AQUALUNG



The Album
Strange & Beautiful

The Track
”Strange & Beautiful (I’ll Put A Spell On You)”

The Label
Slightly Bigger/Red Ink/Columbia

Liner Notes
Check your antique images of one-legged flutists at the door. And meet Aqualung. Beautiful lush and stately orchestrated angst, from dreamy '60s Pet Sounds-pop to stark minor key Radiohead/Coldplay modern melodies. The man behind the curtain of Aqualung, U.K. songwriter/crooner Matt Hales, did the impossible. The young classically-trained pianist and composer was finally able to give up his odd day jobs after his song "Strange & Beautiful" was used in the background for a Volkswagen Beetle TV commercial and went on to become a major U.K. hit in 2002. The North American release of Strange & Beautiful is a compilation of the first two Aqualung albums (Aqualung and Still Life), previously released in Britain. After a recent appearance at SXSW in Austin, Aqualung has blown up in the U.S. Led by early major market airplay on WFUV, "Strange & Beautiful" is now impacting AAA radio.

Site
www.aqualung.net

On
WXPN Philadelphia
WFUV Bronx/New York
KCRW Santa Monica/Los Angeles
KEXP Seattle
WTMD Baltimore
XM The Loft
WDET Detroit
WFPK Louisville
KUT Austin
DMX
KCLC St. Louis
KMTT Seattle
WMNF Tampa
WNRN Charlottesville
WCBE Columbus
World Cafe
KRCC Eugene
KTBG Kansas City
KUWR Laramie/Cheyenne
KXCI Tucson
Maine Public Radio
Music Choice
WAPS Akron
WBJB Lincroft NJ
WBSD Burlington WI
WRAX Birmingham
WSYC Shippensburg PA               

Press
"Matt Hales, the former child prodigy behind Aqualung, boasts major vocal, instrumental and compositional chops on his American debut, a combination of remixes and tracks from his two U.K. albums. Uniting Radiohead-ish British rock and symphonic pop in the masterly mold of Burt Bacharach, the Beatles and the Beach Boys, tenor Hales delivers keenly focused keyboards-based drama that blows away all pretenders trailing in Coldplay’s wake. Garden State soundtrack fans take note. "
—Rolling Stone

“With the soft vocals of Matt Hales and heartfelt lyrics, Aqualung shoud hold instant appeal to fans of David Gray and John Mayer, but the duo’s arrangements are far more sophisticated than either of the aforementioned artists. Instead of taking the wishy-washy way out, Aqualung will unexpectedly cut it’s two instruments in and around one another, and Hales has a tendency to bleed a falsetto into a guitar squeal.”
—Billboard.com (SXSW daily diary)

“Not a Tull Tribute, but a set of gorgeous, lo-fi-Coldplay swoons by British balladeer Matt Hales, highlighted by the must-hear title track. Even when he sings about “Falling out of Love,” he sounds enraptured. A-
—Entertainment Weekly

Retail
Strange & Beautiful is now in stores as of March 22.

Tours/Performances
Aqualung opened for Coldplay in Los Angeles on March 12. A U.S. headling small club tour begins April 26 in Detroit.
Performed on Morning Becomes Eclectic/KCRW Santa Monica
World Café (upcoming)
Mountain Stage taping, Charleston, WV (April 17)
April 5 Orange Peel, Asheville
April 7 Myrtle Beach, SC
April 8 Chestertown, MD

TV
Performed on Last Call With Carson Daly (NBC) on March 29
Upcoming performance April 15 on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (CBS)

Film/Soundtrack
Aqualung’s ”Brighter Than Sunshine” is featured in A Lot Like Love (Touchstone Pictures/Beacon Pictures), opening April 22.

Contact
Danny Buch, Red Ink
Trina Tombrink, John Vernile, Columbia

THE DUHKS


By Jim Manion, PD/MD, WFHB Bloomington


The Album
The Duhks

The Label
Sugar Hill

Liner Notes
The Duhks are a frisky young folk-fusion band from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Their sound is their own; the usual genre designations do not apply. Traditional melodies from Ireland, Acadia and Appalachia mesh with propulsive organic polyrhythms that also carry the pulse of electronic funk. Their mix of instrumentation and influences is both unusual and natural, and much of the time the framework for stunning vocals.

The five members of The Duhks are Tania Elizabeth (fiddle), Jessica Havey (vocals), Jordan McConnell (guitar and pipes), Leonard Podolak (banjo) and Scott Senior (drums and percussion). All but drummer Senior share lead and harmony vocals, with Havey getting the main vocal spotlight. Havey sings with just the right dose of gospel/soul flavor, at times bringing the expressiveness and edge of Etta James to the mix. Havey immediately gets your attention when she jumps on the lead vocal of the album's opening track, "Death Came a Knockin'." Havey's vocal exuberance is balanced by the airy beauty of fiddler Tania Elizabeth's soprano, who shines on "The Wagoner's Lad."
    
The Duhks' new release on Sugar Hill was produced by Bela Flek, whose presence is felt not from imposing his own sound, but by his keen sense of capturing remarkable musical moments with clarity. Flek contributes one modest banjo track to the set and brings in a few musical friends like Paul Brady, Edgar Meyer, Abigail Washburn and Victor Wooten here and there, but only for subtle touches. From start to finish, the album is The Duhks' and no one else's. 
    
The pacing and dynamics of the self-titled CD's fourteen tracks weave through the type of setlist that would make less-talented musicians shudder. Some of the songs kick with layers of rhythm and melody that can confound while they draw you in ("Death Came a Knockin'," "True Religion"), their mission coming clearer as vocals kick in. Others ("Mists of Down Below," "The Wagoner's Lad") are just simply gorgeous and full of musical sensuality. The Duhks' instrumentals ("Gene's Machine," "The Magnolia Set," "The Dregs of Birch") put to rest any question that a pop/rock approach to working with traditional elements means you can't play old-style tunes with intricate finesse.
    
Besides bringing in traditional songs and adding their own twists and melodies, The Duhks also make fine song choices from contemporary writers, including Ruth Unger of The Mammals, Paul Brady and Sting. Of special note is their revival of Canadian folk cult heroes Fraser and Debolt's 1970 gem "Dancehall Girls." Leonard Cohen's "Everybody Knows" also stands out, with Leonard Podolak's rough and ready lead vocals driving home the song's point.
    
For radio, the varieties of musical settings on the album present multiple airplay opportunities. An arresting and up-front song like "Death Came a Knockin'" would fit into an upbeat, drive-time mix. "The Wagoner's Lad" would sound delicious on a Sunday morning. Their rangy instrumentals would be more fitting for specialty shows with folk and international flavor. 
    
The Duhks are on a relentless tour and word of mouth is spreading fast about the band that can inspire a mosh-pit with their rock-energy musical fusion that sounds brand new yet quite familiar. All the more reason to play them on the radio.  

Site
www.sugarhillrecords.com

On
WFUV Bronx/New York
WXPN Philadelphia
WTMD Towson/Baltimore
WDET Detroit
KPIG Monterey/Salinas/Santa Cruz/San Luis Obispo
WFPK Louisville
KCLC St. Louis
XM Cafe
WNCW Spindale-Asheville/Charlotte/Greenville/Spartanburg
WDST Woodstock
WCBE Columbus
KUT Austin
WNRN Annapolis/Baltimore
KRSH (The Krush) Santa Rosa
KOZT (The Coast) Fort Bragg/Mendocino County, CA
WGWG Boiling Springs/W. Charlotte
KTHX Reno
WMNF Tampa
KLCC Eugene
KXCI Tucson
WYSO Yellow Springs/Dayton
KRCC Eugene
KNBA Anchorage
KFAN Fredericksburg, TX
KHUM Ferndale/Eureka/Humboldt County, CA
WEVL Memphis
WSYC Shippensburg, PA
KFMU Steamboat Springs, CO
MSPR
WBJB Lincroft, NJ
WMFO Medford/Boston
WKZE Sharon, CT/Poughkeepsie, NY
KLRR Bend, OR
WBCG Punta Gorda, FL
KYSL (Kystal 93) Frisco/Breckenridge/Vail
KTBG (The Bridge) Warrensburg, MO/Kansas City
DMX
WFHB Bloomington
WMWV Conway, NH
WRSI (The River) Northampton/Springfield/Greenfield/Amherst, MA
KDNK Carbondale/Aspen
KAXE Grand Rapids, MN
WSGE Dallas/Charlotte
WUKY Lexington
WNKU Highland Heights, KY/Cincinnati
WMVY Cape Cod
KRCL Salt Lake City
WDIY Allentown
WUTC Knoxville
Acoustic Cafe
KUNC Greeley, CO
KSLU Hammond, LA
KMTN Jackson, WY
KSUT Ignacio/Durango, CO
KVNF Paonia, CO
KPND Sandpoint, ID/Spokane
WYCE Grand Rapids
KRVM Eugene
Maine Public Radio
WERU Blue Hills/Bar Harbor, MN
KUWR Laramie/Cheyenne, WY
...and many more!

Press
"[Offering] an inventive bridge of folk music styles capped by Latin percussion and an overall virtuosity that could make them stars."
—Boston Globe

"...A band to watch, [wielding] a look and an attack that's as much punk rock as folk, marrying Canadian and Appalachian string-band music with (what else?) Salsa dance beats and dramatic soul singing."
—Village Voice

Retail
The Duhks is now in stores.

Tours/Performances
Appeared on World cafe 3/15
3/22 Tampa, Skipper's Smokehouse
3/24 Live Oak, FL Suwanee Springfest
3/25 Live Oak, FL Suwanee Springfest
3/26 Live Oak, FL Suwanee Springfest
3/27 Live Oak, FL Suwanee Springfest
4/14 Cleveland, Beachland Ballroom and Tavern
4/15 Lancaster, PA Chameleon Club
4/16 Bryn Mawr, PA The Point
4/17 Sellersville, PA Sellersville Theatre
4/19 Somerville, MA Johnny D's
4/20 Ithaca, NY The Chapter House
4/21 Northhampton, MA Iron Horse Music Hall
4/22 Amenia, NY Troutbeck Country Inn
4/23 New York, Joe's Pub
4/26 Arlington, VA Iota Café
4/28 Wilkesboro, NC Merlefest
4/29 Wilkesboro, NC Merlefest
4/30 Wilkesboro, NC Merlefest
5/01 Wilkesboro, NC Merlefest
5/05 Lexington, KY The Dame
5/06 Newport, KY Southgate House
5/07 Chicago, Fitzgeralds
5/08 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
5/12 Louisville, Uncle Pleasants
5/13 Birmingham, AL Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil
5/14 Asheville, NC Stella Blue
5/16 Greensboro, NC Wild Magnolia
5/18 Charleston, SC The Music Farm
5/19 Atlanta, Smith's Old Bar
5/21 Durham, NC Sugarfest
5/22 Nashville, 3rd & Lindsley
6/18 Telluride, CO Telluride Bluegrass Festival
6/25 laytonville, CA Kate Wolf festival
7/03 Jacksonville, OR Britt Festival
7/13 Weehawken, NJ Hudson Riverfront Performing Arts Center
7/15 Greenfield, MA Greenfield Community College
7/16 Greenfield, MA Greenfield Community College
7/17 Nelson, NH Forget-Me-Not Farm
7/19 Kennett Square, PA Longwood Gardens
7/22 Bean Blossom, IN Magnoliafest/Mid-West
7/23 Bean Blossom, IN Magnoliafest/Mid-West
7/24 Bean Blossom, IN Magnoliafest/Mid-West

Contact
Lindsay Reid, Sugar Hill Records
lindsayr@sugarhillrecords.com
Voice 919.489.4349