With influences ranging from a New Orleans second line to West African psychedelic rock, the album’s 12 original songs – all written and arranged by Taylor – are the work of a truly 21st century musical omnivore. From the record’s lead track, “Ol’ Mama Dean (Part 1),” which opens with drums and theremin, to the wistful piano closer “Again,” Taylor proves to be a gifted, independent-minded songwriter with a flair for the unexpected and a voice that will haunt your dreams.

Cassie talks about the making of Out of My Mind:

• More details and streaming previews
• Official press release (PDF)
• CDs and downloads available now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.

Please join us for an exceptional lineup on the afternoon of Thursday May 9, before the big Awards event later that evening.

Kicking things off at 12:45 will be Colin Linden, a genuine renaissance man of roots music – traditional blues, soul and roots rock.  We’re all in for a treat as Colin showcases the combination of exquisite songwriting and deeply rootsy blues guitar that has earned him accolades both as a solo artist and in-demand collaborator as sideman and producer.

At 1:45, Cassie Taylor will celebrate the release of her brand-new album, Out Of My Mind, which The New Yorker praised as “muscular”, “intelligently sexy”, and “slyly subversive”, while Billboard summarized more simply as “sassy.”  Cassie and her power trio will boast a wide swath of influences – spanning centuries, continents and cultures – that create her own indelible and utterly modern sound.

At 2:45, our own “Little Boogaloo”, Eden Brent, will take command of the stage to demonstrate why she’s been praised with superlatives such as “jaw-dropping”, “jubilant”, and “sultry”, earning nine Blues Music Awards nominations including “Album of the Year” and “Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year”.  There are rumors of a new Eden Brent album in production, so it’s possible that we’ll hear previews of a couple of the new songs!

We’ll be at B.B. King’s at 143 Beale Street.  It’s free to the public so please stop by, say hello, and enjoy the music!

The show’s top-notch music track, helmed by executive music producer T-Bone Burnett and co-producer Buddy Miller, has been a big part of its success.  And Colin has been instrumental to that sound — lending his guitar playing to many of the songs performed on the show, and also serving as guitar coach to several of the actors.

Tomorrow morning, the cast of Nashville will visit ABC’s The View, and we’re told that Colin will be part of a band performance segment. Tune in (or set your DVRs) tomorrow morning at 11a ET to catch the show.

• Colin Linden talks about the behind-the scenes music production of Nashville in this piece in Fast Company
• Another piece from CBC describing Colin’s role in the music of Nashville

Yellow Dog Records was founded in 2002 with the goal of cultivating the American musical heritage.  The official release date of our first album – the self-titled Bluff City Backsliders – was February 28, 2003.  Although some administrative activity took place in 2002, we’ve always considered that first release date as our real “birthdate” — which makes us exactly ten years old today.

Over the past decade, we’ve been humbled by the brilliance and creativity of the amazing artists we’ve been privileged to work with — from the madcap magnificence of the Asylum Street Spankers to the scintillating, sultry stylings of Eden Brent; from the funky jams of The Soul of John Black to the exquisite artistry of Mary Flower — we’ve never ceased to be inspired by the thrilling ways in which traditional music can be innovatively re-imagined to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

But most of all, we’re grateful to you, our audience, for the essential support that makes it possible for us to bring this great new music to the wide world.  As a thank-you celebration of our anniversary we’re making our entire catalog available today with no-minimum “pay-what-you-like” pricing — not only immediate downloads, but CDs and even t-shirts.  Please, take some time to explore our music, discover some new favorites (or re-discover some old ones), and bring home something that moves you or brings a smile to your face.  The sale will last until midnight on Feb 28th before we’re back to business as usual.

Visit http://yellowdogrecords.com/order to browse the catalog!

By the way, this is the first storewide sale we’ve ever offered.  We may well do this again for our 20th anniversary in another decade, but we make no promises!  So why take the chance on waiting until then?

• Read the full article»
• Preorders shipping soon!  Get yours here

After spending seven years touring and recording with the fabulous Otis Taylor (yes, there is a family relation), Cassie is now staking a claim as a musician in her own right — a songwriter who filters the blues through the prism of a younger generation.  Using pop vocals and deeply-rooted blues bass lines, Cassie is leading the new wave of blues artists.

Cassie’s new album, Out Of My Mind, is set for release May 7, but you can be one of the first to get it by pre-ordering now!  Pre-orders will be autographed by Cassie and come with an immediate download of the new track “Gone and Dead”.

• More details , sound samples, and pre-ordering:

And for some extra soulful holiday spirit, check out the other songs from JB’s festive EP, The Soul of Christmas !

Colin’s music is deeply rooted in traditional blues, soul and roots rock. His years on the road playing everywhere with everyone have given him a mastery of roots music vocabulary that make him an in-demand producer and guitarist – gifts that ring out most clearly when Colin is on his own, either solo or with a band.

It’s been said that studio albums are artistic statements; live recordings are self-portraits. Colin Linden’s Still Live is an epic autobiography, a tale of two countries and a multitude of genres, all rendered with total commitment, mastery and an infectious enthusiasm that reminds us all just why we fell in love with this music in the first place.

• More details and streaming previews
• Official press release (PDF)
• CDs and downloads available now! Visit the Order page to get your copy.

We’re pleased to announce new music from innovative soul-roots outfit The Soul of John Black! We’ll be releasing a series of digital singles collectively titled A Sunshine State of Mind – the first two tracks will be released on Tuesday, June 26, with follow-on singles introduced each month through late fall.

The sequence of two-song releases begins with “Lemonade,” an uptempo blues-inspired jam, and “Summertime Thang,” a sultry slow groove that moves through a soulful Al Green pulse to a gorgeous chorus of harmonies.  At the conclusion of the series the entire A Sunshine State of Mind collection will be available for purchase in digital album format, as well as individual tracks.

• Read the full press release
• Streaming previews and downloads are here!

The inspiration for A Sunshine State of Mind came to John Bigham (or simply “JB”) during the winter in his home town of Los Angeles.  “Although the sun shines all the time here, the mood brightens even more once the summer months arrive,” he explained.  “I wanted to write about the essence of summer, songs that would keep that attitude going year-round.”  Each of the tracks in the compilation has a lighthearted feeling, complimenting the upbeat theme of the overall collection.

The series-of-singles concept reflects the inventive approach that JB brings to his music.  He feels that electronic distribution in small doses will give listeners a chance to digest the songs more completely.  “That way you can absorb it all, rather than trying to take in everything I’ve been thinking about for a year in an hour’s time,” he says. “You get two into your system, then we’ll give you two more.”

In addition to the traditional “unisex” t-shirt, we now have ultra-soft women’s cut shirts, all with a new retro-inspired logo that evokes our distinctive musical character — tradition mixed with innovation.

Full size and color choices are depicted in our online store – please drop by and pick your flavor!

Bonus Update – we now have brand-new Eden Brent shirts available as well!  Again in unisex as well as women’s styles, we have both light and dark colors to choose from.  Don’t be left out as the only person on the Blues Cruise without one!  Double Bonus – this shirt comes bundled with a download of an unreleased music track by Eden Brent.  Check it out in our online store!