Over five nonstop days and nights, the world’s most important platform for the discovery of new music, CMJ Music Marathon & Film Festival, invades New York City with over 1,300 artist performances and dozens of cutting-edge films.

CMJ fills more than 80 of the city’s greatest venues, nightclubs and theaters with over 120,000 fans, music industry professionals, college radio tastemakers, bloggers, press, filmmakers and musicians.

Attendees have access to over 70 panels, seminars, Q&As, nighttime parties, meet and greets, mixers, film premieres, special events and exclusive areas like the Exhibitors’ Loft and Artist Lounge.

CMJ 2011 will once again be headquartered at New York University’s Greenwich Village campus, just steps away from dozens of downtown Manhattan venues.

Onward, Soldiers!
Time: Saturday October 22, 2011 7:00pm – 7:45pm
Venue: Fat Baby
112 Rivington St.
New York, NY 10002

via Brian Tucker with Star News Online

Following up 2010’s “Ghosts in this Town” with a 7-inch single could be an experimental segue between full-length albums or a sneak peek at what’s to come on the next Onward, Soldiers album. Either way, the recent “Monsters/Telling Nobody” vinyl release is a bright spot in Onward, Soldiers’ burgeoning catalog, building on the promise of their debut and appears to be taking things up a notch.

The band, featuring former members of Wilmington’s Lamont Skylark (Kevin Rhodes, Lincoln Morris), The Atlantic Notion (Jarrett Michael “J.D.” Dorman) and lead singer Sean Gerard, have been making and playing music that reaches into the pockets of Americana and spare rock music. The band’s debut leaned a little too heavy on the more-than-capable Gerard whose tinny vocals and singing style is befitting of those rare stand-out, individualistic singers. On “Ghosts” the playing was personable but sedated, forcing Gerard to the forefront on many of the album’s memorable songs.

“Ghosts” is rich in earthiness and dusty, folk aesthetics built on Morris’ strolling guitar and Rhodes’ tempered playing but the album felt too casual, lacking sonic punch to accompany Gerard’s freewheeling vocals. Plus, they have solid singers in Rhodes, and especially Dorman, whose sinewy and snarling vocals makes for great rock singers. Keep in mind, Onward, Soldiers is band filled with proficient front men.

If any of this was the result of newness, or the beginnings of a new band, then on the 7-inch release it’s vanished. These two tracks show a band growing, whose music has greater personality and stronger ideas. “Monsters” belies the tone of the first album, its ‘60’s slinky vibe driven by Dorman’s deep bass lines and Rhodes’ direct percussion. Gerard sings with swagger, stinging like Jack White, as his vocals strut verse to verse. The keyboards and horns on “Monsters” are the sweetest of icing, adding to the whole sass and fervor.

“Telling Nobody” is the strongest of the pair of great, catchy songs. The track bounces like a theatrical number (the piano here is playful and thick) garnished with the romanticism of a broken hearted, slow dance number. On it Gerard sings like a whiskey throated Donald Fagen, crooning and fawning. It’s tingling guitar and dreamy textures only makes it more whimsical sounding.

This 7-inch reveals a different shade of the band, displaying greater range and more nuanced music.

http://wae.blogs.starnewsonline.com/18540/onward-soldiers-release-7-inch-release/

Today we are proud to announce that Gillian Welch will be a headlining at the 2011 Winoca Fest! Welch has an eclectic music style that mixes elements of Appalachian Music, Bluegrass, and Americana.

Welch, along with musical partner David Rawlings, have released four critically acclaimed albums. Their 1996 debut, Revival, and their 2001 release Time (The Revelator), received nominations for the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Folk Album.

Tickets for the event will be on sale starting Friday June 17th starting at Noon EST on www.winocarecords.com.

Lots of updates coming soon, so stay tuned to Winoca Records on Facebook or Twitter!!

via Star News Online (Wilmington, NC)

Tickets for the Hopscotch Music Festival, the massive sonic shindig that debuted in Raleigh last year, went on sale this morning, the same day that the full Hopscotch lineup was announced.

And while the band names on everyone’s lips are the the festival headliners — The Flaming Lips, Guided By Voices, The Drive-By Truckers and North Carolina’s own Superchunk — some Wilmington bands, and bands with Wilmington connections, are in the mix as well.

Making their way into Hopscotch, which runs Sept. 8-10 and features about 132 acts from all over the country, are two full-fledged Wilmington bands.

Onward, Soldiers, which is fronted by Sean Thomas Gerard, has gradually raised its profile since forming in Wilmington a couple of years ago. They’ve got a strong local following and are getting out there and touring more and more. “You’d be hard pressed to find a more convincing (or satisfying) country rocker in any corner of the Tar Heel State,” writes Jordan Lawrence of Gerard in Hopscotch’s official festival guide.

Also making the cut is Wilmington chip rock duo D&D Sluggers–Tim White and Dustin Overcash – who perform poppy dance rock using a Nintendo Gameboy and a Nintendo DS. In the festival guide, Bryan Reed praises the band’s “chirpy synths … percussive pulses … and deep bass grooves.”

The selection of Onward and DDS doubles last year’s showing of Wilmington bands in Hopscotch, when doom metal lords Weedeater were the only representatives.

More abundant this year are acts with local connections. Nicolay, producer of the hip-hop/R&B duo The Foreign Exchange lives in Wilmington; The Love Language, performing at Hopscotch for the second straight year, were based in Wilmington when they started to become popular; and Heather McEntire of Mount Moriah, whose band Bellafea used to be Wilmington-based, attended UNCW.

Other acts who aren’t based in Wilmington but who play here somewhat regularly include Jon Lindsay, Gross Ghost, Future Islands, Dylan Gilbert, Lonnie Walker and Mandolin Orange.

The second show is on January 14th at the Soapbox. Onward, Soldiers are playing with The Love Language. Tickets for this show are also $10. Make sure to get yours soon! You don’t want to miss these shows. They’re going to be fantastic!