Here at THE VINYL DISTRICTwe're good consumers. All Mp3's are posted to promote and give exposure to the music and are linked for a limited time. Please download to preview, then head promptly to your local vinyl vendor (or - OK, CD store too) and fork over your hard earned cash. You'll appreciate the piece of mind.
Got something you think we should be listening to or reading? thevinyldistrict (at) gmail.com
Spending Father’s Day with both my kids got me thinking about being a “papa.” One of the first words out of 23 month old Jonah was “rocking.” Amazingly this kid is already practicing his windmills!
My hip teenager daughter Zoe is often in the car helping me click away at the i-pod, compiling songs for my Idelic playlist. When it comes to making the scene Zoe is on the dance floor with LCD, MIA and Edward Sharpe but when it comes to requests she is really about the “oldies.” She seems to go for anything on Specialty Records, go figure!
The weekend left feeling warm and loose but then I came down with a wicked 24 hour flu bug. Thank god my recovery was quick—it left me “extra loose” and grateful for the health of family and friends. A simple thought to inspire this playlist with some cool daddy swagger, soul, and a couple new bands that are filling my cup of late.
Once upon a time in the era of freeform FM (and sometimes AM) radio, upon the very first listen to a freshly minted track spun by this or that DJ whose taste I trusted, I'd become so sonically smitten with a song that I'd be certain to spring for the complete LP, having faith that the 9 or 10 tracks on the balance of the release were just as top notch. Sure, it was a gamble but one that very often paid off.
It happened with The Cars way back when. I played that "Let's Go" 45 on Elektra non-stop. Tear For Fears too. I think it was "Change" that did it fr me. . . Later on, I'm reminded of the first track off the first Jellyfish LP, "The Man I Used To Be." That came over the radio one afternoon when I was tooling around the Jersey Shore with my Dad. And if you know that Jellyfish record at all, it foretold a ton about the high caliber of that LP.
Why am I going on about this you ask? Well, it's because I've had this track stuck in my head by Aussies PVT (formerly Pivot) since it made its appearance in my email in-box last week. I mean, I'm ready to spring for the entire release now, I'm that smitten for some reason.
But this being TVD and all, I'm able to say, "Hey PR Firm...this is great. Let's set up a giveaway and put one of these things into the hands of some very smart TVD reader." And it was done.
We've got PVT's brand new release (it's just out this week) "Church With No Magic" on vinyl of course, to award one of you who comments to this post.
Play their video and/or download the track and let us know if you're sufficiently smitten in the comments, or simply recall a time when you fell for a band off the strength of one track alone where the balance of the record didn't disappoint. Or something else entirely - you guys are a creative bunch.
We'll give you a week to tell your tale and close this one out next Friday. And remember to leave us a contact email address so we can let you know you've won - ok?
"As a born-and-raised, sixth generation Memphian, Ardent Studios is one of the institutions that makes me quite proud to call it my home. It wasn’t until a fateful day 3 years ago when I met producer, Pete Matthews at the mere age of 20 that Ardent would soon become my second home.
I had just dropped out of college in New Orleans, was homesick, angsty, and felt like I was wasting my time in a classroom when all I could dream, think, or speak about was doing music. As soon as Pete Matthews expressed interest in working together, I dropped everything and went running back to Memphis, with the gracious moral support of my parents and just enough money saved up for a duplex above my 90 year-old grandmother, right in the heart of midtown. Independence had never tasted so bittersweet…I finally had my own place, but didn’t know anyone in the city or a have a clue how to go about getting gigs. But as soon as I stepped through the legendary brick hallways of Ardent Studios and was introduced to the staff by Pete, I felt immediately welcomed and part of something to be truly cherished.
Well...I’ll admit, walking through those hallways covered with golden records and album covers and sitting in the studio with the session players over cigarettes and coffee (Dave Smith, Al Gamble, Steve Potts, Rick Steff) was all a bit daunting at first…to say I was green and timid is an understatement. But after working with Pete Matthews and Nick Redmond in and out of the studio for my first two EP’s and watching the way things work and seeing how graciously everyone treated each other...the potential I began to see in music as a life-long endeavor blossomed. A family of friends, supporters, muses, and motivators is what Ardent became to me and remains to this day.
One of the most unforgettable evenings at Ardent was the night they asked me to play some tunes for their "Ardent Presents" series in the famed Studio A. Intimately captured, and warmly lit, the entire evening was a stirring of songs, storytelling and an amazing, captivated audience. If only every gig could be as tightly connected to the audience as the Ardent Presents series is...everyone truly feels as if they are a part of history in-the-making. Leave it to folks like Rachel Hurley and Jody Stephens to come up with such a stellar way to capture Memphis' present music scene.
Shooting forward to the present, I have released two EP’s with Pete, with several of them getting placed in indie films and TV pilots, and I have recently released my first full-length album (completely self-produced). If it weren’t for my experience with Ardent Studios and the amazing staff, I honestly don’t think I would possess the industry know-how or the confidence in myself and my craft that allows me to carry on today as a successful musician/songwriter/producer. And for that, I am forever indebted and forever grateful." —Grace Askew
Enter to win Grace Askew's CD "Until They Lay Me Down To Rest" by simply leaving a comment, your name, and a contact email address in the comments to this post. We'll choose one winner each Friday for that week's giveaway which ALSO includes the entire Ardent Music catalog. (That's just 2 artists at this point, but hey, who's counting?)
To hear more great Ardent Sessions please visit Ardent Presents.
