Canadian bassist Shaun Huberts has been one busy bee lately. We caught up with him via email recently and got to hear tons about Tegan and Sarah, the twin singer/songwriters he's been working with for several years. After spending a day preparing for, then appearing on Jay Leno, the band left immediately after the taping for a sold-out show at the Glass House in Pomona, CA. Next day, the band was off to Lost Wages (that's Las Vegas to civilians) for another sold-out show with Death Cab for Cutie. One more day and it was a primo main-stage slot at the Coachella festival.

If you haven't checked out Tegan and Sara, you should. Now. Better hurry, too... this is one band that doesn't stay in any one place for very long. You can also watch a pair of videos (one from Leno, the other from Coachella) on our Video page.

<<PICTURE COMING>>

Ever wonder what would happen if you took modern hard edged rock and married it to Christian music? Well that's exactly what Eden endorser Merlin Shippy has done in his Christian Rock band Staynlis. "When we formed this band 2 years ago we set out to change the stereoypes of what Christian music is supposed to sound like", says Merlin. "And based on the comments we're getting from listeners and fans, especially on MySpace, we're starting to see those stereotypes being broken."

We caught up with Merlin recently, as the band gears up for another year of spreading the Word and the music. "Things are starting to really pick up for us this year. We're getting some great opportunities to tour and also open to for several popular, main stream Christian acts, such as Decyfer Down, Kutless, and Disciple to name a few."

Remnants prepare for Fifth Release

Endorser Jay Turner checked in recently to inform us that his band, The Remnants are closing in on the June release date for their 5th CD, American Grit, on the band's own Slow Summer Records label. Currently being mastered at Rodney Mills Masterhouse in Atlanta, GA, the disc features their most political and personal songs to date.

With songs penned by guitarist and lead singer Tom Boynton, "American Grit" showcases the brand of roots rock that the band has been known for throughout the Mid Atlantic and Eastern seaboard. Recorded and mixed by Steve Wright at Wrightway Studios in downtown Baltimore, MD, the CD also features guest musicians Bill Starks on keyboards, Nadine Rae on backup vocals and Nashville session musician Russ Pahl on pedal steel.

"Every project is a challenge, because you want to get the band's true personality on the CD," Jay said. "This time around, I think we really got the job done, and I can't wait for our fans to here it."

Eden endorser, bassist and session musician Sean O'Bryan Smith has already had a career that many musicians long for. Throughout his twenty-plus years of playing, Sean has had the opportunity to perform for thousands of people and share the stage or studio with a number of artists including Billy Ray Cyrus, Anna Wilson, Sara Evans, Rodney Atkins, Steve Azar, Rebecca St. James and Justin Conn, just to name a few. For the next phase of Sean's musical journey, he's taken on the role as recording artist with the release of his first solo CD for Groove Therapy Records, "Tapestry."

"Tapestry" is a return to Sean's roots in jazz, blues, and soul, and features him on fretted and fretless basses as well as guitar and keyboards. The CD transcends many musical genres and also reunites Sean with a collection of his favorite fellow sidemen including Jeff "Skunk" Baxter ( Steely Dan, Doobie Brothers ), Jerry Marotta ( Peter Gabriel, Sarah McLachlan ), Rich Eckhardt ( Toby Keith ), and Ken Rarick ( Madonna, Cher ) as well as some of the Nashville areas greatest unknown players. The initial responses to "Tapestry" cover the gamut of top radio personalities to legendary musicians and prove why Sean has become one of the most in demand bassists in the industry. Fellow Eden endorser and Jazz legend Mark Egan says the CD has "great groove, melodic phrasing, and flow on fretted and fretless."

"Tapestry" is available for download on My Music Stream and will be available for order April 22nd from CD Baby, iTunes, and Rhapsody. Sean will also be performing at the CD release party for "Tapestry" at The Rutledge in Nashville, TN on April 18th. For advance copies and more information on Sean's news ,performances, clinics, articles, and more check out Sean's MySpace page. You can meet the man behind the bass at Eden's clinic at L&M Music on Saturday, April 5th. For more info, visit our Events page.

Ever wondered how to win the heart of a special lady? Think outside the (chocolate) box.

"No need for flowers, chocolates or diamond rings. Just give me a gig at the Filmore [San Francisco] on Valentine's Day and I'm a very happy girl!"

So says Eden endorser Angeline Saris. This slamming bassist holds down the bottom for Flametal, a unique blend of flamenco and metal that's as hot as a habanero pepper, and also The Skeletons, a scaled-down acoustic version of the same band.

This year, Angeline got her Perfect Gift for Valentine's Day - opening a show for the legendary Robin Trower at the Filmore. The Skeletons performed to a sold-out house that seriously dug the grinding flamenco rhythms. Asked about it in a telephone interview, she enthused, "It was great! Are you kidding? We got to play one of the most historic concert halls in the world, and opened for a legend. It doesn't get any better than this."

Website

We caught up with endorser Shaun Smith recently, only to learn that he's got a brand new gig. Seems that his former "boss" decided to take a year off, and Shaun looked over the horizon to the next opportunity. He's now holding down the low end with Arista recording artist Jason Michael Carroll. "Jason's an awesome singer," Smith said, and a great performer. I couldn't be happier!"

The band is in full swing, performing in concert and on TV (most recently on Good Morning America) as often as possible. And, as you can see, Shaun's a pretty happy boy. We're not sure if it's the gig or the rig, but we should all have so much fun!

Deeper Blues, led by Eden endorser Lane Baldwin, will sponsor and produce Danville Foodstock '08, a benefit for the Danville Area Food Pantry on Saturday, March 1, 2008. The event will be held from noon to 5PM at the Bremer Center on the Danville Area Community College campus. The concert is free to all, but a donation of food or money is strongly suggested. All proceeds will go directly to the food pantry. "We're very grateful to our sponsors," said Baldwin, Executive producer of the event. "Because of their contributions, every penny and every pea we collect will go directly to the food pantry. No one is taking a dime for their work."

Baldwin and his band will headline the five hour event, which also includes local Jazz luminaries Doc Ashton and the Root Canals, the New Kingdom Christian Church Choir and the R&B band Phaze II. Sponsoring businesses include DACC, KISS Country and KOOL Oldies radio stations, US Music Corporation, Speedy's Quick Print, MB Music & Sound, Days Inn, and dozens of local businesses.

Fundraising activities will include numerous gift basket raffles, food and beverage sales, and various gift items available for purchase. Auctions will include an all-expenses-paid private party with food for up to fifty guests and a private performance by Deeper Blues. For those unable to attend, a PayPal Donation Link is included on every page of the Danville Foodstock website.

The producers of the event hope to raise as much as $52,000, allowing them to provide $1,000 of extra food per week to Danville's neediest. "We've wanted to do something for our community ever since we formed this band," said Baldwin. "We also wanted to commemorate the release of our new CD with something special. And we can't think of anyone who needs help more than those who can't afford food for their families."

The event grew from Deeper Blues' commitment to building a strong, supportive community. "A strong sense of community is integral to the origins of the Blues," said Baldwin. "The Blues brought people together and gave them a way to deal with their pain so they could all survive in the face of despair. We want to revive that sense of community, to remind our listeners that there's a reason for the music. Today, this is our reason: to show those in desperate need that the community cares."

For more information, or to make a donation, visit Danville Foodstock.

New York City bassist and Eden endorser John Montagna has released a new solo CD, entitled "Senza." The 5-song EP was recorded entirely at John's home studio
in Brooklyn, with John handling all of the instruments and vocals himself. Stylistically, John's music incorporates elements of jazz, folk, R&B, and his beloved British rock; but it's John's thick, melodic bass playing that serves as the common thread between these diverse musical elements.

"I wanted my bass to be the focus of the music on Senza" John explains, "which meant that my sound had to be just right: plenty of bottom to support and push the groove along, but enough snap, crackle and pop in the higher frequencies to catch your ears. All of the bass parts were recorded direct through my Nemesis/Eden head, and in some cases the DI sound was combined with a miced Nemesis 2x10 cab. This is how I've been hearing my music in my head for so long, and it's a pleasure to realize my vision so beautifully with the help of Eden Electronics."

"Senza" is available at CD Baby, iTunes, and at John's live shows (where he performs solo, with just a 4-string bass). John also keeps a very entertaining blog on his website, detailing his exploits as a working musician in today's world. Whether he's grooving behind a local NYC artist, doing a solo show, or touring the world with legendary rockers such as Alan Parsons and Todd Rundgren, there's always a story to tell! Visit his website to keep up with everything he's up to.

After searching for more than a decade to find the right partners, Eden endorser Lane Baldwin, founded his dream band in the summer of 2006. Now, a year and a half later, Deeper Blues has released its first CD, Dig the Hole, on its own label, Blue Empire. Produced by Lane and guitarist Gary Jones, with Rick Plester (FTM Records) coproducing, mixing and mastering, and Polo Jones (Raven Records) handling executive production duties, the CD features 13 tracks of pain, joy, loss, renewal and redemption that the band guarantees will make listeners "blue to the bone"™.

"Deeper stories, deeper emotion. That's Deeper Blues," said Baldwin, bassist and vocalist for the band. "Our goal is to return to the reason for the Blues, to give ourselves and our listeners the chance to release the pain, to be renewed."

Of course, Lane used his WT1205 and D610XLT for the recording. "We just set it up the same I way to do live," he said, "everything flat and turned up loud! We took the DI and blended that with the miced cabinet. No EQ and no compression in the mixdown. Just pure Eden tone!"

After almost three decades backing other artists, Baldwin is looking forward to touring his own band. "I've been waiting my whole career to do this CD," he said. "This is my dream come true."

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