Bands that sound like johnny cash ...
| On Project Opus since: | October 6, 2008 |
| Last seen: | 1 week 5 days ago |
| Biography: | Holworks - Welcome to the site of Mark Holman, a Fayetteville, NC native, ASCAP Artist and Publisher. I create music. It is an honor to have you listen to my songs. I began this journey in October 2007 to complete in song a poor person's almanac entitled Carolina Commons. That album is ready to record. My second album, Splash, is underway in earnest. I am completing a catalog of songs that you may view by searching for me in the ASCAP database link just under this statement. Music is in me, . . . |
| Albums: | Carolina Commons |
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| On Project Opus since: | April 13, 2006 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Music has always been at the heart and soul of award-winning musician Gary Bennett, whose first solo outing, Human Condition, was released February 21, 2006, on Landslide Records. Produced by the notable R.S. Field (Billy Joe Shaver, Allison Moorer, Webb Wilder), the album showcases a strong combination of original songs performed by a superb cast of Nashville luminaries. Gary Bennett co-fronted and was a founding member of the critically acclaimed country music band BR549, who recorded five well-received albums (four with Arista and one with Sony), received three Grammy nominations and was hailed by music industry trade magazine Billboard as having single-handedly revived the soul of country music in Nashville. During Gary's tenure, the band sold over 500,000 albums and toured the world, headlining shows as well as opening for such artists as Bob Dylan, George Jones, Merle Haggard, the Black Crowes and Brian Setzer. BR549 was also voted "Best Country Group" in 1996 by Rolling Stone magazine. Bennett was born October 9, 1964 in Las Vegas, Nevada to country music loving parents. After living in Conroe, Texas for the first 5 years of his life, and a year more in southern California, the family settled in In 1993, he loaded his pickup truck and headed for Nashville. Unfortunately, he arrived at a time when "real country music" had been all but forgotten. After attending many fruitless songwriter nights, Gary began hanging out in the honky-tonks of the historic "Lower Broadway" area of downtown Nashville. "I felt that though it was a destitute scene, it was also The two formed the group, which after various personnel changes, became BR549. Less than six months after arriving in Nashville, they were on their way to becoming the darlings of Music City. BR549 graced After five major album releases and years of constant world wide touring, Gary felt as though the musical freedom BR549 once enjoyed had become stagnant due to the "retro" pin tagged to them. Wanting to make original & more progressive music, Bennett made a decision in to step away from the group and let his head clear. Gary Bennett left BR549 in 2002 and retreated from music for a short while, only to return to writing and performing. "Getting back in touch with real people in the real world gave me the inspiration to start writing again," he says. A series of personal tragedies in 2004 helped reinforce that desire. "I know that music was given to us to smooth the rough, bumpy road of life," he states. "I believe that whether I'm walking down the sidewalk or on a stage, my purpose is to try to help people. Songwriting is what I have been given to achieve that." After considerable wood shedding and a plethora of club gigs in and around Nashville, Gary succeeded in re-defining the music that's true to his heart. He's back and sounding better than ever on Human Condition. This is sincere music being made by one of country music's most distinctive voices. Bennett first became aware of producer R.S. Field after hearing his production work on an R.B. Morris album about 10 years ago. "As I listened to the album," remembers Bennett, "it was obvious that the songs were the focus and the musicians just loved playing them. Right then, I thought that if I ever do a solo album, he's the producer I'd want." Human Condition presents 12 new songs, most of which were written by Bennett, including one co-written with Todd Snider ("Better Than This"). "That song began - as most of mine do - as an instrumental that we used to call 'The Swamp Song' because of its feel," says Bennett. "Several years ago, I happened to catch a Todd Snider performance on TV and liked his rhythmic wording and stream of consciousness approach to writing. Shortly thereafter, we got the chance to write together and I played him this song. 'Better Than This' is about finding out what's over the next hill. When I started to write the lyrics, I was reminded of the little town that I grew up in Washington that was next to a mountain. At night, it revealed the glow of lights in the distance, which was the city of Portland, Oregon. As it turned out, Todd was growing up in Portland at the same time I was in Washington, so he could relate to what I was seeing." Gary's studio band features some of Nashville's finest musicians, including Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart) on guitar, Jimmy Lester (Webb Wilder, Los Straitjackets) on drums and Mark Winchester (Emmylou Harris, Brian Setzer Orchestra) on bass. Special guests include Marty Stuart, who plays mandolin on several tracks as well as rhythm guitar on the song, "Just Wanna Be With You," legendary pedal steel guitar player Lloyd Green, and producer R.S. Field on several instruments. As Gary begins his career as a solo artist, the opportunities - and the challenges - do not escape him. " It feels strange and exciting at the same time," he says. "When I began performing, I thought my musical strengths were as a songwriter and harmony singer. Then, with BR549, I got a chance to step out front and develop as a front man. Now, with the variety of songs I have on this album, I think I've shown maturity in both those areas. I don't agree with the saying 'it's all been done before'. I mean, lyrically, and through music, good songs will always be able to convey new thoughts or fresh opinions to people. Recording this album has been totally liberating." |
| Albums: | Human Condition |
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| On Project Opus since: | October 18, 2007 |
| Last seen: | 17 weeks 4 days ago |
| Biography: | Dead Rock West
Tour Dates **Stay tuned for more tour updates to be announced soon… The best music tends to hit a listener from seemingly out of nowhere, fully formed and ready to infiltrate the psyche. Of course even the newest discovery has paid their dues somewhere, which means there are often real treasures right under our very noses. So it is with Dead Rock West. With a name like Dead Rock West, you would be correct in assuming there are occasional country and folk influences, but really, that’s just skimming the surface of the bands capabilities which span Country Music, Americana, and Roots Rock sounds to give you that music that keeps you dancing and singing along. Dashes of garage, power pop jangle, and rock n roll populate the set list, played with passion to match the tight song craft and perfectly blended vocal harmonies provided by the band’s founders, Cindy Wasserman and Frank Drennen. Their voices are a seamless mix that adds melody to already impressive hooks, like icing on an already pretty tasty cake. Dead Rock West the group is really a culmination of years of work in Southern California nightspots. Drennen spent time playing the acoustic clubs in San Diego, teaming up in with former Alarm guitarist Dave Sharp and forming pop group Loam shortly thereafter. They would go on to release two albums in the U.S. and Spain, and win a San Diego Music Award in the process for their song “Telephone” - later recast by Dead Rock West as an amphetamine fueled Byrds flavored rock number. For her part, Wasserman is no stranger to either stage or studio. Most recently she has toured and recorded with Grant Lee Phillips, John Doe, and Mark Olson. In fact, all the members have extensive touring backgrounds. Bassist David J.Carpenter has toured and recorded with Toni Childs as well as John Doe and Phillips. Drummer Bryan Head does double duty with his band Abandoned Pools, and has toured with Shelby Lynne. Most impressively, pianist Phil Parlapiano was previously in Geffen Records act The Brothers Figaro and has performed with Grant Lee Buffalo, Tracy Chapman, Lucinda Williams, Rod Stewart and Social Distortion, amongst many others. All that experience is used to great effect on Dead Rock West’s debut album on the Populuxe label, Honey & Salt. Recorded at Grandmas Warehouse in Echo Park, the disc was recorded in tribute to older recording methods using a 2" tape, 24 tracks, and no click tracks or pitch correction machines. In addition to the members of Dead Rock West, the genesis of the album involves a few other key players. The Section Quartet (Sam Phillips, etc.) provide strings and pedal steel player Greg Leisz also contributes, with the album mixed by Grammy winner Richard Dodd (Tom Petty, George Harrison, Steve Earle, Traveling Wilburys etc.). “Basically I contacted Richard Dodd via his web site,” Drennen recalls. “I told him about ourselves, that we were recording to tape and I asked if he ever mixed any one who was not rich or famous. To my surprise Dodd responded saying he was interested in hearing our works in progress. Nervously, I sent him the songs. We weren’t even finished overdubbing at this point. After a couple of long phone conversations, I was convinced that this man was in love with music and wanted to be a part of projects he can be proud to put his name on. Needless to say we ended up in Nashville and spent six wonderful days hearing our songs come alive and listening to his stories.” The end result are the Honey & Salt tracks, as catchy and varied a collection of songs as you’re likely to come across. Whether it’s Wasserman or Drennen taking the lead, Dead Rock West’s way with a melody cannot be denied. |
| Albums: | Honey and Salt |
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| On Project Opus since: | December 24, 2006 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Plunkett: an English boy and an Italian girl. With a desire to only write songs and move people, Plunkett choose to remain independent artists and work outside of the mainstream music business. Plunkett make Independent music for independent minds. To know more about Plunkett and their upcoming releases visit their website www.plunkett-music.com. |
| Albums: | 14 Days |
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| On Project Opus since: | May 7, 2006 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Ottawa, Canada-born singer/songwriter John Allaire became first know to Canadian audiences with his alt-rock band in the '80s and '90s, The Town Cryers. After spending two decades touring North America and performing alongside other international acts with The Town Cryers and other bands, John put out his first solo recording in 2003, Crime and Punishment. In 2005, John teamed up with his backing band, the Campistas, and released Thank You Waitress!, an album that went to the top of many college and university radio stations across North America and garnered a particularly large audience in Europe. PERFORMED WITH… John’s vocals have been compared to Adam Duritz (Counting Crows), Bill Janovitz (Buffalo Tom), Joe Strummer (The Clash), Bob Mould (Husker Du), Paul Westerberg (Replacements) and many others of this ilk. His songwriting echoes that of Neil Young, Paul Westerberg, Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) and Elvis Costello. For the most part, John’s songs are traditional folk-influenced stories and the solo show incorporates quick wit, banter and a direct connection with the audience. His straightforward guitar and harmonica styles are reminiscent of early coffeehouse troubadours like Dylan and Donovan. Each show is different from the last, with changing arrangements (acoustic and electric accompaniment), material choices and the stories he relates. John has shared the stage with: Alanis Morrisette, Blue Rodeo, Tragically Hip, Donovan, Lynn Miles, Hoodoo Gurus, BoDeans, Dr. and the Medics, The Church, VSpyVspy, Nada Surf, Econoline Crush, Weddings Parties Anything, Tom Cochrane, Grapes of Wrath, Nils, and many more... AWARDS That was then... Allaire toured the country with the Cryers all the while releasing their 1989 CD, "Surprise Surprise", which included a supporting video for Allaire's song "Never Bin Hurt B-4". The video won honours as top independent video in Canada in 1989. The CD also had the dubious pleasure of being the first release in Canada by an independent band on the emerging CD format. The Town Cryers parted ways in 1992, but not before recording a whopping 18-track CD called "Stanley's Cup". In 1995, John founded the alt/punk band The Mercy Miners, playing with such signed recording artists as Econoline Crush and Nada Surf. The Mercy Miners released a 10-song CD called Knuckle Sandwich in 1997. In 2003, John released his first solo effort called Crime and Punishment. The album was a 12-song collection and, while not doing much in the way of charting on radio stations, the CD sold more than 1,000 copies (admirable for an independent release), including copies numbering in the hundreds on the east coast of Canada and the USA. John's latest release "Thank You Waitress" is out now and is garnering rave reviews as his best career work. Who are the Campistas? John's band of studio and live musicians include: Jeff Tanguay, Bass, Breeze Smith - drums, Glenn Torresan - guitars, slide guitar, Tony Dunn - keyboards, sax, Valerie Daley - flute, Juan Gratton-Dominguez - horns, Tom Simpson - percussion, Zeke Smythe - drums and programming, Thomas Marsdon - cello |
| Albums: | Thank You Waitress! |
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| On Project Opus since: | April 18, 2006 |
| Last seen: | never |
| Biography: | Fred Eaglesmith He started writing and playing music, influenced by Elvis and the sounds of roots music drifting into Ontario from far-away radio stations. By age sixteen, Eaglesmith had left home, hopped freight trains out west and made his way back east to the farms of Ontario. His songs are populated with people he has been and has known: tried-but-true blue-collar guys, tired cowboys, young boys in love, bare-knuckled farmers, heartbreakingly good women, beautifully bad women, lonesome good guys, bravura bad guys and Friday-night criminals. Say Eaglesmith, "I think the bottom of the barrel is where the answers are." In Eaglesmith's sure hands, a song about a dreamless small-town snowplow driver is a song about you. Eaglesmith's songs have been covered by a steadily growing list of artists: The Cowboy Junkies, Chris Knight, Dar Williams, Kasey Chambers, among others, and James King. Film director Martin Scorsese has used his songs, as have others including James Caan in his movie "Viva Los Nowhere." Fred has also had feature roles in several film productions. Eaglesmith won The Juno Award for Best Roots and Traditional Album - Solo, a winner of the Canadian Independent Music Award and was a finalist in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition for his song, "Alcohol and Pills." Two tribute albums of Eaglesmith's work have been recorded, and Fred and regularly scores on critics' top ten lists on both sides of the border, in Europe and in Australia, and on Americana charts. Whether you are a "Fredhead," or more of a fan of 50 Cent, if you enjoy music at all (and a good laugh), Fred Eaglesmith is not to be missed. A Fred Eaglesmith show features a mix of passionate, funny and moving music, ridiculously funny comedy, honest tears and poignant observations all at once. Eaglesmith's commentary on affairs -- current ones as well as those of the heart -- is hilarious, uproarious, and provocative, as are his plainspoken zen observations. As one reviewer said, "It takes a jaded soul to leave a Fred Eaglesmith show unaffected." |
| Albums: | FRED J EAGLESMITH,Indiana Road,The Boy That Just Went Wrong,Balin,Official Bootleg Series Vol. 1,Ralph's Last Show (Live In Santa Cruz),There Ain't No Easy Road,Falling Stars and Broken Hearts,Things is Changin',Dusty,Official Bootleg Series Vol. 2 |
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