Irresistible & NOLA Inspired, MarchFourth on Tour with ‘Magic Number’ – Due Out 9.30

MarchFourth set to release first studio album of original material in five years, Produced by Ben Ellman of Galactic = Irresistible NOLA Magic

MarchFourth: A SteamFunk Rock-n-Roll Circus Party!

Head on over to Live For Live Music for the World Premiere of “Push It Back” Featuring Stanton Moore on drums → http://bit.ly/L4LM_MarchFourth_PushItBack

Portland, OR — Fifteen MarchFourth musicians traveled to New Orleans and spent ten days recording at The Parlor Recording Studio, making their fourth studio album, MAGIC NUMBER, their first in over five years. With Producer Ben Ellman (Galactic) and Engineer/Producer Mikael “Count” Eldridge (DJ Shadow, Tycho, Galactic, Trombone Shorty) at the helm, this album is full of the captivating grooves and brassy swagger you have come to expect from M4, plus a healthy dose of New Orleans magic, with guest appearance by Trombone Shorty, Stanton Moore (drums), and Matt Perrine (sousaphone). The album was fan-funded through Kickstarter and will be independently released September 30, 2016.

“MAGIC NUMBER represents a shift in the band’s musical evolution, featuring more vocals and guitar than our previous records.” Founding member and band leader, John Averill, who also sings and plays electric bass says, “It is also the first record by “MarchFourth” (we officially dropped the “Marching Band” from our name).”

MarchFourth is a genre-breaking force of entertainment. This explosion of brassy funk, rock, and jazz emanates from twenty or so performers: musicians, acrobats, stilters and more, touring the country year-round, stealing the festival wherever they appear, taking audiences on a joy-inducing, booty-shaking, soul-stirring journey that defies categorization. Word on the street: You have to see it to believe it!

“From the first note to the last, the sound was pumping and the fun never stopped,” exclaimed USA Today. “It’s worth noting that there are serious musicians behind all the fun. I was a music major in college and it’s obvious these guys (and gals) have had lots of training and formal practice. Talented band geeks turned rebels. When one of the horn players steps up to improvise a solo, you know it’s going to be a treat.”

“Working with a large group of talented songwriters and musicians in M4 made the project go really smoothly. Wherever the band goes they sort of set up camp… that led to a really creative working communal environment.” Producer Ben Ellman states, “It’s always exciting to work with a band that is open to experimentation and different possibilities. MarchFourth came in wanting to expand their sonic pallet from what they’ve done previously.”

“Unlike M4’s previous albums, recorded over weeks and months in our hometown of Portland, Oregon, getting the band to NOLA for a ten-day recording session really created an intensity and electricity you can feel throughout MAGIC NUMBER.” Founding member, cymbal player, singer, and tour manager Dan Stauffer recalls, “After long days at The Parlor, the band members would go out to party on Frenchman Street and sit in on sets all over the city, meanwhile the producers, Ben and Count, would create mixes late into the night: that’s the mojo you can hear, everything going off for ten days straight.

Ellman attests, “The individual songwriters all had a clear vision of where the song should end up… there are different styles on the record, but as a whole it’s very cohesive. Very MarchFourth.” Four of the band’s members wrote the eleven songs on MAGIC NUMBER including John Averill, trombonist and singer Anthony Meade, trumpet player and singer, and project manager Paul Theodore Chandler, and electric guitarist and baritone sax Taylor Aglipay.

“The decision to work with Ben Ellman was a decision to make a modern sounding horn-driven record. This is certainly the biggest, punchiest, and rockinest M4 has ever sounded on an album. We certainly pushed the bounds of what we’re comfortable with genre-wise and performance-wise but we have a lineup of musicians right now who can handle it better than ever.” Anthony Meade says, “Putting the microscope on yourself in the recording studio is one of the most ego-shattering processes to undergo as a musician. Some people handle it better than others but we were able to get super deep in such a saturated environment.”

With a load of fresh new material, MarchFourth enters some new territories on this album, channeling some deep swampy voodoo vibes steeped in the brassy NOLA traditions. MAGIC NUMBER kicks of with the aptly named “Call to Action,” featuring the M4-style second line, calling on folks to get on up and “shake yo’ tail feathers!”

Stanton Moore makes a guest appearance on drums on the song “Push It Back” carrying the listener off on a royal litter of afro funk. Trombone Shorty blows a fiery solo on “Inventing the Wheel,” a musical journey into a heavy hypnotic groove; the track also features Ben Ellman on harmonica. Matt Perrine of Bonerama plays sousaphone on the uplifting and soul searching “Science (Free Your Mind)” which radiates all the energy of a street party in a full-on brassy explosion.

The title track’s visceral and thoughtful vocals draw you into a bombastic dream world you won’t want to leave, fusing eastern brass and the Wild West, with a little nod to Adam and the Ants. “The funky breakdown part popped into my head late one night after many Tecates. Lyrically, the song is about age, aging, the cycle of life, mortality, and coping with acceptance and resentment.” John Averill says, “I was 47 when we recorded it, and months later one of my best friends, Dave Camp (who subbed for M4 a few times on guitar) died of cancer at age 47… There’s something illusory to me about age and linear time, yet apparently each of us has a physical duration.”

“The Quarter” has more of a sexy feel, with a slinky hip-hop vibe mashing up the style of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” with some Tower of Power or Chicago-style brass parts. Paul Theodore Chandler says of it, “Unlike the other tunes I wrote for the album, this one had been ‘road tested’ at shows for some time, but with different lyrics that were more appropriate to a live show. Wanting to rewrite the lyrics to fit the scope of this album, I set out to capture the anticipation and excitement of flying into a new city at night, being enveloped in the magic of that new place. And what better place to land than the French Quarter in New Orleans.”

Other songs on the album range from the bubbly and danceable pick-me-up “Hotstepper” with the unforgettable earworm of a hook, “Don’t tell my mom,” to the balkan brassy “Drunk Bears,” and the gypsy metal sound of “Jan Jar.” ”It’s a Trap” features the band as punk rock as a brass band can go, while “Endless Highway” speaks to timeless beauty in it’s brevity–a gentle closer to such a bold and flavorful album.

Further members of MarchFourth appearing on MAGIC NUMBER include Katie Presley on trumpet, Daniel Lamb on trombone, Jon VanCura on guitar, saxophonists Michelle Christiansen (alto), Cameron DePalma (tenor), Andy Shapiro (tenor), and Jon VanCura (baritone, bass), as well as drummer & percussionists Jenny DiDonato (snare, congas, bells, blocks, ride), Cheo Larcombe (bass drum, percussion), Will McKinney (toms, chocalho), and Jake Wood (snare, hi-hat).

“I always feel like we are some freaky kind of Jack-in-the-box. Put twenty of us in a 45-foot bus for 6-8 hours a day, then open the door onto a stage and watch us explode!” Stauffer says, “Old greats like Basie and the Duke were some of my first favorite jazz artists in college. I love the fact that I tour and play with all these fantastic horn players and travel around in this bus. We are very much like the big bands of old, except we also have electric guitars, stilt-walkers, acrobats, and a psychedelically wide palette of musical styles and costumery.”

MarchFourth will continue to tour all over the United States in support of this album through the fall and into 2017 with their colorful stage show full of energy and groove.

Widely recognized for the allure of their live show, MarchFourth breaks ground with their music in the forefront on MAGIC NUMBER.

For more information and news from the road, visit M4 at www.Marchfourthband.com, instagram.com/m4mb, facebook.com/marchfourthmarchingband, twitter.com/m4mb, and on YouTube.

MAGIC NUMBER Track Listing

1. CALL TO ACTION 3:20 (Meade)
   2. THE QUARTER 4:06 (Chandler)
   3. MAGIC NUMBER 4:18 (Averill)
   4. PUSH IT BACK 2:51 *featuring Stanton Moore (Chandler)
   5. INVENTING THE WHEEL 6:51 *featuring Trombone Shorty and Ben Ellman (Meade)
   6. HOTSTEPPER 3:36 (Chandler)
   7. DRUNK BEARS 3:24 (Meade)
   8. JAN JAR 3:04 (Aglipay)
   9. SCIENCE (FREE YOUR MIND) 6:00 *featuring Matt Perrine (Meade)
   10. IT’S A TRAP! 4:13 (Meade)
   11. ENDLESS HIGHWAY 1:21 (Chandler)

Produced by Ben Ellman
Except tracks 1,2,4,6 produced by Ben Ellman and Count

MarchFourth’s ‘Magic Number’ 2016 Tour Dates
9/8 Thu – Central Park Sessions – Madison, WI
9/9 Fri – Be Here Now – Muncie, IN
9/10 Sat – TBA – Detroit, MI
9/11 Sun – Abbey Bar of Appalachian Brewery – Harrisburg, PA
9/13 Tue – Gypsy Sally’s – Washington, DC
9/14 Wed – The Rocks Off Concert Cruise – New York, NY
9/15 Thu – Port City Music Hall – Portland, ME
9/16-18 Fri-Sun – Harvest Jazz and Blues Festival – Fredericton, NB
9/22 Thu – Belly Up Aspen – Aspen, CO
9/23 Fri – Boulder Theater – Boulder, CO
9/24 Sat – Mishawaka Amphitheater – Bellvue, CO
9/25 Sun – Center for the Arts – Jackson, WY
9/30-10/1 Fri-Sat – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co’s Oktoberfest – Chico, CA
10/4 Tue – Harlow’s – Sacramento, CA
10/5 Wed – Don Quixote’s International Music Hall – Felton, CA
10/6 Thu – Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA
10/7-8 Fri-Sat – Sierra Nevada Brewing Co’s Oktoberfest – Chico, CA
10/28 Fri – Revolution Hall (2 shows!) – Portland, OR
12/15 Thu – Egyptian Theater – Boise, ID
12/17 Sat – Winthrop Barn Auditorium – Winthrop, WA

For more information and news from the road, visit M4 at www.Marchfourthband.com

 

 

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Jane Kramer Releases Mountain-made Solo Album, Carnival of Hopes, Feb 26th

Vocalist & Songwriter Jane Kramer Makes a Full Voiced Return to Her Roots with Mountain-made Second Solo Album,
Carnival of Hopes – Due Out Feb 26, 2016

Produced and Engineered by Adam Johnson of Sound Lab Studios,
The album features backing band Free Planet Radio as well as guest appearances by Nicky Sanders of Steep Canyon Rangers and more

ASHEVILLE, NC — Vocalist and songwriter Jane Kramer is set to independently release her gutsy and ambrosial second solo album entitled Carnival of Hopes on Friday, February 26, 2016. Carnival of Hopes feels both celebratory and frank. It is filled with songs of regret and insight found after deep and gritty self-reflection. At its core, the album tells the story of facing down dark inner demons while still clinging to “that tiny chirping of light in your bones that somehow keeps you tethered to keeping on,” Kramer says.

Throughout the album, it is Kramer’s unvarnished honesty and searching, powerfully sweet and heartrending voice that carry the well-crafted and arranged songs and tie both elements of loss and healing cohesively together. “I’m not great at making stuff up,” she says, “so I sing what I lived and what I know, without any sugar or fluff.”

“Anyone who has stared down the barrel of themselves and their failures and fears and shipwrecked loves has scraped up against the bottom of their own capacity for hoping,” says Kramer, a social worker and musician by trade. “My carnival of hopes is busted and hideous and rusty and somehow still brave and sparkly,” she says, “like the image of the forgotten Ferris wheel printed on the disc – half taken over by trees and time, but still standing.”

With deep ties to the area, Carnival of Hopes, boasts a sparkling cast of Ashevillian producers and players. It was recorded at the award-winning Sound Temple Studios in Asheville in February of 2015, while she still lived on the other side of the country in Portland, Oregon. A few months later, after a four-year run spent writing and reflecting on the West Coast, Jane Kramer pulled up stakes and returned to Western North Carolina with a renewed energy to share her new music with the world.

Carnival of Hopes aches and soars with her connections to Appalachian balladry, a force she first encountered at Warren Wilson College and honed while performing with the Asheville-based all-female trio, the Barrel House Mamas, who helped reintroduce Americana music to the Blue Ridge Mountains a decade ago. However, it is as a solo artist where the power of Kramer’s songwriting and world-class vocals truly shine.

Kramer’s longtime friend Adam Johnson of Sound Lab Studios, whose portfolio of clients includes such names as Alison Krauss and Yo Yo Ma, produced and engineered the album. Kramer is backed by Chris Rosser on piano and harmonium, Eliot Wadopian on upright bass and River Guerguerian on drums and percussion, the virtuoso trio that comprises Free Planet Radio, and by master Georgia-based bluegrass musicians/ multi-instrumentalists, Pace Conner (steel string, high string and baritone guitars, ukulele, mandolin, and backing vocals) and Michael Evers (Dobro, banjo, mandolin, and backing vocals) who arranged the songs for recording and perform and tour with Kramer regularly.

Carnival of Hopes as an album is full of sometimes-searing flourishes on the complexities of Kramer’s modern life. The title track clearly encompasses that, she says.

Jane Kramer. Photo by Sandlin Gaither.

“In the song ‘Carnival of Hopes’ and on the record as a whole, I talk about letting things die and being honest about it: the notion that I am a good woman, ideas for my future and success, a big love, and even parts of myself dying and being reborn in the letting go” she says. “I talk about laying down my hammer but leaving the light on in the window. While these are heavy concepts, I feel the take-away feeling of the album is one of hope.”

 

On this deeply personal album, Kramer’s favorite track is the ballad, “Good Woman.” While she says she’s not one who fits that description, listeners might disagree after hearing the lilting but earnest passion and regret in her voice.

“Good Woman” is the song you write when your lover kicks you out of the house and you’re half drunk on cheap box wine in a crappy motel room staring at yourself in the mirror under the fluorescent bathroom light,” Jane says. “You can’t help but be honest then.”

“Aside from the sentiment, the contributions of virtuoso players, Nicky Sanders of Steep Canyon Rangers and Franklin Keel of Sirius B, also help make the song a favorite,” Kramer adds. They play orchestral fiddle and cello, respectively, on “Good Woman”.

Other songs on the album offer clear hints to Kramer’s unflinching self-examination and ability to convey heavy subject matter through utterly palatable and even catchy song-crafting. The New Orleans jazz-influenced “Why’d I Do That Blues,” (which features a horn section comprised of JP Furnas on trombone and Ben Hovey on trumpet), the classic country honky tonking sass of the opening track “Half Way Gone,” and the banjo-driven, uptempo modern-day spiritual “My Dusty Wings” all speak to a talented songwriter laying herself bare. She credits her songwriting hero and mentor, Mary Gauthier, with helping her reach for, and express, everything she hoped to communicate with the album.

The songs on the album were all penned by Kramer with the exception of one cover, “Down South,” written by Tom Petty. “This tune just sounds like the mountains.” Kramer says,”I’m a huge Petty fan and love the poignant simplicity of his writing. Additionally, and probably what was most important to me was the message of the song thematically, about returning home to the south and it’s little idiosyncrasies.”

The sense of homecoming that rings through was a conscious effort, Kramer says. “I did that because Asheville is my dirt. It’s my home and my culture, musically and otherwise. I missed it and knew somewhere in my bones I would be coming back to stay soon,” she says.

“I didn’t want to make an album that didn’t sound like home,” Kramer adds. “I wanted Asheville musicians and Appalachian instrumentation – that wistful, southern dobro sound that hurts your heart a little.” Carnival of Hopes is indeed a homecoming album, and will take listeners through the enchanting and accessible emotional landscape of a woman who has climbed the mountain of her own failures and fears and learned how to be at home with herself.

Album: Carnival of Hopes Track listing:

1. Half Way Gone  3:45
2. Carnival of Hopes  5:25
3. Your Ever~Green Heart  3:21
4. Good Woman  5:29
5. Down South (by Tom Petty) 3:30
6. Truck Stop Stars  4:31
7. Why’d I Do That Blues  2:38
8. Highways, Rivers & Scars  4:25
9. Truth Tellin’ Eyes  4:19
10. My Dusty Wings  2:57

Learn more about Jane Kramer and her music at www.JaneKramer.net and stay up to date with news at www.facebook.com/janekramersongstress.

 

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Everyone Orchestra in Seattle (9/11) & Portland (9/12) Features Andy Thorn, Lebo, Allie Kral, Jans Ingber…

Everyone Orchestra’s Matt Butler. Photo by Michael Weintrob.

Everyone Orchestra in Seattle (9/11) & Portland (9/12) Features Andy Thorn, Lebo, Allie Kral, Jans Ingber…

Everyone Orchestra brings it’s improvised performance to
Nectar Lounge on Fri 9/11 in Seattle, WA
and
Aladdin Theater on Sat 9/12 in Portland, OR

Everyone Orchestra is conducted by Matt Butler
Featured in these appearances are:
Andy Thorn (Leftover Salmon)
Lebo (ALO)
Allie Kral (Yonder Mtn. String Band)
Jans Ingber (The Motet)
Mimi Naja (Fruition)
Tyler Thompson (Fruition)
Jeff Leonard (Fruition)
Asher Fulero (Halo Refuser)

Everyone Orchestra’s conductor and founder Matt Butler has been leading a rotating cast of accomplished musicians through entirely improvised performances, since 2001. Butler’s unique style of conducting is groundbreaking in that he has essentially created an entirely new way to perform and experience music. Butler says, “Playing with different musicians, improvising every night, and getting the crowd involved in ways that they can’t be at a regular show has provided an unparalleled live music experience.”

Everyone Orchestra’s performances in Seattle, WA at Nectar Lounge on Friday, September 11th and  Portland, OR at Aladdin Theater on Saturday, September 12th feature Andy Thorn (banjo – Leftover Salmon), Lebo (guitars, steels & vocals – ALO) Allie Kral (fiddle and vocals – Yonder Mtn. String Band) Jans Ingber (percussion and vocals – The Motet), Mimi Naja (mandolin and vocals – Fruition), Tyler Thompson (drums – Fruition), Jeff Leonard (bass – Fruition), and Asher Fulero (keyboards, vocals- Halo Refuser).

Butler brings EO’s participants, both on stage and off, on spontaneous compositional journeys with eclectic ensembles at festivals, theaters, and philanthropic events both nationally and internationally. Featuring a large contingent of hundreds of musicians, dancers, singers and community organizations who have embraced the experience of EO in single shots of musical adrenaline to the soul. It’s all in the moment, designed exclusively by everyone participating in each show.

Having marched clearly into uncharted territory, Everyone Orchestra is an avant-garde conceptual and collaborative performance which deeply encourages and requires audience interaction. Both the band and the audience start the show with a clean slate to help co-create a dynamic musical experience, with Butler receiving ideas from the audience to help set the course of action. Tuning in to Butler’s energy and pantomime, The Conductor is utilized as a pivot to the set mood of each passing jam as he communicates musical concepts using hand signs, whiteboard and assorted mime suggestions. The edge of your seat enthusiasm for what is next is the fuel behind the continuous musical experiment of  Everyone Orchestra.

“I feel like it’s part of my job, and paramount, to not have too many preconceptions,” he said. “But the only preconceptions I have going in are to create a really dynamic show from beginning to end, have it have a nice arc, and that all the musicians get a chance to shine. I want to keep them challenged and engaged. It’s a playground for musicians that I’m trying to create,” says Matt in an interview with Examiner.

“[In each city] Butler will have another group with which he can create the beautiful chaos this act is known for. Simply put, there is no set list to be confined to, no certain marks to hit over the course of the night. Butler makes his way to the front of the stage, and it’s off to the races, testing the limits of his players while also showing how good music is when everything clicks in the midst of an improvised set.” writes Examiner’s Thomas Gerbasi. “At this point, Butler almost has it down to a science, at least as much as you can on a speeding car that could veer off the road at any moment.”

EO balances the challenges of live group improvisation with triumphant tension and release conduits of music which head deep into the heart filled with the aspiration of creating shared magical moments.

The ever-evolving collective of Everyone Orchestra participants is an increasingly wide and intercontinental group which  has included members of The Grateful Dead, Phish, Furthur, Ratdog, Trey Anastasio Band, Gov’t Mule, String Cheese Incident, moe., members of Allman Brothers Band. including Oteil Burbridge, Yonder Mountain String Band, The New Mastersounds, Big Gigantic, The Punch Brothers, Dumpstaphunk, Galactic,The Motet, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Railroad Earth, Thievery Corporation, Lettuce, Infamous Stringdusters, Dopapod, Leftover Salmon, The Flecktones, ALO, Papdosio, Tuvan throat singers, live painters, dancers, chanters, choirs, hula hoopers, firespinners, jugglers, stiltwalkers, storytellers, a presidential candidate and hundreds of others among a growing legion of other performers.

What is Everyone Orchestra → http://vimeo.com/36999515

Musicians Describe Everyone Orchestra → http://vimeo.com/33037192

Musicians from across a wide spectrum of styles and backgrounds describe their experiences with Everyone Orchestra.

For more information, tour dates, videos, downloads & more, please visit www.everyoneorchestra.com, www.facebook.com/EveryoneOrchestra, & www.twitter.com/every1orchestra.

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Donna the Buffalo Travel West With Their New Album Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday

Donna the Buffalo Travel West With Their New Album
Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday

More energized and focused than ever before in their near 25-year career, roots-music troubadours Donna the Buffalo released their first studio album in five years, Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday, Tuesday, June 18, 2013 via Sugar Hill Records. The album debuted at #20 on the Americana Music Charts, and this past week rose to #10! Tonight, Tomorrow and Yesterday—the group’s 10th studio album—proves the band as a consistent steward of Americana music, their signature sound—traditional mountain music infused with elements of Cajun, rock, folk, reggae and country—an eclectic and extraordinary melting pot of such.

Donna the Buffalo has a hefty tour lined up for the Summer season which includes a few weeks on the West Coast. They start off at the Red Ants Pants Festival in Montana on July 26th and travel over throughout the Northwest before heading down for shows at the Mint in LA and Pappy and Harriet’s in Pioneertown. Saturday, August 8th marks their return to The Great American Music Hall followed by shows in Santa Cruz and Chico and then on to Utah for shows in Monroe and Park City. They pop over to Colorado for a show in Denver and then the tour ends at the Grand Targhee Bluegrass Festival in Wisconsin. The band will be performing the songs from the new album, mixed in with older favorites, live across the country this summer.

Donna the Buffalo West Coast Summer Tour:
Fri 7/26 White Sulphur Springs, MT – Red Ants Pants Festival
Sat 7/27 Spokane, WA – The Center
Sun 7/28 Seattle, WA – The Tractor
Mon 7/29 Portland, OR – Doug Fir Lounge
Tue 7/30 Eugene, OR – WOW Hall
Thu 8/1 Los Angeles – The Mint
Fri 8/2 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriets
Sat 8/3 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall
Presented by Jambase
Sun 8/4 Santa Cruz, CA – Moe’s Alley
Mon 8/5 Chico, CA – The Big Room @ The Sierra Nevada
Wed 8/7 Monroe, UT – Mystic Hot Springs
Thu 8/8 Park City, UT – Newpark Town Center
Fri 8/9 Denver, CO – Oriental Theater
Sat 8/10-11 Alta, WY – Targhee Bluegrass Fest at Grand Targhee

More information and the most up-to-date touring information, including dates throughout the midwest and east this summer, can be found at www.donnathebuffalo.com/tour-dates

 

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See That Light with Ashleigh Flynn & Todd Snider… Leave Those Gay Kids Alone

See That Light with Ashleigh Flynn & Todd Snider… Leave Those Gay Kids Alone

Ashleigh Flynn’s song “See That Light” is an anti-bullying tune, in which the storyteller is a young kid in love with her or his best friend until they realize that’s not allowed. Todd Snider plays the preacher with a talking blues part in which he appeals to folks to smarten up, to get along… and to leave gay kids alone.

Ashleigh says, “Seems there is a rising tide of acceptance among the majority of Americans towards equal rights for all citizens regardless of sexual orientation. Bring it on. Wash away the irrational phobia. I am extremely hopeful that my GF and I will be able to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples. We have been together for ten years.”

Ashleigh Flynn and Todd Snider

When Ashleigh set out to work on her new album A Million Stars, her song “See That Light” came to her as a simple little ditty as she stared at the moon rising up over the Columbia River. She calls it “a tribute to faith in love because from my vantage that’s the most important thing we know amidst all the mystery of life and death. It just so happened that I was likely singing it to a gal.” With that notion, she realized that her little ditty had more of a message, so she wrote the part she could hear Todd saying “Now Brothers and Sisters… let’s leave those gay kids alone.  Let them love each other. They aren’t hurting anyone…”

Todd says, “I knew this song before Ashleigh recorded it, from touring together, and was honored to be asked to be part of her record and especially in a way that would give me opportunity to stand publicly for the gay community.”

To celebrate Supreme Court rulings in favor of gay rights, the Equal Rights Campaign and in honor of June being Gay Pride month, Ashleigh is offering “See That Light” featuring Todd Snider as a free download to listen to and share with your friends –> http://bit.ly/176N2a1

“See That Light’ LYRICS

I told you once, I’ll say it again.
I’ll sing it right by and by.
See that light shining through the trees?
That’s my love rising in the sky.

So I take a seat by the riverside
To watch her shine! Shine! Shine!
She’ll be true, like the ocean is blue,
And rise the tide with passing time.

I would walk a thousand miles.
I’d sail across the deep blue sea.
I would wait for time to stand still
If you will come for me.

So much sorrow, from so many hard times
Living in the world outside,
I got to get to feeling that things are gonna turn around…
I’ll sing it right by and by
I would walk a thousand miles…

~

Now brothers and sisters
I know you probably grew up being scared of them stories in the Bible,
like going to hell for sinning or some stuff like that…
But that Bible was written by people too, and they were afraid themselves.

I mean, who really believes that I’m gonna go to hell for planting corn and beans together?
We could probably solve world hunger AND global warming by planting corn and beans together!

I mean, what kind of God wouldn’t want us to love and be good to each other? Let’s try to relax a little bit!
And another thing, let’s leave them gay kids alone. Let them love each other.
They aint hurtin anyone! In fact, it’s the fear mongers that hurt them. And then they hurt themselves…

~

But then I got a little high, cuz I was feeling’ lonesome
As all the days turned into years.
Been wandering dark and dusty roads,
I light the sky with my own tears
I would walk a thousand miles…
*** *** ***

“The album is full of stories of powerful women, including those from the American Western Frontier and a cover of Ma Rainey’s gay and proud ‘Prove it On Me Blues.’ There are other gay-positive surprises on the album, including a gay-positive rap for LGBT teens.” —Kathy Belge, LesbianLife at About.com

“Ashleigh Flynn takes history and sticks it in a song. On A Million Stars, Ashleigh introduces us to heroines and lawless ladies… Todd Snider takes on the role of the ‘voice of reason’ in ‘See the Light’, reminding us from on high that the bible is for each of us to hear our own versions of stories and maybe we just need to lighten up and love a little.” —Danny McCloskey, The Alternate Root

“But it was her own ‘See the Light,’ from her most recent record, A Million Stars that made the night’s point. On the record, Todd Snider gets to do the speechifying for tolerance. Thursday night, it was Flynn:  And another thing, let’s leave them gay kids alone; let ’em love each other; they ain’t hurtin’ anybody; in fact, it’s the fear mongers that’s hurtin’ them; and then, they hurt themselves”
—Ryan White, Oregon Live,
Live show review from the Alberta Rose Theater for Basic Rights Oregon

Ashleigh Flynn For more information and tour dates, please visit: www.ashleighflynn.com

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Ashleigh Flynn Releases “A Million Stars” TODAY May 14th On Tour With The Wood Brothers This Spring

Ashleigh Flynn Releases “A Million Stars” TODAY May 14th
On Tour With The Wood Brothers This Spring

A Million Stars is now available at
iTunes: http://bit.ly/17pV0Kq & CD Baby: http://bit.ly/11Bv8tO
Featuring Chris Funk, Todd Snider, Annalisa Tornfelt & more

Portland, Oregon-based Ashleigh Flynn releases her latest CD, A Million Stars today, May 14, 2013. It is Flynn’s fourth studio effort on her own Home Perm Records, is produced by Chris Funk, her longtime friend and musical collaborator, best-known as the Decemberists’ multi-instrumentalist. The record features Todd Snider and many of Portland’s most talented musicians including, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee-Drizos, Nate Query, John Moen, Annalisa Tornfelt, and the Stolen Sweets singers, among others.

Kind Words About A Million Stars:
“Her songs are stories first. That they’re backed by occasionally dark, occasionally rollicking instrumentals depends on what the songs themselves call for. Sure, her Kentucky roots are always showing, but ‘Prohibition Rose’ swings with a subtle Vaudeville style, while ‘The West Was Won’ sounds like it could have come off a Juliana Hatfield disc.” –Kim Reuhl, NoDepression First Spin

“If you enjoy the music of Brandi Carlile, Patty Griffin or Nanci Griffith, you’re sure to fall in love with singer/songwriter Ashleigh Flynn. Not only is Flynn a talented musician, with stellar vocals, she’s most notably gifted storyteller with a vibrant and upbeat stage personality.” –Kathy Belge, LesbianLife at About.com

“Ashleigh Flynn represents the next generation of true songwriters. She rules!” –Nanci Griffith

“One of my favorite people to perform and hang out with is Ashleigh Flynn. Her lyrics are smart, she’s got a voice full of soul, and she knows how to handle a crowd.” –Todd Snider

Ashleigh Flynn On Tour
Wed 5/15 Tallahassee, FL – Mockingbird Cafe
Sun 6/2  Ithaca, NY – The Haunt*
Tue 6/4 Burlington, VT –  Higher Ground Showcase Lounge*
Wed 6/5 Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Performing Arts*
Thu 6/6 Norfolk CT – Infinity Hall*
Fri 6/7 Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall*
Sat 6/8 Boston, MA – TOAD
Sun 6/9 New York, NY – The Living Room
Thu 7/11 Portland, OR – Portland Parks Summer Concerts – Wallace Park
Fri-Sun 7/12-14, 2013 – Veneta, OR  Oregon Country Fair
Sat-Sun 7/21-22 Long Beach, WA – Adrift Hotel
Fri 8/2 Hood River, OR – Springhouse Cellars+
Thu 8/15 Sauvie Island, OR – Farm Tune Series -Kruger’s Farms

*Opening for The Wood Brothers
+ Opening for Black Prairie

Ashleigh Flynn was featured on Oregon Public Broadcasting LISTEN to the full interview

More About A Million Stars
A Million Stars continues the inspired narrative Flynn began on earlier records with tales deeply rooted in the American experience. The most profound seed of inspiration for the new record was a watercolor painted by her young niece depicting a cowgirl atop her horse under a starry desert sky. Who was this girl so confidently astride her mount? Calamity Jane? Surely there were others like her? Discovering the painting led her on a quest to learn more about the women of the westward expansion, unnamed heroes that history had largely overlooked.  

The album’s twelve tracks represent true blue Americana featuring a bit of folk, blues, country and rock. The title cut, “A Million Stars”, chronicles the story of Cattle Annie and Little Britches, two cowgirls who rode the outlaw trails in the late 1800s, disguised as men, so as to gain entrée onto the frontier, a place not seen fit for a woman. “See That Light”, a seemingly fun little blues ditty but with a strong message, features Todd Snider, Flynn’s musical mentor, who plays the voice of reason and, in his sermon to those who might judge certain types of love unlike their own, warns of the resulting harm caused by such hypocrisy. Other highlights include a bluegrass tune “Dirty Hands and Dirty Feet”, an overall tribute to Loretta Lynn;  a vintage jazz tune about Portland’s own “Prohibition Rose”; and “A Little Low”, a memorial to one of her friends, Nancy Bergeson – Assistant US Federal Defender who was murdered, and whose murder is still unsolved. “Walk Awhile”, recorded live at Search Party West, features party goers on parts of the chorus adding a fun and unique element.

Flynn has performed at many a music festival including Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Falcon Ridge Folk, High Sierra, Gamble Rogers, Sisters Folk, and most recently the 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida. She has also traveled the globe, peddling her wares, and regularly warming tours for Todd Snider and Nanci Griffith, as well as opening shows for John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, and Band of Heathens, among others. American Dream (2008) landed Flynn spots on many national & internationally syndicated radio programs that celebrate Americana music, including Mountain Stage, WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, and NPR.

For more information, please visit: www.ashleighflynn.com

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FREE Download of “Prohibition Rose” by Ashleigh Flynn from A Million Stars

FREE Download of “Prohibition Rose” by Ashleigh Flynn
from A Million Stars – Due Out May 14, 2013

“This song is about Portland’s own most infamous bootlegger during prohibition, who happened to be a woman… known for shanghaiing unsuspecting patrons.” –Ashleigh Flynn

“Prohibition Rose” Lyrics:
Prohibition Rose, knows what she knows,
From her hips to her toes – beneath her petticoat!
All day and into night, sailors while their time away
In her opium dens spending all their pay
Swilling her booze as they wait…

From Old Town to Old Shanghai,
the boys wake up under another sky!
They know how and they can’t ask why
When they wake from sleep in their bare feet
Shackled on a ship to the Far East.

Stumptown’s fairest queen, a
Denizen of the underground scene.
Rosie’s got the guile to get you a little high.
But not drop of hooch around
When the cops bust in like a pack of hounds.
Just Rosie readin’ from her bible –
With all the Whiskey stashed underneath her skirt…

From Old Town to Old Shanghai…

***

Click the links in the above text for a brief history on Prohibition Rose

About Ashleigh Flynn:
Portland, Oregon-based Ashleigh Flynn celebrates her latest CD, A Million Stars. Set for national release on May 14, 2013, Flynn’s fourth studio effort on her own Home Perm Records, is produced by Chris Funk, her longtime friend and musical collaborator, best-known as the Decemberists’ multi-instrumentalist. The record features Todd Snider and many of Portland’s most talented musicians including, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee-Drizos, Nate Query, John Moen, Annalisa Tornfelt, and the Stolen Sweets singers, among others.

“Ashleigh Flynn represents the next generation of true songwriters. She rules!” –Nanci Griffith

“One of my favorite people to perform and hang out with is Ashleigh Flynn. Her lyrics are smart, she’s got a voice full of soul, and she knows how to handle a crowd.” –Todd Snider

“True blue Americana…” –Paste Magazine

For more information, please visit: www.ashleighflynn.com

 Click For a Free Download of “Prohibition Rose”

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Ashleigh Flynn Releases “A Million Stars” on May 14th Featuring Chris Funk, Todd Snider, Annalisa Tornfelt & more

Ashleigh Flynn Releases “A Million Stars” on May 14th
Featuring Chris Funk, Todd Snider, Annalisa Tornfelt & more

***   ***   ***

“Ashleigh Flynn represents the next generation of true songwriters. She rules!”
—Nanci Griffith

“One of my favorite people to perform and hang out with is Ashleigh Flynn. Her lyrics are smart, she’s got a voice full of soul, and she knows how to handle a crowd.”
—Todd Snider

“True blue Americana…”
—Paste Magazine

 

Portland, Oregon-based Ashleigh Flynn celebrates her latest CD, A Million Stars. Set for national release on May 14, 2013, Flynn’s fourth studio effort on her own Home Perm Records, is produced by Chris Funk, her longtime friend and musical collaborator, best-known as the Decemberists’ multi-instrumentalist. The record features Todd Snider and many of Portland’s most talented musicians including, Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee-Drizos, Nate Query, John Moen, Annalisa Tornfelt, and the Stolen Sweets singers, among others.

A Million Stars continues the inspired narrative Flynn began on earlier records with tales deeply rooted in the American experience. The most profound seed of inspiration for the new record was a watercolor painted by her young niece depicting a cowgirl atop her horse under a starry desert sky. Who was this girl so confidently astride her mount? Calamity Jane? Surely there were others like her? Discovering the painting led her on a quest to learn more about the women of the westward expansion, unnamed heroes that history had largely overlooked.

The album’s twelve tracks represent true blue Americana featuring a bit of folk, blues, country and rock. The title cut, “A Million Stars”, chronicles the story of Cattle Annie and Little Britches, two cowgirls who rode the outlaw trails in the late 1800s, disguised as men, so as to gain entrée onto the frontier, a place not seen fit for a woman. “See That Light”, a seemingly fun little blues ditty but with a strong message, features Todd Snider, Flynn’s musical mentor, who plays the voice of reason and, in his sermon to those who might judge certain types of love unlike their own, warns of the resulting harm caused by such hypocrisy. Other highlights include a bluegrass tune “Dirty Hands and Dirty Feet”, a vintage jazz tune about Portland’s own “Prohibition Rose”, and “A Little Low”, a memorial to one of her friends, Nancy Bergeson – Assistant US Federal Defender who was murdered, and whose murder is still unsolved. “Walk Awhile”, recorded live at Search Party West, features party goers on parts of the chorus adding a fun and unique element.

Ashleigh Flynn grew up in Kentucky and cut her teeth on local bluegrass music. She arrived on the national scene in 2008 with the release of her third record, American Dream. A prolific songwriter, Flynn is also an electrifying performer blessed with unbridled charisma. She has released two prior full-length studio records Chokecherry (2002) and Ashleigh Flynn, self-titled (1999) and a live record, Sneakin’ Out with Ashleigh Flynn (2005).

Based on the merits of American Dream, Flynn has performed at many a music festival including Bonnaroo, Bumbershoot, Falcon Ridge Folk, High Sierra, Gamble Rogers, Sisters Folk, and most recently the 30A Songwriters Festival in Florida. She has also traveled the globe, peddling her wares, and regularly warming tours for Todd Snider and Nanci Griffith, as well as opening shows for John Hiatt, Shawn Colvin, and Band of Heathens, among others. American Dream landed Flynn spots on many national & internationally syndicated radio programs that celebrate Americana music, including Mountain Stage, WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour, and NPR.

Ashleigh Flynn Pre-Album Release Tour:
3/19 Millvale, PA – Mr. Small’s Funhouse *
3/20 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom & Tavern *
3/21 Buffalo, NY – Tralf Music Hall *
3/22 Ithaca, NY – The Haunt *
3/23 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club *
3/24 Portland, ME – Port City Music Hall *
*supporting Todd Snider

Album Release Tour Dates tba.
For more information, please visit: www.ashleighflynn.com

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Donna the Buffalo Plays Portland, Maine tonight, Sept 16th

Donna the Buffalo. Photo by Jim Gavenus

Great post in the Portland, ME Press Herald for Donna the Buffalo’s show at the Empire Dine and Dance tonight!

Check out these excerpts from a preview writeup by AIMSEL PONTI:

“Oh give me a home where Donna the Buffalo roams”

Wow, that was bad. So sorry.

Be that as it may, Donna the Buffalo has a big show tonight at Empire Dine & Dance, and I’m in the throes of “I just discovered a really great band,” hence my reimaging of “Home on the Range.”

This week, I’m also making two suggestions for Friday night with Dan Knudsen at Strange Maine and a CD-release show from Dana Gross at One Longfellow Square. Have at it.

If nothing else, I love the name Donna the Buffalo. However, after spending some time at www.donnathebuffalo.com, I realized that this band from Trumansburg, N.Y., is even cooler than its name. Here’s what I learned: “Donna the Buffalo’s eclectic and often socially conscious music has its base in traditional mountain music and is infused with elements of Cajun/zydeco, rock, folk, reggae, and country.

“The group’s core is vocalist Tara Nevins, who plays fiddle, guitar, accordion and scrub board, and guitarist Jeb Puryear. Keyboardist Dave McCracken, bassist Kyle Spark, and drummer Vic Stafford complete the ensemble.”

So there’s your background, and now here’s five random comments on the band, courtesy of 20 minutes spent at www.myspace.com/donnathebuffalo:

• Nevins has a terrific voice.

• “Locket and Key” is an entirely enjoyable song, so go listen to it.

• I feel entirely late to the party upon learning that this fantastic band has been at it for 21 years.

• I dig the lyrics to “No Place like the Right Time.” For example: “Sit and watch the tall grass grow/ I run and hide from the things I know/ Catch the dust up in my eye/ All is lookin’ different as the years go by.”

• Puryear also sings, and he’s got a groovy voice, as evidenced in “Positive Friction.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: http://www.pressherald.com/life/go/need-a-palooza-or-a-shot-of-swing-hipsters_-great-stuff-this-weekend_2010-09-16.html

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