The album was recorded in close collaboration with producer David Kahne (Regina Spektor, The Strokes, The Bangles, Sublime, and countless others) in New York City, and features a diverse and adventurous track listing of songs.

Buy Music:

Renee Fleming - Dark Hope on amazon.com

Songs featured on the album:

Endlessly (Muse)
No One's Gonna Love You (Band of Horses)
Oxygen (Willy Mason)
Today (Jefferson Airplane)
Intervention (Arcade Fire)
With Twilight As My Guide (The Mars Volta)
Mad World (Tears for Fears)
In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel)
Stepping Stone (Duffy)
Soul Meets Body (Death Cab For Cutie)
Hallelujah (Leonard Cohen)

Fleming, the superstar soprano known as "the people's diva," says of 'Dark Hope': "I've always been inspired by artists who have shown musical and intellectual curiosity and the courage to take risks. Because everything about the voice interests me, I felt it would be fascinating to learn a completely different style of singing."

Producer Kahne was a true collaborator during the recording process, driving most of the arrangements and coaching Fleming in this music. Also joining Fleming on the album are her two daughters and sister, who sing backup on several songs.

Fleming says that for the recording of this album, "Singing in a small, acoustic booth, with a microphone that's very close, in this very intimate style, is the complete opposite of how I usually sing."

There were similarities to how she prepares dramatically for an opera role, however. Fleming points out that for each track on 'Dark Hope' "we found an interpretation that enabled the point of view to sound authentic coming from me. Every song has a story, so this whole idea of enacting or playing a role is doubly true for this music."

Renée Fleming, a Fulbright Scholar and three-time Grammy award winner, has captivated audiences at leading opera houses and concert halls around the world. Last year, the acclaimed soprano was a featured performer at President Obama's Inaugural Celebration.

Fleming has also had a longtime interest in jazz and has recorded jazz repertoire on 'Haunted Heart', the lauded collaboration with pianist Fred Hersch and guitarist Bill Frisell.

Photo credit: Andrew Eccles

Renee Fleming Official Website

Set for release May 11, 2010, the album is on baby jackal records, formed by the band and Arthur Mann (the co-founder of Rykodisc).

Produced by David Kahne (The Strokes, Regina Spektor, Paul McCartney), this is a stunning first album that presents a young band with a timeless sound that melds dead-on, glorious four-part harmonies with a finely honed sense of songcraft. It's an album about something, as the title suggests.

Both aged 25, Harper and Blynn's songs, as in the title track, are from the point of view of a post-jaded generation, a generation that is looking to find something worth believing in. It's not overly earnest but it's not simply art for art's sake either; Harper and Blynn are not afraid to say something, to have a point of view and to deliver it with a sophisticated pop sheen.

Loneliest Generation finds Harper and Blynn unapologetically hopeful and unafraid to challenge detachment and disillusionment. Writing songs that prove it is possible to be both modern and timeless, the band prompted The Chicagoist to write that "they fulfill all of your hipstery band-approval needs... but they never come across as trying to prove that they belong in the fickle world of indie rock. They don't have to, chiefly because their brand of polished, thoughtful pop will never go out of style."

The album was recorded over 10 days in New York City and represents the band's knack for writing catchy, hook-filled tunes with an impressive live show.

Featuring drummer Sarab Singh and a Dutch bass player who goes by the name "Whynot," the group's seemingly effortless four-part harmonies and dead-on live shows have a confidence and rock-solid feel that's impressive for a band releasing their debut.

Paste Magazine listed Harper Blynn as their #1 find at CMJ 2009, saying, "despite their Brooklyn address and hipster credentials, there's nothing remotely indie rock about the band-the harmonies recall Simon & Garfunkel, and the melodies would make Elvis Costello proud."

The New York Post chose the quartet as one of six "Ready to Pop" acts selected for 2010 and influential tastemaker radio station WXPN invited them on their blog as guest editors - the guys' droll observations of music and pop culture proved to be as entertaining as their music.

Both Harper and Blynn play guitar, with Harper switching off on keyboards on some numbers, such as soulful "Centrifugal Motion" and "Steal Your Love." The album opens with "25 Years," a reflection on life that raises doubts about direction and making choices that mean something, with its lingering refrain "25 years and nothing to show."

Wrote the blog Dirty Rat Bastard, "'25 years' combines the pop aesthetics of an upbeat Billy Bragg song with the synth melody reminiscent of MGMT's 'Time to Pretend' (and you know how catchy that is)."

"The Doubt" starts with a deceptively minimal arrangement, allowing the emotional lyrics and unadorned vocal performance to draw the listener in as the song builds to a powerful, gorgeously layered ending.

Harper Blynn's songs seem instantly familiar, but you realize that you're hearing an original new voice that just sounds right; everything just works.

Catch the band at SXSW 2010 and stay tuned for national tour dates to be announced soon!

Buy Music:

Harper Blynn on amazon.com

Harper Blynn tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

February 2010

SAT, Feb 20 New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge, 8:00P (w/ Wakey! Wakey!)

March 2010

MON, Mar 8 New York, NY @ The Living Room WFUV "On Your Radar" show, 8:00P
THU, Mar 11 Columbus, OH @ Rumba Café
FRI, Mar 12 Chicago, IL @ Schuba's, 9:00P (w/ Pretty Good Dance Moves)
TUE – SAT, Mar 16 – 20 Austin, TX @ South By Southwest (full schedule tba soon)
TUE, Mar 23 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn, 8:00P
THU, Mar 25 Charlotte, NC @ Evening Muse, 8:00P
FRI, Mar 26 Easton, MD @ Night Cat, 8:00P
SAT, Mar 27 Washington, DC @ DC9, 8:00P

Harper Blynn MySpace
Harper Blynn on Twitter
Harper Blynn on YouTube

Once again teaming up with director Paul Brown (also directed the music video for "King Without A Crown"), Matisyahu returns with the first music video from 'Light', his first full-length album in three years.

"The idea was to create this kind of organic, underground vibe of how the music and the message gets spread, which is kind of how it happened for me the first time around. It's just people talking to each other and getting out there, spreading the word. In the video you have kids going around the city and putting up posters and fliers and it kind of creates this buzz thing that happens, and ultimately climaxes into this larger thing," explains Matisyahu.

"It kind of goes along with the message of the song 'One Day' and the conscious, positive message. I guess it's how consciousness and positivity get spread like a wave. It starts with a few people, one person does this one good thing and it's like a chain, where you go from one good thing to the next. That’s the idea of the song, that positivity and goodness can spread in that same kind of way."

Watch "One Day" music video:

It's been three years since Matisyahu's Grammy-nominated, debut studio album 'Youth'. Since then we've heard 'Live at Stubb's' and 'Shattered'.

Now, Matisyahu returns with 'Light', to be released August 25, 2009 via Epic Records.

Buy Music:

Matisyahu on amazon.com

Matisyahu on amazon.co.uk

'Light' is anything but safe. Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Sublime, the Strokes), the 14-track collection covers a dizzying amount of stylistic ground, from hard-edged dancehall (“Smash Lies”) and ska-inflected New Wave (“We Will Walk”) to laidback pop-rock (“So Hi So Lo”) and acoustic folk-soul (“I Will Be Light”).

While reggae is far from absent here - see the old-school toasting in “Motivate" - 'Light' finds Matisyahu edging away from his comfort zone into more daring territory. “Being an artist is about being sensitive to how the world resonates inside you and then being able to express it,” he says. “This process is an ever-changing one.”

Despite the lengthy and varied guest list, 'Light' remains a work traceable only to Matisyahu’s unique creative sensibility, an album that reflects more than two years’ worth of religious study, particularly the story of the seven beggars by Reb Nachman.

This is the driving spiritual force behind 'Light'. The story is about two children who get lost in a dark forest after fleeing an invasion of their kingdom. Each night a different beggar, each of which suffers from a different ailment, approaches them with food and water. “I feel this theme, though written as a fairytale in the 1800’s, is very relevant to many of the struggles that we face today,” Matisyahu says. “From child soldiers to child sex slaves to everyday people trying to awaken their broken hearts.”

MATISYAHU ON TOUR

Known for his live shows and ability to connect with fans through music and performance, Matisyahu continues to tour through mid-August. Don't miss your chance to see Matisyahu perform songs from his new album, 'Light'. Follow Matisyahu at WheresMatis.at and Twitter.com/matisyahu for live feeds of his whereabouts and your chance to participate in intimate listening sessions, acoustic jam sessions, and fan meetups.

Here's a taste of what Matisyahu shows are like:

The Perfect Stage Dive - Matisyahu at Central Park 7/9/09

July / August 2009 tour dates:

(Dates and information subject to change.)

07.13.09 – The Opera House – Toronto, CAN
07.14.09 – Main Street Armory – Rochester, NY
07.15.09 – Newport Music Hall – Columbus, OH
07.17.09 – Crossroads KC – Kansas City, MO
07.19.09 – Mile High Festival – Commerce City, CO
08.12.09 – The Metro Theatre – Sydney, AUS
08.13.09 – Prince Bandroom – Melbourne, AUS

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

MySpace
Matisyahu Official Website
Matisyahu on Twitter

Grammy-nominated artist Matisyahu will release a new full-length album, 'Light' on April 21, 2009 (Epic Records).

On the heels of a sold-out, critically acclaimed national tour in support of the new Shattered EP, as well as the 3rd annual Festival of Light concerts in New York City, Matisyahu continues the creative momentum with his most adventurous and personal record to date. Further tour dates will be announced shortly.

Matisyahu on amazon.com

Matisyahu on amazon.co.uk

Produced by David Kahne (Paul McCartney, Regina Spektor, Sublime), 'Light' was recorded and mixed in Jamaica, New York, Los Angeles and Virginia.

Several guest artists contribute to the record: son of legendary reggae artist Freddie McGregor and among Jamaica's youngest and most innovative producers Stephen McGregor (co-producer, keyboards, drum-programming, "Smash Lies," "Motivate" and "Struggla"-Remix), ground-breaking Jamaican reggae rhythm section Sly & Robbie (drums and bass, "Two Child One Drop," "Temple," "I Will Be Light" and "7 Beggars"), noted production team Eric Krasno & Adam Deitch of Fyre Dept. (co-producers and live instruments, "Struggla") and Fish and Norwood Fisher (drums and bass, "We Will Walk" and "So Hi So Lo") of the L.A. alt-punk-ska band Fishbone.

Also contributing to 'Light' are Jamaican nyabinghi drummers Delroy Williams as Putus Roots, Samuel Count Ossie "Time" Williams and Nambo Robinson ("Escape" and "Temple") and experimental turntablist Ooah from the Glitch Mob (co-producer, co-writer, drum programming on "Temple" and "Two Child One Drop"), among others. Long-time Matisyahu collaborator Aaron Dugan plays guitar on most of the record as well.

Matisyahu emerged in 2004 with his debut album Shake Off the Dust...Rise. With the release of Live at Stubb's (2005), which reached #1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, and Youth (2006), which debuted at #4 on Billboard's Top 200 and reached #1 on the Reggae Albums chart, Matisyahu gained considerable critical acclaim. Both albums subsequently went Gold and Youth was nominated for a Grammy for Best Reggae Album.

Matisyahu Official Website
Matisyahu MySpace

Juliana Hatfield will preview songs from 'How To Walk Away', her 10th solo album in a remarkable 20-year-career, in a special show at Joe's Pub in New York City on May 21st, 2008.

The record is scheduled for release on August 19th on Hatfield's own label, Ye Olde Records (distributed via Redeye).

Produced by Andy Chase (of revered alt-rock/pop band Ivy) and recorded at Stratosphere Sound, the NYC studio co-owned by Chase, Adam Schlesinger (Fountains Of Wayne) and James Iha (formerly of Smashing Pumpkins), 'How To Walk Away' features guests Richard Butler (Psychedelic Furs) and Matthew Caws (Nada Surf) on vocals, Jody Porter (Fountains of Wayne) on guitar, Tracy Bonham (violin) and more.

The album, which contains some of Hatfield's most candid writing ever, is evocative, layered, and unhurried. And yet, Chase has managed to retain her essential rawness of spirit, smoothing out some rough edges but not all, as evidenced by the loose, danceable "Now I'm Gone," sung and played by Hatfield in one inspired improvisational take. Walking away - and the loneliness that sometimes results - is a recurring theme. But while the songs' protagonists may be fatalistic, they are not without faith.

Even in an outwardly sad song like "Such A Beautiful Girl" (co-written by Jason Hatfield, Juliana's brother), hope is not dead; the girl of the title waits patiently for a future that she knows, odds are, will be better than where she finds herself now.

Similarly, the bittersweet yet life-affirming "Shining On" - mixed by veteran hit-making producer David Kahne (Kelly Clarkson, Paul McCartney, Sugar Ray, the Strokes) - exhibits a hard-won resilience in the face of disappointment and betrayal.

Fans who visit Juliana Hatfield's website and MySpace page (see below for links) can hear "Shining On" and check out the blog wherein she writes about songs selected by fans from her sizable repertoire. "Read it at your own risk - illusions may be shattered," Hatfield warns.

Juliana Hatfield first came to prominence in her teens as a founding member of critically-acclaimed Boston indie rock band the Blake Babies. After four independent albums with the group, Hatfield signed to Atlantic as a solo artist and had a slew of modern-rock hits (including "My Sister," "Spin The Bottle" and "Universal Heartbeat"). She left the label in 1998, signing to Zoe Records (a Rounder Records imprint) and releasing four well-regarded albums, including 2004's 'In Exile Deo', named as one of that year's 10 best albums by The New York Times' Jon Parales.

In 2005 Hatfield came full circle, back to full DIY independence, releasing 'Made In China' (hailed as "her most urgent, refreshingly unpolished output in years" by Time Out New York) on Ye Olde Records, her own label. Ye Olde Records released Frank Smith's 'Heavy Handed Peace and Love' in 2007 as well as her collaboration with the band, 'Sittin' in a Tree', a six-song EP.

Hatfield, whose autobiography will be published by Wiley and Sons in 2009, recently contributed "Back To Freedom," an exclusive track recorded during the How To Walk Away sessions, to the Green Owl Compilation: A Benefit For the Energy Action Coalition.

The track listing for 'How To Walk Away' is as follows:

1. The Fact Remains
2. Shining On
3. The Lonely Love
4. My Baby...
5. Just Lust
6. Now I'm Gone
7. Remember November
8. So Alone
9. Such A Beautiful Girl
10. Law of Nature

Juliana Hatfield on amazon.com

Juliana Hatfield
Juliana Hatfield Myspace