Tall Dark Pines will be out January 27, 2022. Photo: David Jameson
David Jameson, a former corporate consultant turned songwriter, is pleased to announce his debut album Tall Dark Pines which will be released on January 27, 2022. Produced by Duane Lundy and engineered by Lundy and Tom Hnatow, the album touches on different aspects of inspiration found through the varied and impactful chapters of Jameson’s life. Although he is often inspired by the music he discovers during his travels, David’s sound and soul remain firmly rooted in the American country and folk tradition. (David Jameson, 2021)
The album’s first single and title track “Tall Dark Pines” harkens back to the musical folklore tradition of murder ballads. A true and tragic story, a husband sets out to rebalance the scales of justice by taking matters into his own hands. Using his near-perfected detail oriented approach to songwriting, Jameson paints a vivid picture for the listener as to transport one to the deep woods in which this tragic story takes place. Inspired by the murder ballad classic “In The Pines,” “Tall Dark Pines” feels at once modern and timeless. Beloved Americana podcast Hippies & Cowboys debuted the track. Click hereto preorder/pre save the album.
David Jameson’s songs, and in particular the ones to be heard on Tall Dark Pines, mirror his life, full of stories marked by vivid imagery and a broad set of influences. The stories featured on his upcoming album are closer to home than most of his adventures. Many of the songs tell the stories of his family and community that were passed onto David during the pandemic. David brings these modern stories to life by incorporating elements of traditional American country and folk ballads of the 19th and 18th centuries as well as those of the British Isles that date back even further. This approach inspired Americana Highways to call David “a master writer and storyteller, propelling a significant folk tradition into the modern era.”
Mallory Smith in Will Battersby’s Salt in My Soul. Photo: Giant Pictures, used with permission.
Powerful documentary Salt in My Soul will be released theatrically in New York (Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (Laemmle Royal) on January 21 followed by the VOD Release in the US, Canada, and UK & Ireland and key territories worldwide on January 25. (Giant Pictures, 2021)
A Feature Documentary Film by Will Battersby Run time: 96 Minutes (USA- Feature Documentary)
VOD Platforms:
US- Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft/Xbox, Vudu Canada- Apple TV/ITunes, Microsoft/Xbox UK- Apple TV/iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft/Xbox Ireland- Apple TV/iTunes, Google Play
Cable Platforms:
US- InDemand TVOD (Comcast, Spectrum, Cox), DirectTV/AT&T and more
Based on the bestselling posthumously published memoir of the same name, Salt in My Soul is a documentary and classic coming of age story about a young woman figuring out how to live while dying. Mallory Smith was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at the age of three. In her twenty five-year battle with the deadly disease, she carved out a life that most of us do not come close to. Using Mallory’s posthumously published 2500-page secret diaries, hundreds of hours of newly discovered footage, and audio recordings, the film offers Mallory as the narrator of her own extraordinary chronicle.
Following her realization at age nine that she would die young, Mallory secretly began to record her inner thoughts in her diary while throwing herself at life: friendships in elementary school, lovers and sports teams in high school, the little travel her disease would allow. She attended college and explored the wider world, one that was just beyond her grasp. She became a devoted environmentalist, seeing a startling and vivid metaphor for her declining health in the destruction of our world. Her father feverishly researched treatment options, desperate that the death sentence be commuted. Her mother obsessively helped her to live, cooking to maintain her weight and create community, raising money for research, and teaching her to prioritize relationships over all else. Mallory fought. And she wrote – about her fears, her loves, her pain, her depression, her hopes, and gave a voice to the many millions who struggle with invisible or visible illness. In Mallory’s final days, her father uncovered a long-forgotten treatment that is now changing the world of medicine. Heartbreakingly, it came too late to save his daughter.
Mallory was a young woman who lived with illness her whole life, who suffered immeasurably but who always found the will to live happy. Her story is a testament to enduring parental love and determination and the healing power of memoir as medicine, inspiring all of us to live life as fully as possible in the face of the challenges we all face.
“Salt in My Soul: An Unfinished Life,” by Mallory Smith, is a powerful, intimate, and inspiring portrait of a brave young woman living with chronic illness. Mallory understood that patient voices need to be amplified in order to improve healthcare, that the intersection of human behavior and nature is critical to environmental sustainability, and that love and friendship give life meaning. As Mallory’s body deteriorated, she sharpened her mind, crystalized her thinking, and honed her writing skills. In her 2500 pages of private journal entries, she created poetry out of prosaic experiences. Beautifully written, provocative, and peppered with insights, “Salt in My Soul” reminds us to follow Mallory’s mantra and “Live Happy.”
Giant Pictures is a leading digital distributor that is committed to empowering filmmakers to own their distribution. With offices in New York and Los Angeles, we work directly with rights owners to distribute movies and TV shows to VOD and streaming platforms in North America and worldwide. Our content partners range from first-time filmmakers to award-winning independent producers, as well as notable studios Alamo Drafthouse Films, Abramorama Selects, Participant, Tribeca Enterprises, Utopia Distribution, and XYZ Films. A division of Giant Interactive, the award-winning digital media and technology services company, we distribute across 45+ platforms, including AppleTV, Netflix, Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Tubi, and Peacock.
The acquisition establishes EVO Entertainment Group as largest operator of cinema-entertainment centers in the country. Photo: EVO Entertainment Group
EVO Entertainment Group (“EVO”) and ShowBiz Cinemas (“ShowBiz”), two leading innovators in motion picture entertainment, announced this week that they have closed a transaction under which EVO has acquired 100% of the stock of Showbiz Cinemas in an all-cash deal. (EVO Entertainment Group, 2022)
“Today is a monumental moment for our company and our industry. This transaction establishes EVO as the country’s largest operator of cinema-entertainment centers and paves the way for accelerated progress and innovation within a new era of cinema.” – Mitch Roberts, Founder and CEO of EVO Entertainment Group and 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
Kevin Mitchell, CEO & Founder of Showbiz Cinemas, along with Mitch Roberts represent multiple generations in the cinema business. Their pioneering of cinema entertainment centers has been a smashing success. Kevin Mitchell reflected, “It is a wonderful time to entrust the company I started to a fourth-generation motion picture exhibitor and family member, because Showbiz Cinemas just had an all-time record-breaking holiday season! I am confident that Mitch’s leadership and Marbella’s capital strength will ensure a long and successful run for Showbiz, and I now look forward to exploring new ventures both in and out of the entertainment industry.”
The combined enterprise will provide dynamic and multi-faceted entertainment experiences to over eight million patrons annually in 16 venues with 148 screens, 108 bowling lanes, 9 full-service restaurants & bars, a 3,000-capacity live music venue, and over 30,000 combined square feet of gaming and attractions across four states, including Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Wyoming. EVO’s expansion will continue into 2022 with additional venues currently under construction and expected to open in the coming months. The acquisition marks the first major move in the partnership between EVO and Marbella Interests, the Austin, Texas-based family office of Formentera Partners founder and former Parsley Energy founder and CEO, Bryan Sheffield.
EVO Entertainment Group is an Austin based out-of-home entertainment operator made up from several innovative brands including EVO Entertainment, EVO Cinemas, and EVO Concerts. Since its launch in 2014, EVO has gained a reputation as a leader in innovation, as well as one of the fastest growing independent cinema circuits in the country.
Founded in 2007 by exhibition industry veteran Kevin Mitchell, ShowBiz Cinemas is an independently owned and operated entertainment operator offering bowling, movies, games, food, and more across nine entertainment venues with 89 screens and 70 bowling lanes across Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, and Wyoming.
Lord Nelson carries their live show into the recording studio with Transmission. Photo: Lord Nelson
When it came time for Lord Nelson to get back into the studio to make a new album, the band wanted to lean into exactly what has earned them fans and thousands of streams of their songs throughout their career: a burn-down-the-house live show. The Charlottesville-based band was looking for a way to create a calling card for their boisterous live act, something that would bridge the gap between studio and performance, so they took a batch of road tested songs into the studio with a very simple goal in mind and achieved just that. The resulting album, Transmission, will be released January 21, but Lord Nelson recently shared the first track from the album. (Lord Nelson, 2021)
“Tooth and Nail” opens Transmission with a raucous groove and electric guitars every bit appropriate for the kind of lights-down, beginning of the show anticipation usually reserved for the stage. “Navigating this world is a full time job and the person we become may be sometimes far removed from the vision we had when we set out on this journey,” say the band’s members about “Tooth and Nail.” “Own your disasters and keep moving.” Watch the video for “Tooth and Nail” now at this linkand pre-order or pre-save Transmission ahead of its January 21 release here.
For the first time, this Lord Nelson record features three writers and vocalists, with brothers Henry and Calloway Jones contributing to Kai Crowe-Getty’s set of songs. Rounding out the group are Andrew Hollifield and Niko Cventanovich on bass, Johnny Stubblefield on drums, and Dave Pinto on pedal steel and harmonica. The collection of songs marks a wide range of stories and characters, but there is a creeping lightness that settles around the edges of what could be darker themes in other hands. From car crashes, murder, bank robberies, devotion, trucks in lakes, drug busts, and relationships, to hope, triumph, and overcoming the odds, this record engages a wide view of the human experience.
Using a converted barn to track the record, guitarist Calloway Jones and collaborator Ivan Barry engineered two sessions across a few weeks, and the bones of an album were fitted into a suit. Lord Nelson initially worked to move through recording quickly as to release Transmission and get back on the road. Like the rest of the world, those plans came to a sudden halt with the pandemic. The band wondered, “Does the world need this music now? Will it ever see the light of day?” But finishing vocals in blanket forts, tracking guitars in an old farm house, and sending the sessions to friends to record parts enabled this process to grow and change slightly with the enforced break from touring. It allowed the band to pause and take in the songs and choices with a bit more thought. It changed the work and brought a reexamination. Ultimately, this record intends to bring people together—to dance, sing in the car, hum along, crank up on the stereo, and to stop taking life too seriously for a few minutes.
Transmission Track list: Tooth and Nail Hell or High Water Country Desperation Drag Me Down Putting in the Time Broken Part Rolling Stoned Cheap Red Wine Let It Ride Burn It Down Julia
Jamestown Revival’s new album Young Man will be out January 14, 2022. Photo: google
In 2020, Jamestown Revival released A Field Guide To Loneliness, an intimate collection of songs that finds Clay and Chance reflecting on recent times whereby human contact was limited more than ever. A Field Guide To Loneliness follows Jamestown Revival’s 2019 critically acclaimed release, San Isabel. Recorded in a remote cabin in the majestic and calming landscape of central Colorado, the band embraced a minimalist approach in the recording of San Isabel. Finding inspiration in ‘60s and early 70’s folk and pop, the original songs on San Isabel show reverence for early John Denver and Bob Dylan, as well as Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Their new album, Young Man, will be released on January 14, 2022. (Jamestown Revival, 2021)
With a swaggering waltz, close harmonies, and a wealth of slide guitars, Jamestown Revival has perfectly summarized the dog days of feeling stranded by the events of the last two years in their brand new single “These Days.” Straddling the line of good-time music and down-and-out feelings, “These Days” feels universal; a blurry memory of a worldwide shared experience, but a little closer to home for those who found themselves out of work for months on end. “‘These Days’ is about being down in the dumps, hamstrung, and unable to work,” say Jamestown Revival bandmates Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance. “The past year needs no introduction. As the months rolled on by, there were surely days when it felt like it got the best of us. We wrote this song on one of those days.” Fans can hear “These Days” now at this link.
“These Days” is the second song to be released from Jamestown Revival’s upcoming LP, Young Man. Produced and mixed by Robert Ellis and Joshua Block and bolstered by a thriving community of friends and musicians in Texas, Young Man is Jamestown Revival’s first project without electric guitars, with the emphasis instead on skillful songwriting, flawless harmony, and intricate fingerpicking. Displaying most of the genres that collectively make up “Americana” music—folk, jazz, bluegrass, roots rock—sometimes all in one song, this upcoming album represents a distilled and pure Jamestown Revival at their finest. Young Man is due out January 14 and can be pre-ordered or pre-saved now right here.
Additionally, Jamestown Revival just announced new tour dates including Thalia Hall in Chicago and Nashville’s new Brooklyn Bowl. A full list of new dates, as well as previously announced tour stops, can be found below. Tickets are available online.
New Jamestown Revival Tour Dates: February 8 – Kansas City, MO. – Knuckleheads Saloon^ February 9 – St. Louis, MO. – Delmar Hall^ February 10 – Chicago, IL. – Thalia Hall^ February 11 – Minneapolis, MN. – Fine Line^ February 12 – Milwaukee, WI. – The Rave/Eagles Club – Rave II^ February 14 – Pittsburgh, PA. – Mr. Smalls^ February 15 – Detroit, MI. – St. Andrews Hall^ February 16 – Lexington, KY. – The Burl^ February 17 – Indianapolis, IN. – The Vogue^ February 18 – Columbus, OH. – Columbus Athenaeum^ February 19 – Nashville, TN. – Brooklyn Bowl^
Previously Announced 2022 Dates: January 14 – New Braunfels, TX. – Gruene Hall^ January 16 – Tucson, AZ. – Rialto Theatre* January 17 – Solana Beach, CA. – Belly Up* January 18 – Solana Beach, CA. – Belly Up* January 19 – Santa Cruz, CA. – Catalyst* January 20 – San Francisco, CA. – The Fillmore* January 21 – Los Angeles, CA. – Fonda Theatre* January 22 – Sacramento, CA. – Ace of Spades* January 23 – San Luis Obispo, CA. – Fremont Theatre* January 25 – Salt Lake City, UT. – Commonwealth* January 26 – Steamboat Springs, CO. – Strings Music Pavilion** January 27 – Denver, CO. – Ogden Theatre* January 28 – Telluride, CO. – Club Red* January 29 – Ft. Collins, CO. – Aggie Theatre** January 30 – Aspen, CO. – Belly Up^
Special Guests: * Mipso & Robert Ellis ** Mipso ^ Robert Ellis
Young Man Track list: 1. Coyote 2. Young Man 3. Moving Man 4. Northbound 5. These Days 6. One Step Forward 7. Slow It Down 8. Way It Was 9. Old Man Looking Back 10. Working On Love
The movie adaptation of ‘The Lost Daughter’ by Elena Ferrante is now playing in theaters everywhere. Photo: amazon
Elena Ferrante is the author of seven novels, including four New York Times bestsellers; “The Beach at Night,” an illustrated book for children; and “Frantumaglia,” a collection of letters, literary essays, and interviews. Her fiction has been translated into over forty languages and been shortlisted for the MAN Booker International Prize. In 2016 she was named one of TIME’s most influential people of the year and The New York Times has described her as “one of the great novelists of our time.” Her book “The Lost Daughter”has been adapted into a major motion picture directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Paul Mescal, and Peter Sarsgaard. (amazon, 2022)
“The Lost Daughter” – Leda, a middle-aged divorcée, is alone for the first time in years after her two adult daughters leave home to live with their father in Toronto. Enjoying an unexpected sense of liberty, she heads to the Ionian coast for a vacation. But she soon finds herself intrigued by Nina, a young mother on the beach, eventually striking up a conversation with her. After Nina confides a dark secret, one seemingly trivial occurrence leads to events that could destroy Nina’s family in this “arresting” novel by the author of the New York Times–bestselling Neapolitan Novels, which have sold millions of copies.
Upcoming shows at the Majestic Theatre include ‘Hamilton’ and “Weird Al” Yankovic. Photo: Majestic Theatre
These shows were just announced this month. Tickets are now on sale at the Majestic and Empire Theatres. For full calendar and listing of events, please visit the Majestic Theatre online. (Majestic Theatre, 2021)
LUPITA D’ALESSIO Y MARÍA JOŚE: TOUR USA 2022 Majestic Theatre February 24, 2022 at 8p.m.
RON WHITE: FOR MATURE AUDIENCES Majestic Theatre February 26, 2022 at 10p.m.
ANGELA AGUILAR – MEXICAN ENAMORADA Majestic Theatre April 2, 2022 at 8p.m.
SUMMER: THE DONNA SUMMER MUSICAL Majestic Theatre April 19-24, 2022
FREESTYLE LOVE SUPREME Empire Theatre May 18-22, 2022 Tickets go on sale January 21, 2022 at 10a.m.
RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE WERQ THE WORLD TOUR 2022 Majestic Theatre July 17, 2022 at 7:30p.m.
TRIXIE AND KATYA LIVE! Majestic Theatre August 31, 2022 at 7:30p.m.
“WEIRD AL” YANKOVIC Special Guest: Emo Philips Majestic Theatre October 4, 2022 at 7:30p.m.
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES AT MAJESTIC & EMPIRE THEATRES Hamilton || Majestic Theatre || January 5 – 16, 2022 Diana Krall || Majestic Theatre || February 5, 2022 Sebastian Maniscalco || Majestic Theatre || February 18, 2022 – 9:30p.m. SHOW ADDED Me, Myself & Shirley || Empire Theatre || February 25-26, 2022 Willie Nelson & Family || Majestic Theatre || March 21-22, 2022 Il Volo || Majestic Theatre || April 15, 2022 Chelsea Handler || Majestic Theatre || May 14, 2022 Freestyle Love Supreme || Empire Theatre || May 18 – 22, 2022 – JUST ANNOUNCED
She was a girl from Boston with a voice from heaven, who shot through the stars from gospel choir to dance floor diva. But what the world didn’t know was how Donna Summer risked it all to break through barriers, becoming the icon of an era and the inspiration for every music diva who followed. With a score featuring more than 20 of Summer’s classic hits including “Love to Love You Baby,” “Bad Girls” and “Hot Stuff,” this electric experience is a moving tribute to the voice of a generation.
‘SUMMER’ features a book by Tony Award® nominee Colman Domingo, Robert Cary and Tony Award® winner Des McAnuff, with songs by Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Paul Jabara and others. This new touring production is directed by Lauren L. Sobon and choreographed by Natalie Caruncho, based on the original direction by Tony Award® winner Des McAnuff and original choreography by Tony Award® winner Sergio Trujillo. Associate choreographer is Angelica Beliard.
Musical Supervision is by JP Meyer, Music Director is Erika R. Gamez, tour scenic design by Robert Andrew Kovach, based on the original scenic design by Tony Award® nominee Robert Brill, costumes by Tony Award® winner Paul Tazewell, lighting by Russell A. Thompson, sound by David Temby, projections by Chris McCleary. This tour is produced by APEX Touring.
The Infamous Stringdusters’ new album Toward the Fray will be available February 18, 2022. Photo: google
The Infamous Stringdusters is a progressive acoustic/bluegrass band, who first emerged in 2006, consisting of members Andy Hall (dobro), Chris Pandolfi (banjo), Andy Falco (guitar), Jeremy Garrett (fiddle), and Travis Book (bass). The “Dusters” won three awards at the IBMAs in October 2007 for Emerging Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (for Fork in the Road), and Song of the Year for the album’s title track and in 2018 the band won the Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album for Laws of Gravity. (The Infamous Stringdusters, 2021)
As the year starts to wind down, the opposite is true for Grammy-Award winning quintet The Infamous Stringdusters, who are dropping their forthcoming album Toward the Fray via Americana Vibes on February 18, 2022. They will be kicking off the year strong with a three night New Year’s Eve run in Richmond, Virginia, all the while celebrating last week’s Grammy nomination for Bluegrass Album of the Year for their 2021 album A Tribute To Bill Monroe. Additionally on the Dusters’ end of the year dance card, the band released Toward the Fray’s second single “Hard Line.”
Fans can now digitally pre-order or pre-save Toward the Fray now at this link. The Dusters also designed new merchandise to celebrate the release of Toward the Fray—including, but not limited to, a Stringdusters North Face jacket, limited edition colored vinyl, and an adorable Toward the Fray teddy bear. Pre-order all of these and more at the Infamous Stringdusters online store.
“This is a song about taking a hard line stance on something, and being so dug in you can’t ever change your mind,” shared Jeremy Garrett. “What a beautiful thing it might be if we could all come to the table, so to speak, once again and have meaningful and truthful discussions about the things going on in our world.” “Hard Line” is available here.
“Hard Line” comes on the heels of the release of the album’s previous single and title track, “Toward the Fray” which was written by guitarist Andy Falco with his dear friend Travis McKeveny who passed away tragically in September 2021.
Izaak Opatz deftly compares ex-lover to a tricky natural phenomenon in new song ‘Chinook Wind.’ Photo: google
The most concise way to describe musician Izaak Opatz is “well-experienced,” but, like his razor-sharp songs, there are deeper details to his life that deserve to be highlighted. Opatz is now back in graduate school at the University of Montana studying Environmental Science and Natural Resource Journalism at the same school from which he earned a degree over a decade ago. Between his two distinct periods of study, Opatz spent ten summers on a trail crew in Glacier National Park and a stint working in Jonny Fritz’s infamous Los Angeles leather shop. All that is to say, Opatz’ music draws on his “well-experienced” life. (Izaak Opatz, 2021)
Opatz has a new song entitled “Chinook Wind,” a clever comparison between an attempt to get back with an ex and the false-summer warm wind of the Rockies. A catchy, reverb-y guitar hook gives way to a rollicking verse punctuated by stabbing horns before giving way to a half-time feel change in the song’s chorus. Fans of country and Americana will be just as likely to enjoy “Chinook Wind” as those who lean more indie rock or experimental, perpetuating Opatz’ hard-to-describe but easy-to-listen-to style, one that Opatz and his band have dubbed dirtwave. Watch the music video for “Chinook Wind” now and check out Opatz’ op-ed with Talkhouse covering his already-mentioned history and much more at this link. “Chinook Wind” is out now on Mama Bird Recording Co..
“Between the occasionally Muppet-y background vocals and the yackety brass, this song has some ‘Flea Bag’ to it, which suits the wild-goose-chase-of-the-heart it describes. A chinook is an unseasonably warm, dry wind that pours down the east side of the Rockies at the end of winter, sometimes tricking trees into thinking a premature spring is upon them, leading them to pull the sugars from their roots and get ready to bud out, which hurts the trees when winter inevitably reasserts itself. As per the metaphor, I ‘thawed out my resistance’ at the prospect of getting back together with my ex-lover, only to get dinged when it became clear it was a one-off— just a chinook wind.” – Izaak Opatz
On the music video, Opatz says, “Featuring an abundance of sweat, tears, and cream cheese, ‘Chinook Wind’ is the brainchild of Michael T. Workman, who turned my meteorological phenomena-inspired song about a romantic head fake into an absurd, pulpy crime caper, set in the gritty underbelly of Missoula, Montana.”
SA Examiner 