BLUES FOR CHRISTMAS: A FESTIVAL OF THE BLUES AND THE HOLIDAYS TAKES PLACE DECEMBER 12 AT ROULETTE FEATURING POPA CHUBBY, MICHAEL HILL’S BLUES MOB WITH SPECIAL GUEST VERNON REID, JEFFREY GAINES, JESSE TERRY

Brooklyn Music Shop will present Blues for Christmas: A Festival of the Blues and the Holidays December 12 at Roulette. Here’s a playlist of the artists performing.

+ NYC native guitar wild man Popa Chubby, who recently celebrated his twenty-fifth anniversary as a performer. An imposing figure with a shaven head, tattooed arms, a goatee and a performance style he describes as “the Stooges meets Buddy Guy, Motörhead meets Muddy Waters, and Jimi Hendrix meets Robert Johnson.”

+ Michael Hill is a 2011 inductee into the New York Blues Hall of Fame as a Master Blues Artist. Living Blues Magazine says, “Mixing blues, funk, soul and pop stylings with lyrics that reflect urban life, Hill has produced an atmospheric and evocative statement rife with social consciousness and personal angst. An admirable contribution to modern blues by one of its most talented songwriters and guitarists.” New York rock legend Vernon Reid of Living Colour and the Black Rock Coalition will perform as a special guest.

+ Of Jeffrey Gaines, Paste said, “Gaines possesses a raspy, soulful voice and a knack for soul-searching, gut-check lyrics.” He has also earned praise from Rolling Stone, Billboard, Associated Press, Washington Post, and more.

+ Jesse Terry has appeared at Bonnaroo and the Philadelphia Folk Festival and is a singer/songwriter with an uncanny ability to weave tales of travel and homecoming, of sorrow and of redemption, into songs that are simultaneously timeless and fresh. Terry’s music reflects an amalgam of influences, from Nashville to Laurel Canyon. His melodic and lyrically-driven Americana fits naturally on a playlist between cuts from Josh Ritter, Jackson Browne, Ryan Adams and Neil Young.

WHO: Popa Chubby, Michael Hill's Blues Mob, Jeffrey Gaines & Jesse Terry, and special guest Vernon Reid
WHAT: Blues For Christmas: A Festival of Blues and the Holidays
WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Roulette Theater, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn (@ 3rd Ave.)
TICKETS: $35, http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2412846

Blues For Christmas artist photos

 Above: Jeffrey Gaines (Click for high res)

 Above: Jesse Terry (Click for high res)

Above: Michael Hill's Blues Mob

Kingsley Flood 'The Good Fight' Artwork

 credit: Michael D. Spencer, click for high res version

The Good Fight cover art, click for high res version

KCRW ADDS BRIAN CARPENTER & THE CONFESSIONS AS STEREOGUM, OTHERS RAVE

KCRW has added Brian Carpenter & the Confessions’ debut album ‘The Far End of the World’ on the heels of press and blog raves. The band has also released its debut music video, filmed in the Mojave Desert and directed by Dan Huiting (Pitchfork.TV):


Here’s what we’re reading:

“Bound to become a big name… dignified darkness.”
- Chris Deville, Stereogum, September 2, 2015

“Noir-ish Americana.”
- Linda Laban, Village Voice, October 30, 2015

“Dark, introspective territory with some Southwestern twinges.”
- Chris Steffen, All Music, September 30, 2015

“Haunted-twang tales of loss and woe drawing on chamber pop, sea shanties, and old-timey folk in their most haunting representations, all shrouded in a cinematic melange of strings, theremin, organ, and nyckelharpa.”
- Shaun Brady, XPN.org The Key, November 10, 2015

“Stunning... avant-noir”
- Adrien Begrand, Pop Matters, September 10, 2015

“A fitting soundtrack to an episode of True Detective or a David Lynch film.”
- UTNE Reader, September 24, 2015

Bostonians: the band will play Great Scott on December 2, 2015.

STARBUCKS PICKS IRONING BOARD SAM’S ‘SUPER SPIRIT’ FOR IN-STORE PLAY NATIONWIDE

RAVES COME IN FOR SOUL MAN’S BIG LEGAL MESS RECORDS DEBUT

Starbucks has confirmed in-store airplay for Ironing Board Sam’s new album ‘Super Spirit,’ his first on Fat Possum subsidiary Big Legal Mess. Meanwhile, TIME Magazine posted a feature and photo spread on Ironing Board Sam and fellow Music Maker Relief Foundation artists.

‘Super Spirit’ has earned widespread acclaim:

“Soulful… Sam possesses the kind of weathered, soul-drenched voice that only a seasoned R&B veteran has these days.”
- Bart Bealmear, Dangerous Minds, September 21, 2015

“Rollicking.”
- Chris Steffen, All Music, August 31, 2015

“Kicking funk… A singer of maximum force, he also pulls down interplanetary love to share with his fellow creatures here… Cosmic vibrations float off the stage and swirl around the room, until they land inside of all those present, only to ferment and explode in fragments of beaming lights buried deep within the brain. If that sounds far out, then it should. This is music powered by the super spirit—and then some. Groove now and forever keep your psyche turned on.”
- Bill Bentley, Morton Report, November 6, 2015

“Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings. Bettye Lavette. Charles Bradley & His Extraordinaires… With his brand new album, Super Spirit, releasing today on Big Legal Mess Records, soul and blues legend Ironing Board Sam joins the illustrious list of artists.”
- Rhonda Nicole, SoulTrain, October 2, 2015
“Wildman… A Sam appearance is a dazzling event… Watching his performances is like watching Little Richard and Screamin' Jay Hawkins in a battle for possession of the same body… Even though his latest, Super Spirit, is a studio record, it has the same energy and wildness as his live performances… Sam's sound is rough-hewn soul and blues held together, or more often than not, torn asunder by his extraterrestrial piano figures… Sam is in fine shape here, taking on all comers and laying 'em out, his spirit and his skills stronger than ever.”
- Grant Britt, No Depression, September 30, 2015

“A consummate showman, blues legend Ironing Board Sam has been entertaining audiences for decades with his mad scientist approach… Sam's music is a treat for the eyes as much as it is for the ears.”
- UTNE Reader, September 15, 2015

“Legend… perhaps his finest album yet.”
- Shane Handler, Glide, September 28, 2015

“It's safe to say that Sammie Moore, aka Ironing Board Sam, is back.”
- Chris Shaw, Memphis Flyer, September 22, 2015

Here’s the postable track “Baby You Got It."

Buy link on CD or LP.

“’PORTRAITS OF SOUTHERN BLUES MUSICIANS PROVE THAT BLUES IS NOT DEAD’ HEADLINES PIECE IN TIME ON MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION’S DEBUT PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT”

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. – TIME’s dedicated photography column “Lightbox” has recently published a piece on Our Living Past, a new photography exhibition by Tim Duffy and the Music Maker Relief Foundation, which features platinum portraits of Music Maker Partner Artists. Highlighting Music Maker as a hub for cultural preservation, artists such as Ironing Board Sam, Sharon Jones, and Taj Mahal are among the collective of musicians included in the Lightbox piece and showcased in Our Living Past. The exhibition itself was produced through collaboration with long-time publisher Steven Albahari of 21st Editions and was also sponsored by Cathead Vodka, a dedicated supporter of Music Maker artists. Debuting in the Atrium of the Hartfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta, GA November 22nd, Our Living Past has been booked to travel on through 2017. The exhibition features original portraits of traditional Southern musicians, whose careers have been reignited through their work with Music Maker. The images were captured by Duffy himself and give a glimpse into the rich historical narrative and vital culture of southern traditional music. Duffy’s life work, to preserve this culture, now takes on a tangible form through Our Living Past, and the importance of such a work is already gaining recognition. A recent headline from a piece published in TIME reads “These Portraits of Southern Blues Musicians Prove That Blues Is Not Dead.” The article stresses how Duffy’s work is recontextualizing the narrative in which blues musicians are often discussed. After a remarkable 20th year anniversary celebration with nods from the Wall Street Journal, PBS News Hour, NPR Weekend Edition, CBS Evening News and many more, this collection of platinum prints has been curated and produced to continue preserving and sharing the stories of Music Maker artists for the next 20 years. “Tim Duffy is a modern-day Edward Curtis as it relates to the Blues,” said publisher Steve Albahari. “A photographer whose art embodies a classic approach and sensibility, a musician from early on, and a producer of some 200 albums by musicians he supports and even resurrects, Tim has woven his artistic and creative assets into an organization with philanthropic objectives and ideals, second to none.” Albahari says he leapt at the chance to work with Duffy, making the decision to sponsor and produce Our Living Past in just hours. He went on to praise the exhibit, calling this effort to preserve the history of these traditions one of the highlights of his career. Our Living Past Tour Dates: Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, GA - November 2015 – January 2016 Appleton Museum of Art, Ocala, FL - April 2016 – June 2016 Clifton Center, Louisville, KY - August 2016 – October 2016 Norton Center for the Arts, Danville, KY - September 2016 – January 2017 Henderson Fine Arts Center, Henderson, KY - January 2017 – March 2017 Janice Mason Art Museum, Cadiz, KY - January 2017- March 2017 Kentucky Folk Art Center, Morehead, KY - March 2017 – May 2017 Downtown Arts Center in Lexington, KY - March 2017 – May 2017 For more information on Our Living Past: A Platinum Portrait of Music Maker, click here.

PINEY GIR RELEASES BRIGHT, BOLD POP ALBUM 'MR. HYDE'S WILD RIDE' IN AMERICA FEBRUARY 19 ON GREYDAY RECORDS

Indie-pop musician Piney Gir is gearing up for the American release of 'mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE,' an album that finds the UK-based singer exploring everything from psychedelic pop to British folk to '90s grunge. The songs are bright and bold, glued together by the melodies Piney has been writing since her days in the American Midwest. Already released in the U.K., where Piney has lived for more than a decade, the "undeniably charming" album (The Sun) will bring its "sweet, 60s pop" (Uncut) to American stores on February 19th, courtesy of Greyday Records.

Piney was raised in a religious household, where her fundamentalist parents didn't allow their daughter to listen to popular music until the age of 14. Growing up in rural Kansas certainly left a mark on her earlier albums, with outlets like NPR noting the similarities to country artists like Tammy Wynette and Patsy Cline. On 'mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE,' though, she steers her ship into more pop-influenced waters. Piney gets a little help from her friends, too, with Stereolab drummer Andy Ramsey lending both his percussion and his studio to the recording process. Band members of Gaz Coombes and Emiliana Torrini also chipped in, adding shimmering keyboards, distorted guitars, chirping harmonies and even marimba to Piney's songs. The result is a record that sounds both retro and futuristic, taking the listeners on -- ahem -- a wild ride over the course of 12 songs.

The fuzzy, buzzing "Gold Rules" — one of the album's kickoff singles —  nods to the harmonized alt-pop of the Breeders. In the song's music video, Piney whips up a batch of miniature desserts before jumping onstage to perform with a band full of stringed marionettes. It's a sugar-sweet and utterly unique clip, two descriptors that also apply to mR. hYDE'S wILD rIDE as a whole.



Already released in the U.K., where Piney has lived for more than a decade, Mr. Hyde's Wild Ride is the sound of a songwriter making multiple genres her own.