Tim O'Brien Transforms With Pompadour

Tim O’Brien Transforms With Pompadour

Channels His Inner James Brown

Short Order Sessions Serves Up Monthly Specials

Fans Order Decadent Arrangements

New CD Out October 30^th On Howdy Skies Records

"…classic-sounding material stamped with his own perceptive personality" - The Wall Street Journal

Multi-award winning bluegrass-folk-singer-songwriter Tim O’Brien greases the musical wheel with Pompadour set to release on October 30th on his label Howdy Skies Records. Produced and recorded by O’Brien, he continues to meld his love for the traditional sounds of bluegrass and country with his dash of modern that finds him in a new place in life.

“…there’s a breakup, an assessment and ultimately delight at the end,” Tim O’Brien states,

but then concludes that, “It’s just me now.”

It’s been four years since the last Tim O’Brien solo record, and he has not sat idle. He’s been fronting, piloting and performing with folks like Steve Martin and Mark Knopfler to Hot Rize and Earls of Leicester, a group that includes dobro-master, Jerry Douglas. He’s achieved award-winning success, played with a vast grouping of musicians and yet the solo work keeps tugging at his feet.

The seeds of Pompadour took root about three years ago when O'Brien welcomed his New Zealand traveling colleagues to Nashville. "Gerry Paul is a guitarist from Wellington, New Zealand, and Trevor Hutchinson is a bassist from Dublin, Ireland," O'Brien says. "We grabbed a couple of days and recorded. This album was meant for the three of us to tour behind, but a lot of other things got in the way. And Gerry and Trevor both play with various bands, so I decided to finish it up on my own."

Pompadour swirls together bits of bluegrass, deep-roots Appalachian music, field hollers, old-school rock 'n' roll to traditional jazz and even James Brownian funk. The same applies to the perspectives from which O'Brien addresses the central theme. The spare lyrics of "I Gotta Move" and use of everyday images on "I'm A Mess For You" imply rather than spell out a story of loss and redemption. A steady-rockin' groove drives the classic trope of asking a doctor for a cure to heartache on "Give Me A Little Somethin' Take Her Off My Mind."

O’Brien hopes this release will touch his listeners more personally than much of today's new music. "This album feels really good to me," he sums up. "I love collaborating with other people, but I also like to stretch out and achieve things I might be best able to do on my own. It hangs together and tells a story. It's honest. It shows who I am as a person as well as a musician. That's something I can be proud of."

Short Order Sessions is an online shop that releases two download tracks each month on Amazon, iTunes, and other digital outlets. “I was inspired by Mo Ash and his Folkways vision. He recorded tons of stuff, down and dirty, and kept it all in print. He dodged commercial pressure somehow and was still able to do his own thing. I was thinking; Friends come to town, and we might jam at my house, and I’ve often thought it would be great to catch some of those moments. And I had these tracks in the can and ideas for others. The digital delivery system has changed everything, and I figured - why not carve my own model? In a way, the Pompadour CD is really just a way to advertise SOS.”  For more info: www.shortordersessions.com

Tim started this lifelong career when he told his mother that he knew 200 songs, and that was enough to get him through. He has done pretty well, don’t you think?

There will be a support tour starting in October and Tim is booked by Mongrel Music. Brad Hunt will handle radio.

You can view all things O’Brien at his website: www.timobrien.net

For publicity needs or inquiries, please contact: Jill Kettles at Miss Jill PR – Tel – 404-213-8542 and Email – Jill@missjillpr.com

Download a photo by clicking the link and photo credit goes to Scott Simontacci - http://missjillpr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Tim-OBrien-PR-Photo.jpg

FALL 2015 DATES

HOT RIZE SHOWCASE - Americana Music Assoc. Festival/Conference

9/17 Station Inn - 12 Midnight - Nashville, TN

With HOT RIZE

9/3        Brunswick, ME                 Thomas Point Beach Bluegrass Special 

9/4        Woodstown, NJ               Delaware Valley Bluegrass Festival Salem County Fairgrounds       

9/6        Pagosa Springs, CO         Four Corners Folk Festival

9/18      Louisville, KY                   The Clifton Center            

9/19      Bristol, TN                        Bristol Rhythm, and Roots Reunion Downtown   

9/25      Berryville, VA                   Watermelon Park Festival

9/26      Winona, MN                    Boats and Bluegrass Prairie Island  

10/2      Chattanooga, TN             3 Sisters Music Festival Ross' Landing    

10/9      Silk Hope, NC                  Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival         

10/16    Farmers Branch, TX         Bloomin' Bluegrass Festival Farmers Branch Historical Park

TIM O'BRIEN – SOLO DATES

10/9      Silk Hope, NC                  Shakori Hills Grassroots Festival         

10/29    Charlottesville, VA           The Southern Café and Music Hall

10/30    Washington, DC               The Hamilton

10/31    Annapolis, MD                  Ram’s Head                      

11/1      Sellersville, PA                   Sellersville Theater

11/4      Cambridge, MA                Club Passim

11/5      Fall River, MA                   Narrows Center for the Arts

11/6      Hamden, CT                      Spaceland Ballroom

11/7      Brownfield, ME                Stone Mountain Arts Center

11/8      Nashville, TN                     Station Inn w/ Old Man Luedecke 

11/11    Hesston, KS                       Prairie Windows Concert Series

11/12    Tulsa, OK                            Tulsa Little Theatre

11/13    Ft. Worth, TX                    The Live Oak

11/14    Fischer, TX                         Fischer Festival

            

New Release from Hal Leonard: How to Write Your First Song

New in the Hal Leonard HOW TO... Series How to Write Your First Song How to Write Your First Song by Dr. Dave Walker $16.99 (US) Inventory #HL 00138010 ISBN: 9781495001932 UPC: 888680029883 9" x 12", 112 pages  Now available! See & Hear Online! Sample Pages Audio Sample About the Author Dr. Dave Walker has been teaching music theory, songwriting, and guitar for over 40 years. He has recorded several video courses and has run two successful websites devoted to music theory and introducing new artists. Dr. Walker has written dozens of articles ranging from academic subjects to artist interviews and product reviews. As a columnist for Just Jazz Guitar magazine, he contributes two regular features, "On Music Theory" and "Music Software."  Dr. Walker has given talks literally around the world, from Harvard and Yale to New Zealand to Switzerland to Finland. He has taught absolute beginners to university graduate courses in music.   The hardest song to write is your first one. Whether you're an absolute novice or someone who has studied music in college, putting your ideas into an effective song form can be daunting, confusing and frustrating. Enter "Dr. Dave" Walker, your guide to discovering your own process as you complete your first song, making you a bona fide songwriter. How to Write Your First Song is the latest release in the Hal Leonard "How to..." series that lets musicians focus on areas they want to explore more in depth. This volume: Turns wannabes into songwriters by actually writing a song Works for first-time writers as well as experienced ones who have writer's block or who just want to branch out Gives students the confidence to keep writing by developing their own style as they write songs they like Helps those with no musical training as well as those with degrees in music Covers all major song forms plus instrumentals, game music, and more. ·         Does not require music reading as there is audio for every example  Dr. Dave wrote this book after years of working with students who desperately wanted to write a song but had no idea how to begin, even if they'd studied at the university level! He will show you that it is an easy and fun process that requires a minimum of technical knowledge but the discipline and process to keep refining ideas until they are as good as you can make them. That first song is a huge hurdle, but when it's jumped the next ones become increasingly easy. This book is structured so that you find your own style of writing, without forcing anyone else's style or techniques on you. There is enough instruction to keep you from floundering, but also a lot of divergent paths for you to explore and find the process that works for you. The How to... series now includes six volumes, each zooming in on a destinct topic of interest to musicians and written by experts with that specific expertise. How to Write Your First Song retails for $16.99 and is available from music and book stores or by visiting www.halleonard.com. About Hal Leonard Founded in 1947, Hal Leonard Corporation is the world's largest music print publisher and digital content provider, producing songbooks, sheet music, educational publications, reference books, DVDs, magazines, eBooks, digital sheet music, apps and more. The company is also a major distributor of music technology products, selling and marketing the most popular software, hard goods and accessories available today, to musicians and recording enthusiasts around the world. In its more than 200,000 available publications and products, Hal Leonard represents many of the world's best known and most respected publishers, artists, songwriters, arrangers and manufacturers. The company is headquartered in Milwaukee, WI and also has domestic offices in Winona, MN; New Jersey and Boston, and offices abroad in Australia, Belgium, China, Germany, Holland, Italy, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. \

Blues Great Trudy Lynn Inducted into Houston Music Hall of Fame

Blues Singer Trudy Lynn & Glyn Westcott President Houston Blues Society

Trudy Lynn Inducted Into Houston Music Hall of Fame The artists and the fans came out to celebrate Houston, TX - The stars came out big and bright deep in the heart of Texas as the annual Houston Press Music Awards ceremony came to life and the evening did not fail to excite those in attendance.  The event location, Warehouse Live, well known as the premiere spot for both national and local talent, played host to the 2015 HP Music Awards ceremony.  It was a virtual sea of who’s who within the music community from start to finish.  On this particular evening, on top of the evening's many well deserved genre’ specific award presentations,  the Houston Press would also induct one of the world's greatest traditional blues singers, Ms Trudy Lynn, into the much celebrated Houston Music Hall of Fame. Among those on hand to witness the various music award announcements as well as the inductions into the Houston Music Hall of Fame were John and Irene Deck Jr.  John, who is a Board Member on the Memphis based international Blues Foundation, had this to share about Trudy Lynn being inducted into the Music Hall of Fame, “Six time Blues Music Award Nominee Trudy Lynn epitomizes the blues.  The emotion conveyed by her powerful voice reaches deep within one’s soul.  I can think of no one that deserves this recognition for her contributions to the blues and the Houston music scene more than Trudy.  On behalf of myself, my wife Irene, and the Blues Foundation, we congratulate Trudy Lynn for being inducted into the Houston Music Hall of Fame.” Special Note: 2014 saw the meteoric rise of the Connor Ray Music release of Trudy Lynn's “Royal Oaks Blues Café”.  The release shot to number one on Billboard’s Blues Album chart and was also in the top five for four months in a row on the widely respected Living Blues chart.  John Abbey, COO, Connor Ray Music, commented, “All of us at Connor Ray are very excited for Trudy as her induction into the Houston Music Hall of Fame represents yet another well deserved milestone in Trudy’s career.  The woman is unbelievable, a tremendous talent of course.  You can feel the very raw emotion she releases in her songs. This is a wonderful night to remember”   Warehouse Live played host to the 2015 Houston Press Awards Blues Foundation Board Member John Deck Jr. congratulates Trudy Lynn Always dressed to the nines blues singer Ms Trudy Lynn is inducted into the Houston Music Hall of Fame Steve Krase, right, congratulates Trudy Lynn at the2015 Houston Press Awards International Blues Artist Trudy Lynn accepting the 2015 Houston Press Music Award achievement plaque which commemorates her induction into the highly respected membership of the Houston Music Hall of Fame