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8.19.08 - Yarn, Empty Pockets Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 19, 2008 For more information: Kissy Black Lotos Nile Media 615.298.1144 kissyblack@lotosnile.com Brooklyn Americana Band Yarn's New CD, Empty Pockets, Blends Songs of Heartbreak and Defiance with a Sunny Disposition Caitlin Cary, Edie Brickell, Tony Trischka and Casey Driessen guest "I'm two sheets to the wind," a rejected would-be lover announces on the upbeat title track on Empty Pockets, the second independent recording from Brooklyn-based Americana quintet Yarn, set for release on September 23, 2008, "and I'm callin' on the bar again." Edgy, straightforward, occasionally defiant songs of life's personal losses, outrages, and embarrassments, warmly delivered with a homey, good-natured, "whatcha gonna do" musical embrace—that's not a combination commonly heard on many roots rock, alternative country or old school country string band records. But that's the lyrical heart and textured, skilled instrumentals that mark Yarn's harmonious, winning new song set. "Yeah, we may be in a sunny groove," says the band's lead singer and songwriter Blake Christiana, "but when you pay attention to what we're actually talking about, it may be kind of heartbreaking." Several who've been paying attention to the rising band jumped in to join in on the music, often after just one Yarn encounter. Empty Pockets features affecting fiddler and vocalist Caitlin Cary (of Tres Chicas; Whiskeytown), "New Bohemian" Edie Brickell (harmony vocalist on the lazy ballad "I'm Down"), bluegrass and rock fiddle wizard Casey Driessen (of the Sparrow Quartet) and veteran newgrass banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka. Yarn's first album, a self-titled record released in 2007, reached 14 on the Americana Music Association's Top 40 chart. Since the release, the band, which features Trevor MacArthur on guitar and harmony vocals, Andrew Hendryx on mandolin, Rick Bugel on bass, and Jay Frederick on percussion, has developed a passionate following up and down the East Coast, and on some side trips to Nashville. The band formed in the spring of 2006 as both an evolution and a break from Christiana's long-lived jam-centered electric band, Blake & The Family Dog. Electric instruments sometimes appear in Yarn's live shows, but this band focuses first on energetic acoustic instrumentation. As the band's name, which references both the handmade and the saga, reflects on crafted, storytelling songs. Yarn may be a city band that gelled into the harmonious unit it has become. The process took place in hard-working, regular landmark stands of New York clubs, including Kenny's Castaways and Hill Country. There's a lot of Gram Parsons-inspired county soul in the songs they deliver, from the hard honky-tonk of "I Feel So Low" to the Whiskeytown-channeling, alt-country tones of "Christopher Street," to the exuberant string band pyrotechnics of "Can't Slow Down." Knitting together the band's distinctive tone are Christiana's smooth, controlled, and expressive lead vocals, which reflect an unmistakable core toughness for all of their polish. The vocals put Blake right in line with a group of singers he admires and is receiving comparisons to in early reviews —Chris Isaak, Lyle Lovett, Ryan Adams, Rick Nelson—or Jerry Garcia in his Old and In the Way string band vocalist mold. And Andrew Hendryx's fluid, contemporary mandolin stylings add to the "old and new, flinty but friendly" Yarn tone across their varied song set. The addition of fiddle, dobro and lap steel on Empty Pockets adds instrumental breadth. "We're not trying to say anything too deep," Blake Christana says, of the yarns spun on Empty Pockets, "though maybe some are deeper than others! Mainly, these are just some easy-to-swallow songs. We mean to entertain people." 7.31.08 - Sing Out! Review Sing Out! Magazine Vol. 52 2 Summer 2008 YARN - Yarn (Ardsley Music) Sometimes you know from the first note you are listening to a winner. Yarn feels that way. These Brooklyn cowboys sound like they really believe in their songs and their picking is assured and bracing, especially Andrew Hendryx on mandolin. Blake Christiana, the singer and songwriter, is a winning presence. His reading lend real credibility to his songs. I really like "Bad Bad Man," the tale of a man who constantly wrestles with his demons, not so much as to beat them as to keep both him and them in fit shape. He relishes being bad. That one's flip side is "25 Years," a jaunty song about how a mistake in anger with his girl and the guy she was cheating with landed him a quarter century in the stir. Can't recall hearing that dire a situation served up sounded so celebratory. Blake's craft as songmaker shines all the way through. Yarn sports some really nifty picking. Hendryx on mandolin is superb. Kenji Bunch is terrific on fiddle and viola, but he doesn't seem to be a fully engaged member of the band. Yarn is a band that makes you feel good listening to them. Playing their album somehow made my worldly cares vanish for the duration as the band's buoyant spirits washed over me. Yarn is a find. Glad the assignment to cover their album came my way. - MT Thanks MT from Sing Out! We appreciate the kind words. You can buy Sing Out! online or at your local newsstand or bookstore. 7/5/2008 - iLike Just figured out iLike. Add us if you'd like:  6/4/08 - New MySpace Address We just changed our myspace address from www.myspace.com/blakechristiana to www.myspace.com/brooklynyarn. Just wanted to let everyone know. 5/21/08 - We Won Again Not only did we win the judges vote, but we also won the publics vote, thanks so much to all who voted. Read the press release below: Congrats to the 7th Annual IMA Vox Populi Winners: Even though the results for the 7th Annual IMA program have been determined, the IMA Winner & Finalists jukeboxes stay open 24/7. Hear what you've been missing at: http://www.musiciansatlas.com/pages/IMAFinalist/ Only 9 artists this year won both the judges and the people's choice poll. Who got it right? Drop us a line at contact@musiciansatlas.com. Below is the list of Vox Populi Winners. The following artists marked with ** won both Judges & Vox Populi poll. IMA VOX POPULI SONG WINNERS: **ALT. COUNTRY: Yarn (NY, USA) "No Future Together" AMERICANA: Spring Creek Bluegrass Band (CO, USA) "High Up in the Mountains" BLUES: Elam McKnight (TN, USA) "Devil Minded Woman" CHILDREN'S MUSIC: Lanny Sherwin (CA, USA) "Stinky Feet" CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN: Katy Kinard (CO, USA) "Worth the Love" COUNTRY: Chris Gray (TN, USA) "Stop & Drink It Over" DANCE/ELECTRONICA: Palanke Soultribe (CA, USA) "Tropic N' Heaven" **FILM/ TV / MULTIMEDIA SOUNDTRACK: Jennifer Kreisberg (CT, USA) "Have Hope" from Unnatural & Accidental FOLK/SINGER-SONGWRITER: Amit Erez (Tel Aviv, Israel) "Postcard" GOSPEL: Ladd Bogdonoff (CA, USA) "God Will Make a Way" **HARD ROCK/METAL: Plok (Odense, Denmark) "I Do NOT Live in a Condo" JAM: Wassabi Collective –(BC, Canada) "Blues On My Mind" JAZZ: Samson Trinh (VA, USA) "I Can't Believe I'm Addicted To The O.C." LATIN: Pepe Alva (FL, USA) "A Querer" NEW AGE: Akiko/Firebird 999 (CA, USA) "Tea Drops from the Skye" POP/ROCK: The Dollyrots (CA, USA) "Because I'm Awesome" PUNK: Scott & Aimee (CA, USA) "Miss America" R&B: Mae Gee (CA, USA) "Can't Let Go" **RAP/ HIP-HOP: Animate Objects (IL, USA) "El Dorado" SOCIAL ACTION: Dean Murray (Levin, New Zealand) "Gas is Gone" **WORLD FUSION: Luca Mundaca (OH, USA) "Ha Dias" WORLD TRADITIONAL: Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder (NC, USA) "Levantine's 'Spinning' Barrel" 4/27/08 - NoEvilTwin.com www.NoEvilTwin.com is an MP3 blog site ran by a guy named Nick, anyway he recently took a liking to our song "No Future Together". And what he has to say about it is just what I like to hear. "Today’s song comes from that same compilation CD from Friday. It is a sad, slow country song by a band called Yarn. For a long time, I said that I don’t like country music, but it turns out that I just don’t like pop country. Check out No Future Together." No Evil Twin Blog 4/18/08 - Portland Herald Press CD Review Portland Herald Press By AIMSEL L. PONTI April 17, 2008 When Sara Cox wrote me a few weeks ago to sing the praises of the band Yarn, I had a hunch I would not be disappointed. Heck, she even mailed me a copy of their self-titled CD from last year. Yarn is a terrific roots-rock/alt-country band from Brooklyn, N.Y. Between the comfortable vocals of Blake Christiana and the mandolin from Andrew Hendryx, just about every track on the album shines. From the zippy little opener, "Listen Up Sweetheart," all the way through the album-ending sleepy love song "I Love the Way," listening to these 15 songs was a sojourn into an intelligent, lyrically rich and musically satiating landscape. The four primary musicians that are Yarn have only been playing together a short time, which is hard to believe given the caliber of this album. Just wait until you hear "Angel of Woodstock" or "The Contender"; you'll be over the moon like I am over this band. So even if this show was JUST the band Yarn, you'd be golden.... But oh no, they're the opening act for the Coming Grass, which has resurfaced in the live scene after a three-year absence. The new formation is Nate Schrock (vocals, guitar,) Steve Jones (vocals, guitar), Eric Glockler on bass (yep, he's the guy from Strangefolk), and snazzy drummer Chicky Stoltz from Dulce de Leche and Munjoy Hill Society's glory days." The Coming Grass with Yarn. 9 p.m. Saturday. Empire Dine & Dance, 525 Congress St. Call for cover. 879-8988. 21 and older show. 4/16/08 - CT, ME, New Album Yarn is playing this Friday night in Manchester, CT at Main Pub. And on Saturday Night we are playing our first show in Portland, ME with our good friends, The Coming Grass. We did a show a few months ago with Sara Cox of The Coming Grass and she was great. Since this is our first show in Maine we need your help in getting the word out. If you have any friends or family who you think might want to check us out, please forward this along. ALSO, tonight were at Hill Country in NYC as usual. Come on down, get your Shot-O-Clock. And on the new album front, it is done being recorded and in the hands of our mix engineer, we have narrowed it down to 17 tracks so far, still got a few more to cut. The album features a guest vocal by Edie Brickell, Tony Trischka on Banjo, Casey Driessen on Fiddle, and a guest vocal by Caitlin Cary of Whiskeytown. Were feeling pretty good about this one. We hope to get it to you by July...Stay Tuned. Main Pub 306 Main Street Manchester, CT Friday, April 18th 9pm 4/10/08 - Vote for us on Jambands.com We need your help to become the "New Groove of the Month" on Jambands.com. Please follow this link, find Yarn, and cast your vote. And tell everyone else you know to do the same, ask your co-worker in the cubicle next to you, ask your friends & family. Thank so much. Vote For Yarn on Jambands.com 4/3/08 - State of Mind Magazine Review Were featured in the Tiny Reviews section of State of Mind Magazine right next to Cat Power. It doesn’t say much but it doesn’t really need to... "Crushing, perfect twang" Mike McKinley Click here to view it in the magazine 3/8/08 - Godfrey Daniels Review This Week In Reviews - YARN, SARA COX The Morning Call - Bethlehem, PA by Len Righi When the five musicians of Brooklyn-based Yarn were good last weekend at Godfrey Daniels, they were diverting. But when they were bad, they were better. For openers at the Bethlehem listening club, the bluegrass-tinted alt-country band chugged along agreeably on 'Can't Slow Down' and spun tales of woe on 'Tennessee' and 'Five Guitars.' But vocalist-guitarists Blake Christiana and Trevor MacArthur, mandolinist Andrew Hendryx, upright bassist Rick Bugel and drummer Jay Frederick achieved critical mass only when they summoned a rockabilly fervor for 'Bad Bad Man,' a track from their upcoming second CD. It was the high point of an entertaining if not very remarkable 11-song set, although '25 Years' and 'Wishing Well' also left an impression. Click here to read the article 2/29/2008 - WNCW & Charlottesville Show Our good buddy Josh Ponzio has posted a couple new shows for your listening pleasure, free of charge of course. These are from our short run down south last weekend. The first is from a radio show we did outside of Asheville, NC. It was an interview and live on-air performance at WNCW. I have to mention the sound engineer at WNCW, Dennis Jones, who has got to be the most friendly and coolest soundman we've ever got to work with, love ya Dennis. Click below and listen to the brilliant things we have to say about our music and to check out the tunes. WNCW Radio Performance & Interview And we also posted our show from The Outback Lodge in Charlottesville, VA on 2.21.08, click below to download or listen. Yarn Live at The Outback Lodge 2.21.08 2/24/08 - Jon Baliles Blog & Video Clips Our new friend, Jon Baliles gave us a nice little write up in his blog as well as posted some live video from our Cary Street Cafe show last month. Jon runs a website called Weekly Rant based in Richmond, VA. Thanks Jon, we love making new friends on the road, and that goes for Lisa as well. Click Below for the review as well as the live clips: River City Rapids Blogspot 2/20/08 - Headin' South Were heading south for a few days and just want to make sure you all know about it. If you have any friends in these areas make sure they come check out our shows or tune in to the radios. We need all the help we can get. Tomorrow night were at The Outback Lodge in Charlottesville, VA. Outback Lodge 917 Preston Ave. Charlottesville, VA Thursday, February 21st 10:30pm And on Friday were doing a couple radio shows in North Carolina. Our first stop is at WGWG in Boiling Springs, just outside of Charlotte. If you live in the area you can tune in at 2pm on 88.3 FM. Or if not click the link below to listen live: WGWG 88.3 FM Live Stream Our second stop is just down the road at WNCW out of Ashville, NC. If you are in any of these following area you can tune in live: Ashville - 88.7 FM Boone - 92.9 FM Charlotte - 100.3 FM Greenville - 97.3 FM Or you can log in live at the link below: WNCW 88.7 FM Live Stream And our last stop on this little journey south is Richmond, VA and The Cary Street Cafe. We'll be playing there all night on Saturday. So please tell all your buds in these areas about these shows and we'll see you this weekend. Cary Street Café 2631 W. Cary Street Richmond, VA Saturday, February 23rd, 2008 10:00pm 2/12/08 - Nectar's Show Posted The show at Nectar's in Burlington, VT was just posted by our good buddy, Josh Ponzio. There are some distorted clicks in the mix and the show is also missing Trevor on vocals & guitar. But seeing as how Mike Gordon makes an appearance, we figured we should post it anyway. Get it here: Yarn at Nectars - January 31st, 2008 2/2/2008 - Yarn and Phish's Mike Gordon We made the long trip from Brooklyn to Burlington on Thursday for a headlining slot at the infamous Nectars. Turned out to be quite a night. Some friends of Phish's Mike Gordon were in attendance and according to Mike, kept texting him telling him to come to Nectars to check us out. Lucky for us, he listened to his friends. We talked with him a bit during our set break and he agreed to come up and sit in on Ricky B's Upright. About 5 songs into our second set Mike came up and sat in on a cookin' version of Velvet Underground's "Oh Sweet Nuthin'". I have to say, it was quite an honor. Thanks Mike. Hope to see you next time, just don't forget to bring your banjo. Check out the pics on our myspace page. 1/25/08 - Dissolver Magazine Yarn - Yarn by Jon Gorey | Boston, MA Dissolver Magazine Volume 18 After hearing the first song off Yarn — the beeeeaaauuuutiful, mellow, Americana love song "Listen Up Sweetheart" — I was already sold. Blake Christiana and his bandmates didn't have to prove anything else to me. And yet, for fifty-one straight minutes, they did. Christiana's voice has the rich warmth of Lyle Lovett's, and the band's easy backing is both understated and artful. The combination, added to strong songwriting, makes for some of the best old-time country available. Complementing the best chorus on the CD — which is saying something, because Christiana has a knack for the chorus — the stripped down drum kit, violin, mandolin, and harmonies of "Don't Break My Heart Again" make me swoon. (In the interest of full disclosure, let it be known that I eat this shit up. I wish my own music sounded like this.) Even songs that fall short of excellence, like "The Contender," are still immensely charming. I missed Yarn when they came to Boston last fall; that won't happen again. If you're within reach of the blown-up Brooklyn music scene, make sure to catch them live. Click Here To View Site 1/14/08 - One last push Well, we dropped on the chart this week, from #16 to #17. And we desperately want to crack the top ten. So if you have any spare time and you don't know what to do with it, email or call these radio stations and request YARN. We need your help and i'll buy ya'll a bourbon if we do it. Thanks so much for getting us this far.
ACOUSTIC CAFE Ann Arbor, MI www.acafe.com ALTVILLE Sherman Oaks, CA www.altville.com AMERICANA ROOTS San Antonio, TX www.americanaroots.com COUNTRYBEAR.COM Lake Placid, FL www.countrybear.com FOLKSCENE West Hills, CA www.folkscene.com INDIE1015 Fort Collins, CO www.kwrp-radio.com KAXE Grand Rapids, MI www.kaxe.org KBCS Bellevue, WA www.kbcs.fm KCUB Stephenville, TX www.mandatoryfm.com KCUV Denver, CO www.kcuvradio.com KDHX St. Louis, MO www.kdhx.org KDNK Carbondale, CO www.kdnk.org KEXP Seattle, WA www.kexp.org KFAN Fredericksburg, TX www.texasrebelradio.com KFJC Los Altos Hills, CA www.kfjc.org KGSR Austin, TX www.kgsr.com KHTZ Brenham, TX www.lonestarfm.com KHYI Dallas, TX www.khyi.com KNBT New Braunfels, TX www.knbtfm.com KOPN Columbia, MO KPFA Berkeley, CA 94704 www.kpfa.org KPFT Houston, TX www.kpft.org KPIG Watsonville, CA www.kpig.com KRCB Santa Rosa, CA www.freighttrainboogie.com KRCL Salt Lake City, UT www.krcl.org KRFC Ft. Collins, CO www.krfcfm.org KRSH Santa Rosa, CA www.krsh.com KSIL Kate Brandon Silver City, NM www.ksilradio.com KSUT Ignacio, CO www.ksut.org KSYM San Antonio, TX www.accd.edu/tcmn KTHX Reno, NV www.kthxfm.com KTXN Victoria, TX www.texasmix.com KUSH Cushing, OK www.brightok.net/~kush KUT Austin, TX www.kut.org KVMR Nevada City, CA www.kvmr.org KVNF Paonia, CO www.kvnf.org KWMR Point Reyes Station, CA www.kwmr.org KXCI Tucson, AZ www.kxci.org KYMO East Prairie, MO KZSU Stanford, CA www.kzsu.org MUSIC CHOICE Denver, CO www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com PUBLIC RADIO EAST New Bern, NC www.publicradioeast.org RADIO VAGABOND Denver, CO 80206 www.radiovagabond.com RADIOIO COUNTRY PO Box 4143 San Rafael, CA www.radioiocountry.com SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO New York, NY www.sirius.com WCBE Columbus, OH www.wcbe.org WDBM East Lansing, MI www.impact89fm.org/twang WDVR Sergeantsville, NJ www.wdvrfm.org WDVX Knoxville, TN www.wdvx.com WERU East Orland, ME www.weru.org WESTERN BEAT Nashville, TN www.westernbeat.com WETS Johnson City, TN www.wets.org WEVL Memphis, TN www.wevl.org WFDU Teaneck, NJ www.wfdu.fm WFHB Bloomington, IN www.wfhb.org WFPK Louisville, KY www.wfpk.org WGCS Goshen, IN www.wgcs.org WGWG Boiling Springs, NC www.wgwg.org WHAY Whitley City, KY www.hay98.com WHEE Martinsville, VA www.wheeradio.com WIKX Port Charlotte, FL www.wikx.com WJMQ Shawano, WI www.frogcountry923.com WMKY Morehead, KY www.msuradio.com WMMT Whitesburg, KY www.appalshop.org/wmmt WMNF Tampa, FL www.wmnf.org WNCW Spindale, NC www.wncw.org WNRN Charlottesville, VA www.wnrn.rlc.net WOUB Athens, OH www.woub.org WQBR McElhattan, PA www.bear999.com WQNR 99.9 THE ROCK Auburn, AL www.wqnr.com WRFL Lexington, KY www.wrfl881.org WSGE Kings Mountain, NC www.wsge.org WSYC Shippensburg, PA www.wsyc.org WTCR-AM Cincinnati, OH www.wtcramericana.com WUMB Boston, MA www.wumb.org WWUH West Hartford, CT www.wwuh.org WXLV Schnecksville, PA www.lccc.edu/wxlv WYOU/WRRW Virginia Beach, VA www.wyou.fm XM SATELLITE RADIO www.xmradio.com 1/9/08 - Tony Trischka & Yarn Tony Trischka came by our home studio this week to lay down some banjo tracks. Unbelievable guy and an unbelievable musician. For those of you who don't know, Tony is top guy when it comes to the banjo, right along side Bela Fleck (who was actually one of Tony's students). Needless to say, we had a very productive day. Check out some pics here Tony Trischka's Official Website And don't forget to come out to Hill Country tonight. Were kickin' off a long run of weekly shows, so please come out. It's going to be a beautiful night, I can feel it. 1/7/08 - Review on Pophead Wound Talkin' New York, Vol. 10 - Yarn Talkin' New York is a semi-regular feature I like to include on Pop Headwound that focuses on the wealth of emerging local talent in the Brooklyn and Manhattan area. Some are touring bands getting buzz, others are folks I saw play at an open-mic who blew me away. All are artists who have struck me as incredibly talented musicians and songwriters who deserve to have their music heard on a wider scale. ********************************************************* About a year ago Blake Christiana was growing tired of playing folk rock in Blake & The Family Dog and decided his musical career needed rethinking. So, he and bandmate Trevor MacArthur made a change - they started writing acoustic based songs, formed Yarn, and recorded their self-titled debut record. The band has been gaining acclaim in the months since its release. They've been consistently moving their way up the AMA Chart, won the IMA award for best alt. country song of the year ("No Future Together"), and placed in the Freeform American Roots reporters Top 20 albums of the year. Not a bad year for a new band. Yarn is New York in locale, but their sound and spirit ain't from these parts. Led by the smooth vocals and guitar playing of Christiana, Yarn plays a form of alt. country music that seems born on the outskirts of Nashville, decidedly heavier on the "country" than the "alt". The 15 songs that comprise the record are just pristine. I haven't heard production this crisp on a country record in a long time - it reminds me of what M. Ward has achieved on his last few albums. I'm not comparing the 2 artists stylistically, but the crystal clear production here (warm, spacious, inviting) rivals that of Ward for some of the best I've heard. The album itself is marked by fine playing and smart songs. The familiar country music themes and images referenced seem more alive than ever, and Christiana's sturdy croon is as real as a warm breeze, as knowing as the weathervane. "No Future Together" is a heartbreaking confession of failure, "Madeline" a dusty ballad that sounds like it's leftover from Stranger's Almanac, and "Cat and Mouse" a shuffling sing-along worthy of a Hank comparison. The songs cuddle together with the others, seemless in their delivery, and by the rustic sway of "I Love The Way" you'll be waiting for the CD to end so you can start it over. This is highly recommended music for fans of real country music with an outsider's edge, and while that's not always my thing, this is too good to ignore. click here to view article 1.4.07 - New Show Available on Archive.org Download our 12.10.07 Show at Kenny's Castaways for free. Shane Spaulding makes a special appearance. And Jeremy Wall sits in on saxophone. You'll dig it. Happy New Year. Kenny's Castaway 12.10.07 - click here to download entire show 1/2/08 - Interview on WPSC Shane and I went over to WPSC for an early morning radio interview on a show called "The Morning Blend" on December 17th. Click below to listen to a portion of the interview: The Morning Blend Yarn Interview Yarn Wins IMA Award for Best Alt-Country Song 2007 We won. "No Future Together" was voted Best Alt-Country Song of 2007 by The Music Resource Group. We were among thousand of entries from all over the world who submitted material for these awards. The IMA Winners were determined by a celebrity and industry judging panel that included: Snoop Dogg, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Davies, Suzanne Vega, Charlie Musselwhite, Frank Iero, Judy Collins and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, among an assortment of other celebrity and industry judges. Here is the official press release: For Immediate Release January 2nd, 2008 BROOKLYN'S OWN YARN AMONG WINNERS OF THE ?7TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS INDIE ARTISTS FROM NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, AUSTRALIA AND ASIA TO BE PROMOTED TO MORE THAN 15 MILLION PEOPLE & APPEAR IN 2008 EDITION OF THE MUSICIAN'S ATLAS Brooklyn based artist/band Yarn is among a diverse group of independent musicians named as winners of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. Roots music from the shadows of skyscrapers, Brooklyn six-piece Yarn may call the Big Apple home but they nestle their sound in Nashville sunsets. Moving between scruffy alt.country and a twitter of bluegrass, lead singer Blake Christiana mines his heavy Americana sound from lyrics shaped by the genteel sincerity of Gram Parsons. His band followssuite, pairing Christiana's lo-fi hooks with articulate string accents. Yarn is currently 16 on the AMA Chart and still climbing. All IMA winners were selected by a panel of celebrity and industry judges and will receive year-long marketing support to enhance the campaigns for their current projects and careers. The winners encompass both established and emerging talent including Koko Taylor (Best Blues Album), the legendary, GRAMMY® Award-winning Blues artist; Joan As Policewoman (Best Pop/Rock Album – Tie), who's debut album is among the critically-acclaimed success stories of 2007; and The Apples In Stereo (Best Pop/Rock Song), a mainstay on Indie & mainstream as well as the touring circuit. IMA winners will appear in the updated, 10th anniversary edition of The Musician's Atlas 2008 – the independent musicians' and entrepreneurs' definitive guide to the music business, available on December 26, 2007. Developed and coordinated by Music Resource Group, publisher of The Musician's Atlas, the Independent Music Award program delivers a variety of premiums to Winners including:? ? · Year-long marketing campaigns, partnerships and distribution alliances, that will place the Winners in front of millions of music fans and industry decision makers around the world. ? ?· Music promotion to college & public radio stations by The Planetary Group, a leading radio promotions company with access to 700 stations throughout the U.S. and Canada. ? ? ·An arrangement with eMusic and Pure Volume that makes their IMA Winning tracks available for download to several million consumers. ·Winners in the album and song categories will have a song included on the IMA Winners CD compilation Now Her This which will be distributed to 5,000 music fans and industry movers and shakers at music conferences and festivals such as SXSW, The Warped Tour, Popkomm, Folk Alliance, London Calling and other events throughout the year. Other notable winners include: Johnny Dowd (Best Alt. Country Album), who's pastiche of rock, country, blues and jazz is earning a much deserved worldwide audience; Miguel Migs, (Best Dance/Electronica Album) who is already among a handful of pioneers in the DJ community; Ernie Watts (Best Jazz Album), the legendary sax player who, in addition to his own recordings, has worked with The Rolling Stones, Quincy Jones, Frank Zappa, Cannonball Adderly, and other luminaries; Ari Gold (Best R&B Song) a luminary in the R&B community; and Girl In A Coma (Best Punk Song) who recently signed with Joan Jett's Blackheart Record label. The IMA Program awarded more than 50 honors in categories that recognize achievements in Music, Design, Music Video and College-run Record Label releases. The IMA Winners were determined by a celebrity and industry judging panel that included: Snoop Dogg, Susan Tedeschi, Ray Davies, Suzanne Vega, Charlie Musselwhite, Frank Iero, Judy Collins and Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers, among an assortment of other celebrity and industry judges. Music industry pros that were not part of this year's judging panel and music fans can cast their vote at the IMA site. Winners of this "Vox Populi" poll will be announced in 2008. See IMA winners in the album and song categories below: ALBUM CATEGORIES?? ALT. COUNTRY – Johnny Dowd, 'Cruel Words;' AMERICANA – Hannah Blaylock & Eden's Edge, 'Lights Of Home;' BLUES – Koko Taylor, 'Old School;' CHILDREN'S – Kira Willey, 'Dance For The Sun;' CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN – Sebastian Demrey, 'Searching;' COUNTRY – Chris Gray, 'It's All About Me;' DANCE & ELECTRONICA – Miguel Migs, 'Those Things;' FOLK/ SINGER-SONGWRITER – Drew Pilgram, 'Magnetic Sideways Pull;' GOSPEL – The Minister John Butler, 'The Tribute – Phase II;' HARD ROCK/ METAL – Ashes Are Nutritious, 'Frustration +;' JAM – Jason Seed Elixer Ensemble, 'Where The Corners Meet;' JAZZ – Ernie Watts, 'Analog Man;' LATIN – Jose Conde & Ola Fresca, 'Revolucion;' LIVE PERFORMANCE – Marco Benevento, 'Live At Tonic;' NEW AGE – Priscilla Hernandez, 'Ancient Shadows;' POP/ROCK (TIE) – Joan As Policewoman, 'Real Life,' – and - No More Kings, 'No More Kings;' R&B – Aja West & Friends, 'Total Recall 2012;' RAP/HIP-HOP – Zeph & Azeem, 'Rise Up;' WORLD FUSION – Cholo Soy – Jamie Cuadra, 'Peruvian Waltz Chillout;' WORLD TRADITIONAL – Alasdair White, 'An Clàr Geal' SONG CATEGORIES ALT. COUNTRY – Yarn, "No Future Together;" AMERICANA – Boulder Acoustic Society, "Does It Really Matter;" BLUES – Little Miss Higgins, "In The Middle Of Nowhere;" CHILDREN'S – Kira Willey, "Caterpillar, Caterpillar;" CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN – Vincent Joseph Manzo, "Only By Grace;" COUNTRY – Miko Marks, "It Feels Good;" DANCE & ELECTRONICA - Midville, "Wicked;" FILM/TV & MULTIMEDIA – Jennifer Kreisberg, "Have Hope;" FOLK/ SINGER-SONGWRITER – Tannis Slimmon, "Ernest, Charlie & Allan;" GOSPEL – Robbin Thompson, "Move On Down The Line;" HARD ROCK/METAL - Pløk, "I Do Not Live In A Condo;" JAM – The Frequency, "Jim Gordon Part II;" JAZZ – Stanley Maxwell, "Mousetrap;" LATIN – Zoraida Santiago, "Canciones Por Todas Partes;" NEW AGE – Jeff Oster, "Saturn Calling;" POP/ROCK – The Apples In Stereo, "Same Old Drag;" PUNK – Girl In A Coma, "Clumsy Sky;" RAP/HIP-HOP – Animate Objects, "El Dorado;" R&B – Ari Gold, "Love Wasn't Built In A Day;" SOCIAL ACTION – Kenny White, "How Long;" WORLD FUSION – Luca Mundaca;" WORLD TRADITIONAL – Lionel Loueke, "Kponnon Kpètè." For more information contact CONTACT _Con-3FDA71F79D ..c ..s ..l Joelle Caputa (joelle@independentmusicawards.com), 973.509.9898 http://www.MusiciansAtlas.com http://www.IndependentMusicAwards.com http://www.MySpace.com/theindependentmusicawards Yarn named Best of 2007 by 3rd Coast Music The best of 2007 according to Freeform American Roots reporters. The numbers in square brackets [] are the top ten vote winners. Thanks for making, releasing, promoting or otherwise keeping roots music alive in 2007. Here's hoping 2008 will be another good year. John C ALBUM OF THE YEAR 1 Starline Rhythm Boys: Red's Place 2 Sam Baker: Pretty World 3 Levon Helm: Dirt Farmer 4 Steve Earle: Washington Square Serenade 5 Eilen Jewell: Letters From Sinners And Strangers 6 Cornell Hurd Band: Beyond The Purple Hills 7 Teddy Thompson: Upfront And Down Low 8 Gurf Morlix: Diamonds To Dust 9 Dwight Yoakam: Dwight Sings Buck 10 John Lilly: Haunted Honky Tonk 11 Ry Cooder: My Name Is Buddy 12 Elizabeth Cook: Balls 13 Jimmy LaFave: Cimarron Manifesto 14 David Serby: Another Sleepness Night 15 The Rizdales: Radio Country 16 Mavis Staples: We'll Never Turn Back 17 Robert Plant & Alison Krauss: Raising Sand 18 Yarn 19 Dennis Brennan: Engagement 20 Bill Kirchen: Hammer Of The Honky-Tonk Gods DEBUT ALBUM 1 Kendall Carson: Rearview Mirror Tears [6 ] 2 Rachel Harrington: The Bootlegger's Daughter 3 Ryan Bingham: Mescalito 4 Martha Scanlan: The West Was Burning 5 Laura Bell: Looking for A Place Already Gone VARIOUS ARTISTS/TRIBUTE ALBUM 1 Goin' Home; A Tribute To Fats Domino 2 Wounded Heart Of America; Tom Russell Songs 3 Song Of America 4 Dwight Yoakam: Dwight Sings Buck 5 Just One More; A Tribute To Larry Brown 5 Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook Vols 2 & 3 6 Always Lift Him Up; Tribute To Blind Alfred Reed REISSUE/HISTORIC ALBUM 1 Gram Parsons: Archives Volume 1 [1] 2 Neil Young: Live At Massey Hall 3 T Tex Edwards & Out On Parole: Pardon Me, I've Got Someone To Kill 4 Emmylou Harris: Songbird FEMALE ARTIST 1 Eilen Jewell [2] 2 Elizabeth Cook 3 Sarah Borges 4 Patty Booker 5 Bettye LaVette 6 Kelly Willis 7 Terri Hendrix 8 Mavis Staples MALE ARTIST 1 Sam Baker 2 John Lilly 3 Levon Helm 4 Steve Earle 5 Dennis Brennan 6 Dale Watson 7 Gurf Morlix 8 Jimmy LaFave 9 Tom Russell SONGWRITER 1 Sam Baker [5] 2 Steve Earle 3 Tom Russell 4 John Lilly 5 David Olney 6 Eilen Jewell 7 Chip Taylor 8 Billy Bratcher INSTRUMENTALIST 1 Bill Kirchen [3] 2 Gurf Morlix [9] 3 Jon Rauhouse 4 David Bromberg 5 Duke Levine 6 Lloyd Maines 7 Paul Skelton DUO/GROUP 1 Hacienda Brothers [4] 2 Starline Rhythm Boys [8] 3 Cornell Hurd Band 4 The Detroit Cobras 5 Jesse Dayton & Brennen Leigh BEST IN THE INDUSTRY 1 Joe Swank (Yep Roc) [7] 2 Darrell Anderson (Hightone) [10] 3 Jenny 'JP' Pfafflin (Bloodshot) 4 Fred Boenig (AmericanaMedia) 5 Bill Hunt (Cow Island) 6 Martha Moore (So Much Moore) 12/17/07 - Final Kenny's Show Tonight This is it. The end of an era. Please come by to Kenny's Castaways and bid us farewell. We've been playing Monday night at Kenny's for so long and tonight is our final Kenny's show. Help us celebrate. There is fun to be had. See you all tonight. Yarn Kenny's Castaways 187 Bleeker Street New York, NY 10pm - 1am 12/6/07 - Yarn secures new residency... We got a new residency at Hill Country, the coolest cowboy joint in town. We will be starting Wednesday, January 9th and continuing through February. If all goes well, we will continue through March and so on. So everyone who thinks they might miss us at Kenny's, can now come out to Hill Country on Wednesday nights. Were looking forward to this and hope to continue it for a while. So please come out and show your support. Hill Country 30 West 26th Street New York, NY Every Wednesday Night Starting Jan. 9th 2008 9pm - Midnight 12/1/07 - Roots Music Report Root Music Report - November 2007 Each independent member of Yarn really brings their own flavor to the group, melding it into a treat for everyone's ears. The newly formed band's first release really stunned us at how well they all worked together to create such a great CD. When we first listened, we began reminiscing of times long since past, and musicians that are in everyone's hearts and minds. Each song on this album is catchy and addictive, and they etched themselves into our memory and took up a place in our hearts. Quentin Foster - RMR Staff Click here to go to their website: Root Music Report CD Reviews 11/30/07 - So we made the top 30... But damn it, I'm just not happy with that. I doubt I will ever be happy. But maybe if we reach the top 10, i'll feel a little better about myself. So, we need you to keep calling these folks or sending them emails requesting some Yarn. Even if you don't live anywhere near that city. If you have some free time, help us out. Good Karma never hurt. Thanks so much for all the help so far, we love you all dearly. But please don't stop now. Here is the list again: ACOUSTIC CAFE Ann Arbor, MI www.acafe.com ALTVILLE Sherman Oaks, CA www.altville.com AMERICANA ROOTS San Antonio, TX www.americanaroots.com COUNTRYBEAR.COM Lake Placid, FL www.countrybear.com FOLKSCENE West Hills, CA www.folkscene.com INDIE1015 Fort Collins, CO www.kwrp-radio.com KAXE Grand Rapids, MI www.kaxe.org KBCS Bellevue, WA www.kbcs.fm KCUB Stephenville, TX www.mandatoryfm.com KCUV Denver, CO www.kcuvradio.com KDHX St. Louis, MO www.kdhx.org KDNK Carbondale, CO www.kdnk.org KEXP Seattle, WA www.kexp.org KFAN Fredericksburg, TX www.texasrebelradio.com KFJC Los Altos Hills, CA www.kfjc.org KGSR Austin, TX www.kgsr.com KHTZ Brenham, TX www.lonestarfm.com KHYI Dallas, TX www.khyi.com KNBT New Braunfels, TX www.knbtfm.com KOPN Columbia, MO KPFA Berkeley, CA 94704 www.kpfa.org KPFT Houston, TX www.kpft.org KPIG Watsonville, CA www.kpig.com KRCB Santa Rosa, CA www.freighttrainboogie.com KRCL Salt Lake City, UT www.krcl.org KRFC Ft. Collins, CO www.krfcfm.org KRSH Santa Rosa, CA www.krsh.com KSIL Kate Brandon Silver City, NM www.ksilradio.com KSUT Ignacio, CO www.ksut.org KSYM San Antonio, TX www.accd.edu/tcmn KTHX Reno, NV www.kthxfm.com KTXN Victoria, TX www.texasmix.com KUSH Cushing, OK www.brightok.net/~kush KUT Austin, TX www.kut.org KVMR Nevada City, CA www.kvmr.org KVNF Paonia, CO www.kvnf.org KWMR Point Reyes Station, CA www.kwmr.org KXCI Tucson, AZ www.kxci.org KYMO East Prairie, MO KZSU Stanford, CA www.kzsu.org MUSIC CHOICE Denver, CO www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com PUBLIC RADIO EAST New Bern, NC www.publicradioeast.org RADIO VAGABOND Denver, CO 80206 www.radiovagabond.com RADIOIO COUNTRY PO Box 4143 San Rafael, CA www.radioiocountry.com SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO New York, NY www.sirius.com WCBE Columbus, OH www.wcbe.org WDBM East Lansing, MI www.impact89fm.org/twang WDVR Sergeantsville, NJ www.wdvrfm.org WDVX Knoxville, TN www.wdvx.com WERU East Orland, ME www.weru.org WESTERN BEAT Nashville, TN www.westernbeat.com WETS Johnson City, TN www.wets.org WEVL Memphis, TN www.wevl.org WFDU Teaneck, NJ www.wfdu.fm WFHB Bloomington, IN www.wfhb.org WFPK Louisville, KY www.wfpk.org WGCS Goshen, IN www.wgcs.org WGWG Boiling Springs, NC www.wgwg.org WHAY Whitley City, KY www.hay98.com WHEE Martinsville, VA www.wheeradio.com WIKX Port Charlotte, FL www.wikx.com WJMQ Shawano, WI www.frogcountry923.com WMKY Morehead, KY www.msuradio.com WMMT Whitesburg, KY www.appalshop.org/wmmt WMNF Tampa, FL www.wmnf.org WNCW Spindale, NC www.wncw.org WNRN Charlottesville, VA www.wnrn.rlc.net WOUB Athens, OH www.woub.org WQBR McElhattan, PA www.bear999.com WQNR 99.9 THE ROCK Auburn, AL www.wqnr.com WRFL Lexington, KY www.wrfl881.org WSGE Kings Mountain, NC www.wsge.org WSYC Shippensburg, PA www.wsyc.org WTCR-AM Cincinnati, OH www.wtcramericana.com WUMB Boston, MA www.wumb.org WWUH West Hartford, CT www.wwuh.org WXLV Schnecksville, PA www.lccc.edu/wxlv WYOU/WRRW Virginia Beach, VA www.wyou.fm XM SATELLITE RADIO www.xmradio.com 11/27/07 - Another Review Village Records Like a lot of the best alt-country bands this group had its roots in rock music. The roots were there, but their heart wasn't and they decided to follow that voice down the lost highway and pursue their muse. That siren voice took them down a country road and after a couple of miles they knew they were headed home. This debut album is full of seasoned music from a group that is truly enjoying themselves and will never have to look back. Here's a chance to hop on board and be among the first to discover this band. Village Records 11/26/07 - The Kenny's Countdown It is the end of an era, but the time has come. Tonight is the first of our last 4 shows on Monday night at Kennys Castaways. We've been doing Monday Nights at Kenny's for close to 2 years and have decided it is time to move on. Please come down and support us for these final shows. We truly love everyone at Kennys and will miss them all. Yarn at Kenny's Castaways 187 Bleeker Street New York, NY 10pm - 1am 11/19/07 - We did it... We broke the Top 40 on the AMA's this week and hit 36 just behind Billy Bob Thorton. Good company, we love Billy Bob. Anyway we can't stop there, so that means keep on callin' and requesting Yarn. I ain't stoppin' till we hit 1. If you'd like to see the chart for yourself, click here: AMA Chart Keep on listening!!! We'll be celebrating tonight at our show at Kenny's Castaways on Bleeker Street in the village starting at 10pm, so please come down and join us. We could not have done it without you. Thank's again. 11/15/07 - Yarn on iTunes Yarn's debut record is now available on iTunes. Just open up your iTunes store, search for Yarn, and there you will find us. I feel this album is meant to be bought and listened to as an entire album, but do what you will. Buy a single, buy five songs, who am I to say? Enjoy! 11/14/07 - Americana Roots Review Yarn Americana Roots Tuesday, 13 November 2007 Written by Don Zelazny Yarn is a relatively new band out of the New York City area fronted by Blake Christiana, a classically trained guitarist who also handles vocals and songwriting duties on their debut release Yarn. He had previously run a rock band called Blake & the Family Dog in NYC. Apparently he wanted to head into a more country type sound when he met up with mandolin player Andrew Hendryx and started writing acoustic based songs. They would try out the songs during a steady Monday night gig at a place called Kenny's in New York. The tunes eventually became Yarn tunes and after playing with a number of musicians, they settled on Jay Frederick on drums, Rick Bugel on bass and Trevor MacArthur on rhythm guitar and backing vocals. The band also includes Shane Spaulding who does not play, but co-wrote many of the songs with Christiana. The result of all this is a very enjoyable album from start to finish. The songs are bluegrass influenced acoustic gems. Christiana's love of the country-side of the Grateful Dead is quite evident on this record, with several songs reminiscent of the Jerry Garcia-David Grissman collaborations. Andrew Hendryx's mandolin playing truly anchors the band's sound, along with the smooth vocals/lyrics of Blake, who claims to use Gram Parsons as his songwriting measuring stick. One of the CDs highlights is the second cut, "Bad, Bad Man," alternating between mandolin, fiddle and banjo runs with the singers admission that "I'm a bad, bad, man, candy in my pocket, broken woman on my hand…" "25 Years" is highlighted by some great harmony vocals and is one of the tunes with a definite Grateful Dead feel to it. Other gems are the up-tempo "Don't Break My Heart Again," and the beautiful "Angel in Woodstock," which Christiana says he wrote one night after listening to two Gram Parsons albums. The band has toured heavily in the east in preparation for the release of this CD. If they come to a town near you I highly recommend you check them out. Their website is http://www.yarnmusic.net/, where they have a few live sets you can download. Check it out here: Americana Roots 11/13/07 - On The Radio Our buds over at The Artist Development Coop put together a fine looking eCard to help gather a few more station adds so we can finally break into the top 40 on the AMA Chart. We finished last week at 42. So close, it's killing me. Keep calling those radio stations and requesting Yarn. Thanks so much for all your help so far.       11/9/07 - Record Review at Miles of Music Jeff Weiss from Miles of Music gave us a great review of our debut record. The record is now available for sale at Miles of Music and they've given it 100% guarantee. Here is the review: In a year that is already jammed with exceptional releases, Yarn makes the case for an entry into annual Top 10 lists. This Brooklyn-based band scores the rare triple-header of excellent country-bluegrass musicianship, memorable melodies and honeyed vocals. A little over a year ago Blake Christiana was considering quitting life as a musician but decided to take one last shot. Hopefully, the results have inspired him to stick around for awhile. Inspired by bluegrass workouts of David Grisman and Jerry Garcia and the songwriting of Gram Parsons, Yarn's 15 tracks feature stories of bad men doing unsavory things. -- Jeff Weiss, Miles of Music (self-released) Miles of Music 11/6/07 - B&TFD on iTunes Remeber when there was this little band called Blake & The Family Dog??? Well I sure do (it's only been a year since we stopped playing). But for those of you who don't, Blake & The Family Dog was Trevor and I's first NYC musical project. We had a 5 year run, and it was a lot of fun. The songs are rootsy and folky, but the vibe is electric and rock, so if you like Yarn, you may like this as well. In that time we only released one studio record, called "Stolen Days". And I am happy to announce it is available for the first time on iTunes. Click here to get your "Stolen Days" MP3's: Family Dog on iTunes or get a physical copy of the record at CD Baby: Family Dog on CD Baby Enjoy! 11/5/07 - Lyrics & Chords We've had some requests from fans to post the lyrics to our songs. So we finally did it. You can view lyrics along with chords to all the songs from the record by clicking the lyrics button next to the song playing below in the media player. ENJOY! 11/3/07 - IMA Press Release For Immediate Release 11.3.07 BROOKLYN'S OWN YARN AMONG FINALISTS OF THE 7TH ANNUAL INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS INDIE ARTISTS FROM 6 CONTINENTS TO BE PROMOTED TO MORE THAN 20 MILLION & APPEAR IN 2008 EDITION OF THE MUSICIAN’S ATLAS Brooklyn based band Yarn is among a diverse group of independent musicians named as finalists of the 7th Annual Independent Music Awards. Yarn's organic blend of alt-country music has the warmth of old vinyl, the soul of Gram Parsons and the lyrcism and profound musicianship that only comes from each members dedicated musical journeys. The band is currently climbing the AMA Chart with the likes of Steve Earle and Alison Krauss. IMA Finalists will now advance to the final round of judging by a distinguished group of influential artists and industry insiders. The Judges who will determine this year’s IMA Winners include Suzanne Vega; Snoop Dogg, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers; Les Claypool of Primus; Ray Davies of The Kinks; Susan Tedeschi, Frank Iero of My Chemical Romance; blues legend Charlie Musselwhite; Judy Collins; Rolling Stone contributing editor Anthony DeCurtis, MTV Music Supervisor, Carrie Hughes, Kevin Lyman of Vans Warped Tour and many others. IMA Winners and Finalists winners will appear in the 10th Anniversary edition of The Musician’s Atlas 2008, on sale December 18, 2007. Regarded as the industry’s most comprehensive contact directory, The Atlas is used by independent musicians and entrepreneurs to market and sell music more successfully. Developed and coordinated by Music Resource Group, publisher of The Musician’s Atlas, the Independent Music Award program delivers a variety of premiums to Winners including: · Year-long marketing campaigns, partnerships and distribution alliances, that will place the Winners in front of millions of music fans and industry decision makers around the world. · The IMA Winners CD compilation will be distributed to 10,000 music fans and industry at events such as SXSW, Ozzfest, The Warped Tour throughout the year and promoted to more 650 US & Canadian college & public radio stations. •eMusic will promote IMA Winners to millions of their subscribers throughout 2008. ·· Borders Books & Music will promote IMA Winners more than 11 Million of their customers. · Exposure to nearly 10 million viewers of ManiaTV.com and Havoc TV. Music fans will be casting their votes for their favorite IMA Finalists at www.IndependentMusicAwards.com at the IMA Vox Populi Jukebox. ### For more information on the Musician’s Atlas and the Independent Music Awards contact Joelle Caputa (joelle@independentmusicawards.com) at 973-509-9898. For more information about Yarn please contact yarn@blakechristiana.com or www.yarnmusic.net. 10/27/07 - We Need Your Votes I don't really have any idea how we became finalists in The Independant Music Awards, but we are. Nor do I have any idea what we'll win, but that doesn't mean we don't care. So vote for us, i'm sure it won't hurt any. Go to the link below and vote for "No Future Together", Yarn should definitely win this. PLEASE VOTE! VOTE YARN! Vote, Vote, Vote. We wanna win. 10/24/07 - Another Chart and this time were tied with Emmylou at #18 on Texas' Free Form American Roots Chart. There aint no one else I would rather share this slot with then Emmylou Harris. Maybe now she'll do a duet with me. Check out the chart here: Free Form American Roots Chart for September 2007 10/23/07 - Yarn is charting So we finished last week on the AMA at #59. Which is great, because were still climbing. And I just found out were charting at #35 on Roots Music Report's Bluegrass Chart (with 300 terrestrial and internet radio stations reporting). Check it out here: Roots Music Report - Bluegrass Chart please keep calling your local radio stations demanding to hear more Yarn. Thanks for all your help. 10/12/07 - "CD of the Year" I got an email yesterday from WDVR's Torchy Blaine. It made my day so I figured I should definitely share. Here it is: I'm one of the dj's at WDVR-FM in Sergeantsville NJ (my show is called "Guitar Town"; a "country with attitude" program on 4 - 6 pm on Saturdays), and was given a copy of your cd by Fred Boenig, what I honestly feel is absolutely THE CD OF THE YEAR!!!! I think there are quite a few major names on some major labels out there that could learn a thing or two from Yarn! I mean, I am just blown away --- and I do say this on the air. These songs are smart, well-produced, and just so damned FINE that in my opinion none of the Big Boys or Gals could touch them! Often I just listen to the opening of a new song, and in a few seconds can tell if it "works" or not ---- and every song on this album works! And if I didn't mean every word of this, I wouldn't take the time to type them. "Torchy Blaine" (otherwise, just Mari), WDVR-FM Thanks Torchy Blaine and God Bless You! 10/9/07 - Help Us Please Ok, so we were 68 on last weeks AMA Americana Radio Charts, 2 weeks ago we were 76. So were climbing, thats good. But we need to break the top 40. And we need your help. Below is a list of all the radio stations that report to the AMA (Americana Music Association). Some of these stations are playing our record, some are not. But all of them should be. We need you to give these folks a call or send them an email and request some Yarn. We love you all, and when we take over the world, what you have done will not be forgotten. Thanks. ACOUSTIC CAFE Ann Arbor, MI www.acafe.com ALTVILLE Sherman Oaks, CA www.altville.com AMERICANA ROOTS San Antonio, TX www.americanaroots.com COUNTRYBEAR.COM Lake Placid, FL www.countrybear.com FOLKSCENE West Hills, CA www.folkscene.com INDIE1015 Fort Collins, CO www.kwrp-radio.com KAXE Grand Rapids, MI www.kaxe.org KBCS Bellevue, WA www.kbcs.fm KCUB Stephenville, TX www.mandatoryfm.com KCUV Denver, CO www.kcuvradio.com KDHX St. Louis, MO www.kdhx.org KDNK Carbondale, CO www.kdnk.org KEXP Seattle, WA www.kexp.org KFAN Fredericksburg, TX www.texasrebelradio.com KFJC Los Altos Hills, CA www.kfjc.org KGSR Austin, TX www.kgsr.com KHTZ Brenham, TX www.lonestarfm.com KHYI Dallas, TX www.khyi.com KNBT New Braunfels, TX www.knbtfm.com KOPN Columbia, MO KPFA Berkeley, CA 94704 www.kpfa.org KPFT Houston, TX www.kpft.org KPIG Watsonville, CA www.kpig.com KRCB Santa Rosa, CA www.freighttrainboogie.com KRCL Salt Lake City, UT www.krcl.org KRFC Ft. Collins, CO www.krfcfm.org KRSH Santa Rosa, CA www.krsh.com KSIL Kate Brandon Silver City, NM www.ksilradio.com KSUT Ignacio, CO www.ksut.org KSYM San Antonio, TX www.accd.edu/tcmn KTHX Reno, NV www.kthxfm.com KTXN Victoria, TX www.texasmix.com KUSH Cushing, OK www.brightok.net/~kush KUT Austin, TX www.kut.org KVMR Nevada City, CA www.kvmr.org KVNF Paonia, CO www.kvnf.org KWMR Point Reyes Station, CA www.kwmr.org KXCI Tucson, AZ www.kxci.org KYMO East Prairie, MO KZSU Stanford, CA www.kzsu.org MUSIC CHOICE Denver, CO www.johnhendricksbroadcast.com PUBLIC RADIO EAST New Bern, NC www.publicradioeast.org RADIO VAGABOND Denver, CO 80206 www.radiovagabond.com RADIOIO COUNTRY PO Box 4143 San Rafael, CA www.radioiocountry.com SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO New York, NY www.sirius.com WCBE Columbus, OH www.wcbe.org WDBM East Lansing, MI www.impact89fm.org/twang WDVR Sergeantsville, NJ www.wdvrfm.org WDVX Knoxville, TN www.wdvx.com WERU East Orland, ME www.weru.org WESTERN BEAT Nashville, TN www.westernbeat.com WETS Johnson City, TN www.wets.org WEVL Memphis, TN www.wevl.org WFDU Teaneck, NJ www.wfdu.fm WFHB Bloomington, IN www.wfhb.org WFPK Louisville, KY www.wfpk.org WGCS Goshen, IN www.wgcs.org WGWG Boiling Springs, NC www.wgwg.org WHAY Whitley City, KY www.hay98.com WHEE Martinsville, VA www.wheeradio.com WIKX Port Charlotte, FL www.wikx.com WJMQ Shawano, WI www.frogcountry923.com WMKY Morehead, KY www.msuradio.com WMMT Whitesburg, KY www.appalshop.org/wmmt WMNF Tampa, FL www.wmnf.org WNCW Spindale, NC www.wncw.org WNRN Charlottesville, VA www.wnrn.rlc.net WOUB Athens, OH www.woub.org WQBR McElhattan, PA www.bear999.com WQNR 99.9 THE ROCK Auburn, AL www.wqnr.com WRFL Lexington, KY www.wrfl881.org WSGE Kings Mountain, NC www.wsge.org WSYC Shippensburg, PA www.wsyc.org WTCR-AM Cincinnati, OH www.wtcramericana.com WUMB Boston, MA www.wumb.org WWUH West Hartford, CT www.wwuh.org WXLV Schnecksville, PA www.lccc.edu/wxlv WYOU/WRRW Virginia Beach, VA www.wyou.fm XM SATELLITE RADIO www.xmradio.com 9/24/07 - T-Shirts & KSIL Album of the Week Yarn T-Shirts are now available to be purchased at our online store. Unisex available now. The women's T's will be available very soon. Yarn's self-titled debut album is Silver City, New Mexico's KSIL Radio, Record of the Week. All I can say is, "it's an honor". Thanks Silver City. Check it out here www.ksilradio.com and tell us how proud you are. 9/4/07 - Vote Yarn's TV debut has come and gone. Now everyone should go to www.fearlessmusic.tv and vote for us. Not really sure what it does or if we win anything, but it at least gives us some bragging rights. Were also getting ready for our upcoming southern tour. If you know anyone in the following cities, please let them know Yarn's a coming and to come check us out. Fri. Sept. 14 @ 9:00 Chestertown, MD - Andy's Sat. Sept. 15 @ 9:00 Raleigh, NC - Slim's Sun. Sept. 16 @ 5:00 Raleigh, NC - Sadlack's Mon. Sept. 17 @ 9:00 Atlanta, GA - Blind Willie's Wed. Sept. 19 @ 9:00 Nashville, TN - The Rutledge Fri. Sept. 21 @ 10:00 Richmond, VA - Cary St. Cafe Sat. Sept. 22 @ 9:00 Charlottesville, VA - Miller's Downtown 8/26/07 - On Fox This Saturday Night Yarn will be appearing on Fox's "Fearless Music" this Saturday night at 12:30am in New York City. Please check out their website (www.fearlessmusic.tv) for airtimes in different cities (or check the list below). This is Yarn's Television Debut, please tune in. New York, NY WNYW FOX Saturday Night 1am Tampa, Fl WMOR Sunday Night 12:30am Seattle, WA KONG Saturday Night 1am Nashville, TN WNAB CWTV Saturday Night 1am Cincinnati, OH WNAB CWTV Saturday Night 11:30pm Grand Rapids, MI WOOD NBC Saturday Night 1am Norfolk, VA WSKY Friday Night 3am Las Vegas, NV KVMY MNTV Sunday Night 12am Louisville, KY WHAS ABC Saturday Night 12:30am Jacksonville, FL WTLV NBC Saturday Night 3:30am Albany, NY WNYA Saturday Night 1am Mobile, AL WPMI NBC Saturday Night 1am Green Bay, WI WBAY ABC Saturday Night 1:30am Honolulu, HI KHON FOX Saturday Night at 2:30pm Springfield, MO KYTV NBC Saturday Night 2am Davenport, IA WBQD UPN Saturday Night 11pm Baton Rouge, LA WGMB FOX Saturday Night 11:30pm Fort Wayne, IN WFFT FOX Saturday Night 4am Tallahassee, FL WTLH FOX Saturday Night 1am Lansing, MI WLAJ ABC Saturday Night 11:35pm Longview, TX KFXK FOX Sunday Night 12am Reno, NV KRXI FOX Saturday Night 1am Peoria, Il WOAE Saturday Night 11pm Fargo, ND KVLY NBC Saturday Night 3:30am Boise, ID KIVI ABC Saturday Night 10:35pm Eau Claire, WI WEAU NBC Saturday Night 1am Linwood, NJ WMGM NBC Sunday Night 1:30am Columbia, MO KZOU MNTV Sunday Night 11pm Bangor, ME WFVX FOX Sunday Night 1:30am Rochester, MN KAAL ABC Friday Night 12:00am Anchorage, AK KTUU NBC Saturday Night 2am Yuma, AZ KECY FOX Saturday Morning 11am Jackson, TN WBBJ ABC Friday Night 2:30am Hopkinsville, KY WKAG Saturday 1am Meridian, MS WMDN CBS Friday Night 4:30a m Charlottesville, VA WAHU FOX Saturday Night 11pm Morgan City, LA KWBJ Saturday Night 10:30pm, Thurs. 11pm Twin Falls, ID KSAW ABC Saturday Night 10:35pm Fairbanks, AK KFXK FOX Saturday Night 12:30am Juneau, AK KATH NBC Sunday Night 4:30pm, Weds. 11:30am Digital Stations Omaha, NE WOWT-DT TBA South Bend, IN WSBT-DT Sunday Night 5:30pm Youngstown, OH WYTV DT MNTV Saturday Night 12:30am Santa Barbara, CA KEYT-DT MNTV Saturday Night 11:30pm Panama City, FL WJHG-DT MNTV Saturday Night 11:30pm 7/16/07 - Yarn on Fearless Music We are going into Fearless TV Studios this Wednesday to tape a live performance of 5 songs for their TV show which airs here in NYC on FOX Saturday Nights at 1am. It is also nationally sydicated, so all you people not living in the NYC area, check your local listings to see when Fearless Music airs in your area. I just got the following email from them, please read it and send them any questions you might want answered: Hey guys! We're looking forward to having you come in on Wednesday to tape for Fearless Music TV. After we film you performing, we do a quick Q&A. We would love it if you can post a blog/bulletin on your Myspace page letting your fans know to send us questions to ask you. If there are any questions your fans would want to ask Yarn, they are encouraged to email us. They can email the questions to questions@fearlessmusic.tv www.fearlessmusic.tv 6/18/07 - Review We got a review in Belgium a couple weeks ago and we finally got someone to translate it. Thanks to Cora Haverkamp of Molenbeersel Belgium. So here it is: It should not be more than that and again proof that a well thought slogan tickles the (musical) curiosity. Even though, honest as we be, we must admit that most of the presskits needs to be taken with a pinch of salt, sometimes with a whole 2 pounds. Frankly, with the debut album of the band Yarn (Brooklyn) the truth is not forced. Blake Christiana (vocals & guitar) put his band The Family Dog to non-active and persuaded Trevor Mac Arthur (vocals & guitar) to bend there roots/rock/jam course à la Wilco towards a more bluegrass tinged country direction. Furthermore Shane Spaulding (Family Dog) put in a word by taking care of a couple of splendid songs together with Blake. This lead to .........a brilliant album which, according to my humble opinion, will grow towards one of the highlights of 2007. Blake Christiana openly admires David Grisman and Jerry Garcia and succeeds with help of Andrew Hendryx (mandolin, harmonica), Josh Roy Brown (lap steel, resonator), Kenji Bunch (fiddle, viola) to create a sound which shows some connection with the music of the above mentioned gentlemen. Opener "Listen Up Sweetheart, treat me like a lady" justify buying this album all by itself, the bluegrass sounds "Bad Bad Man", "25 Years", "Woman on the Interstate", "Dear Mama, I'm So Sorry" and "Cat and Mouse" never sound dull but succeed to be very progressive. Little pearl "No Future Together" speaks for itself, the members of Yarn can look in the future with confidence...."Don't Break My Heart Again" is for sure a radio-one hit, which for the same money could be on the album "Desire" from Bob Dylan, "Wishing Well", "Madeline" and " The Contender" for sure makes some singer/songwriters very jealous. Not only the neighbourhood of "Tennesee" gets to know this CD from a group of young dogs, who under supervision of Blake Christiana (magnificant voice) will write history but also the editorship of Rootstime run their legs off to let the world know about all this beautifull music. "People Get Ready, Yarn's a Coming", "Angel in Woodstock"....... it took a long time to get famous..... but I LOVE THE WAY! ****1/2* SWA www.rootstime.be 5/26/07 - Tour Pics Yarn's drummer, Jay Frederick took some really great pictures on our short Southern Tour this past april and they are finally ready to be viewed by the world. Go here to check em out, Jay Frederick Photography 5/18/07 - Free Live Show You can now download our May 14th show at Kenny's Castaway for free on our music page on this website. You just have to register with the site and it's all free. It really only takes about 30 seconds. Also, our friend Josh is going to help us out with Archive.org, so hopefully we will have some live shows up there very soon. 4/15/07 - Americana Roots Review Volume 41 Check it out. Yarn made the Americana Roots Podcast, if you dont want to hear the whole thing, we are at the end, but we recommend checking out some of the other music. It is volume 41. Thanks to Ray Randall for putting us on, great taste Ray. Americana Roots 4/11/07 - Were Back We made it back to New York City, and were all still alive. The road was great. Got to stay on a farm in Maryland, hang with some buds in Raleigh, learned how to speak Alabamian in Birmingham, BYOB in Nashville, played the Blue Plate in Knoxville, almost burned down the hotel room in Nashville, hit a wall in Athens, and threw down and partied in Charlottesville. Alot of people along the way really helped us out and I would like to take this time to thank them. Thank you Nate Clendenan for the gig in MD and the farm to crash, Annie from Raleigh for a place to lay our weary heads, Kathy and Michael Beasley in Birmingham for their generous hospitality, Ian Fitchuk for sitting in on drums at the Mercy Lounge, Thad Cockrell for taking a listen to our record, the 75 mile an hour speed limit between Nashville and Knoxville, Kelly B. for coming out to the show in Nashville, Rex Moroux for singing some Tom Waits back at the hotel, Jetblue Airlines for delaying the plane so Jay could get back home in time, Shank in Athens for the best meal I had all week, Joe Silva at UGA College Radio, and Benny May for throwing a great party to finish out our trip. We'll be back, thanks for having us. 3/28/07 - Our Trip South Any fans of Yarn out there with friends or family near any of the following towns, please let them know that Yarn is coming through to play. Chestertown, Maryland Raleigh, North Carolina Birmingham, Alabama Knoxville, Tennessee Nashville, Tennessee Athens, Georgia Charlottesville, Virginia We need their support, to keep Yarn moving forward. We desperately want to get back in the studio in a few months to record a follow-up record, but without gaining new fans and hitting new markets, we won't be able to do it. So, I beg you, let the world know, "Yarn's a comin'" Were looking to have a damn good time on our road trip and will keep you up to date on all the exciting misadventures of Yarn along the way. I have a feeling there will be some good stories, and I am sure Bassman Ricky B. will be involved in one way or another. Stay tuned, and thank for all your help. 3/21/07 - Record Release RECORD RELEASE PARTY TONIGHT!!!! at Lakeside Lounge on Avenue B between 10th and 11th Yarn plays for one hour from 9pm to 10pm. CD's & T-Shirts for Sale Also, we just added a store to the website, click on the link above to purchase CD's. T-Shirts will also be available for sale online very soon. 3/20/07 - Arthritis Benefit Tonight The 1st Annual Musicians For Mobility Concert Benefiting the Arthritis Foundation March 20th at Crash Mansion 199 Bowery at Spring St. doors open at 7:00 pm tix $25 online, $30 at the door, 21+age PURCHASE TICKETS HERE With performances by NYC's hottest rising stars including: Tina Shafer Casey Shea Wil Deynes Trevor Exter Yarn Cheryl B. Engelhardt Derek James Natalie Gelman The Josh Dion Band Musicians For Mobility Musicians For Mobility is a community of musicians invested in finding a cure for Arthritis. We have a goal of raising $50,000 as a team that walks in the Battery Park Arthritis Walk on April 29th. To help accomplish this, we are putting on a concert on March 20th at Crash Mansion that will include performances by over 10 of NYC's hottest rising stars. The night will include a raffle and end in a jam session. Click here to sponsor or join the team . Your donations are much appreciated, and tax deductible. Thank you for your support! Enjoy the show!! 3/16/07 - First Chance Tonight is the night. Your first chance to get a copy of the new record. It will also be our first time having t-shirts for sale. Come by The Manhattan Exchange in Schenectady tonight, don't let the weather get you down, were gonna have a party. A couple special guests might be joining us on stage as well. See you there. 3/1/07 - On The Radio We did a radio interview & acoustic performance on Albany's 103.1 with Jason Keller this morning. Andrew and Ricky B. joined me for the trip. The show will air this Sunday night at 8pm. We played an acoustic version of Can't Slow Down, a song that did not make the final cut of our first record, but will most likely be on our second. Jason is a super cool guy, and we need more people like him promoting independent music. So if you live in the Albany area, turn on your radios and check us out. If you don't live in the area, you can click the link below, and stream it live. Please tune in. 103.1 WHRL ON THE RADIO!!!! 2/24/07 - 2 Record Release Party's announced The time has come. We will be having an Upstate Record Release Party as well as a NYC Record Release Party. Our Upstate Release will take place at The Manhattan Exchange in Schenectady, NY on March 16th: The Manhattan Exchange 605 Union Street Schenectady, NY 12305 Friday, March 16th - 9pm Our New York City Release will take place at The Lakeside Lounge in New York City's East Village on Wednesday, March 21st: Lakeside Lounge 162 Avenue B (between 10th & 11th Streets) New York, New York 212.529.8463 Wednesday, March 21st - 9pm - FREE 2/22/07 - Area 67 Podcast Yarn is being featured on The Area 67 Podcast. You can download the show on iTunes, just type in "Area 67" into the search bar and subscribe to the show. In addition you can find it directly at: http://www.switchpod.com/p6235.html. You can also get there thru most other podcast sites like yahoo, google, podcastpickle, podcastalley, podcastin-station, ect... So please go check it out, if all you Yarn fans check it out, they'll feature us again. So go get it. 2/13/07 - A Few Updates Well, I met with Juren David (our photographer, webdesigner, etc..) yesterday to put together our artwork for Yarn's debut record. I was hoping I would of had this all done by now, but that's ok. The artist who designed the album art, inside and out, is Amanda Paolluci. She is amazing. I can't thank her enough. The record will be sent off to manufacturing this Friday afternoon. Yarn is being featured in the On The Rise section of Relix Magazine's April/May issue. If you have never heard of Relix Magazine, please click the link below to check it out. I used to buy Relix as a kid, when I was a little, longhaired, Deadhead. Back then, every issue of the magazine had The Grateful Dead on the cover, they have branched out a little since then. Relix The Magazine For Music We offer reviews on CDs, Videos, Podcasts, Dowloads from various critics and music publications. Also shop our online store for CDs, DVDs, Videos, T-Shirts and Gear, books and posters and guitar string bracelets for the music lover. Our mini-southern tour is lining up nicely, so any of you southern fans should check the calender and see if we are stopping close by. 2/5/07 - Mini-Southern Tour Were booking a short tour down to Nashville and back during the first week in April. We start on March 30th in Charlottesville, then head to Raleigh, then on to Nashville, then Knoxville, and back. We still need to fill in some nights, so please let us know if you have any ideas for us. Were appearing on this great radio show in Knoxville on April 4th called The Blue Plate Special, i'll give you all the heads up when it gets closer and you can listen to our on-air performance live on the internet. 2/1/07 - It's Done So I left the mastering studio about 2 hours ago. Feels pretty good, for now. The record is done and I am just waiting on some artwork before I send it off to be printed. Not sure when the record release will wind up being or where. I had planned on doing one upstate on February 24th at Savannah's but I am not sure if I am going to have it ready by then. Definately by March. My buddy Nathan James mastered the record, he is the man. He actually engineered and mixed my first solo record back when we both worked at Classic Sound in 2001. Since then, he has become quite a success, he has taken over Jigsaw Sound and is renaming it The Vault. He did a hell of a job on the record. So if anyone needs to get a record mastered go on down to The Vault in SOHO and let Nathan do it. Like I said, he's the man. I posted the final version on the website, scroll through the tracks and take a listen. Unfotunately, because of streaming purposes I had to post it at a low quality. Hopefully that means you'll buy the record. Come on down to Banjo Jim's in the East Village tommorow night and help us celebrate the completion of this god damn thing. 1/20/07 - Mixing the record were almost done. we spent the last 3 days at The Engine Room finishing up the mixes. I've have listened several times on several different stereos, cars, ipods, dvd players. sounds pretty damn good. I think weve got a winner. We managed to squeek out 18 songs, I think 3 of those will get cut, and we'll end up with 15 tracks on the final version. Here is a list of what we mixed in no particular order, we would love some help figuring out which ones get fired. Reply and post your opinion please. Let Me In Madeline Tennessee It Took a Long Time I Love The Way No Future Together Woman on the Interstate 25 Years Wishing Well Listen Up Sweetheart The Contender Don't Break My Heart Again Bad Bad Man Angel in Woodstock The Early Show Heartache For So Long Dear Momma I'm So Sorry Cat & Mouse We also played the Kings County Opry this past week. What a great show, we had a blast. Thanks Dock Oscar for having us back. Make sure you stop by Freddy's Backroom the 3rd Thusday of each month to hear some great country music. We master next week. Not to long before you can own your very own copy of Yarn's upcoming yet to be titled debut record. Blake 1/7/07 - Sold Out Show at Caffe Lena Last nights show at Caffe Lena was a success. Word is they had turn away quite a few people, our apologies to those who did not get in. We really had a great time, even though they did just serve tea and coffee. Yarn likes a good sobering experience every now and then. We met a bunch of great new people and hopefully acquired a few new fans. One of our new friends Hayseed, a brilliant singer/songwriter gave us the headsup on how to create this website. So thank you Hayseed, and hopefully our paths will cross soon again. We also have to thank the great people at Caffe Lena, most of them who donate their time for free to give musicians a chance to play in an amazing listening environment, and music fans a great place to listen. We hope to be back soon, next time we'll do 2 nights. But for those of you who missed it or those of you who would like to see us again, we'll be throwing a Yarn record release party in Albany at Savannah's on February 24th. Please mark your calenders, the show will be a little louder, cocktails will be served, and good times just the same. We'll also be throwing one down here in NYC, but that date is unconfirmed. Well, we start mixing tommorow at The Engine Room in Chinatown. Can't wait for you all to hear the finish product. God bless and thanks again for last night. Blake |
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