Melly
Frances & The Distilled Spirit is a USA based American blues, rock
and soul band formed in 2012 by vocalist and songwriter Melly Frances.
They are set to unveil their first studio album cleverly titled "The
Album" on May 1st 2014 as unsigned artists independent from a record
label. The band--Melly Frances (lead vocals, songwriter), Bryan Whelan
(guitar), Matthew Labarber (bass, vocals), Peter Williams (drums), Devon
Shae (fiddle) and Lance Dieckmann (harmonica). Frances brings forth
hard-hitting soul vocals that deliver a blast from the past. Singers
like Bonnie Raitt, Susan Tedeschi, Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Otis
Redding, and Etta James are key influences and can be heard in her
raspy, sultry, vocal style. The band themselves are a classic fusion of
these roots rock favorites: The Black Crowes, Alabama Shakes, Led
Zeppelin, Marshall Tucker Band, The Band, Canned Heat, Little Feat, Neil
Young with Crazy Horse, Van Morrison, & The Rolling Stones. MELLY FRANCES AND THE DISTILLED SPIRIT
Harpist Brandee Younger, is known for sharing the stage with Jazz
Royalty Jack Dejohnette & Ravi Coltrane, laying down tracks with
Grammy-Winning Rapper Common and Artist and Producer Ryan Leslie, as
well as bringing to life the Classic Impressionistic work of Maurice
Ravel. Her ability to feature the Harp in genres of music where the
instrument is often absent is a testament of her love for the
instrument, and her cross-reaching ability as a musician.The Brandee Younger Quartet makes you rethink the traditional jazz
combo. No piano...instead, a concert harp, upright bass, drumset &
tenor sax/vocalist, the sound is reminiscent of vintage Dorothy Ashby
and ethereal Alice Coltrane, with a whole new identity. THE BRANDEE YOUNGER QUARTET
Halley was born in Manhattan and moved around the US before settling
back in New York City, where she and the band call home. Halley’s voice
is huge - somewhere between Janis Joplin and Aretha Franklin. She
earned a BFA in acting at Boston University, and that pedigree shows in
the her performances. In fact, Halley fronted Janis Joplin’s legendary
band, Big Brother and the Holding Company, on a recent US tour and
brought down the house every night.Well-seasoned road gods, the band members have earned their chops with
the likes of Roger Waters, Shawn Mullins, Muddy Waters, Taj Mahal,
Gatemouth Brown, Zen Tricksters, and Mickey Dolenz. Halley and the band
have shared the stage with Gov’t Mule, Bonnie Bramlett, Jimmie Vaughan,
Son Seals, Johnny Winter, Donna the Buffalo, John Hammond and Antigone
Rising. THE HALLEY DEVESTERN BAND
Moniquea was born in Gary, Indiana and raised in Pasadena, California.
She vividly recalls watching her mother rehearse as a lead singer
alongside other relatives and friends in the Pasadena-branded group The
Roses. As a youth, she was exposed to countless volumes of 70’s soul and
the electrified sounds of 80’s R&B, which shaped her sound
immeasurably. Today, she counts a wide range of artists as influences,
from Deniece Williams and Etta James to Stevie Nicks. Her voice carries
two distinct characteristics that play into each other perfectly – A
“so-retro-it’s-actually-new” twang that harks back to Evelyn “Champagne”
King; the second, a jazzy vibrato that easily evokes the tender, smoky
voice of Erykah Badu or even Billie Holiday. Moniquea is vocally
equipped to sing contemporary R&B/soul, go the Amy Winehouse route,
or bring back the synthy, dance-friendly sound of 80’s boogie funk – her
current musical direction. MONIQUEA
Harlis Sweetwater, as a singer /guitarist/ songwriter and
frontman, has share the stage with everyone from Jimmie Vaughan,
Everlast, Chris Shifflet (Foo Fighters), ZZ Top, Los Lobos and Brian
Setzer to R&B/Blues legends Etta James, James Cotton, and Wilson
Pickett to name a few.He has been called "the best singer in any
genre" by music critic Robert Kinsler of the OC Register, While
SugarBuzz Magazine had this to say: "From the heart, Harlis
Sweetwater,you know instantly the real deal is upon you. This man knows
the blues."Harlis Formed the band earlier this year to get back
to the Blues/Soul music he loves. He enlisted fellow musicians Jimmy
Sena on Drums and Jason Holser playing Bass; both with extensive
recording and performing experience, to lay down a solid fountaion of
groove for His wild, bluesy & intense guitar playing and broad,
gravely soulful voice.The groups chemistry makes for high energy
performances that both entertain and mesmerize, and often times the
party on stage, rivals the one in the audience, making the Harlis
Sweetwater Band one of the more fun and enjoyable bands to see live.The
group recently released it's album "Lights Goin' Down" in Oct. 2012,
and is already garnering great reviews. Gary Schwind of the Examiner.com
stated "This Album Is Brilliant." while Blues Rock Review Magazine had
this to say: "the Harlis Sweetwater Band gives a nod to blues history
while forging forward with their own hard blues style." and Incognito
Magazine wrote in its review of the album "If you want some music you
can feel and not just hear, check out this band." HARLIS SWEETWATER BAND
BJ Block and Dawn Pemberton are a powerful musical force, who
have masterfully crafted songs rooted in soul, jazz, R&B, and funk.
The duo's newest release entitled "II", is the result of a unique
collaboration between the two accomplished musicians and is a potent
follow up to their 2010 release, "The Land of Make Believe" which was
nominated for a 2011 Western Canadian Music Award. "II" explores the
grit and the goodness of life lived and loved and reflects a deeper
lyrical and musical evolution.Learning 40 tunes in two days for a four hour set in a club with
no air conditioning in the middle of a record heat wave. Debuting new
songs at a gritty east side club more accustomed to hard rock and than
soul. Surviving jazz school and attempting to find a voice that will be
heard through the cluttered maze of the music industry. These are just
some of the experiences that would provide the context and inspiration
for this unique collaboration.In the Spring of 2010 BJ Block began work on a follow up to his
debut instrumental album 'Glitterball'. This next record was to be
another instrumental album with the addition of an occasional background
vocal for ambiance. After playing a number of gigs together around the
city it seemed only natural to recruit Dawn Pemberton, a staple of the
Vancouver RnB, Funk and Jazz scene, to provide the vocals. Dawn agreed
and the two would meet a few months down the road to collaborate once
the tunes were mapped out. The album was nearly finished when the two
ventured on an experiment; there was one song in particular that had
potential for lyrics throughout, so for the fun of it and with no
expectations in mind, the two began writing together, with Dawn taking
on the task of writing melodies and lyrics to the track. After only one
writing session, the two met a week later and effortlessly played the
song from beginning to end. This first draft would remain unedited and
became "Just Be", the first single off the debut album.
Initially approached as a children's album for grown-ups, "The Land
of Make Believe" explored adult challenges through the eyes of a
child. Rooted in Soul, Rn'B, Jazz and Funk, the album is uplifting,
playful and thoughtful, showcasing musicianship developed from years of
playing, practicing and touring. The duo's newest release entitled
"II", is the result of a unique collaboration between the two
accomplished musicians and is a potent follow up to their 2010 release. DAWN PEMBERTON
Few musicians have managed to navigate the richly varied avenues of New
York City’s abundant music scene with the same passion and adaptability
as trombonist and composer Ryan Keberle. Since his arrival in 1999,
Keberle’s diverse talents have earned him a place alongside a staggering
array of legends, superstars, and up-and-coming innovators.Leading his pianoless quartet Catharsis or arranging for the little big
band setting of his Double Quartet, Keberle draws upon lessons learned
playing alongside masters of a multitude of forms, from jazz legends to
indie rock ground-breakers, R&B superstars to classical virtuosos.
That includes playing with jazz greats including Maria Schneider and
Wynton Marsalis; hip-hop and R&B superstars like Beyonce, Justin
Timberlake, and Alicia Keys; Latin jazz leaders like Pedro Giraudo and
Ivan Lins; indie rock ground-breakers such as Sufjan Stevens; or playing
in the house band at Saturday Night Live, on the soundtrack of a Woody
Allen film, or in the pit for a Tony-winning Broadway musical. RYAN KEBERLE & CATHARSIS
Joelle Lurie’s bright voice and talented band has made her a first
pick for high-profile events including the recent James Beard Awards at
Lincoln Center. Originally from Boston, the New Yorker studied jazz and
opera and brings that training to her distinctive “jazzed up pop/popped
up jazz” modern style on Take Me There (September 30), her debut self-release of standards, originals and pop covers.Produced and arranged by longtime bassist and bandmate, Ben Gallina (Amy Lynn and the Gunshow, Anthony D’Amato, Honey Honey), Take Me There
showcases Joelle’s tight band of five years, The Pinehurst Trio. The
trio is named for the quaint street in Manhattan’s Washington Heights
neighborhood. All millennial kids, the trio is influenced by many
musical styles including pop, Motown, folk and jazz and have performed
around the world.Recorded at The Bunker Studio in Brooklyn, the CD engages from the
opening track, the jazz standard “All or Nothing At All” done with a hip
hop feel. Joelle calls on her contemporary pop influences with the
Tears for Fears song that follows, “Head Over Heels.” She welcomes
special guest vocalist and pianist Matt Kanelos on the next two moving
songs, “Should We” and the title track. Kanelos has been featured on the
ABC TV show “Private Practice”, on Nickelodeon’s “Degrassi” and on
NPR’s Song of the Day. Joelle returns on a sauntering version of Ric
Ocasek’s “Just What I Needed.” She, Gallina and Anna Marquardt wrote
the next track, “What We Have Is Better,” featuring a funky throwback
soul sound. The haunting 17 century secular folk song
“Hares On The Mountain” is given a jazz waltz treatment. Acknowledging
her musical theater roots, Joelle includes the Leonard Bernstein and
Stephen Sondheim song, “Somewhere,” which is followed by the standard
“Almost Like Being in Love,” which marries an uptempo swing with the
groove from “Can’t Hurry Love.” Next is “Three States Away,” a Burt
Bacharach inspired original with lyrics from a poem by Craig Crist-Evans
entitled “What The Heart Thinks.” “The Man I Love” by the Gershwins is
reimagined as an upbeat homage to Stevie Wonder. The closing song, the
classic “Detour Ahead,” is approached with a lush, orchestral studio
sound. JOELLE LURIE
Born
and raised into a musical family in Wisconsin, guitarist and singer Liz
Mandeville grew up in an arts-filled environment. Her father played
guitar and sang folk songs while taking classes at the Art Institute of
Chicago on the GI bill. He taught his daughter to paint and sing, and
Liz often accompanied her father to art museums, gardens and art
galleries, wherever his work took him. Her mother was an actress and she
saw to it that her daughter had a proper education in the theater arts
as well, something which came in handy many years later when Mandeville
decided to pursue a career as a blues singer.Musicians
and artists were frequent guests in the Mandeville's home, and the
young Mandeville was encouraged to write songs, poetry and short
stories. Family vacations around the south exposed young Liz to blues,
bluegrass, traditional country and folk music and New Orleans jazz and
funk.Her first professional gigs were in coffee
houses around Wisconsin, playing songs her father had taught her. She
cited as influences on her earliest attempts at music people like James
Brown, Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins.Known
previously as Liz Mandeville-Greeson, Mandeville played the bars in and
around Chicago for most of the '90s and 2000s, and she made occasional
tours to points east — New York City — and West, to California, as well
as many cities and towns in between. She spent much of the late '80
touring across the U.S. and Canada by van with her then-band, theSupernaturals. During the 2000s, she worked with a band called the Blue
Points.In 1994, she met Chicago bassist Aron
Burton and subsequently performed with him at the 1994 Chicago Blues
Festival. She recorded two tracks with him on his 1996 album, Aron
Burton Live, and that led to her being signed to Michael Frank's Earwig
Music Company.Between 1994 and 1999, Mandeville was
a frequent sight on stage at the Blue Chicago nightclubs, where she had
the chance to work with a short who's-who of Chicago-area musicians,
including Willie Kent, Maurice John Vaughn and Michael Coleman. She
recorded her first two albums with musicians from that scene,including
Burton on bass, Allan Batts, keyboards, and drummer Dave Jefferson.Among
her awards and distinctions: she was nominated for Blues songwriter of
the year in 2008 by the American Roots Music Association, was named
semi-finalist in the 2006 International Songwriting Competition for her
composition, "Life Sentence of the Blues," and she received an award in
2005 for Best Songwriter in the USA Songwriting Competition, for her
humorous tune, "He Left It in His Other Pants."Her
albums, showcasing her spry, sometimes humorous original songs, all for
the Chicago-based Earwig Music label, include 2008's Red Top, Back in
Love Again (2002), Ready to Cheat (1999) and Look at Me (1996). She has
performed on a slew of other albums by Chicago-based blues performers,
including Johnny Drummer's 2000 release, Unleaded Blues, Aron Burton's
Live from Buddy Guy's Legends and a compilation of Chicago-area women
blues singers, Red Hot Mamas for the Blue Chicago label. LIZ MANDEVILLE