NEW GUITAR SUMMIT GIVES YOU SHIVERS ON NEW CD OUT JULY 8

NEW GUITAR SUMMIT GIVES YOU SHIVERS ON NEW CD OUT JULY 8

GUITARISTS JAY GEILS, DUKE ROBILLARD & GERRY BEAUDOIN COME TOGETHER AGAIN FOR SECOND ALBUM, FEATURING SPECIAL GUEST, RANDY BACHMAN, ON STONY PLAIN RECORDS

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces a July 8 release date in the U.S. for Shivers, the second album from New Guitar Summit, comprised of Jay Geils, Duke Robillard and Gerry Beaudoin. Joining this trio of stellar guitarists as special guest on Shivers is legendary Canadian rocker Randy Bachman (Guess Who, Bachman Turner Overdrive), who adds his sparking guitar work and laid-back vocals on two Mose Allison classic songs, “Your Mind Is On Vacation” and “Everybody’s Crying Mercy.”


The critically-acclaimed New Guitar Summit’s self-titled first CD and DVD, Live from Stoneham Theatre were both released by Stony Plain in 2004. The three New England-based guitarists first began performing together in 1997, with one of their highlights coming that year when they joined the Woody Herman Orchestra as special guests in front of 5,000 fans at City Hall Plaza in Boston..

On Shivers, the three guitarists come together again to play a rousing set of vintage jazz and blues music, the kind that inspired each player to become the masters of their instruments. In addition to the two Mose Allison tunes, the band covers such classics as “Flying Home,” “Honey Suckle Rose,” “Broadway” and the title track, written by Charlie Christian and Lionel Hampton. The band also adds a jumping arrangement on the early rock ‘n’ roll/R&B chestnut, “Little Bitty Pretty One,” plus three original songs.

“It’s about amazing communication, the three of us really like and respect each other,” says Gerry Beaudoin in the album’s liner notes. “Jay and I play together every month and come up with different sets of material, and when Duke, who is so busy, gets together with us, it really is like falling off a log.”

Randy Bachman became involved in the project after he and Gerry Beaudoin met. “Randy and I crossed paths when I was selling some vintage guitars and we hit it off,” remembers Beaudoin. “When we were on our tour of Canada, we were able to record with him. Holger (Petersen) from Stony Plain Records and I both thought the two Mose tunes would be a good fit,” he adds.

Shivers was produced by Jay Geils and recorded primarily at WellSpring Sound in Acton, Massachusetts with Timm Kelleher engineering

For more information, visit www.stonyplainrecords.com.

JEZEBEL RECORDS SETS MAY 6 RELEASE DATE FOR SOMEDAY, THE NEW CD FROM FRANK CARILLO AND THE BANDOLEROS

NEW YORK, NY – Jezebel Records announces a May 6 release date for Someday, the new album from singer/songwriter/guitarist Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros.

Someday features 14 original songs, all written or co-written by Carillo, and showcases Frank’s talent for writing solid blue-collar roots rock, with touches of blues and roadhouse country laced throughout. The CD is fueled by the double-barrel attack of Carillo’s soulful vocals (which at times recall both Thin Lizzy’s Phil Lynott and Bruce Springsteen), and the meaty tone of his rock-sold guitar playing. The album was produced engineered and mixed by Paul Orofino, who also produced the band’s last CD (Bad Out There), and recorded at Millbrook Studios in upstate New York. Legendary Texas keyboard player Augie Meyers (Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornados, Bob Dylan), who Carillo met when the two were in John Hammond’s band, adds his distinctive keyboard work to four songs on the new CD.

Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros formed in 2004, and in addition to Frank on lead guitar and vocals the band includes Norman DelTufo on percussion/backing vocals, Eddie Seville on drums/backing vocals, Karl Allweier on upright bass/backing vocals and Frank’s brother Andrew Carillo on guitar.

The band’s debut CD, Bad Out There, was released in 2005 and resulted in rave critical reviews, extensive airplay on Triple A, Americana and Roots radio stations (including top 10 on XM Satellite Radio) and exposure throughout a number of retail outlets across the country such as Starbucks, TGI Friday’s, Hooters and Eddie Bauer. The album was also featured on several major airlines. “Red Queen,” a single off the album, was also warmly received at country radio.

A veteran triple threat as a singer, songwriter and guitar player, Frank Carillo’s distinctive guitar sound has been heard on record going back to impressive performances on Peter Frampton’s seminal albums, Wind of Change (`1972) and Frampton’s Camel (1973). Among his many other guitar credits are work on Carly Simon’s acclaimed Spy album (Carillo also co-wrote the song, “Pure Sin” with Simon on that record), plus tours of North America and Europe as a member of John Hammond’s band and on the bluesman’s album, Ready for Love.

Frank Carillo’s songwriting skills have also been employed on numerous albums in a wide assortment of music genres from rock and blues, to pop and country. He co-wrote “Play That Song Again” for Joan Jett’s multi-platinum album, Up Your Alley; as a duo with singer Annie Golden he recorded two albums in the early 1990s including the song, “Waiting for Someone,” which they performed on-screen in the film Prelude to a Kiss, as well as on the movie’s soundtrack; and he co-wrote seven songs on Golden Earring’s 2003 release, Millbrook, USA.

Carillo’s prior own projects included the band Doc Holliday, whose first album was produced by Chris Kimsey (The Rolling Stones), and two solo albums for Atlantic Records: Rings Around the Moon (1978) and Street of Dreams (1979). Rings Around the Moon featured backing vocals by Yvonne Elliman, who sang on Eric Clapton’s hit single, “I Shot the Sheriff,” and on the Jesus Chris Superstar soundtrack; while Street of Dreams included a then-unknown singer named Michael Bolton on backing vocals.

During this time, Frank Carillo and his band toured extensively all over the world, opening for such artists as the J. Geils Band, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Bad Company. The Bad Company tour was particularly amazing, with 64 shows played before packed houses throughout the U.S., which generated many encores and standing ovations for Carillo and his band.

Over the years, Frank Carillo has developed an especially strong following in Europe dating back to his early tours, both in his own band and as a member of other groups. Frank Carillo and the Bandoleros embarked on their first headline tour of Holland and Germany in 2006, resulting in sold-out shows and several encores each night. With the release of Someday both in the U.S. and Europe, that fan base is expected to increase significantly, and the band expects to tour overseas as well as in the U.S. in support of the new CD.

For more information, visit www.frankcarillo.com.

HEYBALE! SET TO RELEASE THE LAST COUNTRY ALBUM ON JUNE 17

HEYBALE! SET TO RELEASE THE LAST COUNTRY ALBUM ON JUNE 17

ALL-STAR AUSTIN BAND’S NEW CD ON SHUFFLE 5 RECORDS

AUSTIN, TX – Shuffle 5 Records proudly announces a June 17 release date for The Last Country Album, the debut studio CD from Heybale!, distributed nationally by Burnside Distribution.

Heybale! has been performing its brand of honky-tonkin’ country music to packed houses and dance floors every Sunday night for the past seven years at Austin’s Continental Club - and with good reason. Legendary piano player Earl Poole Ball recorded and toured with Johnny Cash for 25 years, played with Merle Haggard, Buck Owens and Gram Parsons and recorded with The Byrds on their seminal country-rock album Sweetheart of the Rodeo. Guitarist extraordinaire Redd Volkaert was a member of Merle Haggard’s band for over six years, also played with Dale Watson and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance with Brad Paisley in 2004. They are joined by the rhythm section of Kevin Smith on stand-up bass and Tom Lewis on drums. Smith, an original member of the renowned rockabilly band High Noon, currently tours with Dwight Yoakam. Lewis was an original member of the Wagoneers, and toured and recorded with Junior Brown and Hank Thompson. He also currently plays with Raul Malo. Singer/rhythm guitarist Gary Claxton hails from Oklahoma and has been singing in clubs around California, Nashville, and Texas for the past 20 years. Blessed with a pure country voice, Claxton’s has been called by many since he arrived in Austin as the best country singer-songwriter in a town full of great ones.

Heybale! released two prior albums: ContinentaLive was recorded at the Continental Club during the band’s Sunday night residency, with Erik Hokkanen as guest; and Live From 1-A was recorded live in the KUT studios in Austin with the late, great Jim Murphy on steel.

The Last Country Album was self-produced and recorded at Bruce Robison’s Premium Studios and mixed by Raul Malo and Evan York at Chicken Hill Studios in Nashville. Claxton, Ball and Volkeart share lead vocals throughout the album. Joining in on the fun is an all-star cast of Austin’s finest, including Cindy Cashdollar, Erik Hokannen, Elana James and Casper Rawls. The CD’s organic, spontaneous sound is due in part to the fact that many of the songs were recorded live in one room with a cast of nine musicians all performing together. Hokannen’s instrumental, “Heybalin’,” is a honky-tonk, western swing thrill ride with everyone kickin’ things up several notches in the pickin’ department. On the rowdy “Everything … About Drinking,” written and sung by Earl Poole Ball, ex-Maverick Raul Malo and rock and roll drumming legend Hunt Sales contribute to the backing vocal cadre.

Heybale! will help celebrate the release of The Last Country Album with a number of Texas shows, as well as special performances at New York City’s Hill Country Barbecue on May 31st and June 1st.

For more information, visit www.heybale.com and www.myspace.com/heybaletheband.

KELLY RICHEY IS READY TO CARRY THE LIGHT

KELLY RICHEY IS READY TO CARRY THE LIGHT

NEW CD DUE JUNE 3 ON SWEET LUCY RECORDS


CINCINNATI, OH - Sweet Lucy Records announces a June 3rd release date for Carry the Light, the new studio CD from guitarist/singer Kelly Richey, with national distribution by Select-O-Hits.

Carry the Light is an album of all-original songs co-produced by Ms. Richey and Rick Brantley that expertly demonstrates all the tools she brings to the table as a songwriter, singer and a powerful, provocative guitar player. Her music is a thrilling mix of blues-powered rock that has made Kelly Richey one of the most exciting live acts on tour.

Carry the Light reflects every bit of Richey’s stellar guitar tone and style, while propelling her into a new light as a thoughtful and insightful singer/songwriter. The 11 tracks range from personal reflection and contemplation to illuminating thoughts on our world situation.

“This CD was written with my guitar mentor, John Redell, and songwriter Steve Carroll,” says Richey about the new album. “Each week for four months, John and I got together and hammered out song ideas. Many songs were passed on to Steve to add either a chorus, bridge or to strengthen the melody line. Steve also sent songs he wrote based on ideas/concepts we discussed and John and I constructed guitar parts to help make the songs come to life. I was constantly challenged by John to grow as a guitarist, and challenged by Steve to construct songs that stood alone with or without guitar wizardry.”

“Rick Brantley was a guitarist and has a guitar player’s dream studio,” Richey says. “I asked Rick to co-produce the project because I knew I had taken the songs as far as I could and needed an outside perspective to insure that the CD sounded like the best commercial release possible, while maintaining the character that it had when written. We decided that I needed to move away from such a ‘live’ mentality and into a more studio frame of mind, so we chose to bring in session players who could capture the foundational tracks with perfection and speed; then, we could place the majority of our time capturing the best guitar and vocal performances that I could produce.”

With her current touring band, Kelly Richey has all the ingredients to transfer the songs on Carry the Light to the stage. “I feel that this CD says something that needs to be said in this day and age when commercialism often supersedes the realities that we as individuals face,” says Kelly. “I feel that this is an important role that music provides in society, especially during times when we face such conflict and division. Music has always been the medicine as well as the vehicle to carry light and hope from each generation to the next.”

Guitarist/singer Kelly Richey has been described by one music critic as: “Stevie Ray Vaughan trapped in a woman’s body with Janis Joplin screaming to get out.” The Lexington, Kentucky native, who’s been based in Cincinnati for many years, has often been compared to Vaughan and Jimi Hendrix because of her ability to capture and entertain an audience with ripping guitar leads that both sing and astonish.

Richey began her professional career as a member of the Arista Records group, Stealin' Horses. In 1990, she formed The Kelly Richey Band and has gone on to become both a nationally and internationally touring artist. Since establishing her own label, Sweet Lucy Records, Ms.Richey has released a number of CDs as both a solo artist and as The Kelly Richey Band. In Cincinnati, Kelly and her band have won multiple awards, including Best Blues/RB Band, Best Rock Band, Best Musician, and Best Band.

Her last CD, Speechless, was an all-original instrumental album that generated praise from fans and critics alike, with Blues Revue calling it “an inspiring and extraordinarily controlled display of six-string talent.” Goldmine magazine perhaps summed it up best by declaring the CD, “an incendiary blast through her influences, an all-instrumental set that picks up where the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Roy Buchanan, Jeff Beck, Pat Metheny, and Al DiMeola left off (or were once spotted) and tears hell for leather through a series of stylings and storms that render you slack-jawed in amazement.”

Kelly Richey will tour extensively in support of Carry the Light. For more information, visit her web site at www.kellyrichey.com.

DUKE ROBILLARD IS “SWINGIN’” AND AMOS GARRETT GETS “WAY BACK” ON NEW MAY 13 RELEASES FROM STONY PLAIN RECORDS

EDMONTON, AB – Stony Plain Records announces May 13 release dates for two new CDs: A Swingin’ Session with Duke Robillard, from the multi-Grammy-nominated guitarist; and Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield, from acclaimed guitarist Amos Garrett.

A four-time Blues Award winner as “Best Guitarist,” Duke Robillard once again rises to the occasion with another album exploring the roots and connections between blues and jazz with the appropriately titled A Swingin’ Session.

“For me, there is a very thin line between what was originally called jazz and the blues,” says Robillard in the album liner notes. “All the early jazz and big band players were adept and often great at playing the blues … guys like Ben Webster, Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Jack Teagarden, Johnny Hodges and Count Basie … Charlie Parker was a great blues player.”

A Swingin’ Session with Duke Robillard explores the great American songbook of jazz classics like “Deed I Do,” “The Song is Ended,” “Them That Got” and “When Your Lover Has Gone,” but leaves plenty of room Duke to stretch out with the band on such movers as “Meet Me at No Special Place,” “They Raided the Joint” and “Swingin’ with Lucy Mae.”

Once again, Duke is backed by the impeccable group of musicians who’ve recorded with him many times before: drummer Mark Teixeira, bassist Marty Ballou, keyboardist Bruce Katz and sax player Gordon Beadle. With the addition of several former mates from Roomful of Blues, such as Al Basile on cornet, Doug James on baritone sax and Carl Querfurth on trombone, plus special guest Scott Hamilton on tenor sax, the recipe for A Swingin’ Session is complete.

Robillard and Hamilton have been playing music together for many years and the latter’s presence on the new CD was an easy choice for Duke. “Scott adds an element of swinging elegance that balances everything out perfectly for me,” says Duke.

For legendary guitarist Amos Garrett, the decision to record Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield was also an easy one. “I’ve wanted to make this album for some time,” says Garrett. “And make it as a tribute to a man who became my primary influence as a singer, even though his legacy is as a songwriter. And possibly as the greatest R&B songwriter from 1947 to well into the ‘60s,” he adds.


Percy Mayfield, whose songs have been recorded by such R&B, blues and jazz giants as Ray Charles, B.B. King, Etta James, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Junior Parker, Amos Milburn, Mose Allison and Jimmy Witherspoon, was called “The Poet Laureate of the Blues” for his imaginative and poignant, yet accessible compositions.

Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield was produced by Amos Garrett and features a number of musicians who’ve played with him over the years, including keyboardist Ron Casat, sax player Dave Babcock, trumpet player Alistair Elliott, drummer Bucky Berger and bassist Victor Bateman.

Garrett’s vocal style and phrasing are a perfect match for such well-known Mayfield tunes as “My Jug and I,” “Stranger in My Own Hometown,” “Never Say Naw,” “The River’s Invitation” and the title track, among others. He did not include two of Mayfield’s most-covered songs, “Hit the Road, Jack,” and “Please Send Me Someone to Love,” noting with his typically laid back, dry sense of humor, “Well, those songs have been sung before.”

Born in Detroit but raised in Canada, Amos Garrett first came to prominence in the 1970s as an in-demand session guitarist, recording with Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, Emmylou Harris, Elvin Bishop, Anne Murray and Jesse Winchester, among others. He will forever be remembered for his signature guitar work on Maria Muldaur’s “Midnight At the Oasis.”

Garrett also worked as a band member in Ian & Sylvia’s Great Speckled Bird and Paul Butterfield’s Better Days and toured with Maria Muldaur as her band leader.

From the first notes of Get Way Back: A Tribute to Percy Mayfield, with his distinctive guitar tone and laconic vocal style, Amos Garrett stamps this new CD as something extraordinary. As he says in the liner notes, “Percy’s songs, when I discovered them in the early ‘70s, really set my direction. Sharing these songs is very special to me.”

For more information, visit www.dukerobillard.com, www.melmusic.com/amos_garrett
or www.stonyplainrecords.com.

ALBERT CASTIGLIA’S NEW CD ANNOUNCES: THESE ARE THE DAYS

ALBERT CASTIGLIA’S NEW CD ANNOUNCES:
THESE ARE THE DAYS

MIAMI, FL – Blues Leaf Records announces an April 1st release date for guitarist/singer Albert Castiglia’s new CD, These are the Days, distributed nationally by Allegro.

Born in New York and raised in Miami, Albert Castiglia (pronounced “ka-STEEL-ya”), began playing guitar at 12. In 1990, he became a member of The Miami Blues Authority and was later voted “Best Blues Guitarist” by New Times magazine in 1997. Shortly thereafter, he was spotted by legendary blues singer/harmonica player Junior Wells, who asked Castiglia to join his band as a guitarist and singer. With Wells as his mentor, Albert performed at clubs and festivals across America, as well as in Canada and Europe. During that time, he also got the opportunity to play and jam with many other blues stars, including Pinetop Perkins, Ronnie Earl, Billy Boy Arnold, Lurrie Bell, Jerry Portnoy, Eddy Clearwater and Otis Clay. After Junior Wells passed away, Castiglia toured with Atlanta blues singer Sandra Hall.

In 2002, Albert launched his solo career with the debut CD, Burn, collaborating with his longtime friend, Graham Wood Drout of south Florida band Iko-Iko. Drout’s visceral, yet literary songs became the perfect vehicle for Castiglia’s soulful vocals, which recall Van Morrison, and stinging guitar playing. In 2006, he released his second album (and first for Blues Leaf Records), A Stone’s Throw, which included two more Drout compositions, “Big Toe,” and the amazing “Ghosts of Mississippi,” which has all the earmarks of becoming a blues classic. Castiglia and Drout also released a live CD together, titled The Bittersweet Sessions, in 2005.

These are the Days, contains five original Albert Castiglia songs, including the opening track, “Bad Year Blues,” which jumps out of the box with both killer guitar hooks and memorable lyrics, and “Godfather of the Blues,” his tribute to Junior Wells. Once again, Graham Wood Drout contributes another song for Albert, “Celebration.” The cover songs on These are the Days salute a wide range of styles and artists ranging from Bob Dylan (“Catfish”) and Nappy Brown (“Night Time is the Right Time”), to Fenton Robinson (“Somebody Loan me a Dime”) and Little Willie John (“Need Your Love So Bad”).

With the release of These are the Days, Albert Castiglia makes a statement as a major force in the blues.

For more information, visit www.albertcastiglia.com.

THE TOM PRINCIPATO BAND IS RAISING THE ROOF ON NEW CD

THE TOM PRINCIPATO BAND IS RAISING THE ROOF ON NEW CD,
DUE MARCH 4, 2008, ON POWERHOUSE RECORDS

WASHINGTON, DC – Powerhouse Records announces a February 19, 2008, release date for Raising the Roof, the new album from guitarist extraordinaire Tom Principato and his band, distributed nationally by Redeye Distribution.

Long-acknowledged as one of the premier guitarists in the world, Tom Principato’s latest CD builds on the universal acclaim for his 2005 release, Guitar Gumbo, which won awards from the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) for “Best Blues Recording” and “Best Blues Vocalist.” With these new honors, Tom has now won a total of 22 “Wammies.” In addition, a song from that album, “If Love Is Blind,” written by Dave Kitchen, was named “Song of the Year.”

The Tom Principato Band has made a name for itself around the world with extensive touring throughout North America, as well as regular appearances in Norway, Sweden, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Finland, Greece and Turkey, among others. In addition to Principato on guitar and vocals, the band features John Perry on bass and backup vocals, Joe Wells on drums and Josh Howell on congas and percussion.

On Raising the Roof, the Tom Principato Band is joined by long-time DC-area favorite Tommy Lepson, who contributes his soulful Hammond B3 organ playing and vocals, as well as several other special guests. The new album showcases nine songs (including 6 originals) that demonstrate the breadth of Tom’s musical influences ranging from blues, jazz and rock, to funk, reggae and New Orleans sounds.

The three covers include a jazzy workout of Jimmy Smith’s “8 Counts for Rita,” a cooking take on J.J. Cale’s “Lies,” and a new version of Louis Jordan’s “Fish Fry” that brings on the funk and Jamaican flavors to this R&B classic, a long-time staple of the band’s live shows.

The Tom Principato Band will begin a world-wide tour in support of Raising the Roof shortly after its release, including showcase club dates and festival shows.

In a career that spans over 40 years, Tom Principato has established himself as a world-class guitarist, and with the formation of his Powerhouse Records, he has released critically-acclaimed music and video from such additional stellar talent as guitarists Roy Buchanan and Danny Gatton as well as The Nighthawks.

For more information on The Tom Principato Band or Powerhouse Records, visit www.tomprincipato.com or www.powerhouserecords.com.