Announcing The High Hawks On Tour: Vince Herman, Adam Greuel, Chad Staehly, Brian Adams, Will Trask

Introducing The High Hawks, Announcing Tour Dates

Denver, CO — Introducing the world to a new and exciting all-star project consisting of some good friends from the Americana, jam, and bluegrass worlds. Please meet THE HIGH HAWKS.

No one knows where the train will take them. It’s one you jump on out of the curiosity and excitement of the unknown. The very wonder of what the stars and the spirits will conjure on any given jubilee. And what the hell is a High Hawk?

Vince Herman (Leftover Salmon), Adam Greuel (Horseshoes & Hand Grenades), Chad Staehly (Hard Working Americans), Brian Adams (DeadPhish Orchestra), and Will Trask (Great American Taxi), come together with friends like Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth) as well as others to play songs, perhaps bringing an unusual sparkle to the galactic core.

THE HIGH HAWKS will be playing some Fall dates with more to come. Tickets go on sale on Friday.

10.18.19 – Fox Theatre – Boulder, CO*
10.19.19 – Cervantes Other Side – Denver, CO*
10.20.19 – Aggie Theatre – Fort Collins, CO*
11.7.19 – The Back Room @ Colectivo – Milwaukee, WI @#
11.8.19 – Spirit of Peoria – Peoria, IL @
11.9.19 – La Crosse Distilling Co. – La Crosse, WI @
11.10.19 – High Noon Saloon – Madison, WI @#

* – with special guest Kind Country
@ – with special guest Tim Carbone
# – with special guest Chicago Farmer

For more information and to stay in touch with THE HIGH HAWKS, follow along @thehighhawks on Facebook (www.facebook.com/thehighhawks) and Instagram (www.instagram.com/thehighhawks).

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Bill Scorzari Releases 1st Single From New Album, Produced by Neilson Hubbard, Feat. Erin Rae

Bill Scorzari Releases His 3rd Studio Album, Now I’m Free, September 20, 2019

Born of the past three years’ introspection and contemplation of the human condition, Scorzari writes some of his most compelling compositions to date

Produced by Neilson Hubbard at Skinny Elephant Recording,
With Performances by Erin Rae, Will Kimbrough, Eamon McLoughlin, Michael Rinne, and more

First Single “It All Matters” Out Now →  https://itallmatters.hearnow.com

 

“With a somber musical style and a hushed, gritty vocal that rises like the morning mist to mingle with Erin Rae’s grounded tones, ‘It All Matters’ is just outright pretty. Now I’m Free should be nominated for awards this year with its depth of grace and innovative tones; Scorzari taps into a nexus between the familiar and the uncanny.” —Americana Highways

Pre-order with “It All Matters” available now on iTunes

(Huntington, NY) —  On September 20, New York native, Bill Scorzari, independently releases his third full-length album of all original music titled, Now I’m Free. His sound is gritty, raw and at times, downright sad. His songs transition through a multitude of emotions, with themes centered on the experiences of the human condition. Of his music, some say it’s spoken word, and others, an amalgam of the voice of Tom Waits, the delivery of Sam Baker, and the soul of Kris Kristofferson. In his lyrics, there is a poetic grace, a calming and resigned wisdom of acceptance that shines through the wistful melancholy of hope, and breaks free. No Depression wrote, “Bill Scorzari is a force. His songwriting is stellar, his picking above par and his voice fits his songs perfectly.”

Bill says of the record, “During the past three years and beyond, I found myself in a place that demanded prolonged introspection and profound healing to be able to navigate through and journey past. This record is a journal of some of the lessons and discoveries that I’ve encountered along the way.”

Produced by Neilson Hubbard (Orphan Brigade), Now I’m Free was recorded and mixed by engineer Dylan Alldredge at Skinny Elephant Recording in Inglewood, TN and mastered by Jim DeMain at Yes Master Studios. Hubbard says, “Bill tears himself open on these 15 songs and leaves it all out there in plain sight. He is an open book delivering a record of astonishing intimacy… and the gravel and whispers in his voice carry a true knockout punch.”

The album was performed live in the studio by Scorzari and a long list of critically acclaimed and otherwise notable musicians including, Hubbard on Drums/Percussion, Multi-Instrumentalist Will Kimbrough, Vocalist Erin Rae (Americana Music Association nominee for Best Emerging Artist of 2019), Fiddler/Strings Eamon McGloughlin (AMA nominee for Best Instrumentalist of 2019), Upright and Electric Bass player Michael Rinne (AMA nominee for Best Instrumentalist of 2019), Brent Burke on Dobro, Juan Solorzano on Electric Guitar and Lap Steel, Lap Steel player and Vocalist Megan McCormick, Greg Krockta on Harmonica, and Vocalist Mia Rose Lynne.

 

Bill Scorzari. Photo by Jim Marchese

Throughout the entire album, Bill’s authenticity as a songwriter moves you through his music breath by breath. Profound and poetic, Scorzari’s emotionally charged and introspective compositions are sung with a knowing tenderness of heart.

 

The album opens with “Into the Light Of the Day,” of which Scorzari says, “Faith and trust are so important. When they are called into question, for whatever reason, it becomes difficult to see things clearly. We become distressed, and our distress makes it even harder to find clarity… Nothing can resolve until we look directly at it and confront the full depth of it all. The first step toward doing that is both the most difficult and the most liberating step, taking what troubles you into the light of the day.” 

This is fitting to describe Bill’s music in general and his approach of digging deeper into his own depth and bringing his thoughts and experiences honestly and authentically into the light through the medium of music.

He writes in the title track, “Now I’m Free,” “So, I stood there by the waterfall flowing from the bridal veil, with an angel dressed in rags. She said, ‘To hell you ride.’ And, to hell we sailed. And, we never did look back. And, she said, ‘Every word I say is true and someday you will see, spending all of our time always tryin’ to break through, leaves us no time for tryin’ to break free, and it’s time to break free.’”

Another standout track on the album is the first single, “It All Matters,” with Erin Rae adding vocal harmony. When asked about what the lyrics of this track mean to him, Scorzari says, “It’s so important to be attentive to each other. The way toward that goal, is to start to be more attentive to ourselves, to heal what needs to be healed in us and to find a path forward to our own better existence… It’s never too late to shine a light through the darkness... The big things are important, but so are the little things. It all matters.”

The nearly 11-minutes of “Yes I Will” were recorded in an unrehearsed, epic “first take” in which Bill sings, “And, I know these thoughts will come and that they will go again, and yes, I know, yes, I can still chase the harder days away with just some paper and a pen, the way the sun will rise and embrace the white moon in its own black skies, and then there’ll be no need to try to make me smile. Won’t you help me to more easily reveal my broken soul?...  I’m only distracted by my motion when I’m intent on standing still. And, if you let me have the time to just keep on tryin’ to break through, just to be human, well then, yes, I will.” 

Bill Scorzari. Photo by Jim Marchese

There is a wide variety of soundscapes in Now I’m Free, ranging from the slow country waltz of “Over Again,” the catchy uptempo road song “Treat Me Kind,” the sleepy-slow, intoxicating, drunken-swaying groove in “San Miguel County,” the crushingly intimate and breathtaking “One More Time,” and the raging blues number, “Steel Wheels.”

“When Will My Time Come Along” is a humble reminder of the seemingly endless struggles we must endure, and the importance of small accomplishments made along the way towards larger pursuits. It’s chord progression manifested easily in Scorzari’s mind, as did the lyrics for “It’s Just What I Know,” when he found himself in that “longed-for space where the words you’ve desperately searched for, and have been struggling with how to say, suddenly arrive as a gift in an unfettered moment of clarity.”

Although he picked up his first guitar at just 8 years old, it wasn’t until 2011 that he was able to give his artistry the attention it deserves. The passing of Bill’s father and role-model, whose footsteps he had followed into the practice of law, marked a time of profound change and opened a new chapter – one that required a giant leap towards pursuing a passion that had long been tucked away in Bill’s heart. The three albums (and their titles) that he created thereafter, represent the narrative and catharsis of his journey: past, present and future. 

The first two, Just the Same (2014) and Through These Waves (2017), were both released to critical acclaim. Waves, a spring release, made several best-album-of-2017 lists, including Folk Alley and Elmore Magazine. Jim Hynes, in his review of Waves in Elmore, says of Bill, “…his thoughtful, cinematically shaped songs that continue to resonate after repeated listens. Yes, this is a ‘must hear’ for singer-songwriter aficionados.” One such aficionado, WFUV’s John Platt, says, “Bill Scorzari has a lived-in voice that says, ‘Listen to these songs. They spring from the earth and the ocean with an open heart and the wisdom of experience.’” 

The success of his first two records allowed Bill to share stages with Sarah Jarosz, Sam Outlaw, The Dustbowl Revival, Tall Tall Trees, Seldom Scene, Billy Strings, Frank Fairfield, Tom Marion, Zak Sokolow, Jonah Tolchin, Jenni Lyn Gardner (Della Mae), Jeff Scroggins and Colorado, Twisted Pine, Whiskey Myers, Big Country, and many others. In July of 2019, Bill became “One of the folk,” with his inaugural performance at the Newport Folk Festival.

This third installment in his discography, Now I’m Free, offers a deeper and unguarded look into Scorzari’s soul, weathered and bared, and rooted in the present moment while moving freely into the unspoken promises of the future.

For more information, up-dates and news, please visit www.billscorzari.com, www.facebook.com/billscorzari, www.twitter.com/BillScorzari, and www.instagram.com/billscorzari.  

Now I’m Free Track Listing:

1. Into the Light of the Day (5:07)
2. Over Again (4:40)
3. Now I’m Free (3:44)
4. It All Matters (4:35)
5. One More Time (4:07)
6. When Will My Time Come Along (3:58) 
7. Treat Me Kind (3:23)
8. San Miguel County (4:36)
9. It’s Just What I Know (4:47)
10. Steel Wheels (4:48)
11. You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone (2:59)
12. Yes I Will (10:51)
13. Cypress Tree (3:37)
14. Don’t You Ever Go Away From Me (4:20)
15. New Mexico (I to Mine) (7:20)

PERFORMANCE CREDITS BY MUSICIAN
Bill Scorzari: Vocals and Acoustic Guitar
Erin Rae: Harmony Vocal (Track 4)
Mia Rose Lynne: Harmony Vocals (Tracks 2, 14)
Will Kimbrough: Electric Guitar (Tracks 5, 7, 10, 15), Slide Guitar (Track 7), Mandolin (Track 11), Cigar Box Guitar (Track 14), Piano (Track 5)
Juan Solorzano: Electric Guitar (Tracks 1, 4, 7, 9, 10, 12), Lap Steel Guitar (Tracks 2, 8, 9, 11), 2nd Acoustic Guitar (Tracks 4, 15)
Megan McCormick: Lap steel (Tracks 1, 3, 4, 6, 13), Harmony Vocal (Track 6)
Brent Burke: Dobro
Greg Krockta: Harmonica
Michael Rinne: Upright Bass & Electric Bass
Neilson Hubbard: Drums/Percussion, Piano (Track 14)

All songs, lyrics and music written, arranged and performed by Bill Scorzari

 

Bill Scorzari Tour Dates

8/24 Sat – Taste Budd’s Cafe’ – Red Hook, NY
8/25 Sun – Dogwood Bread Company – Wadhams, NY
8/26 Mon – Radio Bean – Burlington, VT
8/27 Tue – Abilene Bar and Lounge – Rochester, NY
8/30 Fri – Plain Folk Cafe’ Music & Coffee House – Pleasant Plain, OH
8/31 Sat – Over Yonder House Concerts – Toledo, OH
9/1 Sun – Visible Voice – Cleveland, OH
9/4 Wed – Uncommon Ground – Edgewater Listening Room – Chicago, IL
9/5 Thu – The Elbo Room – Chicago, IL
9/6 Fri –  Wild Rose Moon – Plymouth, IN
9/7 Sat – Wild Rose Moon – Plymouth, IN
9/8 Sun – Ca’d’Zan House Concerts – Cambridge, IL
9/13 Fri – Black Forest Community Center – Colorado Springs, CO
9/14 Sat – The Laughing Goat Coffee House – Boulder, CO
9/15 Sun – The Muse Performance Space – Lafayette, CO
9/21 Sat – Cafe Zippy – Everett, WA
9/22 Sun – Tim’s Tavern – Seattle, WA
9/27 Fri – Artichoke Music – Portland, OR
9/28 Sat – Crown Alley Irish Pub – Ocean Park, WA
10/3 Thu – Flynn’s Cabaret & Steakhouse – Felton, CA
10/5 Sat – The Shady Lady House Concert – Saratoga, CA
10/9 Wed – The Blue Guitar at The Arroyo Seco Golf Course – South Pasadena, CA
10/11-12 Fri-Sat – 16th Annual Far-West Conference – Woodland Hills, CA
10/25 Fri – Pecan Grove Store – Fredericksburg, TX
For more information, up-dates and news, please visit www.billscorzari.com, www.facebook.com/billscorzari, www.twitter.com/BillScorzari, and www.instagram.com/billscorzari.

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Leftover Salmon Celebrates 30 Years Under The Big Top NYE At Mission Ballroom w/ Karl Denson & Lindsay Lou

Leftover Salmon Celebrates 30 Years Under The Big Top
On New Years Eve 2019 at The Mission Ballroom
With Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe and Lindsay Lou

Presale $29.95-39.95/ ADV $45 / DOS $50 / VIP $99.95
Doors @ 6:30PM

Presale: Thursday 8/15 10a – 10p MST   Password: BIGTOP
On Sale Friday 8/16 – Ticket link: http://bit.ly/losbigtop

The Mission Ballroom: 4242 Wynkoop Street, Denver, CO 80216
www.missionballroom.com
 

DENVER, CO —Few bands stick around for thirty years. Even fewer bands leave a legacy during that time that marks them as a truly special, once-in-lifetime type band. And no band has done all that and had as much fun as Leftover Salmon. NPR’s Mountain Stage says, “One of the most fun-loving bands you’ll encounter, Leftover Salmon has built a fervent audience with an insatiable thirst for living, and re-living, its energetic live performances,” while Offbeat calls them, “One of the most spirited, jovial bands of the jam band nation.” 

Since their earliest days as a forward thinking, progressive bluegrass band who had the guts to add drums to the mix and who was unafraid to stir in any number of highly combustible styles into their ever evolving sound, to their role as a pioneer of the modern jamband scene, to their current status as elder-statesmen of the scene who cast a huge influential shadow over every festival they play, Leftover Salmon has been a crucial link in keeping alive the traditional music of the past while at the same time pushing that sound forward with their own weirdly, unique style.

Leftover Salmon’s Vince Herman says, “A long strange swim it’s been for salmon. Through many incarnations, losses, joys, festivals, bars, barns, mountains, rivers, oceans, benefits, weddings, and goat yoga sessions; we have kept the big ball rolling with a love of music and each other to keep ourselves plowing ahead the only way we know how. Thank you all for letting us have this much fun for so long.” Vince continues “We are really excited to bring in the new year (and celebrate 30 years as a band) at home in Denver’s brand new Mission Ballroom, an absolute state of the art venue we hope to call home for years to come.”

Drew Emmitt adds, “So excited to celebrate this auspicious milestone at the fabulous new Mission Ballroom 

with friends, family, and so many fans that have supported us these thirty years! What an amazing journey this has been and continues to be!”

The band formed in 1989 when members of two Colorado-based bands that occasional jammed with one another, Vince Herman’s Salmon Heads joined forces with Drew Emmit’s Left Hand String Band to play a New Year’s Eve show at the Eldo, a live music venue in Crested Butte. As the story goes, a couple of members of the Salmon Heads couldn’t make the drive from Boulder, so they recruited members of the Left Hand String Band to join in for the festivities.

The Salina Journal writes, “Leftover Salmon wasn’t meant to last more than one night, much less still be cooking 30 years later… [Since then] The band has recorded multiple bestselling albums and has been an influence on a younger generation of folk-rock and bluegrass bands.”

Author Tim Newby tells the tale in his new book Leftover Salmon: Thirty Years of Festival! which was published February 2019 by Rowman & Littlefield. Here is an excerpt:

“One of the clearest memories I have is driving to the gig with Drew and thinking, ‘Man, this is cool,’” says Herman. “This is the start of something new.” Emmitt and Herman, who were riding to the show together in Emmitt’s truck, were discussing what to call this conglomeration of the Left Hand String Band and the Salmon Heads, when Herman in a moment of pure simplistic, inspiration blurted out, “Leftover Salmon.” A solution so straightforward and simple it made perfect sense. Combine the names of the two bands and move on. Emmitt reflects on that burst of inspiration he has lived with ever since. “We laughed and said, ‘Okay.’ We didn’t think it was going to turn into anything at that point. We thought we were just going to be together for that gig.” Herman agrees, “I really thought it’d only last one gig.” Despite this uncertainty of this new band’s future for Herman, the drive to the show was filled with much optimism about the future for the two young musicians. Perhaps it was the impending New Year or the wide-open possibilities looming ahead for both. Herman states, “There was a definite sense of onward to the future going into that gig we both felt on the ride there.”

Heading into their fourth decade Leftover Salmon is showing no signs of slowing down as they are coming off the release of their most recent album, Something Higher (released in 2018), which has been universally hailed as one of the band’s finest releases. Something Higher shows how even upon preparing to enter their fourth decade Leftover Salmon is proving it possible to recreate themselves without changing who they are. Billboard writes, “By blending so many elements of two-step, rock ‘n’ roll, bluegrass and more, they’re able to repeatedly maintain a fresh sound, no matter how many years pass.”

The band now features a line-up that has been together longer than any other in Salmon history and is one of the strongest the legendary band has ever assembled. Built around the core of founding members Drew Emmitt and Vince Herman, the band is now powered by banjo-wiz Andy Thorn, and driven by the steady rhythm section of bassist Greg Garrison, drummer Alwyn Robinson, and keyboardist Erik Deutsch.

For more information, tour dates, and other LoS news, please visit www.LeftoverSalmon.com.

 

 

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The Contribution (Tim Carbone, Steve Adams, Jeff Miller, Phil Ferlino) Album Release & Colorado Shows!

The Contribution Colorado Album Release Shows This August!
Featuring Tim Carbone (Railroad Earth), Steve Adams (ALO), Jeff Miller (New Monsoon), Phil Ferlino (New Monsoon), Sheryl Renee (The Black Swan Singers), Will Trask (Great American Taxi, Analog Son)

Thursday, August 22 – Washington’s – Fort Collins, CO
Friday, August 23 – Ophelia’s Electric Soapbox – Denver, CO
Saturday, August 24 – KBUT Kampout – Gunnison, CO

The Contribution Release Wilderness And Space On August 23, 2019

When Relix magazine announced the The Contribution’s debut record, Which Way World (2010), and called them a “jamband supergroup,” they also recognized, “the band serves the songs first and foremost.” Although the band is comprised of some of the scene’s heavy hitters, the first listen to their music reveals their love of 60s pop and soul coupled with their ability to flat-out shred. It is what makes the band appealing to music lovers from all walks of life. In 2017, The Contribution released seven tracks from their upcoming LoHi Records album, Wilderness and Space, with full proceeds from each single going to a different non-profit organization. The full ten-song album will be out on all digital platforms on August 23.

The Contribution is the brainchild of Tim Carbone of Railroad Earth (violin, guitar, vocals) together with Phil Ferlino (keyboards, vocals), and Jeff Miller (guitar, vocals) of New Monsoon. Keith Moseley (String Cheese Incident) has been the bass player from the band’s inception, along with vocalist Sheryl Renee (The Black Swan Singers). The drum chair was previously occupied by Matt Butler (Everyone Orchestra), and Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic); both who appear on the album. Will Trask (Great American Taxi) will be performing for the album release shows in the summer of 2019. 

The first song was released in February 2017 with all proceeds donated to Rex Foundation. Consecutive songs came out monthly, each paired with unique artwork and all proceeds benefiting a different non-profit partner hand-picked by members of the band. Others taking part include Conscious Alliance, HeadCount, Rock the Earth, and a handful of other organizations that support the arts, environment, and health.

Releasing records and touring is a cycle that is a part of each member’s individual careers. Initially conceived as a studio project that would play select live shows, the emphasis for The Contribution was always on writing and recording. Rather than releasing a full record with expectations of touring to support it, Carbone wanted to find a way to live up to the band’s name and this is what they cooked up to keep going and give back in the process.

How could the creation of music be leveraged for the betterment of the world at large? A lofty goal. The band has never been about personal profit and individually the members have been advocates and activists for various environmental and social causes. Now they have thought of a way to meld the two worlds the band holds dear. They are The Contribution, after all. Carbone says, “We feel blessed to be able to make this music and have it help people in need… and we would like to empower those who share our passion and provide a resource for them to take action with us.”

Wilderness and Space will be released on LoHi Records, of which Carbone is one of the partners along with singer/songwriter and record producer Todd Snider, Hard Working Americans’ Chad Staehly, who is also with Gold Mountain Entertainment in Nashville, and entrepreneur and marketing veteran Jim Brooks. All songs written and produced by Tim Carbone, Phil Ferlino, and Jeff Miller.

The album opens with “Dream Out In The Rain,” is a song about having the courage to dream and believing in yourself, with the lyrics “Don’t wait to start… Today’s the new tomorrow… Open your heart… And your story will follow.” 

Some of the songs are dark and dig into the psyche of shame, addiction, trauma, and regret (“It Ain’t No Sin,” “Passengers Of Darkness,” “Somewhere On A Train,” and “Oh No”). While others bring a lighter attitude like “Back This Way,” a duet sung as a conversation between a man and a woman whose relationship is suffering because the man is always away from home (he could be a musician or a traveling salesman or in the military; it’s an argument that somehow, through love, turns out well.

“The Great Boot” is about remembering to take the time to love and appreciate those that love you; scars to your soul can be the hardest to see and overcome. The title track, “Wilderness And Space”  signifies the epitome of what is learned through the album; it is a stream of consciousness tone poem about dealing with life like a compassionate warrior. 

Carbone says, “I wrote the words to ‘This Too Shall Pass’ for our guitar player Jeff after his mother passed away from breast cancer.” Miller says, “The song was written as a reference to the cathartic idea that even in our darkest days, with a loved one passing, there is hope. In writing and recording this song, I forever have a way to remember my mom and bring her into being whenever the song is played… a true blessing.”

“So Long, Farewell” closes out the album and the whole song  is like a hallucination; a fever dream that ends with too many people talking and the room spinning. 

The Contribution is excited to have the full album out and the band hopes that you enjoy it as much as they have enjoyed the process of creating it.

Wilderness And Space Track Listing:

 

1. Dream Out In The Rain
2. It Ain’t No Sin 
3. Passengers Of Darkness
4. Back This Way
5. The Great Boot
6. Somewhere On A Train
7. Oh No
8. Wilderness And Space 
9. This Too Shall Pass
10. So Long, Farewell

 

 

For more information, please visit www.TheContribution.net, www.facebook.com/TheContribution, www.twitter.com/thecontribution, and www.instagram.com/thecontribution.

 

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