole” is ready for release early next year.....
Steven Alvarado
Steven Alvarado arrived in New York City, seven years ago, after a stint in Nashville and a childhood in Los Angeles. After releasing "Mercy" (Del-Fi) and "Bleed" independently, Alvarado finally achieved breakthrough success on an international level with the 2005 release of The Howl Sessions. Alvarado switches emotional gears and takes an honest look at human relationships on his upcoming 10-track set Let It Go.
Alvarado's stateside success with The Howl Sessions was just the beginning. The buzz on his critically acclaimed album and charismatic performances traveled quickly across the Atlantic. Howl received extensive airplay on France's popular Radio Dio, which chose the collection as one of the Best Albums of 2005. Alvarado was also the only American performer, and the only solo acoustic artist, who played at Radio Dio's 25th anniversary festival; following which he performed at a Large record and comic book store in St. Etienne. In the UK, he headlined The Porter in Bath and The Troubadour in London, a famed venue where Bob Dylan made his London debut. Howl received extensive airplay domestically as well. "Wish You Were Here (Postcards From Hell)" was featured on the second season of the PBS TV show Road Trip Nation.
On Let it Go, Alvarado draws on a lifetime of personal experiences, moving beyond the edgy religious and political commentary of his earlier works. In creating his "album about heartbreak," the singer has once again surrounded himself with some of NYC's finest. Playing on the record are guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello, T-Bone Burnett, Sam Phillips), drummer Kenny Wollesen (Norah Jones, Rufus Wainright, Rickie Lee Jones), pianist Rob Burger (Beth Orton, Lucinda Williams, Rufus Wainright), and bassist Joe Quigley (Shawn Colvin, Lisa Loeb, Syd Straw).
"When I began Let It Go, everything that came out tapped into all of these intense personal experiences I've had in my life," Alvarado says. "The album explores the dynamic when things fall apart and the reality that follows. It's not about a specific person, but an amalgam of different people I've had relationships with over the years. When writing Howl, I was trying to get a lot of things off my chest about the way things were in the world, but with the current Let It Go, I'm addressing a lot of left-over emotions unresolved from my past."
Let It Go is not all darkness; the jangling, high-spirited "New York" is a celebration of the wildness of living in the city. "It's For You" has an uplifting, percussive groove that contrasts with the harsh reality of feeling numb after a relationship falls apart, while the softer, more reflective "Nobody Knows" starkly reflects the sadness one feels over missing someone when they are gone.
Anticipating the release of Let It Go, Alvarado is eager about getting back out on the road and touring the U.S. and Europe more extensively in 2008. The album is already gaining momentum in the press. USA Today (a major national American newspaper) picked it in their top 10 favorites. Steven is also a featured artist in the upcoming music issue of The Advocate (a major national American magazine) along side Bob Mould. And Pro Sound News (an important U.S. music trade magazine) did an extensive interview with him in their February issue about the recording process.
Let It Go will be released in the U.S. April 1, 2008.
www.stevenalvarado.com
www.myspace.com/stevenalvarado
Steven Jaymes
Steven Jaymes for over 20 years has been battling alcohol and depression that has seen him disappear hitch hiking into the mountains of Mexico and Cuba looking for solace and peace away from the madness of his nightly work in the bars and clubs all around the world. He has had his front teeth cracked and chipped numerous times by drunks falling over his Mic stand.
He has gone from performing with the likes of Gavin DeGraw and Keith Urban in such legendary venues as The Bitter End in New York and Ronnie Scotts in London, to playing in a piano bar in Switzerland which was a front for a brothel.
As he said, "It is a hard one to reconcile going from a beautiful venue with such respect and appreciation, to a piano bar where people are so drunk they passed out sitting at the piano while girls so trashed take off their tops and roll around on top of the piano doing their best Michelle Phiffer impressions." He has played over 5000 professional gigs yet still admits to getting a little nervous when dragged up to play for family and friends. He has survived smashing his left arm in a hang gliding accident that saw him as the only one armed piano player in town wearing a contraption of wires and steel to regain the use of his fingers from the nerve damage.
While still gigging nights he has worked as a builder's labourer, barman, laid railroad track, a truck driver a window cleaner, but mostly just a professional gypsy musician.
He has played in Spain, Japan, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Norway, United States, Ireland, England, Denmark, New Zealand, Sweden, Cuba and Australia, yet does not really live anywhere, but dreams of building a cabin in the mountains of New Zealand where he was born.
When in the States He was offered some wonderful opportunities in Nashville but couldn't stomach the hypocrisy and racism so went back to New York where he finished his third album "Hemingway's Cats" and where he lived for two years including dealing with being downtown on September 11th.
The new Album is "Black 17" but don't ask me to describe what sort of music this is, except that Steven seems to collect and combine amazing musicians and artists from far flung places.
He has been compared to Jackson Browne, Ben Folds, Leon Russell, Van Morrison and Joe Jackson. Some call it the best jazzy roots you will ever hear others call him a folk rocker, I think the "new" term is singer songwriter.
There are tales on everyday life, on brothels in Belgium and Gay bars in Christchurch. There is humour romance and bawdiness, stories of love and tragedy. The result is a sensitivity that draws you in and holds you close while at the same time setting you free and not a sign of a rapper in here anywhere.
Steven Jaymes is unwaveringly musical in style with a dark velvety soulful voice that sounds like it has been well tested and through the fire of experience.
I think Michael Smith from the Drum Media summed it up best when he wrote, "He's just doing his thing without an ounce of pretension and there is something refreshing about that."
Stew Kirkwood
Stew Kirkwood just released the best record he’s ever made. Which is quite an accomplishment considering his debut “And a One and a Two”, which garnered Stew critical praise and charted on numerous radio stations across Canada. This new CD “Free to Fly on a String That’s Tied” caps a body of work that can be matched by few. The ten tracks on this fine recording could function as textbook examples of how to write a well-crafted song.
Nothing human is alien to Stew, and his tunes cut a swath as big as life. A first-class writer who avoids all the trappings of drivel, he’s a poet for detail and his sophistication always come to the fore. This is evidenced by tunes such as Make Your Move, Old 45 and You Can Drive from his debut release. and from the most newly released CD, Don’t Wait Up and The One You Need Now.
First a guitarist, then multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter; Stew now has spent a great deal of time in the studio as an engineer, producer and arranger, working with a remarkable range of musicians, which are apparently well used in his live band.
Attention on optimizing organic sounds has become his trademark and Stew leaves no stone unturned when it comes to composition, dynamics, or the use of instruments - including his far-reaching voice. His style is nothing but the truth.
The album’s got a major dose of originality; Stew is a writer that wears his influences on his sleeve without sounding derivative. If you must try to compare him to anyone else you'll be picking out greatest parts of pros such as The Band, The Beatles, Daniel Lanois, and Elliott Smith.
“Free to Fly on a String That’s Tied” is one of the best records you’ll hear this year.
Ted Russell Kamp
It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that Ted Russell Kamp is booked solid. Perpetually in motion, the New York-born, L.A.-based writer, singer and multi-instrumentalist somehow manages to write, record and perform his own music while also playing bass in the studio and on the road with the 357’s, the band that coalesced around fellow up-and-comer Shooter Jennings, as well as doing session work and collaborating with various A-list Nashville songwriters. Along with bringing his range of skills to bear on Jennings’ two critically lauded LPs, Kamp has self-released three albums under his own name in less than two years - the latest, Divisadero, confirms his hard-earned status as a singer-songwriter of immense promise.
In fact, music fans in the Lone Star state already know Ted Russell Kamp, whose song “Steady At the Wheel,” from Put the O Back in Country became a No. 1 hit on Texas Radio.
Divisadero is a stylistic montage that brings new twists to familiar modalities—rave-ups (“Swinging Doors”) and putdowns (“Better Before You Were Big Time,” with Shooter sittin’ in), tear-stained ballads, confessionals and road songs (“Another One Night Stand,” “The Road Keeps Getting Longer”), romantic narratives and a bona fide Felice & Boudleaux Bryant-style heartbreak epic (“Looking for Someone,” with Jessi Colter, providing the aching high harmonies).
Kamp arranged and produced the album, and recorded it wherever he hung his various hats, from Hollywood studios to cheap motel rooms. His skills on a dozen different instruments including bouzouki, accordion, mandolin, trombone, lap steel, Hammond B3, bass and guitars are evident throughout. Kamp delivers songs and performances of roughhewn beauty, recalling by turns the gritty eloquence of Willie, Waylon and Kris; and the style of Texas greats Guy Clark and Townes Van Zandt; with touches of the sweet soul music of Memphis, New Orleans and Muscle Shoals; and the marinated roots rock of the Southwest.
On Divisadero, these interrelated musical strains assimilated from all over America’s spiritual geography are fashioned into honest and heartfelt individual expression—a melding of the traditional and the personal, the ambitious artist having absorbed the sacred texts of American music so thoroughly that they’ve entered his bloodstream.
“I’m a Northerner who’s become thoroughly fascinated with Southern music,” Kamp points out. “It’s not a coincidence that the vast majority of my favorite records were made within a few-hundred-mile radius—Memphis, Nashville, Muscle Shoals, the jazz and blues that evolved through New Orleans and up the Mississippi River, Dallas and Austin. It’s incredible—the passion, the storytelling and the soul that came out of that part of the country, it’s a huge part of the American voice.”
Kamp titled the album Divisaderoafter the famous street in San Francisco that was once at the edge of the city but is now smack dab in the center of a modern metropolis. “It became a symbol of change and evolution for me—from the outside looking in, observing and trying to deal with the differences between past and present, as well as the change that is yet to come,” he explains. “I wanted the music on this record to reflect that juxtaposition by combining inspirations from lost times with a modern perspective to create something new.”
Tim Mann
It is not easy to blend inspirations such as Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, and Pink Floyd into a single style of music and still retain a sense of originality, but Boston singer-songwriter Tim Mann does it. Mann borrows heavily from the classic rock genre and the era of the British Invasion, and then adds a dose of late '60s and early '70s country rock. He binds all of this together with a contemporary sound, one that is enhanced by captivating lyrics and instruments like the ukulele, an instrument currently experiencing a strong revival.
Mann has just released his third CD, 'Distant Strangers'; his first full-length solo project. For this project, he uses the ukulele to perform a number of acoustic-based pop songs. He also incorporates a lo-fi approach with professional sounding production. On 'Distant Strangers', Mann has some help from some of New England's finest musicians, including keyboardist Greg Hawkes (The Cars) and bassist Zack Hickman (Josh Ritter). As founding members of 'Ukulele Noir', a widely successful New England troupe, Hawkes and Mann have set a new standard for this little Hawaiian instrument.
Since the release of 'Distant Strangers', Mann is starting to gain a foothold on both sides of the Atlantic. Two radio sites in Belgium have added the CD to their play lists, and in the U.S. Tim's song, 'Thru The Day' has been selected by Quickstar Productions to appear on the forthcoming CD compilation ‘East Coast Chill Out’. Mann continues to build a following in New England; he started off the New Year by playing to a standing room only crowd for Boston's 'First Night'. As word of his new CD spreads, look for Tim Mann to remain on the cutting edge of the acoustic roots movement.
Tim Steward
Tim is better known as the frontman for Brisbane’s Screamfeeder. The band has been around for over 10 years and have established a dedicated international fanbase.
Somewhere along the line Tim realised he had too many songs in his head for the band alone and he started recording them at home. He then started hiring studios and producers and doing it all properly. It took 5 years of working in between other projects to bring the album to completion, and of course new songs were added along the way.
The album is varied - some of the songs feature piano and strings, some are acoustic guitar or keyboard based and a couple rock out. All are driven by lyrics and melody and Tim’s unique vocal delivery.
The album represents the cream of a 10 year writing period, recorded by the country’s greats; Wayne Connolly, Magoo, Matt Maddock and Bryce Moorhead.
Tim performs live in various modes; completely intimate and solo, duo, small band and big band – numbering up to 10 people on stage, including 3 backup singers.
www.tsteward.com
www.myspace.com/timsteward
Tommy Alverson
Acclaimed Texas singer-songwriter Tommy Alverson's newest release, and his debut on Palo Duro Records, is ‘Country To The Bone’.
Produced by Alverson and Patrick McGuire, the CD features songs bound to be timeless favorites, such as Brian Burn’s “Upside Down” which is already making request lines ring, Alverson’s own “Welcome to Paradise” a fun buffettesque adventure and “Just like Hank” written by label-mate Walt Wilkins.
The album includes three new songs written by Alverson and others from great Texas songwriters such as Wilkins, Burns, Doug Sahm, Jim Lauderdale, and the late Mickey Newbury.
“What a pleasure and a privilege to sing their songs” says Alverson.
Joining Alverson on Country to the Bone is his son Justin Alverson on lead guitar; long-time steel and dobro player, Ray Austin; Rockin' Ron Thompson, drums; Jerry Abrams, bass and vocals; and Thurston Selby, fiddle and vocals.
Alverson has long been a dynamic fixture on the Texas music scene and respected by all whom cross his path. Alverson has shared the stage with Texas legends Willie Nelson, Johnny Bush, Johnny Gimble, Leon Rausch, Clay Blaker, Gary P. Nunn, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Radney Foster, Steven Fromholz, as well as the new outlaws, Robert Earl Keen, Pat Green, Charlie Robison, Cory Morrow, Dale Watson, and nationally renowned singer/songwriter, Jim Lauderdale. Whether on a stool solo or with a full band, his talent shines through in every note he sings and plays.
Who is Tom Ross?
A composer-performer whose Global Jazz Songs have influences from India, Africa, and Indonesia. A jazz guitarist and singer who's won the admiration and support from David Crosby, Phil Lesh, Brian Eno, and other music luminaries. Whose CD album Horse of Stone has prompted a reviewer to predict it would...
“change the face of music as we know it today!”
The latest Global Jazz Songs are now available in the new release, Reach In This Dream.
The guitar-drenched music is rooted in jazz with influence from India and Africa.
Lyrically, the songs spring from poets such as W.S. Merwin, Stephen Dobyns, Billy Collins, and Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano.
The stories range from a dream about being saved by a dolphin, to being trapped in a tree and carved into a mermaid, to the fate of a man who falls in love with a star.
The all-acoustic album has Jody Cormack, vocals, Steve Gorn, Indian bamboo flute, Josh Zucker, bass, and Dave Black, drums, with Tom on voice, guitars, soprano sax, and percussion.
The moods range from brooding to sexy to funny.
Tom Wilson
Not many rock singers would dare to look like stunned owls on the covers of theirdebut solo albums. But Tom Wilson, former front man for Hamilton band Junkhouse and one of Blackie & the Rodeo Kings, dares just that on Tom Wilson's Planet Love. Not only does he let himself look pretty darn goofy, but the disc also matches the cover image with some looped tunes. For instance, song titles "Dig It" and "What a Bummer" and lines like "It freaks me out the thought of going through this life without you" indicate that daddy-o Wilson may have recently emerged from a time warp. The music is slightly hipper--the programmed drums, sampled sound effects, and funky, minimalist grooves of many of the tunes owe much to Beck. But Planet Love works best when Wilson stops trying to get the party started and simply chills. Then, on late-night melancholia like "Shine Your Star," "The Right Thing" (with backup vocals by Chantal Kreviazuk), and "Truth" (with the great line "The truth hurts more than the lie"), Wilson forsakes the half-growl/whisper and affected mannerisms of The Man from Planet Love long enough to touch down on Planet Earth.
New album “Dog Years” just released.
"Dog Years" is available here :
www.rootsy.nu
Too Slim and the Taildraggers
Tim “Too Slim” Langford, with his band the Taildraggers, have created an eclectic style of Roots-Rock, Americana, and Blues, that has become a genre all its own. Too Slim‘s ever evolving musical direction cannot be classified into any box or category. The eclectic nature of the band allows Too Slim and the Taildraggers to easily cross-over and appeal to audiences of various musical tastes. Too Slim and the Taildraggers are amongst the lineage of talented artists cultivated from the world famous northwest music scene.
The bands latest CD “The Fortune Teller“ has charted as high as #9 on the Billboard Top Blues Album chart in 2007 and into 2008. This award winning band has been voted the Best Regional act, 11 times by the Cascade Blues Association, the largest organization of it’s kind in the USA. Too Slim and the Taildraggers have multiple awards from various NW Reader’s Polls and other NW Blues Societies for Best Band and Best Album. Founding member Tim ‘‘Too Slim“ Langford has won multiple individual awards as Best Guitarists, Best Slide Guitarist, and Best Songwriter. Too Slim and the Taildraggers are in the Hall of Fame in three NW Blues Societies. Their devoted fan base has grown over the years into a National and International following.
Experiencing a Too Slim and the Taildragger concert is like taking a journey through the history of American music. Too Slim’s music style ranges from down home blues , funky blues rock, americana, southern swamp rock, and instrumental guitar styles. The band, led by singer, songwriter and guitarist, Tim “Too Slim” Langford, is backed by the top shelf rhythm section of bass man Dave Nordstrom, and drummer Rudy Simone.
Tourist
Tourist arise from Auckland New Zealand. Playing distinctively original songs, the band has defined a brave new sound unique for this part of the world. Their rare ability to intertwine infectious melodic subtleties and stadium-ready anthems demonstrate a group well beyond their years. The quartet featuring Peter J Rudd (vocals, guitar) Rob Ranger (bass, vocals) Scott Gamble (guitar) and Simon de Vere (drums), have their debut album entitled ‘Minutes Last For Years’. This record will become the hypnotic soundtrack people can’t shake from their minds.
The album was recorded at Stir Studios, in the cold wet streets of Cardiff, Wales and at York Street Studios, amongst the warm wet streets of Auckland, New Zealand. ‘Minutes Last For Years’ was produced by award winning UK producer Greg Haver who has worked with international artists such as Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, Mel C and New Zealand acts The Feelers and Pluto. The resulting sound of this recording is one that is intense and exciting, yet at the same time openly accessible and honest. Peter J Rudd’s unmistakable voice, infectious melodies and thoughtful lyrics atop surging guitars and raunchy, pulsating rhythm section that together forge a masterfully structured debut album of colossal rock songs brimming with classic britpop style and distinct indie flare. Rip It Up Magazine recently reviewing the band’s last EP release noted “Tourist are a fresh New Zealand band that I have confidence in getting very big because they are so original.”
'Minutes Last For Years' was recorded on Stir studio's classic Trident TSM40 mixing desk that has history coursing through its wood and wires. Together with its sister desk at Rockfield studios in Wales the Trident has been used to record some amazing records from elite rock and pop artists in the UK including Oasis, Black Sabbath, Catatonia, The
Charlatans, The Cult, The Damned, Happy Mondays, Manic Street Preachers, Portishead, Queen, Rush, Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics and The Stone Roses. Parts of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" were recorded through the Trident desk.
Tourist was recently included on an emerging artist compilation CD for the inaugural MUSEXPO conference held in Los Angeles in May 2005. Subsequently, the nominated track "Do You Feel The Cold?" received airplay on a number of radio stations across North America including KDLD Los Angeles, KEDJ Phoenix, KNRK Portland, WEQX Manchester, VT/Albany, NY and KROG Medford/Ashland. Since this US radio airplay the song has gone onto make the Finals for the International Songwriting Competition (ISC) from over 15,000 entries from around the world.
Tourist are regular performers around New Zealand and have played internationally alongside artists such as Gramsci, 48 May, Zillionaire, Goodnight Nurse, The Heavy Jones Trio, Midwest Motorparts Corral, The Septembers, Leonard and The Fanatics to name a few.
The band has a number of plans this year including the release of their debut full length studio album ‘Minutes Last For Years’ and touring New Zealand and overseas. Keep a lookout for Tourist’s highly anticipated debut to be released in New Zealand October 30.
Truckstop Coffee
With a passel of rootsy songs about whiskey, women, heartache and interstate highways Truckstop Coffee cranks out a reviving take on the road-worn genre of Americana and/or whatever-u-call-it-rock'n’roll. Named after the powerful stuff that helps keep you between the lines on those long lonely drives, this hard-working young four-piece blends overdriven tube amps, telecaster twang, and rough-hewn vocals for a vintage sound that'll break yer heart and sew it up again with steel strings.
In just under three years, Truckstop Coffee has torn through more than a 100 shows and had a whole lot of fun making good friends and gaining loyal fans as well as main-stage chops. The boys have opened up for national bands like Jimmie Van Zant, The Georgia Satellites, Magnolia Electric Co. (aka Songs Ohia), and John Ralston. They recently played the main stage at the '07 Florida Music Festival, and they even landed an ill-fated gig as openers for Brooks & Dunn at south Florida's Sound Advice Amphitheater (canceled due to Hurricane Wilma). Through plenty of blood, sweat, beer and backbreak, Truckstop Coffee has earned a reputation for delivering honest, urgent performances everywhere they play!
In addition to playing heaps of shows Truckstop Coffee also found time to record and release a five song EP in 2004, and they just celebrated the indie release of their first full-length recording titled One Damn Thing To Redeem (now available on itunes). The 10-track debut is a wanderlustful journey through a blue-highway landscape of raucous roots rock and yesteryear country. It's loud overdriven guitars. It's pedal steel and fiddle. And, recorded one part in southern Florida and one part in Knoxville, Tennessee, this album of opposites is as much a documentary of where Truckstop Coffee has been as it is a road map for where they're headed.
Salim Nourallah
Sally Spring
Scott A Johnson
Screamfeeder
Shane Alexander
Simon Lynge
Sorta
Spanking Charlene
Starcrossed
Stayton Bonner
Stefanie Fix
Stefan Leoson
Steve Mednick
Steven Alvarado
Steven Jaymes
Stew Kirkwood
Ted Russell Kamp
Tim Mann
Tim Steward
Tommy Alverson
Tom Ross
Tom Wilson
Too Slim
Tourist
Truckstop Coffee
