MUSIC BLOGS
MUSIC BLOGS
category: music
01 Apr 2009

The album’s second single, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” featuring Frankie Paul, will be available exclusively through Rhapsody beginning April 7 and is currently streaming on their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/easystar

The Easy Star All-Stars will embark on a world tour this spring in support of their much anticipated reggae re-imagining of the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The tour will continue through the summer including U.S. dates that begin in mid-May. Please see reverse for a complete list of tour dates.

The new album, Easy Star’s Lonely Hearts Dub Band, set for release April 14 on Easy Star Records, is generating buzz amongst fans and critics alike, as The Associated Press asks, “Could the Beatles have been Rastafarians at heart?” The album follows the widespread critical and commercial success of 2003’s Dub Side of the Moon and 2006’s Radiodread, and features guest vocals from an impressive list of reggae, dancehall and dub greats including Steel Pulse, Matisyahu, Michael Rose (Black Uhuru), Luciano, U Roy, Bunny Rugs (Third World), Ranking Roger (English Beat), Sugar Minott, Frankie Paul, Max Romeo and The Mighty Diamonds.

The album’s second single, “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds,” featuring Frankie Paul, will be available exclusively through Rhapsody beginning April 7. The first single, “With A Little Help From My Friends,” featuring Luciano, is available now on iTunes and is paired with a b-side dub version featuring the legendary U Roy. Both “Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds” and Easy Star’s imaginitive reinterpretation of “She’s Leaving Home,” featuring Kirsty Rock, are now available for stream on the band’s MySpace page: www.myspace.com/easystarallstars

Of the decision to infuse reggae into the Beatles classic, producer Michael Goldwasser says “We’ve focused on re-envisioning concept albums as reggae and it’s really important that the source material works as a whole and is not just a collection of songs. So, what better to take on next than the mother of all concept albums?”

Goldwasser is once more the musical mastermind behind this album, having arranged and produced the music, assembled the musicians and guest artists and played guitar throughout. Goldwasser is joined by Victor Rice (bass), Victor “Ticklah” Axelrod (keyboards) and Patrick Dougher & Eddie Ocampo (drums, percussion). Members of the touring version of the Easy Star All-Stars also contribute, including Ras I Ray, Jenny Hill, Buford O’Sullivan, Ivan Katz, Kirsty Rock,
Tamar-kali, Junior Jazz and Menny More. In addition to producing six albums for Easy Star,

Goldwasser has produced albums for Corey Harris, Hatikva 6 and others, and has had compositions featured in the motion pictures Failure To Launch and Woody Allen’s Cassandra’s Dream.

For over a decade, Easy Star Records has been a trendsetting independent reggae label. Dub Side of the Moon and Radiodread form the backbone of a catalogue that includes progressive albums from John Brown’s Body and Easy Star All-Stars keyboardist Ticklah, reissues of classic material from Sugar Minott and Linval Thompson and new recordings from reggae legends The Meditations and Sister Carol.

EASY STAR ALL-STARS WORLD TOUR DATES

April 10         Chill City Festival            Melbourne, AUS
April 11         The Corner            Melbourne, AUS
April 13         East Coast Blues & Roots Festival            Byron Bay, AUS
April 15         The Zoo            Brisbane, AUS
April 16         The Metro/Sydney Uni            Sydney, AUS
April 18         West Coast Blues & Roots Festival            Perth, AUS
April 28         Koko w/ Ed Rome            London, UK
April 29         Manchester Academy w/ Ed Rome            Manchester, UK
May 1            Bergenfest            Bergen, NOR
May 2            Festival Labadoux            Inglemunster, BEL
May 4            Paradiso            Amsterdam, NET
May 5            Liberation Day Festival            Den Bosch, NET
May 5            Liberation Day Festival            Groningen, NET
May 6            Birmingham O2 Academy w/ Ed Rome            Birmingham, UK
May 7            Nottingham Rescue Room w/ Ed Rome            Nottingham, UK
May 8            The Arches            Glasgow, SCO
May 9            The Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival            Belfast, N. Ireland
May 14           Higher Ground w/ Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad            Burlington, VT
May 15           Middle East w/ Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad            Boston, MA
May 16           The Asylum w/ Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad            Portland, ME
May 20           World Café Live w/ Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad            Philadelphia, PA
May 21           BB King’s w/ Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad            New York, NY
May 22           Stephen Talkhouse            Amagansett, NY
May 24           Summer Camp Fest w/ members of Umphrey’s McGee            Chillicothe, NY
June 3           Ram’s Head Live w/ Gregory Isaacs            Baltimore, MD
June 4           9:30 Club w/ Gregory Isaacs            Washington, DC
June 5           IS Venue w/ Trumystic            Charlottesville, VA
June 6           Soap Box w/ Trumystic            Wilmington, NC
June 7           Cat’s Cradle w/ Trumystic            Carrboro, NC
June 15          Belly Up Tavern w/ Blue King Brown            Solana Beach, CA
June 16          The Key Club w/Blue King Brown            West Hollywood, CA
June 17          Downtown Brewing Co. w/Blue King Brown            San Luis Obispo, CA
June 18          Fishlips w/Blue King Brown            Bakersfield, CA
June 19          The Catalyst w/Blue King Brown            Santa Cruz, CA
June 20          Slim’s w/Blue King Brown            San Francisco, CA
June 21          Sierra Nevada World Music Festival            Boonville, CA
June 24          Stuyvesant Town            New York, NY

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