Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Australian Singer/Guitarist Claude Hay Says, I Love Hate You, on New CD Coming October 16 from 128 Records, Distributed by Burnside Distribution
NASHVILLE, TN – Australian singer/guitarist Claude Hay, whose last CD, Deep Fried Satisfied, became an international sensation with his ultimate Do-It-Yourself musicianship, is back for another round of amazing stomping blues/rock/funk on his new CD, I Love Hate You, set for release October 16 on 128 Records, distributed by Burnside Distribution. To listen to the title track, click on this link: http://snd.sc/OMuP3s
Hailing from the Blue Mountains near Sydney, the award-winning solo artist blends slide guitar, sitar, bass and drums to create a DIY masterpiece of music that is both highly creative and energized. Claude forges his live sound on the back of looping technology which allows him to create a band vibe without the band. This approach has seen this fiercely independent artist build an audience for his music globally with the release of his three home-made albums. To view a video of Claude’s live looping demonstration, click on this link: www.youtube.com/claudehay
Taking DIY a step further than most, Claude has built all his own equipment: there’s “Betty,” his double-necked guitar which he made out of a kitchen bench top; and “Stella,” his new Cigar Box guitar, which started its life as a six dollar baking tin. He’s also built his own dome house and studio from the ground up, and pimped out his tour van with a shower and bar (a great move when you consider how much time he spends on the road).
I Love Hate You is Claude Hay’s brand new third album and was recorded and mixed at Vader Studios (his home studio, with a huge back-lit Darth Vader mask overseeing production), and continues Claude’s move away from traditional blues and back to his love of rock – both alternative and hard – with his childhood love of 80s rock starting to show its influence. As on his last CD, he pays tribute to one of his influences; this time it’s a roaring take of The Beatles’ “Come Together,” which sits quite nicely among the album’s 11 other original songs. The signature slide is still there, along with the four-on-the-floor rhythms and gut-bucket sensibility, but new to the mix on album number three is an increased focus on guitar riffage, along with a more refined approach to songwriting and production.
This new release sees Claude in a rare collaborative mood on three tracks, with the addition of drums on one tune, the rhythm section of Sydney band Chase The Sun on another and a guest cello on yet a third song. The new CD was mastered by Australia’s acclaimed William Bowden. I Love Hate You is a concept album – dealing with the things Claude loves, hates and loves to hate. From loved ones, great gigs, motor vehicles and treacherous trans-continental bus rides, bad customer service and indifferent radio programmers.
I Love Hate You follows up Deep Fried Satisfied (2010), a very successful album for the indie artist that allowed him to get a foot in the door overseas. While promoting the launch of the album in the USA, Claude performed on National Public Radio and Deep Fried Satisfied promptly shot to number nine on the Billboard blues charts in response. The album went on to rank number five on Amazon’s top ten blues albums of 2010, with the track, “Miss You So,” polling third in the Best Blues Song of the Year category.
Claude’s affection for New York-style pizza was the inspiration for that album’s lead track, “Get Me Some,” which won the Australian Blues Music (Chain) Award for Best Song of 2011. A track about the aggravation caused by faulty printers, “How Can You Live with Yourself,” hit number one on the Australian radio chart around the same time. Kiss The Sky (2007), Claude Hay’s debut lo-fi masterpiece which began his solo career, still sells like hotcakes whenever Claude Hay performs at festivals and venues around the world.
Claude Hay will be touring in support of the new CD, with fall dates scheduled for Europe, followed by the USA in the spring of 2013, as well as numerous shows throughout Australia. For more information, visit www.claudehay.com.au.
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Thursday, April 23, 2009
JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR SPRINKLES WHITE SUGAR ON HER BLUES-DRENCHED DEBUT CD FOR RUF RECORDS, OUT MAY 12
JOANNE SHAW TAYLOR SPRINKLES WHITE SUGAR ON HER BLUES-DRENCHED DEBUT CD FOR RUF RECORDS, OUT MAY 12
EXCITING YOUNG BRITISH DISCOVERY COMBINES INCENDIARY GUITAR PLAYING AND SOULFUL VOICE IN BLUES POWER TRIO SOUND
ATLANTA, GA – Ruf Records announces the signing of one of the most exciting blues discoveries in many years, British-based singer/guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor, and the May 12 release of her debut CD for the label, White Sugar. The new CD was produced and mixed by acclaimed producer Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Luther Allison, Jonny Lang) and recorded at Bessie Blue Studios in the Western Tennessee town of Counce, near the Tennessee River. Backing Joanne Shaw Taylor on White Sugar are experienced Memphis session players Steve Potts on drums and Dave Smith on bass.
Birmingham, UK-based Joanne Shaw Taylor was discovered at the age 16 by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics, who remarked on hearing her for the first time: “I have played with all sorts of blues musicians all over the world and last year I heard something I thought I would never hear – a British white girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!” Stewart was so impressed he asked Taylor to join his supergroup, D.U.P., to tour Europe in 2002.
Now 23 years old, Taylor has continued to refine her skills as both a singer and guitar player, and the proof of the pudding is in her dynamic new CD, which combines the power of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix with the down-home blues of the Mississippi Delta. The 10 tracks on White Sugar clearly show an artist in total command of her instrument as a force to color both the bold and quiet moments of the songs.
“Working with these guys was totally easy,” says Taylor about the sessions. “I knew of them because of their work on the Luther Allison and Jonny Lang albums. They didn’t even know the songs until shortly before we started tracking and it was fantastic. They are amazing guys to work with.”
Already a rising star in Great Britain, Joanne Shaw Taylor has been singled out for massive praise from the media. “Joanne IS the new face of the blues,” proclaimed respected UK magazine Blues Matters. “She plays with more attitude and flare than most; massive potential here – inspiring,” said Guitarist magazine. And Blue Print Magazine summed it up by stating, “Catch her live if you can; then you can say: ‘I was there at the beginning’!”
While still a young schoolgirl, Taylor was captivated by the rough side of the blues as evidenced from artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and Jimi Hendrix. “As soon as I heard SRV and Albert Collins, I knew pretty much that I wanted to do that full stop,” Taylor says. “That was the lifestyle route that I was going to go down. It was never a hobby. I was always very serious and dedicated to it.”
Listeners can hear for themselves on Joanne Shaw Taylor’s stunning debut album,
White Sugar, which she’ll support with considerable U.S. tour dates, including many with Candye Kane.
For more information on the artist, visit www.joanneshawtaylor.com or www.myspace.com/joanneshowtaylor .
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EXCITING YOUNG BRITISH DISCOVERY COMBINES INCENDIARY GUITAR PLAYING AND SOULFUL VOICE IN BLUES POWER TRIO SOUND
ATLANTA, GA – Ruf Records announces the signing of one of the most exciting blues discoveries in many years, British-based singer/guitarist Joanne Shaw Taylor, and the May 12 release of her debut CD for the label, White Sugar. The new CD was produced and mixed by acclaimed producer Jim Gaines (Stevie Ray Vaughan, Santana, Luther Allison, Jonny Lang) and recorded at Bessie Blue Studios in the Western Tennessee town of Counce, near the Tennessee River. Backing Joanne Shaw Taylor on White Sugar are experienced Memphis session players Steve Potts on drums and Dave Smith on bass.
Birmingham, UK-based Joanne Shaw Taylor was discovered at the age 16 by Dave Stewart of The Eurythmics, who remarked on hearing her for the first time: “I have played with all sorts of blues musicians all over the world and last year I heard something I thought I would never hear – a British white girl playing blues guitar so deep and passionately it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end!” Stewart was so impressed he asked Taylor to join his supergroup, D.U.P., to tour Europe in 2002.
Now 23 years old, Taylor has continued to refine her skills as both a singer and guitar player, and the proof of the pudding is in her dynamic new CD, which combines the power of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix with the down-home blues of the Mississippi Delta. The 10 tracks on White Sugar clearly show an artist in total command of her instrument as a force to color both the bold and quiet moments of the songs.
“Working with these guys was totally easy,” says Taylor about the sessions. “I knew of them because of their work on the Luther Allison and Jonny Lang albums. They didn’t even know the songs until shortly before we started tracking and it was fantastic. They are amazing guys to work with.”
Already a rising star in Great Britain, Joanne Shaw Taylor has been singled out for massive praise from the media. “Joanne IS the new face of the blues,” proclaimed respected UK magazine Blues Matters. “She plays with more attitude and flare than most; massive potential here – inspiring,” said Guitarist magazine. And Blue Print Magazine summed it up by stating, “Catch her live if you can; then you can say: ‘I was there at the beginning’!”
While still a young schoolgirl, Taylor was captivated by the rough side of the blues as evidenced from artists such as Stevie Ray Vaughan, Albert Collins and Jimi Hendrix. “As soon as I heard SRV and Albert Collins, I knew pretty much that I wanted to do that full stop,” Taylor says. “That was the lifestyle route that I was going to go down. It was never a hobby. I was always very serious and dedicated to it.”
Listeners can hear for themselves on Joanne Shaw Taylor’s stunning debut album,
White Sugar, which she’ll support with considerable U.S. tour dates, including many with Candye Kane.
For more information on the artist, visit www.joanneshawtaylor.com or www.myspace.com/joanneshowtaylor .
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Thursday, February 26, 2009
APPLESEED RECORDINGS SIGNS JESSE WINCHESTER
APPLESEED RECORDINGS SIGNS JESSE WINCHESTER & WILL RELEASE HIS FIRST STUDIO CD IN 10 YEARS, LOVE FILLING STATION, ON APRIL 21
WEST CHESTER, PA – Appleseed Recordings has announced the signing of acclaimed singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, and an April 21 release date for his label debut CD, Love Filling Station, his first studio album in 10 years.
A prolific composer, Winchester is noted for his songs about love lost and found, small town life and vivid characterizations told with the literary perspective of a native southerner. His tunes have been embraced by a wide variety of artists who have recorded his works for almost four decades, including Jimmy Buffet and Tom Rush (“Biloxi”), The Everly Brothers and Patti Page (“Brand New Tennessee Waltz”), Tim Hardin (“Yankee Lady”), Elvis Costello and Alex Taylor (“Payday”), Nicolette Larson (“Rhumba Girl”) and The Weather Girls (“Well-a-Wiggy”), as well as Reba McIntyre and Wynonna Judd.
On Love Filling Station, Jesse Winchester wraps his warm high-lonesome tenor around nine original songs and three covers, including the plaintive Ben E. King classic, “Stand By Me,” the testifying gospel of “Far Side Bank of Jordan” and the old-school country of “Loose Talk,” which features a sterling duet with Jesse and singer Claire Lynch, whose voice recalls a cross between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
As always, Winchester’s original tunes focus on relationships and the very personal, yet universal themes of loving and longing bathed in down-home perspectives and attitudes, whether it’s the lovestruck wonderment of “O What a Thrill” (already covered by The Mavericks), the wry wit of “It’s a Shame About Him,” or the funky, rocky, gospel-tinged humor/desire of “Wear Me Out,” which features bluegrass great Jerry Douglas on lap steel guitar.
Produced by Bil VornDick and Jesse Winchester and recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Love Filling Station also features a core band of Russ Barenberg on guitar and mandolin, Mark Fain on bass, Andy Leftwich on fiddle and Bob Mater on drums. The recording itself has such a warm, organic sound that hearing it brings the listener inside the studio surrounded by the musicians and Jesse Winchester, as if they were playing a house concert just for you.
A recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP), Jesse Winchester and his music have always been informed by his upbringing in Memphis, whose sights, sounds and characters have flavored his songs from the very beginning. A self-imposed exile to Canada in 1967 during the Vietnam War years eventually brought him in touch with The Band’s Robbie Robertson, who produced his self-titled debut album, which included Levon Helm on drums and mandolin and was engineered by Todd Rundgren. After releasing seven albums between 1970 and 1981, Jesse took a long break and returned to record in 1988 with Humour Me, followed by another long break until the appropriately titled Gentleman of Leisure was released in 1999. In 2002, Jesse and his new wife relocated back the States and settled in Virginia. Even during his breaks from recording, he continued an active touring schedule, as he has throughout most of his career.
WEST CHESTER, PA – Appleseed Recordings has announced the signing of acclaimed singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, and an April 21 release date for his label debut CD, Love Filling Station, his first studio album in 10 years.
A prolific composer, Winchester is noted for his songs about love lost and found, small town life and vivid characterizations told with the literary perspective of a native southerner. His tunes have been embraced by a wide variety of artists who have recorded his works for almost four decades, including Jimmy Buffet and Tom Rush (“Biloxi”), The Everly Brothers and Patti Page (“Brand New Tennessee Waltz”), Tim Hardin (“Yankee Lady”), Elvis Costello and Alex Taylor (“Payday”), Nicolette Larson (“Rhumba Girl”) and The Weather Girls (“Well-a-Wiggy”), as well as Reba McIntyre and Wynonna Judd.
On Love Filling Station, Jesse Winchester wraps his warm high-lonesome tenor around nine original songs and three covers, including the plaintive Ben E. King classic, “Stand By Me,” the testifying gospel of “Far Side Bank of Jordan” and the old-school country of “Loose Talk,” which features a sterling duet with Jesse and singer Claire Lynch, whose voice recalls a cross between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
As always, Winchester’s original tunes focus on relationships and the very personal, yet universal themes of loving and longing bathed in down-home perspectives and attitudes, whether it’s the lovestruck wonderment of “O What a Thrill” (already covered by The Mavericks), the wry wit of “It’s a Shame About Him,” or the funky, rocky, gospel-tinged humor/desire of “Wear Me Out,” which features bluegrass great Jerry Douglas on lap steel guitar.
Produced by Bil VornDick and Jesse Winchester and recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Love Filling Station also features a core band of Russ Barenberg on guitar and mandolin, Mark Fain on bass, Andy Leftwich on fiddle and Bob Mater on drums. The recording itself has such a warm, organic sound that hearing it brings the listener inside the studio surrounded by the musicians and Jesse Winchester, as if they were playing a house concert just for you.
A recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP), Jesse Winchester and his music have always been informed by his upbringing in Memphis, whose sights, sounds and characters have flavored his songs from the very beginning. A self-imposed exile to Canada in 1967 during the Vietnam War years eventually brought him in touch with The Band’s Robbie Robertson, who produced his self-titled debut album, which included Levon Helm on drums and mandolin and was engineered by Todd Rundgren. After releasing seven albums between 1970 and 1981, Jesse took a long break and returned to record in 1988 with Humour Me, followed by another long break until the appropriately titled Gentleman of Leisure was released in 1999. In 2002, Jesse and his new wife relocated back the States and settled in Virginia. Even during his breaks from recording, he continued an active touring schedule, as he has throughout most of his career.
APPLESEED RECORDINGS SIGNS JESSE WINCHESTER
APPLESEED RECORDINGS SIGNS JESSE WINCHESTER & WILL RELEASE HIS FIRST STUDIO CD IN 10 YEARS, LOVE FILLING STATION, ON APRIL 21
WEST CHESTER, PA – Appleseed Recordings has announced the signing of acclaimed singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, and an April 21 release date for his label debut CD, Love Filling Station, his first studio album in 10 years.
A prolific composer, Winchester is noted for his songs about love lost and found, small town life and vivid characterizations told with the literary perspective of a native southerner. His tunes have been embraced by a wide variety of artists who have recorded his works for almost four decades, including Jimmy Buffet and Tom Rush (“Biloxi”), The Everly Brothers and Patti Page (“Brand New Tennessee Waltz”), Tim Hardin (“Yankee Lady”), Elvis Costello and Alex Taylor (“Payday”), Nicolette Larson (“Rhumba Girl”) and The Weather Girls (“Well-a-Wiggy”), as well as Reba McIntyre and Wynonna Judd.
On Love Filling Station, Jesse Winchester wraps his warm high-lonesome tenor around nine original songs and three covers, including the plaintive Ben E. King classic, “Stand By Me,” the testifying gospel of “Far Side Bank of Jordan” and the old-school country of “Loose Talk,” which features a sterling duet with Jesse and singer Claire Lynch, whose voice recalls a cross between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
As always, Winchester’s original tunes focus on relationships and the very personal, yet universal themes of loving and longing bathed in down-home perspectives and attitudes, whether it’s the lovestruck wonderment of “O What a Thrill” (already covered by The Mavericks), the wry wit of “It’s a Shame About Him,” or the funky, rocky, gospel-tinged humor/desire of “Wear Me Out,” which features bluegrass great Jerry Douglas on lap steel guitar.
Produced by Bil VornDick and Jesse Winchester and recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Love Filling Station also features a core band of Russ Barenberg on guitar and mandolin, Mark Fain on bass, Andy Leftwich on fiddle and Bob Mater on drums. The recording itself has such a warm, organic sound that hearing it brings the listener inside the studio surrounded by the musicians and Jesse Winchester, as if they were playing a house concert just for you.
A recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP), Jesse Winchester and his music have always been informed by his upbringing in Memphis, whose sights, sounds and characters have flavored his songs from the very beginning. A self-imposed exile to Canada in 1967 during the Vietnam War years eventually brought him in touch with The Band’s Robbie Robertson, who produced his self-titled debut album, which included Levon Helm on drums and mandolin and was engineered by Todd Rundgren. After releasing seven albums between 1970 and 1981, Jesse took a long break and returned to record in 1988 with Humour Me, followed by another long break until the appropriately titled Gentleman of Leisure was released in 1999. In 2002, Jesse and his new wife relocated back the States and settled in Virginia. Even during his breaks from recording, he continued an active touring schedule, as he has throughout most of his career.
WEST CHESTER, PA – Appleseed Recordings has announced the signing of acclaimed singer-songwriter Jesse Winchester, and an April 21 release date for his label debut CD, Love Filling Station, his first studio album in 10 years.
A prolific composer, Winchester is noted for his songs about love lost and found, small town life and vivid characterizations told with the literary perspective of a native southerner. His tunes have been embraced by a wide variety of artists who have recorded his works for almost four decades, including Jimmy Buffet and Tom Rush (“Biloxi”), The Everly Brothers and Patti Page (“Brand New Tennessee Waltz”), Tim Hardin (“Yankee Lady”), Elvis Costello and Alex Taylor (“Payday”), Nicolette Larson (“Rhumba Girl”) and The Weather Girls (“Well-a-Wiggy”), as well as Reba McIntyre and Wynonna Judd.
On Love Filling Station, Jesse Winchester wraps his warm high-lonesome tenor around nine original songs and three covers, including the plaintive Ben E. King classic, “Stand By Me,” the testifying gospel of “Far Side Bank of Jordan” and the old-school country of “Loose Talk,” which features a sterling duet with Jesse and singer Claire Lynch, whose voice recalls a cross between Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
As always, Winchester’s original tunes focus on relationships and the very personal, yet universal themes of loving and longing bathed in down-home perspectives and attitudes, whether it’s the lovestruck wonderment of “O What a Thrill” (already covered by The Mavericks), the wry wit of “It’s a Shame About Him,” or the funky, rocky, gospel-tinged humor/desire of “Wear Me Out,” which features bluegrass great Jerry Douglas on lap steel guitar.
Produced by Bil VornDick and Jesse Winchester and recorded at Ocean Way Studio in Nashville, Love Filling Station also features a core band of Russ Barenberg on guitar and mandolin, Mark Fain on bass, Andy Leftwich on fiddle and Bob Mater on drums. The recording itself has such a warm, organic sound that hearing it brings the listener inside the studio surrounded by the musicians and Jesse Winchester, as if they were playing a house concert just for you.
A recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Composers, Artists and Publishers (ASCAP), Jesse Winchester and his music have always been informed by his upbringing in Memphis, whose sights, sounds and characters have flavored his songs from the very beginning. A self-imposed exile to Canada in 1967 during the Vietnam War years eventually brought him in touch with The Band’s Robbie Robertson, who produced his self-titled debut album, which included Levon Helm on drums and mandolin and was engineered by Todd Rundgren. After releasing seven albums between 1970 and 1981, Jesse took a long break and returned to record in 1988 with Humour Me, followed by another long break until the appropriately titled Gentleman of Leisure was released in 1999. In 2002, Jesse and his new wife relocated back the States and settled in Virginia. Even during his breaks from recording, he continued an active touring schedule, as he has throughout most of his career.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
TOO SLIM AND THE TAILDRAGGERS ARE OUT TO FREE YOUR MIND ON NEW CD, DUE MARCH 17 FROM UNDERWORLD RECORDS
SEATTLE, WA – Underworld Records announces a March 17 release date for Free Your Mind, the new CD from Seattle-based Too Slim and the Taildraggers, with national distribution by Burnside Distribution. Free Your Mind was produced by Todd Smallwood and Timothy Langford and – as its title implies – showcases an impressive musical expansion from the band, which consists of Tim Langford (AKA Too Slim) on guitar and vocals, Dave Nordstrom on bass and Rudy Simone on drums.
The new CD takes the group’s blues-based music to new heights, adding rock and Americana influences that make the disc a joyous listen. All of its 11 songs were written by Tim Langford and demonstrate his growth as a songwriter and observer of the human condition. The CD’s opening track, “When You Love Somebody,” marries the heartland rock of John Cougar Mellencamp with the southern rock influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd for a rousing breath of fresh air; while the second track, “Last Train,” is a slice-of-life song inspired by its author reading the crazy stories in the daily paper.
ON the rest of Free Your Mind, the band stretches its musical muscles, with tough, sinewy blasts of Langford’s crunchy guitar work and soulful vocals layered over a rhythmic framework of Dave Nordstrom powerful bass and Rudy Simone’s kicking drums. With songs such as “Devil in a Doublewide,” “Been through Hell,” “Testament” and the anthemic title track, Too Slim and the Taildraggers take many twists and turns, but ultimately arrive at a journey well-worth taking. Langford’s insightful songwriting owes a debt to Tom Petty on many of the songs, especially on “Bottle It Up” and “Throw Me a Rope,” but remains true to his own muse. The album closes with the powerful gospel-influenced ballad, “The Light,” which also features a strong guest vocal appearance by Lauren Evans and some beautifully evocative guitar work by Tim Langford, whose tones on both electric guitar and slide throughout the CD stake his claim as a major guitarist on the rise.
The band’s last CD, The Fortune Teller, reached #9 on the Billboard magazine Top Blues Albums sales chart in 2007 and 2008 and was also nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” at last year’s Blues Blast Music Awards in Chicago. The band’s also been voted “Best Regional Act” 11 times by the Cascade Blues Association, the largest organization of its kind in the US, and has won many group and solo awards from a number of other organizations and magazine readers’ polls.
Too Slim and the Taildraggers have headlined theaters, festivals and showcase clubs around the country and have shared the stage with such diverse talents as Bo Diddley, Johnny Lang, Robert Cray, .38 Special, Jeff Healey, Los Lobos, Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler and Junior Brown, among others.
Too Slim and the Taildraggers will tour extensively in support of Free Your Mind, with booking and management by Nancy Langford of The 313 Agency (206-340-2622 / info@the313agency.com). For more information on the band, visit www.tooslim.org or www.underworldindierecords.com.
To access a hi-res color jpg of Too Slim and the Taildraggers (photo credit: Lisa Martin), please click on this link: Too Slim Photo
In addition to his work in the band, Tim Langford and his wife Nancy are also the owners of “Essie’s South American Style Sauce,” a marinade described as part barbecue, part teriyaki and part Cajun that was initially developed by Nancy’s mother in the mid-1960s at a restaurant/club the family owned in North Dakota. Essie’s Sauce can be used on poultry, seafood, beef and pork and has been described by one magazine food editor as “the best sauce I’ve ever tasted.” The sauce is distributed regionally around the US and is also available by mail order. For more information, visit www.essiessauce.com.
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The new CD takes the group’s blues-based music to new heights, adding rock and Americana influences that make the disc a joyous listen. All of its 11 songs were written by Tim Langford and demonstrate his growth as a songwriter and observer of the human condition. The CD’s opening track, “When You Love Somebody,” marries the heartland rock of John Cougar Mellencamp with the southern rock influences of Lynyrd Skynyrd for a rousing breath of fresh air; while the second track, “Last Train,” is a slice-of-life song inspired by its author reading the crazy stories in the daily paper.
ON the rest of Free Your Mind, the band stretches its musical muscles, with tough, sinewy blasts of Langford’s crunchy guitar work and soulful vocals layered over a rhythmic framework of Dave Nordstrom powerful bass and Rudy Simone’s kicking drums. With songs such as “Devil in a Doublewide,” “Been through Hell,” “Testament” and the anthemic title track, Too Slim and the Taildraggers take many twists and turns, but ultimately arrive at a journey well-worth taking. Langford’s insightful songwriting owes a debt to Tom Petty on many of the songs, especially on “Bottle It Up” and “Throw Me a Rope,” but remains true to his own muse. The album closes with the powerful gospel-influenced ballad, “The Light,” which also features a strong guest vocal appearance by Lauren Evans and some beautifully evocative guitar work by Tim Langford, whose tones on both electric guitar and slide throughout the CD stake his claim as a major guitarist on the rise.
The band’s last CD, The Fortune Teller, reached #9 on the Billboard magazine Top Blues Albums sales chart in 2007 and 2008 and was also nominated for “Best Contemporary Blues Album” at last year’s Blues Blast Music Awards in Chicago. The band’s also been voted “Best Regional Act” 11 times by the Cascade Blues Association, the largest organization of its kind in the US, and has won many group and solo awards from a number of other organizations and magazine readers’ polls.
Too Slim and the Taildraggers have headlined theaters, festivals and showcase clubs around the country and have shared the stage with such diverse talents as Bo Diddley, Johnny Lang, Robert Cray, .38 Special, Jeff Healey, Los Lobos, Delbert McClinton, Blues Traveler and Junior Brown, among others.
Too Slim and the Taildraggers will tour extensively in support of Free Your Mind, with booking and management by Nancy Langford of The 313 Agency (206-340-2622 / info@the313agency.com). For more information on the band, visit www.tooslim.org or www.underworldindierecords.com.
To access a hi-res color jpg of Too Slim and the Taildraggers (photo credit: Lisa Martin), please click on this link: Too Slim Photo
In addition to his work in the band, Tim Langford and his wife Nancy are also the owners of “Essie’s South American Style Sauce,” a marinade described as part barbecue, part teriyaki and part Cajun that was initially developed by Nancy’s mother in the mid-1960s at a restaurant/club the family owned in North Dakota. Essie’s Sauce can be used on poultry, seafood, beef and pork and has been described by one magazine food editor as “the best sauce I’ve ever tasted.” The sauce is distributed regionally around the US and is also available by mail order. For more information, visit www.essiessauce.com.
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Friday, December 19, 2008
STONY PLAIN RECORDS ARTISTS GARNER SIX BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS; WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED MAY 7, 2009
STONY PLAIN RECORDS ARTISTS GARNER SIX BLUES MUSIC AWARD NOMINATIONS; WINNERS TO BE ANNOUNCED MAY 7, 2009
RORY BLOCK AND RONNIE EARL RECEIVE TWO NOMINATIONS EACH;
MARIA MULDAUR & JEFF HEALEY ALSO NOMINATED
EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records artists received six nominations as the 30th Annual Blues Music Award nominees were announced by The Blues Foundation. Winners in all categories will be presented at the Blues Music Awards Show on May 7, 2009, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Both Rory Block and Ronnie Earl received two nominations each. Five-time Blues Music Award- winner Block was nominated for “Acoustic Album of the Year” for her new Blues Walkin’ Like a Man CD, a tribute to the legendary Delta bluesman, Son House; and as “Acoustic Artist of the Year.” Ronnie Earl was nominated for “Best Guitarist,” an award he’s won twice before; and his new Hope Radio Sessions DVD was nominated for “DVD of the Year.” Other Stony Plain artists nominated are singer Maria Muldaur for “Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year;” and the late Jeff Healey, whose posthumous release, Mess of Blues, was nominated as “Rock Blues Album of the Year,” a new category added this year to the awards program. Mess of Blues was a co-operative album released by Stony Plain in Canada and by German label Ruf Records internationally.
Rory Block, who’s been proclaimed: “one of the world's most important preservers of the roots of American music … a national treasure in the form of an uncompromising mature blues artist,” has received universal acclaim for her Stony Plain label debut release, Blues Walkin’ Like a Man. Buzz McClain, writing in No Depression, called it “… a collection of interpretations that highlight the brilliance of both the teacher and the student ... channeling Bessie Smith at midnight, Block doesn't so much as sing as impart eerie invocation...” Blues Revue writer Michael Verity wrote: “… With this tribute, Block has unlocked the very essence of the blues.” Blues Walkin’ Like a Man is currently #4 on the Living Blues chart.
Celebrated guitarist Ronnie Earl has been hailed by musicians and critics alike as one of the premier blues guitarists of his generation .His intense spirituality and approach to music as a healing force is beautifully displayed on the Hope Radio Sessions DVD, a companion piece to his CD released last year on Stony Plain. Premier Guitar magazine said in its review: “... a blues guitarist and his band at the top of their game. In this DVD, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters adeptly weave between jazz and blues with their cohesive, soulful jams. This all-instrumental performance stretched across two nights captures what has drawn blues enthusiasts to Earl for over 25 years ... Deep, mesmerizing and spiritual are adjectives that could describe both Earl's playing and the man behind the Fender. While each song is its own adventure, as a whole they create a rollercoaster journey of emotions that few instrumental guitarists can achieve.”
Blues and jazz chanteuse Maria Muldaur has been a seminal figure in the folk/blues/roots world ever since she emerged in the 1960s from New York City’s Greenwich Village with the Even Dozen and Jim Kweskin jug bands. Her most-recent album for Stony Plain Records, Naughty, Bawdy & Blue, completed the trilogy of albums the acclaimed singer has released as a tribute to classic women blues singers from the 1920s through the 1940s. Both of Maria’s previous albums in the series for Stony Plain were nominated for Grammy Awards: Richland Woman Blues (2001) and Sweet Lovin’ Ol’ Soul (2005).
“Muldaur turns in absolutely wonderful renditions of sassy, double-entendre-rich songs like Victoria Spivey’s ‘One Hour Mama’ and Albert Hunter’s “Early Every Morn,’ said the Montreal Gazette in its review of Naughty, Bawdy & Blue.
Mess of Blues was singer/guitarist Jeff Healey’s last recorded album, released just shortly after he passed away from cancer at age 41. One of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, Healey viewed the album as his gift to fans of his incendiary blues guitar playing and soulful vocals, which made him an international star. Mess of Blues was his first blues/rock album in eight years, and featured Healey backed by the band from his Roadhouse club in Toronto. The CD saluted roots, blues and rock styles with covers of old R&B and rock ‘n’ roll fan favorites, as well as salutes to modern influences such as The Band and Neil Young.
Billboard magazine said of the CD: “… it’s an outstanding farewell … It’s a genuine pleasure to hear Healey’s fluid, incisive lead guitar again, and his bandmates are rock solid.”
Voting for the 30th Annual Blues Music Awards is now open at The Blues Foundation for current members at http://www.blues.org/bluesmusicawards/vote.php4 and will continue until March 2. For more information about The Blues Foundation and a complete list of nominations, visit www.blues.org.
To find out more about these Stony Plain Records artists and the rest of the label’s roster, go to www.stonyplainrecords.com.
RORY BLOCK AND RONNIE EARL RECEIVE TWO NOMINATIONS EACH;
MARIA MULDAUR & JEFF HEALEY ALSO NOMINATED
EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records artists received six nominations as the 30th Annual Blues Music Award nominees were announced by The Blues Foundation. Winners in all categories will be presented at the Blues Music Awards Show on May 7, 2009, at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Both Rory Block and Ronnie Earl received two nominations each. Five-time Blues Music Award- winner Block was nominated for “Acoustic Album of the Year” for her new Blues Walkin’ Like a Man CD, a tribute to the legendary Delta bluesman, Son House; and as “Acoustic Artist of the Year.” Ronnie Earl was nominated for “Best Guitarist,” an award he’s won twice before; and his new Hope Radio Sessions DVD was nominated for “DVD of the Year.” Other Stony Plain artists nominated are singer Maria Muldaur for “Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year;” and the late Jeff Healey, whose posthumous release, Mess of Blues, was nominated as “Rock Blues Album of the Year,” a new category added this year to the awards program. Mess of Blues was a co-operative album released by Stony Plain in Canada and by German label Ruf Records internationally.
Rory Block, who’s been proclaimed: “one of the world's most important preservers of the roots of American music … a national treasure in the form of an uncompromising mature blues artist,” has received universal acclaim for her Stony Plain label debut release, Blues Walkin’ Like a Man. Buzz McClain, writing in No Depression, called it “… a collection of interpretations that highlight the brilliance of both the teacher and the student ... channeling Bessie Smith at midnight, Block doesn't so much as sing as impart eerie invocation...” Blues Revue writer Michael Verity wrote: “… With this tribute, Block has unlocked the very essence of the blues.” Blues Walkin’ Like a Man is currently #4 on the Living Blues chart.
Celebrated guitarist Ronnie Earl has been hailed by musicians and critics alike as one of the premier blues guitarists of his generation .His intense spirituality and approach to music as a healing force is beautifully displayed on the Hope Radio Sessions DVD, a companion piece to his CD released last year on Stony Plain. Premier Guitar magazine said in its review: “... a blues guitarist and his band at the top of their game. In this DVD, Ronnie Earl and the Broadcasters adeptly weave between jazz and blues with their cohesive, soulful jams. This all-instrumental performance stretched across two nights captures what has drawn blues enthusiasts to Earl for over 25 years ... Deep, mesmerizing and spiritual are adjectives that could describe both Earl's playing and the man behind the Fender. While each song is its own adventure, as a whole they create a rollercoaster journey of emotions that few instrumental guitarists can achieve.”
Blues and jazz chanteuse Maria Muldaur has been a seminal figure in the folk/blues/roots world ever since she emerged in the 1960s from New York City’s Greenwich Village with the Even Dozen and Jim Kweskin jug bands. Her most-recent album for Stony Plain Records, Naughty, Bawdy & Blue, completed the trilogy of albums the acclaimed singer has released as a tribute to classic women blues singers from the 1920s through the 1940s. Both of Maria’s previous albums in the series for Stony Plain were nominated for Grammy Awards: Richland Woman Blues (2001) and Sweet Lovin’ Ol’ Soul (2005).
“Muldaur turns in absolutely wonderful renditions of sassy, double-entendre-rich songs like Victoria Spivey’s ‘One Hour Mama’ and Albert Hunter’s “Early Every Morn,’ said the Montreal Gazette in its review of Naughty, Bawdy & Blue.
Mess of Blues was singer/guitarist Jeff Healey’s last recorded album, released just shortly after he passed away from cancer at age 41. One of the most distinctive guitar players of our time, Healey viewed the album as his gift to fans of his incendiary blues guitar playing and soulful vocals, which made him an international star. Mess of Blues was his first blues/rock album in eight years, and featured Healey backed by the band from his Roadhouse club in Toronto. The CD saluted roots, blues and rock styles with covers of old R&B and rock ‘n’ roll fan favorites, as well as salutes to modern influences such as The Band and Neil Young.
Billboard magazine said of the CD: “… it’s an outstanding farewell … It’s a genuine pleasure to hear Healey’s fluid, incisive lead guitar again, and his bandmates are rock solid.”
Voting for the 30th Annual Blues Music Awards is now open at The Blues Foundation for current members at http://www.blues.org/bluesmusicawards/vote.php4 and will continue until March 2. For more information about The Blues Foundation and a complete list of nominations, visit www.blues.org.
To find out more about these Stony Plain Records artists and the rest of the label’s roster, go to www.stonyplainrecords.com.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
JIM SUHLER & MONKEY BEAT SAY “AMEN” ON NEW TIJUANA BIBLE CD
JIM SUHLER & MONKEY BEAT SAY “AMEN” ON NEW TIJUANA BIBLE CD
OUT FEBRUARY 17 ON UNDERWORLD RECORDS
Lead Guitarist for George Thorogood and The Destroyers and His Band Blast Off with More Psalms to Blues/Roots-Rock and All Things Texas on New CD
DALLAS, TX – Blasting out Texas blues/rock for over 17 years, Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat announce the February 17, 2009, release of the band’s new CD, Tijuana Bible, which will be released in the U.S. on Underworld Records, distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution. Produced by Jim Suhler and Tom Hambridge, Tijuana Bible is powered by 13 original songs, plus unique takes on Elvin Bishop’s “Drunken Hearted Boy” (with Bishop as special guest on slide guitar), Rory Gallagher’s “I Could’ve Had Religion” and AC/DC’s “Up to My Neck in You.” Additional special guests include Joe Bonamassa on lead guitar (“Deep Water Lullaby”) and Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie) on backing vocals (“Po’ Lightnin’).
Tijuana Bible was recorded at Ocean Way Studios and 1808 Studios in Nashville, as well as Audio Dallas in Garland, Texas. The album takes its title from the notorious “Tijuana Bible,” an old-time pornographic comic book, typically “starring” famous politicians, film stars and sports heroes of the day. “No one is really sure where they originated, but Tijuana, with its creative approach to all things entertaining, is certainly a good place to guess,” says Jim Suhler.
Along with Suhler on guitar and lead vocals, the band includes bassist Carlton Powell, keyboardist Shawn Phares and drummer Jimmy Morgan. Together, they’ve been terrorizing clubs and festivals alike with their flamethrower brand of blues/rock, with a major side order of the Texas border mythology added to make it extra spicy.
That same take-no-prisoners attitude has prevailed in Jim Suhler’s playing as a guitarist with George Thorogood and the Destroyers, with whom he’s recorded, toured and written songs for over nine years. Suhler has often been included in many of the “Top 10 Guitarists” lists featured in several music publications.
Several of the songs on Tijuana Bible are also featured on the 2008-release DVD, Real Time: Live in Texas, recorded at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, which also includes bonus tracks filmed at the Kwadendamme Blues Festival in The Netherlands and in the Dallas historic district of Deep Ellum.
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat will tour extensively in support of the new album, with booking done by Jay Reil & Associates (847-272-0202 / jay@jayreil.com). For more information, visit www.jimsuhler.com.
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OUT FEBRUARY 17 ON UNDERWORLD RECORDS
Lead Guitarist for George Thorogood and The Destroyers and His Band Blast Off with More Psalms to Blues/Roots-Rock and All Things Texas on New CD
DALLAS, TX – Blasting out Texas blues/rock for over 17 years, Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat announce the February 17, 2009, release of the band’s new CD, Tijuana Bible, which will be released in the U.S. on Underworld Records, distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution. Produced by Jim Suhler and Tom Hambridge, Tijuana Bible is powered by 13 original songs, plus unique takes on Elvin Bishop’s “Drunken Hearted Boy” (with Bishop as special guest on slide guitar), Rory Gallagher’s “I Could’ve Had Religion” and AC/DC’s “Up to My Neck in You.” Additional special guests include Joe Bonamassa on lead guitar (“Deep Water Lullaby”) and Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie) on backing vocals (“Po’ Lightnin’).
Tijuana Bible was recorded at Ocean Way Studios and 1808 Studios in Nashville, as well as Audio Dallas in Garland, Texas. The album takes its title from the notorious “Tijuana Bible,” an old-time pornographic comic book, typically “starring” famous politicians, film stars and sports heroes of the day. “No one is really sure where they originated, but Tijuana, with its creative approach to all things entertaining, is certainly a good place to guess,” says Jim Suhler.
Along with Suhler on guitar and lead vocals, the band includes bassist Carlton Powell, keyboardist Shawn Phares and drummer Jimmy Morgan. Together, they’ve been terrorizing clubs and festivals alike with their flamethrower brand of blues/rock, with a major side order of the Texas border mythology added to make it extra spicy.
That same take-no-prisoners attitude has prevailed in Jim Suhler’s playing as a guitarist with George Thorogood and the Destroyers, with whom he’s recorded, toured and written songs for over nine years. Suhler has often been included in many of the “Top 10 Guitarists” lists featured in several music publications.
Several of the songs on Tijuana Bible are also featured on the 2008-release DVD, Real Time: Live in Texas, recorded at the Granada Theatre in Dallas, which also includes bonus tracks filmed at the Kwadendamme Blues Festival in The Netherlands and in the Dallas historic district of Deep Ellum.
Jim Suhler & Monkey Beat will tour extensively in support of the new album, with booking done by Jay Reil & Associates (847-272-0202 / jay@jayreil.com). For more information, visit www.jimsuhler.com.
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