Category: press releases

For Immediate Release

March 1, 2021

 

Roger Street Friedman to release new single, “Come What May,” on March 5th

Larry Campbell and Friedman team up again on production of new single

Upcoming livestream scheduled for March 9th

Sea Cliff, NY-based Americana singer-songwriter Roger Street Friedman is set to release a new single, “Come What May,” on March 5, 2021, via Nashville-based label Rock Ridge Music. It is the title track from a forthcoming EP, set for release this summer (more details and release date to be announced soon). The song and video are premiering at Americana Highways on March 3rd.

Friedman played and sang everything on the track except drums and backing vocals (he contributed guitars, piano and fretless bass), with Jim Toscano providing the drums and percussion, and Teresa Williams and Lucy Kaplansky singing background vocals. Produced by Friedman and Grammy-winning producer Larry Campbell (a longtime collaborator of Levon Helm), “Come What May” was mixed by Friedman and engineered by Fader Istheman. The video for the song was shot and edited by Friedman himself, as part of a pandemic undertaking to learn more about video creation and production.

Says Friedman about the song: “It’s a song about commitment. About having the epiphany that staying in a relationship – even when it’s hard, especially when it’s hard, actually – is what brings you closer together and makes the love even stronger. The song uses the road as a metaphor for traveling back to each other emotionally, ‘come hell or come what may.’”

Fans eager to see Friedman live can do so via livestream from his studio on March 9th at 8:30 p.m. eastern when he celebrates the release of “Come What May” with a performance on Americana Highways’ Facebook page as part of their “Live Music from the Quarantine” series.

“Come What May” is the follow-up to Friedman’s fall 2020 single releases, “Carry Me (Acoustic) feat. Larry Campbell, Teresa Williams and Lucy Kaplansky” (October 2020 release) and “Poison in the Cut” (September 2020 release). Earlier in 2020, Friedman released the album Rise, which was produced by Campbell. American Songwriter praised the “poise of the arrangements and perfected production,” while Goldmine Magazine called it “sumptuous… [with] affecting musical vignettes… Inspiring and infectious… striking and seductive… It’s the culmination of a career that’s seen his reputation elevated to upper strata of today’s most consistent Americana artists.” American Blues Scene was fond of the “honest, vulnerable songwriting that has won Friedman praise everywhere,” and Americana-UK espoused the “excellent songcraft,” dubbing it “delicate and beautiful.”

The award-winning singer-songwriter has consistently released honest, vulnerable songs that have won Friedman praise everywhere from USA Today to No Depression – reflective vignettes recalling the singer-songwriter tradition of Marc Cohn and Robbie Robertson, set to a blend of folk-rock, progressive Americana, and soulful R&B. Friedman was bitten by the music bug early, learning to write songs and even developing his studio engineering skills. It was an avocation, however, until a combination of events – the deaths of his father and mother, marriage, and, later, the births of his two children – steered Friedman back to music, leading to the acclaimed 2014 debut, The Waiting Sky, and 2017’s Shoot The Moon, which reached #2 on the Roots Music Report Americana Country Album Chart and spent 25 weeks in the top 20.

Roger Street Friedman Online
https://www.rogerstreetfriedman.com/
https://twitter.com/rsfmusic
http://instagram.com/rogerstreetfriedman
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBlYME_0HfmGs73o2fRWh0g
https://www.facebook.com/rogerstreetfriedman

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 26, 2021

Victoria Bailey releases acoustic version of song “Skid Row” today

“Victoria Bailey’s spin on classic country will scratch your itch for music that’s authentic and relevant to our times.” – Adobe & Teardrops

Her music has been called: “…a country romp” (PopMatters.com), “storytelling soul-twang” (Cowboys & Indians), “sawdust thick, whiskey-smooth” (Americana Highways), and “a full package of country music goodness” (Saving Country Music)

Huntington Beach, CA-based classic country singer-songwriter Victoria Bailey is releasing a brand new, solo acoustic version of “Skid Row” today, February 26, 2021, via Rock Ridge Music. The original, full-band version of the song appeared on her album released last year, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline. The acoustic version of “Skid Row” is a standalone single and does not appear on the album. “Skid Row (Acoustic)” premiered on February 25th at Adobe & Teardrops, who wrote, “Victoria Bailey’s spin on classic country will scratch your itch for music that’s authentic and relevant to our times. Her debut album, Jesus, Red Wine, & Patsy Cline, is a warm collection of Bakersfield, western swing, and good old classic-style ballads.”

Says Bailey of the song: “‘Skid Row’ is a song deeply inspired by my curiosity of the ‘Bakersfield Sound’ and from digging deep into the history of the country music that came out of California. So many of my classic country heroes all came out of California – Buck Owens and Merle Haggard being two major ones for me. It was important for me to go into the studio to track a few of the album songs acoustically, because that truly represents who I have been as an artist for the past decade. Singing this song solo, in a room with one mic, is the most vulnerable version of myself and was such a beautiful way to put a cap on the year of promoting this record. It also is a really special way of turning the page to the new music I am getting ready to release.”

“Skid Row (Acoustic)” is the follow-up to several singles Bailey released in the fall of 2020: two versions of a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” and a holiday cover of a song from The Band, “Christmas Must Be Tonight.” Her full-length debut, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline, was released on September 18, 2020. Produced by Jeremy Long, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline was a whiskey-smooth concoction of crisp guitars, silky fiddle, and radiant pedal steel that expertly glides beneath Bailey’s magnetic, California sun-kissed soprano.

Always grounding Bailey’s timeless country music palette is her crystalline voice; an inviting warm tone with the occasional flutter that transports you back in time to a classic honky tonk, one where Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris were all in heavy rotation. Bailey brings the classic country spirit to the 21st century through relatably raw, non-sugarcoated songwriting, evoking a fiery, no-holds-barred lyrical approach in the vein of Margo Price.

PopMatters.com called her music “…a country romp… a rollicking, narrative-driven sound,” while Cowboys & Indians lauded her “storytelling soul-twang,” and Americana Highways praised her “grit mixed with personality, fluency in her musicality, she’s expressive and imaginative… Sawdust thick, whiskey-smooth…” Saving Country Music said: “If you’re looking for a honky tonk sweetheart, then you’ve found one in native Californian Victoria Bailey, who comes sauntering out of the painted desert on a Palomino like a singin’ cowgirl from the days of old, seducing you with… a sweet soprano with the most perfect country warble… a full package of country music goodness… Classic, but cool.” The video for her song “Spent My Dime on White Wine” has been in rotation on CMT. Bailey has also been honored to guest DJ three times over the past six months for streaming radio station Gimme Country.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey is unable to tour widely right now, although occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into her schedule. She kicked off her livestreaming in 2021 with online shows for Americana Highways as part of their “Live Music from the Quarantine” series in early January and early February, and fans eager to see her live can catch her there again for an additional show as part of that “residency” on Tuesday, March 2nd at 5:30 p.m. pacific time on the Americana Highways Facebook page. Bailey plans to livestream on her Instagram page on Tuesday, March 16th at 7 p.m. pacific time. Rounding out her scheduled performances, she will also be livestreaming as part of the “Live and Socially Distant” series on TheBoot.com’s Facebook page on Friday, April 2nd at 6 p.m. pacific time.

https://www.victoriabaileymusic.com/

For Immediate Release
February 22, 2021

 

Vanessa Peters to release new album, Modern Age, on April 23, 2021, further cementing her stellar reputation among new generation of American songwriters with songs of exceptional lyrical and musical power

 

First single, “Crazymaker,” to be released February 26, 2021; premiere scheduled for February 24th with Glide Magazine

 

Texas-and-Italy-based singer-songwriter Vanessa Peters is set to release a new album, Modern Age, on April 23, 2021 via Idol Records. The first single from the collection is the song “Crazymaker,” which premieres with Glide Magazine on February 24th and will be released on February 26th.  The second single, the title track, will follow with a release date on March 26th.

“Making this record over the last year was an exercise in patience and tenacity; the pandemic seemed to thwart us at every turn,” says Peters. “Every plan turned into a plan B, but strangely, I think it’s a better record for the adversity we went through to get it made.  This was the year of working with what was in front of us, of embracing our limitations and turning them into strengths. I’m so proud of the album we created during such a tough and dark time.”

It’s easy to casually lump Peters into a generic Americana category; in reality, her albums have actually run the gamut from indie-pop to alt-country to experimental folk to ’70s-era throwback singer/songwriter rock. With Modern Age, her second release for Idol Records, she has built a modern/classic rock album that reveals a steely defiance. In the midst of a truly dark year, she and the band have made an album that is simultaneously powerful but playful; intense yet sensitive; both angry and hopeful. In Modern Age, we find Peters once again writing and delivering songs of exceptional lyrical and musical power, further cementing her reputation among the new generation of American songwriters.

In late February 2020, Peters was in Italy, getting ready to go on a European tour with her band. She had just launched a Kickstarter to fund Modern Age (it was fully funded within three days), and recording sessions were scheduled for March; the band planned to head to Austin, Texas for SXSW and then to record the album with her friend and old tourmate, Grammy-award winning producer Joe Reyes, and engineer wunderkind Jim Vollentine.

When Italy suddenly went into a national lockdown, Peters and her husband/bandmate, Rip Rowan, instead hatched a plan to work around the international travel restrictions. Building on a series of demos recorded on the road in the Netherlands and Germany during their last tour, the band holed up in a farmhouse in Castiglion Fiorentino, the small town in Italy that Peters had once called home. Over the course of 10 days, they worked to finish the songs they’d begun the year prior and to tackle the batch of new songs that Peters had written in the meantime.

“It was recorded kind of like Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty,” recalls Peters. “We worked on the album in four different countries and in pop-up studios, in part while we were on tour.”

Produced and mixed by Rowan, with mastering by Dave McNair, Modern Age also boasts a band lineup featuring Peters (vocals, acoustic guitar), Rowan (drums, keyboards), Federico Ciancabilla (electric guitar), Matteo Patrone (keyboards), and Andrea Colicchia (bass guitar), with special guest Reyes providing rhythm guitar on the first single, “Crazymaker.” From the opening power chords of the title track, it’s obvious that this album’s close collaboration with her band brought a fresh, raucous energy to this collection that has rarely surfaced before outside of Peters’s live shows.

“Crazymaker,” which explores the sort of person who makes you feel that you are the crazy one when, in reality, he/she is the real manipulator, trapping you in a toxic relationship, is rich with driving electric guitars atop four-on-the-floor AC/DC-inspired drums. Other cuts on the album, like “Hood Ornament,” call to mind bands like Spoon and LCD Soundsystem. Yet despite the shimmery pop-rock packaging these songs are wrapped in, Peters doesn’t shy away from pulling the lyrical punches she is known for. She’s downright angry on “Yes,” unleashing a tidal wave of frustration at being written off as a “chick singer.” On “Make Up My Mind,” she wrestles with indecision and self-doubt, channeling ’90s-era Smashing Pumpkins grunge, while “Never Really Gone” is a luminous, Fleetwood Mac-esque take on the joy of discovering that you can, in fact, go home again.

Intertwining introspective lyrics with irresistible melodies, Peters has been releasing album after album of well-crafted folk/rock gems for more than a decade. Her previous album of original material, Foxhole Prayers, was a successful and critically-acclaimed release that put Peters on the national stage with a glowing 4-star MOJO review plus invitations to perform at NPR’s “Mountain Stage,” 30A, and AmericanaFest. She has performed thousands of concerts in the United States and Europe and has opened for such artists as Josh Rouse, 10,000 Maniacs, John Oates, Matthew Sweet, Ben Ottewell, and Horse Feathers.

https://vanessapeters.com/

For Immediate Release
February 16, 2021

 

Run Katie Run explores a fresh mash-up of Americana, roots rock, indie-pop, and alternative on debut EP, Running on Love, due out April 16, 2021

“…the band [taps] into the unbridled passion of just making music together… [a] playful mixture of folk, pop and Americana… catchy as hell…” – Glide Magazine

Atlanta-based Americana-leaning quintet Run Katie Run is set to release a new EP, Running on Love, on April 16, 2021. Composed of Kate Coleman (lead vocals), Corey Coleman (guitar), Adam Pendlington (guitar, banjo), Stephen Quinn (bass), and Ian Pendlington (drums), Run Katie Run is one of the few new bands in recent memory that can rock multiple genres, flaunt resonant harmonies, and showcase a dynamic lead vocalist whose passion and power demand attention.  Running on Love was produced by Kate and the band, recorded and mastered by Corey, and mixed by Ian. While Kate is quick to share credit with her bandmates, the fact is that Run Katie Run centers on her singing, writing, and presence.

“I’m unbelievably proud of these songs and the people who helped bring them to life,” says Kate. “The guys and I put a lot of work, love, time, energy, and passion into this EP, and I hope it brings joy to whoever listens to it!”

Running on Love winds through the restless drive, complex emotions, and exhilarating key changes of “15 Minutes,” travels between the candor and yearning of “Kinda Hoping,” explores the bitter commentary of “No Way Out,” riding a current of tight rhythm, and summits at Kate’s climactic — and frankly stunning — high note in “Running on Love” as it builds toward an explosive ending. She lays down the law to an irresolute lover on “Stay or Leave,” amidst blazing fills and solo breaks from her musicians. And “Stolen Time” confirms Run Katie Run’s ascension as one of today’s best harmony bands.

The first single, “15 Minutes,” was released January 22nd. Glide Magazine, who premiered the track, wrote, “…the song finds the band tapping into the unbridled passion of just making music together. With its playful mixture of folk, pop and Americana, the song captures what this group of musicians does best. …catchy as hell… colorful percussion and intricate guitar work, with Kate’s vocals front and center throughout.”  The second single, “Stolen Time,” will premiere at American Songwriter on February 24th, and it will be released on February 26th. The title track, “Running on Love,” is the third single, and after a premiere at Americana Highways on March 24th, it will also be released, in advance of the EP, on March 26th.

Kate’s story traces back to Buffalo, New York, her hometown. Originally interested in dance, Kate explored singing at the urging of her mother, performing “Big Deal” by Leann Rimes in a high school talent show. “I don’t think anybody knew I listened to country music let alone sang,” recalls Kate. “But everybody was so impressed! They made me feel like a rock star. From that point, I was like, ‘Oh, okay. I think I get it.’” Although she would immerse herself in the dance program at Buffalo State College, music won her allegiance by her senior year. “Dance will always be a part of me,” says Kate. “I even have a dance floor in my dining room! But a gut feeling told me then that it was time to choose music.”

Before graduating with a degree in dance and communications in 2011, Kate had joined her first band. Known as Naughty Dawg, they played cover songs at bars and parties, where she built her stage chops. Already Kate had forged a unique style, inspired by artists as diverse as Patsy Cline, Janis Joplin, Dolly Parton, and the trio known then as the Dixie Chicks. Through music, Kate met her husband, Corey Coleman, and they started playing as a duo called Kate and Corey, but a move beckoned. “We wanted the whole lifestyle,” Kate says. “We wanted to be in a van, going from city to city in the South because the weather would be more agreeable for that. I was like, ‘Why don’t we check out Atlanta? There are 40 cities within a three-and-a-half-hour radius. We can tour small.”

They made the move. Soon their calendar filled with bookings at clubs and corporate events. They even tried their luck at a national talent search – the Country Showdown (hosted by Jewel at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium) – and finished in second place in the final round. More significantly, at an open mic one night in Georgia, they were impressed by a trio called Highbeams. They became mutual admirers and close friends over the next several years, so it was no surprise that Kate recruited Adam Pendlington, Stephen Quinn, and Ian Pendlington of Highbeams to play on her first solo album, Past. Corey played guitar and recorded the album. Then, as offers started coming in to play at clubs and festivals, Kate made them an offer that, luckily, they couldn’t refuse.

“I asked, ‘Can you guys play with me?’” she says. “‘You know the songs already. And we have so much fun just being in a room together. Would you be into keeping this going as a five-piece?’ I wasn’t thinking that this would be my band, with them backing me up. I was like, ‘We all write. We all play. We all sing. We can all contribute.’ It was the guys who said, ‘We’d love to do this, although it really should be your thing.’ And it was Adam who said, ‘It should be called Run Katie Run.’”  The band’s name comes from a song title on Past.

Their union was kismet. “They never make me feel limited,” Kate points out. ‘They don’t make me pigeonhole myself or hold me back or tell me, ‘That’s not country enough,’ or ‘We need to stick with this.’ Who needs that? Because as long as it’s us making the music, we’re gonna sound like us.’”

Once the green light is given, Run Katie Run can’t wait to head out on tour. Where safety protocols are being followed, occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into their schedule. Fans eager to hear them now can see Run Katie Run livestreaming on the last Wednesday of every month at 8 p.m. eastern on their Facebook and YouTube. Kate has also confirmed a pair of solo livestreams: March 16th on Americana Highways’ Facebook page at 7 p.m. eastern, and April 21st on The Boot’s Facebook page at 9 p.m. eastern.

https://www.runkatierun.com/

For Immediate Release

February 5, 2021

 

Nashville country artist George Shingleton releases two versions of new single, “West Virginia Moon,” today, February 5, 2021

Shingleton to appear on “Fly Rod Chronicles” on Discovery Channel and Pursuit Channel in mid-February

Nashville-based country singer-songwriter George Shingleton releases two versions of a new single, “West Virginia Moon” today, February 5, 2021, via Rock Ridge Music – both a full-band version and acoustic version are rolling out. Produced by Dave Pahanish (who co-wrote #1 songs recorded by Jimmy Wayne, Toby Keith, and Keith Urban), “West Virginia Moon” is a love letter, in music form, to Shingleton’s original home state.

Says Shingleton about the song: “‘West Virginia Moon’ was co-written with David Oakleaf. It’s about the strong feelings I have for the state of West Virginia, and how it’ll always be home for me. David had just played a show or two up there when we got together for writing, and this song just seemed to fall into place that day. I played it out here and there, and folks seemed to really like it.”

Somewhere, somehow, Curtis Fleming, of the TV show “Fly Rod Chronicles” heard the “West Virginia Moon,” and he contacted Shingleton to ask if he could use the song for an upcoming episode of his show. Shingleton was invited to drop by when the show was filming in West Virginia. “I didn’t get to do any fishing with Curtis and his crew when they were shooting the fishing scenes, but I got to stop in and hang with them around the campfire on one of the nights they were staying near the New River,” recalls Shingleton. “We all had a lot of fun that night, just picking songs and telling fish stories. Curtis and the guys were very welcoming, and easy to hang out with.” Shingleton’s campfire jam session, which included “West Virginia Moon,” will be part of the “Adventures in the Gorge” episode of “Fly Rod Chronicles,” set to debut on the Pursuit Channel on February 16th at 9 a.m. eastern (the show will air three additional times that week on the Pursuit Channel).  It will also air on February 20th on the Discovery Channel at 6:30 a.m. eastern.

“West Virginia Moon” is the follow-up to Shingleton’s album, Out All Nighter, which was released in December 2020. The album, also produced by Pahanish, offered eight gutbucket country songs charged with chronicling the daily interpersonal push-pulls between sin and redemption. Glide Magazine praised the album, writing, “From the opening track ‘Handful of Hell’ with its confessional, pleading twang, it’s immediately clear that Shingleton is both a skilled song craftsman and a talented vocalist. His soulful vocals bring to mind the likes of Chris Stapleton and George Jones… Out All Nighter is packed with the kind of songs that would be hits in another era (and may even hit the mainstream considering the success of artists like Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson), with Shingleton straddling the line between outlaw country and Southern rock in his own original style.”

Prior to the album’s street date, Shingleton released three singles from the record: “Have a Good Time” (October 2020), “Handful of Hell” (May 2020), and “Fire or Flame” (February 2020). Shingleton’s music, and “Handful of Hell” in particular, earned praise from American Songwriter, which called it: “…grittier… There’s a lost honesty in country music like Shingleton’s and that’s on display in his newest song, ‘Handful of Hell’…” Cowboys & Indians lauded “Have a Good Time,” writing: “‘Have a Good Time’ is the kind of great I need right now. Keeping this song pounding out of my… speakers… is probably the best I’ll feel all day. This might be the medicine you need right about now, too.” Shingleton also released a standalone holiday single, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” in October 2020.

Born and bred in rural West Virginia, Shingleton’s Appalachian extended family ties run deep; music-making has been in Shingleton’s blood, quite literally, from his early days of singing and playing instruments in the church. Beyond his sacred, sanctuary-nurtured musical roots, Shingleton’s influences run the gamut from Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings, to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band.

Though he began strumming guitars at age 12, Shingleton didn’t begin writing songs seriously until he was almost 30, doubling down on his craft once he moved to Nashville from West Virginia to pursue his dream fulltime. With Shingleton’s music toeing the blurry lines between Americana, country, blues, Southern rock, and gospel, it’s the integrity of his stories and sound has earned him the respect of other artists, including Darryl Worley, John Michael Montgomery, Bucky Covington, Montgomery Gentry, Charlie Daniels, Bo Bice, and Keith Anderson, all of whom have invited him to share their stage.

Once the green light is given, Shingleton can’t wait to head out on tour and perform “West Virginia Moon” and the songs from Out All Nighter on the road. Where safety protocols are being followed, occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into his schedule. Fans eager to see Shingleton perform now can catch him livestreaming weekly on his Facebook page at 7:30 p.m. central time every Tuesday evening for his “Tuesday Night Tunes” series.

George Shingleton is managed by Rock Ridge Music (Nashville, TN) and is booked by Paradigm Talent Agency.

https://www.georgeshingleton.com/

For Immediate Release
February 1, 2021

 

Americana-folk singer-songwriter Hope Dunbar to release new album, Sweetheartland, on April 2, 2021

Album is rife with hope, resignation, candor, craft, and vast New American Prairie-style resonance

Nebraska-based Americana-folk singer-songwriter Hope Dunbar is set to release her new album, Sweetheartland, on April 2, 2021. Recorded in Nashville before the pandemic hit, it’s her second full-length, and it was produced by Zack Smith (one-half of the celebrated duo Smooth Hound Smith), Jesse Thompson, and Dunbar herself. Sweetheartland takes listeners om a journey through stories lifted from everyday routine and secret dreams.

“My mission in this project was to fully realize my own strength and identity as a songwriter,” says Dunbar. “I gave myself permission to have fun, to be humorous, to be frustrated and intense, to be sexual, powerful, hopeful, and sad. As a small-town preacher’s wife, I had been kind of tentative with my identity on my previous album, Three Black Crows. It just felt unbecoming for me to express feminine, sexual power on a record. But I’ve always had a sense of rebellion, so this time I just decided to put that out there, along with everything else. Three Black Crows has the spirit of asking for permission, a feeling of tentativeness. My intention with Sweetheartland was to walk in and say, ‘I’m not asking your permission. I’m doing what I want to do. I am fully empowered, and I’m choosing to make this record.’”

Through song, Dunbar transforms the mundane into the magical. A pioneer of the New American Prairie Style (Americana mixed with country-folk), she is known for her lyrics, and Sweetheartland does not disappoint in that regard. “A gift card to a gasoline station is not a valentine,” she admonishes some dim bulb on “What Were You Thinking?” “I don’t need a cage; I’ve forgotten how to run,” she mourns on “Dust.” Daring to hope for something beyond farmland, she sees the highway as “where the wife with a black eye places all of her chips” on “The Road Is” and insists “‘more’ ain’t a four-letter word” on the last track, “More.” Even her homage, “John Prine,” illuminates both his genius and her restless introspection: “I’m flipping through the pages of a waiting room magazine while the clock keeps on ticking like a pickaxe steadily chipping away at the vision of who I thought I could be.”

In its hope and resignation, its candor, craft, and vast Midwestern Americana resonance, and certainly in its insight and poetry, Sweetheartland was born of the time of soul-searching and introspection that followed the release of Three Black Crows and the promotional push that accompanied it, particularly on the road. “Things got so overwhelming because the hustle became more important than the artistry,” Dunbar recalls. “By the summer of 2018, I was thinking, ‘I’m not in love with music the way I was prior to my last record.’ I wasn’t expecting that, and it was a little jarring.” Something had to change, and Dunbar began looking hard at where she was and what had to be done. With help from a life coach, she found the right questions to ask and then looked for answers. “I wound up on a new path of taking ownership of my musical journey,” she says. “I’d been saying yes to every voice giving me advice on what I should do. So, I learned not to listen to those voices. Now I’m not going to do anything anybody tells me to do… unless I know I really want to.”

With her sister-in-law Emily, Dunbar launched a weekly podcast they called “Prompt Queens.” Each week they would agree on a new “prompt” — a person, a band, a movie, even just a word. Then each would spend the week writing her own song based on that prompt, which they would premiere and discuss on the next episode. Dunbar began to compose again, and new songs poured forth, some of which are the gems on Sweetheartland.

After growing up in Mission Viejo, California, and study abroad in Paraguay during high school, Valparaiso University in Indiana beckoned Dunbar. She met and married her husband there and moved with him to a small town in Iowa, where she started singing folk songs with a new friend at public libraries, farmer’s markets, and fairs. Before long, she was writing her own songs. A move to Nebraska provided the perfect quiet place to pen her tunes. Drawing from Simon & Garfunkel, Indigo Girls, Patty Griffin, Nanci Griffith, Joni Mitchell, John Prine, Lori McKenna, and other inspirations, she developed a distinctive perspective, musically and lyrically.

Her debut solo EP, Woman Like Me, came out in 2013. In 2014, as a participant in the “RealWomenRealSongs” project, she wrote 52 songs, one per week. The following year, Dunbar recorded an EP, The End Of Wanting, and was a finalist at the Kerrville New Folk Festival. She took second place in American Songwriter magazine’s lyrics contest early in 2017 with her song “We Want.”

Three Black Crows followed later in 2017, and when it was released the album inspired positive comparisons to Springsteen’s Nebraska. The Americana blog Mother Church Pew cited her references to “dusty roads, endless fields and massive starry skies,” to which she adds layers of meaning through her “visceral authenticity and raw honesty.” American Roots host Craig Havighurst extolled her “incredible language and truth-telling” in the Bluegrass Situation. Off-Center Views called it a “masterpiece.”

In the past, she has shared stages with Darrell Scott, Richard Shindell, and Tom Paxton, among others. Until COVID guidelines permit touring in support of Sweetheartland, Dunbar plans to livestream, with a set already scheduled with TheBoot.com on their Facebook page on April 5, 2021 at 8 p.m. central.

http://www.hopedunbarmusic.com/

For Immediate Release
January 12, 2021

 

Singer-songwriter / violinist / multi-instrumentalist Melody Duncan to release solo album, Wolf Song, on March 12, 2021

Atlanta, GA-based singer-songwriter/violinist/multi-instrumentalist Melody Duncan is set to release her debut solo album, Wolf Song, on March 12, 2021.  With hints of Americana, indie-pop, chamber-pop, and folk woven together into a compelling mix, the songs on the album also feature Duncan’s unique vocals, a slightly gravelly beckoning into the depths of her music. With a clear vision and focus, Wolf Song was entirely written, performed, recorded, and produced by Duncan.

“Recording in a home studio is both fun and challenging,” says Duncan. “For one thing, my apartment isn’t soundproofed, so there were a lot of times I couldn’t record because there were noisy things happening, like a rainstorm or my neighbors mowing their lawn. However, that’s also one of the reasons I was able to capture some of the cool nature sounds on the record.”

Prior to her solo music endeavors, Duncan was a member of the international touring group The Mulligan Brothers, where she brought violin, fiddle, keyboards, and vocals to the band. Together they hit the top 50 on the Americana charts in the U.S. and played the Cayamo Cruise with artists such as Emmylou Harris, Brandi Carlile, Shawn Mullins, Steve Earle and John Paul White. When The Mulligan Brothers disbanded in January of 2019, Duncan found herself excited for a new chapter in her musical journey and knew she had to finally produce some of the songs she had been writing since she was a young girl.

With Wolf Song, instead of playing songs that others had written, Duncan finally set out to share her own original music with the world. True to her upbringing, her original music is a mix of genres, a taste all its own. Accompanying her unique musical vision, she has begun to create what she calls her “Wolf Pack,” a community of people and music fans who gather together in person, in spirit, or both. “I think wolves are amazing creatures,” Duncan says. “They run strongest in packs, and they need community to be their best. They also connect through song, howling together in harmony despite any distance between them. Music is our universal language, and I love connecting to other people. I’ve always loved music, and my parents obviously did, because they named me Melody. I want to encourage people, connect with people, and share light and love through music. We all need more light.”

Born and raised in Mobile, AL, Duncan cut her teeth on music at a very early age. Listening to bluegrass, rock ’n’ roll, church songs, Celtic music, and classical compositions, Duncan enjoyed a wide variety of inspirations from early on. Her parents and big brother (Christopher Duncan), all musicians themselves, helped to foster an appreciation for playing and performing. With her mom teaching her, Duncan started playing piano at the age of 5 and slowly picked up different instruments along the way. She found an extra level of musical passion when she started playing violin in her teens. With determination to share music and make it her career, she began touring and freelancing with rock bands, jazz players, folk artists, local record studios, and chamber groups.

In addition to counting the members of her family as musically encouraging and motivating, Duncan has also drawn inspiration from artists as diverse as Freddie Mercury, Alison Krauss, Elton John, Chris Thile, and James Taylor. “They are masters of their craft, and they make technically savvy music readily enjoyable to all types of audiences,” says Duncan. “Listening to their music makes my heart happy. The music keeps me company and makes me feel inspired. My hope is to pass that on, to add light, inspiration, and encouragement to other people. I feel that music can be like a prayer, a hope, a connection to our deepest source of light.”

Duncan plans to play live shows when possible within COVID guidelines, but, in the meantime, fans can follow her on Facebook for announcements about her upcoming livestreams.

www.MelodyDuncanMusic.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 15, 2020

Indie rock icon Steve Wynn set to hit the livestream road in January and February on the “Impossible Tour”

New single, “Strummer and Jones,” to be released on January 1, 2021

2020 and the coronavirus pandemic have left many musicians reeling as they try to invent different ways of performing live in an era when touring has halted. Some have turned to drive-in concerts, socially distanced outdoor shows, or livestreams on social media or streaming platforms. Longtime indie rock stalwart Steve Wynn landed in the latter category with a series of highly entertaining, fan-celebrated Facebook livestreams in 2020. But with a new year approaching and a desire to do something different, Wynn has created a cyber tour, set to run in January and February 2021 (see full list of “tour” dates below), that will seek to bring fans, virtually, to some of Wynn’s favorite venues and cities around the world. Dubbed the Impossible Tour, Wynn plans a 7-week-long series of livestreams, playing 13 shows in 13 cities, along with his wife Linda Pitmon (Miracle 3, The Baseball Project, Filthy Friends) on drums. Tickets go on sale December 15th here: https://www.stageit.com/Stevewynn.

Lest one think that Wynn and Pitmon actually will be globetrotting, Wynn is quick to explain how this no-travel-involved tour will work. “2020 was the first year that I spent mostly off the road, and I felt it was time to get back out there,” he says. “For the Impossible Tour, I’ll be playing back-to-back shows every Friday – one in Europe and then, a few hours later, one in the U.S. Two shows in one day an ocean apart is possible through the magic of StageIt: we will be broadcasting these shows – without leaving the comfort and safety of New York City – from The Chimp Factory, our rehearsal space in Queens.”

On the surface, this may sound like every other livestream series out there. Think again. Wynn plans to take it to full-on high-concept realm: he and Pitmon will perform the shows as if they are playing in each city and venue on the tour, fortified with stories about the chosen city and venue, along with a cover or two from favorite local bands, and, of course, tales of food and lodging and friends from the many years visiting each town. Props, food, cocktails, and even faux travel from gig to gig will factor into each show and the promotion of it. Fans can join them on tour virtually, from their own living rooms, checking in to cities and venues they’d never be able to visit so easily otherwise.

Fans are encouraged to use their imaginations so that they can all pretend, for the duration of each show, that touring is back to business as usual. StageIt allows for interactive commentary among the fans, providing a much-missed communal experience. Wynn also plans to involve the venues themselves, offering incentives for each ticket sold directly from each venue’s website and social media. “The venues will have their own ticket sales link to sell on their end, just like they would for a normal show, and they will be compensated for those sales,” says Wynn. “I was hoping to simulate normalcy until normalcy is normal again, and it’s a way to help out favorite venues who are struggling mightily at the moment, just like artists who make their living from touring are. It is my hope, too, that the venues will also enjoy the fun of putting on, promoting, and hosting a show.”

Wynn is also contemplating the idea of a tour warm-up show in early January; fans should look to his socials for information on this possible addition to the tour.

“I have spent my entire 40-year career playing thousands of shows across the globe, entertaining fans, and making friends along the way,” says Wynn. “Please join our imaginary party, our envisioned time together, our… Impossible Tour!”

Wynn was, of course, an integral part of the new Dream Syndicate album released in April 2020, and he also put forth into the world two Wynn-centric projects this calendar year: an acoustic album in March 2020 and a retrospective box set of solo material in October of 2020. Looking ahead to his next musical birth, Wynn is poised to release a new single on January 1, 2021 in advance of the tour kick-off. The single, entitled “Strummer and Jones,” was recorded in Jamaica several years ago at a little shack recording studio run by the nephew of a legendary reggae singer. “For $80, he put together a backing track, I sang over it – writing the lyrics in no time flat – and this cool record came out of that session,” says Wynn of the reggae-flavored ode to the joy of record hunting and the impact his record collection has had on his music.

Steve Wynn – Impossible Tour 2021 Dates:
January 17 – Germi / Milan, Italy
January 17 – Beachland Ballroom / Cleveland, OH
January 24 – Pop Torgal / Ourense, Spain
January 24 – Tractor Tavern / Seattle, WA
January 31 – Tiki Bar / Athens, Greece
January 31 – SPACE / Chicago, IL
February 7 – Loppen / Copenhagen, Denmark
February 7 – Kiki’s House of Righteous Music / Madison, WI
February 14 – Ekko / Utrecht, Netherlands
February 14 – 3Ten / Austin, TX
February 21 – Bronson / Revenna, Italy
February 21 – Turf Club / St. Paul, MN
February 27 – Mercury Lounge / New York, NY

https://stevewynn.net/

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 21, 2020

 

Victoria Bailey releases two versions of Springsteen’s “Hungry Heart” today (October 21, 2020) to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original song’s release

 

Her music has been called: “…a country romp” (PopMatters.com), “storytelling soul-twang” (Cowboys & Indians), “sawdust thick, whiskey-smooth” (Americana Highways), and “a full package of country music goodness” (Saving Country Music)

 

Holiday song, “Christmas Must Be Tonight,” released last week

 

Huntington Beach, CA-based classic country singer-songwriter Victoria Bailey is releasing two different cover versions of “Hungry Heart” today, October 21, 2020, exactly 40 years to the day that the original single was released by Bruce Springsteen in 1980. Bailey cast her own brand of musical magic on both a full-band rendition and a stripped-down, acoustic take of the Springsteen hit. The song was the lead single from Sprinsteen’s Grammy-nominated, quintuple-platinum-selling album, The River. Both of Bailey’s versions premiered yesterday (October 20, 2020) at TheBoot.com.

“I’ve been a Springsteen fan for quite some time now – he is truly the most beloved rock star and is one of the best musicians and humans we have in the history of music,” says Bailey. “I wanted to cover a song to honor Bruce’s 40th anniversary of The River album, and this song has always struck something big in me – I love the message, his voice on the recording, and the horn arrangements. On my covers, I wanted to emulate what I love most about The Boss. Recording this during the pandemic also made this song so important and special to me. I think we’ve all taken a step back this year and have recognized what is most important to us and our desires and weaknesses. I’ve hung on tight to my close friends and family through this wild year, and this song just sums up the condition of the human heart – how we all want the same thing at the end of the day, and all that really matters is the love relationships in our lives.”

Just last week, Bailey got in the holiday spirit a little bit early with the release on October 16, 2020, of “Christmas Must Be Tonight,” a cover of a song originally released by The Band in 1977. “I love Christmas so much, and it’s been a dream come true to track a holiday song,” says Bailey. “The Band is one of my all-time favorites, and this song is so special to me. I wanted to put a ‘Victoria’ twist on it. My band and I recorded it live around one mic, acoustic, in the studio. There was so much beautiful energy in the room with the back-up vocals and string instruments, and it truly did feel like Christmas! It turned out exactly how I wanted – raw and live – and it just really represents who we are as a band and who I am as an artist.” Bailey’s version premiered at Americana Highways on October 14, 2020.

Both versions of “Hungry Heart” and “Christmas Must Be Tonight” are the follow-ups to Bailey’s latest album, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline, which was released on September 18, 2020 by Rock Ridge Music. Produced by Jeremy Long, Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline is a whiskey-smooth concoction of crisp guitars, silky fiddle, and radiant pedal steel that expertly glides beneath Bailey’s magnetic, California sun-kissed soprano. Grounding Bailey’s timeless country music palette is her crystalline voice; an inviting warm tone with the occasional flutter that transports you back in time to a classic honky tonk, one where Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris were all in heavy rotation.

Bailey’s full-length label debut — a nine-song collection featuring eight originals and one cover — paints stunning vignettes spanning from adrenaline-rushing love at first sight and down-and-out heartache, to treasuring country music’s indelible roots, and the wavering journey of resilience when chasing one’s dreams. Bailey brings the classic country spirit to the 21st century through relatably raw, non-sugarcoated songwriting that may seem unexpected from most contemporary female musicians in the country realm. She shines a relevant light on some of the shadier corners of the genre not typically addressed, such as the hypocrisy that can be found in the outlaw country mindset, all while evoking a fiery, no-holds-barred lyrical approach in the vein of Margo Price.

PopMatters.com called her music “…a country romp… a rollicking, narrative-driven sound,” while Cowboys & Indians lauded her “storytelling soul-twang,” and Americana Highways praised her “grit mixed with personality, fluency in her musicality, she’s expressive and imaginative… Sawdust thick, whiskey-smooth…” Saving Country Music said: “If you’re looking for a honky tonk sweetheart, then you’ve found one in native Californian Victoria Bailey, who comes sauntering out of the painted desert on a Palomino like a singin’ cowgirl from the days of old, seducing you with… a sweet soprano with the most perfect country warble… a full package of country music goodness… Classic, but cool.” The video for her song “Spent My Dime on White Wine” is in rotation on CMT.

Raised under the rays of the sun in Huntington Beach, CA, the classic country singer-songwriter was surrounded by music in her household from an early age. From her drumming father’s rock ’n’ roll band practices to her mom playing the narrative-driven songbooks of folk icons like Cat Stevens and James Taylor, Bailey was naturally drawn to music and the art of storytelling. After falling in love with the guitar at the age of 12, she quickly developed an affinity for songwriting in her late teens, eventually performing shows around town. She found a sense of community very early on by playing honky tonks and bars that allowed the opportunity to cut her teeth on the craft of traditional country music. With five or six years of diligently working the Golden State’s music scene under her belt, she was ready to transpose her striking penchant for storytelling from the stage into an impressive full-length label debut. Bailey is a promising torchbearer for the genre’s rich legacy and where it’s heading.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bailey is unable to tour widely right now, although occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into her schedule. She is set to take the stage at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville with labelmate George Shingleton on October 28, 2020. Bailey is also set to perform at Dee’s Country Cocktail Lounge on October 27, 2020 while she is in Nashville. Fans eager to see her live elsewhere can catch her livestreaming on her Facebook and Instagram pages on Friday, October 23, 2020 at 7 p.m. pacific time. She will also be livestreaming shows on her Instagram page from Salty Bear Brewing Company in Costa Mesa, CA at 6 p.m. pacific time on both Thursday, November 5th and Thursday, November 17th. Bailey will also be livestreaming as part of TheBoot.com’s “Live and Socially Distant” series on their Facebook and Instagram pages on Thursday, December 10th at 6 p.m. pacific time.

https://www.victoriabaileymusic.com/

For Immediate Release

October 15, 2020

 

Nashville country artist George Shingleton to release new album, Out All Nighter, on December 4th 

 

Shingleton continues livestreaming every Tuesday night on Facebook Live

 

 

Nashville-based country singer-songwriter George Shingleton is set to release a new album, Out All Nighter, on December 4, 2020 via Rock Ridge Music. In order to provide the rightful, righteous soundtrack to grappling with one’s inner demons, Shingleton has been able to wrangle his own internal good vs. evil wrestling match into a number of heartfelt songs that are infused with his patented lived-in, whiskey-tinged vocals. Produced by Dave Pahanish (who has co-written #1 singles by the likes of Jimmy Wayne, Toby Keith, and Keith Urban), Out All Nighter offers eight gutbucket country songs charged with chronicling the aforementioned daily interpersonal push-pulls between sin and redemption.

Bear witness to the confessional, pleading twang of “Handful of Hell,” the barrelhouse ramble of “Have a Good Time” (complete with a raucous honky-tonk chorus in its back half), and the album-ending, tender commitment of “I’m Gonna Be Your Man.” Each song contained on Out All Nighter builds on the promise of a gifted songwriter now fully coming into his own as a recording and performing artist.

“I just want people to know I’m real and I’m true,” Shingleton says of Out All Nighter. “These are the best eight songs I have to offer. Working on them with Dave Pahanish, who’s one of my oldest, closest friends in Nashville, helped make every song better. I think we showed some real growth on this new album. We made plenty of forward progress, but it all still ties together with what I did on my first album.”

The aforementioned “Have a Good Time” was just released on October 9, 2020; it’s the third single from Out All Nighter. “Have a Good Time” follows on the heels of the second single, “Handful of Hell,” which was released in May, and the first single, “Fire or Flame,” which was released in February. Shingleton’s music, and “Handful of Hell” in particular, earned praise from American Songwriter earlier this year, which called it: “…grittier… There’s a lost honesty in country music like Shingleton’s and that’s on display in his newest song, ‘Handful of Hell’…”  Cowboys & Indians lauded “Have a Good Time,” writing: “‘Have a Good Time’ is the kind of great I need right now. Keeping this song pounding out of my… speakers… is probably the best I’ll feel all day. This might be the medicine you need right about now, too.”

Shingleton also plans to get into the holiday spirit before his album drops with the release of a standalone holiday single, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” on October 23, 2020.

Born and bred in rural West Virginia, Shingleton’s Appalachian extended family ties run deep; music-making has been in Shingleton’s blood, quite literally, from his early days of singing and playing instruments in the church, surrounded by multiple generations of family at his side as he ascended to taking vocal solos in the youth choir. Beyond his sacred, sanctuary-nurtured musical roots, Shingleton’s influences run the gamut from Hank Williams Jr., Merle Haggard, and Waylon Jennings, to Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers Band.

Though he began strumming guitars at age 12, Shingleton didn’t begin writing songs seriously until he was almost 30, doubling down on his craft once he moved to Nashville from West Virginia to pursue his dream fulltime. Shingleton’s main muse continues to be his wife, who gave him the initial nudge to take that giant leap of songwriting faith. “She’s the creative force in all this anyway,” he says. “She’s my biggest muse for a lot of the songs I write between the love songs, and the redemption songs. She just provides it all.”

Keeping things real is Shingleton’s core goal at all times. “I just want to be authentic,” he concludes. “And I’ll keep putting the music in a spot where everybody can relate to it. I think that as long as people see how real I am, they’ll feel that authenticity. I’d much rather write songs that don’t always have the same three or four chords backed with a drum loop. Every song doesn’t need to sound the same.”

With Shingleton’s music toeing the blurry lines between Americana, country, blues, Southern rock, and gospel, it’s the integrity of his stories and sound has earned him the respect of other artists, including Darryl Worley, John Michael Montgomery, Bucky Covington, Montgomery Gentry, Charlie Daniels, Bo Bice, and Keith Anderson, all of whom have invited him to share their stage.

Once the green light is given, Shingleton can’t wait to head out on tour and take Out All Nighter out on the road. “I just want to be playing my music for people,” he asserts. Where safety protocols are being followed, occasional in-person shows have started to creep back into his schedule. He is set to take the stage at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville with labelmate Victoria Bailey on October 28, 2020. Fans eager to see Shingleton perform now can catch him livestreaming weekly on his Facebook page at 7:30 p.m. central time every Tuesday evening for his “Tuesday Night Tunes” series.

George Shingleton is managed by Rock Ridge Music (Nashville, TN) and is booked by Paradigm Talent Agency.

https://www.georgeshingleton.com/