Bap Kennedy – Sailor's Revenge

Clamorosa quanto tardiva affermazione per questo songwriter Nord-Irlandese fratello del non meno noto Brian Kennedy. L’ex Energy Orchard, molto apprezzato per le sue collaborazioni con artisti del calibro di Van Morrison e Steve Earle e, più di recente, con Mark Knopfler dei Dire Straits, con il quale ha registrato questo nuovo album “Sailor Revenge”, oltre ad averlo accompagnato in numerose apparizioni live, culminate con ben cinque serate alla Royal Halbert Hall, Bap firma uno degli album più belli e coinvolgenti della stagione che merita di diritto la prima pagina. Anche 2cd. Limited edition con brani scelti dai suoi dischi precedenti.

For nearly any singer/songwriter on the planet, the idea of collaborating with Mark Knopfler would be the stuff of fantasy. But for Bap Kennedy, it was just the latest in a long line of projects with high profile, and highly respected, musical legends. For a man who has worked with Steve Earle and Van Morrison, to name just two, an offer to record an album in the Dire Straits frontman's own studio was another musical milestone. The Sailor's Revenge, the album that Kennedy wrote and Knopfler produced, features songwriting that grows stronger with every listen - assisted, of course, by Knopfler's distinctive delicious guitar and tasteful widescreen production Bap’s first encounters with the record business were as rhythm guitarist, lead singer and primary songwriter for Belfast rockers Energy Orchard, with whom he recorded 5 albums. When the band left Belfast, they established themselves as legends of London’s live music scene. It was while he was in Energy Orchard that Kennedy first worked with compatriot Van Morrison, who gave the band several support slots to supplement their own hectic touring schedule of both the USA and Europe. When Energy Orchard split up, Bap had little time to rest, because alt-country superstar, and longtime Energy Orchard fan, Steve Earle soon contacted him, suggesting that he would produce Bap’s first solo album. Kennedy agreed, and soon found himself on the plane to Nashville, TN, where he would record Domestic Blues. Earle described Bap as “the best songwriter I ever heard,” and the album featured several of Nashville’s most highly regarded musicians, including Jerry Douglas, Peter Rowan and Nanci Griffith. It was a real success, getting into the top ten of the Billboard Americana chart. Kennedy’s song Vampire appeared in the soundtrack for Hollywood film You Can Count On Me - which won two awards at the prestigious Sundance film festival and received two Oscar nominations - and 3 songs from the album were used for cult classic Southie. More touring of the U.S.A. cemented the acclaim. The follow-up album, Lonely Street, was an artistic project based on, and dedicated to, two of Bap’s childhood musical heroes, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley. In more ways than one, it was music that was made for the love of music, and this was reflected in the consistently positive responses from critics at respected music magazines including Q and Mojo. Once again, Kennedy’s work was used in a Hollywood soundtrack – this time it was ballad Moonlight Kiss, used for one of the key scenes in hit rom-com Serendipity (starring John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale), which is now a modern-day Christmas classic. Bap’s next album, The Big Picture, was a return to working with Van Morrison, who had supported Kennedy since his Energy Orchard days. The Big Picture was recorded at Morrison’s studio, and included a Bap and Van co-write, Milky Way. The album also featured guest vocals from Shane Magowan, lead singer of The Pogues, on the song On the Mighty Ocean Alcohol, and a reading from Carolyn Cassady, one of the leading figures from the Beat generation of American writers, at the end of the beautiful Moriarty’s Blues. More excellent reviews from Mojo, et al, cemented Kennedy’s reputation as a songwriter growing more mature with every release. The time following the release of The Big Picture was to mark profound changes in Bap’s personal, as well as professional, life. Shortly after Kennedy had brought his hard-living ways to an end, he worked with Mark Knopfler for the first time – appearing as a special guest for Knopfler’s tour of the USA and Europe, including five nights at the Royal Albert Hall. It was during this period that Kennedy met his future wife, Brenda Kennedy, an artist and songwriter herself who had also written several bestselling books on Autism and Asperger Syndrome under her previous name of Brenda Boyd. Bap also produced Brenda’s album Banish the Blue Days. For Howl On, released in 2009, Bap recorded in his native Northern Ireland for the first time in his solo career and, much like with Lonely Street, returned to writing a series of songs on a subject that had fascinated Bap in childhood. This time, it was a look at his youthful love for all things American, and the story of the moon landings, not portrayed as a technological feat, but as a moment in the lives of the real people who worked on the Apollo program. This was a collection of human stories held together by the shared thread of Apollo, and told beautifully by Kennedy. This was followed by a successful tour of the UK and Europe, highlighted by a memorable performance at the Glastonbury festival. Bap continued his touring with several highly successful one off gigs, including work with the renowned Belfast/Nashville festival, and performing in the highly regarded South by Southwest festival in America. Bap was also honoured during this period to become patron of Autism NI, which he had become involved with through his wife Brenda. The Sailor’s Revenge features Kennedy’s most mature and sophisticated songwriting to date - an achievement in itself when you consider his back catalogue – as well as the instantly recognisable guitar work of Mark Knopfler, who also produced the album. Knopfler is joined by a collection of the most highly respected session musicians, such as Jerry Douglas and Glenn Worf, combining to ensure that the musicianship on The Sailor’s Revenge is every bit as good as the songwriting.

Nanci Griffith - Intersection

Parlare di Nancy Griffith è come introdurre personaggi del calibro di Johnny Cash o Hammylou Harris... vere e proprie leggende viventi del country, persone che ne hanno fatto con la loro vita la storia e che hanno saputo superare lo "steccato" del genere per proporlo ad un pubblico piu' vasto. Per loro il country è uno strumento che permette di esprimere la propria vena poetica e questo cd non fa eccezzione dove accanto a molte cover bellissime troviamo nuovi brani inediti di primissima qualita'. Nanci è un gioiello del cantautorto made in Usa e siamo veramente felici di questo nuovo album che ci permette di parlare ancora una volta di lei.



A Conversation With Nanci Griffith

Mike Ragogna: Nanci, your newest album, Intersection, seems to be an extremely personal one, and you recorded it in your home. Can you go into that a little?

Nanci Griffith: Well, Pete Kennedy was the one who came to me and said that he knew that I was writing a lot and he was also aware of the fact that I didn't want to be in a studio. Being in the studio involves transporting yourself to LA or New York, then actually getting to the studio daily. I don't want to do that. So, he suggested that he bring his studio down from New York and set up shop in my loft space. We just recorded at the house, kept it all inclusive. The album came out very personal and very live. It's very live.

MR: Can you tell us about some of the musicians on the album?

NG: Pete and Maura Kennedy are the core of what I do these days. I have really bad arthritis in my hands, and they really help me with the things that I struggle with on the guitar these days. Then there's Pat McInerny who's been my drummer for 25 years. It was just us and a couple of visitors. Peter Cooper and Eric Brace came in and sang vocals, and all of the neighborhood children came in and sang on the song, "Come On Up, Mississippi." We only had one other person come in, and that was Richard Steele to play the banjo. It was just a really fun, all in the family kind of experience.

MR: Let's talk about a few of your songs, beginning with the anthem, "Hell No." That song is not only your first single, but it also has a message behind it.

NG: That song came to me so quickly, it was one of those songs that just stood up and said, "Hello." I was not satisfied with some of the things that had happened in my life in the past couple of years, and I just got to the point when I wasn't going to take it anymore. Don't ask me how I'm doing if you don't really wanna know, you know? The song is so universal, and has even become tied to the "Occupy" movement. Every time we play the song live, people are up on their feet, pumping their fists, clapping and celebrating. Most of the time, they're doing this never having heard the song before either. It's great, I really love it.

MR: Do you believe that we're moving into an age where people are beginning to stand up in protest again?

NG: I sure hope so. In my opinion, seeing our republican nominees for the Presidency should be getting everyone fired up. For instance, I didn't even know why Newt Gingrich was in the running. I honestly thought that he didn't have a prayer, but I've been proven wrong. It's scary. We've talked so much about getting the money out of politics in Washington, D.C, and Newt Gingrich is one of the Washington insiders that we are trying to get rid of. He's one of the people spending millions of dollars while attacking the others that are doing the same thing. They seem to care more about money than they do about anything else.

MR: Right on. Let's talk about another of your strong message songs, "Bethlehem Steel."

NG: We were playing at The Bethlehem Arts Center, which was built directly in front of the abandoned steel mill. They've used the Steel Mill as the backdrop of that stage...it's massive. The Mill also has a stained glass window that is lit up during shows. It's almost like there's a movie going on behind you, or something. The movie Deer Hunter is what came to mind when I wrote that. Just a side note to all the ladies...Robert De Niro runs naked through the streets of Bethlehem exactly 47 minutes into the film. (laughs) Performing there was one of the only times that I was on stage that I was tempted to break the connection and the eye contact with the audience so that I could turn around and look at the Steel Mill behind me.

MR: Beautiful. And you also have an ode to 9/11 on this album.

NG: Yes, I do. The song is called, "Davey's Last Picture" and it's a true story written by my assistant Robbin Bach. She was actually in New York with her son, Beau, tooling around the village when they came across this group of firemen washing off their truck. Beau wanted to stop and meet the fireman, so they did and they were very sweet to him. He got his picture taken with a few of them, including a man named Davey. Then, Davey passed on 9/11.

MR: That's very powerful. Another of your songs is "Just Another Morning Here," one you recorded a while back.

NG: Yes, and we kind of laugh about it, only because it took Peter Cooper and Eric Brace to fill Phil Everly's shoes on the recording. (laughs) I make fun of them for that.

MR: Nanci, I've noticed that you create from a very deep place. What is your creative process? How do you go about writing?

NG: Well, it's very spontaneous for me these days. I'm not disciplined as I used to be about it. In fact there's a song on the record called, "Stranded On The High Ground," that I wrote while a group of workers were working on the stairs in my home. I went to take a nap, and had a dream that I was in the middle of a field with Dobie Gray and we were singing that song and doing the Ricki Lake dance. He should get ghostwriter privileges on that song because it was written a couple of months before he passed away. I knew he'd been ill, and he was on my mind, that's probably why I dreamed of him.

MR: Wow. Now that's an intersection with us--Dobie Gray. We were friends, and I did a duet with him in 2008 called "Home" about bringing the troops home and fixing New Orleans. He was awesome and a bit of an activist, something most people don't know about him. By the way, one of my favorite lines in "Stranded..." is, "If you're standing on the high ground, there's no where to go but down."

NG: Well, it's very true. That's why you have to hold your ground!

MR: You also did a Loretta Lynn song on Intersection called, "High On A Mountaintop."

NG: I have always been a very big fan of Loretta's, but never recorded anything by her because I was too intimidated. I thought it was time on this album - especially since I know Loretta and I've even written about her. She's very aware of that. She's also always been very kind and giving to me, so I knew that I really wanted to do something of hers on this album. Of course, I probably picked the most complicated song she ever wrote in her life. (laughs)

MR: (laughs) But, of course, you handled it with grace.

NG: Well, thank you. She can fit more words into one line than anyone else, ever. (laughs)

MR: (laughs) Now, one of my favorite songs from your catalog is "Trouble In The Fields." It's such a heartbreaker.

NG: That song meant so much to me then. Maura O'Connell was the first one to cover that song, and she had a hit with it in Ireland. That kind of paved the way for me. I still think that she did the best job with that song of anyone, including me, so much so that my great uncle, who was 92 at the time, had her version of "Trouble In The Fields" on his answering machine if he was out in the field and couldn't answer the phone, not mine. I thought it was really sweet. It wasn't cool, but it was sweet. (laughs)

MR: And speaking of Ireland, "It's A Hard Life Wherever You Go" is another of your great anthems. I especially love the line, "If we poison our children with hatred, then a hard life is all that they'll know."

NG: And I believe that's true. I don't think we're socializing our children properly. School used to be as much about education as it was about socializing. There are so many school districts now that no longer have a physical education program so that these kids can get their aggression out on a basketball or play some kickball. They need time to throw things at each other. (laughs) It used to happen a lot more, and that just doesn't exist anymore.

MR: Do you feel like there's an answer to that problem?

NG: Well, the answer has always become that we can't afford it. We don't even have the arts in schools anymore. I think every child has a creative notion in them. But at the same time, having been a schoolteacher, I believe that if a child has a knack for the arts, they'll find it. Any arts class was always a breath of fresh air to the children that had a passion for it.

MR: So true. Getting back to Intersection, I wanted to talk with you about the song, "Never Going Back." Never?

NG: Well, I don't intend to go back. (laughs) I love that song. To me, it means that I've done this, I know this, I've walked away from this, and I don't want to do it.

MR: Nanci, having the wealth of experience that you do, do you have any advice that you'd like to give to new artists?

NG: Work...you know? I mean, I respect people who are able to work well on their computers and such, but don't rely only on that thing. Work. Get out your real instrument with strings or keys and play music. Sometimes, I feel like we're heading in the wrong direction in that regard because I believe that being completely electronically based can stifle the creativity. You're not creating a sound, it's already created for you.

MR: I often worry about that myself, since technology has made it so easy to slack off. So, what does the immediate future hold for you?

NG: Well, I am going to be touring all over Europe. We're in Europe for a little over a month

. MR: Wonderful. Any chance you'd like to make a quick prediction on the upcoming Presidential election?

NG: Oh, gosh. I don't know. I mean, I have a bumper sticker on my truck that says "Blue Girl in a Red State." I have no predictions. It's been so odd lately that anything can happen.

MR: (laughs) I agree. Nanci, this has been such a huge pleasure for me. Thank you for coming to spend time with us.

NG: Thank you so much for having me, Mike.

Intervista tratta dall'Huff Post

Lyle Lovett - Realese Me

Lyle Lovett was one of the most distinctive and original singer/songwriters to emerge during the '80s. Though he was initially labeled as a country singer, the tag never quite fit him. Lovett had more in common with '70s singer/songwriters like Guy Clark, Jesse Winchester, Randy Newman, and Townes Van Zandt, combining a talent for incisive, witty lyrical detail with an eclectic array of music, ranging from country and folk to big-band swing and traditional pop. Lovett's literate, multi-layered songs stood out among the formulaic Nashville hit singles of the late '80s as well as the new traditionalists who were beginning to take over country music. Drawing from alternative country and rock fans, Lovett quickly built up a cult following which began to spill over into the mainstream with his second album, 1988's Pontiac. Following Pontiac, his country audience declined, but his reputation as a songwriter and musician continued to grow, and he sustained a dedicated cult following throughout the '90s.

Born in Klein, Texas -- a small town named after his great-grandfather, a Bavarian weaver called Adam Klein, which later became a Houston suburb -- Lovett was raised on his family horse ranch. He didn't begin his musical career until he began writing songs while he attended Texas A&M University in the late '70s, where he studied journalism and German. While he was a student, he performed covers and original songs at local folk festivals and clubs. As a graduate student, he traveled to Germany to study and continued to write and play while he was in Europe. However, he didn't begin to pursue a musical career in earnest until he returned to America in the early '80s. Upon his return to the States, Lovett played clubs throughout Texas, eventually landing a spot in the 1983 Mickey Rooney TV movie Bill: On His Own. The following year Nanci Griffith, whom Lyle had interviewed for a school paper while he was in college, recorded his "If I Were the Woman You Wanted" on her Once in a Very Blue Moon album. He also sang on the album as well as her 1985 record Last of the True Believers. Guy Clark heard a demo tape of Lovett's songs in 1984 and directed it toward Tony Brown of MCA Records. Over the next year, MCA worked out the details of a record contract with Lyle. In the meantime, he made his first recorded appearance on Fast Folk Magazine, Vol. 2 #8 later in the year. Lovett signed with MCA/Curb in 1986, releasing his eponymous debut later in the year. Lyle Lovett received excellent reviews, and five of its singles -- "Farther Down the Line," the Top Ten "Cowboy Man," "God Will," "Why I Don't Know," and "Give Back My Heart" -- reached the country Top 40. Despite his strong showing on the country charts, it was clear from the outset that Lovett's musical tastes didn't rely on country, though the genre provided the foundation of his sound. Instead, he incorporated jazz, folk, and pop into a country framework, pushing the musical boundaries of each genre. Pontiac, his second album, revealed exactly how eclectic and literate Lovett was. Greeted with overwhelmingly positive reviews from both country and mainstream publications upon its 1987 release, Pontiac expanded his audience in the pop and rock markets. The album charted in the lower reaches of the pop charts and slowly worked its way toward gold status. While his pop audience grew, his country fan base began to shrink -- "She's No Lady" and "I Loved You Yesterday" both made the Top 30, but after those two songs, none of his other singles cracked the country Top 40. It didn't matter that Lovett's country audience was disappearing -- Pontiac had gained enough new fans in the pop mainstream to guarantee him a strong cult following. To support Pontiac, he assembled His Large Band, which was a modified big band complete with guitars, a cellist, a pianist, horns, and a gospel-trained backup singer named Francine Reed. Lovett recorded his third album, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, with his touring band. Like its two predecessors, the album was well-received critically upon its early 1989 release, and it performed well commercially, peaking at number 62 and eventually going gold. Perhaps because of the album's eclectic, jazzy sound, the album produced only one minor country hit in "I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You," but his straight rendition of Tammy Wynette's "Stand by Your Man" received a great deal of attention in the media. Following the release of His Large Band, Lovett settled out in California, which signaled that he was abandoning country. After settling in Los Angeles, he spent the next two years collaborating and working on his fourth album. In 1990, he produced Walter Hyatt's King Tears album; the following year, he sang on Leo Kottke's Great Big Boy and donated a cover of "Friend of the Devil" to the Grateful Dead tribute album Deadicated. Also in 1991, he made his acting debut in Robert Altman's The Player, which was released in the spring of 1992. A few months after The Player hit the theaters, Lovett's fourth album, Joshua Judges Ruth, was released. Boasting a heavy gospel and R&B influence, Joshua Judges Ruth was his most successful album to date, peaking at number 57 and going gold. On the whole, the album was ignored by country radio, but pop audiences embraced the record, and Lovett became a staple on adult alternative radio and VH1. Despite the success of Joshua Judges Ruth, Lovett became a near-superstar for a completely different reason in 1993 -- his surprise marriage to actress Julia Roberts. Upon the announcement of their marriage, Lovett became the subject of many gossip segments and tabloid stories, elevating him to a level of fame he had not experienced before. Lyle's first project after his marriage was a role in Altman's 1993 film Short Cuts. He didn't release another album until the fall of 1994, when I Love Everybody hit the stores. A collection of songs Lovett wrote in the late '70s and early '80s, I Love Everybody continued his move away from country, and it was the first record he had released that didn't expand his audience in some way. After it entered the charts at number 26, it disappeared 13 weeks later, failing to go gold. Lovett and Roberts divorced in the spring of 1995, and Lyle began to retreat from the spotlight somewhat, spending the remainder of the year touring and writing. Lovett re-emerged with The Road to Ensenada, the first album since Pontiac to be dominated by country songs, in the summer of 1996. In addition to performing well on the pop charts, where it entered at a career peak of number 24, The Road to Ensenada performed strongly on the country charts, entering at number four. The two-disc covers album Step Inside This House followed in 1998, featuring mostly underexposed material penned by some of Lovett's favorite songwriters (many of whom hailed from Texas). In 1999, Lovett issued his first concert record, Live in Texas, and his soundtrack to the Altman film Dr. T. & the Women followed a year later. Smile, a collection of songs recorded for various movie soundtracks, appeared in 2003, followed that same year by My Baby Don't Tolerate on Lost Highway. The label also released It's Not Big It's Large in 2007 and Natural Forces in 2009. A holiday EP, Songs for the Season, appeared in 2011, and a couple of tracks from it ended up on Release Me, Lovett's final album on his Curb Records contract, which appeared in 2012. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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Counting Crows Undewater Sunshine

I Counting Crows sono un gruppo statunitense di alt rock formatosi a San Francisco nel 1991. La popolarità della band ha avuto inizio nel 1993, anno dell'uscita del singolo Mr. Jones, presente, poi, nell'album d'esordio August and Everything After. Membri originari e cofondatori della band sono il cantante spezzacuori di dive made in hollywood Adam Duritz, e il chitarrista, David Bryson, che facevano parte, entrambi, della band The Himalayans. Inizialmente, infatti, si trattò di un duo acustico. Il pezzo Round Here, degli Himalayans è stato pubblicato dalla nuova band, nell'album d'esordio. Il loro genere malinconico fece breccia nei giovani della "Generazione X" che cercavano un'alternativa alle chitarre "cattive" della scena musicale rock di Seattle. La band, perciò, fu formata da musicisti locali e, poi, scritturata dalla Geffen Records. Il primo album, August and Everything After, realizzato nel 1993, fu un grande successo anche grazie al singolo Mr. Jones, ispirato al padre di un amico d'infanzia di Adam, il bassista degli Himalayans Marty Jones. Lo stile del cantante Adam Duritz è stato, molto spesso, paragonato a quello di Van Morrison. I testi delle canzoni, quasi tutti scritti da Duritz narrano, perlopiù, di vita quotidiana. Nel 2004 hanno collaborato con i BLØF per il singolo Holiday in Spain, di gran successo in Belgio e Paesi Bassi. Nel 2005 sono stati candidati all'Oscar per la canzone Accidentally in Love, inclusa nella colonna sonora di Shrek 2. Nel 2011 hanno pubblicato l'album August and Everything After: Live at Town Hall, composto esclusivamente dai brani del loro primo album August and Everything After suonati dal vivo in concerto tutto esauruto al Town Hall di New York nella stessa scaletta dell'album tranne per Raining in Baltimore riproposta in medley con l'iniziale Round Here. Ne è stata pubblicata anche una versione in DVD, primo video ufficiale del gruppo. Con questo ultimo album di cover i Counting Crows vogliono trasmettere ai propri fans l'emozione che si prova in ogni loro concerto dove è la musica a farla da padrona. Come dice lo stesso Duritz dopo essersi esaminato molto tempo interiormente cercando attraverso la scrittura e la musica di sviscerare ogni contraddizione e voglia di vivere della cosidetta Generazione X ora è il momento di farsi quasi coccolare dalla musica altrui ma non come covers, ma come fonte di ispirazione..... non sono i Counting Crows a suonare le varie covers che compongono il cd ma sono le covers che diventano parte del complesso, ne assorbono l'anima e si mescelano nel gruppo. Grande cd, grande voglia di vivere, grandissimi musicisti e un cd assolutamente da avere.

Curtis Salgado - Soul Shot

Cantante-armonicista di Portland, Oregon, Curtis Salgado approda con “Soul Shot” all’Alligator dopo essersi messo in luce negli anni come front-man nella band di Robert Cray per proseguire con i Blues Brothers, come vocalist di Santana negli anni ’90 il tutto alternato da una discreta carriera solista (Curtis Salgado & The Stilettos).Headliner dei piu' importanti festival blues made in Usa questo nuovo album, un’impeccabile produzione Alligator diretta dal funk e R&B guitar-wizard Marlon McClain, con il batterista Tony Braunage, e co-prodotto dallo stesso Salgado, arriva dopo prestigiosi riconoscimenti tra i piu' importanti dei quali spicca la vittoria nei Blues Award del 2010 come "Soul Blues Male Artist Of the Year. E proprio seguendo questa strada Curtis ci regala un lavoro che si rivolge al pubblico del soul e del blues contemporaneo alternando brani originali a ben scelte covers di classici firmati da Johnny "Guitar" Watson, George Clinton, Otis Redding e Bobby Womack. Da lente e brucianti ballads a folgoranti brani blues-rock oriented, lascia trasparire forza e passione da ogni sua performance. Un bianco che, dopo aver sconfitto un cancro al fegato ed ai polmoni, firma una delle più belle e convincenti produzioni della blues label per eccellenza.

Award-winning vocalist/songwriter/harmonica icon Curtis Salgado sings and plays with soulful authority, never giving less than 100 percent. He plays each and every show like it's the most important gig of his career. He recalls the time when his friend, the great chitlin' circuit singer Buddy Ace, put on the show of his life, singing his heart out, making three costume changes, all while playing at a casual house party. Salgado was floored. "I was just there playing with my band, hanging out in cut-offs and a t-shirt, and there's Buddy treating the gig the same as if he was performing at the Apollo," he says. From that moment on, Curtis vowed that every time he got on stage he would deliver his very best shot. Salgado's been perfecting his craft since he first began playing professionally in the late 1960s. He fronted his own group, The Nighthawks, inspired John Belushi to create The Blues Brothers, was co-star of The Robert Cray Band and sang and toured with Roomful Of Blues. He released his first of eight solo albums in 1991, hitting the road hard year after year. Salgado and his band toured with The Steve Miller Band and Curtis spent a summer singing with Santana before being sidelined by serious health issues in 2006. He's battled all the way back, and, after a full and complete recovery, has been tearing up concert stages all over the country. Winner of the 2010 Blues Music Award for Soul Blues Artist Of The Year, Salgado effortlessly mixes blues, funk and R&B with a delivery that is raw and heartfelt. He moves with ease from the tenderest ballads to the most full-throated stompers. Blues Revue says, "Salgado is one of the most down-to-earth, soulful, honest singers ever, and his harmonica work is smoking and thoroughly invigorating...rollicking, funky and electrifying." With his Alligator Records debut, Soul Shot, Salgado is set to reach the largest audience of his career. Soul Shot was produced by funk and R&B guitarist Marlon McClain, drummer Tony Braunagel and co-produced by Salgado. "I wanted to make a soul record that you can listen to and dance to," says Salgado. And that's just what he and members of The Phantom Blues Band, along with additional guest musicians, did. Soul Shot speaks loud and clear to contemporary audiences, carrying on the timeless spirit of 1960s and '70s R&B. The album features four Salgado originals and seven carefully chosen covers. "I don't care who writes the songs," Salgado says, "as long as I can make them my own." Songs by Johnny "Guitar" Watson, George Clinton, Otis Redding and Bobby Womack flow into and out of Salgado's own compositions. Each track-the slow-burning ballads and the driving rockers-is delivered with the vocal power and passion of a musical master. "Soul Shot was the most challenging recording of my career," he says, "and it's the solid best thing I've ever done. That's a fact." Born February 4, 1954 in Everett, Washington, Salgado grew up in Eugene, Oregon. His parents were "hip," according to Salgado, and his house was always filled with music. His parents' collection included everything from Count Basie to Fats Waller, and his older brother and sister turned him on to the soul and blues of Wilson Pickett and Muddy Waters. His father liked to sing, and would point out specific passages in a Count Basie or Ray Charles recording for Curtis to pay close attention to, and the youngster soaked it all up. He attended a Count Basie performance when he was 13 and decided then and there that music was his calling. Curtis began devouring the blues of Little Walter and Paul Butterfield, fell in love with the harmonica and taught himself to play. As a hungry-to-learn teenager, his musical abilities grew by leaps and bounds. He played his first professional gigs when he was 16, and by 18 he was already making a name for himself in Eugene's bar scene. Salgado quickly developed into a player and singer of remarkable depth, with vocal and musical influences including Otis Redding to O.V. Wright, Johnnie Taylor, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson I and II, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf, Otis Spann and Magic Sam. With his band The Nighthawks, he became a must-see act in Eugene and throughout the Northwest. Salgado earned a reputation for high-intensity performances and a repertoire that was informed by his encyclopedic knowledge of blues, soul and R&B music. In 1973, Salgado met Robert Cray and the two became fast friends. They jammed often, sometimes sitting in with each other's bands, often playing double bills. In 1975, Salgado had the idea to start a blues festival in Eugene in order to meet and play with as many established blues stars as possible. The festival became an annual event, allowing Curtis to back up, befriend and occasionally house legends including Floyd Dixon, Frankie Lee, Luther Tucker, Otis Rush, Clifton Chenier, Sonny Rhodes and Albert Collins. In fact, it was Salgado-whose Nighthawks backed Collins locally-who crowned the blues legend with the title he would carry for the rest of his career: "The Master Of The Telecaster." In 1977, comedian/actor John Belushi was in Eugene filming Animal House. During downtime from filming, Belushi caught a typically balls-out Salgado performance. Afterwards the two got to talking and a friendship grew. Before long Salgado began playing old records for Belushi, teaching him about blues and R&B. Belushi soaked up the music like a sponge and soon developed his idea for The Blues Brothers, first as a skit on Saturday Night Live and then as a major motion picture and a best-selling record album and concert tour. The album, Briefcase Full Of Blues, is dedicated to Curtis Salgado, and, as a nod to Salgado, Cab Calloway's character in the film is named Curtis. The Blues Brothers' set list was strikingly similar to the shows Salgado was delivering on a nightly basis. As Salgado was getting more serious about his career, he realized some of his band mates were not. It was then that Salgado joined forces with Cray and formed a new, more forceful Robert Cray Band. As the stature of the group grew, Salgado found himself sharing stages with blues icons like Muddy Waters, Bobby Bland and Bonnie Raitt. The band performed a transcendent set at The 1977 San Francisco Blues Festival to thunderous ovation before backing up the great Albert Collins. After Salgado and Cray parted ways in 1982, Curtis went on to front Roomful Of Blues, singing and touring with them from 1984 through 1986. Back home in Oregon, he formed a new band, Curtis Salgado & The Stilettos, and was once again tearing it up on the club scene. He wrote many new songs, and honed his band to a razor's edge before releasing his first solo album in 1991 on the fledgling JRS label. The group toured the country and began developing a strong following. His friend and fan Steve Miller invited Curtis and his band to open for him on a summer shed tour in 1992. Two years later, Salgado spent the summer on the road singing with Santana. In 1997 he toured with Miller again and performed in front of an audience of millions on NBC television's Late Night With Conan O'Brien. Salgado then joined forces with Shanachie Records in 1999, putting out four critically acclaimed albums over the next nine years and finding his biggest audience yet. In 2006 Salgado was sidelined when he underwent a successful liver transplant and then shortly afterwards was diagnosed with and then beat lung cancer. Like so many musicians, Curtis had no health insurance. His medical expenses were paid for in part by a huge outpouring of love and money from his fellow musicians and his huge Northwest fan base. He bounced back with a perfect bill of health in 2008, releasing Clean Getaway. Billboard said the album was a "tour-de-force, showcasing Salgado's range and power as a vocalist" and that it featured "hard-nosed blues, beautifully nuanced phat and funky R&B." Blues Revue called it "one of the best records of the year." Curtis tours heavily, leaving fans excited and hungry for more everywhere he plays. He has performed at festivals all over the world, including The San Francisco Blues Festival, The Chicago Blues Festival, Memphis' Beale Street Music Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, Denver's Mile High Blues Festival, Toronto's Waterfront Blues Festival, Thailand's Phuket International Blues Festival and Poland's Blues Alive Festival. Now, with Soul Shot, Salgado is ready for more, tougher and more focused than ever. He will again hit the road hard, proving his reputation as a fire-breathing live performer night after night. And that's just how he likes it. "Always give it your best," he says. "Be honest and be real. Treat every show like it's the biggest night of your life." With Soul Shot and a long list of tour dates already planned, the biggest performances of Curtis Salgado's life are surely yet to come.

Madison Violet è il gruppo rivelazione di questo 2012 per tutti coloro che amano le songwriter alla Lucinda Williams e Gilliam Welch. Il duo composto dalle musiciste amiche Brenley MacEachern e Lisa MacIsaac arrivano a questo importante appuntamento non proprio da esordienti visto che il loro precedente lavoro No Fool for Trying (2009), ha vinto nel 2009 il John Lennon Songwriting Contest per il brano “The Ransom,” oltre al Canadian Folk Music Award come gruppo dell'annno ottenendo anche una momination dalla East Coast Music Awards e dalla JUNO Award come miglior album Roots & Traditional. Tuttavia posisamo affermare che con questo nuovo album le Madison Violet hanno raggiunto la loro piena maturita' sia da un punto di vista compositivo ( l'album è molto intimo e le canzoni derivano direttamente dalle esperienze vissute dalle due amiche ) che musicale visto che hanno partecipato al progetto Joel Stouffer (Dragonette) alla batteria, Adrian Lawryshyn (Andy Stochansky) al basso, mentre la sezione corale è impreziosita dalla presenza di Ruth Moody (The Wailin’ Jennys) e Blair Packham. Quindi, dopo aver ascoltato attentamente l'album, possiamo dire che è arrivato finalmente il momento di introdurre anche nel nostro paese questo fantastico duo che sono sicuro entrera' immediatamente nella vostra discografia.




Finding the good in goodbye is always bittersweet. JUNO nominated roots duo Madison Violet (Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac) can attest to that with their latest release, The Good in Goodbye, out on September 6 (True North Records). An album born from their growth, both together and apart, The Good in Goodbye is an open diary of their personal and professional experiences together as friends and musicians, two very unique relationships that affect each other in profound ways. Since releasing their last album, No Fool for Trying (2009), Madison Violet won the 2009 John Lennon Songwriting Contest for their track “The Ransom,” took home the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year, and were nominated for multiple East Coast Music Awards and a 2010 JUNO Award for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year (Group). As a follow-up to their breakthrough successes in 2010, The Good in Goodbye captures the duo’s growth and musical maturity. Their distinct take on iconic Americana-inspired up-tempo melodies beautifully contrasts with their breathtakingly sweeping and personal lyrics, creating songs that blend nods to Lucinda Williams and Gillian Welch with radio-friendly flecks of The Court-Yard Hounds. To capture the intimacy of The Good in Goodbye, Madison Violet returned to the studio with trusted friend and producer Les Cooper (Jill Barber) while bringing a collective of remarkable musicians into the fold, including Joel Stouffer (Dragonette) on drums, Adrian Lawryshyn (Andy Stochansky) on bass, and vocals from Ruth Moody (The Wailin’ Jennys) and singer/songwriter Blair Packham. Though Madison Violet seemingly made their mark in the last year or so, success was hard earned, spending up to eight months a year on the road, winning fans and champions the old-fashioned way, one song at a time, one gig at a time. Their first disc, Worry the Jury (2004), was an introduction to the lush arrangements and radio-friendly harmonies that would become a Madison Violet hallmark, with their sophomore album Caravan (2006) further exploring and incorporating country-infused, toe-tapping melodies. Their breakthrough album, No Fool for Trying (2009) enlisted, for the first time, the help of producer Les Cooper. The record showcased Madison Violet’s heartfelt (and often heartbreaking) lyrics in brilliant contrast to their uplifting arrangements, pushing their graceful harmonies to the surface. Receiving a mass of acclaim from outlets including the BBC, the CBC, Maverick Magazine, NPR, and Penguin Eggs Magazine, No Fool for Trying made dedicated fans of even the most hard-to-crack critics. Ultimately, Madison Violet captured the attention of Mojo Magazine, landing “Small Of My Heart” on the publication’s distinguished playlist, “Mojo’s Top 10,” in December 2009. Madison Violet also have the unique distinction of being the only Canadians to win The John Lennon Songwriting Contest. The duo has sold-out venues across North America and Europe, had the prestigious distinction of touring with Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe, and has shared stages with contemporaries such as Chantal Kreviazuk, Ron Sexsmith and The Indigo Girls. With their newest effort, Madison Violet prove on they’re among Canada’s brightest singer/songwriters.

Janiva Magness - Stronger For It

Janiva
Magness può essere senza dubbio considerata una delle piu' belle voci
blues dell'odierno panorama musicale. Nella sua voce potente e interiore
si rispecchia tutto il suo mondo passato e presente, dannazione e
redenzione in un mix di emozioni che solo una vita vissuta può creare.
Non c'è finzione in questo personaggio, la vita non lo ha
consentito, ma tanta onesta' musicale, tanta forza che si rispecchia nel
carisma di questa nuova signora del blues. A conferma di quanto scritto è
testimone la vittoria al r B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year , premio che
prima di lei solo un'altra grande donna del blues ha avuto il piacere di
vincere : la grande Koko Taylor. Di lei il  Los Angeles Daily News
scrive  “A superb, powerhouse R&B singer who delivers blues and soul with show-stopping authority”
e USA Today rilancia "Stunningly sung...Magness is a blues star" .
Nonostante questa tarda notorieta' la Magness non è nuova del giro visto
che ha alle sue spalle 3 decadi di concerti live con all'attivo 150 date
all'anno.... attivita' live che le ha permesso di affrontare questi ultimi
cd, i primi della sua lunga carriera, con la stessa sicurezza e potenza di
una veterana ma con l'entusiasmo e la forza di una esordiente. Il mix che
ne risulta è puro Blues.... Ascoltare Per Credere.


Award-winning vocalist Janiva Magness is among the premier blues and R&B singers in the world today. Her voice possesses an earthy, raw honesty and beauty born from her life experience. A charismatic performer known for her electrifying live shows, Magness is a gutsy and dynamic musical powerhouse. She received the coveted 2009 Blues Music Awards for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year (she is only the second woman to ever win this award, Koko Taylor being the first) and for Contemporary Blues Female Artist Of The Year, an honor she also received in 2006 and 2007. She has received eleven previous Blues Music Award nominations. USA Today declared, “Magness is a blues star,” and The Philadelphia Inquirer said, “Magness sings superb, potent soul-blues with a scorching intensity."

Magness has been performing for almost three decades, logging thousands of miles on the road and appearing 150 nights a year at clubs, theatres and festivals all over the world. Her longest road trip yet was to Iraq and Kuwait in April 2008, as a co-headliner of Bluzapalooza, the first-ever blues concert tour to perform for American troops. The tour was an incredibly profound experience for Magness. “My job is a gift. It’s about human connection, to remind people they are not alone. I can’t think of anyone in greater need of a break than these soldiers. Those kids came up to me and said, ‘You made me forget where I was for two hours. Thank you!’ That was beyond priceless.”
Magness released a series of independent albums, including two on the Northern Blues label, prior to her extraordinary 2008 Alligator Records debut, What Love Will Do. Her new CD, The Devil Is An Angel Too, co-produced by Magness and Dave Darling (Brian Setzer, Meredith Brooks, Dan Hicks), is a hard-hitting collection of material that explores the depths of good and evil, with Magness’ glorious, soul-baring vocals burning their way through twelve powerful songs. “All of us have a light and a dark side. Human beings are capable of the most incredible acts of kindness and absolute wretchedness. This record explores both sides,” Magness explains. She wraps her huge, soulful voice around original material written especially for her, and songs from Julie Miller, Graham Parker, Nick Lowe, Joe Tex, Gladys Knight, Nina Simone, Ann Peebles and James Carr. From the haunting, seductive title track that explores evil masquerading as good to the spiritual awakening of “Walkin’ In The Sun” to the revenge tale of “I’m Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down” and the joyful proclamation of “I Want To Do Everything For You,” Magness cuts to the heart and soul of each song with grit, heart and fierce passion, making The Devil Is An Angel Too her most compelling release yet.



Although Magness is now a bona fide blues star, her rise to the top was far from easy. Born in Detroit, Magness was inspired by the blues and country she heard listening to her father’s record collection, and by the vibrant music of the city’s classic Motown sound. By her teenage years, though, her life was in chaos. She lost both parents to suicide by the age of 16 and lived on the streets, bouncing from one foster home to another. At 17, she became a teenage mother who gave up her baby daughter for adoption. One night in Minneapolis, an underage Magness sneaked into a club to see blues great Otis Rush, and it was there that she found her salvation and decided that the blues were her calling. Magness recalls, “Otis played as if his life depended on it. There was a completely desperate, absolute intensity. I knew, whatever it was, I needed more of it.” She began going to as many blues shows as possible, soaking up the sounds of her favorite artists, including Johnny Copeland and Albert Collins. She immersed herself in records by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Etta James, and all the other R&B greats.



Listening to these blues and soul artists, and watching them live, sparked Janiva and gave her life direction. Her first break came several years later, while working as an intern at a recording studio. She was approached by her boss to sing some supporting vocals on a track. Finding her voice, she soon began working regularly as a background singer. By the early 1980s, Magness made her way to Phoenix and befriended Bob Tate, the musical director for the great Sam Cooke. With Tate’s mentoring, she formed her first band, Janiva Magness And The Mojomatics, in 1985 and before long the influential Phoenix New Times named her group the city’s Best Blues Band. She moved to Los Angeles in 1986 and slowly began finding work. She recorded her second studio album, It Takes One To Know One, in 1997 (her debut was the cassette-only release, More Than Live). After three more independent releases, Janiva signed with Northern Blues and recorded Bury Him At The Crossroads in 2004 and Do I Move You? in 2006. Both CDs were co-produced by Magness along with Canadian roots star Colin Linden, and both garnered Magness a tremendous amount of critical and popular attention. Magness and Linden won the prestigious Canadian Maple Blues Award for Producers Of The Year for Bury Him At The Crossroads in 2004. Do I Move You? debuted at #8 on the Billboard Blues Chart and was the #1 Blues CD Of The Year in 2006 on Living Blues magazine’s radio chart. Blues Revue said, “Magness is a bold and potent artist with a powerful, soulful voice… impossible to forget.”



Magness signed with Alligator in 2008 and released her stunning label debut, What Love Will Do, to massive critical acclaim. The Chicago Sun-Times raved, “Her songs run the gamut of emotions from sorrow to joy. A master of the lowdown blues who is equally at ease surrounded by funk or soul sounds, Magness invigorates every song with a brutal honesty,” while Blues Revue called her “a blues interpreter of the highest rank…punchy and tough…swaggering, incendiary vocal performances.” Allmusic declared, “rollicking blues, swampy soul and R&B…stark, gritty, emotional material…terrific, magnificent voice. She rips into ballads with moving and riveting tenacity…she burns through these songs like she’s got everything to prove.” Fueled by all the positive press, Magness was profiled on National Public Radio’s Weekend Edition, putting her in front of an audience of millions and expanding her ever-growing fan base.



In addition to her musical accomplishments, Magness is reaching out to help others. She is a National Spokesperson for Casey Family Programs (her fourth consecutive year), promoting National Foster Care Month. “It is a huge honor and a daunting responsibility. But I am very excited to be a part of it, and I look forward to carrying the message of hope for youth in the foster care system,” says Magness. “Casey Family Programs does groundbreaking work, and I am deeply honored to work with them again.” Magness has also reconnected with her daughter, and is now the proud grandmother of an eight-year-old boy. “Our fate doesn’t have to be our destiny,” she says. “I’m living proof of that. And I’m so very grateful.”



Magness is also incredibly grateful for her Blues Music Award for B.B. King Entertainer Of The Year. “Winning Entertainer Of The Year is overwhelming to me,” she says. “Being the only woman besides Koko Taylor to win this award is just staggering. I adored and worshipped Koko for so long that it’s really hard for me to wrap myself around it, but I couldn’t be prouder of that award. It’s very humbling, because I still can’t believe that people find me worthy to stand in her company.”



Janiva Magness’ deeply emotional music, sung with passion, conviction and soul, and her telepathic ability to connect with an audience, assures her place among the blues elite. “We need real music now more than ever because it gives us strength to pull through tough times,” says Magness. “We need it in a real bad way. Blues is a ray of hope. It articulates what’s lacking in people’s lives.” With The Devil Is An Angel Too and her explosive live shows hitting cities across North America and Europe, Janiva Magness continues to spread her empowering message of hope through music.