“Song-seeker” John Shannon to release album of mystic acoustics, “Songs of The Desert River.”

Ethereal finger-picked guitars, hushed vocals draw comparisons to Iron & Wine, Jose Gonzalez.

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John Shannon as photographed by Michael Weintrob.

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“Hurricane” from “Songs of The Desert River by John Shannon & Wings of Sound

 

Live at Pete's Candy Store (Brooklyn):

Meet John Shannon (EPK):

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John Shannon In The Press

“Somewhere between John Martyn and Nick Drake… …hypnotic and timeless…” – Le Monde (France)

“…John Shannon offers a sumptuous disk of uncluttered folk…” – Les Inrockuptibles (France)

“Songs as pure and unfiltered were only known long ago from American folk-heroes like Pete Seeger.” – WOM (Germany)

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About John Shannon & Wings of Sound

Many musicians say that music is their life. For Pittsburgh-born singer-songwriter, John Shannon, music is life itself. Identifying himself as a “song seeker,” Shannon’s spirituality guides his songwriting with results that play as if they are as much a part of nature as the man himself.

Shannon has sought and discovered eleven new songs comprising his second album of delicate guitars and hushed vocals, Songs of The Desert River (June 14th, Creek Valley/ObliqSound), a collection that envelops the listener with its own sense of time and space. On songs such as the album’s first single “Hurricane” (STREAM), Shannon and his band Wings of Sound float weightlessly above Shannon’s delicately finger-picked acoustic guitar, a term deemed “too crude… to do justice to his technique” by the UK’s Sunday Times.

Drawing comparisons to Iron & Wine and Jose Gonzalez, Shannon views his work as less a part of contemporary tradition. He describes himself as a “song-seeker,” explaining, “There are songs in the winds and sunrise that, if perceived openly, will synthesize inside you. There is a spiritual quality in a song that comes from looking for it through the beauty of nature. Honoring this process for me keeps the music connected to the spirit.”

Now, with Songs of The Desert River completed both physically and metaphysically, Shannon is ready to give it to the world, especially through his live performance, a near-shamanistic experience which he hopes will be as spiritually cleansing for his audience as he has come to know it to be for himself. See below for live performance dates.

John Shannon is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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John Shannon & Wings of Sound | Upcoming NYC Shows

04/30 Brooklyn, NY @ Kula Yoga

05/08 New York, NY @ Rockwood Music Hall

05/14 Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Wellness Fair

05/24 New York, NY @ DROM w/ Ablaye Cissoko & Volker Goetze

05/26 Paris, France @ l'International

06/12 Brooklyn, NY @ Temple Beth Emeth of Flatbush/The Sanctuary

07/11 New York, NY @ The Living Room 9PM

07/20 Columbus, OH @ Skully's

07/22 Pittsburgh, PA @ Thunderbird Café

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John Shannon & Wings of Sound

Songs of The Desert River

(Creek Valley/ObliqSound – 6/14/2011)

Track Listing:

01. Darkness

02. Wave To The River

03. Desert River

04. Hurricane (STREAM | VIDEO)

05. Forever Is When

06. Spirits

07. Dawn Breaks

08. Days Gone By

09. Tell The Morning

10. New Winter

11. Into The Unknown

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John Shannon Links

EPK : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : MYSPACE : TWITTER : YOUTUBE : OBLIQSOUND

Jeff Beam plays NYC with his Preservation Society. Grab MP3 of “Venus Flying Trapeze” title track now.

 Hear a live version of the track from young psych-pop songwriter that reminds of Elvis Costello, Flaming Lips.

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Jeff Beam as photographed by Nathan Marchard.

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“Venus Flying Trapeze” is the title track from the latest album by Jeff Beam

   Jeff Beam - Venus Flying Trapeze

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/jeffbeam/mp3/jeffbeam-venusflyingtrapeze.mp3

[LIVE]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZDTqQ9LOZM

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Jeff Beam and The Preservation Society | Upcoming NYC Shows

04/26 New York, NY @ Pianos w/ Billy Libby

05/16 Brooklyn, NY @ Union Hall

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About Jeff Beam

The music of 23-year-old Jeff Beam has drawn comparisons to the studio musings and melodic flourishes of Elliott Smith and Harry Nilsson and also brings to mind the vigor of a young Elvis Costello, the unconventionality of Beck and the psyche-pop perfection of The Flaming Lips.

At such a young age, Beam already boasts a broad discography with several albums. His latest work is the upcoming Venus Flying Trapeze, a 12-song psychedelic affair featuring melodies that are warped and catchy, clever chord changes and existential, surrealistic lyrical content. Check out the title track HERE as well as a recent live version HERE.

Before landing in New York, Beam was raised in a small town in the woods of Maine on a constant barrage of “The White Album,” Electric Light Orchestra, The Who’s Tommy, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. “To me, this is the best kind of music,” Beam says, “And I once heard a tip that you should try to make the kind of music that you want to hear.”

Jeff Beam is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Jeff Beam

Venus Flying Trapeze

(S/R, Out Now)

Track Listing:

01. Fly Trap

02. People Places (MP3)

03. Portraits of Poor Traits

04. Wake Jolk

05. Northern Floor

06. Currently, A Currency Urgency!

07. Loudspeaker Wallpaper

08. Venus Flying Trapeze (MP3)

09 .Problem of Other Minds

10. Mere Mirror

11. Mister Sister

12. Can’t You Feel The Curve of The Earth?

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Jeff Beam Links

EPK : BANDCAMP : FACEBOOK : MYSPACE : TWITTER

Seattle’s Aileen Paron to release album of dark torch songs as Scarlet Season, May 24th.

“The Taxidermist” debut RIYL: Bjork, Tori Amos, Goldfrapp, Bat For Lashes, Depeche Mode.

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Aileen Paron of Scarlet Season as photographed by Guy Haycock.

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“Horse Fury” is the first single from The Taxidermist by Scarlet Season

   Scarlet Season - Horse Fury

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/scarletseason/mp3/scarletseason-horsefury.mp3

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Scarlet Season | Upcoming Seattle Shows

05/03 Seattle, WA @ Skylark
05/20 Seattle, WA @ White Rabbit Record Release Show

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About Scarlet Season

Swirling synths, pretty pianos, nasty bass, and moody electronic elements combine with vocal textures that run the gamut from howling and angry to sweet and seductive on The Taxidermist, the debut album by Seattle’s Scarlet Season.

Scarlet Season is the stage name of Aileen Paron, a self-taught pianist whose desire for autonomy and passion for learning all things musical inspired her to take the DIY approach to recording, programming, and composing. Paron produced The Taxidermist herself with co-production by Matt Frickelton of The Fading Collection.

The resulting sound is a natural for fans of Bjork, Tori Amos, Goldfrapp, Bat For Lashes and Depeche Mode with songs that chronicle themes of anger, loss, betrayal and loneliness. It is material that is admittedly personal and at times uncomfortably so, but Paron believes that pop music needn’t be fluffy.

This song-centric pop-rock approach, infused with dark, cinematic, neo-synth edges and gothic roots is at the core of The Taxidermist and its lead single, “Horse Fury” (MP3). The Taxidermist album art carries this theme as well, with haunting illustrations by Matt Strieby inspired by an actual Parisian taxidermy shop.

Scarlet Season can currently be found performing in Seattle, with plans for a West Coast tour in the works for Fall, 2011. The Taxidermist will be released nationwide on May 24th, 2011.

Aileen Paron of Scarlet Season is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Scarlet Season – The Taxidermist

(Self-Released – 5/24/2011)

Track Listing:

01. Almost But Not Quite

02. Counting Days

03. History of Violence

04. Horse Fury (STREAM | MP3)

05. Suicide Pilot

06. B&D

07. The Taxidermist

08. Something I Can Feel

09. Rewind

10. Ashes

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Scarlet Season Links

EPK : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : MYSPACE : TWITTER : REVERB NATION

Maceo Parker tour mate Grand Pianoramax caps Euro run, Preps NYC debut of “Smooth Danger.”

“Intensely kinetic.” – Billboard “…carefree and elegant.” – XLR8R “…future funk machine.” – Time Out

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(L-R) Leo Tardin and Dom Burkhalter of Grand Pianoramax. Photograph by Mali Lazell.

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“Roulette” (feat. Black Cracker & Karsh Kale) from Smooth Danger by Grand Pianoramax

[STREAM]: http://official.fm/tracks/209901 

[MP3]: http://bit.ly/grandpianoramax-roulette

[VIDEO]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw_MSOwYvSQ (LIVE in Mumbai)

[VIDEO]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr1Z15jKXXc (LIVE at SXSW)

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Grand Pianoramax w/ (L-R) Black Cracker & Mike Ladd live in NYC!

May 11^th, 2011 at Drom (85 Ave. A btw. 5^th and 6^th). Click for more info.

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About Grand Pianoramax

Grand Pianoramax is the musical project of Montreux Jazz Festival piano solo competition winner, Leo Tardin. Following a major tour with jazz-funk legend Maceo Parker in support of the second Grand Pianoramax record, Tardin has partnered with drum modernist Dom Burkhalter and guests such as internationally reknowned tabla player Karsh Kale, and spoken-word artists Black Cracker (Cocorosie) and Mike Ladd, to complete the most ambitious Grand Pianoramax album to date. Created in Mumbai, Switzerland, Paris, Bristol and the band’s home base of Berlin, Smooth Danger with be released May 3rd, 2011 by the ObliqSound label.

Grand Pianoramax recently appeared at SXSW 2011 where this interview and live performance was shot before heading out on a European tour that has taken Tardin, Burkhalter and Black Cracker to Switzerland, Germany, France and The Netherlands.  Joining up with acclaimed rapper and poet Mike Ladd, Grand Pianoramax will return to the States for a special performance on May 11^th at Drom in NYC. A southern gig at Café Apache in Atlanta follows on May 14^th.  

Leo Tardin of Grand Pianoramax is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Grand Pianoramax

Smooth Danger

(ObliqSound – 5/3/2011)

Track Listing:

01. Infidel

02. Sleepwalk (feat. Black Cracker & Karsh Kale)

03. Smooth Danger

04. The Queen

05. Revolver

06. Roulette (feat. Black Cracker & Karsh Kale) (MP3 | VIDEO)

07. Clairvoyance

08. Domestic Bliss (feat. Mike Ladd)

09. Midnight Morning

10. Diaspora

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Grand Pianoramax Links

EPK : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : MYSPACE : YOUTUBE : BANDCAMP : OBLIQSOUND

Moonlight Towers announce tour in support of third album, “Day Is The New Night.”

 “Heat Lightning,” the latest single from “Austin’s favorite three-minute heroes” available now.

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Clockwise From Upper Left: James Stevens, Richard Galloway, Jacob Shulze, Jason Daniels. Photo by Carol He.

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“Heat Lightning” is the first single from “Day Is The New Night” by Moonlight Towers

[STREAM + WIDGET]: http://official.fm/tracks/219547

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/moonlighttowers/mp3/moonlighttowers-heatlightning.mp3

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About Moonlight Towers

Proclaimed “amazing” by Performing Songwriter for creating what the Chicago Reader calls “perfectly molded power-pop,” Moonlight Towers is “Austin’s favorite three-minute heroes” according to the Austin American-Statesman and the renowned music city’s “finest power pop export” (Pop Culture Press).

Moonlight Towers is celebrating the recent release of its third album Day Is The New Night, out now on Austin’s Chicken Ranch label, with a hometown Austin show at famed venue, Antone’s on April 30^th.  The band will then be heading out on a two-week tour that will take it around the Eastern half of the US with shows in Chicago, New York and down south to Mississippi and Alabama.

Moonlight Towers (taking its name from the tall vintage streetlights that illuminated Austin’s nights of yore) is a genuine band that does what comes naturally: writing, recording and playing real rock n’ roll (with a hearty pop kick!) It’s really that simple.

On Day Is The New Night, the band’s third long-player, the foursome delivers its finest and richest offering yet. Such superlatives become viscerally tangible the moment the band steamrolls into “Heat Lightning,” (MP3) the disc’s aptly named lead track. The timeless potency of two mighty guitars and muscular bass and drums bring the urgency, buoying vocals that alternately sear and soar.

Moonlight Towers is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Moonlight Towers Live

04/29 San Antonio, TX @ Boneshakers w/ Snowbyrd

04/30 Austin, TX @ Antone's Austin CD Release Show

05/12 Houston, TX @ Continental Club w/ Electric Heights

05/13 Lake Charles, LA @ Luna Bar & Grill

05/14 Oxford, MS @ Proud Larry's

05/15 Birmingham, AL @ The Nick

05/16 Nashville, TN @ The Basement

05/17 Knoxville, TN @ Longbranch Saloon

05/18 Chapel Hill, NC @ The Cave

05/19 Raleigh, NC @ Slim's Downtown Distillery

05/22 Brooklyn, NY @ Southpaw

05/23 New York, NY @ Pianos w/ Battle Circus

05/25 Lafayette, IN @ Black Sparrow Pub

05/26 Chicago, IL @ Schubas Tavern w/ Mother Hips

05/28 Kansas City, MO @ Czar Bar

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Moonlight Towers

Day Is The New Night

(Chicken Ranch, Out Now)

Track Listing:

1. Heat Lightning (MP3)

2. Can’t Shake This Feelin’

3. Distant Wheels

4. The Easy Way Out

5. Comes A Time

6. What Else Can I Say

7. Baby Don’t Slow Me Down

8. Not A Kid Anymore

9. Black River

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Moonlight Towers Links

EPK : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : CHICKEN RANCH RECORDS

Dylan Champagne’s unconventional composition combines Math Rock, Punk, Folk and Pop on new CD.

Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 follows-up 2008’s “New Equation.” “California Song” out now.
 

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Dylan Champagne as photographed by Michael Rauner.

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“California Song” is the first single from Love Songs of The Apocalypse, Volume 1 by Dylan Champagne

[STREAM + WIDGET]: http://official.fm/tracks/229945

[MP3]: http://www.fanaticpromotion.com/projects/dylanchampagne/mp3/dylanchampagne-californiasong.mp3

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About Dylan Champagne

Dylan Champagne (his real name) will release Love Songs of The Apocalypse, Volume 1, the follow-up to his 2008 album New Equation on May 17^th.  Champagne’s music puts a strong emphasis on lyrics and unconventional composition. His latest endeavor Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 mixes Math Rock, Punk, Folk, and Pop to create a syncopated rock tincture with narrative underpinnings.

Of the content on new album, Champagne says, “I suppose the reoccurring apocalyptic dreams began when I was about nine-years-old. It was the 80’s and Reagan was the king, and everywhere you looked was nuclear this, that and the other. Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 is a shout-out to all the ghosts haunting the mid-sized semi-urban dystopia in my head. The characters are real but some of the details get squishy.”

Currently residing in Oakland, California with his partner, the poet Alexandra Teague, Champagne recorded most of Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 in town at New Improved Recording with Eli Crews. The rest was tracked in Champagne’s basement studio and in an old soup warehouse in Fayetteville, Arkansas during Champagne’s short residence there.

Love Songs of the Apocalypse, Volume 1 will be released on May 17^th, 2011.  Champagne hopes to make a Volume 2 and a Volume 5 and a Volume 20 before the world spontaneously combusts. Those with an eagle eye will notice that the album’s cover art is a riff on that of this Johnny Mathis classic.

Dylan Champagne is available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Dylan Champagne

Love Songs of The Apocalypse, Volume 1

(Broke In Oakland, 5/17/2011)

Track Listing:

01. Baby In A Bear Suit

02. Dealt

03. The Daily Albatross

04. California Song (MP3)

05. Finally Ready

06. Empty Notebooks

07. The Ballad of J. Flato

08. Forester Pass In Chinatown Slippers

09. Row Homes In The Desert

10. Greenfield Manifesto

11. The Short Goodbye

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Dylan Champagne Links

EPK : BANDCAMP : FACEBOOK : MYSPACE : BROKE IN OAKLAND

Sleepy Vikings announce tour dates in support of upcoming debut album due May 10th.

“Calm” single available now, “Song after song of rich southern shoe-gazy goodness.” – Paste

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Sleepy Vikings is (L-R): Sandi Streppone, Julian Conner, Tessa McKenna,

Ryann Slauson, Nicole Schleif, Sandra Covin. Photo by Kelley Jackson.

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“Calm” is the first single from “They Will Find You Here” by Sleepy Vikings

  Sleepy Vikings - Calm by Fanatic Promotion 

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About Sleepy Vikings

Tampa, Florida’s Sleepy Vikings has announced two weeks of tour dates (with more to come) in support of its upcoming debut album They Will Find You Here, scheduled for release on May 10th via the New Granada record label. “Calm,” the first single from They Will Find You Here is available for download now.  See below for tour dates.

Sleepy Vikings has previously and dubiously described its sound as “southern shoegaze,” but this tag is really just window dressing for hick towns and beer plus Pavement and Sonic Youth. This is a band that accepted an invitation to play its first show before it even had a set of music to play, so fitting into a genre is not a top priority.

What really is tops is the band's music. The songs on They Will Find You Here are filled with dreams and nightmares that have already caused the local press in Florida to call Sleepy Vikings “...a swooning squall” (Orlando Sentinel) and note that the band is “...king-hell committed on blazing a trail” (Miami New Times).

Members of Sleepy Vikings are available for interviews.  Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Sleepy Vikings Live

04/30 Tampa, FL @ Crowbar

05/06 Orlando, FL @ Will's Pub

05/13 Gainesville, FL @ Club 1982

06/08 Tampa, FL @ Cappy's Pizza Acoustic

06/10 Athens, GA @ Caledonia Lounge w/ Casper & The Cookies

06/11 Charleston, SC @ Tin Roof w/ Sleepy Eye Giant

06/13 Richmond, VA @ Sprout

06/14 Charlottesville, VA @ The Box

06/15 Chapel Hill, NC @ Night Light

06/16 Newark, DE @ Mojo Main w/ The Sky Drops, Troubled Hips

06/17 Baltimore, MD @ The Metro Gallery w/ The Sky Drops, Thrushes, Young Jaguars

06/18 Washington, DC @ Axum's Level X Lounge w/ Thrushes, Mittenfields, Forevsner

06/19 Philadelphia, PA @ King Fu Neck Tie

06/20 Somerville, MA @ The Rosebud

06/22 New York, NY @ Piano's

06/25 Nashville, TN @ Foobar 2 w/ The Winter Sounds

06/26 Atlanta, GA @ Club 529 w/ Today The Moon Tomorrow the Sun

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Sleepy Vikings

They Will Find You Here

(New Granada, 5/10/2011)

Track Listing:

1. These Days

2. Calm (MP3)

3. Hunters

4. Flashlight Tag

5. A Backyard Funeral

6. Twin Peaks

7. Corson Park

8. Dear Long Distance

9. White Wolves

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Sleepy Vikings Links

EPK : WEBSITE : FACEBOOK : MYSPACE : TWITTER : NEW GRANADA