Brijitte West’s "LOCKDOWN" EP is out and available for her fans. Created during Lockdown, the album features 3 new songs from Brijitte, who was the dynamic frontwoman for the 1990s band New York Loose.
Two songs, “Let’s Start a Fire” and “Talk
To Me” were produced in the studio with ----- at the helm. “Lie To Me” was recorded on her iPhone, as
were covers of The Velvet Underground’s “Pale Blue Eyes,” Ron Sexsmith’s Pretty
Suicide” and her own band’s “Sacred Heart”
NY Loose is most known for “Year Of The Rat” on Hollywood Records and their classic song, “Pretty Suicide,” which also appeared on “The Crow City Of Angels” soundtrack in 1996.
“’Can You Talk’ is about meeting somebody online during lockdown,” Brijitte
says. “It’s about a relationship that started with texts and how that can be
very constricting but liberating at the same time. You can say anything and
send it. You build a foundation. Then suddenly you realise just how lonely it
can be, words on a screen and the lack of human interaction. Lockdown seemed to slowed people down and
perhaps made then rethink their lives and the little things we take for
granted. ‘Can You Talk’ is a social commentary on that time and how it was for
me."
“’Let’s Build A Fire,’ a ballad written around the metaphor of building a fire
and coming to terms with the things in life that no longer serve you,” she
says. It’s about taking your time to think about things it’s time to burn and
how that knowledge and confidence can be the very thing that saves you.”
"Pretty Suicide' was inspired by a famous Life Magazine photo." Brijitte says on the making of that 1990s’ hit, "A girl committed suicide by jumping off the Empire State Building and landed on the roof of a car. She landed in the most angelic, graceful final pose. No blood or splatter -- just this beautiful state of relaxation. It seemed like the ultimate example of the collision between violence, tragedy, and beauty. It's ironic, she adds, with an acerbic smile, "because it was probably the best photo that this girl had ever taken."
“Lie To Me”
Michael Veitch is releasing a new album, “Wachtraum”
on February 4, 2022.
“Wachtraum,” means “days of dreaming” in German, and Germany is where Michael wrote many of the songs on his new album. “Wachtraum”’s theme focuses on his narrative writing and beautiful tenor voice’s reflections on unique qualities of each month.
The single and upcoming music video “Valentine’s Day,” is about love which helps coldness melt away. It’s a co-write with his longtime recording engineer Julie Last.
Other highlights of “Wachtraum” include “First Day” of a new year. “April Fools” is topical and personal and co-written with Judy Kass; it deals with delusional thinking. “Happy Fourth of July” recalls leaders and peace activists we’ve lost since the 1960s and features Dan playing brother Chris’s guitar. “Wachtraum” ends with the holy days of December with “One Wish” a duet with ethereal singer-songwriter Kirsti Gholsen.
This April, Michael appears on PBS’s upcoming broadcast, “We Remember-Songs from Survivors"-- songwriters collaborating with Holocaust survivors.
Michael’s been thankful on how the folk community has
helped him through the years. Judy Collins covered his song “Veteran’s Day,” on
her 2013 Live From the Temple of Dendur DVD, and 2011 CD “Bohemian.”
Michael’s song “Pledging Allegiance,” which reached #10 on the 2017
Folk/Americana charts, was honored by Music2Life Foundation. He’s a regular at
festivals, notably the 2001 Newport Folk Festival. Breaking out in the1980s,
with the help of Shawn Colvin—first sending him to Greenwich Village to expand
his songwriting with Jack Hardy, and later—in the 1990s—having him open for her
on an extensive tour; she also sang on his first album, “New York Journal.”
He has shared stages with a who’s who of singer-songwriters over many years of touring.
www.Michaelveitch.com
Wachtraum
1.First Day
2.Valentine’s Day
3.Moving Day
4.April Fools
5.Sunday Afternoon
6.Happy Fourth of July
7.August Nights
8.Always Vermont
9.Birthday Oh Birthday
10.Last Days of Summer
11.First Snow of the Year
12.One Wish
The “game of
chicken” is a game in which two drivers drive towards each other on a collision
course: one must swerve, or both may die in the crash, but if one driver
swerves and the other does not, the one who swerved will be called a “chicken,” or a coward.
Joe Deninzon
says: “I thought about how dysfunctional our society is, how we continue
to kick the can down the road for future generations to clean up our mess, how
we scream over each other in our online media echo chambers and refuse to
listen to differing opinions. Our planet is on the verge of destruction and we
are too busy trying to destroy each other instead of coming together to try to
solve our problems.” This is the first single from our upcoming CD/DVD, “Behind
the Curtain: Live at Progstock” due out in May 2022 on Melodic Revolution
Records. Much more to come…
Mixed and
mastered by Matt Vanacoro
Produced by
Joe Deninzon
The Band
Joe Deninzon-lead vocals/electric violin
Michelangelo Quirinale-guitar
Paul Ranieri-bass
Jason Gianni-drums
Music and
lyrics by Joe Deninzon
“filmed by Matt Urba,”
Backdrop footage by David P. Levin
Recorded at Progstock Festival
Photo by Brian Tirpak
Single Art layout by Nick Katona, Zene Háza, Florida
Thank you to
Thomas Palmieri and Ann Rinaldi
Ⓒ2021 Fiddlefunk Music. All rights reserved.
Join the
Fun as RAMPD [Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities]
Meets the Public Live from the Grammy Museum!
The public is invited to a virtual launch event for the
new coalition RAMPD
[Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities] on Friday,
January 21, 2022 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time (2pm Pacific / 4pm Central / 10pm GMT
/ 8am Saturday AEST). This webcast will be hosted in partnership with GRAMMY Museum and will
consist of virtual performances, celebrity cameos, live giveaways, and informative
testimonials. The RAMPD Launch will highlight the lofty accomplishments RAMPD
achieved pre-launch, and celebrate the amazing talent of RAMPD’s current
professional membership roster.
TUNE IN ON YOUTUBE ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022 AT 5:00 PM EST:
Opening and closing remarks for the RAMPD Launch Event will be given from GRAMMY Museum by RAMPD's President and Founder Lachi (award-winning EDM artist, producer, and director). The event will be hosted live by RAMPD Vice President Gaelynn Lea (songwriter, violinist, and winner of NPR Music's Tiny Desk Contest) and RAMPD Founding Member Question (rising hip-hop star and disability advocate from Atlanta).
This ceremony will include captioning and self-description to promote the beauty of disability-inclusive content. The virtual event will include performances by several RAMPD Professional Members, celebrity messages of support, trivia questions and giveaways in the live chat, and testimonials about the importance of Disability Culture. Performers include Eliza Hull, Adrian Anatawan, Molly Joyce, and many more professional disabled musicians.
RAMPD has already been in partnerships with Folk Alliance, NIVA, Women In Music, and The WAVY Awards by Blonde Records. The GRAMMY Museum launch is not the first partnership with
the Recording Academy, as RAMPD has also collaborated in dialogue,
workshops and influenced the Academy’s Inclusivity platform. The group was
organized after Lachi facilitated a public
online conversation with leaders of the Recording Academy in April
2021.
RAMPD is a fast-growing coalition of established recording
artists and music professionals with disabilities whose mission is to amplify
disability culture, promote inclusion, and advocate for accessibility in the
music industry. RAMPD’s organizational model includes a fiscal
sponsorship with the non-profit organization, Accessible Festivals, a
501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to making music and recreation
accessible to all abilities.
RAMPD Spotify Playlist open.spotify.com/playlist/55Yv7oTMxoMxD1xaPfyQAM?si=b1bff58ec80e4a83&nd=1
If you're interested in syncs or covers by any of the RAMPD musicians, it'd be a pleasure to connect you with them. Reach out to Contact@RAMPD.org
JANN KLOSE is releasing a new music video, “Never Fall” as a tribute to the legacy of the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the TutuDesk Campaign. Watch on YouTube:
While Jann never met the Archbishop, he “felt his reverberations while working with his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe and her team.”
Globally recognized, and in partnership with the United Nations Special Envoy for Education, the Tutudesk provides the answer to the classroom desk shortage crisis experienced in schools in developing countries.
"I
was a barefoot township urchin. I went to school where there were no desks. We
sat on benches and when the teacher asked us to write, we knelt down on the
floor and used the benches we had been sitting on as desks… I wish Tutudesks
had been available in my day!” — Archbishop, Desmond Tutu
“Never
Fall” is the fourth single release off Jann Klose’s IN TANDEM album,
released by legendary Gallo Record Company. Previous singles, “Pour the
Champagne” featuring Karen Zoid have enjoyed continuous airplay in
Southern Africa, reaching some 26 million listeners and charting in the Top 20
on Jacaranda FM.
