Emily Hurd Introduces Stone Blind Valentine, February 14

Emily Hurd introduces her new band, Stone Blind Valentine (also known as SBV), with the independent release of the album BURN LIKE A FIELD.  The album will be available through iTunes, the band’s website (http://www.stoneblindvalentine.com ), and live shows.

SBV is the acoustic project of longtime Chicago musicians Emily Hurd, Colby Maddox, and Gregg Ostrom.  Gritty lyrics and unruly guitar get a layer of polish from bright mandolin and sharp fiddle licks. The group treads on bluegrass while digging into rock and early American country. BURN LIKE A FIELD was recorded live at Chicago's King Size Sound Labs.

Like all good mountain music, SBV builds their tunes with strong singing, nature imagery, and a lot of twang, but their Chicago roots are unmistakable in BURN LIKE A FIELD.   The bluesy guitar and industrial groove in "Extra Extra" thump defiantly as Hurd belts out "Honey, I can read you like the Sunday Morning Times; I can see you're lying by the headlines in your eyes."  The group sings in three-part harmony about simple city days in "Crown The Kings," and "Whiskey Neat" sounds like late-night Bourbon Street in the July.  

The songs on BURN LIKE A FIELD were penned by Emily, the lead vocalist, piano and banjo player.  A critically acclaimed songwriter, her music has appeared on NPR and TV’s NCIS.  The tunes were then brought to life by Gregg Ostrom (guitar, vocals) and Colby Maddox (mandolin, fiddle, guitar, and vocals).  SBV called on close friend and producer John Abbey to play upright bass on the album.

The BURN LIKE A FIELD recording sessions were filmed and photographed by the crew of Carla Englof Productions.  When the album is released, the video "Extra Extra" can be seen on Youtube and the band's web site: http://stoneblindvalentine.com

The BURN LIKE A FIELD album cover was designed by Chicago artist Dolan Geiman.  Dolan is a nationally recognized mixed media artist creating original paintings, collages, constructions, and limited-edition reproductions. Produced from salvaged wood, found objects, and other recycled materials, his eco-friendly artwork emerges from a folk art tradition infused with a contemporary, urban style.

BURN LIKE A FIELD will be released to the public at two shows.  On February 16th, 2013, SBV will play at 7:30 pm at The Mendelssohn Performing Arts Center in Rockford, IL.  On February 17th, SBV performs at 2:00 pm at S.P.A.C.E. in Evanston, IL.  Tickets are available on the band’s website.

http://www.stoneblindvalentine.com

Emily Hurd Releases ANY GIVEN DAY Original Christmas Music For Year 'Round Listening

http://www.emilyhurd.com

Singer-songwriter available for interviews

Emily Hurd releases a full-length live studio album of original Christmas music on December 7th, 2012. The cost of the album is $10 and is available through the artist’s website (emilyhurd.com) and cdbaby.com.

Unlike other Christmas records, listeners can enjoy ANY GIVEN DAY beyond the holiday season. Emily Hurd’s sultry vocals deliver messages of spontaneous celebration, humble gifts, and fundamental good will on a backdrop of vintage soul arrangements.  Hurd gives a voice to her desire for human empathy in songs like “Chain of Light” and “In The Spirit of Giving,” and she creates clever rhymes of winter love in “Cold Outside” and “Glögg.” This collection of music has a clear message: any common day is worth reveling in like Christmas.

Emily Hurd wrote the songs from ANY GIVEN DAY—her ninth studio album—in the month of October, 2012. The tunes were recorded live on the evening of November 13th, 2012 at Chicago’s Kingsize Sound Labs. The record was mixed and mastered in one afternoon, and sent to be manufactured the same day. This whirlwind process was captured on film by Chicago videographer Mark Helenowski. Emily will be releasing music videos to her fans throughout the month of December.

ANY GIVEN DAY was engineered and produced by Emily’s long-time producer, John Abbey. The album includes a line-up of well-established Chicago musicians: Gerald Dowd (Justin Roberts, Sons of The Never Wrong), Gregg Ostrom (Tom Comerford, Covered In Honey), and John Abbey (Robbie Fulks, Amy Speace).

Over the course of her career, Emily has shared the stage and/or opened for Irma Thomas, Bettye Lavette, and Roger McGuinn. Her music is featured on the popular CBS crime drama NCIS.  She appears on the prestigious Old Town School of Folk Music "Songbook" collection (released by Bloodshot Records).  She is a winner/finalist in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, NPR's NewSong Contest, and The International Songwriting Competition. “Irreparably Yours” from Long Lost Ghosts was a Semi-Finalist in 2011’s Great Lakes Songwriting Contest. In 2013, Emily and her country band Stone Blind Valentine—will be releasing their first album, ‘Burn Like A Field,’ on Valentine’s Day.  Emily has released 10 albums since 2005.

Touring across the heartland, the wild west, and east coast parts of America, Emily has been meeting new fans at every show she plays, from coffeehouses and schools, to TV and radio shows and festivals,including events that fans have organized, most notably an annual “Emilyfest” in rural North Carolina (the next one is scheduled for October 14, 2013).