Nashville, Tenn. — Come Election Day, November 4, West Virginia may be the pivotal state as reigning CMA Male Vocalist of the Year, two-time ACM Top Male Vocalist, and West Virginia native Brad Paisley releases his new album, Play. Paisley, who won his first GRAMMY Award earlier this year for Best Country Instrumental Performance is running on a platform of “more music, less talk” with Play, which promises to increase axes across the board, alongside some of the guitar world’s great heroes.

A 15-track collection, with 11 written or co-written by Brad Paisley, Play delivers an all-out guitar celebration with only four vocal tracks which feature Paisley singing and picking with guitar titans B.B. King, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, and the late Buck Owens.

The legendary King gets joyfully bluesy with Brad, as B.B. and B.P. “Let the Good Times Roll,” while Urban and Paisley dish out the playful “Start a Band.”

“More Than Just This Song,” written by Paisley and Wariner, is a touching tribute to those first guitar heroes who gave them their start on the six-string. Paisley also salutes a friend and hero, the late Buck Owens, joining Buck on “Come on In,” an Owens-penned-and-recorded track that had remained previously unfinished.

Among other selections are the gently jazzy swing of “Les Is More,” a salute to the great Les Paul; the lilting beauty of “Kim” and the toe-tapping energy of “Huckleberry Jam,” named for Paisley’s wife and son, respectively; and the continuation of a Brad Paisley album tradition, with the inclusion of a gospel classic, this time a beautifully rendered acoustic performance of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

“Play” is Releasing Election Day, November 4!  A guitar-based album delivers a mostly instrumental extravaganza, with special guest vocal and musical collaborations with B.B. King, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, and Buck Owens, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, John Jorgenson, James Burton and more.

Fans will also enjoy the return of friend, collaborator, and elder statesman “Little” Jimmy Dickens, who plays “Grandpa Paisley” in the comic “Pre-Cluster Cluster Pluck Prequel (Prelude),” which sets the stage for the all-star guitar jam, “Cluster Pluck,” featuring guests James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgensen, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert, and Steve Wariner.

Throughout his career, Brad Paisley has earned well-deserved acclaim not only for his skills as a singer and songwriter, but also as a virtuoso guitarist - featured on past covers of Guitar Player and Vintage Guitar, among others.

Swept into the public eye with the success of his 1999 debut album, Brad Paisley has tallied sales of more than ten million albums, demonstrating his consistent popularity with the electorate. He has steadfastly continued to lead, engage, and entertain the nation with a proven track record of eleven #1 singles, addressing such important issues as domestic life (”I’m Gonna Miss Her” [The Fishin’ Song]), foreign policy (”The World”), and woodland safety (”Ticks”). During his tenure, he has also endorsed or introduced a number of important Bills, including Bill Shatner and Bill Anderson.

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Dex Romweber announces his first acting role in the new movie Lake City, starring Sissy Spacek, Keith Carradine, Rebecca Romjin and Drea de Matteo. Dex plays Frank, the guitarist in Keith Carradine’s band, and he is joined in that combo by Dave Matthews. In the film, Rebecca Romijn plays a small-town cop romantically involved with Troy Garity’s character, who reunites with his estranged mother (Sissy Spacek) when deadly circumstances threaten their home. Directed by Perry Moore, known for his work on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the With and the Wardrobe, the film debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in April, 2008. When asked about his experience, Dex explained, “It was very different being in a movie, then playing music, but the waiting around to perform was the same. All the cast and crew were very helpful to me. Keith Carradine was a true gentleman and Sissy Spacek and Troy Garity (Jane Fonda’s son) were very nice. As I’ve never acted before, Perry Moore the director was ever encouraging. Would I do it again? Yes, of course!”

In other film news, a new documentary called It Might Get Loud premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September. It chronicles the artistic process and influences of guitar superstars Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, and includes White’s citing of Dex Romweber as a “huge influence”, and includes live and recorded tracks from his earlier band, Flat Duo Jets. Dex previously starred in the 1987 cult classic Athens, GA-Inside/Out and was the subject of a documentary movie called Two-Headed Cow, chronicling his career.

Dex Romweber followed up the filming of Lake City with his Dex Romweber Duo  inking a new recording deal with Bloodshot Records. The band recently finished recording their new album with producer John Plymale (Meat Puppets, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Corrosion Of Conformity), special guests include Cat Power, Neko Case, Exene Cervenka and Rick Miller of Southern Culture on the Skids. Expect to see it in stores in February 2008.

Dex Romweber is an icon of the American music underground. The former frontman for the world famous psycho-surf-rockabilly-garage-punk combo Flat Duo Jets, released his first of nine albums in 1990 to rave reviews worldwide. He was showcased on MTV’s The Cutting Edge and 120 Minutes, starred in the Flat Duo Jets videos “Wild Wild Lover” and “Radioactive Man”, made a stunning performance on Late Night with David Letterman, and has shared the stage with dozens of other rock icons including Iggy Pop and the White Stripes. The Dex Romweber Duo also features Dex’s celebrated sibling Sara Romweber (Mitch Easter, Lets Active, Snatches of Pink) on drums. Together the two have been performing electrifying concerts all over the US, including touring with Cat Power, Neko Case, Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers, Southern Culture On The Skids and the Squirrel Nut Zippers.

For More Information on Dex Romweber Duo: http://www.myspace.com/dexterromweberduo

EPK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNFkeVGd4JE

DEX ROMWEBER DUO – EAST COAST TOUR DATES

• Fri. Oct. 31 — Winston-Salem, NC The Garage
• Thu. Nov. 6 –  Athens, OH Casa Nueva
• Nov. Fri  7 — Baltimore, MD Dangerously Delicious Pies
• Nov. Sat  8 — Milton, DE Dogfish Head
• Sat Nov. 22 — Norfolk, VA Tap House

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Grateful Dead - Rocking the Cradle: Grateful Dead, Egypt 1978

It took 30 years to produce this ultra-cool 2CD/DVD set from the Grateful Dead’s legendary September 1978 run at the Sound & Light Theater, outside Cairo, nestled in the dunes just a short mummy-walk from the Great Pyramid and the mysterious Sphinx. This historic package, Rocking the Cradle: Grateful Dead, Egypt 1978, includes two exceptional music CDs and a DVD with over 95 minutes of concert footage from the Egypt shows (plus an impressionistic “Vacation Tapes” mini-documentary that shows the band and Dead family at play).

Much has been written about this storied adventure: About the band’s long-standing desire to play in “places of power,” as Phil put it years ago… The incredible logistical gymnastics necessary to get permission for this strangest of American rock bands to bring their peculiar alchemy to the cradle of the ancient world… The huge, scattered caravan of crazies that descended on Cairo from the U.S. and Europe, drawn to the desert by some irresistible force… The sheer magnitude of shipping in tons of sound equipment, setting up in 110-degree heat, maxing out the local power grid, trying to turn the King’s Chamber in the Great Pyramid into an echo chamber (alas, Osiris would have none of that!)… The wondrous interplay at each of the three concerts between Nubian drummers and singers and the Grateful Dead… The miraculous final show, during a total lunar eclipse… The synchronicity of that last show and the signing of a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel… Magical horse and camel rides under the desert moon…Trips up and down the Nile… High adventure at every turn!

The three Egypt concerts—September 14, 15, 16, 1978—were captured on a 24-track tape recorder with an eye towards putting out a live album to help defray the (considerable) cost of the expedition. When the Dead got home, however, they discovered that the tapes of all of the first night and part of the second were not useable because of technical problems. Then the band got wrapped up in finishing their Shakedown Street album (begun before the Egypt venture), and soon the notion of putting out the Egypt album lost its momentum. But just as Howard Carter and all those other explorers in the ’20s and ’30s couldn’t stay away from the tombs in the Valley of the Kings, the Dead weren’t about to let those Egypt multitracks stay buried by the sands of time. Next thing you know there’s a phone call to ace GD mixer Jeffrey Norman and he and vaultkeeper David Lemieux discover that despite the problems with the first night’s tapes, there’s still lots of great material available from nights two and three, including: a dynamite “Shakedown Street” (just the second live version ever), “Truckin’,” an exquisite “Stella Blue,” “Eyes of the World,” fresh takes on then-new songs such as “Stagger Lee” and “I Need A Miracle,” and the hypnotic Egyptian tune called “Ollin Arageed” that features Hamza El Din and other percussionists, who are then joined by the Dead for a jam into “Fire on the Mountain.” Wow!

And the concert video, though rough around the edges in places, is quite a revelation as well. Not only does the DVD include many of the best tunes on the CDs—you’ll dig seeing Jerry do some pretty energetic thrashing here and there—it contains two songs not on disc—“Bertha” and “Good Lovin’.” The concert material has been mixed in both stereo and surround sound, with two listening options: DTS 5.1 and PCM Stereo. The beautifully designed booklet (with cover inspired by the late, great Alton Kelley’s Egypt 1978 tour poster) contains a revealing essay by longtime Ice Nine Publishing chief (and Egypt trip co-organizer) Alan Trist, and many rare photos. All that’s missing is sand, the smell of camels and some “hubbly-bubbly”!
Rocking the Cradle: Grateful Dead, Egypt 1978 Track List

Disc 1

1. “Jack Straw”
2. “Row Jimmy”
3. “New, New Minglewood Blues”
4. “Candyman”
5. “Looks Like Rain”
6. “Stagger Lee”
7. “I Need A Miracle”
8. “It’s All Over Now”
9. “Deal”

Disc 2

1. “Ollin Arageed”
2. “Fire On The Mountain”
3. “Iko Iko”
4. “Shakedown Street”
5. “Drums”
6. “Space”
7. “Truckin’”
8. “Stella Blue”
9. “Around And Around”

DVD

Track Listing

1. “Bertha”
2. “Good Lovin’”
3. “Row Jimmy”
4. “New, Minglewood Blues”
5. “Candyman”
6. “Looks Like Rain”
7. “Deal”
8. “Ollin Arageed”
9. “Fire On The Mountain”
10. “Iko Iko”
11. “I Need A Miracle”
12. “It’s All Over Now”
13. “Truckin’”
14. Featurette: “The Vacation Tapes”

Dead.net Exclusive Bonus CD

1. “Bertha”
2. “Good Lovin’”
3. “El Paso”
4. “Ramble On Rose”
5. “Estimated Prophet”
6. “Eyes Of The World”
7. “Terrapin Station”
8. “Sugar Magnolia”

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Luke Mulholland

Boston blues-rockers The Luke Mulholland Band have a busy schedule in the upcoming months, touring the East Coast in November and joining Southern rock concert favorites Sister Hazel on their December tour, with dates in Minneapolis, Milwaukee and Chicago. Fronted by lead guitarist and vocalist Luke Mulholland, who was described as “incredible” by Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora, the band creates a scintillating brand of classic-style rock and blues that “channels Eric Clapton and Jeff Healey,” according to the Boston Globe. Mulholland will be appearing on WFXT Boston’s Fox 25 Morning News Friday, November 14.

At age 19, Luke Mulholland can already easily boast of an accomplished career. Having recorded his first album by himself at age 14, he has gone on to record three more full-length albums. He has opened for rock legends such as Bon Jovi and Mountain in addition to headlining shows in the US and Canada. Recently, the young musician was asked to provide the new theme song to syndicated radio program The Joey Reynolds Show. As Luke recently reported, “I’ve never been more inspired, and I’ve never been happier making my music.” All this is only the beginning, however - the future looks bright for this young talent, who is sure to become a legend himself in due time.

The Luke Mulholland Band is Luke Mulholland - guitar, vocals, Chris Murphy - bass and Jayme Tardiff - drums, percussion.

Upcoming Dates:

• Nov. 1– Patriot Place, Foxboro, MA
• Nov. 7 — Brickhouse, Dover, NH
• Nov. 14 — All Asia Café, Cambridge, MA
• Nov. 22 — Lee’s Palace, Toronto, Ontario
• Dec. 4 — Showcase Live, Foxboro, MA
• Dec. 16 — Fineline, Minneapolis, MN*
• Dec. 17 — The Rave, Milwaukee, WI*
• Dec. 18 — Bluebird Nightclub, Bloomington, IN*
• Dec. 19 — House of Blues, Chicago, IL*
• Dec. 20 — House of Blues, Chicago, IL*

* with Sister Hazel

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Bloodshot Records artist Charlie Picket will showcase during the CMJ Music Marathon and Film Festival. Photo by Jill Kahn.

Bloodshot Records will present an array of musical talent at CMJ Music Conference this year, with nine separate performances around town and the notoriously riotous CMJ Fiesta at Union Pool in Brooklyn Saturday afternoon, October 25th.

From Cordero’s Latin indie rock to the offbeat songwriting of Ben Weaver, from the honky tonk of Justin Townes Earle and the dark jungle primitivity of Dex Romweber Duo to the rock & roll of The Silos, Ha Ha Tonka and Charlie Pickett and uncategorizable I’m Not Jim, Bloodshot outdoes itself year after year in presenting the cream of the musical crop.

About CMJ Network
CMJ Network connects music fans and music industry professionals with the best in new music through interactive media, live events and print. CMJ.com offers a digital music discovery service, information resources and community to new music fans, professionals and artists. CMJ Events produces the legendary CMJ Music Marathon, the largest and longest-running music industry event of its kind, in addition to live events and tours across the US. The weekly music-business trade magazine CMJ New Music Report is the primary source for exclusive charts of non-commercial and college radio airplay and independent and trend-forward retail sales.

CMJ Showcases

Wed. Oct. 22

• 10:00pm — Ha Ha Tonka @ Kenny’s Castaway’s - 157 Bleecker Street between Sullivan & Thompson Street
• 11:00pm — Dexter Romweber Duo @ Red Bull Space - 40 Thompson St (Paste/KCRW showcase)

Thurs. Oct. 23

• 9:20pm — Justin Townes Earle @ 92nd Street Y - (w/ Charlie Louvin, Oakley Hall) 1395 Lexington Avenue @ 92nd Street

Fri. Oct. 24

• 7:00pm — I’m Not Jim @ Village Underground - 130 W. 3rd between 6th and MacDougal
• 8:30pm — Charlie Pickett @ Rodeo Bar - 375 3rd Avenue at 27th Street
• 11:30pm — Ben Weaver @ Googie’s Lounge (upstairs from The Living Room) - 154 Ludlow between Stanton & Rivington

Sat. Oct. 25
7:00pm — The Silos @ Hiro Ballroom in the Maritime Hotel - 371 W 16th by 9th Ave
9:00pm — Justin Townes Earle @ Red Bull Space - 40 Thompson St (Paste/KCRW showcase)
9:00pm — Dexter Romweber @ Southpaw - 125 Fifth Ave in Park Slope, Brooklyn

Saturday Afternoon 10/25 Bloodshot CMJ Fiesta @ Union Pool - 484 Union Ave. at Lorimer in Brooklyn

• 12:30 — doors
• 1:00 - 1:40 — Dexter Romweber Duo
• 1:50 - 2:30 — I’m Not Jim
• 2:40 - 3:20 — Ben Weaver
• 3:30 - 4:10 — Ha Ha Tonka
• 4:20 - 5:00 — Cordero
• 5:10 - 5:50 — Charlie Pickett
• 6:00 - 6:40 — Justin Townes Earle

Tickets $8 adv / $10 door, free w/CMJ badge - come early for free beer & tacos - Sponsored by Blurt Online & Oskar Blues Brewery.

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