BLOG RETIRING, NEW WEBSITE UP

I will not be updating this blog as of today. For updates, please go to the website of Nick Loss-Eaton Media.

SPECTACULAR NEW AMERICANA VOICE MELANIE BRULÉE CONFIRMS TOUR DATES AS EARLY BUZZ BUILDS FROM WMOT, THE BOOT, NO DEPRESSION

WESTERN ROAD TRIP-THEMED ALBUM ‘FIRES, FLOODS & THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND’ OUT OCT. 19

 

Following her two Americana Fest sets, Melanie Brulée has confirmed a series of tour dates following the release of her new album ‘Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind.’ The album draws parallels between letting go of destructive habits and with a big-sky, widescreen, western landscape in which it was written.

 

The adroit songwriter is earning early buzz from the likes of WMOT-FM Nashville, on which she appeared on Friday, and The Boot, which posted her video for “Whiskey and Whine."

 

Spotify has placed her on its Down Home Country playlist and No Depression says, “Melanie Brulée's new album, Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind, explores the wide open spaces of the Wild West -- and she's got the voice to fill it.”

 

Melanie Brulee Tour Dates:

 

November 6 – New York, NY – Hill Country Live

November 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Philadelpia Folk Song Society

November 16 – Washington, D.C. - Hill Country Live

November 20 – Boston, MA – Atwood’s

Gregory Mulkern artwork

Mark Edgar Stuart "Mad At Love" official music video

Butcher Brown "Camden Square"

DYNAMIC JAZZ/HIP HOP/FUNK COLLECTIVE BUTCHER BROWN ADDED TO KAMASI WASHINGTON TOUR

NEW ALBUM ‘CAMDEN SESSION’ RECORDED AT MARK RONSON’S STUDIO OCT 12. ON GEARBOX RECORDS

 

SINGLE “CAMDEN SQUARE” OUT TODAY

 

Butcher Brown has been added as direct support for jazz star Kamasi Washington’s national tour this fall and winter. An incredibly dynamic collective, Butcher Brown reveals jazz, funk, and hip hop influences swirling together into an incredible groove. A recent late night show at the Blue Note saw a line out the door of young fans, playing a sweaty packed two-hour set. Already this year, the band has played both jam band festival Lock’n and indie rock fest Otis Mountain and did a live Paste Magazine session. NPR says, "The young quartet traffics in loose, groove-based instrumentals, often laid-back and with a healthy dose of boom-boom-chick." Here they are performing “Street Pharmacy” live at the Paste studio.

 

Today marks the release of “Camden Square,” the first single from ‘Camden Session,’ which was recorded at Mark Ronson’s London studio. Shareable link.

 

Part of a new wave of young jazz mixing the genre with other influences, the band has been described notably as “hip hop Mahavishnu.” Multi-instrumentalist Devonne Harris aka DJ Harrison played keys and synths on Jack White’s latest album “Boarding House Reach” and took part in his third collaborative Playlist Retreat, headed by DJ Jazzy Jeff. A percussion prodigy turned international jazz sideman, drummer Corey Fonville’s national performance career began when he was just 14, with a 2005 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. The group also features trumpeter and saxophone player Marcus Tenney; wunderkind guitarist Morgan Burrs; bassist Andrew Randazzo.

 

 

‘CAMDEN SESSION’ TRACK LIST

 

1. Pre-Cut Interlude #1
2. Fiat
3. Street Pharmacy
4. Pre-Cut Interlude #2
5. Camden Square
6. 918

 

BUTCHER BROWN TOUR DATES

 

September 14 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry

September 15 – Charlottesville, VA – Belmont Park

October 4 – Syracuse, NY – Westcott Theater (w/ Turkuaz)

October 5 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom (w/ Turkuaz)

October 6 – Saratoga Springs, NY - Putnam Place (w/ Turkuaz)

October 11 – Chattanooga, TN – Songbirds (w/ Turkuaz)

October 14 – Greensboro, NC – The Blind Tiger (w/ Turkuaz)

October 17 – Northampton, MA – Pearl Street Nightclub (w/ Turkuaz)

October 18 – Providence, RI – Fete Music Hall (w/ Turkuaz)

October 24 – Greenville, SC – The Firmament (w/ Turkuaz)

October 25 – Nashville, TN – EXIT/IN (w/ Turkuaz)

October 26 – Covington, KY – Madison Theater (w/ Turkuaz)

November 1 – St. Paul, MN – The Palace (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 2 – Madison, WI – The Sylvee (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 3 – Chicago, IL – The Riv (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 5 – Toronto, ONT – Sony Centre (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 7 – Portland, ME – The State Theatre (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 8 – Boston, MA – The Royale (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 9 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 10 – Washington, D.C. – Lincoln (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 11 – Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Steel (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 14 – Richmond, VA – The National (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 15 – Raleigh, NC – Ritz (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 16 – Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works (w/ Kamasi Washington)

November 17 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theatre (w/ Kamasi Washington)

Butcher Brown artwork

NICK LOSS-EATON MEDIA AT AMERICANAFEST: KEVIN GORDON, MELANIE BRULÉE, DANNY SCHMIDT, DOM FLEMONS, LELAND SUNDRIES

Dom Flemons - Thursday, September 13 - 2-3pm - The Westin, Vanderbilt III

‘Black Cowboys’ (Smithsonian Folkways) has garnered spotlights in Wide Open Country, Cowboys & Indians Magazine, Washington City Paper, American Blues Scene, and American Songwriter. In a performance/chat NPR’s Ann Powers said, “The work Dom Flemons is doing on the West is flat-out revolutionary. Take the time to listen to him talk about 'Black Cowboys.'"

Dom Flemons - Thursday, September 13 - 8:30pm-9:15pm - the Station Inn

Danny Schmidt & Carrie Elkin - Thursday, September 13 - 7:30pm-8pm - Radio Café - Green Room Music Source East Nashville Party

Schmidt has won a Kerrville New Folk award and was named to the Chicago Tribune's 50 Most Significant Songwriters in the Last 50 Years. "Standard Deviation" is the first single from his 2019 album of the same title, which will marks 10 albums and 20 years as a recording artist. His hometown Austin Chronicle said, "Danny Schmidt is spoken of in reverent tones." Q called his art "beautifully crafted, lonesome pines music and complex beguiling words." As fellow songwriter Jeffrey Foucault put it: "Everything about the man is gentle, except for his capacity for insight, which is crushing." He recently released the single “Standard Deviation,” which was posted to Wide Open Country and played on an episode of Welcome To Night Vale and will be played on an episode of Star Talk (with Neil deGrasse Tyson).

Kevin Gordon – Friday, September 14 - 5:30-7 - City Winery Lounge in round w/ Paul Burch and Becky Warren, presented by 30A Songwriters Festival

"Brilliance… Mesmerizing... Gordon delivers another album that comes as close to sonic poetry as anything from any musician who hasn’t already won a Nobel Prize for literature... earthy, literary music... visceral, electric blues-based vibe."

- Scott Stroud, Associated Press, July 27, 2018

“Terrific… Another keeper… He’s one of America’s finest, most literary and talented musicians… it’s the way Gordon crafts his words to reflect reality without cliché that helps the music resonate long after the last note has faded.”

- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter, July 23, 2018

"'Tilt and Shine' may be the best rock ’n’ roll album anyone will release this year in Davidson County and its environs... impressive achievement."

- Edd Hurt, Nashville Scene, July 26, 2018

"I'm struck by his mastery... Nobody in this town is better."

- Ted Drozdowski, Premier Guitar, September, 2018

"Saint on a Chain" music video

Danny Schmidt & Carrie Elkin - Friday, September 14 at 5:35-6:05 - Dee's Country Cocktail Lounge - 5th Annual Wild Ponies Happy Hour

Melanie Brulée – Friday, September 14 - 6:10-6:35pm - 12th & Porter - Folk Alliance’s Finest Folk

Melanie Brulée – a powerful new Americana voice – will release ‘Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind’ on October 19. Inspired by a road trip from Nashville to Las Vegas along Route 66, the music unfolds in widescreen, western textures influenced by Enio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino soundtracks. Her single “I’ll Get Over You” is out now and has already been added to Spotify’s official Down Home Country and Renegade Folk playlists (shareable YouTube link).

Melanie Brulée – Saturday, September 15 - 12:45-1:15pm - InDo Nashville - Canadian Blast

Danny Schmidt & Carrie Elkin - Saturday, September 15 - 1-1:30pm - Michael Weintrob Photography Studio - Campfire Propaganda AMA Day Party

Leland Sundries - Saturday, Sept 15 – 4-4:45pm – Tennessee Brew Works – Finely Tuned Showcase

+ We completed a Paste Magazine session that streamed live via Facebook and YouTube and is archived on the Paste site.

+ We opened the May 18 Low Cut Connie show at Bowery Ballroom in NYC.

+ We will be releasing the single “If You’re Gonna Drive, I’m Gonna Drink” backed with a punk/Americana version of a traditional cowboy song on September 21 followed by a northeast tour. Click to hear both.

Kevin Gordon – Saturday, Sept 15 – 8-9:30pm – Tennessee Brew Works – Finely Tuned Showcase

Kevin Gordon - Sunday, September 16 – 6-6:45pm - The Compound – Sunday Morning Coming Down

POWERFUL NEW AMERICANA VOICE EMERGES AS MELANIE BRULÉE SETS RELEASE DATE FOR ‘FIRES, FLOODS & THINGS WE LEAVE BEHIND’

TWO SHOWCASES SET FOR AMERICANAFEST

 

ADDED TO TWO SPOTIFY PLAYLISTS ALREADY

 

Melanie Brulée – a powerful new Americana voice – will release ‘Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind’ on October 19. Inspired by a road trip from Nashville to Las Vegas along Route 66, the music unfolds in widescreen, western textures influenced by Enio Morricone and Quentin Tarantino soundtracks.

 

She will perform twice at AMERICANAFEST:

 

Friday, September 14 – Folk Alliance’s Finest Folk @ 12^th & Porter – 6:10pm (114 12th Ave N.)

Saturday, September 15 - Canadian Blast showcase @ InDo - 12:45pm (632 Fogg St.).

 

Her single “I’ll Get Over You” is out now and has already been added to Spotify’s official Down Home Country and Renegade Folk playlists (shareable link): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jikuK6pvTgw

 

The album’s 12 songs are loosely based around the idea of the 12 steps of addiction recovery. It is a tip of the hat to loved ones who’ve gotten sober and those who never did, including her dad. It explores the theme of getting go of habits that are no longer useful. ‘Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind’ kicks off with the evocative “I Will,” featuring a western motif and trumpets and would fit on a playlist with Johnny and June’s “Ring of Fire.” “I’ll Get Over You” wrestles with the power of memory but also how to coexist with it. “Pretty Wasteland” was written directly for Brulée’s good friend, who was then newly sober. The hard-driving “Whiskey and Whine” tackles the balance of the past and present while the tender, fingerpicked “Tennessee Years” adds gratitude to love. “Oklahoma Rain” is a character sketch of a roadside breakdown. “We Get Lost” looks to the future with hope and reticence in equal measure.

 

While she grew up in Canada, Brulée has also lived in France and Australia. She currently lives in Toronto but spends a lot of time songwriting in Nashville. She’s already opened for Kathleen Edwards; won a Stingray Music Rising Star Award in Canada; and joined Chicago’s Strategic Touring for US booking.

 

‘Fires, Floods & Things We Leave Behind’ Track Listing

 

1. I Will 2:48

2. I’ll Get Over You 3:32

3. Pretty Wasteland 4:17

4. Can’t Rely on Rain 3:33

5. Whiskey & Whine 3:46

6. Will You Love Me Tomorrow 4:32

7. Tennessee Years 3:12

8. Weak 3:30

9. Oklahoma Rain 4:02

10. Bust It Up & Fix It 4:11

11. We Get Lost 4:21

12. I Will (reprise) 1:27

Melanie Brulée artwork

Click for high res

Credit: Emma Lee

Credit: Emma Lee

Credit: Emma Lee

Credit: Emma Lee

TRIUMPH OUT OF TRAGEDY FOR MARK EDGAR STUART

MADJACK RECORDS TO RELEASE TOP MEMPHIS SONGWRITER’S ‘MAD AT LOVE’ OCT. 12

 

“I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR HIS LATEST ALBUM, MAD AT LOVE.” – GARDEN & GUN MAGAZINE

 

In a one-year span, top Memphis bassist-cum-songwriter Mark Edgar Stuart was diagnosed with lymphoma and lost his father to a heart attack. The combination shook up his world. While convalescing from chemotherapy, he started fingerpicking and working on his singing, neither ever focuses for Stuart, who was long one of Memphis’ first-call bassists, having played with Cory Branan (including on the Late Show with David Letterman) and Jack Oblivian (on ‘Rat City’), among others. He met Levon Helm on Beale Street while playing and the two talked about their mutual Arkanasas origins; Mark used Levon as an inspiration to beat cancer (the latter was in remission at the time). And Mark did. But his father passed away, he found songwriting as the outlet which his grief took. Madjack Records will release ‘Mad At Love,’ Stuart’s third and most mature album, on October 12, 2018.

‘Mad At Love’ tackles tough subjects, often couples in trouble. Special guests include Amy Lavere, Liz Brasher, and Al Gamble (of St. Paul & The Broken Bones) on the album, which was produced by Stuart and Fat Possum’s Bruce Watson.

 

Stuart’s first two albums each earned reviews as some of the best of Memphis. Memphis Commercial Appeal said, “One of the city’s best songwriters… Subtly and Expertly crafted.” Memphis Flyer wrote, “One of this city's most vital music-makers… Both 2013's Blues for Lou and last year's Trinity My Dear were revelatory.” No Depression called him a “great raconteur.” He appeared on PBS’ national television show Sun Studio Sessions.

 

Befitting the comparisons to Todd Snider and Robbie Fulks, Stuart’s songs take on multiple meanings over time. ‘Mad At Love’ turns out to be about a widow’s grief but her lack of regret; “Missing You Everyday” is about losing a brother in Afghanistan but pivots on a moment when, not long after his death, the brother’s bass fell and shattered of its own accord; and “Barren Love” explores couples staying together for the sake of a child. “Until We Came Unglued” sees the impact of the death of a beloved pet on a relationship. Stuart says, “I wrote ‘I’ll Be Me’ for my father-in-law or anyone who is struggling with addiction. He's pleading with his loved ones (his daughter/ my wife) that he's going to get better and walk a straight path.  He's no longer going to be someone she doesn't know anymore.”

 

Two-thousand-eighteen marks Madjack Records’ 20^th anniversary. The storied label has released albums by Cory Branan, Lucero, Susan Marshall, and many others.

 

Stuart also contributed bass to Alvin Youngblood Hart, John Paul Keith & The 145s, Jim Mize, Jimbo Mathus, and on sessions for GRAMMY-winner Matt Ross-Spang (Jason Isbell, Margo Price, John Prine).

 

Mark Edgar Stuart Tour Dates

 

September 16 – Millington, TN– The Shelby Forrest General Store

September 18 – Oklahoma City, OK – Blue Note Lounge

September 21 – Red River, MN – Red River Folk Festival

September 28 – Little Rock, AR – South On Main

September 30 – Memphis, TN – Railgarten

October 20 – Memphis, TN – Railgarten (Madjack Records 20^th anniversary show)

Melanie Brulee "I'll Get Over You"

ROLLING STONE SPOTLIGHTS MEMPHIS’ IMPALA, FEATURING MEMBERS OF THE BO-KEYS AND AFGHAN WHIGS

Memphis’ Impala – and instrumental band that draws from surf, spaghetti western, noir, blues, and soul and features members of the Afghan Whigs and The Bo-Keys – has released ‘In The Late Hours’ on Electraphonic Recordings and it’s earned notice from Rolling Stone, American Songwriter, Memphis Flyer, Elmore, and Glide. Here’s what we’re reading:

“A truly unique sound, one that’s retro without lapsing into mimicry.”
- Robert Crawford, Rolling Stone, August 24, 2018: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/10-best-country-and-americana-songs-of-the-week-eric-church-jillian-jacqueline-715173/

“4 stars out of 5… mighty… compelling.”
- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter, August 21, 2018

“Intoxicating.”
- Neil Ferguson, Glide Magazine, August 9, 2018

Music Maker Relief Foundation 2018 logo

Click for high res

Leland Sundries

Butcher Brown bio

Butcher Brown is an up-to-the minute throwback to the great progressive jazz bands of the 60s and 70s. Whilst all members were born after the mid-70s golden age of fusion, their modern, hip-hop-inflected funk has rich echoes of Weather Report, Return to Forever, early Earth Wind and Fire and, perhaps, a pungent whiff of Zappa. Like those bands, Butcher Brown’s unified sound comes from the intertwined talents of the five members, each bringing something unique to the mix.

Whilst each individual member maintains their own illustrious side-projects (working with artists such as Christian Scott, Nigel Hall, Mumu Fresh, Black Thought, Phonte, Rapsody, 9th Wonder), Butcher Brown is a hard-working band in an era where most groups are fleeting assemblages, together only long enough to record. The band cultivate a dedicated audience through combining a conventional, label-oriented approach with releasing “underground” tapes, disciplined rehearsal and engaging, adventurous performance. Recent high-profile performances include touring with Galactic last year & performing alongside bands such as Lettuce, Eric Krasno, Soullive, John Schofield, Tauk, & Motet whilst their future schedule looks packed as they prepare to support Kamasi Washington’s US dates this autumn.

Butcher Brown’s releases to date range from the polished soul/funk of “All Purpose Music” (Ropeadope) (2014) to the 20-track underground groove-laden beats cassette “GrownFolk” in 2015. Both were released to critical acclaim and explains their almost cult status in the music world. The band have come in leaps and bounds in recent times: last year’s “Live at the Vagabond” (Gearbox) record showcases the raw energy of their live shows, whilst the band’s most recent Bandcamp release, Afrobeat-themed “Afrokuti: A Tribute to Fela”, provides further testament to the band’s tight synchronicity as well as the truly unbelievable musical capabilities of each band member.

Multi-instrumentalist Devonne Harris is arguably the visionary of this egalitarian band. His responsive keyboard work shapes the harmonic colors through which the music pulses and flows. Under the name DJ Harrison, he’s created a vast catalog of hip hop beat tapes. He recently released a solo album entitled “Hazy Moods” on Stones Throw Records, the Los Angeles label responsible for releases by Madlib, J Dilla, and many more. Jellowstone Records, his home studio, is a pivotal focus of the vital Richmond music scene, with a growing reputation drawing big name visitors including Nicholas Payton (who recorded his 2014 record “Numbers” there with Butcher Brown). Recently projects include playing keys and synths on Jack White’s latest album “Boarding House Reach,” having selections featured on Phonte’s solo album “No News is Good News,” and taking part in DJ Jazzy Jeff’s 2^nd and 3^rd annual Playlist Retreat

Bassist Andrew Randazzo is arguably the band’s navigator. “He’s the cool one, the calm one. He’s the mortar, binding together the rhythmic and harmonic side of the music. Both onstage and off, he holds everything together and makes everything go smoothly. And he is an amazing player.” In the band’s funk-inflected music, the foundation is foreground; the bass as much a lead as a rhythm instrument.

Drummer Corey Fonville is pure explosive energy. “He’s always ready for battle,” Harris says. “A huge, controlling factor in our sound.”  A percussion prodigy turned international jazz sideman, Fonville’s national performance career when he was just 14, with a 2005 appearance on Late Night with David Letterman. In the years since, Fonville’s taken his propulsive energy around the world, playing with Christian Scott at New York’s The Blue Note and performing alongside Chris “Daddy” Dave in China. He’s the beating heart of Butcher Brown, pumping out fresh, danceable rhythmic complexities aimed at both the brain and the hips.

Guitarist Morgan Burrs is the youngest of the group. Coming from a family of musicians, and being surrounded by all types of music since birth, you could say he was destined to lead a life as a musician. In high school, he was awarded 2 full tuition scholarships to study at Berklee College of Music’s 5 Week Summer program 2 years in a row, & having attended VCU, he’s become a force on the Richmond Music scene. He’s recently performed at Budweiser’s Made In America Festival with hip-hop producer legend 9^th Wonder and rapper Rapsody

Marcus Tenney is a multi-instrumentalist from Richmond, Virginia. Working freelance since 2005, Marcus has been playing trumpet and saxophone with bands such as Foxygen and No BS! Brass. He has also done studio/session  work for Spacebomb Records and records and performs original music with a host of his own ensembles. Marcus has worked with artists such as Braxton Cook, Count Bass D, Matthew E. White, Natalie Prass, Billy Williams and many others.

As a band dedicated to innovation and informed by a love of the past, Butcher Brown’s modernistic fusion is aptly described as “hip hop Mahavishnu.” Impressive as they are individually, together they are something increasingly rare: a real band, playing for their audience and for each other, on the verge of a brilliant future.

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Mark Edgar Stuart artwork

Click for high res

Credit: Johnathan Thomason

Credit: Johnathan Thomason

Credit: Johnathan Thomason

Credit: Johnathan Thomason

Marie/Lepanto "Inverness" music video

MEMPHIS INSTURMENTAL COMBO IMPALA TO RELEASE 1ST ALBUM IN 12 YEARS WITH ‘IN THE LATE HOURS’ (AUGUST 24 / ELECTRAPHONIC RECORDINGS), CELEBRATING BAND’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY

MEMPHIS INSTURMENTAL COMBO IMPALA TO RELEASE 1^ST ALBUM IN 12 YEARS WITH ‘IN THE LATE HOURS’ (AUGUST 24 / ELECTRAPHONIC RECORDINGS), CELEBRATING BAND’S 25^TH ANNIVERSARY

SCOTT BOMAR (THE BO-KEYS, DON BRYANT, HUSTLE & FLOW) AT THE HELM

 

One of Memphis’ stalwarts of the great ‘90s garage scene, instrumental band Impala, will return with ‘In The Late Hours,’ out August 24 on Electraphonic Recordings, drawing on Memphis’ garage, blues, and soul traditional and incorporating surf, spaghetti western, music from spy movies, and music to strip by. It’s the band’s first album since 2006's ‘Night Full of Sirens.’

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The band has impeccable credentials: its debut was co-produced by Sun Records and Jerry Lee Lewis veteran Roland Janes; they opened shows for Dick Dale and Davie Allen & The Arrows; had music in George Clooney’s film “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” Scott Bomar, the group’s bassist, began producing and running his own studio, formed the seminal blues-soul combo the Bo-Keys, and began composing, creating scores for films such as Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan and Mississippi Grind. Other Impalas include trumpeter Marc Franklin, who was a member of the bands of Gregg Allman and Bobby "Blue" Bland, and drummer Paul Buchignani, formerly of The Afghan Whigs.

Impala reformed in 2017, and after woodshedding with a series of local gigs, returned to the recording studio to create this brand-new album, aptly titled In the Late Hours. Recorded at Bomar’s Electraphonic Studios in downtown Memphis, In the Late Hours features ten intoxicating guitar- and sax-driven R&B songs, born out of that golden era of Memphis music when rockabilly, rhythm and blues, jazz, garage and soul music collided. These songs channel potent ghosts—namely, Packy Axton, Willie Mitchell and Ike Turner, all pioneers of Memphis’ instrumental scene—but they’re hardly derivative. They bristle with urgency and make your heart beat fast.

Danny Schmidt clips

We were so excited to feature @dannyschmidt's new single, "Standard Deviation," as The Weather in episode 131. You can listen to the song again and help Danny fund the production of his next album here: https://t.co/cp6yiC92V1 pic.twitter.com/j2StwdXD0n

— Night Vale podcast (@NightValeRadio) August 8, 2018

Wide Open Country premiere (July 31, 2018)

Nick Loss-Eaton Media Spotify Playlist

Danny Schmidt photos

Click for high res
Credits: Chris Carson

DHARMASOUL SIGN TO CONCERTED EFFORTS AMID ACCLAIM

TWO-PIECE RELEASES  VIDEO TO HARD-GROOVING SONG "TASTE SO SWEET"

Groove-based music two-piece Dharmasoul has signed to booking agency Concerted Efforts, home to Irma Thomas, Josh Ritter, Belly, Booker T., John Doe, Juliana Hatfield, Naomi Shelton, Jolie Holland, and Rhiannon Giddens. Dharmasoul – whose foot-tapping debut album ‘Lightning Kid’ has earned praise as well as 150,000 Spotify plays in only a few weeks – mixes R&B, folk, gospel, funk, soul, blues, and jazz music.

The band just released its psychedelic new video for the funky blues tune "Taste So Sweet": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTOYoGTzx_c

Paste Magazine session: https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/05/dharmasoul-full-session.html

Here’s what we’re reading:

“Great.”
-Brian Stollery, Relix, June 6, 2018

“Soulful… The duo mixes a variety of American idioms, starting with New Orleans-style blues, funk and soul and stretching into a variety of dusty, dirty, gritty subgenres that come together under one giant mosaic tent. These influences are woven together seamlessly, handled with an authenticity and ease": ”
- Jedd Beaudoin, Pop Matters, May 30, 2018

“Dharmasoul opens your heart.”
- Elmore Magazine, April 26, 2018

“Compelling.”
- Grateful Web, April 24, 2018

“Auspicious debut… destined for a fabulous future.”
- Richard Ludmerer, Making a Scene, June 28, 2018

“Uplifting.”
- Ryan Spaulding, Ryan’s Smashing Life, December 28, 2017

"Fun"
- Pop Dust, July 7, 2017

Dharmasoul Tour Dates

July 14 – Arden, DE - Shady Grove Festival
July 25 – Cambridge, MA – Toad
July 26 – Hartford, CT – Hog River Brewing
July 27 – Bar Harbor, ME – Lompoc Café
August 11 – Hopewell Theatre – Hopewell, NJ

Concerted Efforts is a music booking agency exclusively representing a diverse roster of critically acclaimed national and international artists. Founded as a booking and management agency for roots music artists in 1979, the Massachusetts-based company has grown and developed into one of the most diverse and successful music agencies in the country. Concerted Efforts is proud to represent an outstanding roster of some of the foremost artists in the world music, folk, country, singer/songwriter, rock, jazz, and blues genres. 

Dharmasoul "Taste So Sweet" video

Theotis Taylor "Something Within Me"

Eric Andersen "Under the Shadows" music vido

Under The Shadows from Paul Lamont on Vimeo.

Salmon's Run artwork

 
Click for high res

Salmon's Run trailers

Impala photo

Click for high res

Click for high res, credit: Dan Ball

Impala bio

Impala was formed in Memphis, TN in the early 1990s. Their first long

player, El Rancho Reverbo, was co-produced by the legendary Roland
Janes (Jerry Lee Lewis' guitar player and session player at Sun
Records) at Sam Phillips Recording Service. After receiving rave
reviews and gaining exposure playing one-niters across the South East,
Impala was picked up by West Coast label, Estrus Records. The band's
first release on Estrus was Kings of the Strip, recorded at famed
Easley Studio in Memphis. Following the release of this album, Impala
toured relentlessly, appearing at Garage festivals such as Garage
Shock, Sleezefest, Crap Out and Dixie Fried and appearing on shows
with guitar legends Dick Dale and Davie Allen and the Arrows. Over the
past decade numerous films and television shows have featured the
band's music. Most notable is Impala's arrangement of Henry Mancini's
"Experiment in Terror" in the George Clooney's, Chuck Barris biopic,
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.   

When Impala surfaced on the Memphis garage scene in 1993, local
audiences hardly knew what hit them. The group built a sonic time
machine that, once you paid the cover charge and crawled on board,
might deposit you in 1955, 1967, or 2239. With just one song, they
could turn gritty, dumpy Barristers into West Memphis' time-honored
Plantation Inn, the home of their musical ancestors like the Mar-Keys,
the Packers, and the Royal Spades. Another tune would drop you into
Ennio Morricone's wasteland desertscapes; still another would
transport you to a New Orleans whorehouse, on a magical night when all
the girls were turning tricks for free. Instrumentals exploded from the amplifiers with a rumbling guitar, a honking sax, the type of drumbeat that
liberated strippers from their spangled costumes, and a
steeped-in-Memphis tradition bass line. The kind of nervous energy
that could propel a sensible Catholic schoolgirl into the arms of a
dangerous man, make a sailor catapult off the mast into a stormy sea,
or cause a veteran gunslinger to fire madly into the air before
plunging over a rocky cliff. The 'party now, because we're gonna pay
later' attitude that pervades the Southern consciousness, from
Tennessee Williams' plays to Jerry Lawler's ringside antics.

Estrus Records released Kings of the Strip (recorded at Easley-McCain
Recording Studio) and Square Jungle (cut at Sam Phillips) soon
followed. Impala proved perfect for then-nascent filmmaker John Michael
McCarthy, who needed a score for his movie Teenage Tupelo. Several
years later, George Clooney tapped Impala's back catalog for a medley
of Henry Mancini's "Experiment in Terror" and Duane Eddy's "Stalkin'"
which ended up in the Chuck Barris bio pic Confessions of a Dangerous
Mind. Another song, "Incident on the Tenth Floor" was used in the
trailer for the indie flick Way of the Gun.

The time spent offstage was never dull, the men of Impala amused
themselves with genuine Italian switchblades (purchased, naturally, at
an Arizona truck stop), intra-vehicular fireworks (Missouri's Boom
Land was a favored stop), and detours to shake joints, BBQ stands, and
Norman Petty's recording studio (where Buddy Holly, Roy Orbison, and
the Fireballs laid down infamous tracks) in Clovis, New Mexico.

A mythology, hammered home with songs like "Ronnie and the Renegades"
and "Last Tango in Turrell," was carefully built, then carelessly laid
to waste by beer-fueled gigs and burnt roadmaps, even as Impala wrote
tunes like "Wild Night at the Bloody Bucket," an homage to onetime
Carl Perkins' pianist Bill Grantham, who worked alongside Bomar at
Select-O-Hits, and "King Louie Stomp," a salute to fellow musician
King Louie Bankston of New Orleans' Royal Pendletons. "Choctaw" turned
Jorgen Ingmann's momentous "Apache" inside out and regionalized it,
while "Cozy Corner" acknowledged the Bluff City's best pork ribs. The
never-before-released "Amarillo," meanwhile, proved to be the final
nail in the coffin – cut at the end of the session for Impala Play R&B
Favorites, released on Estrus in '99, it languished in the vaults for
years as the last number Impala ever recorded. Combust or be combusted, these songs instructed. Destroy yourself before the music destroys you. Praise the drumbeat, and pass a bottle of booze to the stage. One final album, an anthology called Night Full of Sirens, was released on Bomar’s label, Electraphonic, in 2006.

Then Impala disappeared. The band was put on ice. Members of the group found other ways to make a living: Bomar, the group’s bassist, began producing and running his own studio, formed the seminal blues-soul combo the Bo-Keys, and began composing, creating scores for films such as Hustle & Flow, Black Snake Moan and Mississippi Grind. Other members turned to bail bonding in Memphis, doing private detective work, and freelancing for various combos at honkytonks and “adult-themed” nightclubs across the U.S.

Yet their muse pursued them like a siren’s call. Unable to resist, Impala reformed in 2017, and after woodshedding with a series of local gigs, returned to the recording studio to create this brand-new album, aptly titled In the Late Hours. Recorded at Bomar’s Electraphonic Studios in downtown Memphis, In the Late Hours features ten intoxicating guitar- and sax-driven R&B songs, born out of that golden era of Memphis music when rockabilly, rhythm and blues, jazz, garage and soul music collided. These songs channel potent ghosts—namely, Packy Axton, Willie Mitchell and Ike Turner, all pioneers of Memphis’ instrumental scene—but they’re hardly derivative. They bristle with urgency and make your heart beat fast. They’ll make you wish for a time long past—when men wore hats in the street and women wore silk stockings fastened with a sexy garter belt. It’s music that is a remedy for hard times. Put it on, and let your mind wander. Take refuge in those darker places. Pour yourself another drink. And make sure the door’s locked—it’s later than you think.

-Andria Lisle, Memphis, TN

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Amy McCarley "High Wire" video featuring Kenny Vaughan

Salmon's Run podcast, episode 1, by Nick Messitte

Kevin Gordon 2018 artwork

Click for high res
All photos credit Jacob Blickenstaff

Kevin Gordon 2018 bio

Kevin Gordon’s Louisiana is a strange place. In his songs, it’s a place where restless teens road trip to where the highway dead-ends at the Gulf of Mexico; a place where prisoners who are in for life compete in a rodeo in front of spectators; where a man can get lost in the humid afternoon and where religion may not signify hope; where the KKK greets a high school marching band and its African-American teacher along a parade route; where a post-ZZ Top show hang out outside a McDonald’s reveals a hidden gun; where a Pontiac GTO gets stolen, ends up in a lake, and punishment takes precedence over remuneration; where half-Comanche folksinger Brownie Ford can escape death and proffer advice on staying real and free; where Jimmy Reed is the true king of rock & roll; and where rivers, never far away, carry secrets behind levees.

The kicker? All of these songs are based on true stories. Kevin Gordon has been exploring Louisiana for twenty years now, on the eve of the release of his powerful new album Tilt & Shine, out July 27, 2018 on Crowville Media. “One of the things I like about it and am mystified by is that what passes for normal in Louisiana would not make the grade elsewhere,” Gordon says. He continues, “It’s only 4 ½ or 5 hours from Monroe,where I grew up,to New Orleans; the influence of south Louisiana, the Acadian culture, the diverse influences of New Orleans, all that stuff kind of floats around the state.” Gordon’s MFA from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop allows him to capture it with a degree of precision. As the New York Times put it in its headline of a feature on Kevin, “A Musician Or A Poet? Yes to Both.” Lucinda Williams said, "He’s writing songs that are like short stories" and noted music journalist Peter Guralnick has said, "Think of John Lee Hooker tied to the hard, imagistic poetry of William Carlos Williams, and you get a little bit of the picture." With all these accolades, it’s no wonder that Gordon’s songs have been covered by the likes of Keith Richards, Levon Helm, Irma Thomas, The Hard Working Americans (featuring Todd Snider), Ronnie Hawkins, Sonny Burgess, and Southside Johnny.

Echoing Faulkner’s famous line that “the past is never dead; it’s not even past,” Kevin declares, “There’s something about that bouncing back and forth between present tense and past tense that provides a powerful energy to work from. There are so many stories in Monroe and it’s a place that nobody pays attention to. It’s still got a real provincial thing about it that is intriguing because you feel like not everything’s been figured out. For me, you can feel the arc of time passing: you can drive by the house you lived in when you were 12; you remember things that happened there. I’m captivated by the power of strong memories—those films that run continuously in your mind, if you let ‘em.”

Before you even hear Kevin Gordon’s vivid lyrics, you start feeling the sound of that ’56 Gibson ES-125 tuned down to low, open D, with the tremolo flowing like a river, and an unstoppable groove distilled from swamp blues and Sun Records. “It inevitably provides weird sounds and chords that I would not have figured out on my own,” Gordon says. “You’re just sitting there playing and listening until something accidental sounds interesting.” It’s also a sound that comes of the four-album partnership with producer Joe McMahan (Patrick Sweany, McCrary Sisters, Shelby Lynne & Allison Moorer) , who says, "It still blows my mind how after all these years he continues to bring songs to the table that are as good or better than anything he has written in the past. When the bar is raised to such a high level by songs like these, it mandates that all of us involved demand the highest level from ourselves. I’m very fortunate to be involved.”

Coming of age in fits and starts is a theme to which Gordon has returned several times and he finds a new story here in the unsettling, insistent groove of “Fire at the End of the World,” a tale of friends who ran off with their parents’ car and a stash of drugs to see the point where the highway ends and the backwaters of the Gulf of Mexico begin. “Saint on a Chain” ranks up there with some of the best songwriting around, according to Paste Magazine’s Geoffrey Himes, who witnessed a live version at Americana Fest. It also came out of one of Kevin’s visits to Monroe, talking with an old friend. “We were sitting in his truck one time. He was playing a Springsteen record for me and he was under the influence of something pharmaceutical,” he remembers. Gordon spent years perfecting the song, saying, “I started thinking about the St. Christopher’s medal he wore, and ended up reading the story of how Jesus appeared as a child to the saint, as Christopher was helping people cross a flooded river. The Ouachita River runs between Monroe and West Monroe, and like a lot of rivers, it isn’t exactly crystal clear.” The song’s finale could see the character about to run his car off the road in a fit of self-destruction or perhaps on the verge of redemption.

These same themes play out in a more humorous fashion on rocking album closer “Get It Together” aka “Shit Together.” Sardonically, Gordon says, “It’s easier to talk about yourself when you’re not using the first person point of view. This is a song about what seems to be a constant battle of adulthood—negotiating that gap between knowing what you need to do, and actually doing it.” “Get It Together” also reminds one that Kevin’s no folksinger, launching into a kicking rock and roll groove. Similarly, “Right On Time” rips out of the gate, poking fun at the notion that things happen when they’re supposed to but also accepting the strangeness of the rock & roll road and its little victories.

One of the most powerful songs on the album, “One Road Out (Angola Rodeo Blues)” kicks off with a wicked John Lee Hooker-esque guitar line. Kevin says, “Joe handed me [Delta bluesman] Son Thomas’ fake Strat and I plugged it into one of his little amps and it sounded like Satan coming up from the sewer.” The sound evokes the setting, the infamous Angola State Penitentiary (one-time home to Lead Belly, bluesman Robert Pete Williams, and setting of the recent documentary “Serving Life”), where prisoners engage in a rodeo and a craft fair for a public audience. He adds, “It’s hard to watch, heartbreaking, even though those guys look forward to it.” With Tilt & Shine, Kevin Gordon takes the bitter with the sweet. His eye for a great story and ear for a key turn of phrase makes his songwriting a masterclass in craft, and an unflinchingly honest look at life in Louisiana.

Kris Gruen photos

Click for high res

Above credit: Jeff Forney

Dharmasoul clips

Relix Magazine session:

Paste Magazine session:




Grateful Web track premiere (May 9, 2018)

Pop Matters album premiere (May 30, 2018)

Kris Gruen & Peter Morén "Everyday and Night Now" video

THIRD ANNUAL JALOPY INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL, JUNE 7-9 BANDS FROM AN ARRAY OF NYC’S DIVERSE COMMUNITIES BODOMA GARIFUNA CULTURAL BAND, Cumbiamba eNeYe, BROOKLYN RAGA MASSIVE, AND MORE!

The Jalopy Theatre is proud to announce the 3rd Annual Jalopy International Music Fest! Three nights of music from June 7th-9th at the Jalopy Theatre in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The evenings will include music representing the traditions of Honduras, Serbia, Colombia, Mali, China, Sardinia and more! The festival celebrates the diverse wellspring of music among NYC's communities.

This festival will bring together players from different musical backgrounds and styles in one space, showcasing what makes NYC such a unique and vibrant musical landscape. The festival is put on by and occurs at the newly non-profit Jalopy Theatre. The festival is also joining forces with Brooklyn Raga Massive, a local collective rooted in and inspired by Indian classical music that holds a weekly residency at the Theatre.

“This Festival is a cross pollination of music and scenes from the world’s most diverse city. The audience will be enthralled by the breadth of talent,” Festival organizer, Feral Foster, said.

"Over Jalopy’s first decade, our music and educational programming has become increasingly rich, and the relationships we have developed with artists, audiences, and students have deepened. And we have seen an opportunity to build a broader community of support for our work, realizing our communal values even more fully." - Geoff and Lynette Wiley

TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE HERE: https://shop.jalopytheatre.org/category-s/161.htm
Thursday, June 7th
Brooklyn Raga Massive Weekly
Join us for an evening dedicated to the music of Raga-inspired composer John McLaughlin. The lineup includes original Mahavishnu Orchestra member Premik Russell Tubbs from "Visions of the Emerald Beyond" album on Woodwinds, Rez Abassi - guitar, Vin Scialla (BRM/Snehasish/Mission:on Mars) - Drums, Neel Murgai (BRM) - Sitar, Neil Alexander (Mahavishnu Project) - Keys, Brian Mooney - Bass, and Guests.

Friday, June 8th
8:00pm - The Jalopy Chorus (choral music from The Balkans, Caucuses and beyond)
9:00pm - Tenores de Aterue (Sardinian songs a cappella)
10:00pm - Bodoma Garifuna Cultural Band (Garifuna Dugu, Sambay, Gunchey, Wanaragu, Paranda from Honduras)
11:00pm - Fada (Occitan Music)

Saturday, June 9th
7:00pm - Zong Li Lu (Chinese Monochord)
8:00pm - Yacouba Sissoko (Kora music from Mali)
9:00pm - Rosa (All female Serbian vocal group)
10:00pm - Cumbiamba eNeYe (Traditional Colombia Music and Dance)
11:00pm - Turkish Music with Jenny Luna, Kane Mathis, and Philip Mayer

WORKSHOPS on Saturday, June 9th, 2018
Sardinian and Corsican Polyphony Workshop
3:30-5:30pm

Join the Tenores de Aterúe for an exciting workshop that will explore several styles of vocal polyphony from the island traditions of Sardinia and Corsica. From Sardinia, we will sing sacred music from the cuncordu tradition, and the throat-singing tradition called cantu a tenore will also be introduced. Ornamentation from Corsica will be touched upon as we learn a piece from the beautiful and vast folk repertoire.
Link:  https://shop.jalopytheatre.org/product-p/w3-060918.htm

Maqam Made Easy: Vocal and Instrumental Workshop on the Arabic Melodic System
5:30-6:45
Are you curious about the microtonal scales used in Middle-Eastern music? Do you want to expand your improvisation skills? Sami demystifies maqam by presenting basic melodies in a straightforward call-and-response style, accessible to musicians and aspiring musicians of all levels. This 90 minute workshop will introduce several common maqamat through both songs and improvisation. Vocalists and instrumentalists welcome.
Link: https://shop.jalopytheatre.org/product-p/w2-060918.htm

RADIO JAROCHO & ZENEN ZEFERINO PLOT NORTH AMERICAN TOUR AS ‘RIOS DE NORTES Y SUR’ EARNS ACCOLADES

PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN SON JAROCHO LEGEND FROM VERACRUZ AND NYC STANDARD BEARERS

“Los Chiles Verdes” music video (OK to share): https://vimeo.com/268905401

The partnership between renowned NYC-based son jarocho band Radio Jarocho and Veracruz-born son jarocho legend Zenen Zeferino will hit the road in this summer on the heels of their album together ‘Rios de Norte y Sur.’ The album is earning acclaim for its partnership between a musician and poet who learned son jarocho through his family and community; and a band in the diaspora that learned it via hearing field recordings, as RJ’s leader Julia del Palacio did. Here’s what we’re reading:

“The album is crafted with careful attention to the details of the tradition, and in many ways the sound of Radio Jarocho hews closer and more lovingly to son jarocho than other U.S. jarocho bands. Yet, the band's beautiful execution of the classics, new compositions faithful to the genre and gentle pushing of son jarocho's musical envelope refresh the music for these times… The songs on ‘Rios de Norte y Sur’ are, in large part, beloved exemplars of the son jarocho songbook, delicately nuanced with contemporary flourishes.”
- Catalina Maria Johnson, NPR Music, May 11, 2018

“Amazing.”
- Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!, May 8, 2018

“So beautiful… amazing… special.”
- Loren DiBlasi, Paste Magazine, April 4, 2018

“Radio Jarocho has become a live favorite… The joining of this act and jarana player and singer Zeferino is especially inspired. Having come of age in a celebrated family of traditional musicians who shared indigenous Mexican and Afro-Mexican heritage, he has become a kind of central figure in the music and an important influence on Radio Jarocho… It's difficult, listening to this record, not to feel the celebration escaping the speakers and inspiring the listener to pick up their feet and move with the music.”
- Jedd Beaudoin, Pop Matters, May 8, 2018

“What happens when you pair a seasoned musician from a legendary son jarocho family with a younger band working to keep the traditional vital in the diaspora of New York City? You get a beautiful new album.”
- Gina Vergel, Sounds and Colours, May 11, 2018

“Lively… Buzz-worthy.”
- Tolly Wright, amNew York, April 2, 2018

Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino Tour Dates:

May 30 – Metropolian Museum of Art – New York, NY
June 1 - 3S Artspace - Portsmouth, NH (supporting David Wax Museum)
June 2 - Port City Music Hall - Portland, ME (supporting David Wax Museum)
June 8 - Recovery Lounge, Upper Jay Art Center - Upper Jay, NY
June 15 - LeFrak Concert Hall - Flushing, NY
June 15 - Guadalupe Inn - Brooklyn NY
June 16 - Terraza 7 - Elmhurst, NY
June 20 - Victoria Event Centre - Victoria, British Columbia
June 21 - Duncan Showroom - Duncan, British Columbia
June 22 - Char's Landing - Port Alberni, British Columbia
June 23 – Mississippi – Portland, OR
June 24 – Casa de la Cultura Tlanese – Salem, OR
June 29 – The Governor’s Cup – Salem, OR
June 30 – World Beat Festival – Salem, OR
July 14 - Centro de las Artes - Queretaro, Mexico
July 20 -  El Manojo - Cuernavaca, Mexico
July 21 - La Jacaranda Cultural - Patzcuaro, MexicoAugust 3 – Brillbox | Pandemic Dance Party - Pittsburgh, PA
July 25 – Summer Concerts on the Hudson – Weekhawken, NJ
August 3 – Brillobox | Pandemic Dance Party - Pittsburgh, PA
August 5 - Weather Permitting - Pittsburgh, PA
August 11 – O+ Festival – Kingston, NY

Here’s what other musicians are saying:

“Radio Jarocho light up the room. They draw from the past but its all about this moment, this party, this heart swelling with joy and energy. I imagine that all who saw them play, sing, and dance at our festival went home humming one of their tunes - I know I did!”
- Ruth Ungar, Festival Organizer (Winter Hoot) and performer (The Mammals)

“I love Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino because they play music that makes your skeleton shake and your heart sing.”
– Nick Panken, Spirit Family Reunion

“Incredible… Radio Jarocho & Zenen Zeferino are some of my favorite performers, period.”
- Eli Smith, Brooklyn Folk Festival, April 6, 2018