“ASTOUNDINGLY DEFIANT” (SPIN) GRACE ASKEW CEMENTS HERSELF AS FAST-RISING AMERICANA ARTIST BEHIND RAVES FROM ROLLING STONE, SPIN, NASHVILLE SCENE, LA MAGAZINE, ETC.

Fast-rising Americana artist Grace Askew’s ‘Scaredy Cat’ came out earlier this month to across-the-board raves. Her killer video and interview session for Yahoo! Music just posted Friday.

Here’s what we’re reading:

“Sultry… The perfect place to listen to this album is a dark dive bar with a tallboy in my hand.”
- Jim Casey, Rolling Stone, June 9, 2014

“Beautifully haunting… astoundingly defiant.”
- SPIN, August 6, 2014

"I've been spinning this record all week... She's got a gnarly, sultry voice and a guitar style that is gritty and real.”
- Sean L. Maloney, Nashville Scene, August 1, 2014

“Killer slide guitar player with a sultry swagger.”
- Julia St. Pierre, LA Mag.com, July 31, 2014

“Fabulous… badass.”
-Lyndsey Park, Yahoo! Music, August 21, 2014

“For fans of Lana Del Rey, Cat Power… Once you hear Grace’s voice, you can’t unhear it… simultaneously sultry, twangy, and growly.”
- Teen Vogue, August 2, 2014

“Fierce… She’s progressing forward, and in some particularly gutsy ways.”
- Brice Ezell, Pop Matters, August 8, 2014

“Raw, rootsy, and uniformly arresting… Her sultry drawl is both seductive and soulful"
- Nick Cristiano, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 24, 2014

“Cool Memphis style.”
- Will Minter, American Songwriter, July 30, 2014

"Askew is relentlessly creative."
- Joe Boone, Memphis Flyer, July 24, 2014

“Devastating.”
- Cameron Matthews, Bluegrass Situation, July 23, 2014

“Like a confident love child of Blind Willie McTell and Bobbie Gentry; her gritty slide playing and slurred, come-thither alto make a potent combo.”
- Bliss Bowen, Pasadena Weekly, August 7, 2014

“4 stars… riverting…genuine… Her voice warbles, trembles, swings and flips.”
- Chuck Campbell, Knoxville News-Sentinel, August 12, 2014

MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION 20TH ANNIVERSARY CULMINATES IN HOMECOMING CELEBRATION IN THE NC PIEDMONT OCTOBER 3 AND 4TH

LARGEST GATHERING OF MUSIC MAKER ARTISTS TO DATE FEATURES IRONING BOARD SAM, BEVERLY “GUITAR” WATKINS, JOHN DEE HOLEMAN, BOO HANKS, ROBERT LEE COLEMAN, LITTLE FREDDIE KING, AND MANY MORE
 
PANEL DISCUSSION OCTOBER 3 WITH UNC’S WILLIAM FERRIS
 
NEW ACCLAIM FROM THE NEW YORKER, WALL STREET JOURNAL, THE NATION
 
Music Maker Relief Foundation's 20th anniversary celebration will begin with a Homecoming Weekend October 3-4. October 3rd William Ferris, Phd will moderate a panel discussion preceding the opening of the We are the Music Makers! exhibit  and a Music Maker Blues Revue performance featuring Beverly "Guitar" Watkins, Cool John Ferguson, Captain Luke and more at The ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC.

October 4 will mark the largest MMRF artist gathering ever with food, music and celebration featuring over forty artists. The performance will take place 2pm to 8pm at the Old Murphey School in Durham, NC. Among the many performers (full list at bottom with hometowns) are:
 
+ Ironing Board Sam – This “legendary” (Billboard) piano man and three-time veteran of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has a new album ‘Ironing Board Sam & The Sticks,’ which is streaming at Billboard.
 
+ Beverly “Guitar” Watkins – This Atlanta guitar hero’s story of going from opening for James Brown and Ray Charles to working at a car wash was featured in the Wall Street Journal ahead of her recent Lincoln Center performance.
 
+ John Dee Holeman – This NEA National Heritage Fellowship award winner has recorded with Taj Mahal.

+ Boo Hanks – After making his debut album at the age of 79, the Washington Post praised his “irrepressible personality [and] propulsive push.” The lifelong tractor driver and Piedmont blues master recorded a session for Time Out New York.

+ Robert Lee Coleman – This guitarist was a member of the JBs and recorded with James Brown on such songs as “Hot Pants” and “Make It Funky.” Paul Reed Smith personally granted him a PRS guitar after hearing his playing.

+ Little Freddie King – This multiple New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest and Ponderosa Stomp veteran is one of New Orleans’ reigning bluesmen.
 
October 3 will see a panel discussion with Music Maker artists, moderated by folklorist and author William Ferris, PhD. Friday evening Music Maker will officially launch its exhibit, We Are the Music Makers with a performance by Cool John Ferguson, Ironing Board Sam, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, and more. All of these events take place at the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, NC.
 
Recent events have included a museum exhibition, Lincoln Center performance. New book “We are the Music Makers” comes out September 15 on Nautilus Press while new 2CD set ‘We are the Music Makers’ comes out September 30. The New Yorker recently ran a playlist of Taj Mahal’s favorite songs from the Msuic Maker catalogue.
 
MMRF was included in Eric Alterman’s news and notes column in the Nation.
 
Here is a complete list of artists performing at the Homecoming at the Shared Visions Retreat Center in Hillsborough, NC October 4 along with list of their hometowns:
 

Big Ron Hunter - Winston-Salem, NC

Boo Hanks _ Buffalo Junction, VA

Captain Luke - Winston-Salem, NC

Cool John Ferguson - Beaufort, SC

Ironing Board Sam - Hillsborough, NC

John Dee Holeman - Hillsborough, NC

Pat "Mother Blues" Cohen - Salisbury, NC

Pura Fe - Durham, NC

Shelton Powe - Atlanta, GA

Tim and Susan Wells - Cedar Grove, NC

The Branchettes - Raleigh, NC

Beverly "Guitar" Watkins - Atlanta, GA

Drink Small - Columbia, SC

Eddie Tigner - Atlanta, GA

Robert Lee Coleman - Macon, GA

Dr Dixon - Atlanta, GA

David Bryant - Covington, GA

Algia Mae Hinton - Middlesex, NC

Lil' Joe - Atlanta, GA

Nashid Abdul - Atlanta, GA

Albert White - Atlanta, GA

Ardie Dean - Huntsville, AL

Bubba Norwood - Carrboro, NC

Lakota John and Kin - Pembroke, NC

Harvey Dalton Arnold - Burlington, NC

Lightnin’ Wells - Fountain, NC

Deer Clan Singers - Pembroke, NC

Lee Gates - Racine, WS

Major Handy - Lafayette, LA

Alabama Slim - New Orleans, LA

Little Freddie King - New Orleans, LA

Little Pink Anderson - Vermillion, SD

Dave McGrew - Curlew, WA

PeeWee Hayes - Milwaukee, WI

Gerald Robinson - Winston-Salem, NC

Tad Walters - Raleigh, NC

Jeffrey Scott - Culpeper, VA

Dom Flemons "'Til' the Seas Run Dry" embeddable mp3

Joe Fletcher bio

Joe Fletcher is a midwestern born, New England raised singer-songwriter living in East Nashville, TN. He is about to release his third independent record, You've Got the Wrong Man, on Sept 23, 2014. This intimate solo album is a departure from his previous efforts with his band The Wrong Reasons (White Lighter and Bury Your Problems).

Made up of his gritty original songs as well as covers by his peers Brown Bird and Toy Soldiers, it was recorded live over a few months on a mobile recording unit in Rhode Island, Georgia, and Tennessee in the spirit of some of Joe's favorite records by Woody Guthrie, Leadbelly, Jimmie Rodgers, Bruce Springsteen, among others.

Now a three year veteran of the Newport Folk Festival, Joe has recently opened for Jason Isbell, The Devil Makes Three, Lucero, Robert Ellis, and The Low Anthem. Joe spends most of his time touring in what has truly been a grass roots operation thus far. He returns to his second Americana Music Association Festival in Nashville on September 20.

JOE FLETCHER BECOMES LOAR GUITARS ARTIST, JOINING JUSTIN TOWNES EARLE, SHAKEY GRAVES, ETC.

With his new solo album ‘You’ve Got The Wrong Man’ and appearances at Americana Fest and Newport Folk Festival’s Way Over Yonder, Joe Fletcher has joined the Loar as an official artist of the guitar maker. He joins the ranks of a number of Loar artists who make up a new generation of Americana artists, including Justin Townes Earle, Paul Burch, Robert Ellis, Shakey Graves, and Sara Bareilles. Fletcher plays The Loar LO-16 small body acoustic and the LH-280 cutaway archtop.

Joe Fletcher Tour Dates:

Aug 27 - New Vintage, Louisville, KY
Aug 28 - Mahall's 20 Lanes, Lakewood, OH
Aug 29 - Howler's Coyote Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Aug 30 - Abilene, Rochester, NY
Aug 31 - Campfire Festival, Lakewood, PA
Sept 3 - Great Scott, Boston, MA
Sept 4 - Dream Away Lodge, Becket, MA
Sept 5 - Columbus Theatre, Providence, RI
Sept 6 - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1, New York, NY
Sept 20 – The Basement, Nashville, TN (Americana Music Festival)
Sept 25 – Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown, CA
Sept 26 - Way Over Yonder Festival, Santa Monica, CA
Sept 28 - Soda Bar, San Diego, CA (w/ Rev. Peyton’s Big Dam Band)
Oct 2 - Standing Sun Winery, Beullton, CA
Oct 3-5 - Keepin' It Country, Bandit Town, CA
Oct 8 – The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA
Nov 1 – HiFi, Indianapolis, IN
Nov 11 - The Earl, Atlanta, GA (w/ O'Death)
Nov 12 - The Pinhook, Durham, NC (w/ O'Death)
Nov 13 - DC9, Washington, DC (w/ O'Death)

About The Loar

Inspired by the pioneering designs of the Golden Age, guitars and mandolins by The Loar combine expert craftsmanship and classic designs with upgraded features to appeal to today’s players. From premium hand-carved tonewoods to original inlay detailing, each instrument is made for the best sound, playability and timeless beauty.

The Loar pays homage to instruments from the 1920’s and 30’s, an age of outstanding craftsmanship and innovative design. We revive this tradition in order to bring you some of the best-sounding, most beautifully crafted instruments available today.

Joe Fletcher Publicity Photos

 Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

  Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

  Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

 Credit: Joshua Black Wilkins

Credit: Chris Phelps

Credit: Chris Phelps

BILLBOARD STREAMS NEW CD BY “LEGENDARY” IRONING BOARD SAM, HOT OFF OF LINCOLN CENTER PERFORMANCE

SAM REMEMBERS PLAYING WITH HENDRIX

Billboard is premiering a full album stream of Ironing Board Sam’s new album ‘Ironing Board and the Sticks,’ calling the keyboard man “legendary."

Recorded with two young French musicians, the album presents some newly improvised songs along with blues classics. Sam earned a standing ovation at Lincoln Center Out of Doors over the weekend and was the subject of a New Yorker illustration last week.

Sam recently recalled how Jimi Hendrix sat in with him and inspired him to push his showmanship to new heights, saying, “We used to play shows together; you know, he made my show greater than his show. He had a nine piece band playin’ downstairs, and he heard me and my drummer playing upstairs; I was playing the button board, and I had it so I could sit down behind it and play it like a big organ. All the other musicians would come listen to us when the finished their sets, and then one night I noticed the crowd got extra, extra hot. I looked over my left shoulder--on my left they had a jukebox, like an old-time jukebox about six feet tall--and Jimi was on top of the jukebox playing his guitar behind his head. He sort of had to crouch because of the ceiling, but I said oh my, he’s making my show better than his. After I saw that, I knew I had to do something else so I started carrying my button board into the crowd so I could get some attention back on my show! That really started a trend for me, because nobody was carrying their keyboard into the audience then.”

Sam earned his nickname by mounting his keyboard on an ironing board with a strap that allowed him to walk the stage while playing, much as he did at Lincoln Center on Sunday, where fellow Music Maker Relief Foundation artists Dom Flemons, Beverly “Guitar” Watkins, and Albert White joined him on stage.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Music Maker Relief Foundation. Next up is a new book “We are the Music Makers” (out September 15), a 2CD set of the same title (September 30), and a Homecoming festival October 3-4 in Hillsborough, NC.

JOE FLETCHER’S STRIPPED DOWN ‘YOU’VE GOT THE WRONG MAN’ RECORDED ON MOBILE FIELD RECORDING UNIT ACROSS UNITED STATES, SET FOR OCT 7 RELEASE

--> FLETCHER ADDED TO AMERICANA FEST AND NEWPORT-PRESENTED WAY OVER YONDER LINEUPS

Joe Fletcher has confirmed an October 7 release for ‘You’ve Got the Wrong Man,’ his solo debut. A departure from his 2011 full band recording ‘White Lighter,’ the album strips down Joe’s tales of dead-end towns, barstools, ghosts, sailing ships, rat-trap motels, and mysterious fires to just his cigarette-stained vocals and acoustic, electric, and 12-string solo guitar.

The first songs were recorded at Fletcher’s old apartment in the harbor town of Warren, RI. The next batch come from a 150-year old farmhouse in Arnoldsville, GA. The final round was harvested in his new home in East Nashville, TN.

Fletcher’s writing is second-to-none. “Florence, Alabama” sees a barroom romance stifled as an AWOL soldier is sent back to the front. Hank Williams’ ghost appears in “Haint Blue Cadillac,” a tale set in the Hank Williams Museum in Montgomery, AL. “I Never (Reprise)” is one of Fletcher’s signature songs in concert, concerning a ship’s crewmate who suggests mutiny over returning home. It was recorded with the help of Patrick Sweany, John McCauley (Deer Tick), JP Harris, Joshua Black Wilkins, and others. A cover of Brown Bird’s “Mabel Grey” original sea chantey closes the album and pays tribute to Dave Lamb, who passed away last year at 36.

The former high school English and American roots music teacher says, “For years I have been using my trusty blue Tascam cassette four-track machine to work on new material. A little while back when I decided I was going to make my first real solo record, I dusted off that same machine and began recording my ideas. It quickly dawned on me that this was the sound I was after for this particular project. It was raw and personal and imperfect.”

The hard-touring troubadour will be on the road through the fall and has opened shows for Jason Isbell, The Low Anthem, Deer Tick, Devil Makes Three, Joe Doe, and Lucero. Fletcher has also curated two Newport Folk Festival events and played the festival himself twice. This year will also mark his sophomore appearance at Americana Festival in Nashville, TN and a performance at Newport Folk Festival’s Way Over Yonder Festival, both in September.

‘You’ve Got The Wrong Man’ Track List:

1. Florence, Alabama

2. Haint Blue Cadillac

3. Miss Red

4. Blame Game Blues

5. I Never (Reprise)

6. Oceanside Motel

7. Heart in a Mousetrap

8. The Wilsons

9. Life of the Party

10. The Promise

11. Highway Roulette

12. Mabel Grey

Joe Fletcher Tour Dates:

Aug 27 - New Vintage, Louisville, KY

Aug 28 - Mahall's 20 Lanes, Lakewood, OH

Aug 29 - Howler's Coyote Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA

Aug 30 - Abilene, Rochester, NY

Aug 31 - Campfire Festival, Lakewood, PA

Sept 3 - Great Scott, Boston, MA

Sept 4 - Dream Away Lodge, Becket, MA

Sept 5 - Columbus Theatre, Providence, RI

Sept 6 - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1, New York, NY

Sept 20 – The Basement, Nashville, TN (Americana Music Festival)

Sept 25 – Pappy and Harriet’s, Pioneertown, CA

Sept 26 - Way Over Yonder Festival, Santa Monica, CA

Sept 28 - Soda Bar, San Diego, CA (w/ Rev. Peyton’s Big Dam Band)

Oct 2 - Standing Sun Winery, Beullton, CA

Oct 3-5 - Keepin' It Country, Bandit Town, CA

Oct 8 – The Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA

Nov 11 - The Earl, Atlanta, GA (w/ O'Death)

Nov 12 - The Pinhook, Durham, NC (w/ O'Death)

Nov 13 - DC9, Washington, DC (w/ O'Death)

SPIN PREMIERES “CAPTIVATING” GRACE ASKEW TRACK AS ‘SCAREDY CAT’ OUT NEXT WEEK

ASKEW INTRODUCES MISSISSIPPI DELTA WORD “JANKY” INTO THE MUSIC LEXICON

LA SHOWS THIS WEEKEND

SPIN posted a new track by fast-rising Americana artist Grace Askew, calling her music "Captivating... beautifully haunting... goosebump-inducing slide guitar improvisations. Channeling heartbreak and anger, she comes out sounding astoundingly defiant, wise beyond her years."

Meanwhile, in an interview, she told American Songwriter, about her sonic goal for ‘Scaredy Cat,’ to make it sound “janky,” which she says, “is a Delta word for rough around the edges, but in a good way. It’s raw, rough, raunchy, and Memphis.”

Early buzz has been strong. American Songwriter praised her “cool Memphis style.” No Depression called her “a singer who’s pushing country and blues boundaries with her super cool voice and great songwriting, [opening] up a gritty world of bar stools, bad luck and bad habits, unrequited love, hilltop liquor stores, and escape.”

Her hometown press has been just as effusive. The Memphis Flyer said, "Askew is relentlessly creative.” The Memphis Commercial Appeal called her a "pop culture shooting star." She has taped an episode of PBS Sun Studio Sessions to air in 2015.

Angelinos: Grace will perform at LA’s Hotel Café on Saturday and at LA’s Silverlake Lounge on Sunday.

NPR FRESH AIR HOSTS 38-MINUTE PERFORMANCE/CHAT WITH AMERICAN SONGSTER DOM FLEMONS AS NEW YORKER ILLUSTRATION RUNS

NEW TOUR DATES ADDED

Terry Gross’s 38-minute in-depth interview with the American Songster Dom Flemons aired last week on NPR’s Fresh Air.

Meanwhile, the New Yorker ran an illustration of Dom Flemons alongside those of Beverly “Guitar” Watkins and Ironing Board Sam, each of whom will perform Sunday at Lincoln Center Out of Doors as part of Americana Fest NYC. See the illustration here.

Gross says, “It is so much fun to hear that and so educational, too.”

Flemons talks about adapting songs from the banjo to the guitar and vice versa, how oldies got him into old time music, the influence of the elder folk and blues artists of Music Maker Relief Foundation, how rhythm and blues and country music and Broadway connect on “Have I Stayed Away Too Long,” the lonesome feeling of being on the road, cutting excess verses from original songs, the largest banjo Terry Gross had ever seen (which Dom nicknamed “Big Head Joe”), how hokum music uses double entendres, playing esoteric instruments like the bass drum, quills, bones and an extra-large banjo, and finding fresh material to interpret from some of his favorite artists.

Dom also impresses with impressions of influences on him, including Paul Simon, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Jim Croce, ‘Freewheelin’-era Bob Dylan, ‘Nashville Skyline’ Dylan, Dave Van Ronk, and Van Morrison.

He also discusses the impact of Pete Seeger, who passed away the night before Flemons started recording the album ‘Prospect Hill,’ saying, “Pete’s been an essential part of my life as a lover of folk music” and talking about his influence as a banjo player.

Dom Flemons Tour Dates

August 8 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Arts
August 10 – New York, NY – Lincoln Center Out-Of-Doors
August 15 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Caffe Lena
September 10 - Tulsa, OK - Cain’s Ballroom *
September 11 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Saloon *
September 12 - St Louis, MO - Old Rock House (outside) *
September 13 - Nashville, TN - Mercy Lounge *
September 15 - Charleston, IL - Dvorak Concert Hall at Doudna Fine Arts Center *
September 16 - Middletown, OH - Finkelman Auditorium at Miami University *
September 17 – Carbondale, IL – Hangar 9 *
September 18 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theatre *
September 19 - Chicago, IL - Old Town School of Folk Music *
September 20 - Stoughton, WI - Stoughton Opera House *
September 21 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cedar Cultural Center *
September 23 - Iowa City, IA - The Englert Theatre *
September 24 - Columbia, MO - The Blue Note *
September 27 – Peninsula, OH – G.A.R. Hall **
September 28 – Pittsburgh, PA – Club Cafe **
September 30 – Lancaster, PA – Tellus 360 **
October 1 – Washington, D.C. – The Hamilton **
October 3 – Arden, DE – Arden Gild Hall **
October 4 – New York, NY – Madison Square Park
October 5 – Providence, RI – Columbus Theatre **
October 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Tin Angel **
October 8 – Hamden, CT – The Outer Space Ballroom **
October 9 – Northampton, MA – Iron Horse **
October 10 – Cambridge, MA – Club Passim **
October 15 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center **

* Central Time Tour with Pokey LaFarge; Joel Savoy, Jesse Lége & The Cajun Country Revival; The Tillers; and The Loot Rock Gang
** With Grace and Tony

JOE FLETCHER’S “DRUNK & SINGLE (FOR GEORGE JONES)” TO AIR ON TRUE BLOOD AUGUST 10

NEW SOLO ALBUM ‘YOU GOT THE WRONG MAN’ RELEASE DATE SET FOR OCTOBER 7

Joe Fletcher & The Wrong Reasons’ “Drunk & Single (For George Jones),” from their 2011 album ‘White Lighter’ will be featured in HBO’s True Blood August 10. Hear "Drunk and Single."

The new solo, acoustic album ‘You’ve Got The Wrong Man’ was recorded in locations across the US and is confirmed for October 7 release. Stay tuned for more details on the new album. Teaser video.

Joe Fletcher is a veteran of Newport Folk Festival, Americana Music Festival, and Muddy Roots and has opened shows for Jason Isbell, Devil Makes Three, The Low Anthem, Deer Tick, Robert Ellis, John Doe, and Lucero.

Joe Fletcher Tour Dates:

Aug 27 - New Vintage, Louisville, KY
Aug 28 - Mahall's 20 Lanes, Lakewood, OH
Aug 29 - Howler's Coyote Cafe, Pittsburgh, PA
Aug 30 - Abilene, Rochester, NY
Aug 31 - Campfire Festival, Lakewood, PA
Sept 3 - Great Scott, Boston, MA
Sept 4 - Dream Away Lodge, Becket, MA
Sept 5 - Columbus Theatre, Providence, RI
Sept 6 - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 1, New York, NY
Sept 26 - Way Over Yonder Festival, Santa Monica, CA
Sept 28 - Soda Bar, San Diego, CA (w/ Rev. Peyton’s Big Dam Band)
Oct 2 - Standing Sun Winery, Beullton, CA
Oct 3-5 - Keepin' It Country, Bandit Town, CA
Nov 11 - The Earl, Atlanta, GA (w/ O'Death)
Nov 12 - The Pinhook, Durham, NC (w/ O'Death)
Nov 13 - DC9, Washington, DC (w/ O'Death)

Ironing Board Sam To Release New Jamming Album Featuring Special Guests The Sticks

The new album 'Ironing Board Sam and The Sticks' features Toulouse University student guests Simon Arcache and Raphael Evrard making up “The Sticks.” This new project from the enigmatic blues legend will keep your toes tapping to soulful, bluesy tunes. Ironing Board Sam’s album includes 13 spontaneously created tracks on which you hear a very creative songwriter singing and backing himself off the cuff as his young devotees add their exuberant experience into this incredible session. Sam’s most recent albums, Ninth Wonder of the World Music and Double Bang, were released in 2012 and 2013, also on the Music Maker Label. Ironing Board Sam and The Sticks is scheduled to officially release through Music Maker Relief Foundation on August 12.

eMusic said, "'Ninth Wonder' is a superb album for anyone interested in hearing a true maverick at work.... Here’s the most entertaining eight tracks and nearly 22 minutes of blues-based music likely to be released this year, and it should leave you longing for more.

Offbeat Magazine described Ironing Board Sam's 'The Ninth Wonder of the World of Music' as "a gem" in a profile last year.

In 2012 Sam was named “Comeback Artist of the Year” by Living Blues Magazine, made a triumphant return to a packed tent at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and released his second album on the Music Maker label, Ninth Wonder of the World of Music. In 2013 Sam performed at the Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Australia, released his third album with Music Maker, Double Bang, and traveled for gigs all over the USA. He was also named “Musician of the Year (Keyboard)” by Living Blues.

“This is the truest example of passing cultural tradition on; a veteran of the blues partnering up with and mentoring blues musicians of the next generation. Ironing Board Sam is amazing on this album – so are Simon and Raphael – and you definitely need to listen to it,” said Tim Duffy, Executive Director of Music Maker Relief Foundation.

The Sydney Morning Herald said of Sam’s 2013 tour in Australia with the Music Maker Blues Revue, “Ironing Board Sam, 73 years young, sang like his pants were on fire and attacked his keyboard as if it had sinned.”

TREVOR MOSS & HANNAH-LOU: ‘For A Minute There’ Single Release USA Digitally Released 7/29 on Highline Records HL028D

This Summer husband and wife duo Trevor Moss & Hannah-Lou take a break from working on their fourth studio album to venture out on a coast to coast North American Tour supporting Tori Amos, and release the single ‘For A Minute There’, taken from their recent album ‘La Ferme de Fontenaille’

Described by the NME as having ‘Fairport Conventions's folk with Fleetwood Mac's pop sensibilities’ and championed by the likes of Bob Harris and John Kennedy, the pair have enjoyed a busy 18 months of shows, with highlights including playing the Acoustic Stage (A main billing stage) at last year’s Glastonbury Festival as well as supporting Tori Amos on a six week European tour.

Having earned a reputation for getting off the beaten track with their own tours of tin tabernacles, village halls, social clubs and even by canal boat, the couple have supported a host of musicians, from Damon Albarn, Richard Thompson and Beth Orton, to Ade Edmondson’s Bad Shepherds, Loudon Wainwright and legendary producer Ethan Johns.

TM&HL’s first duo record, after the break up of their band Indigo Moss, was self-titled and came out in 2010 on independent UK Folk/Americana label Loose Music. The second was entitled ‘Quality First, Last & Forever!’ and released on Heavenly Recordings (Co-op/Universal) in 2011, and their third, self-produced, released and distributed only via independent records stores, courtesy their very own Anglophone Recording Company, gained critical acclaim on it’s UK release in 2012. ‘For a Minute There’ is the first single from that album to be released in the USA.

TM&HL support Tori Amos on the following dates-

July 16 Vancouver, BC Orpheum
July 17 Seattle, WA Paramount Theatre
July 18 Portland, OR Oregon Zoo Amphitheater
July 19 Jacksonville, OR Britt Festival
July 21 Oakland, CA Paramount Theatre
July 23 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
July 24 San Diego, CA Humphrey's
July 25 Mesa, AZ Mesa Arts Center
July 27 Denver, CO Paramount Theatre
July 29 Dallas, TX Winspear Opera House
July 30 Austin, TX Long Center
August 1 St. Louis, MO Peabody Opera House
August 2 Kansas City, MO Midland Theatre
August 3 St. Paul, MN The O'Shaughnessy at St. Catherine University
August 5 Chicago, IL Chicago Theatre
August 6 Detroit, MI Fox Theatre
August 7 Cleveland Heights, OH Cain Park
August 8 Toronto, ON Massey Hall
August 10 Philadelphia, PA Verizon Hall
August 12 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
August 13 New York, NY Beacon Theatre
August 15 Boston, MA Opera House
August 16 Washington, DC DAR Constitution Hall
August 18 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium
August 19 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Performance Arts Centre
August 20 Durham, NC Durham Performing Arts Center
August 22 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall
August 23 Orlando, FL Bob Carr Performing Arts Center
August 24 Miami Beach, FL The Fillmore Miami Beach at The Jackie Gleason Theater