Salim Nourallah is a singer/songwriter/producer from Dallas, Texas.
10 years ago, Salim and Farris Nourallah recorded their debut CD "Nourallah Brothers" on an 8-track recorder. Before it was even released the brothers had decided to go their separate ways. They have not recorded music together since.
Salim released his first solo record, 'Polaroid', in May of 2004 on WesternVinyl/Secretly Canadian. He went on to release the critically acclaimed 'Beautiful Noise' in 2005 which won Best CD/Best Song and Best Producer awards in the 2006 Dallas Observer Awards. After the German indie label Tapete Records released 'Beautiful Noise' in the spring of 2006, a headlining European tour followed. It was capped with an appearance at Hamburg's Reeperbahn Festival. Salim's 3rd CD 'Snowing in My Heart' yielded the successful single "Don't Be Afraid" which appeared on HBO's TV show "The Wire." Another European tour followed in the fall of 2007 with performances not only throughout Germany but also in Paris, Vienna and Switzerland.
In the fall of 2007 Salim still found time to produce the Old 97's successful 'Blame it on Gravity' CD.
'Constellation' is Salim's 4th solo CD. It was recorded in the spring of 2008 with singer/songwriter/producer extraordinaire, Billy Harvey. Salim and Billy played and sang everything themselves with the notable exception of guest appearances on the song "Saint Georges" by Austin musicians Bob Schneider (vocals & piano) and Bruce Hughes (upright bass).
'Constellation' is a joyous sonic return to the indie pop sounds of Nourallah Brothers while also maintaining the emotional directness of Salim's previous solo CDs. With soaring vocals, catchy melodies and evocative words it promises to be one of Salim's best efforts to date.
Look for Salim Nourallah on tour in Europe in April/May of 2009.
Sarah MacDougall
Sarah MacDougall has made quite a splash in the last few years. This up-and-coming altcountry-indie-folksinger has been everywhere and anywhere with her heartfelt songs and original style and lyrics, and has won over audiences from Vancouver to the UK to Poland. Over the past two years Sarah has toured Canada, UK and Scandinavia several times, and there isn't anywhere she has played where she hasn't left a mark on her listener. On her recent tours, Sarah has often been called a favorite at festivals, and she has been getting rave reviews for her latest CD, "Across The Atlantic", (Copperspine Records).
This Swedish- born, Canadian based songwriter has been compared to great singers like Eliza Gilkyson, Buffy Saint Marie, Joan Baez, Tracy Chapman, Feist, Johnny Cash, Danny Michel and Christine Fellows, just to name a few.
"Across he Atlantic" is Sarah's first official release (released on Vancouver indie label Copperspine Records). This raw but polished and richly textured album features ten songs with serious stick-in-your-head melodies and poignant, sometimes quirky lyrics. Shifting back and forth between driving up-tempo ditties and bittersweet ballads, it is an album that celebrates train hopping and dancing in the rain. It also tackles heavy subjects such as having to leave someone across the Atlantic, and poverty. Sarah writes simple yet multi-layered songs that sometimes make you want to tap your toes and sing along. Sometimes they will break your heart.
Sarah's stamp is everywhere on this record, as a performer, producer, and audio engineer. 'I wanted to write an album that sticks in your head and grabs a hold of your heart', says Sarah. 'And I also wanted to prove myself as a producer and audio-engineer, because I am incredibly passionate about sound!'
And she certainly has proved that she could produce, write and record an album that is both heartfelt and elegantly produced. Herizon magazine described "Across The Atlantic" as having 'a heart that beats strongly - unique in this day of over-produced music for the masses - a self-produced album that is restrained and elegant in execution, "Across The Atlantic" highlights an emerging talent breathing new life into old musical forms'.
Sarah's music has been heard on CBC (including Vinyl Cafe), BBC (including Bob Harris), as well as on Lufthansa airplanes! She has played everything from coffee shops to theatres, along with small and large festivals in Canada and the UK. She has shared stages with Todd Snider, James Keelaghan and Kimmie Rhodes, and toured Canada with Kate Reid and Joanna Chapman-Smith, and the UK with fellow Canadian band Po'Girl.
Sarah most often tours solo or with trusted friend and virtuoso lapsteel player Tim Tweedale (Headwater, Viper Central). She is currently working on her upcoming album, which should be available for the world's ears somewhere in 2010.
www.sarahmacdougall.com
www.myspace.com/sarahmacdougall
Savana Lee
"I would like to say a few words about this album that I feel is worthy of mention. It was produced by Anthony Crawford who did an amazing job.
Anthony has a gift of capturing unique and beautiful views and recently took the cover photo for Neil Young's 'Chrome Dreams II'-album. His work has been featured in the fine galleries of L.A. and San Francisco.
The photos of the 'Redbird'-album were taken by Anthony at Neil Young's ranch in California while rehearsing for the 'Chrome Dreams II'-tour. The album was also mastered there.
There are some incredible players on this album including Anthony Crawford (Neil Young/Steve Winwood), Rick Rosas (Neil Young/Joe Walsh), Phil Jones (Tom Petty/Joe Walsh/Rolling Stones/Roy Orbison/Bob Dylan), Spooner Oldham (Aretha Franklin/Bob Dylan/Neil Young) and Waddy Wachtel (Everly Brothers/Bonnie Raitt/Jackson Browne/Linda Ronstadt/James Taylor).
I thank everyone who was involved with this project and truly hope that the world will get to hear it. It holds a piece of my heart." ~ Savana
www.savanalee.com
www.myspace.com/savanalee
Scott Kirby
Scott Kirby released his new CD, “Row Me Home” in late September, 2009. The new recording is Kirby’s sixth release and features 11 brand new songs by the artist known for his laid back “beach folk” style. Originally from Concord, New Hampshire, Kirby has lived in Key West for the better part of twenty years, but still spends much of his time on the New Hampshire Seacoast when not touring. His songs are a mainstay on 'Radio Margaritaville', the popular station heard nationally on Sirius and XM satellite radio.
“Row Me Home” was produced by veteran drummer/producer Russell Kunkel in his Los Angeles studio and mixed by his son and Emmy-winning engineer Nathaniel Kunkel. In addition to his extraordinary drumming career, Kunkel has produced a number of well known artists such as Dan Fogelburg, Carly Simon, Aaron Neville and Graham Nash. He also produced six Jimmy Buffett-albums and has numerous co-writing credits with Buffett and many others, and co-wrote four of the songs on Kirby’s latest CD. Kunkel also released his own Jazz album, “Rivage”, last year, on the Chateau Beach label.
In addition to producing, Kunkel played drums and percussion and was joined by longtime rhythm section partner Leland Sklar on bass, legendary guitarist Dean Parks on pedal steel, dobro, acoustic and electric guitar, and keyboardist extraordinaire Jay Oliver on piano and organ. Gabe Witcher played fiddle on several cuts and Gary Meek filled out the band on saxophone.
A group of veteran LA-based singers provided the background vocals including Windy Wagner, Ken Stacey and Dorian Hollie, in addition to Sweet Pea Atkinson and Harry Bowens, who were on break from the Lyle Lovett tour. Coral Reefer Peter Mayer sang on “Row Me Home,” a tune he also co-wrote.
“Russ deserves the credit for assembling this stunning array of talent and I’m forever grateful.” said Kirby. “These are all folks Russ has worked with over the years in his own amazing career and there was such a comfort level in the studio that it put me at ease in what otherwise could have been a daunting experience. This was more like old friends getting together to hang out and make some music in a casual and often comical atmosphere, which is my favorite and most effective way to work!”
www.scottkirby.com
www.littleflockmusic.com
www.myspace.com/scottkirbykw
The Service Industry
"The service industry" - the 'little' people you never notice who do your cooking and cleaning, wait your table, pull your beer, check you out in the grocery and at the bookstore - have never before had a voice in the entertainment industry… until now.
It's all here, the drudgery, the routine, the hangovers, the cute maids and wait staff.... The people you see every day and don't notice. But they've been watching you… and taking notes. And for the first time, life in the service industry is the concept behind a band. Struggling to make ends meet, to make the car payments, 10 days behind on the rent, falling in love with the new waitress, dealing with no tip creepers, all the angst and heartbreak of a life full of underachievement.
You don't have to know terms like 'section,' 'front of house,' or 'back of house' in wait staff lingo to follow the action. See that cute waitress over there? The really hot young lady who seems to be your special friend every time you come in? She has a boyfriend and just wants a decent tip; she's going to med school, so remember when you make sexist remarks about her she might be seeing you in the ER one day. See that swarthy, scar-faced bar back? He's really an Eastern European refugee who claims to have been a government black ops agent famed for wetwork; when his regime fell, he illegally immigrated to the States and took the only work he could get. He only pretends not to speak English, but he's probably written your name and credit card information down already. And that dude out back, the one you see sitting alone smoking, with 97 tattoos and hair that hasn't been washed since 2005? He's the one who cooked your meal; he was a child prodigy on piano, plays in three bands on indie labels, and sleeps with the hot waitress.
“Keep The Babies Warm” is the new album from the Service Industry and follows quickly on the heels of their February 2008 release "Limited Coverage", arguably the finest piece of 'Bolshevik Psychedelia' the United States has ever produced.
The band’s music and arcane ideology are a direct reflection of their collective brushes with fame cast against the unlikely proposition of receiving a fair wage for doing what they love to do the way they want to do it in the “Live Music Capitol of the World.”
The band seeks to convert musical consumers of all stripes as the well-heeled, slick power-pop of this new set niftily conceals the band’s philosophical message and slyly indoctrinates new adherents to the cause.
”Keep the Babies Warm” delivers adamant everyman anthems with style, charisma and chutzpah and is recommended listening for fans of Cheap Trick, Cracker, Nick Lowe and the Pixies.
www.theserviceindustry.net
www.myspace.com/theserviceindustryband
www.sauspop.com
Seth Swirsky
"Watercolor Day" is the new album from Seth Swirsky, hit songwriter and member of The Red Button,who took the indie pop world by storm two years ago with their debut, "She's About To Cross My Mind".
"Watercolor Day" is what Nick Lowe would call "pure pop for now people". Just listen to the songs. It's as if Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney decided to make a record together in 1971 and asked members of 10cc and ELO to join in!
Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles digs it, saying "'Watercolor Day' is a sonic bouquet of delicious melodies, melt-in-your-mouth harmonies and warm butterscotch guitars that jangle and shine. Fantastic!"
The influential music blog, Powerpopaholic said: "This disc is pure summer sweetness distilled and I am proud to list it in my year end top ten". Enjoy!
www.seth.com
www.myspace.com/sethswirsky
www.facebook.com/pages/Seth-Swirsky
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.
Shelley Jones
Shelley Jones is a contemporary vocalist, but her musical influences range from pop and jazz to R&B, gospel and blues. Influenced by jazz singers Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald to soul singers such as Al Green, Aretha Franklin, Etta James and Tina Turner, Shelley spent many years listening and learning. Dedicating her life to developing and fine-tuning her talent, Shelley has become an original artist with a style that has been described as soulful, passionate, intense and rhythmic.
Since graduating from the Grant MacEwan College jazz music program, Shelley has gone on to become a highly experienced stage and studio performer, showcasing her talent and versatility in many different musical settings. From pop/R&B bands, jazz trios and big bands to symphony orchestras, Shelley has successfully done it all. Her vocals have also appeared on numerous independent recordings and radio/television jingles. As a songwriter and solo artist, she has also co-written and recorded three CD’s. Shelley continues to perform and record regularly and her passion and commitment for music is clearly evident in every style of musical setting.
Shelley's self-titled CD gave her an opportunity to combine her musical influences. As the writer/co-writer of all nine tracks, this stellar recording highlights Shelley's strength as a vocalist and her development as a composer.
Shelley's second CD "Love on Time" was a collaboration with songwriter Ron Varze and encompassed elements of Pop, Jazz, Latin, R&B and Gospel. Many of the songs from this recording received radio airplay.
Shelley's third and latest CD “Faithfully” has her collaborating with producer/writer Andrew Glover. Together, they have co-written ten tracks, which are a mixture of Smooth Jazz, Pop, Blues and Latin. Ever passionate and committed, Shelley continues to grow as an artist with her own unique, inventive and original style.
The Shiner Twins
In the many reviews that appeared after the release of the Shiner Twins’ second album 'Southern Belles', the band has been hailed as the hottest roots-band from the Netherlands, and some reviewers even described the band as the best roots-band in Europe, judging the album as “a milestone in the genre”.
The band’s unique blend of southern soul, rhythm & blues, country, traditional gospel, New Orleans funk, texmex and singer-songwriter oriented material makes them anyhow stand out in the widely varied Dutch roots- and americana-circuit. That’s one of the reasons why the band was invited to play at all the important festivals in the Netherlands and Belgium in the spring and summer of 2009.
The initial roots of the Shiner Twins are located in Austin TX. When founding bandmember Jack Hustinx was living there in 2001/2002 he was asked to put together a European touring-band by Austin’s legendary powerhouse-singer Malford Milligan (ex-Storyville), and so he did. After three very successful European tours and one tour in and around Malford’s hometown Austin - to celebrate the release of the critically acclaimed 'Sweet Cherry Soul' album - this co-operation came to an end. Because the remaining bandmembers agreed that there was this “undefinable chemistry” every time they played together they decided to continue as a band, the Shiner Twins, with their own material, written by both Jack Hustinx and Richard van Bergen, the band’s two lead-vocalists and guitarists. Richard is considered to be one of the most talented roots-guitarists in the Netherlands, probably the best slide-player in the country, heavily influenced by co-players like Bonnie Raitt, Lowell George, David Lindley and Ry Cooder.
In October 2006 the band’s debut-album 'All In Store' was released, and almost instantly this CD was hailed by every magazine and website as one of the most excellent and original roots-CDs ever to come out of the Netherlands. The CD entered at a #2 position in the Euro Americana Chart and gained a lot of airplay on national radio. The name Shiner Twins was put on the map, and the band played almost continuously in the many clubs, theaters and festivals throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. This definitely contributed to the outstanding live-reputation of the band, not only through their solid musical craftsmanship and haunting vocal-harmonies, but also as being one of the most honest and intensely playing rootsbands you will ever see. All four Shiner Twins members are true, convincing and experienced roots-junkies that have been playing and recording with many different bands and artists for more than 25 years.
Two years after the release of their debut the Shiner Twins launched the eagerly awaited follow-up entitled 'Southern Belles', an even stronger mix of styles, adding more traditional southern gospel to their music, featured in 13 new intriguing Shiner Twins originals.
In their native Netherlands every rootsmusic-fan is proud that this soulful roots-combo is coming from their country, now it’s up to the rest of Europe to get to know the Shiner Twins…..
www.myspace.com/shinertwins
www.youtube.com/user/shinertwins
www.youtube.com/watch?v=6s3VmPsnEZ8
Sleeping Beauty
"City Lights" is the second full-length studio release from Gothenburg’s finest, Sleeping Beauty.
The band continues to blur the thin lines between indie, pop and Americana, creating their own sound while seamlessly blending influences such as Ryan Adams, Jackson Browne and Wilco, as well as Swedish indie pop.
"City Lights", produced by Sleeping Beauty, was partly recorded in Memphis, Tennessee’s, legendary Sun Studios.
www.sleepingbeautyrocks.se
www.myspace.com/sleepingbeautyrocks
Slowman
Born April 1957 in Linköping, in the middle of Sweden. Residence, the south of Stockholm, capitol of Sweden. Stage history; Bought his first guitar at age seven. Became a local guitar hero in the 70’s. Participated in several CBS-labeled records and national tours in the 80’s with the Swedish bands 2001 (rock-pop) and Station (soul-pop). A wide range of experience; from Sababas (afrofunk/highlife) to musician and composer when The Pero Theater launched in 1983. Known from local pubs and clubs for his Jimi Hendrix’ acts and the cover-power-trio Crossroads.
But twenty-four years ago Svante Törngren (aka Slowman) turned his back on record companies and producers – for good, he thought. It was back in 1985 and the industry had a different structure. As an artist, composer and musician you depended upon a few producers and the standards of commercial success in the 80’s. After a couple of records with other bands, Svante Törngren formed his own, and quite a few big companies were interested in their demo. But he couldn’t stand the interference, picking in details and nitty gritty. So; Svante closed the door with a slam and made his living elsewhere.
But now he is back. With his own material, skilled fellow musicans and a lasting urge to express himself. The name ”Slowman” is an ironical tribute to the fact that it took some 20 years to come up with a debut album.
"The Best Of Slowman" available here.
Sorta
“Oh, it’s over,” sings the choir at the end of Sorta’s eponymous new record, and so, in a way, it is. Not in a they-planned-it-that-way sort of (sorta) way; not every band gets the luxury of a premeditated grand exit, a la The Band’s 'Last Waltz'. Sometimes the tape just runs out, right in the middle of a solo, song or a band just getting good and warmed up, and, just like that, it’s over. Everyone looks around at each other, the same stunned, puzzled look on everyone’s face, and after a long moment, without anyone needing to say a word, it’s decided to just let it be.
In the late summer of 2007, the members of the Dallas-based band were well on their way toward completing their fifth full-length album. Producer/engineer Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Cat Power, Modest Mouse) was relentless, pounding live take after live take out of the band, not in pursuit of studio perfection, but rather those magically ragged-but-right performances that sometimes surface when musicians are past the point of exhaustion and operating on almost pure instinct. It was brutal but exhilarating, and Sorta — singer-songwriter Trey Johnson, bassist Danny Balis, lead guitarist and piano player Carter Albrecht, pedal steel player Ward Williams, guitar and keyboard player Chris Holt and drummer Tom Bridwell (new to the band, but a longtime friend and fan) — all rose to the occasion. As would only be expected from six journeymen musicians in their 30s, and from a critically lauded group with multiple Dallas Observer Music Awards to their collective credit.
But then something unexpected happened: the tragic Sept. 3 death of Albrecht. A year later, his loss still seems surreal an unexplainable to everyone who knew him, and anyone who ever heard him play. Albrecht one of the most prodigiously talented, respected and beloved musicians in Dallas, whose credits included not only Sorta and his own band, Sparrows, but also work with Edie Brickell, Paul Simon, Charlie Sexton and the Dallas Symphony.
The rest of the band was still very much in mourning by the time they reconvened to finish the album (which was mastered in late 2007). The decision was made to “clean up a few loose ends” with minimal overdubs, but no more songs were tracked and Albrecht’s recordings were left untouched. For the album-closing song “Afraid of the Dark,” a group of friends was brought in to sing the aforementioned “it’s over” refrain through tears as Albrecht’s pre-recorded guitar line answered back through the studio speakers. Neither that song nor any of the others were written about their late friend, though of course, for all involved, the entire album will forever play like a bittersweet benediction — not only for Albrecht, but for the band Sorta itself.
“The future is uncertain,” the band writes in the album’s liner notes, “but the past is full of distinct memories, pain and pleasure, and most importantly, music made with love.” Frontman Johnson, who began playing as an acoustic duo with Balis eight years ago before Albrecht made it a trio and subsequent members helped fully define Sorta’s continually evolving sound, says that there are plans to support the album’s release with live dates, but notes that sorta will most likely stand as Sorta’s final bow. In the months since the record was mastered in early 2008, the band members have dispersed to work on separate projects: Holt — recently named Musician of the Year at the 2007 Dallas Observer Music Awards — fronts his own band, the Slack; Ward moved to Nashville to pursue session work; and both Johnson and Balis are at work on their first solo albums. Carter’s posthumous solo debut — recorded at the same time as the Sorta album — is due for imminent release, too. “Carter’s album will melt you,” Johnson enthuses.
So too will sorta, the last record this wonderful band made together before — nay, as — the proverbial tape ran out. Under different circumstances, it might have been a slightly longer album. Albrecht might have wanted to revisit some of his parts, many of which had only been recorded as demo or scratch takes before his death. But many of the songs here feature Johnson’s scratch vocals, too, chosen over later takes not out of necessity but because they best fit the sound of the band playing as a band, capturing the urgency and majestic beauty of Sorta’s live shows in a way that never before fully survived the translation to disc on the band’s previous studio albums (2001’s 'Plays for Lovers', 2002’s 'Laugh Out Loud', 2004’s 'Little Bay' and 2006’s 'Strange and Sad but True'). The songs here, too, are arguably the best the band ever worked on together — lifted both by the sterling performances all around and some of Johnson’s most engaging and — however ironic in hindsight — lighthearted and even playful lyrics. There’s sadness here — always a Sorta/Johnson specialty — but also songs like “Poor Little Child” and the wickedly sly, bouncy “Fool’s Gold” that sound every bit as fun to listen to as they were for the band to record. Even “I’ll Be There” — written about the death of another friend of the band’s — soars on the wings of Albrecht and Holt’s guitars, layered together in such a way you’d swear George Harrison was in the mix, too.
The end result is a snapshot in time of a band that had only just begun to truly realize its full potential, poised for what surely would have been only the beginning of its greatest output. Instead, it’s Sorta’s swansong. But it’s hard to imagine the band going out on a higher note — or saying goodbye to their friend in a way more fitting manner than to share with the world the beauty of the irreplaceable role he played in making Sorta the very special band it was, and everyone who played with him the best they musicians could be.
“The band did good,” Johnson offers matter-of-factly. “I mean, as not cool as I am with the ridiculous tragedy and loss, I’m very satisfied with what we did. The record’s a perfect statement and document of what the band sounded like, and for me especially, that’s very valuable. More than anything, I just want people to have the chance to hear it. It can be a very difficult to listen to — there are some moments on here that will make you cry, even if you’re able to forget the circumstances around it. But I think it’s a beautiful record. Everybody who makes records wants to make records that move people. And this one does; it moves me, and I hope it moves other people, too. I hope it finds a home.”
www.sortaweb.com
www.myspace.com/sorta
Stacie Rose
For many recording artists, the process of cranking up the writing machine to begin a new record can be a daunting task. But not for rising singer/songwriter Stacie Rose.
After her 2005 release of 'Shadow & Splendor' earned unanimous raves, (songs were featured on FX’s 'The Riches', MTV’S 'The Hills' and an ESCADA 'Sunset Heat' episode) the Jersey born Rose was ready to rock when her muse came calling again.
“I won’t pick up a guitar or mutter a word of melody for months. Then I’ll go through a spell where I can’t tear myself away from the guitar or mini recorder. This time, I got a lot of ideas on the fly, so I’d be calling my answering machine and singing ideas into it. Yes, it’s true; I’m that crazy person on the street singing into her cell phone! Once the songs begin to come, they start a flood. Especially, with this batch. That’s how much of the album came to be."
The end result, 'Shotgun Daisy' is a collection of songs with lush vocals, hook-laden melodies and engaging lyrics. It is clearly her most personal and direct recording yet. The title is a nickname given to Rose and refers to her all or nothing, mile a minute approach to life.
This time, 'Shotgun Daisy' had a new mantra. “I knew I needed to take a deep breath on this one, to come at it a bit differently. With time being so precious, I wanted to manage it properly. The crew all had binders with lyrics and notes. That way during the recordings everyone could literally be on the same page. It sounds a bit geeky but it really kept things together.
With a the stellar cast of musicians on 'Shotgun Daisy', it’s no wonder many have called her a musician’s musician!
The record includes performances by Gerry Leonard (David Bowie's music director & guitar player - currently touring with Rufus Wainwright), Jack Petruzelli, (also on tour with Wainwright) Shawn Pelton, Shawn Mullins, Steve Conte, Lucy Woodward, James Maestro (Ian Hunter & Patti Smith), David Patterson (Shawn Mullins and Indigo Girls). Jeff Allen, one of the producers, and bass player (Avril Lavigne and Duncan Sheik & currently touring with Rosanne Cash and Marc Cohn), Robert Smith, also a producer of the record (David Bowie and Rickie Lee Jones).
“Working with co-producers Jeff Allen and Robert L. Smith was a dream. We had some good fun and it was great to have a team! I love the fact that we were all trying to make the same songs speak and have a life. True collaboration allows each song to really grow up and find its space and emotion. I revel in the process. It’s what I love most about making music”.
So Stacie Rose, Jersey girl — 'Shotgun Daisy' is back and better than ever. The irresistible melodies, the mile-wide hooks, the revealing lyrics, dark comedy mentality, and that all enveloping voice. They’re all in tact and they all add up to a self-portrait of an artist who’s truly come of age.
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.
Stefano Frollano.....
Italian guitarist, singer and composer Stefano Frollano has close artistic ties with the legendary music of California, from which he constantly draws inspiration. He began studying classical guitar at the age of 13, and his discovery of such milestone records as C.S.N.&Y’s 'Déjà Vu' / '4 Way Street' and Neil Young’s 'Harvest' gradually led him to focus on folk-rock and blues.
In the 80's, he founded the bands Simbiosi, Blue Flares and Karma, while he released his first CD, playing with Skydog, in 1995.
In 1997 Stefano made up his mind to leave for the legendary U.S. West Coast so as to record his first solo album, simply called 'SF' and released completely independently in 2006. Reverberating the legacy of the sounds absorbed over the past years, his first collection of songs, features top international musicians Jeff Pevar and James Raymond as guest artists, who are regular members of Crosby, Stills and Nash’s backing band. The CD, achieving a perfect balance between the acoustic and electric, also highlighted the exciting talents of some female vocalists such as jazz singer Ada Montellanico. 'SF' got positive reviews in a number of Italian and foreign music magazines (Jam, Chitarre, Folk Bulletin, Roots Highway, Blue Desert, Broken Arrow, 4Way Site), while some tracks are regularily aired on Italian State Broadcaster Rai’s Radiouno in programmes such as Stereonotte, Music Club and Demo and by other stations in Italy and abroad.
While recording his album, Frollano published a number of reference books on CSN&Y in Italy and in Europe, articles on music in various magazines (Raro, Jam, Chitarre, Satisfaction, Ciao 2001) and works with a number of radio stations. His musical career can boast over 500 concerts and his curriculum of live performances, given over the years with a whole range of various rock bands, is studded with numerous appearances with different international artists including with his old friends Crosby Stills & Nash; Billy Talbot (bass player with Crazy Horse); Joe Henry, as well as with other Italian musicians.
In 2009, he played on Merli Rossi’s debut album, that took its name from the group, a band including among others vocalist Francesca Fagioli and pianist Francesco Venerucci.
Frollano has also written music for the presentations of a number of Italian fiction writing and for readings of Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet’s works.
His latest CD 'Sense Of You', recorded between Italy and the U.S., features contributions by top musicians including his time-honoured friends Pevar and Raymond, as well as drummer Francesco Isola, who has a long working relationship with other Italian and foreign artists; bass-player Marco Vannozzi from Stradaperta, Antonello Venditti’s legendary band; talented trumpet-player, composer and arranger Franco Piana; versatile harpist Giuliana De Donno; percussionist Luca Scorziello, a long-standing fellow-musician with Alex Britti and other Italian singers and, just like on his first album, some very special female vocalists who both accompany and perform duets with Stefano.
www.stefanofrollano.com
www.myspace.com/stefanofrollano
Stephen Hedley
Stephen Hedley is one of those singer-songwriters whose music defies easy comparisons. Brought up in Windsor, Ontario, Hedley grew up only minutes from the Ambassador bridge which connects the the Canadian industrial city of Windsor to it’s U.S. counterpart Detroit, Michigan. With a
clear signal from Detroit’s massive radio market, Stephen enjoyed a diverse diet of Otis Redding, Jeff Buckley, Stevie Wonder, Nick Drake, Marvin Gaye, The Stooges, U2, Neil Young, Philip Glass and everything in between.
Son to a British Anthropologist and an American classically trained pianist, with sabbatical years spent New Zealand and Newfoundland as a child, it’s no wonder that Stephen’s outlook, and his songwriting, have always been unique and genre bending.
His debut CD “Scenes’ (Wundertone Recordings) reflects many of those influences, from the soulful falsetto of ‘Yellow Dog’ to the achingly beautiful ‘Why Can’t You Be Satisfied’ to the song-along rock choruses and disco undertones of the title track ‘Scenes’. Stephen’s intuitive sense of melody, and his ability to bring together such diverse influences in the context of a pop makes his debut CD an album that is both immediately gratifying and one that can be returned to time and time again.
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.....
"Sunset At The Northpole available here.
Steve Noonan
Steve Noonan released his first album in 1968. It was such a huge smash success that he is releasing his follow-up immediately forty years later!
Way back in the 1960’s there was a hip music magazine called Cheetah. The first issue featured a nude picture of Mama Cass on a bear skin rug. Did you know Mama Cass had a tattoo? It was Cheetah that labeled Tim Buckley, Steve Noonan and Jackson Browne as “The Orange County Three.” All three were friends who performed at the Paradox in Orange County and other folk clubs and all three were very talented songwriters. At that time Jackson Browne was not much of a singer and it would be a few years before he would make his first album, but Elektra Records had signed Tim Buckley and he had recorded his first LP. Looking for another singer songwriter to duplicate Buckley’s success, Elektra signed Steve Noonan in 1967. It seemed like a dream come true to the teenaged Noonan, but, sadly, it wasn’t. It turned out to be the worst thing for Steve Noonan’s professional ambitions.
Just as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band had a Top 40 hit with 'Buy For Me the Rain', a song written by Steve Noonan and his friend Greg Copeland, Steve went to New York to record his album. Paul Rothchild, the legendary producer of the Doors and Janis Joplin was brought in to produce the album. But Elektra and Rothchild wanted Tim Buckley II, not Steve Noonan. They tried desperately to recreate Noonan in Buckley’s image and Steve resisted. The clash led to Rothchild storming out and taking his name off the record. Steve said, “You can take my name off it, too.” The record came out. Elektra spent twenty dollars on promotion and it sunk like a stone. I bought a copy for sixty-six cents at Aaron’s Records on Melrose. The album and the artist who made it deserved better. 'Leaning Back & Laughing' is as fine a track as anything ever released on the label.
The second Steve Noonan album is the work of a seasoned artist, a singer songwriter who has labored in relative obscurity for all these years. While Tim Buckley fell victim to rock’s excesses, and Jackson Browne rose to fame and played intimate songs in baseball stadiums, Steve Noonan played coffee houses and living rooms, always writing and playing and singing. Most of the artists of the sixties did their best work in their twenties. But here we find Steve Noonan just a bit older and doing some of the strongest work of his life. The songs on this new album were mostly written in the last few months. Listening to these songs now is like hearing an exciting new discovery. It’s like finding a forgotten gem for sixty six cents in the bargain bin at Aaron’s.
www.stevenoonan.com
www.myspace.com/stevenoonanmusic
Steve Postell
That golden California Sound comes alive again on 'Time Still Knocking', Steve Postell's Immergent Records debut. This rich, organic work draws on rock, folk, blues, country and R&B, all distilled through well-honed craftsmanship coupled with genuine heart and the musical camaraderie of a staggeringly talented group of musicians.
A singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, Steve's remarkable career begins a new chapter on 'Time Still Knocking' which features a wide array of legendary musicians. Contributors and collaborators include David Crosby, Jennifer Warnes, John Oates, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, Paul Barrere, Dave Koz and many others.
“I was with the band, Little Blue, for nine years and I wrote a lot of the material, so when I was signed, the original thought was to create a new band around me," Steve says. "But after I started working on the album, it became clear that this was an artist-driven project. We felt it was time for me to make a solo record."
The album’s opener, the inviting, bluesy '3:45 Coming Through', is one of the few tracks that Steve wrote on his own as most of the songs are collaborations. His songwriting partners ranged from rockl veteran John Oates (Hall & Oates) on the baroque folk-rock of 'Straight For the Moon', to hard rocker Kip Winger on the churning 'Change in the Circle'. “Even though Kip, John and the others are all different, there’s a kind of common thread, true of every person who worked with me on this record,” Steve says. “They all understand and strive for a very high level of artistry. That’s what connects everything, not their styles.”
The music on 'Time Still Knocking' crackles with a sense of discovery, yet is also instantly familiar. The rising harmonies in 'Background Noise' and 'Catch The Wind' tap into a legacy that includes CSN&Y and the Eagles, among others. Steve also pays tribute to his influences with Buzz Feiten’s 'Long Way Home' (featuring Buzzy and jazz legend Dave Koz) and Little Feat’s 'Missing You', sharing vocals with the song's writer, guitarist Paul Barrere.
For Steve Postell, 'Time Still Knocking' is the culmination of dedicated work, lasting friendships and creative partnerships for a complete musician who knows where he’s been and looks to the future with anticipation.
“My primary inspiration was always to be a singer-songwriter, but I wanted to understand as much about the process as possible,” he says. “It’s always been about songwriting first, though the studio – engineering, how you record, arrange and so on – is a big part of it too. Assembling all the talent for this record, from the incredible musicians to mix engineer Nathaniel Kunkel and up to the final days with legendary mastering engineer Bernie Grundman, gave me the chance to watch these songs come into existence from their birth as mere ideas."
www.stevepostell.com
www.myspace.com/stevepostell
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 Casper & Cowboy Angst
Steven Casper is a Los Angeles based singer and songwriter. Growing up in Japan, Italy, Nigeria and Mexico, one of his main connections to American culture was through his parents' record collection. At a very young age he discovered the magic of Hank Williams, Leadbelly, Bob Wills, Mahalia Jackson, Woody Guthrie and many other American icons.
Moving back to the United States at age 17, he started his first band shortly after hearing The Ramones. Through the years his songwriting has evolved from rock and roll, to the more roots oriented music of his early days, sitting in front of his parents' record player. Steven is currently playing the Los Angeles club circuit with his band.
Just out is the new EP "Topanga Ranch Motel".
www.caspermusic.com
www.myspace.com/caspermusic
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."
Sugarcane Jane
As it turns out, Sugarcane Jane is not just another promising Nashville upstart paying its dues as a tour warmup act. Instead it's a new name for a couple of familiar faces, and the latest step in the evolution of a partnership rooted right here in Lower Alabama.
There is no Jane. The act is a duo consisting of Anthony Crawford and Savana Lee. She's a Baldwin County-based singer-songwriter. He's a Birmingham-native whose day job happens to be playing guitar and other instruments for a guy named Neil Young.
A couple of years ago, after meeting in Nashville, they recorded an album of folksy adult pop titled "Redbird." Her name and face appeared on the cover; the songs were his, but she sang them as if they were hers.
She moved back to Baldwin County. Disaffected with Nashville and wanting to be closer to his parents, who live in Daphne, so did he. "It's really been a blessing to come back to Alabama and be close to family," he said.
To say working for Young keeps Crawford on the go would be an understatement. He figures that in the last year Young's tours have taken him to Europe four times, to Canada twice, and across the United States several times, not to mention jaunts to such far-flung places as Australia.
"He has been very prolific of late, and it seems I've been involved in every episode of it," Crawford said. "When I come home, I make good use of it."
Crawford, it turns out, is pretty prolific in his own right. On the Internet, he's been posting installments of a humorous video documentary titled "On The Road With A Rock Star", based on his experiences with Neil Young's band. He recently released a new solo album, "Five is Red." He and Lee have put together a no-frills live recording of Sugarcane Jane-material (which they will release soon), and are hard at work on a new studio album.
"It's just two people doing what they love to do, and coming from a real honest space," he said. "Our parents seem to like it, so we know we're onto something."
"I want to be a part of the moment. I'm not here to impress upon anybody," he said.
www.sugarcanejane.com
www.youtube.com/sugarcanejane
www.myspace.com/sugarcanejanemusic
The Summer Wardrobe
"Our music is ambient and somewhat dark, though it's wrapped up in a pop shell. We play ambient southern psychedelic music for the endtimes. If you've ever cried on a rooftop, you might like this....."
November 18th, 2008, will mark the release of 'Cajun Prairie Fire', the new full-length release from Austin-based Southern Dream Pop quartet the Summer Wardrobe. The album is the follow up to their highly acclaimed self-titled 2006 release for Rainbow Quartz.
Having recently completed a tenure as psychedelic legend Roky Erickson’s backing band, the disc is darker and denser than their previous work, a pseudo-concept sci-fi ride that zig-zags the underbelly of a South and Southwest sometime in the not-too distant future and past, by turns.
The lyrical imagery, tinged with the fantastic of Castaneda and the paranoid decadence of Burroughs, is perfectly complimented by Jon Sanchez’s lilting yet elegant delivery and the group’s hypnotic, guitar laden musical assemblage.
Rounded out by the dynamic production of Mark Addison (Ian Moore, Curt Kirkwood, Will Sexton) and inclusion of the T-Rex informed cover of Erickson's "Mine, Mine, Mind", 'Cajun Prairie Fire' possesses a classic feel that will appeal to fans of disparate groups including Pink Floyd, Supergrass, Gun Club and Byrds.
www.sauspop.com
www.myspace.com/thesummerwardrobe
www.reverbnation.com/thesummerwardrobe
Salim Nourallah
Sarah MacDougall
Savana Lee
Scott Kirby
Service Industry
Seth Swirsky
Shane Alexander
Shelley Jones
Shiner Twins
Sleeping Beauty
Slowman
Sorta
Stacie Rose
Stefanie Fix
Stefano Frollano
Stephen Hedley
Steve Mednick
Steve Noonan
Steve Postell
Steven Alvarado
Steven Casper
Steven Jaymes
Sugarcane Jane
Summer Wardrobe
