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Artists from A to L

Lisa Novak Biografie Biography Lisa Novak grew up in Houston, TX, and came from a very musical family. Not only did mother play piano in a band, her grandfather rocked Shiner, TX back in his day. Her dads cousin, Red Novak was well known amongst Houston musicians for selling guitars to Elvis as well as the locals. Novak picked up her first guitar in the eighth grade and wrote music in high school but kept music as a hobby and pursued a career as a hairstylist. Today she owns and runs her salon in the trendy Montrose area of Houston by day while performing her songs at night. In 1995, under a friends suggestion, she recorded her first music and assembled a band to tour and promote the songs. Although she and the band may perform regionally, Novak would love to have another artist record one of her songs. As a perennial nominee in the Houston Press, Best of Houston Awards, Novak won the 2004 Best Folk/Acoustic Act with singer/songwriter Melinda Mones, and in 2005 Novak has won the title of Best Female Vocalist. She has also garnered recognition from Musician Magazine in 1995 through the Best Unsigned Band Contest and Billboard Magazine Song Contest awarded a certificate of achievement in 1998 for her song Make Believe. She has played in Austin, TX at the annual SXSW Music Conference as the Houston Press nominated her band for Best Pop/Rock and Best Folk in 2000. Her song Perfect Mess was also nominated for Song of the Year in 2002. Americana/pop/country From Houston, Texas, LISA NOVAK'S "TOO SHALLOW TO SWIM” is a masterpiece of catchy songwriting, superb singing and great hooks in the arrangements. This is Lisa's 4th album, más o ménos and all I can say is that she has arrived. Diskografie/Discography 1997: Big Holiday “This Far” (Novak/Martin Publishing) 2001: Lisa Novak “Perfect Mess” (Novak/Martin Publishing) 2004: Lisa Novak “Tougher Skin” (Gemini Star Publishing) 2006: Lisa Novak “Too Shallow To Swim” (Gemini Star Publishing; Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records)

RAINER PTacek Biografie Biography Rainer Ptacek (June 7, 1951 – November 12, 1997) was a Tucson, Arizona based guitarist and singer-songwriter. His guitar technique, which incorporated slide, finger-picking, tape loops and electronic manipulation, earned him admiration of some notable musicians such as Robert Plant and Billy Gibbons. A tribute album to Ptacek, The Inner Flame, included contributions by Plant, Jimmy Page, PJ Harvey, Emmylou Harris and others, and was indicative of his reputation as a "musician's musician". He was diagnosed with a brain tumor in early 1996 and died nearly two years later after the illness recurred. Ptacek was born in East Berlin to a family of Czech and German descent. His family fled East Germany for the United States when he was five years old. They eventually settled in Chicago, where young Ptacek was first exposed to blues music. He moved to Tucson in the early 1970s, where he began his own musical career, most often solo, but sometimes he plugged in and led a trio as Rainer & Das Combo. He co-founded Giant Sandworms with Howe Gelb in the late 1970s. When the band decided to move to New York, he opted to stay in Tucson to make sure that he would not disrupt his then-new family. Although he never became well known in the United States, he became more and more recognized in Europe. Billy Gibbons was so impressed with the singer-guitarist that he arranged to have Kurt Loder review Ptacek's "Mush Mind Blues" cassette in Rolling Stone. Robert Plant, similarly impressed, flew Ptacek to England for the sessions for B-sides to supplement the singles from Fate of Nations. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and lymphoma in February 1996. He did not have medical insurance and his bills were mounting. Howe Gelb and Robert Plant organized sessions for a charity album. The resulting record, The Inner Flame: Rainer Ptacek Tribute, featured Ptacek- penned songs performed by Gelb (with Giant Sand), Plant, Jimmy Page, Emmylou Harris, Evan Dando, Victoria Williams, Vic Chesnutt, PJ Harvey, The Drovers, Madeleine Peyroux, Kris McKay, Jonathan Richman and Bill Janovitz. Ptacek is a participant on most of the tracks. Intense chemotherapy sessions put his tumor into remission and Ptacek resumed his concert activity vigorously, beginning with a guest performance at Greg Brown's show in November 1996. By this time, media attention was more focused on him than ever before. Just when it seemed as though he had beaten his disease, it recurred in October 1997, and he died three weeks later at age 46. Diskografie/Discography Avid Demo List (circa 1979, cassette) The Mush Mind Blues (1983, with Das Combo, cassette) Live Downtown (1985, with Das Combo, cassette) Barefoot Rock with Rainer and Das Combo (released on LP in 1986, re-issued on CD in 1994) Worried Spirits (1992) The Texas Tapes (1993, with Das Combo) D.Y.O. Boot (1995) Nocturnes (1995) Rainulator (1996, cassette) The Inner Flame: Rainer Ptacek Tribute (tribute and benefit album, released in 1997) Alpaca Lips (released 2000) Live at the Performance Center (released 2001) The Farm (released 2002) 17 Miracles (2005, collection) The Rainer Collection (2006, collection) The Westwood Sessions, Volume I (with Das Combo, released November 2007) Roll Back The Years (with Joey Burns & John Convertino, released May 2011)

Artists from M to R

MEZCALEROS Biografie Biography This project has been launched a few month ago by a guitar player, passionated by Blues and Southern Rock named Philippe Marseille AKA Phil Mezcal , a French guy from the south (yank !) of France, he used to go really often to the United States and particularly in the Deep south ... He played in a lot of Rock and Blues bands early years. Then, he disappeared … He travel from France to Texas /USA. He's really habited by the music, the culture and the spirit of those regions and he decided as many amateurs to create his own music by his own way in a home-studio ... Back from Texas, Phil decided, to put his music on-line, but things went really fast from this time with the help of a collaborative site which allows the artists to collect funds from the users to finance the fees of the recording and the promotion of an album ... This money allowed him to book for recording sessions at studio Tone House in Paris to prepare the future CD that should be soon available on main platforms like iTunes, Amazon, Fnac.fr, Virgin Megastore … A sound looking like Blackfoot at their greatest period (with Rickey Medlocke and Jakson Spires) or ZZTop on "Waiting For The Bus/Jesus Just Left Chicago", a REAL DELIGHT! To perform the recording sessions, he needed a band, because it shouldn't have been possible, would have been too expensive and too long to do all this alone, that's why he hired a Blues/Rock drummer, a second guitarist and also a bassist, but once all the titles had been published on Reverbnation the reached a really immense success and a lot of US musicians applied with him to be part of the band... A lot of concerts opportunities in the US and Europe are also on their way... The CD “Road to Texas” is released and available since October 2011 and the promotional tour will occur in 2012 when the band will have been officially structured and when the will have had the time for the rehearsals to ensure the shows will be at least at an equal level as the CD and even better ! Rebel Spirit and an incredible musical quality are anyway the signature of Mezcaleros, and I suggest you to connect to Reverbnation to listen to all the tracks of this album, and also to share this article with whoever are interested by this kind of music. Diskografie/Discography 2011: Mezcaleros “Road To Texas” (Label: Universal France; Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records

RIVER ROSES Biografie/Biography Diskografie/Discography 2010: CD “Each And All” (Label: River Roses Records; Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records)

RED BLOOMS Biografie Biography Die Leipziger Band Red Blooms um die charismatische Singer/Songwriterin Anna Reiland beeindruckt ihr Publikum mit einer einzigartigen Mischung aus Alternative Country, Americana und Irish Folk. Ergänzt durch eine ebenso virtuos wie filigran gespielte Geige überzeugen die fünf Musiker durch ihre Bühnenerfahrung und Authentizität. Mit Wüstenstaub (wie passend!) an den Füßen sind sie auf den Spuren von Neko Case, Lucinda Williams, Bob Dylan und noch vielen anderen unterwegs und wissen wie jene, dass es ein Weg ohne Ankommen ist ... Ihr energiegeladenes, zweistündiges Konzert ist für kleine Clubs wie auch für Stadtfeste und Festivals gleichermaßen passend. Aufgenommen haben die RED BLOOMS ihre erste Scheibe in improvisierten Studios in Hedersleben und Leipzig mit größtenteils geliehenem Equipment. Gemischt und gemastert wurde dann der Silberling von Alexander Wurlitzer, der bei Red Blooms zum Großteil für die Lyrics und die musikalische Ausgestaltung der Songs zuständig zeichnet und zum tragenden Teil der Band durch sein feinsinniges und wohl durchdachtes Gitarrenspiel wird. Die Band komplettieren neben der im Text schon erwähnten Anna Reiland (Vocals): Silas Hofmüller (Bass), Maria Hofmüller (Drums) und Ambrosius (Geige). Das einzigartige Coverbild dieses Debüts malte der Leipziger Schriftsteller Patrik Thiele und die Fotos hier auf der Website und im Booklet des Albums entstanden bei einer Shooting-Session mit Martin Lange und Arnd Kempe südlich von Leipzig. Maria Hofmüller, die Schlagzeugerin, erstellte das Artwork und die Homepage unter www.redblooms.com. Diskografie/Discography No Place Like Home (2011) [Oomoxx/CACTUS ROCK RECORDS]

2012: Lisa Novak “Can’t Go Back” (Cactus Rock Records) JAY OTTAWAY Biografie Biography Jay Ottaway sings about pain, loss, grief, and finally about love, hope and joy—the big themes that no singer-songwriter can avoid. And yet the Boston musician never uses conventional clichés, but finds his own vivid images for these recurring themes. He wraps his lyrics in songs that are rooted in traditional American songwriting without being limited by genre. In his latest album, “Coming Home to You”, Jay Ottaway does not follow well- trodden paths. At the same time he never lets his listeners go astray. He leads you down musical roads accessible to anyone: roads that you have either gone down yourself already, or will likely find yourself on at some point in life. “Coming Home to You” is another great work by the singer-songwriter who has been honored with several awards in the US. The music on his new album moves seamlessly between powerful rock numbers and ballads that breathe Country und Folk, as well as having the Blues, never to far away. The up-tempo rock song “Kiss You Goodbye”, the melancholy “One for the Teacher”, or the simply magnificent title ballad “Coming Home to You” tell the story of someone who has seen much more of the world than the parental living room. This album is for people who know the sunny as well as the somber sides of life, who perhaps need to stop for some comfort for a while, but refuse to stop pursuing their dreams. “Coming Home to You” was recorded in Boston, Nashville, and Cologne, and was mixed by the experienced Cologne producer Florian Bechte. World-renowned studio musicians from Nashville were part of this journey, including Steve Conn (keys / B3), Andrea Zonn (violin), Pat Buchanan (guitar), Jim Hoke (pedal steel guitar), Glen Caruba (drums), Dave Francis (bass), and Melissa Hooker (voice). Diskografie/Discography 2012: Jay Ottaway “Coming Home To You” (Label + Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records) 2014: Jay Ottaway “Carry On” (Label + Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records) 2014: The Jay Ottaway Band “Live In Europe” (Label + Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records) 2016: Jay Ottaway “Winter’s Journey” [Doppel-CD) (Label + Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records) 2017: Jay Ottaway “Winter’s Journey” [Doppel-Vinyl] (Label + Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records)

THE PERSUADERS Biografie Biography Label: CACTUS ROCK RECORDS www.cactusrock-records.com Dresden, Germany Manager: PERSUADERS The PERSUADERS are a 4 piece band from Tempe, Arizona. In the mid 90's several bands in Tempe, Arizona played Mill Ave., until the Record Companies came calling from Los Angeles. Some of those bands were the GIN BLOSSOMS, PISTOLEROS, and DEAD HOT WORKSHOP. The PERSUADERS are a group comprised of members of each of those bands. Lawrence Zubia - Vocals/ PISTOLEROS, Scottie Andrews - Bass/ PISTOLEROS, Thomas Laufenberg - Guitar Vocals/PISTOLEROS DEAD HOT WORKSHOP, Phillip Rhodes - Drums/ GIN BLOSSOMS. The PERSUADERS have done things a bit backwards. For the past 2 years the PERSUADERS have gotten together to write and record a 10 song record without ever having played out. Now that the record is done and a live set and show is complete the PERSUADERS are venturing out on a steady round of bar and club shows in and around Tempe, Arizona and the Southwest. Collectively the members of the PERSUADERS have sold millions of records, traveled thousands of miles, played thousands of shows and have made it back home to Tempe, Arizona. We look forward to playing some loud, guitar driven Rock n' Roll for you somewhere soon. Thank you. The PERSUADERS Diskografie/Discography 2012: The Persuaders “Ghost Ship Sailors” (Label + Mailorder: Cactus Rock Records)

PARAGUAY Biografie Biography Paraguay began in Feb. 2010, as a songwriting collaboration between vocalist/guitarist Jon Sanchez (The Summer Wardrobe, Roky Erickson), vocalist/guitarist Claire Hamilton (The Breathers, The Summer Wardrobe) and bassist Joshua Zarbo (Spoon, Monahans). A few months and multiple songs later, Sanchez and Hamilton would remain as the core of the songwriting team. Following Zarbo’s departure, Hamilton and Sanchez drafted V. Marc Fort (Schatzi, The Fuckemos) on bass. Fort and Sanchez possessed an easy chemistry, born from their previous band together during the late ‘90s, an Austin supergroup-of-sorts named The Miracle Drug. Whereas Sanchez and Fort’s previous collaboration was all sonic pomp and white noise blasts, Paraguay music possesses a restrained control under tightened sonic reins and the chill-wave/no-wave, dream pop influence of Hamilton’s cool-as-ice vocals. Their sound has an atmosphere that is informed by bands like My Bloody Valentine and Swervedriver, Kraftwerk and Can. Yet their beats are modern, equals parts man-meets-machine combined with jackknife beats of underground dub hip-hop. On songs like “Never Tell” and “3 Canyons Away,” Paraguay sound as if David Lynch has drafted Spiritualized and the Velvet Underground to collaborate on music for soundtrack polemic. Meanwhile Hamilton brings timeless pop hooks to the ensemble. Paraguay debuts at HAMM Day, and again at Ruta May on September 30, 2010. Look for their debut in Fall 2010: a 3 song EP. They also have shows booked in Denmark and the Netherlands scheduled for November 2010. Diskografie/Discography 2012: Paraguay “Post-Future” (Label + Mailorder: CACTUS ROCK RECORDS)

Artists from S to Z

RB STONE Biografie Biography R.B. Stone’s life in a word is, “Americana” Born in Huntingburg, Indiana, his family moved to Ohio when he was 1 yr. old. He started working when he was 11 as a paperboy, on local farms and various other jobs. RB graduated Kenton High School in Kenton, Ohio. Shortly there after he hired on to a 90 man Railroad Gang traveling around the Midwest and living on the rails in Camp Cars. He said “Without going into detail, I grew up pretty fast”. After two years he went to work as a manager for the Carter Plumbing, Electric and Heating Company in Kenton, after 3 years there he assessed his life. He said, “I had acquired two cars, two trucks, two motorcycles and a house at 23 years. old, I felt a sense of accomplishment but felt I was missing something. I knew there had to be more out there than a steady job and material accomplishments. I was really hungry for adventure and was lucky enough to have a father that encouraged it.” So he says, “I sold everything except a truck, a shotgun, some clothes, a guitar and a song book and headed to Colorado to become a cowboy.” One day while driving from Vail to Durango, CO, R.B. met an old Texas cowboy at a little country store. He was on horseback headed thru the mountains.”We hit it off and he invited me to come see him in Ignacio, Colorado at Sky Ute Downs on the Sky Ute Indian Reservation. I worked off and on two years or so for free and he taught me which end the bridle goes on. I didn’t have any money so I would sleep in my truck or the tack room working horses by day and teaching myself guitar at night.” RB with former President Jimmy Carter, Jim and Jon Hager after a benefit concert for secret service agent Dennis Tanner, Plains, Georgia. He became skilled enough at both trades that he started getting hired to wrangle the horses and pack people in the Rocky Mountains on hunting and camping trips for various outfitters. At night on these trips R.B. would entertain the guests as they sat around the campfire. He even got to take John Denver up for four days. “I thought I was in heaven,” he recalls, “having horses and the Rockies by day and playing music by night. As life would have it, I got laid off after some hunters cancelled one season, so I set up shop playing in a small mountain bar for tips, meals and a place to sleep, I wound up putting together my first band, “Highway Robbery.”Needing a name for his music company RB says, “I reflected on a memory from Middle Mountain at Vallecito Lake, Colorado, I was riding a green horse I had been working with. I left the ranch at 9 am and returned at 7 pm. We were doing some Man From Snowy River stunts for real — bucking off and on all day and running full-speed down the mountain at times. We both survived, I’ll never forget that day,” he adds, “and that’s why I named my music company ‘Middle Mountain Music, it has meaning to it for me and has survived 27 years now.’” Once the music bug hit him he never looked back. “Well, actually,” he confesses, “I didn’t look back but at 29 I did make a run at being a rodeo cowboy riding barebacks and saddle broncs for a little while. After some broken bones I was reminded I wasn’t 18 anymore and figured I’d bettr focus on the music.” He got the money for his first album when a guy pulled out in front of him on his motorcycle and he hit the truck. RB was on his way to play and invited him. They wound up being friends.The new friend met his wife at a Highway Robbery show and insisted on paying for the first album. With his own label “Wild Stallion Records” and his band “Highway Robbery”, he recorded 3 albums, developed a strong following in the Southwest establishing regional airplay and then thru a co-deal with Texas indie label CBT, he released a single and music video titled “Frank and Jesse” the video aired on national television, TNN. He then moved to Nashville and recorded 3 more albums for an independent label that released his music not just in the USA but Europe, Canada and Australia. The west coast caught his interest and he was off to California where he met and partnered with Gwen Gordy, of the Motown dynasty on a collection of his songs. He did some National Commercials while in LA earning his SAG card. Through Gwen’s big brother Barry and mother company Jobete, their song catalog landed at E.M.I Publishing. RB returned to Nashville and produced some new albums for himself and some music for E.M.I. Born in Huntingburg, Indiana Roland Bennett Stone Jr. RB’s family moved to Ohio when he was 1. Both parents were huge music lovers are who he credits for his versatile musical upbringing. His father a Blues/ Boogie, Rock n Roller, loved music that made you move like, Little Richard, James Brown and Jerry Lee Lewis. His mother listened to Tennessee Ernie Ford, Janis Joplin, Herb Alpert, Johnny Cash, Sly and the Family Stone, Elvis and the variety of hits from the 60’s. The highpoint of his week was going to the record store to buy new 45’s with his allowance, and playing them until his mother made him go to bed. At 12, his mother showed him some chords on the piano and Bill Withers’ hit “Lean On Me” was the first song he learned and the ball started rolling. He started amking up Blues/Boogie songs over the next years. 18 and just out of High School, music was still a dream that seemed to belong to others, so he hired on with the Railroad traveling the Midwest with a 90 man rail gang 4 days a week living in 10 man camp cars. After 2 years with the Railroad he accepted an offer as an Assistant Manager at a Plumbing, Electric and Heating store in Ohio, 2 1/2 years later he had a house, 2 cars, 2 trucks, 2 motorcycles and was Managing his own store. Restless at 23, he sold everything but a truck, some harps and a guitar and headed to Colorado to be a cowboy and play music. Enroute he met a horse trainer on an Indian Reservation in Ignacio CO. where he slept in a barn learning horses by day and teaching himself guitar at nite. A few months passed, he got good enough at both skills and started getting hired by local outfitters to pack their clients in the Mountains, wrangle the horses and entertain the guests around the campfire at nite. Since those early beginnings his life and career have taken many twists, turns, bumps and bruises accompanied by many accomplishments. Independent flying under the radar he has produced 15 albums, toured 32 countries, 5 continents selling over 40,000 albums most of them at his shows. He has a song catalog at EMI with “Gwen Gordy of the Motown Dynasty.” He’s had principal roles in national commercials, his national music videos, songs recorded by artist like “The Marshall Tucker Band”, has worked with a wide variety of acts from Jazz Greats “Hiroshima” to “The Charlie Daniels Band”, he has a 14 pc Roots Music Production Show featuring his songs, a Billboard Magazine Songwriting award and the list goes on Blues music has always been a part of his life from jamming on his mother’s piano, to writing and recording his first Blues song in 1985 which was “Fairweather Friends”, the song is on his 2011 acclaimed/charting “Lonesome Traveler’s Blues” album. He’s had a core of Blues Radio DJ’s across the country who have both inspired and supported him playing his songs on their shows, and has been called a Country Bluesman, Americana, a Roots Rocker and he answers yes to them all. Diskografie/Discography Lonesome Traveller’s Blues (2011) [Middle Mountain Music and for Europe CACTUS ROCK RECORDS]

RONSTADT GENERATIONS Biografie/Biography Ronstadt Generations represents the multi-cultural roots America was founded upon. Dating back five generations in North America, Michael J. Ronstadt, younger brother of Linda Ronstadt , continues the family tradition with his two sons, Michael G. and Petie. These three voices -- all multi-instrumentalists and solo artists in their own right -- bring to life a repertoire that reaches back to the end of the 19th century while continually looking ahead into the 21st, with a rich innovation of original material alongside traditional Southwestern and Mexican songs. Each comes with the highest credentials, having appeared around the world in performance and on recordings with such diverse artists as Linda Ronstadt, Los Lobos, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Muriel Anderson, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and countless others. Enjoy a fascinating musical journey with Ronstadt Generations. Michael J. Ronstadt - vocalist, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, grew up in Tucson, Arizona learning traditional songs from his father and musical family and singing with his older sister Linda. He has toured all over the world since 2004 with the Santa Cruz River Band, released 2 children’s albums and 1 gospel CD, and performed on many of Linda Ronstadt’s recordings. In the tradition of troubadours throughout the world, Michael’s songs continually pull the listener into stories about life, history, love, joy and hardship. Songs like “The Mill Of Oracle” will make you cry over the inanimate and “Wagon Mound” hauntingly takes the listener back to the Santa Fe Trail in the 1800’s. “Heartbreak ” has the audience relating to the universal experience of heartbreak and “Feel The Wind” resonates with anyone who has lost a loved one. Whether you’re a child falling asleep to Michael’s lullaby, “Mary” from Younger Generation or an adult reminiscing about Gettysburg during “Off To Battle,” his music relates to everyone. Michael’s family dates back to Jamestown on his mothers side, his father’s side dates back to 1776 on his father’s mother’s side, and 1840 with his great grandfather arriving in northern Mexico from Germany, 13 years before the Gadsden Purchase. In 1882, the great Ronstadt family musical tradition began with Federico Ronstadt’s arrival to Tucson where he started the Club Filarmónico de Tucson. Michael continues to carry that torch to venues all over the world. Born in 1953, Michael began playing guitar at age six. By high school, he was winning beard growing contests, actively performing solo and with family at community events, early folk era coffee houses, and local restaurants/bars. In 1975, Michael moved to Los Angeles working in the recording industry and performing at many local L.A. venues. After moving back to Tucson in 1980, he took over the family hardware business, performed with the Ronstadt Cousins until the late 1990’s, and brought live music back to the Tucson Unified School District. After recording his 2 nd children’s album, The Younger Generation and putting out Father and Son In The Spirit Of One, Michael took to the road with Ted Ramirez as the Santa Cruz River Band until October, 2009. Currently he tours solo and with his two sons and Josh Hisle as Ronstadt Generations . Boasting a discography of more than 16 albums, Michael J. Ronstadt can be heard on 3 solo records, The Ronstadt Cousin’s Live In Canelo, Santa Cruz River Band’s Volumes I-IV, 7 of Linda Ronstadt’s records, Bobby Ronstadt’s Shadows In A Dream, and his son Michael G. Ronstadt’s Motionless Swirls (2006). Diskografie/Discography 2012: CD “Prelude” (Label: Ronstadt Record Co.; for Europe CACTUS ROCK RECORDS)