Category: new releases

Movie adaptation: ‘Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret’ by Judy Blume

The movie adaptation of the classic coming of age novel will be release April 28, 2023. Photo: Amazon

Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, NJ, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” “Superfudge,” “Blubber,” “Just As Long As We’re Together,” and “Forever.” Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year that American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. Her books have sold more than 75 million copies and her work has been translated into twenty-six languages. The beloved coming of age novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been adapted into a major movie and will be released in theaters April 28, 2023. (Amazon, 2023)

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” – Margaret Simon, almost twelve, has just moved from New York City to the suburbs, and she is anxious to fit in with her new friends. When she is asked to join a secret club she jumps at the chance. But when the girls start talking about boys, bras, and getting their first periods, Margaret starts to wonder if she is normal. There are some things about growing up that are hard for her to talk about, even with her friends. Lucky for Margaret, she has got someone else to confide in, someone who always listens.

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New horror movie release: Dark Entities

Dark Entities is the new horror movie from Terror Films. Photo: Terror Films, used with permission.

From writer/director Brandon McLemore, encounter Dark Entities this April from Terror Films. Starring Elena Ontiveros, Brandon McLemore, Jackson Lee Turner, and Warren McLemore, discover what is in the walls of the Winters house this April. Dark Entities is available worldwide April 14 from Terror Films on digital. It is available for streaming on Tubi, Amazon Prime, and Google Play. (October Coast, 2023)

Dark Entities – Following a tragic accident in 1977, the three Winters siblings move into the mysterious home they inherited. They soon discover the house holds dark secrets that seek to threaten everything they hold dear. Convinced the strange occurrences are a result of trauma, they seek out logical explanations with little success. They look to the help of a parapsychologist as the supernatural forces become life threatening. With time running out, will they be able to survive the dark entities?

New book release: ‘Black Sheep: Moment of Truth’ by Mike Black

‘Black Sheep: Moment of Truth’ is the new book by Mike Black. Photo: Mike Black, used with permission.

Mike Black is an author whose new book “Black Sheep: Moment of Truth” is out now. (Mike Black, 2023)

“Black Sheep: Moment of Truth” –
Step into Truth

“Accepting Truth isn’t always easy, but it’s always necessary. Without hardship, without going through the Trials and Tribulations, strength cannot be gained. No matter how hard and hopeless you feel at times, endure a little longer and keep fighting on. Nothing great comes from taking the easy way out. Nothing permanent that is.”

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Seeing the Invisible:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

“God never promised an easy life on earth, but he did promise the temporary battle would be worth it in the end.”

Author Mike Black. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

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New album release: Get Behind The Wheel – Eilen Jewell

Get Behind The Wheel will be out May 5, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

An Idaho native, Eilen Jewell built her career the old-fashioned way, touring relentlessly with the kind of undeniable live show that converts the uninitiated into instant fans. Over the course of nine albums, she has crisscrossed the globe countless times and shared bills with the likes of Lucinda Williams, Loretta Lynn, Mavis Staples, Wanda Jackson, George Jones, and Emmylou Harris. Hailed by American Songwriter as “one of America’s most intriguing, creative, and idiosyncratic voices,” Eilen Jewell rises from the ashes on her captivating new album, Get Behind The Wheel, picking up the pieces of her shattered world and finding new purpose and meaning after watching her marriage, her band, and what felt like her entire career fall apart in a series of spectacular, heartbreaking implosions. The collection pushes the acclaimed singer and songwriter’s trademark blend of vintage roots-noir into more psychedelic territory, with spacious, cinematic arrangements complementing her revelatory explorations of grief, loss, resilience, and redemption. (Eilen Jewell, 2023)

With Get Behind The Wheel, her ninth studio album—out on May 5 via Signature Sounds—Jewell plants herself firmly in the driver’s seat as she picks up the pieces and finds new purpose and meaning in the process. Jewell shared the first song from Get Behind The Wheel, the twisting and turning “Crooked River.” Fans can stream or purchase “Crooked River” and pre-order or pre-save Get Behind The Wheel ahead of its May 5 release. The single has already been garnering attention from the likes of The Bluegrass Situation and NPR, who wrote, “Eilen Jewell strikes a balance between heartache and triumph.”

Get Behind The Wheel track list:
Alive
Crooked River
Lethal Love
Come Home Soon
Winnemucca
Could You Would You
Breakaway
You Were A Friend Of Mine
Outsiders
Silver Wheels And Wings
The Bitter End

Catch Eilen Jewell on tour:
April 14 – Winnemucca, NV – The Martin Hotel
April 15 – Fallon, NV – Churchill Arts Council
May 6 – Ybor City, FL – WMNF Tropical Heatwave 2023
May 9 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
May 10 – Nashville, TN – City Winery
May 11 – Decatur, GA – Eddie’s Attic
May 12 – Asheville, NC – The Grey Eagle
May 13 – Greer, SC – Albino Skunk Music Festival 2023
May 14 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage
June 24 – Greenfield, MA – Green River Festival 2023
June 25 – Pawling, NY – Daryl’s House
June 27 – New York, NY – City Winery NYC
June 28 – Old Saybrook, CT – The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center
June 29 – Cambridge, MA – The Sinclair
June 30 – Fall River, MA – Narrows Center for the Arts
July 1 – Red Hook, NY – Hardeman Orchards
July 2 – Portland, ME – One Longfellow Square
July 5 – Woodbridge, NJ – Woodbridge Wednesdays
July 6 – Philadelphia, PA – World Cafe Live
July 7 – Frenchtown, NJ – ArtYard
July 8 – Homer, NY – Center for the Arts of Homer
July 9 – Buffalo, NY – Sportsmens Tavern
September 7 – Berwyn, IL – Fitzgerald’s

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New album release: Big Talk – Jarrod Dickenson

Big Talk is Jarrod Dickenson’s new album. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

Jarrod Dickenson is a guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer, originally from Waco, Texas, and now based in Nashville. His two albums, The Lonesome Traveler and Ready the Horses, along with his EP, Under A Texas Sky, have earned him critical acclaim and a devoted audience on both sides of the Atlantic. Not one to fear an exhausting tour schedule, Dickenson has entranced crowds all over Europe and the US and shared stages with such legendary artists as Bonnie Raitt, Don McLean, The Waterboys, Jools Holland, and Jimmie Vaughan. He has performed at prestigious festivals such as Glastonbury and Cambridge Folk Festival. After a baptism of fire in the world of the major labels, Jarrod Dickenson now exists as a fiercely independent artist, a look that suits him well and allows his creativity to follow whatever path it damn well pleases. Nowhere is this attitude better encapsulated than in the bluesy rock and roll growl of his uncompromising new album Big Talk, released worldwide on February 3, 2023 via Hooked Records. (IVPR, 2023)

The hardships and infuriation of recent years have only added steel to the resolve of an artist already willing to do it the hard way, prepared to stand in the face of a music business that shows dwindling regard for the brand of artistry that first inspired him to pick up a guitar and sing for his life—and Dickenson laid it all out for the world to hear on Big Talk.

Fans can stream or purchase Big Talk and check out Dickenson’s collection of music videos: “With Any Luck,” “Prefer To Lose,” “Buckle Under Pressure,” and “Long Hard Look.” Limited edition Big Talk vinyl is available at Dickenson’s official web store.

This album represents Dickenson’s most direct and uncompromising body of songwriting to date and his decision to occupy the producer’s chair has injected Big Talk with a drive and coherence that compliments the muscle of its material. Furthermore, Dickenson has assembled a band of ferocious players to bring these songs to life with striking authenticity in a series of live sessions recorded to tape. Together they create that unmistakable sound that only comes from the assembly of talented players, in a room, having a blast and what better way to flip the bird at those dark entities that inspired the album’s creation than to rage with such joy?

If Dickenson’s previous works have ventured a foot into the territory of rock and roll, Big Talk plants a large flag. It is classic like Petty, gritty like Waits. There are McCartney-esque melodies and the blues get thrown down with a certain Rolling Stones swagger, and yet Jarrod Dickenson has crafted a sound that is all his own. Big Talk sounds for all the world like a man who has found his groove. Get the record, see a show, but just do not piss him off.

Big Talk track list:
1. Buckle Under Pressure
2. Born To Wander
3. Home Again (feat. Oliver Wood & Jano Rix)
4. Prefer To Lose
5. Bamboozled
6. With Any Luck
7. If You’re Looking
8. Long Hard Look
9. Don’t Deprive Me
10. Goodnight

Big Country Organic Brewing Co launches organic beer line

Big Country Organic Brewing Co launches three new beers in 2023 beginning in April. Photo: Big Country Organic Brewing Co., used with permission.

Big Country® Organic Brewing Co. is growing with the launch of three new beers slated for 2023. The first to hit shelves is TexMex Lager, a bright, refreshing Mexican style lager made with organic ingredients. Beginning in April you will be able to find TexMex Lager in 6-packs of 12oz. cans at your local retailer, and on draft in restaurants and bars throughout Texas. (Big Country, 2023)

Following the launch of TexMex Lager, the journey to highlight beer styles from across our great big country will continue with the release of a West Coast style IPA and Hazy New England style IPA. Both certified Organic IPAs will be available in July.

Big Country® may be known for their Organic Hard Seltzer, but the team has been producing high quality, crushable beers since the inception of the company. The release of these beers into the market is bringing Big Country’s dedication to organic production to the craft beer community so everyone can enjoy what was previously only available to visitors of the Austin brewery.

“We love craft beer just as much as we love the craft seltzer we introduced in 2021. We have an outstanding and very capable brew team, we have a certified organic production facility, and we have a dedication to making world class organic beverages for adults. There are a lot of great craft beers in the market, but there aren’t enough of them meeting the high standards to qualify as organic. We want to change that.” – Bill Gillies, Founder and CEO of Big Country

There will be a launch party at Big Country® Organic Brewing Co. on Friday, April 7 from 4p.m. – 8p.m. with live music, new food truck menu items, giveaways and more. Big Country® will be a main sponsor at the inaugural Wild West Brew Fest Pflugerville on Saturday, April 8 from 3p.m. – 9p.m., and will be sampling the TexMex Lager along with several limited release brews.

Big Country® Organic Brewing Co. beer and hard seltzer is currently available for purchase and shipment in 32 states via their online store (valid ID required, 21+ only). Big Country® is distributed statewide in Texas through Ben E. Keith Beverages, and launching statewide April 2023 in Colorado through Colorado Craft Distributors. Big Country® is available in major retailers including Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, H-E-B, and Total Wine & More.

Big Country® Organic Brewing Co. is the currently the only operating certified Organic brewery in Texas. Big Country® prides themselves in becoming pioneers in the organic movement in the alcohol industry and carries three of the most distinctive and well-respected certifications in the food & beverage industry — USDA Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, and Fair Trade Certified. They first entered the craft beverage market with Big Country® Organic Hard Seltzer in the spring of 2021 becoming the first and only Fair Trade Certified™ libation of its kind in the US.

Their Fair Trade commitment means that every can puts fair wages directly into the hands that harvested its ingredients. It also ensures farmers work in safe conditions, protect the environment, build sustainable livelihoods, and earn additional money to empower and uplift their communities. Big Country® fair trade purchases have sent over $91k to the farmers since they started.

New album release: Home Is Where The Heart Is – Davisson Brothers Band

Home Is Where The Heart Is will be released April 28, 2023. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

The Davisson Brothers Band is a genre-blurring mountain rock band formed in Clarksburg, West Virginia, by Chris and Donnie Davisson. Along with nephew Gerrod Bee and lifelong family friend Aaron Regester, the band has created a uniquely authentic Appalachian country sound which has helped them grow into one of the most successful independent acts in the world. Since their founding in 2006, the band has recorded three albums, been celebrated as a Highway Find on Sirius XM, charted on country radio with “Foot Stompin’,” and scored a hit song in Australia with “Po’ Boyz”—while also earning a dedicated following in the Jam Band/Bluegrass scene and standing shoulder to shoulder with mainstream country stars at festivals like CMC Rocks (Australia) and the Carolina Country Fest (USA). Their new album, Home Is Where the Heart Is, will be out April 28, 2023. (IVPR, 2023)

When it came down to telling the story of their home and exactly what it means to them, the Davisson Brothers Band took pride in not only correcting any misunderstandings but painting a true and downright fun picture of everything from their humble mountain roots to their present rock and roll reality. Their upcoming album Home Is Where The Heart Is does just that, pulling twelve tracks straight from the Davisson Brothers’ world and wrapping them in their most authentic sound to date. Created like a declaration of musical independence—a national anthem for the Appalachian way of life—Home Is Where The Heart Is is the masterpiece the band has worked toward their whole career, and after working hard to earn the respect of their peers, it was not done alone.

Produced by wildly popular songwriter and recording artist Brent Cobb and Nashville’s legendary recording studio character David “Ferg” Ferguson, Home Is Where The Heart Is finds Davisson Brothers Band—brothers Chris and Donnie Davisson on lead guitar and lead vocals, respectively, their nephew Gerrod Bee on bass and life-long family friend Aaron Regester on drums—joined in the studio by bluegrass and jam-band royalty to help round out their “mountain rock” sound.

Taste of Country premiered the music video for “Mountain High,” the Davisson Brothers’ first single from Home Is Where The Heart Is. The video finds the Davissons, band, and extended family and friends at home in the mountains of West Virginia singing along with the songs fiddle-ridden refrain: “We get down on a mountain high / It’s where we’re from, it’s where we’ll die.”

Fans can watch the “Mountain High” video, stream or purchase “Mountain High” here, and pre-order or pre-save Home Is Where The Heart Is ahead of its April 28 release on Rollin’ The Dice Records.

Home Is Where The Heart Is track list:
Home
Mountain High
Appalachian Breeze
Eastern Kentucky
Wild and Wonderful
Cross My Heart
John Deere Tractor
Long Hard Road
She Ain’t Coming Back
Life On Fire
I’m Good With It
Morningstar

Catch Davisson Brothers Band on tour:
April 15 – Boonsboro, MD – Dirty Boots Country Fest 2023
May 6 – Saint Marys, WV – St. Marys High School
June 16 – Kannapolis, NC – Swanee Theater
June 17 – Saint Albans, WV – YakFest 2023
August 1 – Petersburg, WV – Tri-County Fair
August 4- Ravenswood, WV – Ohio River Festival
August 10 – Mannington, WV – Mannington District Fair Association
August 11 – Davis, WV – Canaan Valley Resort & Conference Center
September 2 – Webster Springs, WV – Bergoo Bash 2023

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New book release: ‘Self Care for Black Women’ by Layla Moon

‘Self Care for Black Women: A Powerful Mental Health Workbook to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Boost Self-Esteem, and Love Yourself’ is five books in one. Photo: Amazon

Layla Moon is a full-timer writer, spiritual practitioner, and a coach living in Brooklyn, NY. She struggled with poverty, as well as toxic relationships within families and partners throughout her life. In her mid-20s, she started seriously practicing the law of attraction, hoodoo magic, and other spiritual practices. Over the next 7 years, she would go onto successfully manifesting her dream life; a life filled with happiness, a loving partner, and a fulfilling career in writing and coaching. She now teaches others how to do the same through her books. When not writing, you can find her spending time with her family, practicing yoga, and discovering new books to read. Her new book “Self Care for Black Women: A Powerful Mental Health Workbook to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Boost Self Esteem, and Love Yourself” is a collection of five essential books for black women looking to prioritize their mental, spiritual, and emotional well-being. (Layla Moon, 2023)

 **  For a limited time, from April 1 through April 9, this title will be available for .99 **

“Self Care for Black Women: A Powerful Mental Health Workbook to Quiet Your Inner Critic, Boost Self Esteem, and Love Yourself”

This compilation book includes:

  1. “Emotional Self Care for Black Women: A Powerful Mental Health Workbook to Silence Your Inner Critic, Raise Your Self-Esteem, And Heal Yourself”
  2. “Spiritual Self Care for Black Women: A Powerful, Holistic Workbook to Radically Love Yourself and Heal Your Mind, Body, & Soul”
  3. “365 Powerful Positive Affirmations for Black Women: Reprogram Your Mind to Boost Confidence, Self-Esteem, Attract Success, Money, Health, and Love”
  4. “365 Badass Positive Affirmations for Strong Black Women: For BIPOC Women to Overcome Negative Thinking, Increase Confidence, and Self-Love”
  5. “One Year Self-Discovery Journal for Black Women: 365 Eye-Opening Questions to Discover Your Self, Raise Self-Esteem, and Embrace Your True Beauty”

Not only do these books provide useful knowledge and inspiration, but also come with a journal to record your own self-care journey. Each book has been chosen with care to provide black women a comprehensive picture of self-care, encompassing subjects like physical health, emotional health, mental wellbeing, and the importance of sisterhood and community.

After reading these books, you will acquire the skills and information necessary to take charge of your own mental health and develop a self-care strategy that works for you. This box set is the ideal resource whether you are trying to develop your practice or are just beginning your self-care journey.

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New book release: ‘The Family Bones’ by Elle Marr

‘The Family Bones’ is the new suspense thriller from Elle Marr. Photo: Amazon

Elle Marr is the #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author of “Strangers We Know,” “Lies We Bury,” and “The Missing Sister.” Originally from Sacramento, she graduated from UC San Diego before moving to France, where she earned a master’s degree from the Sorbonne University in Paris. In her terrifying new novel “The Family Bones,” a young woman plunges into her family’s shadowy legacy. (Amazon, 2023)

“The Family Bones” – What makes a psychopath? Psychology student Olivia Eriksen’s family is notorious among true-crime buffs. Faced with a legacy of psychopathy that spans generations, Olivia has spent much of her academic life trying to answer one chilling question: Nature or nurture? Although she has kept a safe distance from her blood relatives for years, Olivia agrees to attend a weekend reunion. After all, her fiancé is eager to meet his future in-laws, and the gathering may give her a chance to interview her elusive grandfather about the family traits.

But nothing is ever peaceful among the Eriksens for long. Olivia’s favorite cousin is found dead in a nearby lake. Then another family member disappears. As a violent storm isolates the group further, Olivia’s fears rise faster than the river and an uninvited guest is about to join the party. True-crime podcaster Birdie Tan has uncovered a disturbing mystery in her latest investigation—and she is following it right to the Eriksens’ mountain resort. There is a deadly twist in the family plot that even Olivia does not see coming.

New book release: ‘Into The Fog of Charon’ by Mark Pennell

‘Into The Fog of Charon’ is Mark Pennell’s debut historical fiction novel. Photo: Mark Pennell, used with permission.

Mark Pennell is a native of North Carolina with deep family roots that date back to the 1700s. He is an avid reader of US history, the works of Edger Allen Poe, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Ann Rice, and a fan of the drawings from the morbid mind of Charles Addams. “Into The Fog of Charon” is his debut novel, the inspiration which came to him in a dream that he had over a period of three nights back in 1986. Since life has a way of taking you down other roads, such as marriage, kids, and life in general, the manuscript laid forgotten in a box on the top self of a closet. Fast forward to May 2020 and the COVID 19 lockdown. With extra time on his hands, he searched for something to do and remembered the manuscript from all those years ago. Once he found the old composition notebook that contained the manuscript, he began to read the mere seventy-five pages when he realized that it needed a rewrite. Keeping to the original story, he worked on it off and on for a year and a half, until he was happy with the new manuscript. With the help of a dear friend who helped him with editing, he felt it was time to give it to the public. He has already started the next book in the Charon trilogy as the adventures of Jim, Danielle, Quincy, and Kim continue. “Into The Fog of Charon” is a historical fiction novel that centers around teenagers Jimmy Black and Quincy Miller. It is available through Amazon and Barnes & Noble. (Mark Pennell, 2023)

“Into The Fog of Charon” –  Eighteen-year-old Jimmy Black and his best friend Quincy Miller are the MVPs in a historic, small-town basketball game against the Lancers of Loganville in North Carolina. Their sights are set on winning the game and hanging out with friends before they head off to college in the fall. Danielle Davis and her fellow cheerleaders watch the clock tick down to the final point.

One minute they are sweating on the court, and the next, they are in a desolate world, helpless in a large-scale alien invasion. The only clues are an old CD, a newspaper article, and a mysterious letter. With the help of Kim Fox, the four friends have to think fast and work together to navigate their new reality. Will they be able to unravel the unbelievable events that took place in 1945 in time to save the world?

“So, let us not be blind to our differences—but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved. And if we cannot end our differences, at least we can help make the world safe for diversity. For, in the final analysis, our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this small planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.” – John F. Kennedy

Author Mark Pennell. Courtesy photo, used with permission.

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