Monday, February 24, 2020

D.B. Rouse’s “Mud” started out as a children’s song, but took a dark turn one rainy night in the tour van while reading “The Lunatic.”

American Songwriter bows song taken from “Nobody” EP by Milwaukee-based artist compared to both Woody Guthrie, Weird Al.

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D.B. Rouse as photographed by Les Hall

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“The innately hilarious, wildly eccentric, Road Warrior, D.B. Rouse’s latest single, ‘Mud,’ is now available on American Songwriter. What started as an idea for a children’s song, quickly grew into a reflective genre-redefining track, in a strange turn of events and influence.”

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About | “Mud” by D.B. Rouse

“I’m an avid reader.  I have up to three different books that I’m reading at any given time. I was living in my van in the Kaibab National forest south of the Grand Canyon where I work seasonally as a professional hobo musician. I was sitting in my van during a rainstorm, watching everything outside turn to mud while reading a book called, ‘The Lunatic’ by Anthony C. Winkler. In it there’s a character who has, in a way, placed mud as a god-head. The words to my song ‘mud’ poured out of me. It wasn’t the kids song I was aiming to write. But I didn’t try to change it.” – D.B Rouse

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D.B. Rouse – In The Press

“Innately hilarious, wildly eccentric.” — American Songwriter

“A superb musician.” — Austin American-Statesman

“Calls to the work of Woody Guthrie and John Prine.” — B-Sides and Badlands

“Like an old-school bar song given a new lick of paint.” — For Folk’s Sake

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D.B. Rouse
“Nobody” EP
March 6th, 2020
(S/R)
  

Track Listing:

01. Nobody
02. Mud (STREAM)
03. Mutually Assured Destruction
04. Somnambulance Ride

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D.B. Rouse | About

“Kids love mud,” says D.B. Rouse. “I sat down to write a kid’s song about mud and this thing came out instead.”

A constantly traveling troubadour, poet and novelist, the Milwaukee-based migrant musician (he actually says home is wherever the van is parked) will release a new four-song EP “Nobody” on March 6th, 2020.

The first single from “Nobody” is that kid’s song that never was, “Mud,” which now plays as a chilling number that crawled out of the desert after a rain storm.

It’s a darker turn for Rouse, who along with his guitar, affectionately nick-named “Meal-Ticket,” has become known for whimsical songs like “About the Bite Missing From Your Sandwich” from his early-2019 album Choices Were Made.  Rouse is even sponsored by a kazoo company, if you get the picture.

“Part of the gritty feel of this EP comes from the tiny shack I recorded it in, with a rusted tin ceiling and cardboard boxes for wall paper,” he explains. “It’s right next door to a noisy bar, so I could only record very early in the morning after closing time.”

Influenced by the intimacy of tiny shacks, but also vast expanses, Rouse has been spending a lot of time in deserts the last few years.

“The Chihuahuan, the Mojave, and the Painted mostly,” he says. He’s also seen plenty of his constant companion: the road.

“This EP’s title song ‘Nobody’ came to me on a November night in Wisconsin,” Rouse explains. “Driving alone through snow flurries to my show, the hum of the wheels on the highway teased this song out of my head. It’s an anthem of self-reliance... and also a plea.”

By the time Rouse arrived at the venue that night, the song was complete, and he performed it.

Back in the shack, Rouse remembers, “I mostly stared out the window at the moon lit sand and dirt, wondering when it was all going to turn to glass. I tried to summon the ghosts of Townes Van Zandt, Blaze Foley, Woody Guthrie, Zora Neale Hurston and Randy Newman to help me with this project.”

Ultimately, Rouse’s innate humor peeks through: “But they were busy... and also Randy Newman isn’t dead.”

“Nobody,” the latest EP by D.B. Rouse arrives on March 6th, 2020 preceded by the single “Mud,” out now. D.B. Rouse is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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D.B. Rouse | Live

03/01/2020: Terlingua, TX @ El Dorado High Sierra
03/08/2020: Terlingua, TX @ El Dorado High Sierra
03/15/2020: Terlingua, TX @ El Dorado High Sierra
03/20/2020: San Antonio, TX @ Folk Shit Up Festival
03/28/2020: Austin, TX @ Love Goat

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D.B. Rouse | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact


Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Just nineteen-years-old, Chance Emerson has racked up a million Spotify spins, including nearly 100K for his catchy new single, “How Can I,” out now.

Singer-songwriter born in Taiwan, raised in Hong Kong, now a college student in Providence, RI making recordings beyond his years. Album out March 6th.

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Chance Emerson as photographed in Hong Kong by Manisha Shah

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“How Can I” by Chance Emerson



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About | “How Can I” by Chance Emerson

“I just gave my brother a camera and we went on a walk through Hong Kong,” says 19-year-old Providence, RI and Hong Kong-based singer songwriter, Chance Emerson. The resulting music video for Emerson’s new single “How Can I” is likely the first directed by an 11-year-old to premiere this year.

‘How Can I’ is probably the most ‘city’ song on the album,” Emerson says. “It’s a fast-paced, energetic piece with disparate influences I never expected to come together. It reminds me of rush hour on the escalator system.”

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“Annabelle” by Chance Emerson




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Chance Emerson chats with American Songwriter as part of its premiere coverage of his latest single “Annabelle”. Click here to check out the interview.

“When Chance Emerson sings ‘Everything will be alright in time’ at the close of his new single, ‘Annabelle,’ it’s easy to believe him. The Providence, Rhode Island-based singer-songwriter delivers the line with wisdom and assuredness that belie his age. It’s a nostalgic number that centers Emerson’s rich vocals as he sings about the pain and necessity of moving on from old friendships.” – American Songwriter

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Chance Emerson
The Raspberry Men
(S/R)
March 6th, 2020
  

Track Listing:

01. How Can I (STREAM | VIDEO)
02. A Different Dark
03. Annabelle (STREAM)
04. In My Way
05. Coming to Japan
06. Incredible
07. It Won’t Be Pretty
08. Never Been In Love
09. The Raspberry Men

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Chance Emerson | Live

03/06/2020: Providence, RI @ Dream Hau5 (Record Release Show, 1030PM, $8)

03/11/2020: Boston, MA @ The Middle East (Record Release Show, 730PM, $8) (TIX)

04/08/2020: Providence, RI @ AS220 (w/ Breachway, $7) (TIX)

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Chance Emerson | About

“My Mandarin is pretty bad at this point,” says 19-year-old songwriter, Chance Emerson.

Still just a teenager currently attending college in Rhode Island, Emerson’s rusty Mandarin is the result of being away from his homeland for nearly two thirds of his life now. Born in Taiwan to a Taiwanese mother and American father, Emerson moved to Hong Kong at seven-years-old.

“The concept of home has been very fluid for me,” he confesses. “Music has ended up being a huge part of how I ground myself in a place.”

The songs on Emerson’s upcoming debut album The Raspberry Men (March 6th) will ground you, too. They speak to the most relatable aspects of the human condition in a manner that is empathic and world-traveler wise. Even so, the humor, high-energy, and edge of a youthful artist with baked-in chops are ultimately uplifting.

In other words, Chance takes chances. In 2017, Emerson posted his self-produced EP, recorded in his high school music building’s attic, to his Facebook and Instagram.

“I thought maybe four people would listen to it, and I have an immediate family of five,” he jokes. But as things go with music that moves, a few more than four listened in. The word spread, local radio got on board, the EP ascended the iTunes charts, and over the past couple of years, songs from the “The Indigo Tapes” have racked up nearly a million Spotify plays.

“All of my friends shared it,” Emerson says, still seemingly surprised by the response. They’ll likely share the new collection, too, though being his own best critic, Emerson doesn’t let all of his tunes see the light of day. More songs were cut from The Raspberry Men than made it on to the final, nine-track album.

“I cut 11,” he says. “They didn’t say enough. They weren’t honest enough.” Emerson plays almost everything you hear on The Raspberry Men, mostly recorded in a wooden shed on his grandparent’s property in Maine.

“The songs maintain a lot of summer imagery because Maine is where I find my sense of place,” he says. “It’s humid, too hot, and smells like pine.”

Chance Emerson is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Chance Emerson | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact


Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) lends vocals to latest “graceful” single with Belgian composer Thomas Jean Henri (Cabane); Debut album arrives Feb. 28th.

“Take Me Home, (Part 2)” streaming now via Brooklyn Vegan, The Fader. “Grande Est La Maison” also features contributions by Kate Stables (This Is The Kit).

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Thomas Jean Henri of Cabane as photographed by Elise Péroi.

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Grande Est La Maison’s new single is the gorgeous, contemplative ‘Take Me Home (Part 2),’ which features (Will) Oldham atop a crest of swelling harmonies, classical guitar and vibraphone,” says Brooklyn Vegan in its premiere coverage of the latest Cabane single. The video for the song, premiered by The Fader is “comprised entirely of clips of the group’s friends and family listening to the song, each reacting to it in different ways.”

Cabane leader, the Belgian composer Thomas Jean Henri, explains, “I worked on ‘Take Me Home (Part 2)’ when I was writing music at the sea side of Belgium. It is the foundation of the entire album. I first wrote the songs on guitar, then transposed the notes into a vocal part for Bost Gehio, an ensemble of five singers. For the video, we wanted to shoot our loved ones listening to the song for the very first time to keep in memory of all the persons and family I love(d).”



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Cabane | In The Press

“Gorgeous” — Brooklyn Vegan

“A bit of warmth during a particularly cold time.” — Pitchfork

“Reminiscent of the light, transient nature of the beach.” — Stereogum

“Beautifully constructed, wistful folk.” — The Line of Best Fit

“Graceful and delicately arranged.” — The FADER

“A lush yet striking piece of work.” — CLASH

“Chamber pop wonderment.” — UNCUT

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Cabane
Grande Est La Maison
Feb. 28th, 2020
(Cabane-Music)


Track Listing:

01. Tu ne Joueras Plus à L’amour (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy)
02. Now, Winter Comes (feat. Kate Stables) (STREAM | LYRIC VIDEO)
03. Easily, We’ll See (feat. Kate Stables)
04. ÃŽlot (Part II)
05. By The Sea (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Kate Stables)
06. Take Me Home (Part 1) (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Kate Stables)
07. Sangokaku (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy & Kate Stables)
08. ÃŽlot (Part III)
09. Take Me Home (Part 2) (feat. Bonnie “Prince” Billy) (STREAM | VIDEO | LYRIC VIDEO)
10. Until The Summer Comes (feat. Kate Stables)

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Cabane | Live

05/08/2020: Brussels, Belgium @ Botanique (w/ Rachael Dadd) (TIX)

05/14/2020: Paris, France @ Center Wallonie-Bruxelles (performing Grande Est La Maison) (TIX)


Cabane | About

Cabane’s first album is the outcome of Belgian composer Thomas Jean Henri bringing together the American Will Oldham (Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and English musician Kate Stables (This Is The Kit), to perform some songs arranged by Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas); a dream line-up for this collection of tunes, bordering on both folk and orchestral pop. Far from the maddening sounds, Grande Est La Maison will be a warm shelter for lovers of Nick Drake or Vashti Bunyan.

Cabane is the latest project of musician and photographer Thomas Jean Henri, ex drummer of the Belgian group, Venus, with whom he released two albums, Welcome to the Modern Dancehall (1999) and The Man Who Was Already Dead (2000), before taking a more personal direction, which resulted in the solo album Soy Un Caballo, Les heures de raison (2007)

In 2015 Thomas Jean Henri laid the foundations for his Cabane, a multi-faceted project, blending music, photography and video. After two singles, (“Sangokaku” / “La Gomera”) released in 2015 and ”Wooden Home / Here in the Wind” in 2017, a dream collaboration started taking shape: Will Oldham (alias Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) and Kate Stables (This Is The Kit) on vocals, Sean O’Hagan (The High Llamas) looking after the string arrangements of the songs composed by Henri. Lyrics were written with Caroline Gabard and Sam Genders (Tunng, The Diagrams). Ash Workman (Metronomy, Baxter Dury) was responsible for the mixing

And today, this splendid casting is to be found on Cabane’s first album release, Grande Est La Maison. A collection of ten songs whose echoes of folk and delicate orchestral pop, swing from a rhythmic section, wrapped comfortably in the voices of Will Oldham and Kate Stables, an acoustic guitar, a string quartet, a vibes and some choral sections, managed by an ensemble of five singers, Bost Gehio. These sections function as would a Greek choir

“During the work process a vibrant image of Will and Kate treading through the river waters, passing each other like ships in the night, never left me. Each one setting out from the opposing river bank, slightly uncomfortable and their meeting in the middle. The choir is on the river side, keeping their distance,” explains Henri. “Time and the slowness of oblivion are at the heart of the Cabane project. An essential question is asked : ‘What do we do with what we have in our hands?’

Grande Est La Maison is an album that slowly, but surely seduces, whose beauty is revealed more and more, as each day goes by. Melodies, vocals, arrangements, each element is at once elegant and moving, retained, but generous.  It’s a large, welcoming home, as were those shelters built by Nick Drake, Vashti Bunyan, Sufjan Stevens, or Cardinal

It is also a refuge for Henri, who offers up a profoundly personal, yet eminently collaborative album. It is signs of friendship put to music, a warm embrace with Caroline Gabard and Englishman Sam Genders (Tuung), who co-wrote the texts. Tu ne joueras plus à l’amour and By The Sea were composed with Sean O’Hagan

This sense of friendship is also expressed visually – in motion and pictures. Firstly, a 26-minute documentary, directed by Jérôme Guiot and Thomas Jean Henri, in which 20 or so artists, close friends and family open up and discuss the issues of creation, an artist’s expectations, letting go, and the importance of releasing records in 2020. Amongst them - Kate Stables, Elise Peroi, Victoire de Changy, Veence Hanao, Vincent Théval, Charles Berberian, Nicolas Michaux, Sylvain Chauveau, Myriam Pruvot and François Atlas

And two series of candid photos, taken by Thomas, which will be part of the Cabane album: “Qu’as-tu gardé de notre amour?” was presented in February 2018 at the 10/12 Gallery in Brussels; J’ai toujours cherché à fuir ceux que j’aimais,” will be presented in April 2020, also in Brussels. Text by Vincent Théval

Thomas Jean Henri of Cabane is available for interviews. Contact Josh Bloom at Fanatic for more information.

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Cabane | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact


Monday, February 3, 2020

Vocalist Kathleen Grace left a message for legendary jazz pianist Larry Goldings. She said she had a record to make with him or no one else.

Goldings, a player with James Taylor, Norah Jones, John Mayer, De La Soul, Beck, others, called back. “Tie Me To You” arrives April 17th.

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Kathleen Grace as photographed by Emilia Pare

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[VIDEO]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rW-_d3MvEDg

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Kathleen Grace | In The Press

“Genre-blurring dexterity... The airwaves should be full of Grace.” — JazzTimes

“Smart, alluring and evocative.” — The Washington Post

“The stuff of imaginative talent on the rise.” — Los Angeles Times

“Mixes styles to create her own sound.” — San Francisco Chronicle

“Echoes of Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris.” — Downbeat

Grace’s bright, clear voice reflects simple beauty and subtle wisdom.” — LA Weekly

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Kathleen Grace (with Larry Goldings)
Tie Me To You
(Monsoon Records)
April 17th, 2020


Track Listing:

01. Tie Me To You (Kathleen Grace & Larry Goldings)
02. Where Or When (Richard Rodgers & Lorenz Hart)
03. Everywhere (Kathleen Grace)
04. John The Revelator (Traditional)
05. Berceuse (George Moustaki)
06. The Thill Is Gone (Ray Henderson & Lew Brown)
07. Embarcadero (Kathleen Grace & Darek Oleszkiewicz)
08. Love For Sale (Cole Porter)
09. What’ll I Do (Irving Berlin) (VIDEO)
10. I’ll Follow The Sun (John Lennon & Paul McCartney)

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Kathleen Grace (with Larry Goldings) | About

Kathleen Grace’s latest album, Tie Me To You, was born from a place of awakening, the kind that can only trigger massive change, great loss and also, hope. It is the product of finally seeing yourself fully for the first time and the price you pay to do so.

In her case, it cost her a marriage that had consumed her entire adult life. It also marked the birth of a new woman, one who would call a new man to her side — a man who, ultimately, could not stay.

Amidst this love and loss, Grace barely slept. Instead, she was flooded with music day and night — poems, songs, and melodies.  She imagined recording this new music freely, in the moment, with no big production or fixes; she envisioned simple songs broken down to their most basic parts.

Soon, she picked up the phone and called Larry Goldings, a legendary keyboardist who has worked with James Taylor, Norah Jones, John Mayer, and others. She said simply, “Listen, I need to make a record. And you’re the only one in the world I can make it with. Can you call me back?”

He did.

And so it was that Grace found herself in the only place left that made any sense: a recording studio in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Silver Lake, California. The pair recorded live in the low light of the wood-framed building, often producing songs in single takes. What emerged is a portrait of a woman exposed as she mourns what she must let go of in order to keep reaching for herself. The result is a new sound for Grace, one that is more vulnerable and bold, one that embraces her eclecticism without apology.

Grace explains, “I remember this time so clearly, the tastes, the colors, and the sounds. The feeling of sitting next to Larry on a piano bench without headphones and just singing. Singing songs only for me, most of which I’d never sung before. Singing to myself and also to the men I loved. It’s all there in the music. Forever. Trapped in a snow globe of emotion.”

Grace and Goldings invited masterful partners into their creation of Tie Me To You. Bass player David Piltch (KD Lang) appears throughout the album, and violinist Gabe Witcher (Punch Brothers) is a special guest appearing as both a soloist and string section.

The project was championed by Grammy®-winning engineer Sheldon Gomberg, who offered up his studio for the better part of a year. A song record at its core, Tie Me To You features original music by both Grace and Goldings as well as covers of pieces by French icon Francois Hardy, blues great Son House, and The Beatles, and standards by Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, and Rodgers & Hart.

Much like her music, Grace’s career has expanded in recent years beyond its jazz and folk roots that saw her appearing at The Montreux Jazz Festival and The Kennedy Center for the Arts, with performances alongside rock band Portugal The Man at Coachella and throughout My Morning Jacket leader Jim James’ latest solo release, Uniform Distortion. Grace also teaches music at the Flora L. Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC).

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More about Kathleen Grace and Tie Me To You by Kathleen Grace (with Larry Goldings):

Kathleen Grace grew up in the West, its vistas etching an impression that would stay with the Tucson native as she traveled to the dry hills of Los Angeles. Forging a career that has sent her around the globe, Grace has played for a worldwide audience whose diversity reflects her own eclectic musical tastes. Emerging from her jazz roots, Grace’s sound bridges traditional and nostalgic with an approachable modernity, taking her into the blues, folk and pop-leaning realms.

“Jazz is a value system,” Grace explains, “I may not always be creating music specific to that space, but I try to let its deepest truths of freedom, listening and trust guide my path, my choices.”

Over time, Grace’s organic evolution has led her to an expansive career, not only as an interpreter of song, but also a respected songwriter in the modern folk and Americana worlds. Her prior album, No Place To Fall, was a sun-drenched landscape of music rooted in her desert upbringing and elegant country spirit, and an undeniable evolution of Grace as a naturally exquisite singer and songwriter, whose soulful instincts are skillfully honed by her prior experience in jazz and blues.

“I’ve put out a few records in my life so far — some jazz, some folk, some country,” Grace says, “But this record, Tie Me To You, is the one the album I never thought I’d make. The one that happened to me instead of me making it happen, an album with no rehearsal and no fixes.

“My life was changing fundamentally and we made a record documenting that change,” Grace says. “Larry was remarkable to work with, deeply trusting and intuitive, which I think helped me feel the same. We laughed so much and became quite a team over the year it took to finish the record. My gratitude to him is boundless. So here we are, at another beginning in a life full of them.”

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Kathleen Grace | Links


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Josh Bloom at Fanatic Promotion | Contact