The Honeycutters Announce Tour Dates, New Album ‘Me Oh My’ Out April 21 via Organic Records

The Honeycutters. Photo by Sandlin Gaither

Asheville-based American Country Roots Band, The Honeycutters,
Set to Release 3rd Studio Album, Me Oh My, on Tue, April 21, 2015 With Organic Record Company

“… just superb, with a sweet toned and melodious aura… Today’s Smoky Mountain area modern folk thing does have a certain vibe, and these guys are among its finest purveyors.” –Music City Roots’ Craig Havighurst

“Their music embodies a very catchy, accessible, optimistic sort of spirit so frequently lacking in folk circles (where brooding, hyper-analytical music reigns supreme). What’s more, like Carolina Story, they’re a great band replete with tasty harmonies.” –Folk Music About.com’s Kim Ruehl

Announcing Spring and Summer Tour
Throughout the Southeast and Into the Northeast

The Honeycutters, an Asheville, NC-based original country roots band, is set to release their third studio album, Me Oh My, on April 21, 2015 with Organic Records®. Fueled by the powerful songwriting and vocals of founder Amanda Platt, Me Oh My moves her into the spotlight as producer, band leader, and principal creative force behind the band. With songs that are honest and relatable, part chagrin and part hope, Platt’s voice carries a timeless appeal. Pre-sales for the album have launched on iTunes and include four immediate tracks to download off the fourteen track release. They have announced tour dates throughout the southeast and into the northeast this spring and summer; more dates will be announced.

Led by songwriter Amanda Anne Platt, The Honeycutters include Tal Taylor on mandolin, Rick Cooper on bass, Josh Milligan on drums, and Matt Smith rounds out the band on pedal steel, electric guitar, and dobro to create a sound that carries just as well across the bar room as in a church or a theater. Platt’s songs are shaped by a raw honesty that comes straight from the heart and emits a sort of melancholy happiness.

Me Oh My is threaded with themes of love, loss, acceptance and regrowth. It kicks off with an engaging southern swingin’ song, “Jukebox,” that is about taking life one day at a time and not taking yourself too seriously saying “it’s only a song, so for heaven’s sake won’t you sing along?” The title cut is an inspirational anthem about the state of the modern woman, stating, “Some girls marry and some girls wait.” Me Oh My brings more of what fans love about The Honeycutters, honestly written songs sung in Platt’s authentic voice. The up-tempo, beer-raising, danceable “Ain’t It The Truth” is one that will fuel audiences at live shows while melancholy ballads like “Texas ’81” balance the album both in meter and mood. The upbeat “I’ll Be Lovin’ You” as a whole speaks to holding someone up until they are strong enough to stand on their own. Me Oh My delves deeper into the darker realms of love with “Little Bird” which gained Platt notoriety as it was chosen as a finalist at MerleFest’s prestigious Chris Austin Songwriting Contest (2011).

Platt self produced the album along with the help of engineer and assistant producer Jon Ashley. The album was recorded in Echo Mountain Recording Studio and Mixtown Studio in Asheville, NC and it was mixed and mastered just down the road at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.

“The new album is the one I’m most proud of to date.” Platt says, “I took much more of a driver’s seat in it’s making, and the process has forced me to do a lot of growing up… I feel like I’ve really found my voice. I’m very excited about the line up of the band, and the songwriting includes some of my very favorites.”

The Honeycutters on Tour
4/2 Thu – Robert Ferst Theatre Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
4/3 Fri – Mars Theatre – Springfield, GA
4/17 Fri – Isis Music Hall – Asheville, NC
4/18 Sat – Shakori Hills GrassRoots Festival – Silk Hope, NC
4/22 Wed – Music City Roots – Nashville, TN
4/24 Fri – MerleFest – Wilkesboro, NC
5/2 Sat – Sylvia Theater – York, SC
5/3 Sun – Eddie’s Attic – Decatur, GA
5/8 Fri – The Willow Tree – Johnson City, TN
5/9 Sat – Barley’s – Knoxville TN
5/14 Thu – The Double Door Inn – Charlotte, NC
5/15 Fri – Bourgie Nights – Wilmington, NC >
6/4 Thu – The ArtsCenter – Carrboro, NC
6/5 Fri – Sails Music Series – Hickory, NC
6/17 Sun – 10th Ave Burrito Co. – Belmar, NJ
6/18 – Thu – Rockwood Music Hall 2 – New York, NY *
6/20 Sat – Rochester International Jazz Festival – Rochester, NY
6/21 Sun – Mechanic Street House – Cleveland, OH
8/21 Fri – Summer Tracks Rogers Park Amphitheater – Tryon, NC
8/22 Sat- Cataloochee Ranch – Maggie Valley, NC

> w/ Massive Grass
* w/ The Hillbenders

For more information about The Honeycutters and further tour dates, please visit: www.thehoneycutters.com. For news from the road, please visit www.facebook.com/Honeycutters and twitter.com/thehoneycutters.

 

 

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Acoustic Syndicate Performs in the Southeast This Fall, Announces Thanksgiving Show

Acoustic Syndicate. Photo by Lynne Harty.

Acoustic Syndicate Performs in the Southeast This Fall, Announces Thanksgiving Show

Celebrating the Anniversaries of WNCW & Isothermal Community College in Sept
Shows in Georgia and Florida in Early November
Annual Thanksgiving Homecoming Show Set for Nov 29th at The Grey Eagle in Asheville

With a touring and recording history of more than 20 years, a strong following regionally and beyond, and a history of playing festivals like Bonnaroo and Farm Aid, North Carolina favorites Acoustic Syndicate returned in 2013 with their first record since 2004, Rooftop Garden.

The band is set to perform a select number of shows in the southeast this Fall including two shows on September 27th; a daytime performance at the Isothermal Community College (the home of WNCW radio) in Spindale, NC for the college’s 50 Year Anniversary, and another set later that evening at Pisgah Brewing Company’s outdoor stage in Black Mountain, NC to celebrate WNCW’s 25 Year Anniversary on the airwaves. In early November they return to Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta before heading on to Lucky’s in Valdosta, GA and the Riverhawk Music Festival in Brooksville, FL. Acoustic Syndicate is also happy to announce their annual Asheville Thanksgiving show at the Grey Eagle in Asheville on November 29th.

Having claimed the #6 spot in WNCW’s 2013 year-end Top-100 listener poll with Rooftop Garden, the band is as beloved to the Western North Carolina audience as they’ve ever been. “Acoustic Syndicate has remained one of WNCW listeners’ favorite regional and overall acts ever since they began in the ‘90’s,” says WNCW’s Martin Anderson. “In fact they were one of the Top 10 favorite WNCW artists during our big 20th Anniversary vote in 2009, ranking alongside such A-list acts as the Avett Brothers, the Allman Brothers, and Alison Krauss. When I think of bands that best represent the overall sound of what we do at WNCW – roots music, rock, jamming, harmonizing, songs that tell a good story – it’s hard to think of a better one than Acoustic Syndicate.”

Produced by Grammy Award winner Stewart Lerman (Boardwalk Empire, Patti Smith, The Roches, Antony and the Johnsons, Crash Test Dummies), Rooftop Garden features the band’s distinctive blend of rock and acoustic music, all influenced by the players’ love of a wide range of music, from reggae to American roots. “Their modern take on traditional bluegrass and rock values culminates in a glimmering, driving sound rich with acoustic textures and glowing vocals,” writes Paul Kerr on JamBase.

They have also branched out into new territory with the album as Glide’s Bryan Rodgers notes, “… in 2010, new songs began creeping into set-lists and the band began a new era. The culmination is Rooftop Garden…The passage of time, dedication to other interests (family, farming, and software engineering for instance) and newfound musical freedom helped the band create their most personal album yet, which is remarkable. All of the music… has a distinctly human touch, with topics like sustainability, the frailty of existence, love, and community. Rooftop Garden is somehow more immediate because of where the band now finds themselves musically: with no one to please but themselves and an even broader range of life experiences from which to cull material.”

“The tunes on this album were written with an essentially positive message, one about humanity, earth, responsibility and peace,” said singer/guitarist Steve McMurry. He and his cousin Bryon McMurry (banjo, electric guitar) split the songwriting and lead vocal duties 50/50 on this new album, and are joined by Bryon’s brother Fitz McMurry (drums) for the kind of three part harmony that only close relatives who grew up singing together can conjure up. The band is rounded out by always in-demand bassist Jay Sanders and dobro wizard Billy Cardine; both of whom make use of Moog synthesizers and pedals to craft a unique ensemble sound.

The McMurry family has been in family farming in the same region of Cleveland County, NC since the 1700s. Their love of the land and their serious approach to its stewardship is echoed by the love of the music they make and the care with which they make it. Rooftop Garden conveys important things about the environment we all share, grounded in the life experiences of people who truly love what they do. “Through our music, we have tried to maintain a consistent message, a reminder,” says Steve McMurry, “that this Earth is the only one we will ever have. And though we speak of some lofty ideals in our music, my most fervent hope is that when people listen to us or come to our show, they leave with a laugh and a smile and the satisfaction of having been a part of something positive.”

Acoustic Syndicate Fall Shows 2014
9/27 Sat – Isothermal CC 50th Anniv. on the Campus Green- Spindale, NC
9/27 Sat – WNCW’s 25th Anniv. Party at Pisgah Brewing Co – Black Mountain, NC*
11/6 Thu – Smith’s Olde Bar – Atlanta, GA
11/7 Fri – Lucky’s – Valdosta, GA
11/8 Sat – Riverhawk Music Festival – Brooksville, FL
11/29 Sat- The Grey Eagle – Annual Thanksgiving show – Asheville, NC
* w/ Shane Pruitt Band & Phuncle Sam

For more information and other news, please visit www.acousticsyndicate.com, facebook.com/AcousticSyndicate and twitter.com/asyndicate.

 

 

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Doc Watson “Sitting Beside Himself” Video by Brian Adam Smith

Doc Watson “Sitting Beside Himself”
by Brian Adam Smith with music by Glory On The Floor

Clips from the first time Doc Watson ever sat beside his own statue in Boone, NC.

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John Driskell Hopkins & Balsam Range Asheville Album Release Show at Isis Music Hall on Fri, Feb 1st

John Driskell Hopkins has walked the musical path for the last 20 years. As a bass player, guitar player, singer and songwriter for several bands of the rock variety, Hopkins rooted himself in the Atlanta, GA music scene in 1995, producing records and touring with his band Brighter Shade and later becoming a founding member of the Zac Brown Band to this day. Now he has teamed up with North Carolina bluegrass band, Balsam Range, to record and independently produce a new album, Daylight, which is set for national release on January 22nd. They will be performing an Asheville album release show on Friday, February 1st at the NEW Isis Restaurant and Music Hall.

A lifelong fan of bluegrass and gospel music, John became an instant fan of Balsam Range, an award-winning and unstoppable 5-piece hailing from Haywood County, North Carolina. As John’s plans for a solo record took shape, he realized that BR’s authentic style and approach could bring his songs new life, and a vision for his record became clear.

Of performing with with BR, John says “Being on stage with Balsam Range is like body-surfing in warm butter-cream icing with hillbilly cherubs. Smooth…..” Balsam Range is Buddy Melton (fiddle, vocals), Darren Nicholson (Mandolin, vocals), Marc Pruett (Banjo, Vocals), Caleb Smith (guitar, vocals), and Tim Surrett (bass, dobro, vocals).

Over the course of a year, the collective made use of their sparse days off the road and arranged to pow-wow and track basics at John’s home studio in Atlanta, GA or at Crossroads Studio in Arden, NC, eventually bringing the songs to form. John utilized the Zac Brown Band’s amazing new Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, TN for the final engineering and mixing, and in the middle of September 2012, the album was completed.

John is thrilled to have included several special guests on the album, including Zac Brown on “I Will Lay Me Down,” a sweet and sacred song; Levi Lowrey on “How Could I?” a song co-written by the two, and the heavenly Joey Feek of Joey + Rory on the autobiographical “Bye Baby Goodbye.” And of the musicians featured on Daylight, John could not have done better: the unmatched Jerry Douglas opens the record with dobro on “Runaway Train,” and Tony Trischka brings his banjo mastery to the title-track, “Daylight,” a longtime song in Hopkins’ repertoire about breaking through life’s troubles into brighter times.

If you’re a Zac Brown Band fan, you’ll hear a couple familiar songs, though most tracks are newly penned with BR’s talent and magic in mind, and a couple songs are some of John’s oldest tunes, written with his band of many years, Brighter Shade, and beautifully reworked for this special new project.

Show Details at a Glance:
John Driskell Hopkins and Balsam Range
Album Release Show for Daylight
Isis Restaurant & Music Hall
Friday, Feb 1, 2013
8pm doors, 9pm show; $12 ADV, $15 DOS; All Ages
828-575-2737
743 Haywood Rd. Asheville, NC 28806
www.isisasheville.com

For more about John Driskell Hopkins and Daylight, visit www.JohnDriskellHopkins.com.

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Red June at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall 1/12 ** New Video for “Cloud of Dust”

Red June at Isis Restaurant & Music Hall Saturday, Jan 12, 2013
New Video for “Cloud of Dust”

Red June kicked off 2013 with a brand new music video (their first ever!) of John’s song, Cloud of Dust. They write, “We thought it was fitting for this time of year as we reflect on the past and look with hope toward the future.”

Their album Beauty Will Come was voted #4 Regional Release and #59 in the Top 100 on WNCW’s top releases of 2012

They also made an appearance on UNC-TV’s North Carolina Weekend last month, here is a link to the segment.

Red June will be performing at the Isis Music Hall and Restaurant on Saturday, January 12th in Asheville, NC. 9pm. More information can be found at: http://isisasheville.com/calendar/

redjunemusic.com
twitter.com/redjunemusic
facebook.com/redjuneasheville
youtube.com/user/redjunemusic

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John Driskell Hopkins & Balsam Range Release DAYLIGHT on Jan 22, 2013

John Driskell Hopkins & Balsam Range Release DAYLIGHT Jan 22, 2013

Founding Member of the Zac Brown Band, John Driskell Hopkins, teams up with Mountain Home Recording Artists, Balsam Range,
to Independently Release Daylight on January 22, 2013

John Driskell Hopkins has walked the musical path for the last 20 years. As a bass player, guitar player, singer and songwriter for several bands of the rock variety, Hopkins rooted himself in the Atlanta, GA music scene in 1995, producing records and touring with his band Brighter Shade and later becoming a founding member of the Zac Brown Band to this day. Now he has teamed up with North Carolina bluegrass band, Balsam Range, to record a new album, Daylight, which debuted at the Southern Ground Music and Food Festival in Charleston, SC in October 2012. Daylight was independently produced and is set for national release on January 22, 2013 and features an array of special guests.

A lifelong fan of bluegrass and gospel music, John became an instant fan of Balsam Range, an award-winning and unstoppable 5-piece hailing from Haywood County, North Carolina. As John’s plans for a solo record took shape, he realized that BR’s authentic style and approach could bring his songs new life, and a vision for his record became clear.

Over the course of a year, the collective made use of their sparse days off the road and arranged to pow-wow and track basics at John’s home studio in Atlanta, GA or at Crossroads Studio in Arden, NC, eventually bringing the songs to form. John utilized the Zac Brown Band’s amazing new Southern Ground Studios in Nashville, TN for the final engineering and mixing, and in the middle of September 2012, the album was completed.

John is thrilled to have included several special guests on the album, including Zac Brown on “I Will Lay Me Down,” a sweet and sacred song; Levi Lowrey on “How Could I?” a song co-written by the two, and the heavenly Joey Feek of Joey + Rory on the autobiographical “Bye Baby Goodbye.” And of the musicians featured on Daylight, John could not have done better: the unmatched Jerry Douglas opens the record with dobro on “Runaway Train,” and Tony Trischka brings his banjo mastery to the title-track, “Daylight,” a longtime song in Hopkins’ repertoire about breaking through life’s troubles into brighter times.

Of singing on stage with BR, John says “Being on stage with Balsam Range is like body-surfing in warm butter-cream icing with hillbilly cherubs. Smooth…..” Balsam Range is Buddy Melton (fiddle, vocals), Darren Nicholson (Mandolin, vocals), Marc Pruett (Banjo, Vocals), Caleb Smith (guitar, vocals), and Tim Surrett (bass, dobro, vocals).

If you’re a Zac Brown Band fan, you’ll hear a couple familiar songs, though most tracks are newly penned with BR’s talent and magic in mind, and a couple songs are some of John’s oldest tunes, written with his band of many years, Brighter Shade, and beautifully reworked for this special new project.

Hopkins met Zac Brown in 1998 at an open mic hosted by Hopkins. Over the next several years, they remained friends and with Hopkins lending a production hand, they released the first Zac Brown record, “Home Grown,” in 2004.

Hopkins became a founding member of the Zac Brown Band in 2005 and has enjoyed engineering and songwriting credits on hit songs such as “Toes,” “It’s Not OK,” and “Sic Em On A Chicken,” from the multi-platinum selling record “The Foundation,” as well as “Nothing,” “I Play The Road,” and “Settle Me Down,” from the platinum selling record, “You Get What You Give.”

As the ZBB continues to garner critical and public success through Grammy, CMA, and ACM Awards, Hopkins continues to share the spotlight on stage with his band of fellow songwriters and friends and is excited to share his collaboration with Balsam Range with the world.

For more about John Driskell Hopkins and Daylight, visit www.JohnDriskellHopkins.com.

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Bring It On Home for the Holidays with Shannon Whitworth & Barrett Smith @ The Altamont Theatre 12/20

Shannon Whitworth & Barrett Smith
“Bring It On Home” Holiday Party
The Altamont Theatre
Thursday, December 20th, 2012
$15/$12adv; 7pm door/  8pm show
18 Church St., Asheville, NC  28801
828-348-5327
myaltamont.com

Shannon Whitworth and Barrett Smith are happy to announce a Holiday Party at The Altamont Theatre in Asheville, NC on Thursday, December 20th. Joining them for the occasion are Mike Ashworth on bass, Jeff Sipe on drums, and Jacob Rodriguez on saxaphone all of whom also performed on their new album Bring it On Home, of which Jazz Times exclaims is, “that hidden diamond that may be the best recording to cross this desk all year.” Don’t be surprised if other special guests show up to sit in as well to perform songs from this new and elegant album!

Bring It on Home is a twelve track mix-tape collection of Barrett and Shannon’s favorite songs by their favorite songwriters. Esteemed writer, Gary von Tersch sums it up nicely, “from Paul Simon’s noir-ish New England tale of  ‘Duncan,’ Sanders and Cochrans’ cozily witty ballad ‘I Get Ideas’ and Leonard Cohen’s oft-covered early hit ‘Bird On The Wire’ to their unnervingly bluesy take on Paul Siebel’s signature portrait of ‘Louise’ along with a similarly bluesy, revelatory version of Van Morrison’s passionate ‘I’ll Be Your Lover Too.’ And it gets even better, with a soulfully wistful arrangement of Sam Cooke’s signature plea ‘Bring It On Home To Me,’ ditto Tom Waits’ atmospheric ‘Green Grass’ (with Jacob Rodriguez’ bluesy saxophone drifting wonderfully alongside Whitworth’s throaty vocal) and A.C. Jobim’s lazily pensive samba ‘Corcovado (Quiet Nights),’ probably the album highlight for me. Timeless tunes timelessly performed.”

Recorded in Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studio with a team of talented friends and musicians from the area including legendary drummer Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Leftover Salmon) and master multi-instrumentalist Mike Ashworth who formed the core rhythm section. Justin Ray and Jacob Rodriguez took a break from touring with Michael Buble to contribute on trumpet and saxophone. and virtuoso bluegrass fiddlers Nate Leath and Nicky Sanders (Steep Canyon Rangers) added violins to Melissa Hyman’s cello lines while Michael Libramento, of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, played keyboards.

Cover Lay Down writes, “Gentle trumpet, uke, fiddle, banjo and saxophone flourishes lend just the right layers to the songs, showcasing strong and deliberate vocals, crisp guitars and pianos, and arrangements without disrupting the smooth track-to-track flow. And the combination of voices here is heavenly, with Smith and Whitworth’s equally intimate, equally weary voices trading lead and harmony in true duo form.”  Music New Nashville goes on to simply state, “The duo slays the opening cut, and in doing so, reveal a secret in doing a cover – sometimes it’s not about changing a song to reflect your personality, or ‘making it your own,’ it’s simply a case of letting the song  be front and center – which they do rather well here.”

In the holiday spirit they are offering a FREE DOWNLOAD of the opening track, their version of Sam Cooke’s “Bring it on Home to Me”

The album was released Nationally this November and makes the perfect holiday gift, attractive to folks across multiple generations. Get it here: http://barrettsmith.com/listenbuy.cfm and also on iTunes.

“From start to finish, Bring it on Home is crafted with love…
a timeless collection”
—Alli Marshall, Mountain Xpress

BarrettSmith.com
ShannonWhitworth.net

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Barbie Dockstader Angell Launches Pre-Sales for Upcoming Children’s Book “Roasting Questions”

Barbie Dockstader Angell’s Upcoming Children’s Book Roasting Questions

Poems & Illustrations

Available Now on Pre-Sale

Preview the book at www.RoastingQuestions.com

A delightful book of children’s poems & illustrations Roasting Questions by Barbie Dockstader Angell is available now for pre-sale with the goal of publishing before the holiday season. Roasting Questions is highly recommended for kids, you, your friends and for anyone with an imagination! The Book is available to preview at RoastingQuestions.com. Please check it out & consider buying–& sponsoring (which will get you some great goodies!)

Angell’s goal is to raise $5000 total to ensure the book will be published in time for the holidays. On Monday, October 15th, Roasting Questions received a $500 donation with two stipulations. One, that the donor remain anonymous, and two, that the book receive another $500 in pre-sales and sponsorships by Monday, October 22nd.

Angell, an Asheville favorite, was named in the top three for 2011 and 2012’s Mountain Xpress “Best of WNC poets.” This is her first book.

Barbie Angell is not just a prominent poet, but also a gifted illustrator. Roasting Questions, her first book, features original illustrations as well as child-friendly poems for all ages.

“My goal has always been to reach people who don’t know they like poetry, and convince them that they do,” Angell says.

A self-described “writer who rhymes,” Angell’s affinity for rhyme grew naturally from a youth spent devouring the works of Shel Silverstein and Lewis Carroll. In fact, Roasting Questions features several nods to the Where The Sidewalk Ends author. Rosanne Cash, who knew Silverstein, says, “Barbie’s poems are reminiscent of Shel Silverstein, but totally unique to her sensibility. They are infused with a bright spirit, a heart that seeks and explores, and a gentle insight.”

Angell brings her witty humor to ice-cream shops, schools, libraries, parties, and also performs her unique “bar poetry” in more adult settings. Asheville’s Mountain Xpress writes, “Local poet Barbie Angell is known for her mischievous sense of humor (in case you missed it a year-and-a-half ago, go here for Angell’s Rapture Survival tips), her fanciful, elfin-inspired fashion, and (most importantly) her poetry.”

Roasting Questions is published through Grateful Steps Publishing, a nonprofit publishing house based in Asheville, NC. The book can be previewed and pre-ordered at www.RoastingQuestions.com, and will be released officially around Thanksgiving 2012. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to Mooseheart Child City, where Angell lived for four years.

Here’s what folks are saying about Roasting Questions:

“Her ‘anthropomorphizing’ of feelings (‘irony tastes like fudge’) is quirky and engaging. I imagine children and adults both will revel in her work– both her poetry and her wonderful drawings.”  —Rosanne Cash

“Art is about oblique angles — seeing things in ways we’ve never seen them before. Barbie has a gift for that, and this book is a generous invitation to the rest of us to climb inside her quirky head for a delightful ride.”  —David LaMotte

“In her poetry Angell opens up her soul for all to see. She discusses her shortcomings, her views on life, lessons learned and a host of other topics.You can definitely read strength in what she is saying and like all good writers she speaks not only for herself but of life in general and of the status quo.”  —Rapid River Magazine

For more information about Barbie Angell or Roasting Questions, visit www.barbieangell.com, facebook.com/barbieangell or follow @barbieangell on Twitter.

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Shannon Whitworth & Barrett Smith Release “Bring It On Home” on Nov 20th

Shannon Whitworth & Barrett Smith’s “Bring It On Home”

A Duo Album Featuring:
The Songs of Paul Simon to A.C. Jobim to Sam Cooke

“Bring It On Home is that hidden diamond that may be the best recording to cross this desk all year.” —C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz

“From start to finish, Bring it on Home is crafted with love… a timeless collection” —Alli Marshall, Mountain Xpress

National Release Date: November 20th, 2012

(Asheville, NC)– Shannon Whitworth and Barrett Smith are thrilled to announce the release of a new duo album, Bring It On Home. Independently recorded, it is set for National release on November 20, 2012.

In Bring it on Home, Shannon Whitworth and Barrett Smith offer up a collection of their favorite songs by their favorite songwriters. From Paul Simon to A.C. Jobim to Sam Cooke. All About Jazz writes, “Relaxed and confident, Whitworth and Smith work their way across an almost 100-year landscape of music that is the crowning achievement of the song writer’s craft. They do so with quiet percussion and carefully chosen accompaniment that makes this perfect listening music: appealing to both nostalgia and the appreciation of fine music making.”

In this eclectic album, Shannon and Barrett take turns singing lead, backing each other on harmony vocals, and playing various instrumentations with Shannon on ukulele, banjo and Barrett on electric and acoustic guitars, upright bass, and piano. From the jazzy elegance of “Moonglow”, to the mystic folkiness of Paul Simon’s “Duncan”, to the Latin groove of “Corcovado”; this album pays tribute to the art of great songwriting, with fresh arrangements that make for a truly great listen.

Bring It On Home started as a brainstorming session on a late night, cross-Canadian road trip with the Shannon Whitworth Band, which Shannon had been touring and recording with since her days of leading the The Biscuit Burners and Barrett had later joined in 2010 after swapping places with a member of the acclaimed bluegrass band Town Mountain. In this particular tour, Shannon and Barrett were an opening act for Chris Isaak, and they spent the long slow drive from Winnipeg to Saskatoon trying to compile the perfect mix tape. Somewhere in the late night hours, they realized that this mix-tape was actually a compilation of the cover songs that they had both dreamed of someday recording – their own random dream tribute album.

Two months later, Shannon and Barrett were in Asheville’s Echo Mountain Recording Studio with a team of talented friends and musicians from the area who helped to breathe the album to life. Legendary drummer Jeff Sipe (Aquarium Rescue Unit, Leftover Salmon) and master multi-instrumentalist Mike Ashworth formed the core rhythm section, and Justin Ray and Jacob Rodriguez took a break from touring with Michael Buble to contribute on trumpet and saxophone. Virtuoso bluegrass fiddlers Nate Leath and Nicky Sanders (Steep Canyon Rangers) added violins to Melissa Hyman’s cello lines while Michael Libramento, of Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, played keyboards.

In recording Bring it on Home, the Shannon and Barrett looked to songs that inspire them, and hope to pass that inspiration on.

Bring it On Home ~ Track Listing

1) Bring It On Home To Me (Sam Cooke) 3:50 Soulful & Rockin
2) Moonglow (Delange, Mills, Hudson) 3:24 Jazzy & Mellow
3) You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor) 3:40 Folky & Mellow
4) Duncan (Paul Simon) 4:13 Folky & Beautiful
5) I Get Ideas (When We Are Dancing)  (Sanders, Cochran) 3:01 Jazzy & Sultry
6) Louise (Paul Siebel) 3:29 Folky & Funky
7) Sway (Molina, Ruiz, Gimbel) 2:52 Saucy & Latin
8) Bird On The Wire (Leonard Cohen) 3:49 Intense & Beautiful
9) Corcovado (Quiet Nights) (A.C. Jobim, Gene Lees) 4:31 Latin & Mellow
10) Green Grass (Tom Waits, Kathleen Brennan) 3:47 Ethereal & Jazzy
11) I’ll Be Your Lover, Too (Van Morrison) 4:59 Rockin Ballad
12) You Are My Sunshine (Jimmie Davis) 3:59 Folky & Mellow

 Recorded at Echo Mountain Recording in Asheville, NC
Engineered by Julian Dreyer
Mixed by Neilson Hubbard
Mastered by Jim DeMain
Produced by Barrett Smith
Released November 20, 2012

BarrettSmith.com
ShannonWhitworth.net

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Ty Gilpin Releases “Crooked Hollows” ~ A Solo Project Featuring Pickers from the Asheville Music Scene

Ty Gilpin Releases “Crooked Hollows”

A Solo Project Featuring Pickers from the Asheville Music Scene

www.TyGilpin.com

Crooked Hollows on iTunes

A veteran of the Asheville music scene, Ty Gilpin steps out with a solo project that aims to capture the essence of the Asheville Roots music world with his new release Crooked Hollows.

Gilpin is no stranger to any aspect of the music business. He is a performer, songwriter, vocalist and player with multiple groups and has worked for over a decade on his own and with Crossroads/Mountain Home Music doing marketing and promotion for some of the biggest names in Bluegrass. Now he has recorded his own songs with a select group of talented peers.

Don’t get it wrong, this is not a Bluegrass album, although there are cuts that lend itself to the genre. Gilpin’s release Crooked Hollows is an eclectic mix of Americana, Folk-Rock, Irish and even includes an electronic remix.

All the tracks feature names that are not just a staple of the local music scene but rather a Who’s Who of folks that are known both in North Carolina as well as nationally.

“With all the different types of songs the cd has, I felt like each one called for different vocalists.” Gilpin says. “I wanted each track to have it’s own identity and include my talented friends to give the songs a special feel but also to make the recording a community event that celebrated what I believe to be some of the best artists here or anywhere.”

The lead off track “Queen of the Crows” includes Cody Kilby, guitarist from Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, noted banjo picker Steve Sutton and female folk troubadour Jen Duke who joins Gilpin on vocals. The dynamic selection of songs moves to country themes including “Smiling for the Camera” featuring the vocals of Darren Nicholson of Balsam Range and the song “Losers Like Me” with Town Mountain vocalist Robert Greer. Other contributions come from the vocals of Amanda Platt of the celebrated Asheville group, The Honeycutters, as well as from Buddy Melton of Balsam Range, Lance Mills, Sav Sankaran and singer-songwriter Taylor Martin.

Keeping to the diversity of the music, there is an Irish element on the track “Going to the West”, sung by Duke and concludes with an even further musical departure featuring a re-mix of “Queen of the Crows” by Danny Peck (aka dep) who blends acoustic and electronic elements for a hauntingly beautiful finale.

The line-up also includes, Charles Humphrey III of the Steep Canyon Rangers, Josh Haddix of the Greasy Beans, Rick Cooper, Jessica Smith, multi-instrumentalists Matt Smith, Duncan Wickel and Tim Gardner as well a studio drummer extraordinaire Tony Creasman.

All tracks were written and arranged by Gilpin and produced by Gilpin and Tim Gardner. Tracks 2-7 were recorded at Coyote Ridge Studios in Asheville with the lead off track recorded at Omni-Artists Studios in Weaverville by Eric Willson. The album was mixed and mastered by Van Atkins at Crossroads Studios in Arden, NC.

The official street date for Ty Gilpin’s Crooked Hollows is September 18th. The album is available at CD Baby and iTunes. Visit www.tygilpin.com for information on the release and links to buy.

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