Who turns down a personal offer to play keyboard on Paul McCartney’s world tour? Gabe Dixon did, and it was probably the best decision of his life. Dixon respectfully turned McCartney down to focus his energies on his band’s then-yet-to-be-released album.

The first incarnation of The Gabe Dixon Band was born nine years ago as a jam band with heavy jazz influences, but after a bout of cutbacks and regime changes at their original label, the band members had a collective epiphany and decided to reinvent themselves as a song-based trio. A reviewer for The Nashville Tennessean, Dixon ’s hometown paper, called it early in 2005 when he stated unequivocally that the young artist “deserves to join the ranks of Jackson Browne and early Elton John in the pop pantheon.”

The Gabe Dixon Band cut their self-titled album, due out on August 26th, live at Nashville ’s renowned Blackbird Studios with co-producer/ engineer mixer Neal Cappelino (Alison Krauss, Mindy Smith, Jonny Lang). Dixon wrote all songs on the album and received a little help from heavyweights like Dan Wilson, Grammy winner for his work on Dixie Chicks’ “Not Ready To Make Nice.” The album embeds vividly detailed, intensely personal and universally relatable songs in elegant yet muscular settings that draw, unabashedly and expertly, on classic rock, and the combination is intoxicating.

Of the newfound song focus of his onetime jam band, Dixon says, “We love great songs and real musicianship, and we take time as a band to come up with something that isn’t typical, because the arrangement and performance can be just as impactful as the song itself. We’ve become more refined, and to the point, making the impact direct and immediate. The idea is pretty simple, really: We’re dedicated to playing music people like that we like too.”

• Till You’re Gone

All Will Be Well

MySpace ## CD’s ## Amazon MP3’s ## Hype Machine

Big choruses and jumping rhythms aren’t always what you expect when you hear someone described as an LA singer-songwriter. But that’s what you’ll get on Curtis Peoples’ self-titled album due to be released on August 19th. It’s got thoughtful lyrics and power guitars. Music Connection calls it “pure pop with a classic-rock vibe.” You might call it “coffeeshop arena rock”, and Curtis may well be its only practitioner.

Listen to its ten songs and you’ll be reminded of the inspiring sounds of U2 and Bon Jovi as well as the acoustic pop of John Mayer and Jason Mraz. But Peoples, as viewers learned on MTV’s on-air songwriting competition SCORE, has his own unique musical fingerprint. “All my favorite artists can go from acoustic to rock and back again from song to song and album to album,” he says. “I want to be like that - it leaves a lot of room for excitement and surprise.”

Peoples, a curly-haired San Diego native with a ready smile and a down-to-earth attitude, moved to LA just three years ago, and within months was on a national tour with Tyler Hilton, the singer-songwriter also known for his acting roles on ‘One Tree Hill’ and in ‘Walk the Line’. Dates with Josh Kelley, Hanson, Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers, Tim Reynolds, Joe Firstman and others soon followed.

Some of Young Hollywood’s most musical talents, including Jesse McCartney and Ryan Cabrera, have been spotted at Curtis’s Los Angeles shows, and Music Connection praised his “strong and deeply resonant voice” and named him one of their “100 Unsigned Artists To Watch in 2008.”

It didn’t take long for the buzz to reach producer Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Kate Voegele, Marc Broussard). The resulting album of well-crafted songs ranges from the hard-rocking swagger of “Heart Will Fall” (co-written by OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder) and Tom Petty-esque “Back Where I Started ” to the acoustic, contemplative “Wake Up” and the funky power pop of “Tell Me I’m Wrong,” co-written with Tyler Hilton.

Curtis Peoples will be bringing his crowd-pleasing live show to audiences across the country this summer and fall. See dates below.

• Back Where I Started

Aug 10 - The 3 Hour Tour - Newport Beach, CA***
Aug 15 - Singing National Anthem at Dodgers Game - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 17 - 94.9fm (Radio Interview & Performance) - San Diego, CA
Aug 19 - The Roxy (Album Release Party) - Los Angeles, CA
Aug 21 - Great Scott - Boston, MA*
Aug 22 - Bitter End (NYC Album Release Party) - New York, NY*
Aug 23 - Acoustic Café - Rockaway, NJ*
Aug 24 - Jammin Java - Vienna, VA*
Aug 25 - The Cave - Chapel Hill, NC*
Aug 26 - The Evening Muse - Charlotte, NC*
Aug 27 - Eddie’s Attic - Atlanta, GA*
Aug 28 - 3rd and Lindsley - Nashville, TN*
Aug 29 - Beat Kitchen - Chicago, IL*
Aug 30 - Richmond, IN*
Sep 1 - Birdy’s - Indianapolis, IN*
Sep 2 - The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI*
Sep 4 - Borders (In-Store Performance) - Orange, CA
Sep 5 - NBC/KPRI Summer Concert Series - San Diego, CA
Sep 6 - LeStats - San Diego, CA**
Sep 12 - Q Cafe - Seattle, WA**

*with Keaton Simons & Todd Carey
**with Tony Lucca
***with Tyler Hilton

Curtis Peoples.com ## MySpace  ## CD’s ##  Hype Machine

WHO IS MULALLY?

“A set of stoned proportions” -The Blue Moon, Seattle

“Mulally is an indie-rock band and their range of songs is very compelling; this is not a band where every chorus sounds the same. With six members their sound is rich and full; the keyboard-thick songs are complemented perfectly by a sassy trumpet, with a layer of lyrics on top which call up love, loss, betrayal, forever- you know, all that important stuff.” -CultureMob, Seattle

Mullaly (Moo-la-lee) is a six-person experimental rock band from Seattle that played has played about 65 shows since October, 2006. Their influences include early songs of the Rolling Stones, The Doors, The Pixies, The Yardbirds, Bach, Blonde Redhead, Danger Mouse and Phillip Glass.

HOW DID THEY START?

In April 2006 a ragtangle of 15 musicians, DJ’s and producers created “MULALLY: THE THIRST FOR POWER.” The live band formed August 2006 when two musicians on acoustic guitars and a loop station developed vocal harmonies in a Seattle upstairs room. A six person band was formed and a month later Mullaly released their second CD, “Adjust Your Soul” . They released their new EP on April 28, 2007.

WHAT DO THEY DO?

Mullaly is known for emotional chord progressions, piano and trumpet driven melodies and introspective lyrics that address the human experience, such as loneliness, fear, hatred, love and the thirst for power.
They practice twice weekly on the border of Fremont and Wallingford, and on weekends go to shows, see movies, play in eachother’s various other projects or hang out at Columbia City Theatre, south of downtown Seattle - where Chris works in the bar and Justin occassionaly DJ’s. Their first west coast tour took place between July 18 and August 1 of 2007.

• Peace
• Johnny Malone
• How Love

MySpace ## CD’s ## Amazon MP3’s

On ‘Echo‘, vocalist Alyssa Graham proves fearless, putting original works alongside songs by the likes of Paul Simon and Sting. But one of the most notable tracks on the album has to be “Involved Again,” a tune that might have become one of Billie Holiday’s greatest hits had the jazz legend lived to record it.

When Holiday passed away in 1959, “Involved Again” was slated for release on her next album. Saddened at the loss of the singer and her extraordinary voice, the tune’s composer, Jack Reardon (who also wrote “The Good Life“), shelved it and moved on, certain that no one “could do it justice afterward.” Nearly 50 years later, though, Reardon heard a voice so sweet, so sensuous, that he knew the song could finally come to life the way he had once envisioned it. That voice belonged to Alyssa Graham.

Despite its age, or perhaps because of it, “Involved Again” seems to float along, completely disconnected from time. Album producer Jon Cowherd’s tumultuous piano lines recall the smoke-filled jazz clubs of a bygone era, but there is something distinctly modern about Cowherd’s arrangement and the intimacy of Graham’s delivery.

The story of a jilted lover who swore she’d never let herself fall in love again, the track has a simple elegance about it, a calm and collected style and grace just barely concealing the bubbling well of passion below. It’s the perfect centerpiece for ‘Echo,’ Graham’s stunning new album of love and loss, and a fitting tribute to the late Billie Holiday that Graham should carry on her torch with such splendor.

• Involved Again

Alyssa Graham.com *** MySpace *** CD’s

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Dj Doc Rok.com ## Myspace

Sixpence None The Richer has put the finishing touches on its first Christmas album “The Dawn of Grace“. Set to be released on October 14, the album includes eight traditional Christmas songs and two originals, “The Last Christmas” and “Christmas for Two.” Download “Angels We Have Heard On High” for free now from Sixpence’s MySpace music player. Why do a Christmas album? Leigh Nash says “Sixpence fans have been asking for a Christmas album for as long as I can remember. It was something we always wanted to do, but somehow time got away from us. Now that we are back together, we thought a Christmas album would be a nice gift for our long time supporters. We love it and hope they will too!”

“Angels We Have Heard on High” “
The Last Christmas”
“O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
“Silent Night” (featuring Dan Haseltine of Jars Of Clay)
“Riu, Riu, Riu”
“Carol of the Bells”
“Christmas Island”
“River”
“Christmas for Two”
“Some Children See Him”

Sixpence None The Richer.com ## MySpace ## CD’s ## Amazon MP3’s ## Hype Machine

On their debut full-length record “The Great Compromise”, Kingsbury have found the perfect balance between sonic adventurism and immediate song writing. Much like intelligent rock forefathers Radiohead and Wilco, Kingsbury have created much more than a great compilation of songs. They have created an incredible record that yearns to be listened to from start to finish, and has a timeless quality that makes for a mesmerizing album. Kingsbury lost two of its original members before they began to record “The Great Compromise”. But where other bands may have stumbled over the rapid line-up changes and restructuring, Kingsbury’s focus had never been better. The band stopped playing out, and the remaining three members, Bruce Reed, Mark Freeman, and T.J. Burke, dove head first into recording at their home studio. Bruce said, “We started recording with the mentality that none of our ideas were off-limits, but no one’s musical contribution was going on the record if it didn’t add something special to the song.” The results are a collection of dark, discordant, hypnotic rock songs, stripped of all of their unnecessary elements. The album was mastered by T.J. Lipple (Q and not U, Aloha) at Silver Sonya in Washington D.C. and released on Post Records. Kingsbury’s goal was to write one of the most artistically meaningful records to ever come out of Florida. After nearly a year of recording, they may have succeeded.

• Back In The Orange Grove
• Corpse
• Desert Inn

Kingsbury.com ## MySpace ## CD’s ## Hype Machine

Heralded by Rolling Stone, The Los Angeles Times, Elle, and moving The New York Times to write, “Like Damien Rice and Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes, Mr. Ford builds stately, inexorable crescendos…” David Ford follows up his his acclaimed debut, I Sincerely Apologise For All The Trouble I’ve Caused with Songs For The Road.

From the opening strings of blackened-heart-on-a-sleeve first single “Go To Hell” to the tender, mournful pedal steel of “…And So You Fell,” it’s clear Ford – with his open-throated, raspy howl – is not the standard wounded male troubadour. Songs For The Road expands on where Ford left off with I Sincerely Apologise…, building the singer’s gift for quiet intensity, lush melodies, and haunted lyricism to a triumphant swell. Songs For The Road is seething with an absence of forgiveness in its penetrating self-reflection.

Released this past Fall in the U.K., Songs For The Road received rave reviews from top publications like The Sunday Times (Best of 2007: “…a devastating reminder that an artist with a keening voice, an ear for melody and a willingness, lyrically, to wrestle with demons can still take the breath away.”), The Guardian (“…[Ford] has a real and thrilling edge.”), and The Sun (“This is a sublime 37 minutes of music. It’s melodic songwriting on par with Damien Rice, folk singing reminiscent of The Pogues and lyric writing as good as Bright Eyes.”).

I’m Alright Now

Go To Hell

David Ford.com ## MySpace ## CD’s ## Amazon MP3’s ## Hype Machine

Singer-songwriter Jay Nash, whose latest album, ‘The Things You Think You Need‘, is now available on iTunes, returns to his roots in upstate New York at the annual Rock For The River event he founded. Nash has invited many other spirited performers to join him, including Chris Pierce, Eliza Moore, Joe Purdy, Amber Rubarth, Chris Seefried, Garrison Starr, Joey Ryan, Meiko and Monica Behan and Deron Johnson.

The 5th annual Rock For The River event to benefit conservation of the Upper St. Lawrence River, in association with the Save The River organization (a Riverkeeper advocacy group), will happen this July 4th and 5th at historic performing arts center The Clayton Opera House in Clayton, NY, on the St. Lawrence River about 80 miles north of Syracuse. Advance tickets are available via Save The River at: striver@savetheriver.org

Nash promotes sustainable living by example. One thousand advance copies of his latest album, ‘The Things You Think You Need‘, were released as special limited edition green versions in recycled, undyed cardboard sleeves. The album’s initial release was digital, the most eco-friendly format, and reached an impressive #22 on the iTunes chart on its first day, the only true independent release in the top 25 that week.

Nash, who once studied environmental engineering, said, “It’s great that after five years, Rock For The River is expanding into a multi-day event with more and more artists participating. I didn’t have to work hard to get everyone to rally around this cause…we all believe music can help raise awareness and act as a catalyst for change.”

The St. Lawrence River is #4 on American Rivers’ 2008 “Most Endangered Rivers” list. If Jay Nash has his way, that could change soon.

Over You

Jay Nash.com *** Myspace

If hymns were rock music sung to worship whatever you happened to believe in then it would sound like Zak Smith. That’s not to say this music has anything to do with religion, except that it is a form of salvation for it’s creator.He uses it to open up his life to the listener, discussing everything from his future dreams in “Hollywood” to treason in “Traitor’s Way” and even sexual fantasies in “Girls Touching Girls”. These are the thoughts of man in his mid-twenties. Rather than confounding us with wisdom beyond his years he is being true to himself and singing about what he actually knows and has experienced and with that comes a certain frankness. Combine that with a soulful but raw voice and guitars that are alive with riffs and energy and you have a collection of great music that has plenty of potential to grow and develop with the artist.

• Minstrel Show

• A Traitor’s Way

Zak Smith.com ## MySpace ## CD’s ## Hype Machine