Category: Entertainment News

The Faux Paws announce self-titled debut album

The Faux Pays are set to release debut self-titled album on August 27, 2021. Photo: google

After nearly a decade of making music as The Faux Paws, the eclectic bi-coastal trio are making it official with the release of their debut album The Faux Paws, releasing via Great Bear Records (distribution by Free Dirt Service Co.) The trio’s contagious groove and feel-good melting pot folk music has been honed over ten years of playing together, and is the sound of three close friends—two of which happen to be brothers—who feel a musical kinship that transcends any stylistic limitations. Are there raging fiddle tunes? Saxophone solos? Unrequited love songs? Yes to all of the above, and so much more. One would be hard pressed to find a group of musicians with such interesting backgrounds as The Faux Paws. Brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand grew up playing contra dance music with their musician mother in the band Great Bear and Chris Miller grew up in Florida where he was enamored with bluegrass and studied jazz before going on to play with Grammy nominated Cajun-country band The Revelers. The ultimate result of their alchemy is a free-wheeling sense of musical exploration on The Faux Paws, out August 27, 2021. Fans can preorder the album here. (The Faux Paws, 2021)

Since meeting in 2012, the trio have toured across North America several times, sometimes under the name The Faux Paws, sometimes as part of other larger ensembles. But due to their commitments to other bands and musical projects, the timing was never right to focus on making The Faux Paws a priority until now. Instead, they took their time learning about different styles of music from one another, and finding where their interests and skills could create unexpected and exciting new sounds. “I love super glossy pop music, and Chris is always pushing more of a jazz influence,” says Noah. “But we all have a strong background in dance music, so almost everything we do has rhythm and groove, and is based around hook and feel.” The Faux Paws flows effortlessly between genres and moods. An upbeat lyrical song like “She’s Not Looking For You” is followed by a technical instrumental, “Guacmaster.” At times, both sides of the coin present; the driving bluegrass-folk “Montauk” is a fine example of that.

It may have taken The Faux Paws ten years to make their debut album, but those years have clearly not gone to waste. Now, with an experimental but cohesive vision, the trio brings together seemingly unrelated musical elements into one joyful and distinctive collection, deeply rooted in the raw humanity of folk dance and music traditions.

The Faux Paws Track list:

  1. Fourth Decade
  2. She’s Not Looking For You
  3. Guacmaster
  4. Child Of The Great Lakes
  5. Southport
  6. Anyelsewhere
  7. Dirt Nap
  8. The Road From Winchester
  9. Montauk
  10. Racing The Sun
  11. Katy Hill (Live)
2021-08-27T11:56:00

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Camille Playhouse announces new season

The Camille Playhouse announced its 58th season this week. Photo: google

This week, the Camille Playhouse in Brownsville announced its 58th season. The season consists of ‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’ in September, ‘Our Lady of the Tortilla’ in October, ‘Humbug’ in December, ‘Sweet Charity’ in February, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ in April, and “Lucky Stiff’ in May. Ticket information is available online. (Camille Playhouse, 2021)

‘The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas’
September 10-19
This happy-go-lucky view of small-town vice and statewide political side-stepping recounts the good times and the demise of the Chicken Ranch, known since the 1850s as one of the better pleasure palaces in all of Texas. Governors, senators, mayors, and even victorious college football teams frequent Miss Mona’s cozy bordello, until that Puritan nemesis Watchdog focuses his television cameras and his righteous indignation on the institution. Music and lyrics by Carol Hall; book by Larry L. King.

‘Our Lady of the Tortilla’
October 15-24
The Cruz family is volatile even in the best of times. On this particular day, Nelson, the youngest son, enters the house in a panic to hide the more obvious religious relics from the sight of his “gringo” girlfriend, who is visiting for the weekend. Nelson’s mother, Dahlia, is obsessed with retrieving her husband from his new girlfriend; Eddie, her elder son, shows up in a van with his failed life and pregnant girlfriend. But the “real” pandemonium is caused by sweet, long-suffering Dolores, Dahlia’s old-maid sister, when she sees the face of the Holy Virgin in a tortilla. This miracle brings hordes of believers and reporters to camp out on the Cruz’s lawn to await further miracles. As the family struggles with beliefs and conflicts, old and new, the endurance of family love is revealed to be the real miracle. Book by Luis Santeiro.

‘Humbug’
December 10-19
As ‘A Christmas Carol’ with a modern-day twist, Humbug follows the story of Eleanor Scrooge, a ruthlessly ambitious Wall Street executive who has an aversion to Christmas and an insatiable appetite for power. Locked in her office on a snowy Christmas Eve, Eleanor is determined to finish a corporate takeover proposal until three “advisors” provide her with an eye opening new appreciation for the holidays and the spirit of Christmas. An upbeat and moving adaptation of Dickens’ holiday classic, Humbug is one for the ages. With a contemporary flair, it is a tale the whole family will enjoy. Book by John Wooten

‘Sweet Charity’
February 11-20
Inspired by Federico Fellini’s Nights of Cabiria, ‘Sweet Charity’ explores the turbulent love life of Charity Hope Valentine, a hopelessly romantic but comically unfortunate dance hall hostess in New York City. With a tuneful, groovy, mid 1960s score by Cy Coleman, sparkling lyrics by Dorothy Fields, and a hilarious book by Neil Simon, ‘Sweet Charity’ captures all the energy, humor, and heartbreak of Life in the Big City for an unfortunate but irrepressible optimist.

‘Jekyll & Hyde’
April 01-10
Based on Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic thriller, ‘Jekyll & Hyde’ is the gripping tale of a brilliant mind gone horrifically awry, set to a powerful pop rock score by Frank Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Leslie Bricusse. In an attempt to cure his ailing father’s mental illness by separating “good” from “evil” in the human personality, talented physician Dr. Jekyll inadvertently creates an alternate personality of pure evil, dubbed Mr. Hyde, who wrecks murderous havoc on the city of London. As his fiancée Emma grows increasingly fearful for her betrothed, a prostitute, Lucy, finds herself dangerously involved with both the doctor and his alter ego. Struggling to control Hyde before he takes over for good, Jekyll must race to find a cure for the demon he has created in his own mind.

‘Lucky Stiff’
May 13-22
Based on the novel “The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo” by Michael Butterworth, Lucky Stiff is an offbeat, hilarious murder mystery farce, complete with mistaken identities, six million bucks in diamonds, and a corpse in a wheelchair. The story revolves around an unassuming English shoe salesman who is forced to take the embalmed body of his recently murdered uncle on a vacation to Monte Carlo. Should he succeed in passing his uncle off as alive, Harry Witherspoon stands to inherit $6,000,000.00. If not, the money goes to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, or else his uncle’s gun-toting ex. Music by Stephen Flaherty, lyrics by Lynn Ahrens, book by Lynn Ahrens.

The Camille Playhouse opened its doors in January 1964 after the City of Brownsville provided the land in Dean Porter Park and the Sams Foundation provided a grant to fund the construction of the facility. With a drive to stimulate interest in theatre through production of stage performances and the development and application of the arts necessary to such productions, utilizing the talents and abilities of those in the Brownsville community and neighboring communities with a passion for the art, thereby engaging audiences in the artistic process, sparking the imaginations of young children and developing the next generation of stage actors, the theater is proud to be carrying on Camille’s dream and legacy of having community theatre in Brownsville. Camille’s legacy remains the primary mission.

Ava Earl releases second single from upcoming album The Roses

Mountain Song is the second single from upcoming album The Roses, due out July 23, 2021. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Ava Earl, an 18 year old songwriter and outdoor enthusiast hailing from Girdwood, Alaska, has released the second single “Mountain Song” from her forthcoming album titled The Roses which will be available on July 23, 2021. “Mountain Song” is, in Earl’s own words, “about a real life experience that I had when I was a bit too confident in my mountain climbing skills. I usually pride myself in my spontaneity, but this experience reminds me that caution is a necessary consideration. This song is also about understanding my lack of control in the universe.” Earl is known in Alaskan music circles and folk worlds nationally for her keen sense of self, intricate fingerpicking, and graceful melodies—“Mountain Song” being the perfect example of all three. (Ava Earl, 2021)

The Roses was recorded in Nashville and produced by JT Nero, one half of the Americana-outfit, Birds of Chicago and features hauntingly beautiful background vocals from Allison Russell and Awna Teixeira.

Amplify Music Magazine pointed out in a recent interview that “Earl has always been drawn to powerful lyrical storytellers, which has weaved into her own lyrical consciousness. Endlessly inspired by and propelled by community found through music, Ava has always put herself in spaces to find and nurture that inter-musical connection and camaraderie.”

Previous to this single drop and album announce, Earl has written and co-produced three full-length albums which includes Am I Me Yet?, her previous album, was released in July 2018. Am I Me Yet? is a 15 song collection recorded at The Hallowed Halls studio in Portland, Oregon, and features Earl on guitar and vocals, Andy Mullen on guitar and bass, and Anna Tivel on violin. The album was engineered by Hawkins Wright, who is also the album’s co-producer.

An engaging performer, Earl thrives in a live concert setting, drawing audiences in with her music and stories. Highlight performances over the years include opening dates for Maggie Rogers, Rhett Miller, and Tim Easton.

The Roses Track list:
Springtime
Mountain Song
The Roses
New Light
On A Page
Up Here in the Sky
Chaos
Do You Know Me By My Name?
Wintertime
Butterflies

 

Mountain Song by Ava Earl
2021-07-23T13:03:00

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Them Coulee Boys are at it again with new LP Namesake

Them Coulee Boys’ Namesake will be out August 6, 2021. Photo: google

With three full-length albums and an EP behind them, including 2019’s Die Happy (produced by Trampled By Turtles’ Dave Simonett on Lo-Hi Records), Them Coulee Boys has garnered international attention and earned press in American Songwriter and The Bluegrass Situation, as well as tours with Trampled By Turtles and a spot on the songwriter’s Cayamo Cruise. In 2020, they were named Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Band to Watch and were nominated for band of the year by the Wisconsin Area Music Industry. When the world stopped in early 2020, the band holed up in their practice space and began writing. The result is their brand new effort entitled Namesake, available on August 6, 2021. (Them Coulee Boys, 2021)

Soren Staff and Beau Janke—co-founders of folk/rock/Americana outfit Them Coulee Boys—met as counselors at a bible camp in northern Wisconsin in 2011. Having both grown up amidst a stretch of glacial melt-carved river valleys in the upper Midwest, otherwise known by French fur trappers as coulees, they became fast friends. “Them coulee boys are at it again,” the other counselors would tease. Fast forward to 2021 and the only thing that warrants the phrase “Them Coulee Boys are at it again” is the announcement of a brand new album from Staff, Janke, and the three other band members who have joined since camp days—Soren’s brother, Jens Staff, on mandolin, Neil Krause on bass, and Staš Hable on drums. On August 6, Them Coulee Boys are set to release Namesake, a rollicking ten-song collection that spans from leaping, countrified rock and roll to pure and genuine ballads, all in the Boys’ signature, punched-up Americana sound. The Bluegrass Situation recently premiered the first single from Namesake, a summertime-feeling, Petty-esque strummer called “Given Up.” Under the feel-good 12-string melodic lines of “Given Up” lies an examination of failing the ones we love; a perfect example of Them Coulee Boys’ ability to repeatedly wrap tough subjects in sing-along-able tunes. Fans can hear “Given Up” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Namesake ahead of its August 6 release right here. 

Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Namesake was recorded at The Hive in the band’s hometown of Eau Claire, WI, a small Wisconsin city infamously blessed with a wealth of musical talent. The record was produced by Grammy-winner Brian Joseph who has worked with the likes of Paul Simon, Sufjan Stevens, Ani Difranco, and The Indigo Girls, and earned his Grammy producing and engineering Bon Iver’s Bon Iver. The Hive itself is an intimate room, with ceilings draped with nautical rope, and bookshelves adorned with all manner of things antiquarian, living and dead. Joseph’s fingerprints are everywhere on the record, and the warm feel of home left the band trusting further expansion of their sound. The result is a record that is equal parts bear hug, gut punch, and a steadying hand.

Namesake finds Them Coulee Boys following a new trajectory, combining their signature take on folk-grass and Americana with comfort on electric instruments playing rock and roll. The record lives and breathes. It is both intimate and bombastic. It is the sweet aunt who makes delicious pies and the wily uncle who is not afraid to hit a bit of the hooch. At the bottom is the acceptance that comes with family and old friends; none of us are perfect, but there is enough love out there to make up for it.

Namesake Track list:
Namesake
Given Up
Phil’s Song
April 1st
Knuckleballer
Canyon
Repurposed Frowns
Just Friends
1st Team All-American
Hallelujah

 

2021-08-06T10:43:00

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Jeremy Pinnell’s new LP Goodbye L.A.

Jeremy Pinnell finds the sweet spot between rowdy and reborn on Goodbye L.A., out October 1, 2021. Photo: google

When Jeremy Pinnell released OH/KY in the summer of 2015 to stunned acclaim, it felt like an entire career compressed into one knock-out album. Hailed as, a “Mind-blowingly good” (Greg Vandy/KEXP)  “tutorial on classic country music” (Popmatters), Pinnell’s debut immediately was set apart as authentic and unflinching. Dogged touring through Europe and the States and celebrated radio sessions followed, cementing Pinnell’s position as a no-fuss master of his craft. (Jeremy Pinnell, 2021)

His 2017 album, Ties of Blood and Affection presented a canny lateral move. Instead of doubling down on the stark themes and values of his debut, the sophomore album found Pinnell finding comfort in his own skin, achieving the redemption only hinted at in his previous batch of haunted songs. Pinnell’s newest album Goodbye L.A., is set to be released on October 1, 2021.

The opening notes of Jeremy Pinnell’s new tune “Wanna Do Something” are a touch less swung and twangy—and a pinch more Laurel Canyon upbeat—than anything he has put out before. With the bass thumping on root notes and a pleasantly round-sounding slide guitar playing the intro’s hook, “Wanna Do Something” gives way to a verse that quickly reminds listeners this is still Pinnell’s wheelhouse; his perfectly-worn voice singing honestly crafted songs. Raised Rowdy recently premiered “Wanna Do Something,” the first single from Pinnell’s upcoming album Goodbye L.A., out October 1 on SofaBurn Records. Raised Rowdy noted that the song feels like the balance between soaking up the sights on tour and keeping the idea of home close in the background, saying, “‘Wanna Do Something,’ finds [Pinnell] in a familiar place – somewhere in the endless in-between, set against a backdrop of sweeping classic country influences and a hard-worn, gritty edge.” Fans can hear “Wanna Do Something” now right here and pre-order or pre-save Goodbye L.A. ahead of its release at this link.

The collective sound of Goodbye L.A. is not so much polished-up as it is intentionally steered to fit Pinnell’s goal of making a fun record. “[Production-wise] I wanted like 80s Waylon, ZZ Top. My idea was that I wanted to write a record that made people happy,” he says. “I want people to dance and have fun and love each other.” A big part of getting the desired result was bringing in Jonathan Tyler to produce Goodbye L.A., the result hitting the desired mark dead-center. Rooted in his steady acoustic guitar, Pinnell’s songs are shot through with honest and classic elements. The rhythm section, all snap and shuffle, find purpose in well-worn paths. The pedal steel and Telecaster stingers arrive perfectly on cue, winking at Pinnell’s world-wise couplets. A slippery Hammond organ insinuates gospel into the conversation. Listeners can feel the room breathe and get a sense of these musicians eyeballing each other as their performances are committed to tape.

Goodbye L.A. Track list:
Big Ol’ Good
Wanna Do Something
Red Roses
Nighttime Eagle
Never Thought Of No One
Doing My Best
Rosalie
Cryin’
Goodbye L.A.
Fightin’ Man

2021-10-01T14:35:00

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Sean Devine’s new album Here For It All

Here For It All will be out September 3, 2021. First single ‘Here For It All’ out now. Photo: google

Montana musician Sean Devine brings together the rugged landscape of the West, nine original songs, and a lifetime of personal experience in his fourth album, Here for It All. Devine first met the album’s producer Josh Thompson (Cody Jinks) at a concert hall in Missoula through a mutual friend, singer-songwriter Ward Davis, who introduced Devine as “the Bob Dylan of Montana.” That off-the-cuff comment compelled Thompson to request some demos and eventually to record Here For It All with Jinks’ band at Sonic Ranch Studios in Tornillo, Texas. Based in Paradise Valley, Devine is a fifth-generation Montanan. Devine’s reckoning with roadblocks and backsteps has manifested itself not in pessimism, but in a beautiful outlook on how to take it all on, as is very apparent on his brand new album Here For It All—out September 3, 2021. (Sean Devine, 2021)

“Here for It All means being here for the inevitable heartbreaks and the sorrow that will come with life, no matter what. You’re not going to avoid it and you’re not going to hide from it. You have to be in this with your whole heart, right? It’s that feeling of staying open and taking the risks that really matter.”

Sean Devine

Produced by Josh Thompson (Cody Jinks), the eloquent project provides a firsthand account of second chances, showing up, and seeing it through. Cowboy Lifestyle Network recently premiered the album’s title track, “Here For It All,” noting, “Sean brings an easy listening country sound to the music scene that makes you feel.” “This song is about how it feels after you’ve been blind-sided, knocked on your ass hard, humiliated, and you reach your hand up and someone is there,” says Devine. “What happens next could be the transfiguration you didn’t know you were looking for.” Fans can hear “Here For It All” now at this link and pre-order or pre-save Here For It All ahead of its September release right here.

Although Devine sequenced the nine songs on Here for It All himself, its cohesive narrative may be partially credited to the album’s producer, Josh Thompson (Cody Jinks), who mined a folder of twenty six unrecorded—and sometimes completely forgotten—compositions to make the record. “I’d never hired a producer before and I didn’t want to get it wrong,” Devine admits. “I figured maybe my best approach would be to turn it all over to him.” When Thompson offered to produce a studio album using Jinks’ band, Devine agreed on the spot. That spontaneity and collaborative spirit resulted in songs that would feel equally at home in a listening room or a country bar’s jukebox.

From the two-step feel of “Crazy Too” and “I’m Free,” to the half-time grooves of “Clay Bluffs,” “Feelin’ Like An Old Piece Of Wood,” and “Texas and Tennessee,” the work of Jink’s band, known as the Tone Deaf Hippies, is that of stellar accompaniment. “They didn’t try to force anything. They didn’t try to turn it into some new thing,” Devine recalls. “They came to where the song started, with me and my acoustic guitar. They brought out what was sweet about it – and they’ve got hooks.” But it is Devine’s tunes and the way he plays and sings them that are the stars of the show. Through his lyrics, Devine guides a listener through troubled times—some autobiographical and others fictional—without losing sight of the glimmer of hope in the distance.

Here For It All Track list:
Here For It All
Crazy Too
I’m Free
Feelin’ Like An Old Piece Of Wood
Clay Bluffs
Texas And Tennessee
The Palomino Mustang
You Ain’t Coming Home
Can I Get A Witness?

2021-09-03T12:48:00

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Levitt Pavilion in Los Angeles announces free outdoor concert series

Levitt Pavilion announces concert schedule for 2021 summer concert series in MacArthur Park. Photo: google

After a spring filled with local pop-up concerts, Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles (Levitt LA) is thrilled to celebrate the return of live music by gathering this summer in MacArthur Park for a booming season of free concerts beginning July 30. The in-person concert series will be followed by the online premier of Barrio Fino, a 5 part docu-series diving into the vibrant and distinct communities in and around MacArthur Park, Levitt LA’s home of 14 years. (Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles, 2021)

Levitt LA’s in person concerts will once again transform MacArthur Park into a sonically charged urban oasis presenting free, live music under the stars with established and emerging artists. The electrifying 2021 lineup features international greats as well as LA’s own superstar talents who perform a wide variety of genres including cumbia, rock, soul, ska, mariachi, electronic dance music, folkloric music from Mexico and Central America, Tejano, reggae, and many more. Levitt LA’s high-caliber free music programming offers all Angelenos access to the arts, welcoming people of all ages and backgrounds in a bilingual (English/Spanish) setting. Levitt LA is also pleased to announce the concerts will be live-streamed online, expanding the accessibility of free high quality music programs for all.

Barrio Fino is a five-episode docu-series premiering on Levitt LA’s YouTube channel beginning August 30, 2021. Developed during the pandemic as a collective love letter to the near-and-dear communities surrounding MacArthur Park, each 60-minute episode dives into the music and cultural diversity of Westlake, Koreatown, Historic Filipinotown, the North American Indigenous populations of Los Angeles, and the legacy of Youth & Hip-Hop in the park. Live-streamed and screened at sundown from the rooftop of Walter J. Towers, Barrio Fino features popular live musical performances and creative video segments highlighting the food, fashion, art, and history of these communities with dynamic interviews by community leaders, culture bearers, and artists. Levitt LA co-curated each episode with longstanding collaborators United American Indian Involvement Inc., Asian American eXchange Media, FilAm Arts, Carmelo Alvarez, and Sunset Ecléctico. Full episode details, artists and musical act line up announcements to follow.

In Person 2021 Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles schedule is as follows:
(July 30) La Banda Elastica Presents – Flor Amargo & DJ set by La Banda Elastica
(July 31) Office of Councilmember Gil Cedillo Presents – Selenamos
(August 1) Little Ethiopia Cultural & Resource Center Presents – Ras Michael and The Sons & Daughters of Negus, King Malik, and Guade
(August 6) Evoekore Media Presents – The Paranoias + Friends
(August 7) IMG Records Presents – Mariah Avila & Angel City Soul Band with DJ set by Ruben Molina
(August 8) Mundo Mayan Foundation Presents – 4th Annual Mundo Maya Day featuring Lucas Critchfield, La Flor de Yucatan, Freddy Ucan & Juli Dzul, California Mesoamerican Ballgame, Kalpulli Teotlalli Tepeyollotl, Hermano Jose Ajpu Munoz, Tata Guillermo Hernandez, Abuela Sara Z Mijares & a Mayan Fire Ceremony
(August 13) Lethal Amounts Presents – DJ set by Lethal Amounts
(August 14) Subsuelo & Late Night Laggers Present – Son Rompe Pera with Djs Subsuelo & Late Night Laggers
(August 15) Organización Regional de Oaxaca Presents – Banda Filarmónica Herencia Zoochileña, Grupo Folklorico Huaxyacac, Grupo Folklorico Princesa Donaji, Ballet Folklorico Nueva Antequera
(August 20) Globalista Presents – With Love from LA – Rashaan Ahmad & Mark de Clive-Lowe
(August 21) Goethe Institute, La Junta, & Pacifica Music Group Present – Isaac Torres y Su Alianza, Maxi Pontigratz – DJ set by La Junta
(August 22) Mi Linda Nicaragua Presents – Gustavo Bucardo

The 2021 Levitt LA concerts are presented free of charge, and an RSVP is recommended for event updates. Audience members are welcome to bring their own picnics, blankets, and lawn chairs. All concerts will be live streamed on Levitt LA’s YouTube Channel. As public health measures from the County of Los Angeles are rapidly changing, information on social distancing and/or mask requirements will be clarified closer to the beginning of the series. Two parking lots located less than two blocks away from the venue stay open late every night during the concert season. The MacArthur Park venue is also fully accessible by Metro rail and bus lines. To RSVP and for the full 2021 series lineup, live stream instructions, and safety guidelines, please visit Levitt Pavilion online. 

In person concerts begin at 7p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 4p.m. Sundays. Concerts will also be live streamed on Levitt LA’s YouTube Channel. Episodes of the docu-series Barrio Fino begin at 7p.m. on Levitt LA’s YouTube Channel.

Marking its 14th season in 2021, Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles makes live music accessible to all, creating stronger and more connected communities while celebrating the diversity of our city and beyond. Every summer, a full season of concerts is presented at the Levitt Pavilion, featuring acclaimed, emerging talent to seasoned, award-winning performers in a broad range of music genres. Since 2007, over 500,000 people have gathered in MacArthur Park to enjoy the free concerts, cultural celebrations, and multigenerational atmosphere offered at the Levitt Pavilion.

 

Mexican singer-songwriter Gloria España breaks down gender barriers

Mexican singer-songwriter Gloria España. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Mexican singer-songwriter Gloria España continues to break down gender barriers in the United States and showing that her music is for everyone, especially women. España was in the middle of recording her first single “Boca de Agua” when the pandemic struck, causing her to stop production of her long awaited album. In recent years, España’s work as a composer has resulted in multiple hit songs, some performed by Cristian Castro, Larry Hernández, Regulo Caro, Juan Rivera, and Adan Chalino Sánchez. Her song writing has received multiple awards and nominations including Latin Grammy, BMI, Billboard and RIAA certifications. (Gloria España, 2021)

“For me to sing and compose, to be able to express with music and voice the feelings of the soul is a great blessing. When your work is your passion, the feeling is exhilarating.” – Gloria España

Today women are advancing in different fields, and the progress in the music industry is significant, as evidenced by Gloria España’s career as a composer. Her contribution in a predominately male industry is to tell a story from a woman’s point of view. Such is the case in “Boca de Agua,” a song that will be part of her much anticipated album which will contain songs mostly told from the female perspective. The singer-songwriter has also composed many successful songs for male singers proving her songwriting ability knows no limits.

Her work as a composer is significant in the world and in the United States since many of the greatest hits at the moment in Spanish and English have been written by women. The feminine point of view through composition is basic and important. España comments “there are many women composers who are still at home, there are those who are beginning to emerge and it is necessary that they arise, so the music industry at the composition level would be of more colorful with many varied voices.”

España recognizes that people have a deep personal connection to her songs. “The best that a composer can do is to connect with people through their songs. People identify themselves with music, and through the song they can express what they feel. Music is a connection to the soul, it is a way of freely expressing what we feel,” she states. She currently produces new songs for other artists and for her own production as a singer-songwriter that she hopes to release soon.

Originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, the singer-songwriter realized her inclination for music at an early age. She began to play piano at the age of 15 and later the guitar. In 1990 she obtained the National Music Composition scholarship, a very exclusive scholarship since it is only given to 60 composition talents in the country. This support is granted by Televisa and is a two-year workshop led by the prestigious author Amparo Rubín. At the same time, she entered the National School of Music of Mexico City where she studied harmony, composition, and rhythm. She was a semi-finalist at the national festival “Valores Bacardí” in Mexico City and later a member of the participating cast of the OTI International Song Festival in which she participated as a singer-songwriter, where she was selected from among thousands of participants as part of the 40 finalists.

She is co-author of “La Primera Vez,” which is included in the album of the renowned and successful telenovela of the 90s, “El Abuelo y Yo.” Her song “El Culpable Soy Yo,” performed by Cristian Castro was the main theme of the telenovela “Vidas Cruzadas” starring Kate del Castillo and Guy Ecker, a telenovela that marked the beginning of telenovelas on the Internet. She studied vocal technique with teacher and producer Pedro Gerardo Bader, who later became her husband. In addition to being a composer and producer, Pedro Bader is one of the most internationally recognized teachers in the area of professional vocal technique.

 

Tickets for ‘My Fair Lady’ at the Majestic Theatre go on sale Friday

Leslie Alexander as Mrs. Higgins, Shereen Ahmed as Eliza Doolittle and Kevin Pariseau as Colonel Pickering in The Lincoln Center Theater Production of Lerner & Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady.’ Photo: Joan Marcus, used with permission.

North Park Lexus Broadway in San Antonio is pleased to announce that the North American tour of Lincoln Center Theater’s critically acclaimed production of Lerner & Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ relaunches the Majestic Theatre 2021-2022 Broadway in San Antonio season. Directed by Bartlett Sher, the North American tour will play eight performances September 21-26 at the Majestic Theatre. Tickets start at $45 and are available online, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 982.ARTS (2787), or by visiting the Majestic Box Office. The Majestic Box Office does not accept single ticket orders over the phone; all ticket sales must be made in person. Majestic Box Office hours are noon to 5p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10a.m. to 5p.m. Friday. Weekend hours vary, call (210) 226.3333 to verify. Orders for groups of 10 or more may be placed by calling (210) 226-5967. (North Park Lexus Broadway in San Antonio, 2021)

Tickets go on sale this Friday July 9 at 10a.m. Performance times are 7:30p.m., Tuesday through Thursday; 8p.m. on Friday; 2p.m. and 8p.m., Saturday and at 2p.m. and 7:30p.m. on Sunday. Welcoming audiences, artists, staff, cast, and crew back to the Majestic Theatre at full capacity safely and responsibly remains Broadway in San Antonio’s top priority. Masks will be required while in the theatre for this performance. Health and safety protocols are subject to change and will be clearly communicated to ticket holders in advance of each performance. Current protocols are available online. 

Lincoln Center Theater’s production of Lerner & Loewe’s ‘My Fair Lady’ is the winner of 5 Outer Critics Circle Awards including Best Revival of Musical and was nominated for 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival, 5 Drama Desk Awards including Best Musical Revival and 3 Drama League Awards including Best Musical Revival. The production, which premiered in the spring of 2018, ended its long run at Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater on July 7, 2019 after playing 548 performances.

Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, ‘My Fair Lady,’ with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, premiered on Broadway on March 15, 1956. The legendary original production won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical and ran for 2,717 performances making it, at the time, the longest-running musical in Broadway history. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins so that she may pass as a lady.

Boasting a score that contains such now-classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “Get Me to the Church on Time,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly,” “On the Street Where You Live,” “The Rain in Spain,” and “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” Lincoln Center Theater’s production of ‘My Fair Lady’ was hailed by The New York Times as “Thrilling, glorious and better than it ever was. A marvelous and transformative revival.” New York Magazine described it as ‘Enthralling,” adding that “Bartlett Sher’s glowing revival proves that a beloved musical from another era can keep on kicking.” Entertainment Weekly raved “A sumptuous new revival of the most perfect musical of all time. A masterful piece of entertainment.”

2021-09-21T09:52:00

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Opening night of ‘My Fair Lady’

Park City Song Summit announces initial lineup of artists and programming

Park City Song Summit will take place September 8-12, 2021 in Park City, Utah. Photo: google

The Park City Song Summit is an antidote to the large-scale, impersonal, singing to the masses music festival. Instead of bands playing at audiences, the Song Summit seeks to create an environment where artist and audience not only connect, play, and listen, but engage in conversations around the journey of creating songs and thriving in the modern music industry. The five day live event will take place September 8-12 in Park City, Utah and is designed to redefine the live music experience. The Song Summit is pleased to announce its first round of artists and introduce its programming outline for 2021’s inaugural event. Single day, full festival, and VIP passes are available for purchase. (Park City Song Summit, 2021)

Taking place in 15 venues across the city, in rooms sized from 75 to 1300 people and also at Deer Valley’s Snow Park Amphitheater, artists including Gary Clark Jr., Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Leslie Jordan, Iron & Wine, Tank and the Bangas, Natalie Hemby, and more, will perform in a variety of ways—from stripped down acoustic sets on a barstool to plugged-in, full band shows. Performers will also engage with attendees and fellow artists in conversations—Song Summit Labs—around everything from profound relationships with an instrument; to the symbiotic power of other art forms; to how to create iconic and dynamic visual identities.

Over the course of five days in September, the Song Summit combines performances—from intimate to amphitheater—with a behind-the-scenes Unplugged meets MasterClass-style of information exchange fueled by Lab interviews and conversations.

Inspired by the pioneering, independent-minded Sundance Film Festival and channeling the curiosity of an early SXSW, the Song Summit seeks to create a retreat for artists where they play their songs and create conversations with audiences around both proven and inspired practices for bolstering creativity and success in both music and beyond. In the process, the Song Summit will also focus on opening conversations around mental and physical health and examining the struggles and breakthroughs artists face on their creative journey.

The Song Summit is the brainchild of Ben Anderson, Park City resident and lifetime musician/founding member of Aiko. He started Park City Song Summit to celebrate his passion for music and personal mission to bring clarity and normalcy to the struggles musicians and artists face around mental health and dependency. “Park City is a true music city with an independent spirit and legacy of craft and storytelling,” says Anderson. “This collection of artists is going to rock our mountain town and connect with audiences in a new and deeply engaging way.”

Park City has world-class performance venues that include nightclubs, halls, dives, auditoriums, and outdoor spaces—all of which will be utilized to create a variety of settings and environments for music exploration. In addition, Park City offers world-class restaurants and accommodations to satisfy a wide range of tastes for both artists and audiences alike.

Musical performance and Lab conversations with: Adia Victoria, Amanda Shires, Andrew Bird & Jimbo Mathus, Cedric Burnside, Celisse, Devon Gilfillian, Fred Armisen, Iron & Wine, John Craigie, John Doe, Jonathan Russell of The Head And The Heart, Jonathan Wilson, Josh Ritter, Joy Oladokun, Langhorne Slim, Leslie Jordan, Lori McKenna, Lucius, Morgan Kibby, Natalie Hemby, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Tank and the Bangas, Tré Burt.

Musical performances: Anders Osborne, Bonny Light Horseman, Brad Walker, Chad Cromwell, Elvin Bishop & Charlie Musslewhite, Daniel Donato, Father John Misty, Fruit Bats, Gary Clark Jr., Ivan Neville, Kamasi Washington, Keller Williams’ Grateful Gospel, Mavis Staples, Mike Dillon, Rising Appalachia, Ryan Bingham.

Lab conversations: Alison Mosshart, Andy Cruz, Dave of Dopey Podcast, Dean Gonzalez & James A Rota, Jay Blakesberg, Jay Sweet, Joe Pug, Mark Borden, Rich Roll, Rob Bleetstein, Shaun White.

Songwriters in-the-round: Waylon Payne, Hailey Steele, Earl Bud Lee, Kylie Sackley, Rick Brantley, Garrison Starr, Matt Warren, Tim James, Kent Blazy, Dave Pahanish, Julia Sinclair, Megan Linville, Shelly Fairchild, Blake Bollinger, Kelly Archer, Bill Luther, Sarah Darling, Emily Shackleton, Kylie Morgan, Jace Everett, Dean Alexander, Kallie Shorr.

2021-09-08T12:24:00

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Park City Song Summit