Asleep at the Wheel, Leon Rausch
“Truck Driver’s Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)” (mp3)
from “It’s a Good Day”
(Bismeaux Records)

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Grand Mal
“Lower Yer Heart (feat. Ken Griffin)” (mp3)
from “Clandestine Songs”
(Groover Recordings)

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Moe Pope
“Rock Me II” (mp3)
from “Life After God”
(Brick Records)

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Oh No Ono
“Icicles” (mp3)
from “Internet Warrior”
(Friendly Fire Recordings)

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Christopher Willits
“Sun Body” (mp3)
from “Tiger Flower Circle Sun”
(Ghostly International/SMM)

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Phronesis
“Eight Hours” (mp3)
from “Alive”
(Edition Records)

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Broken Social Scene – “Meet Me in the Basement”

Asleep at the Wheel – “It’s a Good Day”

Grand Mal – “Lower Yer Heart”

Moe Pope (feat. Rain) – “Godzilla/Rock Me”

Rachael Sage – “Big Star”

“Truck Driver’s Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)”

Asleep at the Wheel are a group of musicians who have single-handedly kept the timeless and spirited genre of swing-country alive for the past 40 years. Anyone with a proper knowledge of country music’s last few decades would enthusiastically praise this six-piece’s talent, and that’s before mentioning their nine (nine!!) Grammy Awards. Comprised of some of country’s finest musicians, The Wheel have built themselves a legacy of fantastic work and continue to impress, never ceasing to make new music and tour.

Fronted by Ray Bensen, the band is comprised of six other top notch singer-musicians who rotate on vocal duty and harmony. On their newest album, It’s a Good Day, they teamed up with legendary vocalist Leon Rausch, who was one of Bob Wills’ Texas Playboy vocalists. He joined Wills in the late 50′s and his stellar vocal stylings were on par with the greats that preceded him, such as Tommy Duncan, Joe Frank Ferguson and Rusty MacDonald. Rausch has known The Wheel for over 38 years: when they first met in the early 70′s, Leon would sit in with the group. More importantly, at jam sessions he helped teach The Wheel the right way to play this great music. Rausch’s most infamous contribution is his arrangement of their famous version of “Get Your Kicks (on Route 66),” the band’s most popular song. He suggested to Floyd Domino that they take the venerable standard and put a signature boogie-woogie beat to the song.

Leon is 82 years old now but still sports a great voice and sings regularly at western swing events all over Texas, Oklahoma and the world. The song selections for this recording range from Bob Wills classics to Count Basie tunes and jazz standards. The title track is a swingin’ version of Peggy Lee’s famous pop hit (with the Wheel’s signature country twist of course) and throughout the album, Leon shares duets with the band members, as well as the legendary Willie Nelson (with whom the Wheel did their previous record)!

This is some fantastic country music folks; you just can’t find tunes done this well anymore. Be sure to check out It’s a Good Day and hear what 40+ years of experience sounds like!

“Truck Driver’s Blues (feat. Willie Nelson)”

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Asleep at the Wheel has been around for almost 40 years, and the band is still going strong. Fronted by Ray Bensen, the band is comprised of six other singer-musicians. On their newest album, It’s a Good Day, they teamed up with vocalist Leon Rausch to create a fusion of jazz and country that can’t be beat. They are currently on a huge North American tour, so check out the dates below:
Jul 15-18 – Richardson, TX : Eisemann Center
Jul 20 – Austin, TX : Waterloo Records
Jul 23-24 – Abilene, TX : Abilene Civic Center
Jul 29 – Columbia, MO : Blue Note
Jul 30 – Woodstock, TX : Woodstock Opera House
Jul 31 – Oshkosh, WI : Wittman regional Airport
Aug 1-2 – Evanston, IL : S.P.A.C.E.
Aug 5 – West Allis, WI : Wisconsin State Fair
Aug 6 – Clear Lake, IA : Surf Ballroom
Aug 7 – Kansas City, MO : Knuckleheads Saloon
Aug 8 – Minneapolis, MN : The Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant
Aug 12 – Challis, ID : Braun Brothers Reunion
Aug 13 – Idaho Falls, ID : Sandy Downs Racetrack
Aug 14 – Sheridan, WY : WYO Theater
Aug 17 – Aspen, CO : Belly Up Aspen
Aug 18 – Durango, CO : Fort Lewis College – Community Concert Hall
Aug 18 – Crested Butte, CO : Crested Butte Center for the Arts
Aug 20 – Steamboat Springs, CO : Strings Music Pavilion
Aug 21 – Breckenridge, CO : Riverwalk Center
Aug 22 – Arvada, CO : Arvada Center for the Arts
Aug 25 – Bend, OR : Shelly Hummel’s Ranch
Aug 26 – Grass Valley, CA : Grass Valley Center for the Arts
Aug 27 – Navarro, CA : Navarro Store BBQ Theatre
Aug 28-29 – Nicasio, CA : Rancho Nicasio
Sept 2 – Fort Smith, AR : Second Street Live
Sept 3 – DuQuoin, IL : DuQuoin State Fair
Sept 4 – Fort Worth, TX : Billy Bob’s Texas
Sept 11 – Puyallup, WA : Northwest Concert Center
For the rest of their tour dates, check out their website

Artist: Phronesis
Title: Alive
Label: Edition Records
Genre: Jazz
UPC: 5065001530159
Territory: World
Release Date: 07.26.10

Phronesis have the ability to excite, inspire and move people in a way that few bands are able to do. Since the release of their second album Green Delay in 2009, Phronesis, led by Danish double-bassist Jasper Høiby, have captured the hearts and minds of British audiences and have developed a fierce reputation as one of the most formidable trios in the UK. With a recent acclaimed performance at Banlieues Bleues Festival in Paris behind them and their first appearance at the North Sea Jazz Festival just ahead, Phronesis release their third album Alive (their first on Edition Records), which not only confirms their reputation but looks set to escalate them to the forefront of the European contemporary jazz scene. In August, Phronesis is embarking on a tour around the UK, so check out the following dates:
Aug 3 – London, UK : Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club
Aug 7 – Brecon, UK : Brecon Jazz Festival, Market Hall
Oct 1 – Derby, UK : The Cube at Deda
Oct 2 – Bristol, UK : Cabot Circus Hotel
Nov 14 – London, UK : Purcell Room

Oh No Ono
“Eleanor Speaks” (mp3)
from “Internet Warrior”
(Friendly Fire Recordings)

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Having cracked open the new decade with the glorious reviews showered on their extraordinary new album Eggs, Oh No Ono is back with a selection of stunning remixes from the likes of Caribou, Efterklang, the Phenomenal Handclap Band, the Depreciation Guild, and more. Each of these bands presents their own unique interpretation of the psychedelic Danes’ cosmic tunes, to brilliant effect – from Caribou’s bass-heavy, club-friendly take on “Eleanor Speaks” to the Depreciation Guild’s lysergic version of “Internet Warrior”, the remixes here provide fascinating new glimpses into the multilayered music of Oh No Ono. The North American version of this release includes remixes from Birds & Batteries and Higamos Hogamos that are not available anywhere else. Oh No Ono are on a European tour, so catch them at these shows:
Jul 17 – Nijmegen, Netherlands : De-Affaire
Jul 22 – Norresundby, Aalborg, Denmark : Tall Ships Race @ Rhythm Club
Jul 23 – Aarhus, Denmark : Tivoli Friheden
Jul 24 – Diepholz, Germany : Appletree Garden Festival @ Main Stage
Aug 10 – Copenhagen, Denmark : Lille Vega (w/ Bear in Heaven)
Sept 3 – Stavanger, Norway : RXR 2010 @ Scene 2

Artist: Mad Caddies
Title: Consentual Selections
Label: Fat Wreck Chords
Genre: Ska : Punk
UPC: 751097075722
Territory: World
Release Date: 07.20.10
Hailing from the central coast of California, the mayhem-core ensemble known as the Mad Caddies came into existence in the summer of 1995. The Mad Caddies’ talents reach far beyond the boundaries of ska and punk, enabling them to throw a musical curve ball into the mix without notice. Reggae, dixie, jazz, surf, rockabilly, country and swing are all styles in which the group is well versed and aren’t afraid to inject into their unique brand of rock. Not only is Consentual Selections a collection of 22 bona fide hit songs that would delight even the casual listener, it also features 2 brand new tracks to boot. They are about to start a summer tour through the U.S. and Europe, so check these dates out:
United States:
Jul 23 – San Juan Capistrano, CA : The Coach House
Jul 24 – Redondo Beach, CA : BriXton
Jul 30 – San Francisco, CA : Bottom of the Hill
Jul 31 – San Jose, CA : The Blank Club
Europe:
Aug 11 – Kiel, Germany : Pumpe
Aug 12 – Bochum, Germany : Matrix
Aug 13 – Eschwege, Germany : Open Flair Festival
Aug 14 – Rothenburg, Germany : Taubertal Festival
Aug 15 – Oudenaarde, Belgium : Feest In Het Park
Aug 16 – Zurich, Switzerland : Abart
Aug 17 – Vienna, Austria : Arena (Big Venue)
Aug 18 – Nyirbator, Hungary : Aszfest
Aug 20 – Wirges, Germany : Spack Festival
Aug 21 – Lierop, Netherlands : Nirwana Tuinfeest
Aug 22 – Großpösna (near Leipzig), Germany : Highland Festival

Artist: Kenge Kenge
Title: Introducing Kenge Kenge
Label: Introducing
Genre: World : African
UPC: 605633510720
Territory: World ex. Africa
Release Date: 06.26.07
Kenge Kenge symbolize all that is great about African traditional music; they are the guardians and masters of an ancient but living tradition. They breathe new life into Kenya’s Luo musical roots, continuing its evolution, from the hand-made instruments of the past, through the popular guitar-based benga, and both re-explore the acoustic origins of benga and embrace their Luo musical heritage. They are about to embark on a U.S. tour with the following dates:
Jul 17 – Ann Arbor, MI : Concert of Colors
Jul 18 – Evanston, IL : Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival
Jul 18 – Evanston, IL : Space
Jul 24-25 – Vancouver, BC, Canada : July Mission Folk Festival
Aug 13 – New York, NY : Lincoln Center Outdoors
Aug 26 – Los Angeles, CA : Skirball Center
Aug 28-29 – Bangor, ME : American Folk Festival
Sept 1 – Rochester, MN : Rochester Public Library
Sept 2 – Rochester, MN : Thursdays on First Avenue Stage
Sept 25 – Albuquerque, NM : Globaquerque

In 1975, Ray Benson and his band Asleep at the Wheel were riding high with a hit album under their belts and a Grammy nomination (the first of many it seems).

“My roommate was booking this new television show here in Austin,” recalls bandleader Ray Benson. “I told him that we’d do it as long as they invited some of the original Texas Playboys to join in.”
After all, Ray’s good friend Willie Nelson had just taped a pilot episode for the new program in October 1974. That show was “Austin City Limits.” And, when the very first episode was broadcast in 1976, it was Asleep at the Wheel who launched what would become 35 years of music television history.

Now the longest-running music series in American television history, ACL showcases popular music legends and innovators from every genre. In addition to being honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as a rock and roll landmark, ACL is the only television program to ever receive the National Medal of Arts, the nation’s highest award for artistic excellence.

This standard of excellence continues in ACL’s 35th anniversary season. And, on November 14, the two artists that started it all team up to perform songs from their critically acclaimed CD release Willie and The Wheel. The album that Rolling Stone gave “****” and The Washington Post hailed as “one of the first great albums of 2009,” is a collection of classic western swing songs hand-picked by the late Jerry Wexler. The very special broadcast also features Nelson hits such “On the Road Again” and “Always on my Mind.”

Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel
“Hesitation Blues” (mp3)
from Willie And The Wheel
(Bismeaux Records)

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