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.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
PBS NEWSHOUR ON “EFFORT TO HELP MUSICIANS WHO ARE LITERALLY LIVING THE BLUES”
NON-PROFIT MUSIC MAKER RELIEF FOUNDATION PROFILED BY PBS NEWSHOUR, NPR HERE & NOW, AND CBS EVENING NEWS AS NEW BOOK AND 2CD RELEASED
PBS’ Jeffrey Brown profiled the Music Maker Relief Foundation on the Newshour last night as the non-profit organization – which supports elderly traditional southern musicians who live in poverty – celebrates its 20th anniversary. Brown spoke with organization founder Tim Duffy, soul/funk piano man Ironing Board Sam and New Orleans expat singer Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, and former Chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities and author William Ferris. The segment also features plenty of performance footage of the many artists involves in the Music Maker Relief Foundation Homecoming, as well as Ironing Board Sam playing at his home.
NPR’s Here & Now recently paid a visit to Duffy, Piedmont bluesman and tractor driver Boo Hanks, and baritone singer Captain Luke. The profile and online-only performances of “Highway Blues” and “Keep On Truckin’” aired and posted October 6, 2014.
PBS also ran a spread of photos from the book on its website with audio from the homecoming concert and an exclusive video of Ironing Board Sam performing a beautiful solo rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
CBS Evening News also ran a profile, also speaking with Ironing Board Sam and Captain Luke, explaining how the organization helps its artists with paying gigs, instruments, and album sales so that they can work.
The wave of attention comes as a new book We Are The Music Makers! Preserving the Soul of America's Music (Nautilus Press) and the 2CD set ‘We Are the Music Makers,’ an overview of the Music Maker catalogue compiled by Dom Flemons, both were released last month. The museum exhibition of the same title is on tour for the next several years, presently on display at the BB King Museum in Indianola, MS through November 30. Music fans may make a tax-deductible donation to the non-profit at this link.
PBS’ Jeffrey Brown profiled the Music Maker Relief Foundation on the Newshour last night as the non-profit organization – which supports elderly traditional southern musicians who live in poverty – celebrates its 20th anniversary. Brown spoke with organization founder Tim Duffy, soul/funk piano man Ironing Board Sam and New Orleans expat singer Pat “Mother Blues” Cohen, and former Chairman of the National Endowment of the Humanities and author William Ferris. The segment also features plenty of performance footage of the many artists involves in the Music Maker Relief Foundation Homecoming, as well as Ironing Board Sam playing at his home.
NPR’s Here & Now recently paid a visit to Duffy, Piedmont bluesman and tractor driver Boo Hanks, and baritone singer Captain Luke. The profile and online-only performances of “Highway Blues” and “Keep On Truckin’” aired and posted October 6, 2014.
PBS also ran a spread of photos from the book on its website with audio from the homecoming concert and an exclusive video of Ironing Board Sam performing a beautiful solo rendition of “Somewhere Over The Rainbow."
CBS Evening News also ran a profile, also speaking with Ironing Board Sam and Captain Luke, explaining how the organization helps its artists with paying gigs, instruments, and album sales so that they can work.
The wave of attention comes as a new book We Are The Music Makers! Preserving the Soul of America's Music (Nautilus Press) and the 2CD set ‘We Are the Music Makers,’ an overview of the Music Maker catalogue compiled by Dom Flemons, both were released last month. The museum exhibition of the same title is on tour for the next several years, presently on display at the BB King Museum in Indianola, MS through November 30. Music fans may make a tax-deductible donation to the non-profit at this link.
Monday, October 27, 2014
GRACE ASKEW SHARES NEW MISSISSIPPI DELTA-FILMED VIDEO FOR “ONLY HUMAN,” CONTINUES HEADLINING TOUR
Grace Askew has shared the Mississippi Delta-filmed music video for “Only Human,” from her August album ‘Scaredy Cat.'
Jon Mark Nail directed the vivid clip in the Mississippi Delta amidst blooming cotton fields, just a few miles south of Askew’s native Memphis. The video came about accidentally as the editor of Delta Magazine had arranged a photo shoot to accompany a feature and suggested that Nail join the crew with a 16mm camera.
Askew says, “The video was shot in a dilapidated civil war-era cemetery along the back dirt roads of Victoria, Mississippi under massive Magnolia trees overlooking the cotton fields in their peak season…bursting with their beautiful white flower, a true vision of South in all its haunted grandeur.”
Askew, who recently surpassed 16,000 Facebook likes and has earned raves from SPIN, Rolling Stone, Yahoo! Music, Nashville Scene, LA Magazine, and Relix, will continue her headlining tour this fall:
Oct 28 - The Alibi Pub -Laramie, WY
Oct 30 - Lion's Lair - Denver, CO
Oct 31 - Lost Love Saloon - Red River, NM
Nov 01 – Sabroso – Arroyo Seco, NM
Nov 05 - The Cowgirl BBQ - Santa Fe, NM
Nov 07 - Pecos Flavors Winery - Roswell, NM
Nov 08 - The Blue Light - Lubbock, TX
Nov 13 - Minglewood Hall - Memphis, TN (with The Dirty Guv'nahs)
Nov 15 – Red Dirt Brewhouse – Ardmore, OK
Nov 17 – Saxon Pub – Austin, TX
Nov 18 - Mucky Duck - Houston, TX
Nov 20 – Shipping & Receiving Bar – Fort Worth, TX
Nov 22 - The Continental Club Austin - Austin, TX
Nov 24 – The Deli – Norman, OK
Nov 30 - The Frog Pond - Silverhill, AL
Jon Mark Nail directed the vivid clip in the Mississippi Delta amidst blooming cotton fields, just a few miles south of Askew’s native Memphis. The video came about accidentally as the editor of Delta Magazine had arranged a photo shoot to accompany a feature and suggested that Nail join the crew with a 16mm camera.
Askew says, “The video was shot in a dilapidated civil war-era cemetery along the back dirt roads of Victoria, Mississippi under massive Magnolia trees overlooking the cotton fields in their peak season…bursting with their beautiful white flower, a true vision of South in all its haunted grandeur.”
Askew, who recently surpassed 16,000 Facebook likes and has earned raves from SPIN, Rolling Stone, Yahoo! Music, Nashville Scene, LA Magazine, and Relix, will continue her headlining tour this fall:
Oct 28 - The Alibi Pub -Laramie, WY
Oct 30 - Lion's Lair - Denver, CO
Oct 31 - Lost Love Saloon - Red River, NM
Nov 01 – Sabroso – Arroyo Seco, NM
Nov 05 - The Cowgirl BBQ - Santa Fe, NM
Nov 07 - Pecos Flavors Winery - Roswell, NM
Nov 08 - The Blue Light - Lubbock, TX
Nov 13 - Minglewood Hall - Memphis, TN (with The Dirty Guv'nahs)
Nov 15 – Red Dirt Brewhouse – Ardmore, OK
Nov 17 – Saxon Pub – Austin, TX
Nov 18 - Mucky Duck - Houston, TX
Nov 20 – Shipping & Receiving Bar – Fort Worth, TX
Nov 22 - The Continental Club Austin - Austin, TX
Nov 24 – The Deli – Norman, OK
Nov 30 - The Frog Pond - Silverhill, AL
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Thursday, October 16, 2014
FAST-RISING JOE FLETCHER NEW ALBUM ‘YOU’VE GOT THE WRONG MAN’ DEBUTS ON HEATSEEKERS CHART
SOLO ALBUM HERALDED BY ROLLING STONE, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, ESQUIRE AND BEYOND
SPOTIFY FEATURES “I NEVER (REPRISE)” ON THE PULSE OF AMERICANA PLAYLIST
For Joe Fletcher, 2014 has seen a rapid ascent into the top ranks of the Americana music world, with a debut at 69 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart today; packed sets at Americana Fest and Way Over Yonder (presented by Newport Folk); upcoming opening slots for The Devil Makes Three; and raves for his new solo album ‘You’ve Got The Wrong Man.’ Spotify has featured “I Never (Reprise),” which premiered at Paste Magazine, on its Pulse of Americana playlist.
“Must-see… [His] songs… wind and roll with steep changes, always ending with a birds-eye view that suddenly organizes it all into one delicate vision. The Rhode Islander-turned-Nashvillian's words flow more like folk poetry than verse-chorus status quo, picking on a honky-tonk spirit with a Tom Waits heart.”
- Marissa Moss, Rolling Stone, September 17, 2014
"Gritty... a bracing breath of fresh air.”
- Miles Raymer, Entertainment Weekly, October 3, 2014, full album stream
"Joe Fletcher is a natural storyteller... It's the lyrics that get you, the complexities of which are sometimes hidden by the musical styling. They paint the sort of deep portraits of American life many songwriters allude to but which few accomplish. There's darkness down there, but with it humor and, absolutely, a damn good time."
- James Joiner, Esquire, August 28, 2014
“Wildly imaginative… charmingly raw”
– Jon Freeman, Country Weekly, October 13, 2014
“A diamond in the rough.”
- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter, October 7, 2014
“This band’s namesake gave up his day job as an English teacher to make music, and he goes to the head of the class with his latest release.”
- June Wulff, The Boston Globe, September 1, 2014
“Sounds a bit like pre-electric Dylan.”
- Bob Strauss, LA Daily News, September 22, 2014
“Awesome… [his] best yet.”
- Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, September 22, 2014
“Such a special record… Fletcher’s storytelling skills have never been better, and the characters in his songs are thoroughly developed and oh so dark.”
- Maeri Ferguson, Glide Magazine, September 25, 2014
Tour dates are here.
SPOTIFY FEATURES “I NEVER (REPRISE)” ON THE PULSE OF AMERICANA PLAYLIST
For Joe Fletcher, 2014 has seen a rapid ascent into the top ranks of the Americana music world, with a debut at 69 on the Billboard Heatseekers Chart today; packed sets at Americana Fest and Way Over Yonder (presented by Newport Folk); upcoming opening slots for The Devil Makes Three; and raves for his new solo album ‘You’ve Got The Wrong Man.’ Spotify has featured “I Never (Reprise),” which premiered at Paste Magazine, on its Pulse of Americana playlist.
“Must-see… [His] songs… wind and roll with steep changes, always ending with a birds-eye view that suddenly organizes it all into one delicate vision. The Rhode Islander-turned-Nashvillian's words flow more like folk poetry than verse-chorus status quo, picking on a honky-tonk spirit with a Tom Waits heart.”
- Marissa Moss, Rolling Stone, September 17, 2014
"Gritty... a bracing breath of fresh air.”
- Miles Raymer, Entertainment Weekly, October 3, 2014, full album stream
"Joe Fletcher is a natural storyteller... It's the lyrics that get you, the complexities of which are sometimes hidden by the musical styling. They paint the sort of deep portraits of American life many songwriters allude to but which few accomplish. There's darkness down there, but with it humor and, absolutely, a damn good time."
- James Joiner, Esquire, August 28, 2014
“Wildly imaginative… charmingly raw”
– Jon Freeman, Country Weekly, October 13, 2014
“A diamond in the rough.”
- Hal Horowitz, American Songwriter, October 7, 2014
“This band’s namesake gave up his day job as an English teacher to make music, and he goes to the head of the class with his latest release.”
- June Wulff, The Boston Globe, September 1, 2014
“Sounds a bit like pre-electric Dylan.”
- Bob Strauss, LA Daily News, September 22, 2014
“Awesome… [his] best yet.”
- Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, September 22, 2014
“Such a special record… Fletcher’s storytelling skills have never been better, and the characters in his songs are thoroughly developed and oh so dark.”
- Maeri Ferguson, Glide Magazine, September 25, 2014
Tour dates are here.
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
PETE SEEGER TO DOM FLEMONS: MY GRANDFATHER AND WOODY GUTHRIE BOTH PLAYED THE BONES
BACKSTAGE CONVERSATION WITH SEEGER PIVOTAL IN FLEMONS’ CARRYING ON TRADITION
HEADLINING DATES & OPENING SLOTS FOR OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW CONTINUE
Backstage at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger introduced Dom Flemons to Pete Seeger, an enthralling moment for the young American Songster. The elder told Flemons, “I like the way you play the bones. My grandfather played the bones.” (The bones are a pair of cow bones played together as a percussion instrument, related to the spoons. Old Crow Medicine Show was also backstage and that was the first time that they had met Seeger; Flemons and OCMS will play shows together in November.) Seeger also told the rising folk artist that Woody Guthrie used to play the bones but Flemons could not find a recording of Woody playing the bones until TIME Magazine debuted this duet with Sonny Terry from the new album ‘My Name Is New York: Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town’ earlier this year.
Flemons has been playing the bones since receiving a set as a gift at North Carolina’s Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention in 2006. Flemons’ new album ‘Prospect Hill’ features “Marching Up To Prospect Hill,” a tribute to harmonica great Sonny Terry and harmonica and bones player JC Burris (Terry’s nephew) based on a video of the duo shot by Seeger.
Flemons is the American songster, a master of a variety of African-American musical forms and digging to a depth and breadth not seen since the emergence of Taj Mahal. Flemons plays guitar, banjo, quills, and percussion as well as the bones and dig deeply into hokum tunes, jug band material, New Orleans jazz, ballads, original folk songs, rhythm and blues, ragtime, spirituals, and fife and drum music.
Peter Cooper of the Tennessean recently profiled Flemons.
Flemons expounds on his idea of the American songster here.
Dom Flemons Tour Dates
October 15 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
October 17 – Black Mountain, NC – Lake Eden Arts Festival
October 18 – Black Mountain, NC – Lake Eden Arts Festival
October 19 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
October 23 – Easton, MD – Avalon Theatre
October 24 – New York, NY – City Winery (Wesley Stace's Cabinet of Wonders)
November 4 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
November 6 – Urbana Champaign, IL - Krannert Center
November 10 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
November 12 – Blacksburg, VA – Burruss Auditorium (Virginia Tech) *
November 13 – Ashland, KY – Paramount Arts Center *
November 14 - Louisville, KY - Palace *
November 15 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum *
November 20 - Athens, GA -The Classic Center *
November 21 - Birmingham, AL - Alabama Theatre *
* With Old Crow Medicine Show
HEADLINING DATES & OPENING SLOTS FOR OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW CONTINUE
Backstage at the Ann Arbor Folk Festival, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger introduced Dom Flemons to Pete Seeger, an enthralling moment for the young American Songster. The elder told Flemons, “I like the way you play the bones. My grandfather played the bones.” (The bones are a pair of cow bones played together as a percussion instrument, related to the spoons. Old Crow Medicine Show was also backstage and that was the first time that they had met Seeger; Flemons and OCMS will play shows together in November.) Seeger also told the rising folk artist that Woody Guthrie used to play the bones but Flemons could not find a recording of Woody playing the bones until TIME Magazine debuted this duet with Sonny Terry from the new album ‘My Name Is New York: Ramblin’ Around Woody Guthrie’s Town’ earlier this year.
Flemons has been playing the bones since receiving a set as a gift at North Carolina’s Mt. Airy Fiddler's Convention in 2006. Flemons’ new album ‘Prospect Hill’ features “Marching Up To Prospect Hill,” a tribute to harmonica great Sonny Terry and harmonica and bones player JC Burris (Terry’s nephew) based on a video of the duo shot by Seeger.
Flemons is the American songster, a master of a variety of African-American musical forms and digging to a depth and breadth not seen since the emergence of Taj Mahal. Flemons plays guitar, banjo, quills, and percussion as well as the bones and dig deeply into hokum tunes, jug band material, New Orleans jazz, ballads, original folk songs, rhythm and blues, ragtime, spirituals, and fife and drum music.
Peter Cooper of the Tennessean recently profiled Flemons.
Flemons expounds on his idea of the American songster here.
Dom Flemons Tour Dates
October 15 – Rocky Mount, VA – Harvester Performance Center
October 17 – Black Mountain, NC – Lake Eden Arts Festival
October 18 – Black Mountain, NC – Lake Eden Arts Festival
October 19 – Charlottesville, VA – The Southern
October 23 – Easton, MD – Avalon Theatre
October 24 – New York, NY – City Winery (Wesley Stace's Cabinet of Wonders)
November 4 – Minneapolis, MN – Cedar Cultural Center
November 6 – Urbana Champaign, IL - Krannert Center
November 10 – Ann Arbor, MI – The Ark
November 12 – Blacksburg, VA – Burruss Auditorium (Virginia Tech) *
November 13 – Ashland, KY – Paramount Arts Center *
November 14 - Louisville, KY - Palace *
November 15 - Memphis, TN - Orpheum *
November 20 - Athens, GA -The Classic Center *
November 21 - Birmingham, AL - Alabama Theatre *
* With Old Crow Medicine Show
Monday, October 13, 2014
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones bio
Sugar Ray and the Bluetones begin their 35th year of bringing you the best in Blues Music with their release Living Tear To Tear (Severn Records) which debuted at #1 on the Living Blues Album Chart.
Singer and harmonica player Sugar Ray Norcia has been fronted this exciting band since its inception-but also spent seven years in Roomful Of Blues, and was also in the original line-up of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. You can hear him on recordings with these two great Artists as well as recordings with Michelle Wilson, Pinetop Perkins, “Big” Walter Horton, and over fifty other Artists. Sugar Ray also earned a Grammy Nomination (2014) for his work on Remembering Little Walter (Blind Pig Records) and won two Blues Music Awards (Memphis, TN) for that recording.
“Monster” Mike Welch-aptly named by Dan Aykroyd at the Original House of Blues (Cambridge, MA) at the ripe old age of 13, and has been wowing audiences the world over to this day. He has been the guitarist with the Bluetones for over thirteen years and continues to do solo projects on his own and with with other artists. You can hear Mike on recent releases by the Mannish Boys, Duke Robillard, Sugaray Rayford, and has also been featured on a recording with the late great Johnny Winter.
If you were to think of any modern Blues Legend chances are that Anthony Geraci has backed them up-B.B. King, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thorton, Chuck Berry, Big Walter Horton and countless others have had Anthony’s fiery piano accompanying them. Anthony was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for his work on Super Harps I (Telarc Records) that also features James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Branch, and Sugar Ray Norcia. You can also hear Anthony on Ronnie Earl’s first two releases on the Black Top record label; They Call Me Mr. Earl, and Smokin’.
Bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward has been featured on more recordings then we can count! Among them are recordings with Jimmy Rodgers, “Big” Walter Horton, Hubert Sumlin (that also includes Eric Clapton and Keith Richards), Otis Grand, Sleepy LaBeef, J. Geils and many more.
Drummer Neil Gouvin has been with Sugar Ray since they were both in high school together. Neil has been on every Bluetone recording and has also been featured on the John Hammond Jr. Grammy nominated Found True Love. Neil has also been featured on recordings by Otis Grand, Ike Turner and others.
Singer and harmonica player Sugar Ray Norcia has been fronted this exciting band since its inception-but also spent seven years in Roomful Of Blues, and was also in the original line-up of Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters. You can hear him on recordings with these two great Artists as well as recordings with Michelle Wilson, Pinetop Perkins, “Big” Walter Horton, and over fifty other Artists. Sugar Ray also earned a Grammy Nomination (2014) for his work on Remembering Little Walter (Blind Pig Records) and won two Blues Music Awards (Memphis, TN) for that recording.
“Monster” Mike Welch-aptly named by Dan Aykroyd at the Original House of Blues (Cambridge, MA) at the ripe old age of 13, and has been wowing audiences the world over to this day. He has been the guitarist with the Bluetones for over thirteen years and continues to do solo projects on his own and with with other artists. You can hear Mike on recent releases by the Mannish Boys, Duke Robillard, Sugaray Rayford, and has also been featured on a recording with the late great Johnny Winter.
If you were to think of any modern Blues Legend chances are that Anthony Geraci has backed them up-B.B. King, Otis Rush, Big Mama Thorton, Chuck Berry, Big Walter Horton and countless others have had Anthony’s fiery piano accompanying them. Anthony was nominated for a Grammy in 2000 for his work on Super Harps I (Telarc Records) that also features James Cotton, Charlie Musselwhite, Billy Branch, and Sugar Ray Norcia. You can also hear Anthony on Ronnie Earl’s first two releases on the Black Top record label; They Call Me Mr. Earl, and Smokin’.
Bassist Michael “Mudcat” Ward has been featured on more recordings then we can count! Among them are recordings with Jimmy Rodgers, “Big” Walter Horton, Hubert Sumlin (that also includes Eric Clapton and Keith Richards), Otis Grand, Sleepy LaBeef, J. Geils and many more.
Drummer Neil Gouvin has been with Sugar Ray since they were both in high school together. Neil has been on every Bluetone recording and has also been featured on the John Hammond Jr. Grammy nominated Found True Love. Neil has also been featured on recordings by Otis Grand, Ike Turner and others.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
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
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
“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
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
While Signature Sounds is planning a year of special events in celebration of it’s 20th 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 28th with a 70th birthday show for blues-folk icon Chris Smither who is also marking his 50th year as an artist. Smither will be joined by his band The Motivators, plus special guests Mark Erelli, Jeffrey Foucualt, Kris Delmhorst and Peter
On Saturday afternoon, Tracy
The Saturday evening concert at the Academy Of Music will feature an eclectic program with Eilen Jewell and her band, Winterpills, Heather Maloney, Barnstar!, Th
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.
SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES NOMINATED FOR 2014 BOSTON MUSIC AWARD
Sugar Ray And The Bluetones were nominated for a 2014 Boston Music Award
in the category of Blues Artist of the Year, alongside Gracie Curran
And The High Falutin’ Band, Peter Parcek, Quinn Sullivan, and Roomful Of
Blues. The group’s new album ‘Living Tear To Tear’ is out now on Severn
Records. Sugar Ray & The Bluetones have several New England dates
coming up:
Friday, October 10 - Chans, Woonsocket, RI
Friday, October 24 - Johnny D's Uptown, Somerville, MA
Saturday, November 1 - The Flying Monkey Performance Center, Plymouth,NH (with Tommy Castro)
Thursday, December 4 - Sculler's Jazz Club, Boston, MA
This year marks the band's 35th anniversary.
Friday, October 10 - Chans, Woonsocket, RI
Friday, October 24 - Johnny D's Uptown, Somerville, MA
Saturday, November 1 - The Flying Monkey Performance Center, Plymouth,NH (with Tommy Castro)
Thursday, December 4 - Sculler's Jazz Club, Boston, MA
This year marks the band's 35th anniversary.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY STREAMS JOE FLETCHER’S SOLO DEBUT ‘YOU’VE GOT THE WRONG MAN,’ OUT TOMORROW & RECORDED TO CASSETTE IN SEASIDE VILLAGE; ANTEBELLUM FARMHOUSE; AND EAST NASHVILLE HOUSE
Entertainment Weekly is streaming Joe Fletcher’s new album ‘You’ve Got The Wrong Man,’ out tomorrow on Wrong Reasons Records. Miles Raymer writes, “To fans of folk’s
darker side, Joe Fletcher’s You’ve Got the Wrong Man should come as a
bracing breath of fresh air... His third LP, recorded solo to tape in
multiple locations around the country, has the no-fi production values
of a Lomax field recording, the hardscrabble allure of Springsteen’s
Nebraska, and the gritty tunefulness of Mississippi John Hurt."
Befitting the stark, narrative-oriented nature of the songs, Fletcher decided to make this album solo, recording in stereo directly to cassette tape in several locations, including the seaside village of Warren, RI, where he lived until last year; an antebellum farmhouse in Arnoldsville, GA just outside of Athens; and his new home in East Nashville, TN.
The Georgia farmhouse was built in 1859 and serves as site of the biannual Wildwood Festival, at which Fletcher will perform in November. Robert E. Lee slept in the house, which is part of a 30-acre farm.
While most of the album was recorded solo, Fletcher called in a cadre of friends for fan favorite “I Never (Reprise)” and his version of Brown Bird’s “Mabel Grey,” both recorded in East Nashville. Those joining him in singing the refrains of those tunes include Patrick Sweany, John McCauley (Deer Tick), JP Harris, Joshua Black Wilkins, among others.
Joe Fletcher Tour Dates:
OCT 6 - Driftwood, San Francisco, CA
OCT 8 - Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA
OCT 9 - El Cid, Los Angeles, CA
OCT 16 - White Water Tavern, Little Rock, AR
OCT 17 - Magnolia Motor Lounge, Fort Worth, TX
OCT 19 - Whip In, Austin, TX
OCT 30 - Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL
OCT 31 - The Gramophone, St. Louis, MO (w/ Whitey Morgan & the 78s)
NOV 1 - HiFi, Indianapolis, IN
NOV 7 - Ground Zero, Spartanburg, SC
NOV 8 - Wildwood Revival, Arnoldsville, GA
NOV 10 – Exit / In, Nashville, TN (w/ O’Death)
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)
NOV 15 - Cafe Nine, New Haven, CT
NOV 16 – Atwood’s, Cambridge, MA
NOV 20 - Southgate House, Newport, KY
NOV 23 - Sugarland Distillery, Gatlinburg, TN
DEC 11 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
DEC 31 - Higher Ground, Burlington, VT (w/ The Devil Makes Three)
JAN 2 - Higher Ground, Burlington, VT (w/ The Devil Makes Three)
JAN 3 - State Theater, Portland, ME (w/ The Devil Makes Three)
Befitting the stark, narrative-oriented nature of the songs, Fletcher decided to make this album solo, recording in stereo directly to cassette tape in several locations, including the seaside village of Warren, RI, where he lived until last year; an antebellum farmhouse in Arnoldsville, GA just outside of Athens; and his new home in East Nashville, TN.
The Georgia farmhouse was built in 1859 and serves as site of the biannual Wildwood Festival, at which Fletcher will perform in November. Robert E. Lee slept in the house, which is part of a 30-acre farm.
While most of the album was recorded solo, Fletcher called in a cadre of friends for fan favorite “I Never (Reprise)” and his version of Brown Bird’s “Mabel Grey,” both recorded in East Nashville. Those joining him in singing the refrains of those tunes include Patrick Sweany, John McCauley (Deer Tick), JP Harris, Joshua Black Wilkins, among others.
Joe Fletcher Tour Dates:
OCT 6 - Driftwood, San Francisco, CA
OCT 8 - Crepe Place, Santa Cruz, CA
OCT 9 - El Cid, Los Angeles, CA
OCT 16 - White Water Tavern, Little Rock, AR
OCT 17 - Magnolia Motor Lounge, Fort Worth, TX
OCT 19 - Whip In, Austin, TX
OCT 30 - Beat Kitchen, Chicago, IL
OCT 31 - The Gramophone, St. Louis, MO (w/ Whitey Morgan & the 78s)
NOV 1 - HiFi, Indianapolis, IN
NOV 7 - Ground Zero, Spartanburg, SC
NOV 8 - Wildwood Revival, Arnoldsville, GA
NOV 10 – Exit / In, Nashville, TN (w/ O’Death)
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)
NOV 15 - Cafe Nine, New Haven, CT
NOV 16 – Atwood’s, Cambridge, MA
NOV 20 - Southgate House, Newport, KY
NOV 23 - Sugarland Distillery, Gatlinburg, TN
DEC 11 - The Basement, Nashville, TN
DEC 31 - Higher Ground, Burlington, VT (w/ The Devil Makes Three)
JAN 2 - Higher Ground, Burlington, VT (w/ The Devil Makes Three)
JAN 3 - State Theater, Portland, ME (w/ The Devil Makes Three)
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
“LEGENDARY” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES) SUGAR RAY & THE BLUETONES’ NAIL IT ON ‘LIVING TEAR TO TEAR’
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones – the blues ensemble celebrating its 35th
anniversary and featuring the three-time GRAMMY-nominated frontman Sugar
Ray Norcia – is earning raves for its new album ‘Living Tear To Tear’
(Severn Records). “Our Story” premiered at Huffington Post.
Here’s what we are reading:
“The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from Chicago blues masters.” - Damian Fanelli, Guitar World, July 29, 2014
“Legendary blues ensemble.” –Chicago Sun-Times, July 17, 2014
“The Bluetones are easily one of the tightest blues ensembles working today, and Welch’s guitar world is as tasteful as anything he’s recorded to date… Firing on all cylinders… It seems a foregone conclusion that ‘Living Tear To Tear’ will find itself on several award lists next year.”
-Roger Gatchet, Living Blues, October issue
"If authenticity is your bag, these are the guys to check out."
- Ed Friedland, Bass Player, November, 2014
"[Sugar Ray Norcia's] voice is soulfully engaging, in sync with Welch's guitar and his own masterful harmonica playing." –Samantha M. Lopez, Elmore Magazine, August 7, 2014
“A gem… The album is a pleasure to hear.” – Bill Wilcox, Twangville, August 29, 2014
“Remarkable… If Muddy Waters was still out there in 2014, he and his band would sound a lot like this--and that's a good thing.” –Jay Miller, Patriot-Ledger (MA), August 2, 2014
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones Tour Dates
Friday, October 10 - Chans, Woonsocket, RI
Friday, October 24 - Johnny D's Uptown, Somerville, MA
Saturday, November 1 - The Flying Monkey Performance Center, Plymouth,NH (with Tommy Castro)
Thursday, December 4 - Sculler's Jazz Club, Boston, MA
Here’s what we are reading:
“The hard-swinging band fully absorbed the lessons learned from Chicago blues masters.” - Damian Fanelli, Guitar World, July 29, 2014
“Legendary blues ensemble.” –Chicago Sun-Times, July 17, 2014
“The Bluetones are easily one of the tightest blues ensembles working today, and Welch’s guitar world is as tasteful as anything he’s recorded to date… Firing on all cylinders… It seems a foregone conclusion that ‘Living Tear To Tear’ will find itself on several award lists next year.”
-Roger Gatchet, Living Blues, October issue
"If authenticity is your bag, these are the guys to check out."
- Ed Friedland, Bass Player, November, 2014
"[Sugar Ray Norcia's] voice is soulfully engaging, in sync with Welch's guitar and his own masterful harmonica playing." –Samantha M. Lopez, Elmore Magazine, August 7, 2014
“A gem… The album is a pleasure to hear.” – Bill Wilcox, Twangville, August 29, 2014
“Remarkable… If Muddy Waters was still out there in 2014, he and his band would sound a lot like this--and that's a good thing.” –Jay Miller, Patriot-Ledger (MA), August 2, 2014
Sugar Ray & The Bluetones Tour Dates
Friday, October 10 - Chans, Woonsocket, RI
Friday, October 24 - Johnny D's Uptown, Somerville, MA
Saturday, November 1 - The Flying Monkey Performance Center, Plymouth,NH (with Tommy Castro)
Thursday, December 4 - Sculler's Jazz Club, Boston, MA
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