Dan Auerbach—best known as half of The Black Keys—will embark on a winter tour beginning November 5 in Columbus, OH. The tour, which includes shows at New York City’s Webster Hall, Nashville’s Cannery Ballroom and Philadelphia’s Theater of the Living Arts, arrives on the heels of Auerbach’s critically acclaimed solo debut Keep It Hid, recently released on Nonesuch. The album received wide praise from The New York Times, NPR’s Fresh Air, The New Yorker, Rolling Stone and Pitchfork. Opening for Auerbach on the fall dates are Justin Townes Earle and Jessica Lea Mayfield. Please see below for tour details.
Keep It Hid was produced and engineered by Auerbach at his studio Akron Analog and features him playing a variety of instruments, including drums, guitar, percussion, and keyboards. Many of Auerbach’s friends and family play on the album, including his uncle James Quine, who contributes vocal harmony and electric guitar on the track “Street Walkin.” Other musicians include Jessica Lea Mayfield, who sings on the track “When the Night Comes,” and Bob Cesare, who plays drums on “Whispered Words,” a song originally written by Auerbach’s father. Of the recording process Auerbach states, “I wanted a live, organic sound. Nothing was too plotted or planned, just a lot of spontaneity.” The record was mixed by Auerbach’s good friend Mark Neill at Neill’s Soil of the South studio.
With his Black Keys bandmate Patrick Carney, Auerbach has recorded five critically acclaimed full-length albums, beginning with 2002’s The Big Come Up. 2008’s Attack & Release debuted on the Billboard Top 200 chart at #14, marking The Black Keys’ highest position to date. The New York Times called it a “savage, bitter concoction built on a snarling punk-rock riff,” while the Los Angeles Times called it “without doubt the Keys’ most dynamic effort yet.” Auerbach also has been busy with his own record label, Polymer Sounds, for which he produced the 2008 debut from Jessica Lea Mayfield With Blasphemy, So Heartfelt; Pitchfork praised Mayfield’s album as “fascinating and endlessly listenable.” On November 18, 2008, Nonesuch will release a DVD produced and directed by Lance Bangs titled The Black Keys Live at the Crystal Ballroom.
November 5 Newport Music Hall* Columbus, OH
November 6 The Majestic Theater* Detroit, MI
November 7 Phoenix Concert Theater* Toronto, ONT
November 8 Le National* Montral, QC
November 9 The Paradise† Boston, MA
November 11 Webster Hall† New York, NY
November 12 Theater of the Living Arts† Philadelphia, PA
November 13 Sonar* Baltimore, MD
November 14 Cat’s Cradle† Chapel Hill, NC
November 16 The Orange Peel* Asheville, NC
November 17 Variety Playhouse* Atlanta, GA
November 18 House of Blues* New Orleans, LA
November 20 Minglewood Hall* Memphis, TN
November 21 Cannery Ballroom† Nashville, TN
December 3 Turner Hall* Milwaukee, WI
December 4 First Avenue* Minneapolis, MN
December 6 The Bluebird* Bloomington, IN
December 8 Southgate House* Newport, KY
December 9 House of Blues* Cleveland, OH
Here he is performing the title track from his debut solo album, Keep It Hid:
The Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado – a legendary venue that has been graced by rock luminaries from The Beatles to U2 – provides the awe-inspiring backdrop for three-time Grammy® Award-winning artist Rob Thomas in his first-ever live performance DVD. Captured in High-Definition and mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound for the acclaimed PBS music series Soundstage, the 18-song concert features seven songs not seen on the original 2007 television broadcast plus the music video for “Streetcorner Symphony.” A must-own for every Rob Thomas and Matchbox Twenty fan, ROB THOMAS: SOMETHING TO BE TOUR – LIVE AT RED ROCKS arrives in-stores simultaneously with Thomas’ new Emblem/Atlantic Records solo album, cradlesong, produced by Matt Serletic – making June 30 one of the most highly anticipated music release dates of the year.
In 2005, Rob Thomas’ first solo album …Something To Be debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart and sold over 3 million copies, while break-out single “Lonely No More” raced up to the top of the singles charts. In June 2006, Rob Thomas reached a new peak (literally and figuratively) when his “Something To Be Tour” made a stop at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the foothills of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. The setting proved an idyllic backdrop for Thomas’ set, which mixed Matchbox Twenty hits such as “3 AM” and “Bent” with tracks from his solo career including “This Is How A Heart Breaks” and “Ever the Same.” The incredible performance also includes a special acoustic arrangement of “Smooth” and a cover of the David Bowie classic “Let’s Dance.”
Stream Clips from “Problem Girl,” “If You’re Gone,” “3AM,”
One of the most distinctive vocalists and accomplished songwriters in contemporary music, Thomas has earned a string of accolades – both for his work as lead singer and primary composer with Matchbox Twenty as well as for his solo work and collaborations with other artists. In 2004, the Songwriters Hall of Fame presented Thomas with its premiere “Starlight Award” – created to recognize a songwriter in the early years of his or her career who has already made a lasting impact. He has won numerous BMI and ASCAP Awards, and has earned the Songwriter of the Year crown from both Billboard and BMI for two consecutive years.
Thomas has written and performed a remarkable string of hits, including Matchbox Twenty’s #1-charting “Push,” “3AM,” “If You’re Gone,” “Bent,” “Disease,” and “Unwell,” plus such favorites as “Real World,” “Back 2 Good,” “Mad Season,” and “Bright Lights.” His smash collaboration with Santana, the Thomas-penned “Smooth,” earned Rob three Grammy Awards and ranks #1 on Billboard’s “Top Hot 100 Rock Songs” chart and #2 on the magazine’s “Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.” He has also worked with the likes of Willie Nelson, Mick Jagger, Marc Anthony, and Bernie Taupin, among many others. Combining all of his projects, Thomas has contributed to sales of some 80 million records.
If you’re a fan of Lady Gaga’s exclusive EP ‘The CherryTree Sessions’, then you’ll love her latest acoustic offering! This time, she’s taken on Coldplay’s recent hit, “Viva La Vida”, and even added some new lyrics of her own! Check it out:
Lady Gaga Covers “Viva La Vida”
By the way, Lady Gaga just confirmed that she recently finished filming her brand new “Paparazzi” music video. Stay tuned for the premiere……
Critically acclaimed guitarist/songwriter and famed NY Yankees star BERNIE WILLIAMS has signed a recording contract with REFORM RECORDS for his sophomore album MOVING FORWARD - set for release on April 14. The Puerto Rico native and five-time All Star is a classically-trained musician who developed his love for playing guitar alongside baseball, while listening to salsa, merengue and 80’s rock. MOVING FORWARD embraces those early influences, while also reflecting a unique mixture of classical and jazz guitar topped-off with additional Latin rhythms. In conjunction with the album’s release, Williams will give an April 18 concert (featuring very special guest artists) at New York’s Nokia Theatre Tickets go on sale December 6 at 12 noon via TicketMaster and the Nokia Box Office.
Bernie Williams comments: “I’m thrilled to be recording again and to be a part of the Reform Records family. They share my vision for this album and for my music. Creating my debut album was a great experience, although my primary focus at that point was still baseball. For the past two years, I have been able to fully dedicate my time to music, and I could not be more excited with the results.”
Chris Hower, A&R and Head of Label Operations for REFORM RECORDS states on behalf of all at REFORM: “We are thrilled to have signed Bernie Williams and we are proud to be a part of such a talented musician’s career. Bernie’s sophomore effort exemplifies his growth as a musician and a songwriter. We look forward to launching this album in a big way.”
Check out Bernie’s mellow acoustic version of “Take Me Out To The Ballgame”
Moving Forward was produced by Loren Harriet & Bernie Williams. Loren also produced Bernie’s debut, The Journey Within.
Track Listing:
1. Moving Forward
2. Ritmo De Otono
3. Songo
4. Addicted To You
5. Just Another Day (feat. Jon Secada)
6. He Reigns
7. Lullaby for Beatriz
8. Go For It (feat. Mike Stern)
9. Que Rico El Mambo
10. African Blues
11. Chillin in the West
12. Take Me Out to the Ballgame
13. Otro Dia Mas Sin Verte (feat. Mike Stern)
14. Glory Days (feat. Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa)
Chris Cornell has added ten more dates to his spring tour in support of his forthcoming album, Scream – produced by Timbaland and released by Mosley Music/Interscope on March 10. The 28-date tour now includes a Canadian stop in Vancouver in addition to U.S. cities such as Denver, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Tickets for the 10 newly announced shows go on sale to the public this Friday, February 27. All previously
announced shows are on sale now. Scream showcases a new, seductive sound – dark, multi-layered and full of puzzles and surprises. The songs bring a cinematic scope to Cornell’s performances with potent visual imagery echoing the non-stop musical assault from his internationally acclaimed live band. “Musically, this is the most ambitious thing I’ve been a part of. It’s almost like a movie soundtrack,” says Cornell, who will also be playing other music from his two-decade, 14 –album career.
Get Scream with ticket purchase:
Cornell has also announced that fans who purchase tickets online tothe upcoming tour
will also receive a digital copy of his entire new album, Scream. A code will be sent to
online ticket purchasers to redeem a digital copy when the album is released nationwide
on March 10. Chris hopes this will give fans something extra at a time when money’s
becoming tighter for everyone.
Newly Announced Tour Dates – On Sale This Friday, February 27 at 10am ET
April 21: St. Louis, MO – Pop’s
April 22 : Kansas City, MO – Harrah’s Voodoo Lounge
April 24 : Denver, CO – Ogden Theatre
April 25 : Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
April 27 : Seattle, WA – Showbox SoDo
April 28 : Vancouver, BC, Canada – Commodore Ballroom
April 29 : Portland, OR – Crystal Ballroom
May 1 : San Francisco, CA – Grand Ballroom
May 2 : Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
May 3: Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
Previously Announced Tour Dates – On Sale Now
March 28 : Dallas, TX – House of Blues
March 29 : Houston, TX – Warehouse Live
March 30 : Austin, TX – Stubbs Bar-B-Q
April 1 : Atlanta, GA – CW Center Stage
April 3 : Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
April 4 : Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
April 5 : Washington DC – 9:30 Club
April 7 : New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 8 : New York, NY – Webster Hall
April 10 : Boston, MA – House of Blues
April 11 : Montclair, NJ – Wellmont Theatre
April 13 : Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
April 14 : Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater
April 15 : Indianapolis, IN – The Vogue Theatre
April 17 : Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
April 18 : St Paul, MN – MYTH
April 19 : Chicago, IL – Riviera Theater
Here is a pretty solid list of the best guitar solo’s of all time from GuitarWorld.com. Its impossible to please everyone, but at 50, most of the great ones are there. Here are 50-41:
50) “Shock Me” (Ace Frehley) - Kiss Alive II, 1977
“I basically did the same solo every night on that tour, with minor alterations, so I had it kind of planned out when I did it the night we recorded it for Alive II album,” says Ace Frehley.
“But if you listen carefully to the ‘Shock Me’ solo you can hear me make a mistake about two thirds of the way through. Instead of tapping a B at the 19th fret of the high E string, I accidentally hit the A# note at the 18th fret—that’s definitely a wrong note for the scale I’m using. We could have fixed it in the mix, but I said to Eddie [Kramer, Alive II producer], ‘Screw it! Leave it in. The run sounds cool, so who cares—it’s rock and roll!’ ”
49) “Europa” (Carlos Santana) - Carlos Santana Amigos, 1976
“I started writing this song in 1966 or ’67, but didn’t finish it until ’75 when we were on tour with Earth, Wind and Fire, in Manchester, England,” says Carlos Santana. “We were backstage while they were on stage playing. And we were just warming up, tuning up. I started playing it and [keyboardist] Tom Coster and I completed it right there on the spot. It immediately became a crowd favorite; it is one of those songs that, whether it’s played in Japan or in Jerusalem or in South America, it just fits right in with everything.”
48) “Sympathy for the Devil” (Keith Richards) - Rolling Stones Beggars Banquet, 1968
Writer Stanley Booth once suggested to Keith Richards that “Sympathy for the Devil” was cut from the same cloth as bluesman Robert Johnson’s haunting “Me and the Devil Blues.” “Yeah,” Richards replied. “All of us pursued by the same demon.” But while “Sympathy’s” lyrics reflect the Stones’ attraction to the dark side and allegiance to Johnson, the music is a prime example of how in a real band, composition is a group effort.
“It started as sort of a folk song with acoustics and ended up as kind of a mad samba, with me playing bass and overdubbing the guitar later,” says Richards. “That’s why I don’t like to go into the studio with all the songs worked out and planned beforehand. Because you can write the songs, but you’ve got to give the band something to use its imagination on as well. That can make a very ordinary song come alive into something totally different. You can write down the notes being played, but you can’t put down the X Factor—so important in rock and
roll—which is the feel.”47) “Jessica” (Dickey Betts) - Allman Brothers Band Brothers and Sisters, 1974
Dickey Betts’ instrumental “Jessica” is as uplifting a piece of music as can be found in all rock. And that, says Betts, is no coincidence: the music actually began with his desire to express pure jubilation.
“My instrumentals try to create some of the basic feelings of human interaction, like anger and joy and love,” says Betts. “With ‘Jessica,’ I knew what I wanted to do, but I couldn’t quite find it. Then my little daughter, Jessica, crawled into the room, and I just started playing to her, trying to capture the feeling of her crawling and smiling. That’s why I named it after her.”
Betts wrote the song’s melodic theme while emulating one of his heroes—the gypsy guitarist Django Rheinhardt, who had the use of only two fingers on his left hand. “I came up with that melody using just two fingers as a sort of tribute to Django,” says Betts. “That the song turned out so well is very satisfying. In general, writing a good instrumental is very fulfilling, because you’ve transcended language
and spoken to someone with a melody.”46) “Hot For Teacher” (Edward Van Halen) - Van Halen 1984, 1984
“I winged that one,” says Eddie Van Halen. “If you listen to it, the timing changes in the middle of nowhere. We were in a room playing together and I kind of winked at the guys and said, ‘Okay, we’re changing now!’ Because I don’t count, I just follow my feelings. I tend to do a lot of things in threes and fives, instead of fours.
“My weird sense of time just drives my brother Alex nuts because he’s a drummer, so he has to count. But generally he’ll say, ‘Well, Ed, you did it in five again. If that’s the way you want it…’ But that’s not the way I want it, that’s just what feels right to me.”
45) “Light My Fire” (Robby Krieger) - The Doors The Doors, 1967
“Light My Fire” was one of the first songs ever written by Robby Krieger, and his extended solo on the album version was also one of his shining moments as a guitarist. Ironically, however, in order for “Light My Fire” to become a hit for the Doors and Krieger the songwriter, Krieger the guitarist had to swallow his pride and allow his masterly two-and-a-half-minute solo to be trimmed down to its essential opening and closing themes for use on the single.
“That always bothered me,” Krieger readily admits. “We never wanted to cut it, but our first single, ‘Break On Through,’ flopped and radio stations told us that ‘Light My Fire’ would be a hit if we cut it down. We didn’t have much choice because AM radio ruled everything, and if you wanted to get on AM you had to have a short song.”
The longer solo now regularly broadcast on the radio in its entirety, is a perfect distillation of Krieger’s style. A flamenco-trained guitarist who played with his fingers and often evoked sitar-like Eastern sounds, with his Gibson SG, Krieger pulled out all the stops on “Light My Fire.” Still, the guitarist says that the
complete version on the album is far from his finest effort. “It was the kind of solo that I usually did, but it was different every night. To be honest, the one on the album is not one of my better takes. I only had two tries at it. But it’s not bad; I’m glad that it was as good as it was.”44) “Alive” (Mike McCready) - Pearl Jam Ten, 1991
“Basically, I copied Ace Frehley’s solo from ‘She,’ ” says Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready. “Which, of course, was copied from Robby Krieger’s solo in the Doors’ ‘Five to One.’ ”
43) “Sharp Dressed Man” (Billy Gibbons) - ZZ Top Eliminator, 1983
In 1983, a smart gambling man would have bet the house on ZZ Top’s imminent doom. After all, it wasn’t the best of times for good and greasy Texas blues and boogie music. Then the Little Old Band from Texas surprised everyone with Eliminator, a brilliant merger of roadhouse blues and synthesizer swells and looped beats. The album quickly became their biggest hit ever, spurred in large part by the irresistible “Sharp Dressed Man.”
“That song and the whole album really embrace the simplicity of blues and techno music with the complex challenge of how to blend them together,” says guitarist Billy Gibbons. “If you zero in on the middle solo, you will find a slide guitar part played in open E tuning on a Fender Esquire and a sudden shift halfway through the solo to standard Spanish electric tuning played on my good ol’ Les Paul, Pearly Gates. Both were played through a Marshall plexi 100-watt head with two angled
cabinets with Celestion 25-watt greenbacks. It was a compound track, two parts blended to one.“To this day, the song certainly stands among one of the band’s favorites and we’re particularly delighted to share spotlight on a solo that enjoys such favoritism. There are, of course, the more intricate and demanding solos, but we will gladly finger through the solo of sharp dressed man at any requested moment! The track just has a really raucous delivery, which is a good ignition point on stage, sitting on the tailgate out in the middle of nowhere, sipping a cold one, or wherever you may be. It just does something to you.”
42) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” (Eric Clapton) - The Beatles The Beatles (White Album), 1968
“When we actually started recording this, it was just me playing the acoustic guitar and singing it, and nobody was interested,” recalls the song’s author, George Harrison. “Well, Ringo probably was, but John and Paul weren’t. When I went home that night, I was really disappointed because I thought, ‘Well, this is really quite a good song; it’s not as if it’s crap!’ And the next day I happened to drive back into London with Eric [Clapton], and I suddenly said, ‘Why don’t you come play on this track?’
“And he said, ‘Oh, I couldn’t do that; the others wouldn’t like it…’ But I finally said, ‘Well, damn, it’s my song, and I’d like you to come down.’ So he did, and everybody was good as gold because he was there. I sang it with the acoustic guitar with Paul on piano, and Eric and Ringo. Later, Paul overdubbed bass. Then we listened back to it and Eric said, ‘Ah, there’s a problem, though; it’s not Beatlesy enough.’ So we put the song through the ADT [automatic double tracker] to wobble it a bit.”
41) “Brighton Rock” (Brian May) - Queen Sheer Heart Attack, 1974
Universally venerated for his lavish guitar orchestrations and tasteful British restraint, Brian May kicked over the traces on this high energy rocker that leads off Queen’s third album, Sheer Heart Attack. One of May’s most blues-based excursions ever, the song’s extended solo section grew out of the guitarist’s experiments with an Echoplex tape delay unit. His original goal was to reproduce his multi-part guitar harmonies live on stage with Queen, back in the days before harmonizers were invented.
“I started messing around with the Echoplex, the delay that was available at the time,” May recalls. “I turned up the regeneration until it was giving me multiple repeats. I discovered you could do a lot with this—you could set up rhythms and play against them, or you could play a line and then play a harmony to it. But I decided that the delay [times] I wanted weren’t available on the Echoplex. So I modified it and made a new rail, which meant I could slide the head along and make the delay any length I wanted, because the physical distance between the two heads is what gave you the delay. Eventually, I had two home-adapted Echoplexes. And I discovered that if you put each echo through its own amp, you wouldn’t have any nasty interference between the two signals. Each amp would be like a full-blown, sustaining, overdriven guitar which didn’t have anything to do with the other one.
“So, ‘Brighton Rock’ was the first time that got onto a record. I’d already been trying it live on stage in the middle of ‘Son and Daughter’ [from Queen’s self-titled ’73 debut album], when Queen first toured with Mott the Hoople. It was rather crude at first. But I certainly had a lot of fun with it.”
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Throughout his storied career, Chris Cornell has clearly never been an artist that is content sitting in one creative comfort spot for too long. The versatile rocker who became a household name from his success in Soundgarden and Audioslave has teamed up with perhaps the most celebrated producer of this era: Timbaland. Scream is the result of their genre-defying sessions.
Cornell and Timbaland are set to kick off a string of eight live shows on October 17th to support the project. Scream will be performed in its entirety to mimic the experience of listening to the LP from start to finish.
The new album features infectious tracks like “Ground Zero,” “Part of Me,” and the exhilarating title track and lead single, “Scream.” Fans can expect a unique blend of hip-hop and rock from this release that will no doubt venture into new territory for both Cornell and Timbaland.
Tour Dates:
10/17 Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
10/18 Salt Lake City, UT - The Avalon Theater
10/19 Tempe, AZ - Marquee
10/24 Las Vegas, NV - The Joint
10/25 Los Angeles, CA - House of Blues
10/26 San Diego, CA - House of Blues
10/31 San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore
11/02 Seattle, WA - Showbox
Bio:
Chris Cornell is a rock icon who thrives on contradictions. An innovator who resists genre labels, he was nonetheless the chief architect of the 90s grunge movement. Frequently ranked as one of the best voices in music history, he has successfully maintained his own unique identity over more than two decades as a multi-Grammy award winning musician and universally acclaimed singer, songwriter and lyricist.
Seattle trailblazers Soundgarden were a law to themselves, edgy, dark and deeply individual. Their savage soundscapes, coupled with Cornell’s incisive lyrics and predatory roar, seduced audiences hungry for musical depth and complexity while leading trends in street fashion and iconic design. In 1989, they became the first Seattle band to sign to a major label. Their sound continued to change and evolve over the course of five pioneering albums.
Celebrated side project Temple of the Dog had already shown Cornell’s more soulful side and introduced future Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder to the world. Later, Cornell shocked the business once again with richly melodic, critically acclaimed solo album “Euphoria Morning”, swiftly recognized for its alienation and despair. And as the millennium turned, he joined with three other musical pioneers from rap-rock’s Rage Against The Machine to create Audioslave - a multi-platinum supergroup which lived to deny its detractors, producing three top-selling albums, touring the world and becoming the first American band to bring rock to Castro’s Cuba.
Since then, Cornell has redefined his sound and vision to encompass new music, new collaborations and new activities. Having contributed solo songs to movie soundtracks from “Great Expectations” to “Mission Impossible II”, he became the first American male singer to write the theme song for the James Bond franchise in its most successful film to date, “Casino Royale.” His bold and bluesy reinvention of Michael Jackson dance classic “Billie Jean” courted controversy and attracted imitators. And his triumphant 2007 world tour brought together songs from every stage of his career, reinterpreting them for new audiences and blending their original fire with the shock of the new.
Outside music, Cornell fronted fashion designer John Varvatos’s Spring 2006 collection and settled in Paris with his family, where he has helped revive a historic restaurant, the stylish Black Calavados.
Only the most confident would claim to predict exactly what comes next for Chris Cornell. Always eclectic, always experimental, his new collaboration with super-producer Timbaland – who calls their album “the best work I’ve done in my career” – will take him into fresh territory, establishing a new sound and marking the creation of a masterpiece that breaks all musical boundaries. Only one thing’s for sure – Chris Cornell will continue to break rules, make history and challenge everyone’s expectations.
In a continuing effort to expand their talented roster of artists, Duck Down Records has just announced a new album deal with B-Real, of Cypress Hill for his first solo album debut, “SMOKE N MIRRORS,” in stores January 27th, 2009.
“Smoke N Mirrors” features SNOOP DOGG, DAMIAN MARLEY, BUCKSHOT, SEAN PRICE and SEN DOGG, of Cypress Hill. Production includes tracks from DJ Quik, Fredwreck, Scoop Deville, and B-Real himself for Audio Hustlerz, Inc. B-Real is currently on the ROCK THE BELLS Tour with Nas, Tribe Called Quest, Method Man, Ghostface, Immortal Technique, Kidz In The Hall and more.
B-Real is the latest addition to Duck Down Records, who just recently announced a group project with KRS-ONE & Buckshot, that will be in stores in 2009, along with upcoming projects from DJ Revolution, “King Of The Decks” (September 16th) and a re-united Heltah Skeltah, comprised of Rock and Sean Price, aka Ruck, who, after ten years, are releasing their third album, “D.I.R.T.” (Da Incredible Rap Team), on September 30th. Following this project is Sean Price Presents Ruste Juxx “Indestructible” in stores October 28th.
These titles come on the heels of Duck Down’s recent success with 9th Wonder & Buckshot’s “The Formula” Album, and Kidz In The Hall’s album, “The In Crowd,” who recently filmed a video for their second single “Love Hangover” featuring Estelle.
Dru Ha, co-owner of Duck Down Records believes; “Adding another living legend in B-Real to our roster is really giving Duck Down a “dream team” line up for independent Hip Hop.” Buckshot and I have been strategic with our label partnerships mixing the right blend of emerging artists with proven veterans. When you add the upcoming Random Axe Project (Sean Price, Guilty Simpson and Black Milk collaboration set for a 2009 release) we’re excited about our ability to continue contributing quality Hip Hop albums to the game.
Wayne Brady - “Ordinary” (audio)
Los Angeles, CA - On September 16, 2008 Peak Records/Concord Music Group will release Wayne Brady’s debut album, the appropriately titled - A Long Time Coming.
The Emmy Award winner is the consummate entertainer, whose talent truly knows no boundaries. As a stage, screen and live performer Brady is unparalleled.
But now, he turns his attention to his first love: music. The 12-track R&B collection features Brady’s own compositions standing side by side with his loving, inspired reinventions of such classics as Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come,” The Beatles’ “Can’t Buy Me Love” and Stevie Wonder’s “All I Do.”
“I always thought that Wayne Brady was an amazingly talented performer with an incredible voice,” says Andi Howard, president of Peak Records. “When asked by his producers if I would be interested in signing him as an artist to Peak my response was an emphatic, yes. Not only did he deliver a fabulous album, but an album that is extremely heartfelt and exceeded all expectations. It was indeed ‘A Long Time Coming.’”
Brady linked with The Heavyweights, the superstar production team composed of Jack Kugell, Jamie Jones and Jason Pennock, to write and record the album. The Heavyweights’ productions have sold more than 28 million albums and include work with such superstars as Jim Brickman, Martina McBride and Destiny’s Child.
First single, “Ordinary,” is a mid-tempo burner that pays tribute to the glorious simplicity found in every day life and love. Penned by the Heavyweights, Sarah Nagourney and Welford B. Walton II, the song is enhanced by Brady’s nuanced, soulful delivery.
Brady’s talent is too big to contain to any one format. He’s currently starring in his own Las Vegas show, “Making It Up,” which runs Thursday-Monday at the Venetian Hotel. The revue highlights his legendary music, dance and improv skills, for which he won an Emmy while appearing on “Whose Line is it Anyway?”
Brady, who also garnered two Emmys as outstanding talk show host for his self-titled syndicated talk show, will return to TV as host of Fox’s hit show, “Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” this fall. Additionally, Brady has also appeared as Neil Patrick Harris’s gay brother on “How I Met Your Mother,” and Tina Fey’s bad-luck boyfriend on “30 Rock.”
Tracklisting:
1. Ordinary (Jack Kugell, Jamie Jones, Jason Pennock, Sarah Nagourney & Welford B.Walton II)
2. F.W.B. (Wayne Brady, Jamie Jones, Jack Kugell, Jason Pennock & Robert Daniels)
3. Can’t Buy Me Love (Written by: John Lennon / Paul McCartney)
4. Back In The Day (Wayne Brady, Jamie Jones & Jack Kugell)
5. Sweetest Berry (Written by: Jamey Jaz / David Ryan Harris)
6. A Change Is Gonna Come (Written by: Sam Cooke)
7. I Ain’t Movin’ (Written by: Wayne Brady, Jamie Jones. Jack Kugell. Jason Pennock)
8. Make Heaven Wait (Written by: Jack Kugell. Jamie Jones. Jason Pennock, Martin Kember & David Garcia)
9. All Naturally (Written by: Jamie Jones, Jack Kugell & Jason Pennock)
10. All I Do (Written by: Clarence Paul, Morris Broadnax and Stevie Wonder)
11. Beautiful Ugly (Written by: M. Burton, Steve Kipner, Jack Kugell, Jamie Jones, Jason Pennock & Lamont Neuble)
12. You and Me (Written by: Wayne Brady, Jamie Jones & Jason Pennock)
Wayne Brady “A Long Time Coming” - September 16
http://www.waynebrady.com/
http://www.myspace.com/waynebrady
Pigeonhole Carrie Rodriguez at your peril. Sure, she’s done a lot of duets. She plays a fiddle (a mean one at that.) She’s recorded songs with a pleasing, folksy twang. But don’t think you know what you’re getting.
Not yet 30, and with a critically-acclaimed solo record and several well-received duet records in her wake, the classically trained singer/songwriter has just begun flexing her artistic muscles, still figuring out how far her talents will take her. If you’re looking for someone playing it safe and sticking to tried-and-true ways of music making, as the title of Rodriguez’s daring new album aptly states, SHE AIN’T ME.
Stream “She Ain’t Me”
“Because I took some chances, wrote with some new people and actually co-wrote most of the songs on the album, it’s very different,” Rodriguez notes.
Also different: Malcolm Burn’s dense production, bulging with thoughtful details, yet always serving the song. “If the song doesn’t hold up on its own, without all the production, he doesn’t want to have anything to do with it,” Rodriguez says. “And he was much more into the vibe than perfection—which is good for me, because my tendency is to try to make things perfect.”
The songs on SHE AIN’T ME, Rodriguez’s second solo outing for Manhattan/Back Porch, come from an introspective place, rife with self-assessment and questioning. “It comes from having to really look within yourself when you’re forced to be alone, and to not be afraid of that process,” Rodriguez says. “Taking some time off from the road this year to write allowed me to do some growing and reflecting that I often put aside when I’m touring all the time.”
Long before Carrie Rodriguez was a fiddle-toting, mandoguitar-slinging Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, she was a junior violin student in Austin, Texas, absorbing the influences of an opera-obsessed mom and folk-singing dad. “In kindergarten, we had a pilot program at my public elementary school to teach five year olds Suzuki violin lessons,” Rodriguez recalls. “They would give the lessons during naptime, and I must have gotten out to go to the bathroom. And I remember walking down the hallway and hearing these violins scratching out ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.’ I was immediately drawn to that and came home and told mom I wanted to take violin lessons.
“Also,” she adds, “I really hated naptime.”
Group lessons soon led to private lessons, which led Carrie to a conservatory program at Oberlin. Enter Lyle Lovett, a family friend, who invited Carrie to sit in with his band at soundcheck in Cleveland, an experience that was both inspiring and frustrating. “My feel was awful and I knew it,” she recalls. “But I was mesmerized by [Lovett fiddler] Andrea Zonn. I wanted to do what she was doing.”
Stream “El Dorado”
Rodriguez transferred to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where she found no shortage of resources for transforming “violin” into “fiddle. “Casey Driessen is now one of the greatest American fiddle players on the scene (plays with Bela Fleck, Tim O’Brien), and he was my roommate,” Rodriguez recalls. “He taught me one of the first fiddle tunes I ever learned.”
Berklee also set the table for a love of collaboration, which led to three duet records (and many touring miles) with singer/songwriter Chip Taylor, who was instrumental in helping Carrie to realize her debut album, SEVEN ANGELS ON A BICYCLE. The Associated Press raved, ““…her voice has a character few achieve. Rather than a support player taking a minor turn, she uses her first solo album to mark her ground as a singular talent.” For SHE AIN’T ME, Rodriguez knew it was time to form new collaborations and she ended up with an impressive list of co-writers, including Gary Louris (Jayhawks), Dan Wilson (Semisonic), Jim Boquist (Son Volt) and Mary Gauthier.
“I feel the most comfortable when I have someone to react to,” Rodriguez says. “The process was completely different with each person I wrote with. For example, with Mary Gauthier we sat down one rainy afternoon in New York City and wrote the entire song, more or less. With Dan Wilson we just came up with a little melody and a few snippets of words while we were in the same room. Later, I wrote the verses, he came up with a great chorus, and we put the song together via e-mail and a few phone calls.”
Lucinda Williams wasn’t among the co-writers, but she makes her presence felt, singing backup on “Mask of Moses” while singing Carrie’s praises elsewhere. After receiving a copy of SEVEN ANGELS ON A BICYCLE from Chip Taylor, Lucinda told the New York Times “…I have to say I am very impressed. She’s got something unique in her voice that’s very subtle and a little smoky and sweet. I detect a certain wisdom in her, and yet a sense of wonder as well.” Rodriguez recalls, “Lucinda had sent me this beautiful email, saying how much she loved my record, and how she really saw something special there. And if I ever wanted to open up for her, that’d be great. It was like, wow! Merry Christmas!”
Rodriguez subsequently toured with Williams, and also sat in on fiddle during Lucinda’s sets. And it was on the heels of a night out with Williams that Rodriguez met Malcolm Burn—whose work she’d admired on Emmylou Harris’s WRECKING BALL (engineer and musician) and Chris Whitley’s LIVING WITH THE LAW (producer and musician)– for an early chat about her next record. “I was pretty hung-over that morning, in my pajamas, looking like a train wreck,” Rodriguez admits. “And Malcolm comes over, looking all dapper in his vintage three-piece suit.”
Appearances were quickly dismissed as Malcolm made spot-on suggestions about Carrie’s songs, and offered production ideas that made her feel her own project would be a worthy addition to the “desert island discs” Burn has already recorded. “I knew immediately that this was the guy,” she recalls.
The result is a record that lives up to its name—an expectation-confounding statement, equal parts organic folk and expansive atmosphere, yet one that comes closest to revealing what Carrie Rodriguez is all about. Think you already know? Think again.
Link to Official Site:
http://www.carrierodriguez.com
Carrie Rodriguez on MySpace
http://www.myspace.com/carrielrodriguez
Tour Dates:
8/06 Joe¹s Pub - New York, NY Lucinda Black Bear
8/08 Tin Angel – Philadelphia, PA w/ Laura Cantrell
8/10 Mountain Stage – Charleston, WV
8/28 The Seasons Performance Center - The Seasons Music Festival Yakima, WA multi-act event
8/30 Pig Out in the Park – Spokane, WA multi-act festival
9/03 One Longfellow Square – Portland, ME w/ Mark Erelli
9/04 WAMC Performing Arts Studio’s Linda Norris Auditorium – Albany, NY
9/07 Narrows Festival of The Arts - Fall River, MA multi-act festival
9/19 The Soiled Dove Underground – Denver, CO
9/20 Lake City Wine and Music Festival – Lake City, CO multi-act festival
10/18 Lobero Theatre - Santa Barbara, CA w/ Austin Jug Band
10/24 The Sooner Theatre – Norman, OK support to Ruthie Foster
10/25 Houston Women¹s Festival – Houston, TX multi-act festival
PLAY
