The Castaways

Update – 06/24/09

THIS WEEK

WHAT’S UP

Last week was a hot one in more ways than one (more about that later)!!  We started off last Wednesday night with Hip Pocket at the Sertoma Beach Blast.  Thanks to everyone who came out to support the Sertoma Club.  Hip Pocket sounded great and it was money spent for a wonderful cause.

On Saturday we headed down to Lake City, SC for Mr. & Mrs. Kent Gamble's wedding reception.  BIG crowd - nearly 500 people!  Great BBQ and cold beer!  Thanks Wayne for the hospitality!

Sunday evening finished off the week in John's hometown of Pittsboro, NC for "Shaggin' Into Summer"!  The General Store was busting at the seams with CASA, Bass Lake, and Eno Beach Shag Club members as well as quite a few "Castanuts" from near and far.  We had a great time hanging out with Neal "Soul Dog" Furr and the folks at The General Store.  I don't know how John afforded to pay all of those folks to "ooh & ahh" over him, but he sure did have a fan club there!  Now if we can only get his head back through the bus door for the next show!  His time as "John Arthurs & The Castaways Band" can't happen more than once a year - we wouldn't be able to stand him!! 

Join the CBMA!!!!  Join the CBMA!!!!  Join the CBMA!!!!  Can ya hear me now?  We need your nominations and your votes this year! We’d really like to see these nominations; "Your Love Looks Good On Me" - Collaboration of the Year, Karen Clayton - Female Vocalist, Phil Wilson – Writer for "Four Letter Word", "Give It Up" – Group Album, Guy Brooks – Engineer for "Give It Up".  You can’t nominate and you can’t vote if you don’t join. Please visit www.cammy.org and join the CBMA’s so that you can vote this year!

I don't know what we said to light a fire under you guys, but whatever it was, it worked!!  We're hitting the chart on 94.9 The Surf's Weekly Listener Poll with three songs!!!  "Four Letter Word" came in at # 7 this past week!  Our duet with Bo Schronce, "Your Love Looks Good On Me", was at # 30, and "Give It Up" came in at # 34!  Keep it up!

We'll soon have some new huggers and T-shirts for sale.  Just check with us at the shows.

SPECIAL SERIES – "TALES FROM THE ROAD" – Part 6

Good news - no axle, shock, or suspension problems.  Bad news - the front AC quit working.  And being the "Casta-WAY", it happened to be on a 100 degree day when we had to drive 4 hours to SC!!  Eight people in close quarters with little air moving was not a pleasant experience!!  We were so worn out after that show that we didn't know where we were coming home - literally!  Karen was driving (like most of the time) and the rest of us were dozing off.  Well, we are so used to Karen driving all the way back that when she pulled off the highway to rest her eyes, the rest of us assumed we were home and gathered our stuff and got off of the bus!  Needless to say she thought that was kinda funny since we were only in Dunn!!  Hopefully the bus AC will be back up and running this Friday when we head to Oak Island.

BIRTHDAY & ANNIVERSARY WISHES

Birthdays

Anniversary

CRUISE NEWS

It's getting closer!  Calling all "Castanuts" to join us when we cruise to Key West and Nassau. 5 nights of fun, please make your reservations now! Time is running out! The Spooktacular Beach Cruise 2 leaves on October 26 with The Castaways, The Holiday Band, Rhonda McDaniel, and DJ Jay Jenkins for 5 nights of fun aboard Carnival Cruise’s "Fascination.

Contact Sharon Euliss at

DON’T FORGET

MORE INFO

We currently have a couple of open dates in July.  If you would like to throw a party in July, give me a call at 252-432-9706 or email by going to our Contact tab at www.castawaysband.com.

The Castaways are proudly sponsored by;

SEE YA DOWN THE ROAD!!

After talking, planning and working together for months, Andy Smith, Rick Lee and Jeff Scheible officially formed Green Dot Discs in March of this year.

Andy owns Green Dot Music, which until recently handled Wilmington band Jim Quick & Coastline. Rick Lee is a co-owner/keyboard player of Charlotte, N.C.-based Too Much Sylvia. Jeff Scheible owned Rock Bottom distributing company in Atlanta, Ga. until he closed the business last year.

According to Smith, the fledgling record label is currently focusing on three groups, all which he considers dance bands: Too Much Sylvia, Mark Roberts & Breeze and the Tim Clark Band.

“Our plan is to put out seven products this year,” he told me. “We’ll release a single for each group; a compilation CD that includes probably four tunes from each; and individual CDs for each band.

“The first CD release is Red Sunglasses from Too Much Sylvia during Myrtle Beach’s Sun Fun celebration in early June. The title track is the album’s first single. It’s a lot of fun.”

Mark Roberts & Breeze, formed in late 2007, is already a popular live act throughout the Carolinas. At the 2008 CBMA awards, the band was named New Group of the Year.

Formerly with 80s rock band Sugarcreek,which was owned by Rick Lee, Tim Clark is known throughout the southeast for his strong vocals and showmanship.

We have three regional bands with marquee appeal … that are ‘in’ with the beach crowd, so we will definitely be catering to the shag market as well as west coast swing, bop in the north,” Smith says.

What about the future, I wanted to know. Will you be actively seeking to add artists and will they be dance bands?

Smith’s carefully worded answer was, “We’re not looking to sign great numbers of artists. We want to be selective and find the right ‘fit.’ Will they be dance bands? I expect so. At this point, I don’t see us venturing too far from our original idea.”

Next I asked about distribution. “We will be selling CDs from the stage, and all three bands are on the same page here. They’ll be promoting each other’s CDs. The music will also be in local stores and available for download from the Internet. And last, Green Dot Discs will be offering digital download cards.”

The website isn’t up yet, but will be shortly, so give them a little time and then log onto www.greendotdiscs.com Look for more information about the new recording company to come out soon.

© 2009 Dariel Bendin. This was originally published at DarielB Music & Marketing. Contact the author on MySpace, Twitter, Facebook and Live Blues World.

Funk icons Tower of Power, known for taking left turns musically, have taken a bit of a detour and recorded a collection of classic soul tunes that they have entitled the "Great American Soulbook".  Included in their latest release are a dozen Soul Essentials, some utilizing original style arrangements, some with a TOP twist, but all with the distinctive Tower of Power sound.

The CD consists of 9 songs produced by Emilio Castillo, Tower of Power's founder and leader since 1968.  Three additional songs were produced by multiple Grammy award recipient, George Duke.

The CD explodes with the first track, "You Met Your Match", a Stevie Wonder song masterfully handled by Tower of Power's dynamic lead vocalist Larry Braggs.

Track 2, Sam and Dave's "I Thank You", features Tom Jones and Larry in a  great rendition of a true soul classic that has stood the test of time with the Tower of Power Horns taking the song to a new level.

Further into the CD Joss Stone joins the party offering up two fine vocal collaborations with Larry Braggs.  Joss appears on track 4, "It Takes Two", and track 10, "(Heaven Must Have Sent) Your Precious Love".  In a quote from Emilio Castillo about Joss Stone he says,  "You are an amazing soul singer in a most unusual package. Quite frankly, I was stunned by your performance"  We think you will be too.

Sam Moore, who recently appeared at the Fillmore Auditorium with Tower of Power at their 40th Anniversary show, shines on track 7,  "Mr. Pitiful".  He brought down the house in San Francisco and his version of  "Mr. Pitiful" will bring a smile to the face of anyone who enjoys soul music.

Huey Lewis has been a close friend and a huge fan of Tower of Power throughout his career.  On  "634-5789" Huey delivers a rock solid soulful performance in a duet with Larry.

Larry Braggs, familiar to Tower of Power fans worldwide, serves up incredible vocal performances on  "Loveland",  "Me and Mrs. Jones",  "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel", and "Who Is He And What Is He To You". 

To satisfy the funky needs of all Tower of Power fans there is a 4 song James Brown medley that covers,  "It's A New Day", "Mother Popcorn", "There It Is", and  "I Got The Feelin".

Guests stars? cover tunes?  Something new and different for Tower of Power for sure, but rest assured this is a Tower of Power album through and through.  The newest chapter in the 40 year story of Tower Of Power, the "Great American Soulbook"!

This CD is a must for your CD collection! Expect a couple of these tunes to find their way onto the Beach Music charts, as "Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" is already making noise!

For more information and to purchase a copy of the CD visit www.towerofpower.com

 Tommy Black & Blooz is one of the hottest acts on the Beach Music scene today.  Over the past few years, he and his group have had numerous hits, including his most recent one, "Shadow Shaggin'".  It was inevitable that a full album would follow this tune’s success. 

"Shadow Shaggin' And The Ones We Miss", of course carries the title track, as well as the highly praised version of The Platter’s classic, "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes".  "Unbreak My Heart" was released during DJ Throwdown, but really broke out at SOS, and is currently on The Smokin' 45 at # 44.

"Can't Get Enough", Tommy's duet with Myrtle Beach vocalist Christina Cooper, was one of the most talked about songs at SOS, especially after they performed it live at the Spanish Galleon during the KHP Music Release Party. Tommy tells the story that he heard Christina singing karaoke at one of the local clubs, and after being blown away by her performance, he told his wife that he had a song he had written that he thought would be perfect for them to do together. Well, as they say, the rest is history and Tommy, you were right! Look for "Can't Get Enough" to crack the chart soon and get serious consideration when it comes time for nominations for The Carolina Beach Music Award for Collaboration Of The Year!

A number of songs from Tommy Black & Blooz previously released albums can be found on the release, including "Matter Of Time", "Come Over Here" and "Crazy ‘Bout You Baby" from the groups "Beach Music…" release.  You will find a few songs from "Do It At The Beach", including the song "Over Montana". 

Several hit songs from Tommy Black & Blooz’s participation on compilations can be found on this new release, "Lolita" and "Sneakin’".  In addition, you will find Tommy participating in a duet and offering several gospel songs to round out the release. 

Tommy Black, who hails from Fayetteville, North Carolina, is not only an entertainer and singer; he is truly a gifted songwriter and produces his own music.

"Shadow Shaggin' And The Ones We Miss" is now available at

www.beachmusic45store.com/product.sc?categoryId=7&productId=160

Earl Dawkins and The Entertainers will soon release "The Entertainers – The Inside Story".  The 15-song album could be called The Entertainers – Their Greatest Hits, as nine of the selections have been previously recorded.  Of the original songs, look for "Here We Go Again", a number penned by Tim Cashion.  There is also an original written by Doug Manning, "Thank Goodness She Cheated". 

Of the covers on the album, you will find a medley of the classics, "Got To Be Mellow and Stubborn Kind Of Fellow", as well as a shag version of The Beatles’ "Because". The Entertainers do a great job with "The Girl I Love".  The song was originally recorded by “The First Family of Soul”, The Five Stairsteps. 

You may have already heard about one of these rerecorded songs by The Entertainers.  The soulful "Me & Mrs. Jones", penned and originally recorded by Billy Paul, was introduced at Deejay Throwdown. Other songs on the release you will recognize are "Groovin’" and "They Say The Girl’s Crazy". 

The Entertainers, founded by Earl Dawkins, scored their first hit in 1980 with "Livin’ For The Summer", a song that propelled the group to the forefront of Beach Music. At the Third Annual Beach Music Awards in 1988, The Entertainers were nominated for “Group of the Year” and “Single of the Year”.  The group’s second album, "Don’t Let Your Love Grow Cold” won “Album of the Year” honors.  In 1995, The Entertainers won “Group Vocalist of the Year” at The Cammy Awards.  "The Entertainers – The Inside Story" is destined to be an album classic.

Look for it soon at www.beachmusic45store.com