High Atmosphere, the third album in the remarkable career arc of singer-songwriter Diana Jones, hits with the force of a revelation, further deepening an unprecedented body of work that began in 2006 with My Remembrance of You and continued with 2009’s Better Times Will Come. On her new release, [Diana] continues to hew to an austere, plainspoken aesthetic, yet its timelessly homespun frameworks are embedded with distinctly topical subject matter. As Bill Friskics-Warren so aptly pointed out in his New York Times profile, Jones “approaches the mountain-ballad tradition not as a curiosity or antique but as a renewable vernacular that’s just as capable of speaking to the human condition now as it was 80 years ago...”
Jones’ back-story is itself as full of cathartic moments, ironic twists and intricate connections as her narratives. During her childhood and adolescence, she felt an almost mystical, seemingly inexplicable attraction to rural Southern music, while growing up in the Northeast with no art or music in her home, the adopted daughter of a chemical engineer. It wasn’t until her late 20s, when she located her birth family in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains in east Tennessee, that Jones’ deep affinity for Anglo-Celtic traditional music began to make sense.
Specifically, it was hanging out with her grandfather, Robert Lee Maranville, that brought on her life-changing epiphany. “He was a guitar player from Knoxville, Tennessee, who played with Chet Atkins in the early days,” Jones explained in 2009. “He told me that if he had died, his one regret would have been never to have known the granddaughter who was given away. He took me driving ’round the Appalachians, reintroducing me to where I came from. And whenever these old-time country tunes came on the radio, he’d be singing along — he knew all the words. This ancient mountain music was completely in his blood and, I suddenly came to realize, in mine, too...”
Meet Liah Alonso and Kelly Halloran, collectively known as Left on Red. Left on Red features Liah on guitar and lead vocals and Kelly on violin, guitar, vocals and drums. Left on Red simply means to take your own direction. This dynamic duo is edgy and entertaining, using their spirited songs and harmonies to inspire positive social and environmental changes in the world...
If you grew up in New York as a fan of folk music, or acoustic rock for that matter, Pete Fornatale is probably a huge reason why. From his Campus Caravan on WFUV in 1964 to his debut on WNEW in 1970 to his "Mixed Bag" , which began on WNEW in 1982 and continues today on WFUV, Pete has been "a staple of New York radio for over 40 years."
You've seen him on PBS "as an expert guest commentator on PBS specials featuring The Bee Gees, Bobby Darin, Bob Dylan, John Fogerty, The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Mamas & The Papas, The Moody Blues, Roy Orbison, Peter, Paul & Mary, Simon & Garfunkel, James Taylor and The Weavers." Pete has also written several books, and "has won numerous awards during his lengthy and diverse career."
Pete is currently is currently "touring the Northeast area with two different multimedia programs to support his most recent book releases. The show titled "Back to the Garden: The Story of Woodstock" focuses on Pete's experiences as an on-air personality during that period, and it is highlighted by Woodstock-related anecdotes based on events that occurred throughout the DJ's lengthy career as an interviewer, DJ and author. The program titled "How Terribly Strange to be 70" looks at the tumultuous history of Simon & Garfunkel, beginning with their early years when they performed as the duo 'Tom and Jerry'."
David Roth strikes many chords, hearts, and minds with his unique songs, offbeat observations, moving stories, sense of the hilarious, and powerful singing and subject matter. As singer, songwriter, recording artist, keynote speaker, workshop leader, and instructor, David has earned top honors at premier songwriter competitions - Kerrville (TX) and Falcon Ridge (NY) - and taken his music, experience, and expertise to a wide variety of venues in this and other countries full-time for more than two decades...
Tom's songs have been covered by Jefferson Starship, the Band, Rick Danko, Ritchie Havens, Scott Petito & Leslie Ritter, John Hall and dozens of European artists, many becoming number one hits in England and Norway...
Throughout a 35-year performing career, Rod MacDonald has been entertaining audiences worldwide with his timeless ballads, modern folk songs, and his musical versatility. Possessing the heart of a troubadour, the soul of a poet and the voice of a virtuoso, he is as distinctive an entertainer as he is a songwriter. Known for his passionate interest in the events that shape our world's societies, Rod is a prolific and poignant communicator who is regarded as "one of the most politically and socially aware lyricists of our time..."
