Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts / 1888Media) With Five Showcases At South By Southwest
Music Conference Readying her forthcoming debut album, singer
Antonia Bennett is gearing up for a special run of live performances during the 25th Annual South By Southwest (SXSW)
Music Conference in Austin, TX.
March 16 - Austin, TX, Sheraton Austin at the Capitol (7PM)
March 17 - Austin, TX, Elephant Room (11PM)
March 18 - Austin, TX, Momo's, Planet LA Records' Party (3PM)
March 18 - Austin, TX, Victorian Room at The Driskill [ASCAP] (7:30PM)
March 19 - Austin, TX, Primary Wave Publishing [Invite-only]
The upcoming SXSW showcases will coincide with Ms. Bennett's first trip to the preeminent music event; "I'm really psyched to have the opportunity to play at SXSW. I have never been there before and have heard from all my friends and colleagues that it is an amazing festival and a really cool hang." For these appearances, her band will feature guitarists Danny Murphy and JJ Farris with bassist Keith Lentin and drummer Ben Antelis.
On Friday March 18 at Momo's on 6th street, Planet L.A. Records, in conjunction with Music Box Library, StageIt, Songs Inc, 1888 Media, Hello Music, Blue Mics, Bogner Amps, Schecter guitars, TC Electronic, JakPrints, Honest Tea, KIND snack bars and Whole Foods, is hosting a day event (12PM- 6PM CST) featuring a short set by Ms. Bennett and nine other artists to raise awareness for the Not For Sale (www.notforsale.org) campaign against human trafficking. The event will be webcast live by StageIt with a Songs For Freedom compilation CD, featuring a song from each of the participating artists, with proceeds going to Not For Sale. Later that evening, Antonia will take part in a very special ASCAP showcase being held in the Victorian Room at the world-famous Driskill Hotel.
The Planet L.A. Records and ASCAP showcases, as well as her other performances in Austin, will offer a chance for music aficionados and industry insiders alike to preview Ordinary Girl, Antonia Bennett's 12-track Adult Alternative album deftly produced by acclaimed songwriter Holly Knight, who was voted "Best Songwriter" in Rolling Stone's 11th Annual Poll and whose credits include hit songs for Pat Benatar, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Fefe Dobson, The Donnas, Hawk Nelson, Otep and Porcelain.
Fans of Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen and Gwen Stefani will immediately gravitate towards Ordinary Girl's anthemic title track and album opener "Pill," a sexy romp that playfully demurs "If I could take a pill to make me want you, you know that I would". Antonia explains, "Pill speaks for anyone who has been in a relationship with someone they care a great deal about, who they know is good for them, yet they aren't in love with them". The album marks Antonia's expansion into new territory, a crossover into the hip Adult Alternative Pop market.
Ordinary Girl continues Antonia's ongoing creative collaboration with Ms. Knight, whom she is concurrently working with on a full-length jazz recording to be released by Mesa/Bluemoon (via Fontana/Universal) this spring as a follow-up to an acclaimed jazz Ep last fall. The high-profile accolades lauded upon Antonia by the likes of The New York Times and Jazz Times are apt reference points as Ms. Bennett's burgeoning career is poised to soar upwards as she crosses over to a mainstream audience with Ordinary Girl.
Antonia muses, "We all want music that really grabs us and is meaningful. I had a lot to say lyrically, and with Holly it became an effortless, whimsical process." Holly continues, "My goal was to come up with a record that embraced what was so unique about her voice and put a pop ribbon bow around it without compromising her vocal sound."
Far from ordinary, Antonia Bennett is a singer, who like her legendary father Tony, has always known how to make a tune her own. A deeply gifted singer, this fiery redhead is a burgeoning icon whose charisma shines through on a contemporary record that becomes a classic upon first listen.
"...[Antonia] conjures echoes of Billie Holiday and Rickie Lee Jones, with a hint of Betty Boop." The New York Times
"A captivating combination of contemporary and timeless, Antonia Bennett's voice can be simultaneously sultry and familiar, sassy and classy. ASCAP Magazine
" Liza Minnelli. Natalie Cole. Norah Jones. Now, Antonia Bennett can be added to the list of second-generation vocalists with the potential to rival an iconic parent's pizzazz." Jazz Times
"What she does with "Love Is A Battlefield" is nothing short of genius." Examiner
"Bennett is able to deliver words of romance and bliss while serenading listeners with her angelic and powerful voice." Yahoo! Associated Content
