LOS ANGELES – The all-female Belgian rock choir Scala & Kolacny Brothers delivers an alternative to the over-used holiday canon with DECEMBER, a collection that explores a selection of non-traditional holiday songs by The Pretenders, Smashing Pumpkins, Damien Rice, The Band, and Linkin Park, as well as two new original compositions. On November 13, Atco will release DECEMBER on CD ($13.98) and digitally ($9.99).

Hailed by NPR as “rock’s heavenly choir,” Scala & Kolacny enjoyed a memorable year leading up to DECEMBER that was highlighted by a tour which besides Europe and the U.S. went as far as South Korea, the release of its second album in the U.S. (It All Led To This), and even more of its songs used in television and films, including its chilling version of The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” currently heard in the trailer for Showtime’s Golden Globe®-winning drama Homeland and their iconic take on Radiohead’s “Creep” from the trailer to The Social Network.

With DECEMBER, the choir’s angelic voice not only celebrates the joys of season with Smashing Pumpkins’ “Christmastime,” but also commiserates with its sadness, opening on a melancholy note with Linkin Park proclaiming “This is my December, this is me alone” and Joni Mitchell wishing she “had a river I could skate away on.” Those tracks are joined by two upbeat contributions by pianist/composer Steven Kolacny and lyricist Jo Dawson, “Tears Can Sparkle Too” and “Sun-Kissed Snow.”

The album also includes Scala’s rendition of “Did I Make The Most Of Loving You,” the theme to the award-winning television series Downton Abbey, composed by Emmy® winner John Lunn. Scala have a long-standing relationship with Downton Abbey as their versions of “With Or Without You”, “Every Breath You Take” and ‘Perfect Day’ have been used in trailers for each of the Downton Abbey seasons.

“Amazing that such a delicate and moving song, sung so beautifully, could be created from the overtly grandiose and frenetic theme for Downton Abbey,” says Lunn.

For an interesting change of pace, vocalist and frequent collaborator, Filip Huyghebaerts is heard on several tracks like The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight.” Other featured songs are Pearl Jam’s wistful “Let Me Sleep (It’s Christmas)”, Coldplay’s lovelorn “Christmas Lights” and Sufjan Stevens’ ironic “It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad!”

The idea for the album grew out of a concert that was to be broadcast on Christmas day last year in Germany. In search of interesting songs ideas, the group asked fans on its Facebook page to suggest their favorite alternative holiday gems. A couple of hours later, they had a list of over 140 songs and the roots of DECEMBER, says Steven Kolacny. “The shortlist of songs seemed perfect. They sounded heavenly but none of the songs was really well-known, which makes the CD even more surprising. Of course, the word ‘Christmas’ can be heard frequently, but not in cliché lyrics, which people usually hear at this time of the year. Most of the songs seem like a perfect sound track for December days…”

Led by Steven Kolacny and his brother, conductor Stijn Kolacny, Scala’s music has been featured on a diverse array of television shows including Downton Abbey, Covert Affairs, The Simpsons (twice!), Sons Of Anarchy, Desperate Housewives and Nikita.

1. “My December” — originally performed by Linkin Park
2. “Christmastime” — originally performed by Smashing Pumpkins
3. “Christmas Lights” — originally performed by Coldplay
4. “River” — originally performed by Joni Mitchell
5. “Christmas Must Be Tonight” — originally performed by The Band
6. “Let Me Sleep (It’s Christmas Time)” — originally performed by Pearl Jam
7. “2000 Miles” — originally performed by The Pretenders
8. “It’s Christmas! Let’s Be Glad” — originally performed by Sufjan Stevens
9. “Tears Can Sparkle Too” — Steven Kolacny
10. “Sun-Kissed Snow” — Steven Kolacny
11. “Wintersong” — originally performed by Sarah McLachlan
12. “Did I Make The Most Of Loving You” — John Lunn / Don Black
13. “Eskimo” — originally performed by Damien Rice

Scala & Kolacny Brothers On The Web:
https://www.scalachoir.com/en/index.htm
https://www.facebook.com/scalaandkolacnybrothers
https://twitter.com/scala_kolacny

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LOS ANGELES – The Grateful Dead made Winterland its home for years until 1978, when the band closed Bill Graham’s legendary venue for good with a spectacular New Year’s Eve blow out. The friendly confines of the former ice-skating rink always seemed to bring out something special in the band. That’s certainly true of the group’s May 30, 1971 performance, which was the second night of a homestand during the era later immortalized on the 1971 live collection Skull and Roses.

For Record Store Day’s Black Friday event on November 23, Dead.net and Rhino will release a portion of that show (all that the band has in their vault) for the first time, offering it on 180-gram vinyl as a limited edition double-LP set of 7500 copies. WINTERLAND 5/30/71 will be available exclusively at select independent music retailers for a suggested price of $34.98. Visit www.recordstoreday.com for a list of participating stores.

Sourced from the original reels of ¼” tape, the music was mastered by Jeffrey Norman and the vinyl lacquers were cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and then pressed at RTI. Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike evokes the Skull and Roses album cover for this set’s gorgeous gatefold.

It’s over one hour of Dead classics that covers nearly the entire second set, which was packed with crowd pleasers like “Sugar Magnolia,” “Truckin’” and “Deal.” One entire LP side is dedicated exclusively to “Turn On Your Lovelight,” a 15-minute-plus romp led by singer/organist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. For its encore, the band – Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and McKernan – capped the evening off with raucous “Johnny B. Goode.”

Another West Coast band is the focus of a second Record Store Day Black Friday release. Rhino celebrates the 45-year anniversary of Love’s Forever Changes with a limited edition version of the band’s masterwork on 180-gram vinyl. The lacquers were cut from the original analog masters by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and then pressed at RTI. As a bonus, the LP comes with a 7” that has the single-edit of “Alone Again Or” b/w “House Is Not A Motel.” The release is limited to 1500 copies and will be available exclusively at select independent music retailers for a suggested price of $24.98. Acclaim has only grown for the album since its debut in November 1967, following in the wake of the Summer of Love. Rolling Stone recently ranked Forever Changes at #40 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

WINTERLAND 5/30/71

Side One
1. “Sugar Magnolia”
2. “Cumberland Blues”
3. “Big Boss Man”

Side Two
1. “Me And My Uncle”
2. “Deal”
3. “Truckin’”

Side Three
1. “Turn On Your Lovelight”

Side Four
1. “Uncle John’s Band”
2. “Casey Jones”
3. “Johnny B. Goode”

FOREVER CHANGES

Side One
1. “Alone Again Or”
2. “A House Is Not A Motel”
3. “Andmoreagain”
4. “The Daily Planet”
5. “Old Man”
6. “The Red Telephone”

Side Two
1. “Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale”
2. “Live And Let Live”
3. “The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This”
4. “Bummer In The Summer”
5. “You Set The Scene”

Bonus 7”
“Alone Again Or” – single edit b/w “A House Is Not A Motel”

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LOS ANGELES – The Grateful Dead made Winterland its home for years until 1978, when the band closed Bill Graham’s legendary venue for good with a spectacular New Year’s Eve blow out. The friendly confines of the former ice-skating rink always seemed to bring out something special in the band. That’s certainly true of the group’s May 30, 1971 performance, which was the second night of a homestand during the era later immortalized on the 1971 live collection Skull and Roses.

For Record Store Day’s Black Friday event on November 23, Dead.net and Rhino will release a portion of that show (all that the band has in their vault) for the first time, offering it on 180-gram vinyl as a limited edition double-LP set of 7500 copies. WINTERLAND 5/30/71 will be available exclusively at select independent music retailers for a suggested price of $34.98. Visit www.recordstoreday.com for a list of participating stores.

Sourced from the original reels of ¼” tape, the music was mastered by Jeffrey Norman and the vinyl lacquers were cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and then pressed at RTI. Grammy®-winning graphic artist Masaki Koike evokes the Skull and Roses album cover for this set’s gorgeous gatefold.

It’s over one hour of Dead classics that covers nearly the entire second set, which was packed with crowd pleasers like “Sugar Magnolia,” “Truckin’” and “Deal.” One entire LP side is dedicated exclusively to “Turn On Your Lovelight,” a 15-minute-plus romp led by singer/organist Ron “Pigpen” McKernan. For its encore, the band – Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Bill Kreutzmann, and McKernan – capped the evening off with raucous “Johnny B. Goode.”

Another West Coast band is the focus of a second Record Store Day Black Friday release. Rhino celebrates the 45-year anniversary of Love’s Forever Changes with a limited edition version of the band’s masterwork on 180-gram vinyl. The lacquers were cut from the original analog masters by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering and then pressed at RTI. As a bonus, the LP comes with a 7” that has the single-edit of “Alone Again Or” b/w “House Is Not A Motel.” The release is limited to 1500 copies and will be available exclusively at select independent music retailers for a suggested price of $24.98. Acclaim has only grown for the album since its debut in November 1967, following in the wake of the Summer of Love. Rolling Stone recently ranked Forever Changes at #40 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

WINTERLAND 5/30/71

Side One
1. “Sugar Magnolia”
2. “Cumberland Blues”
3. “Big Boss Man”

Side Two
1. “Me And My Uncle”
2. “Deal”
3. “Truckin’”

Side Three
1. “Turn On Your Lovelight”

Side Four
1. “Uncle John’s Band”
2. “Casey Jones”
3. “Johnny B. Goode”

FOREVER CHANGES

Side One
1. “Alone Again Or”
2. “A House Is Not A Motel”
3. “Andmoreagain”
4. “The Daily Planet”
5. “Old Man”
6. “The Red Telephone”

Side Two
1. “Maybe The People Would Be The Times Or Between Clark And Hilldale”
2. “Live And Let Live”
3. “The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This”
4. “Bummer In The Summer”
5. “You Set The Scene”

Bonus 7”
“Alone Again Or” – single edit b/w “A House Is Not A Motel”

# # #

LOS ANGELES – It’s a nugget if you dug it! That small phrase captures the enormous spirit driving one of the most influential rock anthologies ever released, Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-68. Originally released as a double-LP in 1972 by Elektra Records, it celebrated 27 three-minute masterpieces that blazed brightly for a few weeks before fading from the charts.

To mark the 40-year anniversary of Nuggets, Rhino has remastered the collection from the original analog album master and will release it as a standalone CD for the first time ever in the U.S. NUGGETS: ORIGINAL ARTYFACTS FROM THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC ERA, 1965-68 will be available November 27 from Rhino (www.rhino.com) and other retail outlets on CD ($18.98) and digitally ($17.99). The album will also be available as a 180-gram double-LP on November 13 for $27.98.

The idea for NUGGETS came from Jac Holzman, the founder of Elektra Records. He explains: “AM radio despised ‘long’ tracks, loosely defined as anything that exceeded three minutes, and this was true throughout the ’50s and ’60s. Even our Doors single, ‘Light My Fire,’ had to chop Robby’s incendiary guitar solo to fit the rigid AM formula. It’s what made me think about the snappy, short rock and roll singles that had jump-started AM rock radio, at its beginnings.”

To excavate these hidden gems, Holzman recruited legendary guitarist Lenny Kaye. Looking back on this seminal collection, Kaye writes in the newly penned liner notes: “It’s the songs in the end that make Nuggets so memorable, the lightning strikes of brilliance that move a record past genre into the realm of classic… Given the reins, I just played disc jockey, telling my ear-witness tale of inspiration derived, of desire and belief. Or daring to believe.”

Filled with fuzztone and Farfisa, the album pulses with an eclectic mix of songs by The Electric Prunes, The Standells, The Seeds, The Thirteenth Floor Elevators, The Nazz, Count Five, The Remains, The Amboy Dukes, Magic Mushrooms, and Chocolate Watch Band. Along with the music, this new edition of NUGGETS also recreates the original artwork, which was done by Elektra Art Director William S. Harvey and graphic artist Abe Gurvin.

NUGGETS: ORIGINAL ARTYFACTS FROM THE FIRST PSYCHEDELIC ERA, 1965-1968
Track Listing

1. “I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)” - The Electric Prunes
2. “Dirty Water” - The Standells
3. “Night Time” - The Strangeloves
4. “Lies” - The Knickerbockers
5. “Respect” - The Vagrants
6. “A Public Execution” - Mouse
7. “No Time Like The Right Time” - The Blues Project
8. “Oh Yeah” - The Shadows Of Knight
9. “Pushin’ Too Hard” - The Seeds
10. “Moulty” - The Barbarians
11. “Don’t Look Back” - The Remains
12. “An Invitation To Cry” - The Magicians
13. “Liar, Liar” - The Castaways
14. “You’re Gonna Miss Me” - The Thirteenth Floor Elevators
15. “Psychotic Reaction” - Count Five
16. “Hey Joe” - The Leaves
17. “Romeo & Juliet” - Michael & The Messengers
18. “Sugar And Spice” - The Cryan Shames
19. “Baby Please Don’t Go” - The Amboy Dukes
20. “Tobacco Road” - Blues Magoos
21. “Let’s Talk About Girls” - Chocolate Watch Band
22. “Sit Down, I Think I Love You” - The Mojo Men
23. “Run, Run, Run” - The Third Rail
24. “My World Fell Down” - Sagittarius
25. “Open My Eyes” - Nazz
26. “Farmer John” - The Premiers
27. “It’s-A-Happening” - The Magic Mushrooms

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LOS ANGELES – Warner Music Group (WMG) continues to rollout new titles in their recently launched SINGLE NOTES line of short form, digital-only books about music and pop culture. This week sees another release from the Rhino imprint with “A Wizard, A True Star: The Unusual Career Of Todd Rundgren” by David Nichols, which is available now as a digital download starting at $1.99 on the iBookstore and Amazon’s Kindle store.

“A Wizard, A True Star: The Unusual Career Of Todd Rundgren” takes a closer look at a true musical enigma. Author Nichols examines how Rundgren traveled so far from the mainstream while simultaneously interacting with that same mainstream in ways interchangeably valid and inexplicably ham-fisted.

Nichols is the co-author of Pop Life, a memoir of time spent working on pop magazines in the mid-1980s. His forthcoming book on the first 25 years of Australian pop music, Dig, will be published later this year by Verse Chorus Press.

This release is the tenth release in the Single Notes line since its launch in June. Other ebooks in the line examine Beastie Boys, Chic, Duran Duran, Grateful Dead, Rick James, The Planets, Ramones, and The Stooges. Details can be found at www.rhino.com/singlenotes.