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press kit
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 30, 2006
Contact: Mark Zenow
Phone: 919-859-5333
MIDWEST’S PREMIER ROOTS-ROCK BAND GB LEIGHTON
BRINGS INDUSTRY HEAVYWEIGHTS INTO STUDIO
MINNEAPOLIS – The
Midwestern rock band gb Leighton will join forces with
renowned producer Don Dixon (R.E.M., The Smithereens) and
acclaimed rock drummer Kenny Aronoff (John Mellencamp, Jon
Bon Jovi, Rod Stewart) to record its first studio album in
more than 2 years. The band’s ninth studio album will be
recorded at Winterland Studios in Minneapolis during the
months of December and January, with an expected release in
the spring of 2007.
Over the past decade,
gb Leighton has worked relentlessly to become a household
name to music fans in Minnesota and the upper Mid West,
playing up to 200 shows a year and selling over 70,000 CDs
without major label support. Band manager Rusty Harmon,
former manager of Hootie and the Blowfish and head of the
North Carolina-based management firm Murphy to Manteo,
jumped at the opportunity to help the band make a great new
album. “This studio recording will be Brian’s strongest
effort to date both in terms of songwriting and production
values.” said Harmon. gb Leighton’s last release, Live at
the Minnesota Music Café, was recorded at the Minnesota
Music Café in St. Paul and released in 2006, making it the
band’s 9th release in twelve years. The CD is a companion to
a live double-disc DVD of the same performance. Their last
studio release, This Life, was recorded in 2003.
During the past year,
the band’s lead singer and founder Brian Leighton has
collaborated with some of Nashville’s most talented
songwriters: Liz Rose (Gary Allen’s “Songs About Rain”;
Bonnie Raitt’s “Back of the Bottom Drawer”), Clay Mills
(Diamond Rio’s “Beautiful Mess”; Danielle Peck’s “I Don’t”)
and Billy Livsey (Lorrie Morgan’s “Good As I Was To You”;
Mark Chesnut’s “Almost Goodbye”). From these sessions came a
collection of finely tuned songs to complete gb Leighton’s
new album.
Producing the album is
Don Dixon, acclaimed for his work with R.E.M., The
Smithereens and Chris Stamey. As a producer, Don is
considered one of the forerunners of the jangle-pop movement
of the early 80s. As a solo artist, Dixon has released eight
CDs, toured the US and Europe, and written songs recorded by
Joe Cocker, Counting Crows, Hootie and the Blowfish and
Marti Jones. Dixon has also retained a high profile as a
session bassist and singer, appearing on hundreds of
recordings including those of Mary Chapin Carpenter, The
Golden Palominos and astroPuppees.
Kenny Aronoff is one
of the world's most influential drummers, having played on
hundreds of records by artists such as Rod Stewart, Avril
Lavigne, Meat Loaf and Melissa Etheridge. He has also toured
with artists such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Willie Nelson
and Michelle Branch.
Winterland Studios has
recorded an impressive array of artists such as Lenny
Kravitz, Alanis Morrisette, the Black Eyed Peas and Jessica
Simpson. The studio is located in Minneapolis and provides
artists with comfortable surroundings amidst some of the
newest and most innovative recording gear available.
gb Leighton’s new
album will be available for a spring 2007 release. Visit gb
Leighton’s website,
www.gbleighton.com, for more news regarding their
anticipated upcoming release.
For more information,
contact Rusty Harmon or Mark Zenow at Murphy to Manteo at
919-859-5333.
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