2L April 99 Studio - Two Louies Magazine

THE GRAND OL' SOAP OPRY BY BUCK MUNGER
Continued from page 17
Fernando needs a lawyer too...
To bang out the boiler-plate on that
mega-deal, just around the corner with
Interscope Records...
March 29th Interscope flew Cravedog
recording artist Fernando and his band, guitarist
Dan Eccies, bassist Joe Chiusano and
drummer Clayton Jones to Los Angeles to
perform five songs in a rented rehearsal hall
for a group of A&R executives from all the
labels of the new Universal-Seagrams group.
Cravedog owner Todd Crosby said big
things started happening for Fernando the day
after he signed a partnership deal with Off The
Porch Mgt., owned by Brad Bogart, son of
Neil Bogart, founder of Casablanca Records
(Kiss, Donna Summers)
Todd and Brad now co-manage
Fernando.
Crosby met the Bogarts through Luther
Russell, producer of Fernando’s latest
Cravedog release, “Old Man Motel” Russell’s
band Federales, themselves newly signed to
Geffen, is managed by Brad Bogart..
Could this be Cravedog’s first major label
discovery, like Everclear for Tim Kerr
Records? Remember the money Mercury
showered on T/K after that?
“I’ve got this record and one more says
the indie label owner.
Robert Cray chooses an indie label...
In the lead story of Billboard’s Artists &
Music feature by Chris Morris April 3, 1998
“Cray Brings His ‘Shoes’ To Ryko -Label bow
Finds Guitarist Playing With Southern Soul
Sound”
After 13 years on Mercury Records Robert
says he chose Rykodisc to release “Take
Your Shoes Off” because “We wanted some
more attention paid to us.”
In 1986 Cray’s Mercury/HighTone album
“Strong Persuader” went double-platinum
Robert says, “Rykodisc...said the right
things. We checked on their track record, and
they spend a lot of time with the records they
do release.”
Robert wrote or co-wrote six of the
album’s 12 songs.
Cray is supported on “Take Off Your
Shoes” by his longtime band-keyboardist Jim
Pugh, bassist Karl Sevareid, and drummer
Page 26 - TWO LOUIES, April 1999
Kevin Hayes. For the recording Robert also
used the Memphis Horns and regular Rolling
Stones sideman Bobby Keys.
Cray say of the record, “We have some
soul things, and then you hear some different
influences, Jimi Hendrix and things like that,
creep through, and soul singers and all that.”
Jimi Hendrix is a good influence
Jimi has two albums on Billboard’s Top
200 (4/3/99). “Live At The Fillmore East #162
and “The Best Of Jimi Hendrix” #186.
Robert’s bandmate Curtis Salgado has a
new album out too.
Curtis’ fourth solo album and first for
Shanachie Records “Wiggle Outta This” is
generating heat in the blues world and early
airplay up and down the coast.
Blues Review says “One of the country’s
most innovative and exciting blues performers.
The San Francisco Examiner says “One
in a million voice...melodic, churning gutsy
harmonica playing.”
Curtis swings through Portland at the
Crystal Ballroom, April 15th and back again
April 28th at “Museum After Hours”.
Two of these and you’re on your butt...
Gig Magazine covered the Seattle scene
in their March ’99 issue, finding that the most
interesting original club band they saw, is from
Portland, Oregon.
Pink Martini gets the color photo and 24
point type pitch, “...they blend classical, Latin,
and jazz elements into a hybrid sound that
attracts a wide fan base. The 10-piece band,
led by classically trained pianist Thomas Lauderdale,
plays clubs, theaters, conventions and
even the Cannes Film Festival, where they
backed Al Green for three songs. Their selfreleased
CD, “Sympathique, has sold close to
40,000 units.”
Meredith Brooks prepares Sophomore
effort...
That tough follow-up to your platinum,
double Grammy nominated, round the world
heralded big hit album.
But how high are Capitol’s expectations?
Ms. Brooks is going for what worked last
time, playing all the guitar parts and writing
or co-writing all the songs with her long time
collaborator Shelly Peiken and newcomers
Rick Nowells and Billy Steinberg.
Meredith will co-produce with David
Darling (the Boxing Gandhis)
The Capitol Records release will be entitled
“Deconstruction”
March 10th Meredith recorded “Lay
Down” at the Capitol studios with rap superstar
Queen Latifah and the choir from
Crenshaw High School.
Get down girl friend...
That other band from Corvallis, The W’s.
refuse to fade on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart,
clinging to #37 after 8 months on that chart.
“Fourth From The Last” is on 5 Minute
Walk Records.
Sleater-Kinney’s album “The Hot Rock”
on Kill Rock Stars is #35 on Billboard’s
Heatseekers chart after 4 weeks.
The all woman band was the subject of a
cover story (The Band From The End Of The
World) in the online magazine w
www.addict.com, written by Michael
Goldberg, dateline Portland.
“In the beginning, way back in 1994,
Sleater-Kinney sounded something like what
you’d get mixing Bikini Kill and the Ramones.
They wrote fierce, riot grrrl-style, feminist
rants. Their entire first album lasts about 22
minutes.”
Doing it the old fashioned way...
In the last 35 days 4th Plane Jaiant has
played 10 clubs, done 5 in-stores, granted 10
college interviews and visited 8 radio stations.
The month of travel in support of their
indie release “Tideline” has taken them to the
University of Montana, The University of
Great Falls, Eastern Oregon University, the
University of Puget Sound, Pierce College,
Southern Oregon University and Chemeketa
College
April 10th they appear at Oregon State
University.
Radio airplay on”Tideline” is building
rapidly in northern California with several
R&R, Album Network, Gavin, Friday Morning
Quarterback and Billboard reporting stations
playing it in “heavy” rotation.