News and Updates from the Jon Spear Band

Dear Friends, Fans and Family – We have a number of enjoyable events planned for the summer,  and we're looking forward to seeing you at one of the fine venues listed below.  We're especially excited to be the opening act for Delbert McClinton this coming Friday July 17, at Charlottesville's venerable Jefferson Theater.  We've followed Delbert for years and we own a small mountain of his CDs – so it's an honor and privilege for us to be on the same billing with a performer of his caliber and reputation.  There are still tickets available so if you want to save a few $$$ by purchasing your tickets at the advance price, please click here. For our friends in the DC/MD/NOVA area, we have a great EARLY gig scheduled at JV's in Falls Church for Sunday, July 26 from 4-7:30 pm – so you can enjoy our music, have time for dinner, and still get home early!  Bandmembers Jon Spear and Andy Burdetsky both used to live in the DC area and they really enjoy seeing their old friends when we're back in town. 2015 is shaping up as a great year.  Our "Old Soul" CD has just started its 5th month on the Roots Radio Report "Top 50" Chart and has also been getting regular airtime on SiriusXM Bluesville satellite radio.  Come to any of our gigs and we'll have CDs available for sale and even autograph them if you want.  We've had some great reviews and, on top of that, we're appearing at events alongside the likes of Debbie Davies, Delbert McClinton, the Iguanas, the Chris Duarte Group, and Memphis Gold.  So what could make us happier?  – seeing YOU at one of these great upcoming events.

Friday July 17 with Delbert McClinton Delbert McClinton is a legend among Texas roots music aficionados. He's been entertaining appreciative audiences for over 40 years with his formidable harmonica playing, brilliant song-writing and and super-talented backup band.  The Jon Spear Band is going to get the Jefferson Theater in a rocking good mood for Delbert's appearance on July 17 and we're looking forward to seeing you there! Queen City Brewing Company Friday July 24 – 7:30-10:30 pm  834 Springhill Rd, Staunton, VA 24401 JV's Restaurant Sunday, July 26 – 4:00 to 7:30 pm 6666 Arlington Blvd, Falls Church VA Charlottesville Fridays After Five Friday, August 14 at 5:30 pm nTelos Wireless Pavilion   Starr Hill Brewery Sunday August 23 – 2:30 to 5 pm 5391 Three Notched Rd, Crozet, VA Chili Blues n' Brews Saturday, Sept. 19 – 2:30 pm Chris Duarte Group, Anthony Rosano & the Conqueroos, Memphis Gold, Fatty Lumpkin & the Love Hogs, and the Jon Spear Band @ Lumos Plaza, Waynesboro, VA Our "Old Soul" CD has just entered its fifth month on the Roots Music Report Contemporary Blues Album "Top 50" Chart.  Meanwhile, across the pond, "Old Soul" was listed at #17 in the Top 50 list compiled monthly by the UK Independent Blues Broadcasters Association in March of this year.  To date, our CD has been heard on over 60 stations on every continent except Antarctica, and we've signed up fans as far away as Japan, South Africa and Australia.  If you'd like to purchase your own copy of the CD and see what all the excitement is about, please visit CD Baby, Amazon.com, or iTunes.  www.jonspearband.com

Robert Cray - 4 Nights of Forty Years Live - Trailer Is Now Live...

                                                                                                                              

ROBERT CRAY BAND AND PROVOGUE / MASCOT LABEL

GROUP ANNOUNCE AUGUST 28 RELEASE DATE FOR

4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE

DVD and Blu-ray Accompanying 2-CD Set Features 90 Minutes Of Live Concert Footage

Alongside An In-Depth Interview With Cray And His Band, and Testimonials From Legends

Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, Keith Richards, Jimmie Vaughan and Bonnie Raitt

New York, NY --- Open ears and an open mind are the essence of singer, guitarist and songwriter Robert Cray, whose career spans from the roots of the blues to the pinnacles of rock, from the 80s to this moment. He grew up listening to the gospel of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Bobby Bland's soul, Jimi Hendrix's rock guitar and the Beatles pop sounds. Those influences and the signature sound Cray has imprinted on modern popular music are brought together in the Robert Cray Band's double CD and video package 4 Nights of 40 Years Live.

The set will be available in a variety of formats -  2 LPs with digital download card, 2 CDs + DVD, Blu-Ray + 2 CDs and digitally. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live will be released August 28 on the Netherlands-based Mascot Label Group.

The first CD is fresh, live recordings from four nights recently recorded at four venues in the LA area. With his current band --longtime bassist, collaborator and friend Richard Cousins, keyboardist Dover Weinberg (who was in Cray's first band) and drummer Les Falconer (O'Jays, Keb 'Mo) – Cray fronts a group that is solid, seasoned and vital. The playing is in the moment, and the sound is singular.

The thirteen cuts are selected from the Cray Band's recording library of 20 releases.  Among them are rock radio favorites “Bad Influence” and “Right Next Door (Because of Me),” the soul searing “Love Gone to Waste,” and “These Things,” a bluesy ballad that features one of Cray's string-bending and mind-blowing guitar solos.  The live CD is the fourth Cray Band release produced by Steve Jordan, who plays drums on several cuts. Also guesting are vocalist Kim Wilson and harmonica player Lee Oskar, tenor saxophonist Trevor Lawrence, trumpeter Steve Madaio and saxophonist Tom Scott.

The bonus CD is a revealing glimpse of Cray's early career and the promise of a future that would reward fans for decades.  Selected from the band's set at the 1982 San Francisco Blues Festival and a 1987 appearance on the Dutch TV Show “Countdown,” the music captures the band's youthful presence and its ability to revive the blues without abandoning it. Included are favorites from the Cray's Band 80s set lists;  “Smoking Gun” and “Too Many Cooks.”

The 94 minute video in 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a Cray Band convergence. Coming together are a mesmerizing blend of clips from the San Francisco Blues Festival, the Dutch TV show and the four concerts featured on the first CD. Between clips Cray comments on the band's history and his personal philosophy of music.  There is also behind the scenes footage of the band collaborating with producer Jordan. And putting the Cray Band in perspective are interviews with Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Bonnie Raitt, Jimmie Vaughan and Buddy Guy each giving their personal response to the music and the man.

It is extraordinary for musicians to thrive over four decades, and the Robert Cray Band is just that, extraordinary. The group has won five Grammy Awards, put 15 studio albums on the Billboard Charts, sold millions of records and toured the globe, playing clubs, concert halls, festivals and large arenas. Whether opening for John Lee Hooker or Eric Clapton, the band has captured audiences with music that is original, a sound that is distinctively rootsy and a performance style that keeps fans flocking back to see the Robert Cray Band headlining. 4 Nights of 40 Years Live is a testament to the band's past success and proof that the Robert Cray Band is as live as ever.

The track listing of 4 NIGHTS OF FORTY YEARS LIVE features on Disc One: "Shiver," "I'll Always Remember You," "Poor Johnny," "Won't Be Coming Home," "On The Road Down," "Sittin' On Top Of The World," "Wrap It Up," "Love Gone To Waste," "Bad Influence," "These Things," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "The Forecast (Calls For Pain)," and "Time Makes Two."  Disc Two presents "I Guess I Showed Her," "Right Next Door (Because Of Me)," "Smoking Gun," "Still Around," "Too Many Cooks," and "T-Bone Shuffle."  For detail on the DVD track listing visit: http://mascotlabelgroup.com/www.robertcray.com/

Robert Cray begins the North American leg of his global tour on July 30 in Paso Robles, CA at the California Mid-State Fair.  Confirmed appearances include:

7/30     Paso Robles, CA                                 California Mid-State Fair

7/31     Agoura Hills, CA                                The Canyon

8/01     Stateline, NV                                      Harrah's Lake Tahoe

8/02     Mammoth Lakes, CA                         Mammoth Lake Festival of Beers

8/04     Roseburg, OR                                     Music on the Half Shell

8/08     Lebanon, OR                                      Guitar Under The Stars (Cheadle Lake Park)

8/09     Snoqualmie, WA                                 Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom

8/11     Boise, ID                                             Egyptian Theatre

8/13     Breckenridge, CO                               Riverwalk Center

8/15     Boulder, CO                                       Chautauqua Auditorium

8/16     Deadwood, SD                                   Deadwood Mountain Hotel & Casino

8/18     Apple Valley, MN                              Weesner Family Amphitheater @ MN Zoo

9/18     Flint, MI                                              The Whiting

9/19     Glenellyn, IL                                       McAninch Arts Center

9/22     Manhattan, KS                                    McCain Auditorium

9/24     Wichita, KS                                        Orpheum Theater

9/26     Columbia, MO                                    Roots n Blues n BBQ Festival

For More Information:

Steve Karas

SKH Music

skaras@skhmusic.com

www.robertcray.com

http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/

Art: www.mascot-provogue.com/download

#6 on Billboard's Blues Album Chart - Adrianna Marie and Her Groovecutters

Billboard Reports Adrianna Marie and Her Groovecutters #6 in the Nation   Double Crossing Blues Album Continues Its Climb  Lake Arrowhead, CA (July 13, 2015) Shown directly below is the cover of the newest release from Adrianna Marie and Her Groovecutters.  The hot, rising album "Double Crossing Blues" moved to number six in the nation two weeks ago and remains at number six again this week according to Billboard's Blues Album chart report*. The release continues to be an airplay favorite of blues radio stations everywhere and reviews by the press have been glowing along with the continued rotation. Adrianna Marie and LA Jones team to release "Double Crossing Blues" Adrianna Marie, LA Jones, and Her Groovecutters were not only nominated for the coveted 2014 Blues Blast Award but also performed live on the main stage at the annual event.  Previous to the Blues Blast performance, which received rave reviews, the group performed at the Blues Foundation's annual Blues Music Awards in Memphis, Tennessee and received a glowing reception from fellow blues artists and blues fans alike.  Currently "Double Crossing Blues" is being performed nationwide at music festivals and club venues all around the country.  The cool, sophisticated swing blues music is not going out of style, in fact audience appeal reveals an absolute love for this flavor of the blues which is made unique by Adrianna's performance and LA's professional arrangements.  To put it mildly - classy swing blues music is an American favorite dating back decades.  So it's no wonder that the album is charting at number six as America continues its love affair with the music and live stage performances of Adrianna Marie and Her Groovecutters. * source: Billboard's Blues Album chart ranking weeks of July 11 & 18, 2015 Adrianna Marie and Her Groovecutters Official Website