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Simplified Wins Charlotte Music Awards

Simplified snagged TWO Charlotte Music Awards at the red carpet event in Charlotte Thursday November 19.

Simplified won Best Rock Band and Clee Laster won Best Male Vocalist.

Congrats to the hard working guys in Simplified, Intrepid Artists, and Rockman Managment!

www.simplifiedmusic.com

December 3 Simplified Fundraiser for Martinsen and Roberts families

 

Simplified will perform at a special Fundraiser for the Martinsen and Roberts families at Dixie’s Tavern on December 3.

Both families have children that were diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, the Martinsen family recently lost this bout as young Victoria passed away earlier this month.

In addition to the emotional challenges each family is experiencing there is a large financial burden to cover medical expenses.

Although, there is no cover charge at the door, the Simplfied organization is requesting that everyone come with a generous heart and make a donation.

Several local merchants have donated gift certificats to raffle off for the event. Come join us for a special evening as Simplified puts on a peformance with a purpose.

For those unable to attend, please feel free to follow the links below to make a donation.

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/victoriamartinsen
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/oakleyroberts

 

 

Christmas Concert at Belmead in Powhatan VA Dec 05

For immediate release:

tammy@moonstruckpromotions.com

804-365-8222

 

For more information about the concert and Belmead:

Sr. Maureen T. Carroll

maureentc@aol.com

804-598-8938

www.francisemma.org

Concert begins at 1:00pm

$25.00 donation is suggested

Light refreshments are served

 

 

St. Francis/ St. Emma host A Christmas Concert at Belmead Mansion

Saturday December 5 2009

  

A benefit concert for St. Francis/ St. Emma will be held at Belmead Mansion in Powhatan December 5. The afternoon of music features Salvatore Lupica with original compositions for grand piano, The Brass Act, Gospel Choir, and a poetry reading. A $25 donation is suggested, however the public is graciously invited regardless of ability to pay. Light refreshments will be served after the concert. A heart-warming and exceptional way to begin the holiday season!

  

Belmead highlights for 2009

*Sister Jean Ryan established a garden. 10% of all food grown is donated to the Powhatan Food bank and the rest is sold at The Goochland Farmers Market.

*April 17-The Granary, dating from 1841, is now stabilized and protected from collapse.

*The Thomas Berry Educational Center – a Sacred Place focusing on spiritual, ecological, cultural and education programming established by Sister Angela T. Lydon, SBS, Ph.D.

*Workshop Way,a system of education for human growth has located its central office at the Belmead Mansion in Powhatan. It provides teacher training for all levels of education.

  

 

 

A donated grand piano stands at the ready this year in the spacious living room at Belmead Mansion on the James, anxiously awaiting the talents of composer Sam Lupcia  and an eager audience. In years past, The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament have had to rent a piano for their annual benefit concert, a $900 expense.  By seeming magic this year, a grand piano was given to Belmead, negating the usual costs of a rental and allowing the Sisters to begin the concert event in a more positive financial light. It is another of the Miracles that regularly occur at Belmead Mansion, a place that captures the heart and imagination of everyone who comes in contact with it.

 

Since 2006, Lupcia has created a program of music specifically for The Christmas Concert at Belmead Mansion. His flowing themes of nature’s majesty strike a magical chord in those who gather every year for this rare and wonderful event. They come from many walks of life. Some attend the event for the first time and are stunned at the majesty of the mansion and grounds along the James. Some are life long associates of this hallowed spot known as Belmead on the James. They were students when the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament operated the grounds of Belmead as St Francis School for girls, from the late 1800s until 1977. St. Emma Military School for boys operated as a separate facility housed in the Belmead Mansion.The Sisters, in whose hands the care of Belmead now rests, carry on the tradition of service to all souls, the grounds, meadows, wildlife and the James River.

 

With breathtaking scenery,fertile fields and a view of the James, Belmead’s lands are constantly on the aquisition radar of developers and builders. Each year, the Sisters struggle with preserving the beauty and calm of Belmead with providing operating expenses for the land and property upkeep.

 

The Christmas Concert is a truly mystical and moving experience. The day is an opportunty to detach from the holiday bustle and reflect on the true meaning of the season and donate to the Sisters ongoing mission “to maintain a place where the interrelatedness of all living beings is reverenced.”

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The Center of the Universe

“According to the ancient Egyptians, the purpose of our lives is to preserve order in the cosmos. And we do this by preserving order within ourselves. Each one of us is- quite literally, according to modern science-the center of the universe.”- Marianne Williamson/ Everyday Grace

Science has proven we are who and what we think we are, and if we think Godlike thoughts and well of others, this is what will be returned to us. Theology professes God is not a distant character, mighty on a throne, but instead a factor of ourselves. God lives in our hearts, in our daily lives, in our routines and any attempt to create distance between ourselves and God is what makes us out of sorts, angry, hostile and ungrounded.

Imagine you were convinced, as the ancient Egyptians were, that you had the power to set the universe day-to-day. You held the ability to wind the clock and set the time, energy, spirit and integrity of the entire world. How would that job change your daily attitude?

It’s a huge responsibility this being in charge of ourselves and ultimately the universe. It’s a monumental task to be sure requiring a revolution in the way we think, act, do and dream.

Just for today, as an cosmic experiment, set the pace for the universe. Recognize you are a child of God, no less than the trees and the stars you have a right to be right here, right now. And as a child of the universe, you have responsibilities and obligations to serve, to be a beacon of hope, light, love and energy to your fellow-man. 

The clock is ticking and you’re in charge. Set the world on a course of tranquility by starting with yourself.

The Playroom Academy of Music in Baxter Village/Fort Mill SC set to open Dec 01

For Immediate Release
tammy@moonstruckpromotions.com
twitter.com/tammybrackett                                                                                                             
http://www.facebook.com/people/Tammy-Brackett/679249597
804-365-8222
 
Related sites:
www.theplayroomacademy.com
The Exchange Building Suite 201                                            
951 Market St
Fort Mill SC 29708
803-802-NOTE
 
The Playroom Academy of Music launches innovative teaching studio and retail location in Baxter SC December 1,2009
 
The way Playroom Academy’s founder and director Eddie Zimmerman sees it, the unique teaching philosophy offered at his new facility is like a gateway of higher learning for young music students.
 
“Our method targets lesson retention in a whole new light.” says Eddie Z,as he’s known in professional music circles. “The lesson is presented to the student by a teaching professional .The entire lesson is recorded digitally then stored in an on-line archive that only the student has access to. Students then have the ability to review the lesson or past lessons, anytime they wish. It ties the instrument to the student, and the lesson to the home computer. We incorporate current technology with the personal approach of one on one lessons. It’s interactive, effective learning at its best.”
 
The Playroom Academy will open January 2010 at its location in Baxter Village in Fort Mill, but a retail presence will be open December 2. “We’ll sell sticks, strings, instruments and other music related merchandise, with a focus on gift certificates and signing students up for lessons at The Playroom Academy.”
 
Eddie Z is best known as the guitarist and co-founder of the band Charity Case. The group performed over 200 shows as part of the Ace and TJ’s Grin Kids charity, raising $670,000 to send chronically disabled and terminally ill children to Walt Disney World. After an eight-year run, Charity Case is taking a break, allowing Eddie Z to work with kids of all ages and skill levels to develop the dream of playing music.
 
Eddie Z’s dedication is apparent when he speaks of his new endeavor. “We want to be parent friendly and kid cool.” he says .”The Playroom Academy offers a creative, encompassing music curriculum. We’ll offer summer camps, group ensemble lessons and preschool programs as well as classes in music production, engineering and computer based recording.”
 
“We’re a one stop for anything music related, from lessons to instruments.” says Eddie Z. “We’re here to help parents, kids and adults discover the delight of creative expression through music. “
 
“Talk about a perfect holiday present!” he chuckles with the enthusiasm of a jolly Santa. “The joy of the gift of music is about as perfect as it gets.”

The Monkey Mind

 

“…many of the questions we carry around with us have less to do with genuine issues, and more to do with the monkey mind itself. A trickling flow of hysteria pervades our day-to-day mental functioning, constantly influencing our thoughts and emotions. This subtle hysteria is our biggest problem, because it’s the root of all others. When our minds are aligned with God’s love and peace, two things are true. First, we don’t create as many problems in our lives. And second, we have the spiritual strength to handle them powerfully and positively when we do.”- Marianne Williamson/ Everyday Grace

Worry, stress, anxiety, tension. It seems as if these four march into our everyday lives first thing in the morning, invading our good intentions to be and do better. Then they won’t leave. They hang about, breathing down ones neck, constantly reminding us of imminent failure and everything we cannot accomplish. The quadruplets scream and yell and simply won’t quieten enough to allow us to be peaceful, happy and productive.

And it’s all our fault. We allow our thoughts to swing from branch to branch, screeching and flipping and tossing and fighting. If you’ve watched monkeys in a zoo or on tv, you know what unleashed, wild, hysteria looks like. And what an apt analogy of our synapses and emotions during our daily rounds.

How do we find peace in a world that is constantly not peaceful? Most of us don’t live as monks and hermits and have to mix with the world and its inhabitants. We can’t sit idly by and not speak up in a business meeting or a phone conference or in the studio or as we’re taking care of our music careers.

Quiet can only be found in the deep recesses of the heart. Quiet is an aspiration. It may not come all at once in chunks of hours spent meditating, but perhaps if we consciously string together small moments, maybe quiet will be a place we can go to often and without much effort.

Consciously watch your fingers on the frets or keys for 2 minutes. Conciously listen to a bird song or watch a squirrel play in the yard. Watch a drop of rain make its way down a window pane. Patch together small squares of silence and create a quilt of solace and quiet in your life.

 

Simplified at Blind Tiger 11/14

Just last week, Charlotte NC’s Best Band (Best of the Best of Charlotte/Charlotte Magazine) capped a week of shows by playing with Blues Traveler at The Fillmore in Charlotte and sharing the stage with O.A.R at Battleship Park in Wilmington. 

 

“We play on average about 250 shows a year. We’ve done over 1500 hundred shows in our four year life as a band, probably well over that! ” remarked Chris Sheridan in a recent interview with http://www.shutter16.com/.

 

The band, signed last month to Rockman Management, continues to hone the big career picture.“We’re focused on developing Simplified in other marquee markets so that the band can continue to build on its momentum and play more with national acts.” says Rockman’s Paul Richards.  

 

Simplified continues to travel and tour extensively to college campuses, venues and festivals. During rare days off, Simplified is hitting The Playroom in Fort Mill SC to write and plan their next cd, scheduled for release in spring of 2010.

 

The year, Simplified has been awarded The Best of the Best of Charlotte by Charlotte Magazine and was just voted Best Local Band for the second year in a row by the readers of Creative Loafing. In April, Simplified finished out the national Fender Road Worn competition as one of the top ten bands in the country based on fan votes for their video “Home”. Simplified was just nominated as BEST ROCK BAND in Charlotte by the Charlotte Music Awards 2009.  

Joe Krown Trio Tour News!

November 11- Owsleys in Denver CO, November 12-State Theatre in Salt Lake City UT, November 14-Goodfoot in Portland OR, November 16-Moes Alley in Santa Cruz CA, November 17-Palms Playhouse Winter CA, November 18-Biscuits and Blues San Francisco CA, November 19-St Rocke in LA,CA, November 20-The Mint-Hermosa Beach CA, November 23 Rhythm Room Phoenix AZ
Related websites:
www.joekrown.com
www.walterwolfmanwashington.com
www.russellbatiste.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0sx92p3IZY
 

Legends Converge in New Orleans based Joe Krown Trio
featuring Walter Wolfman Washington
and Russell Batiste

Skimming the bios of New Orlean’s Joe Krown Trio is a trip down a virtual Who‘s Who of music giants. Among the collective lists of achievements and awards of band members are peppered the names of those they’ve played with; Ray Charles, Little Richard, David Batiste and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown are only a few of the legends with whom Joe Krown Trio has shared the musical stage.

The illustrious players comprising Joe Krown Trio give a solid nod to predecessors, but consistantly fuse history with their own unique, funky, soul driven, R&B drenched jam that jumps off the stage like a living history lesson.

Hammond B-3 guru and bandleader Joe Krown spent fifteen years as Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown’s sideman. An award winning player, Krown has performed around the world, sharing the stage with icons like Mavis Staples, Charlie Musselwhite and the North Mississippi Allstars. Krown toured as a support act for Eric Clapton and numerous best selling records feature his name and astounding organ prowess.

For nearly 30 years,Walter “Wolfman” Washington has played with his band, The Roadmasters, touring every major music festival in the US and in Europe. As a teenager, Washington played guitar with Lee Dorsey who was touring in support of his smash hits, “Ride Your Pony” and “Working in a Coalmine.” In the mid 80’s, Washington started recording and releasing music with Rounder Records. Ever an innovator, Washington is known for his growling vocals and stunning guitar work and is a respected, revered and internationally known performer.

As a member of one of N’awlins legendary musical families, Russell Batiste Jr. knows his way around a sound stage. He’s played multiple instruments, and has been at the drum kit since the age of four. One of Russell’s earliest memories is sitting on Jackie Wilson’s knee listening to him sing “Lonely Teardrops”at a jam session hosted by his dad, David Batiste. Russell joined the Funky Meters in 1989. For five years, Batiste was the drummer for Vidal Blue featuring bassist Oteal Burbridge (Allman Brothers) and Page McConnell (Phish). Batiste recorded with Mike Gordon (Phish) and Eric Krasno from Soulive. Russell has also performed with Harry Connick Jr., Champion Jack DuPree, Robbie Robertson, and Maceo Parker.