Bettye LaVette's Café Carlyle Residency Met With Rave Reviews // Featured On Steve Cropper Project, Out July 5th

Bettye LaVette's nine-show residency at Café Carlyle in New York City began May 24th, to unanimous raves. Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "This is soul singing at its rawest and most persuasive." The evening featured songs from Bettye's GRAMMY nominated CDs, Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook and The Scene Of The Crime, including her rendition of "Love Reign O'er Me", which she originally performed to a stunned audience at the 2008 Kennedy Center Honors. K. Leander Williams of The Village Voice declared, "The Carlyle engagement also serves as another triumph for LaVette, who in the past eight years has made up for 40 years of lost time in the music business...The awe of cognition was palpable in the room many times last night." Bettye next appears in New York City on June 14th at the SummerStage Gala "Motown Meets NYC" with the New York Pops Orchestra.

Bettye LaVette is featured on the upcoming Steve Cropper project Dedicated, a tribute to guitarist Lowman "Pete" Pauling and his R&B group The 5 Royales, which will be released July 5, 2011. The album also highlights artists such as Lucinda Williams and BB King, among others. Says Bettye of the project, "It's wonderful to hear the songs of the 5 Royales, which I grew up on, played and interpreted by my contemporaries.  I've known Steve Cropper and I've met him...when you mention Steve Cropper you think of all of the great female stars who he worked with and now I am among them."

Bettye LaVette will be touring the US throughout the Summer, including a tour of Europe in July, Catch her live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

KFOG's Local Scene 7 >>

The Stone Foxes' song "Reno" is featured on the KFOG Radio (The San Francisco Bay Area's "World Class Rock" station) compilation CD, Local Scene 7. The disc is available now for $5.00 here and features 17 tracks from musicians living and working in the Bay Area. Proceeds from CD sales benefit Music in Schools Today (MuST), a local non-profit that advocates for, supports and develops integrated, accessible, sustainable and measurable music-in-education programs that improve student achievement.

watch Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey AD >>

The Stone Foxes have been breaking out in several ways recently with additional exposure from a number of sources. Their rendition of the blues classic "I'm A King Bee" is featured in Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey ad campaign, with the song now available on iTunes. The "King Bee" Spot was named Adweek's Ad of the Day 4/27/11 and has been airing throughout the NBA playoffs, among other times.

Also, Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes used their song "Young Man" in their recent promo video, check it out here. And while The Stone Foxes were down at SXSW, BAMM.tv recorded their show closing all-out-throw-down of "Mr. Hangman" - watch it here. Don't miss The Foxes' Aaron Mort rafter-scaling, followed by him playing bass from his new perch to close out the song.

Check out The Stone Foxes live on a stage near you, including festival stops at Wakarusa in Ozark, AR and Outside Lands in San Francisco, CA. Please see Tour Dates >>

Bill Frisell Nominated for Guitarist of the Year at the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards

Bill Frisell has been nominated once again for Guitarist of the Year at the 2011 Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards . Bill has been honored with this award six times in the past. In addition, many of Bill's collaborators are nominated this year, including Paul Motian (drums); Joe Lovano (sax); Ron Carter (bass); Jason Moran (piano); and Jenny Scheinman (violin). The winners will be announced at a benefit Gala at City Winery in New York City on June 11, 2011. The winners are chosen by the votes of the professional journalist members of the JJA, the non-profit professional organization of jazz writers, broadcasters, photographers and new media producers.

Just four months into 2011, Bill had already released a duo album with with Brazilian singer-songwriter / guitarist / percussionist Vinicius Cantuária titled Lagrimas Mexicanas; was a featured member on Buddy Miller's Majestic Silver Strings album, with fellow guitarists Marc Ribot and Greg Leisz; and released his own album of compositions, Sign of Life: Music for the 858 Quartet. Joining Bill in the 858 Quartet are Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), and Hank Roberts (cello).

Catch Bill performing live on stage in a wide variety of formats, please see Tour Dates >>

Jim Lauderdale has collaborated yet again with legendary Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter and will release his new CD, Reason & Rhyme, on Sugar Hill Records, June 21, 2011. Described by Jim as "back to total bluegrass," the album includes 11 new tracks and features musicians from previous recordings such as Jay Weaver on bass and Scott Vestal on banjo. Also returning is producer Randy Kohrs of Lauderdale's 2007 Grammy-winning CD, The Bluegrass Diaries.  "We started on this one last August," says Lauderdale, "right after I finished touring with Elvis Costello...This time around, we wanted to keep the momentum from Patchwork River going; I started sending him [Robert Hunter] melodies, and ten days later we had 18 songs to choose from." This is Jim's third project with Hunter since they began collaborating over 10 years ago.

Jim Lauderdale has been widely acknowledged for his songwriting and is soon to be inducted into The Blue Ridge Music Hall of Fame in the Songwriter category, on June 11, 2011. His songs have been recorded by artists such as Patty Loveless, George Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Solomon Burke, Mark Chesnutt, Dave Edmunds, John Mayall, Kathy Mattea, Lee Ann Womack, Gary Allan, Vince Gill, George Strait, Buddy Miller, The Del McCoury Band, Dwight Yoakam and Nitty Gritty Dirt Band among many others. Catch Jim Lauderdale live on stage, Please see Tour Dates >>

Ruthie Foster will release her first live concert DVD, and accompanying bonus CD, Live At Antone's (Blue Corn Music), on June 21, 2011. Taped live at the legendary Antone's in her hometown of Austin, Texas, the recording features Ruthie's touring band with members Samantha Banks on drums, Tanya Richardson on bass, Scottie Miller on keyboards and Hadden Sayers on guitar. The show includes past favorites such as "Stone Love," "Phenomenal Woman," and "Runaway Soul," and Papa Mali joins in as a special guest on "Heal Yourself." Also featured is a behind-the-scenes shoot of "Five Minutes with Ruthie Foster." The DVD will be available at iTunes and Amazon.com.

Ruthie was recently honored to win the 2011 Koko Taylor Blues Music Award for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year. This is her second consecutive Blues Music Award, following a win in 2010 for Contemporary Blues Female Artist of the Year. USA Today raved of her latest performance at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, where she held a headlining spot in the Blues Tent, stating, "Ruthie Foster's expansive, passionate voice sounded like it was nurtured in the Gospel Tent next door, but it commanded the stage in the Blues Tent as the Austin-based guitarist/singer tore through a dynamic set of R&B, country-tinged blues, folk and gospel songs." Catch Ruthie Foster live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

Tommy Castro Presents The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Revue Live! will be released June 7 on Alligator Records. Tommy Castro has become the honorary Captain of The Legendary Rhythm & Blues Cruises (which he has called "the best blues gig of the year for anybody that goes on it"), where blues artists perform together on the open seas of the Pacific and the Caribbean. Inspired by the jam sessions on the ship, Tommy decided to bring the musical spontaneity of these gigs on the road. This album collects the highlights from the Revue's recent live shows. In addition to The Tommy Castro Band, the album features Rick Estrin (harmonica), Janiva Magness (vocals), Michael "Iron Man" Burks (guitar), Debbie Davies (guitar), Theodis Ealey (guitar, vocals), Sista Monica Parker (vocals), and Joe Louis Walker (guitar, vocals), as well as the band Trampled Under Foot.

Tommy also recently stopped by Gibson Guitar's New York City Showroom to talk about his love of B.B. King, his early days playing in the Bay Area, thoughts on the Blues Music Awards (at which he won four awards in 2010 alone) and mixing soul music with blues guitar, as well as playing a few licks. Check out the video interview here.

Catch the Tommy Castro Band live on a stage near you, including a series of shows in Brazil this June in addition to their domestic shows, please see Tour Dates >>

Rosebud Agency Artists Everywhere During 42nd Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

Rosebud artists were everywhere at the 42nd Annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, from the festival-eve New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Gala featuring Marcia Ball with Buddy Guy to Trombone Shorty joining The Neville Brothers for their traditional festival closing show. In between, Rosebud artists performed all over New Orleans with appearances at benefits, nightclubs, in-store shows, private events and even the annual Jazz Fest Shabbat at Touro Synagogue. At the Shabbat, which featured Irma Thomas, she called Marcia Ball up to join her for the title track to their GRAMMY nominated collaboration with Tracy Nelson, Sing It! Those two alone collaborated twice again with Irma joining Marcia's main stage set at the Festival and Marcia and fellow Rosebud artist Allen Toussaint joining Irma's main stage set.

And so it went, with Marcia alone making over ten appearances including two separate piano night events, an in-store show in support of her new Roadside Attractions CD, a headline show downtown at Wednesdays on the Square, Marcia's Crystal Ball at the Ogden Museum and much more, including guesting with Glen David Andrews during his Blues Tent show in which Trombone Shorty was also a featured guest with his cousin.

Once again proving himself to be the jam king of Jazz Fest, Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews was everywhere as well. The Festival's last day alone saw him change gears from a full set of free jazz collaborations in tribute to recently deceased mentor, Clyde Kerr, on the Jazz stage, straight over to a rocking spot with Kid Rock on the main stage, then directly to the Gospel tent to join cousin Glenn David Andrews again, then literally running directly back to the main stage to feature with The Neville Brothers. Earlier in the Festival, Troy joined Jeff Beck for his encore on the main stage; played with Midnite Disturbers (which included Stanton Moore, Kevin O'Day, Big Sam, Shamar Allen, Ben Ellman, Corey Henry and the Dirty Dozen's legendary Roger Lewis); he was the subject of a public interview on the Music Heritage Stage; played with 5th Ward Weebie on the Congo Square stage and then jumped over to join The Dirty Dozen Brass Band on the main stage, where, after huge response for his solo, The Dozen's Efrem Towns call him a "national treasure from New Orleans." Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue also played their own sold out headline shows both weekends of the Festival at House of Blues and Tipitina's. Also omnipresent during the Fest was Jon Cleary, who played eight of his own shows at five different venues all around town, in addition to his main stage Festival performance. Charlie Musselwhite performed his own show in the Blues Tent before joining Cyndi Lauper as a member of her band for her headlining set, then joined The Blind Boys of Alabama for their Tipitina's show, guesting along with fellow Rosebud artist, Jim Lauderdale. The next night, Charlie played his own show at the legendary Preservation Hall.

The Blind Boys also made a major impression at the Festival even without their own Festival slot as they joined Jamey Johnson (who co-produced and guests on their new Take the High Road CD) during his set, followed directly by being featured in Willie Nelson's set (also a guest on their new CD). In addition to the The Blind Boys' performances, Jimmy Carter was featured in a public interview on the Music Heritage Stage stage, talking about his 70-plus years with the group.

BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet played a show at Preservation Hall, the night after their Festival performance. In addition, Michael Doucet joined the Voices of the Wetlands for their main stage set and was also featured in The Radiators' last Jazz Fest set (the group is calling it quits after 33 years) for their version of "You Ain't Going Nowhere." The Dirty Dozen Brass Band played three of their own club shows in addition to their main stage Festival performance and group co-founder, Gregory (Blodie) Davis lead his annual set in the Jazz Tent, Blodie's Jazz Jam. Dr. John and The Lower 911 (who Rosebud represents for bookings outside the U.S. and Canada) played two of their own club shows in addition to their Festival set on the main stage with special guest Dave Bartholomew. Dr. John was also interviewed on the Music Heritage Stage in a Tribute to Herman Ernest.

Ruthie Foster played a headline set in the Blues Tent at the Fest before joining the Warren Haynes Band for shows at the Mahalia Jackson Theater and Preservation Hall. Also taking part in the Mahalia Jackson Theater show were Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and The Dirty Dozen horns. Elsewhere during the Fest, Bill Frisell performed two Snug Harbor shows - both sold out well in advance.

Irma Thomas, gracing the cover of offBeat magazine's Jazz Fest guide as well as major coverage in other media, played two featured Festival sets adding a special Mahalia Jackson 100th Birthday Celebration show in the Gospel Tent (with guest John Boutté) to her main stage appearance

Allen Toussaint played two solo shows at Snug Harbor, premiering new jazz material. He also joined his friend Jimmy Buffet on the main stage as well as the aforementioned guest spot with Irma Thomas during her main stage show - all in addition to his own main stage performance at the Fest. Portions of his Festival set, in addition to portions of sets by Marcia Ball, Jon Cleary, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and Irma Thomas were web cast by Rolling Stone magazine in their coverage of the Festival.

A massive thanks to everyone at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the City of New Orleans and all the city's music venues that helped make this year's festival possible. Check out these artists performing their own shows as they tour around the U.S. and the world in the months ahead, please see Tour Dates >>

The Blind Boys of Alabama To Be Featured in Music Builds: CMT Disaster Relief Concert Thursday May 12, High Profile Guest Collaborations and Media Appearances

The Blind Boys of Alabama will be featured in the all-star benefit Music Builds: CMT Disaster Relief Concert on May 12. They will perform with Hank Williams Jr., who also guests on their brand new album, Take the High Road. The concert will be broadcast live from Nashville at 9 PM ET/PT on the CMT cable network and simulcast on CMT.com. The show will raise money for people affected by the recent devastating storms, floods and tornadoes in the U.S. All money raised will benefit the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts. Other artists scheduled to appear in the concert include Alabama, Keith Urban, Lady Antebellum, Ronnie Dunn, Trace Adkins, Sara Evans, Tim McGraw and more. In addition, President Obama will offer a special call-to-action message during the fundraising event, as will Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Carrie Underwood, Courtney Cox, Ellen DeGeneres and Nicole Kidman among others. (read the full story). If you would like to donate to the effort, visit the American Red Cross website, call 1-800-RED CROSS or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.

The New York Times reviewed the Blind Boys' new album on Sunday May 8, writing: "Take the High Road is this venerable gospel group's first organized foray into country music, and it couldn't have gone much better. Recorded in Nashville with a serious crew, it finds a respectable balance between earthy and polished, sounding true to all parties involved."

The Blind Boys have recently been playing live with guests from the record and others involved in the Country scene. At the recent New Orleans Jazzfest, The Blind Boys joined Jamey Johnson (who co-produced and guests on Take the High Road) for "I Saw the Light." The song is also on Take the High Road. The Blind Boys stuck around to join headliner, Wille Nelson, another guest on their new CD, for his rendition of "I Saw the Light." The night before, they were joined by fellow Rosebud artist Jim Lauderdale for their set at legendary New Orleans venue, Tipitina's. Following Jazzfest, The Blind Boys traveled North, playing with special guests The Oak Ridge Boys (also on the new album) at their show in New York City.

Check out this video of The Blind Boys joined by Jamey Johnson and the Oak Ridge Boys live on Fox and Friends (Fox News) on May 10, 2011, performing "I Saw the Light." Founding member of The Blind Boys Jimmy Carter was also recently interviewed on The Tavis Smiley Show from Public Radio International, click here to listen to it.

Catch The Blind Boys performing live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

2011 GRAMMY Winner Mavis Staples Receives Honorary Doctor of Music Degree From Berklee College of Music

2011 GRAMMY Winner Mavis Staples received an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music on May 7, 2011 (read the full story). Berklee president Roger H. Brown presented the honorary degree to Mavis for her dedication to bringing gospel music to the mainstream and aspiring to uplift and bring about social change through music.
"Well, I finally made it to college. Finally!" said Mavis upon receiving her degree. "I'm so deeply honored, and I sit here in awe of these smiling beautiful faces. I know the world is waiting for you, and you're ready to go out and bring the joy of music to the world."

Mavis was joined by fellow honorees Michael McDonald; Chucho Valdés and his father, Bebo Valdés; and Kenny Garrett. This year's honorary doctorate recipients were recognized for their achievements in contemporary music, for their enduring contributions to popular culture, and for the influence their careers and music have had over Berklee's international student body. They join esteemed past recipients including David Bowie, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Sting, B.B. King, James Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Loretta Lynn, Quincy Jones, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, Smokey Robinson, and Patti Labelle.  The honors took place during Berklee's 2011 commencement, held at the Agganis Arena at Boston University for the graduating class and an estimated crowd of more than 4,000 guests.

Catch Mavis performing live on stage as she tours extensively in the coming months, including stops at Levon Helm's legendary Midnight Ramble, Mountain Jam, Bonnaroo, dates with Dr. John & the Lower 911 Band and New Orleans' Essence Music Festival among many more.  Please see Tour Dates >>

Congratulations to Rosebud's 2011 Blues Music Award Winners: John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Irma Thomas, Dr. John

Congratulations to John Hammond, Charlie Musselwhite, Ruthie Foster, Irma Thomas and Dr. John, who were all honored with 2011 Blues Music Awards! John Hammond, Inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame the night before, won Acoustic Artist of the Year. This is John's 8th Blues Music Award (BMA). Blues Hall of Fame Inductee Charlie Musselwhite won two awards, for Best Instrumentalist - Harmonica and Traditional Blues Male Artist of the Year. Charlie is now a 25-time BMA Winner!

Ruthie Foster won the Koko Taylor Award for Traditional Blues Female of the Year; last year she was honored with the Contemporary Blues Female Artist Award. Blues Hall of Fame Inductee Irma Thomas won Soul Blues Female Artist of the Year, her 9th BMA and a category she won last year. Blues Hall of Famer Dr. John won the Pinetop Perkins Piano Player Award, his 2nd BMA (Dr. John joined Rosebud recently for International booking representation outside the U.S. and Canada). In addition, the DVD of the Year was awarded to Songs from the Road by The Late Luther Allison, a Rosebud artist until his passing. The performance captured on the DVD was recorded live in Montreal, July 4, 1997, shortly before Luther's death.

The 2011 Blues Music Awards were held May 5, 2011 at the Cook Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee and it was broadcast live on Sirius XM's B.B. King's Bluesville. Congratulations to all the Winners! Check out these artists performing live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

Trombone Shorty Wins Best Male Performer and Dr. John Wins Best R&B Artist at 2011 Big Easy Music Awards in New Orleans

Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews has been honored for the 2nd year in a row with the Big Easy Music Award for Best Male Performer. He was recognized as Entertainer of the Year at the 2010 Big Easy Music Awards and won Best Male Performer in 2008 as well. Dr. John won the 2011 Big Easy Music Award for Best R & B artist. At the 2009 Awards, Dr. John was honored with the Entertainer of the Year Award and Best Album of the Year for his GRAMMY-winning album City That Care Forgot.

Both Trombone Shorty and Dr. John were also nominated for Best Album of 2010 and Troy actually performed on the winning album in that category, Galactic's Ya-Ka-May.

Troy and Dr. John are also featured on the first season soundtrack album from HBO's Treme series (they each play themselves on the show) which received a Special Recognition award. The show's producers David Simon and Eric Overmyer were honored as Ambassadors of New Orleans Music. The awards are hosted by The Big Easy Foundation and are celebrated in a ceremony in New Orleans.

Catch both Dr. John (who recently joined Rosebud for International booking representation outside the U.S. and Canada) and Trombone Shorty during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival's second weekend and live on a stage near you, please see Tour Dates >>

bandcamp.com >>

A long time fan of Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, DJ Logic, the turntablist and producer, has taken five tracks from the band's acclaimed 2010 release Rise & Shine and reworked the original session files into a set of funky, dubbed out remixes. The album Rise & Shine Remixes is available direct from the Refugee All Stars at shows on their Positive Revolution Tour - now in progress, playing U.S. dates across the West Coast and Northeast in May 2011. The Remixes are also available on their bandcamp site here, and will be released on iTunes and Amazon in the coming weeks. For a sample, check out "Muloma Remix" free here.

DJ Logic says of the project, "The ability of music to transcend borders and cultures is one of its most powerful characteristics. Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars have literally survived through their struggles because of this, and I am honored to be part of this great remix." As the founder of Project Logic and a frequent collaborator with artists including Medeski Martin & Wood, Vernon Reid, John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Christian McBride and Carley Simon amongst others, DJ Logic has established himself as the go to DJ for live band collaborations.

Check out Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars live on stage, as they bring their Positive Revolution Tour to the States this May, please see Tour Dates >>