Michael J. Media
June 2013 Newsletter

Contact:
Mike Farley
608-848-9707
mike@michaeljmedia.com

Matt Kelly
312-882-1392
matt@michaeljmedia.com

www.michaeljmedia.com
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Twitter: @MadisonGman

Hey folks! You may or may not have noticed that there was no newsletter in May, which was due to several factors. We were busier than usual, and I thought to myself, how important is it really to produce a newsletter of company happenings each month? And while I’m pretty sure that no one noticed more than I did, the fact remains that I noticed several times during the month. I use this newsletter to tell people in somewhat condensed format what we’re working on at a particular time. It’s the front page of our website. It’s a sales pitch for future client leads. But most of all, it’s a way to keep industry contacts and music lovers abreast of the new releases and tours we’re working.

And there was a message in here—that cutting corners and not making time to do basic yet fundamentally important things like creating a monthly newsletter can come back to have a negative effect. Well, mostly on ourselves – because we’re usually the ones who notice that we took the easy way out more than anyone else.

Meanwhile, if you are still reading, I’d like to show you what is happening at Michael J. Media these days…

Oh, but first, I’d like to welcome Matt Kelly to the MJM team. Matt has primarily worked as an artist manager until now, but he has a keen marketing sense and ear for music that make him a great publicist as well. Matt has been working with Burning River Ramblers, Drew Schofield, Shannon LaBrie and Jeff Campbell and will be the lead publicist on several other MJM projects this summer. Welcome aboard, Matt!

May/June New Clients

Concord Music Group—We’re proud to be doing tour press for several artists under the Concord Music Group umbrella—Al Jarreau, Arturo Sandoval, Boney James, BWB, Earl Klugh, Esperanza Spalding, Fourplay, Gerald Clayton, Hiromi, Kendrick Scott, Kurt Elling, Lee Ritenour, Marcus Miller, Michael Feinstein, Otis Taylor, Patricia Barber, Shemekia Copeland, Spencer Day, Steve Tyrell, The Slide Brothers, Trampled Under Foot and True Blues. Many of them are touring or will be touring to support new releases, so check them out at Concord Music’s website. www.concordmusicgroup.com

Watermelon Slim-- Legendary singer-songwriter Watermelon Slim’s 12th album Bull Goose Rooster, set for release on NorthernBlues Music on June 25, is an expansive masterpiece that stretches his deep blues-based roots in a multitude of directions. Buoyed by the powerful sound of his reunited veteran touring and recording band the Workers, Slim delves into the worlds of Chicago, Delta and Hill country blues, country, rock and folk. And they bristle with Slim’s sheer artistic command of all of those genres. www.watermelonslim.com

David Newbould-- It took two years, twelve tracks, and a 850-mile move from Austin to Nashville for David Newbould to create his latest album, Tennessee. A collection of Americana songs that split the difference between Bob Dylan’s heartland poetry, Bruce Springsteen’s blue-collar anthems, and Neil Young’s rootsy folk, Tennessee feels like a travelogue -- a musical journal written by a singer/songwriter who grew up in Toronto, relocated to New York, and logged several years in Texas before settling in Music City. www.davidnewbould.com

Folk Soul Revival-- Folk Soul Revival is a harmony drenched, boot-stomping, rowdy, rootsy Americana band from the Appalachian mountain region of Virginia/Tennessee. FSR recently released their third album, Prompting the Dapperness, a return to the formula that has continued to make the band so endearing- strong songwriting, sing along melodies, impassioned vocals and most of all honest music that resonates deep within the listener. www.folksoulrevival.com

Drew Schofield—This Bay area singer/songwriter’s tunes are an acoustic-driven mix of folk rock with a pop sensibility that drive Drew's melodic hooks to the forefront of the listener's attention. Soon after his most recent album, Away We Go, was released, Drew was hand picked by Grammy Award winning producer John Shanks as a top 10 finalist out of 12,000+ entrants in Guitar Center's Singer Songwriter 2 nation-wide competition. www.drewschofieldmusic.com

Rob Nance--Growing up on a steady diet of musical influences in North Carolina that ranged from Doc Watson to Neil Young, Rob Nance now writes songs that echo the traditions of southern and contemporary folk music. His new album, Lost Souls and Locked Doors, is being released June 11 and Nance is planning to tour in support for the next few months. www.robnance.com

Max Dvorak--Max Dvorak is a 17-year old singer/songwriter based in Madison, Wisconsin, and he is influenced by the likes of Dave Matthews, Tom Petty, Tyler Hilton, Bruce Cockburn, Into it Over It, Koji, among others. Max is currently touring regionally in support of his full length debut, Home. www.maxdvorakmusic.com

Upcoming Releases

Burning River Ramblers To Color a Fool (July 2) www.brramblers.com

Recent Releases

David Mayfield Parade Good Man Down www.davidmayfieldparade.com
Poco All Fired Up www.poconut.org
Paper Bird Rooms www.paperbirdband.com
Ed Roland and the Sweet Tea Project Devils ‘n’ Darlins www.thesweetteaproject.com
Mustered Courage Powerlines www.musteredcourage.com
Dan Miraldi The Freewheelin’ EP www.danmiraldi.com
Second Wind Eudora www.facebook.com/secondwind30
Breaking Laces Come Get Some www.breakinglaces.com
The Nadas Lovejoy Revival www.thenadas.com

Other News

Following the release of what is being hailed as its breakthrough album, Rooms (March 26), Denver based indie folk collective Paper Bird has announced two shows this summer at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The first will take place on June 14, with Paper Bird supporting Devotchka (headliner) and Amanda Palmer, the latter two of which will be performing along with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. www.paperbirdband.com

Twin Cities based singer, songwriter and performing musician Tim Mahoney knows firsthand what it’s like to prepare for auditioning for reality TV shows (INXS: Rock Star, and The Voice). His most recent album, Shine Through, includes a track that Mahoney released as a single in 2011, “Hey Adam Levine,” a song about his experience on The Voice. Now Mahoney is blazing a new trail – by teaching a course at the MacPhail School of Music in Minneapolis called, “Nailed it! How to Audition for The Voice and other Vocal Competitions.” The first class was May 5 and there are others in the works. www.timmahoney.com

Legendary country rock band Poco performed this past weekend at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and Pure Prairie League will be playing at the Opry as well June 14 & 15. www.poconut.org or www.pureprairieleague.com

Red Wanting Blue, After a mighty successful national breakout in 2012, Columbus rock band Red Wanting Blue is now hard at work on the follow-up to From The Vanishing Point. The band is wrapping up the recording of their new album, which will once again be released by Fanatic Records, distributed by Caroline/Capitol. Music Group which is now part of the Universal Music family. No release date has been scheduled. The band is also performing at the Sound of Music Festival in Canada this month. www.redwantingblue.com

Speaking of The Voice, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band (NGDB) was honored by The Swon Brothers’ performance of one of their classic hits, “Fishin’ in the Dark,” recently on the show, and classified it as a “job well done.” These iconic sages of country rock, still on the road and in their 47th year, are known for their music that has kept them relevant and drawing people internationally throughout their incredible and durable career. www.nittygritty.com

Singer/Songwriter Jeff Campbell shared the stage last month with seven time Grammy Award winner John Mayer for an intimate performance at The Hotel Utah Saloon in San Francisco’s SoMa district. The pair accompanied each other on their respective songs to the surprise of onlookers in attendance of the monthly concert series “Songwriters in the Round.” www.jeffcampbellmusic.com

JP Harris What'll happen when honky tonk heroes J.P. Harris and Joe Fletcher get in a van with one drummer, one bassist, and one guitarist? The Highway Roulette, a tour this month, is all about spinning the wheel and seeing where the night takes them. You'll do the dancing and drinking and, more than likely, the calling in sick the next day. www.ilovehonkytonk.com

War Poets—Minneapolis band War Poets is making their first run of West coast tour dates early this month with stops in Los Angeles and San Francisco. www.warpoets.net

On Tour Now

Desert Rose Band www.chrishillman.com/desertroseband
John Oates www.johnoates.com
Brian Lisik www.brianlisik.com
Cash'd Out (Johnny Cash Tribute) www.cashdout.com
Pure Prairie League www.pureprairieleague.com
The Whiskey Gentry www.thewhiskeygentry.com
Badfish, a Tribute to Sublime www.badfish.com
Scott Don’t (original project of Badfish members) www.scottydont.com
The Speedbumps www.thespeedbumps.com

The Companies We Represent

Bullz-Eye.com: With reviews, original entertainment features, sports, commentary, men's fitness advice, humor and blogs covering a wide range of topics, Bullz-Eye.com is one of the premier online entertainment magazines for men. Bullz-Eye.com/Black Mountain Publishing also publishes several blogs including Premium Hollywood, The Scores Report and Mikey's Kitchen. www.bullz-eye.com

Blogs and Writing Contributions

Mikey's Kitchen

Progressives Punch Back

Just Another Autism Blog