Meshell Ndegeocello's NY Times Raves, Contribution To It Gets Better Book, Featured Guest Appearances On Three New Music Projects PLUS New Album in the Works

Meshell Ndegeocello recently received raves from The New York Times for her show featuring unique renditions of Prince songs. Meshell also recently contributed a story toIt Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living, in support of LGBT youth. In addition, she is a featured guest on three new music projects by Madeleine Peyroux, Miguel Migs and Zenith Myth. On top of all this, Meshell is also finishing her own new album project tentatively scheduled for release this Fall.

The New York Times' Nate Chinen praised Meshell's recent sold-out New York performance of "faithfully reimagined" songs by Prince: "Digging deeper than outright imitation requires both connoisseurship and independence, a sense of identity strong enough to survive immersion in the songs. None of which is a problem for Ms. Ndegeocello, a singer-songwriter drawn to the darker side of funk, and to a tough-minded brand of introspection... her razor-sharp band... nailed down every groove, with more earthiness than on the originals."

Meshell also recently contributed the story "Gwendolyn Gone" to the book, It Gets Better: Coming Out, Overcoming Bullying, and Creating a Life Worth Living. It includes essays and new material from celebrities, religious leaders, politicians, parents, educators, youth just out of high school, and many more. The anthology was compiled by syndicated columnist and author Dan Savage (Savage Love) and his partner Terry Miller as part of their larger It Gets Better Project. It Gets Better "was created to show young LGBT people the levels of happiness, potential, and positivity their lives will reach - if they can just get through their teen years... [and] wants to remind teenagers in the LGBT community that they are not alone - and it WILL get better."

In more music related news, Meshell is a featured guest on three new projects. She contributed to multi-platinum vocalist, Madeleine Peyroux's recently released new album, Standing On The Rooftop, along with fellow Rosebud artist Allen Toussaint, among others. Meshell also collaborated with DJ / producer / musician Miguel Migs on two tracks to be released this Summer and she is a featured guest on the debut album by Zenith Myth (out September 6). Zenith Myth is described as a break-up record of sorts, what Meshell calls "the best kind of record." Other guest include Paul D'Amour (Tool), Melissa Auf der Maur (Hole, Smashing Pumpkins), Mike Bloom (Julian Casablancas) and Sam Goldberg (Broken Social Scene). Last but certainly not least, Meshell is currently finishing her own new album project, tentatively scheduled for release this Fall. She is working with renowned producer Joe Henry (Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco, Bettye LaVette, Loudon Wainwright III, Solomon Burke) for release on her new label, the French independent Naïve Records.

Catch Meshell live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

JJ Cale Nominated For Induction Into Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame JJ Cale has been nominated for Induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (NaSHOF). NaSHOF recognizes songwriters who have positively impacted and been closely associated with the Nashville Music Community and are deemed outstanding and significant. A native of Oklahoma, JJ Cale moved to Nashville early in his career where he was hired by the Grand Ole Opry's touring company. Following relocations including to California and back to Oklahoma, he later returned to Nashville to record his early solo albums.   JJ Cale is a vastly influential songwriter. Eric Clapton famously covered Cale's "After Midnight" and "Cocaine," as well as "I'll Make Love To You Anytime" and "Travelin' Light." Lynyrd Skynyrd covered Cale's "Call Me The Breeze" and "Bringing It Back." In addition, artists as varied as Santana, The Allman Brothers, Johnny Cash, The Band, Chet Atkins, Freddie King and Captain Beefheart have all covered his songs. This year's NaSHOF nominees also include Mark James ("Suspicious Minds" by Elvis Presley; "Always On My Mind" by Willie Nelson), John Bettis ("Slow Hand" by Conway Twitty/The Pointer Sisters), Dan Penn ("I'm Your Puppet" by James & Bobby Purify; "The Dark End Of The Street" by James Carr/Archie Campbell & Lorene Mann) and Allen Shamblin ("I Can't Make You Love Me" by Bonnie Raitt) among others. The Induction Ceremony will be held October 16th in Nashville. At this time, JJ Cale does not have any tour plans.

Allen Toussaint and Meshell Ndegeocello are both featured on multi-platinum Vocalist, Madeleine Peyroux's recently released new album, Standing On The Rooftop. In addition to Allen and Meshell, the album also features contributions from guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits, Elvis Costello), drummer Charley Drayton (Neil Young, Johnny Cash), guitarist Chris Bruce (Seal, John Legend), and was produced by Craig Street (Norah Jones, k.d. lang and Cassandra Wilson).

This is Madeleine's fifth solo album and she wrote most of the songs herself, though she collaborated with former Rolling Stone Bill Wyman on one song and with violinist Jenny Scheinman (a regular collaborator with Rosebud artist Bill Frisell) on "The Things I've Seen Today." The New York Times has noted that Madeleine Peyroux "has branched out to refine an enigmatic, low-key personal style that is all her own."

Catch Allen and Meshell perform individually live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

Dr. John, Allen Toussaint & The Meters reunited and revisited Dr. John's 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo in it's entirety at the 10th Annual Bonnaroo Festival on June 11th. In addition, Dr. John led Bonnaroo's Super Jam on June 12th with collaborator Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. (Rosebud represents Dr. John for International booking representation outside the U.S. and Canada)

The Tennessee festival named itself after Desitively Bonnaroo, an album which united Dr. John with The Meters as his backing band and was helmed by producer Allen Toussaint (who also contributed keyboards, percussion, arrangements and background vocals). The musicians had all worked together on Dr. John's previous record, In the Right Place. The Nashville Scene said of the set that they played "with plenty of swampy funk and Crescent City soul. For fans of New Orleans music, this was like a jam session among the heads on Mount Rushmore."

The following day, Dr. John and Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys led Bonnaroo's annual Super Jam. The set largely focused on Night-Tripper-era (1968-71) Dr. John material ("Jump Sturdy," "Black John the Conqueror," "Mama Roux," "I Walk on Guilded Splinters"). They were joined by The Preservation Hall Jazz Band and two drummers: Patrick Hallahan (My Morning Jacket) and Max Weissenfeldt (of the German rare-groove band Poets of Rhythm). The New York Time's Ben Ratliff praised the set, writing "Oh, it was good... They played the kind of funk that raises no sweat... Something went very right; the atmosphere grew charmed and spooky... There were few solos and no need for them. I hope they pile into a studio tomorrow and record it."

Catch Dr. John and Allen perform individually live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

Rosebud Artists Nominated For 7 Living Blues Awards: Marcia Ball, Ruthie Foster, Bettye LaVette, Charlie Musselwhite, Mavis Staples All Get Nods - CAST YOUR VOTE

Marcia Ball, Ruthie Foster, Bettye LaVette, Charlie Musselwhite and Mavis Staples have all been nominated for 2011 Living Blues Awards, with Marcia and Charlie nominated for two awards each.

The Rosebud Agency's 2011 Living Blues Awards Nominees: Blues Artist of the Year (Female): - Marcia Ball  - Ruthie Foster  - Bettye LaVette  Most Outstanding Blues Singer: Mavis Staples  Most Outstanding Musician (Harmonica): Charlie Musselwhite  Most Outstanding Musician (Keyboard): Marcia Ball  Best Blues Album of 2010 (New Recordings): Charlie Musselwhite - The Well

Last year Charlie received his eighth Living Blues Award for Outstanding Musician (and his fourth in a row) and Ruthie was honored with Blues Artist of the Year (Female) in the Critics' Poll. Marcia was awarded in 2009 for both categories she's nominated in this year, adding to her wins in the Outstanding Musician category in 2007 and 2008. Bettye has previously been honored with two Reader's and three Critics' Awards, including Blues Artist of the Year (Female) and Most Outstanding Blues Singer. Mavis has also previously been honored with two Critics' Awards including Blues Artist of the Year (Female).

You can vote here for your choices, as well as write-in candidates: All ballots must be received by July 15, 2011. Congratulations to all the nominees!

Check out these artists performing live on stage, please see Tour Dates >>

The Blind Boys of Alabama Featured on NPR's Mountain Stage Premiering June 17th // Blind Boys Play Sold Out BAMA RISING: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery June 14th

The Blind Boys of Alabama will be featured on NPR's Mountain Stage in an episode premiering June 17, 2011. In addition, The Blind Boys will be performing at the sold out event BAMA RISING: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery taking place on June 14th in Birmingham, AL. While general admission tickets are sold out, there are limited VIP packages still available for the benefit. The Blind Boys Mountain Stage performance will air on over 170 NPR stations over the week beginning June 17. Air times vary by station, a complete list of which can be found here. The following week the show will be posted to NPR's archive on their website here. Also, Mountain Stage's podcasts of the show are available for free on iTunes here.

Earlier in the week, The Blind Boys will play BAMA RISING: A Benefit Concert for Alabama Tornado Recovery. The benefit, hosted by legendary country Group, Alabama, brings the country music community together to assist victims of the tornados that ravaged Alabama on April 27th. Artists joining The Blind Boys in the concert lineup (in addition to Alabama) include: Sheryl Crow, Dierks Bentley, Bo Bice, Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Taylor Hicks, Brad Paisley and Darius Rucker among many others. Alabama's Randy Owen, speaking on behalf of the group, said, "My hope is that this will bring happiness and help to my fellow citizens... I hope we all can pull together to help get through the worst natural disaster I've ever seen in Alabama."

The Blind Boys were recently featured in another all-star benefit, Music Builds: CMT Disaster Relief Concert. That benefit raised money for American Red Cross disaster relief efforts for people affected by the early Spring's devastating storms, floods and tornadoes in the U.S. The Blind Boys performed with Hank Williams Jr., who also guests on their new traditional country-gospel album, Take the High Road.

The album was co-produced by acclaimed country music artist Jamey Johnson, who also performs on it along with Vince Gill, Willie Nelson, Lee Ann Womack and The Oak Ridge Boys. The New York Times wrote of the album: "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."

Check out the Blind Boys performing live on stage, including their legendary contributions to The Gospel at Colonus in Charleston SC, a Summer European Tour and much more, please see Tour Dates for details >>

Bill Frisell To Play TEDxGoldenGateED June 11th - Bill Named Among New SFJAZZ Center's Inaugural Artistic Directors

Bill Frisell will play at TEDxGoldenGateED on June 11, 2011 in Richmond, CA, located on the edge of the San Francisco Bay overlooking the city's skyline. In addition, the SFJAZZ Center recently named Bill as an Inaugural Artistic Director to oversee programming and performances beginning Fall 2012 at it's new permanent Center in San Francisco.

Bill will be featured performing at TEDxGoldenGateED, Teach Compassion: Educating Hearts and Minds on June 11th. TEDxGoldenGateED also includes a diverse field of speakers, discussing what science tells us about compassion and empathy, and how compassion improves learning. There will be chances to meet people who teach compassion explicitly, and others whose creative and vital work is deeply informed by it.

TED is an annual event where some of the world's leading thinkers and doers are invited to share what they are most passionate about. Past speakers have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck and Bono. "TED" stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design. TEDx is a local, self-organized event where x = independently organized. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program.

Bill has also been named as an Inaugural Artistic Director for the SFJAZZ Center. Along with fellow Artistic Directors Regina Carter, Jason Moran, John Santos and Miguel Zenón, he will oversee programming and performances beginning Fall 2012 at the new permanent SFJAZZ Center, the West Coast's first stand-alone facility designed expressly for jazz. Throughout the season, each director will individually oversee two weeks of programming and performing at the Center. During their two week term, each director will spend one week in residence collaborating with students, attending listening parties and performing for audiences. Selected based on their career, commitment to jazz and understanding of the SFJAZZ mission, the current Artistic Directors will stay onboard with SFJAZZ for two years. SFJAZZ, founded in 1983, is the largest nonprofit presenter of jazz in the western United States. The new state-of-the-art facility will be the country's first stand-alone building for jazz. It will present world class artists in concert throughout the year, nurture young musicians' development and promote music education through jazz outreach programs to Bay Area students and adults.

In the first half of 2011 alone, Bill has 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, featuring Jenny Scheinman (violin), Eyvind Kang (viola), and Hank Roberts (cello). Always a prolific musician in the studio, there is more music on the way from Bill. He's at work recording his interpretations of John Lennon songs (set for September 2011 release) and there is another Floratone album in the works - Bill's collaboration with Matt Chamberlain, Tucker Martine and Lee Townsend. Catch Bill performing live on stage in a myriad of formats, please see Tour Dates >>