WILL I SEE YOU IN KANSAS CITY?

Folk Alliance

I will be joining many clients and friends this week at the 26th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FOLK ALLIANCE CONFERENCE
February 19th-23rd – Westin Hotel, Kansas City, MO .

You can find me at the hotel all weekend and I will be sharing the wonderful Bone Spirits Moonshine and gin! The gin is the only gin made from scratch in Texas, using Texas juniper berries (handpicked by friends of mine)! And Texas citrus zest, hand zested by those same pals.

They recommend gin & tonic, gin & juice, gin & ginger beer, gin martinis, I would like to step it up a notch and invite you to play mixologist with me. Let’s be creative! I am counting on you.

Meet me in the following showcases with your mixer of choice and your own glass/cup/mug/shoe….and let’s celebrate that we work in a field we adore!

Elizabeth McQueen

  • 02/02/14 St. David’s Austin TX
  • 02/09/14 St. David’s Austin TX
  • 02/20-21 Folk Alliance Kansas City MO
  • 02/20/14 8:00pm — Official Showcase in Roanoke Room
  • 02/20/14 12:00am — Room 737
  • 02/21/14 2:00pm — Room 737
  • 02/21/14 10:30pm — Room 742
  • 02/22/14 The Demo St. Louis MO

Julie Christensen

  • Thursday 11:00-11:30 p.m. in Garden Suite Room 738
  • Friday  11:50-12:10  in Room 555
  • Friday at 1:00 a.m. in Garden Suite Room 738
  • Saturday 11-12 pm ITR  in Room 713

Raina Rose

  • Friday 6:00 PM Willie P. Bennet Tribute Washington Park Place 3 Rm
  • Friday 12:00 AM ITR w/ Elizabeth McQueen in Poltz/Pressman #737
  • Friday  2-3:00 PM Rajiworld Presents Raina Rose & Elizabeth McQueen ITR in Poltz/Pressman #737
  • Friday 3-3:30 PM Cover Your Friends in Comboplate #752
  • Friday 10:30-11:30 PM w/ Rebecca Loebe, Smokey & The Mirror Pushing Chain #724
  • Friday  12:00 AM in Duty Free Room #707
  • Friday 14 1:30 AM in Poltz/Pressman #737
  • Saturday 10:30 AM FOLK Doc Brookside Room
  • Saturday 3-4pm w/ Halleyanna in #742
  • Saturday 6:00 PM OFFICIAL SHOWCASE in Pershing South
  • Saturday 10:30 PM in Comboplate #752
  • Saturday 11:30 PM w/ Kris Delmhorst in Poltz/Pressman #737
  • Saturday 12:30 AM in Hearth Music 12X12 room #537

 

McQueen set to “Make it BIG this year”

Elizabeth McQueen

RajiWorld’s intern Emily and Roggie attended a Concert Club taping at KUTX Radio station this week and were thrilled to hear RajiWorld client Elizabeth McQueen mentioned on air as one of Culture Map’s top 10 to watch.  We found the piece and she is actually NUMBER 1!! You can listen yourself here.

“Austin is positively bursting at the seams with creative talent. As the rest of the musical world organizes SXSW showcases and speculates about the next international star to surprise us with a visit, those hometown heroes are busting tail to build a little momentum. With 2014 in full swing, Culture Map Austin is spotlighting 10 local luminaries planning big things for the year ahead.

1. Elizabeth McQueen

Eight years after joining Texas swing kingpins Asleep at the Wheel, Elizabeth McQueen has finally decided to go her own solo way again. It was an amicable split, of course. McQueen and husband Dave Sanger, who’s still a spoke in the vaunted Wheel, are now focused on their two young children — and McQueen’s burgeoning solo career. Earlier this month, she released her The Laziest Remix EP, featuring noise-rock, hip-hop and R&B-influenced tracks from 2011’s The Laziest Girl in Town, re-recorded with St. Louis avant-soul band Brother Lazaroff. McQueen is anchoring Sundays January 19-February 9 at the Austin Artist Series, hosted by St. David’s Church on East Eighth Street.”

Heart of the City: A Celebration of Soul benefits the SIMS Foundation and its 650 client musicians.

Heart Of The City

Join us for a soulfully elegant evening on February 15 for the SIMS Foundation’s annual benefit concert. Heart of the City: A Celebration of Soul features 70s soul legend Bobby Patterson, Queen Bee Tameca Jones, the gospel-tinged artist Dan Dyer, The Voice’s Nakia, and Daniel James Leopold of Leopold and His Fiction.

Our musical director, Grammy-winner Adrian Quesada’s all-star band is highlighted by Grupo Fantasma Horns and some of Austin’s best musicians. Emceed by the city’s very own soul encyclopedia, Rick “Daddy” McNulty with vinyl mood setting by DJ Mahealani, it is sure to be a glittering night of hip-shaking soul, pretty cocktails, VIP lounge, luxury raffle and other tantalizing surprises. Doors open at 8pm for a Cocktail Hour with music starting at 9pm.

Heart of the City: A Celebration of Soul benefits the SIMS Foundation and its 650 client musicians. Formed to support musicians by providing access to mental health and addiction recovery services, SIMS puts the heart and soul back into musicians. Thank you for keeping Austin music alive!

Event Chairs:
Noël & Will Bridges

Host Committee:
Amanda Garcia
Angela Salas
Ann Riopel
Ashley Welch
Celine Adams
Chelsea Grace Singh
Darlene Starr
Gilda Tirado
Haley Cihock
Nichole Filson
Ramona Cruz-Peters
Reenie Collins
Rich Vázquez
Rikki Hardy
Roggie Baer
Rose Reyes
Sally Fatigato
Sam Elkin
Suzee Brooks
Tiva Rose Allan
Terra James Tucker

VIP AND GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW AT WWW.SIMSFOUNDATION.ORG/EVENTS/HEART-OF-THE-CITY

FOR SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, CONTACT ROGGIE BAER AT ROGGIE@SIMSFOUNDATION.ORG

RajiWorld family joins Elizabeth McQeen in record release celebrations

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Celebrated Austin artist Elizabeth McQueen is proud to announce the release party for her forthcoming EP entitled The Laziest Remix taking place on Saturday, January 11 at Lamberts located at 401 W 2nd Street Austin TX. Doors will be at 9:30 p.m. with Elizabeth McQueen Meet Brothers Lazaroff performing at 10:00 p.m. and Nakia closing the show at 11:30 p.m. Other special guests that evening will include Jazz Mills, Erin Ivey, Sarah Sharp and Katie Holmes. Tickets will be $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Part of the event proceeds will benefit Black Fret, a new Austin non-profit that provides grants to local musicians enabling them to create new music.

Thanks to a new sponsor,  Everyone who comes to the show gets 10% off a pair of STARLING glasses!

The Dream Syndicate plays US dates!!

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We are proud to present the first US dates for The Dream Syndicate since 1989!

The first show is in Cleveland this Friday 11/22 at Beachland Ballroom & Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Road
Tickets: $22 – $25, call 216-383-1124, or available at the door.  And our very own super group The Split Squad opens!

Here is a show preview By Laura DeMarco, The Plain Dealer 
 updated November 19, 2013 at 9:06 AM

The Dream Syndicate

 Steve Wynn, frontman of seminal Los Angeles indie band the Dream Syndicate, has two significant memories of Cleveland from the 1980s.

“The first time we drove into Cleveland on tour we had this really great experience,” says Wynn, calling from his home in New York City. “We had the radio on WMMS and we just happened to hear our song ‘That’s What You Always Say’ seguing into Free’s ‘Mr. Big.’ I remember thinking this was a really big deal.”

Wynn’s other vivid Cleveland memory also involves WMMS.

A year or so after their first visit, the Dream Syndicate was given the rare opportunity to play a WMMS Coffee Break Concert in June, 1983. They were probably the most underground band to be asked to take the Agora stage for the legendary series that featured such acts as John Mellencamp and Peter Frampton.

“We met a lot of people in Cleveland and they liked us and they booked this show,” says Wynn. “Then we played the show, and the fallout was they said we were terrible and noisy and we were out of tune and had a lot of feedback and they got complaints from callers.

“We were sad, they said ‘we’ll never play your music again. It was sad, but that’s life. Years later, I finally heard the show and it was great, it was the band in fine form. It just showed how unprepared people were at that time to hear that kind of thing, guitars and feedback.”

Cleveland musician Dave Swanson, who was at the show, agrees.

“They were absolutely great that day,” he says. “Raw and very energetic.”

The Dream Syndicate formed in 1981 in Southern California as part of the Paisley Underground movement. They became known for their driving guitars and almost dreamy feedback, paired with Wynn’s poetically angst lyrics. In short order they moved from college clubs to a major label, touring the world with R.E.M. and U2, and getting mainstream radio attention, as with WMMS.

But despite the harsh words after that fateful concert, WMMS couldn’t break the band’s spirit.

“The reaction was a disappointment to us,” says Wynn. “When we were together would see the Bangles and R.E.M. and bands we had come up with getting more popular. But, we didn’t feel we weren’t getting our due. I felt like we were living the dream and making records and touring. We were designed to be a cult band, our heroes were the Velvets and the Gun Club and Modern Lovers – bands who never made it that big.”

“The only time we derailed is when we had aspirations beyond our design.”

He’s referring to 1984, when the band temporarily broke-up after the release of their major label debut, “The Medicine Show.” It failed to achieve the critical success of their lauded 1982 guitar epic “The Days of Wine and Roses” — or commercial success. They eventually regrouped, but without founding bass player Kendra Smith and guitarist Karl Precoda.

The Dream Syndicate went on to release two more studio albums before finally disbanding in 1989: “I just felt it had become the same thing over and over again,” says Wynn.

Now, “the same thing” seems new again. Cleveland, you see, has another significant role in the history of the Dream Syndicate. It’s one of only four American cities who will see a reunited Dream Syndicate , when the band plays the Beachland Ballroom at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

“I wouldn’t call it a reunion tour,” says Wynn. “The Dream Syndicate doesn’t tour. We just get together and do shows that seem like they’ll be fun. We take it gig by gig, and I love the Beachland.”

The line-up will not include Smith, who Wynn is still friendly with, or Precoda, who he says he has not talked to in years.

“There’s always a protectiveness of the original lineup and I get that, I’m a music fan too,” says Wynn. “But the only two people in band whole time have been me and Dennis (Duck). Not once have we played and have said someone say ‘Wow, that was OK but I wish it was the original lineup.”

Wynn says he didn’t take the idea of reuniting lightly, though.

“I’m really proud of the Dream Syndicate and our role in music history,” he says. “It makes me think it’s a shame if someone hadn’t seen us. But it would also a shame is someone would see us and say ‘What was the fuss all about?’

“We did something at the time that almost nobody was doing, doing music with a guitar was kind of a radical crazy thing . … The nice thing about the reunion is that in the ’80s we were trying to evolve and get new fans. We don’t care about that anymore. We just want to make ourselves happy, and our fans happy. We are what we were.”

 

The Fleshtones and The Split Squad tour togther in November!

Fleshtones + Split Squad

We are getting excited to present our first West Coast run of dates for The Fleshtones AND The Split Squad togther. They will be in San Diego, Long Beach, LA CANCELED, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver.  The “West of Wherever Tour 2013”!! We are booking more markets now!

All dates Feature The Fleshtones w/ The Split Squad

11/9/13 Til-Two San Diego CA
11/10/13 Alex’s Bar Long Beach CA
11/12/13 Red Devil Lounge San Francisco CA
11/13/13 Star Theater Portland OR
11/14/13 El Corazon Seattle WA
11/15/13 Low Down & Dirty Presents at Pat’s Pub, Vancouver BC

Dark Side of the Rainbow – A HALLOWEEN PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE FOR AUSTIN!

DarkSideRainbow

For tickets and more information please visit www.DarkSideofTheRainbow.NET

Halloween Weekend Fri. November 1, 2013 at Austin Music Hall

Concert Start Time: 8 pm / Door Time:  6 pm

•    3+ Hours of live music

•    Dark Side Of The Moon in its entirety

•    Costume Contest

A truly unique Halloween experience

A show that merges inspirations from Wizard of Oz with Pink Floyd’s epic album, Dark Side of the Moon, into a stunning live rendition of the cult classic concept Dark Side of the Rainbow.
For the first time in Austin history we’re taking the cult classic concept Dark Side of The Rainbow out of the living room and onto the stage.

3 hours of live music and two sets of Pink Floyd favorites from The Wall, Wish You Were Here and Animals as well as rarely heard cuts from the bands early years culminating in a dramatic performance of Dark Side in its entirety. We have once again brought together some of Austin’s best studio and touring musicians to pay tribute to one of the greatest rock bands in history. As expected and amazing light show, video, and laser show will accompany the music.

Costume Contest

Costumes are encouraged with cash prizes and VIP upgrades for the winners. Best Overall Costume, Best Group Costume, and Best Pink Floyd or Oz Related categories will be rewarded.

This is the 2nd Pink Floyd Concept Project from producers, The Electric Company, and first since Which One’s Pink at Seaholm Power Plant that received rave reviews from Pink Floyd fans.  See that performance here:

Band Members Include:

•    Darin Murphy (Vocals, Guitar) (Skyrocket & many more)

•    Bruce Hughes (Bass, Vocals) (Jason Mraz, Bob Schneider, The Scabs, & more)

•    Benjamin Hotchkiss (Vocals) (Skyrocket & many more)

•    Stewart Cochran (Keys) (David Garza, Abra Moore, Jimmy Lafave & more)

•    Dustin Bozarth (Keys, Synth) (Moving Matter, Grooving Ground)

•    Jake Langley (Guitar) (Rufus Wainwright, Cindy Cashdollar, Joey Defrancesco Trio)

•    Ulrich Ellison (Nakia, Abra Moore)

•    Topaz McGarrigle (Sax) (Mudphonic, Topaz)

•    Ed Jarusinsky (Drums) (Kevin McKinney, Magnificent 7, Nakia)

•    Teal Collins (Vocals) Whiskey Sisters, Mother Trucker & more)

•    And More TBA

Be sure and check out our last Pink Floyd Project, Which One’s Pink Live from Seaholm Power Plant in 2011.

Press Inquiries: Roggie Baer roggie@rajiworld.com 

Other Inquiries: Jason Hicks Jason@ElectricCompanyLive.com

HAAM Benefit Day

HAAM 2013

Tomorrow is HAAM Benefit Day

Make a plan to go see music all over Austin

Excited about HAAM’s non-stop concert tomorrow? We are too! Be sure to visit participating venues and businesses to help Austin’s musicians. Schedule here.

Roggie will be volunteering with clients and friends at Holy Mountain

Stay in touch and stay in tune. Visit www.facebook.com/SIMSFoundation to learn more and keep connected with the community of folks who love Austin and our musicians!

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Featured Artist: Dream Big With Nakia, On Tour In September!

Nakia live at the Good Music Club

On September 14, 2013, singer-songwriter Nakia, who rocketed to national fame on NBC’s The Voice, launches the Dream Big Tour in support of his new EP Drown in the Crimson Tide. This first tour since The Voice includes a full band. “The guys I get to play with out of this world musicians. We are tight and ready to put on a show that folks won’t ever forget,” says Nakia

Alabama-raised, singer-songwriter Nakia was already garnering big time attention in his adopted hometown, Austin, TX, aka the Live Music Capital of the World, when, in 2011, The Voice recruited him to compete. In the words of coach Christina Aguilera, the singer “demonstrated a lot of guts and balls” when he chose to sing CeeLo Green’s smash hit Forget You with CeeLo sitting right there, in another of the judges’ chairs. Duly impressed by Nakia’s talent and chutzpah, CeeLo went on to mentor him.

The songs on Drown in the Crimson Tide were written in collaboration with top-tier artists including Barry Goldberg, Bleu, Chris Seefried, Aris Archontis and Brian West. Three were co-produced by legendary keyboardist Goldberg, whose vast resume includes playing with Dylan’s and producing Percy Sledge; and guitarist Johnny Lee Schell, who’s worked with Bonnie Raitt, John Fogerty and Eric Burdon.

For more information and to arrange interviews: Robert Rankin

 

NOTABLE QUOTES:
My man is the next big star. CeeLo Green

Nakia’s got some serious soul… Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Otis Redding’s influence is unmistakable throughout the emerging neo-soulster’s new EP Drown in the Crimson Tide. USA Today

Nakia chooses subtlety over grand gestures, making Drown in the Crimson Tide all the more endearing but no less gritty. Austin Chronicle


His live performances are akin to a religious experience…with his… trademark soulful, spiritual sound… a big, theatrical voice, and an execution that’s Southern gospel with more than a hint of Joe Cocker. Texas Music Magazine 


 

NAKIA LINKS

NAKIA.NET
FACEBOOK.COM/NAKIA
TWITTER.COM/NAKIA
YOUTUBE.COM/NAKIA

 

SHOW DATES & TICKET LINKS


Sept 10 – Austin, TX – Sahara Lounge – Dream Big Tour Kickoff Party

Sept 14 – Tucson, AZ – Club Congress with The Tubes
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-091413

Sept 15 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-091513a

Sept 16 – Mill Valley, CA – 142 Throckmorton Theater
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-091613

Sept 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Sin City Soul & Blues Revival Festival
Tickets: http://nakia.me/scsbr

Sept 19 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s with The Octopus Project
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-091913

Sept 20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Hotel Café
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-092013

Sept 21 – Scottsdale, AZ – Pub Rock Live
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-092113

Sept 24 – Austin, TX – Holy Mountain – HAAM Day Benefit
Tickets: http://nakia.me/tix-092413

Sept 27 – Dallas, TX – AllGood Cafe
Tickets: http://nakia.me/allgoodcafe

Sept 28 – Austin, TX – Pecan Street Festival
Free/All Ages Show: http://nakia.me/tix-092813

Oct 04 – South Padre Island, TX – Concerts On The Bay
Free/All Ages Show: http://nakia.me/tix-100413

BOOKING

National: David Strunk for The Agency Group

Texas: Roggie Baer for RajiWorld

Nakia - The Dream Big Tour

September: Back To School With My Dream Career

While I was in college I had a big list of favorite bands. I did not know it at the time but they were interrelated, influenced by each other and most would last long enough or reunite in time for me to book them during my reinvention of our agency! Grab a Tab and join me for a stroll down memory lane and back to the future.

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I have spent the last year and a half consulting in the fields that are important to me including music. I have gained great perspective which has enabled me to continue a three decade love affair with music and those who create it.

I want to start this post by welcoming a few of them into the RajiWorld family as clients, as their agent and their fan.

We are thrilled to be booking new tours for The Black Watch, Cotton Mather, Dream Syndicate and Steve Wynn.

RajiWorld is also deeply grateful for this new family who keeps on growing via side projects like (The Fleshtones) Keith Streng’s Split Squad featuring Eddie Munoz, Clem Burke, Michael Giblin, Keith Streng and Josh Kantor! We also have old favorites coming back with new projects such as Nakia has (see Dream Big With Nakia, On Tour in September!) AND second generation clients like William Harries Graham (son of Jon Dee Graham).

August: Planting Seeds For Winter

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RajiWorld is also proud to introduce you to our new sister company, Compass SS. We are Sponsorship Stewards navigating new horizons for a better future by developing partnerships between the creative arts and innovative businesses with an emphasis on lifestyle marketing, trends and green solutions. As the catalyst for creative partnerships, we welcome you to join us in facilitating change with visionary people to generate long-term success.

We are currently representing The Chula League and its flagship event, the 12th Annual Cherrywood Art Fair held this December 7-8, 2013. “Proceeds benefit Maplewood Elementary School and their Little Artist BIG ARTIST mentoring program that pairs fifth graders with professional artists and students who learn to celebrate creativity, develop personal expression, and experience the creative process from ideation through commercialization in a positive afterschool setting.” Our first sponsor is one who would like to be made anonymous but I am deeply grateful as they are the entity that brought me to Austin originally and as a wise Texas once said “You dance with the one that brung ya.”. What I can tell you is that they hey have demonstrated long-time support for local art, music, film, education, and community which makes them a great match for Cherrywood Art Fair. Some of our other recent partnerships include;
Whole Foods: The Khabele School: HEB Foundation Free Camp and Patagonia:RajiWorld:Glazers:Kosmic Kombucha:Patika Coffee:Real Ale Brewing and SXSW Eco Fest.

June and July: Featured Artists Taking Flight

I Fly

“You were born with wings, why prefer to crawl through life?” ― Rumi.

We take our wings seriously, they open us up to a higher realm. Love, possibility, expansion and freedom. We have jumped aboard June with abandon. As was our old tradition, we want to invite you in for a drink and this summer our favorite local spot to recharge is JuiceLand; I would love to meet you there soon and tell you the stories of RajiWorld’s two new creative magicians as they prepare for take off.

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We have magic on our minds this month and we want you to come along for the ride, literally. We could not be happier to expand the reach of Austin Bike Zoo. This idea and execution showcase everything Austin can be proud of, This interactive art was engineered to bridge gaps and create fun. Write to us here to see how we can find the right fit for your public or private event as your audiences, clients, friends and family are taken to a fantasy world of the only 80 foot long rattlesnake ever created and 17 foot tall butterflies, where anything is possible with only the power of your own two feet.

William

And in June we all let our hair down, take off our shoes and trappings to experience this feeling but nothing speaks to imagination like, well an actual kid. So without further ado, please meet William Harries Graham, our (about to turn 14) wunderkind. He is exactly who we each wish we had been as a teen so please help me nurture, support and show off his talents. We are looking for the best  local and regional opportunities for his solo, duo and full band projects. Cheers!

Now Hiring: Special Event Interns

help wanted

Special Events Interns. You will be part of everything from the idea and conception to working at the event itself. You will be creative, organized, and work well in changing environments and ready to have fun. Every event idea and creation is unique, every client important. We are VIP Concierge in addition to Booking Agent so our interns must be resourceful in dealing with last minute details and unexpected requests. We are also looking at our next full-time Jr. agent and the first step is an administrative internship. We are seeking strong computer skills including all social media, graphics including The Adobe Suite, Microsoft Office, FileMaker Pro, QuickBooks, accounting, and internet research abilities, as well as an eye for detail and someone who is comfortable with new people.

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May: Beginnings and Endings

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I have always loved May, It feels like beginnings and endings at once. It is the beginning of festival season and the end of the school year. It reminds me of old and new in nearly every way. Our choice of drink this month the traditional Mint Julep can be divine when shared with those we adore on a hot day over great conversation sharing new ideas.

The farmer’s markets are filled with every type of green, I am cooking up a storm here and must mention that is a perk of interning at RajiWorld and Compass. Homemade, organic, vegan meals are included. We are currently seeking interns in the following areas: Accounting and Bookkeeping, Event’s Staff and General Booking help.

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