BETHESDA, MD, February 27, 2010
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Bandhouse Gigs, noted DC producers of innovative tribute concerts, announced today the release of a 18-song compilation of highlights from their April 11, 2009 tribute to famed New Orleans singer-songwriter Allen Toussaint. The album was recorded live at a one-night show at the National Park Service's The Barns at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA.
"To most of the general public, Allen Toussaint is an unknown name," says Ronnie Newmyer, a
founder of Bandhouse Gigs, "although it takes just a stroll through his immense discography to realize he has been one of the crown jewels of American popular music in the last half-century."
As a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame songwriter, pianist, producer, arranger and performer, Toussaint has few peers. Says Chuck Sullivan, a Bandhouse Gigs co-founder, "Like his hometown of New Orleans, his work is a gumbo of elegance and funk, uptown and downtown." His songs have been covered by groups across all genres, from The Dave Clark Five's raucous recording of Toussaint's "I Like It Like That," to Glen Campbell's country twist on "Southern Nights," Robert Palmer's rocked-out version of "Sneakin' Sally Through the Alley" to the Pointer Sisters propulsive reading of "Yes We Can Can."
Among the artists featured on the CD compilation and delivering their own inspired interpretations of Toussaint's work are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees and legendary doo-wop group The Orioles, together with such Grammy and Washington Area Music Awards winners, gold-record sellers and local luminaries as Jon Carroll, John Jennings, Mary Ann Redmond, Bill Holland, Cathy Ponton King, Deeme Katson, Eric Scott, The Grandsons, Junior Cline, Junkyard Saints, LEA, The Nighthawks and Tommy Lepson & Soul Crackers
Founded in 2004 by noted musicians and producers Ronnie Newmyer, Chuck Sullivan, David Sless and Danny Schwartz, Bandhouse Gigs is a not-for-profit, volunteer organization that brings together the Washington area's most talented artists to pay tribute to the era's most iconic musicians. Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, The Band, Warren Zevon, Nick Lowe and Neill Finn are just some of the songwriters that have been celebrated in concert, their songs performed in surprising and innovative but always inspired ways. At times, more than 60 musicians, engineers, producers and technicians have gathered in a single show, entertaining concertgoers by the thousands at such stellar venues as the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD, and the Barns at Wolf Trap. As well, the group mounts benefits for ailing DC musicians and supports grassroots charities such as Hungry for Music, working to bring positive musical and creative experiences to underprivileged children.
The album is available for download through ITunes and Amazon.com, while the CD is available directly from Bandhouse Gigs. For ordering and more information, visit http://www.bandhousegigs.com.
---
Press release service and press release distribution provided by http://www.24-7pressrelease.com# # #
Read more Press Releases from Mark Walston:
