Thursday, June 18, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST TED DROZDOWSKI VIVIDLY BRINGS TO LIFE GUITAR GIANTS ON FIRST BOOK
OBSESSIONS OF A MUSIC GEEK, VOLUME 1: BLUES GUITAR GIANTS TO ARRIVE JULY 31 ALONG WITH NEW ALBUM ‘LOVE & LIFE’
Ted Drozdowski is a man of many hats. Besides putting over a million miles on a series of vans for a series of bands, culminating in Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen, he has conducted over one thousand artist interviews as a journalist. July 31 marks both the band’s new album ‘Love & Life’ as well as Ted’s first compendium, a book of vivid portraits called Obsessions of a Music Geek: Volume 1, Blues Guitar Giants.
Obsessions of a Music Geek brings to life some of the all-time greats, shining new light on aspects of their lives and careers. Drozdowski writes about Otis Rush’s secret to bending strings, conducts one of Johnny Winter’s last interviews, expands on his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction program for Freddy King and reveals what King thought of Eric Clapton, takes a stroll through Dan Auerbach’s vinyl collection, and explains why John Lee Hooker has more direct African influences in his playing than many other bluesmen, and more.
Making a lifelong study of music, Drozdowski has learned how to tell a story in song, a talent that he’s put to use on ‘Love & Life,’ the new album.
In his career, Drozdowski has also interviewed Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Metallica, Van Halen, Etta James, Pete Townshend, Wilco, Chrissie Hynde, Solomon Burke, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Plant, David Bowie, and Laurie Anderson, and hundreds more with bylines in Rolling Stone, Travel and Leisure, and editor positions for the Boston Phoenix and Musician Magazine. He has also penned liner notes for dozens of releases, including Santana, John Lee Hooker, Morphine. He presently writes for Guitar World, Premier Guitar, Gibson.com, and the Nashville Scene, among others.
Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen are on tour this summer.
Ted Drozdowski is a man of many hats. Besides putting over a million miles on a series of vans for a series of bands, culminating in Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen, he has conducted over one thousand artist interviews as a journalist. July 31 marks both the band’s new album ‘Love & Life’ as well as Ted’s first compendium, a book of vivid portraits called Obsessions of a Music Geek: Volume 1, Blues Guitar Giants.
Obsessions of a Music Geek brings to life some of the all-time greats, shining new light on aspects of their lives and careers. Drozdowski writes about Otis Rush’s secret to bending strings, conducts one of Johnny Winter’s last interviews, expands on his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction program for Freddy King and reveals what King thought of Eric Clapton, takes a stroll through Dan Auerbach’s vinyl collection, and explains why John Lee Hooker has more direct African influences in his playing than many other bluesmen, and more.
Making a lifelong study of music, Drozdowski has learned how to tell a story in song, a talent that he’s put to use on ‘Love & Life,’ the new album.
In his career, Drozdowski has also interviewed Tom Waits, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Metallica, Van Halen, Etta James, Pete Townshend, Wilco, Chrissie Hynde, Solomon Burke, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Plant, David Bowie, and Laurie Anderson, and hundreds more with bylines in Rolling Stone, Travel and Leisure, and editor positions for the Boston Phoenix and Musician Magazine. He has also penned liner notes for dozens of releases, including Santana, John Lee Hooker, Morphine. He presently writes for Guitar World, Premier Guitar, Gibson.com, and the Nashville Scene, among others.
Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen are on tour this summer.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
TED DROZDOWSKI’S SCISSORMEN BRING ROWDY, SLIDE GUITAR DRIVEN SHOWMANSHIP, KILLER NEW GARAGE/BLUES/PSYCH ALBUM ON TOUR
Club crowds are as likely to
find slide guitar virtuoso Drozdowski flying through the air, sitting in
their laps, standing on tabletops and sliding with every object
imaginable — from dinner plates to, at one Mississippi juke joint, a 9mm
revolver — as they are to see him on stage.
Or as Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling
Stone, New York Times) said, “His slide playing shears the skin off
your bones, and he can unleash roaring gales of sound. But lyricism and
musicality lie at the heart of even his wildest moments. I have never
listened to him and not been transported to a strong, beautiful place
I’d never been before.”
Fans can appreciate
Drozdowski’s dangerous style of showmanship on tour this summer and
fall. When the garage/blues/psych bandleader got hit in the face with a
ceiling fan during a particularly rowdy show in St. Paul, he went out
on the street, covered in his own blood, to play slide with Delta
bluesman and Fat Possum Records alum T-Model Ford's Jack Daniels bottle.
Ted never hesitated after the
injury. “I got sliced right to the skull on the first song, played an
hour set and then went to the hospital,” he recounts
Earlier this month, at a taping
of Beale Street Caravan (the syndicated radio show based in Memphis),
Drozdowski took his soloing outside of the club entirely. Blurt Magazine
posted a “slide challenge” of Ted playing slide on some truly bizarre
objects, including a vibrator and a Blade scooter. Watch it here: http://blurtonline.com/
Besides returning to his child
hood turf of Middletown, CT and his longtime home of Boston, MA, several
shows stand out. The East Nashville show will also serve as a benefit
concert for Mighty Sam McClain, former Nashville resident and all-time
great soul singer. McClain appears on the album, singing lead on “Let’s
Go To Memphis,” and is battling cancer and the after-effects of a
stroke.
In addition, Ted Drozdowski’s
Scissormen will return to the Slippery Noodle in Indianapolis, where
part of the Robert Mugge movie about the Scissormen, Big Shoes: Walking and Talking the Blues, was filmed. ‘Love & Life’ comes out July 31 on Dolly Sez Woof Records.
Also, July 31 Drozdowski, who is also an award-winning music journalist and educator, will publish the first in a series of e-books, Obsessions of a Music Geek, Vol. 1: Blues Guitar Giants. Private, press-only stream of the album (please don’t share or post) here.
Drozdowski's Scissormen have performed at Bonnaroo, King Biscuit, and Muddy Roots, among other festivals.
Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen Tour Dates
June 19 – Marietta, GA – Darwin’s Burgers & Blues
July 26 — Nashville, TN — The Basement
July 30 – New York, NY – Shrine World Music Venue
July 31 – Somerville, MA – Johnny D’s
August 1 – Lowell, MA – The Back Page Café
August 2 – Middletown, CT – The Cypress Restaurant
August 3 – Brooklyn, NY – Grand Victory
August 9 – Nashville, TN – The Bluebird Café
August 15 – E. Nashville, TN – The 5 Spot
August 28 – Winona, MN – Broken World Records
August 29 – Minneapolis, MN – Hell’s Kitchen Brunch
September 1 – Indianapolis, IN – The Slippery Noodle
September 2 – Kansas City, MO – B.B.’s Lawnside Barbecue September 3 – Lincoln, NE – The Zoo Bar
September 4 – Fort Collins, CO – Avogadro’s Number
September 5 – Denver, CO – Ziggie’s Live Music
September 6 – Denver, CO – Ziggie’s Live Music
Friday, June 5, 2015
EILEN JEWELL’S ‘SUNDOWN OVER GHOST TOWN’ DEBUTS AT #16 ON THE BILLBOARD HEATSEEKERS CHART
SEGMENT TO AIR MONDAY ON THE TODAY SHOW (NBC)
Eilen Jewell’s new album ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ (Signature Sounds) has debuted at #16 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart this week. It’s her highest ever debut on the charts.
NBC’s The Today Show will include her in a segment airing Monday on how streaming music affects touring artists. The piece is expected to include performance footage of her new single “Rio Grande” (embeddable).
NPR Morning Edition profiled her May 27.
The songwriter is poised to play NYC’s City Winery July 14, D.C.’s The Hamilton July 16, and Nashville's Americana Music Association Festival in September, among many other tour dates.
Eilen Jewell’s new album ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ (Signature Sounds) has debuted at #16 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart this week. It’s her highest ever debut on the charts.
NBC’s The Today Show will include her in a segment airing Monday on how streaming music affects touring artists. The piece is expected to include performance footage of her new single “Rio Grande” (embeddable).
NPR Morning Edition profiled her May 27.
The songwriter is poised to play NYC’s City Winery July 14, D.C.’s The Hamilton July 16, and Nashville's Americana Music Association Festival in September, among many other tour dates.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
EILEN JEWELL TALKS WANDERLUST WITH NPR MORNING EDITION AS ‘SUNDOWN OVER GHOST TOWN’ (SIGNATURE SOUNDS) EARNS COMPARISONS TO KACEY MUSGRAVES, MADELEINE PEYROUX
ALBUM ROCKETS TO #10 ON AMERICANA CHART
NPR’s Morning Edition sat down with Eilen Jewell to talk about wanderlust, the ways in which she resembles the “Half-Broke Horse” on her record, the landscape of Idaho, and what it means to come home: http://www.npr.org/2015/05/27/
New record ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ is at #10 on the Americana radio chart as she continues an extensive, national tour.
"Packed with vivid lyrics, steel guitars, and hot licks, Jewell’s Americana-driven brand of country music sounds tailor-made for sweltering, stagnant summer nights."
- Eric Renner Brown, Entertainment Weekly, May 20, 2015
“Though her fifth album consists entirely of original songs, ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ feels like a welcome return to a set of classics you've known forever, gently touching on desire, loneliness, and the longing for home… Perfect for fans of Madeleine Peyroux.” – Jon Young, Mother Jones, June 1, 2015
“Evocative.”
- Craig Shelburne, CMT Edge, March 24, 2015
“Eilen Jewell is an artist to keep your eyes on… Fans may also hear a bit of Kacey Musgraves in her laid-back and effortless sound.”
- Christina Vinson, The Boot, April 18, 2015
“Tantalizing... Wonderful voice... this slightly restrained, beautifully crafted and enticing Eilen Jewell disc proves she remains one of America’s most intriguing, creative and idiosyncratic voices.”
- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter, May 26, 2015
“A revelatory journey rich with cinematic visions, elegant, sweet, and smoky vocals, and hauntingly autobiographical songs inspired by her return to the West.”
- Jeremy D. Bonfiglio, No Depression, May 28, 2015
“The most succinct and poignant album of her career... Excellent.”
- Timothy Monger, All Music Guide
"8 stars… expressive grace and imagery... barbed details... Her melodies create sonic landscapes, mostly of the mythic American West where human beings have the perspective of big open spaces to compare themselves with a wide-screen setting... The music sets the words off, like the Milky Way on a dark black night."
- Steve Horowitz, Pop Matters, May 28, 2015
"Masterful... Eilen! Eilen! Eilen!"
- Mike Jurkovic, Elmore Magazine, May 28, 2015
"It's not an overstatement to say that Eilen Jewell is Johnny Cash reincarnate... Jewell packs a punch that doesn't bruise until after the meaning of her work sets into listeners' bones."
- Kate Everson, Country Standard Time
EILEN JEWELL TOUR DATES
June 10 – Portland, OR – Alberta Rose Theatre
June 11 – Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
June 12 – Palmer, AK – Palmer Musk Ox Farm
June 13 – Soldotna, AK – Kenai River Festival
July 2 – Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
July 3 - Berwyn, IL - Fitzgerald’s American Music Festival
July 8 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
July 9 - New Haven, CT - Cafe 9
July 10 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival
July 11 - Hudson, NY - Club Helsinki
July 12 - Woodbridge, NJ - Woodbridge Country Sundays
July 14 – New York, NY – City Winery
July 16 – Washington, D.C. – The Hamilton
July 17 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
July 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
July 19 – Wakeman, OH – Music at Riverdog
August 7 – Challis, ID – Braun Brothers Family Reunion
August 9 – Bozeman, MT – Sweet Pea Festival
August 21 – Boise, ID – Visual Arts Collective
August 22 - Liberty, UT - Ogden Valley Roots & Blues Festival
September 3 – Collinsville, CT – Bridge Street
September 4 – Charlestown, RI – Rhythm & Roots Festival
September 9 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
September 12 – Earlville, NY – Earlville Opera House
September 13 – Millheim, PA – Elk Creek Café & Aleworks
September 15 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Stepember 16 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
September 17 – Nashville, TN – City Winery (Americana Music Festival)
September 19 – Tampa, FL – Skipper’s Smokehouse
September 20 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
November 14 – Kansas City, MO – Knucklehead Saloon
November 15 – Joplin, MO – The Coda Concert House
NPR’s Morning Edition sat down with Eilen Jewell to talk about wanderlust, the ways in which she resembles the “Half-Broke Horse” on her record, the landscape of Idaho, and what it means to come home: http://www.npr.org/2015/05/27/
New record ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ is at #10 on the Americana radio chart as she continues an extensive, national tour.
"Packed with vivid lyrics, steel guitars, and hot licks, Jewell’s Americana-driven brand of country music sounds tailor-made for sweltering, stagnant summer nights."
- Eric Renner Brown, Entertainment Weekly, May 20, 2015
“Though her fifth album consists entirely of original songs, ‘Sundown Over Ghost Town’ feels like a welcome return to a set of classics you've known forever, gently touching on desire, loneliness, and the longing for home… Perfect for fans of Madeleine Peyroux.” – Jon Young, Mother Jones, June 1, 2015
“Evocative.”
- Craig Shelburne, CMT Edge, March 24, 2015
“Eilen Jewell is an artist to keep your eyes on… Fans may also hear a bit of Kacey Musgraves in her laid-back and effortless sound.”
- Christina Vinson, The Boot, April 18, 2015
“Tantalizing... Wonderful voice... this slightly restrained, beautifully crafted and enticing Eilen Jewell disc proves she remains one of America’s most intriguing, creative and idiosyncratic voices.”
- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter, May 26, 2015
“A revelatory journey rich with cinematic visions, elegant, sweet, and smoky vocals, and hauntingly autobiographical songs inspired by her return to the West.”
- Jeremy D. Bonfiglio, No Depression, May 28, 2015
“The most succinct and poignant album of her career... Excellent.”
- Timothy Monger, All Music Guide
"8 stars… expressive grace and imagery... barbed details... Her melodies create sonic landscapes, mostly of the mythic American West where human beings have the perspective of big open spaces to compare themselves with a wide-screen setting... The music sets the words off, like the Milky Way on a dark black night."
- Steve Horowitz, Pop Matters, May 28, 2015
"Masterful... Eilen! Eilen! Eilen!"
- Mike Jurkovic, Elmore Magazine, May 28, 2015
"It's not an overstatement to say that Eilen Jewell is Johnny Cash reincarnate... Jewell packs a punch that doesn't bruise until after the meaning of her work sets into listeners' bones."
- Kate Everson, Country Standard Time
EILEN JEWELL TOUR DATES
June 10 – Portland, OR – Alberta Rose Theatre
June 11 – Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
June 12 – Palmer, AK – Palmer Musk Ox Farm
June 13 – Soldotna, AK – Kenai River Festival
July 2 – Bloomington, IN – The Bishop
July 3 - Berwyn, IL - Fitzgerald’s American Music Festival
July 8 - Cambridge, MA - The Sinclair
July 9 - New Haven, CT - Cafe 9
July 10 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival
July 11 - Hudson, NY - Club Helsinki
July 12 - Woodbridge, NJ - Woodbridge Country Sundays
July 14 – New York, NY – City Winery
July 16 – Washington, D.C. – The Hamilton
July 17 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live
July 18 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Café
July 19 – Wakeman, OH – Music at Riverdog
August 7 – Challis, ID – Braun Brothers Family Reunion
August 9 – Bozeman, MT – Sweet Pea Festival
August 21 – Boise, ID – Visual Arts Collective
August 22 - Liberty, UT - Ogden Valley Roots & Blues Festival
September 3 – Collinsville, CT – Bridge Street
September 4 – Charlestown, RI – Rhythm & Roots Festival
September 9 – Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall
September 12 – Earlville, NY – Earlville Opera House
September 13 – Millheim, PA – Elk Creek Café & Aleworks
September 15 – Carrboro, NC – Cat’s Cradle
Stepember 16 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
September 17 – Nashville, TN – City Winery (Americana Music Festival)
September 19 – Tampa, FL – Skipper’s Smokehouse
September 20 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
November 14 – Kansas City, MO – Knucklehead Saloon
November 15 – Joplin, MO – The Coda Concert House
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
NY TIMES, ROLLING STONE, USA TODAY SPOTLIGHT GREEN RIVER FESTIVAL JULY 10-12 IN WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS
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DETAILED SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED INCLUDING SIGNATURE SOUNDS 20TH
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
The Green River Festival has earned early buzz from the New
York Times, Rolling Stone, and USA Today ahead of its July 10-12 dates in
Greenfield, MA.
NY Times said, “The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Annual
Festival may have pool parties and palm trees, and South by Southwest may offer
an on-site tattoo artist for V.I.P. denizens, but only Green River Festival
delivers hot-air balloons. The jazz, folk and country-heavy event, which
celebrates its 29th season this year, evolved from an annual balloon festival
on the same grounds, and it still launches several in tribute each year. This
summer’s roster veers toward folk and experimental-rock direction with sets by
Tune-Yards, Punch Brothers, and J Mascis, as well as a heavy roots and jazz
contingent in Steve Earle and the Dukes, Valerie June and Marco Benevento.”
Rolling Stone said, “Bring a blanket,” calling the fest “relaxed.”
Green River Festival 2015 teaser video.
Here’s a Spotify playlist of artists performing at the 2015
Green River Festival.
Elmore Magazine called it “one of the summer’s most exciting
festivals.”
The previously announced lineup includes Steve Earle & The Dukes,
Punch Brothers, tUnE-yArDs, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Milk Carton Kids, J.
Mascis, Booker T. Jones, Langhorne Slim, and more. A detailed schedule is here.
Monday, June 1, 2015
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