HOPKINS, RICH & LUMINARIOS Exiled On Mabel St CD
€ 9,50^*

HOPKINS, RICH & LUMINARIOS Exiled On Mabel St LP
€ 9,50^*

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
€ 9,50^*

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 !

BLACK SORROWS Saint Georges Road LP
€ 35,90^*

Finally available – exclusively in Europe through our mailorder – is the vinyl edition! Worldwide limited to 600 copies, 180g vinyl, gatefold cover, with lyrics printed inner sleeve, LP-size poster with many photos, front cover hand-signed and numbered by band mastermind Joe Camilleri. We have limited stock available!

Joe Camilleri and THE BLACK SORROWS are thrilled and proud to announce the world-wide release of Saint Georges Road on 10th September through Ambition Records. To celebrate this milestone – and to make this record truly special – Joe Camilleri reunited with Grammy nominated Peter Solley – producer of Jo Jo Zep and the Falcons’ breakthrough album Screaming Targets (‘79) that featured Joe’s first Top 40 hits, „Hit and Run“ and „Shape I’m In“.
Saint Georges Road showcases 11 original tracks written by Joe Camilleri and his long-time writing partner Nick Smith.
Before they embarked on the project, Peter Solley asked Joe one question, “What kind of record do you want to make?” Joe replied, “A good one.”
“This album is a testament to Joe Camilleri’s long-lasting career and his burning desire to keep working at his craft. The album shows the power of love and inspiration that spans 40 years of our lives,” says Peter Solley, who also adds his Hammond B3 and keyboards to the record… “I’m sure, Saint Georges Road will inspire Joe’s fans as well.”

At the final listening session, as the title track was played, Joe recalls a profound moment, “We were two like-minded souls coming together for what could be the last time… we knew we had something special… a record that was a culmination of everything I’d done before and probably the best record I’ve made.” The following day Peter Solley headed back to his home in the US. The day after that, Australia’s borders were shut.

THE BLACK SORROWS are one of Australia’s most prolific and enduringly popular bands renowned for their high-energy live shows, musicianship, and infectious, roots-soaked blues rock. They’ve sold more than two million albums to date and won an ARIA Award for Best Group.
Joe Camilleri has been at the forefront of Australian music for decades as the leader of Jo Jo Zep and The Falcons and The Black Sorrows and as writer of radio anthems „Hit & Run“, „Shape I’m In“, „Chained To The Wheel“, „Harley & Rose“ and „Never Let Me Go“.
Joe Camilleri is an ARIA Hall of Famer and at 73 years old, a rock’n’roll lifer. Not ready to hang up his boots just yet, he’s working on his 51st album. It’s what he does.

Saint Georges Road is exclusively in Europe on CD through the Blue Rose Records mailorder. As a limited edition Blue Rose is offering the deluxe edition of the album which includes 5 bonus tracks in a deluxe signed package by Joe Camilleri and a 12 page booklet.