Thursday, September 27, 2012

GRAMMY AWARD-WINNER SUSAN MCKEOWN MARKS HALF HER LIFE IN THE STATES WITH 'BELONG,' OUT NOV. 13 MINING AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC IN TELLING HER STORY

ERIN MCKEOWN, WOOD'S JAMES MADDOCK, MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST DIRK POWELL, AND SINGER-SONGWRITER DECLAN O'ROURKE JOIN MCKEOWN ON NEW ALBUM

Susan McKeown – the creatively restless GRAMMY Award-winning and BBC Award-nominated vocalist – is readying 'Belong' for November 13 release. The Irish-born singer has finally come home, marking half of her life in the States with an exploration of American roots-derived music that delves deeply into matters of the heart.

Opening with 'On the Bridge to Williamsburg,' a duet with Irish singer-songwriter Declan O'Rourke, 'Belong' is Susan at her most personal, charting intimate details of relationships, plotting their trajectories, examining the shards and remnants as though on an archaeological excavation. James Maddock (from Wood) and banjo and accordion player Dirk Powell (Irma Thomas, The Raconteurs, Joan Baez) join Susan for 'Everything We Had Was Good,' a break-up song about ending well. 'The Cure for Me' was in part inspired by lines from 'Night Ferry,' Seamus Heaney's elegy for poet Robert Lowell. Erin McKeown guests on 'Fallen Angel.'

In a distinguished career, McKeown has performed with Pete Seeger, Natalie Merchant, Linda Thompson, Billy Bragg, Arlo Guthrie and The Klezmatics. McKeown has recorded mariachi music, klezmer music, African music, Celtic music, and contemporary songwriting. She won a GRAMMY for 'Wonder Wheel,' in collaboration with the Klezmatics on lyrics by Woody Guthrie. In 2010, she made 'Singing in the Dark,' a fascinating exploration of creativity and madness.

She has performed throughout Europe and North America including Glastonbury, The Edinburgh Festival, Carnegie Hall and Disney Hall. In a concert review, Rolling Stone said, "McKeown grabbed both song and audience by the throat, dragged them through heaven and hell and back again, and left the stage to the loudest applause heard all evening."

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

DC Venue The Hamilton to host Blues legends at re-vamped Capitol Blues Night

DC Venue The Hamilton to host Blues legends at re-vamped Capitol Blues Night

Washington, D.C. music venue and restaurant The Hamilton will present the Music Maker Blues Revue on Wednesday, October 24th at 7:30 p.m. The Blues Revue, comprised of artists from the Music Maker Relief Foundation, will feature performances by Ironing Board Sam, Captain Luke, Cool John Ferguson, Big Ron Hunter, Ardie Dean, and Sol Roots. The Hamilton has hosted the Blues Revue previously on New Years Eve 2011.

“This classic drink-house lineup will be seen in one of DC’s finest venues. Ironing Board Sam filled the Blues Tent to capacity at Jazzfest all by himself. Add Cool John Ferguson and Captain Luke and others, and this show will be just that much more explosive,” said Tim Duffy, Music Maker Founder.

The October 24th show marks the second time Ironing Board Sam will perform at The Hamilton with the Music Maker Blues Revue. This year has been a big one for Sam – he’s released two albums (Going Up and Ninth Wonder of the World of Music), filled the Blues Tent to capacity at the 2012 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, and was named Comeback Artist of the Year by Living Blues Magazine. In addition, Sam is playing the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival in mid-October, with two upcoming features in Offbeat Magazine and the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The show at the Hamilton will give DC area music fans a chance to see the artist at the center of all this buzz – and they will not be disappointed.

The Music Maker Blues Revue highlights electric blues, boogie-woogie, R&B and soul music with the performances by Music Maker Relief Foundation partner artists. Music Maker works with these artists to elevate their careers and present them to the world, while preserving Southern musical traditions for future generations.

The show begins at 7:30 p.m. and lasts until 10 p.m. with doors opening for the event at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be $25 per person. A cash bar and entrées from The Hamilton’s menu will be available for purchase. Tickets can be purchased from The Hamilton’s website, http://www.thehamiltondc.com/live.

•    Cool John Ferguson, of Beaufort, S.C., began playing the guitar at 3 years old and has been called by blues legend Taj Mahal “…among the five greatest guitarists in the world.”
•    Luther Mayer, known as “Captain Luke,” has a deep resounding baritone voice that has entertained thousands throughout his long career; the African-American working class of the N.C. Piedmont heavily influences his music.
•    Ironing Board Sam, a singer, songwriter and piano player, was a house musician on the first televised African-American music revue called “Night Train” and then became one of the best-loved entertainers on the Crescent City’s music scene, before relocating to N.C. and working with Music Maker.
•    Big Ron Hunter plays both electric and acoustic guitars in dramatically different styles, varying between R&B, Rock and B.B. King Blues on electric, and his own sound on acoustic.
•    Sol Roots ,while earning a degree in the Recording Industry, performed throughout the South, fronting his own blues and rock bands. He has also performed with Blues Legends from Guitar Gabriel to Taj Mahal.
•    Ardie Dean has drummed for Ernie K-Doe, Bo Diddley, Jerry McCain, Greg Allman, Taj Mahal, and Henry Grey since he began playing the blues in 1969.

Listen:

Ironing Board Sam – Bye Bye Blackbird

Cool John Ferguson – Here Comes Floyd

Captain Luke – Put On Your Red Dress

Watch:

Cool John Ferguson & Captain Luke – Rainy Night in Georgia

Ironing Board Sam – “Rock Me Baby,” Live at Grace Hall – May 25, 2012

Susan McKeown publicity photos

Credit: Chris Carlone

'Belong' cover art

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

NYC-BORN, SAN FRANCISCO-BASED VETERAN SONGWRITER SEAN HAYES TO PLAY LE POISSON ROUGE OCT 30

HAYES TAPING WFUV SESSION WHILE IN TOWN

THE ITUNES STORE DESIGNATES 'BEFORE WE TURN TO DUST,'  OUT THIS MONTH, AS "NEW & NOTABLE"

Sean Hayes – whose new album 'Before We Turn To Dust' has topped the singer songwriter charts on iTunes over the past two weeks since its release – will perform at Le Poisson Rouge in New York, NY October 30, 2012. He will also tape a session for WFUV while he's in NYC.

Known for a stunning vibrato in his voice, and his soulful lyrics, Hayes puts on a show that has fans tapping their feet and shaking their hips.

Meanwhile, he recently completed an interview with Associated Press Broadcasting and Relix Magazine has debuted the second mp3 from 'Before We Turn To Dust,' "Bam Bam."

The NYC show comes as part of an extensive fall tour of the U.S.

WHO: San Francisco folk/soul singer Sean Hayes
WHAT: An evening with Sean Hayes
WHEN: 10pm, Tuesday, October 30, 2012
WHERE: 158 Bleecker Street, NYC, 212.505.FISH
TICKETS: $20, via Le Poisson Rouge box office

Monday, September 24, 2012

Sweet Soubrette "What's My Desire?" video


'LOWE COUNTRY: THE SONGS OF NICK LOWE' HAILED AMONG "ROOTS-AND-BOOTS" (WALL STREET JOURNAL) SET

LOWE HAILS CAITLIN ROSE & BEGINS NATIONAL TOUR

Upon the September 18 release of 'Lowe Country: The Songs of Nick Lowe' (Fiesta Red Records) press and radio are hailing the album for its "beautiful reinterpretations of Lowe songs" (Oxford American). The album features Lowe tunes recorded by 13 up-and-coming country-ish artists, including Hayes Carll, Amanda Shires, Robert Ellis and Caitlin Rose, whom Lowe himself referred to as a "great" artist in this week's Nashville Scene.

The release, a portion of whose proceeds benefits victims of the Nashville floods and Central Texas wildfires, comes just as Lowe, the master songwriter/singer, embarks on a North American tour: http://nicklowe.com/tourdates.php

Under the headline "What's So Funny 'Bout Country," Marc Myers wrote a feature for the Wall Street Journal. Caitlin Rose tells Myers, "Nick's songs are serious and self-effacing but they don't take themselves too seriously—which makes them endearing."

Esquire.com included Robert Ellis' "All Men Are Liars" in its "10 Songs a Man Should Be Listening to This Week."

'Lowe Country' has also been added by Acoustic Café.

Others are praising the collection as well:

"A handsome, enjoyable listen."
- All Music Guide

"There is plenty to enjoy."
- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter

"An honorable effort that will serve as an introduction to a great figure."
- Edd Hurt, Nashville Scene

"From witty lyrics to catchy melodies and superior songwriting, maybe Lowe’s music was made to get the country treatment."
- WERS-FM (Boston, MA)

In addition, Robert Ellis, Colin Gilmore, Amanda Shires, and Caitlin Rose performed live on SIRIUS XM from Nashville, TN last week. Check out photos from the session and backstage.