Eve Selis - "The Queen of Roadhouse Rock!" – From San Diego, USA – Country / Rock / Pop

International recording artist Eve Selis has established herself as one of the most successful independent artists in the music industry. She has been legally downloaded over 2 million times on the Internet, where she is a pioneer in self-marketing. Her style blends the best elements of country, rock, pop and folk, while her songs explore heartfelt joys and sorrows of life with an honest intensity rarely heard in contemporary music. She and her stellar band have opened for Travis Tritt, Crosby Stills and Nash, The Doobie Brothers, Joan Osborne, Heart, Dwight Yoakam, Garry Allan, Chris Isaak, Hootie & the Blowfish, and many more.

“Eve Selis’ voice is saturated with country soul. She nails the highs to the top and sweetly slides to the lows with strength and passion. Her music is absolute; it rocks and swings, crafted by a crew of hyper-talented musicians that not only play well, but also love to do so.”

“Eve Selis isn’t just a “singer” — she’s an emotion transducer who converts country, R&B, blues, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll signals into a megawatt zap that galvanizes everyone in its path. And as with fellow femme-furnace frontwomen Bonnie Raitt, Joan Osborne, Maria McKee, Melissa Etheridge, and Lydia Pense, the cauterizing power of Selis’s voice can arc-weld material from almost any genre into a personal manifesto.”

www. myspace.com/eveselis
www.paulhandyside.com

"My fingers, legs and eyes are crossed for a Nottingham gig. I remember playing the Boat House there in 1964.... I should write a book. All the best, Mac"

A bit of Rock ‘n’ Roll history returns to Nottingham.

Ian McLagan has etched his distinctive musical talents onto the playlist of rock'n'roll history co-writing such Faces hits as 'Cindy Incidentally', 'You're So Rude' and 'Three Button Hand Me Down'. His Wurlitzer electric piano is heard on everything from 'Stay With Me' by the Faces to the smash hit 'Miss You' by The Rolling Stones, and Mac's trademark Hammond B-3 organ is featured on the Small Faces classic 'Itchycoo Park' and Rod Stewart's 'Maggie May' and 'You Wear It Well'.

McLagan entered the music game in Swinging London in the mid-1960s, and you can read all about it in his vivid and delightful memoir, 'All The Rage', a book that The Express hailed as "One of the best music books in years". He ascended from the Top of the Pops with Small Faces to the pinnacle of rock with the Faces when Rod Stewart and Ron Wood joined the band. The rollicking Faces ruled 1970s album radio and sales charts as well as the stadiums, arenas and festivals around the world, leaving countless satisfied fans, many wild tales and more than a few quivering hotel managers in their wake. Whether McLagan is singing, writing and playing his own music or as the go-to guy for a session or tour, he has been and remains the quintessence of rock'n'roll.

Since he cut his debut solo album, 'Troublemaker', in 1979 - with two Rolling Stones (Keith Richards and Ron Wood) and a Beatle (Ringo Starr) among the players - McLagan has been making music in his own right that carries on the British rock tradition that he helped establish with the Small Faces and Faces. In 2006, he released a touching tribute to his old bandmate, 'Spiritual Boy: An Appreciation of Ronnie Lane', acclaimed by the Dallas Observer as "a lovely and comfy salute to one of rock's sadly unsung master songwriters and a must-have disc."

Since McLagan moved to Austin in 1994, the Bump Band has come to include some of the city's best players: Veteran rock bassist Mark Andes (Spirit, Jo Jo Gunne, Canned Heat and Heart), drummer Don Harvey, whose resume boasts putting the big beat behind Martha Davis, Joe Ely, and Charlie Sexton; and 'Scrappy' Jud Newcomb, one of Austin's busiest and best guitarists (The Resentments, Ray Wylie Hubbard and Beaver Nelson).

Awarded the prestigious Ivor Novello Award in 1996 for his outstanding contributions to British music and inducted into the Texas Music Hall of Fame in 2004, McLagan is beloved by musicians and music lovers alike. He produced the Faces four CD boxed set, ' Five guys walk into a bar...' for Rhino Records, and received a rare honor on April 6th 2006, when it was proclaimed Ian 'Mac' McLagan Day in Austin Texas. But rather than rest on his laurels, Ian McLagan continues to do what he has always done best: rock'n'roll. In December of 2007 Ian 'Mac' McLagan and Glyn Johns, his old pal from Small Faces and Faces days, met at Sphere Studios in London to mix Ian McLagan's beautiful and emotionally raw CD, 'Never Say Never', to be released this year.

www.ianmclagan.com

Watermelon Slim & The Workers won a pair of awards at the Memphis-based Blues Foundation’s 2008 Blues Music Awards (formerly W.C. Handy Awards) on Thursday May 8, 2008 at the Grand Casino Event Center in Tunica, Mississippi.

Watermelon Slim is a relatively new luminary of the blues, rapidly building a career behind four albums and constant touring. In 2008 Slim was nominated for six awards, a feat matched only by the likes of B.B. King, Buddy Guy, and Robert Cray. Slim has twelve nominations in the last two years, a feat unmatched in the event’s 29 years.

Slim, his band and the album have been steadily building praise preceding these two Blues Music Awards. The legendary Jerry Wexler penned the liner notes of the award winning album which also won the Independent Music Award for ‘Blues Album of the Year.’ Watermelon Slim and the Workers have long been leading earners for their exclusive booking agency, Intrepid Artists. Among other accolades, the band also won the 2008 Maple Blues Award for ‘International Artist of the Year.’

Born in North Carolina, raised in Boston, Bill ‘Watermelon Slim’ Homans was schooled at Middleberry College until he enlisted in Vietnam. While laid up in an Army hospital he taught himself upside down left handed guitar with his military issued Zippo as a slide and a plastic pick cut from the top of a coffee can. He has been a truck driver, watermelon farmer, sawmiller, funeral officiator and small time criminal. He’s earned two masters degrees in history and journalism and hauled industrial waste. In the early 2000s, a near fatal heart attack clarified his focus on mortality and he hit the road on a new career as a singing/songwriting/guitar playing/harmonica blowing/ performing bluesman.

Blues Revue Magazine wrote of The Wheel Man “(Watermelon Slim) not only holds his own but defines a new genre – one that’s the blues’ answer to some of rock’s greatest garage bands.” Mainstream media such as Paste Magazine describes Slim as “the most exciting and authentic blues performer I’ve heard in years.” The U.K.’s MOJO Magazine ranked Slim’s last two records #1 on its annual ‘Best Blues Albums of the Year’ list.

PLEASE NOTE THE SHOW STARTS AT 8.20PM

ELIZABETH COOK: In contemporary country music, it’s a rare performer who will dare to take on the industry on her own hogs-and-kisses terms. But for the artist whom Nanci Griffith has called “this generation’s Loretta Lynn,” it takes a certain tenacity to meld smart attitude with classic tradition, the credibility of a life lived with genuine hillbilly passion, and the integrity to write an acclaimed cache of uncommonly cool songs. In other words, for Elizabeth Cook, it takes balls.

Elizabeth’s 4th album, Balls is a bold declaration of an uncompromising artist unafraid to be exactly who she is. . The album stands defiant in its devotion to smiles, tears and sexy, sassy swagger. It’s a fiercely independent ride where shuffles, ballads and even the occasional juice harp can soar alongside an exquisite cover of The Velvet Underground’s “Sunday Morning.” Balls is, quite simply, Elizabeth Cook’s unabashed breakthrough.

"I think about Emmylou and Loretta and fuse them all together and it comes out Elizabeth Cook."-Rodney Crowell

AJ ROACH: was raised in the deep hollows of mountainous Scott County, Virginia, home of such legendary acts as The Carter Family and the Stanley Brothers. Growing up, AJ was fed a steady diet of bluegrass and traditional mountain music that strongly flavors his own vivid and haunting, yet contemporary tunes.

While both ‘Dogwood Winter’ and 'Revelation' are stunning achievements, nothing compares to hearing AJ in a live setting. His performances are so powerful that it is commonplace for audience members to be moved to tears. As a master storyteller, AJ’s dry and cutting wit between songs has become nearly as celebrated as his performance of the songs themselves.

Revelation is a simultaneously grim and lovely album, full of sharp, vivid writing and soulful singing. It’s the southern gothic gospel of the halfway house and the homeless shelter, and it’s one of the best albums of the year.

www.roachmusic.com / www.myspace.com/elizabethcook

LET THERE BE ROCK!!!

It's hard to imagine a more energetic, soulful and all-out rock show than what the Drive-By Truckers bring each and every night they perform. You'd be hard pressed to find a band that more clearly signifies the pure rock 'n' roll that is often lacking in today's music scene. Although temporarily heartbreaking to many fans, guitar-prodigy Jason Isbell’s separation from the band doesn't seem to have slowed them a bit. Rather, it's spun them in a different but equally exciting direction. With bassist Shonna Tucker stepping up to the mic and John Neff’s pedal steel genius, Drive-By's release of Brighter Than Creation's Dark has quenched any fan apprehension.

‘ARGUABLY AMERICA’S BEST ROCK BAND’

www.drivebytruckers.com

Wes is a most entertaining performer and I hope everyone who appreciates a true wordsmith will take advantage of this very rare date.

Wesley Stace was born in Hastings, Sussex in 1965, and educated at The King's School, Canterbury, and Jesus College, Cambridge. Under the name, John Wesley Harding, he has released 15 albums, ranging from traditional folk to full on pop music. His most recent pop release Adam's Apple (2004) was called "the finest album of his career" (All Music Guide), "one of his best, a sharp collection of pop that cleverly weds sunny melodies to dark matters" (The New Yorker) and "a dazzling piece of popcraft that shows wide range and real heart" (No Depression.)

John Wesley Harding has been joined onstage by Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen (with whom he recorded a duet on his album Awake), Joan Baez, Peter Buck, Evan Dando, David Baddiel, Rick Moody, Scott MacCaughey and Robyn Hitchcock amongst others. He has appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, The Late Show with David Letterman, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. His songs have been featured in films (including High Fidelity) and covered by other artists. His most recent record was "Songs of Misfortune", a (mostly) a capella recording by The Love Hall Tryst, featuring the ballads from his first novel, Misfortune. His next record is to be recorded later this year with The Minus Five.

In recent years he has become a very successful author, his first novel, ‘Misfortune’, under his real name Wesley Stace, was published to great acclaim in 2004 and nominated for The Guardian First Book Award as well as being one of Amazon's Top Ten Novels of the Year. His second novel, BY GEORGE, was published in August 2007 and Booklist Editor's Choice for books of the year.

www.johnwesleyharding.com

www.myspace.com/wesle
http://www.cvsmusic.com/

http://www.myspace.c

Texas songwriter Sam Baker is not that well known even in his adopted hometown of Austin. However, since the 2004 release of his debut mercy, word of Baker's songs have slowly, but surely spun its way around the world.

Austin producer/songwriter Gurf Morlix said of mercy “It's the best writing I've come across since Mary Gauthier.” The UK's Maverick Magazine awarded mercy five stars and writers that have discovered this raw talent often compare him to fellow Texans Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark.

Baker's songs are pictures sketched in short, spare lines and lay bare the honest truths and simple details of life. pretty world celebrates the moments large and small that frame our lives. It’s Baker’s writing and half-spoken, half-slurred vocals that prove the charismatic attraction of his live performance.

www.sambakermusic.com

“He evokes Townes Van Zandt lyrically, Guy Clark emotionally, Steve Earle stylistically and Ray Wylie Hubbard spiritually.” -Boston Herald

If you haven’t already heard of Hayes Carll, you soon will. On his new album, Trouble In Mind, the 32 year-old Carll navigates his way through both stormy weather and calm, sun-drenched waters with ease, emerging with songs that melt even the hardest heart in town or heat up a roadhouse. Their impact is heightened by the fact that they're songs born of both immersion in the works of his songwriting heroes and plenty of real world experience.

Carll’s live performances continue to win over fans everywhere. His clever, irreverent lyrics and sharp observations combined with his warm Texas drawl make his stories and anecdotes as compelling and entertaining as his songs.

www.hayescarll.com

A welcome return to the Maze for Rod and Amanda who on this occasion are without the band but always deliver a powerful, entertaining and exciting show.

In the summer of 2007 Rod assembled some of his favourite musicians and Nashville sidemen and went after his fourth studio album. The resulting Summerbirds is a beautifully realized collection that contains both full on rockers and the elegant ballads his audience has come to know him for. Maverick magazine called Summerbirds "as damn near perfect as you can get" and gave the album a full five star review.

Rod is currently recording an album of songs co-written with frequent touring partner and fiddle hotshot Amanda Shires. The album promises to be rough, ragged and as wonderfully inspired as their live shows together...

Combining equal parts folk, rock and Americana, NYC singer/songwriter JOE WHYTE's songs are riddled with, "time tested melodies" (TimeOut NY).

"**** (4 stars). A significant achievement...The performance standard is high throughout...delicately crafted... Whyte's youthful tenor belies his maturity as a deft writer...it balances musical credibility with populist appeal in a way that is often made to look impossible by less adept artists. - MAVERICK(UK), March 2008.

"8 out of 10. Musically, the album is perfect. The title track is just beautiful, and the whole song is well arranged. ‘Out of Tune’ is again so fantastically arranged, and Joe’s voice is really let to work on this song. I think with his talent for song writing he could really get some good results. Joe manages to portray warmth in his songs that really hits you hard, and its hard not to feel just a little melancholic when you hear his voice soar." - AMERICANA UK, May 2008

www.rodpicott.com
www.myspace.com/joewhyte

Blue Ruby Music & Records is proud to announce Eric Taylor's new CD, HOLLYWOOD POCKETKNIFE.

Maverick magazine (UK) - Eric Taylor came on stage at the Maze in Nottingham without any ceremony. He started a little blues riff on his blond acoustic guitar (a beautiful-sounding, handmade 'Ross-Kinscherff'). He played for his audience but never to the crowd. He didn't look for cliched climaxes or manufactured endings. It was always an intimate gig, a reflective affair, an evening for devotees...I went with a couple of players, guys who know the mysteries of dadgad, who understand a little about the merits of a B string dropped down to A and the quiet craft of a good song well written. They stood either side of me and looked mean if they thought I was going to be critical in any way. They kept pointing out things, making sure I understood; they wanted the man looked after. Eric Taylor seems to inspire that sort of devotion, that sort of affection, that sort of regard; like he is an endangered species -- maybe he is.

Steve Earle - He’s the real deal. Eric Taylor was one my heroes and teachers when I started playing around Houston in the early 1970s

Lyle Lovett - I’m always the opening act when I’m around Eric. I love his voice, and he has a great narrative quality and sense of detail. He sort of takes you out of your own reality and into the reality of his songs. It’s good writing no matter how you cut it.

www.bluerubymusic.com.

Stacey Earle and Mark Stuart blend folk, country, blues and old-timey jug band music. Their music mixes whimsy and wisdom, from the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, to the Philadelphia Folk Fest, Kerville, Merle Fest and many more.

Stacey Earle, sister of country maverick Steve Earle, and husband Mark Stuart have put together a collection of songs that nourish the soul through the ear. Sweet harmonies and vocals, straightforward lyrics and soulful themes are the tools the songcrafters used to build these sturdy acoustic folk/gospel/country gems. After playing and writing songs for many years and then honing her skills even more as a songwriter on Music Row, Stacey has an extensive catalogue of original tunes. She busted out of the shadow of her older brother and fellow musician Steve with her first solo release and never looked back. Mark, a Nashville native and long-time musician and songwriter himself, joined up with Stacey and they recorded a double live CD intended just for sale at gigs but soon released in stores due to fans pressure. A union was born, both professionally and personally, and this husband/wife team haven't looked back since. Their songs are the diaries of their life - good times and bad, a commentary on the love they share.

Join them in embracing the simple, musical poetry of love and life.

www.staceyandmark.com

“The Deadstring Brothers’ whiskey-drenched blend of Exile-era Stones and ragged nods to Gram Parsons is one of the strongest offerings of twangy Americana in years.” Joshua Valocchi, Philadelphia Weekly

“The band has that ragged blues-meets-country-rock groove down cold, with plenty of slashing guitar work and a rhythm section that could pulverize concrete. They come charging out of the gate with attitude and energy to spare and a relentless mid-tempo thump that never lets up.” J. Poet, Harp Magazine

From SXSW '08: "Any band with a singer as hot and infernal as Masha ought to be famous or big enough to headline a show at, say, Grinders, or a big-tent show at Wakarusa. So the Deadstring Brothers' obscurity is baffling. They put on one of my favorite shows all weekend: all Detroit soul, Southern rock and Delta blues -- more Stones and Faces than the Black Crowes (and she's much more enrapturing than Chris Robinson). Kansas City Star.

“Imagine Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and Gram Parsons in their primes, transplanted to Detroit, laid off from the Ford plant, pissed off and ready to pound longnecks (if not rednecks) at the local saloon, and you’ll have some idea of the emotional weight and sonic power of Starving Winter Report. There is no best song here; the whole album is great. It’s loud, loose, ragged, and not far removed from a stomping, beer-swilling masterpiece.” Andy Whitman, Paste Magazine

www.deadstringbrothers.com
www.myspace.com/twofingersoffirewater

Although still widely recognised as the voice behind Fairground Attraction and their big hit Perfect, Eddi Reader has developed a strong solo career and has released eight incredible original albums alongside a few live shows. The current tour will promote her greatest hits collection and promises to be a sensational show featuring her great band that includes Boo Hewerdine and Roy Dodds.

www.eddireader.co.uk

It’s been a few years since Fred and his amazing band last played the Maze however the memory of that show has lasted and remains one of the most entertaining and special performances presented so far by Cosmic American Music.

IT'S TIME TO GET HIP TO FRED EAGLESMITH!!!

Award-winning singer-songwriter Fred Eaglesmith inspires comparisons to icons like Woody Guthrie and Bruce Springsteen, tops the roots music charts, and boasts devoted fans that include a slew of his fellow songwriters. High-profile tastemakers in the know — fellow musicians like Toby Keith and The Cowboy Junkies as well as film folks like Martin Scorsese and James Caan, to name a few — consider him one of the stellar musical and lyrical talents of our day.

Eaglemsith's music has been described by reviewers as a "blend of aching country and barroom rock" and a "mixture of hard-edged honky-tonk balanced between rock'n'roll and early '60s country music." His dynamic live shows are "exactly like the sort of music you dream of hearing in some crowded, hot, beery bar near closing time… a truly timeless brand of primitive rock'n'roll," says Amazon.com. Eaglesmith is also known as a between-song raconteur whose pointed and illuminating storytelling and comedic skills are as sharp as his songwriting.

www.fredeaglesmith.com

Steve Forbert is an american folk / rock songwtitter of the highest order. Nearly 28 years since breaking into pop consciousness with his second album Jackrabbit Slim and its infectious Top Ten single “Romeo’s Tune,” Steve Forbert remains a master of songs offering clear-eyed insight and plain-spoken, heartfelt eloquence. On his 429 Records/SLG debut, the well-traveled Nashville-based troubadour—who maintains a busy touring schedule of over 100 dates a year — explores his ongoing fascination for Strange Names & New Sensations with characteristic wit, a sense of social consciousness and the ever-present romantic optimism that has endeared him to two generations of folk/rock fans.

www.myspace.com/steveforbert