Pictured: The Phenomenal Handclap Band

NPR Music presents soul singer Lee Fields & The Expressions, New York-based indie collective The Phenomenal Handclap Band, and nine-piece jazz ensemble Fight the Big Bull, joined by Steven Bernstein at Joe’s Pub, NYC Tuesday July 21, 2009 @ 9:30pm. Tickets are $18, and are on sale now at www.joespub.com and (212) 967-7555.

The entire concert will be added later to NPR Music’s library of webcasts and free downloadable podcasts as part of the “Live in Concert from All Songs Considered” series at www.npr.org/music.

FREE download: “You’ll Disappear” MP3

The concert at Joe’s Pub will be a dynamic, if unexpected, mix of three diverse groups and sounds – inspired by the eclectic curatorial vision represented by NPR Music.

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The Phenomenal Handclap Band on amazon.co.uk

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The Phenomenal Handclap Band Official Website

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

Harris’ depth of experience echoes powerfully throughout his sophomore CD release entitled “Edenton,” scheduled for release on March 13th. The album is both a literal and figurative journey back to Harris’ roots in Edenton, North Carolina, the town where he was born.

It features the legendary Holmes Brothers on backing vocals. The Brothers bring the full force of their talent, providing deep, rootsy harmonies to the raw-boned force of Harris’ lead vocals. With the support of the Holmes Brothers, Harris’s original songwriting and performances reflect a mature artist not content to rehash the clichés of the blues and roots genre. Harris shows his willingness to fuse diverse elements in the search for a more modern and timely blues, with intelligent lyrics that are both socially aware and intensely soulful. Edenton brings an edgier, darker hue to this traditional American music.

A diverse group of covers augments the original material. Kemp really reaches back on the gospel classic, “Didn’t It Rain.” This cappella track features his mother and aunt (each of them in their late-seventies) singing a version the trio has been performing together since Kemp’s childhood.

The album was recorded at Hi-n-Dry Studios in Cambridge, MA, the former studio of Mark Sandman and the band Morphine. Tom Dube (Marc Cohn, Buffalo Tom, Ben Kweller, Juliana Hatfield, Duncan Sheik) engineered the album. As a result, the production on the album is sparse, warm, and organic, letting the humanity of the songs and performances come through.

In support of the release, Kemp and his band will be performing throughout the Northeast, kicking off the tour at Joe’s Pub in New York City on Friday, March 30th.

Visit Kemp’s website (www.kempmusic.com) or www.myspace.com/kempharrismusic for downloads, pictures, performance dates and more.

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