One World, One People, One Voice: AO Music Sings A Universal Message

One World, One People, One Voice: the message is in the music of ....and Love Rages On! With their new album, released today, AO Music have created a collection of global grooves that manage to be both soothing and propulsive. The music's cinematic sweep and an impressive dynamic range combines booming, percussive cadences from all over the world with melodic vocal and instrumental interludes – recorded in real time by real musicians -- and the sounds of children's choirs from the United States, South Africa, China and the Republic of Georgia.

In his review of the new album, veteran music reviewer Michael Diamond wrote, "This album is majestic in its vision and magnificent in its presence, promoting a message of urgent relevance for our times."

AO is an ancient Polynesian word that can mean either "pure light" or "all colors." It's a world that fits perfectly with the mission of the group's four principals -- singer/string instrumentalist/composer Richard Gannaway, keyboard, synth player/composer Jay Oliver, singer/composer Miriam Stockley and co-producer Sandeep Chowta – who collaborate with the goal of creating universally hybrid sounds that span continents and cultures.

Miriam Stockley's contributions on this nine-song collection stand out brilliantly as one who has now been a member of the group for seven years. Her signature vocal sound is beautifully compatible with the universal soundscapes created by Gannaway and Oliver, and her performances are stellar. Co-founder Richard Gannaway said, "Miriam's following from her days with Adiemus will be beyond pleased with this new collaboration, and new listeners will fall in love with her world-class voice and style."

The album opens with "Gaiya Lo Mane," a tune that slowly moves from a gentle beginning to a big, dramatic climax. Miriam's Celtic flavored vocals blend with the ardent openhearted sounds of the Florida based children's choir, The Chorus of Light. The wordless singing taps into the tradition of vocable music, "meaningless" phonetics that are chosen to allow humans to express the inexpressible. "In Lake'ch (I Am Another You)" takes its title from a Mayan phrase and opens with oud, bouzouki and hand percussion supporting the close unison of Stockley and Gannaway. The Martve Boy's Choir of Tibilisi, Georgia adds ambient polyphonic vocals to the track's subtle, spellbinding groove. Percussion lines that suggest Ireland, Cuba, India and West Africa open "Shen Deni;" Ashwin Srinivasan's flute and deep, flowing synthesizer textures add to the music's mystic feeling. For fans of chill music, "Sheyu" is among the most ambient tracks on the album, with Gannaway and Stockley's vocals poignantly calling for beauty, joy and hope.

Michael Cooney's pennywhistle set off the vocals of Johannesburg's Bishop Bavin St. George's Children's Choir on "Ena Na Lena" for a perfect Afro-Celtic fusion. The title is the song's only lyric, but the choir's melodic improvisations make the phrase irresistibly catchy. The CRC Children's Choir of Beijing supply the lead vocals on "One Kaleo," over a funky rock 'n' roll beat. The opening verse, in Chinese, references "Little Red Riding Hood," while the chorus voices the album's theme, "One world, one people, one kaleo (voice/spirit/song)." "Ubuntu" has a lively, interlocking percussion track, but the song still creates a soothing, meditative aura to bring the album to a tranquil close.

Gannaway and Oliver have been refining the sound of AO Music for more than a decade and composed theme music for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. One of those tracks, "On Jai Ya" provides the music "bed" for the Project Peace on Earth video promoting the urgency of the world peace concert slated for 11-11-11 in Manger Square, Bethlehem; the video is also narrated by Stockley. AO Music enlisted Stockley after hearing her voice in Karl Jenkins' double-platinum selling Adiemus project. She also helped compose the music on ....and Love Rages On! Sandeep Chowta, a producer and composer with deep roots in Indian music, recruited and recorded the Indian musicians that contribute to the album's international ambience. ....and Love Rages On! expands and enriches the ambitious vision Gannaway and Oliver introduced on Twirl and Grow Wild. They continue to move toward a musical expression that incorporates the sounds of rock, folk, world and new age music.

Clearly, the use of children's choirs is an important part of AO Music's sound, and last week, AO Music and HavServe.org announced an alliance to benefit children's music programs in Haiti. In the first stage of the alliance, AO Music will direct their fans to HavServe's secure fundraising location on FirstGiving.org, in an effort to raise $5000 to launch a pilot program for which Gannaway will travel to Haiti to work with the children and to capture the uniquely joyous sound of Haitian music. Ultimately, HavServe's goal is to repeat the music program in villages throughout Haiti on an ongoing basis to focus and uplift the tens of thousands of children displaced by the earthquake in 2010. Within five years, the partners resolved to create a "best of the best" Haitian children's choir to perform with other choirs throughout the world on future AO Music albums. The organizations are using a customized AO Music page and widgets from the secure fundraising site Firstgiving.org to safely collect and track donations. Visit the site at http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/AOMusic4Haiti/HavServe-volunteer-service-network

If you like music that defies genres -- in the vein of Afro Celt Sound System, Deep Forest, Sacred Spirit, B-Tribe, Peter Gabriel, Enigma, Scala, Transglobal Underground or Yanni's later work -- then you'll appreciate the sound of AO Music's new release ...And Love Rages On!

About AOMUSIC:
AOMUSIC -- "music for a new eon" -- includes musicians Richard Gannaway, Jay Oliver and Miriam Stockley, who collectively have worked with Sheryl Crow, The Eagles, Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Chaka Khan, Jimmy Buffett, Celine Dion, Bonnie Raitt, Chick Corea, Dave Weckl & many more. Key contributing artists include Sandeep Chowta, Andy Georges, George Bernardo, Doug Lunn, and various children's choirs throughout the world. Their latest album "...and Love Rages On!" is released in February 2011; all three of their albums are available from the group's website (http://aomusic.com/ao/frameset.asp), Burnside Distribution Corporation in the U.S.(http://www.bdcdistribution.com), and Silenzio Music in Europe (www.SILENZIO.de). Their music is also available worldwide on iTunes, CDBaby and Amazon.

U.K. Cabaret-Electronic Rock Group Dawn Of The Gecko Release Debut EP, "Raised In The Gecko"

Phil Jourdan of the musical duo Dawn Of the Gecko announced today that their debut album "Raised in the Gecko," has been released and is currently available for purchase on iTunes and other online retailers. The five track EP features a delightful assortment of cabaret-electronic rock songs mixed with comical lyrics and beats that don't disappoint.

Describing their genre, Jourdan said, "If it's melodramatic, campy and upbeat, you're halfway there. If you incorporate a look of theatrical nonsense into the music and you tell a story, you're even closer. But I'd say the main thing is to be faithful to the spirit of cabaret, with its grotesqueness and its creepy vibe." Jourdan, along with partner Sam Folkes, is creating music that serves the dual purpose of both sounding great and making you laugh.

Their second EP, "Gecko! Echo! Echo!" is already in the process of being completed, and is expected to be released in late March, 2011. Dawn Of The Gecko currently performs in local bars, but have their sights set on other venues as well.

The pair met in 2010 through a friend, to whom they have since dedicated a song ("Jim's Girl"), and discovered they both liked to make music. Their friendship was solidified when they became roommates after Folkes decided to move to Leamington. Though they didn't know it at the time, a musical match made in heaven was about to be born.

Though both were musicians prior to meeting, neither had the passion that they now both have with Dawn Of The Gecko. Jourdan commented, "I've been playing guitar and bass since high school, though I never took it very seriously and prefer to sing when possible. We both like to geek around with sounds, though Sam's been at it far longer than I have. I used to play little one-man comedy gigs — then I stopped for several years. It was only after meeting Sam that I decided to play live again. We play a gig weekly here in Leamington Spa, where we also live."

Folkes studied Music Composition and Technology at the University of Hertfordshire and has had a lifelong interest in music. He began playing the piano at age fifteen as a result of being such a huge fan of Boogie-Woogie.

While the pair came up with the band's name in five minutes by randomly choosing words, selecting their sound took a bit longer. "Initially, we simply wanted to make funny cabaret songs, but given Sam's love for electronic music and my interest in heavy rock, we quickly expanded the sound and different things until we were happy with the "Gecko sound". That "Gecko sound" consists of Jourdan on guitar, bass, and singing vocals, with Folkes on piano and doing the programming and mixing.

Coming up with the concept of doing Cabaret-electronica music was a somewhat natural evolution of things that the Dawn of the Gecko band members had been doing on their own. "We were mostly interested in doing stupid pantomime-style stuff when we started out. The comedy bit seemed obvious — we both like not to take our music too seriously. The electronica influences (as well as the occasional industrial influences) came later, when we tried to make the songs sound more original, more relevant to our interests. Not all of our songs are meant to be hilarious, but they're all pretty stupid lyrically, and they incorporate silly little melodies.

"Raised In The Gecko" can be purchased at: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/raised-in-the-gecko/id408009704

Punk It! From Beijing To London

"Imagine three farmer boys from Hebei province defying all odds to play punk music. By chance, they stumbled upon the Global Battle of the Bands contest. With their glam rock outfit and flamboyant stage presence, they went on to win the 2009 GBOB contest in London, beating many seasoned bands along the way. This documentary traces the odyssey of three young man from China who love rock and roll and dare to dream."

As the (AIS) prepare to retain the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) trophy for China, video portal Niurenku 牛人库 unveiled a rockumentary that gives us an idea of what they may be going through. "Punk It! From Beijing to London" traces the story of how Beijing punk band RUSTIC clinched the 2009 GBOB world title that AIS will defend in Kuala Lampur on February 26th. We ad featured a prior Niurenku video of AIS' trek to Hong Kong to win the GBPB China title in November.

http://china.musicdish.com/

MPress Records' Official SXSW Day Party: MPressFest SXSW 2011

Saturday, March 19, 12 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. @ The SOHO Lounge New York, NY – MPress Records is proud to present its annual official SXSW party: MPressFest, named a “Winner” by SXSW Examiner, at The Soho Lounge in Austin, Texas on Saturday, March 19th. The event is sponsored by Blurt Magazine, Planetary Group, Harris Radio, A to Z Media,Musicians Atlas and Music Dish. Please visithttp://bit.ly/MPressSXSW to RSVP for the list. The confirmed lineup includes: MPress Records flagship artist & Independent Music Award Winner Rachael Sage; label-mate and “rising folk sensation” Seth Glier, who is currently touring North America behind his new album “The Next Right Thing” (2011); six-time Boston Music Award and GLAMA winner Melissa Ferrick, whose MPress debut is slated for fall 2011; singer-songwriter and 2011 American Idol contestant Caleb Hawley; Philadelphia based bossa-nova singer-songwriter and pianist Avi Wisnia; Walter Parks, former lead guitarist for Richie Havens, whose solo debut is due Spring 2011 on Wildflower Records; and the fiercely independent, distinctive Jim Bianco, who has been part of the Hotel Cafe tours along with such artist as Imogen Heap & KT Tunstall. The schedule features artists from MPress Records' compilation series New Arrivals. Launched in 2006, the New Arrivals annual charity compilation series features established and rising indie artists and each benefits a charity -Volume 1 benefitted Gulf Coast Hurricane Relief, Volume Twobenefitted World Hunger Year, andVolume 3 benefitted NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association). New Arrivals Volume 4, out on June 7, 2011 benefits The National Network for Youth, whose mission is to connect and champion the needs of runaway, homeless and other disconnected youth. This volume features an amazing lineup of artists including 2011 Grammy® nominee Dave Eggar, The Paper Raincoat, and Lucy Woodward. For more information, visitwww.newarrivalscd.com. MPressFest SXSW 2011 @ The SOHO Lounge (217 E. 6th Street, Austin, TX) Saturday March 19th. Doors open and music starts at 12:00 PM, get there early for a luscious spread of delicious and healthy food that which also offers vegetarian options. Click here to check out ourMPressFest SXSW 2011 Twitter Contest to win a brand new 8GB iPod Touch – the winner will be announced at the show. First come first served, food and drinks are free. The event is open to all, but you need to RSVP for this event: please visit our EventBrite Invite to be added to the list.

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MPressFest SXSW 2011 Where: Soho Lounge | www.sohoaustin.com 217 E 6th Street | Austin, TX 78701 When: Saturday, March 19, 2011 | 12:00 - 5:30 PM Performances by: Rachael Sage, Seth Glier, Melissa Ferrick, Avi Wisnia, Caleb Hawley, Walter Parks & Jim Bianco. Sponsored by: Harris Radio, Planetary Group, Blurt Magazine, A to Z Media, Musicians Atlas & Music Dish.

**FREE GIVEAWAYS** | **FREE FOOD & DRINKS** **FREE ADMISSION - RSVP HERE**

Sonicbids Partners With Songtrust To Help Songwriters Take Control Of Their Music

Sonicbids, the leading matchmaking site for bands and music promoters, today announces a partnership with Songtrust, the leading music publishing management platform developed by Downtown Music, to launch a new application for artists to simplify the process of song registration and royalty collections. With Songtrust, songwriters can take control of their music publishing and related rights by streamlining the complex process of registering and protecting song copyrights, collecting royalties, maximizing licensing opportunities and tracking where their songs are being used around the world.

"Songtrust alleviates one of the biggest fears that composers have, namely their music being broadcast and used without their permission," said Panos Panay, Founder and CEO, Sonicbids. "Songtrust compliments the array of online promotion, fund raising, and digital distribution tools available on Sonicbids to empower the next generation of emerging artists. With Songtrust, songwriters can focus on their craft knowing that their music publishing rights are being professionally managed."

With this partnership, songwriters can upload and register their songs to an easy-to-use dashboard that will allow them to manage their music publishing rights without giving up any ownership interest in their copyrights. Users can check out "My Reports" within their Songtrust account to track income by type of use, album, territory, and more.

"Songtrust was designed to help a new generation of songwriters and artists better manage, protect and monetize their publishing assets," said Downtown Music Publishing President and Songtrust Co-Founder, Justin Kalifowitz. "Sonicbids services an exciting and growing community of DIY artists and we are thrilled to partner with them in introducing Songtrust."

To get started, artists log into their Sonicbids account and click on the Songtrust app in the Featured Apps section of their homepage. If you don’t have a Sonicbids account, sign up for a 14-day free trial membership here.

About Songtrust
Songtrust is the first online solution that empowers all songwriters to take control of their music publishing rights by simplifying the process of song registration and royalty collections. Developed by Downtown Music, this is the first digital publishing service of its kind, complimenting the array of online promotion, tour planning, and digital distribution tools being used by an increasingly empowered generation of DIY musicians. Songtrust educates and empowers songwriters, producers, and recording artists to protect their songs, track their music, and collect publishing royalties in the global marketplace.

About Sonicbids
Sonicbids is the leading matchmaking site for bands and music promoters. Our community includes more than 280,000 bands and 25,000 promoters and licensors from all around the world. With festivals, clubs, colleges, music licensing and much more, Sonicbids offers a diverse range of gigs for every kind of musician. In fact, last year alone, more than 80,000 gigs were booked on the site. The company was founded in 2001 by Panos Panay and continues to focus on its core mission of empowering the artistic middle class. Get a gig or book a band at http://www.sonicbids.com.

Tony Adamo - What Is Hip

The recording of the song "What Is Hip" from singer/songwriter Tony Adamo’s new CD of the same name, is the result of a suggestion made by the legendary horn player and Tower of Power co-founder, Stephen "Doc" Kupka. During a recording session with Adamo and his producer/guitarist, Jerry Stucker, "Doc" suggested several TOP songs Adamo might want to cover. Adamo choose "What is Hip" and the rest is on its way to history. Kupka, along with jazz great Eddie Henderson, hold up the horn section on "What Is Hip," while a phenomenal group of musicians stay right with them, never missing a beat. Talk about a kool struttin' and soul funkin’ sound. Adamo is deep in the groove with a new conception of voice n’ funk with an infectious slice of soul. This track is a fantastic mid-tempo blending of jazz and funk, keeping you in its grasp from beginning to end. There are no computer tricks here – only real music from real musicians that will make you move to the bass, guitar, piano, trumpet, drums, sax and background vocals.

Tony Adamo's What Is Hip : http://official.fm/tracks/206941

WHAT IS HIP MP3's are now available on CDBABY and hard copies will be available at www.strokeland.com and CDBABY soon. www.horndrivenradio.com will add songs into radio play

IMMUNDUS Announces New Album Release "Eye Of The Serpent"

"Formed in 2003 by Bruno Duarte from Portugal, currently living in Norway, the project "Immundus" a now well established project on the fields of Dark Ambient sub-genre, most known as Ghost Ambient. After several singles and two full-length albums ("Torments" 2008, "Haunted Memories" 2009) Quartier23 now presents the latest work: "Eye of the Serpent".

With "Haunted Memories" we experienced the world from the perspective of a serial killer who headed back to the scene, with his own memories to withstand. "Eye of the Serpent," works as a side-shift. In this album we witness the situations and the thoughts of the victims as well as the surroundings.

Musically, this album is so far the most experimental album of Immundus. From a much darker atmosphere, and with the sounds even more threatening. If music is able to produce goose bumps, then "Eye of the Serpent" easy creates a pleasant shiver.

We must get involved thoroughgoing to the work for fully experience of all the depth and emotion "Eye of the Serpent" holds for the open-minded listener!

Sit back and enjoy your creeps ..."

The CDs are available via Quartier23 at: http://www.quartier23.eu/?Rubrik=portal&Inhalt=artikel&rezi=65

For more information about other stores carrying this album on both physical CD or Digital format as well as pricing visit Immundus official website at: www.immundus.net under the "releases" section.

Follow Immundus on the following networks:

Myspace: www.myspace.com/immundusofficial
Facebook: www.facebook.com/immundusnorway
Reverbnation: www.reverbnation.com/immundus
Twiter: www.twitter.com/immundustwiter