Wes Jeans

 

One of the greatest moments in the never-ending evolution of music was the invention of the Blues. From its beginning in the swamps and deltas of the South the Blues has spread throughout the United States planting its roots across the nation. When the Blues found its way to Texas it fueled such legends as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Lightnin Hopkins, Albert Collins, Johnny Winter, ZZ Top, as well as Jimmie and Stevie Vaughan. This generation of Texas Blues has unleashed a powerful young guitar slinger; a player that drops the unsuspecting jaw of Blues lovers everywhere; a player some have said "is destined to be a Texas legend - a truly genuine Texas Blues Player"…. Wes Jeans.

Micheal Wesley Jeans was born in the heart of East Texas on January 13, 1981, only fifteen minutes from where legendary Freddie King was born. Wes grew up in a musically-enriched family and showed an interest in performing at a young age. But it wasn't until the age of fifteen that Wes chose his path. He found an old three-string guitar in his closet andbegan learning the beginning riff of "Sunshine of Your Love." Wes' natural ability to learn music by ear and his relentless passion for playing caused an explosion of talent that most beginners only dream of.

In 1996, after only playing nine months, Wes entered the International Jimi Hendrix Competition held in Austin, TX and placed an amazing second among fifteen hundred otheryoung guitar players. Special guest Al Hendrix, father of Jimi Hendrix, told Wes "In my eyes, you won because you played straight from the heart like Jimi!" The dream of playing music for a living, moral support from his family and friends, and the ever-encouraging words of Al Hendrix set this Texas tornado in motion. Soon, Wes was playing area venues and festivals, attracting booking agents and record labels.

In 1999, Wes signed a record contract with Ice House Records of Memphis, Tennessee and began work on his debut album HANDS ON (pictured above). Wes recruited Al Green's bass player and drummer, John Williams and Lloyd Anderson, as well as Albert King's former B-3 player, Gregg Redding, to record at Sam Phillips studio. After being mastered at legendary Ardent Studio, HANDS ON was released in the summer of 2000. It became the highest pre-sale of any Ice House release and reached ..26 on the National Blues Sales Chart. Along with Wes' growing popularity came the demand for new releases. In response, in 2004, Wes and long-time friend and bassist, Syd Hydro, along with drummer Adam Hagerman, recorded a four-song demo (pictured below) at Night Song Studio in Knoxville, TN. The success of the independently-released demo fueled the group to film a live DVD. So, on New Years Day 2005, Wes and his band recorded LIVE AT JUANITAS DVD (pictured below) in Little Rock, Arkansas. This raw footage of Texas style Blues and Jimi Hendrix flare quickly became Wes' number one seller.

Throughout his career, Wes has had the honor of meeting and sharing the stage with many musical greats such as B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimmie Vaughan, Billy Gibbons, Dick Dale, Eric Johnson, Hubert Sumlin, Lynryd Skynyrd, Robert Cray, Joe Bonamassa, Indigenous, Lance Lopez, Chris Duarte, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, just to name of few. After the October 2003 show opening for B.B. King in Shreveport, Louisiana, Wes' performance received a standing ovation and B.B. asked Wes onto his bus where he told him "Son, you keep your head on straight, you are going places."

Not only has he earned the respect of his peers, he has perked the ears of the media and has been featured by many newspapers, magazines and radio stations throughout the country and Canada. When a poll was done by Guitar Player Magazine in late 2003, readers voted Wes number three among the Young Gun Guitar Players in the nation between Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd(GUITAR PLAYER March 2004). In early September 2005, Wes performed and interviewed for a feature-length documentary that focuses on the guitars musicians have preferred over the past fifty years, Fender and Gibson. This Lightning Lab Production was filmed in the Historic Memphis Brewery and is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2006.

Wes' unrelenting talent and genuine down-to-earth demeanor have won him the favor of many wonderful people, sponsors and endorsements. He continues to gain the admiration of his audience on and off stage. Adding on sponsorships that include GHS Stings, Rivera Amplifiers, Robin Guitars, Svetlana tubes, optic-case, and Seymour Duncan pick-ups. In October 2005, Wes' custom cabinet "The Beast," designed by Wes in conjunction with Mills Acoustics, is to be unveiled in Arlington, Texas at the Annual Stevie Ray Vaughan Remembrance Ride.

In June 2006 Wes released his 2nd studio album "Forest Of The Pine" under Texas Music Records. The album was produced by fellow axe-slayer Lance Lopez and is nothing short of blues/rock perfection. The record showcases Wes' amazing blues guitar prowess and guest stars Memphis' Eric Gales. Wes has followed the album release with touring playing shows with such notables as Eric Johnson, Robert Cray, David Lee Roth, and Indiginous. In August 06' XM Radio-Bluesville picked up "Forest Of The Pine" and has kept it in regular rotation on Stone Blue. Bluesville's Aaron Lee has this to say about "F.O.P"…"This cd kicked my ass! Its one of the best blues/rock cds of 2006!"-Aaron Lee

In January of 2007 "Forest Of The Pine" climbed its way up to the 3rd position on the German Blues Charts.

Wes Jeans is a "true to the Blues" Texas star.

https://www.facebook.com/wesjeans/

Tiffany

 

The world of music is the literature of the heart. It commences where speech ends. It washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life and takes you on an adventure.
​
My unforgettable adventures include:
2018 - Grand De Talent finals Menton, France
2019 - The Voice Kids Callbacks France
2022 - New release Crois En Toi album - On Tour in Alsace France

Tiffany Huntley was born in Alsace, France, and at 17 years old, she is a coming artist in France who is trying to break into the pop-country culture and has had success. She released her first album in 2022, Crois En Toi, and has been recognized by several newspapers and a local tv station in Alsace. In addition, 2022 has opened doors to her career by opening for several bands while touring in the region for her new album. 

 https://www.tiffhuntley.com/

Excorde

 

Excorde is a multi-genre resourced rock band with founding members Jimena Arroyo, from Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Jonnie Cook, from Chicago, USA. They met on SoundCloud six years ago and have been writing songs together ever since.  Their chemistry of composition and production stands out from typical mainstream, and promises to gratify listener's desires to discover something innovative and pass the word along to their friends.  Excorde will never imitate another band, and why should they?  Their creations stand on their own merits.

Musically, Excorde's songs feature broad but cohesive influence of the most desired elements of musical genres, blending rock and pop sensibilities and the savvy of classical and jazz musicianship... to the dominant element of Excorde's passion for inventiveness.  Lyrically, expect to find thoughtful and deeply moving phrasings about experiences in love and life.

Jimena’s emotional voice combined with Jonnie’s distinctive instrumental constructions will transport you to another dimension where catchy choruses, killer guitar riffs, and meaningful lyrics are imbued throughout the listening experience with Excorde.  The spectrum from deeply intimate to powerfully epic is thoroughly explored, captured and rendered, frequently within the dynamic range of a single song.  They feel that, within their music, you will identify with the best of familiar components of these genres, blended seamlessly with a true plethora of new ideas and originality.  Exorde promises you will discover the distinctive identity of their very own making within seconds of listening to every new song they release.

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/excorde/resonected

 https://excordeofficial.wixsite.com/excorde

Tinsley Ellis

 

World renowned Southern blues-rock guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Tinsley Ellis — like every other musician — was caught off-guard when the pandemic shutdown hit in March 2020. Ellis was forced to cancel the tour promoting his just-released album, Ice Cream In Hell, only six weeks into the 60-date run. This would be the first time in 40 years he’d be off the road, and as he drove the 2400 miles home from Reno to Atlanta, he was already formulating his future plans.

Ellis resolved to dedicate his pandemic-forced downtime to creating new songs and growing as a songwriter. To get back to his musical roots, he began composing on amps and guitars that he hadn’t used for decades. He explored obscure studio and live recordings from some of his greatest musical heroes, such as the Allman Brothers, Freddie King, Michael Bloomfield, B.B. King and beyond, and was inspired by his favorite artists all over again. Eighteen months later, Ellis had written an astonishing 200 new songs.

Explains Ellis, “There was a lot of time to experiment. In my downstairs studio I set up every guitar and amp that I owned, plus a Leslie cabinet, an old wooden Wurlitzer electric piano, an old Maestro Echoplex tape delay and 30 or 40 glass, steel and brass slides. Experimenting with different gear set ups inspired the songwriting. Plus, I was able to listen to more music than I had since the 1970s. My imagination was fired up!”

As early as April 2020, he began regularly releasing his new material online, keeping his thousands of fans engaged and soaking up their comments and responses. He knew, thanks to the reactions of his fans to his new songs, that he needed to make a record and get back on the road as soon as possible. Ellis whittled his massive song list down to ten, enlisted his friend and co-producer, keyboard master Kevin McKendree, and headed for Franklin, Tennessee’s famous Rock House recording studio. The result is Ellis’ new Alligator album, Devil May Care, a record Ellis says “is for the fans as much as for me.”

Born in Atlanta in 1957, Ellis was raised in southern Florida. He acquired his first guitar at age seven, soon after seeing The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show. He took to it instantly, developing and sharpening his skills as he grew up. Ellis discovered the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream and The Rolling Stones as well as Southern rockers like The Allman Brothers. One night in 1972, he and a friend were listening to Al Kooper and Michael Bloomfield’s Super Session record when his friend’s older brother told them if they liked that, they should really go see B.B. King, who was in town that week.

Tinsley and his friends went to the Saturday afternoon performance, sitting transfixed in the front row. When B.B. broke a string on his guitar, Lucille, he changed it without missing a beat, and handed the broken string to Ellis. After the show, B.B. came out and talked with fans, mesmerizing Tinsley with his warmth and kindness. Tinsley’s fate was now sealed; he had to become a blues guitarist. He saw Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters and every other blues artist who came through town, always sitting up front, always waiting to meet the artists, take photos, and get autographs. To this day, he still has B.B.’s string.

Devil May Care, Ellis’ 20th album, contains ten of his most dynamic original compositions, mixing muscular rock ‘n’ roll and hard blues into his own instantly recognizable sound. Highlights include the Southern rock-tinged opening trio of songs—One Less Reason, Right Down The Drain and Just Like Rain—to the slow-burning Don’t Bury Our Love to the Hendrix-y Step Up and 28 Days. The emotionally-charged guitar solos soar in full service to the songs, as if Ellis is living and breathing the sound rather than simply playing the notes. “The goal,” says Ellis, “was to make the guitar sing.”

Tinsley Ellis has been immersed in music his whole life. Born in Atlanta 1957 and raised in southern Florida, he acquired his first guitar at age seven, inspired by seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show. He took to guitar instantly, developing and sharpening his skills as he grew up. Like many kids his age, Ellis discovered the blues through the back door of British Invasion bands like The Yardbirds, The Animals, Cream and The Rolling Stones as well as Southern rockers like the Allman Brothers. One night in 1972, he and a friend were listening to Al Kooper and Michael Bloomfield’s Super Session record when his friend’s older brother told them that, if they liked Super Session, they should go see B.B. King, who was in town that week. Tinsley saw that show from the very front row. As fate would have it, King broke a guitar string while playing, and after changing it without missing a beat, he handed the broken string to young Tinsley. And yes, he still has that string.

Less than three years later, Ellis, already an accomplished teenaged musician, left Florida and moved to Atlanta. He soon joined a hard-driving local blues band, the Alley Cats. In 1981, along with veteran blues singer and harpist Chicago Bob Nelson, Tinsley formed The Heartfixers, a group that would become Atlanta’s top-drawing blues band. After cutting two Heartfixers albums for the Landslide label, Ellis was ready to step out on his own.

Georgia Blue, Tinsley’s first Alligator release, hit the unprepared public by surprise in 1988. The Chicago Tribune said, “Tinsley Ellis torches with molten fretwork. Ellis takes classic, Southern blues-rock workouts and jolts them to new life with a torrid ax barrage.” His next four releases—1989’s Fanning The Flames, 1992’s Trouble Time, 1994’s Storm Warning (his song A Quitter Never Wins, a highlight from Storm Warning, was recorded by Jonny Lang, selling almost two million copies), and 1997’s Fire It Up—further grew his legend as well as his audience. Features and reviews ran in Rolling Stone, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and in many other national and regional publications.

In the early 2000s, Ellis released albums on Capricorn Records and on Telarc before returning to Alligator in 2005 with Live–Highwayman, which captured the fifth-gear energy of his barn-burning live show. He followed it with two more incendiary studio releases, 2007’s Moment Of Truth and 2009’s Speak No Evil. He self-released four successful albums on his own Heartfixer label before coming back home to Alligator in 2018, releasing the fan favorite Winning Hand. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard Blues Chart and earned a Blues Music Award (BMA) nomination for Album Of The Year. 2020’s Ice Cream In Hell further cemented Ellis’ reputation and put him on the cusp of even greater success before all touring was brought to a halt that March. Now, with Devil May Care and a new nationwide tour booked, Ellis is more than ready to get back on the road and make up for lost time.

Ellis has been a road warrior ever since his Alligator debut. He has captivated and amazed fans in all 50 United States, as well as in Canada, all across Europe, Australia and South America. He’s also earned the love and respect of many of his fellow musicians, including Warren Haynes, Oliver Wood, Jonny Lang, Buddy Guy, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, Gov’t Mule, Widespread Panic and more. Additionally, he’s shared stages with blues legends including Stevie Ray Vaughan, Otis Rush, Willie Dixon, Leon Russell, Son Seals, Koko Taylor and Albert Collins. Mega-star guitarist Joe Bonamassa calls Ellis “a national treasure.” But no matter where or with whom he performs, Ellis always plays with grit, soul and unbridled passion.

According to AllMusic.com, “Ellis’ playing underscores the emotional depth in the lyrics. His meaty solos dig deep.” With Devil May Care, Ellis proves that true again, with ten jaw-dropping, career-topping performances. As he continues adding more dates to his already packed tour schedule, Ellis will bring his high-energy Southern blues-rock to fans all across the country. “It’s been a long 18 months,” he says, “and now folks are ready to have some fun.”

 http://www.tinsleyellis.com/

Targetspot Doubles Down on Podcasts

 

After the digital audio sales company Targetspot reported its podcast ad revenue tripled during the first half of the year, the company says it is “doubling down” on the medium. That includes adding new resources in the U.S. marketplace where Targetspot says its podcast marketplace has been “refined” to meet the demands of advertisers who are looking to buy space from multiple podcast publishers.

“As we have continued to expand our podcast supply, we have simultaneously been improving both show level transparency and category accuracy. This means buyers can have further confidence in buying what they are targeting, and having greater visibility in the actual shows where ads are running,” said Dominick Milano, SVP of Sales and Business Development in North America.

The Targetspot podcast marketplace has grown to now reach more than one billion monthly impressions in North America. That includes podcast from radio groups including Bonneville, Salem Media Group and Canadian broadcaster CBC, as well as publishers like Spreaker and Empire Magazine.

Targetspot said in July that its revenue during the first half of the year rose to $14.9 million, a 19.1% increase compared to a year ago. In North America, Targetspot says its first-half revenue rose by 13.1%. Growth was hampered by what it called a “moderation” in advertising investments in certain sectors including the automotive and job recruiting sites.

Alexandre Saboundjian, Chairman and founder of Targetspot, says revenue from podcasts made up 28% of the company’s revenue during the first half of this year. That compares to 19% for the whole of 2021.

Targetspot is also ramping up its podcast efforts in Europe. In the U.K., it has partnerships with two new publishers --Sport Social Podcast Network and WIZARD Radio Media – giving ad buyers the opportunity to reach a wide-ranging audience of sports fans and Gen Z listeners.

In France and Belgium, Targetspot is picking up the ad sales for three new podcasts produced by Paradiso Media and Brut. Targetspot has also partnered with the French platform Audiomeans, the leading independent podcast hosting and distribution company in terms of listening volume.

“The many partnerships forged in recent weeks will further accelerate our increasing influence in this high-potential channel,” said Saboundjian. “Podcasts bring together an audience that is both highly engaged and highly qualified, offering agencies and advertisers unprecedented targeting capabilities. With its turnkey Targetspot Podcast Marketplace solution, our group has become a key player in podcast monetization.”

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http://mus.acrofan.com/article_sub3.php?number=727435&lang=

Monkey Junk

 

Since 2008, the name Monkey Junk has been synonymous with the emergence of a new kind of blues on the Canadian and international scenes.  Continually pushing boundaries and blurring genre lines, the Ottawa-based trio has added an edge to their music by incorporating swampy blues & rock with thoughtful and intelligent lyrics. MonkeyJunk is Tony D on lead guitar, Steve Marriner on lead vocals/baritone guitar/harmonica and Matt Sobb on drums. The band has released 5 full-length albums and are looking towards a sixth tentatively scheduled to be recorded and released in late 2021. As one of the hardest working bands on the scene today, these Canadian ambassadors of blues/rock are constantly working to up their game in terms of songwriting and musicianship, on record and especially live! 23 Maple Blues Awards, 2 Indy Awards, 1 USA Blues Music Award, 2 JUNO AWARDS!

 https://monkeyjunkband.com/

Aled Thomas Trio

 

2007 - Aled Thomas Trio debut album "We Should Be There By Now". released The album is recieved well - The Fly Global Music described it as having "some of the best lines in vocal jazz". Many concerts and radio follow the release. The song "City Life" is announced as a semi-finalist at the 2008 UK Songwriting Competition

2009 - Internet release of a new song "The Post Office Song" in February. This generated much interest and press attention. MP Lynne Featherstone also used the song as part of her campaign against long queues

2010 - Aled Thomas Trio second album called "Baggage Holiday" is released. It featuring "The Post Office Song" . Two songs from the album are announced as finalists at the 2010 Uk Songwriting Competition - "Every Street" and "I Wont Let Them" . American magazine JazzReview writes "Thomas revels in being every man - He is put upon weary and funny"

2013 - Release of single "The Singularity " Featuring Paul Rhodes - It is featured on a science show

2014 - Release of single "The Bitcoin Song" Featuring Ian Ritchie on sax and vocals (Currently on tour with Roger Waters)

2016 - Appearance with Unnati Dasgupta at The Alchemy Festival, Southbank Centre, London. Appearance with Tamas Teszary Quartet at Mardi Gras Festival, Brixton

2017 - Aled joins band with Bonzo Dog Doh-Dah member Vernon Bohay-Nowell. Aled appears with Suzy Ritz at Boisdale, Canary Wharf, London and Bull's Head, Barnes, London

2018 - Appearance with Paul Rhodes at Metropolitan Room, Birdland, and Triad Theatre, New York. Aled appears with Catherine Lima at 606 Club, London.

2019 - Appearance with Unnati Dasgupta at The Pheasantry, Pizza Express, London. Aled appears with guitarist Jim Mullen.

2021 - Appearance with Geoff Mason at the Herne Bay Jazz Festival

2022 - Upcoming release of U2's classic "I still Haven't Found What I;m Looking For" - Aled Thomas Trio feat. Graham Pike. First release of new music for 7 years.

 https://aledthomas.net/