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For Immediate Release
Sep. 20, 2006
Contact:
McGuckin Entertainment PR
Heidi Labensart, 512.478.0578 office; heidi@mcguckinpr.com
THE TEXAS SAPPHIRES TO RE-RELEASE
"VALLEY SO STEEP" WITH NATIONAL DISTRIBUTION
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Sapphires, the five-piece alt-country-hillbilly-bluegrass combo voted Best New Band during this year’s Austin Music Awards, celebrates the re-release on October 3 of its first album, VALLEY SO STEEP (Stag Records) with national distribution by Redeye and European distribution by Sonic Rendezvous.
During its triumphant jaunt through New Mexico and Colorado in August, the band drew crowds. After its gig in Albuquerque, The Journal wrote: “The Texas Sapphires just sound like fun. They’re what happens when a bunch of punk rockers decide to play country music. It’s loud, proud and in-charge — just the shot in the arm the Nashville boys need to wake up. But, ha! We get them first.”
Since the original release of VALLEY SO STEEP (produced by and featuring Grammy Award winner Lloyd Maines), it has amassed praise from the likes of No Depression magazine writer Andy Turner, who describes the album in the September-October issue as “boasting the addictive harmony vocals... a sweaty, tattooed take on classic country, and some great songs... An accomplished debut.”
Tracks such as “The Emerald Outlaw,” “LadyFest,” “Break This Fool,” “Barstow Barstool” and “Driftin’ In” make up the collection of 12 tunes on the album – 11 of them written by band front man Billy Brent Malkus plus a cover of the legendary Gram Parsons’ “Las Vegas.”
Besides Malkus (guitar, Dobro and piano) and co-lead vocalist Rebecca Lucille Cannon, whose voices, says Country Standard Times, “have a hard-worn quality — like the wood of dance-hall floors — that especially suits this kind of bluegrass-influenced, retro-country music” — The Texas Sapphires are Jim “Haystack” Novak on pedal steel and Dobro, Troy Wilson on bass guitar, and Craig Bagby on drums.
The Texas Sapphires upcoming shows – at clubs and festivals across the Lone Star State and Louisiana – include:
Friday, September 22, Continental Club, Houston
Wednesday, September 27, Antone’s, Austin
Thursday-Friday, September 28-29, Railroad Blues, Alpine, Texas
Thursday, October 6, Luz de Estrella Winery-Arts Festival, Marfa, Texas
Saturday, October 8, Red River Revel Arts Festival, Shreveport, La.
Tuesday, October 10, Ego’s, Austin
Saturday, October 14, John T. Floore Country Store, Helotes, Texas
Tuesday, October 31, Ego’s, Austin
Saturday, November 18, Sam’s Burger Joint, San Antonio
Interview times are available as well as press kits and review CDs.
To listen to MP3s and to download hi-res images, album art and more, visit http://mcguckinpr.com/mcguckin/thesapphires/sapphires.htm
Also see www.thetexassapphires.com.
