The New York Times hailed his latest album, Mountains Of Sorrow, Rivers Of Song (Blue Note Records), as a “serenely sure-footed effort from Amos Lee, a singer-songwriter who rarely delivers anything else” and Elmore observed, “‘Mountains of Sorrow’ may be Lee’s finest yet.” Entertainment Weekly praised his “strikingly soulful voice” while Paste noted, “Lee makes sorrow shimmer…Like Jackson Browne for another generation, Lee understands the staining traces of love.” The album, which is the follow-up to 2011’s chart-topping Mission Bell,was produced by Jay Joyce (Emmylou Harris, Eric Church, Cage the Elephant) and features guest vocals by Alison Krauss and Patty Griffin.
Pat Benatar is acknowledged as the leading female rock vocalist of the ‘80s – a feat marked by her unprecedented winning of four consecutive Grammy Awards between 1980 and 1983, as well as three American Music Awards – but Benatar and Giraldo remain a rock ‘n’ roll powerhouse today, selling out concerts and still wowing audiences after over three decades in music together. Theirs is a chemistry that will, undoubtedly, be thrilling music-lovers forever.
Rick Springfield is an iconic rock star that has been touring for more than 30 years. His shows are legendary for their rock heavy, high energy, full band sets. Although Rick has known Pat & Neil for more than 30 years he has never had the chance to tour with them, until now. Springfield says, “Although I first met Pat and Neil when Neil played on the original recording of Jessie’s Girl in 1980 it took 35 years before we got together to tour. It should be one for the books.”
“If artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Eminem, and Missy Elliott had a pale love child she would be just like Whitney Peyton.” www.whitneypeyton.com
MAS – In my research for this interview I went onto SoundCloud and DatPiff to find some of your stuff to get familiar with you. As I was listening I found myself bobbing my head and really getting into it. I then went your website and saw your picture and I was like, “What the hell?” The picture I saw was not at all what I expected.
WP – Wait? So you heard my music before you saw me? That is usually not the case. I kinda like that! Usually people look and then they get some kind of idea of what it is going to sound like before they listen. It is kinda cool that you were able to listen before you looked.
MAS – I was showing one of my office friends one of your videos and they were like, “When did Avril Lavigne learn to rap?”
WP – Yeah, I’ve been called that before. It’s kind of funny, that is the second time this week someone has said that I look like Avril Lavigne. That’s cool, I’m just doing by stuff, being Whitney Peyton from the suburbs of Philly. I’m just rapping mad, it’s the easiest way. I’m just being me, so people can either take it or leave it.
MAS – Who is Whitney Peyton? Introduce yourself to North Carolina.
WP – I’m what would happen if Machine Gun Kelly, Missy Elliott and Eminem had a love child. I am excited to play North Carolina, I think I did once before but it was so long ago. I don’t really count it, because back in 2008, when I was real fresh, just started, I played this car show. The DJ that they hooked up with was wasted, he was playing by backing tracks and he was scratching during my songs. It was really messing me up. He was putting me at different places in the song, jumping me around as I am trying to rap. It was all kinds of crazy. It was in front of a lot of people. It was like, “Whoa this guy has too many drinks, and he doesn’t need to be playing my backing tracks right now.” So, I am ready to come back to North Carolina for the re-do. Let’s get it crackin!
MAS – How did you get in to Hip hop? Philly is a bit of a hotbed for Hip Hop so I can see that part.
WP – I’m from the outskirts of Philly so I had to go into the city when I started record or perform or anything. There is not really a venue out in the suburbs near me.
I was doing spoken word, just rapping a Capella. I didn’t know any producers and I didn’t know how to get any beats at that time. I was just writing. I was like, I am really into poetry but I also really love hip hop. So, I kind of want to transform this into not just spoken word but I want to rap too. They can sound the same but they are totally different. When you are rapping on beat it is way more rhythmic, a capella doesn’t have as many rules, you can be all over the place. On beat, you have got to be more in the pocket. It took a while to get the hang of it; I was so used to spitting a capella.
I started going into Philly and knocking on everyone’s door, like any producer. I was like, “I really want to record” and a lot of them just laughed. It took a while for someone to say yes they would record me. It started picking up from there.
At that time, there were definitely girls in the industry but it was still really scarce. Now there is more and more of us popping up which is a cool thing, but when I started recording there wasn’t really that many of us. It was hard to get people to take it seriously.
MAS – How long have you been in this game?
WP – I have been writing for a long time, so it is really hard to say. They didn’t let me in the clubs to perform until I was 18. So do you count when I was actually allowed to perform or do you count all of the stuff I have been writing in my notebook in math class. It’s kind of hard to gauge that, I have been writing since middle school. I think my first mixtape or EP came out in like 2008. I have got way better since then.
Artists go back and are like, “I hate my old stuff” because they feel like they have progressed so much. It’s been a few years that I have been heavily involved.
MAS – If you think you old stuff is something you hate or are ashamed of, we are in trouble with any new stuff.
WP – <Laughing> I’m not ashamed of it. You listen back and you compare it. Any artist, probably, listens to their newer stuff and compares it to their old stuff and is like, “wow, it’s a massive change.” Even people who are not artists, if they look at their style of anything, dress or how they acted, years ago they are like, “what was I thinking?”
My first song that I ever released as a single, Crazy, remains one of my most popular songs. For me, I’m like wow that was my first real track so I feel like I can rap way better since then, but it remains a fan favorite. I can’t really say that I regret any of it, it has all made me better. But, I for sure rap way better now.
MAS – Your flow is one of your biggest assets, but also the way you rap. Your roots in spoken word are very evident. As you are spitting those rapid fire lyrics, you can still clearly hear every syllable.
WP – Cool. That is something I think about when I listen to other rappers, I want to hear what they are saying. That’s the biggest part. As a rapper, obviously you are a lyricist first and foremost. That’s the whole point.
MAS – Where do you draw from for your lyrics?
WP – Because I am not a normal rapper, I don’t rap about the normal things. I don’t have that hood life that a lot of rappers are able to talk about. I just talk about things that I have been through; struggles with anxiety, struggles with relationships, stuff like that. I think that is relatable to the average person no matter where they are from. I feel like that is why I have been able to be versatile and have a wide demographic. No matter where you are from; the suburbs, the hood, the middle of the country somewhere it’s a relatable thing.
MAS – You are very motivated by what goes on your community.
WP – There is such a negative reputation that goes with rap music. We always think of rappers with violence, drugs, living the lifestyle where they are showing off the material items. That is what it always seems to be about. I just want to show that there is positivity to it as well. With my career I can also help charities and donate my time to those things on the side so that I feel like I did accomplish something positive. It’s not all about negative things.
MAS – How did you get hooked up with this tour? The artists don’t seem to have a lot in common.
WP – I was on tour with RA The Rugged Man and before that I was on tour with Twiztid. People are always like, you are mismatched all the time. If you think about it, it’s hard to find a demographic that is for me because I am so different from a lot of other artists. It’s like, who can you pair me up with? I like the fact that we are different because it makes for a more interesting show. If you are going to a show and there are four artists and they are all similar to each other, I think that would get old after a while. The fact that each of us, on the tour, has our own style makes it interesting when you go. I won’t be monotonous.
But to answer the question, I got hooked up with it while I was on the RA The Rugged Man tour. There was someone in the audience that was a booking agent. He was putting together this tour with Da Mafia 6 and he saw my performance and he approached me about it. He was like, “hey you put on an energetic performance and I think you’d be good on this tour.” I didn’t think… People tell you things and you take it with a grain of salt. In the music industry, of all things that you are approached a very low percentage actually gets followed through on and actually happens. So I took like, “yeah that would be cool” but I didn’t put all my eggs in one basket. But its real and I leave Friday to go meet up with Three 6 in Tennessee. We have about 60 tour dates or so that are back to back, it’s going to be wild.
“My career is a biscuit because I am bred with the best and I guess I’m delicious”
“You bet I rap with an image so un-ghetto. I’m not a puppet, no strings, no Geppetto”
Tori Amos is set to release her brand new studio album, Unrepentant Geraldines, May 13th in the U.S. on Mercury Classics/Universal Music Classics. Unrepentant Geraldines is pop/rock in both content and feel and is a change in pace from Amos’ most recent releases. The album is both one step further in the evolution of one of the most successful and influential artists of her generation, and a return to the inspiring and personal music that Amos is known for all around the world. Tori Amos will bring her Unrepentant Geraldines Tour to DPAC on August 20, 2014.
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Unrepentant Geraldines is her 14th studio recording, and a return to her core identity as a creator of contemporary songs, following a series of more classically-inspired and innovative musical projects of the last four years. These have included the seasonal collection Midwinter Graces, the classically influenced Night of Hunters, and Gold Dust, a collection of orchestral re-workings of songs from across her career. Released in October 2012 Gold Dust included “Flavor,” which was remixed by the late DJ Peter Rauhofer and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Club Dance Chart in February 2013.
Amos recently also launched her most ambitious project to date as a composer, along with book writer Samuel Adamson, with the musical The Light Princes, which premiered at London’s National Theatre in fall of 2013.
Tori Amos has sold over 12 million albums, has played over a thousand shows and has won numerous awards. Since the release of her debut album Little Earthquakes 21 years ago in 1992 where she pushed boundaries with her confessional style of songwriting, Amos continues to be adored, picking up new fans along the way, romanced by her messages of empowerment, tenderness, acerbic assertiveness, and of course her utterly peerless sound.
A pioneer across multiple platforms, Tori Amos was the first major label artist to offer a single for download. She has had her songs turned into graphic novels and has produced groundbreaking videos throughout her career. Ms. Amos is also a noted humanitarian and co-founder of RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network), which is the United States’ largest anti-sexual assault organization.
“This time, I really wanted to do something different,” says Darius Rucker. “I went straight from my first album into my second, and it really just picked up where the other one left off. So when we went into the studio on this one, we really wanted to take our time and not even start worrying about a record until we had songs that we felt were the right ones. And when I heard what would become the lead single, ‘True Believers,’ played back, I thought, ‘Wow, I’ve never done anything like that before!'”
“True Believers,” also the name of his 2013 headlining tour, is a triumphant reflection of the rewards and challenges of sustaining a marriage – was the first song recorded for this project and became the first single and title track for Rucker’s third and most ambitious country studio album. While his previous two albums, Learn To Live and Charleston, SC 1966 both topped the Billboard Country Album chart and produced five Number One singles, on True Believers he opted to dig deeper, work with new collaborators, and create something more resonant both musically and emotionally.
“I just started with a list of guys I wanted to write with,” says Rucker. “The process doesn’t really change – you go off in a corner and write – but I really wanted to try not to write ‘Alright’ again. And I’m very happy with what we got. I love the song choices, the sound is brighter, and even though I’m not big on listening to myself, I’m really proud of the vocals on this record.”
Legendary progressive rock pioneer Ian Anderson will be releasing a new studio album Homo Erraticus this spring. The album continues the story of Anderson’s favorite enfant terrible from Thick As A Brick, Gerald Bostock. Ian and his band (guitarist Florian Opahle, bassist David Goodier, keyboardist John O’Hara and drummer Scott Hammond) will be touring the United States with a stop at DPAC on October 4, 2014.
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In 1972 Ian’s band Jethro Tull released the iconic concept album Thick As A Brick, based on a poem by the then-eight-year-old Gerald Bostock. As many fans wondered what might have befallen the character, Ian Anderson decided to explore the different paths Gerald’s life might have taken in his 2012 album, Thick As A Brick 2.
Following a forty-year political career, Gerald Bostock reunited with Anderson, taking the role of tour manager on a string of shows. Homo Erraticus marks Gerald’s return to songwriting, and is based on an unpublished manuscript by amateur historian Ernest T. Parritt (1865-1928).
Ian Anderson recently won The Prog God Award from Prog Magazine, celebrating the innovators of rock who have inspired generations and carved a way for others to be at their creative best. There is no one who has pushed the boundaries more than Ian Anderson, who to this day remains immersed in his love for the music.
Fronting seminal prog outfit Jethro Tull and performing simply under his own name, Ian Anderson has performed in more than 54 countries over 45 years; he is widely considered an icon of the genre and is recognized as the protagonist of the flute in rock music. With over 60 million albums sold in its career, Tull has been characterized by Anderson’s trademark acoustic textures created with ethnic flutes and whistles together with acoustic guitar and the mandolin family of instruments. In many recent shows, Anderson has played with orchestras, string quartets and featured soloists. His eclectic acoustic performances are also a hit with fans of the progressive genre.
The second son of Bob Marley and Rita Marley, Stephen was born on April 20, 1972; he began his career as a precocious six-year old singing, dancing and playing percussion with his siblings in the group The Melody Makers whose first single “Children Playing In The Streets” was produced by their father in 1979 and released on Tuff Gong, the label founded by Bob in the late 60s. Just like his older brother Ziggy, Stephen acquired his initial studio skills by watching his father. While still a teenager he assisted in the production of The Melody Makers’ albums including their three Best Reggae Album Grammy winners “Conscious Party” (Virgin Records, 1989) “One Bright Day” (Virgin Records, 1990) and “Fallen Is Babylon” (Elektra Entertainment, 1998). In 1993 Ziggy and Stephen founded Ghetto Youths International as a means of controlling their own music and helping upcoming artists. Stephen’s earliest solo production efforts for Ghetto Youths International includes his late grandmother’s (Cedella Booker) album “My Altar”, followed in 1995 by the Ziggy Marley and The Melody Makers single “Works To Do” and younger brother Damian’s “10,000 Chariots”. Both singles hit the Jamaican charts and generated much excitement surrounding Stephen’s burgeoning production expertise. In 1996 Damian released his debut album “Mr. Marley”, on the Ghetto Youths imprint, with distribution in the U.S. by Tuff Gong/Lightyear. Stephen played several instruments and wrote most of the songs in addition to producing “Mr. Marley”.
Global superstar Miley Cyrus will visit 38 cities throughout the United States and Canada on her highly anticipated BANGERZ TOUR.
Details for Miley’s BANGERZ TOUR follow her surprise appearance on “Saturday Night Live” where she announced to fans that she would be launching a tour soon. The announcement on “Saturday Night Live” comes on the heels of her well-received appearance on the show as both host and musical performer. She was part of a series of headline-making appearances that supported the release of her new album, “Bangerz,” on RCA Records. “Bangerz” debuted at #1 on both the Billboard Top 200 Album chart and the Digital Album Charts with over 270,000 albums sold. Additionally, during release week, “Bangerz” hit #1 on iTunes in over 70 countries. Both singles, “Wrecking Ball” and “We Can’t Stop,” off “Bangerz” have already sold 4.3 million copies in the U.S. alone. “Wrecking Ball” hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for two weeks. It became Miley’s first Billboard Hot 100 #1 and her fastest-flying top 10 on Radio Songs.
“Wrecking Ball” also hit #1 on Spotify where it reached the highest streams ever for any track in the U.S. beating the next highest week by nearly 500,000 plays. This exciting news came just two days after her music video for “Wrecking Ball” became the fastest music video ever to reach CERTIFIED status, VEVO‘s milestone for videos delivering 100 million views in only 6 days. Cyrus shattered the previous record which she held for “We Can’t Stop,” which was CERTIFIED by VEVO just 37 days after it premiered.
“Bangerz” has been getting rave reviews including Entertainment Weekly calling it “…utterly fresh, a pop blitz from a hip-hop blueprint, and proof that Miley won’t settle for just shocking us.” US Weekly declared it “the year’s most titillating pop explosion” awarding the album “4 stars (out of 4).”
Life-long renegade and ex-convict David Allan Coe is an American songwriter and outlaw country music singer who first achieved popularity during the 1970s and 1980s. DAC became a stalwart touring icon and remains one of the most colorful and unpredictable characters in country music history. As a recording artist, some of his biggest hits include “Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile,” “The Ride,” “You Never Even Called Me by My Name,” “She Used to Love Me a Lot,” and “Longhaired Redneck.” Dozens of others have become cult standards and his many compositions recorded by others, including Johnny Cash, George Jones, Willie Nelson, and Kid Rock have been chart topping successes.
So far, David Allan Coe has had eighty-one songs hit the Billboard Singles Charts. “Take This Job and Shove It” has received BMI’s coveted Million Airplays Certificate; his “Greatest Hits Album” was certified Platinum; and his “First Ten Years Album” certified Gold. His massive copyright catalog includes an estimated 800 songs. He has also published a novel, Psychopath, and an autobiography, Whoopsy Daisy. Coe began a non-stop concert tour almost 45 years ago and the schedule still boasts a never-ending list of sold out shows.
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Melissa Anne Cain
Eastern Carolina Style 