For more information about SYDNEY BROWN or future performances please visit Sydney’s website at www.sydneybrownmusic.com.
To Purchase or Stream “LOVE IS STRONGER THAN SMOKE AND FIRE” on iTunes and Other Digital Retailers please visit http://smarturl.it/SydneyBrown.
For more information or to Pre-order BALLADS OF CAPTIVITY AND FREEDOM please visit www.georgestclairmusic.com or http://smarturl.it/GeorgeStClairBCF
To Pre-order BALLADS OF CAPTIVITY AND FREEDOM from Bandcamp please visit georgestclair.bandcamp.com
For more information about SYDNEY BROWN or future performances please visit Sydney’s website at www.sydneybrownmusic.com.
To Purchase or Stream “LOVE IS STRONGER THAN SMOKE AND FIRE” on iTunes and Other Digital Retailers please visit http://smarturl.it/SydneyBrown.
Growing up singing in Church, George’s love of music nonetheless compelled him to steal a friend’s guitar and learn how to play it, out at his family’s ranch in New Mexico. Eventually back in Austin he cut his musical chops by playing Country, Flamenco, and Salsa, before co-founding the band Soniquete, a linchpin of the city’s vibrant Alternative Latin scene.
With a bilingual mother who made sure her children regularly visited Mexico and learned Spanish, therefore acquiring a wider view of what it means to be an American – it should come as no surprise that George has for over 20 years pursued a career as a professional archeologist and anthropologist. He’s lived for extended periods in remote parts of the American Southwest, Mexico, Peru, and Brazil. Crossing and recrossing the Mexican border further fired up his historical imagination, and led him to London, where he obtained his PhD in Anthropology, which he followed up with a few years of lecturing and research at the London School Of Economics.
It was while George was immersing himself in Latin American music that ideas for melodies and verses came to him, almost always in the form of country ballads. As a result, he found his true voice, and his music draws on influences from the Western country traditions, Mexican folk music, and 1970s Texas balladry. His songs narrate hidden songs of the past and present; the struggles between the Native Americans and the white colonisers; and the plight of migrants to the US.
‘Ballads Of Captivity And Freedom’ is a twelve track album of feel-good music set to heartfelt lyrics. it was recorded at Bird and Egg Studios in Richmond, California, and mixed by Ben Berstein at Petting Zoo studios in Oakland. The album is set for release on March 2, and can be pre-ordered from George St Clair’s website, Bandcamp, or streamed/downloaded from here.
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Anna Karney has been making great music for many years, performing across the US and collaborating with many talented and notable artists. She has put out several singles and EPs as a solo artist and together with her band, and will release the fifth full-length KARNEY album of original songs titled NO MERCY in stores and online March 9, 2018. Keeping her mind on social justice and positive messages, Anna Karney’s lyrical content offers a sardonic and sometimes straightforward approach to many of the issues facing people today, with a message of hope resonating throughout every song she writes.
While in the process of writing songs for her new NO MERCY release, KARNEY began revisiting earlier material and started to hear some things differently. This was partly due to alterations that happened across years of live performances, but also times had changed, and KARNEY had changed with them. Her good friend and engineer/producer Michael Rosen was also remixing the material in a new and fresh way, and they decided to just go with it. Finished songs so often lie abandoned on vinyl or in digital bits, but KARNEY has found renewed excitement and inspiration with her older works, which has also had a tremendous creative effect on her new album.
Anna Karney’s musical influences include Bob Dylan, Neil Young, John Lennon, Sheryl Crow, Chrissie Hynde, Fela Kuti, and Joni Mitchell. As an arranger, pianist, and guitarist, she has worked with artists such as George Clinton, Linda Perry, and Dennis Bovell. The KARNEY live band includes many great Bay Area musicians such as bassist Kevin White and guitarist James DePrato (both of Chuck Prophet, The Mission Express), drummer Jeff Herrera, renown trumpet player Bill Ortiz (Santana, Destiny’s Child, Tito Puente, Tony Toni Tone), and electric bassoon and tenor sax player Paul Hanson (Bela Fleck and Cirque De Soleil). Anna Karney holds down guitar, various piano, organ and strings sounds, and lead and background vocals on all songs.
For the new album NO MERCY, as well as on previous releases, KARNEY has worked with other Producers and artists in the SF Bay Area such as Producer/engineer Mark Pistel (Michael Franti, Grace Jones, Chuck Prophet, http://www.markpistel.com), Producer/Engineer Michael Rosen (Rancid, Tesla, Smashmouth, Santana, and Papa Roach, http://www.michaelsrosen.com), and Adam Munoz (Herbie Hancock, Dave Mathews, Branford Marsalis, Joshua Bell, Chester Thompson and Lyle Lovett). Songs from NO MERCY are already receiving national Radio airplay on stations across the US and internationally as well.
Anna Karney has had a diverse musical career, having spent many years composing music for computer games such as Star Wars Galaxies, Monkey Island IV, Armed and Dangerous, several SimCity titles, Metal Dungeon, Death Jr., and many more. She has also added youth choral director to her list of musical endeavors, having recently received the esteemed “Dreamcatcher” Award from the Visual and Performing Arts division of the San Francisco Unified School District for her work as a choral teacher and conductor for middle and high school students, as well as her contribution to the furthering of music education in the San Francisco public school system.
Additionally, Anna Karney has scored ballet and modern dance pieces as an artist in residence at Mills College and San Francisco State University. This includes pieces for many contemporary dance world choreographers and dancers such as Edward Valela, Anna Sokolo, San Francisco Ballet School, Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, Oberlin Dance Collective, Richard Gibson and The Academy of Ballet, June Watanabe, Joe Goode, Lucas Hoving, Ed Mock, Janice Garret, Melissa Fenley, and many more. She also composed her Opus 1 Chaconne Sur Sept for nationally renowned contemporary music group Earplay Ensemble.
For more information please visit Karney’s website at www.karney.org
To Pre-order “NO MERCY” on iTunes and Other Digital Retailers please visit:
http://smarturl.it/KarneyNoMercy
To Pre-order “NO MERCY” from Bandcamp please visit:
https://karney.bandcamp.com/album/no-mercy
For Press and Interview inquiries please contact Billy James of Glass Onyon PR at
(828) 350-8158 or glassonyonpr@gmail.com
For Digital Marketing please contact Jerome Forney of Independent Distribution Collective at jerome@independentdistro.com
For Radio inquiries please contact Peter Hay of Twin Vision Radio Promotion at TwinVision@aol.com
###
World Video Premiere for Love is Stronger Than Smoke and Fire by Sydney Brown to aid those in need from the California Wildfires.
One benefit of being a gifted artist is utilizing their genuine voice of concern and hope while raising funds in assisting victims through unforeseen devastation. On her just released CD single and upcoming video (shot exclusively in and around Sonoma County), “Love is Stronger Than Smoke and Fire” (Tarpan Records) – Produced by Music Legend Narada Michael Walden, California based singer/actress Sydney Brown unveils her heart towards the families and individuals who are suffering through the recent California wildfires. In essence, the song’s title states it all through these particular lyrics: “Time to get up/Going through hardship/But sticking with it/Doing our best to be strong.”
When the devastating California fires broke out in October 2017, Sydney had already been recording with Narada. Horrified by what had happened to so many people in their area, they sat down to discuss lyrics and ideas, and the song “LOVE IS STRONGER THAN SMOKE AND FIRE” was born. Then Sydney had an idea: instead of creating this song for herself, she wanted to release the single in the interest of helping the fire victims that were so close to her. She teamed up with YouCaring and The Red Cross to ensure that proceeds from the single would go directly to both the Northern and Southern California fire victims. Within 48 hours of launching Sydney’s YouCaring fundraising campaign, her initial goal of $5,000 was met. Funds are still being raised. (GOPR)
To contribute towards the proceeds of “Love is Stronger Than Smoke and Fire” for those affected by the California Wildfires, please visit youcaring.com/sydneybrownmusic.
Official Website: Sydney Brown
https://www.facebook.com/sydneybrownmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/sydneybrownmusic/
Twitter: @sydneymbmusic
Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene
Amazing first review for Tarpan Records artist Sydney Brown for her single “Love Is Stronger Than Smoke and Fire”
I normally do not write reviews for singles but the song Love Is Stronger Than Smoke And Fire by San Francisco based soloist Sydney Brown is an exception. This great song produced by the great Narada Michael Walden is one I feel you will be hearing on Top 40 radio soon and can hit the number one spot. I am impressed by her vocals and her backup instrumentation. This song was well written, performed and recorded. All profits on this single will be donated to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund to directly support the Victims of the Northern and Southern California wildfires. You can purchase this single from Amazon, Itunes and everywhere else digital music downloads are sold.
Independent Distribution Collective Blog 