Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Sights and Sounds: Rainbow, Tyler Ramsey, Ricky Skaggs, gospel collection

In my previous post, I announced some high-profile upcoming releases and/or reissues by the likes of Coldplay and Queen. But there are a number of other notable releases on the way. I kick off the post with news of an exciting reissue from the legendary Rainbow. Read on...


EAGLE SET TO REISSUE RAINBOW’S CLASSIC LIVE IN GERMANY 1976 ON DOUBLE-CD ON AUG. 23, 2011


Get ready for a double dose of Rainbow when Eagle Rock Entertainment reissues Live In Germany 1976 in a special two-CD package on Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011.

The eight-song concert is the definitive early onstage statement of a great band whose personnel shape-shifted through the years. This particular lineup is looked upon as the primo Rainbow assemblage. Lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had left Deep Purple in 1975 to concentrate on a more personalized version of his vision, and did just that with legendary vocalist Ronnie James Dio (1942-2010), drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Jimmy Bain and keyboardist Tony Carey. (This lineup only recorded one album together: Rising, a landmark in British Rock.)

Performing flawlessly on elongated jam-happy versions of “Kill The King,” “Mistreated,” “Sixteenth Century Greensleeves,” “Catch The Rainbow” (disc #1), “Man On The Silver Mountain,” “Stargazer,” “Still I’m Sad” and “Do You Close Your Eyes” (disc #2), Blackmore fulfilled his every expectation. Filled with startling guitar solos and massive Dio lung power, Live In Germany 1976 is a band in full control of their capabilities.

Live In Germany 1976 has all the elements, showcasing a band truly immeasurable in their talent and musical abilities. One can only wonder what kind of magic could have been produced had this lineup stayed together.

Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Los Angeles, Toronto, Hamburg, & Paris.

For more information, visit the official Eagle Rock Web site.




TYLER RAMSEY THIRD ALBUM 'THE VALLEY WIND' IS SET FOR RELEASE SEPTEMBER 27, 2011 VIA FAT POSSUM

NEW OCTOBER TOUR DATES



Tyler Ramsey is confirmed to release his third album The Valley Wind on September 27, 2011 via Fat Possum.


The Valley Wind is a crystalline yet warm album, nine finely spun songs filled with Ramsey's rich, plaintive vocals and expressive, intricate guitar playing. Opener "Raven Shadow" is a brief instrumental introduction that highlights his stirring guitar lines, and is followed by the evocative and cinematic title track. Elsewhere, the album ranges from the lush yet simple, finger-picked guitar of "1000 Blackbirds" to the rolling, fuller band sound of "Stay Gone"; from the hypnotic, contemplative "Time Is A Changing Line" to the insistent, chiming "When It's Done"; and from the slowly waltzing "Angel Band" to the moody "All Night."


Also known as guitarist in Band Of Horses, Ramsey wrote The Valley Wind while on and off the road over the past year, and recorded the album at Alex The Great studio in Nashville, TN over six days in early January. Friend and bandmate Bill Reynolds (who's worked with The Avett Brothers and Lissie) produced and aided on bass, while friend Seth Kauffman (Floating Action) sat in on drums and guitar, also singing background vocals. Ramsey's sophomore album A Long Dream About Swimming Across The Sea - which was praised by NPR, Stereogum, and Popmatters, among others - was re-released by Brown Records/Fat Possum in January.


Ramsey will head out on the road in October on a tour that begins at The Grey Eagle in hometown Asheville on the 6th and includes an October 10th show at Joe's Pub in New York, NY. The current list of dates is below, with more to be announced shortly.


The Valley Wind track listing:

1.Raven Shadow
2.The Valley Wind
3.1000 Blackbirds
4.The Nightbird
5.Stay Gone
6.Time Is A Changing Line
7.Angel Band
8.When It's Done
9.All Night


Tyler Ramsey tour dates:



OCT. 6 ASHEVILLE, NC THE GREY EAGLE

OCT. 8 CHARLOTTE, NC THE EVENING MUSE

OCT. 10 NEW YORK, NY JOE'S PUB

OCT. 11 VIENNA, VA JAMMIN JAVA

OCT. 12 HARRISBURG, PA THE GALLERY AT THE ABBEY BAR

OCT. 13 PITTSBURGH, PA CLUB CAFÉ

OCT. 15 STAUNTON, VA MOCKINGBIRD

OCT. 19 DECATUR, GA EDDIE'S ATTIC


For more information on Tyler Ramsey and The Valley Wind, visit:

www.myspace.com/tylerramseymusic

www.fatpossum.com


Christmas Time's A-Coming - Celebrate With A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS VOLUME TWO

10-Song CD, With Bonus DVD included, in Stores September 27

Special Holiday Tour begins November 28



Christmas time's a-coming, and holiday music fans will find a special treat when A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS VOLUME TWO hits stores nationwide on September 27. The new disc comes with a bonus DVD filled with 26 performances of traditional seasonal favorites and new compositions that are sure to become holiday treasures.

For Skaggs, a 14-time Grammy® winner, the FAMILY CHRISTMAS projects are a true labor of love. "We released Volume One back in 2005 because our fans asked us for it," Ricky recalls. "We didn’t know if we’d ever do another one, but we've been hearing from our fans and they're ready for more Christ­mas songs, so here's Volume Two. It was a joy to create and we're excited to share it." Ricky, his wife Sharon and their children (Luke and Molly) are joined by Buck and Cheryl White, and Cheryl's daughter, Rachel Leftwich, part of the Skaggs' extended family and members of a celebrated musical clan in their own right. Also featured are world-renowned Kentucky Thunder and The Nashville Strings.

The 10-song CD features both studio and live recordings, and the disc kicks off with the upbeat bluegrass arrangement of "Christmas Time’s A Coming,” which segues smoothly to showcase Sharon White Skaggs and her sister, Cheryl, trading lead vocals on the bright, acoustic, "Light of the Stable." An a capella version of "The First Noel” finds Ricky singing lead, while the signature vocals of the White sisters excel on the high and low harmonies. Heavenly voices rise in praise on the classic seasonal favorite, “Silent Night,” which also features a poignant mandolin and soaring strings. Molly Skaggs shines on “What Songs Were Sung,” proving she's more than worthy to carry on the families' traditions, while brother Luke burns up the fret on his own composition, the intricate instrumental, "Flight To Egypt." The modern "Reunion Song" featuresa deceptively-simple sing-along melody, and Ricky not only triumphs on the lead vocal, but also plays Guitars, Mandolin, Gut String Solo and Dan Electro. Skaggs' lightning-fast finger pickin' guitar lick jump-starts "Children Go" and the vocal interplay between the family members (Ricky, Buck, Sharon and Cheryl) should leave listeners breathless. A haunting, original arrangement and expressive vocals by Luke, Molly and Rachel highlight "Oh Come, Oh Come, Emmanuel,"and the disc closes with a classical instrumental interpretation of "Joy To The World."

As a bonus, A SKAGGS FAMILY CHRISTMAS LIVE (DVD) is included with the purchase of the CD. The DVD features the family’s heartwarming holiday concert, recorded live in Nashville at the historic Ryman Auditorium. The three generations have taken this special show on the road for the last eight years, and the tradition continues this year, with the troupe performing at a variety of venues throughout the holiday season, including:

11/28/11 Brooks Ctr. for the Perf. Arts / Clemson, SC
11/30/11 The Paramount Theater / Charlottesville, VA
12/01/11 Music Center at Strathmore / N. Bethesda, MD
12/02/11 Tennessee Theatre / Knoxville, TN
12/10/11 Honeywell Center / Wabash, IN
12/11/11 Niswonger PAC of NW Ohio / Van Wert, OH
12/17/11 Smokey Mtn. Performing Arts Center / Franklin, NC
12/22/11 Schermerhorn Symphony Center / Nashville, TN


"We started singing these songs in our living room all those years ago, with no idea that we would ever take A Skaggs Family Christmas to so many places," explains Sharon. "We've performed everywhere from churches to symphony halls to the National Tree Lighting Ceremony in Washington D.C., where we sang for President George W. Bush. The recording process, the performing and traveling has been so much fun! It has been such a blessing to share all of this as a family."

Explore the history of the Skaggs Family and more at www.skaggsfamilyrecords.com




'This May Be My Last Time Singing : Raw African-American Gospel on 45RPM (1957-1982)' out on Tompkins Square September 20, 2011

The follow-up to the best-selling historical gospel comp 'Fire in My Bones : Raw + Rare + Otherworldly African-American Gospel, 1944-2007'


Get ready for fiery sanctified soul, heavy Pentecostal jams, drum machine gospel, slow-burning moaners, glorified guitar sermons and righteously ragged a cappela hymns! The music on this compilation was originally released on small label 45s, mostly in the 1960s and '70s. At least one-third of the records were self-released, paid for by a church congregation or the artists themselves. Others were on regional labels (typically run by one single producer) little known today outside of a small circle of collectors. This vibrant music is incredibly honest and almost criminally unknown.

All tracks were sourced from 45s collected over the last decade by compiler Mike McGonigal, who also produced 2009's three disc set Fire in My Bones: Raw + Rare + Otherworldly African-American Gospel (1944-2007) for Tompkins Square. McGonigal, who has compiled records for Mississippi Records and his own Social Music label, lives in Portland, OR where he is the editorial director for Yeti Publications. He writes in the liner notes that he "chose to source this compilation entirely from 45s because of their democratic/DIY nature; almost anyone could raise enough money to release a seven-inch single."

"Maybe you'll feel like I did on first hearing these tracks, that you've stumbled in on someone else's tenderly private moment. Or that you've been swept up in a collective delirium. You'll hear deep soulfulness here, with heavy admixtures of rhythm and blues and rock'n'roll. There are echoes of '60s and '70s pop too. You'll also catch bits of country and western, and something like surf guitar. In another way, much here uncannily resembles the unruly sound and spirit of 1960s garage. Give yourself over to this compilation: there's delight and surprise in every track."

-PETER DOYLE, author of Echo and Reverb: Fabricating Space in Popular Music Recording, 1900-1960; The Devil's Jump and Crooks Like Us

For more information, visit: http://www.tompkinssquare.com/

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