Innovative Bluegrass Band Shotgun Holler Release "Loaded" Via Dry Lightning Records. Available NOW!

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(BOONEVILLE, KY) – It’s not often that a bluegrass band comes around sporting tattoos and singing about things that some radio stations of that genre might find a bit too left of center. But that’s exactly what Randall Deaton liked about Shotgun Holler, the new five-piece bluegrass band with an edge, when he signed them to his Dry Lightning Records.

Shotgun Holler was founded by mandolinist Shawn Brock and vocalist/guitarist Matt Jones out of a desire to create substantive music in the genre they love. The duo then brought on bassist Rod Lunger, banjo player Nathan Treadway, and fiddle player Evan McGregor who all hail from various cities around the Midwest. On the new record, Loaded, Jones penned three of the album’s 11 tracks: “I’ve Got Ramblin On My Mind,” “Miners Grave,” and “One Lone Tree.” The rest of the record showcases the band’s modern take on bluegrass songs, as well as their unique renditions of the alt-country song, “Methamphetamine” by Son Volt, and “Relatively Easy” by singer/songwriter Jason Isbell, who is a former member of alt-country band Drive-By Truckers

Of the Son Volt and Isbell covers, Deaton says, “I think these drug-abuse-related songs are good examples of the band doing non-traditional bluegrass themed material and are some of the most interesting cuts on this record.”

“We don’t really fit the typical bluegrass mold of today. Instrumentally we are pretty recognizable as bluegrass. We’re using the traditional bluegrass instruments – banjo, guitar, upright bass, mandolin, and fiddle. Where we tend to cross into other areas is the content that we choose to sing about, which can be very non-traditional. Lyrically, all of the songs aren’t necessarily wholesome,” Brock said.

         Loaded was produced by Mountain Heart founding member Jim Van Cleve at Lonesome Day Studios in Booneville, Kentucky and is set to be released and distributed by Dry Lightning Records and Sony Red on June 30. Van Cleve has produced award winning projects spanning a variety of genres for acts such as Mountain Heart, Newfound Road, Del Shields, Celebration of Life II (Musicians Against Childhood Cancer), Annabelle Road, his own Grammy Nominated solo project, and the IBMA Awards Show Theme, among others. Van Cleve engineered the album with Greg Lawrence. Van Cleve, Brock, and Jones mixed the project.

Available now via Airplay Direct, Loaded is ranked #9 for the month with “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It,” in the Top 50.

album cover: Loaded

Loaded Track Listing

1. “Out In The Parkin’ Lot”
2. “I Hope Heaven Has a Holler”
3. “My Bucket’s Got A Hole In It”
4. “Methamphetamine”
5. “Clovis Johnson’s Old Red GMC”
6. “Relatively Easy”
7. “I’ve Got Ramblin On My Mind”
8. “This Side Of The Grass”
9. “Miners Grave”
10. “One Lone Tree”
11. “I Should Have Started Yesterday”

Shotgun Holler on tour:

May 29, Wick’s Pizza, Louisville Kentucky

May 31, Kentucky Railway Museum, New haven Kentucky

June 4, Miami University concert series, Oxford Ohio

June 11, Parlay Social, Lexington Kentucky

June 13, State Theater, Point Pleasant West Virginia

May 14, private event, Brookville Indiana

June 18, Columbus Convention Ctr., Columbus, OH

June 27, venue TBA CD release party, Cincinnati Ohio

July 4, Fountain Square, Cincinnati Ohio

July 4, Gypsies, Covington Kentucky

About Dry Lightning Records

Dry Lightning Records was established with the goal of giving a broader range of artists from Lonesome Day Records their own home while allowing the Lonesome Day brand to continue to emerge in the bluegrass market where it has already made a mark over the last 12 years.  Randall Deaton has put as much passion and energy into Dry Lightning Records as he has Lonesome Day Records since its origin in 2002.  Like Lonesome Day Records the inspiration for the name Dry Lightning Records comes from the title of a Bruce Springsteen song. In partnership with Sony/RED Distribution, the label also includes the critically acclaimed acts Girls Guns and Glory and Sarah Borges.

Tim Shelton pays tribute to songwriting hero with "Jackson Browne Revisited," his post-NewFound Road solo debut on Dry Lightning Records!

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Tim Shelton Pays Tribute to Songwriting Hero with Jackson Browne Revisited,

His Post-NewFound Road Solo Debut on Dry Lightning Records

Renowned gospel and bluegrass artist expands musical palette with 12-track release

DAYTON, Ohio — There’s hardly a recording artist on the planet who hasn’t done at least a few cover tunes in homage to major influences. But releasing an entire album covering Jackson Browne’s most iconic classics? If you’re gonna try that, you’d better bring it. Fortunately, Tim Shelton does exactly that on Jackson Browne Revisited, his new release on Dry Lightning Records.

Shelton, who guided the band NewFound Road from gospel to bluegrass and beyond, has left that chapter behind to pursue his other musical passions, including his love for Browne and similar songwriters. Hints of what was to come appeared on NewFound Road’s 2011 album, Live at the Down Home, on which they covered Browne’s “These Days” and songs by Tom T. Hall, Bill Withers, Dave Loggins and other icons. But on Jackson Browne Revisited, he concentrates on his biggest influence.

“Jackson Browne is one the best songwriters and musicians of our day,” says Shelton. “His music, especially the songs from the ‘70s, just speaks to my soul.”

Co-producing with Paul Kolderie (Radiohead, Warren Zevon, Hole, the Pixies), Ohio native Shelton wraps his rich vocals around 12 Browne classics, including “Doctor My Eyes” and “Somebody’s Baby.” Their arrangements impeccably capture the spirit of the beloved California folk rocker’s beautifully crafted work, while going far beyond mere re-creations of the originals.

They recorded at the Monastery Studio, owned by Ric Hordinski, co-founder of renowned Ohio band Over the Rhine. Contributors include Josh Shilling on piano and harmonies, vocalists Sonya Isaacs (the Isaacs) and Shawn Lane (Doyle Lawson, Ricky Scaggs, Blue Highway), Grammy-winning flatpicking guitarist Clay Hess (Ricky Skaggs), bassist Dave LaBruyere (John Mayer, Vigilantes of Love) and Cincinnati-based drummer Josh Seurkamp.

“I knew that I wanted to get a great band and keep it as live sounding as possible,” Shelton notes. Tracking live in the studio, they created a sonic document that breathes new life into Browne’s work, revisiting songs from his self-titled 1972 debut to 1983’s I’m Alive. They include “Take It Easy,” the Browne/Glenn Frey composition that became the Eagles’ first hit before Browne recorded it on 1973’s For Everyman. “Fountain of Sorrow” and the title tune from 1974’s Late for the Sky are here, along with two tracks from 1977’s Running on Empty — one of which, “The Road,” is the only track not actually written or co-written by Browne; it’s credited to his friend Danny O’Keefe. The closer is one of Browne’s most revered, and timeless composition: “The Pretender.”

“What I'm most proud of with this record is we were able to keep emotion in these songs, even though they're not mine,” Shelton says. “I can relate to these lyrics. Hopefully, others will dig it too.”

Jackson Browne Revisited track list

1. Doctor My Eyes

2. Love Needs A Heart

3. The Road

4. Late For The Sky

5. Something Fine

6. Fountain Of Sorrow

7. Somebody’s Baby

8. Take This Rain

9. Call It A Loan

10. Take It Easy

11. My Opening Farewell

12. The Pretender

Tour dates
June 27 – Rudyfest, Grayson, Ky. (NewFound Road reunion show)

July 9 – Beachland Park, Cleveland, Ohio

July 11 – George Rogers Clark Park, Springfield, Ohio (with Clay Hess)

Aug. 1 – Everett’s Music Barn, Suwannee, Ga.

Aug. 13 – Katherine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center, Old Saybrook, Conn.

Sept. 18 – Poppy Mountain Festival, Morehead, Ky. (NewFound Road reunion show)

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SHOTGUN HOLLER SIGNS TO LONESOME DAY RECORDS Debut Album Mixes Traditional Bluegrass With A Modern Alternative Edge

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(LEXINGTON, KY) - It's not often that a bluegrass band comes around sporting tattoos and singing about things that some radio stations of that genre might find a bit too left of center. But that's exactly what Randall Deaton liked about Shotgun Holler, the new five-piece bluegrass band with an edge hailing from all over Kentucky, when he signed them to his Lonesome Day Records this month.

"They are willing to tackle subject matter that is often shied away from in bluegrass music," says Deaton, who has known the band's co-founder and mandolin player Shawn Brock since before he launched his label in 2002. Brock actually performed guitar and mandolin on Lonesome Day Records' very first release by Sam Wilson and will also appear on the Bob Seger tribute record, Silver Bullet Bluegrass, which will be released later in the year. “Sean’s one of the most talented people I know,” adds Deaton.

On signing with Lonesome Day Records, the 33-year-old Louisville, KY-based Brock says, Lonesome Day is not afraid to take a chance. They are not into censorship. They don’t mind being on the cutting edge and trying something different. Lonesome Day is a very reputable label that has a very successful track record in placing new artists on the top and keeping established artists on the top and that’s where we are striving to be.

The subject matter tacked on the band’s forthcoming debut full-length album dives into some darker topics not usually heard in traditional bluegrass music, such as drug addiction and prostitution. “We don’t really fit the typical bluegrass mold of today,” explains Brock. “Instrumentally we are pretty recognizable as bluegrass. We’re using the traditional bluegrass instruments-banjo, guitar, upright bass, mandolin, and fiddle. Where we tend to cross into other areas is the material that we choose, which can be very non-traditional. Lyrically, all the songs aren’t necessarily wholesome.”

One such song is the original 1930’s Washboard Sam version of the “My Bucket’s Got a Hole In It” popularized later by Hank Williams. “We do the Washboard Sam lyrics, which are totally different than Hank’s.” One verse says, ‘They ain’t standing on the corner/Everything was so slow/Can’t make no money/Tricks ain’t walking no more. Another verse says, ‘Gonna sell moonshine in the day/An peddle dope all night.’ This is not what you hear on the radio today, though the song was written in the depression era. These things happen, but they aren’t sung about. We carry all the news, both good and bad. However that song doesn’t necessarily represent the project as a whole. Three band members love to write, and along with material from other writers, we are cutting 8 original tunes.”

It was one fateful day listening to the radio that inspired Brock, a long-time session musician who also has two jazz albums under his belt, to start Shotgun Holler in February of this year. “I was listening to a bluegrass radio station and it was kind of like a volcano was building up inside of me. It seemed like people were cutting this watered down sterile material singing about the same subject matter and no one is trying to sound different. I listened to five songs and couldn’t tell one artist from another. I have been playing bluegrass for 23 years, and in the 90’s I knew every artist who came on just by their sound. Blue Highway had a great distinctive sound, which was vastly different from the classic sound of the Bluegrass Album Band. Both are favorites of Shotgun Holler members, but each unit had their own thing going. I called friend, and former band member from the group Blue and Lonesome, Matt Jones and I said, ‘I’m sick of hearing singers and pickers imitate each other and cover songs that were just recorded three years ago. Lets put and band together and do what we’ve always tried to do-be different.’ His words to me were, ‘Man, I’ve just been waiting on you.’ From there, the two co-founders, Brock and Jones – who takes on lead vocals and guitar for the group – put a band together featuring seasoned players Gil Benson (fiddle), Rod Lunger (bass and vocals), and Donnie Stevens (banjo and vocals). With their impressive resumes, they were able to book shows before the band even had their first rehearsal.

Shotgun Holler will hit the studio on August 22 at Lonesome Day Studio in Booneville, Kentucky, with noted producer and Mountain Heart founding member Jim Van Cleve at the helm.  Van Cleve has produced award winning projects spanning a variety of genres for acts such as Mountain Heart, Newfound Road, Del Shields, Celebration of Life II (Musicians Against Childhood Cancer), Annabelle Road, his own Grammy Nominated solo project, and the IBMA Awards Show Theme, among others.

"We've all known Jim through is work and watched him rise through the ranks. Jimmy is at the forefront of the progressive edge, which is where we strive to be.  Lyrically this will be in territory that Jimmy has not been in before, but instrumentally it's still very edgy, very modern bluegrass which is a specialty of his," says Brock.

NEWFOUND ROAD FRONTMAN TIM SHELTON SETS FORTH ON SOLO DEBUT WITH MOVING NEW SINGLE “LEARNING HOW TO LIVE ALONE ”

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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – August 20, 2014 – An already well-respected frontman and singer in the bluegrass community, Tim Shelton rose to fame with his band NewFound Road. After signing to Rounder, a string of hits and critical praise, Shelton aims to venture into a brand new creative project as a solo artist, combining his love for rock, country, and folk. To introduce his solo effort, Shelton is giving away his first single, “Learning How To Live Alone” free to the public in exchange for an email address via his Facebook.

“I’ve always loved and appreciated all kinds of music, and it was almost nagging at me that I wanted to do something else … I didn’t want to deal with reinventing NewFound Road, I’d been wanting to do other things musically, to go other places, and so I thought, now is the time.”

Recorded in Nashville and produced by Barry Bales, this first single to debut his solo album is both heartbreaking and soothing to the ear that one can empathize about living a lonely, single life. Shelton’s crisp vocals and simple guitar riffs are what make it a solid country song and a memorable anthem.

Honest lyrics and Shelton’s pure voice are what make “Learning How To Live Alone” such a relatable song with it’s repetitive, convincing chorus and steady pace. Shelton’s confident introduction to his full-length debut is only driven by his respected reputation and vision.

“I just want to make music that isn’t necessarily traditional Bluegrass.  I love it, but I also love James Taylor, Jackson Browne, Rock, hard Rock, traditional Country—all of those.  Just music.”

Shelton plans to release a Jackson Browne-inspired album February 2015.

Follow Tim Shelton:

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https://twitter.com/TimSheltonMusic

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BLUEGRASS ARTIST JEFF CLAIR TAKES ON ROCKER BOB SEGER

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BLUEGRASS ARTIST JEFF CLAIR TAKES ON ROCKER BOB SEGER

Touring Continues in Support of His Critically-Acclaimed, They Called Him Jesus

Set to Go Back Into Studio With Gary Nichols For New Album

(Booneville, Kentucky) - As Lonesome Day Records bluegrass artist Jeff Clair continues to crisscross America on tour in support of his latest release, They Called Him Jesus, the Kentucky-bred artist has taken time out of his busy schedule to record a Bob Seger classic for a forthcoming tribute album to the Silver Bullet man.

Clair's contribution to Silver Bullet Bluegrass, which will be released on Lonesome Day Records later this year, is the track, "Roll Me Away" from Seger's 1982 album "The Distance." The album is in its final stages of production and also features contributions from Josh Shilling (Mountain Heart), Tim Shelton, Jeff Parker, Keith Garrett (The Boxcars), and Ward Hayden, the singer of Lonesome Day Records rockers Girls Guns And Glory.

"This is a very tasteful tribute that will showcase Seger's songs, as well as the great voices that are in bluegrass," says Lonesome Day Records owner Randall Deaton, who founded the label in 2002. As for Clair's track, the artist says,"I'm excited to be part of Silver Bullet Bluegrass. Bob Seger is such an icon in the music industry and to be asked to do 'Roll Me Away' on the tribute is a big honor. Seger has such a unique voice and his music is a departure from the straight ahead bluegrass that I have done in the past but I was glad for the challenge and Randall's confidence in my ability to expand into other genres. "

Clair is also getting ready to start work on a new record that will be produced by Muscle Shoals native and former Mercury Records artist Gary Nichols (The Steel Drivers). Brought together by Randall, who has known Clair since he was 13 years old and who met Nichols at Rudyfest about a year ago.  He notes "I was wearing a Sun Records T-shirt and Gary thought that was unusual for a bluegrass festival. He came over and we started talking." Nichols, backed by The Steel Drivers band, also contributed a song to Silver Bullet Bluegrass.

Of the artist's musical direction, Randall says, "Jeff's on a mission to make bluegrass music with lyrical content that is more relevant to society today than what is found in a lot of bluegrass music. Jeff is from Eastern Kentucky and can relate to the lyrical content of traditional bluegrass songs because he grew up in the culture, but he also knows that if you are going to connect with people today you have to sing about topics that they can relate to."

Bluegrass Today.com has been singing the artist's praises as well, describing "They Called Him Jesus" as "soulful, old-style bluegrass music."

"When I set out to make this CD, I wanted to make a CD that included both classic songs and some new material but I wanted to maintain the traditional sound and I think we were able to accomplish that with this album. The title cut is an original that I wrote just prior to recording the album and there are cuts from, Ozzie Thorpe, Tom T. and Dixie Hall, Bob Gilbert, Judy Marshall, Larry Sparks and others," Clair told Bluegrass Today.

Clair's bluegrass roots run deep. As a child, his father would take him to concerts in Jackson, Kentucky, where he's from, and introduced him to such greats as Larry Sparks, Dave Evans, Ralph Stanley, and Sam Wilson. "I grew up listening to this style of bluegrass and when I started performing on my own, naturally I played a style that is heavily influenced by these artists," he told the publication.

When Clair isn't busy making music or touring, he volunteers his time and talent with the Appalachian Service Project (ASP), an organization which benefits low income families in the Appalachia area, including repairing homes and improving the living conditions of those less fortunate.

"Appalachian Service Project provides a great service to the people in our region and they should be commended for it," explains Clair, who has been volunteering for 15 years. "Providing an educational concert for the volunteers is my way of thanking them for all they have done to help the people of Appalachia. In addition to making lifelong friends and meeting thousands of people we have had the opportunity to present bluegrass and traditional music to an audience that may have not heard this style of music otherwise. Many of the volunteers come from hundreds of miles away and I'm glad we had the opportunity to introduce all of them to bluegrass music and bring in new fans for the music."

Jeff Clair tour dates (more to be announced):

March 29, Clay City, KY, Meadowgreen Park Music Hall

April 3, Hazard, KY, Coal River Grille

April 12, Vest, KY, Beckham Combs Community Center

June 7, Hallie, KY, Line Fork Community Center

June 20, Cedar Bluff, VA, Southwest Virginia Community College

June 21, Beattyville, KY, private party

BLUEGRASS MASTER RICHARD BENNETT READIES NEW RECORD In The Wind Somewhere Drops May 27 via Lonesome Day Records

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BLUEGRASS MASTER RICHARD BENNETT READIES NEW RECORD

In The Wind Somewhere Drops May 27 via Lonesome Day Records

Preview two tracks from In The Wind Somewhere 

with these links to streaming music.

Advance hard copies of the album are available upon request.

           

           It’s one thing for an artist to feel like his latest musical endeavor is his best, but when you’re a music veteran with a mile-long resume, decades of recording and performing experience, critical acclaim, and more recordings than one can count, it’s quite a statement to say, “This is my favorite record I’ve ever done.”

            Such is the case with bluegrass star Richard Bennett of his forthcoming new release, In The Wind Somewhere, which is due May 27 via Kentucky-based Lonesome Day Records. “It just feels good,” says Bennett of his fifth solo release.

            Lonesome Day Records owner Randall Deaton couldn’t agree more. “I think this is Richard’s strongest work of his career,” says Deaton. “And it was recorded in an old fashioned way where all four of the musicians sat in the same room with no headphones and just played music.  Each take had to be just right because there was no going back and fixing.”

            On In The Wind Somewhere, Bennett skillfully mixes his considerable traditional bluegrass chops with songs that expand and transcend the genre in an exciting contemporary fashion. “I want to let the people hear something new,” he says.

           Joining the singer/songwriter/guitarist on In The Wind Somewhere are a group of stellar musicians, including Mark Schatz (Nickel Creek, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt), IMBA Mandolin Player of the Year Adam Steffey, celebrated fiddler Ron Stewart, and Sean Lane of the Grammy-nominated band Blue Highway on tenor vocals. The record was recorded at the Lonesome Day Studio Booneville, Kentucky, and mixed by Grammy Award winning engineer Brandon Bell.

            The album features a graceful and affecting take on Sting’s “Fields of Gold,” a jazz-inflected solo instrumental version of the Beatles’ “Yesterday,” and a spry and swinging Appalachian mountain-flavored cover of the Marshall Tucker Band song “Fire on the Mountain.” On his version of Tom Paxton’s folk classic “The Last Thing on My Mind,” his long-time pal and acoustic guitar icon, Tony Rice, enriched Bennett’s luminous double flat-picking.

            Elsewhere on the album, Bennett epitomizes the soul of old-school bluegrass on “Stronger Every Day,” harks back to the Celtic folk roots of American country, folk and mountain music on “Georgie,” renews the newgrass revolution of the 1970s on a take of folk music heroine Kate Wolf’s “Across the Great Divide,” and musically summons up the swirling forces of nature on his self-penned opening title track. The album is deliciously capped by a sublime reading of bluegrass pioneer Bill Monroe’s landmark song “Wayfaring Stranger” on which Bennett and Rice engage in breathtaking guitar interplay (as they also do on the hidden track that follows, “Home Sweet Home”).

 

About Richard Bennett: Richard Bennett hails from Johnson City, Tennessee. A strong and versatile guitarist, he performed with his own band, Richard Bennett Band late ’70s thru late ’80s era. He joined as the lead singer and guitar player for J.D. Crowe and New South 1990 thru 1995 and is included on several of the recordings during this time, including their Grammy award winning record, Flashback.  1996 thru 1997 found him with Lou Reid and Carolina. In 1998, Richard branched out with the trio featuring Jimmy Guadreau and Mike Aldridge where he remained for four years.  One of his most prominent jobs was filling in for Tony Rice in The Tony Rice Unit and The Bluegrass Album Band from the mid to late ’90s. Along the way, Richard has released four solo albums and has worked with the most esteemed acts in bluegrass and country/folk music.

About Lonesome Day Records: Randall Deaton as a family-run business started Lonesome Day Records in 2002. The name Lonesome Day Records was chosen from the title of a Bruce Springsteen song from the album The Rising. Randall grew up on a small farm in Kentucky instilled with a strong work ethic and a passion for music that has kept him rockin’ for the past 20 years. Playing in bands throughout high school and college, he earned a degree in business administration and a minor in political science while wielding a guitar and mandolin. Fifteen years ago he turned his attention towards audio engineering and converted an old church into his temple - a recording studio. That studio has since expanded and spawned Lonesome Day Records which has released top-ranking records for the likes of Ralph Stanley II, Larry Cordle, and Fred Eaglesmith among other prolific artists from bluegrass to country.