Leading up to the release, the band shared some of their favourite Ballyhoo! tracks during their UK tour with performances at The Convent in Stroud on 1/27, The Rocking Chair in Sheffield on 1/28, Oran Mor in Glasgow on 1/30, The Empire in Belfast on 1/31, and The Forge in London on 2/1. The band also played the Cornbury festival in July.

While lead-singer, JD, started JD & The Straight Shot in 2000, he isn’t alone in his deep-rooted passion for music. He fronts an accomplished four person band, including guitarist Marc Copely (Rosanne Cash, McCrary Sisters, Billy Squier), guitarist Aidan Dolan, bassist Byron House (Robert Plant, Emmylou Harris), and violinist Erin Slaver (Rod Stewart, Trace Adkins, Martina McBride), all of whom also contribute to songwriting.

In their stunning new album ‘Ballyhoo!‘, the band explores a stripped-down version of its distinctive sound. The completely acoustic project is storytelling at its finest, steeped in the quiet fire of Americana with elements of blues and rustic New Orleans roots music. The songs are built on emotion with musical arrangements that mellifluously interweave and effortlessly paint lyrics.

The dark and evocative track “Under That Hood” describes the unforgettably callous murder of Trayvon Martin. The title track, “Ballyhoo”, is entrenched with circus-inspired theatrics with JD positioned as the ringmaster that prompts listeners to limit their own biases, embrace individuality, and keep the “circus” alive. “Glide”, a sure to be fan-favourite, evokes “the child that’s inside” with its galloping guitar melody and soaring harmonies, reminding listeners to tap into their own boundless child-like wonder. This breadth of range and the clarity that the music brings to some universal issues and hardships are part of what makes this band unique.

In addition to their most recent project, Ballyhoo!, the band has recorded five albums: Where I’ve Been (2014), Midnight Run (2012), Can’t Make Tears (2011), Right On Time (2008), and Nothing To Hide (2005) as well as an EP, Daily News Blues (2010).

The band has opened up for the Eagles, Keith Urban, and the Dixie Chicks and boasts a range of musical accomplishments, including features in The New York Times, New York Post, Billboard, and New York Magazine. They’ve performed live on Good Day New York and recently completed a multi-country European tour in November 2015.

Ballyhoo! was released February 26th, 2016 on CD and Vinyl

Video for the track ‘Better Find A Church’

To kick things off: the band released the video for their single “If I Get High”, taken from their killer Top 10 eponymously titled debut album, the visual see’s RJ Mitte, who came to be known as “Walt Jr.” thanks to his turn on Breaking Bad. The video treads familiar territory for Mitte, as he navigates another broken familial relationship whilst seeking an escape from it. Dark, deep, depressive; It matches the band’s calls for escape that echo throughout the track.

Watch the video for ‘If I Get High’:

Another single ‘Excuse Me’ followed in April:

“We are hugely excited to come back to the UK” says the band’s front man Chris Daughtry. “Our fans there have been amazing and we can’t wait to spend some more time with them. It’s going to be a blast”

The smash UK tour came after the release of their first greatest hits record entitled It’s Not Over…The Hits So Far on 19 Recordings/RCA Records. The greatest hits compilation features one brand new track from the group “Torches” as well as all the hits to date.

Watch the “Torches” video:

Since forming, Daughtry has released four studio albums (Daughtry, Leave This Town, Break The Spell and Baptized), scored four No. 1 US hits, garnered four Grammy nominations, won four American Music Awards, sold over 8.2 million albums and 16 million singles worldwide and sold out concerts around the globe.

UK Tour dates were:
May 21, Birmingham, O2 Academy
May 22, Manchester, Academy
Mar 24, Glasgow, O2 ABC
May 25, Glasgow, O2 ABC
May 27, London, Eventim Apollo

It’s Not Over…The Hits So Far Track List:
01. It’s Not Over
02. Home
03. Over You
04. What About Now
05. Feels Like Tonight
06. No Surprise
07. September
08. Life After You
09. Crawling Back To You
10. Waiting For Superman
11. Long Live Rock & Roll
12. Torches
13. Go Down

Tony’s upbringing was infused with music and entertainment. At the age of eight he began to learn music and it wasn’t long before he embraced gospel through joining the church youth choir. He was intrigued by different genres, musical styles, vocal tones and textures. Gospel, Jazz and soul influences have allowed him to evolve into a naturally gifted vocalist who was soon to be in demand.

At 18 Tony was on a Youth Training scheme in the car industry to which singing was only really a side-line. Thankfully he took a detour and randomly ended up in a studio in Barnes to sing back up for Gloria Estefan. From that moment on Tony never looked back. Tony’s effortless, rich vocals have featured on tracks by amazing artists such as Whitney Houston, Sir Elton John, Gary Barlow, Celine Dion and Sade whom he has had a long standing relationship with since 2001.
Tony is an integral member of Sade’s band and featured heavily on her last album “Soldier of Love”. As well as co-writing a song on her album ”The Ultimate Collection” he sang a duet “Baby Father” which was Grammy™ nominated for Best Duet.
One also mustn’t forget Tony’s long successful relationship with British Soul funk band Incognito. His stunning vocals impressed Jean-Paul ‘Bluey’ Maunick so much that he invited him to record on their 2002 album ‘Life Stranger than Fiction’ as well as joining them on tour. Tony continues his relationship with the band now supporting them on tour.

2015 was a great year for Tony. Single one ‘Pick Me Up’ made the radio 2 playlist. After the success of the Radio 2 B-List. BBC Radio 2 booked Tony for their ‘Festival In A Day’ in Hyde Park. Tony performed live on the BBC Introducing stage. Tony’s impressive vocals have garnered much attention on the British soul scene as well as stateside. He was announced artist of the year (2015) on an important US Soul website: soultracks.com

Tony is fully focused on his own music and 2016 has been a really exciting time to release ‘This Could Be Us’ an infectious, feel good, uplifting track from a truly gifted soul singer. Not only that- he has since toured with Earth Wind & Fire as well as releasing another album with the soul collective ‘Incognito’. There is no stopping Tony Momrelle.

‘Making this record has been a journey of the soul. I wanted to have a record that people would connect with but more importantly a record that would uplift and encourage people. For this reason I entitled it Keep Pushing. The message being to keep moving forward despite what issues or troubles we may have in our lives’.

‘This Could Be Us’ was released on February 26th and is available on iTunes and Amazon . The album ‘Keep Pushing’ is out now

LISTEN TO CLIPS FROM THE ALBUM HERE

On Friday, 8th January 2016 a new compilation album – Savage Garden: The Singles – went on sale in stores and via download. Savage Garden: The Singles features all the band’s singles, notably including a bonus track of previously unreleased demo “She”, an essential compilation commemorating the band’s 20th Anniversary of their first single release, “I Want You”. See below for the full album tracklisting.

When the master recordings were being transferred, the previously unreleased demo of a 1994 song called She was uncovered among some multi-track cassette based recordings. As a special treat for their fans and friends SHE (1994 Demo) was made available via Savage Garden’s Facebook page and website and appears on Savage Garden: The Singles as a bonus track. The recording features Daniel on piano and Darren’s signature, passionate vocals.

Darren Hayes said, “It’s a long time ago, but my recollection is I was writing about the relationship that I have, and continue to have, with the women in my life. From my Sister to my Mother and all the friends and the wonderful female relationships in my life. I know I’m indebted to these incredibly strong women who loved me and taught me what it was like to be strong and succeed in a world where you sometimes feel underestimated.”

Daniel Jones added, “From memory I think we just sat down and literally wrote it together in my parents’ house in Brisbane. I remember my mother really liked the track – the innocence and raw beauty of it. It’s very pro-female song so I think a lot of girls will relate to how powerful it is for them. I think that was probably the biggest reason why my Mum really took to this particular song”.

Savage Garden is one of the most successful duos in pop music history and among the most successful Australian recording artists of all time with sales in excess of 20 million albums. They hold the Guinness Book of World Records for winning an unprecedented 10 Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Awards in one year (1997). In addition, they are the reigning record-holders for the longest number of weeks on the Monitor/Billboard Adult Contemporary Airplay charts in the US for their singles: I Knew I Loved You (124 weeks) and Truly, Madly, Deeply (123 weeks). Savage Garden is one of only two Australian bands to have ever had two #1 singles in the US.

The beauty of the first, self-titled, Savage Garden album was how naive it all was. Songs written in suburban bedrooms became global anthems; the intimacy and innocence of their tunes was immediately genuine and untouched by corporate fingerprints. It was homemade, world-class music.

Savage Garden went on to dominate the world, song by song, with hit singles including To the Moon and Back, Truly Madly Deeply, Break Me Shake Me and of course, with an added chic-a-cherry-cola, I Want You.

Savage Garden’s second album, Affirmation, was made with a skyscraper-weight of expectation knowing that, unlike their debut, the world was listening and the band delivered another outstanding success. The flawless run of singles continued with The Animal Song, I Knew I Loved You, Affirmation, Hold Me and The Best Thing all becoming radio staples.

It was following Affirmation that Daniel Jones retreated from the spotlight and Darren Hayes continued as a solo artist. Both men have politely declined increasingly lucrative reformation offers choosing to let the songs continue to ably represent them instead.

In hindsight, Savage Garden left a short but perfectly formed legacy. They followed up the debut nobody thought they could better, they sold millions right at the tail end of the period where people still paid for music they loved, they shared their highly personal songs with audiences on stages around the world.

Savage Garden: The Singles was released on Friday, 8th January through Sony Music

SHE (1994 Demo) can be streamed HERE

Tracklisting
1. I Want You
2. To The Moon and Back
3. Truly Madly Deeply
4. Break Me Shake Me
5. Universe
6. All Around Me
7. Santa Monica
8. Tears of Pearls
9. The Animal Song
10. I Knew I Loved You
11. Crash and Burn
12. Affirmation
13. Chained to You
14. Hold Me
15. The Best Thing
16. She (1994 Demo)

The first single from the album, ‘Light Of Gold’, is now available as an instant grat when you pre-order the album and for purchase/to stream on digital outlets.

It is an album that pursues its own musical path while returning to the roots of the sound that made Morcheeba a household name back in the late 1990s. It is, Ross explains, “what Skye and I do naturally when we make music together, and yet not necessarily a continuation of what we’d been doing with Morcheeba. It therefore felt only right to give it a new identity.”

It’s not the first time either of them has stepped outside of the safety of their familiar, long-term musical environment. Last year, Skye released her fourth solo album, In A Low Light, a beautifully subdued collection of luminous, electronic soul, while Ross stepped out with Little Mountain, a Laurel Canyon flavoured trio that also features his wife, Amanda Zamolo.

Most of the record was recorded at their homes, an environment which allowed their creative flow to flourish, without time constraints. They very much kept the record a family affair, as the only other musicians to play on the album is Skye’s husband, Steve (Bass), Skye’s 19-year-old son Jaega (drums), Ross’ wife Amanda (backing vocals) and Richard Milner, Morcheeba’s keyboard player for the last five years.

What emerged recalls the essence of Morcheeba’s international, platinum selling Big Calm, while boasting a revived spirit and the mature experience that comes with two decades of making music.

Ultimately, SKYE | ROSS doesn’t signify the end of Morcheeba, but rather a purge of sorts, it was an opportunity for the two musicians who have very much represented the public face of their band to get together and see where their imagination took them.

Skye explains, “It was all very organic, and I was able to push myself vocally, everything Ross sent inspired a melody and lyric almost immediately, whether it was a heavy fuzz guitar riff or intricate finger picking on an acoustic. I’ve always got a real buzz from Ross’s playing: it’s an absolute joy performing live, so it was great to be able to capture that energy on record.”

SKYE | ROSS will be released on Fly Agaric Records / Cooking Vinyl on September 2nd.

Skye and Ross Facebook
Skye and Ross Twitter
Skye and Ross Instagram

TRACKLISTING:
1.REPAY THE SAVIOUR
2. LIGHT OF GOLD
3. ALL MY DAYS
4.HOW TO FLY
5. CLEAR MY MIND
6. HOLD ON
7. MEDICINE
8. FEET FIRST
9. HEAD HOME
10. THE POINT OF NO RETURN

Official store

iTunes

Amazon

Stream ‘Light Of Gold’

“.. to me the song is about letting go of a relationship even though that means letting go of the ‘highest highs’ that the ‘Parachute’ is going to bring you up to – because you know it’s just going to push you down again to the ‘lowest lows’. It’s about letting go and making it your decision.”

Meanwhile Olivia’s silky vocals infuse the song with honey-like sweetness and emotion whilst the tune maintains a definite club vibe – essential for the dance floor. ‘PARACHUTE’ is a perfect combination from a perfect collaboration! As Jonas says of the track:

“I had a great time working on this song with Olivia ….I love that the song has this emotional pull while still feeling upbeat and high energy.”

‘PARACHUTE’ is the newest addition to Olivia’s already impressive resume. Not only is she backed by some music industry heavyweights (she is managed by Kevin Jonas Sr.) the 19-year-old singer, songwriter, pianist and guitarist created quite a buzz in 2013 when she famously supported JESSIE J on her UK tour. Not only that, Somerlyn has previously toured with THE JONAS BROTHERS, VICTORIA JUSTICE and Nickelodeon boyband supergroup BIG TIME RUSH. She was also a runner up in the recent Macy’s iHeart Radio ‘Rising Star’ Contest in the US – almost pipping the first prize and coming an incredibly close second!

There is no stopping Olivia Somerlyn or, indeed, her dedicated fan base of “SomerLovers” who she converses with regularly across her social networks. With a wealth of videos posted to her YouTube channel, Olivia makes worldwide fan engagement a top priority. In fact, the rapid growth rate of her pages has caused quite a stir within the industry. With almost 60,000 Twitter followers, 40,000 Facebook friends, more than 30,000 Instagram followers and more than 15 trending Twitter topics to date, it is easy to see why!

Four years since writing ‘Chapman Square’- the top 5 debut album which spawned five top 10 singles and saw Lawson sell a million records in the UK, performing at V, T in the Park and The Isle of Wight festival in the process— ‘Roads’ (Polydor, May 24th) is the first taster from their supremely confident sophomore album which is due for release later this year, and sees Andy Brown honing his craft as a songwriter. In Andy’s words: -

“’It was important for us as a band to come back with something fresh and exciting. Roads feels like a step forward, and explores addictions people can go through. The writing and recording process at Blackbird Studios in Nashville allowed us to test ourselves and try new sounds and directions. We’re really proud of it’”

Brimming with future classics that range from festival rabble rousers to tender heartbreak ballads, the impact of the creative environment that the band immersed themselves in Nashville for the album recording sessions is evident throughout.

Full details of their forthcoming studio album and more live dates to be announced…

During the next couple of years she spent time in Sweden writing and perfecting her country rock pop sound. As well as collaborating with some great songwriters she continued performing and touring with various artists such as Tony Christie and The Charlatans. This allowed Carolynne to develop her own style of performance which little did she know would catch the eyes and ears of Gary Barlow when she later appeared on X Factor live finals. “She is supremely talented and just oozes Country” were Gary’s words.

After the X Factor Carolynne decided she wanted to fulfil her dream and head to the heart and soul of country music, Nashville. During her five months in Arizona, Nashville and LA, she not only gigged her way around but spent time in a studio in Nashville with Jeff Silbar Grammy award winning songwriter.

Jeff has penned songs for the Country Music elite such as Dolly Parton, Kenny Rodgers, Willie Nelson plus Fleetwood Mac, Sheena Easton and Gladys Knight. Jeff also wrote “Wind Beneath My Wings” which was voted song of the year by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Science earning Jeff the coveted Grammy.

Carolynne will head back to Nashville to perform at one of the many country music festivals in June this year, plus she is excited to release her first single in the U.K featuring Albert Lee, “I Love You But Shut Up” (May 31st) Carolynne is now performing at venues across the UK and building on her already strong 120,000 followers and fan base.

“Pokey’s got a St. Louis thing going. His muse is the Mississippi; maybe that’s what makes his songs run so deep and muddy, though it was on the Ohio that I first met him. With a Bardstown tune he stopped me dead in my tracks—just a kid back then, cutting his teeth on primitive blues, rust jazz, drunk swing – Lord! – what saintly patron brought Clifford Hayes back from the dead and sent him back to Carpet Alley to reclaim his crown? Well, all I can say for certain is nobody sings much like Jimmie Rodgers anymore and nobody crows, rakes, rips, yips, shouts, buzzes or croons quite like Pokey LaFarge either.”Ketch Secor (Old Crow Medicine Show)

Pokey LaFarge will release his Rounder Records debut, Something in the Water, in the UK on May 25 and will play UK dates as follows:

May 27, Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
May 28, Oxford, O2 Academy
May 29, London, Islington Assembly Hall

The dozen-song set, produced by Jimmy Sutton (best known for his work with JD McPherson), marks a new landmark in a career that’s already filled with musical highlights. The St. Louis-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist draws from a deep well of American musical traditions to create distinctively personal music that’s timeless rather than retro, transcending the confines of genre in a manner that reflects the artist’s openhearted attitude.

Incorporating elements of early jazz, ragtime, country blues, Western swing, and beyond, LaFarge has created a vibrant, deeply expressive body of work that embodies an expansive musical vision and vivid storytelling sensibility that are wholly his own. He’s also earned a reputation as a tireless, uniquely charismatic live performer, winning a loyal international fan base that regularly packs his rousing, celebratory live shows.

Something in the Water features a diverse cast of talented players, including his own longstanding touring combo as well as members of such notable outfits as NRBQ, the Fat Babies, the Modern Sounds, and the Western Elstons.