Stepping Out

Released

Dream House
DAN MIRVISH (pictured), co-Founder of the Slamdance Film Festival, has written, directed and has now released his own independent musical feature, Open House, on DVD (Bugeater Films). The film, which stars Anthony Rapp (who also stars in Sony's big screen version of Rent), Oscar-nominee Sally Kellerman (M.A.S.H.), Kellie Martin (E.R.), Jerry Doyle (Babylon 5), James Duval (Donnie Darko) and Ann Magnuson, is a madcap musical about real estate hungry homebuyers. Open House features all of the actors singing live with no lip-syncing. Mirvish gained headlines last year when he spearheaded an Oscar campaign to reignite the Academy's dormant Best Original Musical category. After this year's Slamdance, Mirvish signed a deal to turn Open House into an innovative video game.

A Big Bowl of Fun
STEVE PULLARA'S NEW CHILDREN'S ALBUM, A Big Bowl of Musicroni, is overflowing with great songs that focus on the his Italian-American heritage. The release is now getting heaps of attention. Publisher's Weekly gave the album this glowing praise: "Pullara has a discernable good time serving up acollection of silly, jaunty tunes…. A consistently fun, often rocking beat keeps things rolling along with solid playing of the harmonica, guitar and banjo (much of it by Pullara himself.) From "Lot'sa Cousins" about piling all the relatives into a bus (there are too many for a car) and "Arrivederci Nonna," a swaying song about saying farewell to Grandma to "Bada Bing, Buon Natale" and "Don'ta Rocka Da Boat," kids will get a real taste — replete with lot of mentions of parmesan and mozzarella — of life in a boisterous Italian clan." The NAPPA (National Parenting Publications Awards) also honored the project last year, saying "Pullara invites us all to a party to learn about the Italian American culture. Laugh-out-loud songs and danceable arrangements will have you switching cultures pronto!" A Philadelphia-based, New Jersey born singer-songwriter, Pullara is a popular children's music performer who often plays solo and with his Cool Beans Band. He has recorded four albums, which can be found in stores and at www.coolbeansmusic.com.

Rock Temple
NYC-BASED TEMPLE OF ECHOES is a hard-driving rock outfit that brings to bear wideranging influences such as The Doors, Guns N' Roses, Stone Temple Pilots and Alice in Chains. Led by the twin attack of vocalist Wes Stanton and lead guitarist Mangin, the group has just released a new album [Union]2 (pronounced "Union Square") on Saturation Acres. Recorded in Danville, Pennsylvania in what Stanton describes as "a garage with cathedral ceilings" with former Fuel drummer Kevin Miller, the music blazes with a raw sound that evokes a classic 1970s production vibe.

Stanton started the band with lifetime friend (and Marlene Dietrich's great grandson) J. Matthew Riva and began writing songs in the vein of their favorite music. They knew they needed a dynamic guitarist and, after a lengthy search, found Mangin, who was a perfect fit. They were also fortunate in finding bassist Randall Leddy and a drummer, Lafrae Sci, to make their live shows unforgettable.

After seeing the band perform, clothing company head Chris Gilbert (paper denim cloth), decided to back them and fronted the money to start recording their album. When Saturation Acres liked what they heard, they decided to release the album. With passionate music, a solid fan base and savvy career moves, the band lives up to Music Connection's praise: "Temple of Echoes pulses with the blood of heavy hitters." The band is currently being played on over 200 radio stations. Check out www.templeofechoes.com for more info.



AMERICAN HAWK'S Americana Brew. It features the patriotic "Home of the Brave" and "These Colors are Mine." This album showcases the band's country roots.

DAVID BAILEY'S Comfort pulls together his best songs of hope, courage, and comfort.

CHRIS BRUBECK'S Convergence (Koch International Classics), a new CD featuring three live recordings: The title track, commissioned by the Boston Pops to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Symphony Hall in Boston; River of Song, featuring Frederica Von Stade singing, and inspired by award-winning children's poetry; and The Prague Concerto for Bass Trombone and Orchestra, which premiered in 2004 with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra led by American conductor Paul Freeman, and featuring Brubeck as trombone soloist. All compositions were recorded in SACD surround sound.

AILEEN CHANCO'S recording, "The Three Ages of Woman," on the album Images of Three Centuries.

DEAD BY WEDNESDAY'S Democracy is Dead. This New Haven, Connecticut's politically- charged, innovative rock band mixes hardcore metal, punk and hip-hop.

JOEY FIGGIANI'S Under The Memphis Sun, a tribute to Elvis Presley featuring Elvis Presley's original band members. The album includes a remake of "Fire," originally written by Bruce Springsteen.

JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY'S The Sameness of Difference (HYENA Records). This spellbinding album is a collection of songs by Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey and a host of covers, which the band refers to as musical tributes to their heroes, including works by Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, The Flaming Lips, Björk, the Beatles and others. The record was produced by Grammy Award winner Joel Dorn. This all-instrumental album is a true gem -timeless and inventive while showcasing this group's jaw-dropping skill. For more on this tremendous young jazz group, visit www.jacobfred.com.

MAURA FOGARTY'S Into the Sun, featuring original tracks written by Maura and John Bertsche.

LOREN GOLD'S Keys. Using a sax, keys and groove, he creates a sound of smooth jazz with a touch of pop.

TIM HANAUER'S album, Boomerang. "Yellow Raincoat," the album's first track, was placed in The Ghost Whisperer, on CBS.

REGINALD JONES' My Rainbow A Promise By God, a Christian Instrumental album backed by a soulful guitar.

SHWETA JHAVERI'S Khayal-Saga on her label 21st Century Cosmos, featuring Indian ragas Puriya-Dhanashree & Bhairavi. More information can be found at www.shwetajhaveri.com.

JAMES MCVAY'S Heroes On the Homefront. McVay blends his powerhouse guitar chops, razor sharp lyrics and the arranging and production expertise of 20 years as an award-winning composer/producer to create this stellar album.

ELIZABETH ROSE'S Sleep Naked, a bluesy, soulful approach to funk. This witty album is sold at Barnes and Nobles.

BARRY SCHRADER'S Beyond creates unique sounds through electro acoustic. Featured on this CD are six movements: First Spring, Beyond, Duke's Tune and three movements of Death. Using sounds of waterphones and harpsichords, this album conjures a whirlwind of emotion.

ROBERTO SIERRA'S new recording, Sinfonia No. 3, released by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra on its new e-label, MSO Classics. The recording is also available on iTunes. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel critic Tom Strini described the work as "fantastical, witty and brainy as one of those Matisse still lifes…engages on many levels."

TEA LEAF GREEN'S Taught To Be Proud. This San Francisco based heavy touring quartet has honed its live skills into a powerful, unique style that features songwriting excellence and raw talent on their instruments. The album captures the breadth of their sound, which has similarities to The Band, Steely Dan and Steve Miller Band, and is the group's finest studio effort to date.

RICH WYMAN'S Factory is his fifth album on his own label Auspicious Records. Wyman's second album was co-produced by Eddie Van Halen, his mentor who also discovered him. For more information, visit Wyman's site at www.richwyman.com.

NOMI YAH'S 2 Nomi = Love Me. Yah wrote, performed and produceed all 14 songs. Recorded at Nomi Yah Music in Oakland, CA, this CD combines upbeat pop, strong melodies and compelling lyrics.

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