Friday, January 29, 2010

Linda Welby














Linda Welby


Biography:
Linda Welby

"a story to tell"



A native of Lougrea,Linda a young mother of eight children
now resides in Roscahill,Co.Galway.
"I love music and have a great interest in
people with stories to tell of the older
days of singing and music".
Brought up in a very musical
household with sessions on a regular
basis, local musicians would gather for an
all-night song and dance affair. I love all
the fleadhs and festivals and enjoy mixing
with fellow musicians. My Grandfather,
Paddy Doorhy played with the first
Ballinakill Ceili Band and he also played
fiddle with the first Leitrim Ceili Band,
he was known far and wide throughout
Ireland and won many awards at fleadhs
and festivals. A few weeks before he
passed away he had won a Connaught
championship.


He also wrote a few tunes, one of which is
widely known throughout Ireland and is
called the Leitrim Jig.
My Dad, also Paddy, came from
Loughrea and he played drums with
accordion player Joe Burke. Joe Burke composed a reel for
my Grandfather called Paddy Doorhy’s.
Dad is totally my inspiration and hero. I wrote a song for him
which is on this CD and is called Dear Dad.



I have a lot of goals in the music business
and I write a lot of songs, songs that are
sentimental to me...love songs especially.
When I feel down and out I write what
I’m feeling. I like all types of music especially
the Glen Miller and Pat Boone era.



I started out playing drums in a ceili
band.



Linda

Taylor Mesple














Taylor Mesple


Biography:
Taylor Mesple is a true idealist when it comes to music. He has always resisted the boundaries and categories that keep music safe and predictable, and has always endeavored to bring something magical to life through music. Taylor is a believer in the crucial difference between art and entertainment, and has always resonated with the former, not the latter. Taylor's musical journey continues to take him alongside some of the greatest of greats in the musical world... through changes and evolutions... but never outside the purpose of moving people on an intangible level.



It's almost as if gravity itself has compelled Taylor toward meeting groundbreaking musicians like Michael Hedges, Bruce Hornsby, Eric Johnson, Russell Ferrante, James Taylor, Peter Mayer, Howard Levy, Abe Laboriel Jr., Tim Pierce, Patrick Leonard, Don Grusin, Mel Brown, Nelson Rangell, The Indigo Girls, Keb Mo, Take 6, Steve Amedee, Ray Charles and Shawn Colvin. Through performing, recording, and simply bumping into fellow musicians, Taylor has found himself rubbing shoulders with nearly every musical hero he's ever had. He's performed or recorded with many of them... and has had the pleasure of being mentored by several. Russell Ferrante called Taylor "one of my favorite artists" and Bruce Hornsby invited Taylor onstage the day they met for "the best seat in the house", during his show in which Taylor's band opened. For Taylor, this is the ultimate "completion of the circle", to be able to interact and collaborate with the very people that inspired him to make music his craft and trade at such an early age.



Taylor became a full time studio musician and performer at age 13, so he's had nearly 20 years to make these connections and collaborations happen. By now, Taylor has recorded on over 120 CD's for other artists, but has only released 2 full length CD's and 2 EP's of his own music. This is because his own music takes a long, thoughtful baking in the oven of his creative mind, sometimes 4 or more years for a single recording. "Songs For Autumn" was a collection of unrecorded songs from over a decade prior.



Though never reaching a vast audience thus far, Taylor's thoughtful music has made a big impact on niche markets and has developed small "cult" followings in the US and abroad. Taylor has stuck true to his guns as an artist, and has resisted tempting offers to mold his music into easy categories and copycat fad formulas.



Taylor has long experimented with blurring the fine line between vocal and instrumental music. Many of his early instrumental compositions, especially those for the band Wind Machine, featured "wordless vocal melodies" along the lines of the Pat Metheny Group or Bobby McFerrin, that he sang. He was asked to do similar melodic singing for jazz artists such as Fahrenheit Records artist Mark Sloniker as a result. The title track to Wind Machine's "Timeline" CD was Taylor's instrumental composition that featured Nelson Rangell playing the melody on soprano saxophone. Many years later, that song would become a vocal song with lyrics on the Victory Land CD called "Glory". Taylor still performs both versions as called for.



Overall, Taylor's artistry combines the melodic accessibility of great sophisticated Pop music with the all out "blowing" of heavy instrumental "chops" from every instrument in his band. He is usually working with players like Mel Brown, Darren Rahn, Peter Mayer, Howard Levy, Joe Gamble and others... players that not only can play a soulful, catchy melody with passion, but can also blow the doors down with virtuosity when called for. That unexpected shift into high gear can explode at any time, and it keeps the listener on the tips of their toes. Don't look for predictable endings and short, tidy radio songs most of the time... Taylor's music is generally long, epic songs that develop in a captivating and dramatic way.



Taylor has played high prestige live events such as the Conference on World Affairs with luminaries like Nelson Rangell and Don Grusin, and performed thousands of shows across the country, mostly jazz festivals. He recently played piano and sang backup vocals for James Taylor at a live radio show, which was a career highlight. But these days, Taylor is busy enough recording, producing, being a session player as a sideman and writing songs for others that he doesn't perform much. The pendulum could of course swing back the other direction in the future.



Taylor doesn't consider his vocal music "jazz"- though he considers his instrumental music to have a strong influence of contemporary jazz. His vocals are commonly classified as "Album Oriented Rock" or AOR, or in Europe it's usually called "Westcoast Pop". Taylor likes to blur the lines. He draws from the whole tapestry of his influences without boundaries.



His latest artistic venture in progress is a band called "3Moods", which is a vehicle for epic collages of such music, featuring (you guessed it) memorable vocal melodies, sophisticated chord changes and all out instrumental virtuosity. Taylor is available for a small number of performances each year... and he is selective about these artistically and logistically.




Among his list of milestone moments as a music listener, he lists (and recommends you listen too!):



1. Seeing the late Michael Hedges perform "All Along the Watchtower" and "Aerial Boundaries" live at the Boulder Folk and Bluegrass Festival. Taylor was only 9 years old. He still remembers his whole body lighting up like a Christmas Tree with goose bumps, and he couldn't explain why- the sheer power of the music overcame him. No other single event had a more profound effect on Taylor's lasting belief about the power of music. Taylor met Michael after the show and Michael signed the program for him. Synchronicity: Taylor would open a show for Michael many years later and ask Michael to sign the same piece of paper again. Click Here to Listen



2. Hearing "Owner of a Lonely Heart" on the radio. Taylor persuaded his dad and his uncle David to drive literally ALL OVER TOWN, going to every record store, to find one that had a 45rpm single of this song he could buy. Taylor was 9 years old. This probably fueled his lifelong desire to make sophisticated pop music. Synchronicity: Yes producer Trevor Horn would later be "sharing" the same guitar player while Taylor made his Victory Land CD with guitarist Tim Pierce out in Los Angeles. Tim would record with Taylor during the day, and Trevor at night, for the Coyote Ugly movie soundtrack, apparently. Click Here to Listen



3. Listening as his dad, guitarist Steve Mesple played Lyle Mays' solo to "James", on the Pat Metheny Group CD "Offramp" on a vinyl turntable, with the endorsement, "you have to hear this, Taylor!". Taylor was around 10 years old. This was the defining moment where he knew he would make piano his main instrument, instead of his current choices, alto saxophone and electric bass. Synchronicity: Taylor would later perform with the song's namesake, the songwriting legend James Taylor, and play this song for James during their soundcheck. Click Here to Listen



4. Hearing Kenny Kirkland's powerhouse piano solo to "when the world is running down, make the best of what's still around" from Sting's live CD "Bring on the Night" on the radio before it was released. Taylor was 12 at the time. He reportedly stalked record stores for months until it came out and he could buy a copy to learn the solo note for note. Click Here to Listen



5. Hearing Yellowjackets "Out of Town" on the radio while sitting in the cargo area (with groceries) of his parents' Jeep Cherokee. He was still 12. Synchronicity: Yellowjackets would eventually become arguably his biggest musical influence of any band, and Russell Ferrante would become his musical mentor. Click Here to Listen



6. Hearing Branford Marsalis play soprano saxophone on Sting's "Nothing Like the Sun" record. Taylor was 12. He was washing dishes at a Chinese restaurant, and HAD to have a soprano sax. He stuck with it for 6 years, and then lost the desire to continue (playing the saxophone, of course, he lost interest in washing dishes almost immediately). Taylor would spend literally hours every day, listening to Nothing Like The Sun over and over... mostly while sitting at his Apple IIE computer playing the text adventure game Wishbringer. Click Here to Listen



7. Hearing Bruce Hornsby's "Valley Road" from his "Scenes from the Southside" CD, and listening to it repetitiously while fishing and riding his bicycle with his brother Ethan. Taylor was 13 and beginning to get work as a piano player himself. Synchronicity: It would only be a couple of years before Bruce's influence would be heard profoundly in Taylor's own playing, and 5 years before sitting onstage with Bruce at a 5,000 seat sold out show. At this time in his life Taylor was practicing the piano about 8 hours per day, the same amount his younger brother was practicing various latin percussion instruments under the master tutoring of Gary Sosias. Click Here to Listen



8. Hearing Take 6 on a live TV show. It was like hearing piano chords being played by 6 people, working together. Taylor was 13. He would sit in his room and try to sing each and every part, especially the tricky inner harmonies. Synchronicity: Taylor got to play at the Birmingham City Stages Festival right before Take 6 years later, and even found their presentation of religious things to be appealing and thought provoking. Their rendition of the national anthem was literally bending the panes of glass on the skyscraper alongside the stage because of the bass notes... but no one was hurt. Click Here to Listen



9. Hearing "Greenhouse" by Yellowjackets. Something about this song cut Taylor to the core, opened up painful and soul searching questions about the purpose of life and music and love and existence- and also a deep desire to make a meaningful contribution to the world at large. Synchronicity: One thing that was born out of this awakening was a great "pen pal" friendship with Yellowjackets keyboard player Russell Ferrante, who is a great friend of Taylor's to this day. Taylor was 16 when Greenhouse was released. Click Here to Listen



10. Hearing "When The Sun Meets the Sky" by Eric Johnson. Having long been an "EJ" fan, Taylor was floored by the epic, panoramic beauty of this song, and the whole CD for that matter. Sonic perfection? Perhaps. Synchronicity: To his delight and shock, many years later, Eric would contact Taylor out of the blue and tell him he liked "Victory Land", Taylor's debut vocal CD. Taylor hopes to someday collaborate with Eric on a recording project in some capacity. Click Here to listen



11. Hearing Peter Mayer perform "Music Box" live in New Hampshire. "Music Box" is one of those stories that just pulls the scabs off and opens you up in ways that is beautiful and painful at the same time. It's a song of renewal, of coming back to life, of love. Hearing this song quickened Taylor to life in a fascinating way... making life a little more poignant ever since. Peter also brought back memories of seeing Michael Hedges when he approximated a Kalimba by perfect string muting technique, as an extended live intro to his song "The Last Island" during the same show. Synchronicity: Peter would later the same year play a fantastic guitar solo on Taylor's "Songs For Autumn" CD, reminiscent of the track Taylor first heard Peter play guitar on, drummer Dave Weckl's remake of Peter's song "In Common" from Dave's debut CD. Click Here to Listen



There are of course many other milestone moments that have become part of the soundtrack to Taylor's life, but these he hope you'll especially enjoy listening to and learning, whether you're a musician or simply a listener.



Taylor was born in California, grew up in Colorado, but now lives in the peace and quiet near Freeport, Maine, with his musician wife Rebecca and his young children Autumn, Jonah and Ivy. He has a recording studio nearby and a motorcycle in the garage. Taylor is on the board of directors for the Maine Songwriters Association, and is constantly working with artists he's producing CD's for. He enjoys poetry by Billy Collins and most other forms of art, cooking, frisbee, the ocean, being creative on his MacBook Pro, motorcycling along the Maine coast, target practice and other hobbies, but most of all being with his family.

Mark Trozzi











Mark Trozzi


Biography:

Mark Trozzi is a musician, an ecologist, a teacher and an emergency doctor……
Being a man of many talents he was drawn to music at an early age and has never left it.


He finds music a great healing outlet for his talent and loves to share it with friends and fans all over the world.


Mark has a history with a variety of musical instruments including the guitar, piano, bass and percussion, which have allowed him to spend many a day, week and year in the studio recording, writing and producing his beautiful healing and relaxing collection of music.


His latest CD release is a self-titled album “Floyd Ripples”. As Mark says “Often after working very late in the emergency department, I “wind down” in the studio, so a lot of my music is peaceful and resolving. I am quite content drawing inspiration from nature and my life and being, a prolific musician.”


In addition to the Floyd Ripples CD, Mark’s discography includes “ Us – The Polaris Session”, “Violet Jones”. Relaxation and Sleep” & “The Council – 2000 Years”, which have spanned the last decade and brought him many accolades and great adventures.


In the late 90’s and early 2000’s , he spent much of his time in Costa Rica working to protect against the ecological degradation threatening the region. Also active musically during this time, Mark had the opportunity to perform with musicians from around the world which further infused his spirit and creativity in the musical realm.


You will find the songs “Hello”, “Rock Me” and “Heals Of Man” on the Floyd Ripples CD to be a very solid example of Mark’s spirituality and musical talent. His songs are a springboard to serenity and peace……wrapped up in gentle and loving vocals.


http://www.floydripples.com/
www.rioario.com
This site provides some background on Mark’s ecological endeavors

For Further information: contact linda@lindadawe.com or rwcave@yahoo.ca

NLX












NLX


Biography:
NLX Wants You to BITCH GET FIT!



BITCH GET FIT is the much anticipated, first full-length offering from NLX, but to call it a debut would be somewhat misleading. It’s taken two years of preparation, collaboration and one tiny lawsuit to make this masterpiece. Recorded in both NYC and Toronto, NLX joined forces again with acclaimed producer/composer Byron Kent Wong to create an extraordinarily distinct, vibrant and compelling album. In a time of one hit wonders and copycat artists, NLX stands alone.



Raised in the icy shadows of Canada’s steel city smoke stacks, NLX hails from the proud tradition of BS-free northern songwriting women. She continues to carry the electronically edged dark pop torch with BITCH GET FIT ... 16 tracks of blow your mind and open your heart lyrical and musical smack. It is fists in the air, tears on the floor, don’t look back but close the door kind of music.



But performing live is where the full spectrum of NLX’s vivid colors are at their sharpest. She may be new to you, but her keyboard/laptop toting wheels have spun hundreds of thousands of highway miles to countless gigs, big and small, always honing the craft, faithfully recreating her original works night after night, and always with the passion of a first time performance.



From 3,000+ soft-seaters while opening for Matthew Good and David Usher, to Lower East Side rock clubs to intimate cafes in Greenwich Village, NLX invites you into her heart and makes her way into yours with delightful blunt humor lifted from the same divine source as her music. You laugh, you cry. Experience NLX don’t be afraid, you might just find love.



P.S. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GREY, YOU SHOULD GO AND GET YOURSELF A NICE CASHMERE SWEATER INSTEAD!

Nancy McCallion














Nancy McCallion


Biography:
Nancy McCallion is best known as the songwriter and vocalist for original Celtic-Norteno-you-name-it folk-rock cult band The Mollys.



McCallion teamed up with high school music partner Catherine Zavala to form The Mollys in 1989, racking up seven indie releases and countless rave-review shows in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand before the group disbanded in 2003.



The daughter of an Irish-Scots immigrant and a Texas farm girl, McCallion grew up in Tucson, a cross-cultural border town. She heard, and was obviously influenced by, the Norteno sounds of her Southwest Side neighborhood, her older sister’s Beatles’ records, and 1970s and '80s radio rock, mixed with her dad's Irish trad and her mother's Texas old-time country. Throw in adolescent Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Pogues fixations and you've got the cultural stew that emerged as The Mollys' drop-jaw repertoire.



McCallion, Zavala and The Mollys developed a solid following and a trail of rave reviews (including a listing in the Washington Post’s top 10 CDs of 1997) for powerful, hard-to-classify recordings and pool-of-sweat performances over 14 years. The band took a break in 2001, when McCallion stopped to have a child, and disbanded in 2003, after a last tour of Italy.



She never quit writing, and resumed live performance and recording as a solo over the last 7 years. Her latest project, Take a Picture of me
brings together hot players from Tucson (Ralph Gilmore, Steve Grams,Danny Krieger and former Mollys members Catherine Zavala and Kevin Schramm



Her new album is a recession inspired collection of songs dedicated to the working poor of America. Although often compared favorably to Lucinda Williams and other leading female writers, McCallion's sharp takes on life lived small also bring to mind Tom Wait's dark, quirky tales.



Catch Nancy's track "On We Go" on Putamayo's Women of the World: Celtic along with Mary Black, Clannad, Maura O'Connell, Capercaillie and others.

Gates Of Light














Gates of Light


Biography:
San Francisco's Gates of Light provides a new twist to the progressive rock genre, incorporating elements of the Kabbalah and other mystical practices into their stage show and music. Fans of bands such as Rush, Genesis and Led Zeppelin will be blown away by their combination of driving rhythms, soulful vocals, and searing guitar solos!

Mike Parrish














Mike Parrish


Biography:
“I’d rather find myself at 80-years-old sittin’ in a rockin’ chair, knowin’ that I tried, rather than wonderin’ how life might’ve been if only I had.” (Mike Parrish)


Emerging from the pumpjack-speckled prairies and woodlands of Southeast Texas, Independent Country Music Artist Mike Parrish is nothing short of boastful of his heritage and proud of his Texas roots. The International Fame Games Radio Panel said, Every now and then you get a band that seems poised to do something great. We think this is one of those bands.


When Mike was a kid you might’ve found him, on most any hot Summer day, walking the railroad tracks with his lifelong friend Sammy Hundley or building a tree house while they dreamed aloud of their future exploits with a band they planned to call Black Diamond. Often times, a stereo served as their amps, Mike's living room sofa was a makeshift stage and broom handles made perfect air guitars to the blaring music of bands like KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Led Zeppelin. They'd play those air guitars and leap from Mrs. Parrish's sofa just as they've finally leapt onto the European and Texas Country Music scene.


Life seemed to have simply gotten in the way of this childhood dream, as they grew up and moved away from their small home town of Hull, but the dream somehow survived 30 years of perpetual motion. When fate landed Mike and Sammy back in their home town they picked up right where they'd left off almost as if there had never been any time or distance between them. Sammy was a cover band leader and Mike had become a distinguished Texas Peace Officer having risen to the rank of Chief of Police twice, in two separate Texas towns, and elected Constable once. This Parrish-Hundley reunion rekindled the fire that still smoldered within the dream and within their hearts, the dream of making music.


In June of 2006, in a beach cabin on the Gulf of Mexico, Mike & Sammy recorded the first demo, “Runnin’ Outa Time” for Mike’s solo album, an album that would later be titled “Texas in the Man.” This demo was Mike’s first choice because it spoke of the old railroad track that they’d often walked as boys and, since they were both now in their early forties, the title seemed so symbolic. While standing on that shore, Mike told Sammy that the time was now to record the album and fulfill a dream or their story would never be told. And they got busy.


Armed with a Mac computer and free GarageBand software they recorded the 15 tracks that completed the “Texas in the Man” EP, the title song built around the lyric, “It’s not about the man in Texas it’s the Texas in the man.” The album was released in September 2007 and by January 2008, Mike was able to retire from his law enforcement career and focus entirely on a life of making music. By October 2009, the first 8 singles had made the European Country Music Association National Top 40 Charts a total of 23 times in 9 countries.


The two lifelong friends began playing acoustic duo shows all over the greater Houston area under the moniker of “Sammy & Mike” and full band shows were billed as “Parrish-Hundley.” The Parrish-Hundley duo continue to hone their craft and play their music all over Southeast Texas with quiet satisfaction in knowing that a childhood dream can become reality.

Manny Freiser

Manny Freiser


Biography:
Manny Freiser’s interest in rock & roll dates back to the early 60's when he learned a few chords and received favorable reactions from girls in his high school class. He had noticed the reaction that Artists such as Elvis and Ricky Nelson received, and he wanted to take part in that. “I saw them swoon when Elvis laid on his back and strummed guitar. More importantly, I saw them swoon when Ricky Nelson sang in his dreamy monotone. I say 'more importantly' because Elvis' vocal talent was clearly out of my reach. On the other hand, if Ricky could do it, so could I”, said Freiser.



His music spans over three decades and possesses a great deal of variation in writing and recording approaches. His story is one of a long time songwriter, singer and music lover -- and record exec -- who has at times come tantalizingly close to that elusive 'hit record.' Freiser has experienced the music industry like few Artists have. The result is a deep and honest vibe that shows in his music.



In the 60's, he penned the cult classic, Let's Talk About Girls, known as a precursor to 80’s punk, and still receiving airplay around the world. He had a Billboard Hot 100 single with ex Patti McCarron in the 70's: a remake of Barbara Lewis' Hello Stranger. And he was Ian Messenger in the 80's, producing the college charting MTV staple, Livin' In The Night, even as he worked by day as an marketing executive for Quincy Jones' Qwest label.



Since 2004, Freiser's music has been self-recorded using Pro Tools and Mac Pro in his home studio. "Recording before ProTools was an anxious process of hurrying (because of studio cost), being harried by producers, engineers and others telling you what you couldn't or shouldn't do, and then obsessing about the inevitable imperfections in the final product. But sitting back and listening to all of the early stuff now -- from here -- all of that political garbage recedes into the background. I hear the old tracks with more affection and acceptance, less second-guessing than I did before,” said Freiser. He further explained, “Finally, I better understand the context of what happened in the past, and realize that now, at least to some extent, I have control over my own musical destiny.”



He is hoping that his album “History” will not only be a groundbreaking album for him, but a glimpse into his career leading up to this moment, springing from a deep understanding of both the creative and business side of the music industry. In it, Freiser explores many different genres and creates a truly unique feel with deep meaning and textures. The “History” CD displays Freiser’s roots and talent as a musician, including musical influences from The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Buddy Holly, the Mamas & the Papas, and more. "History" is a musically diverse and interesting album for listeners of all ages to enjoy.



For more information about Manny Freiser visit his web site at

http://www.mannyfreiser.com

Makeda














MAKEDA



Description:
Let's go on a Spiritual Journey, Where Hope, Love and Joy are found again. Makeda is an electrifying performer, songstress and writer! Known as one of the most requested background vocalist in the R&B industry, SHE NOW TAKES CENTERSTAGE!

Vinny Piana














Vinny Piana


Biography:
Vinny Piana: Musician, Producer, Writer in London, UK.

Vinny writes songs and instrumentals and has been the main writer in a few
London cult bands.


His songs have attracted the attention of various DJs and producers along
the way including dance and ambient remixes by renown artists such as Chris
McCormack (Ministry of Sound, Gary Newman, samples on Fatboy Slim’s million
selling Halfway between the Gutter and the Stars album).


Among his credits are composing music for TV documentaries such as BBC, C4,
ITV and independent movies including “Love Sexy” (Sundance festival
selection).


He also currently writes for well known music libraries in UK, USA & Canada.


Live performances support include Wendy James (Racine), The Soho Dolls, Client,
Lene Lovich and The Rakes.


Press & media includes Time out London “recommended gig” and
single review “A real Gem of A track”, XFM “dirty,sexy little
number”, Alternative London: “fresh and exciting…dark at
times and unashamedly pop at others” and more.


Vinny is currently working on his debut solo album “Beg me to
forgive
” due
out in October 09.

New Season Yaxis














New Season Yaxis


Biography:
New Season [Yaxis] was created to grow and reinvent itself to represent music with no barriers. The love of music and the promotion of emotion for all ages, gender and nationality. New Season is about Music and the love of creating it. Our plan is to develop a unique style and sound as our concept continues to shape and learn.

You will hear about us in the new year, we wont let you down.

Hold My Hand is available on Itune

Our debut Album will be available in 2010.NewSeasonYaxis@Live.co.uk

Frak Dolan














Frank Dolan


Biography:
About Me



I studied music at Musicians Institute in Hollywood,LA.I also studied Psychology.I live in Amsterdam,Portugal and Ireland on an annual basis.I like this arrangement as it allows me to write music that has greater multicultural input that otherwise would not be available living in one place alone.

Men Who Listen

MEN WHO LISTEN


Biography:
MEN WHO LISTEN was formed in 2008 by Dan Pokorni on the heels of his solo release, “Guitarscapes.” After top Chicago-area session players signed on, the band started making demos. Later on, Gary Loizzo (Styx’s producer) agreed to come on board behind the console and the MEN WHO LISTEN sound started to take shape -- a sound in which the SONG comes first. Using elements from classic and modern rock, MEN WHO LISTEN is poised to take you a on a musical journey – and the journey has just begun!



In June of 2009, the band released its debut CD and immediately started getting air-play on a number of college and Internet radio stations. In December of 2009, the next phase of MEN WHO LISTEN began when singer Jeff Anthony made his debut on their new single, “Cast Our Love Away.” MEN WHO LISTEN promises to stimulate and stir audiences wherever their songs are heard!

Sherfey














Sherfey


Biography:
The Legend of Hal Sherfey.



Hal Sherfey grew up out of the Tennessee hills. His daddy was straight as a stick, and his momma as curvy as the river. As a child, he didn't know how lucky he was when he spied ducks on his own pond and bluebirds perched on his own fence posts. He didn't know that tomatoes and onions didn't taste the same when they were grown from other parcels of land. He couldn't fathom that some people in the world didn't know the particular shade of green that a tobacco worm has. He figured that there were only two churches on earth: the Baptist one where grandma went and the Methodist one built on his daddy's family's land. Hal hoped he'd never have to choose between them, and slept easy seeing as how he had them both covered if he played his cards right. His name and his dimples always served him well.



When the time came, like all of us, he was eager to lose his innocence in order to acquire sophistication. It's one thing to be born lucky, but our Hal had to cast the dice a few times just to get a better definition of chance. He stole his last look back at Mom and Dad waving on the porch, knowing he'd never feel that safe again. Not that he could turn the tide anyway. But he knew how to keep remembrances.



See, Hal had a streak in him that wanted to stray. Not because he hated his home. Not that at all. It was more like he wanted it to remain hallowed. He didn't want any of his wild oats to take root on that sacred ground. So he was the first Sherfey man to take off for the city to begin his "coming of age".



Young Sherfey really took to the city. Not only could he correctly pronounce "foie gras" - he knew what it tasted like! He wore Prada jeans and walked a pedigreed dog. He began taking his tea without sugar and ate fish without cornbread. He used new profanities each day as his sky disappeared behind tall buildings and signs.



Having had a beautiful mother, he carried himself with princely assertiveness. After dwelling under her approving gaze for all his conscious years, he never experienced any self-doubt and never developed the hunger for recognition from anyone else. The same went for his daddy, and therefore, in Hal's eyes, this was the universal state of mankind.



Hal put himself to the task of becoming Urban because it enchanted him. He chose to embrace the cluttered, detached domain he'd moved on to. Still, he stored away the undimmed precious pieces of his former life. People were drawn to that blue part of him that was true.



He drank up and slept in. He polished his shoes and his car and practiced small salutations which he used frequently with all the strangers around him. He began to drop phrases that drew a look from his Northern colleagues. He smelled diesel and told himself he preferred it to manure. He went to the theater and listened to symphonies and all the while he felt he heard his own voice singing "He's got the whole world in His hands" receding into the past.



He put away childish things. Not because he no longer needed them. Once again, it was just safekeeping. He built an area around his heart that housed family and individuality and pride and reverence. Like a Big Game Reserve with high wire boundaries.



He couldn't believe how clean a break he'd made when he turned away from the stones and roses just outside the kitchen door. He hadn't yet met a soul who could comprehend how a Sherfey man could reach his arm all the way past his elbow inside a cow and pull out a calf, then afterwards go have a bologna cheese sandwich at Benny's, wash it down with unpasteurized milk, and top the tobacco before rushing home to put on a softball mitt and defend the title against Bowmantown. These guys didn't wear cups or sunscreen. Hal's ambition began to change again. He needed to tap back into the fountainhead. There was something back there he wanted preserved.



So he went home with new eyes and proceeded to wait and watch for the revelation.



He sat in his Mother's garden and asked "What am I?"



He watched the sun set on moving tractors. Noticed the synchronicity of household lights in the kitchen, then the den, then the bedrooms. Looked at the purple martin houses placed over the vegetables and flowers. Felt sedated by all the tiny life buzzing around his eyelashes. Gnats and sweat stored in the same vault in his heart that held his parents in swimsuits in an overheated car. What were they singing? Moon River?



..... crossing you in style.......someday......



And Hal had an awakening.



Music!



He opened his throat and sang every song he ever liked. He felt his home rise up and dance. He brought tears to his mother's eyes as she raptly watched his second birth. His father's look told him he had hit the nail squarely on the head. That look was the most intense exchange they'd ever had. And to top it all, the cows in the pasture stopped chewing and mooing and moved as one to the edge of the green with eyes fixed on Hal until the last note was sung.



Hal's voice, strong and surprising, deep with devotion, aching with grief over each moment as it passed, carried them aloft. It flowed like a mountain spring that washed everything clean and smoothed every rock it touched. And in between the gentle places ran dangerous undercurrents that just might claim you once and for all.



Loneliness took shape and then vanished.



In the air a new chorus began. Voices coaxing the sun to bed in the meadow. Voices repeating and telling where time has gone and love has grown.



The Hal Sherfey Band was conceived that evening. Hands that could play picked up their instruments. Words became lyrics. Notes became songs.



Like the Pied Piper, he called us out and asked us to take a giant leap. Let the Devils fall and the Angels fly. Or vice versa.



Hal is home.



Bang the drum, tune the guitar, wake the dead.



Now you might figure from this story that the music of the band is "grass roots." Or you might want to expect gospel, country, or even standards. You might hope that it's got new rock and roll hooks to it. Or be a hip new fusion of world influences. You'd be right on all that. Hal learned a thing or two from wandering. He doesn't believe a person should have to choose one thing over another. You just have to know when it's good.



--Bonnie Squibb

Mississippi Heat














Mississippi Heat


Biography:
TRADITIONAL BLUES WITH A UNIQUE SOUND. . . As band leader and composer, Pierre's vision has never wavered since he founded his band in 1991. His mantra is clear and focused. The band has always had an ensemble sound: all musicians are featured and welcome to contribute on stage and on recordings. His music is traditional because it is steeped in Chicago's golden sounds of the 1950's, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Jimmy Reed, Jimmy Rogers, all the great harp players... Big and Little Walter, The Sonny Boy Williamsons, Junior Wells, George Smith, and many extraordinary contemporaries such as Kim Wilson, Rod Piazza and Paul deLay. On the other hand, Pierre's blues is unique because he dislikes to tread on old beaten paths. He always writes new stuff.



MISSISSIPPI HEAT emerged in 1991 on a night at the Cafe Lura in Chicago. Guitarist Jon McDonald invited Pierre to play harp for him with Robert Covington on drums and vocals. It was a great night, with a raucous crowd in this Polish neighborhood. Pierre looked happy, and the band played with such inspiration that his brother Michel was drawn to say he would find gigs with little efforts. A man of his word, Michel did find gigs for the band. He was wrong about the effort part, but was right about the fact that he could manage such a band. ... Pierre and the Heat have now finished 7 CDs (as well as a DVD for Delmark Records in 2005).



Some of their recordings have won awards such as "BEST CHICAGO BLUES CD OF THE YEAR" and "BEST BLUES PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR" (e.g., Handyman, and Footprints On The Ceiling by Real Blues Magazine ).



Over the years., MISSISSIPPI HEAT has been the subject of several TV and movie features. French TV has released a documentary on Blues featuring the band., and our vocalist for a prestigious program called ARTE. Soon after a concert was filmed in Montreal., Canada., and was sold to an Italian TV company. French Canadian TV also featured Pierre and his brother-manager Michel on one of their regular programs called "BAISERS D' AMERIQUE". This half-hour segment was viewed in 35 countries worldwide. MISSISSIPPI HEAT has also been featured in countless trade magazines such as Living Blues and Blues Review.

John Barney














John Barney


Biography:
John Barney is a songwriter, guitarist, and producer who currently lives in southern California. He is proud to introduce his first CD in over four years, “Blood on the Trees.” His last CD, "Best of Days" (2005, with the "11th Floor") was hailed as one of the “Year's Best” by Here and There Ezine Magazine. John combines energetic but sophisticated rock with roots, blues, and jazz overtones. Add a gravelly voice, intriguing, intelligent lyrics and what he calls a “disheveled chorus” style and you have an eminently unique listening experience (great with headphones, by the way). John explores the themes of love, escape, growing older, and the environment (listen to the aptly titled “Blood on the Trees") on his new CD.



Originally from the Midwest, John was heavily influenced by the blues/rock guitarists Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, Johhny Winter and the like. He began honing his songwriting skills after listening to Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, Tori Amos and others. After being awarded a songwriting contract for his songs on his first CD "Stay the Night," in 2000, John soon learned that riches didn't always follow. Continuing to work his regular job, he became reinvigorated with music when he teamed up with long-time jam partner Lew Kerns (from the band Assisted Living) and vocalists Reina Sanchez and Eric Barnes to produce "Best of Days." His live band, The Eleventh Floor, featured noted songwriter, keyboardist and slide guitarist Luther Tatum. The year 2010 brings a new band in support of “Blood on the Trees.”

Tom Hedrick












Tom Hedrick


Biography:
Tom Hedrick has lived, recorded and performed in the northeast, pacific coast, southwest and north central U.S. throughout his career as bassist of the pop-punk Fitsners (1993-2001) and his subsequent solo recording career from 2002-present.

Never far from his '60's and '70's guitar rock roots, and yet stubbornly original, Tom Hedrick continues to issue recordings today from his present home in Minneapolis, MN.

Afterthem














Afterthem


Biography:
FREE DOWNLOADS at http://www.archive.org/details/AfterthemAfterthem
Afterthem...Grunge Pop with Experimental Tendencies
For a CD...Please send request to afterthem@yahoo.com

Lyrics to "I Bin Told" by Joel Cohn

Lyrics to "Suspended Animation" by Eric Motte

All music written and produced by Afterthem

Harold Jukebox Robinson












Harold Jukebox Robinson



Description:
This is the latest project for Harold Robinson out of Tuskegee, Alabama. There are six original songs on the this CD. Jukebox attempts to write a cd of mostly upbeat dance tunes with one ballad U & I. The lyrics to U & I were written by Theada Samuel

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