#60 February 2010/Disc 2
SONG “Wing Of A Dove”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Stripped Down At The Bang Palace (Blues Leaf Records)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Todd Wolfe
HOME Easton, Pennsylvania
AIRPLAY KKFI, WNTI
SHOWS in Southern New England through mid-February before jetting off for some shows in Germany and the Netherlands (dates)
AND ANOTHER THING In 1990, Todd Wolfe left NYC for LA to start writing and recording with a then-unknown Sheryl Crow; later, when Tuesday Night Music Club blew up, Crow brought Wolfe back as her touring guitarist for nearly five years. Stripped Down At The Bang Palace is his sixth release with a band that he started back then between Crow tours; among his other accomplishments is having his songs recorded by Deborah Coleman, Faith Hill and Stevie Nicks.
QUOTE “Todd Wolfe is like a phantom of rock & roll. He comes out of nowhere and the hex lasts for days.” John Popper, Blues Traveler
CONTACT Pam Adams (W Management) 212.274.8952
SONG “Wake Up”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Greg Wood (Independent)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Stew Kirkwood, Greg Wood
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
AND ANOTHER THING Canadian guitarist Greg Wood found his muse for his 2008 introductory EP, Set You Free, on a cross-country trek across the United States; it wound up getting played on stations across Canada. “Wake Up” is from his self-titled first full-length CD. Wood, who plays guitar, bass and drums, has achieved the rare combination of having been picked by Skope as an Artist To Watch and hunting big game on two continents—Africa and North America.
QUOTE
“…a big rock sound with rich vocals that have a deep, Eddie Vedder quality and are equally as powerful.” —Skope
CONTACT Suzanne (manager) 780.826.2969
SONG “Fearless Love”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Fearless Love (Island Records)
ON SALE 4/27
PRODUCED BY John Shanks (Melissa Etheridge, Sheryl Crow, Santana), Melissa Etheridge
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Los Angeles
AIRPLAY Sirius/XM The Spectrum, WRXP, WXRT, WZGC, WRLT, KINK, WTTS, KGSR, KPRI, KWMT and many more
AND ANOTHER THING Twenty-two years into her recording career, Melissa Etheridge remains one of the core artists at Triple A—not surprisingly, “Fearless Love” was among the Most Added songs at the format out of the box. It’s the title track to her 10th full-length studio outing (and first since 2007’s The Awakening); Fearless Love features a backing band of longtime guitarist and producer John Shanks, Jamie Muhoberac (keys), Sean Hurley (bass) and Victor Indrizzo (drums).
QUOTE “‘Fearless Love,’ the lead single/title track from [Melissa] Etheridge's forthcoming album, is an undeniable modern rock song with a fully loaded introduction, punctuated by crashing triplet drumming and a large-scale sound reminiscent of Kings Of Leon and Coldplay…the strong delivery is classic Etheridge.” —Billboard
CONTACT Christine Chiappetta 310.865.5373
SONG “Where Are We Now” (radio edit)
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD The Burned (Phantasma Music)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Dik Darnell, Kurt Baumann
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Austin
AIRPLAY KBAC, WTTS
AND ANOTHER THING The Burned is the debut from The Burned, the alter ego of Kurt Baumann, former singer and songwriter of jam band Kan’Nal. Baumann also toured the world in 2009 as the frontman for Freeland, a trio put together by Grammy-winning DJ Adam Freeland, and he’ll soon be seen as one-half of The SeaStars, a new project with Katie Gray. “Where Are We Now” was played during the season two premiere of Crash on the Starz network.
QUOTE “Thought provoking, current day lyrics are combined with mellow, acoustic and electronic sounds that extend themselves creating visual experiences that transcend definition! It is impossible to listen to without feeling and hearing so much more than just a song.” —Skope
CONTACT J.B. Brenner (The J.B. Brenner Company) 805.777.7999
SONG “Here I Am”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD tbd (Planet 49 Records)
ON SALE tbd
GUEST MUSICIANS Take 6, The Hooters, Jim Peterik (Survivor, .38 Special, The Ides Of March)
PRODUCED BY John Ryan (Santana, The Allman Brothers Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd)
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Chicago
AIRPLAY WOCM
AND ANOTHER THING During the ’70s Heartsfield toured arenas with The Doobie Brothers, Eric Clapton and Fleetwood Mac, they hit the Top 100 on Billboard in 1974 with “Music Eyes” and they’ve been credited with influencing the Dave Matthews Band and Phish. After disbanding in 1981 the band was re-organized and re-formed by singer/songwriter/co-founder Perry Jordan in 1999. The still-being-finished new Heartsfield CD will be their 11th.
CONTACT Jeff Appleton (Marathon Entertainment) 810.797.2287
SONG “Trumpet Moment 2”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Bridge (Water Key Music)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Adam Druckman, Mark Ephraim, Dennis Cronin
HOME Brooklyn
AIRPLAY KSMT, WNCW, WYSO, KDNK, KDEC, WAER, WHFC, WRRW
AND ANOTHER THING “Trumpet Moment 2” is an instrumental from Bridge, the second CD from Vitamin-D—the brainchild of trumpeter and multi-instrumentalist and composer Dennis Cronin. Their first record, Build Another, was called “lush and dreamy” by Time Out New York. Cronin has collaborated with Lambchop and the late Vic Chesnutt, and performed with Yo La Tengo and Camera Obscura, and you’ll find a cello, cornet, snare drum, an accordion, funeral organ, vibraphonette and a few trumpets in his instrument collection.
CONTACT Peter Hay (Twin Vision) 718.369.1370
SONG “Neighbors”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Small House (Independent)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Andy Reed, Brett Mitchell
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter
HOME Midland, Michigan
SHOWS all over Michigan throughout the year (dates)
AND ANOTHER THING “Neighbors,” from singer/songwriter Brett Mitchell’s second album, Small House, was one of Spin magazine’s SPINearth picks for their feature 12 Singles From Rising Bands. Mitchell tours regularly with his band, The Giant Ghost; they’ve played in nine states, and in cities like Chicago, Nashville and New York City. Mitchell is introducing himself to Triple A radio with “Neighbors” even as he readies his third album, Falling Apart At The Seams, for a spring release.
QUOTE “A rootsy version of Marshall Crenshaw, a lot of pop hooks and very well written, very well produced stuff.” —The Grand Rapids Press
CONTACT Jan Hecht 989.430.8585
SONG “I Am You”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Shadowland (Line Level Music)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Michael Stanley
LINKS MySpace
HOME Cleveland
AIRPLAY WNWV
AND ANOTHER THING In the 1980s, The Michael Stanley Band toured North America, headlining throughout the heartland as well as opening for Bruce Springsteen, Eagles, Loggins & Messina, Foreigner, AC/DC, Yes and The Doobie Brothers. Michael stays closer to home these days; he’s been handling the afternoon drive shift on Cleveland’s Classic Rocker WNCX for over 16 years, and he continues to play shows and make records. On Shadowland, Stanley and his band, The Resonators, jam on 13 new originals.
CONTACT Denise Skinner
SONG “Vulnerability”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Loneliness Anonymous (Indminer Records)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Jimmy Patton, Darcie Miner
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
AIRPLAY WXPN, WMFO, KCSN, KZMU, Reg’s Coffeehouse, Top Americana Mover on MySpace Music
SHOWS around Pennsylvania through the end of March (dates)
AND ANOTHER THING At 16, Darcie Miner had a deal with a now-defunct Universal subsidiary. The label folded before her CD was finished, so in 2002 the still-teenaged singer/songwriter issued her first EP. Since then, Miner’s shared stages with Edwin McCain, Patty Griffin, Richard Thompson, The Drive-By Truckers, Citizen Cope and more, she released three more EPs and WXPN named her An Artist To Watch. Now, nine years after her first attempt, Darcie’s released her debut full-length CD, Loneliness Anonymous.
QUOTE “Loneliness Anonymous is an extremely powerful mix of songs that are chock-full of blunt honesty and tragic truth. It is one of the most compelling records to come out in recent memory, and hopefully will establish the 26-year-old singer/songwriter as an up-and-coming—and important—artist in the Americana/Triple A scene.” —No Depression
CONTACT Crystal Ann Lea (M:M Music) 323.939.8206/323.939.2665
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SASS JORDAN
SONG “Why Did You”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD From Dusk ’Til Dawn (RBE Music/Kindling Music/Elvair Entertainment)
ON SALE 3/16
PRODUCED BY Derek Sharp
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Montreal, Canada
AIRPLAY WXPN, WMMM, WTMD, KWYS, KSKI, KFPW, KRVO
SHOWS scheduled in Canada and at SXSW (dates)
AND ANOTHER THING Sass Jordan, the onetime winner of Billboard’s Best Female Rock Vocalist award, spent 2003-2009 as a judge on Canadian Idol, while also doing stage and TV work (she starred as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway hit Love Janis and guested on NBC’s Sisters). From Dusk ’Til Dawn is the latest in a recording career that spans 22 years and boasts over 1 million CDs sold worldwide; it follows Jordan’s 2006 outing, Get What You Give.
QUOTE “The entire album feels like Sass is getting together with some friends and jamming on tunes…this is what Sass is; unpretentious and feeling free to make the music she wants to make.” —Gus Griesinger, Backstageaxxess.com
CONTACT Tommy Nast (RBE Music) 818.735.0600 & Craig Lambert (RBE Music) 818.735.0600
11
OREN LAVIE
SONG “Her Morning Elegance”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD The Opposite Side Of The Sea (Independent)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Oren Lavie
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Los Angeles
AIRPLAY KCRW, WXPN, KGSR, KINK, WRNR, WTTS, WNRN, Sirius/XM The Spectrum
AND ANOTHER THING Born in Tel Aviv, Oren Lavie had already built quite a portfolio, first in Israel and then in England, as an award-winning playwright and director before moving to New York City. Likewise, “Her Morning Elegance” already has an amazing history, with a Grammy nomination, use in a Chevy ad campaign and 10.4 million YouTube views for the video (breaking YouTube’s most highly rated video record). Lavie is currently working on a new book for children and his second album.
QUOTE “…like Nick Drake in a cheerful summer bonnet.” —Uncut
CONTACT Mike Savage (Mike Savage Artist Management) 323.819.4178
SONG “Better Not Take Too Long”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Dreamers (Independent)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Mark Palmer, Anthea White
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME New York City and Sydney, Australia
AIRPLAY KFAN, KUWR, KVMR, KVNF, WRRW, WOUB
AND ANOTHER THING The core duo of The Hipstones—singers Anthea White and Mark Palmer (who also plays keys)—met in Tokyo, practically conquered their native Australia with their first CD, 2006’s Something’s Gonna Start, and then moved to New York City. In there somewhere they played for 100,000 people at the Java Jazz Festival in Indonesia. Now The Hipstones are about to release their second album, Dreamers.
QUOTE “Dreamers’ release in early 2010 is a further continuation of the unique harmonic soul sound that the group have stamped their own. It’s music defined by Mark’s and Anthea’s rich and highly evocative vocals, reinforced with hip horn lines and always that infectious groove to the beat.” —Chris Rhule, FBI Radio DJ, Australia
CONTACT Peter Hay (Twin Vision) 718.369.1370
13
GOODING
SONG “I’m Not Listening”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD The Return (S3 Records)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Gooding
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter YouTube
HOME Los Angeles
SHOWS in all 50 states over a five-month stretch beginning in March (dates)
AND ANOTHER THING Gooding self-released his first album in high school, and since then he’s produced over 100 artists and released more than 15 albums, writing every song and always playing nearly every instrument. He was recently named to Music Connection’s list of Top 100 Hot Live unsigned performers in the country and his compositions are heard regularly on CNN and PBS, in major motion pictures, TV shows and in ad campaigns for Dodge, Jeep, Chrysler and Midway.
QUOTE “The one-man visionary known only to the world as Gooding not only possesses an immense amount of talent, but he’s equally prolific…this needs to be heard!”—Jersey Beat
CONTACT Jeff Appleton (Marathon Entertainment) 810.797.2287 & J.B. Brenner (The J.B. Brenner Company) 805.777.7999
SONG “Petrified World”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Everything Is Real (00:02:59 LLC)
ON SALE now
GUEST MUSICIANS Tim Easton, Neal Casal (Ryan Adams & The Cardinals)
PRODUCED BY John Ellis
HOME Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
AND ANOTHER THING Since 2004, Leeroy Stagger’s been featured in loads of films and TV shows, including Grey’s Anatomy twice, and he’s opened for The Pixies, Kathleen Edwards and The Drive-By Truckers. Stagger recorded his third CD, Everything Is Real, with his touring band, The Wildflowers, and various guest musicians. Included on the guest list are Tim Easton and Evan Phillips, with whom Stagger is a member of Easton, Stagger, Phillips; ESP’s debut, One For The Ditch, lands this summer.
QUOTE “Whether it’s his new found sobriety or just a maturing artist finding his voice, Everything Is Real may just be his best record yet. Bristling with confidence, the concise 11-song record moves through some of Stagger’s best and most affecting work.” —Twangville.com
CONTACT Abe Bradshaw
15
GINA FOX
SONG “Feelin’ Me”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Her Name Is Gina (Burnt, But Never Broken Records)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Gina Fox, Dennis Gruenling
LINKS Facebook MySpace YouTube
HOME New Jersey
SHOWS around the Garden State through April (dates)
AND ANOTHER THING Blues singer Gina Fox, whose musical family includes a dramatic soprano mother and grandpa who sang with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, began her own career at the age of 12. Lady Sings The Blues began Gina’s love affair with jazz and blues, which has culminated in her latest album, Her Name Is Gina. Fox has shared stages with Kim Wilson (The Fabulous Thunderbirds), Little Charlie & The Nightcats and Rod Piazza And The Mighty Flyers, among others.
QUOTE “Gina Fox is a great Blues singer with a beautifully expressive voice…for those of you who appreciate the Great American Songbook and who have appreciated the blues artists who have dived into that Songbook with gusto, this CD is for you.” —Steve Jones, Crossroads Blues Society
CONTACT Gina Fox Gruenling 732.948.6371
SONG “Blue Moonlight” (radio edit)
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Too Many Times EP (Sha-La Music)
ON SALE spring 2010
PRODUCED BY Robert Allen, Ben Elliott
HOME Hillsdale, New Jersey
AND ANOTHER THING The radio edit of “Blue Moonlight” is from DownTown Mystic’s EP, Too Many Times, a precursor to their third full-length CD, Standing Still; look for Standing Still later this spring. DownTown Mystic centers on fellow singer/songwriter/guitarists Robert Allen and Bruce Engler, and as with much of their music “Blue Moonlight” was recorded with drummer Steve Holley (Wings, Dar Williams, Marshall Crenshaw) and bassist Paul Page (Ian Hunter, The Smithereens, Popa Chubby).
QUOTE “This is feel good music.” —Wildy’s World
CONTACT Robert Allen 201.664.1955
17
PANIC YEARS
SONG “Sea Change”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Panic Years EP (Independent)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Mark Padgett, Rob Sweitzer
HOME Philadelphia
AIRPLAY WRXP, Y-Rock on XPN
AND ANOTHER THING Panic Years features Amy Miller, recently PD/MD of Norfolk, Virginia’s WTYD, on guitar and keys, and singer Ed Everett, who moved to Philly from Norfolk in 2008 before hooking up with Adam Smith (bass) and Kevin Kurtz (drums). Within a year they were named 1st Runner-Up for Best Local Band on Philadelphia’s commercial Alternative station; all told they’ve been on over 200 stations, including WRXP and Y-Rock on XPN. “Sea Change” is from Panic Years’ debut EP.
QUOTE “Panic Years aren’t your indie-rock/blog-rock trendy band of the moment, which makes them even more appealing. They’re a straight-up alternative- and punk-influenced band that knows how to write some great songs and play like they mean it!” —Bruce Warren, WXPN
CONTACT Amy Miller 925.785.2287
18
NEIL NATHAN
SONG “To You (A Happy Birthday Song)”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD single (Pirate Vinyl)
ON SALE March 2010
PRODUCED BY Neil Nathan, Jason Candler
LINKS Facebook MySpace YouTube
HOME New York City
AND ANOTHER THING Neil Nathan’s stripped-down version of Jeff Lynne’s “Do Ya” (The Move, ELO) was featured on both Showtime’s Californication and its Season 2 soundtrack. “To You (A Happy Birthday Song)” finds Nathan writing his own version of another well-known classic, “Happy Birthday To You.” (“I’ve never liked the original,” Nathan notes.) Grab a free download of “To You (A Happy Birthday Song)” here. Nathan’s next album, The Distance Calls, is coming this spring.
QUOTE “Like Chris Isaak, full of longing.” —Jennifer Kelly, music journalist (Popmatters, Dusted, Neumu)
CONTACT Peter Hay (Twin Vision) 718.369.1370
19
PENNAN BRAE
SONG “Something’s Missing”
AVAILABLE FOR AIRPLAY now
CD Shaded Joy (Independent)
ON SALE now
PRODUCED BY Adam Gallant, Matt Wilson, Paul Milner
LINKS Facebook MySpace Twitter
HOME Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
AND ANOTHER THING Shaded Joy was the first of two CDs released in 2009 by singer/songwriter Pennan Brae; it’s already been played on about 70 College stations in Canada and the US, along with stations in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe. This classically trained pianist learned to play guitar and harmonica as a teenager in Toronto, and the homesickness brought on by a cross-country move to Vancouver spawned his first songwriting venture at age 18.
CONTACT Amanda Alexandrakis (South Beach Music Promotion) 303.952.0249
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