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Monday mashup 2018: vol. 12

Happy Monday – we made it to the end of March, the Final Four has been established, and Easter is next Sunday.  Let’s see what’s happening in the indie world this week.

UNSIGNED ONLY OFFERS PLACEMENT CHANCE

Unsigned Only is running a special two-week promotion, “Sync Me Up,” from March 20 to April 3, 2018. This promotion is for anyone interested in learning more about what you need to know in order to get your songs into TV & Film. Three winners will be selected and given FREE access ($1000 value each) to “The Art Of The Song Pitch”, a step by step online course that shows you how to license your music successfully. For more information, or to enter your songs today, please visit: https://unsignedonly.com/
HOLLYWOOD FRINGE FESTIVAL PREPARES FOR JUNE
Just a few final deadlines for those who want to participate in this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival:
  • Registration (for those who want to be included in the printed version of the guide) must be completed by April 1.
  • Town Hall 2: Marketing will be Tuesday, April 3rd from 8-10pm at Assistance League Playhouse.
  • Print Ad purchases for this year’s guide (including artwork) are due by April 15.

LA MUSIC CRITIC AWARD WINNERS SHOWCASE

The second annual LA Music Critic Award Winners Showcase is now set for June 19 at The Mint, a world-famous venue in Los Angeles.  Among those scheduled to appear are Rusty Young, the former lead singer for the band Poco, Cindy Alexander, ROCKET, The Khourys, Great Willow, Alexis Keegan and Lexie Rose, with a very special appearance by Shira, founder of the Shira Girl stage for the Vans Warped Tour.  Watch for more details soon, but save the date.  It’s gonna be a great night of music and raising money for the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund.

NEW SINGLES

Let’s get this party going with the latest from Jackie Venson, a smooth jazz, reggae-infused beauty for her song “Don’t Lie to Me.”  This is the perfect vehicle to get your week going.

Next up is an R&B tinged tune from Christopher Giffard.  Let’s enjoy the smooth sounds of “Talk to Me.”

Our final new single today comes from Ruby Vidor, courtesy of The A&R Department.  Her song is called “Ten Days,” and we dig the acoustic simplicity of it, which allows Vidor’s incredible voice to shine.  Let us know what you think.

NEW MUSIC VIDEOS

First up is a Jimi Hendrix cover from LA Music Critic Award winner Diana Rein.  The song, “Little Wing,” was also covered by Stevie Ray Vaughan.  Let us know which version  you prefer.

Next up is another artist that readers of this blog should be familiar with – the dynamic duo of Crimson Calamity.  Here’s the video for the title track to their new album, Gypsy Heart.  We think you’ll like it 🙂

We close out this week with a video to get your body going strong.  Here is Tony Valor ft. Zuka in his video for “D’ Nah Nah (Shaky Bum Bum).”

Categories
Reviews

Danny Click returns to “Hold up the Sun”

Long time alt-country superstar Danny Click has returned with a new album, Holding up the Sun, which was released on September 18, 2015.  If you are a fan of blues-driven country rock artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Ray Vaughan or vintage rock acts like Creedence Clearwater Revival (“CCR”), then Click’s new album is a must.

For many years Click was Austin’s best kept secret, playing in the background and earning the respect of many of alt-country’s biggest superstars.  All that changed in April 2011, when Click released his album Life is a Good Place, which propelled him into the national spotlight and garnered him the recognition he so richly deserved.  The album spent more than 12 months on the charts and spawned two singles, “Wait My Turn,” which reached #1 on Nashville’s Indie World Country Chart, and “I Feel Good Today,” which topped out at #14 on the New Music Weekly national Country chart along side such greats as Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert and Taylor Swift.

Click’s new album, Holding up the Sun, reinforces the fact that Click is one of the best alt-country artists of this century.

“Broken,” the first track on the disk, pays homage to CCR and sets the tone for the rest of the album.  From the first notes of guitar, to the Bruce Hornsby-like piano to his John Foggerty-esque voice, Click’s first track brings the promise of greatness that infuses this new album with a breath of fresh air that is so needed on alt-country radio today.

The trend continues with the second track, “When You Cry,” which also brings forth those amazing lyrics that Click has become known for, and reminds this reviewer of another legend, Dwight Yokum.

Track three, “Eva Jane,” with its exquisite acoustic guitar background, is a haunting song with a sound similar to Tom Petty’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane.”  It’s wailing guitar riffs and those background vocals make this one of the most memorable tracks on the album.

I could go on and on about each and every track on this CD.  Trust me when I say that every single one is amazing, making this album one of the absolute best of 2015.  The title track, a beautiful ballad sung as a duet, especially demonstrates this fact, with lyrics you can sink your teeth into, two amazing voices and an acoustical soundtrack that while easy on the ears also gets the toes a-tapping.

Some of the credit for this amazing album definitely lies in its production by legendary producer Jim Scott (Tom Petty, Rolling Stones, Wilco, Lucinda Williams, among others).  Scott has created a tight sound that will stay with you long after the last notes of “After All,” the final track on the album, have ended.

Click, now a resident of the San Francisco Bay area, has built a large and passionate fan base that includes musical greats Carlos Santana and Elvin Bishop, both of whom have joined him on stage for impromptu jams.  With his band, The Hell Yeahs, Click has played more than 200 sold out shows over the past two years, including opening slots for such legends as Taj Mahal, Cake, Robert Plant, Mavis Staples, Sonny Landreth and JJ Cale.

In 2014, Click became a regular guest at Grateful Dead legend Phil Lesh’s club, Terrapin Crossroads, which led to the recording of Danny Click & the Hell Yeahs! – Captured LIVE.

Check out Holding Up the Sun – I guarantee it will make you a fan.  And also check out his website and Facebook pages, as well as follow him on Twitter to learn more about this amazing talent.   You should also check out his video for “Baptize me Over Elvis Presley’s Grave” on YouTube.

Thanks to Jen Lyneis of Ue3 Promotions for the background information.