VARIOUS ARTISTS Blue Rose Collection 18 CD
€ 5,00^*

Another issue of the Blue Rose Collection series with a running time of 70 minutes (!) is available now! A copy of the compilation will be added automatically to an order at our webshop with four and more items. A copy is also available for purchase for € 5,00.

Tracklist:
1. BLUE MOUNTAIN – GENTLE SOUL (taken from the album „Midnight In Mississippi“)
2. WRINKLE NECK MULES – STONE ABOVE YOUR HEAD (taken from the album „Apprentice To Ghosts“)
3. CAROLYN WONDERLAND – MEET ME IN THE MORNING (taken from the album „Peace Meal“)
4. THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS – THE POCKET (taken from the album „Big Ideas“)
5. WATER AND SAND – EVERY GOOD THING (taken from the album „Catching Light“)
6. TURNPIKE TROUBADOURS – BLUE STAR (taken from the album „Goodbye Normal Street“)
7. US RAILS – LAY YOUR HEAD ON ME (taken from the album „Live For Another Day“)
8. THE SLUMMERS – RIFT VALLEY EVOLUTIONARY BLUES (taken from the album „Love Of The Amateur“)
9. THE BLACK SORROWS – THE HONEYDRIPPER (taken from the album „Live! At The Palms“)
10. THE SILOS – BEHIND ME NOW (taken from the album „Come On Like The Fast Lane“)
11. JAMES McMURTRY – SOUTH DAKOTA (taken from the album „Complicated Game“)
12. JOSEPH PARSONS – THANKFUL (taken from the album „Holy Loneliness Divine“)
13. THE GREAT CRUSADES – THE DEVIL AND ALL HIS RELATIONS (taken from the album „Thieves Of Chicago“)
14. TONY FURTADO – TIRED LION (taken from the album „The Bell“)
15. RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS – MORNING DEW (hidden track taken from the album „Exiled On Mabel Street“)

Kommentare deaktiviert für New exclusive free mailorder-only CD available – Blue Rose Collection 18!

BAND OF HEATHENS Simple Things CD
€ 16,90^*

BAND OF HEATHENS Simple Things LP (clear vinyl)
€ 26,90^*

With their eighth studio album, Simple Things, THE BAND OF HEATHENS came home-geographically, as they returned to their longtime base of Austin for the recording; sonically, in an embrace of the rootsy, guitar-based rock with which they made their name; and thematically, with lyrics that speak to appreciating friends and family and our limited time on this planet.

It’s a confident, assured statement of a group finding its place in the world amid uncertain and troubled times. „It was a return to embracing our influences, our natural instincts, the way we sound when we get on stage,“ says guitarist and vocalist Gordy Quist. With the subject matter, there’s a sentiment of focusing on what’s important as we go through this journey together – don’t waste time, because this is all we’ve got. „Gordy and I each have a natural sound when we sing, but there’s something even more special and unique when our voices blend together“ says guitarist and vocalist Ed Jurdi. „So it was just about harnessing and embracing that. Good, mid-tempo rock and roll-that’s our breadbasket, and there’s not a lot of that music being made right now. The new songs embody the spirit of our new record: survival, gratitude, resiliency, and a new-found focus on the simple things that make life worth living. With songs like „Stormy Weather“ and „Heartless Year“ we’ve been able to look back on our triumphs and failures with new perspective, finding the best versions of ourselves in returning to the sounds that first sparked inspiration into the band when we first formed 17 years ago in Austin, TX. Simple Things is an authentic and powerful album that showcases the Heathens at our best.

Kommentare deaktiviert für THE BAND OF HEATHENS – new album Simple Things out today!

US RAILS Live For Another Day CD
€ 14,90^*

US RAILS Live For Another Day LP
€ 22,90^*

In the 2000s, the prominent quartet US RAILS was one of the most reliable and hard-working acts on the Blue Rose label. The Americans have released no less than five studio productions in the past decade alone – in addition to a number of live, cover and acoustic albums, numerous European tours have led to a constant increase in their fan base. Ben Arnold, Tom Gillam, Scott Bricklin and Matt Muir (as well as Joseph Parsons in the early days) are all strong singer/songwriters in their own right with a long list of individual solo projects. Live For Another Day is the name of the brand new release that has been eagerly awaited after the compulsory Corona break. Its ten self-written songs are bursting with zest for action, versatility and the band-typical sound of melodic rock’n roll full of guitar load and vocal bliss!

So now, after three years of US Rails abstinence, Live For Another Day is being released in time for the upcoming, most extensive European tour of the popular band. And this time nothing should come between them! The ten tracks prove that the four haven’t forgotten anything – on the contrary: Everything here shows that they had a lot of strength and creativity during the break and that they threw themselves into the recording sessions with great joy! At the start, keyboarder Ben Arnold sings the title song he wrote himself, a vehement rocker with an irresistible refrain, with his distinctive, soulful, smoky lead voice and raises the level of quality right away. This is followed by Scott Bricklin’s folk-rock, acoustic/electric arrangement ‚Can’t Let It Go‘. Not only does he function as the standard bass player for the US Rails, but also convinces as a multi-instrumentalist on various guitars and mandolin, among other things, and sings with a strong, bright voice. Backed by Arnold on accordion, this track is reminiscent of another hugely popular Philadelphia band, The Hooters. With the catchy ‚Too Much Is Never Enough‘, guitarist and singer Tom Gillam succeeds in another of his typical Rock’n Roll numbers: loud, uncompromising, unleashed rocking! It’s part of the good team atmosphere that the fourth member, Matt Muir, full-time drummer but also responsible for the sound as a recording engineer and mixer, is at the center at least once per album. Here he sings his latest composition, the compact, catchy ‚Walk Away‘, which will certainly compete with his signature song ‚Don’t Take Me Now‘ for many years, especially at the upcoming live concerts.

The creamy, soulful ballad ‚What Did I Do?‘ Scott Bricklin then provides a first well-placed rest phase, Ben Arnold on the piano and Tom Gillam on the electric slide set small, targeted instrumental hits before Arnold’s ‚No Better Love‘ gets us moving again with its easy-going rhythmic shuffle grooves. Tom Gillam’s melodic mid-tempo rocker ‚Feels Like A Heartache‘ comes across as absolutely dominant with all those layered electric guitars and mighty four-part harmony vocals before kicking off the final round with Bricklin’s ‚Lay Your Head On Me‘. On ‚Road To Hell‘ Gillam is allowed to show off his ″mean & bad ass″ rocker heart and Arnold makes a clear commitment to his favorite topic ″powerful, smooth soul rock with plenty of vintage R&B″ for the perfect finish with ‚End Of Time‘.

After the long pandemic break, US Rails quickly found each other again in their home studio in Pennsylvania and recorded a complete new album with audible joy of playing. That turned out to be ten super-fresh, consistently great songs, each of which stands on its own and really calls for enthusiastic celebrations in our clubs on the forthcoming live tour!

Kommentare deaktiviert für Blue Rose proudly presents a brandnew US RAILS album with Live For Another Day !

Now since the Black Friday/Black Week/Cyber Monday craziness/hype is over we are starting a little season campaign. Not very exciting, though, but not really uninteresting for Blue Rose fans/customers/friends. Little story ahead: In the early days of the label we once in a while sent out special promotion CDs to our media partners. These CDs (in a cardboard sleeve like our recent Blue Rose Collection CDs) didn’t contain the complete songs of the CDs but instead personal comments to the songs of band members. The following promotion CDs are included in this campaign:

– LITTLE BLUE – Straight For The Moon (release date 22.10.2001)
– ELLIOTT MURPHY & IAIN MATTHEWS – La Terre Commune (release date 19.02.2001)
– BIG IN IOWA – Green Pop (release date 28.05.2001)
– RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS – My Lucky Stars (release date 27.08.2001)
– STEVE WYNN – My Midnight (release date 08.03.1999)

Included in this campaign is the promo issue of „Vestavia“ by JOHN P. STROHM which had been released on April 6, 1999 with the catalog number BLU CD0190. The record doesn’t contain comments but the complete album which is out of print for a long time. Last but not least we have a few copies available of the promo CD 2XX6 Roses – A Year In Music from 2006. It contains songs of all the albums we had released in the year 2006 – 26 songs.

All these CDs are not available to purchase, one of these items can be chosen with each order and will be added for free to the shipment. Just add the album to the comments field in the shopping cart before submitting the order. This offer is limited while supplies last.

Kommentare deaktiviert für Mailorder Christmas campaign 2022

PARSONS, JOSEPH Holy Loneliness Divine CD
€ 14,90^*

This is a pre-order. The item won’t be shipped before 11.11.2022. If you want to order other items please place a separate order so those items are not delayed.

Holy Loneliness Divine is the latest and final record from the JOSEPH PARSONS BAND (JPB), as the members disperse to follow their individual musical paths. To mark that milestone, the band has created a record that fully realizes its signature sound, forged from countless recording sessions and live shows. From the opening anthem, “Dreaming a Universe”, the songs bite hard on the world’s march towards an uneasy future while finding hope in it’s not-so inevitable path. The journey includes moments of deep confusion followed by epiphanies and emerging clarity, while some age-old love songs balance out the mix. It’s an unpretentious record that provides a deeper sense of Parsons’ writing style, along with the themes and visions that he has pondered in these last few years. Some of the stories are provincial, some are worldly; but always relatable. A deep sense of “life-lived” emits from the disparate yet cohesive and hopeful tones.

Tonally, the record is a rock record mining the depths of traditional instruments – drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitars, piano – with touches of modern flavors to accentuate moods and provide ear candy to the headphone enthusiasts among us. Musical production is almost as big a part of Parsons’ palette as the songwriting itself. When performed solo, the songs hold up beautifully and display the range of Parsons’ edgy songwriting style. In the studio, the band’s full, uncluttered arrangements expand those edges and bring the listener an enhanced musical landscape of each of
the songs. This is underpinned by the soaring electric guitar solos and pristine vocals throughout.

While the songs were written by Parsons and much of the record was produced & mixed by him as well, each member of the band fully produced and mixed one song – top to bottom – from a guide vocal & acoustic track Parsons recorded in his studio. This showcases the amazing talent and evolution of the band individually and collectively and their ability to reach the ‘zone’ wherever they are. The record is a document of a band firing on all cylinders, creating a work that is energetic and vital, showcasing some of Parsons’ most consistent songwriting to date.

Going out at the top of their game, JPB has disbanded to pursue other demanding musical projects.

This is Parsons’ 15th full length studio record and his 25th studio record including the bands he has founded or co-founded (Hardpan, US Rails, 4 Way Street, Parsons Thibaud). He also has released numerous live albums and singles.

Kommentare deaktiviert für JOSEPH PARSONS is releasing a new studio album: Holy Loneliness Divine !

HOPKINS, RICH & LUMINARIOS Exiled On Mabel St CD
€ 14,90^*

HOPKINS, RICH & LUMINARIOS Exiled On Mabel St LP
€ 18,90^*

After three decades of making music, Rich Hopkins has become synonymous with dusty, guitar-drenched desert rock from the American Southwest. After all his well-documented activities as leader of the Sidewinders, Sand Rubies, Underbelly and many other projects, the Luminarios are still his central focus – with himself and his wife Lisa Novak (the couple wrote all the ten album tracks) being the only irreplaceable band member, of course. Since 1992 they have been active as a trio, a four-piece or a five-piece band or simply a loose collection of Tucson, Arizona and Austin, Texas musicians. Early on, Rich was heavily influenced by Neil Young & Crazy Horse. In recent years he has become a more mature songwriter, has released some exciting concept albums and explored different styles and sounds.

The new studio album Exiled On Mabel St effortlessly joins the ranks of earlier first-class RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS releases in terms of content, sound and quality. The desert is alive and desert rock will be vibrant and fresh as long Rich Hopkins can hold a guitar. An electric guitar, mind you! On the album’s ten numbers electric guitars dominate the sound and help create this striking mix of epic rock hymns, sandy folk rock, tried and tested rock’n’roll values from the 60s and 70s, jingle jangle guitar pop and a healthy dose of psychedelia.

Listening to tracks on Exiled On Mabel St, you can hear how comfortable Rich Hopkins is in embracing the musical styles of the past, and exploring his own creative instincts. Hopkins is a lot more than just an archivist. Aided by his talented wife, singer/songwriter Lisa Novak, he mines all areas of his life, as well as his observations of the world today, for the songs on Exiled. It kicks off with „A Message Of Hope“, which acknowledges how everyone is struggling but says, „forgive yourself…you’ll make mistakes“. In the liner notes, he dedicates the song to Pastor David Dahlberg and says it was inspired by Steve Earle. In „Count On Me“ he is singing to his lady love and reminding her that he has come through for her despite his problems. „Everybody Knows“ is the reverse of the Leonard Cohen song of the same name, which has a dark cynicism at its core. Hopkins‘ song, rather, portrays how love cannot be hidden and shines so that everyone can see it.
Other standouts include „Prodigal Son“, which is based on an encounter with an unhoused person that Hopkins had back in Austin, Texas. The outpouring of compassion in the song will surprise no one who knows the singer/songwriter – who served in the Peace Corps and has helped people on the streets in Tucson in various ways for many years. Be sure, also, to give a good listen to „I Don’t Care“, which has almost a Mexican guitar feel to it, and a message of rejecting the haters, and „Bataan Death March“, a track about the infamous forced march of Filipino and American prisoners of war by the Japanese Imperial Army in 1942. The piece features sound effects, music that evokes the horrendous 60+ mile journey, and finds Hopkins reciting „The Lord’s Prayer“.

Kommentare deaktiviert für RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS finally are back with the new studio album Exiled On Mabel St !

WYNNTOWN MARSHALS Big Ideas CD
€ 14,90^*

WYNNTOWN MARSHALS Big Ideas LP
€ 19,90^*

This is a pre-order. The official release date of the CD and vinyl-LP is September 2, orders through the Blue Rose mailorder will exclusively shipped on August 19! If you want to order other items please place a separate order so those items are not delayed.

Seven long years after the The End Of The Golden Age, THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS are back with a new studio album!

Big Ideas, the fourth full-lenth studio album by Edinburgh-based quintet, will sound immediately familiar to those who know the band, and serves as the ideal introduction for those who are less familiar with their output. Four years in the making, the album features ten tracks covering jangling, forthright, radio-ready power pop, rugged, rootsy rockers, moody guiatr workouts and stetely ballads – all underpinned by the heartfelt, poetic wordplay that the band are well-known for.

The Marshals have, like the rest of the planet, been through some challenges in recent times – and some of the lyrical content is inevitably shaped by the events of the past two years (the title strack and „Disappointment“ in particular), but – like the protagonist in the middle eight of the nostalgic, bittersweet album track „Tourist In My Hometown“ – the band have ‚emerged unbroken, smarting from the pain‘.

Kommentare deaktiviert für THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS return with a new studio album – on Blue Rose!

VARIOUS ARTISTS Blue Rose Collection 17 CD
€ 5,00^*

Another issue of the Blue Rose Collection series is available now! A copy of the compilation will be added automatically to an order at our webshop with four and more items but a copy is also available to purchase for € 5,00.

Tracklist:
1. STEVE WYNN – BLOOD FROM A STONE (taken from the album „Sweetness And Light“)
2. WOOLDRIDGE BROTHERS – SWEET SENSATION (taken from the album „Uncovering The Sun“)
3. TIM EASTON – ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS LEAVE TOWN (taken from the album „Special 20“)
4. ELLIOTT MURPHY – LOVE TO AMERICA (taken from the album „Selling The Gold“)
5. RICH HOPKINS & LUMINARIOS – UNGLUED (taken from the album „El Paso“)
6. FARMER NOT SO JOHN – GRAND BOUQUET (taken from the album „Receiver“)
7. CONTINENTAL DRIFTERS – SPRING DAY IN OHIO (taken from the album „Vermilion“)
8. RAINRAVENS – I AIN’T EVER GOIN‘ HOME (taken from the album „Rainravens“)
9. JOSEPH PARSONS – YOU LIED (taken from the album „5am“)
10. THE HOOBLERS – TOMORROW FADE AWAY (taken from the album „Can You Do This?“)
11. SHAKIN‘ APOSTLES – DISTANT FIELD (taken from the album „Austin, Texas“)
12. THE DASHBOARD SAVIORS – THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY (taken from the album „Love Sorrow Hatred Madness“)
13. JULIAN DAWSON – ALL ABOUT THE RIDE (taken from the album „Under The Sun“)
14. THE PINETOPS – JESUS SPOKE (taken from the album „Above Ground And Vertical“)
15. TODD THIBAUD – DON’T SAVE ME (IT’S ALRIGHT) (taken from the album „Little Mystery“)

Kommentare deaktiviert für New exclusive free mailorder-only CD available now – Blue Rose Collection 17 !

With their professional lives on hold during the pandemic, The Band of Heathens found a year-long creative workaround. Every Tuesday night, the five-piece group came together via Zoom from their respective homes – from L.A. to Asheville – to host the Good Time Supper Club, a ninety-minute variety program. „It was nice to be able to use music as a connective thread and something that’s healing,“ says guitarist-vocalist Ed Jurdi. „We were doing it for ourselves, but the greatest benefit was how it created this community for us to hang out with our fans.“ Guitarist-vocalist and fellow founding member Gordy Quist agrees. „The show was like a release, where we all connected and forgot about the stuff going on around us. At some point, we decided to bring in guests for an interview, and that turned into ‚Hey, let’s pre-record a music video of a cover song with each of them.'“ That segment of the show, called Remote Transmissions, became a much-anticipated fan favorite each week. And it is now the title of their latest album, featuring covers of ten classic songs with guest vocals by the likes of Margo Price, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Charlie Starr. It’s just the latest innovative move for The Band Of Heathens, who over the last fifteen years have released nine acclaimed albums of roots rock originals, played festivals like Bonnaroo and South by Southwest, and toured the world many times over (Rolling Stone calls them „a smoking live band“), all while remaining that rarest of birds – a truly independent group.

This is a pre-order. The item won’t be shipped before the release date 25.02.2022. If you want to order other items please place a separate order so those items are not delayed.

Kommentare deaktiviert für THE BAND OF HEATHENS brave the pandemic with Remote Transmissions Vol. 1 !

RILL, MARKUS Everything We Wanted CD
€ 15,00^*

25 years after his debut album MARKUS RILL releases Everything We Wanted, an album that brings together all his strengths: profound, wide-ranging Americana songs, gripping rock’n’roll and stirring soul with intelligent, touching lyrics. The 14th album is indeed a high point and culmination in the work of the singer-songwriter with the sandstone voice. There’s no other aetist in Germany, probably in all of Europe, who’s closer to Steve Earle, John Hiatt, Mellencamp, Tom Petty, no one who does his roots rock thing more authentically than the 51-year-old native of Frankfurt/Germany.

“My goal as a songwriter has always been to write every kind of song I like listening to myself – but with my own twist, of course,“ Rill says. He succeeds almost effortlessly with the 14 songs on Everything We Wanted. It’s easy to hear that Rill draws inspiration from Texas, from Nashville and Memphis, from the heyday of rock’n’roll as well as from the present. It’s just as clear that Rill is a confident original artist, with his own point of view, the ability to create poetry out of everyday language, and that unique voice.

The album opening title track is a catchy listen and unmistakably a song from and of the here and now. „The air was pure, water was clean … we had everything we wanted till we wanted more“ Rill sings over a pulsating groove. Moving from finger-pointing to reflection in the last verse gives the song special depth. Rill receives congenial supported from his longtime band, The Troublemakers, augmented by a few guests.

„During the pandemic a lot of great musicians had time to contribute to my album,“ says Rill. Thus, Jen Gundermann, a much in-demand musician and member of Sheryl Crow’s touring band, was available to record with Rill 15 years after their last collaboration. She provided brilliant piano and organ parts on the title track and the entire album. Backing vocalists Elizabeth Lee from Texas, Camille Bloom from Seattle and Rill‘s buddy Robert Oberbeck are also an integral part of the album’s always convincing Americana sound.

The same is true for longtime Blue Rose labelmate Todd Thibaud who stands out as a co-songwriter and duet partner on the laid-back midtempo rocker „Heart Up Yet.“ The record continues with „Hope Waits,“ an inspiring folk-flavored ballad of the highest order. „It perches in the soul, holds on tight and won’t let go – hope waits.“ That’s Rill drawing from Emily Dickinson and Glenn Campbell.

The songwriter and his Troublemakers explore some new avenues, leaning into crisp the riff-rocker „Never Trust Forever“ and into „Tumblin‘ Dominoes“ which is a hats-off to the Georgia Satellites and the Rolling Stones. And there’s even a first horn appearance on a Rill record. Jim Hoke and Roland Barber who have played with Aretha Franklin, Keb‘ Mo‘, Paul McCartney and Dolly Parton are giving „Where I Belong“ some soulfire. „The idea for the song came from my guitarist Maik Garthe after we opened for Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes.“ Further forays into new territory lead to the Nick-Cave-meets-Time-Out-Of-Mind-like „The Mystery Of You“ or the wondrous groove-folk of „Color Of My Heart.“

But of course, there’s also another a number of those compelling storytelling songs that are Rill’s great strength and have won him a slew of songwriting awards. „Flesh & Blood & Bone“ blends twang, Trump, Prine and human dignity with an an enticing alt.country gallop. „Country Town“ is an irresistible flannel-shirt, roll-up-your-sleeves roots rocker. The atmospheric outlaw brew „Slack“ and the piercing narrative „Get Paid“ combine strong lyrics with compelling rhythms. Album closer „Monochrome“ is a spartan but touching work of grief. And then there’s the outstanding „Always Trusted You,“ a mountain of a song, Rill’s moving ode to his late mother.

The Troublemakers with drummer Leonardo von Papp, bassist Chris Reiss and string master Maik Garthe (baritone, slide, 6- & 12-string guitars, dobro and mandolin) are proving themselves once more as a rhythmically as well as sonically versatile backing band. Rill sings with soul, sensitivity and power, making you believe every word he says.

In short, this is a whopper of an album. It delivers on everything Rill learned during his time in Austin, Texas, during three studio productions in Nashville, during concerts with Townes van Zandt, Rosanne Cash and Southside Johnny as well as about 1,000 gigs in dive bars, clubs and on big stages. Outstanding songs, a variety of sounds, classy performances. Everything We Wanted is for Markus Rill & The Troublemakers what Wildflowers was for Tom Petty.

Kommentare deaktiviert für MARKUS RILL explores some new avenues with Everything we Wanted !