QUIP PREMIERES EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN OF NATURAL BORN LEADERS’ SOPHOMORE EP ABOMINABLE CREATURES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


QUIP  PREMIERES EXCLUSIVE FIRST LISTEN OF NATURAL BORN LEADERS’ SOPHOMORE EP ABOMINABLE CREATURES

LISTEN: HERE

ALBUM TO DROP ON ALL STREAMING PLATFORMS OCTOBER 24

"With a sound that floats seamlessly between rock, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, funk and other styles of music, we at Live Music Daily have a hunch that everything is probably going to keep coming up roses for Natural Born Leaders." - Live Music Daily

“As expected, Martinez’s hard-hitting lyrics and booming delivery never wavers, nor does the surging energy and wildly impressive, never predictable arrangements behind him.” - Music Mecca

"With disorienting distortion on the guitar and saxophone, paired to an ebb and flow of tempo, the track illuminates just how far down the rabbit hole we’ve fallen. Contorted? Yes. Do we like it? Absolutely." 
- Top Shelf Music

“Even in an era of countless cross-genre mashups and hybrids, the music of Natural Born Leaders is difficult to describe, and it resists pigeonholing...The complicated mix of styles works together musically far better than any description could suggest.” - Mountain Xpress

"In their relatively brief time as a band, Asheville’s Natural Born Leaders have created and refined a devastatingly effective sound that mixes heavy, funky guitar rock with frontman Mike Martinez’s tough, confident raps." - Greenville Journal


Asheville, NC (October, 23, 2019) - Be among the first to hear Natural Born Leaders’ sophomore EP Abominable Creatures in its entirety today on Quip. With stirring momentum following the release of their NPR-featured single of the same name, Abominable Creatures highlights the quintet’s unique ability to "float seamlessly between rock, reggae, jazz, hip-hop [and] funk” (Live Music Daily) and exemplifies their wide-ranging influences from the old-school energy of Outkast and Lauryn Hill, to the head-banging nature of Metallica and Black Sabbath.

On their latest studio venture, Natural Born Leaders live up to their name; each track laced with empowering messages about standing up, standing out, and dreaming big. The first listen of Abominable Creatures, which Quip calls a “tug-o-war of genres” whose “story and message never get lost” comes ahead of the official release tomorrow, Thursday, October 24. 

Ripe with some of the most revolution-stirring antics one can sneak into a six song collection, the new EP showcases lead singer Michael Martinez’s “lyrical flow, tenacity and grit” and brings listeners into their “world of Grade A groove, unique instrumentation, quality tone, and high energy” (Music Mecca).

With platinum producer and engineer Patrick Doyle (Jennifer Lopez, Handshakes), Grammy winning engineer Julian Dreyer (Steep Canyon Rangers, The Avett Brothers), and the mastering skills of Howie Weinberg (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins, Metallica), Abominable Creatures comes complete with an all-star cast of collaborators.

With a fresh batch of tracks in tow, Natural Born Leaders are poised to reach the masses this year with their “masterfully crafted sound” (Music Mecca) and fiery presence on stage. Already several dates into their album release tour, a complete list of upcoming appearances is below. Physical copies of Abominable Creatures will be available for purchase at live shows, and digitally through streaming platforms starting October 24. 

For more information about Natural Born Leaders, visit www.naturalbornleadersband.com.

For media inquiries, contact Danielle Dror (danielle@sabramusic.com) at Sabra Music.

Natural Born Leaders' Sophomore EP, Abominable Creatures, drops officially on all streaming platforms October 24.

Natural Born Leaders Album Release Tour Dates
10/23 - Columbus, OH - The Summit
10/24 - Louisville, KY - Mag Bar
10/31 - Johnson City, TN - Capone’s
11/2 - Asheville, NC - The Mothlight
11/9 - Athens, GA - Soul Bar
11/14 - Birmingham, AL - The Nick
11/16 - Memphis, TN - The Hi Tone
11/20 - Denton, TX - Dan’s Silver Leaf
11/21 - Austin, TX - The Scoot Inn
12/14 - Charlotte, NC - The Evening Muse*

*With Orange Constant

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TOP SHELF MUSIC DROPS TITLE TRACK "ABOMINABLE CREATURES" FROM NATURAL BORN LEADERS' SOPHOMORE EP, OUT OCTOBER 24

From Top Shelf Music:

America is in a state of turmoil. Conflict. Confusion. Expand your horizons a bit past the border and realize that the rest of the world is quickly falling suit. What’s happening? Why can’t there be clarity in the chaos? Ever since the rise of terrorism, technology and political foul play, this nation — in particular — has been hit hard… struggling to regain a foothold of the old status quo. Whatever a status quo may mean these days, that is. Music has been a mouthpiece for the general public to either commiserate or invigorate others for change. Something’s gotta give. Enter a hip hop meets rock band out of Asheville, North Carolina with an overt social agenda. One, now that you mention it, who also has quite a literal name.

Natural Born Leaders isn’t afraid to hold back, evident in their sophomore EP out next month entitled Abominable Creatures. This six-song project, packed with social commentary, follows the band’s inaugural EP About Time and a life-changing contest last year. The genre-bending five-piece entered NPR’s prestigious Tiny Desk Contest with a live version of “Abominable Creatures”… and placed within the top 10. NBL performed the track in a tiny corner of a convenient store for their video submission to NPR, a tribute to lead singer Michael Martinez’s New Jersey roots, where he “used to count the days by nights and drive bys”. But, as the song’s lyrical content conveys, we’re all cut from the same cloth; humans err no matter the upbringing. Like Martinez is “only drinking liquor” when out of a “chalice”, society at large self-destructs through the very items that symbolize our success. Climb the ranks the best you can, yet always remember that face-planting on the ceiling hits just as hard as the floor. With disorienting distortion on the guitar and saxophone, paired to an ebb and flow of tempo, the track illuminates just how far down the rabbit hole we’ve fallen. Contorted? Yes. Do we like it? Absolutely.

Natural Born Leaders isn’t afraid to hold back, evident in their sophomore EP out next month entitled Abominable Creatures.

The contest results got NBL featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon, enlarging their fanbase evermore and cementing their name as up-and-coming industry game-changers. Even before the radio spot, NBL’s sound garnered them the attention of platinum record holder Patrick Doyle (Jennifer Lopez, Earth Wind & Fire, Cory Rooney) to produce their first EP as well as Abominable Creatures, recording the latter between his private home studio and sessions at the band’s hometown Echo Mountain Recording Studio.

Martinez comments, “‘Abominable Creatures’ is about my association with time and progress in my life. And, like many of our songs, it serves as a reminder to me of how large or insignificant we all could be.”

With the EP’s release right around the corner on October 24th, Top Shelf Music is proud to host the world premiere of Natural Born Leader’s “Abominable Creatures” — the studio version. Yet, this is just a taste of what’s to come. For more information, visit the band links below after you enjoy the exclusive stream of the band’s latest single.

NEWSONG MUSIC PRESENTS 18TH ANNUAL, INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE & SONGWRITING COMPETITION IN ASHEVILLE THIS NOVEMBER

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEWSONG MUSIC PRESENTS 18TH ANNUAL, INTERNATIONAL PERFORMANCE & SONGWRITING COMPETITION IN ASHEVILLE THIS NOVEMBER

EIGHT EMERGING ARTISTS FROM ACROSS NORTH AMERICA TO SHOWCASE & COMPETE

GRAND PRIZE WINNER RECEIVES AN EP RECORDING PROJECT AT ECHO MOUNTAIN RECORDING STUDIOS, RELEASED ON THE NEWSONG RECORDINGS LABEL

COMPETITION HELD AT ISIS MUSIC HALL IN ASHEVILLE, NC, SATURDAY, NOV. 23

Aug. 23, 2019 (Asheville, NC) - For the second year in a row, the live performance finals of the NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition will be held in Asheville, North Carolina at Isis Music Hall. NewSong Music has been headquartered in Asheville since 2012, but for most of its 18 years, the competition was held at the prestigious Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. After a phenomenal, sold out event last year, NewSong founder, Gar Ragland, has elected to host the competition finals in Asheville indefinitely. 


“The success and reception we received in bringing the competition finals to Asheville for the first time last year truly exceeded our expectations,” says Ragland. “The support we received from the community here for last year’s finals – as evidenced by the sellout event and its deeply appreciative and engaging audience – affirmed for us that our hometown has indeed become one of the country’s best music towns. We’re excited to build upon last year’s momentum, and to continue to contribute to Asheville’s music scene in this way.”

Eight finalists – selected from advance online submissions from across North America and beyond – will come to Asheville to perform, compete and network with one another in the live showcase and competition finals at Isis Music Hall in Asheville on Saturday, November 23. Located in the city’s hip West Asheville neighborhood, Isis Music Hall is one of Asheville’s best sounding and most intimate music venues. 

A panel of national music industry judges will select the overall winner of the competition. Alli Marshall, Arts editor for the Mountain Xpress, will MC the event. Mel Bryant, the winner of the 2018 NewSong Competition, will perform during the judges’ deliberations. This year’s grand prize winner will receive a fully funded six-song EP, recorded and mixed at Asheville own Echo Mountain Recording Studios and released on the NewSong Recordings label. The grand prize winner will also receive a performance showcase at the esteemed 2019 Sundance ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival (January 23 – February 2, 2020) in Park City, Utah and a featured performance in the 2020 Arts Brookfield ‘Summer Plaza’ series in New York City. All finalists will be strongly considered for future ‘NewSong Presents’ paid performances across the United States.

NewSong Music is an independent music organization that aims to build a supportive community of performers and songwriters across various genres of music and skill levels, while identifying truly exceptional artists and introducing their music to a broader international audience.

Deadline to enter the 2019 NewSong Music Contest is Oct. 6. Artists are encouraged to submit their original music via newsong-music.com. 

WHAT: NewSong Music Performance & Songwriting Competition Finals

WHERE: Isis Music Hall // 743 Haywood Road, Asheville, NC

WHEN: Saturday Nov. 23, 2019 // 8 pm

TICKETS: $15/$18 

2019 NewSong Finalists:

Danielle Ponder — Rochester, NY

Grant Maloy Smith — Kingston, RI

Jae Jin — Wolftown, VA

Jobi Riccio — Brookline, MA

Kelly Hoppenjans — Nashville, TN

Kyshona — Madison, TN

Nathaniel Bellows — New York, NY

Parker Ainsworth — Los Angeles, CA

About NewSong Music

NewSong Music is an independent artist development company headquartered in Asheville, NC. NewSong’s mission is to build and support a community of performers and songwriters across all genres and levels of skill, and to identify the truly exceptional artists to introduce their music to a broader, international audience. Its programs include a boutique record label (NewSong Recordings), artist management services, concert production and the annual, international NewSong performance and songwriting competition. Its presenting partners include Arts Brookfield and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, the ASCAP Music Café at the Sundance Film Festival.

For more information about NewSong Recordings and the NewSong Music Competition, visit newsong-music.com/

For media requests, contact Lea McLellan at lea@newsong-music.com.

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ASHEVILLE OPRY ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR SECOND SHOW OF 2019 SEASON 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


ASHEVILLE OPRY ANNOUNCES LINEUP FOR SECOND SHOW OF 2019 SEASON 

COUNTRY MUSIC SERIES RETURNS TO ISIS MUSIC HALL SUNDAY, OCTOBER 13

FEATURING: GOLD ROSE, CHRISTY LYNN BAND, PLANEFOLK


Friday, July 19, 2019 (Asheville, NC) -  The Asheville Opry is proud to announce the lineup for its fall show, taking place at the historic Isis Music Hall on Sunday, October 13. The second installment of the country music tribute series’ 2019 season will include performances by Americana quartet Gold Rose, “sweetheart of the radio” Christy Lynn (and her band), and Appalachian troubadour Planefolk.

The music series, developed by Red Rover Booking founder Melissa Myers and inspired by local WNCW radio program “Country Gold” features Western North Carolina artists performing classic country tunes from World War II to Watergate. The program, which started as a three part showcase has now grown into a yearly affair, relocating from its original homebase at the Asheville Masonic Temple to the iconic Isis Theatre in West Asheville.

Lineup participants will pay tribute to the likes of Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, George Strait, Hank Williams, and more, with toe-tapping standards, classic anthems, and beloved waltzes. Staying true to the Grand Ole Opry theme, the show will once again be hosted by staple emcee and Asheville-based musician Lo Wolf.

The Asheville Opry continues to deliver its signature blend of nostalgia, camaraderie, and laughs (thanks to the hilarious Lo Wolf, who leaves no set-change to waste with her punchy jokes and boisterous stories). Date and lineup to the series finale taking place this winter will be announced in the coming weeks.

$15 advanced tickets are on sale at www.isisasheville.com. Priority seating will be given to dinner guests, and reservations can be made online or by phone. Prices will jump to $18 per ticket at the door.

Click HERE to download approved graphics and press shots.

For media inquiries, please contact Danielle Dror (danielle@sabramusic.com) at Sabra Music.

Asheville Opry June Lineup
Gold Rose - www.goldrosemusic.com
Christy Lynn Band - www.christylynnband.com
Planefolk - www.facebook.com/planefolk/
With your host, Lo Wolf - www.facebook.com/lowolfmusic/
Presented by Red Rover Booking - www.redroverbooking.com


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