ACCLAIMED SINGER-SONGWRITER MIKE PLUME SIGNS WITH ROYALTY RECORDS
New album Lonesome Stretch Of Highway out May 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Dec. 18, 2019
EDMONTON, AB — Edmonton-based Royalty Records is proud to announce the signing of legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Mike Plume. The label will release Plume’s new album Lonesome Stretch Of Highway in May 2020, with the singles “Younger Than We Are Today” and “I’m Your Huckleberry” released to radio and digital service providers in February 2020.
Lonesome Stretch Of Highway finds Plume reborn in many ways. Its nine tracks bear his distinctive mark, but with an added crackling energy that’s a byproduct of hard-won experience. Recorded in his adopted hometown of Edmonton, the album marks Plume’s third collaboration with producer Marek David, and the first time they’ve worked together since 2001’s Fools For The Radio.
Royalty Records president Rob Smith says, “I have been a fan of Mike as a writer, artist and performer for a long time. I am proud to have him working with Royalty and even more proud to say that, I believe we’re releasing the best work of his career to date.”
Having first arrived on the scene in the midst of the alt-country insurgency of the early 1990s, Mike Plume and his loyal band have logged countless miles around the globe, touring with the likes of Steve Earle, The Mavericks, John Hiatt and others, while befriending legends such as Levon Helm and Stompin’ Tom Connors. The lessons he’s learned along the way have left an indelible mark on Lonesome Stretch Of Highway, with songs such as “Younger Than We Are Today,” “I’m Your Huckleberry,” “It’s A Long Way” (featuring The Road Hammers), and “Perfume And Gasoline” destined to take a place among his best-loved tunes.
Plume has long been known for his richly detailed storytelling style and unyielding devotion to rock and roll’s original spirit. That’s all present on Lonesome Stretch Of Highway, powered by Plume’s earthy, uncompromising voice. That combination is proof that one of Canada’s most accomplished singer/songwriters remains at the top of his game and is ready to hit that highway again.
More details to come!
Mike Plume is available for interviews and on-air appearances.
For all enquiries, please contact:
Jason Schneider / jason@jasonschneidermedia.com / 226.500.4865
JAY SPARROW NOMINATED FOR WCMA – COUNTRY RECORDING OF THE YEAR
May 5, 2015, Victoria, BC: The Western Canadian Music Alliance revealed today the nominees for the 2015 Western Canadian Music Awards, amongst those announced today at a press conference at McPherson Playhouse, in Victoria, BC, was Jay Sparrow up for “Country Recording of the Year” for his current record, BLUEBIRD and first country album to date .
Bluebird is Sparrow’s sixth record in five years. He writes and produces all of his own music as well as directing and producing all the accompanying videos, many of which have taken him to all corners of the world. To say he is prolific would be an gross understatement. To record this current album Jay enlisted the help of some high profile friends to be in his band, friends such as Gordie Johnson (Big Sugar), Clayton Bellamy (The Road Hammers), Shaun Verreault (Wide Mouth Mason) and Chad Melchert (Gord Bamford). With this all-star group assembled the sound came out just as planned: big, fun, rockin and classic. Jay has long been a fan of artists like Steve Earle, Bruce Springsteen, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Bob Seger… You can hear it in his writing. Sparrow is definitely a new voice in country music but he has that lasting reflection of the past throughout.
With lyrical content ranging from questioning one’s religious roots, supporting same sex relationships and the unending power of radio, it is safe to say Jay Sparrow is not your typical country singer-songwriter. After finishing his current record, BLUEBIRD, at Willie Nelson’s Arlyn studio in Austin Texas, Jay and compadres hit the highway to New Orleans to shoot Jay’s most recent video for “Bound By Nothing” and reflect on the new sound. Sitting on the bow of a crawfish boat in the Louisiana swamp Jay explains his motivation:
“Sure…I wanted to make something you could sing along to with your friends while enjoying the summer… but underlying that I wanted to let people in. Being a private man, this is a hard thing to do. We create so many walls in our lives and I wanted to show the hidden sensitive nature of a man.” Fittingly, Sparrow borrowed the title Bluebird from the Charles Bukowski poem of the same name: “The poem is one of my favourites because it is written by this historically rough and tumble writer yet he is letting everyone know that inside he has this soft and vulnerable bird wanting to get out”.
The 13th annual BreakOut West and Western Canadian Music Awards will be hosted in Victoria, BC, September 17-20, 2015. The festival, gala and conference will run concurrent with Rifflandia Festival, bringing together strengths of both events in hosting some of the best in western Canadian talent, increasing opportunities for artists, and networking with industry representatives from many different markets. The Western Canadian Music Alliance, Capital Regional Music Awards Society and the Host Committee are dedicated to making this year’s event a memorable and unique occurrence for Vancouver Island, alongside one of the island’s premier music festivals.
About BreakOut West:
BreakOut West is an annual gathering to celebrate, develop and support the best of western Canadian music. Western Canadian artists are developing sustainable careers of national and international scope, and BreakOut West is an integral component of this development. Through the annual conference and festival, industry from around the world and western Canadian artists are given the opportunity to discover, educate, network and grow. The weekend culminates in the Western Canadian Music Awards, showcasing and honoring the talent contained in the “left half” of Canada.
For more information about BreakOut West visit breakoutwest.ca.
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