Kellin Watson Celebrates the Release of New Album “Halo Of Blue” At Pisgah Brewing on July 2nd

Kellin Watson
CD RELEASE PARTY
Pisgah Brewing
Saturday, July 2, 2011

ADV: $10/d.o.s.: $12

Doors: 7PM/ Show:8PM

(828) 669-0190
150 Eastside Drive
Black Mountain, NC 28711
http://pisgahbrewing.com

Kellin Watson is a internationally-touring singer-songwriter, whose award-winning sound blends elements of blues, pop, folk, and soul. Hailing from Asheville, NC, Kellin draws on herAppalachian roots to bring both power and rawness to her music. “There are a lot of common talents in the world, but there are very few rare talents. I feel that Kellin is a rare, uncommon talent. Her songs have the ability to take someone gently by the wrist and tell them a story…”  states Billy Corgan of The Smashing Pumpkins. Courtney Devores with The Charlotte Observer describes her, “Jazzy soul and swinging pop comparable to Fiona Apple or a less folksy Ani DiFranco, Watson has an endearing stage demeanor and a killer voice, not to mention soulful songs that don’t fit in any particular box.”

Kellin will be releasing her new album, “Halo of Blue” of July 2, 2011 at Pisgah Brewing in Black Mountain, NC. There will be activities going on as soon as doors open at 7pm and possibly a surprise guest opener, so people are encouraged to come early. Also door prizes will be given away! Admission is $10 in advance and $12 the day of the show. Anyone who brings a functioning musical instrument to donate to Operation Happy Note and Operation Music Aid will receive half off their admission price! The requirements for instruments are “new or gently used guitars,violins, mandolins, banjos, keyboards, horns of any kind harmonicas and we even get requests for bagpipes.”

“Halo Of Blue” was created with musician/producer Michael Bellar [Art Garfunkle, and Amos Lee] out of Manhattan, NY and was recorded in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Asheville. Kellin and Michael worked non-stop this past year to put out a simple, honest and stripped down recording with echoes of some of her strongest influences: Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Nina Simone. The album has 14 tracks and features cameo’s from some of the greatest musicians and vocalist in North America, including Sarah and Christian Dugas (The Duhks), and Oliver Wood (The Wood Brothers).

Part of the album was recorded in Asheville’s Echo Mountain Studios. “The thing I love about recording at Echo Mountain is the fact that they are prepared for anything you might need,” Watson says in an interview with Jon Elliston in Our State Magazine.  “All the engineers and staff make you feel at home and comfortable, which helps you focus on what you’re really there to do: create. Not to mention that it’s a world-class studio in my own backyard — to be able to work in a studio of that quality, right here in Asheville, is amazing.”

Elliston goes on to write, “On the new album’s title track, Watson’s band recorded lilting pedal steel guitar parts in one of the studio’s smaller rooms; the guitar offers a delicate complement to Watson’s forceful vocals. The two songs recorded in the “church” studio — the gospel-tinged “Rise” and a smoky, brooding cover of “Sitting on Top of the World” — showcase Watson’s range and confidence. She sounds every bit the singer in her comfort zone, content with recording close to home.

Kellin has toured nationally and internationally playing some of the most renowned venues, festivals, events, colleges and universities in the US and Canada, and continues to do so. Playing music and writing songs for the past 16 years, Kellin has released 4 solo independent albums. Her performance stands out as well; Stan of LiveLimeLight.com wrote in a live show review “I was immediately intrigued by her playing style, with percussive hits, finger picking and then strumming, she knows how to use her guitar to its fullest… she filled the room with just the sound of her guitar and voice.”

Here is a nice video of her performing a songs off the new album:

Kellin has also been a featured performer on CMT’s Big Break with award winning host and artists Sara Evans stating, “Kellin is a singing beauty, with an amazing voice. There is nothing fake or contrived about her when she performs, she’s just really, really talented, and sings with soul. I love everything about her…” In addition to her CMT appearance, two of Kellin’s songs, “Ship” and “When Is Enough Enough”, touched millions after being aired on two separate episodes of the hugely popular Canadian teen drama, Dregrassi: The Next Generation. This past march, she was asked to play a supporting role in Sag film “Trinity Goodheart” and the director loved one of the tunes on Kellin’s new album and decided to use the song in the film. Here’s a link to the imdb page for it: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1849899/.

Kellin has worked with and/ or opened for a wide range of notable artists such as Amos Lee, Little Feat, Susan Tedeschi, The Duhks, Crash Test Dummies, Jessica Simpson, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Sara Evans, Walter Wolfman Washington, Gordie Sampson, members of Band of Horses, and several others.  In the words of NPR’s David Dye, Kellin is  “a great new artist to keep an ear out for.”  Filmmaker Richard O’Sullivan (The Lost Colony) goes on to state, “There’s such beauty and intelligence in her work that you rarely find from someone that young. She’s the type of artist that in twenty years people will be talking about in the same way they talk about the Bob Dylans and the Joni Mitchells now.”

Find Kellin on the web:

Homepage: www.kellinwatson.com
Twitter: www.twitter.com/kellinwatson
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/kellinwatson
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/jrPd7A
Myspace: www.myspace.com/kellinwatson
Youtube: http://bit.ly/igkEnC
Evolution Licensing Company Catalog: http://bit.ly/iCFtX9
Itunes: http://bit.ly/m7JQCt
CDbaby: http://cdbaby.com/all/kellin

“Her husky voice flows up and down the staff, accompanied by catchy beats, and the result sounds quite eclectic. ” – VERVE Magazine

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