Produced By Don Was And Featuring Guests Bonnie Raitt And Jim Keltner, ‘Echo’ Is Set For August 11th Release; Lead Single “John Q. Lonely” Was # 1 Most Added At Triple A Radio For Two Consecutive Weeks

U.S. Headlining Tour Underway

Heralding Maia Sharp as “A Songwriter Set To Arrive,” NPR’s All Things Considered recently aired two separate segments with Sharp.

Sales of her latest album, ‘Echo’, exploded thereafter on Amazon.com. By that Friday, the album ranked #11 on Amazon’s Bestsellers in Music – Adult Contemporary chart.

Buy Music:

Maia Sharp on amazon.com

Momentum has been building ever since lead single “John Q. Lonely,” went to radio in June. The track was #1 Most Added for two consecutive weeks at Triple A radio and can be heard on such influential stations as Sirius/XM Loft, KPRI in San Diego and WYEP in Pittsburgh.

Produced by Don Was, ‘Echo’ will be released physically by Crooked Crown Records on August 11, 2009 but is available now at www.maiasharp.com, iTunes and everywhere music is sold online.

Watch video: “John Q. Lonely”:

The album features Bonnie Raitt singing background on the track “Death By Perfection.” Sharp wrote three songs for Raitt’s 2005 album, ‘Souls Alike’, and Raitt introduced Maia to producer Don Was at a subsequent recording session, thus setting the wheels in motion for ‘Echo’. Jim Keltner plays drums on all 12 songs.

Early reviews of ‘Echo’, Sharp’s fourth full-length solo album, have been stellar. The Boston Herald called it “a nifty power-pop record that could be her breakthrough…studded with hard-to-resist hooks, ‘Echo’ trades the folk and jazz elements that colored Sharp’s earlier records for a rocked-up take on the classic California singer-songwriter sound” while the Portland Press Herald said: “The album is home to 12 striking songs, and Sharp has never sounded better.”

Sharp began her career at a young age, performing her original songs in Los Angeles clubs. She has forged a dual career as a recording artist with three critically acclaimed full length albums – Hardly Glamour (1997, Ark 21), Maia Sharp (2002, Concord) and Fine Upstanding Citizen (2005, KOCH) – and as a sought-after songwriter whose songs have been recorded by Bonnie Raitt, the Dixie Chicks, Keb’ Mo’, Terri Clark, Trisha Yearwood and many others. In 2005 she collaborated with Art Garfunkel and Buddy Mondlock on the exquisite Everything Waits to Be Noticed (EMI/Manhattan).

Maia Sharp 2009 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

7/18 Easton, MD NightCat
7/21 Charlotte, NC Evening Muse
7/22 Charleston, SC The Pour House
7/23 Decatur, GA Eddie’s Attic
7/25 Birmingham, AL O Kafes
7/26 Nashville, TN 3rd & Lindsley (WRLT will broadcast live)
7/30 Los Angeles, CA Pershing Square Concert Series (KSWD)
8/7 Balsam, NC Writer In The Round
8/8 Balsam, NC Writer In The Round
8/9 Charleston, WV Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences
8/11 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
8/12 Cleveland Heights, OH Night Town
8/13 Columbus, OH Thirsty Ear Tavern
8/14 Louisville, KY WFPK Live Lunch
8/16 Evanston, IL S.P.A.C.E.
8/17 Saugatuck, MI Saugatuck Center for the Arts
8/19 Des Moines, IA Vaudeville Mews
8/20 Kansas City, MO The Record Bar
8/22 Middleton, WI Capital Brewery
8/29 Los Angeles, CA Hotel Café
9/4 Santa Rosa, CA KRSH Afterwork Concert Series
9/9 Portland, OR Mississippi Studios
9/19 San Diego, CA KPRI Greenflash Festival w/Mat Kearney, Brett Dennon & “mystery guest”
11/4 Santa Ynez, CA Maverick Saloon w/Steve Poltz Tales from the Tavern Concert Series

(Additional dates to be announced.)

For the latest tour dates, music and information, go to:

MySpace
Maia Sharp Official Website
Maia Sharp on Twitter

This summer, Bonnie Raitt and Taj Mahal – two leading lights of modern blues – are joining forces for their first-ever tour together.

The “BonTaj Roulet” tour will be a coast-to-coast, 30-date outing in August and September, including appearances at such celebrated venues as Wolf Trap, Ravinia, Red Rocks, and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles. These shows will feature Bonnie and Taj on stage alone and together. Bonnie, backed by her always-dazzling group, and Taj, with the six-piece, Grammy-winning Phantom Blues Band, will play full sets separately, before closing each night with a collaborative, blow-out performance.

“This tour is just what the doctor ordered,” says Bonnie. “Taj and I have so much in common, but there’s so much unexplored territory between us. It’s been a long time coming, and now is the right time.”

“We’ve been like ships passing in the night,” adds Taj. “Some of my musicians used to play with Bonnie, we have so many of the same friends – this is really an opportunity to combine some forces and play some great music.”

In addition to the glorious sounds, these two socially conscious artists will also be using the tour to make a difference. The BonTaj Collective Action Fund will utilize several initiatives to raise money for a variety of causes. In conjunction with ticketing agencies like Ticketmaster, Live Nation Ticketing and Musictoday, and some venues and promoters, the concertgoers and artists will all come together with the goal of raising $1 for charity per ticket sold on The BonTaj Roulet Tour.

Additionally, at every concert, Bonnie and Taj are making available ACTION FUND VIP PACKAGES offering premium seats and an opportunity for a limited number of concertgoers to come backstage for an artist meet-and-greet after the show. All funds raised will go into the BonTaj Collective Action Fund.

Concertgoers are encouraged to vote on which causes to support at the BonTaj.com website. Proceeds will be distributed in proportion to overall votes tallied, to benefit organizations that work on the following issues: Safe and Sustainable Energy; Environmental Protection; Social Justice and Human Rights; and Blues/Music Education. For more information, to vote on causes for the Action Fund to support and to buy special premium seating, visit www.bontaj.com/thecollective.

Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Bonnie Raitt is an institution in American music-a best-selling artist, respected guitarist, expressive singer, and accomplished songwriter. The nine-time Grammy winner’s most recent studio album was her eighteenth release, 2005’s Souls Alike, followed up with a DVD/ CD, VH1 Classic Decades Rock Live! Presents Bonnie Raitt and Friends, released in 2006.

In May, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Taj Mahal will be inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame. His work-including last year’s studio album, Maestro, which featured such guest stars as Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, and Ziggy Marley- incorporates music from around the globe, from West Africa and the Caribbean to Latin America, the Hawaiian Islands, and so much more.

Bonnie and Taj first met in the early 1970s, when she opened for him at a concert at Skidmore College. In 1973, Taj co-produced Bonnie’s third album, Takin’ My Time. “I watched her develop under the tutelage of people like Fred MacDowell and Sippie Wallace,” says Taj. “She got right in there and stomped it down. She wasn’t afraid to play for real.”

“It’s like we’re cousins,” says Bonnie. “We’re both blessed that we knew those old blues guys, we love the same kinds of music-we have a common language.”

As for their nightly jam sessions on the “BonTaj Roulet” tour, both artists sound like they’re raring to go. “There’s gonna be a lot of fireworks, because it’s so fresh,” says Bonnie. “I think about it before I go to sleep, toying with the possibilities, and it feels like having an extra slice of pie, getting both of these bands to play together like this. There’s so much potential to what we can do.”

“At these times,” says Taj, “peoples’ money is short, there’s lots of pressure and distractions, and this is when our job comes deep into focus and we really need to get on the stick. So I don’t know about anybody else, but I know I’m gonna have some fun.”

BonTaj Roulet August/September 2009 Tour Dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

Thu, Aug 6, 2009 Williamsport, PA Community Arts Center
Sat, Aug 8, 2009 Philadelphia, PA Mann Center
Sun, Aug 9, 2009 Wallingford, CT Chevrolet Theatre
Tue, Aug 11, 2009 Newark, NJ NJPAC
Wed, Aug 12, 2009 Brooklyn, NY Prospect Park Bandshell
Wed, Aug 14, 2009 Hyannis, MA Cape Cod Melody Tent
Sat, Aug 15, 2009 Boston, MA Bank of America Pavilion
Sun, Aug 16, 2009 Vienna, VA Filene Center at Wolf Trap
Tue, Aug 18, 2009 Atlanta, GA Chastain Park Amphitheatre
Wed, Aug 19, 2009 Louisville, KY The Louisville Palace
Fri, Aug 21, 2009 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
Sat, Aug 22, 2009 Highland Park, IL Ravinia Festival
Sun, Aug 23, 2009 Grand Rapids, MI Meijer Gardens
Tue, Aug 25, 2009 Indianapolis, IN The Lawn at White River State Park
Thu, Aug 27, 2009 St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair
Fri, Aug 28, 2009 Council Bluffs, IA Stir Cove at Harrah’s Casino
Sun, Aug 30, 2009 Morrison, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
Tue, Sept 1, 2009 Salt Lake City, UT Red Butte Amphitheatre
Wed, Sept 2, 2009 Boise, ID Boise Botanical Gardens
Thu, Sept 3, 2009 Portland, OR Edgefield Winery
Sat, Sept 5, 2009 Bend, OR Les Schwab Amphitheatre
Sun, Sept 6, 2009 Seattle, WA Chateau Ste Michelle
Mon, Sept 7, 2009 Eugene, OR Cuthbert Amphitheatre
Wed, Sept 9, 2009 Friant, CA Table Mountain Casino
Fri, Sept 11, 2009 Los Angeles, CA Greek Theatre
Sat, Sept 12, 2009 Santa Barbara, CA Santa Barbara Bowl
Sun, Sept 13, 2009 Saratoga, CA The Mountain WInery
Wed, Sept 16, 2009 Oakland, CA TBD
Thu, Sept 17, 2009 San Diego, CA Humphrey’s Concerts by the Bay
Fri, Sept 18, 2009 House of Blues, Las Vegas
Sun, Sept 20, 2009 TBA
Wed, Sept 23, 2009 Albuquerque, NM Sandia Casino
Thu, Sept 24, 2009 Phoenix, AZ Dodge Theatre
Fri, Sept, 25, 2009 Rancho MIrage, CA Agua Caliente Casino

For the latest ticket information and more, to go:

BonTaj Roulet Official Website

Bonnie Raitt

Taj Mahal

Reuters reports that after years of supporting Greenpeace, Dave Stewart is now planning to release a single, “Go Green” on iTunes April 17th. Featured on the environmental friendly song include such artists as Annie Lennox, Bonnie Raitt, Sarah McLachlan, Imogen Heap, Natalie Imbruglia, Nadirah X and was written by Dave Stewart and produced by Glen Ballard. “Go Green”, available through Greenpeace Works, is expected to help promote green and environmental issues.

The “Go Green” single release comes after Al Gore’s announcement of the upcoming Live Earth; Save Our Selves, SOS – The Campaign for a Climate in Crisis event. Live Earth will include a series of concerts set to take place at various locations around the world on July 7th, 2007 in a bid to raise awareness of climate change.

I’ll look forward to hearing “Go Green”, especially since Bonnie Raitt will be included on the track. It’s always good to hear her voice – and the fact that she and Annie Lennox will be working together on this green song is interesting indeed.

The Greenpeace Works website has a behind the scenes video with Dave Stewart talking about the making of “Go Green” and how it came about. There are also clips of the song included.

For more information, go to:

Greenpeace Works

Dave Stewart – Weapons of Mass Entertainment Website

Greenpeace

Earth Day is April 22, 2007
Earth Day Network Website

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By: Jenny May