Thursday, June 12, 2014

EMERGING SINGER-SONGWRITER ROXANNA TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM EXOTICA ON JULY 8



“I believe the world is hungry to hear songs about love. Enough about bad romance and hate and war. Music should be easy on the ear.”

Entering into the music world with a devastating heartbreak, the incomparable Roxanna penned “Unforgotten,” a sorrowful but soulful song, threaded with hope for tomorrow. “That song was my therapy,” Roxanna notes. “It just poured out of me, and helped me believe all of this happened for a reason.”

With the introduction to Exotica, lead single “Close Your Eyes” takes you on a personal journey with its dramatic storyline and emotional lyrics, Roxanna’s heartfelt message is strongly emphasized by the elegance of her gorgeous vocals.  “There is a light at the end of the tunnel, after every storm there is a rainbow, just an overall hope in the end.”

Roxanna believes, “Music should bring pleasure, it should be elegant and relaxing. It’s all about friendship, pleasure, romance, love and beauty.” Roxanna’s world of experience is translated through her passion for music and songwriting. She was born in Iran in the midst of an ongoing war with Iraq. As a child, she turned to music for balance and tranquility, religiously mimicking the English-language songs of Olivia Newton-John.

After traveling the world and experiencing both heartbreak and love, Roxanna has teamed up with the best in the industry to release Exotica, a collection of stories that are universal and inspiring.

Roxanna is determined to craft every song and lyric as relatable to whomever will take a listen with the intention to always spread love and healing through her romantic songs and stories.  It was while studying to be a nurse that Roxanna witnessed first hand the healing power of music. Roxanna sang each night to a young man battling cancer. When he was released, the man’s father said to her, “My son is better because of the way you sang to him.” With that, she realized that music, like medicine is a great healer and it was then hat she realized she needed to pursue signing as a career.

For her full-length album, she contacted well-known producer Mark Portmann credited with working with Julio Iglesias, Barbra Streisand, and Christina Aguilera. It was her rendition of Aguilera’s “Lift Me Up” that convinced Portmann to bring Roxanna under his wing. And what spawned from their collaboration was Exotica, a seamless, mastered mix of adult contemporary, classic pop, and world music.

Listening through the album, you’ll be taken on a journey of love … from the first moment of flirtation to the confidence you find with everlasting love.


Featuring a string of romantic songs including new renditions of The Hollies 1972 hit song, “The Air That I Breathe,” and Lionel Richie’s 1984 smash hit, “Hello”. 

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

SINGER, SONGWRITER, AND ACTOR CARL THORNTON RELEASES DEBUT DANCE SINGLE “GET UP!” ON AMAZON AND ITUNES


“I am a fun loving, live life to the fullest individual, who always sees the glass as half full and firmly believes in the motto "nothing ventured, nothing gained."

LOS ANGELES, Calif. – June 11, 2014 – Triple threat talent Carl Thornton debuts the perfect summer dance anthem that will inspire and ignite the clubs with his debut single, “Get Up!” From the opening notes, one can hear a melodic and irresistible drive with an electrifying and pulsating beat that entices you to move with unabashed joy until the song is over.
After traveling the world and performing professionally for ten years, Carl has not lost sight of his goals from an early age where he vowed that singing was what he was destined to do. “Get Up!” is the very first song Carl has written where he confidently steps out as an artist.

Blending velvety, rich vocals, the song is both rhythmic and the flawless mix of pop and electronic music taking inspiration from Usher, Calvin Harris, and Avicii.


“GET UP!” is now available at iTunes, Amazon, and CDbaby.com. Four exclusive remixes will be released soon with an accompanying music video shot at Harlem Gay Pride Parade in June 2014 and will be released later this summer.

Sunday, May 11, 2014

LONESOME DAY RECORDS READIES A FULL RELEASE SCHEDULE THROUGH 2015

LONESOME DAY RECORDS READIES A FULL RELEASE SCHEDULE THROUGH 2015
Silver Bullet Bluegrass: A Tribute to Bob Seger Slated for August

(Booneville, KY) - Lonesome Day Records is having its most prolific year yet with new releases ranging from a star-studded tribute record to blue-collar rocker Bob Seger to bluegrass stars Tim Shelton, Richard Bennett, Jeff Clair, and Jeff Parker to rock singer/songwriter Sarah Borges and more.
Earlier this year, the Booneville, Kentucky-based label released Boston Music Awards winners Girls Guns And Glory's Good Luck, in February. Good Luck has recently reached Top 15 on the American Airplay Chart and Top 10 on the Roots Music Report, and has received rave reviews from the press. No Depression recently wrote, "If there is any justice, Good Luck will transform the winners of six Boston Music Awards into a national act," while The Day newspaper in New London, Connecticut called Good Luck "the band's finest work."
Next on deck is bluegrass artist Richard Bennett's In The Wind Somewhere, which is due May 27. Bennett's fifth solo release features Mark Schatz (Nickel Creek, Emmylou Harris, LindaRonstadt), 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.
On June 24, newly signed rock singer/songwriter Sarah Borges will see the release of Radio Sweetheart, her first solo record since disbanding Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles. "I'm really proud of this record. I wrote songs that felt important to me. It doesn't feel like a new me, but it feels like the old me is finally back," says Borges.


The finishing touches are being put on Silver Bullet Bluegrass: A Tribute to Bob Seger, which is tentatively slated for an August release. The compilation features many artists on Lonesome Day Records' roster, as well as American Idol Season 4 runner-up Bo Bice, and singers from the bands Blue Highway, Wildfire, Mountain Heart, the SteelDrivers, and the Boxcars.


"This is a project that I have been wanting to do for a long time, and it is all bluegrass. One of our goals with this record is to make it very easily recognized as bluegrass, and also very palatable to the bluegrass listener. It is not a 'hot pickin' record; the focus is on the songs and the singers, and the arrangements stay fairly true to the originals. These are legitimate versions of great songs that will have some of the best singers in bluegrass contributing to them," Lonesome Day Records owner Randall Deaton recently told Bluegrass Today.


Another release eyed for a potential fall release is a new record by bluegrass artist Jeff Clair, which will start production soon under the helm of country singer Gary Nichols of the SteelDrivers. "I met Gary at the bluegrass festival Rudyfest in Kentucky and we kept in touch. I was a big fan of the SteelDrivers and thought Gary was an excellent singer and was happy to get him on the Bob Seger tribute. He had expressed an interest in producing more and asked if I had any artists. I mentioned Jeff so Gary looked him up on YouTube, they had a few conversations and hit it off, and now here we are," says Deaton.


Meanwhile, Jeff Parker, a bluegrass music stalwart known for his timeless singing and virtuoso mandolin skills and member of Dailey & Vincent, starts production on his next record on April 28. A fall release is planned.


Additionally, Tim Shelton, who fronted Newfound Road on Rounder Records for years, will also begin production soon - sometime this summer - with Paul Kolderie (Girls Guns And Glory, Phish's Mike Gordon) at the helm for an early 2015 release.


Silver Bullet Bluegrass track listing (not final):
1.    Tim Shelton, "Against the Wind"
2.     Girls, Guns and Glory's Ward Hayden, "Betty Lou's Getting' Out Tonight"
3.     Blue Highway's Tim Stafford, "Even Now"
4.     Wildfire's Robert Hale, "Feel Like a Number"
5.     Darrell Webb, "Long Twin Silver Line"
6.     Mountain Heart's Josh Shilling, "Mainstreet"
7.     Larry Cordle, "Night Moves"
8.     Bo Bice, "Ramblin' Gambling Man"
9.     Jeff Clair, "Roll Me Away"
10.   The SteelDrivers' Gary Nichols, "Turn the Page"
11.   Jeff Parker, "We've Got Tonight"
12.   The Boxcars' Keith Garrett, "You'll Accomp'ny Me"

BLUEGRASS ARTIST JEFF CLAIR TAKES ON ROCKER BOB SEGER

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

Sunday, April 13, 2014

EMERGING SINGER-SONGWRITER ROXANNA TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM EXOTICA ON APRIL 29



“I believe the world is hungry to hear songs about love. Enough about bad romance and hate and war. Music should be easy on the ear.”

Entering into the music world with a devastating heartbreak, the incomparable Roxanna penned “Unforgotten,” a sorrowful but soulful song, threaded with hope for tomorrow. “That song was my therapy,” Roxanna notes. “It just poured out of me, and helped me believe all of this happened for a reason.”

With the introduction to Exotica, lead single “Close Your Eyes” takes you on a personal journey with its dramatic storyline and emotional lyrics, Roxanna’s heartfelt message is strongly emphasized by the elegance of her gorgeous vocals.  “There is a light at the end of the tunnel, after every storm there is a rainbow, just an overall hope in the end.”

Roxanna believes, “Music should bring pleasure, it should be elegant and relaxing. It’s all about friendship, pleasure, romance, love and beauty.” Roxanna’s world of experience is translated through her passion for music and songwriting. She was born in Iran in the midst of an ongoing war with Iraq. As a child, she turned to music for balance and tranquility, religiously mimicking the English-language songs of Olivia Newton-John.

After traveling the world and experiencing both heartbreak and love, Roxanna has teamed up with the best in the industry to release Exotica, a collection of stories that are universal and inspiring.

Roxanna is determined to craft every song and lyric as relatable to whomever will take a listen with the intention to always spread love and healing through her romantic songs and stories.  It was while studying to be a nurse that Roxanna witnessed first hand the healing power of music. Roxanna sang each night to a young man battling cancer. When he was released, the man’s father said to her, “My son is better because of the way you sang to him.” With that, she realized that music, like medicine is a great healer and it was then hat she realized she needed to pursue signing as a career.

For her full-length album, she contacted well-known producer Mark Portmann credited with working with Julio Iglesias, Barbra Streisand, and Christina Aguilera. It was her rendition of Aguilera’s “Lift Me Up” that convinced Portmann to bring Roxanna under his wing. And what spawned from their collaboration was Exotica, a seamless, mastered mix of adult contemporary, classic pop, and world music.

Listening through the album, you’ll be taken on a journey of love … from the first moment of flirtation to the confidence you find with everlasting love.


Featuring a string of romantic songs including new renditions of The Hollies 1972 hit song, “The Air That I Breathe,” and Lionel Richie’s 1984 smash hit, “Hello”.

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

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.