ANTHEMIC ALT-ROCK SUPERGROUP TEAM UP FOR THE RELEASE OF “MANIAC”

LISTEN TO “MANIAC”: HERE

Grammy-nominated Nashville-based alt-rock artist, Zayde Wølf (“Gladiator”, “Heroes”), platinum-selling LA-based artist & producer and one half of alt-rock band The Score, EDVN (“Legend”, “Unstoppable”), and platinum-selling Nashville-based artist & songwriter Sam Tinnesz (“Play With Fire”, “Legends Are Made”) have come together for a collaboration of epic proportions with the release of the anthemic single “MANIAC.”

Uniting all three artists is their focus on making empowering music that helps listeners push through and overcome life’s challenges. This motivational mentality of transcending the past, has connected with their fans in a big way. Collectively the trio has over 10 billion streams, thousands of film and TV placements, multiple Grammy Nominations and certified platinum records. 

This collaboration came together by fan request. The three share a cross section of fans and had been getting messages and comments for years from fans begging them to work together. As scheduled, all three met at Sam Tinnesz’s Nashville studio and the chemistry was undeniable. “I honestly had no idea if this day would ever come,” Sam Tinnesz recalls. “Getting all three of us in the same room at one time was wild and felt a bit like something none of us would soon forget!” 

The resulting song “Maniac” packs a powerful punch that fans and listeners alike will not soon forget.    Zayde Wolf and Sam Tinnesz sing the pulsating powerful chorus “Watch me I’m a maniac / can’t stop me “I’m a maniac / riding on the rage / feeding on the flames / that won’t ever change,” and EDVN explains that “‘‘Maniac’ takes these motivational themes across all our music and goes one step further,”embracing the haters and owning it— a maniacal level of ambition. “

The early reactions from fans have been overwhelming and although this is the first collaboration from these three, fans are hoping it’s not the last.

ABOUT ZAYDE WØLF

Dustin Burnett (aka Zayde Wølf) has always focused solely on making music that helps listeners push through and overcome life’s challenges.  This motivational mentality of transcending the past, and not allowing it to define who you will be, are not just concepts Burnett has embraced, but it’s how he has lived his life. Raised in Metropolis, a small town in Illinois best known for its fictional favorite son, Clark Kent/Superman, the level of success Burnett has achieved, both personally and professionally, is beyond anything he ever imagined or that was expected of him growing up. Zayde Wølf has grown into an empire that includes 300K YouTube subscribers, 100 million video views, over 1.4 Million monthly listeners on Spotify, with 500 million streams across all streaming platforms and millions of followers, all outside of the mainstream music business (i.e no label, no publishers etc.).  This is on top of the hundreds of films, TV shows, trailers, commercials, and video games that have featured his music. The list includes Shameless, Skyscraper movie, Love-Simon movie, Jack Reacher 2, The Maze Runner 3, Pride Prejudice & Zombies, spots for UFC, MLB, NFL, Dodge, Jeep, WWE, Xbox, NBA, and more. In addition to syncs, Wølf has creatively expanded his reach by cultivating partnerships with brands such as Dude Perfect, one of the top YouTube sports channels with over 54 Million subscribers and 12 Billion views. Other creative partnerships include collaborations with Fortnite champion DrLupo, and extreme downhill racers Rémy Métailler and Matt Walker. Last year Burnett partnered with the NHL and  NBC sports for the Stanley Cup Finals where they used the Zayde Wølf track  “Home” in a spot featuring Burnett performing the song  HERE, and most recently was the featured celebrity guest on the Gamer Hour where Burnett and Host Chris Puckett talked about their love for video games and went head to head live playing  Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War. WEBSITE // YOUTUBE // FACEBOOK // INSTAGRAM

SAM TINNESZ

Sam Tinnesz is a RIAA Platinum-selling artist and songwriter based in Nashville and frequently working in Los Angeles. As an artist, Tinnesz’s songs have reached over 6.5 billion TikTok views including viral hits like “Legends Are Made,” which was TikTok’s #1 hit in early December, and “Play With Fire,” amassing over 1 billion streams alone. Additionally, his feature with Kygo titled “Don’t Give Up On Love” became a top 40 hit on Billboard’s dance charts. As a writer, Tinnesz has worked with artists such as Dashboard Confessional, ChriStian Gate$, Masked Wolf, Pardyalone, Filter, Sum41, Bones UK, Royal & The Serpent, Rob Thomas, Aloe Blacc, Kyle Hume, TX2 and writers Mikky Ekko (Teddy Swims, Pink, Drake), David Pramik (Machine Gun Kelly, Oliver Tree, Bebe Rexha), No Love For The Middle Child (Willow, Sueco, Travis Barker, Grandson), Brasko (Yungblud, Willow), Kanner (Blackbear, Katy Perry, PVRIS). He also has releases with BANNERS, Kygo, Our Last Night, Ruelle, Layto, Tommee Profitt, Ryan Oaks, UNSECRET and others. WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // YOUTUBE

EDVN

EDVN is Edan Dover, best known as the producer & keyboardist mastermind behind LA-based alt-rock band The Score. An eight year journey with The Score has brought him from a tiny Upper East Side apartment in NYC to gold plaques, five billion streams, two million YouTube subscribers, hundreds of TV and film syncs and sold out shows on multiple continents. Now, drawing upon his massive, stadium-shaking sound and knack for infectious melodies as one half of The Score, Edan is adding another notch on his belt as a producer and artist in his own right. INSTAGRAM // YOUTUBE // SPOTIFY

OUT TODAY: PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES’ NEW LP SINNER-SONGWRITER VIA DIXIEFROG RECORDS

"The 14-track release...is packed with winners" - The Daily Herald  

"Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself." - PopMatters 

"Rocking music that has heart and soul, but feels very accessible for any music fan to appreciate" - Pancakes and Whiskey 

"Stirring" - Ghettoblaster Magazine  

"Every verse he utters virtually oozes with emotion. We’re here for it." - East of 8th  

"...it’s easy to hear the blues in his palette, but there is far more to Scales’ sound than that...Its Scales’ voice, hauntingly soulful, that carries the gravity here" - The Indy Review 

LISTEN: SINNER-SONGWRITER  

Today, Nashville-based artist Phillip-Michael Scales has released his long-awaited LP Sinner-Songwriter via DixieFrog Records. “This album was a perfection of what my previous effort was on the Sinner-Songwriter EP,” he says. Scales was inspired by his uncle BB King to forge his own musical path; it wasn’t until his uncle passed away that Scales began incorporating more of his uncle’s influence into his music. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues,” he explains. “A lot has led me here—between politics, my identity, and of course: Legacy.”   

The album, recorded in LA, Nashville, Chicago, and a remote cabin in Wisconsin during the pandemic, is about love, loss, and legacy, and features Scales’ unique blend of guitar-driven indie rock combined with the story-laden blues in his DNA, a style he calls “Dive Bar Soul.” His most recent single, the sultry “Your Love’s Working Me To the Bone,” began as a beat in a bedroom that was finished with Tres Sasser (Will Hoge) and Joe Costa (Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer). 

WATCH: “YOUR LOVE’S WORKING ME TO THE BONE 

“When They Put Me in My Grave (ft. Archie Lee Hooker),” which PopMatters said features “electrifying licks that can’t help but call back to [B.B.] King’s iconic style…Its opening moments tease something bigger, starting with an acoustic rhythm, subtle tinges of electric lead, and Scales’ passionate vocals. Shy of 40 seconds in, the track explodes into full-throttle blues. Scales soulfully dishes out lyrics that speak to his family legacy—and the one that he wants to forge for himself.” As he explores that legacy, he sings, "I come from sons and daughters of lambs who escaped the slaughter / My bloodline should have stopped with Bones and Chains in that blue water / What will they say when they put me in my grave? / Gammy told me “Son, you better keep our flame.” 

Of single “Another Man’s Sin,” Pancakes & Whiskey said, “‘Dive Bar Soul’ is how Scales describes his music and this track perfectly embodies that statement.” Album standout "O, Hallelujah” a roots-tinged foot-stomper that has surpassed 260K+ streams on Spotify alone. The 14-track journey closes with "Tell Me How I Sound Again," a commentary on microaggressions. "I’ve been told that I 'talk white' my entire life and when you break down what that actually means, it’s horrifying," he explains. "Intelligence and eloquence being equated with whiteness? So, I wrote the song. A person on my team suggested I rename it 'tell me how I look again' 'so people get it,' and I realized how important the song really was.” 

Sinner-Songwriter is available now on all streaming platforms, iTunes, and Amazon Music. CDs and vinyl are available for purchase/pre-order HERE, and a CD/vinyl bundle is available for pre-order HERE. Be sure to follow Phillip-Michael Scales at the links below for the latest updates.  

TOUR DATES  

11/5 - THE BASEMENT - NASHVILLE, TN (Record Release Show)  
11/7 - 11/11 - THE ROCK BOAT XX1 - TITUSVILLE, FL 
11/18 - ANODYNE - MILWAUKEE, WI (Record Release Show) 
11/19 - THELMA SADOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS - FOND DU LAC, WI 
12/10 - BEACHLAND BALLROOM - CLEVELAND, OH 

NASHVILLE DUO HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN RELEASE THIRD SINGLE “WHISTLING TREE” TODAY

“…a distinctly queer story of forbidden love… [‘Whistling Tree’] anchored on the image of their secret meeting place in a nearby forest, the singer urges her lover to stay strong.” – Country Queer

Photo by Caroline Voisine

“WHISTLING TREE” VIDEO ||  SPOTIFY 

NASHVILLE, TENN. - Nashville duo Haunted Like Human - Cody Clark (multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter) and Dale Chapman (lead singer, lyricist) – release their new single “Whistling Tree” today.

The third single from the forthcoming Tall Tales & Fables, is a stormy, ominous song full of the joy and danger of forbidden love.

“It’s one of the most personal songs I’ve ever written, and it took a year,” says Dale Chapman. “The inspiration really came from a good friend of mine who attempted suicide in high school because her parents were making her life a nightmare trying to keep her away from her girlfriend. As I really came into my own identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, this story felt more and more important to tell. The image of the tree is a place of life and death, love and hate, all wrapped into one.”

Tall Tales & Fables, available October 15, delves deeper into inspired songwriting, sparse arrangements, and, naturally, the frisson-inducing harmonies that marked their previous two releases. Glide Magazine noted of their songwriting recipe “…take a cup of orchestrated folk, sprinkle in some angelic harmonies, and pour in full-bodied production and you get the earthy joy of this Nashville duo.”

Despite the album’s title, these songs are honest, above all else. Real, tender, messy honesty.

BUZZ

“The stirring acoustic number [“Stay”] puts mental health at the forefront, as they ride ravaged waters with grace and ease, alongside a peaceful melody of guitar and strings complementing their haunting, yet serene harmonies.” -AudioFemme

“… the cinematic “Ghost Towns,” combines a Damien Rice-like heartfelt basket of musical nuances atop an atmospheric gleam.” – Glide Magazine

 “…chilling yet angelic… [“Ghost Towns”] resembles the wisdom a grey sparrow might sing you after it lands on a fence from a long flight north. It offers the song as wisdom as the creature catches its breath before moving on again. ‘How do I set you free when the lost don’t want to be found?’ it might whistle. ‘There’s nothing left here for you now.’” –American Songwriter

ABOUT HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN:

Hoping to find collaborators who were serious about music, Clark drove from Oregon to Nashville in 2017. Within a couple days, he met Chapman at a coffee shop. She deduced that he was a lost tourist and struck up a conversation, leading to a cowriting session. Next thing they knew, Clark had relocated to Nashville and they were making their first album, Ghost Stories.  On the heels of that, they offered up their Folklore EP, featuring standout single “Feels Like Fire.” While that EP sought to channel the minimalist, intimate spirit of their live shows, Tall Tales & Fables is the next step in their maturation. Polished but not shiny, the album benefits from Mitch Dane’s production. Together with skilled string players, the album developed its own life while staying true to Clark and Chapman’s partnership, one built on literal and metaphorical voices.

U.S. TOUR DATES

OCT 1 / THE PLAINS, OH @ Pleasant Folk Café
OCT 9 / HUNTSVILLE, AL @ Yellowhammer Brewing
OCT 14 / NASHVILLE, TN @ The 5 Spot (Album Release Show)
OCT 16 / PAINTSVILLE, KY @ Alley On Main
OCT 23 / GREENVILLE, SC @ The Velo Fellow
OCT 29 / MOBILE, AL @ The People’s Room
NOV 5 / HOLLAND, MI @ The Park Theatre

“STAY” OUT NOW || SPOTIFY || LISTEN
“GHOST TOWNS” ||  SPOTIFY || LISTEN
“WHISTLING TREE” VIDEO ||  SPOTIFY

KEEP UP WITH HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN
WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || YOUTUBE || SPOTIFY

NASHVILLE ARTIST BETTY RELEASES MISTAKES MADE, LESSONS LEARNED EP TODAY

Photo Credit: Taylor Napier

MISTAKES MADE LESSONS LEARNED || PURCHASE/STREAM

NASHVILLE, TENN. – Nashville artist Betty Reed has released the debut EP Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned today! The EP premiered earlier this week on Americana Highways.

“[Mistakes Made Lessons Learned] is a concept album, if you consider that the concept is ‘life.’ Ranging from clarifying misjudgments (on “Misunderstood”) to releasing resentments (on “Let it Out”) the album simply tracks individual development…” – Americana Highways

Drawing on personal experiences, Betty Reed relates stories of everyday life through her music. Struggles. Triumphs. Journeys. Her expressive vocals and clever lyrics resonate throughout her debut EP Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned, produced by Bill McDermott.

It’s an eclectic collection of songs that showcase Reed’s ability to write and perform across a musical spectrum. The first single “Karma” is about that moment you are free from an abusive relationship while the other person finally gets their comeuppance. “Misunderstood” sheds light on the #MeToo movement and standing up for ALL victims of harassment or assault.

While “Let It Out” and “Happy” are about her experiences with depression — the ways in which she finds her way out of the dark and into the light.

“Even though the subject matter of most of songs is serious, I mask it with an upbeat vibe—it’s this veneer of cheeriness that you feel you have to project in order to feel normal.”

Mistakes Made, Lessons Learned is out today!

“The polished country-pop tune is meaningful in so many ways, a bold statement about an important issue that for too long has been swept under the rug.” – V13

“Reed’s liberating version of payback is transformed into a modest pop number where instead of wishing ill upon her former partner, she finds freedom in personal happiness and self-love.” – AudioFemme 

“As an artist who writes songs inspired by not only her own life experiences but also moments and events she’s been witness to around the world, ‘Misunderstood’, about the #MeToo movement and standing up for victims of harassment or assault, is already, unsurprisingly, resonating strongly with and deeply touching those who have heard it.” – Popwrapped 

“…sounds upbeat and empowering — and it is, but with a twist… optimistic outlook bubbles throughout the peppy song — even when Reed confesses in the verses that she has trouble opening her heart to people.” -The Boot

 “KARMA” (OUT NOW)  SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE

“MISUNDERSTOOD” (OUT NOW)  SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE

HAPPY (OUT NOW) SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE

MISTAKES MADE, LESSONS LEARNED OUT TODAY!

KEEP UP WITH BETTY REED
WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || TWITTER || SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE || TIKTOK

PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES ANNOUNCES SINNER-SONGWRITER LP OUT ON OCTOBER 29TH VIA DIXIE FROG RECORDS

 NEW SINGLE “ANOTHER MAN’S SIN” PREMIERES

Photo Credit: Bryan H Iglesias

VIA PANCAKES & WHISKEY

LISTEN: “ANOTHER MAN'S SIN

Today, Nashville-based artist Phillip-Michael Scales unleashes “Another Man’s Sin,” the smoldering new single from his forthcoming LP Sinner-Songwriter, set for release on October 29th via Dixie Frog Records.

“‘Dive Bar Soul’ is how Scales describes his music and this track perfectly embodies that statement; rocking music that has heart and soul, but feels very accessible for any music fan to appreciate,” said Pancakes & Whiskey in the track’s premiere. “Starting with Phillip-Michael’s soaring voice and a simple guitar chord, the song makes us listen intently and when the undeniable hook kicks in, we can imagine ourselves at a dark and dusty bar whilst sipping whiskey and stomping about. What stands out for us in this single and the album as a whole, is the honesty of the lyrics and the vivid storytelling, quite likely a trait he learned from his legendary uncle B.B. King"

“This is one of my favorite tunes off the record,” Scales told Pancakes & Whiskey. “Most people have pivotal moments that inform how we act in the relationships that follow (for better or worse). ‘Another Man’s Sin’ is about the bad cycle of passing on the hurt because we’ve been hurt.”

~

Growing up, Phillip-Michael Scales had an uncle who played guitar for a living. He knew it was a big deal but didn’t understand the significance that his uncle’s name was B.B. King. Even though Scales played guitar, he shied away from soloing and most things blues-related. Instead, he fell in love with songwriting when an English teacher told him “A great writer can make their reader identify with anyone.” The trouble was he couldn’t find his story in the blues.  

Born with a fierce independent streak and a passion for performing, Scales fronted his own indie bands, wrote and recorded his own music, and worked to make a name for himself on his own terms. All the while, his uncle just smiled a knowing smile and encouraged him to “stay with it.” As he began to discover “the blues” in his private and personal life, their relationship grew closer.

It wasn’t until his uncle passed away that Scales began incorporating more of it into his music. “These days I’m finding more of my story in the blues,” he explains. “A lot has led me here—between politics, my identity, and of course: Legacy.” 

LISTEN: “O, HALLELUJAH” 

Throughout its 14 soulful tracks, Sinner-Songwriter, Scales explores, growth, mistakes, being black in America, searching for love, and finding your place in the world. He calls his sound “Dive Bar Soul,” blending indie rock storytelling with the passion of the blues. His single “O, Hallelujah” has broken 200K plays, he has been featured in Rolling Stone France, and is in regular rotation on Nashville’s Radio Station Lightning 100. Scales’ music has taken him all the way to the Middle East, as well as festivals across Europe and North America. He has opened for Fantastic Negrito, Anderson East, Guster, David Cook, Bethany Joy Lenz, Matt Hires, Billy Raffoul, Crystal Bowersox, Tyler Hilton, Jon McLaughlin, and Cory Brannan.

KEEP UP WITH PHILLIP-MICHAEL SCALES

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || TWITTER || SPOTIFY || YOUTUBE

NASHVILLE DUO HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN RELEASE “CINEMATIC” (-GLIDE MAGAZINE) SINGLE “GHOST TOWNS” ON 8/20 “CHILLING YET ANGELIC” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER

NASHVILLE DUO HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN RELEASE “CINEMATIC” (-GLIDE MAGAZINE)

SINGLE “GHOST TOWNS” ON 8/20 

“CHILLING YET ANGELIC” – AMERICAN SONGWRITER

Photo Credit: Caroline Voisine

“GHOST TOWNS” ||  SPOTIFY

 Nashville duo Haunted Like Human - Cody Clark (multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter) and Dale Chapman (lead singer, lyricist) – release their new single “Ghost Towns” today. 

The second single from the forthcoming Tall Tales & Fables, considers what happens to a place that needs to be left behind.

“… the cinematic “Ghost Towns,” combines a Damien Rice-like heartfelt basket of musical nuances atop an atmospheric gleam.” – Glide Magazine

“[‘Ghost Towns’] resembles the wisdom a grey sparrow might sing you after it lands on a fence from a long flight north. It offers the song as wisdom as the creature catches its breath before moving on again. ‘How do I set you free when the lost don’t want to be found?’ it might whistle. ‘There’s nothing left here for you now.’” – American Songwriter

 Tall Tales & Fables available October 15, delves deeper into inspired songwriting, sparse arrangements, and, naturally, the frisson-inducing harmonies that marked their previous two releases. Despite the album’s title, these songs are honest, above all else. Real, tender, messy honesty.

“We put a ton of emphasis on storytelling in each of our songs. We tell our own stories, we tell other people’s stories, we tell stories that we’ve seen from touring,” says Cody Clark.

The first single “Stay,” released last month, is a “stirring acoustic number puts mental health at the forefront, as they ride ravaged waters with grace and ease, alongside a peaceful melody of guitar and strings complementing their haunting, yet serene harmonies.” -AudioFemme

ABOUT HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN:

Hoping to find collaborators who were serious about music, Clark drove from Oregon to Nashville in 2017. Within a couple days, he met Chapman at a coffee shop. She deduced that he was a lost tourist and struck up a conversation, leading to a cowriting session. Next thing they knew, Clark had relocated to Nashville and they were making their first album, Ghost Stories.  On the heels of that, they offered up their Folklore EP, featuring standout single “Feels Like Fire.” While that EP sought to channel the minimalist, intimate spirit of their live shows, Tall Tales & Fables is the next step in their maturation. Polished but not shiny, the album benefits from Mitch Dane’s production. Together with skilled string players, the album developed its own life while staying true to Clark and Chapman’s partnership, one built on literal and metaphorical voices.

Tall Tales & Fables will be self-released on October 15, 2021.

“STAY” OUT NOW || SPOTIFY || LISTEN

“GHOST TOWNS” ||  SPOTIFY || LISTEN

KEEP UP WITH HAUNTED LIKE HUMAN

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || TWITTER || INSTAGRAM || YOUTUBE || SPOTIFY

ROSS COOPER ANNOUNCES MAY & JUNE U.S. TOUR DATES IN TEXAS AND MIDWEST

ROSS COOPER ANNOUNCES MAY & JUNE U.S. TOUR DATES

IN TEXAS AND MIDWEST

“ARTIST OF THE WEEK” – HOLLER COUNTRY (5/21/21)

“CHASING OLD HIGHS” VIDEO || WATCH STREAM

NASHVILLE, TENN. - Nashville-based, Texas-raised Americana artist Ross Cooper is touring to support his new release Chasing Old Highs throughout Texas and the Midwest in May and June. Today, he is featured as the “Artist of the Week” on Holler Country who featured the acoustic performance video of the title track ‘Chasing Old Highs”.

“…from the perspective of a rodeo champion, one who can’t keep up with the physical demands of the sport. He recorded a special acoustic version with his dog Jack sitting by his side – well, at least through the first verse. Pups buck to their own time, too.” – Holler Country

With a style akin to Robert Earl Keen and Townes Van Zandt, and tempered by a Springsteen-style spirit of the lost road, for Ross Cooper, songwriting has always been about painting those kind of very real pictures, capturing the moment the hill country fades into dirt and desert, or the moment a career turns from hope to despair. The 11-track record walks that dusty line between Texas and Tennessee, cactuses and river, atmosphere and emotion. It’s in a space all its own announcing a different kind of modern songwriter, one that’s not afraid to smile at the past.

BUZZ

“Cooper’s voice is defiant and haunting as he praises the resilience of his neighbors, who never met a devil they couldn’t tame. ‘It feels like home in a hell,’ the former bronc rider sings of his gritty stomping grounds, ‘but we’re still here, south of the angels.’” – Rolling Stone Country Music Pick for “South of the Angels” 

“Ross Cooper is putting his faith in the universe and trying to put his worries out of his mind on his new song ‘Freewheelin’ Feelin’”. – The Boot 

“…with a dose of promise and positivity…[“Hello Sunshine”] inspired by the feeling of waking up on a good day…” – American Songwriter

U.S. TOUR DATES

MAY 21 / DALLAS, TX @ The Rustic
MAY 22 / HOUSTON, TX @ The Rustic
MAY 25 / NASHVILLE, TN @ The New Lows Residency

JUNE 4 / AMARILLO, TX @ Live at Hoots

JUNE 5 / LUBBOCK, TX @ CottonFest 2021

JUNE 10 / SPRINGFIELD, MO @ Live at Southbound

JUNE 11 / ARKANSAS CITY, KS @ Burford Theater with Ned Ledoux

JUNE 12 / WATERLOO, NE @ Live at Bucks

CHASING OLD HIGHS OUT NOW || STREAM

RELEASE DATE:  FEBRUARY 26, 2021

KEEP UP WITH ROSS COOPER

WEBSITE || FACEBOOK || INSTAGRAM || TWITTER || SPOTIFY 

MATT LOVELL RELEASES SINGLE "90 PROOF" & ANNOUNCES DEBUT LP OUT 6/5

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Matt Lovell has announced the upcoming release of his debut album, Nobody Cries Today, out on June 5th. The video for the album’s soulful lead single “90 Proof,” which premiered via American Songwriter, was written during attempts to let go of a relationship that had ended. “I was also broke,” Lovell told American Songwriter. “I was what me and my friends laughingly call a ‘singer-songwaiter’ - employed by an upscale-ish burger restaurant in Nashville’s touristy Gulch neighborhood.” The song came to Lovell while he was working, and he ventured into the bathroom to record it on his phone. “I was in the middle of singing ‘I’ve been trying to lose your number, but my fingers won’t forget’ when one of my customers walked into the restaurant bathroom on me,” he recalled. “They probably still talk about their silly Nashville waiter singing in the bathroom.”

WATCH: “90 PROOF”

“Just one listen to Lovell’s voice as he delivers assertive but smooth blue eyed-soul during the song’s conflicted refrain (‘I got 90 proof / that I ain’t over you’) and that’s all the authentic connection the song needs,” said American Songwriter. “Lovell knows how to tap into a part of himself that can bring the emotions of ’90 Proof’ to the surface and doing so is all the more honorable, knowing the story he’s trying to tell, isn’t a made up screenplay; it’s one man being willing to revisit challenging parts of his life and do so with performative solemnity and grace.”

LISTEN: “90 PROOF”

All but one of the album’s songs were recorded in 2016 - just months before  Lovell nearly lost his life. On January 20, 2017, he was shot in the chest by a sixteen-year-old who attempted to steal his car. Miraculously, he lived. “This moment created a new center of gravity and re-ordered my understanding of everything I’ve experienced in this lifetime,” he explains. “Many people who experience an acute trauma go through somewhat of a euphoric period immediately after the incident occurs, and this was definitely my experience. The level of peace I felt was something I had never touched before. I wrote profusely, I gardened, I brought new life and vigor to my musical ventures, and I made peace with complicated friendships. More than anything, I found a level of great self-acceptance, and this created space for me to begin to learn how to live this life.”  

This era ended with the abrupt onset PTSD, causing the most difficult time Lovell had ever faced. He began to question everything, and struggled to find a way to articulate the horrors he was experiencing.  Now, on the other side of recovery, Lovell is excited to sing these songs again for anyone who will listen. “In these years of writing and recording, I have gathered quite a wild palette of paints,” he says. “In a way, Nobody Cries Today has actually been my teacher.  As I have written these songs, each of them has been like a tiny rowboat to get me from one day to the next. They have witnessed me in the years that I was in the throes of trying to find acceptance for myself and for the world I’m living in.  As a gay man of southern origin, this proved to be a tall order. These songs have also helped me to explore things like zest for life, discontent, hunger, truth, and hope,” he continues. “Nobody Cries Today contains every bit of earnestness, desire, and love that I have to give.”

NASHVILLE’S BOO RAY ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF SEA OF LIGHTS ON VINYL PARTNERSHIP WITH KINDERCORE

NASHVILLE’S BOO RAY ANNOUNCES THE RELEASE OF SEA OF LIGHTS ON VINYL PARTNERSHIP WITH  KINDERCORE

“We want a bad-ass, rough-around-the-edges sound. And that is exactly what we get from said outlaw Boo Ray on his new record Sea of Lights. “  - No Depression

Nashville’s Boo Ray is excited to announce that his album Sea of Lights will be getting the royal wax treatment christening the Athens, GA based Kindercore pressing plant as it’s very first release on September 15th. Kindercore is a brand new pressing plant with a mission to modernize the current pressing process by making it more sustainable. The Kindercore research and development team have taken active steps toward renewable PVC replacements, seeking to be the first pressing plant to offer petroleum free phonograph records in the coming years. By Boo Ray being the first artist to work with Kindercore he is hoping to set an example for that taking steps towards preserving the planet, can be an simple as working with forward thinking companies like Kindercore.  If enough artists follow Boo’s lead collectively they can make a huge impact on making the industry more sustainable. 

“I’ve had it on day and night, soaking up the electric guitar solos and Ray’s gritty, grinning vocal phrasing.” - Uproxx (on Sea of Lights)

The North Carolina born artist who spent years kicking around the southeast, decided to follow in the footsteps of other southern troubadour songwriters like Gram Parsons, Jerry Reed and Kris Kristofferson and head west. It was in Los Angeles where Ray sparked up a friendship and musical camaraderie with producer Noah Shain (Dead Sara, Escondido, Nikki Lane). The two collaborated on a few tracks that became Ray’s 2010 album, Bad News Travels Fast. For Sea of Lights, to capture the unassuming quality of Ray’s sophisticated songwriting the two embarked on the recording process at Shain’s White Buffalo studios in Los Angeles backed by an all star band that included Steve Ferrone on drums (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Paul Ill on bass (Christina Aguilera, P!nk, Hole etc.), Sol Philcox-Littlefield (Jim Lauderdale, Jake Owen, Aaron Lewis) on guitar, Dallas Kruse (Justin Grennan, Skylar Stonestreet) on Hammond B3, Smith Curry (Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Billy Gibbons, Kid Rock) on pedal steel, and twin brothers Todd and Troy Gardner on backup vocals. The all-star line up recorded 10 songs in two days live to tape, using the  same 2inch tape machine used to record Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline and several of Johnny Cash’s Nashville albums.

Most artists would cower under this type of pressure but Ray channeled that nervous energy into some of the best writing and recording of his career.

“As it is, “Sea Of Lights” is something special, a neatly constructed song with aspirational, but realistic lyrics about the vicissitudes of the artist’s life.” 

- Country Standard Time

Sea of Lights, an album by Boo Ray on Spotify

Boo Ray PR Materials: http://smarturl.it/BooRayPR

Keep Up With Boo Ray:
Website: https://booraymusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BooRayLive/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Boocooray 
Instagram: http://instagram.com/booray