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About the Artists
all songs copyrighted and used by permission
Jon Steinmeier
Check out Jon's website at jonsteinmeier.com. He also writes and records a song a week at jonsteinmeier.wordpress.com.
Mighty Purple
Brothers Steve and Jon Rodgers, the song writing team
of the long-standing underground band Mighty Purple,
have just finished recording their first and
long-awaited, largely-acoustic album entitled "Arms
And Voices". The album is a far cry from the
recordings of their early years (which were sometimes
noted as heartfelt yet derivative) The latest batch of
songs, convey stories of the brothers' lives,
spiritual journeys and friendships, told in such a way
that the listener can relate to. In a world where
attitude, image and fleeting success run rampant,
Steve and Jon have a true longevity with their true
passion for writing music and connecting with their
listeners. The Brothers have a complex story that has
been told in small pieces along their songwriting
Journey. “Arms and Voices” is sure to have a cross
generational appeal with a modern-acoustic, yet
timeless and comfortably familiar sound. Steve and Jon
have been touring for well over ten years…(2000 +
shows) and have released 7 albums with their band, on
three different independent labels. Mighty Purple
built a small but loyal & devoted underground fan base
through consistent touring. Steve owns an all ages
music venue in Connecticut called The Space where many
national, regional & local acts play. Steve has been
booking tours & acting as manager for Mighty Purple
and other artists, as well as booking various venues
including his own, for over 10 years. If you are
interested in learning more about Steve and Jon, or
hearing some of their earlier work contact Mighty
Purple steve@mightypurple.com two zero three - two
eight eight six four zero zero yes that is our phone.
Check out more at www.myspace.com/mightypurple05 or mightypurple.com
Katie Chastain
Katie Chastain writes in snapshots and close-ups, revealing an image, moment, or emotion in urgent detail (Drunk kaleidoscope of pink/Breathless at the bathroom sink). This is not poetry so much as abstract art.
Chastains sweet, almost broken-down voice whispers through a convincing and active musical darkness where the soundscape is simultaneously alien and melodic, beat-driven and lyrical. She doesnt sit back in the groove so much as let it pull her along.
Katie Chastain's debut album, 'Firecracker', is exclusively available through mail and at shows in New York City this fall. Visit her website at www.katiechastain.com or www.myspace.com/katiechastain for more information.
Glass Nightingale
Glass Nightingale usually sing about love. For more, check out www.myspace.com/glassnightingale.
Brown Recluse Sings
Like an outdoor conversation between clara rockmore, egon schiele, anais nin, alfred hitchcock, joan retallack, king tubby, rogerio duprat, bell hooks, rod argent, gal costa, marshall mcluhan, jean-luc godard, anne kaplan, and philip larkin. For more check out www.myspace.com/brownreclusesings or www.brownreclusesings.com.
Vandaveer
VANDAVEER is the partly sunny, mostly cloudy, town-folk, city-pop song & dance routine penned and put forth by DC-based songsmith Mark Charles. Grace & Speed, Vandaveer's debut record, entered this great big world in March 2007 via DC's Gypsy Eyes Records, earning stellar reviews and repeated comparisons to Donovan, Dylan, Drake, Waits, and scores more. Vandaveer has enjoyed the good fortune of performing up and down the east coast and beyond with a host of humbling artists, including Vashti Bunyan, Alejandro Escovedo, Smog, The Ditty Bops, Vetiver, Joan As Policewoman, and his dear friends in DC's ramshackle collective, The Federal Reserve.
For more information and/or general browsing pleasure please visit www.vandaveer.net or www.myspace.com/vandaveer.
Jonny Rodgers
Jonny Rodgers began his musical career as the
guitarist for the rock band Mighty Purple. He also
creates rich and exquisite music for quieter settings,
combining elements from the contemporary music world
and the world of "serious" music. He has composed
numerous pieces in a more 'classical' style, for
orchestra, theater, and chamber groups. He teaches
music in New Haven, CT where he lives with his wife.
Check out more at www.myspace.com/jonrodgers.
Julianna Barwick
Check out more at myspace.com/juliannabarwick orwww.juliannabarwick.com.
The New Time
An implausible band led by Alaskan songwriter John Davidson, The New Time emerged in Philadelphia last year by way of Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
In January 2006, Mr. Davidson fled Chicago to take up the night shift at a local newspaper in the heart of Pennsylvania’s former coal belt. He wrote about wild boars, stabbings, and house fires. He also met sportswriter and accordionist Joe “Jangles” Petrucci. Before long the two were playing regularly at McCarthy’s Tavern on the Hill, a local bar owned by a chain-smoking city councilman.
One night at McCarthy’s a man wandered in with a washboard and a kazoo and asked if he could join a tune. That man was Matthew Guza. Before the sun came up the next day, The New Time had clamored and shouted itself into existence there in the hardscrabble coal hills of Northeast Pennsylvania.
Last November, Mr. Davidson and Mr. Guza moved to Philadelphia. Mr. Petrucci followed months later, and string players Deborah Nangle and Jeanna Steele joined the band that winter, rounding out a sound that could be Appalachian or Old Texan, Dance Parlor Cakewalk or Viennese Gypsywaltz.
The first track on the EP, “Mississippi Halfstep,” was a dance tune popular in Manhattan’s Five Points in the early 19th century. The New Time recorded a version of the song based on written accounts and commissioned Megan Oprea and Eileen McKenna to reconstruct the steps, which they did, forming The New Time Dancers.
The group takes its name from a phrase promulgated by Appalachian sermonists during the camp meetings of the Second Great Awakening. Foremost among these was the Rev. Atticus Habakkuk Justify, a popular preacher and self-proclaimed prophet. Rev. Justify is thought to have coined the phrase in sermons at the Cane Ridge revival meetings of 1801.
Since January 2007 The New Time has given public performances in and around Philadelphia and played select shows in New York, Baltimore, West Chester and Bethlehem. They describe each other as musical swindlers, untoward roustabouts and ham-fisted clamorers.
The New Time just released their debut EP, "With Signs Following", this December 1. Find out more on their website, newtimemusic.com.
Reva Williams (Gretel)
While doubt and anxiety are common 21st century preoccupations (boo hoo), Gretel's honesty is of the type that's usually reserved for confessionals and bathroom stalls. Lyrics of disappointment and denial, tales of death and fatalistic flippancy all shimmer with precision and intensity, while the melodies and harmonies, the arrangements and energy of their live shows suggest that something better might be possible.
With a five and dime store's approach to off-beat instrumentation (typewriter, bucket, and saw to name a few), the sound is eclectic, borrowing from folk music, alt country, punk, the blues, and domestic life. Whether through the ecstatic heights of an operatic line, the muddy optimism of a gospel choir, or the feel-good sneaking sorrow of a country tune, Gretel's palette is broad. Each song sits within its own well-deserved world, refreshingly interpreted and never underexposed.
Check out more at www.gretelmusic.com.
Andy Zipf
Check out more of Andy's music at
www.andyzipf.com
www.discrevolt.com/andyzipf
www.myspace.com/andyzipf
www.virb.com/andyzipf
www.andyzipfalbum.blog.com
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