Follow Us

Copyright 2019 Schneider Rondan Organization All Rights Reserved

THE THE Announce New Single And Video “The Beat(En) Generation”

DATE: AUGUST 13, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/ANDREA FAULK, SRO PR

 

THE THE
ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE AND VIDEO
“THE BEAT(EN) GENERATION”
AND LAUNCH LIMITED EDITION SCREENPRINTS
‘THE COMEBACK SPECIAL’ ALBUM, FILM & BOOK
TO BE RELEASED OCTOBER 29
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “THE BEAT(EN) GENERATION” HERE

THE THE, one of the most intriguing bands ever to emerge from England, today offer a preview of their upcoming album THE COMEBACK SPECIAL with the official live video for The Beat(en) Generation.” The album, due out October 29 in multiple audio as well as video formats, documents their triumphant 2018 Royal Albert Hall in London.

Originally featured on their Mind Bomb album in 1989, THE THE’s classic The Beat(en) Generation” now shines in a new light as Matt Johnson and band performed the song to a sold-out Royal Albert Hall nearly 30 years later. “The Beat(en) Generation” is now available as a single release on all streaming and download services.

The highlight of this multi-format release is an exquisitely designed 136-page art book, which tells the whole story behind THE COMEBACK SPECIAL with hundreds of behind-the-scenes photos, film stills, contributions and stories, as well as 6 discs including exclusive audio content, plus director Tim Pope’s film of the concert on both Blu-ray and DVD.

As another highlight of the new release, THE THE have also launched a variety of new exclusive merch items and bundles on the official album webstore: https://thethe.tmstor.es/

For a brand-new series of four exclusive THE THE prints, the band has teamed up with London’s Atom Gallery. Mark Perronet (print maker and co-owner of the gallery) had previously collaborated with Andy Dog, Matt Johnson’s late brother and designer of many of the group’s early sleeves. Utilising the old analogue technique of screenprinting, visual elements of The Comeback Special tour have been combined to create these vivid new designs. Each of these four new posters are hand-numbered, embossed with the THE THE logo and signed by Matt Johnson.

Ein Bild, das Text enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung Ein Bild, das Text, dunkel enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung Ein Bild, das Text enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

The track listing of the live performance across all formats is as follows:

  1. Global Eyes
  2. Sweet Bird Of Truth
  3. Flesh & Bones
  4. Heartland
  5. The Beat(en) Generation
  6. Armageddon Days (are here again)
  7. A Long Hard Lazy Apprenticeship
  8. We Can’t Stop What’s Coming
  9. Phantom Walls
  10. Love Is Stronger Than Death
  11. Dogs Of Lust
  12. Helpline Operator
  13. This Is The Night
  14. This Is The Day
  15. Soul Catcher
  16. Bugle Boy
  17. Beyond Love
  18. Slow Emotion Replay
  19. (Like a) Sun Rising Thru My Garden
  20. Infected
  21. I’ve Been Waiting For Tomorrow (all of my life)
  22. True Happiness (this way lies)
  23. Uncertain Smile
  24. Lonely Planet

The Royal Albert Hall concert was the first of a trio of London shows during The Comeback Special tour—the others taking place at Brixton Academy and The Troxy—all of which sold out within minutes of going on sale.

Performing live for the first time in 16 years with a headline appearance at Denmark’s Heartland Festival a few days before the Royal Albert Hall concert, the rejuvenated THE THE, which featured previous members James Eller on bass, DC Collard on keyboards and Earl Harvin on drums and new member Barrie Cadogan on guitar alongside Matt Johnson, would go on to play sold-out shows and make festival headline appearances across the globe throughout 2018.

“Part comeback, part requiem, all extraordinary”
– James Hall, The Telegraph (UK)

“Johnson’s great achievement is to have made a body of work that is completely original, yet flows smoothly into the slipstream of accessible, socially conscious alternative rock.”

– Will Hodgkinson, The Times (UK)

“Johnson retains a gravel-voiced gravitas, and his band are taut and kinetic on barbed missiles such as ‘Armageddon Days (are here again)’… THE THE really shouldn’t leave it 16 years until their next tour.”

– Ian Gittins, The Guardian (UK)

“THE THE sound very much like a band revitalized… Johnson may not have sung publicly for years, but there’s little doubt he’s been practising his scales in private.”

– Jeremy Allen, The Independent (UK)

***

www.thethe.com www.ear-music.net

INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | FACEBOOK

***

 


LORNE BEHRMAN Shares First Single + Video, “When I Hit The Floor,” From NYC Rocker’s Debut Solo EP Due October 15

DT: AUGUST 12, 2021

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/ANDREA FAULK/SRO PR

LORNE BEHRMAN
SHARES FIRST SINGLE + VIDEO,
“WHEN I HIT THE FLOOR,”
FROM THE NYC ROCKER’S
DEBUT SOLO EP OF THE SAME NAME
DUE OCTOBER 15 ON SPAGHETTY TOWN RECORDS
WATCH THE ROCKING-BUT-REFLECTIVE VIDEO HERE

“When I Hit The Floor” single artwork

“Real blood and guts rock and roll that bleeds with soul and redemption.”
Jesse Malin, 2021

NYC rocker LORNE BEHRMAN, the singer-songwriter-guitarist who previously played in The Dimestore Haloes, L.E.S. Stitches, The Dead Tricks and most recently The Sweet Things, today (August 12) shares his debut solo single + video, “When I Hit The Floor.”

The rocking-but-reflective “When I Hit The Floor”–a song about “substance abuse and hitting bottom,” says LORNE—is the first release from his debut solo EP of the same name, due October 15 on Spaghetty Town Records. Watch the video here, premiered yesterday by Glide, which praised LORNE’s “power chord ethos, cryptic electricity, and gritty voice,” adding: “The incisive songwriting stance Behrman takes on this unapologetic rocker holds nothing back with its blunt account of a hard-living past.” The single will be available tomorrow (August 13) at all streaming platforms.

The four-song EP When I Hit The Floor was produced by Matt Chiaravalle (Warren Zevon, Joe Bonamassa, Spacehog) at NYC’s Mercy Sound Studios and mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer Joe Lambert. Lorne played all the guitars, wrote all the songs, and sang all the leads. Joining him are drummer Hector Lopez (Alejandro Escovedo/The Sweet Things), keyboardist Rob Clores (Jesse Malin, Black Crowes, Alejandro Escovedo), and singer Dana Athens (Jane Lee Hooker).

The video for “When I Hit The Floor” was directed by David J Barron and set in Brooklyn, specifically the areas of Midwood, Kensington, and Bay Ridge. The video was shot on 9-minutes of film with a Bolex H16 handheld camera from the 1970s.

Below are quotes from LORNE, the song’s lyrics and more info about the EP.

“When I Hit The Floor,” the song:

In January 2020, I was kicked out of my previous band, The Sweet Things. I was really depressed. I had played music for 30 years, and for the first time ever, I felt like it was over for me. Up until then, I had been a lead guitar player, and an occasional songwriter. All those years my focus was really just on playing solos and being a gunslinger—playing fast and showing off. This song changed everything.

When I wrote this song, I was single, and living alone at the time. I have a young daughter who is with me every other weekend. That summer of 2020, after I was kicked out the band, I would go into her room, I guess for strength and to not feel alone. While there, I heard the leaf blowers and lawnmowers, and it made me sad—hearing that noise made me feel like life was passing me by. One Friday this song came to me, I shared it with my friend, Darren—former drummer of The Sweet Things. He said it was really good, and that gave me the confidence to try and record a solo song. It felt like a sign, and from there I wrote the three other songs on the EP.

“When I Hit The Floor” is about substance abuse; it’s about hitting bottom. Consequences come and go, and you stop caring. You scare people away or alienate them by your actions. They worry about you, but then let go. All these feelings closed in on me when I was in my daughter’s room during the time of writing the song.

Before I got sober, every night I would go to bed I would pray to God to take my life. I didn’t want to wake up. I hoped everything I ingested would take me away. I remember one time my daughter said something about me dying; she said “you would never see me again.” That is etched in my mind, and is one of the lyrics in the song. It took a minute to clean up, but on November 30th 2018 I became sober. The chorus in this song is about the faith you find when you fall down the stairs and you’re still alive. It’s sad but triumphant—you come to the edge of the cliff but you don’t jump. Instead, you change the course of your life.

The EP is like a concept record. This first song tells the overarching story—feeling life has passed me by, feeling lost in pain, losing parts of my life that I thought made me who I am, and coming close to throwing life away. It’s about desperation, and that desperation leading to positive change. Doing something drastic that isn’t killing yourself—saving yourself.

“When I Hit The Floor,” the video:

I had a small budget to make this video, and me and the director David J Barron decided we would film it near where the drama unfolded. I have since moved away from the area, so it was emotional to go back there. We had a handheld film camera from the 1970s, and it felt like we had to do it in a series of one-takes. I had to be “on point” and convey the emotions and narrative of the song without a lot of chances. It was kind of exhilarating to rise up to this role. There was no rehearsal, and I had no idea what I wanted to do or how I wanted to move. I just made up my mind to let what comes naturally flow.

It’s funny the first version of the video had no images of me playing guitar. I played every guitar part on the EP, and playing guitar is my life. I think I was just so focused on the sentiment I forgot that. Then it was strongly suggested we add in the guitar footage. We shot me playing in a Brooklyn warehouse one rainy night. I think we did it in 3 minutes of film—we were in and out.

“When I Hit The Floor,” the lyrics:

Well, the leaf blowers are blowing
I know, it’s time to move on
No more days of not knowing
Summer is almost gone

The sadness is overtaking
So, baby, I’m over overmedicating

Have this sinking feeling
Fall is almost gone

Chorus:

It ain’t luck
Things look up
A life of more
When I hit the floor

Well the lights are dimming
And the sinners keep on sinning
Bittersweet swallow
Don’t look back

Well I came close to going
Baby girl, I wouldn’t see you again
Got so desperate not knowing
Nowhere else to go

The ‘When I Hit The Floor’ EP, track listing:

“When I Hit The Floor”
“I Won’t Fade Away”
“Sandcastles”
“Oh Lord, Give Me Time”

The ‘When I Hit The Floor’ EP, production credits:

The album’s raw but polished production aesthetic is courtesy of producer Matt Chiaravalle (Warren Zevon, Joe Bonamassa, Spacehog). “Matt played in the East Village rock n’ roll scene as a respected musician, and he produced my old band, L.E.S. Stitches, as well as other punk-influenced artists around town. He then went on to produce songwriter artists,” Lorne says. “I see myself living between these worlds, so he felt like the perfect pick to capture the attitude of my music and the sentiment of my songs. Matt also has a great sense of humor, and that made me feel at ease when singing about some painful things from my past.”

‘When I Hit The Floor’ album graphic:

Wyldlife bassist Spencer Alexander designed the EP artwork, and it is a subtly playful homage to the cover of Don Henley’s first solo album, I Can’t Stand Still.

‘When I Hit The Floor’ EP album artwork

Photo Credit: Alex Bershaw

WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM

For more info about LORNE BEHRMAN, contact SRO PR:

Mitch Schneider // mschneider@sropr.com
Andrea Faulk // afaulk@sropr.com

###

 


PI JACOBS Releases Evocative Track “No Sin To Be Poor” From The Acclaimed Americana Artist’s New Album ‘Live From Memphis’ Out August 13 Via Blackbird Record Label

DATE: AUGUST 12, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

PI JACOBS Live From Memphis

AMERICANA ARTIST PI JACOBS
RELEASES EVOCATIVE TRACK
“NO SIN TO BE POOR”
WITH IMAGERY-RICH ANIMATED VIDEO
CREATED BY TURKISH SURREAL ARTIST MERTCAN MERTBILEK

THE SONG MARKS THE THIRD RELEASE
FROM THE ACCLAIMED AMERICANA ARTIST’S
NEW ALBUM ‘LIVE FROM MEMPHIS’
OUT AUGUST 13 VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

UPCOMING SHOWS INCLUDE LOS ANGELES (AUGUST 28),
NEW YORK CITY (OCTOBER 3),
NASHVILLE (SEPTEMBER 23 AND 25),
WASHINGTON DC (SEPTEMBER 30)
AND HER SAN FRANCISCO HOMETOWN (OCTOBER 15)

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE
AND THE SONG INTRO HERE

On her new album LIVE FROM MEMPHIS, due August 13 via Blackbird Record Label, acclaimed Americana singer, songwriter and musician PI JACOBS peels back many layers of her life and sensibility in both the songs and the story intro’s that she narrated for each song.

An outstanding example of this is the Los Angeles-based artist’s new and third track “No Sin To Be Poor,” which is based on her own life growing up poor in Northern California. The song is accompanied by an imagery-rich animated video created by Turkish surreal artist Mertcan Mertbilek, who did the same honors for the album’s first release, First Thing Tomorrow.” Watch the “No Sin To Be Poor” video here, which was premiered yesterday by American Songwriter. Listen to the song here and the story intro here. Pre-order the album here.

With her blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul, Pi Jacobs distinctively amplifies the concert experience on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS (her first album for the label and ninth overall): it places eight original songs alongside the self-narrated personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.

In the compelling “No Sin To Be Poor,” Pi reflects about the hardship of poverty:

Oh Mary get back in the line
As if you got nothing but time,
You gotcha kids counting on you
Waiting on stamps for food
But it’s no Sin
Three jobs and a couple a babies
Oh Mary you ain’t never been lazy
But you can’t make water from wine
You’re paying that rent on time
Girl it’s no sin..

–What inspired the song “No Sin To Be Poor”?

PI: I was thinking about my mom, who was young, single and didn’t have a lot of support. She worked SO hard, but occasionally we had to go on public assistance. She ended up becoming the first person in our family to graduate college. She went on to become a public-school teacher, and a shining example of public service.  When I was young, I didn’t know we were poor, but of course as I got older, I started feeling different and “other” because my house was janky, or because I only had a few cheap clothes, or got picked up in a car that had the paint peeling off.   Kids can be cruel sometimes. The crazy part is that we had SO MUCH FUN, even with nothing. We made up games in the dirt, simply by using our imaginations. And as poor as we were, my mom always saw to it that we had art, literature, and music in our lives, and ironically, those things made me feel very rich.

–Can you talk about the video for the song and why you chose that direction?

PI: I really fell in love with Mertcan Mertbilek’s style. He is so fun and surreal, while conveying the deep heart of any story. I had him listen to the “story intro” for “No Sin To Be Poor,” as well as the lyrics. The story intro talks a lot about the government food we had to live on when I was young, and how we grew veggies in a garden and supplemented that. I think he really grasped the “making a bad situation good” aspect of “No Sin To Be Poor.”

–Your songs have always been revealing. What led you to decide to record a story intro for each song on the album? In these story intro’s, you peel back even more layers of yourself.

PI: Well, I might live to regret it ha-ha!

In last year’s lockdown, I really couldn’t write music, but I felt a deep need to get these stories off my chest. I felt like I had been being a bit chickenshit, because in a song, you can be a little vague. I wanted to really tell the truth, in fact writing the stories felt quite compulsive, I just couldn’t stop. All I can hope is that these stories resonate and help people.  I asked myself who they were for, because “Adult Children of Hippies” are a really SMALL segment of society. Then I realized that my friends who grew up ultra-religious had the same issues. Being brought up “outside the norm” with parents who are purposefully “rejecting society” or aspects of society, well that’s hard as a kid–You’re not ‘normal’, it’s not your choice, and there’s nothing you can do about it.  I wanted to really own the things I’d been dancing around in my songs. I was terrified to show these stories to my mom, but it turns out, she is ok with them. She even helped coach me on how to deliver them (she’s an actress and writer). There’s been a lot of growth and healing for us, and I no longer feel like I’m hiding myself from everyone.

On the concert front, Pi Jacobs’ upcoming itinerary includes shows in Los Angeles (August 28), Nashville (September 23 and 25), Washington DC (September 30), New York City (October 3) and her San Francisco hometown (October 15).

8/28 – Hotel Cafe’ Los Angeles – TICKETS

9/23 – Nashville, Dee’s – 12-4 – The California Country Show @ Americana Fest – free entry for the festival

9/25 – Nashville – The Bowery Vault – 12 noon – The California Country Shakeup @ Americana Fest – free entry for the festival

9/30 – The Pocket, Washington DC + Annie Stokes – TICKETS COMING SOON

10/3 – Rockwood Music Hall, Rm 3, NYC – TICKETS

10/15 – Amados, San Francisco with Kyra Gordon! – TICKETSTicket alert, our last SF show sold out before some of our longtime fans could get tickets, which was a bummer – so grab em soon!

The music on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS comes from PI’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before by narrating the songs with revealing intros.

The LIVE FROM MEMPHIS track list is here.

Pi Jacobs Press Photo(Photo credit: Deb Morrisson Little, @shotsbymorrison)

www.PiJacobs.com

Facebook.com/PiJacobsMusic

Instagram.com/PiJacobs

Youtube.com/PiJacobsMusic

SRO Press Releases + Assets

###


BLUE RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL Sells Out Two Months In Advance Of Event

DATE: AUGUST 11, 2021

FROM: MARCEE RONDAN

BLUE RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL 2021
SELLS OUT JUST FOUR DAYS AFTER
ANNOUNCING FULL LINE-UP:
160,000 TICKETS WERE SOLD
MORE THAN TWO MONTHS
PRIOR TO EVENT

DAY BY DAY LINE-UP REVEALED FOR
SEPTEMBER 9–12 FESTIVAL
AT COMPANY’S RECENTLY PURCHASED
BLUE RIDGE AMPHITHEATER

HEADLINERS
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, ROB ZOMBIE,
SHINEDOWN, BREAKING BENJAMIN, LIMP BIZKIT
AND MORE THAN 180 ACTS
SET TO APPEAR

A picture containing text, book, screenshot

Description automatically generated

For the first time in the event’s four-year run, the Blue Ridge Rock Festival is completely sold-out with tickets sales of 160,000. This not only is the festival’s first sell-out, but it also marks the only time the event has sold-out well in advance. For the September 9–12 event at Blue Ridge Amphitheater (a long-awaited large-scale concert venue in Southwest Virginia), PURPOSE DRIVEN EVENTS has amassed a line-up of 180+ bands. The day-by day line-up is as follows:

Text

Description automatically generated

The 2021 line-up includes headliners Five Finger Death Punch, Rob Zombie, Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin, Limp Bizkit and more than 180 bands who will appear on six stages over four days. The weekend-long event will also include additional onsite activities and activations. Special features include Club Experience–a first-ever, one-of-a-kind soundproofed club at a rock festival. Headliners for this special club include headliner Ludacris, T-Pain, and Lil Jon. Also on tap: the Hellzapoppin Circus Sideshow Revue, a vaudeville freak show of wonder by Hellzapoppin’s Ringleader and Producer, Mr. Bryce “The Govna” Graves. In addition, excitingly, the festival will be hosted by Steve-O: delivering stunts, comedy, and emcee duties for the first time ever at a rock festival; and special guest Lou Brutus.

Noting the festival’s dedication to their longtime fans and the full transparency between the promoter and the fans, PURPOSE DRIVEN EVENTSChief Executive Officer JONATHAN SLYE revealed the sell-out news via social media, saying, “ROCK’s NOT DEAD. 160,000. Just 4 Days after releasing our Full Lineup, Blue Ridge Rock Festival 2021 is now Sold Out. THANK YOU. We will never stop listening to you, fighting for you, breaking the status quo, and innovating to curate a Festival that we truly hope becomes the highlight of your year–every year. This Festival was not built on business, it was founded on YOU. It was constructed to harness the passionate love we share for Rock & Metal, to bring unity and joy to the masses. We may be small, we may be young, but something special is happening here. We are The FAN DRIVEN Rock Experience. Our Underdog Story Lives On…”

The 2021 BLUE RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL line-up (in alphabetical order) is as follows:

10 Years, A Day To Remember, Adelitas Way, All Good Things, All That Remains, Another Day Dawns, Anthrax (40th Anniversary), Asking Alexandria, Atreyu, August Burns Red, Avatar, Ayron Jones, Bad Omens, Badflower, Beartooth, Black Label Society, Body Count (feat. Ice-T), Brand Of Sacrifice, Breaking Benjamin (only festival performance of 2021), Burden Of The Sky, Bush, Chelsea Grin, Chevelle, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity, Crown The Empire, Currents, Cypress Hill (30th Anniversary), D.R.U.G.S. (first show in nearly a decade), Drowning Pool, Escape The Fate, Falling In Reverse, Fame on Fire, Fever 333, Fire From The Gods, Fit For A King, Five Finger Death Punch, Fozzy, From Ashes To New, The Ghost Inside (rare comeback show), Gojira, Halestorm, Hatebreed, The Hu, Ice Nine Kills, Ill Niño, In Flames, Islander, I Prevail (only show of 2021), Jelly Roll, Killswitch Engage, Knocked Loose, Lamb of God, Lil Jon, Light The Torch, Limp Bizkit, Ludacris, Mastodon, Megadeth, Miss May I, Motionless In White, Nonpoint, P.O.D. (performing their multi-platinum album “Satellite” in its entirety for its 20th anniversary), Papa Roach (playing “Infest” in its entirety + greatest hits), Philip Anselmo & The Illegals (Performing Pantera’s Greatest Hits), Pop Evil, Rev Run (Run-DMC), Rise Against, Rob Zombie, Sabaton, Saul, Seether, Sevendust, Shinedown, Skillet (full pyrotechnic performance), Slaves, Spiritbox (United States debut), Spite, Stitched Up Heart, Tallah, Tech N9ne, Testament, Texas Hippie Coalition, Theory of a Deadman, Trivium, T-Pain, Underoath, Wage War, We Came As Romans and many more local and regional acts.

BLUE RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL will be held at Blue Ridge Amphitheater, a 35,000-capacity outdoor festival site (just off Route 29 on the Chatham-Danville line). The venue will be convenient for fans from neighboring cities including Lynchburg, Roanoke, Danville, and Greensboro. 2021 sponsors include Monster Energy Drink; LitBar; Good Life Alternatives, LLC; Danville Toyota; Mortus Viventi; MAKO Medical; Thunder Road Harley Davidson; URW Credit Union; and ZYN. Follow on social media Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

About PURPOSE DRIVEN EVENTS

PURPOSE DRIVEN EVENTS is the new umbrella organization for events led by Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Slye. The name of the entity falls in line with their mission to provide a purpose behind each event produced that goes far beyond just music. With their headquarters in small town Virginia, and originating from a decade of very humble beginnings, the group continues to expand its footprint and is developing into one of the fastest rising promoters in the industry. The company and Slye are best known for producing the annual Blue Ridge Rock Festival, a locally developed event founded in Central Virginia and known as “The Fan Driven Rock Experience.” Following the event’s breakout year in 2019, Blue Ridge became a full-time operation heading into last year. Though the top eleven acts were never announced for the 2020 iteration, the festival was forced to postpone due to the pandemic. While live events have largely disappeared over the last year, Purpose Driven Events has expanded significantly in that time. The company now has a full staff successfully recruiting over a dozen major players in the music business from across the country, to join their team locally to maximize results. Beyond the recent acquisition of the Blue Ridge Amphitheater, PURPOSE DRIVEN EVENTS also includes ownership of six festivals, their recently acquired 1,700 capacity concert hall, The Ridge, opening in late 2021.

###

 


SoCal Rockers SLEEPING DOGS Share Vampire Love Story In New Single/Video “Let’s Be Friends”

DT: AUGUST 10, 2021

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER, KELLY WALSH/SRO PR

A group of men posing for a photo Description automatically generated

Credit: Harmony Gerber

SLEEPING DOGS
ROLL OUT SECOND SINGLE +
MUSIC VIDEO “LET’S BE FRIENDS”

TRACK IS FROM
DEBUT EP DUE THIS NOVEMBER BY
GROUP THAT IS THE SPINOFF OF WANK

Coming off their debut single + video “No Mercy” this past June, Southern California band SLEEPING DOGS today (August 10) have rolled out their second single + video, the upbeat and melodic rocker “Let’s Be Friends.” Watch the video, a modern-day vampire love story, here. It was premiered yesterday (August 9) by New Noise. Listen to the single, which will be available tomorrow (August 11) at all streaming platforms, here.

Filmed in Orange County with Jarrod Anthonee (Megadeth, Lamb of God, Social Distortion, and the Offspring) behind the lens, the “Let’s Be Friends” video stars two huge Internet personalities as the romantic couple: The Girl IQ (over 1.9 Million followers on TikTok, known for empowerment and inclusion) and The Magic Crasher (over 3.2 million Followers on TikTok, known for his creative viral “Magic Prank” videos). Says the band: “The Magic Crasher and The Girl IQ had great romantic chemistry, which really brought the story to life. They were awesome.”

“Let’s Be Friends” was written by the band’s lead guitarist/songwriter Danny Walker and produced by Paul Miner (New Found Glory, Agnostic Front, Adolescents, Zebrahead, H2O). It will be featured on SLEEPING DOGS’ debut EP in November, to be followed by a full-length album in early 2022. “Let’s Be Friends” is the follow-up to the band’s debut single No Mercy. Raved MXDWN: ’No Mercy’ is laid-back mid-tempo ska at its best, led by a slinky guitar lead from Walker. The upstrokes are never in much of a hurry, laying down an almost-funky groove for Amodeo to deliver the song’s message.” Below are quotes from the band about “Let’s Be Friends.”

SLEEPING DOGSBobby Amodeo (bass, vocals), Danny Walker (lead guitar), Higgins X-13 (guitar) Spider (drums) and George Hughes, Jr. (keys), who is keyboardist for Ziggy Marley–is a spinoff of the So Cal band WANK, who first made their mark in 1998 with their debut album on Maverick Records, which featured “Larry Brown” (produced by Mike Ness) and the KROQ hit “Forgiven.” WANK, who played shows with Social Distortion, The Specials, Goldfinger, and Deftones, split in 1999. In 2000, Walker formed and fronted HANDSOME DEVIL (RCA Records), and toured with Lit, The Used, Hoobastank and Zebrahead, and released three albums. WANK reformed in 2017 and released the full-length album White Knuckle Ride in 2020 and are currently on hiatus. WANK’s Amodeo, Walker, Higgins X-13, formerly of the Offspring, and Spider have joined forces with George Hughes, Jr. in SLEEPING DOGS. Says Walker, “He brings so much to our songs, creatively, musically, and vibe-wise, that we asked him to join the band. George makes us better–plain and simple.”

QUOTES FROM SLEEPING DOGS ABOUT “LET’S BE FRIENDS”

Song:

I wrote “Let’s Be Friends” for a musical I am writing about vampires. It’s about people from different worlds falling in love. I like the romance and simplicity of the lyrics. I did not intend it for Sleeping Dogs, but when we played it at rehearsal, it was special. We had to track it. Everybody in the band brought tasty riffs to the session. (Danny Walker)

Love this song. Musically and lyrically, it hits on all points. Monster chorus kicks you right in the gut. (Bobby Amodeo)

This song is a little different for us–I love the almost spooky sound of the chorus. I was trying to channel a guitar vibe inspired by memories of Bowie songs from the Deram Anthology album. I’m very thankful too that the boys kept my little guitar melody on the track! I love this song! (Higgins X-13)

It’s always fun creating new music—and hope this makes it to your favorite playlist. We should be friends. (George Hughes, Jr.)

Here’s a new song to ask her to slow dance to. (George Hughes, Jr.)

This song will play with your emotions. A love that shouldn’t exist somehow thrives. (Spider)

Video:

Really enjoyed making this video. Fun watching the story come to life. The Magic Crasher and The Girl IQ killed it with an incredible chemistry that brought it all together. (Bobby Amodeo)

The ‘Friends’ video was a blast to make – simply magic. I would have rather filmed it during the day but it was a pleasure to finally be able to work with a real life vampire. (Even though we had stay up all night to get it done.) David is a very, very cool guy. (Higgins X-13)

There are no rules in rock n roll. It’s fun to take a chance on a new music idea and see where it takes you. Let’s Be Friends; a modern-day film noir, takes you through the challenges of a beastly love for a fair maiden. (Spider)

Working with Production Team:

I love that David (Magic Crasher) and Rachel (The Girl IQ) wrote a treatment that aligned with the original theme of the song–vampire love. An improbable love story. It was great having their energy and enthusiasm on the planning and execution of this video. We all got to play a little role in the drama sequence too. I am a terrible actor, but it was a fun time with the crew. (Danny Walker)

Their ability to capture the concept of the song, lay out a video treatment in days of production was simply remarkable. The videographer captured our best musical moments, while never forgetting the story line. (Spider)

A picture containing text, person, outdoor Description automatically generated

SLEEPING DOGS Social Links:
https://www.instagram.com/sleepingdogsofficial
https://www.facebook.com/SleepingDogsOfficial/
https://www.tiktok.com/@sleepingdogsmusic
https://twitter.com/Sleepingdogsusa

###

For press inquiries about SLEEPING DOGS, please contact:
SRO PR
Mitch Schneider – mschneider@sropr.com
Kelly Walsh – kwalsh@sropr.com


Folk artist JEREMY SQUIRES Shares Emotional Video “Burst” Alongside Release of 11th Album ‘UNRAVEL’

DT: AUGUST 2, 2021

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER, KELLY WALSH / SRO PR

 

FOLK ARTIST
JEREMY SQUIRES
RELEASES EMOTIONAL MUSIC VIDEO FOR
“BURST”
ALONGSIDE RELEASE OF 11th ALBUM
‘UNRAVEL’
OUT NOW VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

WATCH HERE
STREAM/DOWNLOAD ALBUM HERE

UNRAVEL Cover Artwork

North Carolina-based dream-folk singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist JEREMY SQUIRES released his 11th studio album UNRAVEL last Friday, July 30 via the California-based Blackbird Record Label featuring 10 tracks that aims for the head and heart with its distinctive songcraft and intimate vocals and musical performances. Stream/download UNRAVEL now at https://smithmusic.ffm.to/jeremysquires_unravel. CD’s and merch bundles can be found exclusively at https://jeremysquires.bandcamp.com/merch.

In conjunction with the album’s release, SQUIRES also shared a deeply emotional music video for the single, “Burst,” which was written right after the loss of his grandmother who raised him and later recorded at the home he grew up in with childhood friends/former bandmates. The video was described by Vents Magazine via an exclusive premiere on July 29 as “a rather minimalistic but very experimental clip that captures perfectly all the feelings and emotional states, especially those of grief and depression through especially a series of nature footage and much more.”

“I struggle everyday with my mental health, but this song goes deeper than that, shares SQUIRES. “I was struggling with my faith–not necessarily in a religious sense but faith in everything in general. A lot was going on in my life at the time. There were ups and downs and struggles I was dealing with. I was a caregiver and I needed to be strong, but I was falling apart (unraveling) on the inside.”

“It’s a song about finding strength and balance. It was hard to find stable ground. Writing music helps with that. It gives me an inner peace and helps me sort everything out and zone out. It was important for me to be able to record this song in the house where I grew up and learned to play music. I can’t express enough how much I needed to have Carlos and Sammy come over and play this song with me. Everything comes full circle. We all grew up there and we all got to say goodbye.”

Watch “Burst” on Vevo HERE or streaming directly below.

JEREMY SQUIRES – “Burst” Music Video

Credit: Shelley Ann Squires

For more information on JEREMY SQUIRES, please visit:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM

SRO PR Assets: www.sropr.com/portfolio/jeremysquires

##

For press opportunities, please contact:
SRO PR
Mitch Schneider – mschneider@sropr.com
Kelly Walsh – kwalsh@sropr.com


TOMMY EMMANUEL Announces New EP ‘Accomplice Series Vol. 2’ With Richard Smith Out 9/10

DT: JULY 30, 2021

FM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/ANDREA FAULK/LYNDIE WENNER
SRO PR (LOS ANGELES, NASHVILLE, LAS VEGAS)

 

TOMMY EMMANUEL
ANNOUNCES NEW EP
‘ACCOMPLICE SERIES VOL. 2’ WITH RICHARD SMITH, OUT SEPTEMBER 10
SHARES EP’S FIRST SINGLE + VIDEO
“SERENADE TO SUMMERTIME”

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE
LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE
AND READ THE Q&A BELOW WITH BOTH ARTISTS

EMMANUEL AND SMITH TOURING TOGETHER THIS FALL STARTING NOVEMBER 5

Graphical user interface, text

Description automatically generated

Accomplice Series Vol. 2 EP Cover

Acclaimed and Grammy®-nominated acoustic guitarist, singer and songwriter TOMMY EMMANUEL—one of five people ever named a CPG (Certified Guitar Player) by his idol, music icon Chet Atkins—has announced he will release his new EP, ACCOMPLICE SERIES VOL. 2 with Richard Smith, on September 10. Smith is the revered British fingerpicking acoustic guitarist who has performed or recorded along the way with Chet Atkins, Les Paul and Tommy Emmanuel among others. The four-song EP, a tribute to their heroes Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins, also contains “Twitchy,” “Nashtownville” and “Baby’s Coming Home.” Listen to “Serenade to Summertime” at all streaming platforms here and pre-order/pre-save the EP here.

Today (July 30), Emmanuel shares the EP’s first track and video, ““Serenade to Summertime.” Watch it here. Yesterday it was premiered at Guitar Player which noted: “ in this brand-new video for the song – the first track from Emmanuel’s forthcoming EP – the love for their heroes’ formative playing styles is tangible as they duet on acoustic guitars.”

The arrangement for “Serenade to Summertime” that Emmanuel and Smith play comes from the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, Me & Chet. This song was recorded at TuneSmith Studio outside of Nashville, TN in the spring of 2021 and features both Tommy and Richard on guitar. The video was directed by Joshua Britt and Neilson Hubbard for Neighborhoods Apart. It was filmed in Lebanon, TN at an antique car collectors shop in the spring of 2021.

In other news, Tommy and Richard will tour together this fall starting November 5: https://tommyemmanuel.com/tour/. The tour dates are below. Richard is also on Tommy’s Guitar Camp in Nashville, TN in September: https://tommyemmanuelguitarcampusa.com/

Q&A WITH
TOMMY EMMANUEL AND RICHARD SMITH
ABOUT THE NEW EP
‘TOMMY EMMANUEL ACCOMPLICE SERIES VOL. 2’
WITH RICHARD SMITH
OUT SEPTEMBER 10

TOMMY EMMANUEL:

—There’s so much joyous guitar work on the EP. How did this collaboration with Richard come about and how did you guys first meet?

TOMMY: I heard about Richard through other players at the Chet Atkins events in Nashville, and when we first met up, we played until we were exhausted! I had found someone I could have the best time playing all the music I loved from my childhood and who had a similar attitude and energy!

—What are your thoughts about Richard’s playing and what do you feel you both artistically have achieved with this recording?

TOMMY: Richard and I both approached these recordings with a deep respect for our heroes. We added our own ideas but kept the authenticity of the original recordings present. We played these songs with much love and joy!  Richard’s knowledge and abilities to channel Jerry Reed’s parts is what is most important to me, as I trusted him completely. When you stay close to Chet and Jerry’s parts, you can’t help but make great music, well written!

—The arrangement here for “Serenade to Summertime” comes from the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ Perfect, because you both have a strong connection to Chet. Can you talk about why this song resonates with you?

TOMMY: “Serenade” is a typical melodic piece that Chet would have chosen to showcase his tenderness in a musical setting. Richard really stayed close to Jerry’s perfectly honed part as the accompanist and I tried to perform the song without too many frills or embellishments, just heart and feeling…

—“Twitchy” was written by Jerry Reed and performed by Chet Atkins and Reed. Why do you find this song inspirational?

TOMMY: “Twitchy” is such a great composition–you get the feeling it’s been around forever. It’s also one of the great duets that only Jerry could write to have Chet play the melody and he works all the harmony around it and plays a solo as well. We’ve played it for audiences a thousand times and hope we can play it another thousand times!

—”Nashtownville” was written by Chet Atkins and appears on the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ What drew you to take this song on?

TOMMY: “Nashtownville” is a Chet composition and we both love its simplicity, yet, how strong it is, musically. Chet was a wonderful writer, and this song proves that. It’s two and a half minutes of pure MOJO!

—“Baby’s Coming Home” was written by Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins recorded it for his ‘Chet Atkins Picks on Jerry Reed’ album. What quality does this song have that attracted you to record it?

TOMMY: “Baby’s Coming Home” is a wonderful song that is perfect for harmonies and solo sections that give the player and the listener everything they’re looking for!

—It’s exciting news that the two of you will tour together this November in America (having done shows in the past). What are you most looking forward to about this tour?

TOMMY: Playing this music to new audiences everywhere is such a joy, as most people haven’t seen players recreate these songs in front of them. It’s entertaining, surprising, and uplifting! When you are in the entertainment business, like us, you have a big desire to take people out of their normal existence and surprise them into another realm–music like this is your magic wand!

RICHARD SMITH

—There’s so much joyous guitar work on the EP. How did this collaboration with Tommy come about and how did you guys first meet?

RICHARD: Tommy asked me a while ago if I would like to do this tribute to Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed as part of his “Accomplice” series.  Of course, I had to do it!  Like Tommy, I’ve been playing their music all my life.  We both grew up on it. I first met Tommy back in 1996. He had played at a festival in France with the great Bay Area guitarist, Jim Nichols, who told him about me. I was living in England, where he had recently moved to, and he called up and came out to my family home. We jammed for hours that night.

—What are your thoughts about Tommy’s playing and what do you feel you both artistically have achieved with this recording?

RICHARD: Tommy has such an impeccable groove and such a personal touch and feel to his playing that has come about from listening to so many different musicians over the years. Chet Atkins and Jerry Reed were two very earliest influences for him. To pay tribute to these guys and play the tunes we grew up listening to, and put our own little stamp on them, felt like going full circle. This music is like mashed potatoes to both of us. It’s just so ingrained that playing it is like falling off a log. You bring yourself and other influences into it, which just kind of happens naturally.

—The arrangement here for “Serenade to Summertime” comes from the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ Perfect, because you both have a strong connection to Chet. Can you talk about why this song resonates with you?

RICHARD: On the original recording, Chet used a Del Vecchio resonator guitar. That instrument has a particularly beautiful tone and sustain. Tommy captures that beautifully with his Maton acoustic. That recording was probably the first time I’d ever heard that guitar sound. Jerry Reed’s back-up part is a huge part of the sound of that song.  The kind of rolling chords he used and the inversions he used were so beautifully constructed. Listening to it just takes me back to my childhood and when I first heard it.

—“Twitchy” was written by Jerry Reed and performed by Chet Atkins and Reed. Why do you find this song inspirational?

RICHARD: I think that tune is probably my favorite thumb-picking tune. It has such a great groove and such a simple melody. To me, it’s one of those tunes that just sounds like it grew there, like no one wrote it, and like it has just always existed. Those are the great songs to me. Songs and tunes that have melodies and chord structures that sound so obvious that you think “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?” Another tune we both grew up on. It is also a pure duet. No band.

—”Nashtownville” was written by Chet Atkins and appears on the Jerry Reed & Chet Atkins album, ‘Me & Chet.’ What drew you to take this song on?

RICHARD: It was just another great song from that album that was addictive listening. As a student of the guitar and the music, you want to learn everything. It’s another one of those songs that any guitar player who had that album would have had a go at.

—“Baby’s Coming Home” was written by Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins recorded it for his ‘Chet Atkins Picks on Jerry Reed’ album. What quality does this song have that attracted you to record it?

RICHARD: This is one of those tunes that every thumb-picker knows. A real standard among that crowd. Another simple melody with a great groove. These tunes are not known to the mainstream crowds, but there are guitar pickers dotted around all over the world  that will come out of the woodwork to meet like-minded folks at concerts or festivals and get together and play these kinds of tunes from records they all had. When I was at school, there wasn’t another kid in my school or any other local school that was listening to this stuff that I knew of. I’m sure it was the same for Tommy. But!! There were players out there. These records weren’t getting airplay like pop records, but there were a select few pickers out there buying these records. There must have been, or RCA would never have invested in putting more and more out there. You wonder who those people are, and they are out there. When you meet them, it’s always great because you realize you were not alone in your pursuits and thirst for learning this music that was so obscure that it seemed like you were the only one listening to it.  At least, as a kid, that’s how it felt.  Playing these tunes with Tommy is always special.  We’d played all of them together over the years many times either jamming or on shows or festivals. I never get tired of playing them and I can feel that with Tommy, too.

—It’s exciting news that the two of you will tour together this November in America (having done shows in the past). What are you most looking forward to about this tour?

RICHARD: Oh yeah! Always a blast playing shows with Tommy. Playing the music, of course, is what I look forward to most, but being out west, too. AZ and TX.  I love the desert, you know. In certain places, I feel like I’m on Mars, or in a scene from the original “Planet of the Apes” movie.  Meeting new people, going to different places, or back to some of your favorite places. So many folks I’ve met think being on the road is such a tough life. To me, it’s like being on vacation and instead of living in one place, you kind of get to live everywhere. It’s a beautiful thing. Living everywhere, seeing so many places, doing what you love, and playing your favorite music with one of your all-time favorite musicians and people?  It makes me giddy. I can’t wait.

 

Tommy Emmanuel on tour with Richard Smith:

11/5 – Mesa, AZ (Phoenix) @ Mesa Arts Center, Ikeda Theatre
11/7 – Albuquerque, NM @ National Hispanic Cultural Center – Albuquerque Journal Theatre
11/8 – Lubbock, TX @ Cactus Theater
11/9 – Tulsa, OK @ Legacy Hall
11/10 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
11/11 – Stafford, TX (Houston) @ Stafford Centre
11/13. -San Antonio, TX @ Majestic Theatre
11/14 – Austin, TX @ Paramount Theatre

“Serenade to Summertime” Cover

Full Track Listing for Accomplice EP #2:

1. Baby’s Coming Home
2.    Nashtownville
3.    Serenade to Summertime
4.    Twitchy

Artist: Tommy Emmanuel:
Photo Credit: Alysse Gafkjen

ABOUT TOMMY EMMANUEL:

TOMMY EMMANUEL has achieved enough musical milestones to satisfy several lifetimes. At the age of six, he was touring regional Australia with his family band. By 30, he was a rock n’ roll lead guitarist burning up stadiums in Europe. At 44, he became one of five people ever named a CPG (Certified Guitar Player) by his idol, music icon Chet Atkins. Today, he plays hundreds of sold-out shows every year from Nashville to Sydney to London. He’s piled up numerous accolades, including two Grammy Award nominationstwo ARIA Awards from the Australian Recording Industry Association (the Aussie equivalent of the Recording Academy); repeated honors in the Guitar Player magazine reader’s poll including a cover story for their August 2017 issue; a cover feature for Vintage Guitar’s July 2020 issue; and was Music Radar’s reader’s poll #1 winner of the Ten Best Acoustic Guitarists in The World (December 2019). A noted fingerstyle guitarist, EMMANUEL frequently threads three different parts simultaneously into his material, operating as a one-man band who handles the melody, the supporting chords and the bass all at once. His talents, which translate in any language, carry him to the far corners of the globe, but EMMANUEL never plays the same show twice, and he improvises big chunks of every date. That leaves him open to those technical imperfections, though they also provide some of the humanity to an other-worldly talent. On May 8, 2020, he released a newly recorded career-spanning double album, THE BEST OF TOMMYSONGS, via CGP Sounds/Cruzen Street Records). Watch the album trailer here which focuses on TOMMY’s unique ability to tell stories without words: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SOQEMWYAQ4&feature=youtu.be

For more information on TOMMY EMMANUEL, visit:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER | YOUTUBE

SRO PR Assets + Press Releases:
http://sropr.com/portfolio/tommyemmanuel/

Richard Smith

ABOUT RICHARD SMITH

Born in 1971 in Beckenham, England, Richard started early and first picked up the guitar at the age of 5 with his father teaching him his first chords and songs. After some early solo performances and six years of working as a trio with two of his brothers, Rob and Sam in the 90’s, Richard moved to Nashville, TN. in January 2000. In 2001 he won the national fingerpicking championship and has since forged a career as a solo artist, performing all over the USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australia and Brazil, releasing solo records, duet and ensemble records.  Constantly touring with a repertoire of fingerpicking classics, originals, fiddle tunes, blues, Joplin rags, jazz standards, classical repertoire and everything from pop to Sousa marches. Richard has also performed or recorded along the way with Chet Atkins, Les Paul, Tommy Emmanuel, Suzy Bogguss, Steve Wariner, Jimmy Fortune, Earl Klugh, Martin Taylor, Joscho Stephan, Sam Bush, Stuart Duncan, John Schneider, Lee Roy Parnell, Brent Mason, Rory Hoffman and a host of others.

For more information on RICHARD SMITH, visit:
WEBSITE | YOUTUBE

 

For press inquiries regarding TOMMY EMMANUEL, contact:

SRO PR
(Los Angeles, Nashville, Las Vegas)
Mitch Schneider // mschneider@sropr.com
Andrea Faulk // afaulk@sropr.com
Lyndie Wenner // lwenner@sropr.com


OZZY OSBOURNE’S ‘No More Tears’ To Be Celebrated With 30th Anniversary Digital And Vinyl Editions

DATE: JULY 29, 2021

FROM: MARCEE RONDAN/MITCH SCHNEIDER

OZZY OSBOURNE’S
‘NO MORE TEARS’
TO BE CELEBRATED
WITH 30TH ANNIVERSARY
EXPANDED DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION OF THE ALBUM
DUE OUT SEPTEMBER 17
TWO SPECIAL VINYL EDITIONS WILL COMPLEMENT
DIGITAL RELEASE

“It was one of my favorite albums to make.”
–OZZY OSBOURNE, 2021

Graphical user interface

Description automatically generated

More than 30 years after its release, OZZY OSBOURNE’s sixth solo album–the Top 10 (#7) and quadruple platinum NO MORE TEARS will be celebrated with an expanded digital audio album due out September 17 (Sony). Two special editions–a 2LP black vinyl version and a special yellow and red 2LP vinyl version with a specially created booklet (exclusively at www.towerrecords.com)–will be released simultaneously. Pre-order the album here.

A picture containing text

Description automatically generated

In its release, NO MORE TEARS yielded four top ten singles on the Billboard Rock Tracks chart, “Mama, I’m Coming Home” (#2), “Road To Nowhere” (#3), “Time After Time” (#6) and the title track (#10). In addition, the album’s “I Don’t Want to Change the World” earned OZZY his first Grammy for a live version of the track that was featured on his 1993 LIVE AND LOUD album. The Grammy-winning track was one of the album’s four songs co-written with OZZY’s longtime friend and colleague Lemmy Kilmister; the others include “Mama, I’m Coming Home,” “Desire,” and “Hellraiser.” The album has remained an OZZY classic, earning a spot (#22) on Loudwire’s “Top 90 Hard Rock + Metal Albums of the ’90s” with Ultimate Classic Rock including No More Tears on their list “Top 100 ’90s Rock Albums.”

“I have a lot of great memories of making the album,” OZZY says. “We worked hard on the record with John Purdell and Duane Baron, who became extra two members of the band. Before we went into the studio, we discussed what we were going to do–everything was planned. It’s so nice when you get a producer who’s more like a part of the band than them saying, ’nah, you do it this way.’ Because we write them and when you write the songs, you have a mental picture of how you think you want it to sound. Sometimes you’re surprised for the better, but other times you’re disappointed, but John and Duane did an extraordinary job on the album. It was really, really well done. Every song was worked on for a long time and we spent extra time trying to get things right. But there was also lots of goofing around and we had a good time making it. And Zakk’s playing on it is spectacular.”

Zakk Wylde adds, “On the first record, ‘It was like I can’t believe I’m here. I had definitely crawled into the fire and kept thinking. ‘You gotta produce. You got to come up with some cool stuff.’ On NO MORE TEARS, I guess I was more relaxed. With OZZY, whenever we’re playing riffs, he would be like ‘keep playing that riff.’ Pretty much every time he just gets up there and starts singing what comes to him naturally, he knocks it out of the park all the time. I mean, there’s very, very few times where he’s actually said, ‘No, let me come back to that. I don’t like what I’m singing. I’ll come up with something better.’ Whatever you’re hearing on the record is pretty much first thing he started singing that naturally came out of him, that he started hearing in his head. Which is amazing. My love for him and admiration for him has just gotten even stronger and bigger over the years. It’s bigger than the music. It’s always a good time whenever we’re together, it’s always like it’s a laugh fest, and then making the records is beyond hilarious as well.”

Mama, I’m Coming Home,” the album’s biggest hit which OZZY co-wrote with Kilmister, started with Zakk at a piano, has gone on to become not only a rock anthem, but a classic song among soldiers.

“At that time, a lot of people were going to Iraq war,” OZZY notes. “We heard that the GIs were sending that song to their wives. Soldiers still love that song.”

I remember when we were working on the album, I originally wrote ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’ on a piano,” Zakk says. “I had the music, and then when we got to the studio, I transposed it to the 12-string guitar. I was like ‘oh let me try it on the 12-string and see what it sounds like.’ That’s how it evolved into the song, originally it was just me and Ozz noodling on the piano.”

A picture containing text, outdoor, person, black

Description automatically generated

Photo Credit: Jeff Katz

The NO MORE TEARS’ expanded digital audio album track listing is as follows:

  1. Mr. Tinkertrain
  2. I Don’t Want to Change the World
  3. Mama, I’m Coming Home
  4. Desire
  5. No More Tears
  6. Won’t Be Coming Home (S.I.N)
  7. Hellraiser
  8. Time After Time
  9. Zombie Stomp
  10. A.V.H.
  11. Road to Nowhere
  12. Don’t Blame Me*
  13. Party With the Animals*
  14. I Don’t Want To Change The World (demo)**
  15. Mama, I’m Coming Home (demo)**
  16. Desire (demo)**
  17. Time After Time (demo)**
  18. Won’t Be Coming Home (S.I.N) (demo)**
  19. Mrs  J. (demo)**
  20. I Don’t Want to Change the World (live)†
  21. Road to Nowhere (live)†
  22. No More Tears (live)†
  23. Desire (live)†
  24. Mama, I’m Coming Home (live)††

* bonus tracks currently on the digital album at DSP’s
** demos from the 1991 promo CD The No More Tears Demo Sessions (also the Prince of Darkness box set), not currently at DSP’s
† live audio from Memoirs of a Madman DVD, San Diego 1992, not currently at DSP’s
†† live audio from Memoirs of a Madman DVD, MTV 1992, not currently at DSP’s

Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Spotify
YouTube

###


PI JACOBS Rolls Out Second Single “Broken Cup” From New Album ‘Live From Memphis’ Out August 13

DATE: JULY 29, 2021

FROM: MITCH SCHNEIDER/MARCEE RONDAN

Broken Cup Covert

PI JACOBS
ROLLS OUT SECOND SINGLE
“BROKEN CUP”
FROM THE AMERICANA ARTIST’S
NEW ALBUM ‘LIVE FROM MEMPHIS’
OUT AUGUST 13 VIA BLACKBIRD RECORD LABEL

ANNOUNCES SHOWS IN LOS ANGELES (AUGUST 28),
NEW YORK CITY (OCTOBER 3)
AND HER SAN FRANCISCO HOMETOWN (OCTOBER 15)

LISTEN TO THE SONG HERE
AND THE SPOKEN INTRO HERE

Acclaimed Americana singer, songwriter and musician PI JACOBS has rolled out “Broken Cup,” the second single from her new album LIVE FROM MEMPHIS due August 13 via Blackbird Record Label. Listen to the song here, along with her engagingly candid spoken word intro for it, here. Both will be available tomorrow (July 30) at all streaming platforms. The track and its intro were premiered yesterday at The Bluegrass Situation. Pre-order the album here.

With her blend of roots-rock swagger and storytelling soul Pi Jacobs distinctively amplifies the concert experience on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS (her first album for the label and ninth overall): it places eight original songs alongside the self-narrated personal stories that shaped them. Recorded with a full band, the project offers a sincere and sometimes funny look at her formative years, her family relationships, and even a few lessons she’s learned along the way.

In the stirring “Broken Cup,” Pi digs deep into how she made bad romantic choices along the way before meeting the man who would become her husband.

“In my late teens/early 20’s I wasn’t a person with a much of self-esteem; in fact, I thought pretty damn poorly of myself, so I was habitually getting into relationships with people who would reaffirm my feelings of unworthiness, unlovability, or being damaged goods,” says Pi. “I was lucky though–a couple of amazing mentors showed up in my life and wouldn’t let me scare them off. They helped me to start seeing myself in a new and better light, so, by the time I hit 25, I was ready to try some new kinds of relationships. The problem was, I had to learn ALL NEW stuff! I hadn’t operated in the land of ‘healthy’ relationships before, and it felt like I didn’t know how to do ANYTHING, even little things, like returning phone calls. I started to feel as scared and unequipped as Bambi in the middle of a six-lane freeway, but I had had enough of my old ways, so I started to try, and I got very lucky by meeting my now-husband.”

Meanwhile, Pi Jacobs has announced shows in Los Angeles (August 28), New York City (October 3) and her San Francisco hometown (October 15).

On Sale Now:

Los Angeles – August 28 HOTEL CAFE TICKETS
NYC, October 3Rockwood Music Hall Stage 3 TICKETS
San Francisco, October 15 – with Kyra Gordon – Amados TICKETS

“Broken Cup” follows the album’s first single and video, “First Thing Tomorrow,” written in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election. The animated video was created by Turkish surreal artist Mertcan Mertbilek and premiered by Glide Magazine.

“The burst of creativity unleashed when Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and musician Pi Jacobs lets loose her pipes is one of an explosive strength that runs back to eras of rock past and present,” notes Glide. “Think a mix of Melissa Etheridge, Beth Hart, and Wynonna Judd wrapped around snug vintage musicianship.” Glide also offered this praise: “With heartfelt gritty vocals atop a melodic punch that tugs the listeners’ ears to their favorite twang recordings, Jacobs enthralls with that resourceful musical pull effect, enabling her live renditions to evolve immediately into that of true musical keepers.”

The music on LIVE FROM MEMPHIS comes from PI’s live taping for Ditty TV, which was filmed without an audience. For the set list, she drew six songs from 2020’s Two Truths and a Lie and two others from 2017’s A Little Blue. But rather than using the between-songs banter intended for the viewing audience, she took a page from one of her favorite NPR podcasts and decided to share more of herself than ever before by narrating the songs with revealing intros.

The LIVE FROM MEMPHIS track list is here.

Live From Memphis Cover

Album Cover

A picture containing chair, indoor, red, seat Description automatically generated(Photo credit: Deb Morrisson Little, @shotsbymorrison)

www.PiJacobs.com
Facebook.com/PiJacobsMusic
Instagram.com/PiJacobs
Youtube.com/PiJacobsMusic

SRO Press Releases + Assets

###

 


THE FAIR AT SANTA ANITA PARK Announce Updated Entertainment Offerings

DATE: JULY 23, 2021

FROM: MARCEE RONDAN

State Fair Entertainment

STATE FAIR ENTERTAINMENT
ANNOUNCES ENTERTAINMENT OPTIONS FOR
THE FAIR AT SANTA ANITA PARK:
FULLY OUTDOOR, ALL-NEW ENTERTAINMENT EXPERIENCE
COMING TO LOS ANGELES
THIS SUMMER

With THE FAIR AT SANTA ANITA PARK set to debut next week (July 29), State Fair Entertainment–organizers for the inaugural outdoor event–have announced the updated entertainment, ride and lifestyle offerings. Set to take place this summer over 16 days–July 29-August 22THE FAIR AT SANTA ANITA PARK will include onsite activities with something for fans of all ages.

The month-long, weekends-only event (Thursdays-Sundays from 12 Noon-10:00 PM) will include special opening weekend celebrations including an appearance from the World-Renowned Budweiser Clydesdales, a ribbon cutting with the Sho Tay, Mayor of Arcadia, a flyover from Tiger Squadron. Other family-friendly on-site activities include more than 50 rides and games including three Ferris wheels, the Star Tower Swing ride (soaring 125′ above the grounds, with a birds eye view of the fair and surrounding areas), Olympic Bobsled Coaster, Cliff Hanger, a brand-new ride called the Drone, along with a Haunted Mansion and a variety of traditional carnival games. A designated Kid Zone will be highlighted by a train ride, Grand Carousel, Fun Slide, and much more. Fairgoers can also experience multiple daily shows from Team FXM Motorcycle Stunt Show, ExtremeDogs Stunt Dog Show, along with a full line-up of musical performances (see below). In addition, fans will feast on classic festival fare from Juicy’s Fair Food (Giant Turkey Legs, Deep Fried Oreos, Funnel Cakes, Caramel Apples, Lemonade). In addition, early entrants on opening day (Thursday, July 29) will be treated to a free mini powdered sugar funnel cake from noon to 1:00 PM, offer valid while supplies last).

Date Stage Bands Name  
07/29/21 Main Led Zepegain The Led Zeppelin Experience
07/29/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
07/29/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
07/30/21 Main Kenny Chesney A Tribute to Kenny Chesney
07/30/21 Main George Michael Reborn A Tribute to George Michael & Wham
07/30/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
07/30/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
07/31/21 Main Appetite 4 Destruction Guns N’ Roses Tribute
07/31/21 Main Jumpin Jack Flash Rolling Stones Tribute
07/31/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
07/31/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/01/21 Main Los Rieleros del Norte Norteno
08/01/21 Main Ana Barbara Norteno
08/01/21 Main Como La Flor A Selena Tribute
08/01/21 Main Las Divas Mariachi
       
08/05/21 Main Hard Day’s Night The Beatles Tribute
08/05/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/05/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/06/21 Main Atomic Punks The Tribute to Early Van Halen
08/06/21 Main Aeromyth A Tribute to Aerosmith
08/06/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/06/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/07/21 Main Saturday Night Fever Bee Gees Tribute
08/07/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/07/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/08/21 Main Banda Machos Banda
08/08/21 Main Banda Maguey Banda
08/08/21 Main La Sonora Dinamita Cumbia
08/08/21 Main Mariachi Jose Cervantes Mariachi
       
08/12/21 Main Queen Nation A Tribute to the music of Queen
08/12/21 Vip The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/12/21 Vip The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/13/21 Main Bruno and The Hooligans A Tribute to Bruno Mars
08/13/21 Main Jordan Sherman Jam Band
08/13/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/13/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/14/21 Main Elton John The Early Years Kenny Metcalf Tributes Elton
08/14/21 Main Rebel Soul Jam Band
08/14/21 Paddock The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/14/21 Paddock The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/15/21 Main La Original Banda Limon Banda
08/15/21 Main Pablo Montero Norteno
08/15/21 Main Las Divas Mariachi
08/15/21 Main Rocio “La Dama de la Cumbia” Cumbia
       
08/19/21 Main TLR A Journey thru the music of The Eagles
08/19/21 Paddosck The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/19/21 Paddosck The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/20/21 Main ABBA The Music of Abba
08/20/21 Main Slippery When Wet The Ultimate Bon Jovi Tribute
08/20/21 Paddosck The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/20/21 Paddosck The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/21/21 Main DSB A Musical Tribute to Journey
08/21/21 Main Pulp Vixen Band The Go-Gos
08/21/21 Paddosck The Killer Dueling Pianos Dueling Pianos
08/21/21 Paddosck The Velvet Frogs Barbershop Quartet
08/22/21 Main Los Tucanes de Tijuana Mexican Regional Norteno
08/22/21 Main Jesus Mendoza Mexican Regional Norteno/Banda
08/22/21 Main Tapy Quintero Mexican Regional Norteno
08/22/21 Main La Sonora Dinamita Cumbia
08/22/21 Main Mariachi Mariachi

A limited number of early bird flash sale of GA tickets are free (valid for entry before 6pm). These tickets include free access to concerts, but do not include parking, unlimited rides wristbands (valid for up to 5 hours of unlimited rides starting at first scan), or FastPasses – which can all be added on for an additional fee at checkout. Sale is ending shortly, and regular price will resume at that time. All tickets must be purchased online, and weekend General Admission is regularly $12 ($7 for Seniors and Children). Children six and under are free. A limited number on onsite parking is available and must also be purchased in advance. THE FAIR AT SANTA ANITA PARK will operate as a ticketless event and will promote covid-friendly digital ticketing and a digital currency system. Contactless payment (through mobile apps or pre-loaded onto the event’s RFID wristband) throughout the park provides added safety. For the most up-to-date information, please go to www.https://statefairent.com/

###

 


Privacy Settings
We use cookies to enhance your experience while using our website. If you are using our Services via a browser you can restrict, block or remove cookies through your web browser settings. We also use content and scripts from third parties that may use tracking technologies. You can selectively provide your consent below to allow such third party embeds. For complete information about the cookies we use, data we collect and how we process them, please check our Privacy Policy
Youtube
Consent to display content from - Youtube
Vimeo
Consent to display content from - Vimeo
Google Maps
Consent to display content from - Google