MASCOT RECORDS RELEASES 7TH ALBUM FROM GUITARIST JOHN NORUM
(Album photo by ©Paul Bergen)
NEW YORK – “Play Yard Blues,” the latest solo album from Europe guitarist John Norum, is now available on Mascot Records.
The long-awaited album takes a different approach than Norum’s past releases, showcasing a more bluesy side of his soulful style. “Play Yard Blues” consists of 10 tracks, recorded in Norum’s hometown of Stockholm, Sweden.
“When I started playing, I only played blues rock,” Norum said. “Now I feel it’s time to go back to my roots.”
The album title was inspired by the studio in which it was recorded – Play Yard Studios. “It’s also the name of a song and it ended up being one of my favorite songs on the album,” he said.
In addition to the Norum originals, the guitarist puts his personal stamp on a few classics: Thin Lizzy’s “It’s Only Money,” Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush’s “Ditch Queen,” and Mountain’s “Travellin’ in the Dark.” “I always loved Thin Lizzy, Mountain, and Frank Marino, so I want to pay tribute to those guys,” Norum said.
As a whole, Norum sees his new album as a tribute to his late wife, Michelle Meldrum of the band Meldrum, who passed away suddenly two years ago at the age of just 39. Photos of Norum and the couple’s young son emphasize the double meaning of the album’s title, with the guitarist and the boy side-by-side, guitars in hand. “It´s a tribute to Michelle and I wanted him to be part of it,” Norum said. “And he is proud of his daddy’s playing.”
(Photo by © Paul Bergen)
“Play Yard Blues,” Norum’s seventh solo album, was mixed and produced by Norum and Peer Stappe. Norum, who sings on the album in addition to playing to guitar, is joined by musicians Tomas Torberg (bass), Thomas Bronman (drums), Peer Stappe (percussion), and Mic Michaeli (keyboards).
Vocalist Leif Sundin (MSG, JOHANSSON BROTHERS) also guests on two tracks, 'Born Again' and 'Got My Eyes On You.'
Full track listing is:
Let It Shine
Red Light Green High
It’s Only Money
Got My Eyes On You
When Darkness Falls
Over and Done
Ditch Queen
Travel In The Dark
Born Again
Play Yard Blues
Mascot Records is an independent record company based in The Netherlands that specializes in guitar music, from metal to instrumental guitar, hard rock, prog rock and (guitar) fusion.
Classic rockers UFO announce European tour dates
Hard rocking UK or should it be Anglo American act now, UFO, have just had a new "Best of" album "BEST OF A DECADE" released through SPV music and are about to hit the road across Europe throughout October, November and December.
For these date, bassist Barry Sparks will be stepping in again, to join original members Phil Mogg, Paul Raymond, Andy Parker and the band long time current lead player Vinnie Moore.
Dates lined up at this time are as follows:
October 2010
11th October - Germany - Bremen - Meisenfrei
12th October - Germany - Melle - Hohnerkamps Ballsaal
13th October - Germany - Lorsch - Musiktheater Rex
15th October - Germany - Obermarchtal - Gemeindehaus
16th October - Austria - Vienna - Szene
17th October - Germany - Trier - Exil
19th October - Germany - Freiburg - Jazzhaus
20th October - Holland - Zwolle - Hedon
21st October - Belgium - Verviers - Spirit of 66
22nd October - Germany/Norway - Kiel to Oslo - Classic Rock Cruise
24th October - Finland - Helsinki - Nosturi
25th October - Finland - Tampere - Pakkahuone
26th October - Finland - Turku - Karen
28th October - Sweden - Stockholm - Debaser Medis
29th October - Sweden - Örnsköldsvik - The Merry Can
30th October - Sweden - Skövde - Valhall
31st October - Sweden - Gothenburg - Sticky Fingers
November 2010
1st November - Denmark - Copenhagen - The Rock
1st November - Denmark - Copenhagen - The Rock
December 2010
2nd December - England - Birmingham - HMV Institute
3rd December - Wales - Prestatyn - Hard Rock Hell IV
4th December - England - Holmfirth - Picturedrome
5th December - England - Liverpool - O2 Academy
7th December - England - Brighton Concorde 2
For more current information on the band:
BUDDY GUY, JIMMIE VAUGHAN, AND SHEMEKIA COPELAND BRING NIGHT OF BLUES TO TRENTON
TRENTON, N.J. – The Blues returns to the capital city on October 23 for one night with legends Buddy Guy and Jimmie Vaughan, and the young Blues queen Shemekia Copeland at Patriots Theater at the War Memorial.
With his new album, “Living Proof,” available next month, Guy takes a hard look back at a remarkable life. At age 74, he’s a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound, and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues. He has received five Grammy Awards, 23 W.C. Handy Blues Awards (the most any artist has received), the Billboard magazine Century Award for distinguished artistic achievement, and the Presidential National Medal of Arts. Rolling Stone ranked him in the top 30 of its "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
Though Guy will forever be associated with Chicago, his story actually begins in Louisiana. One of five children, he was born in 1936 to a sharecropper’s family and raised on a plantation near the small town of Lettsworth, located some 140 miles northwest of New Orleans. Guy was just seven years old when he fashioned his first makeshift “guitar”—a two-string contraption attached to a piece of wood and secured with his mother’s hairpins.
Perhaps the most significant landmark on “Living Proof” is that, for the first time, the incomparable B.B. King stopped by to play and sing a song, “Stay Around a Little Longer,” on a Buddy Guy album.
“I am excited to be on the same bill with Jimmie and Shemekia,” Guy said. “I've done shows with them before and am looking forward to it as much now as I did the first time.”
Jimmie Vaughan is far more than just one of the greatest and most respected guitarists in the world of popular music; as Guitar Player magazine notes, “He is a virtual deity–a living legend.” After all, Vaughan provides a vital link between contemporary music and its proud heritage, as well as being a longtime avatar of retro cool.
With Vaughan’s fifth and most recent solo release, “Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites,” was released in July. Exactly what the title implies, the record is made up of Vaughan’s hand-picked favorites, including covers of songs by artists such as Little Richard, Jimmy Reed, Willie Nelson, Roy Milton, and Roscoe Gordon.
Since releasing his first solo album in 1994, Vaughan has set the standard for quality modern roots music. Throughout his career, Vaughan has earned the esteem of his legendary guitar-playing heroes and superstar peers along with successive generations of young players. His musical ethos and personal style have had an impact on contemporary culture, from spearheading the current blues revival with The Fabulous Thunderbirds to his longtime, innate fashion sense of slicked-back hair and sharp vintage threads (now seen throughout the pages of contemporary fashion journals) to becoming a premier designer of classic custom cars.
At a young age, Shemekia Copeland is already a force to be reckoned with in the Blues. While still in her 20s, she’s opened for the Rolling Stones, headlined at the Chicago Blues Festival and numerous festivals around the world, and scored critics’ choice awards on both sides of the Atlantic (The New York Times and The Times of London). Heir to the rich tradition of soul-drenched divas like Ruth Brown, Etta James, and Koko Taylor, Copeland’s passion for singing, matched with her huge, blast-furnace voice, gives her music a timeless power and a heart-pounding urgency. Her music comes from deep within her soul and from the streets where she grew up, surrounded by the everyday sounds of the city – street performers, gospel singers, blasting radios, bands in local parks, and so much more.
Born in Harlem, New York, in 1979, Copeland actually came to her singing career slowly. Her father, the late Texas blues guitar legend Johnny Clyde Copeland, recognized his daughter’s talent early on. He always encouraged her to sing at home, and even brought her on stage to sing at Harlem’s famed Cotton Club when she was just eight. At the time, Shemekia’s embarrassment outweighed her desire to sing. But when she was fifteen and her father’s health began to fail, her outlook changed. At only 19, Copeland stepped out of her father’s shadow with her debut recording, “Turn the Heat Up!,” and the critics raved.
Last year’s “Never Going Back” represents a crossroads in Copeland’s ongoing artistic journey – a place where numerous new avenues are open to her. While she will always remain loyal to her blues roots, Never Going Back takes a more forward view of the blues, and in so doing points her music and her career in a new direction.
“It should be a fantastic show,” said Copeland. “We've got three different generations of blues represented which in itself is cool. Plus we all rock. I'm trying to create blues for a new generation to make sure the music stays alive.”
Tickets for this unforgettable night of Blues are just $29.00, $39.00, $49.00, $65.00, and $79.00. A 10% military discount is available (Box office only, must show ID). Tickets are available by calling The Patriots Theater Box Office at (609) 984-8400 or (800) 955-5566, or online at thewarmemorial.com or tickets.com.
Patriots Theater at the War Memorial is located at 1 Memorial Drive, Trenton, NJ 08608.
Show time is 7:30 p.m. Parking is always free and directions can be found at the Patriot’s Theater website (http://www.thewarmemorial.com/).
High Voltage Festival Live recordings being made available
Concert Live have just launched their new website, where you can find recordings from this past summer High Voltage Festival, held in London's Victoria Park.
At this time the only recordings being made available are from:
Argent
Asia
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Marilion
Get them through the following site:
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