New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ MPress Records) "Of the Indie collections released in the last few years, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness has to be rated among the best for both songs and selection of artists"
NewsRadio and Music Press Preview Charity CD to Combat Youth Homelessness; Album Features American Idol finalist Caleb Hawley, acclaimed Verve artist Lucy Woodward and 2011 Grammy nominee Dave Eggar
'New Arrivals Volume 4' Set for June 7th Release on MPress Records, to Benefit The National Network For Youth
MPress Records has earned favorable pre-release Newsradio and music press coverage for 'New Arrivals Volume 4' - a June 7th charity compilation CD to benefit The National Network For Youth, whose mission is to champion the needs of runaway, homeless and other disconnected teens. Praise is already coming in for standout tracks like those from American Idol finalist Caleb Hawley, acclaimed Verve artist Lucy Woodward and 2011 Grammy nominee Dave Eggar. On the syndicated New York News Connection, a statewide news service for New York, veteran Producer Mark Scheerer aired a segment entitled 'Who Wants to Help Homeless NY Teens? Charity CD Tries to Counter Cutbacks, Recession' - text and audio link follow below.
In addition to tracks by Eggar, Hawley and Woodward, the 21-song CD includes Brooklyn's indies The Paper Raincoat, critical favorite Michelle Malone, emerging Broadway composer and lyricist Michelle Citrin and more. Listen to a streaming sampler, here:
https://newarrivalscd.com/nav4_player/nav4player.html
Watch the new PSA, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsHYH20F76g
Indie rock/pop editorial content site Wildysworld praised: "As with any various artists' collection, different tracks will appear to different listeners for different reasons. But of the Indie collections released in the last few years, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness has to be rated among the best for both songs and selection of artists. So if you're looking for an opportunity to learn about some wonderful up-and-coming Indie artists and support a good cause in the process, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness comes highly recommended."
A special event to raise additional funds for the cause has been confirmed for June 22nd at The Gershwin Hotel in NYC :
**ARTISTS AGAINST YOUTH HOMELESSNESS**
A GLITTERY EVENING OF AWARD-WINNING ARTISTS FEATURED ON THE "NEW ARRIVALS" COMPILATION SERIES, BENEFITING THE NATIONAL NETWORK FOR YOUTH (NN4Y). LUCY WOODWARD, CALEB HAWLEY, RACHAEL SAGE, GRETA GERTLER, & KATIE COSTELLO!
WHEN: WED. JUNE 22, 7:00 PM - 10:30 PM
WHERE: THE GERSHWIN HOTEL 7 East 27th St. btwn Fifth Ave & Madison
VENUE: WWW.GERSHWINHOTEL.COM
EVENT SPONSORS: MPress Records, M Music & Musician Magazine, The National Network For Youth, Blurt Magazine, Planetary Group, A To Z Media
SUGGESTED DONATION: $15
WWW.MPRESSRECORDS.COM WWW.NEWARRIVALSCD.COM
Sage expects additional launch parties to be announced in the weeks ahead. Visit www.newarrivalscd.com for up-to-date information.
The New Arrivals charity compilation series continues to showcase both established and indie artists. Launched in 2006 by MPress Records president Rachael Sage (an acclaimed art-pop singer-songwriter who has also contributed a track to NAV4,) each CD has benefitted a different charity: Volume 1 benefitted Gulf Coast Hurricane Relief, Volume 2 benefitted World Hunger Year, and Volume 3 benefitted NEDA (National Eating Disorder Association).? With regards to the upcoming Volume 4, Sage comments: "It's definitely our best lineup yet, it's a great cause, and we want to do it justice."
New York News Connection - A statewide news service for New York Producer: Mark Scheerer, May 26, 2011 SOUND FILES ONLINE: www.newsservice.org
Who Wants to Help Homeless NY Teens?
Charity CD Tries to Counter Cutbacks, Recession
New York, NY - Youth homelessness around the state, and in particular on Long Island, is a problem being worsened by recession and funding cutbacks - and helped, however slightly - by charitable fund-raisers such as a new CD featuring emerging new music stars. Comments from Bill Best, Director, Runaway and Homeless Youth Services, Nassau County; Teresa Buhse (BYOO-see), Associate Director, Long Island Crisis Center; Rachael Sage, musician, producer of new CD to combat Youth Homelessness.
Intro: Youth homelessness around the state and especially on Long Island, is a problem being worsened by recession and funding cutbacks - and helped, however slightly - by charitable fund-raisers. Those who help shelter and counsel runaways estimate 3 to 4 thousand teens a year are in non-permanent living situations, ranging from couch-surfing to living on the streets of Long Island. Bill Best, who steers homeless teens to the only shelter in Nassau County, says the situation is so dire he welcomes efforts like a new CD by emerging young musicians to raise money - and concern - for the cause...
Cut 75101 :09 "I think it's great for the awareness. I think one of the unique things is that most people think most runaways go to New York City and it's not true. They have them everywhere, so I think it's great."m Tag: Singer-songwriter Rachael Sage says homeless teens are something most touring musicians can't avoid seeing and their number seems to be growing. She's donating proceeds from a compilation CD called "New Arrivals Volume Four" to the National Network for Youth.
Second Cut: Sage, who grew up in Westchester County, identifies herself as bisexual and says she's fortunate her parents were understanding. LGBT teens, says Teresa Buhse of the Long Island Crisis Center, make up a large percentage of runaways...
Cut 76101 :15 "They identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and their parents can't accept that and either ask them to leave or make life at home so unbearable by their reactions that the kids just feel like they need to get out of there because it's not a good place for them to be. " Third Cut: Bill Best says the runaway shelter he directs in Nassau County hasn't had a boost in support since 1985 and lost half its funding in the state's newest budget.
Cut 77101 :13 "So it's upsetting. It's upsetting for the staff here. We're the last ones left in Nassau county and essentially Long Island. We're it. From Montauk to Manhattan, we're the only emergency shelter and independent living program for those age groups that we serve." Fourth Cut: Rachael Sage produced her fund-raising CD on her own record label. She says she chose to give the proceeds to the National Network for Youth because of her experiences on the road.
Cut 78101 :13 "As a touring artist, unfortunately we've really seen a lot of homeless youth and seemingly an increase, in all of the places that I've been touring all over the United States. And I know the peers on my label have talked about the same things that they've witnessed as well. " Tag 3: The CD, "New Arrivals Volume Four," will be available June 7th through all the best-known online music sites.
OPTIONAL REPORTER WRAP: LEAD: It's getting harder to help homeless teenagers around New York, what with the recession and funding cutbacks to shelters and services. Mark Scheerer reports musicians are pitching in to do what they can.
SOMETHINGELSEREVIEWS.com syndicated preview for the AVI WISNIA track, 'New Year':
https://somethingelsereviews.com/2011/05/16/half-notes-avi-wisnia-"new-year"-2011/
Insistent but quiet, Avi Wisnia begins with a bracing confidentiality, gently pulling you in the pillowy reverie of "New Year." But, just like that, Wisnia shakes himself awake as Renee Warnick's swooning voila surrounds him, moving from the brink of resignation into a contagious confidence: "Never turn your back on the way things are. They are what they are supposed to be." A little like Ben Folds, in that the Philly-raised New Yorker builds pop symphonies out from a skeletal piano signature, Wisnia has perfectly captured the scary uncertainty as well as the soaring optimism associated with the calendar's turn from December to January. Avi Wisnia's "New Year," produced by Grammy-winner Glenn Barrett (Amos Lee, Melody Gardot), is featured on the just-released New Arrivals Vol. 4, a benefit project from MPress Records. Proceeds will be directed to the National Network For Youth, a homeless outreach program. Visit mpressrcords.com or nn4youth.org .
SOMETHINGELSEREVIEWS.com syndicated preview for LIGHT IN AUGUST track, 'Northern Lights':
https://somethingelsereviews.com/2011/05/13/half-notes-light-in-august-"northern-lights"-2011/
From its first dramatic rat-a-tat, this undulating rhythm signature that plays off a driving acoustic riff, "Northern Lights" moves with a persistent ardor. Alex Wand's vocal runs in tandem, even as the drums recede into the background, until he has finally, definitively captured the center of the song. It's only then that his lyrics, these soaring sighs of longing, swim up into our consciousness. "You are in the veins," Wand sings, in a writerly moment that lingers long after "Northern Lights" has concluded, "around my blood." Wand then pushes his voice higher and then higher still into a cirrus cloud of flute, until he simply disappears - and it's almost like being shaken awake from a dream. A wonderful dream. Wand, who also plays guitar and sitar, is joined in the band Light in August - named after the novel by William Faulkner - by Max Stewart on drums, Anne Dearth on flute and vocals, Rachel Woolf on flute and vocals and Jack Henry on bass. Light in August's "Northern Lights" is featured on the just-released New Arrivals Vol. 4, a benefit project from MPress Records. Proceeds will be directed to the National Network For Youth, a homeless outreach program. Visit mpressrcords.com or nn4youth.org .
WILDYSWORLD - CD REVIEW
By Wildy Haskell, May 25, 2011
https://wildysworld.blogspot.com/2011/05/new-arrivals-vol-4-artists-against.html
New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness
Singer/songwriter Rachael Sage launched MPress Records a decade ago as a platform for her own albums, but also as a means to help Indie artists get their music heard. In 2006, Sage launched the New Arrivals charity compilation series. Each volume benefits a different charity while featuring both established and Indie artists. New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness, available June 7, 2011, features established artists Rachael Sage, Lucy Woodward and Michelle Malone, as well as coming stars Seth Glier, Caleb Hawley (American Idol), Lindsay Mac and Greta Gertler & The Extroverts. Proceeds from the album will benefit The National Network For Youth.
The album opens with American Idol 10 semifinalist Caleb Hawley. His "Other Side Of It All" is a song of hope for a harmonious world. It's a solid effort, catchy-yet-mellow, even if Hawley sufficiently glosses over the history he references to lose meaning. Seth Glier is next with "Lauralee", from his album The Next Right Thing. It's an amazing piece of songwriting from a guy you're likely to hear a lot from over the next decade or two. Michelle Citrin impresses with a jaunty, live acoustic version of "Coffee". Her voice is exceedingly pleasant to the ear, and you may find yourself seeking out what else she has done. Light In August is up next with the dreamy acoustic pop style of "Northern Lights". If you're familiar with the solo work of Barenaked Ladies keyboardist Kevin Hearn then you'll have an idea of where Light In August are headed here.
Lindsay Mac's "Stop Thinking" is brilliant folk/pop blending sensuality and pathos, drawn from her album of the same name (See review here). The Paper Raincoat's Amber Rubarth shows off an impressive voice on the atypical pop sounds of "Sympathetic Vibrations", but Rachel Davis might just steal the show. Davis doesn't appear to have a powerful voice, but with a soulful and deeply nuanced tone, Davis will make a believer out of you on "Mark Of Cain". Micah Dalton offers up a solid performance on "We Came Alive Tonight", and Avi Wisnia will grab your attention with his songwriting and unusual phrasing on "New Year". Josh Schicker's "The Other Side" isn't overly memorable as a song, but his voice will make you forget about the song.
Michelle Malone grabs you by the shirt and shakes for all she's worth on "Miss Miss'ippi", raising the roof and dropping it on unsuspecting listeners in her signature style. After a bit of a lull, including a less-than-inspiring entry from GRAMMY nominee Dave Eggar, Greta Gertler & The Extroverts drops "Veselka" out of a clear blue sky. This wonderfully quirky bit of cabaret-pop memorializes a Ukrainian soul food restaurant on the Lowest East Side of New York City with character, humor and a distinctive sense of melody. Listeners will be reaching for their handhelds and signing on to Gertler's website before the song is over. The album wraps with two Indie icons. Rachael Sage contributes "Big Star", from her album Delancey Street. It's an entertaining mix of reality and advice for all who would walk the path she's followed in the music business. As a special bonus, listeners are treated to Lucy Woodward's frenetic performance of "He Got Away". Done in a call and response style with her band, this song will remind you (or educate you, as the case may be) of just how wonderful Woodward's voice really is.
As with any various artists' collection, different tracks will appeal to different listeners for different reasons. But of the Indie collections released in the last few years, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness has to be rated among the best for both songs and selection of artists. So if you're looking for an opportunity to learn about some wonderful up-and-coming Indie artists and support a good cause in the process, New Arrivals Vol. 4 - Artists Against Youth Homelessness comes highly recommended. Rating 3.5 stars (Out of 5) Learn more about the New Arrivals Series at www.newarrivalscd.com . For more information about The National Network For Youth, head over to www.nn4youth.org .
THE WASHINGTON TIMES ?- Read the feature on Rachael Sage, MPress Records and NAV4:
https://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/business-being-diva/2011/apr/23/sxsw-delancey-street-takes-rachael-sage-around-wor/
NAV4 artist Michelle Citrin is also making headlines for writing the music & lyrics for the upcoming "Sleepless In Seattle Musical":
https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/05/19/sleepless-in-seattle-musical-to-awaken-at-pasadena-playhouse/?smid=tw-artsbeat2&seid=auto
Here's what some of the participating artists have to say about the project:
"I think most people, if given the opportunity to help, would. The trouble is...where do we begin? MPress records offers a win-win-win situation: Artists get to share their music as a catalyst for positive change, people get access to great music and in exchange, proceeds from sales go towards supporting homeless youth to give them opportunities otherwise unavailable to them without this project." - MICHELLE CITRIN
"Having dedicated my life to the very tenuous endeavor that is the arts in America, every day I'm aware of the thin blade I walk between falling into the abyss of social insecurity or achieving the success to which I aspire. I'm honored to contribute my music to this MPress compilation in order to help those who've fallen into hard times..." WALTER PARKS
"It is such a privilege to partner with MPress Records and The National Network for Youth. As a songwriter, it is often a struggle to write lyrics that don't revolve around me. In an industry that applauds vanity and self-promotion, it is even harder to imagine a record company being selfless. MPress has done this on a grand scale by offering up an entire volume of music benefitting an at-risk population. Well done and thank you." - JOSH SCHICKER
"'New Year' is the first single from Avi Wisnia's debut feature-length album "Something New". The song was inspired by Avi's experience with a friend who attempted suicide. Featuring Avi on vocals and piano, New Year urges us to stay true to ourselves while remaining open to those around us, and reminds us that we always have the chance to make a fresh start. Although dealing with dark subject matter, the song is ultimately optimistic and uplifting." - AVI WISNIA
"There are so many existing hardships we all face when growing up. Each and every young person deserves to enter adulthood from a place of endless opportunity. I'm so grateful to MPress Records for including me in this amazing project!"? KATIE COSTELLO
NAV 4 Track Listing:
1 Other Side of it All? - Caleb Hawley
2 Lauralee - Seth Glier
3 Coffee - Michelle Citrin
4 Northern Lights - Light In August
5 Stop Thinking - Lindsay Mac
6 Sympathetic Vibrations - The Paper Raincoat
7 Mark of Cain - Rachael Davis
8 We Came Alive Tonight - Micah Dalton
9 New Year - Avi Wisnia
10 The Other Side - Josh Schicker
11 Miss Miss?ippi - Michelle Malone
12 Soul Shaker - Anthony Salari
13 Troubadour - Walter Parks
14 Birdcage - Dave Eggar
15 Luck - Hailey Wojcik
16 Isn?t it Lovely - Katie Costello
17 Veselka - Greta Gertler & The Extroverts
18 Jericho - Sarah Lentz
19 Safe and Sound - JP Hoe
20 Big Star - Rachael Sage
Bonus Track - He Got Away - Lucy Woodward
