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Tuesday, January 22, 2019
2019 NAMM Show: Gibson, Taylor Guitars, Tascam
Only hours away from my arrival to cover Media Day at the 2019 NAMM Show. There continues to be news releases detailing some of the top-tier talents and music products coming to Anaheim this week...
Monday, January 21, 2019
Lee Ritenour, Dave Weckl and Ellis Hall to headline Yamaha Booth performances at 2019 NAMM Show
Not an hour is going by without more NAMM-related news coming into my inbox. That's a good thing...
Lee Ritenour, Dave Weckl and Ellis Hall to headline Yamaha Booth performances during the 2019 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Jan. 24-27, 2019
Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, drummer Dave Weckl and multi-instrumentalist Ellis Hall will be the highlighted acts of many to appear on the Yamaha stage during the 2019 NAMM Show, Jan. 24-27, 2019.
The Yamaha stage will be the centerpiece of the Yamaha booth in the Marquis Ballroom of the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, located adjacent to the Anaheim Convention Center.
Grammy award-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour is a contemporary jazz icon with a career spanning 40 years. His career is highlighted by a Grammy Award win for his 1986 collaboration with Dave Grusin, Harlequin and 17 additional Grammy nominations. At the NAMM Show starting at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, Ritenour will be sharing the stage with eight winners of the 2018 Lee Ritenour Six String Theory Competiition, a global nonprofit music contest of his own devising, which attracts some of the most talented aspiring artists from around the world as contestants.
For more than 35 years, Dave Weckl has developed and maintained an international reputation as one of the great living drummers. Weckl's most famous early work is with the Chick Corea Elektric Band, with whom Weckl spent seven years; he also appeared with Corea's Akoustic Band, whose first release won him a Grammy award. As part of his NAMM performance at 5:25 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, Weckl will be showcasing a brand new Yamaha drum set to be unveiled on Day One of the show.
Ellis Hall, dubbed "The Ambassador of Soul," is a seasoned and accomplished soul, blues and funk vocalist. He is a songwriter, arranger, producer and educator, fluent in piano, keyboards, guitar and - his favorites - upright and electric bass. Hall will be the finale act on the Yamaha stage at NAMM, beginning at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, where he will put numerous Yamaha instruments through their paces, including the just-released CP stage piano.
Other musicians appearing on the Yamaha stage this weekend will be: EDM artist Plasmic, drummers Ray Levier and Sarah Thawer, composer/vocalist Tori Letzler, songwriter Joey Dosik, keyboardist Nicholas Semrad, vocalist/pianist Avery*Sunshine, Yamaha guitar clinicians Carl Tosten and Robbie Calvo, and guitarist AJ Rafael, Matteo Mancuso, Joseph Vincent, MJ Ultra and Alex Alexander. Each of the Six String Theory Competition winners will perform solo in addition to their ensemble with Ritenour and Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, a 15-piece mariachi ensemble, will also be appearing onstage.
For a flavor of what these great musicians have to offer, visit the Spotify playlist here: https://yamaha.io/SpotifyNAMM19.
For more information about Yamaha Corporation of America, visit usa.yamaha.com.
Lee Ritenour, Dave Weckl and Ellis Hall to headline Yamaha Booth performances during the 2019 NAMM Show in Anaheim, Jan. 24-27, 2019
Jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour, drummer Dave Weckl and multi-instrumentalist Ellis Hall will be the highlighted acts of many to appear on the Yamaha stage during the 2019 NAMM Show, Jan. 24-27, 2019.
The Yamaha stage will be the centerpiece of the Yamaha booth in the Marquis Ballroom of the Anaheim Marriott Hotel, located adjacent to the Anaheim Convention Center.
Grammy award-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour is a contemporary jazz icon with a career spanning 40 years. His career is highlighted by a Grammy Award win for his 1986 collaboration with Dave Grusin, Harlequin and 17 additional Grammy nominations. At the NAMM Show starting at 3:15 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, Ritenour will be sharing the stage with eight winners of the 2018 Lee Ritenour Six String Theory Competiition, a global nonprofit music contest of his own devising, which attracts some of the most talented aspiring artists from around the world as contestants.
For more than 35 years, Dave Weckl has developed and maintained an international reputation as one of the great living drummers. Weckl's most famous early work is with the Chick Corea Elektric Band, with whom Weckl spent seven years; he also appeared with Corea's Akoustic Band, whose first release won him a Grammy award. As part of his NAMM performance at 5:25 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 24, Weckl will be showcasing a brand new Yamaha drum set to be unveiled on Day One of the show.
Ellis Hall, dubbed "The Ambassador of Soul," is a seasoned and accomplished soul, blues and funk vocalist. He is a songwriter, arranger, producer and educator, fluent in piano, keyboards, guitar and - his favorites - upright and electric bass. Hall will be the finale act on the Yamaha stage at NAMM, beginning at 5:20 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26, where he will put numerous Yamaha instruments through their paces, including the just-released CP stage piano.
Other musicians appearing on the Yamaha stage this weekend will be: EDM artist Plasmic, drummers Ray Levier and Sarah Thawer, composer/vocalist Tori Letzler, songwriter Joey Dosik, keyboardist Nicholas Semrad, vocalist/pianist Avery*Sunshine, Yamaha guitar clinicians Carl Tosten and Robbie Calvo, and guitarist AJ Rafael, Matteo Mancuso, Joseph Vincent, MJ Ultra and Alex Alexander. Each of the Six String Theory Competition winners will perform solo in addition to their ensemble with Ritenour and Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan, a 15-piece mariachi ensemble, will also be appearing onstage.
For a flavor of what these great musicians have to offer, visit the Spotify playlist here: https://yamaha.io/SpotifyNAMM19.
For more information about Yamaha Corporation of America, visit usa.yamaha.com.
Mavis Staples shares "Love and Trust" on MLK Jr. Day; new album 'Live in London' coming February 8
I've been fortunate to see Mavis Staples perform several times (including at both the Doheny Blues Festival and Coachella) and she is always amazing in concert. Today comes word she has a new live album due February 8 via Anti-...
MAVIS STAPLES SHARES “LOVE AND TRUST”
ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, LISTEN HERE
ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY, LISTEN HERE
NEW LIVE ALBUM ‘LIVE IN LONDON’ OUT FEBRUARY 8 VIA ANTI-
“Gospel/blues titan and civil-rights warrior” – Paste
“Staples’s voice has a strength and endurance not heard in years” – The New Yorker
“Staples’s voice has a strength and endurance not heard in years” – The New Yorker
“I’ve stretched out—I’m singing songs that rock stars have written for me,” explained Mavis Staples, “but they know me and the kind of songs I want to sing.” This includes “Love and Trust,” composed by Ben Harper, which is also the opening song on Live in London. Listen to the song HERE. “I love that song, it’s a beauty,” she says. “I’ve been sending a message of love and trust since the Sixties, and I’m still searching for that.”
Live in London is Mavis Staples’ first live album in ten years, set for release on February 8, 2019. Recorded over two nights at London’s Union Chapel (which she calls “the best place in the world to sing”) and produced by Staples herself, Live in London reveals that the singer retains astonishing power after seventy years as a performer. While her repertoire continues to expand, her philosophy is unchanged since her days in the groundbreaking family group the Staple Singers.
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| Mavis Staples enjoying herself (and thrilling crowd) at Doheny Blues Festival in May 2011. Photo credit: Robert Kinsler |
Ironically, her last live record—2008’s Hope at the Hideout—was cut against the background of her fellow Chicagoan Barack Obama’s historic election, while the new album inevitably addresses the horrors of the Donald Trump era. Notably, though the Staple Singers were responsible for such indelible anthems as “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself,” Live in London delivers its own powerful sounds and formidable statements without including those classics. “Of course I still perform those songs,” says Staples, “but we didn't see any need for them to be on the record. This gives people a chance to hear what we're doing now.”
The focus of this collection is material Staples has recorded since signing with ANTI- Records in 2007, and in that time Staples has had songs written for her by iconoclastic artists like Nick Cave, Neko Case, and Merrill Garbus (Tune-Yards); collaborated with modern rock powerhouses Arcade Fire, Gorillaz, and Hozier; and recorded multiple albums with Jeff Tweedy from Wilco.
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| Mavis Staples performing at the Doheny Blues Festival in 2011. Photo: Bob Steshetz |
“It’s kind of unbelievable to me that I’m still recording,” says Staples. “I never thought I would still be singing at my age, and people seem to really want to hear me, they know me, they give me love—I'm just overwhelmed, really. I thank God every night before I go to bed and then again every morning for waking up.”
Staples is on tour now, and you can see upcoming dates posted below.
2019 TOUR DATES
2/21 – Paducah, KY – Clemens Fine Arts Center
2/22 – Robinsonville, MS – Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino
2/24 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino Hotel w/ Buddy Guy
3/22 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall
3/29 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Resort & Casino
4/13 – Decatur, GA – Amplify Decatur Music Festival
4/18 – Byron Bay, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/20 – Tyagarah, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/21 – Tyagarah, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/23 – Auckland, New Zealand – The Civic w/ Tami Neilson
5/2 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/31 – Ogden, UT – Ogden Music Festival
6/23 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia Theatre
6/25 – Norrmalm, Sweden – Nalen
6/27 РAmsterdam, Netherlands РTheater Carr̩
‘LIVE IN LONDON’ TRACK LISTING
1. Love and Trust (Written by Ben Harper)
2. Who Told You That (Written by Jeff Tweedy)
3. Slippery People (Written by Talking Heads)
4. What You Gonna Do – Intro
5. What You Gonna Do (Written by Pops Staples)
6. Take Us Back (Written by Benjamin Booker)
7. You Are Not Alone (Written by Jeff Tweedy)
8. No Time For Cryin’ (Written by Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples)
9. Can You Get to That (Written by George Clinton and Ernie Harris)
10. Let’s Do It Again (Written by Curtis Mayfield)
11. Dedicated (Written by Justin Vernon and Matthew Ward)
12. We’re Gonna Make It (Written by Gene Barge, Billy Davis, Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith)
13. Encore: Happy Birthday
14. Touch A Hand (Written by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson)
2/21 – Paducah, KY – Clemens Fine Arts Center
2/22 – Robinsonville, MS – Horseshoe Tunica Hotel & Casino
2/24 – Prior Lake, MN – Mystic Lake Casino Hotel w/ Buddy Guy
3/22 – Jackson, MS – Thalia Mara Hall
3/29 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Resort & Casino
4/13 – Decatur, GA – Amplify Decatur Music Festival
4/18 – Byron Bay, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/20 – Tyagarah, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/21 – Tyagarah, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest
4/23 – Auckland, New Zealand – The Civic w/ Tami Neilson
5/2 – New Orleans, LA – New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
5/31 – Ogden, UT – Ogden Music Festival
6/23 – Dublin, Ireland – Olympia Theatre
6/25 – Norrmalm, Sweden – Nalen
6/27 РAmsterdam, Netherlands РTheater Carr̩
‘LIVE IN LONDON’ TRACK LISTING
1. Love and Trust (Written by Ben Harper)
2. Who Told You That (Written by Jeff Tweedy)
3. Slippery People (Written by Talking Heads)
4. What You Gonna Do – Intro
5. What You Gonna Do (Written by Pops Staples)
6. Take Us Back (Written by Benjamin Booker)
7. You Are Not Alone (Written by Jeff Tweedy)
8. No Time For Cryin’ (Written by Jeff Tweedy and Mavis Staples)
9. Can You Get to That (Written by George Clinton and Ernie Harris)
10. Let’s Do It Again (Written by Curtis Mayfield)
11. Dedicated (Written by Justin Vernon and Matthew Ward)
12. We’re Gonna Make It (Written by Gene Barge, Billy Davis, Raynard Miner and Carl William Smith)
13. Encore: Happy Birthday
14. Touch A Hand (Written by Homer Banks, Carl Hampton and Raymond Jackson)
Pre-Order ‘Live in London’
MAVIS STAPLES
https://www.mavisstaples.com/
Facebook | Instagram
MAVIS STAPLES
https://www.mavisstaples.com/
Facebook | Instagram
Rousing Songcraft Via Essential 2019 Releases
A trio of discs celebrating the ever-growing legacy of Big Star and that band's late front man Alex Chilton as well as a new LP from Southern California-based songstress Alice Wallace highlight my latest round of recommended new listens.
Artist: Big Star
Title: Live on WLIR (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: The Replacements, R.E.M., Big Star
Tell me more: Captured in the wake of the release of their second album, 1974's brilliant "Radio City," Big Star's performance featured on Live on WLIR is essential listening for fans of the legendary Memphis band. The 15-track set recorded on New York radio station WLIR-FM features singer-guitarist Alex Chilton, drummer-vocalist Jody Stephens and bassist John Lightman performing many of Big Star's most beloved original songs as well as an acoustic cover of Loudon Wainwright III's "Motel Blues" and a short interview. Although the radio broadcast was originally released as "Live" in 1992, they have now been restored and remastered as both a single audio CD or double LP release (Live on WLIR will be released on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019). Highlights on "Live on WLIR" include the shimmering "September Gurls," the melodic rockers "Way Out West" and "In The Street," and the acoustic "Thirteen" (the latter one of several cuts that Chilton performs solo). The collection has new, updated liner notes from Memphis writer Robert Gordon (a Grammy winner for his essay on the 2010 Big Star box set "Keep an Eye on the Sky") as well as a new interview with John Lightman conducted by Chris Bell biographer Rich Tupica. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.
Artist: Alex Chilton
Title: From Memphis to New Orleans (Bar/None Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Big Star, John Lennon
Tell me more: Alex Chilton's third act is celebrated on several new releases coming in February 2019, including From Memphis to New Orleans. Having found fame during his teens as lead singer of The Box Tops and cult acclaim in his twenties leading Big Star, Alex Chilton explored his Southern roots when he emerged from a self-imposed exile in the 1980s. The material featured on From Memphis to New Orleans is loose and authentic, showcasing a more relaxed Chilton than the intense personality showcased on Big Star's seminal discs. "Paradise" (with its late '50s-flavored Buddy Holly stylings), the soulful New Orleans-minded "Underclass" and "Make A Little Love," tuneful "Let Me Get Close To You," and Beach Boys-mining "Little GTO" reflect the joyful spirit of this period in Chilton's career. From Memphis to New Orleans will be released Feb. 8, 2019. Information: bar-none.com.
Artist: Alex Chilton
Title: Songs From Robin Hood Lane (Bar/None Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Big Star, Jonathan Butler
Tell me more: The second of two Alex Chilton releases set for release by Bar/None Records in February, Songs From Robin Hood Lane collects four previously unreleased performances as well as rare tracks and recordings long out of print. The dozen-song title finds Chilton offering up his emotional takes on jazz-styled classics ranging from "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" to "All Of You" and "Time After Time." A version of the American Songbook classic "Save Your Love For Me" is especially poignant. Songs From Robin Hood Lane will be released Feb. 8, 2019. Information: bar-none.com.
Artist: Alice Wallace
Title: Into The Blue (Rebelle Road Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Kacey Musgraves, Pistol Annies, Emmylou Harris
Tell me more: Alice Wallace's Into the Blue is one of the first masterworks of 2019. An album that combines the best of contemporary Americana and country music styles, the 10-track album should further introduce the emerging artist to a wider audience. Wallace has an emotive and dazzling soprano voice to be sure (just listen to her voice soar in the final moments of "Desert Rose" and artfully again in "Top of the World") but it is the way she wraps her musical talents around persuasive songs often directed at issues of female empowerment and life in Southern California that elevate the soaring soundscapes even higher. Every song on "Into The Blue" is a great one with the tracks resonating with each listen; indeed residents of wildfire-ravaged Southern California will relate to the timely "Santa Ana Winds" while everyone will appreciate universal themes explored in "The Lonely Talking," "The Same Old Song" and "Top of the World." Information: AliceWallaceMusic.com.
Robert Kinsler
Title: Live on WLIR (Omnivore Recordings)
You might like if you enjoy: The Replacements, R.E.M., Big Star
Tell me more: Captured in the wake of the release of their second album, 1974's brilliant "Radio City," Big Star's performance featured on Live on WLIR is essential listening for fans of the legendary Memphis band. The 15-track set recorded on New York radio station WLIR-FM features singer-guitarist Alex Chilton, drummer-vocalist Jody Stephens and bassist John Lightman performing many of Big Star's most beloved original songs as well as an acoustic cover of Loudon Wainwright III's "Motel Blues" and a short interview. Although the radio broadcast was originally released as "Live" in 1992, they have now been restored and remastered as both a single audio CD or double LP release (Live on WLIR will be released on Friday, Jan. 25, 2019). Highlights on "Live on WLIR" include the shimmering "September Gurls," the melodic rockers "Way Out West" and "In The Street," and the acoustic "Thirteen" (the latter one of several cuts that Chilton performs solo). The collection has new, updated liner notes from Memphis writer Robert Gordon (a Grammy winner for his essay on the 2010 Big Star box set "Keep an Eye on the Sky") as well as a new interview with John Lightman conducted by Chris Bell biographer Rich Tupica. Information: OmnivoreRecordings.com.
Title: From Memphis to New Orleans (Bar/None Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Big Star, John Lennon
Tell me more: Alex Chilton's third act is celebrated on several new releases coming in February 2019, including From Memphis to New Orleans. Having found fame during his teens as lead singer of The Box Tops and cult acclaim in his twenties leading Big Star, Alex Chilton explored his Southern roots when he emerged from a self-imposed exile in the 1980s. The material featured on From Memphis to New Orleans is loose and authentic, showcasing a more relaxed Chilton than the intense personality showcased on Big Star's seminal discs. "Paradise" (with its late '50s-flavored Buddy Holly stylings), the soulful New Orleans-minded "Underclass" and "Make A Little Love," tuneful "Let Me Get Close To You," and Beach Boys-mining "Little GTO" reflect the joyful spirit of this period in Chilton's career. From Memphis to New Orleans will be released Feb. 8, 2019. Information: bar-none.com.
Title: Songs From Robin Hood Lane (Bar/None Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Big Star, Jonathan Butler
Tell me more: The second of two Alex Chilton releases set for release by Bar/None Records in February, Songs From Robin Hood Lane collects four previously unreleased performances as well as rare tracks and recordings long out of print. The dozen-song title finds Chilton offering up his emotional takes on jazz-styled classics ranging from "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" and "My Baby Just Cares For Me" to "All Of You" and "Time After Time." A version of the American Songbook classic "Save Your Love For Me" is especially poignant. Songs From Robin Hood Lane will be released Feb. 8, 2019. Information: bar-none.com.
Title: Into The Blue (Rebelle Road Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Kacey Musgraves, Pistol Annies, Emmylou Harris
Tell me more: Alice Wallace's Into the Blue is one of the first masterworks of 2019. An album that combines the best of contemporary Americana and country music styles, the 10-track album should further introduce the emerging artist to a wider audience. Wallace has an emotive and dazzling soprano voice to be sure (just listen to her voice soar in the final moments of "Desert Rose" and artfully again in "Top of the World") but it is the way she wraps her musical talents around persuasive songs often directed at issues of female empowerment and life in Southern California that elevate the soaring soundscapes even higher. Every song on "Into The Blue" is a great one with the tracks resonating with each listen; indeed residents of wildfire-ravaged Southern California will relate to the timely "Santa Ana Winds" while everyone will appreciate universal themes explored in "The Lonely Talking," "The Same Old Song" and "Top of the World." Information: AliceWallaceMusic.com.
Robert Kinsler
Friday, January 18, 2019
NAMM Preview: Gibson bringing an exciting lineup of new instruments to 2019 NAMM Show
It's time. The Winter NAMM Show is fast approaching and my inbox is being inundated with news and announcements about some of the new music-related products set to make their debut at the event coming to the Anaheim Convention Center, January 24-27, 2019.
Here is a choice media release that just came my way. I'll be posting more news releases on Rock 'n' Roll Truth leading up to 2019 NAMM Show...
Here is a choice media release that just came my way. I'll be posting more news releases on Rock 'n' Roll Truth leading up to 2019 NAMM Show...
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