HAPPY NEW YEAR from IDC! Wishing Everyone an Extraordinary 2022 Full of Music and Love!
Month: December 2021
ICYMI – The Karney Band Live Show and Video Release from 12/12/21!
The Karney Band rocks youtube in celebration of the new Be Together video release. Featuring Anna Karney on guitar on vocals, Jeff Herrera on drums, Erik Smyth on guitar, and David Doucet on bass. The band is excited to be jamming with trumpet player Bill Ortiz, and trombone player Marty Wehner.
The show will be followed by the debut of the latest Karney video “Be Together,” filmed by Tanja Nixx.
Here is the video debut of Be Together:
A fun mid-Winter show from the comfort of your own living space!
Visit the KARNEY website for more information:
www.karney.org or https://karney.bandcamp.com
To order or stream the “BE TOGETHER” single on digital services please visit: smarturl.it/KarneyBeTogether
###
Also check out the new Karney single “Be Together”:
US Review: CJ WASHINGTON Releases His New Pop and R&B Infused LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP
“I was quite moved with Cj Washington’s voice and his style of performance. In addition to a superb recording and creative songwriting skills, this is an album I recommend you take a listen to.”
“In truth, this Love Songs & Low Pass Filters EP is full of catchy tracks that we all can feel connected to, as in their own ways convey the ups and downs of life and relationships (although here through the eyes of CJ, of course). With the righteous beats of Him (about missed opportunities and seeing someone you love with somebody else), the reaching Raindrops, coming to a close on the calmingly tight, bounce flow of Waitin’ On Love.”
“Cj Washington’s debut outing was the ‘Soulacoutisc’ EP, followed by a second EP, ‘Spend The Night’ – both helping build a fan base which is sure to increase via his third release, a 5 track EP ‘LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS.’ Amongst the highlights is the crisp, finger-clicking opener ‘Upside Down.’ ‘Raindrops’ and ‘Him’ are slower jams and overall the sound might remind you of Joe.”
-Bill Buckley, SouldAndJazzAndFunk.com
“Sacramento soulster serves up a sunlit suite of sweet tunes that seep under one’s skin and stay there. “Love Songs & Low Pass Filters” five numbers find the Californian weave warm sophisticated polyphony out of his vocals, rendering some lines straight, some curled into melismata and some wrapped in effects, and binding everything with constantly shifting rhythms. All the cuts, taken in together, go to show it’s about time Cj Washington come out from the shadow of people he worked with, like P. Diddy, and began to shine on his own.”
For Immediate Release – Sacramento, CA – Set to release his new LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP on November 12, 2021, CJ WASHINGTON is a Sacramento-based pop, R&B, and soul singer-songwriter and guitarist. Inspired by John Mayer, Chris Brown, Stevie Wonder, and R&B singer Joe, Cj Washington began playing guitar as a young kid and has gone on to work with talented and influential artists including P. Diddy. Cj has previously released two EPs, Soulacoustic and Spend the Night, and has also landed credits with Berner & B-Real on their Los Meros album, as well as with Capolow on the track “Lately.”
LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP brings together elements of guitar and hip-hop drums in an up-tempo collection of pop and R&B songs performed entirely by Cj Washington. Co-written with his producing partner Vidal Garcia and friend Devin Wright, the EP was recorded at the WAV Lounge throughout 2020 and into 2021. LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP is full of catchy tracks that get the head nodding while conveying the ups and downs of life and relationships as Cj sees them, such as on the track “Upside Down” about the love-hate relationship between an addict and their addiction, or on the track “Him” about missed opportunities and seeing someone you love with somebody else.
Cj Washington is a talented producer who has worked with several notable artists. In 2020, he contributed production and instrumentation for the track “Live Your Life” from the Berner & B-Real album Los Meros, and also for two songs from the Berner and Cozmo album Respect the Connect, “Mind Racin’” and “What It Came To.” In 2020 Cj Washington also provided production and instrumentation to the Capolow track “Lately” from the album Kid Next Door.
Cj Washington’s music career began at a young age in 2007. His father was incredibly influential in this phase of Cj’s journey, uploading talent show and cover performances to YouTube and helping him to develop his talent as the views came pouring in. They began talking to different labels and in 2009 heard about auditions for a new show called MTV’s P. Diddy’s Starmaker. Cj (then known as Christopherjohn) starred as a contestant on the show that reached millions of viewers worldwide. Filmed in a mansion in Los Angeles, the whole experience was profound for Cj, who learned personally from P. Diddy and gained real world music business experience. Ten years later Cj Washington was also featured on NBC’s The Voice Season 17.
Prior to filming for The Voice in 2019, Cj Washington released his debut Soulacoustic EP. Recorded mostly at home studios, with four of the tracks self-produced by Cj and another three tracks produced by Vidal Garcia, this remarkable debut introduced Cj to the music scene as a fully formed artist with a sound all his own. Soon after his appearance on The Voice in 2020, Cj Washington released his second EP titled Spend the Night. Recorded at the WAV Lounge in Vallejo, CA, where Cj was able to put more time and effort into the production, the Spend the Night EP was a more polished effort that was written and produced with Vidal Garcia and featured A-Wax on the track “Playin’ With Fire.”
Cj Washington currently performs live 3-5 nights a week around the greater Sacramento area. Check out his website for more information and keep an eye out for more material coming soon!
For more information about CJ WASHINGTON and his new LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP please visit: www.cjwashingtonmusic.com
To order or stream LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP please visit:
https://smarturl.it/CjLoveSongsLowPass
To order or stream LOVE SONGS & LOW PASS FILTERS EP on Bandcamp please visit:
cjwashingtonmusic.bandcamp.com
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
MUSIC BIZ TALKS with hosts IDC Founder and Pyramind Music Business Instructor STEFFEN FRANZ and Pyramind Founder GREG GORDON!
“This week Pyramind is introducing a brand new series called Music Biz Talks with Steffen & Greg. In this series we’ll take frequently asked business questions and break them down in simple terms. We’re starting with the cornerstone of the recorded music business, copyright & publishing.
This topic tends to confuse many of our students and it’s integral to becoming a professional artist or producer. In the following video, we sit down with music business instructor and mentor Steffen Franz to break it down in simple terms.
In the video, you’ll learn about the basics of copyrighting in the realm of music. Watch to learn when copyright is created, why you would want to register your copyright with the library of congress, and the rights your copyright entails.”
To go deeper on this subject find music business instructor and mentor Steffen Franz on the global Pyramind mentorship network below! https://pyramind.com/mentorship/
THE ALTERVERSE: SAN FRANCISCO’S CELEBRATION OF POETRY & LIGHT!
IDC President and Founder Steffen Franz has worked together with Ben Davis, Founder of the non-profit Illuminate to co-produce a month-long event series that features dozens of shows and local artists at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell in December 2021.
Website: https://thealterverse.org/
The Opening Night celebration featured James Weldon Johnson’s soaring words “Lift Every Voice” from the Black National Anthem elevated and illuminated atop the revived Golden Gate Bandshell. Visitors heard sculptor Dana King discuss Monumental Reckoning, her powerful installation which sits directly across the Music Concourse from the Bandshell. They met SF Poet Laureate Tonge Eisen-Martin as he framed the night and month of poetry ahead and enjoyed live music with SF’s Martin Luther McCoy. Also, see the unveiling of “de Truth,” an exhibition of scrolling poetry lasered across the entire 450-foot façade of the de Young Museum and the public opening of “Circle of Life” in the nearby National AIDS Memorial Grove.
Featured Poets – James Siegel and Greg Pond
Live Music – Martin Luther McCoy and Robin Hodge Williams Ensemble
New SHERIDAN single “TOES DONE” Available Now!
Click here to listen to “TOES DONE”!
Click here to listen to ON MYSELF!
Click here to watch the ON MYSELF IDC Virtual Record Release Party!
“From the instrumental lines to the vocals section, Sheridan’s “On Myself” exudes emotion. While the rhythmic tempo is dynamic, and perhaps accelerated, the overall climate is smooth, relaxed, mature. The same maturity that is noticed in the feelings that are manifested from the flowing and relaxed bars.”
-Visual Atelier 8 – Click here to read the full interview!
A unique visual experience featuring music from the release along with some old favorites and special guests, the SHERIDAN “ON MYSELF” IDC Virtual Event was broadcast on YouTube July 2, 2021!
“‘On Myself’ is easily the most stunning hip hop track I’ve heard this year. The cinematically arresting title single is the perfect introduction to the prolific artist’s soulfully evocative style. The tender piano keys which pick up jazz and neo-classical sensibilities in their progressions give ‘On Myself’ a stunning ambience, while the indie feel to the production allows SHERIDAN’s deeply resonant vocals to hit even harder.”
“Barely out of high school, this rapper is right in the Internet star pocket. Youth speaking to youth, viral is a word that comes to mind here.”
“Opening on the one-two dubstep of Wheres The Ref? and the laid back, late night ambiance of The Don (feat. Don Pablo & Drae V), they are backed by the beautiful, free flowing majesty of Rewinds and the near acoustic rap-pop bounce of Hell. Next up is the rap-rocker Like You Did and the finger-snapppin Actin Funny, with this new EP rounding out on the swarthy Walk Away (feat. Anthony Kannon), closing on the quietly rhythmic R&B of the title track On Myself.”
“On Myself features eight tracks, beginning with Sheridan rolling through the poetic hip-hop-style lyrics of “Where’s The Ref?” without missing a beat. The album then moves toward an R&B direction with the smooth sounds of “Hell,” while “Like You Did” finds Sheridan stepping outside his comfort zone for this addictive alternative-pop melody. He wraps up his new album with strong, repetitive chorus of “Walk Away,” which is unforgettable, along with the mellow vibe of the album closer “On Myself.”“
Click here to listen to the new single WHERE’S THE REF?
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Independent artist and music producer SHERIDAN (aka Sheridan Carter Crane) has recorded and released over 20 songs in the last two years, setting the stage for his new EP release ON MYSELF that drops worldwide in stores and online June 18, 2021. The ON MYSELF EP also features BDT Don Pablo and Drae V on the powerful and commanding track “The Don” and Anthony Kannon on the heartfelt and introspective “Walk Away.” The first single “Where’s the Ref?” releases online May 28, and SHERIDAN will also broadcast an ON MYSELF VIRTUAL EVENT release show via YouTube on July 2. The virtual event will be a unique visual experience featuring music from the release along with some old favorites and special guests.
Born in Boulder, CO, but raised a few hundred miles north of New York City in Cortland, Upstate New York, SHERIDAN is 22 years old and has spent the last four years writing, recording, and compiling a vast assortment of hip hop and pop musical compositions. All the songs from the ON MYSELF EP were recorded within a year of being written back at his home studio in Cortland, allowing you to hear exactly where SHERIDAN’s mind has been lately and what he has been dealing with throughout this crazy time in the world. He now works from his own home studio in San Francisco where he has recorded hundreds of tracks and continues to develop new material.
Exposed to many styles of music growing up, SHERIDAN is an artist with many life experiences that continue to influence his music. When he first began writing and recording sometime during his junior year of high school in 2016, he never imagined he would be releasing his own original music and songs. His first true passion was basketball, and his heart was set on playing in college and eventually the NBA. “Making music my life wasn’t something I ever planned to do,” says SHERIDAN, “but music was something my life showed me I needed.”
After the tragic loss of his mom in 2019, he decided it was finally time to put out his self-titled Sheridan Carter Crane. With a surplus of tracks to pick from, he chose a select few, including his mom’s favorites that would add to the story he was trying to tell, and filled in the blanks with new ideas inspired by the emotions he felt from her passing. Released on December 23, 2019, Sheridan Carter Crane is available worldwide on all digital platforms and has received incredible response from blogs and reviewers including Upstate Aesthetic and Not Ya Manz.
Over the last few years SHERIDAN has had multiple close friends pass away and has endured an unfortunate amount of heartbreak. In 2020, less than a month after moving to San Francisco to attend the production school Pyramind, he also had all his music equipment stolen in the moving process. Despite these setbacks, he has since rebuilt his home studio and kept his focus on family, honoring his mother, and sharing his music with the world.
SHERIDAN also continues to work on multiple other projects and for the first time ever is releasing tracks with other producers. He is also co-host of a local music podcast run by Upstate Aesthetic. The release of the new ON MYSELF EP marks an exciting milestone for SHERIDAN. Expect much more from this sensational new artist in the months and years to come.
“Overall, I just want to be seen as unapologetically being me. So whether you love it or hate it, shove it or break it…I just hope it made you feel.” -Sheridan
To purchase or stream the new ON MYSELF EP please visit:
https://smarturl.it/SheridanOnMyself
To watch the ON MYSELF VIRTUAL EVENTrelease show on July 2, 2021, please visit:
https://youtube.com/c/SheridanCrane
For more information about SHERIDAN please visit his website at:
For Press and Interview inquiries please contact Billy James of Glass Onyon PR:
(828) 350-8158 or glassonyonpr@gmail.com
For Digital Marketing please contact Jerome Forney of Independent Distribution Collective:
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Check out the Ken Kessler podcast interview with Dan Ashley on Christmas Music and Christmas Spirit (and lots more)!
Click Here to Listen to OUT THERE!
“Dan Ashley is a man of tremendous experience and talents, and music is one of them. His solo album Out There presents 11 tracks firmly anchored in hard-driving rock and roll with masterful forays into lush ballads and Americana. In collaboration with legendary Concord-based producer/engineer/multiinstrumentalist Bill Bentley, Ashley offers a collection of mature, thought-provoking and playful songs.”
Click Here to Listen to The Morning Breezecast Interview with Dan Ashley on iHeart Radio!
“I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Out There, by Dan Ashley and it’s packed full of likely radio tracks. With hints of John Cougar and straight up radio rockers, Ashley is joined by Bill Bentley on guitar, bass and keys, Mike Vanderhule on drums and Cornell CC Carter, Angela Ashley and Angeline Bentley.”
“This quite stunningly opulent new album opens on the free wheelin’ River City and the AOR rocker Redbud Road and backs those up seamlessly with the mid-tempo pairing of both Nothing Now and What Really Matters and then we get the sweepingly beautiful, lo-fi guitar and piano ballad Lucky Stars.
Next up is one of my own personal favorites on this new album, the raucous rock ’n’ roll of Da Na Na Na Na which is in turn followed by the storytelling of Better Life, and then we get the foot-tapping melodies of the title track Out There, the rhythmic rock of Feel the Heat, with the album rounding out on the AOR of We Stayed Home, closing on the mid-tempo balladry of Now and Then.”
“This SF anchor rocks out as a very credible AOR bombast singer that knows how to rock out. You could give this set a blind fold test. You would place it firmly in the 70s but you’d place it a lot closer to Y&T than you would Ted Baxter. It’s clear he knows how to make news as well as report it.”
Click Here to Listen to the Big Blend Radio Interview with Dan Ashley from October 15, 2021!
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Accomplished singer DAN ASHLEY brings a distinctive voice and his unique life experience to the Bay Area music scene with his exceptional blend of Americana and rock and roll. With the release of his remarkable new album OUT THERE on October 15, 2021, DAN ASHLEY shares in the joy, heartbreak, love, and loss that are part of our common humanity. Backed by a group of extraordinary musicians who have played and toured with an impressive list of major artists, Dan is thrilled to share his new music with his fans.
As a vocalist, DAN ASHLEY has led his highly acclaimed band for many years, headlining notable venues and opening for such great artists as REO Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, Cheap Trick, Eddie Money, Patti LaBelle, Melissa Etheridge and more. He has also shared the stage with many other consummate performers over the years including Dionne Warwick, Neal Schon (Journey), Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), and multiple Grammy winner Narada Michael Walden, among many others. Dan is regularly asked to perform the National Anthem at a variety of events, including for the NBA, MLB, NCAA, and NHL.
The new DAN ASHLEY album OUT THERE is the result of a powerful collaboration with his long-time friend, music producer, and writing partner Bill Bentley. The pair worked seamlessly together with a shared vision for what the album could be. Also contributing to OUT THERE are well respected musicians such as internationally acclaimed soul artist Cornell “CC” Carter and longtime Y&T drummer Mike Vanderhule. Both were so pleased upon hearing the initial tracks for OUT THERE that they offered to contribute to the material, and as a result elevated the album to a whole new level.
From upbeat and driving rockers to gentle ballads, all with a classic Americana and rock music sensibility, listeners will find a variety of songs on this new release. The title track “Out There” is a reflection on DAN ASHLEY’S lifelong fascination with the mystery and enormity of the universe, asking a basic question: if there is other life out there somewhere, do they suffer the same challenges that we all do? Dan sings, “Out there, is there war, is there pain? Is there even much to gain by tearing each other down, like this theater in the round?” He sings about life’s formative experiences and endless summer days at his childhood home on “Redbud Road,” and salutes Americans across the country for doing what we had to do to protect ourselves and our communities from this pandemic with “We Stayed Home.” And he doesn’t forget to thank his “Lucky Stars” for the undeniable feeling of love, connection, and gratitude that comes with being with the perfect person for you, and the sense of gratefulness all of us should have for the many blessings in our lives.
DAN ASHLEY has been around music and passionate about it his entire life, starting as a child with guitar and piano lessons, and then singing in the junior choir at his church in North Carolina. Always the storyteller, Dan Ashley is also a journalist and news anchor for ABC7 – KGO Bay Area TV, and in his 35 years on television he has reported on a wide range of issues and events that affect our lives. Dan has covered stories all over the Bay Area, the country, and the world, and has received many industry awards including the prestigious DuPont Columbia Award, two Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism, and numerous Emmy Awards for Best Newscast and Individual Reporting.
Dan Ashley also created the non-profit Rock the CASA Foundation to raise money through an annual concert to benefit the CASA organization and other charities, and over the years the event has featured several internationally known bands and artists. Dan is also performing alongside headliner Foghat at the Ojai Nest Fest Veterans Benefit in Ventura, CA, on October 2, 2021!
For more information about DAN ASHLEY and his new album OUT THERE please visit: www.danashleymusic.com
To order or stream the new DAN ASHLEY album OUT THERE please visit:
https://smarturl.it/DanAshleyOutThere
To order or stream OUT THERE on Bandcamp please visit:
https://danashley.bandcamp.com/album/out-there
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
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Big Blend Radio Interview: MISHA SEEFF on his new album “DREAMHAVEN”
“This episode of Big Blend Radio features Misha Seeff, a highly accomplished and talented teen singer-songwriter who has just released his debut album DREAMHAVEN. His music has a classic acoustic pop sound, and he uses pictographic lyrics to tell stories both fictional and true. The album introduces listeners to a world of fictional love stories, poetic lyrics, and lush melodies, and features instrumentals reminiscent of classic 2000s bands and innovative vocal engineering. More: http://www.mseeff.com/ “
To watch the dreamhaven Virtual Record Release Event click here!
Click Here to Listen to “Dreamhaven” – AVAILABLE NOW!
“This artist is a diamond in the rough just waiting for his moment to shine on the big stage. His new 15-song release begins with the undeniable pop tones of “Now,” as Misha Seeff‘s youthful vocals and bright outlook become very addicting. He digs down deep with the emotional delivery of “April Haze” and rolls out the poetic lyrics of “You And I,” which showcase his songwriting skills way beyond his years.”
Click Here to Listen to the Debut Single “April Haze”!
MISHA SEEFF is a teenage singer-songwriter who grew up in Canada, the US, and South Africa. His music has a classic acoustic pop sound, and he uses pictographic lyrics to tell stories both fictional and true. Now, a mere nine months after writing his first song, MISHA SEEFF introduces a world of fictional love stories, poetic lyrics, and lush melodies with his debut album DREAMHAVEN on September 17, 2021. Featuring instrumentals reminiscent of classic 2000s bands and innovative vocal engineering, DREAMHAVEN feels like a perfect mix of the old and new. To coincide with the September 17 release, MISHA SEEFF will also broadcast a live performance virtual event online featuring songs from the album!
For MISHA SEEFF, music is an escape. It’s how he makes sense of the world around him, and how he deals with and expresses his emotions. He particularly loves telling stories through song. The first song that Misha ever wrote was called “apart,” a ballad that conveys the pain and longing of being far away from someone you love. Misha knew this was a universal experience for people around the world, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, and he understood that music could be one of the most powerful ways of sharing that experience.
DREAMHAVEN includes the first songs the teenage singer-songwriter ever wrote, such as “apart” and “valentine’s day,” and more recent work such as “april haze” and “your eyes.” The album was produced, recorded, and mixed by Ben Bernstein at Soniczen Records and Petting Zoo Studio in Oakland, CA, with additional vocal recording by Mark Ambrosino at The Madhouse in Queens, NY. DREAMHAVEN also features guitar work by Dave Shul, bass by Ben Bernstein, and drums and percussion from Andrew Griffin.
Misha says, “Telling fictional stories and turning them into music is one of the ways I process things happening in my life.” In his opinion, an amazing album has a song for everyone, so whether you’re enjoying love, stuck in heartbreak, or moving on, this album is for you. “If nothing else, producing the record was a massive growth experience,” says Misha. “I learned that one of the things people appreciate most about music is vulnerability, that magical moment where you can think deeper than the music and see what the artist was going through when they wrote the song. I wanted to reflect that.” Whether you’re listening to the calm heartbreak ballad “boardwalk” or the feel-good “dream,” MISHA SEEFF’s lyrics shine deeper than the surface-level message.
From a young age MISHA SEEFF had a passion for music and spent much of his childhood participating in community musical theater, taking violin lessons, and teaching himself how to play the piano. Misha began to experiment with writing his own original songs when the theaters went dark during the Covid-19 pandemic. He taught himself how to record and produce tracks and wrote most of his songs in his room on guitar and piano, with no idea he would ever professionally produce or release his material. The title track “dreamhaven” says it all in terms of what the album is about: thoughts and ideas collecting over time and being kept safe in a small corner of the mind.
MISHA SEEFF loves performing live and looks forward to playing some shows in his new home of New York in the coming months, and returning to San Francisco to perform as well.
For more information please visit the MISHA SEEFF website:
To order or stream DREAMHAVEN on digital services please visit:
https://smarturl.it/MSdreamhaven
To order or stream the single “april haze” on digital services August 27 please visit:
https://smarturl.it/MSaprilhaze
To order or stream the single “your eyes” on digital services September 10 please visit:
https://smarturl.it/MSyoureyes
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
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ICYMI – The Karney Band Live Show and Video Release from 12/12/21!
The Karney Band rocks youtube in celebration of the new Be Together video release. Featuring Anna Karney on guitar on vocals, Jeff Herrera on drums, Erik Smyth on guitar, and David Doucet on bass. The band is excited to be jamming with trumpet player Bill Ortiz, and trombone player Marty Wehner.
The show will be followed by the debut of the latest Karney video “Be Together,” filmed by Tanja Nixx.
Here is the video debut of Be Together:
A fun mid-Winter show from the comfort of your own living space!
Visit the KARNEY website for more information:
www.karney.org or https://karney.bandcamp.com
To order or stream the “BE TOGETHER” single on digital services please visit: smarturl.it/KarneyBeTogether
###
Also check out the new Karney single “Be Together”:
Canada Review: DAN ASHLEY and his new album “OUT THERE”
Click Here to Listen to OUT THERE!
“San Francisco anchor captures pictures of lives past and present to post a report on current affairs in his inner world. “Out There” is a platter of multiple twists and turns, an album of manifold temporal planes – of songs running through styles, times and places yet keeping a permanently firm grip on a tune. In this atmosphere, being out there is impossible – yet getting pulled in here is not an option: the album ushers you to make you feel the heat of home.”
“Dan Ashley is a man of tremendous experience and talents, and music is one of them. His solo album Out There presents 11 tracks firmly anchored in hard-driving rock and roll with masterful forays into lush ballads and Americana. In collaboration with legendary Concord-based producer/engineer/multiinstrumentalist Bill Bentley, Ashley offers a collection of mature, thought-provoking and playful songs.”
Click Here to Listen to The Morning Breezecast Interview with Dan Ashley on iHeart Radio!
“I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Out There, by Dan Ashley and it’s packed full of likely radio tracks. With hints of John Cougar and straight up radio rockers, Ashley is joined by Bill Bentley on guitar, bass and keys, Mike Vanderhule on drums and Cornell CC Carter, Angela Ashley and Angeline Bentley.”
“This quite stunningly opulent new album opens on the free wheelin’ River City and the AOR rocker Redbud Road and backs those up seamlessly with the mid-tempo pairing of both Nothing Now and What Really Matters and then we get the sweepingly beautiful, lo-fi guitar and piano ballad Lucky Stars.
Next up is one of my own personal favorites on this new album, the raucous rock ’n’ roll of Da Na Na Na Na which is in turn followed by the storytelling of Better Life, and then we get the foot-tapping melodies of the title track Out There, the rhythmic rock of Feel the Heat, with the album rounding out on the AOR of We Stayed Home, closing on the mid-tempo balladry of Now and Then.”
“This SF anchor rocks out as a very credible AOR bombast singer that knows how to rock out. You could give this set a blind fold test. You would place it firmly in the 70s but you’d place it a lot closer to Y&T than you would Ted Baxter. It’s clear he knows how to make news as well as report it.”
Click Here to Listen to the Big Blend Radio Interview with Dan Ashley from October 15, 2021!
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Accomplished singer DAN ASHLEY brings a distinctive voice and his unique life experience to the Bay Area music scene with his exceptional blend of Americana and rock and roll. With the release of his remarkable new album OUT THERE on October 15, 2021, DAN ASHLEY shares in the joy, heartbreak, love, and loss that are part of our common humanity. Backed by a group of extraordinary musicians who have played and toured with an impressive list of major artists, Dan is thrilled to share his new music with his fans.
As a vocalist, DAN ASHLEY has led his highly acclaimed band for many years, headlining notable venues and opening for such great artists as REO Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, Cheap Trick, Eddie Money, Patti LaBelle, Melissa Etheridge and more. He has also shared the stage with many other consummate performers over the years including Dionne Warwick, Neal Schon (Journey), Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), and multiple Grammy winner Narada Michael Walden, among many others. Dan is regularly asked to perform the National Anthem at a variety of events, including for the NBA, MLB, NCAA, and NHL.
The new DAN ASHLEY album OUT THERE is the result of a powerful collaboration with his long-time friend, music producer, and writing partner Bill Bentley. The pair worked seamlessly together with a shared vision for what the album could be. Also contributing to OUT THERE are well respected musicians such as internationally acclaimed soul artist Cornell “CC” Carter and longtime Y&T drummer Mike Vanderhule. Both were so pleased upon hearing the initial tracks for OUT THERE that they offered to contribute to the material, and as a result elevated the album to a whole new level.
From upbeat and driving rockers to gentle ballads, all with a classic Americana and rock music sensibility, listeners will find a variety of songs on this new release. The title track “Out There” is a reflection on DAN ASHLEY’S lifelong fascination with the mystery and enormity of the universe, asking a basic question: if there is other life out there somewhere, do they suffer the same challenges that we all do? Dan sings, “Out there, is there war, is there pain? Is there even much to gain by tearing each other down, like this theater in the round?” He sings about life’s formative experiences and endless summer days at his childhood home on “Redbud Road,” and salutes Americans across the country for doing what we had to do to protect ourselves and our communities from this pandemic with “We Stayed Home.” And he doesn’t forget to thank his “Lucky Stars” for the undeniable feeling of love, connection, and gratitude that comes with being with the perfect person for you, and the sense of gratefulness all of us should have for the many blessings in our lives.
DAN ASHLEY has been around music and passionate about it his entire life, starting as a child with guitar and piano lessons, and then singing in the junior choir at his church in North Carolina. Always the storyteller, Dan Ashley is also a journalist and news anchor for ABC7 – KGO Bay Area TV, and in his 35 years on television he has reported on a wide range of issues and events that affect our lives. Dan has covered stories all over the Bay Area, the country, and the world, and has received many industry awards including the prestigious DuPont Columbia Award, two Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism, and numerous Emmy Awards for Best Newscast and Individual Reporting.
Dan Ashley also created the non-profit Rock the CASA Foundation to raise money through an annual concert to benefit the CASA organization and other charities, and over the years the event has featured several internationally known bands and artists. Dan is also performing alongside headliner Foghat at the Ojai Nest Fest Veterans Benefit in Ventura, CA, on October 2, 2021!
For more information about DAN ASHLEY and his new album OUT THERE please visit: www.danashleymusic.com
To order or stream the new DAN ASHLEY album OUT THERE please visit:
https://smarturl.it/DanAshleyOutThere
To order or stream OUT THERE on Bandcamp please visit:
https://danashley.bandcamp.com/album/out-there
For Press and Interview inquiries please contact Billy James of Glass Onyon PR at
(828) 350-8158 or glassonyonpr@gmail.com
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Independent Distribution Collective Blog 