(c) Paul Cisneros.

 

LEDASWAN ANNOUNCE WEST COAST SUMMER TOUR

IN ANTICIPATION OF UPCOMING ALBUM THIS FALL 2009

 
San Antonio, Texas, July 1, 2009-San-Antonio based rock band Ledaswan heads out on a West Coast tour beginning this July in support of the band’s upcoming album due out the fall of 2009.  Fans will be able to preview the new material from forthcoming album during the tour.
 
Ledaswan produces and records their own music, which paid off with Verse of Truth, Trash and Beauty (Airport Goodbye Records, 2008). Verse of Truth, Trash and Beauty, the band’s debut album won Best Album of 2007, as voted by readers of the San Antonio Current.
 
From Verse of Truth, Trash and Beauty’s first track “U vs The City,” the music explodes as a pulsing, gritty intro to the record, creating the anthem: “Every day is not the same in the city.”  It is this spirit of struggle that carries through the whole record, both lyrically and musically, blending the ethereal vocals of lead-singer Erica Gutierrez with layers of guitar grunge and the thunderous Pixies-style drumming. 
 
Ledaswan came together over an urgent love for The Jesus and Mary Chain’s echoed-stoned “Psychocandy,” the fractured bass melodies of Joy Division’s “Day of Lords,” and the sinister charm of Mazzy Star’s “Halah.”
 
The band is led by Erica Guitierrez, whose vocal range varies from ethereal to haunting, a talent which led to her winning the 2007 San Antonio Current Best Singer-Songwriter award. Ledaswan‘s deeply textured music is rounded out by brothers Jaime and David Monzon on guitar, Jackee Flores on bass/backup vocals and Delrick Colwell on drums. 

 Performing their very first show when they were invited to play at Emo’s in Austin, Texas, for Ladyfest 2004, they have since performed with the likes of Veruca Salt, the Umbrellas, Susan Gibson, Jim Ward, Jeremy Enigk, and indie rockers Lydia.

Ledaswan’s summer  2009 tour schedule is as follows: 

July 15, Ohagans, El Paso, TX, w/Ralpheene, Jayden’s Playground and BB Gun Johnny. Set-time: 11:00pm, free show, 21+

July 17, Blue Café, Long Beach, CA. Set-time: 10:00pm, Tickets $10.00, 21+

July 19, The Knitting Factory’s Alterknit Lounge, Hollywood, CA, w/ the Happy Casualties, The Kris Special and Shotgun Showdown. Set-time: 8:00pm, tickets $7.00, all ages show.

July 20, The Viper Room, West Hollywood, CA, w/Murder FM, Juke Kartel, Taking Dawn, and Cassie Steele. Set-Time:12:00am, tickets: $10.00, 21+

July 21, The Scene, Glendale CA, w/Honey and Hotsauce, Somerset West, and Joie/Dead Blonde Girlfriend. Set-time: 10:00pm, 21+

July 22, Cheyenne Saloon, Las Vegas, NV, w/Voyeur, Sonic Stream, Extaza, Set-time: 8:00pm, tickets $5.00, 21+

July 23, Hollywood Alley, Phoenix, AZ, w/ Miss Derringer and Girl in a Coma. Set-time: 8:00pm, tickets $10.00, 21+

July 25, Zeppelins Underground, El Paso, TX w/ Girl in a Coma. Set-time: 9:00pm, tickets $5.00, 18+.

August 20, Rock Bottom, San Antonio, TX, w/The Start and Normandie, Set-time: 9:00pm, tickets $8.00, all ages show

For more information about Ledaswan visit: www.ledaswanmusic.net or www.myspace.com/ledaswan. Media inquiries may be directed to Franesa Pyle by email at noteworthypr@gmail.com or by calling (518) 852-1591.         

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 SEAN ROWE RELEASES: MAGIC

AVAILABLE ONLINE BEGINNING APRIL 21, 2009

Troy, New York, April 21, 2009-  Folk-blues rocker Sean Rowe delivers an impressive album entitled Magic on April 21, 2009.  Rowe will be touring throughout the spring and summer of 2009, in support of the new release, with more dates to be announced.

Resonant, robust and resolute: the voice of Sean Rowe is deep, distinct and endearing.  A sound so soulful, you would never imagine it came from a Caucasian man.

With his second release Magic (April 21, 2009/Collar City Records), Rowe’s lyrics are objective and passionate, each song portraying a feeling and mood by way of scattered imagery and events. Purveying a wide range of emotions, Magic is filled with life’s most sad and joyful moments. Rowe’s songs bear visions of impressionist paintings of struggle and pain, truth and beauty – undeniably a balance of dark and light. Oftentimes dreamlike, Rowe’s stanzas consist of non-linear glimpses that affect you in a visceral and instinctual manner.

“A lot of my songs have nothing to do with me personally, and that’s just the way I write. It’s hard for me to write in the first person because it’s like when I’m going through something, I really don’t want to write about it. I’m just stuck in the feeling of it. So, once I get perspective on it, it’s easier for me to write about it.”

Rowe uses a narrative style in Magic, but with a seemingly omniscient knowledge, as showcased on “Surprise,” a song which conveys tricks of the imagination – both in dwelling on the past and in hopes for the future.  Rowe’s subdued and introspective side can be heard on “Time To Think”, a dimly lit glimpse of a troubled heart accompanied by strings, with the inevitable passing of time being represented by a steady but restrained pulse.  ”Wrong Side of The Bed” is an up-tempo rock song whose minor key is fitting for a cynical look at the decay we are faced with in the world and in ourselves.

“Every song to me is about getting down to the truth. It’s about connecting. In a way I think that’s love because it’s understanding. A song like “Jonathan” (on the new CD) is really dark stuff, but it’s also trying to connect, trying to understand. And I just think that’s really important, especially when I write. I’m not just writing in a therapeutic way for myself. I’m really trying to grab somebody and open up and say, ‘Look at this!’”

In the end, Magic communicates an idea that is emotionally affecting, while still leaving room for subjective interpretation and an element of mystery.  There is no mystery, however in the love and admiration of Sean Rowe fans, as the production of Magic was entirely a fan-funded endeavor.  The album, including digital format will be available online at www.seanrowe.net. 

What critics are saying about Sean Rowe and Magic:

“Listening to Sean Rowe’s Album, Magic, it is hard to decide what is more magical-the dream inducing songs or Sean’s powerful, emotional voice. The big, deep and rich sound pulls on your heart almost to the point of breaking.”-Chris Wienk, Program Director at WEXT-FM

“As thick and sweet as molasses, Sean Rowe’s baritone is one of those rare singing voices that will leave you forever changed. Like Al Green, Van Morrison, or Gil Scott-Heron at their best…” -Metroland Magazine

“…to analyze it [Magic] threatens to destroy what its magic about it. To try and explain it to someone who hasn’t heard it is like taking the petals off a rose to see what’s in the middle. What you have left is a stem with a pistol on the end of it… This is an absolutely fantastic album that deserves extra points for defying all conventions. –Don Wilcock, The Troy Record

Hailing from Troy, New York, Rowe has been writing and performing music for the last decade, perfecting his earthy baritone singing and street-beat inspired guitar playing. His percussive acoustic guitar technique mimics the downbeat of a kick drum, the backbeat of a snare drum, and the harmonic support of a bass player. This large repertoire of sounds coupled with the bottomless power and charming sensitivity of Rowe’s dynamic singing voice make his live performances explosively sparkle.

Rowe’s official debut album, 27, was re-released on November 2004. The record earned several awards including the prestigious New York Foundation of the Arts Artist Fellowship Grant for music composition. 

Rowe explains the reasoning behind the lapse in time for the release of the second album, “I was sort of preoccupied,” he says. “I was living at a wilderness school. So, I was doing a lot of things. I spent a lot of time living alone. I did this solo wilderness survival trek for 24 days, and I was really focused on that aspect of my life, which is a big part of it between that stuff and the songwriting, it was a sort of weird paradox, and I was really focused. I’ve always done (the recording) for myself in the past. So, I guess that’s why it took a long time.”

In the fall of 2005, following the success of 27, Rowe was chosen out of 1,000 American acts to tour throughout the UK for a month under the management of Contemporary Music Events and Artist Services (CMEAS).  In late 2007, Rowe was one of four finalists chosen from a pool thousands of songwriters in the Williamsburg Live Songwriter Competition produced by Jezebel Music.  Rowe was also selected to perform a showcase event for the 2009 South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Festival in Austin, Texas. 

Sean Rowe will be on tour throughout the spring and summer of 2009, in support of his new release Magic.  The confirmed list of shows is as follows:

April 23, The Palace Theatre (Opening for The Doobie Brothers), Albany, NY

April 24, Bread and Jam, Cohoes, NY

May 9, The John St. Jam, Saugerties, NY

May 15, The Dreamaway Lodge, Beckett, MA

May 29, The Salt Hill Pub, Lebanon, NH

June 15, The Cantab Lounge, Cambridge, MA

September 10-12, The Utica Music Festival, Utica, NY

More dates will be released at www.seanrowe.net.

For more information about Sean Rowe visit www.seanrowe.net or visit his MySpace page at www.myspace.com/seanrowe.  Media inquiries may be directed to Franesa Pyle by email at noteworthypr@gmail.com or by calling (518) 852-1591.

Available 4.21.09 at www.seanrowe.net

Magic (April 2009/Collar City Records)