Nine Times Blue debut Full-Length "Falling Slowly" out November 20th

Nine Times Blue Soars with Power Pop Influences on Debut Full-Length CD, Falling Slowly, Coming November 20 from Renegade Recordings, with National Distribution by City Hall Records

ATLANTA, GA – Renegade Recordings announces a November 20 release date for Falling Slowly, the debut full-length CD from Atlanta-area based power pop quartet Nine Times Blue, which will be distributed nationally by City Hall Records. Co-produced by Bryan Holmes of The Producers, Falling Slowly was mixed and mastered by two-time Grammy-winning producer Don McCollister, who’s worked with such top-selling artists as Sister Hazel, Indigo Girls, Third Day and Shawn Mullins. Nine Times Blue is comprised of Kirk Waldrop (vocals, guitar), Greg King (guitar), Jeff Nelson (bass) and Jason Brewer (drums), and the album features numerous guest appearances, including John Faye (IKE, The Caulfields), David Myhr (The Merrymakers) and Bryan Holmes. 

The new album’s nine original songs showcase the creative writing style of bandleader Kirk Waldrop, who takes his classic power pop influences (The Smithereens, Squeeze, Gin Blossoms, Jimmy Eat World and Plain White T’s) and embodies them with a modern esthetic that makes them newly relevant. Bryan Holmes, leader of ’80s power pop hit makers The Producers, described the band as having “great songwriting talent with a distinctive, unique voice and yet the songs maintain a familiarity that radio will like. It’s new and fresh, but with a hint of ‘have I heard this song before’?” 

Nine Times Blue, whose music has been described by one critic as “clean-cut jangly rock,” will kick off the release of Falling Slowly with several Atlanta advance performances, including a 7-8 PM set as part of the “Barktober Fest” at Atlanta’s Sweetwater Brewery on October 27, a benefit for Angels Among Us Pet Rescue (www.angelsrescur.org); as well as a show with several other area bands on November 9 at the Famous Pub. The band will celebrate its official CD release with a show on December 1st at Smith’s Olde Bar in the downstairs Atlanta Room. (1580 Piedmont Ave. NE; www.smithsoldebar.com), with additional groups to be announced. The band will also support the new CD with tour dates throughout the southeast and east coast from December into the first months of the new year.

The name Nine Times Blue comes from a Michael Nesmith song of the same name.  It was recorded by The Monkees, but never released officially until it was re-recorded years later on Mike Nesmith’s First National Band album, Magnetic South.

Nine Times Blue singer/guitarist Kirk Waldrop previously fronted the Athens, Georgia-based group, The Features, from 1994 – 1997, which released two singles – “Reasons Why” and “So Much Time” through Democrat Records.

The first incarnation of Nine Times Blue was formed in Washington, DC, in 1999 and lasted until the fall of 2004.  A second version formed in 2007 and functioned mainly as an acoustic duo, although a handful of full band performances were played over the next couple of years at festivals and clubs around Atlanta. In July, 2010, Nine Times Blue participated in the “343 For Kids” event benefitting the Children’s Restoration Network, which involved 343 hours of continuous music and set a record as the World’s Longest Concert (by multiple artists) in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The current lineup (Jeff Nelson, Greg King, Jason Brewer, Kirk Waldrop) was formed over the last year during the recording of Falling Slowly. “The songs on Falling Slowly are largely not autobiographical, but instead are from the perspective of others that I know or have known,” says Kirk Waldrop. “The majority of my songs are written with music and melody written first. For some reason, the majority of the ideas I have for songs come to me while driving and I sing a melody or lyrics into my phone recorder.  So – when sitting down to write songs, I just go back through all the recorded snippets on my phone and pick one or two to start with.”

Waldrop’s primary influences include The Beatles, Squeeze, Crowded House, Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw, Nick Lowe, The Posies, XTC, The Smithereens, Matthew Sweet and Robyn Hitchcock. Falling Slowly features several local Atlanta music friends, including former Nine Times Blue members Eric Leland and Eric Jefferson, Joe Giddings, Jonathan Gale and Jerry Mason. 

In addition to his work with Nine Times Blue, Kirk Waldrop, along with his partners in Tribute LLC, organized and produced two Paul McCartney tribute compilations that were released in 2001 by Oglio Records, titled Listen to What the Man Said and Coming Up. The CDs, which featured such artists as Robyn Hitchcock, Matthew Sweet, Semisonic and They Might Be Giants, helped raise money for breast cancer research in the memory of Linda McCartney.

   

For more information, visit www.ninetimesblue.net.

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Landslide Records to release new Sean Costello CD - "At His Best-Live" out November 15th

16-SONG COMPILATION FEATURES ALL PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED LIVE MATERIAL RECORDED IN THE US & EUROPE FROM

2000-2007

ATLANTA, GA – Landslide Records announces a November 15 release date for Sean Costello: At His Best – Live, a special album of live performances recorded by the late blues guitarist/singer, featuring 16 tracks of all previously unreleased live material recorded in the US and Europe from 2000-2007. This first ever completely live album of Sean Costello performances includes 11 songs not on any prior Costello release. At His Best – Live was mastered by acclaimed producer/engineer Rodney Mills (Gregg Allman, Atlanta Rhythm Section) and represents the essence of Sean Costello’s unique artistry and total devotion to the genre.

Landslide Records is distributed nationally in the U.S. by Select-O-Hits. A portion of the royalties from the sale of the album will benefit the Sean Costello Memorial Fund for Bi-Polar Research (http://www.seancostellofund.org).

Throughout At His Best – Live, Costello demonstrates why he was tagged as a blues artist of immense talent and potential at the age of 16, and how he continued to deliver on that promise up until his tragic death in April, 2008, just one day shy of his 29^th birthday.

It also documents the strong overall musicianship Sean surrounded himself with throughout his career. In September of 2009, Landslide Records released Sean’s Blues, a 20-track memorial retrospective collection culled from his three commercial album releases from 1996 through 2001, as well as previously unreleased tracks, which garnered rave reviews from fans and critics alike.

Now, on At His Best – Live, blues fans who never got to see Costello perform will hear what all the excitement was about; and for those fortunate enough to have experienced a Sean Costello show in-person, the new CD will bring back vivid memories of the energy force that drew audiences from all over the world to this incredibly talented musician.

“This CD release intends to share the incomparable power and magic of Sean Costello’s shows,” writes blues writer Tom Hyslop in the album’s liner notes. “Drawing from clean soundboard recordings and warts-and-all, you-are-there audience tapes alike, it offers a fair representation of Costello’s ever-evolving musical reach, including serious blues, sultry soul and R&B, and rock ’n’ roll.

“When performing songs from his albums, Sean generally hewed closely to the reference versions. We have tried here to present rare performances in which Costello shook off those bonds and took artistic flight. More difficult was selecting the “best” takes of blues that Sean had not recorded, and therefore approached with complete liberty and palpable joy. On these favorites, his improvisations were reliably staggering, displaying his playful sense of humor, impeccable groove, chops, and attitude. It was a rare night that went by without Costello pulling down stars from the sky. Like his hero Johnnie Taylor, he was just doing his own thing. And how.”

At His Best – Live showcases that special gift Sean Costello had to interpret songs and truly make them his own. The track list for the album highlights his mastery of Chicago blues, swing/jazz, funk, rhythm and blues, soul and rock. Highlights abound throughout the CD: witness his amazing take on Freddy King’s “San-Ho-Zay”, Lloyd Glenn’s “Blue Shadows,” Magic Sam’s “All Your Love,” Lowell Fulson’s “Reconsider Baby” and Johnny “Guitar Watson’s “Motor Head Baby” (wherein Sean ascends to interplanetary heights with his guitar work). On songs such as “T-Bone Boogie” and “The Hucklebuck,” Costello exhibits a deft touch within the swing/jazz idiom with some amazing fretwork and interplay with standout keyboard player Matt Wauchope; and on such killer soul/rhythm & blues tracks as “I Get a Feeling,” “Check It Out,” “Can I Change My Mind” and “Doing My Own Thing,” his soulful vocals and guitar work get inside the songs themselves. Closing out the set is Sean’s version of Little Richard’s classic, “Lucille,” which shows that he could also rock out with the best of them.     

Sean Costello: At His Best – Live - Track Listing

1.   Introduction 

2.   San-Ho-Zay

3.   Blue Shadows

4.   T-Bone Boogie

5.   All Your Love

6.   I Get A Feeling

7.   Check It Out

8.   Can I Change My Mind

9.   You’re Killing My Love

10. Reconsider Baby

11. Doing My Own Thing

12. The Hucklebuck

13. Motor Head Baby                       

14. Hold On This Time

15. The Battle Is Over But The War Goes On

16.  Peace Of Mind

17.  Lucille

Sean Costello - The Battle Is Over But The War Goes On by digitalmusicmarketing

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Landslide releases David Earle Johnson, John Abercrombie and Dan Wall digital re-issues

Landslide Records announces the exclusive digital only release of two critically acclaimed Jazz albums which originally appeared on  Landslide vinyl in the early 80's, but are now out of print. Look for both releases at your favorite download store starting September 6, 2011.

Route Two is from a jazz trio led by the late percussionist David Earle Johnson with notable guitarist John Abercrombie and powerful organist Dan Wall. Route Two presents an exciting fusion of Latin rhythms, fluid guitar work, and propulsive Hammond B-3 organ. Johnson was well known for his percussion work with keyboardist Jan Hammer, and he appeared on many recordings by, among others, Billy Cobham, Oregon, and Lenny White. Abercrombie, who contributed three original compositions, is highly regarded for his superb solo outings on numerous ECM records, though Route Two finds his fluid style perfectly meshed within an entirely different setting. The album marks Wall’s first recordings as an organist, and he also wrote two of the tracks included. Other sidemen on Route Two include Jeremy Steig, flute, Gary Campbell, tenor saxophone, Joe Chambers, drums, and Col. Bruce Hampton (aka Hampton B. Coles) who provides inimitable intros over the closing track.


The DMM Roundup - August 31, 2011 by digitalmusicmarketing


Song For The Night by jazz pianist Dan Wall appeared on Landslide vinyl in 1981, was Wall’s initial appearance on record and features stellar sidemen Steve Grossman, soprano sax, Mike Richmond, bass, and Jimmy Madison, drums. Given influences from Thelonious Monk and McCoy Tyner, Wall boasts considerable prowess on keyboards in a lively set which includes all original tracks. Since the album’s initial release, Wall has cultivated a strong reputation as a jazz pianist and organist via his work performing and recording with such artists as guitarist John Abercrombie, drummer Bernard Purdie, bassist Eddie Gomez, and saxophonist Eddie Harris. His compositions have been recorded by, among others, Gomez and Chick Corea. Wall has been a featured artist for countless stories in numerous publications including DOWNBEAT, JAZZ TIMES, and KEYBOARD PLAYER. Currently he maintains an international touring schedule and acts as Associate Professor of Jazz Piano at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

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