Dead Rock West Announce the Release of 'It's Everly Time!'

Courtesy MSO PR

DEAD ROCK WEST--the California vocal duo of Cindy Wasserman and Frank Lee Drennen—have announced the Friday, July 17 release of their third album IT’S EVERLY TIME! viaAngel Flight Recording Co. It is the duo’s 13-song tribute to the great Everly Brothers and was produced by Grammy-winning producer Mark Linett (Brian Wilson, Los Lobos, Rickie Lee Jones and Randy Newman). The duo will launch their Los Angeles Hotel Café residency Thursday, April 30, with subsequent shows set for Wednesday, June 3 and Thursday, July 16.

IT’S EVERLY TIME! is an authentic appreciation of iconic Everly Brothers standards such as “Cathy’s Clown,” and lesser-known treasures like “June is as Cold as December.” DEAD ROCK WEST recorded the album live with a band--DJ Bonebrake (drums), Dave Gleason (acoustic rhythm guitar), Elliott Easton (lead electric guitar), multi-instrumentalists Phil Parliapianoand David J. Carpenter--as well as special guests: The Section Quartet, guitarist Dave Alvin and bassist Rob Wasserman (Cindy’s brother). The magic was captured at Linett’s Your Place or Mine Recording, with additional vocals by Wasserman and Drennen recorded live at East West Studios in the very rooms where the Everlys and Beach Boys once worked (and are still equipped with microphones said to have been used by Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley).

“When Frank suggested we record a whole record of Everly Brothers songs with Mark Linett who’d worked extensively with the Beach Boys, I was beside myself,’ says Wasserman.  “Words can’t express the joy. It was as if a lifetime of studying harmony all made sense in that moment.”  

“Much of the equipment we used is from a bygone era,” explains Drennen. “Microphones from the ‘40s, preamps the Doors used on L.A. Woman, Fairchild compressors, and two-inch recording tape.”

“Cindy and I had our own room where two microphones were set up,” continues Drennen. “Mark had shrugged at the idea of us doing vocals live, but I confidently told him we would, though I certainly didn’t know we could. I especially loved singing all the slow, sad ballads.” 

Following the sessions for IT’S EVERLY TIME!, the duo returned to the road to support their 2010 album Bright Morning Stars. The collection of California spirituals and old-time gospel was produced by Peter Case and featured contributions by John Doe and Exene Cervenka, the artists Wasserman primarily tours with as a vocalist. But real life tragedy intervened when Drennen's mother fell ill followed by the sudden loss of his brother, sidelining him from road work, and the release of IT'S EVERLY TIME!  was understandably put on hold. And yet, the road keeps calling back Frank and Cindy to sing together the harmonies they love. Launching a new label, Angel Flight Recording Co. to celebrate the long-awaited release of IT’S EVERLY TIME!, DEAD ROCK WEST not only takes charge of its catalog, they’ve reignited the creative vocal spark that defines who they are as artists.

“I believe in every song," says Drennen. "This was much more than a vocal exercise or experiment. When we all filed into the control room and Mark pushed play, everyone could instantly feel the magic of that first take.” That they were able to sustain the feeling over 15 songs is a testament not only to the endurance of the Everlys’ catalog, but to the deep commitment to song interpretation demonstrated by DEAD ROCK WEST. 

Track listing for IT’S EVERLY TIME!:
1. Leave My Girl Alone
2. So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)
3. (Why Am I) Chained To A Memory
4. It Only Costs A Dime
5. Like Strangers
6. Cathy's Clown
7. June Is As Cold As December
8. Gone Gone Gone
9. It's All Over
10. The Price Of Love
11. I Used To Love Her
12. And I'll Go
13. Let It Be Me 

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