Simon McBride – The Fighter (2022)

 McBride komt uit Belfast in Noord-Ierland, een plek die resoneert met de muzikanten zoals Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher en bands als Thin Lizzy, Stiff Little Fingers en uiteraard U2. Hij speelde op tournee met de band van Ian Gillan, de Don Airey-band en ex-leden van Whitesnake als onderdeel van Snakecharmer. Simon is door niemand minder dan Ian Gillan van Deep Purple geprezen als “one of the best guitar players in the world.”

Momenteel vervangt Simon Steve Morse in Deep Purple, die vanwege een familieaangelegenheid tijdelijk een pauze heeft genomen van zijn positie bij de band. Joe Satriani die in 1993 en 1994 met de band speelde, zei in een interview met eonmusic het volgende; “Simon is a great call for that, so that’s really great”, he said; “I mean, the band is close to Simon, and Simon’s a great guitarist”.

Dit album is de perfecte kans voor Simon om naam te maken en te schitteren in de rockwereld! Classic Rock Music UK en Powerplay Magazine hebben beide Simon’s album al met top ratings beoordeeld. “As talented as Simon is, you feel he should be better known” – Powerplay (9/10). Opgenomen in de legendarische Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, heeft dit album alles wat een goed rockalbum nodig heeft… ‘The Fighter’ voelt als het ontbrekende stuk die hem naar de top zou kunnen brengen, vlak naast de legendarische gitaarhelden, waar hij thuishoort.

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Lilly Martin - Lookout (2022)

 

The Blues – understanding the bottom line of being alive in this world. Soul Music – rising above the reality of this world. Lilly Martin sings both, the blues and soul, honestly and with intensity, because she knows what she is singing about.

On the new album ‘Lookout’, which will be released on May 27, 2022, the winner of the “Swiss Blues Award” 2020 is showing all facets of her creativity. A new phase is starting. “Lookout”, that means as much as looking from the inside out, or in other words: change the perspective. With new maturity and serenity. This is where Lilly Martin’s accumulated experience enters the picture.

It is a new highlight in her career. Together with her partner, the multi-instrumentalist Michael Dolmetsch, she creates soul-blues in her own unique style, with influences from gospel, R&B and Motown. Eight original compositions are included on the new album of this singer, who has also written songs with many other artists. “I was encouraged by the positive reactions to my older songs and also by winning the “Swiss Blues Award” to present even more original pieces this time.” Songs like the soulful “Good Love”, which is about the search for the great love, about never giving up on this search. Or “Waiting for the Fog to Lift,” a slow blues in which Lilly Martin describes how she survives melancholy moments. Feelings and situations that everyone knows and that she is describing here in a haunting way.

Besides her own songs, Lilly Martin is also delivering well-chosen cover versions. No wonder she calls herself a “genre outlaw” because the stylistic range is wide. “Desperado” by the Eagles, “Leavin'” by singer/songwriter Shelby Lynne, “Driving Wheel”, an old Blues by Roosevelt Sykes, and, as a real surprise, “Soul Searching” by the Californian Beach Boys. On one hand, this selection adds to the album’s complexity, and on the other, Lilly Martin demonstrates one of her great qualities: she effortlessly makes these songs from other people’s her own.

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Rik Meijer - Rik Meijer (2022)

 Datum release 20 Mei 2022

 

Met medewerking van ...

Martin van der Starre, Mink, Jack Bottleneck, Cindy Oudshoorn, Cobus Prins, Auke Busman, Dilana Smith, Alex Luttjeboer, Monique Bakker, Silvia Dekema en Kevin Stuurhaan - vocals, Hans Eijkenaar en Fokke de Jong - drums, Michel van Schie, Roni Jonker, Bonne van der Wal en Johannes Adema - basgitaar, Ruben Mulder - toetsen, Bas Kleine - Bluesharp, Nico Outhuijse - percussie en studiotechniek, Willem Pen - Sax/trompet.

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Bobby Previte & Charlie Hunter - Avant Blues (2022)

 Bobby Previte is a composer and performer whose work explores the nexus between notated and improvised music. One of the seminal figures of the 1980s New York ‘Downtown’ scene, Previte is the recipient of the 2015 Greenfield Prize for music and was a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow in 2012. He has received multiple awards for composition from the NEA, NYFA, NYSCA, New Music USA, The Jerome Foundation, The New York State Music Fund, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, and the American Music Center. Mr. Previte has been an artist-in-residence at the Rockefeller Foundation in Bellagio, Italy, Civitella Ranieri, The Montalvo Arts Center, The Hermitage Artist Retreat, and nine times at the MacDowell Colony. 

His original compositions have been recorded and released on Sony, Elektra, Rykodisc, Palmetto, New World, Ropeadope, Tzadik, Thirsty Ear, Cantaloupe and Rarenoise. Leading a plethora of diverse ensembles from his instrument, the drums, he has collaborated with many of the leading lights in and beyond the world of music, including master composer John Adams, iconic singer Tom Waits, pantheon filmmaker Robert Altman, and most recently, rock legend Iggy Pop. His music has been labeled as ‘utterly original,’ by the New York Times, while The New Yorker has said his ensembles ‘speak in visionary tongues.’ Mr. Previte has given master classes at schools and universities around the world including The Eastman School of Music, The New School, Bard College, and Princeton University. His recent work includes: TERMINALS, Five Concertos for Percussion Ensemble and Soloist, with SO Percussion, released October 28th, 2014 by Cantaloupe Music, GONE, with Bobby Previte & the Visitors, released summer 2016 on the forTune label, TERMINALS QUARTETS, the percussion only version of Terminals, summer 2016, by Cantaloupe Music, and MASS, a music in nine parts for choir, pipe organ, and metal trio, released April 2017 by Rarenoise Records. His newest work, RHAPSODY, a song cycle on the subject of migration, was commissioned by the Greenfield Prize at the Hermitage Artist Retreat, and premiered April 21, 2017 at New College in Sarasota, Florida. Scored for acoustic guitar, harp, piano, voice, drums and saxophone, and featuring a powerhouse band of Zeena Parkins, John Medeski, Nels Cline, Fabian Rucker, and Jen Shyu, RHAPSODY was released in January, 2018 by Rarenoise. 

 

Mike Stevens - Breathe In The World, Breathe Out Music (2022)

 Acclaimed virtuoso musician, songwriter, composer, author and humanitarian Mike Stevens' main instrument is the harmonica, and in his hands it becomes a genre bending, no rules allowed, musical paintbrush as confirmed by Legendary Grand Ole Opry star Roy Acuff who said: "I've never heard anyone play the harmonica like you play the harmonica."

For more than 35 years Mike has been doing solo live looping harmonica and exploring his own unique vocal harmonica technique. His talent is as unorthodox as his career trajectory. As a ground-breaking performer, composer, educator, keynote speaker and author, Mike continues to expand the paradigms of harmonica, balancing tradition with cutting-edge innovation.

On 'Breathe In The World, Breathe Out Music'. Mike plays his harp, takes lead vocal on four tracks and shares the spotlight with several notable guests including vocalists Polly Harris, Cory James Mitchell, guitarists Kevin Breit, Jeff Getty & Jesse Wells, drummer Art Hratchian and bassist Jeff Bird. From Bluegrass to West African music, Country to Blues, fiddle tunes to soundscapes and experimental music, for Mike it's simply a matter of Breathing In the World and Breathing Out Music.

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Anthony Geraci - Blues Called My Name (2022)

 Following his chart-topping Daydreams in Blue (Shining Stone, 2020), Anthony Geraci returns with Blues Called My Name, a dynamic collection of original compositions featuring esteemed special guests Anne Harris, Walter Trout, Sugar Ray Norcia, Monster Mike Welch, Erika Van Pelt, and The Boston Blues All-Stars. Award-winning blues guitarist Ronnie Earl shared this praise for Geraci and the new album: "Anthony has been contributing to this music for many years, and his new album illuminates the many colors, shades, and styles of the blues. Anthony is very inspiring, and I love his dedication to the old masters like Otis Spann, Sunnyland Slim, and Big Maceo Merriweather."

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Chris Standring - Simple Things (2022)

 

Sometimes it takes a potentially life altering event to make you stop and re-evaluate what is truly important to you. In March 2021, guitarist, composer, and arranger CHRIS STANDRING found himself in the emergency room after experiencing chest pains. Although there was some history of heart disease in his immediate family, he never dreamed that he was himself a candidate for a heart attack. He was just 60 years old, kept trim, ate well, exercised, and never smoked. But he was lucky. He come through it with flying colors and a new appreciation for the simple things that make life worth living.

On his newest release, SIMPLE THINGS, Standring reflects on his recent experience and his new and intimate awareness of the fragility of life. Standring relates, “We have all heard cliches like ‘who knows what tomorrow may bring’ and ‘don't forget to stop and smell the roses,’ but we usually don’t take those old aphorisms to heart. To suddenly come face to face with my own mortality made me think about what is really important to me and how I want to live out my third act. Ultimately the answer came down to a just few basic things - spending time with loved ones, being present in the moment, and doing things with joy. Indeed, the theme of this album is joy, positivity, hope, and, because I'm a sucker for a beautiful melody, a little sadness as well.”

Standring is no stranger to funk, and several compositions on the album were heavily influenced by Prince and Bootsy Collins. Standring explains, “I’m a big fan of Prince, who learned about funk studying the music of people like Bootsy Collins. I wrote the opening track, “Shadow of Doubt,” after hearing a particular bass line by Prince that I really liked and wondered what I could do with something similar. I also saw a YouTube video of Bootsy explaining his basic funk formula. The bass line he demonstrated is so funky that it inspired me to write something of my own. Of course, I had to thank him, which I did on “Thank You Bootsy.” “Face to Face” is another song that was influenced by Prince and Bootsy.”

Standring originally wrote “Change the World” for another artist, but he decided to keep the song for himself because it fit his style so well. He released this tune as a single, which reached number 1 on Billboard, (March 2022). “A Thousand Words” is a darker tune that Standring wrote for an old friend who suffered from mental illness and recently ended her own life. Standring composed “Ain't Nothin' But A Thing” specifically to play in live shows. It features Rodney Lee on organ.

“The Gist of You” has a romantic yet funky, half-time feel. Standring built “No Two Ways About It” on a two-chord groove that he imbues with an infectious, toe-tapping feel. “Too Close for Comfort” refers to his health scare last year. Standring often uses the phrase “Don't Get Me Started,” so he wrote a song with that title. The track features Gary Meek on tenor sax. Standring closes the album with “And the Show Goes On,” a mellow track with a lovely melody. As Standring says, “With all the world has been through the last couple of years – me included - the title says it all.”

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