Saturday, September 29, 2012

Michael Alan Reed releases “Good Bad and” LP

Michael Alan Reed releases free jazz improv polyphony LP, “Good Bad and”

Michael Alan Reed is a difficult musician to pin down. Elements of indie-pop, rock, jazz, folk, and country blend together in often surprising ways. Reed calls it "free jazz improv polyphony" which is good a label as any. The result is part mashup, part original composition, and completely unusual.

The musical landscapes are richly textured, as waves of different elements crash into and over one another in a complex geometry that challenges as much as it entertains.

His distinct musical style is the result of almost a decade of playing in clubs from Seattle to Hollywood and all points in between.

“Dances/parties led quickly to night-clubs, concerts and competitions where rotating song lists in the hundreds would be routinely up-dated with current hits. This environment provided an excellent opportunity to showcase originals mixed with popular radio or album tunes, seeing first-hand crowd response to original material on average of 3 - 5 shows per week.”

His efforts to remake popular music with a jazz sensibility are paying dividends already, each track on “Good Bad and” is engineered with fanatical zeal and those efforts are clear in the songs.

“Funkt” is low down and dirty, like a jam session with super intelligent aliens from another planet. “Melt” is introspective and moody, full of hidden secrets. “Noone” is full of jangly guitar and somber bass lines that drift along like waves lapping at a beach inside your mind.

Listening to “Good Bad and” is like seeing the world around you transformed - even the mundane suddenly takes on new form, and connections between styles and ideas that you never noticed before become crystal clear.

That passion for a connection is as profound as it is universal.

“With the observation that while most may not be consciously listening, we each have our own soundtrack, and some are fortunate enough to one day hear something outside ourselves syncing up to the tones inside.”

-S. McCauley

Staff Press Release Writer

MondoTunes

The LP “Good Bad and” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

eMail - reed@reedesign.ch

Australian MCs Gorilla Tactics release “All Night Rockstar” single


Gorilla Tactics Music was born in 2012, founded by Scotty “Assassin” Schmid as an independent record label, music production studio and live act, focussed on free and complete creative musical control within the electronic music industry.

As a live act, the members of Gorilla Tactics has been blowing up speakers for over a decade. The Australian MCs focus on the live show, because for them, it’s all about the experience, and that experience is supposed to be fun. As they describe it: “Music with bass. Music with words. Music for bouncing. Music for life.”

Members of Gorilla Tactics include Scotty “Assassin” Schmid, MC Bear, MC Stylee, MC Seeka, J Ded, El Waldro, Lo Key Fu and more, so they have more than enough talent to make sure every track is as much fun as the live show.

“All Night Rockstar” features multiple MCs flexing their lyrical skills over a futuristic, ethereal electronic beat that sounds like it was beamed to earth from outer space. Tongue-twister rhymes and a bouncing beat keep your head bouncing for as long as “All Night Rockstar” wants it to, and it doesn’t look like they want the party to end any time soon.

Is it really any surprise? Scotty “Assassin” Schmid, El Waldro, and the rest of the members of Gorilla Tactics have been building a name across Australia based on the all-out riotous fun they bring to live performances.

“We want to bring vocals and fun back to Bass Music. Too much of it has become focussed on the DJ and the live element of music has been lost. We want to make bass music you can listen to and sing along to on your iPod, music you can watch on stage as we perform it live.”

Mission accomplished. Check out “All Night Rockstar” and see for yourself.






-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The “All Night Rockstar” single is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.




ARTIST CONTACT INFO:


eMail -

assassin@gorillatacticsmusic.com


website -

www.gorillatacticsmusic.com

BluesRock & Country Inc. release “Old-fashioned Love”

African blues act BluesRock & Country Inc. release first full-length album, “Old-fashioned Love” for international audience

BluesRock & Country Inc. are proof of just how far the influence of American music can travel. In this case, Namibia. Jos Slabbert is the descendant of French Hugenots, who have lived in Africa since 1688. He also loves the blues – not just listening, but playing it as well. That’s where BluesRock & Country Inc. come in. A one-man project, Slabbert and his seven guitars have been hard at work, and after five years, BluesRock & Country Inc. has released its first album, “Old-fashioned Love.”

“Old-fashioned Love” is a unique take on that quintessential American product. The result is an interesting experiment. “Old-fashioned Love” has rocking guitar lines built around horns, harmonica, and an electronic rhythm section. Slabbert’s wife even provides a little back up on the cymbals.

Why the blues? Slabbert says it’s always been his passion. “In spite of the fact that my family have lived in Africa since 1688, there is very little contemporary African influence in most of my music. (If you listen carefully, you can sometimes hear it in my rhythms: There is, for instance, a little bit of Jo'burg in my song LA Blues.)”

The title track is an up-tempo torch song, with the a little honkytonk guitar thrown in for good measure. That guitar showmanship stands front-and-center on every track from “Old-fashioned Love.” “Where has my true love gone” starts right out with a searing guitar solo that grabs your attention immediately. The slide guitar on “A tiger in disguise” is as dirty and raw as anything coming out of Memphis.

BluesRock & Country Inc. follow a diverse set of influences, including Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Allman Brothers, John Mayal and the Bluesbreakers, Keb Mo, The Living Blues, Tab Benoit, Taj Mahal, Zac Brown Band, The Blues Brothers – what the band calls “a potpourri.” But inspiration was taken carefully, because BluesRock & Country Inc. want to maintain their unique sound. “These influences are very indirect – more of an inspirational kind.”

All the way from the Southwestern African coast, BluesRock & Country Inc. are bringing the blues back home.

-S. McCauley

Staff Press Release Writer

MondoTunes

The LP “Old-fashioned Love” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

Address -

PO Box 4037, Swakopmund, Namibia,0000

eMail -

josslabbert@hotmail.com

website -

http://bluesrockcountryinc.com/fr_home.cfm

Radek releases debut album, “Invisible Wind”

Radek releases debut album “Invisible Wind”
 
As a musician, Polish-born Radek is a virtuoso, showing a flair for classical instrumentation as well as a modern sensibility that transcends easy categorization.

”Composing music is like painting a picture. Each melody is like a stroke of a brush. There is so many ways to go but you follow what your heart says. I could paint ‘You’ by means of music. A recording studio is like a laboratory where you mix all the ingredients.”

“Invisible Wind,” his debut album, showcases the pure artistry that drives his creativity. Largely instrumental, the music carries a lot of emotion, sweeping you along instantly.

Title track “Invisible Wind” is a soft-yet-powerful composition, jazzy and effervescent with just enough funk to stand out from the crowd. “Summer in Poland” is more straightforward, a pulsing techno track just waiting for a dance floor.

For Radek, music has been a lifelong dream. After studying music in Edinburgh, there was only one direction left to go.



“There is no other choice in my life than music. I get up every morning excited about becoming a musician. I was only a child when I started to learn to play keyboard. I played single notes and had an amazing feeling in my heart and body. I followed the feeling which produced simple melodies. It was like discovering a new world.”
That new world is the sonic landscape charted by “Invisible Wind.” A world as beautiful as it is magical.

“Invisible Wind” is a testament to Radek’s growing abilities and ambitions as an artist.

“I have become very interested in composing and this is what I love most about music. To grab the guitar or a keyboard and play something that I feel comes from my heart. When I was a child I literally fell in love with music. When I listened to a beautiful piece of music I cried…I still cry when I compose something which I really feel and like. “

One listen, and that emotion comes through loud and clear. “Invisible Wind” is a bravura performance that demands your attention.

-L. Cutler
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “Invisible Wind” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.



ARTIST CONTACT INFO:


Address - 463 Calder Road EH11 4AN Edinburgh, UK


eMail - rosjanin@yahoo.com


website - http://www.radek.weebly.com

Blane Burnett showcases broad talents with “Kant’s Musical Theory”

Blane Burnett releases LP, “Kant’s Musical Theory” on Sept. 22
 
Like Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan, Blane Burnett is from Ravenna, OH. They also share tastes in music, with a willingness to explore dark themes and intricate compositions. And now, Burnett is ready to join his Ohio brethren on the national stage too.

“Kant’s Musical Theory,” Burnett’s first LP release, showcases the artist’s multifaceted approach to music. Elements of rock, industrial, jazz, and electronica, all blended into a whole that’s far more than the sum of its parts.

Written in the aftermath of a painful breakup, “Kant’s Musical Theory” is a dark and moody, and a perfect introduction for Burnett’s vision.

“I went through a break up that started out as a beautiful relationship and ended poorly. I was panicking and having a hard time finding where to invest my emotions, and you can usually go two directions with that. After struggling over where to vent, I manned up and picked up the broken pieces of my heart and made a CD out of them. It was therapeutic and the whole process took only a couple weeks because it was something I needed to do every night. I needed to write and I needed to sing to feel normal. Even if you don’t write music or poetry, love can make you express yourself in different ways if you don’t hold it in and torture yourself.”

Inspired by artists like Nine Inch Nails, Radiohead, Rage Against the Machine, and even Vivaldi, “Kant’s Musical Theory” represents its diverse lineage perfectly. Piano and string melodies twinkle in and out, across distorted guitar snarls and thundering rhythms. The sparse lyrics give the music plenty of room to move, and that’s a good thing – because the sonic landscapes stretch out for miles, atmospheric and dripping with emotion.

Lead track “Robots Are Taking Over and It is Really Really Inconvenient and Frustrating” kicks off the album with a bang, full of menacing synth beats and disjointed vocals that you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, “Baptism” is an elegy sung from the bottom of a long dark well, plaintive strings ring out against the hollow thump of a bass drum that sounds as cold as a grave.

Although Burnett has been playing and touring since the age of 14, “Kant’s Musical Theory” is his first album. Luckily, it was worth the wait.


-L. Cutler
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “Kant’s Musical Theory” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

DJ Digital Girl Releases New LP Album “TranceTorium”

Chicago techno/trance artist DJ Digital Girl has released her much-awaited long-playing album, “TranceTorium”
Chicago’s DJ Digital Girl has released the follow-up to her popular debut album, “TranceDuction,” and it appears that her star will just keep on rising.

Already lauded by Billboard’s “Next Big Sound” chart, for being one of the ‘fastest accelerating artists on the internet,’ “TranceTorium” cements DJ Digital Girl’s reputation as an amazing artist and superb musician, that crafts incredible melodic trance music that’s a bombastic as it is hypnotic.

Her favorite producer, Paul Oakenfold, calls the album “wicked” and enthusiastically urges his fans to check “TranceTorium” out. It’s not hard to understand why.

DJ Digital Girl creates infinitely catchy, boisterous dance tracks that are so popular she has almost 35,000 followers on Twitter, and enjoys heavy rotation on many internet radio stations.

“Crazy Tune,” the first track on the album, is jaunty and fun, the pulsing beat practically begs you to get up and dance. “Dance Craze” features a synth lead that just meanders along with the frenetic rhythm like a hummingbird but never quite lets you go. “Terminus” is a high-energy rumble on the dance floor, a whirlwind that grabs everything in its path. “Zero Gravity” burbles with neon swagger and an overdose of cool. “Particular Illusion” sounds like it was sent back from the future to kill all boredom.

DJ Digital Girl is self-taught, learning how to compose dance music using various digital work stations in her spare time. “TraceTorium” is proof of just how much she’s learned. Every track is meticulously crafted.

A world traveller that incorporates an international flair into her production, DJ Digital Girl cites a lot of artists as influences – Tiesto, Armin Van Buuren, ATB, BT, Moby, Paul Van Dyk, Paul Oakenfold, Benny Benassi, Robert Miles, Orbital, Brooklyn Bounce, Above and Beyond, Madonna, David Guetta, Chemical Brothers, Delerium, and many others – and it all comes out in the music.


-L. Cutler
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “TranceTorium” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

http://www.facebook.com/djdigitalgirl
http://www.djdigitalgirl.com
http://www.myspace.com/djdigitalgirlofficial
http://www.twitter.com/djdigitalgirl
http://www.soundcloud.com/djdigitalgirl


Gandhi releases debut album, “Anjali”

Singer-songwriter Gandhi releases debut album “Anjali”
 

Singer-songwriter Nimesh Gandhi writes, produces and performs songs of melancholy, angst and hope. The Brooklyn, NY musician has been honing his skills for a decade, and now he’s ready to show the world what he’s learned.

“Anjali” is the result of that decision. A lofty, melodic album that soothes and croons its way into your heart. “Anjali” is a passport to a private world, one full of beauty that’s as unconventional as it is genuine.

Gandhi’s personal inspiration behind his new release is the desire to communicate hope for an intimate and meaningful relationship with a lover. Gandhi wants to present a concept where “the meaning”
of the song touches persons of any ethnic background, while at the same time, present it in a way that actually honors his own ethnic personal experience as a first generation American.

Gandhi’s songs beckon listeners to join him on a journey to new worlds and alternate possibilities. His songs are delivered on a bed of classic rock and roll riffs, folk melodies and minimalist electronica. A veteran of the New York music scene, on stage he is regularly surrounded by a rotating cast of familiar New York musicians. He is also a proficient musician with many different instruments. But no matter what he’s doing, Gandhi’s own guitar is never far away. Those experiences have helped him grow as an artist, and he is equally comfortable behind a guitar, or even singing alone.

Gandhi’s influences are of course other great singer-songwriters like John Lennon, but he also credits musicians like David Bowie, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Moody Blues, and U2 for helping shape his sound and vision.

The title track “Anjali” shows that influence. It’s a sweetly-melodic love letter, full of hope and optimism. Clever lyrical twists flit over a sonic dreamscape that’s earnest and touching. One listen, and you’ll wish the journey of “Anjali” would never end.


-L. Cutler
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “Anjali” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.


ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

eMail -
kneemaish@gmail.com


website -
http://www.gandhisongs.com

JoJo Jupiter’s “Space Medicine” is here to vaccinate your mind

Seattle rockers release LP “Space Medicine”

JoJo Jupiter is a Seattle two-piece that’s been rocking the Emerald City with their unique brand of offbeat minimalist blues-rock psychedelica since 2010. “Space Medicine” is set to take their message to the masses.

Based on a philosophy they describe as “founded on a strong subconscious mind and wilderness connection,” the duo champion free thinking, alternative modes of living, and defying authority. If Arlo Guthrie had schizophrenia and lost his home to imminent domain, this is the album he would have made.

Despite their small footprint, guitarist Darren Dencklau and drummer/vocalist Scott Johnson (aka “Skin Richards”) manage to create a sound that’s got plenty of weight.

Richards’ vocals have all the bluster of Mick Jagger in his prime, and blend seamlessly with the lo-fi virtuosity of Dencklau’s guitar melodies. Those melodies can shift from a crackling howl, into a velvety campfire sonata, and back again before you know it.

The pair cite The Melvins, Captain Beefheart, Fugazi, Monster Magnet, The Black Keys, Mott the Hoople, and the Black Angels among their influences. That comes out clearly in the album.

“Welcome To The New Urban Wilderness,” the lead track on the album, establishes itself with a backwoods swagger and reeling, tilt-a-whirl of guitar that’s heady even before you hear the lyrics. “The Inner Soul Searchers” is a bluesy swamp-rock jam that’s so heavy it should come with a warning label. “Ayahuasca Daydream” lives up to its name perfectly. “Big Brother” is funky, with an intricate guitar melody that moves like a greased pig. “Get On Out Of There” is an anarchist freight train barreling down the tracks with complete abandon.

The first song is also the last song. An alternate version of “Welcome To The New Urban Wilderness,” reimagines the tune as a distortion-soaked manifesto. Don’t try to figure out which version is better, because it can’t be done.

The nine-track LP sells for $5, it would be a steal at twice the price.

- L. Cutler

Staff Press Release Writer

MondoTunes

The LP “Space Medicine” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

eMail -

jojojupitertheband@gmail.com

website -

http://www.reverbnation.com/jojojupiter

Lane Chaser releases debut album, “23”

Aussie pop phenoms release debut album

With their debut album, “23” Lane Chaser have firmly established that they’re ready for the big time. The Aussie quartet produce radio-friendly indie pop with a rock sensibility that’s so catchy and familiar, it’s hard to believe they’re not already on the charts. Two years in the making, “23” is alt-rock for the masses. Effervescent melodies are carried with a sense of urgency by hard-driving rhythms from bassist Luis Eguren and drummer Gerard Quirk, and the voice of lead singer and guitarist Jack Dahlqvist complements guitarist Ryan Bailey perfectly. The four friends are all from Melbourne, which perhaps explains their natural chemistry. Whatever the source, Lane Chaser have been lighting up clubs and airwaves since 2009. Since getting together, the band has been busy, playing shows all over Melbourne and Victoria, and drawing attention from fans, and airtime in the UK, Japan, and here in the US. Back home, they’ve developed a reputation for their high-octane live performances, and the album captures the energy and passion of a concert experience down to the last reverb-soaked note. Lead track “Dancing All Alone” is a mercurial, shimmering love letter that seems destined for heavy rotation in the near future, and the rest of the tracks are just as catchy. At times melancholy, and then full of in-your-face abandon, the other ten tracks on “23” show just why Lane Chaser is poised to take things to the next level very soon. The group cites a wide array of acts like U2, the Beatles, Muse, Jimmy Eat World and Radiohead, as well as fellow Australian bands like Kisschasey and Motor Ace as influences. That inspiration is clear in the vocal harmonies on tracks like “Nothing Changes,” which sound every bit as polished as they are infectious. Lane Chaser’s “23” is currently available on iTunes, myspace, and other online outlets. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeX2cYkpJa4 http://www.reverbnation.com/artist/artist_songs/838634 -S. McCauley Staff Press Release Writer MondoTunes The LP “23” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees. Address – Lane Chaser PO Box 2136 Prahran, Melbourne, Vic Australia 3181. eMail – info@lanechasermusic.com Website – www.lanechasermusic.com

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Breakout Columbus Rapper Shad Jones Releases New LP “Walking Contradiction”

Columbus rapper Shad Jones has released her first LP “Walking Contradiction” to critical acclaim

Shad Jones knows who she is, even if her identity is hard for others to comprehend. The Columbus, OH born emcee is a proud member of the GLBT community, a Christian, and a hip hop artist that emphasizes positivity and growth. If that sounds like a walking contradiction, so be it.

Positivity isn’t just an image for Jones, it’s a lifestyle. “I like making music that gets people to think and grow as a person. The only way I could think to do that was gaining knowledge myself and putting what I’ve learned in action. I want people to get to know who they are so they can leave their mark or impact on the world in a positive way.”

With an aggressive and boisterous flow that instantly brings memories of Queen Latifah and MC Lyte – two of Jones’ biggest influences – “Walking Contradiction” is built on a bedrock of solid beats that run the gamut from old-school like “Make Some Noise,” to bombastic club-jams like “Grind Hard Daily” that will keep your head bobbing.

The first single, “Magnificent” sets the tone perfectly. Looping horns and staccato drum beats swagger out of your speakers and hold you hostage while Shad Jones and guest MC Drew Love perform linguistic surgery on your mind with effortless skill.

“I look up the meaning of words I use to make sure I have the right context when I write my lyrics. Magnificent as an adjective is noble or elevated and that’s how I want my music portrayed as. It’s not the typical mainstream rap we hear on the radio. The ideas and messages are meant to touch, move, & inspire others to be themselves as well as think outside the box in their lives”

The insights gained as a member of the GLBT community inform tracks like “P.O.V. (Point of View)” that preach love and tolerance, and challenge the idea that bigotry and religion are ever compatible.

“I always respect and have empathy towards others I may not agree with what people say and I’m not going to make my opinions law like some Christians and Catholics do. I didn’t come out until I was 19 thinking that I was going to hell because of something written in the bible. I felt isolated and alone…after I came out I understood what love of people was. I want to know all walks of life like Jesus did not everyone’s stories are the same and everyone deserves respect as well as being heard.”

“Walking Contradiction” was released independently in September and is available now at shadjones.bandcamp.com for $10.00.



-L. Cutler
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “Walking Contradiction” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

eMail – freshmusic86@gmail.com
website – shadjones.bandcamp.com

Sunday, September 23, 2012

South London Hip-Hop Artist Whodiniz Releases New LP “Beats from Beyond”

Hip-Hop artist from South London, Whodiniz, has released his premier full-length album titled, “Beats from Beyond.”
Hip-Hop Artist from South London, Whodiniz, has released his premier full-length album titled, “Beats from Beyond.” The long-playing record is a compilation of various material composed and engineered by Whodiniz himself. The beats are rock-solid, created with digital samples of live percussion that sport a warm, natural feel and tone. Each track is different than the last. No two songs sound alike, except that each is crafted with a masterful precision that shows Whodiniz’s absolute control over his artistic medium. The record is classy, groovy, funky, and cutting-edge all at once. If it were ever said that hip-hop had no style, then Whodiniz would be the appropriate response.

In a world of repetitive R&B, hip-hop, and drum n’ bass, it may seem unlikely that Whodiniz should be so very capable of highly varied music with quality behind each track. His background, however, explains all, in terms of both instrumentation and sheer, musical taste.

Of his experimentation with sound Whodiniz says, “I tried lots of different DAW’s and hardware like the roland MV8800, Cubase, Abelton’s and NI’s Mashine. I got to a point where I was like, ‘damn, that sounds bangin,’ so i started working with MC’s, trying to add another dimention to my beats. I even spat over a few myself.” With his hardware and musical collaborators dialed-in, Whodiniz needs only the inspiration. Of inspiration, he has no lack.

Whodiniz sites as influences (among many, many others) artists such as: MFdoom, Kanye, Gorillaz, Stevie Wonder, Jamiroquai, DJ Shadow, Dr. Dre, DJ Quick, Bob Marley, Outkast, Black Eyed Peas, James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Maroon 5, Quincy Jones, Wyclef Jean, Miles Davis, and, as Whodiniz calls him, “Big Bad Barry White.” The list starts with DJs such as MFdoom and DJ Shadow, and ends with blues and jazz greats such as Miles Davis and Barry White. Any artist with credentials like that is bound to produce music any music fan is likely to enjoy. Of his influences Whodiniz only remarks, “There’s loads more, but these come to mind first.”

How else can we describe the record? Well, it truly is a mixture of hard-hitting basslines and smooth, soulful grooves. Whodiniz wants to take his listeners on a journey through his music. “‘Beats from Beyond’ is refreshing, uplifting, soulful, new, and original,” he says. “I hope you like it.”

Like it, Whodiniz? We love it.

-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “Beats from Beyond” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:


Chris Strong Releases New Single “80 Proof” Feat. Tonez “the Wicked Bally”

Chris Strong and the artist also known as “Tonez – the Wicked Bally,” has released his new single “80 Proof” on Holland Jungle Music.
Chris Strong, in collaboration with Tonez, “the Wicked Bally,” has released his new single “80 Proof” on Holland Jungle Music. The track is characterized by a laid-back melody line and an up-front beat that neither steals the limelight from Bone Tone nor fails to garner attention. Tonez’s lyrics are well-written and performed effortlessly by the man sometimes called the Wicked Bally. At two and a half minutes long, “80 Proof” is not a track that will be used as the background music for a feature-length film, but it may very well inspire many music fans to question why Tonez hasn’t made hours and hours of quality music like this already, when he seems clearly capable of achieving the big time.

Tonez’s style is at once reminiscent of the great rappers from the 1990s and very contemporary, cutting-edge, almost prophetic. As R&B learns from its nearly infinite autotune mistakes between the years 2000 and 2008, chances are we can expect much more urban music to come out like Tonez: well-sung and well-phrased, with Strong’s funky, clean beats that could be played live on a drum kit just as easily as they could be reproduced on old 808s or 909s. That Strong and Tonez cleave closely to the oldschool ways of making rap music is not as counter-intuitive as it might seem: he sites as artistic references FloRida, Wiz Khalifa, and Gym Class Heroes, all of whom took their own cues from the masters. Christ Strong’s work is rap music that the music scene has needed for a long time. Tonez is very easily as talented as anyone coming out of the radio today.

This is the first professionally published track by Strong and Tonez on Holland Jungle Music (typographically represented as hOLLAND jUNGLE in fanzines and online) but to hear these men go, it definitely sounds as if it will not be the last. With this first single complete and ready for purchase and download on iTunes globally, it’s almost certain that we’ll see Bone Tone publishing an extended play record online any day now, or perhaps beginning his American tour.

-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The Single“80 Proof” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

For booking, call: 650-572-2548

Tony Tinsay Releases Self-Titled Breakout EP, “Tony Tinsay Music”

Lifelong singer/songwriter Tony Tinsay has released his professional debut, “Tony Tinsay Music” 
 
Lifelong singer/songwriter Tony Tinsay has released his professional debut, “Tony Tinsay Music.” The record itself is composed of several fine tracks produced in their entirety by Tinsay himself. His impeccable ear is perhaps surpassed only by his acumen on the acoustic guitar, with which instrument he has no difficulty maintaining a melodic flow that carries listeners from beat to beat, measure to measure, song to song as if on air.

That Tinsay is an excellent guitarist and songwriter should come as no surprise; he has been writing and performing music since the young age of twelve. As a result, his voice, although naturally rich and wonderfully textured, is also practiced, expertly controlled, and bears all the fine embellishments of a master chanteur. His guitar work sounds partly classical in nature, partly modern, and partly folk, but these fine attributes are balanced with a heavy dose of modern pop music, and a dash of classic rock n’ roll. In addition, Tinsay is not the sole performer on this record. He has assembled a crew of musicians who are excellent in their own rights, including singers hired specifically to sing in his place on certain songs.

Also aiding his cause as a writer, Tinsay has superb taste in music and does not abide lukewarm performers. Among his influences Tinsay sites Carlos Santana, David Foster, Jim Croce, Paul Simon, James Taylor, Fleetwood Mac, the Eagles, the Little River Band, Led Zeppelin, and Kansas. One has only to listen to his EP, “Tony Tinsay Music” to hear where these influences have bolstered him, informing his creativity and helping to shape this already masterful artist. With his own rich voice, the company of excellent additional vocalists, the experienced talent of a poetic guitar player, and the expert phrases of a gifted songwriter, it’s safe to presume that Tony Tinsay is going to go far with this extended play release.

-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The EP “Tony Tinsay Music” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:
antoniotinsay@yahoo.com

Black Merda Releases New EP “Believe”

Black Merda, legendary as the world’s first all-black rock band, has released their new EP, “Believe,” on Third Child Records.
Black Merda, legendary as the world’s first all-black rock band, has released their new EP, “Believe,” on Third Child Records. This is Merda’s most recent release since 2009’s “Force of Nature.” Though they have been playing professional music since the early sixties, this will yet be their fourth release in less than five years. Black Merda has inspired thousands to broaden their perspective of music since their beginning, and here they are in 2012 with a collection of smooth, new jams for another generation of music fans to sink their teeth into.

The album itself is Miles-Davis cool with a dash of Jimi Hendrix for funk, with clean-channel guitar work that could just as easily fit onto a jazz record as it could a rock n’ roll blues record. This is typical of the Merda, who have never, ever fit into anybody’s labeling system with ease, and who have been called all of the following at one time or another: funk rock, black rock, folk rock, blues rock, funk, psych- funk, or even black psychedelic funk. This is owed to their habit of having no habits -- except that their punchy, grooving tunes have always rocked with the best of them.

Still, Black Merda will be a new name for many rock fans. They aren’t new to such modern heavy-hitters as Ja Rule and Kanye West, however, both of which artists have sampled the Merda’s music in their own tracks. The early Black Merda albums, such as the self-titled LP, “Black Merda,” and the infamous, “Long Burn the Fire!” are classic pieces of vinyl treasured or deeply desired by music collectors all over the world.

Black Merda were originally named to draw attention to the injustice and violence brought against people of African-American descent in their hometown of Detroit, as well as in the American south during the civil rights movement of the 1960s. This newest EP, “Believe,” is not as politically charged, but every bit as explosive and electric as the Merda’s earliest recordings, which are explosive and electric, indeed. It is a gift to the world that Black Merda are still performing and recording new rock n’ roll, and it is a duty of every rock n’ roll fan to hear what these legendary men are laying down.

Black Merda are right here – and they are absolutely killing it.

-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The LP “Believe” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

Address –19751 Greenfield Rd., Detroit, MI. 48235
eMail – thirdchildproductions@gmail.com
website – www.blackmerda.com

Singer/Songwriter AJ Edwards Releases Breakout New EP “Where the Rain Ricochets”

Singer/songwriter AJ Edwards has released his new EP, “Where the Rain Ricochets,” to fan and critical acclaim.
 
Singer/songwriter AJ Edwards has released his new EP, “Where the Rain Ricochets,” to much fan and critical acclaim. The extended play record features approximately twenty minutes of music from Edwards in five tracks, making this a fairly sizeable EP album. The music itself is a reassurance, rather than a departure from, Edwards’ emerging personal style as a writer, musician, and performer. This is Edwards’ first radio-ready record since his 2008 full-length album, “Start Over the Moon.”

Music by AJ Edwards is passionate without being over-emotional, talented without being pretentious, and extremely easy on the ears. He writes chord progressions like an old pro, drawing from tried-and-true combinations that have been in circulation since the guitar was just a lute, while at the same time retaining a few tricks of his own that seem to come from nowhere just when you least expect them, throwing the odd minor chord among his usual majors for that perfect, edgy tone, and switching up his strum pattern when the traditionalists aren’t looking. That’s not to say Edwards isn’t a traditionalist – “Where the Rain Ricochets” is gorgeously traditional musicianship from a modern, American, male singer/songwriter, making Edwards part of a musical genre that adds fewer and fewer members to its ranks every decade.
Edwards’ personal taste has much to do with his lyrical themes and overall tone, as well. He names U2, the Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley, and Tom Petty among others as major influences.He particularly appreciates the music of Richard Marx. “I really just try to convey my love for great songwriting and personal themes,” says Edwards of his writing. “Someone like Richard Marx, who just writes these absolutely timeless songs that everyone can relate to – that’s the kind of artist I hope to someday be.” With tracks like these from “Where the Rain Ricochets,” as well as much professional backing from experts like Aaron Johnson (multi-platinum producer behind the Fray who engineered three of the tracks on “Where the Rain…”), AJ Edwards is not likely to keep out of the mainstream long.

-S. McCauley
Staff Press Release Writer
MondoTunes

The EP “Where the Rain Ricochets” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Los Angeles Band NCIRCLE Releases New Single “Old School Groove”

 NCIRCLE, a Los Angeles based R&B/Soul band, has released their newest single, “Old School Groove”

NCIRCLE, a Los Angeles based R&B/Soul band, has released their newest single, “Old School Groove.” The track itself is a heartfelt, earnest return to the days of R&B and Soul music when it was not possible to form a band without obvious talent on the part of each musician involved. NCIRCLE is a return to the glory days of Motown, a time before such stage magic as autotune and believable synthesized bass, when good music also meant good style, good taste, and even good intentions.
If anyone can show modern music fans what it means to make truly excellent music – if anyone can remind the R&B industry what Rhythm-and-Blues used to mean to people – it's NCIRCLE. “Old School Groove” is a fine single with which to introduce them, too.

Their sound is part Neville Brothers, part Isley Brothers, part Parliament Funkadelic, part Al Green. Their guitar (Michael McDonald) plays clean-channel cool jazz leads that never intrude, while their bass (John Haynes) effortlessly leads the melody way out front. They have a flawless sax crooning leads (Andre Delano), and a keyboard making a velvet curtain of sound in the background (Ed Roth). The drums are led by Kenny "Blanket" Williams, who lays back like an old pro and keeps time like an atomic clock. The vocals, however, are really what make NCIRCLE stand out. Led by the outstanding T.C. Moses, the band features disco-quality harmonies and falsettos that would make the Bee Gees proud. T.C. himself is never misses a note, never sounds “pitchy,” and is never guilty of the showboating, over-souling runs up and down the musical scale that plague R&B radio stations all across America. NCIRCLE's lyrics, too, are worth noting.

In fact, the band is perhaps best represented by their own words from this particular single, when they sing, “Hey, DJ, I'm not tryin' to bring down your pop and rap. I just want to let you know, soul music is where it's at. Before you know it, it's gonna be toppin' the charts because it's the kind of music that touches everybody's heart.”

Of their intentions, drummer Blanket has said, “With the world saturated with fabrication, we focus on the real, bringing real music that touches the heart and soul, and lyrics that enlighten and inspire.” Without a doubt, NCIRCLE has done this with their new single, “Old School Groove.” Their music is indeed made for “dancin', party-enhancin',” and every music fan deserves to give it a spin.

-Sean McCauley
MondoTunes Staff Writer

The Single “Old School Groove” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

http://www.reverbnation.com/ncircleband



Texas Musician Billy Rawlett Re-Releases LP “You Can't Get Your Money Back,” as Part of Five-Album Collection

Billy Rawlett, an American classic rock and country/western performer from Arlington, Texas, has released his groundbreaking first LP “You Can't Get Your Money Back” to complete his re-release collection

 Billy Rawlett, an American classic rock and country/western performer from Arlington, Texas, has released his groundbreaking first LP “You Can't Get Your Money Back” to complete his re-release collection. “You Can't Get Your Money Back” is part of Rawlett's 2012 series which includes 1999's “You Can't Get Your Money Back,” 2000's “What's a Poor Boy to Do,” 2002's “Latent Treasures,” 2004's “Time Stood Still,” and 2006's “In the Blink of an Eye.” With his breakaway western rock n' roll record “You Can't Get Your Money Back,” Billy Rawlett stepped into the spotlight and began a career that would take him from performing the hardest style of southern rock to the most superbly genuine, acoustic Americana – and to many brilliant places in-between.

Rawlett's first album, “You Can't Get Your Money Back,” is the most rocking of his collection, and perhaps, ironically, the most akin to his last album in terms of raw power. Where “In the Blink of an Eye” derives its effect from pure, honest, heart and soul, “You Can't Get Your Money Back” is an album that comes out blazing, with songs like the title track and “Good Luck Trailer Park” to build momentum, and songs like “Only Going Solo” and the bluesy “Gettin' in Your Bones” to carry the groove. It has tracks that herald Rawlett's sound to come, also, such as the bluegrass-steeped “Sleepin' Around,” and tracks that hint at his growing folk influence, such as “In Your Dreams” and the album's closing track, “When I See That Train a Comin'.”

While Billy Rawlett would record more than forty songs following this, his impetuous first record, there's a fine chance that many true Rawlett fans still enjoy this earliest collection of his music most of all. This is perhaps because they fondly remember being introduced to these songs when he first began, and perhaps because there's something about the rough brashness of “You Can't Get Your Money Back” that appeals to the listener who likes their boots a little scuffed. In its own right and by all means, “You Can't Get Your Money Back” is an outstanding album.

Billy Rawlett's influences stem from every geographic extreme of classic rock, reaching the Ventures and the Doors on the west coast, Johnny Cash and Stevie Ray Vaughan in the midwest, and Jimmy Paige and the Rolling Stones in the UK. His blend of rock and country/western is reminiscent of such American bands as CSNY, the Band, or the Doobie Brothers – but only at their most jamming, energetic moments. Rawlett's own raw sound is arresting, striking, and full of verve even at his mellowest. It was said of Tammy Wynette that she had “a tear in every word;” the opposite is doubly true of Billy Rawlett, who performs even his saddest song in a way you'll always be in the mood to hear.

-Sean McCauley
MondoTunes Staff Writer

The LP “You Can't Get Your Money Back” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:
eMail - bullydog@swbell.net

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Online Music Distribution Guide for Artists

MondoTunes, CDBaby, TuneCore, and ReverbNation: How They Measure Up

If you wanted to sell music around the world twenty years ago, you needed to get picked up by a major label. That meant demo tapes, postal services, and constant performing on tours. That was all a ton of fun, but extremely hard work and very expensive, besides. That's where music distribution online comes in.

Music distribution has changed in two decades. Today's music distribution is digital music distribution. This is a good thing for modern musicians. It takes much less work to sell music online than it does to sell albums off a merch table, and you don't even need to leave your house. In fact, today's artists don't even need a complete album.

If you want to know how to sell music in the modern market, the first thing you need is a music promotion company selling your songs, and handling your digital music distribution online. Distribution of music and selling songs requires a vast, ingrained network of business partners worldwide, which is why corporations like Virgin, EMI, and Capitol Records were able to control the industry for so long, but today's music distribution companies are smaller, friendlier and more honest than the giants of yesteryear.

Today there are four major companies that handle digital music distribution, each having its ups and downs. These are MondoTunes, CDBaby, TuneCore, and ReverbNation. The following graph shows how their prices measure up (CLICK TO ENLARGE).

MondoTunes is the least expensive of the group, which would make sense if they were offering fewer products and services for the price, but in fact they offer much, much more. This can only mean that Mondo is trying to snatch customers from their competitors, naturally, and there's no telling when the other companies will start offering more/charging less, but as of now (late August 2012) MondoTunes doesn't show any sign of raising their low flat rates, and their service is probably going to stay superior for the following reasons:

They offer free UPC and ISRC codes, which is extremely unusual in all kinds of publishing (music, books, whatever). They offer the ability to create your own music label, too, as well as live representative assistance (think actual phone calls, also unheard of). Perhaps most of all, however, their distribution network is the exact same one utilized by Gaga, the Black Eyed Peas, U2, One Republic, Rihanna, and countless other artists signed to Universal Music, which means Mondo boasts the largest music distribution in the world today. Finally – and this may be most important of all for many artists – Mondo's still run by the same small crew of people that started it, all of whom have been musicians in the scene, themselves. That can be extremely comforting.

Selling songs online can seem daunting, but it's far easier than one might expect, and far, far easier than the traditional method of music promotion. Selling your songs is now as simple as – well, the click of a button. If you can compare prices (as above) then you no longer need to understand the distribution of music or how to sell songs. You don't have to know an A&R rep to sell albums, anymore, and while the old-school music fan in you may feel nostalgic for the old ways, the truth is, music all around the world is much better off without them. As long as honest, inexpensive companies like Mondo are around, absolutely anyone can sell music online.


Video Producer Srinivas Bhatt (CrestVideos) Releases Viral Hit "Tribute by Nature" by Hariprasad Chaurasia


Indian video producer Srinivas Bhatt (YouTube: CrestVideos) has released his latest visual triumph, "Tribute by Nature," featuring music by the great Hariprasad Chaurasia. Bhatt's video, which features beautiful imagery from the heartlands of India, has gone viral on YouYube drawing attention from many nations of the world, and especially in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, Russia, Australia, East Africa, Bangladesh, and India herself. This is only the newest in a long line of videos directed, produced, and otherwise entirely executed solely by Bhatt.

Bhatt's music video, “Tribute by Nature” visually describes a famous 1993 song called "Water Poems" by the greatest Indian flutist, guru Hariprasad Chaurasia, on an album called "The Music of the Rivers." Bhatt composed the video using the most splendid scenes he could find of the Himalayas, rain forests, the Ganges river (Ganga Ma), waterfalls, as well as various other Indian flora and fauna. Of the content of Indian classical music, Srinivas Bhatt says, “Indian classical music basically depicts the devotional songs written by great Indian sages and seers on Hindu gods like Rama, Krishna, Shiv, etc.”

If the precision of Bhatt's imagery seems surprisingly adroit, it may be because Bhatt, himself, is a musician. Srinivas Bhatt holds a university diploma in the mridang, which he describes as, “a classical Indian percussion instrument equivalent of Tabla.” In fact, Bhatt has been playing classical Indian music since the age of ten. He also received the Andhra Pradesh Music Academy merit scholarship for his acuity. He has given over five-hundred live performances in concert as accompaniment for Indian vocalists, as well as for instrumentals such as veena, the Indian form of violin, and the flute.

“Countless forms of Indian classical music fascinate me,” says Bhatt. “Hindustani music has a slow expression of words but rather melodious disposition of countless ragas, but I'm also fascinated by the speedy Carnatic music with its emphasis on devotional Kirtans.” Bhatt prefers to understand lyrics fully in order to get a true feeling of the composer.

Says Bhatt, “My effort is to ensure that the common, stressed-out dude on the move can chill out by viewing this music video. I look forward to bringing out more music videos with a popular combination of heavenly music tracks and exciting visuals.”

-Sean McCauley
MondoTunes Staff Writer

The video “Tribute by Nature” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available for convenient viewing

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:




Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Texas Singer-Songwriter Billy Rawlett Releases Fifth LP in Collection, “In the Blink of an Eye”

Billy Rawlett, an American classic rock and country/western performer from Arlington, Texas, has released the fifth and final LP of his re-release collection, “In the Blink of an Eye” 
American folk rock/country western performer from Arlington, Texas, Billy Rawlett, has released the fifth and final LP of his re-release collection, “In the Blink of an Eye.” “In the Blink of an Eye” is part of Rawlett's 2012 re-release collection which includes 1999's “You Can't Get Your Money Back,” 2000's “What's a Poor Boy to Do,” 2002's “Latent Treasures,” 2004's “Time Stood Still,” and this LP, 2006's “In the Blink of an Eye.” “In the Blink...” is Rawlett's only record to be performed entirely solo and acoustic, an absolutely masterful close to this staggering collection of work. While it would be a shame to miss his previous, more variegated albums, “In the Blink of an Eye” is perhaps the record that represents Rawlett most personally, and which will most intimately endear him to his fans.

Rawlett has spanned three genres in his career, starting with classic rock (a-la the Doobie Brothers' “Stampede” album) and blending this with his no-frills country/western tradition, from which he has gradually trimmed the details so that the bare bones of his style are laid before the listener. The result, in Billy Rawlett's case, is the purest kind of music a person can offer civilization. If the purpose of folk music has ever been to return to a more honest manner of songwriting and performance, Rawlett's “In the Blink of an Eye” has achieved what very few artists are capable of, and what fewer still have attained. “In the Blink...” tells ten American stories, some personal, some legendary, and includes one original American hymn. Rawlett's guitar work, while sticking to the foundations of songwriting, is some of his most solid strumming to-date, making the performance seem as easy and free as if the man were making it up along the way, or at least had grown up playing them.

Billy Rawlett's influences stem from every geographic extreme of classic rock, reaching the Ventures and the Doors on the west coast, Johnny Cash and Stevie Ray Vaughan in the midwest, and Jimmy Paige and the Rolling Stones in the UK. His blend of rock and country/western is reminiscent of such American bands as CSNY, the Band, or the Doobie Brothers – but only at their most jamming, energetic moments. Rawlett's own raw sound is arresting, striking, and full of verve even at his mellowest. It was said of Tammy Wynette that she had “a tear in every word;” the opposite is doubly true of Billy Rawlett, who performs even his saddest song in a way you'll always be in the mood to hear.
-Sean McCauley
MondoTunes Staff Writer

The LP “In the Blink of an Eye” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

eMail - bullydog@swbell.net

Texas Singer-Songwriter Billy Rawlett Releases Fourth LP in Collection, “Time Stood Still”

Billy Rawlett, an American classic rock and country/western performer from Arlington, Texas, has released the fourth LP of his re-release collection, “Time Stood Still” 
American classic rock performer from Arlington, Texas, Billy Rawlett, has released the fourth LP of his re-release collection, “Time Stood Still,” to much deserved acclaim. “Time Stood Still” is part of Rawlett's 2012 re-release collection which includes 1999's “You Can't Get Your Money Back,” 2000's “What's a Poor Boy to Do,” 2002's “Latent Treasures,” 2004's “Time Stood Still,” and 2006's “In the Blink of an Eye.” This record, 'Time Stood Still,” is Rawlett's most folk-inspired record of his career and one no Rawlett fan can be without, nor any fan of genuine Americana or folk music.

Rawlett's work on “Time Stood Still” differs from his earlier offerings on “Latent Treasures” in that “Latent...” is less bluegrass and more varied, while “Time Stood...” is an album straight from the heart of the American experience, boasting traditional folk, bluegrass, country, western, and even some Texas-flavored blues. The opening track, “Prodigal Son,” is somehow lightning fast and laid-back all at once, with hometown-style backing harmonies and a jawharp for accompaniment. “No Expectations” is as lowdown as an original by Leadbelly, and performed with equal soul. The title track belts as it soothes, sounding half like a lamentation, half like a hymn of praise (which “Death Is Not the End” seems in part to be, itself). Rawlett rounds the record out with some heavy cannon, the tenth track, “Sailed in Wooden Ships...,” being as spirited a nautical folk tune as what fans are used to from bands such as Maine's Schooner Fare, and the closing number being an original rejoinder to Johnny Cash's “Folsom Prison Blues,” in which Rawlett watches the train come to him bearing his one true love.

Billy Rawlett's influences stem from every geographic extreme of classic rock, reaching the Ventures and the Doors on the west coast, Johnny Cash and Stevie Ray Vaughan in the midwest, and Jimmy Paige and the Rolling Stones in the UK. His blend of rock and country/western is reminiscent of such American bands as CSNY, the Band, or the Doobie Brothers – but only at their most jamming, energetic moments. Rawlett's own raw sound is arresting, striking, and full of verve even at his mellowest. It was said of Tammy Wynette that she had “a tear in every word;” the opposite is doubly true of Billy Rawlett, who performs even his saddest song in a way you'll always be in the mood to hear.

-Sean McCauley
MondoTunes Staff Writer

The LP “Time Stood Still” is distributed globally by MondoTunes (www.MondoTunes.com) and is available at iTunes for convenient purchase and download

MondoTunes (www.mondotunes.com) supplies the largest music distribution in the world and provides upstream services for many major labels in search of breakout artists. While most independent distributors reach only 45-50 retailers despite charging needless monthly and yearly fees, MondoTunes reaches over 750 retailers and mobile partners in over 100 world regions without any monthly or yearly fees.

ARTIST CONTACT INFO:

eMail - bullydog@swbell.net