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DETROIT'S OWN JONEZEN RELEASES NEW MIX TAPE!

Detroit's own JONEZEN releases a brand new mix tape "The Party Ain't Over" vol 1 ft tracks with Gucci Mane and songs off his upcoming album Beautiful Disaster. Get the free download here. 

http://www.datpiff.com/Jonezen-jonezenmusic-The-Party-Aint-Over-Mixtape-feat-mixtape.680077.html

2013 has been a break-through year for Jonezen who was crowned Hip Hop Artist Of The Year at the 2013 Los Angeles Music Awards. He has done two independently booked tours, performed at the Speak Your Mind Hip Hop Festival, along side Blackalicious, licensed material for use in TV and film, and been nominated for two Los Angeles Music Awards.

Jones learned the hard way and was told by his doctor after an arrest that may not live another year due to his excessive drinking. Constant touring and partying had caught up with Jonezen. He was faced with a choice: Either go to rehab or die from his habit.

Jonezen refused to go to rehab unless he could bring his recording studio. He found a treatment center in Los Angeles that would let him do just that and upon entering he began working on the critically acclaimed mixtape Live From Rehab.

After leaving treatment Jonezen landed a distribution deal with Famous Records/ Fontana/ Universal. Jeffrey Collins, President, Famous Records Corp., says, “His first release Buried By Six is not only an anthem for people to wake up from their ‘addiction’ but it’s also becoming a popular record that’s being played not only in clubs across the US but also across Europe & as far away as Japan".

2014 is shaping up to be another great year for the rapper. He is nominated for Solo Performer of The Year and Hip Hop Artist Of The Year at the 2014 Los Angeles Music Awards, booked for SXSW, recently signed with Mannatt, Phelps, and Philips, and finishing his new album Beautiful Disaster.

Videos, press, music, photos, and more are available at www.jonezenmusic.com .

DOWNLOAD "THE PARTY AIN'T OVER" NOW

JAMES WILLIAMSON'S RE-LICKED SOLO RELEASE AND FORTHCOMING LIVE SHOW...

Full frontal disclosure: I did the Art Direction along with frequent design partner 

Joel Pelletier of Wayhome.com, I drew the Leopard Lady logo and photographed a great deal of the recently released Re-Licked solo album by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee James Williamson, guitarist extraordinaire of Iggy and The Stooges.  Then  Retrokimmer, DETROIT ROCK N ROLL and a host of other inquiring minds wanted to know the particulars of this design process. Prepare yourself for rather dry, clinical graphic art rumination ahead about what is actually exhilarating, passionate, mind-blowing, wild Stoogemusic! Below, James sans makeup.

After the last Iggy and The Stooges show 9.28.13 (see LINK) and his keynote speech and performance this year at SxSW 2014 and Austin School of Rock respectively (LINK) Williamson honed in on a project that my friend, author Harvey Kubernik called "a karmic correction." Williamson wanted to properly record what would have been the followup album to Iggy and The Stooges' Raw Power, songs written by Iggy Pop and him that only saw light of day as bootlegged tracks varying in "quality" from muffled rehearsal audiocassette tapes to various noises sounding like Jacques Cousteau shrieking underwater while his scuba equipment was being jerked away. When present day Iggy somewhat waffled, appropriately intense singers promptly signed on.



 Who sang what is legible on the back cover art above. Each singer contributes apropos Stoogepassion in his or her singular style. You're sure to have your own favorites given the spread from O.G. punks like Jello Biafra to popular young rock artists like The Orwells. Who played what is documented in both the 24-page booklet and "The Making of Re-Licked" documentary film that accompany each of the release's formats, cd, vinyl and digital download. Below, James and Mario Cuomo, The Orwells' singer.

Below, Alison Mosshart (of The Kills, The Dead Weather) and Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees) tackle "Wild Love" as a call and response duet for Re-Licked. 

Below, the next three photos were shot in Dave Grohl's deluxe-but-funky Studio 606.  606's main draw could be the Neve soundboard Dave purchased from Sound City when it folded, an establishment with equipment so astonishing that it warranted its own documentary.

  

  

The photos above are singer Petra Haden and Primal Scream bassist Simone Marie Butler adding background vocals; Simone on bass with James; James being percussive with drummer Michael Urbano; singer Ron Young of Little Caesar, Simone, and Joe Cardamone at the latter's Valley Sound studio where the rest of Re-Licked was recorded . The touring Stooges, Mike Watt, Toby Dammit and Steve Mackay contributed to many of the tracks as well. Below, at Valley Sound, Simone Marie finds the perfect equipment...

 

With force-of-nature Lisa Kekaula (above) volcanically belting out "I Got A Right," James Williamson playing at his finest, fastest and furious-est plus top of her field Cleo Viper demonstrating her own right to move, I thought this would be a good concept and a good match of talents for the planned promotional video. Below, stellar retro-burlesque artist Cleo Viper performing in my photo studio and the "I Got A Right" video teaser, which is one of the special features included on the album's "The Making of Re-Licked dvd. Both were directed by Amy D'Allessandro with cinematographer James Stolz. 

                                      (Video LINK )          

Our client captioned the shot below "rockin' the estrogen" whereas Studio 606 sound tech Vanessa Silberman (below far left) noted it was the most women seen working in the studio rather than being companions and whatnot. Below left to right, Silberman, Simone Marie Butler, Amy D'Allessandro, Petra Haden, yours truly and James in front, Neve console lurking in back. Women indeed shine on this release with Lisa Kekaula, Carolyn Wonderland and Alison Mosshart mining all possible emotions from their respective songs.

Below, my drawing based upon but not mimicking the art found on James' original Gibson guitar (see above back cover pic) used in all his original Stooge doings and much of the recording. 

 James as client fortunately presented Joel and me with strong images that made for  memorable graphics. The initial two projects were the covers of the Re-Licked preview 45rpm singles above, both featuring the handiwork of Trina Merry's ArtAlive bodypainting studio, with the skull theme related to James' nickname in the 1970s.  "Open Up And Bleed" photography by Juan Moreno, "I Got A Right" photography by Franklin Avery.

The first concept for the Re-Licked front cover was from photographer Mark Schvartzman's session with model Ryann Hilairey portraying the Leopard Lady sans clothing --more trompe l'oeil body paint by Trina Merry-- as seen below left in the shot that ended up in the gatefold of the lp and cd.  It had a black background plus an extra leopard but wasn't as strong an image as was required for a front cover, particularly given our graphically successful predecessors on the wild 45 singles covers above. 

 

A Franklin Avery shot below right with James himself in Trina Merry skull makeup against Tibetan prayer flags had been in consideration for the second single. However, the simplicity of the color planes of the flags adjacent James' face seemed perfect for the Re-Licked cover wherein the busyness of a whole lotta artists' names would be competing for attention. The artists' names column starts next to James' eyes for maximum impact, as human nature tends to observe anyone's eyes first (vestigial limbic brain reaction to assessing threats or not when we were but little bitty primates in the forest) before scanning around any layout. And I certainly approved of the 'they live again!' undercurrent of our heroically 40-years-persistent Stooges coupled divine intervention! (Jesus and Buddah love the Stooges to update their old motto...) 

Even without the universal acclaim of others (an easy Google) Re-Licked's highly enjoyable/energetic/emotional performances of some of Rock's best music ever should be your next purchase. 

And if you dwell in Los Angeles, you're in for an even bigger treat: the live show Friday Jan. 16th at the Bootleg Hifi Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., L.A. CA 90057. See below!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS 2014!

Wishing you safe travels this holiday season and always from our family to yours. Have a merry Xmas and a happy New Year.

CHINA SKY HAS A NEW RELEASE "ONE LIFE"!

China Sky features Detroit in new music video, new album due in February

International recording artists China Sky have released "One Life", a new music video featuring shots of iconic Detroit landmarks. The band will be releasing its first album of all new material since 1988 this February on UK-based label Escape Music.

Lead vocalist Ron Perry, a Detroit native, (who some may remember from Detroit 80's punk/metal band "The Nasties") dishes on the video and the new record: "As a kid growing up in Detroit, all my musical influences were artists that were from here. The first record I ever bought was "Smokin' In The Boys Room" by Brownsville Station. People like Seger, Nugent, and the MC5 all figured very prominently in my musical education, so for the video to include shots of the city that made me the musician that I am, and the city that I will always call home, was a no-brainer.

The concept is simple: I'm watching old tapes of the band, and decide that I'm going to go rejoin the group. Being a musician, of course I don't have a car, so I just start walking to Hollywood. The house I walk out of is the actual house I grew up in. From there I walk through downtown Detroit past the Ren-Cen and the giant fist, and continue across the country until I reach the Hollywood soundstage where I join with the band after 25 years. I thought it was a fitting analogy for the incredible journey we have been through".

China Sky's 1988 debut album has become something of a cult classic in recent years, prompting the reunion. Perry explains: "I was contacted by Escape Music about re-forming the band, and at first I thought it was a joke. I couldn't believe that people were still interested after all this time, but after taking two years to think about it, I called my old bandmate Richard Smith, who was not only receptive to a reunion, but was quite excited by the prospect.

At that point we decided that we had to surround ourselves with the best musicians available. One of the things that people seemed to like about the first China Sky album was the guitar work, and this time around, our new guitarist Steve Wheeler definitely kicks it up a notch or ten. He plays in a classic style, but in almost every solo, he throws in an unexpected twist that makes you turn your head and say "Wait…what was that"?

Fans of tasteful rock guitar shredding will love him. He never wastes a note, and I think he has raised the bar for melodic rock guitarists". Our drummer, Bruce Crump, was the original drummer in southern rock band Molly Hatchet. The guy played drums on "Flirtin' With Disaster"! 'Nuff said. Scottish keyboardist Tim McGowan is living proof that "If it's not Scottish, it's crap".

"In my opinion, the new album is much stronger than the first and definitely rocks a little harder. The lyrics have more depth, and the tracks are more thought out and dynamic. The new lineup is pure magic, and I can't wait to bring the band to Detroit"!

Check out China Sky's new video and Facebook page!

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GITTIN OFF ZERO: WEALTH, HAPPINESS AND PROSPERITY HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT EPISODE 5 OF THEKINGPINSKIDRADIO.COM FEATURING COURTNEY R BROWN JR.