Alexander Harmer is a multi-instrumentalist, musician, producer, engineer based in Christchurch NZ. Harmer has just finished his debut album; an album which is full of lush arrangements and concise catchy songs. Heavily influenced by the music of the Beatles, Queen, and the 70’s, Harmer’s music touches a wide variety of sounds. The new album “Eliptical” will be released in May 2013.
Ian first hit internationally in 1973 with "Painted Ladies". With a Juno award, four SOCAN classic awards for Painted Ladies, Right Before Your Eyes, Hold On and Pilot, a UNICEF Danny Kaye Humanitarian award, Juno and Gemini nominations,15 albums and nearly as many top twenty records later, Ian has now added author to the mix with two novels, Bequest (Manor House 2006) and his latest The Lost Chord (Manor House 2008).
Ian’s lyrics have been utilized in English textbooks while his songs have found international success with many artists such as Santana, America, Manfred Man, Chicago, Bette Midler and Ann Murray. He also records and tours the country regularly with good friends Murray McLauchlan, Marc Jordan, and Cindy Church in a band called Lunch At Allen’s. From 1990 to 2000, Ian wrote &recorded four albums and toured with his band “The Boomers” who were comprised of some of the Canada’s finest musicians - Peter Cardinali, Rick Gratton and Bill Dylan. When you add twenty movies as a film composer, six seasons on the Red Green Show as character Dougie Franklin and over a thousand commercials voicing characters from Clive Firkin of Firkin Pubs to Snap the Rice Crispie, the credit list starts getting ridiculous.
2009 saw Ian touring both as a solo artist and with Lunch At Allen’s, while completing the music for the animated series The Adventures Of Bob and Doug McKenzie and scoring two Hallmark Movies, The National Tree and Fairfield Road. With the new Lunch At Allen’s CD completed and 2010 underway Ian is currently writing and recording a long awaited new solo album. To hear him live is to spend time with a master songsmith and humorist. Ian lives with his wife of nearly 40 years in the Niagara wine region of Ontario because he likes both wine and his wife.
Ty Taylor (vocals) and Nalle Colt (guitar) formed Vintage Trouble after setting up a basic home studio in Venice Beach. They invited their mutual friend Rick Barrio Dill to play bass for the band, and then recruited Richard Danielson to play drums. "We got together in 2010," Taylor told Billboard. "It was one of those experiences where everything was lined up. We had all been friends, and had known each other before the band started up. We had known each other in different arenas. I had known Nalle Colt for about fourteen years, and we had tried to play with each other for so long. We were in one right before Vintage Trouble, and things just weren't working out. So, we left, and decided we wanted to do something a little more raw and down to earth." Taylor has said that the line-up of Colt, Danielson, Barrio Dill and himself developed a good chemistry: "It just felt like we were in a family of people that were going to challenge us."
The band then began creating material in the Laurel Canyon neighborhood of Los Angeles. After just two weeks of rehearsals in early 2010, the group began playing local area shows and late night speakeasies. Aiming to emulate mid-century soul music and to use the recording techniques of that era, the band spent a three-day session recording complete takes, turning out 12 new songs for the album "The Bomb Shelter Sessions". Such singles as '"Gracefully", "Nancy Lee", "Still & Always Will" and "Blues Hand Me Down" aimed to produce a sound reminiscent of the days of vinyl records and juke joints, and the essence of the original soul movement. The album was produced by Peter McCabe and co-produced by Vintage Trouble themselves. The album was mixed by Rogers Masson.
How and where the band launched their career in earnest is an important part of their story. They initially took their music outside the USA, as part of a strategy conceived by legendary manager Doc McGhee. "If you look at the history of people like Amy Winehouse, Duffy, or James Blunt, they came [to America] first and didn't make it. Then, they went back over to England, and blew up. We just decided to go to Europe first, and when they were accepted there, we would have a story to share here. That's basically what happened." McGhee wanted to get them in front of as many people as possible, and the strategy worked. "It was pretty simple. The concept was to get all the tastemakers together, and those people spread the word. We got Brian May to give us some dates, and also some stadium shows with Bon Jovi. It's just hard work by these guys. They just get up in the morning, and go conquer," he said.[
After three shows in the UK in early 2011, the band returned in April of that year to appear on Jools Holland's late night TV show Later... with Jools Holland. The band became the 6th most trending topic of the day on Twitter, attained the #13 best selling digital album on iTunes, and had the #5 all around best selling digital album on Amazon UK, beating out both Rihanna and the current Glee (TV series) albums. Additionally, VT had the #2 best selling digital Rock album on Amazon.com UK, and the #1 best selling R&B digital album on Amazon UK. On the 24th April 2011, they appeared on The Late Show with JoAnne Good, (Sunday Night Sessions segment) on BBC London 94.9.
The band joined Brian May (guitar player of rock band Queen) and Kerry Ellis for a tour starting in early May 2011, and in June 2011 supported rock band Bon Jovi on the UK leg of their The Circle Tour.
The band played for Paul Stanley on January 20, 2012 at his 60th Birthday Party and Paul sang "You Shook Me" by Led Zeppelin.
On April 24, 2012, "The Bomb Shelter Sessions" was released in the U.S.
They are the opening act for The Who on that band's first North American tour in four years.
They are the opening act for Dave Matthews Band at Oak Mountain Amphitheatre in Pelham, AL. on April 6th, 2013.
Mickey Carroll is a guitar player, singer and bandleader who is dedicated to giving back to the world through community activism and musical commentary.
Mickey's career started in 1956 playing clubs in Atlantic City and Philadelphia. In 1957 he and Bill Harner started the doo-wop musical duo "Billy and Mickey". Billy and Mickey was one of the first white acts to break the color barrier playing a string of black and white concerts in the 1950’s.
In the 1960's Mickey was managed by the original owner of Harlem's Cotton Club, Herman Stark and son Steve, performing in the upscale hotels of Miami Beach.
In 1974 Mickey was signed by Soul Train legend Don Cornelius and Dick Griffy to Solar Records. By 1975 Mickey was recording the first album recorded at sea. Don and Dick moved the famous Record Plant Studio in Sausalito, California aboard a 110 foot ship! Helmed by the legendary Bob Johnston (Bob Dylan, Elvis, Johnny Cash) the album was recorded with an all-star roster of musicians including hit songwriter Jimmy Webb, Leon Pendarvis - NBC's Saturday Night Live music director, Chuck Leavell of the Rolling Stones and Willie Hall of the Blues Brothers band.
In 1978, Mickey’s album "Love Life" was nominated for a Grammy award. Engineered by Grammy-winner Eric Schilling, "Love Life" still sounds fresh today and is currently released around the world by Vision Records and Banderia Music Company.
By 1980 Mickey had decided to take a new direction with his music. Partnering with Rod Glaubman (founder of PACE, the largest non-profit performing arts organization in America), Mickey and Rod created concert events for those with disabilities, veterans and senior citizens. In 1983 Mickey was featured on NBC’s Today Show (see link at left).
In 1984 Mickey was awarded a gold record for his song, "Love Is Where You Find It". It went to number one on Billboard's R&B chart, recorded by "The Whispers" on Solar Records.
From 2000 to 2010 Mickey ran Mother J Productions, a 501c non-profit he founded to fund arts education through concert performances and community events. Mother J contributed over $100,000 to arts education and world community disaster relief funds.
2011 finds Mickey still hard at work writing new songs, recording, and releasing socially conscious music. Produced by Howard Albert (Bee Gees, Eagles, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers) and released around the world by Vision records (US and Europe) and Banderia music (Asia) Mickey has long relationships with the best musicians, producers and engineers in the business. Let Mickey put together a show for your next fundraiser, convention, or event.
With 12 rave-reviewed CD releases and constant globe-trotting since turning professional in 1995, London-born Martin has been called "The Ambassador of British Blues". As adept on acoustic instruments as electric, and as a soloist or band leader, he ranks amongst the most successfully versatile bluesmen in the world.
Nominated best UK Blues Guitarist, Best Harmonica Player, Best Band, Best Acoustic Artist and Best Blues CD release many times, his songs have made it onto TV and film soundtracks and to the song stable of Alligator Records. He has been broadcast live on international radio and TV with 3 sessions for BBC Radio 2, including at the famous Maida Vale Studios.
He is now touring internationally with Trio and Big Band to promote his new rave-reviewed cd "Looking Forward Looking Back" ("this album is special" Blues and Soul "Excellent" Blues News) featuring Pee Wee Ellis (ex James Brown) and the Little Big Horns (ex Mick Jagger), and as a one man band to promote his 11th cd release "Folk and Blues", ("Superb" fROOTS, Brilliant" GUITARIST, "masterpiece" by Blues in Britain).
There is no doubt that Martin's quarter century career of recording and performing has established his reputation as one of the most exciting and accomplished Blues Men alive today. He has invested most of his life in studying and contributing to the blues legacy. The impressive fruits of his considerable labors are plain to see – and hear - for those interested, but his determination to remain his own master, releasing his work only on his own label (Blueblood Records) may have kept his name below the radar for many.
Martin honed his skills touring the US, and lived for a while in Texas. Following his first acclaimed USA tour he was befriended by the Dallas/Fort Worth Blues community and toured and recorded with the "Texas Blues Kings" formerly with Smokin’ Joe Kubek. Cutting his playing teeth on the "chitlin circuit" he has had one-man band residencies on Beale St in Memphis and in the Jook Joints of Clarksdale, Mississippi.
As well as being recognized as a leading acoustic and electric guitarist he was also lauded as an Innovator for his rack-harmonica skills by the World Harmonica Festival in Germany where he performed solo, held a Master-class and judged the World Blues Harmonica Competition.
He continues to record live and studio sessions for National Radio program’s (BBC Radio 2 in the UK) of his own music. He has also been in demand as a guest session player, for example he played National Steel Slide guitar on the WC Handy Award-nominated “Blues and Beyond” cd by Dick Heckstall-Smith. (A founder member of John Mayalls’ "Blues Incorporated", Dick Heckstall-Smith described Eddie as “the hottest blues musician to come out of Britain since the 60s”). He has also been a guest harmonica player on live shows with the-late Honeyboy Edwards, Guy Davis and Larry Johnson.
His live performances have always attracted accolades, for example. "The stuff of legend" said Guitarist Magazine last year, "a live act not to be missed" said Blues Revue USA.
His acoustic style has developed into a percussive blend of traditional blues slide and fingerpicking styles. These he combines with rack harmonica playing and foot percussion in the style of the one-man-blues bands such as Duster Bennett, Joe Hill Louis and Dr Ross and is considered “the leading one man band in the UK” by the European Blues Association.
His Electric and Slide guitar-playing has seen his cd work commended by the Guitar Press all over, receiving "excellent" tags from "Guitar" "Guitarist" in the UK, “Vintage Guitar USA”, and "Guitar and Bass" in Germany.
A master songwriter, acoustic and electric guitarist, harmonica player and powerful singer, Eddie Martin has been described as "the most remarkable blues man of his generation" by Blues in Britain.
The biggest circulation blues magazine in the world, Blues Revue, concurred: “One of the UK’s best, whether solo/acoustic or loud/electric, he’s a master of both…years of experience separate him from pretenders. An exceptional guitarist he’s also been gifted with a most expressive blues voice. His greatest skill, however is his slide-playing. Add to that standalone harp skills and Mr. Martin’s ability to coin a phrase and build a song, distinguishes him from others. Songs like the haunting “Kind Lady Moon” underline his storyteller abilities…completing the spell with his guitar mastery.”
We are a pair of song writing brothers, Chris and Paul, who write and perform our own original Pop/Rock tunes. They are uplifting, positive, energetic, and fun, with catchy melodies
Our songs promote Peace and Love, Joy and Happiness
A "talisman" is a good luck charm. It can avert evil and bring good fortune, sometimes producing magical or miraculous effects. We hope you enjoy our music!
The Feaver is a four piece rock band that formed in the latter part of 2009. The band consists of: Braeden Lemasters, Vocals, lead guitar, Dylan Minnette, Vocals, rhythm guitar, Zack Mendenhall, Bass, Cole Preston, Drums. Each member is proficient at many instruments and they also write and compose their own original songs. The band won the 2010, 98.7 RockStar contest which was held at the Sunset Music Festival in Los Angeles, CA.
The Feaver has performed at many top venues in Southern California. They include: The Roxy, The Whisky, The Key Club, The Cat Club, The Canyon Club, The Yost Theater, The Glass House, Vans Warp Tour and City Walk at Universal Studios. Their first EP should be released soon. You can hear the bands original song “Bleeding Man” in the season 2 promo for the Haunting Hour TV series on the HUB Network. Dylan and Braeden are also movie and television actors and have appeared in such productions as: Easy A, Let Me In, The Stepfather, Saving Grace, Lost Men of a Certain Age, Awake, and A Christmas Story 2.
Members:
Braeden Lemasters, Dylan Minnette, Zack Mendenhall, Cole Preston. At times you will find Austin Lemasters
Influences:
The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Dave Lemasters, Craig Minnette, Kings of Leon, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Muse and The Who.
The most American sounding Rock n' Roll band isn’t from America -- The Right Ons, are in fact from Madrid, Spain - and sing entirely in English. Drawing heavily on the Detroit Garage Sound, as well as funk and soul from the 60's and 70's, the band's energetic live show has become legendary on the festival circuit in Spain.
“The quintet from Madrid, Spain is like a party in a box. They’re well-studied students of the classic Detroit garage rock sound, with bits of Jimi Hendrix and Sly and the Family Stone thrown in as well. - TWANGVILLE
The band got together in 2006 and made their recording debut a year later with the record 80.81, named after the years that they were born. The Right Ons are: Alvaro Guzman (vocals, guitars), Rams Nieto (vocals, drums), Rafa Fernandez (guitars, vocals), Utah (bass, vocals), Martin Muniz (keyboards, percussion, vocals). The band has played nearly every festival in Spain, including Rock In Rio and Primavera Sound, and has toured with Reigning Sound, Ken Stringfellow, and The Bellrays, as well as an 8-week European tour supporting Eli “Paperboy” Reed & The True Loves.
Magic Slim is a living blues legend who migrated from the South to Chicago during the 40s and 50s. Slim plays raw intense blues, a style that uses no pedals down on the floor, just him. Slim has paved the way for rock as well as modern blues. Slim has been busy traveling to the juke joints in Mississippi to the nightclubs in Chicago and to concert stages throughout the world, he has built up a die hard fan base within it, and with his release on Blind Pig, "Raising The Bar," on CD, it has been receiving immense reviews and overwhelming recognition. Slim and The Teardrops performances have become legendary, and they play the blues with an undeniable intensity that will leave you out of breath on the floor and in need for more. This is a look into a man that's from the country and plays to audiences on stages all across the world.
This big man of the blues was born Morris Holt in Torrence, Mississippi on August 7th, 1937. His mother and father were sharecroppers; they lived on a farm and they all would get up early in the mornings and slop the hogs, feed the chickens, catch the mule and go out into the fields. "I still had to go to the field until I got age enough to leave home. I got little jobs around there when I was 13 and that was when I got my hand hurt. I hurt it in a cotton gin. I was at the gin and my hand got caught on a piece of wire going up in there, and I grabbed it and before I could turn it loose, I lost my little pinky finger." Slim showed his musical talents early, singing in his church choir and playing piano. After his accident he couldn't play the piano anymore because he didn't have that little pinky finger so he picked up the guitar. He made his first guitar out of bailing wire from a broom, which he nailed to a wall. "My Mama whopped me when I tore up her broom," he said, "but she let me keep on using it. My Mama said later that if she had known what I'd be into later, she wouldn't have given me a whopping."
It was in 1955 when Slim made his first trip to Chicago, to play for Magic Sam, a friend of his from home. Magic Sam also gave Slim tips on playing the guitar, and it was Sam who called his bass player "Magic Slim," because back then Slim was lean and tall and he learned from Sam quickly. Sam told Slim to develop his own guitar style. "Magic Sam told me, don't try to play like him, and don't try to play like no one else; he said get a sound of your own." Slim did get a sound of his own; his guitar tone is tough and cutting, united with a virbato formed by his fingers against the strings to reproduce the sound of a slide guitar while still being able to bend the note. Slim said, "I slide with my finger. I use nothing on my finger, a lot of players try to get a sound like me and I play the same guitar everybody else plays."
Slim's take on writing songs. "I just think of some words and write them down, think of some more and write them down, and then when I get enough words together I take out some and put some in there and make them rhyme together and then I learn them, then I put music to them." "My songs are either telling a story or asking a question. It's just a feelin'." I understand you do not practice or rehearse. "No, I don't." How do you make up your set lists for your shows? "I see what kind of crowd it is, I play a few songs and see how people react and just see if they are a dancin' crowd or an older crowd and go from there." Do you have a favorite CD? "No, I like them all." What about a song to play? "I don't know, I like to play all of them." "And I like to listen to blues, jazz, bluesgrass and country and western." Some of Slim's favorite places to play are Brazil, Paris, Russia and here at home in the U.S.
What accomplishment stand out in your mind? "I've done so many things that make me proud, for one I like to make the people happy when I''m playing on stage and two, when I won the Handy for "Best Blues Band."
Where do you think the blues is headed? "I think the blues is coming back now, there are a lot of these kids reading up on the blues and now they know where the blues came from. Some of them can play too; I don't know how they feel, because the blues is a feelin'. You have to feel the blues to play it." What advice do you have fo aspiring young guitarists? "If you want to play the blues, play the blues. If you are goin' to play rock, play rock. I didn't say not to learn everything else, whatever you want to be, be that."
Magic Slim is a man that came from the country; he was slim and tall trying to play the blues, now he can play the blues. And like Slim says, "If you want to play the blues, play the blues, if you don't feel the blues, leave it alone, cause you can't be playin' it if you don't feel it."
The Beat was founded by Paul Collins, who spent his pre-teens living in Greece, Vietnam and Europe before returning to his native New York. He studied at the prestigious Julliard Music School and eventually moved to San Francisco where he joined songwriter Jack Lee and bassist Peter Case to form The Nerves in 1974. The Nerves proved to be one of the pioneers of the burgeoning US punk rock scene, independently releasing their own 4 song EP which included the classic “Hanging on the Telephone,” later to become a hit for Blondie.
After The Nerves disbanded in 1977, Collins moved to LA and formed The Beat with bassist Steve Huff, drummer Mike Ruiz and lead guitarist Larry Whitman. Their friend Eddie Money recommended The Beat for management by legendary concert promoter Bill Graham. Under new management, The Beat toured with The Police, The Jam and Joe Jackson. They also made numerous TV appearances and recorded their debut self-titled album with producer Bruce Botnick (who had produced The Doors). The album featured Beatles and Byrds-influenced guitars and catchy choruses, defining the skinny-tied power pop which The Knack took to the charts. In the ’90s, The Beat re-formed as Paul Collins’ Beat and continues to write and tour
Rock icon and cult favorite Paul Collins got his start with Peter Case and Jack Lee in 1974. Their band The Nerves toured with The Ramones and recorded a song called “Hanging On The Telephone.” The song would later become a hit when covered by Deborah Harry and Blondie on the Parallel Lines album.
Paul Collins formed The Beat in 1979, recruiting members of various rock bands including Steven Huff, Larry Whitman and Michael Ruiz. The result was The Beat, a high energy rock group in the style of The Ramones, Blondie and The Dictators. As the story goes, Collins was awarded a record deal with CBS thanks to his friend Eddie Money and Bill Graham Management. The Beat toured extensively with top acts like The Jam, Pere Ubu, The Police, Eddie Money, The Plimsouls and Huey Lewis. The Beat became Paul Collins’ Beat when a ska band from UK began using The Beat as their moniker.
Paul Collins’ Beat continued to tour and record albums throughout the ’80s, with The Kids Are The Same, Beat Or Not To Beat, Long Time Gone, Live At Universal and their final album One Night, released in 1989. Paul Collins set out on a solo career, recording the self-titled Paul Collins album in 1992. This country/rock album included special guests such as Greg Kihn, Cyril Jordan (from Flamin Groovies), Jeff Trott (Sheryl Crow), Chuck Prophet, Dave Immergluck (Counting Crows) and key members of Chris Isaak’s band.
1993 brought the sophomore release by Paul Collins Band, entitled From Town To Town. The album was recorded with Arty Lenin of The Flashcubes, Rick Wagner and Will Rigby of The db’s and Billy Fica of Television. This album was released by Caroline Records and featured a country rock sound similar to The Byrds.
After a ten year hiatus The Paul Collins’ Beat resurfaced and released a string of new records. Flying High 2004, Ribbon of Gold 2007 and the latest King of Power Pop recorded with the legendary Jim Diamond in Detroit. Considered to be his best to date, the album gets back to the classic sound of The Beat, while combining the raw energy of Collins’ solo works.
“For me this is the record that connects the dots, from The Nerves to The Breakaways to The Beat to today… this is the record that puts it all together!”- Paul Collins
With the release of King of Power Pop, Paul set up The Beat Army an online Facebook community of people connected by their love of power pop, melodic guitar driven rock n roll. Now some 3000 members strong, Paul books shows all over the United States, Canada and Europe. “This is a model for the new DIY,” says Paul, “I am touring all over the world with new bands that feature the sound I helped to invent.”
