"..pretty soon, you'll wonder where these songs have been all your life" - this is the kind of reaction Corinne has been getting from the handful of appearances she's made recently, airing songs from her forthcoming 2nd album.
Taken from Mark Sutherland's excellent article in the Independent, reviewing the recent gig at the London Tabernacle, it's one of many plaudits around her return to the music scene following the tragic loss of her husband Jason last year.
Songs from the new album, titled 'The Sea' and due for release January 26th (US) and Feb 1st (UK), are much rockier and raw compared to those on her multiplatinum selling debut record - as described in this review inthe Times.
You can check out a short video interview with CBR about the recording process on her website now.
CBR HQ have also now launched a twitter account, so you can keep up with the latest news & updates in this exciting time leading up to the album release.
Davy Knowles jams with Satch (and with Mike McCready, oh & then with Peter Frampton...)
Our young Manx guitar slinger took to the stage with Joe Satriani recently, as the two jammed out a battle style guitar play-off. Davy and his band Back Door Slam were wrapping up their tour with supergroup Chickenfoot at the Gibson Amphitheatre in California, when singer Sammy Haagar invited Davy onstage to jam with Joe, bassist Michael Anthony and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. After the show, the band presented Davy with a signed Chickenfoot guitar.
Joe Satriani called Davy his 'favourite new modern day bluesman' in the Sunday Times earlier this year.
The following night in LA, Davy and his band were joined onstage at the Mint by fellow British guitar legend Peter Frampton, who produced Davy's second album 'Coming Up For Air' and co-wrote several of the songs. And all this just days after surprise guest Mike McCready took a break from Pearl Jam duties to join the Manx wunderkind onstage in Seattle, and a few weeks after Davy was invited to play a song from NASA Mission Control to Astronaut Nicole Stott while she orbited the earth on the Space Station.
Davy recently returned to the UK, to play a sell out show at London's Borderline and then home of the Isle of Man to play his first gig there in two years, ahead of their trip to Australia for the OMFM festival. First UK single 'Coming Up For Air' has been championed by Terry Wogan on his BBC Radio 2 breakfast show.
"WAITING ON THE WORLD TO CHANGE EP" brings together over 30 artists to celebrate the first Green TT
A cover of the John Mayer song, arranged & recorded by Dave Armstrong entirely on location on the Isle of Man. All proceeds from the sale of the disc go to the MGP Helicopter Fund.
Features performances by Running Media artists Christine Collister, Anna Goldsmith, Simon Rea and Christy DeHaven, along with dozens of other Isle of Man artists, all brought together for this special project to mark the very first TTXGP.
DAVY KNOWLES /PETER FRAMPTON PRODUCED ALBUM OUT NOW
22yr old guitar prodigy Davy Knowles has released his follow up to Back Door Slam debut 'Roll Away' in the USA. Titled 'Coming Up For Air' (after one of the songs on the record) it was produced by legendary British artist Peter Frampton - who also features on the album.
Released digitally just over a week ago (May 19th), it entered the Billboard blues chart at Number 4 and features as USA Today's 'Pick of the Week'.
Recently separating from former band mates Adam Jones and Ross Doyle, Davy worked with Jackson Browne's rhythm section of Fritz Lewak and KevinMcCormick, along with Benmont Tench from Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers on keyboards. Frampton produced all but two of the songs* and has two co-writes with Davy; he also plays electric guitar, bass and sings backing vocals.
ANNA GOLDSMITH TO COLLABORATE WITH LONDON METROPOLITAN ORCHESTRA
Anna has been invited to appear with the 72 piece London Metropolitan Orchestra as part of this year's TT celebrations. As explained in a recent press release, "the concert features a world premier symphony specially commissioned for TTXGP to celebrate the launch of the world’s first clean emission grand prix. This unique event will include a modern repertoire of film classics and rock/pop anthems and a special PA by Anna Goldsmith and will feature work from composers as diverse as John Williams, Michael Kamen, Stavinsky, Debussy, Prince, Queen, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Rob Doughan and many more." (courtesy www.isle-news.com)
Anna will be performing an exclusive piece at the event, specially arranged for the day by Dave Armstrong of the Running Media Group. The concert is taking place in the stunning setting of the Royal Hall at the Villa Marina - further updates available from www.villagaiety.com, and watch the video below of Anna meeting up with Andy Brown - Director of the LMO.
Ian Thorpe and his Pump Aid team - who are doing incredible work in Zimbabwe and Malawi (see news story below) - have just won ANOTHER award. Hardly surprising considering what they achieve on a daily basis! This time, it's recognition for the design of the Elephant Toilet, which we were lucky enough to witness being built and installed when we visited Malawi with Corinne last year. Read about Pump Aid, our Malawi adventure and watch the short videos we made about the project on here. And check out the full story about the latest award for Pump Aid here
Davy, Adam and Ross have just completed a Stateswide tour opening for Lynyrd Skynyrd and Kid Rock. The boys were invited to join the "Rock & Rebels Arena Tour" with the two major players - at the same time as Kid Rock enjoyed his first UK number 1 chart hit with the Skynyrd homage 'All Summer Long'.
The Slam are now set to join US blues-rock act Gov't Mule, on their "Kinder Revolution Fall Tour" starting in October. Gov't Mule were formed by members of the Allman Brothers Band in '94, and have been building an enormous global fanbase ever since. They were Grammy nominated in 2003, and in 2005, band member Warren Haynes was ranked no.23 in Rolling Stone's list of all time top guitarists.
But before they hit the road with The Mule, Back Door Slam will support Joe Bonamassa ahead of their appearance at Austin City Limits, where they will open for Jakob Dylan.
Anna's debut album, 'Let It Rain', is out now on Stereoscout Records. Featuring the title track as the first single, the album also includes 'Horoscope', 'Tenfold' and 'Older Than My Years' - along with several stunning new songs.
Anna's rich, warm vocal is cushioned by layers of harmonies one minute, then soars over eclectic loops & samples the next - her classical background being brought right into the contemporary with stellar production and great arrangements. There are moments of rock, pop, soul and jazzy blues; in short, it's a great album. Hear samples at Stereoscout.com
"It's mad we think tap water isn't good enough for us" - new CBR interview
Corinne was interviewed for the Observer magazine this weekend (Jan 27th) about her involvement with Pump Aid and Thirsty Planet. It's a great interview, and one we think is well worth spending a bit of time reading - download the pdf here.
BACK DOOR SLAM BREAKING INTO US MARKET
Hear the Slam's electric live performance at World Cafe (Philadelphia) on Friday 25th Jan 2008, at WXPN radio here
The young blues trio from the Isle of Man are on their way to achieving what very few British bands can boast - they're really making waves on the other side of the pond. Following a stellar performance at 2007's SxSW Festival in Texas, their hard work touring the country since then is really paying off.
They've recently sold out dates in Vermont, Chicago and California and, back in Austin Texas in the New Year, they packed out legendary venue Stubbs BBQ - with a queue of people waiting outside for more than an hour. They've racked up the press reviews too: Seattle Times described their sound as 'the spirit of Jimi Hendrix', BMI chose the band as their pick of the month and called them '..one of the hottest live acts of 2007' and the LA Times called Davy 'A guitar God in training'. Add to that their inclusion in Yahoo's 'Who's Next?' competition (which has previously featured KT Tunstall and Amy Winehouse), the debut of their album 'Roll Away' in the Top Ten of the Billboard Blues Chart and the fact that Davy has been working with legendary Zep/Hendrix producer Eddie Kramer, and things are looking pretty good for the Slam boys for 2008!
Check out the SXSW crowd reaction & the band's mindblowing rendition of 'Red House' here
Visit the band's website for videos, music, reviews and diaries by clicking here
RUNNING MEDIA IN MALAWI
Corinne, Christine, Bob and a small team from Running Media have just returned from Malawi, to witness first hand the incredible work of the charity 'Pump Aid'. Formed 20yrs ago by Yorkshireman Ian Thorpe, the organisation has now installed thousands of 'Elephant Pumps' in Zimababwe & Mozambique, and is now making a massive difference in Malawi.
The project is amazing - the pumps cost a mere £250 and provide clean water for up to 500 people for life. And unlike other pumps, the villagers are taught how to maintain them, all parts are made from materials that can be made by the villagers themselves, and the simple 'handle' mechansim is simple enough to be operated by 1 small child.
Corinne agreed to be Goodwill Ambassador for Pump Aid following a phonecall from Paul Martin of Thirsty Planet water earlier this year. By guaranteeing 50p from each pack of water goes directly to the charity, Thirsty Planet itself has already raised enough money for over 1000 pumps - that's clean water for half a million people.
A video is being made of the trip, which will appear on Corinne's website soon. In the meantime, please take two minutes to check out this incredible organisation and its partners:
'ROLL AWAY' - DEBUT ALBUM OUT JUNE 26th in AMERICA
AT LAST! The highly anticipated debut from the extremely talented trio BACK DOOR SLAM will be available in the States from June 26th. Called 'Roll Away', it's packed with superb songs, ranging from Hendrix-influenced heavy blues rock, to Knopfler-esque future-classics, to extremely sensitive acoustic numbers that bely their teenage years and are coloured with Celtic overtones that hint at their Manx heritage.
All bar one of the tracks were written by singer/guitarist Davy Knowles and arranged by the band. The one cover, 'Outside Woman Blues' written by Blind Joe Reynolds, is a storming 1920s blues number that perfectly reflects the band's love - and extensive knowledge - of their favourite musical genre.
The record has been recorded and produced by Dave Armstrong of DAM Studios on their home turf of the Isle of Man, and is out on Blix Street Records. The songs have had a superb reception during the 'Slam's recent tour of the States, where their Memphis Beale Street Festival performance gathered a crowd of around 800 cheering fans and floored the entire audience. At later dates, the music went down a storm at venues like Stubbs BBQ, Hotel Cafe LA and The Viper Room, where mail-list comments from new fans included "Bringing back the blues!", "GREAT! I'm amazed!", "What?!?!" and the classic "Oh My Dizzle!!"...
At the recent support slot for BritRock legends The Who, in front of a 6,500 strong audience, the box of preview albums the band brought back home with them sold out in minutes, as did Tshirts, badges and Davy's signature picks! The band return to the States on a support slot with Rusted Root, and will also be performing at Austin City Limits, Download, Lollapalooza and Summerfest. For more details, dates, video and music, visit their website and myspace.
BACK DOOR SLAM GO DOWN A STORM STATESIDE
And so it begins....ubertalented blues teens Back Door Slam have been unleashed on the world, and they've made their global music mark in superquick time already. Their first international gigs, kicked off by an industry showcase in Canada and followed by two phenomenal sets at Texas' SxSW festival, far exceeded the already high expectations of everyone around them.
At the Rivoli in Toronto, Davy, Ross and Adam wowed some of the top names in the music business, and Davy played a superb live acoustic set on CIUT radio. Then, with eager new fans in tow, they headed for Austin Texas, the old haunting ground of their guitar hero Stevie Ray Vaughan...
Undeterred by the pressure of the task ahead - winning over a town full of SRV and dedicated blues fans with their contemporary take on the genre - they absolutely rocked, and gained the admiration of the modest crowd in BD Rileys bar by half way through their first song. By the start of the 2nd song, both the bar and the street outside filled up as festival goers were drawn to the 'spirit of jimi hendrix*' floating through the venue's windows. Their outdoor gig the next day went much the same way - an empty carpark soon became a crowd of ecstatic new fans and excited industry folk.
Davy rounded off the fortnight with an acoustic set at The Mint in LA last night (26th March) and the boys return to the US for a mini-tour to support the release of their debut album in May. (*taken from Seattle Times review) backdoorslam.com
pic: BDS with SRV's statue
CORINNE GETS TRIPLE BRIT NOMINATION
OK, now she's just getting greedy ;0) As if the Grammy's weren't enough for her, Corinne is now up for three Brit Awards - Best British Female, Best Breakthrough Artist and Best Single for Put Your Records On. And you can play your part in the awards by voting for her! Just visit the Brits website and follow the easy instructions.
On a visual front, CBR has also been nominated for 3 NAACP Image awards in the following categories - Outstanding New Artist, Outstanding Female Artist and Outstanding Album. Blimeycharlie...
Pic Right - Corinne with her hero...How excited is that girl?!
BACK DOOR SLAM NORTH AMERICA TOUR AND ALBUM UPDATE
The frighteningly talented teens that are BDS (Davy, Ross and Adam) are well on the way to completing their debut album - and what a record it's shaping up to be. Produced by Dave Armstrong (DAM Studios) and mixed by Dave alongwith Rupert Coulson (Air Studios), the tentatively titled 'Roll Away' is looking to be a surefire hit. Album audio preview coming soon!!
And to start their global domination ball rolling, they'll be heading stateside next month, for a major support tour (of which more details later) and the prestigious SxSW Festival in Texas.
CORINNE TRIPLE GRAMMY NOMINATION!
Nominations were announced at the weekend for the 49th GRAMMY Awards, which will be held on February 11th 2007 in Los Angeles. And Corinne is up for three! 'Put Your Records On' is up for the much desired 'Record of the Year' title, and also for the songwriter award of 'Song Of The Year', with Corinne herself nominated for BEST NEW ARTIST. Full story here.
2006 has been an incredible year for CBR and her manager Bob Miller - she has been nominated for and won pretty much everything in sight! What on earth would you get this girl for Christmas?!!
Pic:Lester Cohen/ WireImage.com
ANNA WINS IN MALTA
Anna Goldsmith returned from Malta last night, clutching one of the major festival awards. She spent five days on the Island, meeting and performing alongside some of the world's most respected singers as part of the International Song Festival, as well as taking time to explore the history and major sights of the country. She performed her own song 'Older Than My Years' on the first night of the festival itself, then took home the award for Best Interpretation of a Song on the 2nd night, after performing her own contemporary version of competition track 'Trying To Be Free'. Full story, pictures and video of the event can be found on her website.
ANNA TO MALTA, BACK DOOR SLAM TO TEXAS
It's a big week for two of our fledgling artists - Anna Goldsmith is taking part in the Malta International TV Song Festival; meanwhile, Back Door Slam have just had confirmation that they will be playing at next year's South By Southwest Festival in Austin, Texas - former home of Davy's idol
Stevie Ray Vaughn. To say they're excited would be an understatement! Keep checking back for updates.
CORINNE WINS Q AWARD!
Hot off the press - Corinne has just been awarded Best New Act at this year's Q Awards Ceremony. In an extremely difficult category, up against Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, The Kooks and Orson, Corinne did it again. Congratulations CBR, and big thanks to the magazine readers who voted for her!
BACK DOOR SLAM LIVE DVD RELEASE
Earlier this year, before Jamie Armstrong left the band to head off to University for his degree in music, the Slam boys played a sell out gig at the beautiful Gaiety Theatre on the Isle of Man. And the whole event was filmed by DAM Productions.
So we've spent some time editing together the footage, and can now confirm the DVD will be available on general release from November 27th - just in time for Christmas!! But it will be available online from stereoscout.com and loverboyrecords.com just as soon as we get our sweaty little paws on the finished copies...so keep checking back for details..
CORINNE WINS 3 of 4 MOBO's - and is up for more awards!
There ain't nuthin stoppin this girl! Corinne walked home with Best UK Newcomer and Best UK Female at this year's Mobo Awards. She also spent the following day celebrating her success with a phone call from none other than Stevie Wonder. who interviewed her for his LA radio show. The FunkSoul Legend even sang a bit of 'Like A Star' back to her down the phoneline, and said he'd stolen his daughter's copy of the record 'cause he loved it so much!
She has also been nominated for an MTV European Music Award - which takes place on November 2nd in Copenhagen - as Best UK and Ireland Act. And to start off the month with a real bang, she'll be appearing on Parkinson AND Saturday Night Live, two of the biggest shows in the entertainment world, on the very same night! (7th Oct) Considering one happens in America and one in England, that's some feat ;0)
Christine Collister back in the studio...
She can "..sing the birds down from the trees and send them back again with a tiny flick of her vocal chords.." according to The Times, and she's now hard at work writing new material for her latest solo album. After an extremely successful Spring Tour, Christine is now working on the follow up to the excellent 2006 release 'Love...'. She has also confirmed a new tour with Dave Kelly and the Travelling Gentlemen later in the year - gig dates and info about all her recordings can be found at her official website: www.christinecollister.com
CORINNE WINS A MOJO AWARD!
Congratulations to Corinne Bailey Rae who won a Mojo Award for Best New Act last night (050606). Hopefully this will be the first of many for her! Corinne is now heading Stateside to promote her debut album at a number of sold out shows, and she'll be appearing on various American TV shows while she's out there, including Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly and Jay Leno
ANNA GOLDSMITH - SNEAK PREVIEW OF NEW SONG AND VIDEO
You can watch an exclusive rough edit clip from Anna's forthcoming EPK by clicking here (wmv file, 3mb) . Inspired by the freak snow storms that hit our tiny Island in March, Dave Armstrong & Rob Cross - from our sister company DAM Productions - took the opportunity to get the rising star up to a beautiful snowcapped hilltop, where the crew got some great footage for use on Anna's forthcoming album.
Both Back Door Slam and
Miss Goldsmith recently played some storming gigs at this year's Big Wheel Blues Festival, alongside legends John Hammond and Connie Lush. Anna managed 3 gigs in four hours - check out the video at her myspace page
THE HUMOUR - Northern Trax Winners' Grand Day Out
Leeds based rockers 'The Humour' celebrated their competition win in fine style last weekend (210506), with a limo-driven trip to Elevator Studios in Liverpool and a two day full-on recording session. The lads were the winners of the first year of the competition, organised by Northern Rail. There'll be a short EPK of the event up here in the next day or two, but in the meantime, check out the sneaky pics we took of the boys mid-session...
CORINNE TOP OF THE CHARTS
"Corinne Bailey Rae" went straight into the UK album charts at NUMBER ONE this weekend. Corinne, managed by Bob Miller of RMG, beat off extremely tough competition to reach the top with her self titled debut album.
The record hit the top spot just a week after her single, 'Put Your Records On', went into the UK singles chart at Number 2 - only beaten to the top by Madonna. Current pop favourites Arctic Monkeys, KT Tunstall and Jack Johnson couldn't hold our Corinne off this time though!
Her eponymous debut kept them all from the coveted top spot, and even went back up to Number One in it's 3rd week of release.
BDS ARE BRINGING BACK THE BLUES
Teenage blues sensations Back Door Slam have been causing a bit of a stir since they moved to The Big City...Leaving their Isle of Man home just a matter of weeks ago, they have already created an exciting buzz around themselves, wowing crowds, getting plenty of repeat gigs and also notching up considerable industry interest...They've recently been recording new material with Leon Phillips of Harmonic Sonics in Cornwall and are planning a brief return visit to their Island home to play some sold out headline slots in May.
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