Chris Smither "Drive You Home Again" embeddable track

From 'Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection: Favorite and Rarities from the Second Decade’

SIGNATURE SOUNDS SCORES FOUR IN THE AMERICANA RADIO CHART TOP 100 FOR 2014, WITH LAKE STREET DIVE AT #7

LAKE STREET DIVE SHARES VIDEO FROM ‘SIGNATURE SOUNDS 20TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION: RARITIES FROM THE SECOND DECADE’

The Americana Music Association’s top one hundred airplay chart for 2014 has four Signature Sounds albums on it. Lake Street Dive’s ‘Bad Self Portraits’ came in at number seven. The others were Peter Mulvey’s ‘Silver Ladder,’ Zoe Muth’s ‘World Of Strangers,’ and Chris Smither’s ‘Still On The Levee.’

Signature Sounds is celebrating its twentieth anniversary this winter with a concert series, a tour, and celebration at next year’s Green River Festival. On March 3, the storied label will release ‘Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection: Rarities From The Second Decade’ featuring thirteen unreleased tracks, eighteen tracks in total from the likes of Lake Street Dive, Crooked Still, Eilen Jewell, Chris Smither, and others.

Lake Street Dive has shared its in-the-studio video of “What I’m Doing Here,” from the ‘Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection: Rarities From The Second Decade’:

‘SIGNATURE SOUNDS 20TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION: RARITIES FROM THE SECOND DECADE’ (MARCH 3) SEES LABEL CELEBRATING AFTER ITS MOST SUCCESSFUL YEAR TO DATE

COLLECTION OFFERS LAKE STREET DIVE, EILEN JEWELL, CHRIS SMITHER, CROOKED STILL, AND MORE; TWELVE UNRELEASED SONGS, COVERS OF RANDY NEWMAN, ERNEST TUBB, AND MORE; AND 18 TRACKS OVERALL

Signature Sounds – the Americana and folk label that launched the careers of Josh Ritter and Lake Street Dive and sustained that of Chris Smither – will release ‘Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection: Rarities From The Second Decade’ featuring twelve unreleased tracks, eighteen tracks in total from the likes of Lake Street Dive, Crooked Still, Eilen Jewell, Chris Smither, and others. The label is coming off of the most successful year of its existence, which saw Lake Street Dive catapult to Billboard’s top 20 and become "this year's best new band," according to Rolling Stone.

Entertainment Weekly said last month, “Folk music’s having a moment right now–maybe its biggest in decades” and Signature Sounds has helped fuel that trend. Tracks on the ‘20th Anniversary Collection’ draw on the rich strains of Americana music, country music, and folk music that have marked Signature Sounds’ entire oeuvre. Van Dyke Parks joins Jeffrey Foucault on “Real Love”; Parsonsfield’s version of the traditional song “Moonshiner” was recorded at Sam Kassirer’s Great Northern Sound Society (which has also been covered by Bob Dylan and Uncle Tupelo); Peter Mulvey covers Randy Newman’s “Lonely At The Top” while Eilen Jewell tackles “Why I’m Walkin’” (which was a #6 Billboard Country charting hit for Ernest Tubb in 1960 and which Elvis Costello and Loretta Lynn also recorded) and Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers interpret Dock Boggs’ “Country Blues,” which originally appeared on the Gold-certified, GRAMMY-winning Anthology of American Folk Music. (Boggs is discussed in Greil Marcus’ book Invisible Republic: Bob Dylan's Basement Tapes.) Eilen Jewell’s barn-burning gospel band Sacred Shakers takes “Samson & Delilah” for a spin, which has also been performed by the Grateful Dead. These tracks are accompanied by strong originals by Lake Street Dive, indie folk band Winterpills, Chris Smither (who is celebrating his 50th anniversary in music this year), Kris Delmhorst (with Foucault backing her) and a hidden, bonus track by Lake Street Dive.

Since its founding in Whately, MA in 1994, Signature Sounds has released over 150 albums; moved to Northampton, MA; established its own venue the Parlor Room; landed songs in Six Feet Under, True Blood Weeds, Grey's Anatomy, Sons Of Anarchy, Nashville, Modern Family and in a T-Mobile ad campaign. Originally launched as a label to spotlight the burgeoning western Massachusetts folk scene, it has gained national prominence behind acts such as Mary Gauthier, Erin McKeown, Crooked Still (from which Aoife O’Donovan has emerged), Patty Larkin, Lori McKenna, and Eilen Jewell.

Signature Sounds will also host a 20th anniversary celebration the weekend of November 28-30, as a thank you to its fans, featuring 19 different artists over four concerts in Northampton, MA. Here is a Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Playlist of artists playing the November shows.

The celebration will continue July 10-12 at the Green River Festival, which is produced by Signature Sounds in Greenfield, MA.

‘Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection: Rarities From The Second Decade’ Track List

1.      Lovesick Redstick Blues - Crooked Still
2.      Real Love - Jeffrey Foucault*
3.      Be Back Home - Sweetback Sisters
4.      Moonshiner - Parsonsfield*
5.      What I'm Doing Here - Lake Street Dive
6.      A Tree In The Lung - Winterpills*
7.      Such Great Heights - Joy Kills Sorrow
8.      No Shortcuts - Heather Maloney & Darlingside
9.      It's Lonely At The Top - Peter Mulvey*
10.     That's Why I'm Walkin - Eilen Jewell*
11.     Carey - Barnstar!*
12.     Here In California - Caroline Herring*
13.     Drive You Home Again - Chris Smither*
14.     Country Blues - Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers
15.     Violent Love - Sweet & Lowdown (Miss Tess and Rachael Price of Lake Street Dive)*
16.     Samson & Delilah - Sacred Shakers*
17.     If This Ain't Heaven - Kris Delmhorst & Jeffrey Foucault*
18.     I’m Satisfied - Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem*

* Previously unreleased.

SIGNATURE SOUNDS RECORDINGS CELEBRATES 20 YEARS WITH CONCERT SERIES, NEW COMPILATION, AND CELEBRATION AT 2015 GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL

Signature Sounds Recordings – the Northampton, MA-based Americana and folk music label home to Chris Smither, Lake Street Dive, Eilen Jewell, and others – will celebrate 20 years with a series of events:

+ Thanksgiving weekend, November 28, 29, and 30, four concerts will take place at the Academy of Music (274 Main St.) and at Signature’s home venue The Parlor Room (32 Masonic St.) in Northampton, MA, featuring label best-seller Lake Street Dive, subject of a new tribute album and Smither, noir starlet Eilen Jewell, the reunited Crooked Still, and 13 other acts. Smither is celebrating fifty years in music.

Spotify playlist on the artists at the concert series.

+ March 3 sees the release of ‘The Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection,’ featuring favorites and rarities from the label’s over 150 releases, featuring Lake Street Dive, Smither, Crooked Still, Jewell, Josh Ritter, and fourteen more artists and bands.

+ A spring tour featuring artists from the ‘Signature Sounds 20th Anniversary Collection.’ Dates and artists to be announced.

+ A celebration of the label will be held at the Green River Festival July 10-12, 2015 in Greenfield, MA. Here’s a look back at 2014’s sold out festival, which featured over thirty bands on three stages, including Ritter, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Trampled By Turtles, Lucius, Dave Alvin & Phil Alvin & The Guilty Ones, Hurray For The Riff Raff, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band.

2014 has proven to be a watershed year for the label. In February, Signature released Lake Street Dive’s ‘Bad Self Portraits’ album, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #18 and has become the best selling album in label history. Rolling Stone exclaimed, "Lake Street Dive: This year's best new band." Lake Street Dive has made appearances on numerous network TV shows including The Colbert Report, Late Show With David Letterman, CONAN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and CBS Saturday Morning.

From the beginning, Signature has been involved in presenting live music, initially programming the popular Green River Festival and later presenting shows at clubs and theaters around the Pioneer Valley. In 2012, the label moved into its current headquarters in downtown Northampton and opened The Parlor Room. The intimate venue quickly proved popular and has hosted over 100 performances.

Signature Sounds was formed in 1994 by Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer to promote the burgeoning roots music scene in the Pioneer Valley. Signature has played a part in launching the careers of such notable artists as Ritter, Lake Street Dive, Erin McKeown, Mary Gauthier, Crooked Still, Jewell and others while also working with long-respected singer-songwriters like Chris Smither, Patty Larkin and Richard Shindell.

SIGNATURE SOUNDS CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY WITH SPECIAL SERIES OF CONCERTS

THREE DAYS OF CELEBRATION WITH CHRIS SMITHER, LAKE STREET DIVE, CROOKED STILL AND MORE IN NORTHAMPTON, MA

NOVEMBER 28, 29, 30

Northampton based record label Signature Sounds Recordings will celebrate it’s 20^th Anniversary with a series of special concerts at The Academy Of Music Theater (274 Main St.) and The Parlor Room (32 Masonic St.) in Northampton on Thanksgiving weekend November 28^th- 30^th. These concerts will feature performances by 18 artists who have recorded for the label in the past two decades.

Signature Sounds was formed in 1994 by Jim Olsen and Mark Thayer to promote the burgeoning roots music scene in the Pioneer Valley. Prior to the formation of the label the partners worked on a number of commercial and fund raising projects at Thayer’s home-based studio in Palmer, MA.The label was originally housed in Olsen’s Whately home. From the beginning, the label focused on new and developing artists. Signature has released over 150 albums to date and has played a part in launching the careers of such notable artists as Josh Ritter, Lake Street Dive, Erin McKeown, Mary Gauthier, Crooked Still, Eilen Jewell and others while also working with established singer-songwriters like Chris Smither, Patty Larkin and Richard Shindell. 

“The music industry has changed so much since we started the label” says Signature president Jim Olsen.“We launched several years before there was any on-line music retail. Our early albums were released on cassette as well as CD. These days over half the music we sell is by download. The Internet has also allowed the label’s artists to gain an international audience for their music." 

2014 has proven to be a watershed year for the label. In February, Signature released Lake Street Dive’s Bad Self Portraits album, which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #18 and has become the best selling album in label history. The band has made appearances on numerous network TV shows includingThe Colbert Report, Late Show With David Letterman, CONAN, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and CBS Saturday Morning.

From the beginning Signature has been involved in presenting live music, initially programming the popular Green River Festival and later presenting shows at clubs and theaters around the Pioneer Valley. In 2012, the label moved into it’s current headquarters in downtown Northampton and opened The Parlor Room. The intimate venue quickly proved popular and has hosted over 100 performances.

In January of this year, Signature Sounds acquired ownership of the Green River Festival from the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce. The 2014 festival featured sell out attendance both days of the festival, which was a first for the festival. “We were thrilled with the response to this year’s festival” says Olsen, “We’re so excited to continue to grow and improve the event. We hope to make Green River Festival the ultimate live music event in the region."

While Signature Sounds is planning a year of special events in celebration of it’s 20^th Anniversary, the Thanksgiving Weekend shows at the Academy Of Music are the focal point of the celebration. At least 18 of the label’s artists will be performing, with many special collaborations expected.  

The celebration kicks off on Friday night November 28^th with a 70^th birthday show for blues-folk icon Chris Smither who is also marking his 50^th year as an artist. Smither will be joined by his band The Motivators, plus special guests Mark Erelli, Jeffrey Foucualt, Kris Delmhorst and Peter Mulvey. This yearSignature has released two special albums featuring the music of Chris Smither- a two-disc career retrospective called Still On The Levee and an all-star tribute album Link Of Chain – A Songwriters Tribute To Chris Smither with contributions from Bonnie Raitt, Dave Alvin, Josh Ritter and many others. Proceeding the show there will be an in depth interview Chris Smither and Jim Olsen at the Parlor Room.  

{{ TICKETS FOR THE ACADEMY OF MUSIC SHOWS. }}

On Saturday afternoon, Tracy Grammer and special guests will present a tribute to songwriter Dave Carter at the Parlor Room. Carter and Grammer released a series of critically acclaimed albums on Signature Sounds before his untimely death in 2003. Tickets for the Parlor Room shows will be available at www.parlorroommusic.com.

The Saturday evening concert at the Academy Of Music will feature an eclectic program with Eilen Jewell and her band, Winterpills, Heather Maloney, Barnstar!, The Sweetback Sisters, and Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers. 

Then on Sunday afternoon, the highly anticipated reunion of non-traditional bluegrass string band, Crooked Still will take place. After a decade of constant activity, the members of Crooked Still decided to take a break from touring in 2012 in order to pursue other projects and recharge creatively. Rani Arbo & daisy mayhem and Eilen Jewell's Gospel side project, The Sacred Shakers round out the show.

The weekend ends with Lake Street Dive closing out the Academy shows, along with Miss Tess & The Talkbacks and And the Kids who will release their label debut on Signature Sounds early next year.