Wednesday, July 31, 2013

KINGSLEY FLOOD STEPS ONTO NATIONAL STAGE AT NEWPORT FOLK FEST

"WE WERE GOBSMACKED" – AMERICAN SONGWRITER

"SPECIAL PROPS" - BILLBOARD

Kingsley Flood kicked off the Newport Folk Festival on the Fort Stage (the fest's largest) in a set captured by NPR Music.

Paste Magazine's Dacey Orr had named them one of ten bands to catch at Newport, saying, "This hardworking band is rapidly making an impression nationally. Their recent album 'Battles' holds several tracks that translate into rowdy on-stage anthems."

Rolling Stone's James Joiner said, "Kingsley Flood kicked off the main stage, shirking the rain with puddle-splashing, foot-stomping folk rock and their signature high energy."

Billboard's Devon Maloney wrote, "Special props ought to be given to a pre-rain, fest-opening set by energetic Boston mainstays Kingsley Flood."

American Songwriter's Sean Maloney testified, "We had never heard these guys before but we were gobsmacked – GOBSMACKED – by the Boston band’s soulful, folk rockin’ shimmy on the Fort Stage. We heard echoes of X’s sun-scorched punk, moments of Muscle Shoals groove and some gnarly fuzz bass, which was the last thing we thought we would hear at a folk festival. It was great way to kick off our fest and their new album Battles made a great soundtrack for the ride home."

Stream 'Battles' here.

Pigeons & Planes blog called the set "a great live show," continuing that they "did not disappoint… At turns riotous folk rock, at others pastoral stillness, the overarching theme is their infinitely palpable passion."

Their hometown press echoed these sentiments. The Boston Globe offered, "Kingsley Flood played a triumphant set on the Fort Stage Friday afternoon, alternating between heart-on-sleeve ballads and all-out rockers."

DigBoston said, "For KF I saw more enthusiasm than I saw at a bunch of the much bigger acts… when they left the stage I immediately missed them."

The Boston Herald said that Kingsley Flood "absolutely killed it, thrilling a huge crowd."

NPR Music premiered the "Sigh a While" video on July 17.

Kingsley Flood Tour Dates

August 17, 2013 - Lowell Summer Music Series - Lowell, MA (w/ Josh Ritter)
September 13, 2013 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA (w/ Toy Soldiers)
September 20, 2013 - Black Cat - Washington, DC           
October 12, 2013 - Paradise Rock Club - Boston, MA

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

HOT ON HEELS OF NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL SET & OPENING SLOT FOR JASON ISBELL, FAST-RISING AMERICANA SONGWRITER JOE FLETCHER TO MAKE MERCURY LOUNGE DEBUT JULY 30


"RAW BEAUTY" – BOSTON PHOENIX

Fast-rising Americana songwriter Joe Fletcher will make his Mercury Lounge debut in NYC on July 30, immediately following his Newport Folk Festival set July 27 and an opening slot in Boston for Jason Isbell July 29.

Fletcher, whose sound swirls deep blues, outlaw country, and Americana influences, made his Newport debut last year. He has also opened for Deer Tick, The Low Anthem, John Doe, Murder By Death, and Lucero and recorded with John McCauley (Deer Tick). Earlier this year, he was featured as an icon of GQ's SXSW Street Style 2013 spread.

The Boston Phoenix called his 2011 album 'White Lighter' "raw beauty," continuing, "The listener can't help but be swept up in each of the 12 tracks. Lyrically, Fletcher bleeds George Jones, Merle Haggard, and Johnny Cash with first-hand accounts of barstool outlaws and the family man blues, while his acoustic skills invite comparisons to Townes Van Zandt."

DigBoston has called him "the most famous man in Rhode Island," praising his "raucous live shows."

No Depression says, "His signature brand of dark and lyrically driven honky tonk is interspersed with a softer side that would make Hagg or Jones proud."

Click here for Fletcher's amazing Daytrotter session.

Click here for Fletcher's music videos.

Click here for press photos of Fletcher (scroll down for high res photos).

Later in the year, he will perform at the Americana Fest and Muddy Roots Festival with exact slots to be announced.

WHO: Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons, with Bobby Bare Jr., Joshua Black Wilkins, Christopher Paul Stelling
WHAT: Mercury Lounge debut
WHEN: Tuesday, July 30, 2013
WHERE: Mercury Lounge, 217 E. Houston St. (between Ludlow & Essex), NYC
TICKETS: $10 in advance, $12 day of show via Mercury Lounge box office

Monday, July 22, 2013

NPR MUSIC'S BOB BOILEN PREMIERES KINGSLEY FLOOD'S NEW VIDEO

NEWPORT FOLK FEST; OPENING DATE FOR JOSH RITTER; AND PASTE VIDEO SESSION NEAR



Kingsley Flood is set for a huge summer as NPR Music's Bob Boilen premiered the new video for "Sigh a While," writing, "this song from Boston's Kingsley Flood, is written to inspire."

Over the next month, they will:

  • Make their Newport Folk Festival debut July 26 at 2:30pm on the Fort Stage
  • Record an acoustic session for Paste Magazine at the Festival
  • And open a concert for Josh Ritter.

Filmed as one continuous, unedited shot, "Sigh a While" finds the band staging a series of car crashes and the filming saw interventions from cops and concerned bystanders. With the light fading and after a mad dash to the hardware store for more roadside flares, they had one last chance to get it right and director Christopher Cannucciari nailed it. Khuri still has a scar on his wrist from holding the flare during the shoot.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

RI'S JOE FLETCHER TO HOST NASHVILLE TO NEWPORT LINEUP AT NEWPORT FOLK FESTIVAL JULY 27

LINEUP INCLUDES JOHN MCCAULEY, AMANDA SHIRES, PATRICK SWEANY, AND MORE AS WELL AS JOE FLETCHER AND THE WRONG REASONS

Joe Fletcher – the Rhode Island native who has opened for Deer Tick, The Low Anthem, and Lucero – will host, curate, and personally back up Newport Folk Festival's Nashville To Newport. Fletcher, a veteran of the 2012 Newport Folk Festival, is planning a fall release for his new album 'You've Got The Wrong Man.' Set for Saturday, July 27, Nashville To Newport features Amanda Shires, Andrew Combs, Derek Hoke, John McCauley (Deer Tick), Joshua Black Wilkins, Patrick Sweany, Shelly Colvin, Steelism, RayLand Baxter, and Joe Fletcher & the Wrong Reasons. The hard-touring Fletcher says, "In my travels I have spent a good deal of time in Nashville, and I have witnessed some of the greatest musical moments of my life in smoky, little East Nashville bars and Lower Broadway honky tonks."

Click here for Fletcher's amazing Daytrotter session.

Click here for Fletcher's music videos.

Click here for press photos of Fletcher (scroll down for high res photos).

Whether seeing her perform as fiddler for Jason Isbell, Justin Townes Earle, or leading the band through her own gorgeous songs, Amanda Shires is undoubtedly a performer who has been living and breathing her music for a very long time. At age 15, she was playing fiddle in the legendary Texas Playboys and since then her resume has only become more diverse and impressive. I have worn out my copy of her third solo release Carrying Lightning and I couldn’t be more excited to see her back at center stage this year in Newport.

Last October, I saw Andrew open for Jason Isbell in a park in Birmingham, AL. I watched Andrew take the stage with only a guitar in front of thousands waiting to see their headlining local hero. By the end of the first song he had this crowd in the palm of his hand with his cool, measured delivery and songs of a life and love gone sour. American Songwriter selected his 2012 release Worried Man as one of the year’s best.

Derek has hosted me at the renowned $2 Tuesday at The Five Spot in East Nashville countless times and each time he and his band effortlessly stun the house with their special brand of “quietbilly.” His latest record Waiting All Night features an impressive list of guests and has earned the attention of NPR’s All Things Considered.

I first met John in 2007 when we were both booked to play a mutual friend’s going away party on Smith Hill in Providence, RI. Word was already flowing through the city that this was the man to see, and I was very curious if not a little skeptical to know if he was deserving of the hype. That night, the then 22 year old left me with no doubt that he was already a musician and entertainer of the highest order and that I had a lot to learn from him. Whether fronting Deer Tick, Middle Brother, Diamond Rugs or standing alone with his guitar, you can’t help but know you’ve crossed paths with a man that is truly one of a kind.

My first encounter with Joshua came a few years back when he opened for Justin Townes Earle in Northampton, MA. I was immediately drawn to his jarringly honest songs of heartache and betrayal and his take it or leave it attitude. He is as direct and focused as you will ever find, and his brand new record Fair Weather is only more proof that this man is a master of his trade.

With his band or alone with a guitar and stomp box, Patrick Sweany is a world class party starter. He summons Rev. Gary Davis, Joe Tex, and Little Richard, but never loses sight of telling his own story. He is a true blue rock n’ soul man to the core and one of the finest guitar players alive today. With two Dan Auerbach-produced records under his belt and his new record Close to the Floor coming July 15, there is no better time to board this train.

When you see Shelly take the stage, you may be reminded of one of several of country music’s greatest. Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Emmylou Harris all jumped to my mind at last year’s SXSW. Her timelessness and achingly beautiful melodies have attracted collaborators such as Old Crow Medicine Show. Her 2012 record Up the Hickory Down the Pine is the perfect document of this true original.

On their debut EP The Intoxicating Sounds of Pedal Steel & Guitar, Spencer Cullum Jr. and Jeremy Fetzer take the pedal steel vs. Telecaster bottle fight to the next level. You'll hear them effortlessly slide from dreamy surf to 50's raunch to blown-out talk box psychedelia. You may have seen one of these gentlemen backing up Jonny Fritz, Caitlin Rose, or Andrew Combs, but on this day they will rightly be at center stage. They floored me this past January at The Basement in Nashville, and I'll be surprised if this blend of classic musicianship and fresh adventures is not one of the most talked about sets at the festival this year.

This past March I wandered into a friend's sock shop in Manhattan just as RayLand was plugging in his amplifier to play a few songs. Before this, I had only met him in passing and had never heard him sing. Within seconds I was drawn in by his undeniably honest manner and songs that sound as though they were delivered in a dream rather than written. His debut record Feathers and Fishhooks is a perfect document of a man who is clearly more interested in the journey and unconcerned with the destination.

As we put the finishing touches of our third album You’ve Got the Wrong Man (fall 2013), The Wrong Reasons and I are very grateful to be returning for our second straight Newport Folk Festival appearance. It is made all the more special that we will be backing up some of our favorite Nashville musicians as well as collaborating with them on our own material. The possibilities set by this particular collection of artists guarantee a magical atmosphere that is, to me, what the true spirit of the Newport Folk Festival is all about.

Joe Fletcher clips

Refinery 29 SXSW style round-up

Daytrotter Oct 12, 2012

GQ SXSW 2013 Street Style

Billy Reid, August 22, 2013

Country Weekly feature, October 13, 2014

Entertainment Weekly album stream, October 3, 2014

Rolling Stone Americana Fest preview, September 15, 2014

Paste song premiere, September 18, 2014

Wondering Sound song premiere, September 15, 2014

Esquire song premiere, August 28, 2014


Kingsley Flood "Sigh a While" video


Directed by Chris Cannucciari

Monday, July 15, 2013

THE GUARDIAN (UK), "KNOCKED SIDEWAYS BY JOHN MURRY," NAMES 'THE GRACELESS AGE' ONE OF 2013'S BEST

The Guardian (UK) has named John Murry's 'The Graceless Age' (Evangeline Recording Co.) one of 2013's best, with critic Michael Hann writing, "I was knocked sideways by John Murry's 'The Graceless Age.'

Murry will perform July 20 at Dilettante Studios in Los Angeles and August 4 at the Art & Soul Festival in Oakland and shortly, he will announce details of a national tour opening for Shuggie Otis.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

"ALLURING, EMOTIONAL, AND INFECTIOUS" (NPR) JOHN MURRY TO PERFORM AT DILETTANTE STUDIOS JULY 20

"I DON’T EXPECT TO HEAR A BETTER ALBUM THIS YEAR… 5 STARS." – THE GUARDIAN

John Murry -- the Bay Area-based second cousin of William Faulkner's who makes incredible Southern indie-noir music -- will perform at Dilettante Studios in Los Angeles on July 20. Roger Manning, Jr (Beck), Joe Goldring (Hope Sandoval, Sun Kil Moon), Michael Mullen, and David Baerwald (Joni Mitchell, Robbie Robertson) will perform with Murry. Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother) and Carlos Forster (M. Ward) will open the show with their own sets.

US and UK outlets are raving. Most recently, MOJO gave 'The Graceless Age' 5 stars and called it "unique [and] formidable." The Guardian also gave it 5 stars, writing, "I don't expect to hear a better album this year."

NPR World Café called 'The Graceless Age' "alluring, emotional, and infectious" while the Wall Street Journal called it "arresting." Black Book said, "With an arresting sense of honesty and human insight, Murry is man that you should certainly get to know." MTV Hive said, "The guy's got gravitas [with] widescreen imagery and a soulful moan."

WHO: John Murry
WHAT: First Los Angeles Concert
WHEN: July 20, 2013, 8pm
WHERE: Dilletante Studios, 120 N Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles, CA
TICKETS: $5, here

Now based in Oakland, CA, John Murry has lived many lives. He grew up in Elvis' hometown of Tupelo, MS and there's a photo of Elvis in concert that shows his mother reaching out to touch his hand. He was a junkie after he left Memphis to go to that den of iniquity, California. He wrote for the Village Voice for a time. He is William Faulkner's second cousin and friends have described him as lost in the worlds of southern literature. He has seen death in an alley and managed to stumble back from it. These identities come together in 'The Graceless Age.'

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

JOHN MURRY TO PERFORM ON STAGEIT CONCERT JULY 7 AND BOB WEIR'S "WEIR HERE" JULY 10 AS KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN FOR SOPHOMORE ALBUM NEARS $10,000

LA CONCERT PLANNED AT DILETTANTE STUDIOS JULY 20

"5 STARS… FORMIDABLE" – MOJO ON 'THE GRACELESS AGE'

"I DON'T EXPECT TO HEAR A BETTER ALBUM THIS YEAR." – THE GUARDIAN

John Murry -- the Bay Area-based second cousin of William Faulkner's -- will perform on two webcasts in the next week, one for StageIt July 7 and another for Weir Here, streaming live from Bob Weir's TRI Studios July 20.

StageIt is a live show that can be viewed anywhere. The "audience" can chat with other fans and even interact with the performer via the chat window on the show page.

Murry will join a bill with Mark Karan and Tea Leaf Green at the Weir Here session:

He will also perform at Dilettante Studios in Los Angeles on July 20 (120 N Santa Fe Ave.), for which Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother) will open.

Meanwhile, his Kickstarter campaign to record a second album in Dublin is nearing $10,000 and the link includes exclusive video shot in the UK.

The buzz from the UK on Murry is becoming a roar. In addition to past raves from the London Times, BBC, and UNCUT, MOJO's Andy Fyfe gave it 5 stars out of 5, calling it "formidable." In a MOJO Rising profile by Fyfe, he calls 'The Graceless Age' (Evangeline Recording Co. in the US) "a Southern gothic Americana symphony that twists beautiful, maudlin melodies around the dramatically brutal story of Murry's personal fall," continuing, "Compellingly honest... It is a product of the way Murry writes about the grit and drama and desperation of those days that makes 'The Graceless Age' unique."

The Guardian gave the debut 5 stars, calling it "extraordinary, a profound and moving meditation – the kind of album that answers questions you didn't realise you were asking... expertly done... brutal, frank and beautiful... I don't expect to hear a better album this year." Most tellingly, Michael Hann writes, "John Murry's would be a compelling story had he never made a record – grandson of William Faulkner, an addict who lost his wife and child and home, and almost his life."

In the US, NPR World Café called 'The Graceless Age' "alluring, emotional, and infectious" while the Wall Street Journal called it "arresting."

Black Book said, "With an arresting sense of honesty and human insight, Murry is man that you should certainly get to know."

MTV Hive said, "The guy's got gravitas [with] widescreen imagery and a soulful moan."