RJ COMER RELEASES HIS SECOND AMERICANA-ROCK SINGLE “THE MOON AIN’T FALLEN ON ME YET”

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MUSIC VIDEO RELEASES APRIL 15^TH

(LOS ANGELES) April 13, 2016 - RJ Comer returns to his frequent themes of redemption and survival in his second release, “The Moon Ain’t Fallen on Me Yet” off of his recent six-song EP Nightly Suicide. The captivating single will be available April 18^th with an accompanying music video that will be released April 15^th via Growling Moon Records.

While most people find inspiration and romance in sunrises and sunsets, like a lone wolf RJ Comer has long looked to the moon for comfort when he was down. “The Moon Ain’t Fallen on Me Yet” depicts RJ’s nightlife—an allegory for his darkest and most lonely thoughts and experiences, but also—ironically—his sanctuary. The moon symbolizes hope, and is RJ’s wry and subtle allusion to John 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.”

Showcasing psychedelic imagery along with RJ’s shadowy, lyrical content, the music video authentically portrays the brooding singer-songwriter as he lures listeners with every line. Through his metaphorical and cryptic songwriting, Comer carefully peels back the layers of his dark side to reveal the light he seeks, and most often finds.  

As America is both rural and urban, so is RJ’s take on Americana music.  With Nightly Suicide, RJ steps out of the southern American Swamp genre of his 2015 release Hell Hole Swamp and onto a decidedly more urban Americana-Rock terrain; replacing banjo and fiddle with electric guitars and a deep bass.  In support of his new release, RJ continues to tour primarily throughout the southern United States, but will head north for an official appearance at Canadian Music Week and a show in Chicago.

Nightly Suicide has been well-received with numerous positive reviews and significant radio play. Larry Toering at Skope Magazine proclaimed “…easy to play on repeat…. the songwriting is world class“ and Jessica Harrington of The Celebrity Cafe declared ”… amazing songwriting lyrical skills…. Each song is personal and poetic.“ MusicNotez Magazine told its readers “You can feel the pain and scars of past decisions dripping off every note and lyric sung.”  In addition to critical acclaim, RJ has been climbing the Americana Music Association radio airplay chart every week since releasing Nightly Suicide.

Upcoming Tour Dates
Apr 13^th – 9pm – Cock & Bull – Sarasota, FL
Apr 15^th – 8pm – McCabe’s Irish Pub – Bradenton, FL
Apr 17^th – 7pm – Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern – Nashville, TN
Apr 22^nd – 7pm – Kimbro’s Pickin’ Parlour – Franklin, TN
May 6^th – 1am (May 7) – Canadian Music Week; The Paddock – Toronto, ON
May 8^th – 8pm – The Elbo Room – Chicago, IL

For more information please visit:
www.rjcomer.com

AMERICANA SINGER-SONGWRITER RJ COMER REDEFINES HIS MUSICAL STYLE ON HIS LATEST EP RELEASE, NIGHTLY SUICIDE OUT TODAY!

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(LOS ANGELES, CA) - March 25, 2016 - Americana and Blues seeps through this singer-songwriter’s upcoming release, Nightly Suicide, due out March 25^th via Growling Moon Records.

The highly anticipated EP is RJ Comer’s second EP release as a solo artist. RJ is previously known as the lead singer of Dance Hall Pimps, a seven-piece blues-rock band. He steps away from the septet and falls back on his roots with a down to earth, pure acoustic sound that showcases the songwriter’s raw emotions.

The six song EP highlights RJ’s gritty, soulful vocals along with his impeccable songwriting lyrical skills. This is his most intimate and personal collection of songs dealing with addiction, failed relationships, redemption, and the open road. The poetic lyrics come alive through RJ’s haunting vocals and dark guitar riffs.

The Nightly Suicide EP focuses on RJ’s Blues-based, Americana-Rock influences featuring lead single and title track “Nightly Suicide,” which is his homage to Charles Bukowski—the poet laureate of barflies. The song also illustrates RJ’s early life, which he describes as “a lot of heavy drinking and nightly self-destruction.” 

The EP also includes RJ’s upcoming single and music video, “The Moon Ain’t Fallen On Me Yet.” With “Moon” RJ returns to his frequent themes of redemption and survival.  The second single is expected to be released in mid-April.

As a performer, RJ has toured as a solo artist from British Columbia, Canada to New Orleans. He just performed four shows in Austin during SXSW week.  RJ’s powerful voice, his captivating and emotional live performances, and his infectious songs have garnered fans in biker bars, on Bourbon Street, and in coffee houses and concert halls.  Talents as diverse as A.J. Croce, C.C. Adcock, and Grammy-winner Matt Hyde have produced tracks with RJ.

Tour Dates
April 13, 2016
9:00
Cock and Bull
Sarasota, FL
April 15, 2016
8:00
McCabe’s Irish Pub
Bradenton, FL
April 17, 2016
Bobby’s Idle Hour Tavern
Nashville, TN
April 22, 2016
5:00
Kimbros Pickin Parlour
Franklin, TN
May 2 – May 8, 2016
TBA
Canadian Music Week
Toronto, ON

For more information please visit:
www.rjcomer.com

Roy Rogers "Split Decision" Album Review on Blogcritics

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The music business loves to categorize. Roy Rogers plays slide guitar and worked for a number of years with John Lee Hooker. So his recordings are generally filed in the blues section. But while blues grooves help provide a strong rhythmic core for the project, there’s much more here than formulaic twelve-bar workouts.

Rogers ranged far and wide to recruit help for his first outing with The Rhythm Kings, his working band, in seven years. On hand are flamenco guitarist Ottmar Liebert and Philip Aaberg, whose keyboard work has graced outings by artists as diverse as Elvin Bishop and Peter Gabriel. From much closer to home comes son Sam Rogers, who contributes vocal bass, berimbau, and percussion.

Rogers, who produced four of the late blues giant’s last recording projects, set out to craft an eclectic collection here, and while there’s a wide variety in structure and tempo, there’s a cohesive quality thanks to consistently strong songwriting. Rogers wrote or co-wrote everything, ably moving from the almost ethereal delicacy of “Your Sweet Embrace” to the bone-crunching fury of “Bitter Rain” (though the latter is lyrically unimpressive – Rogers fares best when he sticks to simpler subjects).

Opener “Calm Before The Storm” is anything but calm - with Rogers’ nasty slide raging beneath its thick jungle beat, the song drips with brooding menace. “Patron Saint Of Pain” is a fairly straightforward blues workout, but to the song’s advantage Rogers isn’t called upon for more than a cursory vocal; he’s not the strongest singer, but has learned to use his somewhat thin voice wisely and for the most part quite well. There’s straightforward rock ‘n’ roll with “Little Queen Bee” and “River Of Tears,” and slippery, burbling funk on “Rite Of Passage,” featuring great sax work by guest George Brooks (Etta James).

Rogers is a master slide guitarist, but he exhibits exemplary moderation throughout, putting the song before pyrotechnics and letting the composition dictate the texture of his own contributions. His subtly shimmering work on the heartfelt soul ballad, “I Would Undo Anything,” is an object lesson in tasteful restraint, but he’s delightfully dirty on “Walkin’ The Levee,” a crunchy instrumental that closes the disc.

An intelligent and well-crafted collection, there’s much to like on Split Decision. His vocals remain serviceable but Rogers is a superior instrumentalist who knows his way around a studio. Slide guitar fans should definitely give this one a listen. - John Taylor, Blogcritics.org

Roy Rogers "Split Decision" Album Review In Billboard

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Slide guitar whiz Roy Rogers has a strong album with "Split Decision," and it's a signature project. Rogers produced the record and authored or co-authored all the songs. His Delta Rhythm Kings bandmates Steve Ehrmann (bass) and Billy Lewis (drums, percussion) constitute his studio rhythm section, and Rogers is joined by such guests as guitarist Ottmar Liebert and sax man George Brooks. The album opens at a furious pace with "Calm Before the Storm," a wall-of-sound number punctuated by Rogers' stinging slide guitar. In a quieter vein, Rogers teams with Liebert on the instrumental "Your Sweet Embrace," a little slice of guitar romanticism that provides a nice mood shift. Another notable instrumental track, "Rite of Passage," affords saxophonist Brooks an opportunity to shine on a bluesy jazz piece. For something with more blues grit, listen to Rogers put the buzz in "Little Queen Bee." -- Philip Van Vleck

Source: Billboard.biz Album Reviews