#44 AUGUST 2008
Red disc…
1
MEIKO
“Boys With Girlfriends”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Meiko
ON SALE now
LABEL Lucky Ear/MySpace/DGC
The singer/songwriter known simply as Meiko (pronounced “MEE-koh”) was raised by her dad in a log cabin in Roberta, Georgia (population 808), where her early musical memories include fooling around with her father’s guitar and singing at church. She left home at 18 to follow her fortune, eventually settling in Los Angeles.
Although she’d been writing songs for a long time, Meiko’s professional career got a kick-start when she landed a job as a waitress at the world famous Hotel Café in Hollywood, where she was soon performing regularly.
Meiko self-released her eponymous debut in September 2007, and the reaction was almost immediate: KCRW started playing her regularly, her songs were featured on TV series like Grey’s Anatomy, her album reached #35 on the iTunes Sales chart, it spent over a month at #1 on the Folk chart, and she sold over 200,000 iTunes downloads, all of which led to a deal to revamp, remix, remaster and rerelease the album on MySpace/DGC Records with a new song: “Boys With Girlfriends.”
She’s up over 1.9 million spins at www.myspace.com/meiko, and WCNR and WXPK have already had Meiko in for on-air performances.
CONTACT Jesse Barnett (Right Arm Resource) 508.238.5654 jesse@rightarmresource.com & Mike Savage (Mike Savage Artist Management) 323.819.4178 mikesavage123@gmail.com
2
RAY LAMONTAGNE
“Let It Be Me” (edit)
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Gossip In The Grain
ON SALE 10/14
LABEL RCA Records/BMG/RED
Born in Nashua, New Hampshire, singer/songwriter Ray LaMontagne’s mother moved his family around a bit after she and his musician father separated. Ray attended high school in Morgan, Utah, left his family and headed back east after graduation to settle in Lewiston, Maine.
Ray released his first official album, Trouble, in 2004 and the title song (which, alone, accounts for over 1.1 million of the 5.4 million spins at www.myspace.com/raylamontagne) was covered by finalists in both season 5 and season 6 of American Idol.
Gossip In The Grain finds him working once again with producer Ethan Johns and choosing to record the album at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, England.
Ray’s first two albums were mostly solo affairs, with Johns (who handled most of the drum and percussion work on the new album) filling in the musical spaces. On Gossip In the Grain, Ray proudly features the musicians in his regular touring band, bassist Jennifer Condos and guitarist Eric Heywood (live drummer Jay Bellerose was out on tour playing for Robert Plant and Alison Krauss). LaMontagne is also joined on two tracks by Leona Naess.
Dates following the release of Gossip In The Grain are just being scheduled, with shows announced so far in Boston (10/9 & 10/10); New York City (10/11); Raleigh, North Carolina (10/16) and Oakland, California (11/3).
CONTACT Danny Buch (RED) 212.404.0608 danny_buch@redmusic.com & Sky Daniels (RED/SonyBMG) 310.449.2403 sky.daniels@sonybmg.com
3
PAUL FREEMAN
“You & I”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD That’s How It Is
ON SALE tbd
LABEL Arista Records/RCAMG
WEB www.myspace.com/paulfreeman
Born in South Wales, but now based in LA, singer/songwriter Paul Freeman found his first guitar in a dumpster when he was 12, and he was writing his own compositions by the time he was 14.
A high school job working at a popular British recording studio found Freeman going to work behind-the scenes with such artists as Paul Weller, Julian Cope and Skunk Anansie. “What really got me into playing the piano,” he says, “was having access to the grand piano at the studio.”
Paul moved to London and honed his songwriting craft, and eventually headed for sunny California. Unsigned and unmanaged, he recorded a demo EP that somehow made it into the hands of Clive Davis, who personally signed Paul to his record deal.
Freeman’s debut CD, That’s How It Is, was recorded with the help of Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (Mark Ronson, Santana, Gavin DeGraw) and mixed by Chris Lord Alge (U2, Leona Lewis, Snow Patrol), with Freeman pulling the final sequence from a list of approximately 200 songs that he’d written for the album.
Freeman’s song “Well, Well” was featured in the 2006 Vince Vaughn/Jennifer Aniston film The Break-Up.
CONTACT Adrian Moreira 646.840.5704 adrian.moreira@sonybmg.com & Wendy Goodman 310.449.2633 wendy.goodman@sonybmg.com
4
CATIE CURTIS
“Sweet Life”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Sweet Life
ON SALE now
LABEL Compass Records
Singer/songwriter Catie Curtis grew up in Saco, Maine, before attending Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, where she became involved in the local coffee house circuit. Her first album, Dandelion, came out in 1989.
“Sweet Life” is the title track from her ninth studio album, which happens to be her first “Nashville-bred” recording (and which also includes her version of Death Cab For Cutie’s “Soul Meets Body”).
For Sweet Life, Curtis raided the Nashville talent pool, using some of the best musicians that Music City has to offer, including guitarist (and longtime Bonnie Raitt collaborator) George Marinelli and bassist Alison Prestwood (Shawn Colvin, Rodney Crowell, Peter Frampton).
Catie’s logged 115,000+ spins at www.MySpace.com/catiecurtis in addition to the exposure her music has received in recent years on such TV series as Alias, Dawson’s Creek, Felicity and Chicago Hope.
Upcoming tour dates include Larchmont, New York (9/14); Ann Arbor, Michigan (10/3); Chicago (10/4); Eugene, Oregon (10/16); and Seattle (10/18).
CONTACT Rene Magallon (M:M Music) 323.939.8206 A3Rene@aol.com & Brad Hunt (WNS Group) 845.358.3003 bhsabres@aol.com
5
THE DUHKS
“Mighty Storm”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Fast Paced World
ON SALE now
LABEL Sugar Hill Records
WEB www.duhks.com
“Mighty Storm” was the #1 song among WXPN listeners at the Non-Comm Music Meeting in May, and WXPN, XM Café, WFPK, KPIG, KTBG, KPFT, WNCW, WCBE, WNKU, KNBA, KMTN, WKZE, WBJB, WIKX, WMKY, WHRV, KAXE, WYOU, KSUT and many others are on the song out of the box. Meanwhile, www.myspace.com/theduhks has already spawned 201,000+ spins.
Fast Paced World, The Duhks’ fourth album, was produced by Nashville-based Jay Joyce (Patty Griffin, John Hiatt).
Hailed by the New York Times as one of the artists at the forefront of the neo-folk movement, the Winnipeg, Manitoba-based Duhks have two new members since their last release. Siblings Sarah (who replaces singer Jessee Havey) and Christian Dugas (who takes over for percussionist Scott Senior) join founder/banjo player Leonard Podolak, fiddler Tania Elizabeth and guitarist Jordan McConnell.
The Duhks have earned both a Juno in their native Canada and a Best Country Vocal Performance Grammy nomination here in the States.
Environmental issues are a passion for the band, inspiring them to launch The Duhks Sustainability Project (www.greenduhks.com). Spearheaded by Tania Elizabeth, the band's goal is to tour on as sustainable a basis as possible.
CONTACT Art Phillips 310.829.9355, ext. 127 aphillips@vanguardrecords.com & Ayappa Biddanda 310.829.9355, ext. 157 ayappa@vanguardrecords.com
6
SHARON LITTLE
“Try”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Perfect Time For A Breakdown
ON SALE now
LABEL CBS Records
Singer Sharon Little hails from the “City of Brotherly Love,” Philadelphia, where she’s been performing since she can remember, starting out in talent shows and graduating to coffee houses and clubs.
A chance meeting with ex-Feel and Wanderlust frontman Scot Sax led to their writing and recording together, which turned into an ongoing collaboration that has so far yielded two indie albums and the new Perfect Time For A Breakdown on the recently revived CBS Records label.
WXPN, KCUV, WFPK, WCOO, KSUT, KUWR, WNRN, Sirius The Spectrum, KBAC, WCBE, KPTL, KDBB, KPND and more are now giving “Try” spinnage.
Perfect Time For A Breakdown’s “Follow That Sound” has been selected as the theme for the new A&E series The Cleaner, starring Benjamin Bratt, and Sharon will be seen performing the song in a future episode.
Little was waitressing as recently as the beginning of 2008, and now she’s just finished a 24-show tour as the opening act for Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and T Bone Burnett. She’ll be performing at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco on 10/3.
CONTACT Brian Rhoades 201.227.8020 BRhoades@cbs.com
7
KEATON SIMONS
“Good Things Get Better”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Can You Hear Me
ON SALE now
LABEL CBS Records
Singer/songwriter Keaton Simons grew up in the Los Angeles area. His mom was a singer, writer and actress, and his father produced the TV series Malcolm In The Middle. His stepfather is actor Eric Roberts.
KCRW played the title track from his 2004 EP, Currently, extensively.
Can You Hear Me, his first full-length album, was produced by Grammy-winning engineer David Bianco (Mick Jagger, The Black Crowes, Rhett Miller, Tift Merritt).
Simons has more than 487,000 spins on www.myspace.com/keatonsimons and “Good Things Get Better” was recently featured on Numb3rs. DMX Music, KCLC, KFMU, KNBA, KROK, KRVM, KTAO, WFIV, WOCM, WRRW and WVOD are the early stations to the party.
Keaton has shared stages with Coldplay, Chris Isaak, Five For Fighting and Guster, among others.
CONTACT Brian Rhoades 201.227.8020 BRhoades@cbs.com
8
THE ORCHID HIGHWAY
“Sofa Surfer Girl”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD The Orchid Highway
ON SALE now
LABEL Rainbow Quartz International
The five-piece Orchid Highway is one of Vancouver, British Columbia’s longest-running bands, and the Canadian Press calls them “the Sloan of Vancouver.” It features three MacDonald brothers—Rory (vocals, bass), Jamie (vocals, guitar) and Derek (keys, vocals)—along with Adrian Buckley (drums) and the newest member, Scott Perry (guitar).
“Sofa Surfer Girl,” is one of The Orchid Highway’s most popular live tunes; it’s from their self-titled debut full-length CD, which follows a 1997 EP.
KEAO and KROK added “Sofa Surfer Girl” way before the box.
The Orchid Highway will be playing at the International Pop Overthrow in Portland, Oregon, on August 22.
“A dream come true to fans of Badfinger, or bands of more recent vintage like The Tearaways.” —David Bash, International Pop Overthrow
CONTACT Ray Paul (Permanent Press Radio Promotion) 585.764.0150 raypaul@permanentpress.net
9
RUSTY TRUCK
“Cold Ground”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Luck’s Changing Lanes
ON SALE now
LABEL Rykodisc
WEB www.rykodisc.com/rustytruck/bio
Born in Amarillo, Texas, and now based in New York City, Rusty Truck founder and frontman Mark Seliger established himself as chief photographer for Rolling Stone from 1992 to 2002, shooting the world’s biggest stars for numerous iconic RS covers and features. He was also writing his own songs at the time, and it was Jakob Dylan who first heard the promise in Seliger’s music.
For Rusty Truck, Seliger is joined by a stellar cast of studio/session/stage wizards, led by Wallflowers keyboardist Rami Jaffee and including ex-Grant Lee Buffalo drummer Joey Peters, onetime Chalk Farm singer and guitarist Michael Duff, singer Kristin Mooney, Dobro and lap-steel player Andy Gibson, and bassist Sheldon Gomberg (Five For Fighting, Ryan Adams, Warren Zevon).
The sound is augmented by several high-profile guest spots from Lenny Kravitz, Willie Nelson, David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, T Bone Burnett and Sheryl Crow, Rob Thomas, and Dylan, among others.
WFPK, KAXE, KFAN, KPIG, WGCS, WSYC, WRRW and Altville are among the early supporters of Rusty Truck.
Although some of the material was originally available as a limited-edition CD called Broken Promises in 2003, Luck’s Changing Lanes expands on that original album to include new songs and a bonus DVD (featuring a full DTS 5.1 surround sound mix and five videos).
CONTACT Beth Tallman 212.287.6131 beth.tallman@rykogroup.com & Al Moss (Al Moss Promotion) 615.297.0258 amosspromo@aol.com
10
THE TELEPATHIC BUTTERFLIES
“A Scathing Report”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Breakfast In Suburbia
ON SALE now
LABEL Rainbow Quartz International
WEB www.telepathicbutterflies.com
The Telepathic Butterflies were formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, by guitarist/vocalist/bassist Réjean “Rej” Ricard and drummer Jacques “Jake” Dubois; the two are augmented by an ever-changing supporting cast for live shows.
Ricard and Dubois initially called themselves both Mayonnaise and Groove.
They lifted their name, The Telepathic Butterflies, from the pages of Kurt Vonnegut’s Breakfast Of Champions.
The 14 songs on Breakfast In Suburbia, their third album, were written from the points of view of several fictional characters living in a hypothetical ’burb and intended to be “little stories or observations about everyday people and events.”
Eric Van Buren played bass on several tracks, including “A Scathing Report”; all other instruments and voices were performed by Ricard and Dubois.
CONTACT Ray Paul (Permanent Press Radio Promotion) 585.764.0150 raypaul@permanentpress.net
11
BACKYARD TIRE FIRE
“How In The Hell Did You Get Back Here?”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD The Places We Lived
ON SALE now
LABEL Hyena Records
Backyard Tire Fire was started by Ed Anderson (vocals, guitar, keys) and Tim Kramp (drums) in Asheville, North Carolina, in 2001. They moved to Athens, Georgia, the following year and released their debut, Live At The Georgia Theatre.
Backyard Tire Fire has since released an additional three albums and two EPs, picking up Ed’s brother Matt on bass and vocals and settling down in Bloomington, Illinois.
Backyard Tire Fire’s new studio album, The Places We Lived, was recorded at co-producer Tony Sanfilippo's Oxide Lounge Studios in Bloomington, where BYT once again recorded everything straight to analog tape.
People are hearing Backyard Tire Fire online, as they’ve now generated over 135,000 spins at www.myspace.com/backyardtirefiremusic.
They played over 200 dates last year, including opening slots and co-bills around the country with Cracker, Jason Isbell, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Rev. Horton Heat, along with such festivals as Summerfest, Langerado, Wakarusa and Mountain Jam. They will be playing throughout the heartland, with dates in Milwaukee (9/11); Madison, Wisconsin (9/12); Minneapolis (9/13); Kansas City, Missouri (9/18); Emporia, Kansas (9/19); St. Louis (9/20); Cleveland (9/24); Columbus, Ohio (9/25); Indianapolis (9/26); and Newport, Kentucky (9/27).
CONTACT Jesse Barnett (Right Arm Resource) 508.238.5654 jesse@rightarmresource.com, Kevin Calabro 718.369.6567 HYENArecords@aol.com & Geoff Harrison (GHS Management) 347.649.1684
12
HARRY BODINE
“Drivin’ Up Thru Memphis”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Which Way Home
ON SALE now
LABEL Independent
Singer/slide guitarist Harry Bodine’s interest in music spiked after he dropped out of high school in his central New York State hometown; he started out playing bass, and he fell in love with slide guitar after hearing Duane Allman.
Now based in Austin, Bodine spent five years as the principal songwriter and guitarist for Austin’s Delta Roux, which he founded in 1999.
KGSR, KPFT, KIWR, KDHX, KGNU, KVNF and KOOP have all played songs from Which Way Home.
Which Way Home was produced by Bodine at Arlyn Studios and Wire Studios in Austin, and mixed by Stuart Sullivan (Nick Lowe, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Vaughan, Willie Nelson).
“Bodine is an original, who first draws on the best of his myriad of musical influences and then stamps his own individual style on the songs, There is not a weak track on this superb album and the conversationalist narrative style and moody slide guitar grab your attention.” —Blues Matters
CONTACT Harry Bodine 512.619.0922 harrycbodine@yahoo.com
13
EVEREST
“Rebels In The Roses” (radio edit)
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Ghost Notes
ON SALE now
LABEL Vapor Records
Everest was formed in Los Angeles in 2007 by Russell Pollard (vocals, guitar, drums), J. Soda (guitar, keys, vocals), Rob Douglas (bass, vocals) and Joel Graves (guitar, keys, vocals).
Kevin Bronson of the Los Angeles Times notes that the members “sport resumes longer than the intro to ‘Cortez The Killer,’” having collectively spent time in bands such as Sebadoh, Folk Implosion, Earlimart, Mike Stinson and the Watson Twins.
They have just released their debut album, Ghost Notes, which was produced, engineered and mixed in two weeks by Mike Terry (Eagles, Foo Fighters, Earlimart) onto analog tape.
Everest has performed on Late Night With Conan O’Brien, opened for Ray Davies, toured Europe with My Morning Jacket and already they have over 118,000 spins at www.myspace.com/everestlads.
CONTACT Jeffrey Naumann 818.706.3864 yeepahs@aol.com, Crystal Ann Lea (M:M Music) 323.939.8206 crystalann@mindspring.com, Bonnie Levetin bonnie@vaporrecords.com & Robert Cappadona (management HQ) management.hq@gmail.com
14
MARC BROUSSARD
“Keep Coming Back”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Keep Coming Back
ON SALE 9/16
LABEL Atlantic Records
Carencro, Louisiana-based singer/songwriter/guitarist Marc Broussard (son of Louisiana Hall of Fame guitarist Ted Broussard) started joining his dad onstage at the ripe old age of five, and he independently recorded and released his 2002 solo debut when he was just 20.
Broussard’s third full-length studio album, Keep Coming Back, was recorded in 11 days at Ocean Way studios in Nashville with Marc co-producing with longtime collaborators Justin Tocket and Calvin Turner.
In an effort to replicate the strength of their concerts, virtually all the players on Keep Coming Back are members of Broussard’s road band; Sara Bareilles (who has opened several Broussard tours) and LeAnn Rimes duet with him, while Music City session veterans Tim Akers (Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald, Faith Hill) on keys and Gary Burnette (Etta James) on guitar augment the lineup.
Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson, O.A.R., Maroon 5 and the Dave Matthews Band are among the many acts that have asked him to open, and Broussard has also entertained thousands at such festivals as SXSW, Bonnaroo and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, as well as countless millions around the world during halftime at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game. Meanwhile, folks have listened to Marc more than 2 million times on www.myspace.com/marcbroussard.
Through September, Marc has shows scheduled in Lowell, Massachusetts (9/12); Newmarket, New Hampshire (9/13); Fairfield, Connecticut (9/14); New York City (9/16); Philadelphia (9/17); Annapolis, Maryland (9/18); Pittsburgh (9/19); Ann Arbor, Michigan (9/21); Cincinnati (9/23); Des Moines, Iowa (9/25); Chicago (9/26); Madison, Wisconsin (9/27); Minneapolis (9/28); and Council Bluffs, Iowa (9/30).
CONTACT Brian Corona 818.238.6838 brian.corona@atlanticrecords.com
15
SKY KEEGAN
“Caffeine And Nicotine” (edit)
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Stage Door EP
ON SALE now
LABEL Sky Keegan Music
Sky Keegan is a songwriter, artist and producer from Ventura County, California, on the coast about an hour northwest of Los Angeles. His first national release, 1975’s “Memphis Miracle,” was mentioned in the book Elvis: His Life From A-Z, in a section that covers songs about Elvis.
Before he retired from music in 1980, Keegan saw three of his songs hit the national R&B charts in the mid- to late-’70s when they were recorded by Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis, Davis solo and a group called Total Unity. Meanwhile, one of his rock songs was done by Sugarloaf (of “Green-Eyed Lady” fame). During that time
Sky has performed with and opened for Loudon Wainwright III, Dave van Ronk, Richie Havens, Patti Smith, Orleans, The New York Dolls and Jonathon Edwards, among others.
Here’s one to tell the grandkids: Keegan’s catalog, which was published by Claridge Music, was acquired by Paul McCartney’s MPL Communications in 1980.
After a 27-year absence from music, Keegan returned in 2007 when he was asked to write music for a local play. Excited to be back, Sky continued to write and record new material. His first release is the Stage Door EP.
CONTACT Liz Cousins (Notorious Promotion & Marketing) 718.545.9816 notorious@notoriousradio.com & Sky Keegan 805.760.5900 skykeeganmusic@gmail.com
16
THE RICK BOSTON : JAMIE COHEN PROJECT
“Levitate” (Kiran Shahani of Bitter:Sweet Remix)
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD All The Way From America digital EP
ON SALE 10/7
LABEL Halfpipe Records
WEB http://bc.halfpipe-records.com
Rick Boston and Jamie Cohen are two longtime music vets who collaborated for the first time on their 2008 digital-only EP, All The Way From America.
Rick, a former member of Low Pop Suicide, Hand Of Fate and The Januaries, has played with and/or produced Rickie Lee Jones, Alice Cooper and P.J. Olsson. Cohen, meanwhile, is a onetime A&R kingpin who signed Red Hot Chili Peppers, Human League, Madness, The Thompson Twins and more; he’s also worked with Bootsy Collins, Taj Mahal, Aretha Franklin, Carlos Santana, Ringo Starr, Chet Baker and too many more to mention.
When Rick and Jamie got reacquainted after years of not seeing each other, Rick was inspired by Cohen’s stories, including drunken trips to Ireland to hook up with Van Morrison and acid trips at the Pentagon. Boston suggested that they record some of these stories, and that’s what appears on All The Way From America.
“Levitate” tells the real-life tale of then-15-year-old Jamie Cohen’s trip to Washington, DC, to protest the Vietnam War. As the story goes, a get-together was organized by Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, Allen Ginsburg and Timothy Leary that day to gather enough people to surround the Pentagon, arm and arm, and do a group meditation to try and raise the building off the ground using only their minds.
Club mixes of “Levitate” were recently done by Kiran Shahani of Bitter:Sweet and Supreme Beings Of Leisure, The Newton Brothers, Kathie Talbot and DJ True:129.
CONTACT Lee Scheinbaum 310.651.6233 info@halfpipe-records.com