John Ralston

ACL Music Festival: Austin

2007-09-14T14:00:01-05:00

Austin City Limits Music Festival will take place Sept. 14-16 at Zilker Park.

On September 14th, the BMI Stage will feature the following artists beginning at 11:15 a.m.:

Sahara Smith, Adam Hood, Amy Levere, John Ralston, and Guy Forsyth.

2007 ACL Music Fest Hits Austin Sept. 14-16

2007-09-04T16:24:00-05:00

BMI Sponsors Stage for Fifth Consecutive Year

BMI, the leading performing right organization, is proud to present and sponsor a stage at the Austin City Limits Music Festival September 14-16, in Austin, Texas. The namesake of the long-running PBS series, ACL fittingly invades the Live Music Capital of the World each year with eight stages and a myriad of the world's finest live performers. Over the festival's three-day stint in Zilker Park, BMI's stage will showcase an enticing line-up of auspicious up-and-comers and renowned singer/songwriters.

Jeffrey Steele
Patterson Hood
Adam Hood

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 14

SAHARA SMITH
11:15-11:45am
A 15-year-old Sahara Smith placed second in A Prairie Home Companion's "12 to 20" talent contest; now 18, the Austinite's forlorn voice cries, seduces and whispers, wrapping itself around her ageless lyrics.
www.myspace.com/saharasmithmusic

ADAM HOOD
12:40-1:20pm
Alabama's Adam Hood released Pete Anderson-produced Different Groove in May 2007 -- a collection of truckstop poetry parlayed into soul-swaggering roots rock by Hood's rich vocals.
www.myspace.com/adamhood

AMY LAVERE
2:40-3:20pm
Amy LaVere's tiny frame juxtaposed with her train-chugging upright bass and smoky vocals creates a definitively sui generis combo, aptly displayed on the Memphis girl's blithe sophomore album, Anchors and Anvils.
www.myspace.com/amylavere

JOHN RALSTON
4:40-5:20pm
Lake Worth, Florida native John Ralston's Needle Bed (Vagrant Records) features lush pop arrangements and melancholy vocals that sound more Transatlantic than Southern. The troubadour will spend most of the Fall opening for Dashboard Confessional.
www.myspace.com/johnralston

LOUIS XIV
6:40-7:20pm
The New York Times called San Diego-based Louis XIV "very sexy and really glam" while Blender praised the group's "catchy send-up of retro-rock sleaze;" the group is hitting the road with the Killers this fall.
www.myspace.com/louisxiv

Amy LaVere
Mario Matteoli
Jennifer Niceley

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

THE STEPS
11:15-11:45am
Youthfully exuberant Austin quartet The Steps swim in self-imposed '60s British rock exile, venturing out every now and again to nod towards post-punk exuberance.
www.myspace.com/thesteps

MARIO MATTEOLI
12:40-1:20pm
Former Weary Boy Mario Matteoli's solo work reveals an introspective yarn spinner, and prompted the Austin-American Statesman to proclaim Matteoli's debut, Hard Luck Hittin', "would make his songwriting idols Bob Dylan and Townes Van Zandt proud."
www.myspace.com/mariomatteoli

CARY ANN HEARST & The Gun Street Girls
2:40-3:20pm
South Carolina's Cary Ann Hearst takes ghosts and angels from her native South and channels them into cogent lyrics; her musky voice plays nicely with her country, blues and punk-tinged combo, resulting in raucous treats.
www.myspace.com/caryannhearst

TRENT SUMMAR & The New Rob Mob
4:40-5:20pm
Trent Summar's farm rock smirks at expectations and the status quo; whether penning Jack Ingram's brassy single "Love You" or belting out his own "Pink John Deere," the native Tennessean packs an inimitable punch with every syllable.
www.myspace.com/trentsummar

JEFFREY STEELE
6:40-7:20pm
While 2003 BMI Country Songwriter of the Year Jeffrey Steele churns out hits dipped in twang for mainstream country stars like Rascal Flatts and Tim McGraw, his own live sets reveal an energetic performer who rocks against the grain instead of growin' it.
www.jeffreysteele.com

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

JENNIFER NICELEY
11:15-11:45am
Tennessee native Jennifer Niceley's voice huskily combs through her dreamy reflections and intimate poetry set to a soothing balance of country and jazz, while sultry attitude simmers just below the surface of her beguiling tunes.
www.myspace.com/brandonrhyder

KARA GRAINGER
2:40-3:20pm
Australian chanteuse Kara Grainger's moody debut Grand and Green River features ace players who've worked with Stevie Wonder and Jackson Browne, among others, plus a duet with Amos Lee, but newcomer Grainger's smoky vocals serenely claim the spotlight. Several tracks from the album are featured on Starbucks stores' in-house programming.
www.myspace.com/karagrainger1

PATTERSON HOOD
4:40-5:20pm
Rock guru Robert Christgau has called Patterson Hood a "new master of the vanishing art of literal, narrative songwriting," thanks to songs exploring themes like heartbreak and organ transplants; in short, the Drive-By Truckers front man embraces the life's quirks and imaginative pitfalls.
www.myspace.com/pattersonhood

GUY FORSYTH
6:40-7:20pm
Antone's Records artist Guy Forsyth crafts lyrics that exhale and meander through cantankerous melodies; poetically organic and decisively Austin, Forsyth's blues are worth catching.
www.myspace.com/guyforsythband

The Austin City Limits Music Festival is produced by C3 and Capital Sports & Entertainment. For more information on ACL, please visit www.aclfestival.com.

John Ralston Gives Sharp Performance as BMI’s Pick of the Month

2006-06-20T18:00:00-05:00

The June edition of BMI's "Pick of the Month" showcase featured a performance by Vagrant recording artist John Ralston, and marked the release of his debut CD, Needle Bed. The event, held at the Gibson Guitar Showroom, also celebrated the launch of his publishing company, Coinfish Publishing.

Shown before the show are (l to r): BMI's Barbara Cane, Vagrant's Dan Gill, Coinfish Publishing's Laura Claar, June Pick of the Month artist John Ralston, Vagrant's Jon Cohen, and BMI's Tracie Verlinde and Joe Maggini. Photo by Ellen Ratner

BMI's "Pick of the Month" is a live, monthly showcase series focusing on a musically impacting band or artist whose talent is worthy of attention. The series is meant to help expose these artists to the music industry and public through a show held at a quality venue with discounted admission.

BMI Gets Dose of John Ralston’s ‘Needle Bed’ at June ‘Pick of the Month’

2006-05-31T18:00:01-05:00

The June edition of BMI's "Pick of the Month" will feature Vagrant recording artist John Ralston and his debut CD, Needle Bed, on Wednesday, June 7 at the Gibson Guitar Showroom (9350 Civic Center Drive) from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. In addition to an acoustic performance by Ralston, the evening will also celebrate the launch of Coinfish Publishing. This is a private, industry-only event; please R.S.V.P. to LARSVP@bmi.com to attend.

Florida-based singer/songwriter John Ralston releases his debut CD Needle Bed on June 6, but its foundation was laid many years ago. The then-teenaged Ralston poured over records by The Beatles, the The Beach Boys, The Band, Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, and in turn, began penning songs of his own. "My mom was a folk singer, and she taught me to play guitar," says Ralston about his early years. Even then, he was prolific. "From the first time I learned three chords, I wrote a song. I'm sure it was a really horrible song, but I always kept writing and writing." In the months following the recording of Needle Bed, Ralston put together a band and after only one rehearsal, ventured northward to open a string of shows for another longtime musical cohort, Chris Carrabba of Dashboard Confessional. "I think the first night we sold close to 300 CDs," Ralston recalls about the initial reaction to the early, limited pressing. This prompted Ralston to look into giving the CD a proper release, and he needed look no further than his friends at Vagrant Records. Ralston will tour in support of the CD, opening for his friends, Dashboard Confessional.