(Press Release) In 2013 The Chris Casello Trio featuring Jimmy Lester and Johnny G. d’Artenay were in their ninth year of working the world famous honky-tonk, Roberts Western World in Nashville TN. Scott McEwen from the Fry Pharmacy had the crazy idea of recording and documenting the band using his 1957 Ampex 3 track half inch tape machine.  This was done by loading the gear into a 1979 half-ton Chevy pick-up truck and parking it outside on the street and running only three microphones to the stage.  This had to be set up in less than 30 minutes in the midst of traffic, tourists, musicians, drunks, cops and transients that flood lower Broadway all day and night.  It was an ambitious undertaking to say the least.          

(Press Release) Having built a following over the course of 8 solo albums and hundreds of live performances, Charlie Bonnet is a working man's musician and songwriter, bringing grit and raw honesty to a music world saturated with AutoTune and gimmicks.  "My stuff ain't rocket science.  I've got a one, maybe two octave voice on a good day.  I know a few chords and can play a pretty decent blues guitar lick," he states.  "I've always been drawn to the storytelling of old country music, but I've never liked the over produced feel of it.  My personality leans towards more aggressive music, raw and with some attitude.  I like to rock out."

Enter guitar hero Tracii Guns, the Hollywood mainstay known for co-founding Guns N Roses, and later launching L.A. Guns into the mainstream. "I met Tracii a few years ago while doing another project," says Charlie.  "Late last year I hit him up to help me on this batch of songs, and fortunately it worked out."   Guns originally signed on to mix and master the session, but didn't stop there.  "Tracii actually plays B3 organ on the record," reveals Bonnet.  "He's obviously famous for hard rock, but he's done a lot of records that lean to more of a classic 70's sound.  I told him what my vision was and he knew exactly what to do.  He really shaped the overall tone of the record and took it to another level."  The result is Sinner With A Song, a 6 song slab of roots rock glory that is part Steve Earle and part Black Crowes, with a touch of 70's era Aerosmith thrown in for good measure.  "We set out to make this thing vintage sounding.  We didn't play to a click track.  There's no pitch correcting on the voice.  It's just raw and real.  Mic the room up and go for it.  Overdub a vocal and throw a guitar lead on it.  That formula worked for Skynyrd in 1975, so why wouldn't it work for me?"

(Press Release) This month New Orleans R&B/funk multi-instrumentalist and Grammy winner Jon Cleary releases his new Live at Chickie Wah Wah on FHQ Records and will tour in June and July in support of the album. While better known internationally for the funk of his band, The Absolute Monster Gentlemen, Cleary is one of the few keeping alive the tradition of New Orleans-style piano and voice, and his regular Tuesday night shows at Chickie Wah Wah have become a favorite of both locals and visiting music lovers alike. This new release, his first solo outing, is a simple recording of a New Orleans rhythm and blues piano player at work. He breathes new life into the songs he learned as a kid as a sideman in the bands of Earl King, Jessie Hill, and Snooks Eaglin amongst others and also features a selection of his frequently requested self-penned tunes. Cleary is in his element when he sits down at the piano and fills the room with the syncopated sounds of the music he loves.

Born in England and bred in New Orleans, Jon Cleary is a triple threat, combining soulful vocals, masterful piano skills, and a knack for composing infectious grooves with melodic hooks and sharp lyrics. Cleary has a long list of recording credits including Bonnie Raitt, John Scofield, Ryan Adams, Keb Mo, Taj Mahal and India Arie.
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While thoroughly steeped in the classic Crescent City keyboard canon–from Jelly Roll Morton to Fats Domino to Art Neville, James Booker, and beyond – Cleary uses that century’s worth of pianistic brilliance as a point of departure to forge his own unique and eclectic style.

Lincoln Center Out of Doors presents Annual Roots of American Music Weekend
AMERICANAFEST NYC in association with Americana Music Association August 12–13

Featuring Bonnie Raitt, The Jayhawks, Don Bryant, Traveller, Flaco Jiménez, Amanda Shires, and Low Cut Connie

Plus: A Celebration of Chuck Berry with musical director Vernon Reid
Free outdoor summer festival runs July 26–August 13

NEW YORK (July 10, 2017 Press Release) — Lincoln Center Out of Doors, one of the country’s longest-running, free summer outdoor festivals, unveils today the lineup for its Roots of American Music Weekend, highlighted for the fourth year by AMERICANAFEST NYC, presented in association with the Americana Music AssociationSM. Taking place August 12 and 13, the artist lineup includes performances by Bonnie Raitt, The Jayhawks, Don Bryant, Traveller, Flaco Jiménez, Amanda Shires, and Low Cut Connie. The weekend also features a special Celebration of Chuck Berry with music director Vernon Reid. See below for details of each concert.

The 47th edition of the Out of Doors festival runs July 26–August 13, filling the Lincoln Center campus with a diverse range of music, dance, spoken word, and family events featuring dozens of artists from across the city, country, and world — all completely free and open to the public. Full programming for Lincoln Center Out of Doors available separately here.