Contact:
Mike Farley
608-848-9707
mike@michaeljmedia.com
608-848-9707
mike@michaeljmedia.com
Matt Kelly
312-882-1392
Twitter: @MadisonGman
Hey
folks! You may or may not have noticed
that there was no newsletter in May, which was due to several factors. We were busier than usual, and I thought to
myself, how important is it really to produce a newsletter of company
happenings each month? And while I’m
pretty sure that no one noticed more than I did, the fact remains that I
noticed several times during the month.
I use this newsletter to tell people in somewhat condensed format what
we’re working on at a particular time. It’s
the front page of our website. It’s a
sales pitch for future client leads. But
most of all, it’s a way to keep industry contacts and music lovers abreast of
the new releases and tours we’re working.
And
there was a message in here—that cutting corners and not making time to do
basic yet fundamentally important things like creating a monthly newsletter can
come back to have a negative effect.
Well, mostly on ourselves – because we’re usually the ones who notice
that we took the easy way out more than anyone else.
Meanwhile,
if you are still reading, I’d like to show you what is happening at Michael J.
Media these days…..
Oh,
but first, I’d like to welcome Matt Kelly to the MJM team. Matt has primarily worked as an artist
manager until now, but he has a keen marketing sense and ear for music that
make him a great publicist as well. Matt
has been working with Burning River Ramblers, Drew Schofield, Shannon LaBrie
and Jeff Campbell and will be the lead publicist on several other MJM projects
this summer. Welcome aboard, Matt!
May/June New Clients
Concord Music Group—We’re proud to be doing
tour press for several artists under
the Concord Music Group umbrella—Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval, Boney James, BWB,
Earl Klugh, Esperanza Spalding, Fourplay, Gerald Clayton, Hiromi, Kendrick
Scott, Kurt Elling, Lee Ritenour, Marcus Miller, Michael Feinstein, Otis
Taylor, Patricia Barber, Shemekia Copeland, Spencer Day, Steve Tyrell, The
Slide Brothers, Trampled Under Foot and True Blues. Many of them are touring or will be touring
to support new releases, so check them out at Concord Music’s website. www.concordmusicgroup.com
Watermelon Slim-- Legendary
singer-songwriter Watermelon Slim’s 12th
album Bull Goose Rooster, set for
release on NorthernBlues Music on June 25, is an expansive masterpiece that
stretches his deep blues-based roots in a multitude of directions. Buoyed by
the powerful sound of his reunited veteran touring and recording band the
Workers, Slim delves into the worlds of Chicago, Delta and Hill country blues,
country, rock and folk. And they bristle with Slim’s sheer artistic command of
all of those genres. www.watermelonslim.com
David Newbould-- It took two years,
twelve tracks, and a 850-mile move from Austin to Nashville for David
Newbould
to create his latest album, Tennessee. A collection of Americana songs that split
the difference between Bob Dylan’s heartland poetry, Bruce Springsteen’s
blue-collar anthems, and Neil Young’s rootsy folk, Tennessee feels like a travelogue -- a musical journal written by a
singer/songwriter who grew up in Toronto, relocated to New York, and logged
several years in Texas before settling in Music City. www.davidnewbould.com
Folk Soul Revival-- Folk Soul Revival is a harmony drenched, boot-stomping, rowdy, rootsy
Americana band from the Appalachian mountain region of Virginia/Tennessee. FSR recently released their third album, Prompting the Dapperness, a return to
the formula that has continued to make the band so endearing- strong
songwriting, sing along melodies, impassioned vocals and most of all honest
music that resonates deep within the listener. www.folksoulrevival.com
Drew Schofield—This Bay area singer/songwriter’s tunes are an acoustic-driven mix of
folk rock with a pop sensibility that drive Drew's melodic hooks to the
forefront of the listener's attention.
Soon after his most recent album, Away
We Go, was released, Drew was hand picked by Grammy Award winning producer
John Shanks as a top 10 finalist out of 12,000+ entrants in Guitar Center's
Singer Songwriter 2 nation-wide competition.
Rob Nance--Growing up on a steady
diet of musical influences in North Carolina that ranged from Doc Watson to
Neil Young, Rob Nance now writes songs that echo the traditions of southern and
contemporary folk music. His new album, Lost
Souls and Locked Doors, is being released June 11 and Nance is planning to
tour in support for the next few months.
www.robnance.com
Max Dvorak--Max Dvorak is a
17-year old singer/songwriter based in Madison, Wisconsin, and he is influenced
by the likes of Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, Tyler Hilton, Bruce Cockburn, Into it
Over It, Koji, among others. Max is
currently touring regionally in support of his full length debut, Home.
www.maxdvorakmusic.com
Other Upcoming Releases
Recent
Releases
Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea
Project Devils ‘n’ Darlins
Second Wind Eudora www.facebook.com/secondwind30
Other
News
Following
the release of what is being hailed as its breakthrough album, Rooms (March 26), Denver based indie
folk collective Paper Bird has announced two shows
this summer at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
The first will take place on June 14, with Paper Bird supporting
Devotchka (headliner) and Amanda Palmer, the latter two of which will be
performing along with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. www.paperbirdband.com
Twin
Cities based singer, songwriter and performing musician Tim
Mahoney
knows firsthand what it’s like to prepare for auditioning for reality TV shows
(INXS: Rock Star, and The Voice). His most recent album, Shine Through, includes a track that Mahoney released as a single
in 2011, “Hey Adam Levine,” a song about his experience on The Voice. Now Mahoney is
blazing a new trail – by teaching a course at the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis
called, “Nailed it! How to
Audition for The Voice and other Vocal Competitions.” The first class was May 5 and there are
others in the works. www.timmahoney.com
Legendary
country rock band Poco performed this past weekend at the Grand Ole Opry in
Nashville, and Pure Prairie League will be playing at the Opry as well June 14
& 15. www.poconut.org
or www.pureprairieleague.com
Red
Wanting Blue, After
a mighty successful national breakout in 2012, Columbus rock band Red Wanting Blue is now hard at work on
the follow-up to From The Vanishing Point.
The band is wrapping up the recording of their new album, which will
once again be released by Fanatic
Records, distributed by Caroline/Capitol. Music Group which is now part of the Universal Music family. No release date has been scheduled. The band
is also performing at the Sound of Music
Festival in Canada this month. www.redwantingblue.com
Speaking
of The Voice, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) was honored by The Swon
Brothers’ performance of one of their classic hits, “Fishin’ in the Dark,” recently
on the show, and classified it as a
“job well done.” These iconic sages of country rock, still on the
road and in their 47th year, are known for their music that has kept them
relevant and drawing people internationally throughout their incredible and
durable career. www.nittygritty.com
Singer/Songwriter
Jeff
Campbell
shared the stage last month with seven time Grammy Award winner John Mayer for an intimate performance
at The Hotel Utah Saloon in San Francisco’s SoMa district. The pair
accompanied each other on their respective songs to the surprise of onlookers
in attendance of the monthly concert series “Songwriters in the Round.” www.jeffcampbellmusic.com
JP
Harris What'll happen when honky tonk heroes J.P. Harris
and Joe Fletcher get in a van with one drummer, one bassist, and one guitarist?
The Highway Roulette, a tour this month,
is all about spinning the wheel and seeing where the night takes them. You'll do the dancing and drinking and, more
than likely, the calling in sick the next day.
www.ilovehonkytonk.com
War
Poets—Minneapolis band War Poets is making their first run
of West coast tour dates early this month with stops in Los Angeles and San
Francisco. www.warpoets.net
On
Tour Now
Pure Prairie League www.pureprairieleague.com
Badfish, a Tribute to
Sublime www.badfish.com
The Speedbumps www.thespeedbumps.com
The
Companies We Represent
Bullz-Eye.com: With reviews, original entertainment features, sports, commentary, men's fitness advice, humor and blogs covering a wide range of topics, Bullz-Eye.com is one of the premier online entertainment magazines for men. Bullz-Eye.com/Black Mountain Publishing also publishes several blogs including Premium Hollywood, The Scores Report and Mikey's Kitchen. www.bullz-eye.com
