For Immediate Release

January 23, 2018

Jason Heath And The Greedy Souls takes its new

album to radio on January 29th

But There’s Nowhere To Go is a cry from the broken belly of the American Dream, where time, neglect, and corruption have taken their toll

LA-based roots-rock band Jason Heath And The Greedy Souls is set to go to non-comm radio beginning January 29th with its new album, But There’s Nowhere To Go. Focus tracks from the album on the radio front include “Fair Fight,” “Nowhere To Go,” and “Dead Stars” (the latter track was produced by Harry Maslin, veteran producer of David Bowie’s Young Americans and Station to Station). The album was released in fall of 2017 via Industrial Amusement, and it was the band’s second album for Wayne Kramer’s label.

But There’s Nowhere To Go is a cry from the broken belly of the American Dream, where time, neglect, and corruption have taken their toll on this grand experiment called the U.S. of A. Seems like there’s nothing left to do but howl at the moon, and set out through the wilderness of the unknown in search of a new direction. Alan Sculley’s nationally syndicated Last Word Features music column called But There’s Nowhere To Go one of the Best Overlooked Albums of 2017 and praised the group, saying, “this talented band is very much going places.” Heath and his Greedy Souls do indeed plan to go places and will hit the road again in support of the album in the spring. Tour dates will be announced soon.

Speaking of touring, the songs on the album were mostly written as the band was on tour after the U.S. Presidential election in November of 2016. Traveling the country in its aftermath, Heath saw and heard from all walks of American life and put those observations into his new work.  “It couldn’t be helped,” says Heath.  “We are losing our national identity. Everyone is looking for someone else to blame. Faith in the status quo has been lost. There is a general feeling of confusion and misrepresentation, no matter who one voted for. There is a national ambience of panic, a fear of the unknown, and an overall distrust of any institution.”

Songs run the gamut of relevant, current-headline topics in today’s American psyche. “Fair Fight” pulls no punches, exploring the idea that this country and what it’s supposed to stand for are well worth fighting for (“We’ve been waiting too long… so bring it on!”). “Postcards From The Hanging” is a forceful demand that we all remember that something is broken in this promised land that has been divided for 400 years and is a stark exposé on racism. The ballad “Miss Arizona” weaves a tale of love gone wrong with winners, losers, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, his helpless victims, and those who would like to deny others access to the American Dream (“you can’t entertain angels if you don’t let them in”).  “Garden of Machines” takes on environmental and human destruction of our Earth, driving home the fact that greed and technology cannot be sustained. “We are collapsing under its weight, and we’re running out of options, and time,” says Heath.  “This sounds heavy – not your standard pop song fare – but I, and many others more qualified than myself, believe it’s a discussion that needs to happen. Before it’s too late.”

The harsh truths keep coming.  “South Of Babylon” explores the idea that if human beings continue to follow corruption with such complacency, plodding along like drones, there will be a steep price to pay (“the obedient ain’t guilty, they just play their part”). “The Ballad Of The Brown Bomber” tells the story of how heavyweight champion Joe Louis gave up his best fighting years to enlist in the Army to boost morale in the fight against the Nazis. For this, the IRS helped themselves to most of his money. “Here Comes My Savior” is a clear examination of how folks tend to blindly trust leaders and looks at where that gullibility has gotten us.

“Nowhere To Go” is a summation of the album and it’s a shotgun blast, uptempo rager that suggests that this broken-down locomotive of a country has run out of track and we need to get busy repairing it. “We’re now nationally and globally at the place where we need to, as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated, reach for and be touched by the better angels of our nature,” says Heath.  “To give up the ghost of what we think this country is or used to be, and begin again – better. To rise. There is hope in surrender.  It’s all possible, but only if we’re honest with ourselves about our past, and willing to come together to unite as one for the common good.”

Record stores might have filed their previous releases under “Americana,” but it’s unclear what that means to the band anymore, as they’ve incorporated the musical influences of punk, alternative, soul, garage rock, blues, and jazz into their sound, while pushing the expected boundaries of a typical alt-country, folk rock, Americana production.

Produced by Mike Fennel, Heath, and The Greedy Souls, But There’s Nowhere To Go builds on the same foundation of fiery roots-rock heard on their previous albums, which prompted Paste Magazine to call their first record, The Vain Hope Of Horse (which featured guests Tom Morello [Rage Against The Machine], Wayne Kramer [The MC5], and Nels Cline [Wilco]), “a wonderful debut: ragged, soulful, and well written.” Famed rock journalist Dave Marsh said of their second disc, Packed For Exile, “Jason Heath And The Greedy Souls speak to the heartache and joy in the world, with the wisdom not to try to separate them, and the skill to make all of it beautiful.” And American Songwriter lauded their last release, A Season Undone, writing, “…if you’re a fan of rock and roll, it deserves to be on your shortlist as one of the most heartfelt, honest and intelligently soulful rocking albums of the year.”

https://jasonheathandthegreedysouls.com/ 

For Immediate Release

January 10, 2018

Whiskey Wolves of the West set to release album in March

Nashville-based country/Americana outfit Whiskey Wolves of the West is set to release its debut album, Country Roots, on March 2, 2018 via Rock Ridge Music. With a sound that is something that can only be earned by a thousand nights in smoky bars and a million miles on bald bus tires, the Whiskey Wolves are disciples at what could be the last supper of country music. A concisely focused, seven-track melting pot of an album—with tunes that are high and lonesome, yearning and dark, twangy and gritty and oh-so-satisfying—Country Roots features the dynamic songwriting and performing tandem of Tim Jones (vocals, guitar) and Leroy Powell (vocals, guitar, bass, pedal steel, clavinet, keys, harmonica), two prime progenitors of the new Nashville sound.

“I feel like the music Tim and I do could easily be put side by side with any of it—we’re not shooting to sound like anybody other than ourselves,” theorizes Powell, a first-call guitarist/multi-instrumentalist for noted Music City producer Dave Cobb who’s backed heavy-hitters Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton in the studio, as well as both Shooter and Waylon Jennings. Concurs Jones, a top-cat Nashville singer/player in his own right who’s worked side by side in a band with Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket) and had Chris Robinson (The Black Crowes) as a producer and tourmate, “I’m proud to say we’re both making the same kind of music now that we did back when we were starting out. It’s the love of a genre that a certain zeitgeist movement may have briefly captured, but we never left it.”

Country Roots fully lives up to the deep-seated expectations associated with its very name, from the genre-busting universality of its lead track “Sound of the South,” to the intuitive harmonic blend that sets forth the analog-huggin’ and vinyl-lovin’ tone of “Lay That Needle Down,” to the modernized down-home duende of the title track, to the brighter vibe of the album’s closer, “#1 (The Ballad of Dallas Davidson).” As Jones clarifies with a laugh, “We wrote that one because Leroy wanted us to be able to say the very first song we wrote together was a number one.”

Making sure every song on Country Roots has a lasting impact on its listeners was critical to the duo, who had prepared more than 20 tracks before whittling down the final running order to the lucky seven we have here. “It’s a nice, short record, like those great old country records that had only ten songs on them that would last maybe 20-30 minutes,” recounts Powell. “That was something Waylon [Jennings] was notorious for doing. Every song counted, and I loved that. It’s not too overwhelming either. You don’t need to hear every song we’ve ever written—just the best ones.”

Their very first show together was at Stagecoach Country Music Festival in Indio, CA in 2016, and their set caught the ears and the attention of Randy Lewis, who wrote of the performance in LA Times: “Whiskey Wolves of the West… turned in a set blending rock’s bristle with country’s storytelling, [full of] songs that course across a broad span of classic country, classic rock, blues and Americana music.  …the Whiskey Wolves forge a compelling gumbo…”  The Whiskey Wolves plan to tour in support of the forthcoming album.  So far, the duo has confirmed a show in Nashville at 3rd and Lindsley on January 18th and several more dates (listed below).

www.whiskeywolvesofthewest.com

For Immediate Release

January 9, 2018

Americana duo Surrender Hill to release new album on February 2nd

Tour planned in support of Tore Down Fences

For Immediate Release

January 3, 2018

Country/Americana singer-songwriter Michelle

LeBlanc to release EP in March

Nashville-based country/Americana singer-songwriter Michelle LeBlanc is set to release her debut EP, A Man Like You, on March 2, 2018.  Produced by Nick Buda and recorded at The Loft Studio in East Nashville, the record is a true reflection of LeBlanc’s own fiery heart and gypsy soul, where she wrestles with love and vulnerability and her decision to leave it behind.  “If there’s one thing I know by this point, it’s that if something’s meant to be in your life, it won’t let you give up on it,” she says. “Music and the songwriting and Nashville—they continue to teach me this.”

Born in Columbia, South Carolina to a local singer/songwriter, she discovered acting as a teen, which took her eventually to New York City to pursue that dream, yet she also taught herself how to play the guitar and write songs.  “I really loved digging into the characters and their stories and all of the collaboration that came with acting,” LeBlanc says.  “It was safer to tell other people’s stories.  Writing songs was always about my own personal stories and that was scarier.”

While in the process of leaving a tumultuous relationship and after leaving a job in NYC that she called “insane and toxic,” LeBlanc found herself unsure of where to go next.  She booked a tarot card reading in the hope of finding some answers.  “The tarot card reader basically told me that I was going to move to Nashville—that was where I was meant to be—and that people needed to hear my music,” LeBlanc says. “She also said I can’t hide anymore, and that I was also going to meet a man connected to that city.”  At that point, Nashville had not been on her radar, but something about it felt very right.  She made her first trip there a couple months later and eventually made the permanent move to Nashville to pursue her music.

A Man Like You is a collection of songs about the time in her life when she took a leap of faith to move to a new city while having left behind someone she felt deeply for but could never talk about those feelings out loud.  “This is sort of a confessional album where I’m exploring all of my unresolved feelings for someone and sifting through how to move forward having made my own decisions,” she says.

LeBlanc plans to release two singles from the EP (“Loving A Hurricane” and “BTW”) in advance of the release date.  Fans interested in pre-ordering the EP may do so through a Kickstarter campaign that will launch in January.  Details about the Kickstarter launch and pre-order campaign, as well as the single release dates, will be posted on her social media and website:  michelleleblancmusic.com.  LeBlanc plans to tour in support of A Man Like You; tour dates will be announced soon.  A Nashville EP release show is also in the planning stages and will be announced in early 2018.

michelleleblancmusic.com

For Immediate Release

December 5, 2017

Tony Lucca to tour with Jonny Lang in early 2018

Nashville residency continues in January and February

Nashville singer-songwriter Tony Lucca is set to hit the road in 2018 opening for Jonny Lang on a tour throughout the Midwest and Southeast (see below for full tour schedule.)  The tour dates begin in St. Charles, IL, in January, and eventually wind up in Des Moines, IA in March.  Tickets for these shows are on-sale now.

Says Lucca about the tour plans: “Touring with Jonny Lang promises to be one of the highlights of my career. Having been a fan for 20+ years now, I can easily say that Jonny is one of the most impressive live performers of my generation. Getting to share the stage with him each night will no doubt help elevate my own craft.”

Over the summer, Lucca kicked off an ongoing residency in Nashville with a series of four free shows at The Country (110 28th Avenue North, Nashville).  Billed as “Tony Lucca and Friends,” the residency was an opportunity for Lucca to work on some new material for a forthcoming album, which he will begin recording in Spring of 2018.  The shows were such a huge success that the venue asked Lucca to continue the series, and he has had monthly shows throughout the fall there.  After taking a break for the month of December, Lucca will be back at The Country for residency shows on January 10th and February 14th with guests Josh Williams, Tom Beaupre, and JD Eicher.  Special guests for past shows have included Davis Naish, Josh Dorr, Adam James, Marshall Altman, Gabe Dixon, Drew Smith, Michael August, Mando Saenz, Whiskey Wolves of the West, Keaton Simons, Matt Brown, Ernie Halter, Brennin, Curtis Peoples, Ethan Hulse, Ernie Halter, Barrett Baber, and others.

In 2016 and 2017, Lucca focused on songwriting, his catalog development and promotion (two EPs of material from a previously recorded session at the legendary Sun Studio [in Memphis] and another session he’d done in Muscle Shoals, AL in 2006), as well as select touring with the likes of Alex Dezen (of The Damnwells), Tyrone Wells, and Christian Lopez.  In 2016, he also celebrated the 10th anniversary of his album, Canyon Songs, with a very special show at 3rd & Lindsley in Nashville. At the show, he performed the album in its entirety track-for-track, as well as a second set of Lucca classics from over the years.

www.tonylucca.com

Tony Lucca Tour Schedule (all dates with Jonny Lang):

January 13th – St. Charles, IL / The Arcada Theatre

January 14th – Cincinnati, OH / Taft Theatre

January 16th – Jacksonville, FL / Florida Theatre

January 18th – St. Petersburg, FL / Palladium Theatre

January 19th – Lake Buena Vista, FL / House of Blues

February 23rd – Chattanooga, TN / Robert Kirk Walker Theatre (Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Auditorium)

February 27th – Knoxville, TN / Bijou Theater

March 2nd – New Albany, OH / McCoy Center for the Arts

March 4th – Madison, WI / Capitol Theater

March 6th – Green Bay, WI / Meyer Theatre

March 7th – Cedar Rapids, IA / Paramount Theatre

March 8th – Des Moines, IA / Hoyt Sherman Place

For Immediate Release

December 4, 2017

Americana singer-songwriter Don Gallardo

signs with Rock Ridge Music

New album, Still Here, forthcoming in April 2018

Nashville-based Americana singer-songwriter Don Gallardo has signed a label deal with Rock Ridge Music.  His new album, Still Here, is set for release on the Nashville label in April 2018.  With music that walks the line between Americana, folk, and roots-rock—mining the influence of classic 1970s singer-songwriters while still pushing ahead toward something new—Rolling Stone called Gallardo “a singer-songwriter that is one of the Country and Americana scene’s true journeymen.”

Says Gallardo about the label partnership: “I’ve been playing music for close to 20 years and had many meetings with people from major record labels to indie. From my first meeting with Rock Ridge Music, I knew there was no BS, just straightforward, positive feedback.  I had put so much time, energy, and emotion into this album that it felt rewarding that these wonderful people wanted to work with me.”

Says Rock Ridge Music President Cynthia Cochrane: “We’ve been fans of Don’s for a while and when we heard his new record, we knew we wanted to be involved. He’s an incredible artist, as genuine and authentic as they come, and we’re confident that Still Here will be among the best of what 2018 has to offer.”

Gallardo’s forthcoming album, Still Here, was self-produced, and it’s different from any of his previous efforts.  “My prior albums had almost no co-writes on them; I usually just wrote my own material,” says Gallardo.  “This time, I sought out songwriters that I really respected for co-writes—Tim Easton, Carey Ott, Mando Saenz, Luke Amelang, Robby Hecht, Doug Williams, David Borné and Jesse Cole.”  The resulting collection includes songs about Gallardo’s son, past relationships, the music industry, the late 16th Century, and some songs with UK references, with a common theme running among them: no matter how grueling life can be, giving up is not an option, and persistence and positivity can prevail over anything.

Gallardo grew up in Northern California and spent years building his songwriting career on the West Coast before relocating to Nashville in 2008. With four full-length albums, a live acoustic release, and an EP under his belt, Gallardo has earned a devoted audience on both sides of the Atlantic. A road warrior who frequently tours the UK, he earned praise from Rolling Stone, who named him one of “10 New Country Artists You Need To Know” in September 2017 and called Gallardo’s music “the intersection of folk, road-worn country and amplified bluegrass, performed by a singer-songwriter who began earning his road-dog stripes before the new millennium.”  No Depression deemed him “one of those rare gems… Don’s writing style harkens back to a time when Nashville was overflowing with great storytellers.”  Nashville Scene said Gallardo “writes intelligently about the boredom and charm of small-town life” and praises his “country-rock with brains, charm and experimental impulses that are perfectly integrated into a familiar context.”  Glide Magazine declared that “our ears deserve something that’s righteous, honest and ballsy in just the right spots and Gallardo nails that equation.”  His most recent album, Hickory, received a four-star rating from MOJO and was named one of 2015’s best country albums by The Telegraph, proof that Gallardo’s career has truly gone global.

In addition to catching one of his live shows, fans can hear Gallardo’s music prominently featured in films like “Jolene” and Jackass Presents “Bad Grandpa,” as well as television series such as “The Vampire Diaries,” ABC/CMT’s “Nashville,” and the Netflix series, “The Ranch.”

www.dongallardo.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 26, 2017

SINGER-SONGWRITER ROGER STREET FRIEDMAN PARTNERS WITH USA FOR UNHCR, THE UN REFUGEE AGENCY, TO RAISE $1 MILLION THROUGH SONG DOWNLOAD CAMPAIGN

Sea Cliff, NY: Roger Street Friedman announced today that all proceeds from the sale of his song “No Safe Place” will be donated to the USA for UNHCR and other groups that provide direct aid to refugees. Donors download the song for $1 through his “One Million Downloads for Safety” campaign. The singer-songwriter seeks to raise $1 million for the refugee cause. Visit https://give.classy.org/roger4refugees.

“I am brokenhearted by the plight of these children and their families,” says Friedman. “I felt like I had to help. This campaign seemed like a great way to move other people to contribute while also raising awareness of the issue.”

Written by Roger Street Friedman, “No Safe Place” was produced by Grammy-nominated, and number one hit songwriter Felix McTeigue. The video, available on the campaign page, was created by award-winning director Laura Crosta.

Friedman is raising awareness of the global refugee crisis and helping children, and by extension all refugees, who bravely leave a brutal life at home in the hopes of finding a safer one in a foreign land. He sings: “And there’s no safe place for me/living on the edge of a knife/I’m just a kid in another mean century/looking for a better life”

ABOUT ROGER STREET FRIEDMAN: Roger Street Friedman, 54, is a singer-songwriter based in Sea Cliff, New York. Friedman restarted his music career in 2010 following the loss of his parents and the birth of his daughter. “No Safe Place” is from his critically acclaimed 2017 album, Shoot The Moon, which reached as high as #2 on the Roots Music Report Americana Country Album Chart. www.rogerstreetfriedman.com

ABOUT USA FOR UNHCR: USA for UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, raises awareness about the refugee crisis among the American public and raises funds to help assist as many refugees as possible. As the only US-based nonprofit dedicated to fundraising for refugees and the UN Refugee Agency, USA for UNHCR plays a vital role helping and protecting the 65.6 million refugees and people displaced worldwide. www.unrefugees.org

For Immediate Release

September 7, 2017

Eliot Bronson releases James; new album produced

by Grammy Award winner Dave Cobb

Official showcase confirmed at AmericanaFest in Nashville next week

Atlanta-based award-winning Americana singer-songwriter Eliot Bronson has just released his newest album, James, on August 25, 2017 via Rock Ridge Music (with distribution via ADA). Press has praised James; Glide Magazine lauded the album, saying, “The cohesive collection of songs finds this young singer-songwriter in top form as he sings from an honest viewpoint and the similarities to Bob Dylan as well as artists like Ryan Adams and even Chris Isaak are undeniable from the very first song. The album… feels as close to Americana and country rock as it is to folk. …each infectious song hammers home the realization that he is one of the most exciting up-and-coming artists around right now.” Nashville Music Guide echoed that emotion, writing, “Bronson takes you on ride of passion, emotion, and thoughtful stories. …Bronson’s new album is packed with great picking, beautiful and honest lyrics, and a foot stomping, knee slapping harp that will leave you wanting more.” The Daily Country appreciated that Bronson’s album “offers songs that are similar to snapshots – capturing moments, yet often revealing something deeper.”

James was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton), who also produced Bronson’s most recent, self-titled album. “It was a pleasure working with Eliot,” says Cobb. “He is a brilliant lyricist and poet.”

“Dave Cobb’s honesty and old-fashioned vibe were so appealing to me,” Bronson says. “They leant themselves to the way I created. And, of course, it was a huge boost to have this great artist/producer at your back.” Cobb and Bronson had worked together previously on his 2014 release, Eliot Bronson. “But this album is different,” Bronson points out. “It’s more sparse and economical. My voice is stronger. And I think it’s a step away from the purely Americana vibe of the last one in a direction that I have a hard time defining. I’m excited to discover how this music will define itself.  I’m immensely proud of this record. It’s the best thing I’ve done.”

Bronson, who is on the road in support of his new album (see tour schedule below) with dates scheduled in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Northeast, is also set to perform at AmericanaFest in Nashville at ACME on September 13th.

Originally from Baltimore, Bronson grew up in a religious household – both his father and grandfather were Pentecostal ministers – and Bronson found shelter in music. At age 15, he got his first guitar and started teaching himself to play. From local coffee houses and venues beyond Baltimore, Bronson sharpened his writing and performance. A local following grew; the Baltimore Sun anointed him “a folk singing wunderkind.” Expanding his range, Bronson then toured as one-half of a duo. They moved to Atlanta, and when his partner quit, Bronson persisted on his own.

Embraced for his 2014 self-titled album by the likes of CMT Edge, Country Weekly, Guitar World, Sirius XM’s Outlaw Country, Acoustic Guitar Magazine and more, Paste Magazine called Bronson and his music “an Americana gem” and “a poetic blend of urban coffee house and outskirts-of-town saloon.”  Glide Magazine named the album “one of the best releases” of 2014 and called Bronson “a rock and roll, folk, country mash-up … [with] strong songwriting and lush vocals. …Eliot Bronson is like a gorgeous, magnificent hybrid of [Ryan] Adams, Jason Isbell, and Jim James. …his songs are so purely authentic and well crafted…”  Saving Country Music praised Bronson for “capturing moments of spectacular insight and feeling, and giving words to what previously were thought to be unmentionable, and undefinable feelings, and doing it all with a deep sense of mood and melody that make the emotions drip from the edges of the notes like tears.” Bop n Jazz upped that ante by heralding him as “maybe the best singer/songwriter since Dylan.”

Bronson has released three critically acclaimed solo albums and, prior to his solo career, was a member of The Brilliant Inventions. He has won such esteemed songwriting awards as first place at Chris Austin Songwriting Contest at MerleFest and Eddie Owen Presents “Songwriter Shootout,” and he’s been a finalist at Kerrville Folk Festival, Rocky Mountain Folks Fest Songwriting Contest, and New Song Contest Lincoln Center NYC.

See Eliot Bronson on “Today in Nashville” on WSMV-TV/NBC here and here.

See Eliot Bronson on Creative Loafing Atlanta’s “Live From The Archives” here.

Eliot Bronson Tour Dates:

9/13/2017 – Nashville, TN – ACME / AmericanaFest

9/21/2017 – Athens, GA – The Foundry

9/23/2017 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic

9/24/2017 – Dahlonega, GA – Crimson Moon

9/27/2017 – Knoxville, TN – Open Chord

10/6/2017 – Alpharetta, GA – Wire & Wood Festival

10/7/2017 – Alpharetta, GA – Wire & Wood Festival

10/13/17 – Newtown Square, PA – Burlap and Bean

10/14/2017 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 3

10/15/17 – Basking Ridge, NJ – Ross Farm Concert Series

10/16/17 – Asbury Park, NJ – The Saint

10/17/17 – Providence, RI – House show

10/18/2017 – Cambridge, MA – Atwood’s Tavern

10/20/2017 – Richmond, VA – House show

10/21/2017 – Raleigh, NC – Six String Presents at IMURJ

10/22/2017 – Clayton, GA – House show

11/9/2017 – Saluda, NC – Purple Onion Café

www.eliotbronson.com

For Immediate Release

September 6, 2017

The Contenders to release new album in November

“You could say that The Contenders are a band greater

than the sum of its parts, but that wouldn’t quite be fair

to the parts: it’s the duo of Jay Nash and Josh Day,

both distinguished musicians and songwriters with their

own unique voices and perspectives.” – Paste Magazine

“Their blend of folk, rock and country (is on)

proud display…” – American Songwriter

Americana/folk-rock duo The Contenders (singer-songwriter Jay Nash and singer/drummer Josh Day) is set to release its debut full-length album, Laughing with the Reckless, on November 3, 2017 via Rock Ridge Music (with distribution via ADA).  The record is very much about the perseverance of hope in dark times along with the powerful connection of music, old friends, and loved ones, all delivered with a wry and wistful narrative, and is the follow-up to their 2014 EP, Meet The Contenders. Dear friend and fellow troubadour Joey Ryan of The Milk Carton Kids has said that it is not just an album of “infectious rhythms and sublime two-part harmonies,” but one that conveys a balance of hope with a unique and powerful sense of heartbreak.

The pair makes the sort of music found in the intricate and varied tapestry that is real Americana—full of grit, with a steady heartbeat and a hint of honky-tonk—writing songs that speak of wanderers and highways, lovers and losers, good times and missed chances, all of it with a ferocity born of hard work and honed skill.  The Contenders’ raucous foundation of rhythm and harmony is based upon such simple things—glorious two-part vocal harmonies, a guitar and drums. Wrote Country Weekly of the pair’s music: “The duo’s sound paints a picture of open stretches of road as well as lazy days at home—sonic comfort food constructed on a bed of groove and storytelling.”

Nash and Day, who are based in Vermont and Nashville respectively, met in Los Angeles over a decade ago when they bonded over a shared love of The Band, roots music, and a sacred admiration for the great American songbook. As their paths continued to cross over the years, collaboration, they concluded, would be inevitable.

Jay Nash’s music is like the river that raised him—strong and deep, with a little bit of lullaby and a big damn current. Twenty years ago, he played loud in bars along the Saint Lawrence River, in the reaches of New York so far-flung they’re almost Canadian. For the last decade, he’s journeyed the U.S. and Europe solo, selling over 60,000 records without ever putting ink on a conventional record deal. Now in the Green Mountains, the quiet cold of winter rarefies wit and musicianship into the kind of Americana that knows where it comes from.

Hailing from the sweet, sticky hill country of North Carolina, Josh Day brings a percussive virtuosity that shapes the music and supports the vocals. With unusual creativity and fine-boned craftsmanship, Day has that special something that resonates with audiences and always feels a bit like a party. Be it playing bluegrass with the Kruger Brothers, roots rock with John Oates, touring with Sara Bareilles, or drumming for Jennifer Nettles, Day keeps it steadfast honest, just what one would expect from a man who plays with so much heart.

2017 has already been busy for The Contenders, with a performance at MerleFest (their second appearance there) in April, as well as a number of tour dates across the U.S.  Plans are in place for touring in the Netherlands and Germany in October. More U.S. dates in support of the forthcoming album are scheduled for November (see tour schedule below). Additional dates will be announced soon.

The Contenders Tour Schedule:

10/19 – Eijgelshoven, The Netherlands – LRC

10/20 – Utrecht, The Netherlands – Molen de Ster

10/21 – Liempde, The Netherlands – Vendal Live

10/22 – Alpen, Germany – LRC

10/27 – Wermelskirchen, Germany – Markt 57

10/28 – Senden, Germany – Schloss

11/8 – Somerville, MA – The Rockwell

11/11 – New York, NY – Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 2

11/12 – Philadelphia, PA – World Café Live Upstairs

11/13 – Vienna, VA – Jammin Java

11/14 – Minneapolis, MN – Aster Café

11/15 – Chicago, IL – Beat Kitchen

11/17 – Spring Lake, MI – Seven Steps Up

11/18 – Columbus, OH – Rambling House Music Bar

www.wearethecontenders.com

For Immediate Release

August 29, 2017

Jason Heath And The Greedy Souls to release

But There’s Nowhere to Go in October

LA-based roots-rock band Jason Heath And The Greedy Souls is set to release its new album, But There’s Nowhere To Go, on October 13, 2017 via Industrial Amusement. It is the band’s second album for Wayne Kramer’s label. The record is a cry from the broken belly of the American Dream, where time, neglect, and corruption have taken their toll on this grand experiment called the U.S. of A. Seems like there’s nothing left to do but howl at the moon, and set out through the wilderness of the unknown in search of a new direction.

The new songs were mostly written as the band was on tour after the U.S. Presidential election last November. Traveling the country in its aftermath, Heath saw and heard from all walks of American life and put those observations into his new work.  “It couldn’t be helped,” says Heath.  “We are losing our national identity. Everyone is looking for someone else to blame. Faith in the status quo has been lost. There is a general feeling of confusion and misrepresentation, no matter who one voted for. There is a national ambience of panic, a fear of the unknown, and an overall distrust of any institution.”

Songs run the gamut of relevant, current-headline topics in today’s American psyche. “Fair Fight” pulls no punches, exploring the idea that this country and what it’s supposed to stand for are well worth fighting for (“We’ve been waiting too long… so bring it on!”). “Postcards From The Hanging” is a forceful demand that we all remember that something is broken in this promised land that has been divided for 400 years and is a stark exposé on racism. The ballad “Miss Arizona” weaves a tale of love gone wrong with winners, losers, Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, his helpless victims, and those who would like to deny others access to the American Dream (“you can’t entertain angels if you don’t let them in”).  “Garden of Machines” takes on environmental and human destruction of our Earth, driving home the fact that greed and technology cannot be sustained. “We are collapsing under its weight, and we’re running out of options, and time,” says Heath.  “This sounds heavy – not your standard pop song fare – but I, and many others more qualified than myself, believe it’s a discussion that needs to happen. Before it’s too late.”

The harsh truths keep coming.  “South Of Babylon” explores the idea that if human beings continue to follow corruption with such complacency, plodding along like drones, there will be a steep price to pay (“the obedient ain’t guilty, they just play their part”). “The Ballad Of The Brown Bomber” tells the story of how heavyweight champion Joe Louis gave up his best fighting years to enlist in the Army to boost morale in the fight against the Nazis. For this, the IRS helped themselves to most of his money. “Here Comes My Savior” is a clear examination of how folks tend to blindly trust leaders and looks at where that gullibility has gotten us.

“Nowhere To Go” is a summation of the album and it’s a shotgun blast, uptempo rager that suggests that this broken-down locomotive of a country has run out of track and we need to get busy repairing it. “We’re now nationally and globally at the place where we need to, as Abraham Lincoln so eloquently stated, reach for and be touched by the better angels of our nature,” says Heath.  “To give up the ghost of what we think this country is or used to be, and begin again – better. To rise. There is hope in surrender.  It’s all possible, but only if we’re honest with ourselves about our past, and willing to come together to unite as one for the common good.”

Record stores might have filed their previous releases under “Americana,” but it’s unclear what that means to the band anymore, as they’ve incorporated the musical influences of punk, alternative, soul, garage rock, blues, and jazz into their sound, while pushing the expected boundaries of a typical alt-country, folk rock, Americana production.

Produced by Mike Fennel, Heath, and The Greedy Souls, But There’s Nowhere To Go builds on the same foundation of fiery roots-rock heard on their previous albums, which prompted Paste Magazine to call their first record, The Vain Hope Of Horse (which featured guests Tom Morello [Rage Against The Machine], Wayne Kramer [The MC5], and Nels Cline [Wilco]), “a wonderful debut: ragged, soulful, and well written.” Famed rock journalist Dave Marsh said of their second disc, Packed For Exile, “Jason Heath And The Greedy Souls speak to the heartache and joy in the world, with the wisdom not to try to separate them, and the skill to make all of it beautiful.” And American Songwriter lauded their last release, A Season Undone, writing, “…if you’re a fan of rock and roll, it deserves to be on your shortlist as one of the most heartfelt, honest and intelligently soulful rocking albums of the year.”

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