Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Friday, March 7, 2014
Sales of recreational vehicles of all kinds are in a resurgence
RVs see a comeback as boomers settle down
Sales of recreational vehicles of all kinds are in a resurgence, and that's great news for Winnebago, Harley-Davidson and others.
By Benzinga 2 hours ago
By Jim Probasco
It may be a perfect storm of sorts -- a growing economy and the fact that more baby boomers are retiring and heading for the great outdoors -- but the net result is a resurgence in recreational vehicle sales of all kinds.
From towable campers to motor homes, fishing boats to pontoons, jet skis to snowmobiles, the recreational vehicle industry did very well last year.
Even some vehicles not normally tied to the RV industry, like pickup trucks and motorcycles, saw increased sales.
Tom Walworth, president of research companyStatistical Surveys, told Bloomberg that the total for all new RV units sold in 2013 rose 11 percent from the preceding year and that sales could top 335,000 in 2014, the highest sales figures in six years. "All things are a go for the RV industry again," he added.
Winners include Thor Industries (THO +0.99%), maker of Airstream and Dutchmen recreational vehicles, two of the premier names in the business.
Another beneficiary of RV resurgence was Winnebago (WGO +1.25%), best known for its motor homes.
In addition, because sales of new RVs have been depressed for the past several years, there's a shortage of late-model used vehicles and trailers on dealer lots. As a result, says Winnebago CEO, Randy Potts, many buyers have been seeking out less-expensive new options.
Most companies have been working to increase selection among lower-priced models. For companies like Winnebago that means more choices in the Minnie Winnie and Sunstar lines.
CNNMoney pointed to some additional segments of the RV economy that have benefited as well. One area is male leisure, including snowmobiles, jet skis, motorcycles, dirt bikes and other manly vehicles, including pickup trucks. All this is good news for Ford (F -0.64%), General Motors (GM +0.11%) and Harley-Davidson (HOG +0.37%), to name a few.
Another company poised to benefit is Polaris, which specializes in dirt bikes, snowmobiles and other small vehicles.
On the water, a projected increase of five to seven percent in sales spells good news for companies like Malibu Boats, while outdoor specialists such as Dick's Sporting Goods (DKS -0.11%) and Cabela's (CAB +0.59%) could see a bump as well.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Katie Knipp
Katie Knipp is a singer/songwriter who has as released four studio albums, a DVD and has played hundreds of venues throughout California. Her genre(s) of choice include blues and Americana and has performed in several formats, as a solo artist and with a band.
Katie is constantly is the public eye spreading her beautiful music with audiences worldwide. Some of her talents include her incredibility powerful voice, piano, guitar, dobro, harmonica and her innate ability to write some truly down home songs that make you smile and dance.
Katie Knipp latest release “Midnight Mind” contains a true array of songs that capture her adult contemporary sound filled with catchy melodies and masterful deliveries. One example is her single “Time”. This song will leave audiences with a memorable tale and a melody they’ll keep humming.
Accomplishments and accolades include:
• Labeled one of the best female musicians in Sacramento by CBS local
• Readers of The Northbay Bohemian voted her band “Number One Band in Marin County” for two consecutive years
• Has opened for The Doobie Brothers, Tim Reynolds (The Dave Mathews Band) and Tommy Castro
• Was backup singer for Barry Manilow
Upcoming performances are:
2/21 Winters Tavern, Pacifica, Ca.
3/22 VH1 Save the Music Benefit, Silos, Napa, Ca.
4/19 Harlow’s, Sacramento, Ca.
5/3 Kentucky Derby Festival, Fiddletown, Ca.
9/27 Nor Cal Women’s Music Festival, Modesto, Ca.
You can listen to and/or purchase her music by logging onto:
www.katieknipp.com
Katie Knipp is currently working with RAG based out of Beverly Hills, Ca. for licensing, a record deal, publishing and/or placement opportunities. They can be reached at 323-924-5897
Katie is constantly is the public eye spreading her beautiful music with audiences worldwide. Some of her talents include her incredibility powerful voice, piano, guitar, dobro, harmonica and her innate ability to write some truly down home songs that make you smile and dance.
Katie Knipp latest release “Midnight Mind” contains a true array of songs that capture her adult contemporary sound filled with catchy melodies and masterful deliveries. One example is her single “Time”. This song will leave audiences with a memorable tale and a melody they’ll keep humming.
Accomplishments and accolades include:
• Labeled one of the best female musicians in Sacramento by CBS local
• Readers of The Northbay Bohemian voted her band “Number One Band in Marin County” for two consecutive years
• Has opened for The Doobie Brothers, Tim Reynolds (The Dave Mathews Band) and Tommy Castro
• Was backup singer for Barry Manilow
Upcoming performances are:
2/21 Winters Tavern, Pacifica, Ca.
3/22 VH1 Save the Music Benefit, Silos, Napa, Ca.
4/19 Harlow’s, Sacramento, Ca.
5/3 Kentucky Derby Festival, Fiddletown, Ca.
9/27 Nor Cal Women’s Music Festival, Modesto, Ca.
You can listen to and/or purchase her music by logging onto:
www.katieknipp.com
Katie Knipp is currently working with RAG based out of Beverly Hills, Ca. for licensing, a record deal, publishing and/or placement opportunities. They can be reached at 323-924-5897
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Introducing Rusty Ford
Introducing Rusty Ford
Rusty Ford is a Canadian singer songwriter based in Vancouver, BC. Drawing on the wit and straightforward musicality of John Prine and Stompin Tom Conners, his music is a satirical salute to classic country music with a saucy slant.
His self-produced debut CD “My Truck, My Dog and You” is being released later this year. Backed up by some of the best musical talent in eastern Canada, these tunes include titles like "I Hate Every Bone in Your Body Except Mine", and "I Miss You But My Aim's Improving".
Rusty has shared the stage with talented acts like Luther Wright, Po Girl, Birds of Chicago, Awna Teixeira, Sarah McDougall, Chris Brown, and Dan Whitley. This year he took his unique show from The Black Sheep in Wakefield Quebec and the North Country Fair in Alberta.
With a twinkle in his eye and a classic honky tonk suit, Rusty is aiming his tunes straight for your heart, ricocheting off your funny bone. If you want a scenic detour from the musical mainstream.
Rusty can give you a ride. www.rustyfordmusic.com - rusty@rustyfordmusic.com
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Merrell Fankhauser and the Glenn Records Archives
merrell@merrellfankhauser.com
Kenny
The Ken Smith tape has 2 songs "Fascination"(I think that's the title? Kinda R & B) and "Long Time Comin" . Good band and fairly decent sound! Was this when you were playing bass?
I've gone thru one box today, whats written on the box isn't always whats on the tape!
I found two more of my unreleased songs from around 64 or 65 ? Two more boxes to go... Its long and tedious and splices break and I have to constantly clean the heads! Glen wasn't good about cataloging the Artist & Song!
Best,
Merrell
-----Original Message-----
On Saturday, February 15, 2014 2:11 PM, "merrell@merrellfankhauser.com" <merrell@merrellfankhauser.com> wrote:
Kenny
This is amazing.... Carla Weston was here for 3 days with 2 boxes of tapes she picked up from Glen's son in Rosamond, and to my surprise I just opened one of the boxes and it was labeled "Ken Smith" ! Was this something you recorded at his studio? I haven't had a chance to listen to it yet. Its a long tedious process as I have to hand clean all the desert dirt off the tapes by hand before I run them over the heads! Will let you know what I find.
Best Regards,
Merrell
Merrell,
It's problem an all vocal demo with Lenny and Larry Hazlett and myself when I was a freshman at AVHS. I remember us justing testing the microphones. Nothing to keep. But it would be something for the archives - k
From: Kenneth Howard Smith [mailto:khsmith@rocketmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 09:56 PM
To: merrell@merrellfankhauser.com
Subject: Re: Your tape found in Glenn Archives!
Merrell,
Come to think about it. It's a great find. . . Lenny is dead from a heart condition about 12 years ago, and Larry is on Deathrow for killing the Rosamond Beauty queen in 1975. This could be something really big for the newspapers, etc. -k
Merrell, that was in my bass playing days. the name of the group -- who knows --it would be something to listen to again. i did several sessions with glen and brought in several bands for recording too. song titles? i will have to listen to them to refresh my old memory. --k
Kenny
I was really surprised when I found your tape! Finding all this stuff after 50 years is really nostalgic for me, and I never know what will come up next in between a bunch of country songs.. That's the problem Glen didn't clearly log everything on the box, so you really don't know exactly whats hidden on the tapes! Like I said its long and tedious as all the splices break, I have to re splice and keep cleaning the heads and tape, lots of desert dust on them! I'm surprised they still play!
After I've gone thru all three big boxes of tapes and I have a chance I will burn you a CD of your songs and give you the master 2 track when I see you in July. I also found 8 songs by "The Pentagram" & some by "Chapter 17". Also the mother 45 stampers for "Tomorrows Girl" & "Sorry For Yourself" and the 4 track masters of "Fapardokly" songs recorded at Gary Paxton's studio in Hollywood!
All My Best,
Merrell
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Monday, February 17, 2014
Natalie Chapman
Natalie Chapman – Independent, Beautiful and Superlatively Talented An independent spirit, all-rounder, musician and actor, Natalie Chapman has achieved more in her relatively short time on our planet than most people do in a lifetime. Her beauty and vivacious approach to life is only matched by her breath-taking talent.
When listening to her vocals, you might get the feeling that you have discovered a delightful sonic recipe: Take a little bit of Melissa Etheridge, mix in a blend of Sheryl Crow and Adele, add a dollop of Nina Simone and sprinkle with a dash of Joni Mitchell. And voila! You are close to recreating her distinctive voice.
Natalie has always been an entertainer. Growing up, she was exposed to the likes of Kenny Rogers, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors, Tracy Chapman, Pavarotti and Eric Clapton. Her love for an eclectic range of artists bolstered Natalie’s interest in music and ignited her talents.
She took an active interest in theatre, music and dance and spent her childhood honing her skills in all three arenas racking up a performance CV longer than most veterans could ever dream of, all before she even finished high school. Natalie is a proud graduate of the Waterfront Theatre School where she qualified with an LTCL and completed her performance diplomas in ballet, jazz, tap, singing and drama.
Natalie proceeded to work continuously on stage – as a triple threat. But, being the consummate artist she is, an adventurous streak is par for the course and her wanderlust started calling. She jetted off to London and ended up living there for four years, where she continued developing her song writing skills, and worked in various jobs from independent filmmaking to public busking in between her extensive travels through Europe.
While in London, Natalie completed the much acclaimed Raindance Scriptwriters Course and began writing film scripts and plays. Filmmaking had become a passion for her and would be a big part of her life for many years. After leaving London she embarked on an epic back packing trip through Africa making her way down to South Africa and finally home to The Mother City where she reintroduced herself to the local entertainment world. Over the next few years Natalie produced and directed various short films and documentaries.
Being an intrepid entrepreneur, she also worked in Production on local and international television commercials to earn the money that supported the financing of her debut album. During this time, she started doing live gigs with her five-piece band in and around Cape Town and performed at Opium Club, Independent Armchair Theatre, V&A Waterfront, Obz Café, Acoustic Café, Kennedy’s and many more.
She performed with a variety of local musicians include Steve Newman, the legendary Tina Schouw and Ezra of Pop Idols fame. Three years of fundraising and hard work paid off and Natalie received great response to her original blend of Acoustic, Folk /Pop/ Rock sound. Her hit single "Are You Coming Home?" broke all expectations by industry standards, when reaching No. 2 on OFM's Top 20 hit list.
The response from the public was immediate and her fan base began to grow around the country. She was placed on high frequency play lists on top radio stations like Highveld, Jacaranda and Algoa FM. Riding high on the success of her single, and with her debut album launch approaching, Natalie decided to head for the bright lights of Jozi in April, 2006. Her long awaited debut album, Between the Lines was released in October 2007 and Natalie wrote 80 % of the material on the album herself.
Three of the tracks on the album were play-listed in the UK and Dubai and Natalie endeared herself to a throng of fans. In 2008, Natalie returned to stage, as leading lady in the musical The Full Monty. She also completed a one year contract on Scandal (etv) as detective inspector, Janine Meyer, before taking part in the Award winning play ‘Rivonia Trial’, which won the cast three Naledi Awards in 2012.
Natalie is also a very successful voice over artist working for a multitude of major brands and hosts her own Radio Show The Local Element on Radio Today, which has a strong focus on local talent. She has lectured at Damelin and COPA and is currently running Music Business workshops around the country. She has also produced The Eric Clapton “Slowhand” Tribute Show which showcases the life and music of the Legend: Eric Clapton, which has had sell out performances at theatres across the country.
Chapman is also an avid promoter of South African Music and Blues in particular. She is the Marketing and PR person for The South African Blues Society. Natalie has shared the same stage with industry greats such as Arno Carstens, Dan Patlansky, Josie Field, Albert Frost, Southern Gypsey Queen, Piet Botha, Heinz Winckler, Tony Cox, Jason Glover, Gerald Clark, Boulevard Blues Band and Ezra and has performed at Oppikoppi, Vodacom Summer Festival, Kirstenbosch Gardens, STRAB, White Mountain Folk Festival and Splashy Fen Music Festival.
Having been seasoned with wisdom and enriched by years of live performance, Natalie has returned to independence. After trial and error with her record label, she has now produced her 2nd album “Truth Sessions” which was released on 28th Nov 2013 independently. Although this was a more difficult route, the album features Top SA Musicians Karen Zoid, Dan Patlansky, Graeme Currie, Albert Frost, Henry Steel, Raoul Roux, Johnny Late, Emile Swiegers, Andy Maritz, Wynand Davel, Sean V, Stephen Aiken and more... A blend of Modern Country/Blues/Rock this is Natalie Chapman at her best!
Natalie will be taking her music and talent to America where she will tour just as soon as she can beg borrow or steal the money for the flight. The response to the album from American radio stations and producers has given her the confidence to embark on this incredible journey. Natalie Chapman is a remarkable talent and a remarkable woman. Her fortitude and entrepreneurial independence are the perfect complement to an all round rock and roll package. Her sizzling looks, powerful presence and rocking tunes are the ideal tools to make her shine – like the world-class star that she is.
Natalie Chapman’s Online Links:www.facebook.com/nataliechapmanfanpagewww.twitter.com/chapmannatalie www.reverbnation.com/nataliechapmanwww.myspace.com/musicnataliechapman
When listening to her vocals, you might get the feeling that you have discovered a delightful sonic recipe: Take a little bit of Melissa Etheridge, mix in a blend of Sheryl Crow and Adele, add a dollop of Nina Simone and sprinkle with a dash of Joni Mitchell. And voila! You are close to recreating her distinctive voice.
Natalie has always been an entertainer. Growing up, she was exposed to the likes of Kenny Rogers, Pink Floyd, Simon and Garfunkel, The Doors, Tracy Chapman, Pavarotti and Eric Clapton. Her love for an eclectic range of artists bolstered Natalie’s interest in music and ignited her talents.
She took an active interest in theatre, music and dance and spent her childhood honing her skills in all three arenas racking up a performance CV longer than most veterans could ever dream of, all before she even finished high school. Natalie is a proud graduate of the Waterfront Theatre School where she qualified with an LTCL and completed her performance diplomas in ballet, jazz, tap, singing and drama.
Natalie proceeded to work continuously on stage – as a triple threat. But, being the consummate artist she is, an adventurous streak is par for the course and her wanderlust started calling. She jetted off to London and ended up living there for four years, where she continued developing her song writing skills, and worked in various jobs from independent filmmaking to public busking in between her extensive travels through Europe.
While in London, Natalie completed the much acclaimed Raindance Scriptwriters Course and began writing film scripts and plays. Filmmaking had become a passion for her and would be a big part of her life for many years. After leaving London she embarked on an epic back packing trip through Africa making her way down to South Africa and finally home to The Mother City where she reintroduced herself to the local entertainment world. Over the next few years Natalie produced and directed various short films and documentaries.
Being an intrepid entrepreneur, she also worked in Production on local and international television commercials to earn the money that supported the financing of her debut album. During this time, she started doing live gigs with her five-piece band in and around Cape Town and performed at Opium Club, Independent Armchair Theatre, V&A Waterfront, Obz Café, Acoustic Café, Kennedy’s and many more.
She performed with a variety of local musicians include Steve Newman, the legendary Tina Schouw and Ezra of Pop Idols fame. Three years of fundraising and hard work paid off and Natalie received great response to her original blend of Acoustic, Folk /Pop/ Rock sound. Her hit single "Are You Coming Home?" broke all expectations by industry standards, when reaching No. 2 on OFM's Top 20 hit list.
The response from the public was immediate and her fan base began to grow around the country. She was placed on high frequency play lists on top radio stations like Highveld, Jacaranda and Algoa FM. Riding high on the success of her single, and with her debut album launch approaching, Natalie decided to head for the bright lights of Jozi in April, 2006. Her long awaited debut album, Between the Lines was released in October 2007 and Natalie wrote 80 % of the material on the album herself.
Three of the tracks on the album were play-listed in the UK and Dubai and Natalie endeared herself to a throng of fans. In 2008, Natalie returned to stage, as leading lady in the musical The Full Monty. She also completed a one year contract on Scandal (etv) as detective inspector, Janine Meyer, before taking part in the Award winning play ‘Rivonia Trial’, which won the cast three Naledi Awards in 2012.
Natalie is also a very successful voice over artist working for a multitude of major brands and hosts her own Radio Show The Local Element on Radio Today, which has a strong focus on local talent. She has lectured at Damelin and COPA and is currently running Music Business workshops around the country. She has also produced The Eric Clapton “Slowhand” Tribute Show which showcases the life and music of the Legend: Eric Clapton, which has had sell out performances at theatres across the country.
Chapman is also an avid promoter of South African Music and Blues in particular. She is the Marketing and PR person for The South African Blues Society. Natalie has shared the same stage with industry greats such as Arno Carstens, Dan Patlansky, Josie Field, Albert Frost, Southern Gypsey Queen, Piet Botha, Heinz Winckler, Tony Cox, Jason Glover, Gerald Clark, Boulevard Blues Band and Ezra and has performed at Oppikoppi, Vodacom Summer Festival, Kirstenbosch Gardens, STRAB, White Mountain Folk Festival and Splashy Fen Music Festival.
Having been seasoned with wisdom and enriched by years of live performance, Natalie has returned to independence. After trial and error with her record label, she has now produced her 2nd album “Truth Sessions” which was released on 28th Nov 2013 independently. Although this was a more difficult route, the album features Top SA Musicians Karen Zoid, Dan Patlansky, Graeme Currie, Albert Frost, Henry Steel, Raoul Roux, Johnny Late, Emile Swiegers, Andy Maritz, Wynand Davel, Sean V, Stephen Aiken and more... A blend of Modern Country/Blues/Rock this is Natalie Chapman at her best!
Natalie will be taking her music and talent to America where she will tour just as soon as she can beg borrow or steal the money for the flight. The response to the album from American radio stations and producers has given her the confidence to embark on this incredible journey. Natalie Chapman is a remarkable talent and a remarkable woman. Her fortitude and entrepreneurial independence are the perfect complement to an all round rock and roll package. Her sizzling looks, powerful presence and rocking tunes are the ideal tools to make her shine – like the world-class star that she is.
Natalie Chapman’s Online Links:www.facebook.com/nataliechapmanfanpagewww.twitter.com/chapmannatalie www.reverbnation.com/nataliechapmanwww.myspace.com/musicnataliechapman
Management stephen@musikandfilm.com
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
The Voice' Winner Tessanne Chin Signs With ICM Partners
'The Voice' Winner Tessanne Chin Signs With ICM Partners (Exclusive)
Courtesy of ICM
The season five champion will release her debut album on Universal Republic Records later this year.
The Voice's reigning champion Tessanne Chin has signed with ICM Partners, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.
OUR EDITOR RECOMMENDS
The powerhouse vocalist from Adam Levine's team won season five of NBC’s hit singing competition in December. During the show, she was the only contestant to hit No. 1 on iTunes’ song chart — a feat she accomplished twice, with her semifinals cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and her finale performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Have Nothing.” Watch a video of her victory-clinching live performance below.
A frontrunner since she turned all four coaches’ chairs with her blind audition (to Pink’s “Try”), Chin is currently recording her debut album, which is due out on Universal Republic Records later this year.
She also is repped by manager Tami Chin Mitchell and attorney Sandra Brown.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Billboard Adds YouTube Plays To Chart
Billboard Adds YouTube Plays To Chart
(UPDATED) Billboard has added YouTube plays to the calculation that it uses to determined it's Hot 100 Singles Chart. The updated chart debuts this week with Baaur's "Harlem Shake" at #1 powered by a plethora of fan created videos. Without YouTube plays added to the formula, "Harlem Shake" would land somewhere closer 15 on the Hot 100.
The addition of YouTube is part of an ongoing effort by the music industry's legacy trade publication to modernize it's charts. Spotify, Rdio and other music streaming services were added last year.
"The music business today - much to its credit - has started to learn that there are lots of different ways a song can be a hit, and lots of different ways that the business can benefit from it being a hit," Billboard Editorial Director Bill Werde told the NY Times.
Given YouTube's popularity, the real question is, what took Billboard so long?
(UPDATED) Billboard has added YouTube plays to the calculation that it uses to determined it's Hot 100 Singles Chart. The updated chart debuts this week with Baaur's "Harlem Shake" at #1 powered by a plethora of fan created videos. Without YouTube plays added to the formula, "Harlem Shake" would land somewhere closer 15 on the Hot 100.
The addition of YouTube is part of an ongoing effort by the music industry's legacy trade publication to modernize it's charts. Spotify, Rdio and other music streaming services were added last year.
"The music business today - much to its credit - has started to learn that there are lots of different ways a song can be a hit, and lots of different ways that the business can benefit from it being a hit," Billboard Editorial Director Bill Werde told the NY Times.
Given YouTube's popularity, the real question is, what took Billboard so long?
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
Complete Love - Woman To Woman
Complete Love is a group that really consist of multiple artist singing about the different versions of love in the world. Each month this group makes a new song, album or EP and it's all about love. The first chosen is from one woman to another. There first album will be about same sex love. The next single is about love between white men and black women. The third EP coming this summer will be about the love a mother has for a child that she adopts. Complete love encompasses all that love is and ever could be.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
BILL PARTON TRIO
BILL PARTON TRIO RELEASE DEBUT EP
South Australian piano pop-rock band ‘Bill Parton Trio’ are very proud to have released their self titled debut EP on Friday 2nd August 2013. The EP follows the successful release of singles ‘Going Away’ and ‘Falling For You Again’ which are featured on the EP.
‘Going Away’ debuted at No.10 on Amrap AirIt’s Great Southern Charts, qualified as a semi finalist in the 2013 Unsigned Only Global Songwriting Competition and spent six weeks in the Westsidewill.com Unsigned Artist Top Ten. ‘Falling For You Again’ was featured on Home Brew Radio, made the Three D Radio Top 20+1 and won best new track on 891 ABC Adelaide.
The video clips for both singles have been nominated as finalists for the 2013 MusicOz Awards and between the two of them have accumulated over 95,000 YouTube views! The EP itself since being released has received incredibly generous amounts of community radio and street press support, has been playlisted nationally on ABC stations and charted as high has No.8 (so far) on the Three D Radio Top 20+1.
Bill Parton Trio are William Parton (Vocals & Piano), Jeremy Martin (Bass) and Andrew Partington (Drums). The band hails from the city of Adelaide, South Australia. While there is no clear box to define the trio’s unique genre and sound, the lads classify their music as ‘Piano Pop-Rock’. To paint a picture, try and imagine the simplicity and catchiness of The Beatles, combined with Coldplay-like chords and melodies, the impressionism of Jeff Buckley and Radio Head, along with a dash of the relaxed chilled-out mood and atmosphere that Zero 7 are notorious for being able to create.
Following in the footsteps of many other great established bands and artists, the trio started off by paying their dues performing on the local circuit in order to hone craft and make some cash. They boast a current performance tally of over1000 shows, appearing at over 250 different venues! Besides the usual gigs at Pubs, Clubs, Bars and Wineries, over the years Bill Parton Trio have found themselves regularly engaged to perform at Private Functions such as Conferences, Gala Dinners, Balls, Cocktail Nights, Corporate Events, Birthday Parties, Product Launches, Festivals and MANY (WAY TOO MANY) Weddings!!!
The band’s extensive festival record includes ‘Music In The Gardens’, ‘Sea & Vines’, ‘Cellar Door Sessions’, ‘Copper Cove Marina’, ‘NATUZZI’, ‘A Day On The Grass’, ‘Whitmore Square Arts Fair’, ‘Crush Festival’, ‘Hoot!’ and many more! The band has also made an appearance at the 2010 EMERGENZA World Band Competition and also qualified to the finals of the 2010 AACA National University Band Campus Competition.
The EP was recorded at Chapel Lane Studios (Adelaide) with the help of Producer Darren Mullan (The Angels, The Beards, John Swan, Russell Morris), Recording Engineer Adam Rhodes (Angus & Julia Stone, The Cat Empire, Paul Kelly, Missy Higgins), Assistant Engineer Gabriel Agostino (Lowrider, Sundance Kids, Hilltop Hoods) and was mastered at Disk-Edits Pty Ltd (Adelaide) by Neville Clark (Hilltop Hoods, Peter Combe, Levitators, Funkoars). Overseeing the A&R side of things was Matt O’Connor (Beautiful Girls, The Whitlams, Thirsty Merc).
Frontman William Parton explains… “‘The EP is the product of a heap of time, money, thought and effort. It represents common themes, simple chord progressions, catchy lyrics and tasteful melodies. We’re very proud of it and can’t wait to share it with everyone!”
To celebrate the release of the record, Bill Parton Trio hit the road to embark on a 10x show Australian national tour with Melbourne band Artist Proof and Sydney soloist Nathan Leigh Jones throughout August – September 2013. The tour provided a platform for the trio to put their dynamic, flawless and epic ‘stadium-esk’ live show on display in front of the nation. After both ‘wow-ing’ and gracing the audiences across the country with their tunes, it comes as no surprise that tour was a huge success.
Bill Parton Trio’s debut EP is available for purchase online via iTunes + all other major online digital music retailers as well as selected stores. The record is an absolute must listen for anyone who’s remotely a fan of: Coldplay, The Beatles,Keane, The Fray and Thirteen Senses.
“Undeniably charismatic…stadium-standard piano pop rock” – Inpress Magazine
“Undeniably charismatic…stadium-standard piano pop rock” – Inpress Magazine
“Full of heart, full of meaning, drenched with charisma and damn catchy.” – themusic.com.au
"It would be easy to liken Bill Parton Trio to Ben Folds Five although the trio’s work is just as impressive. Intelligently-crafted, piano-based pop is very much the order of the day on what is a very mature release.” – Music SA
“Bill Parton Trio have blown me away…This South Australian act has such a polished sound, I’m stunned…” – Sounds Of Oz
“Incredibly catchy” – Radio Adelaide
www.billpartontrio.com | www.myspace.com/billpartontrio
www.facebook.com/billpartontrio | www.twitter.com/billpartontrio
For more information, please contact:
Brian McDonald
PR Manager
P: 0418 604 844
E: brian.mcdonald@rishpublicity.com
Alex Forrest
Assistant PR Coordinator
P: 0406 401 940
E: alex.forrest@rishpublicity.com
Brian McDonald
PR Manager
P: 0418 604 844
E: brian.mcdonald@rishpublicity.com
Alex Forrest
Assistant PR Coordinator
P: 0406 401 940
E: alex.forrest@rishpublicity.com
Saturday, January 4, 2014
Sky Ferreira
Sky Ferreira: 'I have this reputation for being difficult, but 50-year-old men were telling me how to be a woman!'
Her debut album has been more than five years in the making, but now Sky Ferreira is one of the most exciting prospects of 2014. She talks about battles with her label, being arrested for drug possession and speaking out about sexual abuse
Sky Ferreira: 'I used to get nagged about combing my hair. They told me I needed more makeup.' Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian
Back when +Sky Ferreira was 15, newly signed and attempting to make it as a pop star, her record label sent her for media training. "It was at the bottom of the Capitol building, in the basement with no windows," she recalls. "They said: 'Don't talk about religion, don't talk about sex, don't talk about drugs … basically, just look pretty and smile.'"
Skip forward to 2014, and it's safe to say that some of the media training didn't quite stick. Over the course of 75 entertaining minutes in a Manhattan restaurant, the 21-year-old singer talks about religion, sex and drugs, as well as a whole load of other things they might have disapproved of down at the bottom of the Capitol building. At times it's hard to keep up with her as she skips from one story to the next, her huge parka threatening to send drinks flying each time she waves her arms or leans in to whisper something conspiratorially, as if the top-secret information she is imparting is not likely to end up in the Guardian.
Ferreira is here primarily to discuss her debut album, Night Time, My Time, which has been more than five years in the making, thanks to disagreements with the label, changes of musical direction and scrapped songs (10 albums' worth, she reckons). But there are other topics: her abusive childhood, a family friendship with Michael Jackson and the controversy that surrounded the album's artwork, for which she was photographed topless in the shower by the controversial director Gaspar Noé ("It's my body," she reasons. "I can do whatever the fuck I want with it.")
There is also her recent arrest in upstate New York, in which she and her boyfriend – Zachary Cole Smith from the band Diiv – were accused of, among other things, possessing ecstasy (her) and heroin (him). In the mugshots, Ferreira stares out of an orange jumpsuit with impossibly sad eyes.
It is hard to know quite where to start with all of this, but given that her album has a song called Nobody Asked Me (If I Was Okay), that seems an apt place. So is she OK?
"Right now I am," she says, fiddling with a vodka and tonic that lasts her the full interview. "But, like, yesterday I just got overwhelmed. Sorry if this is a bit much but I think I was PMSing or something. My bank card got lost, the shower head wasn't working …" She looks up. "But I'm never, like, super smiley. If I see people that are too happy it makes me anxious."
Anxiety, self-doubt and vulnerability are themes that run through Night Time, My Time. After years of being pushed as a more mainstream pop prospect, Ferreira's album feels very much like a personal statement, even down to the leftfield influences she has incorporated into her sound: krautrock, for instance, or the electronic thrum of Suicide. Ironically, given its protracted birth, the record was written and recorded (with Ariel Rechtshaid and Justin Raisen) in "pretty much two weeks", despite the fact her label was planning to release different material altogether.
"I do a lot of stuff behind their back," she admits. "I have to because nobody ever listens to me! I do have supporters at the label, but I still have to deal with a lot of people who are like: 'Er, I don't want to spend that money on her.'"
She rolls her eyes, then continues. "I have this reputation from 'insiders' for being difficult, but people only considered me difficult because I wouldn't just agree with everything they said. Like, 50-year-old men telling me how to be a woman! Seriously, I used to get nagged about combing my hair. They would tell me I needed more makeup and that I had circles around my eyes. I've had that since elementary school – I used to get called zombie."
Sky Ferreira performing at The Scala in London. Photograph: Gus Stewart/WireImage
Ferreira grew up in the Venice Beach area of Los Angeles, but it wasn't a conventional upbringing. She was raised primarily by her grandmother ("My parents were around, but they weren't ready for children") and developed an independent streak. Even her grandmother's job – she was a hairdresser – was far from conventional when you take into account that her employer was Michael Jackson.
"She went everywhere with him, so I was always around him and his kids," says Ferreira. "I had birthdays there, I sang gospel music for him – he was kind of my mentor, so he influenced me, but more as a friend than as Michael Jackson, the pop star." When she heard the news of Jackson's death, she says: "Everything just kinda stopped, it was the first death I'd ever experienced. But sometimes something will remind me of him and I feel a lot better."
Ferreira hated school, comparing it to jail, but she soon discovered the music industry was just as bad, with its cliques and constant criticism. "I went from being at school to getting on aeroplanes to see various producers and kinda being whored around, you know? I did this to escape high school and got treated way worse."
Life in the pop world hasn't been easy for Ferreira. Over the past few years it's felt as if her career was on the verge of being launched over and over again, with precious little product at the end of it (she featured in the Guardian's New band of the day column as far back as 2009). She says she felt written off by the time she was 19, and got obsessed with her critics on blogs and Twitter. "It took a toll on me mentally," she says. "It was literally like being spat on. And because I didn't believe in the music I was making myself, it was hard. I felt like the worst person to ever exist."
When I ask who she had to help her during this confusing and unstable time in her career, she looks sad. "Uh … myself?" she offers. "I don't know. I really didn't have anyone." She refused to quit, though, not least because she knew she would never get a job doing anything else: "I daydream, I run late … at least in this job I can put those things to use!"
Ferreira's breakthrough came with Everything Is Embarrassing, the sparkling pop song she wrote with Dev Hynes, which was released in August 2012. She acknowledges how much it helped her but is also defensive about it, saying: "This album proves that I am more than just that one song."
Her caginess appears to stem from the fact that her relationship with Hynes has gone downhill recently, with Hynes apparently upset over comments she made as to whose song it was. According to Ferreira: "He wrote the demo, and I've always given him credit, all I said was that the song wouldn't have been made without me on it. I think it's a shame because Dev's really talented and he's my friend. Well, was my friend – it's kinda sad that we can't be [friends] now."
It seemed to signal the start of a fresh chapter in Ferreira's career. But just as things looked to be on the right track, the story of her arrest broke.
"I'm not saying the arrest was funny," she says, before leaning into the dictaphone – "It was not funny … OK, Mr Judge?" She then proceeds to tell her version of the arrest, which involves so many amusing anecdotes it's hard to know which parts exactly she didn't find funny. There was the prison guard who had to accompany her to the bathroom and flush the toilet for her: "I had a kidney infection at the time and I was pissing bright orange from my medication. She must have thought I was an alien."
There was the police refusing to accept her bank card to bail herself out because the signature was different from the one in her passport: "But I got my passport when I was, like, 16 so obviously my signature is different now – it's not like there's still a heart on the 'i'." And then there were the notorious mugshots: "They handed me this orange suit and some Crocs and I'm like: 'Nooooo! Not Crocs! This must be my real punishment!'"
As you might expect from a model, the aesthetics of the arrest especially bother Ferreira: "Personally I prefer the blue mugshots they took when we were first arrested," she laughs. "The orange one is after I've been crying for, like, 12 hours. Which was a bad idea because they were telling me I had to stop crying otherwise they'd put me in a mental institute."
The arrest was bad, but the reaction to it was worse. Her mum found out through CNN because Ferreira hadn't worked out how to tell her. Her dad, meanwhile, flew out to New York, "which is saying a lot because we're not exactly best friends". It was the reaction of some of her friends that hurt her the most, though. "They were posting my mugshot on Facebook and making fun of me as if I wasn't going to see," she says. "Then once my album got an 8.3, 8.2 or whatever [8.1, in fact] on Pitchfork they're suddenly all calling me: 'Can you sing on this for me?' I was like: 'Fuck you, pretending you think drugs are all bad when I know you get way more fucked up on drugs than I do.'"
So does she have a heroin problem? Ferreira says not: "I've never done hard drugs. I am the world's first heroin addict who's never taken heroin."
There are plenty of songs on Night Time, My Time that sound as if they're referring to her arrest. I Blame Myself, arguably the album's standout track, features the chorus: "How could you know what it feels like to fight the hounds of hell?" But the album was actually written before it happened. Rather, the running themes of insecurity are, Ferreira says, a consequence of her enduring sexual abuse as a child and not dealing with it until it came to writing the album.
"I think I literally just snapped and hit rock bottom," she says. "I didn't understand it when I was younger, and then it happened again when I was older and that's when I decided to move to New York." She mustered the courage to tell the police about the abuse, but says they were useless. "They blamed it on me for being quiet. They said being quiet made me the target for it."
She looks uncomfortable telling this story, but says she thinks it's important to be honest because it might help others going through the same to get help: "At school there might be an ad that says, like: 'Rape is bad – tell a counsellor', but it doesn't really work like that."
If there is some kind of positive to be taken from this, then it's this: Ferreira thinks that dealing with the trauma is the reason why the album has connected with people. "Because not everyone's happy. Most people aren't in love, and even when they are they're miserable a lot of the time."
Given the available evidence, it is possible to depict two completely different versions of Sky Ferreira. One is the vulnerable, messed-up kid who has spent half a decade procrastinating over a solitary record and is perilously close to losing contact with the rails. The other is a tough, independent-minded young woman who won't let record labels – nor her troubled upbringing – dictate what she wants to be. That is what makes her such a compelling pop star. Earlier, this interview started with the question "Are you OK?", and after spending an hour with Ferreira it is a question I still want to ask. She seems tough, yet fragile, too.
"I think I'm both," she says, instantly, before adding: "I think you need to be both if you want to be successful and stand out." She says this with a look of steely determination in her eyes. Then, as if to prove her point, she averts her gaze and goes back to awkwardly stirring her drink.
• Night Time, My Time is released in the UK on 28 January on Universal. Tim Jonze's trip to New York was paid for by Universal.
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