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LILLI LEWIS’ MY AMERICAN HEART: THE BLUE EP

Lilli Lewis - My American Heart: The Blue EP “Lewis’ single “My American Heart,” off her upcoming album, “Americana” demonstrates a caliber of genius… When Lewis hits the high notes, she personifies a contemporary Jessye Norman if folk rock had been her genre.”
– The Grateful Web

New Orleans singer / songwriter Lilli Lewis quietly released her timely track “My American Heart” on Dec. 7, and performed it the next night for the Movement Voters Project’s Georgia Fund benefit which included Mandy Patinkin and host Faith Salie. MVP raised funds directly for grass roots groups on the ground to help flip the Senate blue in the two Georgia runoff races.

Musical superstar Patinkin said of Lilli’s performance: “I was so deeply moved, Lilli, when you you sang… When I heard you, right from the beginning, it was like listening to light.”

Of her performance, Lewis says: “This year has been a real challenge, and a lot of musicians I’ve spoken with have been struggling with finding meaning in their work. The same was true for me at the start of the quarantine, but over the course of the year I’ve been invited to lend my voice to causes I care about, like masking for the sake of public health and working towards cultural equity in the music industry. So it was an absolute honor when asked to sing on behalf of a MVP, a national organization that goes out of its way to fund grassroots organizations who pound the pavement for voter turnout, especially for my home state of Georgia, where the results of the upcoming race could prove so critical for the well-being of millions.”

Throughout her career, the folk rock diva has promoted the radical decency that can inspire connection in a deeply divided nation. Lewis has been balancing working on her eagerly anticipated new album “Americana” with “My American Heart” as the single, and serving as a music industry voice for diversity across genres. This fall, she presented a Louisiana Red Hot Records-sponsored showcase for the Country Soul Songbook Summit, and spoke at the Thriving Roots Americana Conference’s Black Equity panel.

“My American Heart” features Lewis on piano and vocals; Wade Hymel on acoustic guitar and drums; Dr. Jimbo Walsh on bass; Gina Forsyth on fiddle, and Dave Easley on lap steel guitar. Cover Art provided by Nonney Oddlokken of Thread|Paper|Glue.

Hear Lewis perform her single for the powerful finale of Kennedy Center’s Arts Across America series: “New Orleans Voices on Social Justice” filmed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation Center.

Street Date: 12/18/2020
Listen on Apple Music

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ROLAND GUERIN’S “28 DAYS”

Louisiana Red Hot Records #28DayChallenge & Roland Guerin Single “28 Days”
Inspired by Epidemiologist’s Universal Masking Plan

New Orleans epidemiologist (and bass player) Dr. MarkAlain Déry shared his inspiration with Louisiana Red Hot Records for a 28 day universal masking plan to flatten COVID-19 rates, and got the #28DaysChallenge rolling. Fresh off a “Mask Up” Masks for America benefit single release with Dr. Déry and his station WHIV-FM, Louisiana Red Hot Records commissioned label artist Roland Guerin to write and produce single “28 Days” and accompanying lyric video to help raise awareness for universal masking.

Guerin was Allen Toussaint’s longtime bassist and Dr. John’s final music director, and he brings their spirit into “28 Days” — a song as hopeful as it is funky with musical nods to his mentors with inspiration from Prince. The #28DayChallenge international kickoff date
is December 1, and all are invited to share the video and encourage universal masking to give us what we need to join the countries that have flattened COVID-19 rates.

“When the pandemic hit, the first thing I did was figure out what to do to protect my family, friends and loved ones,” Guerin says. “Doing something that not only will help me, but by me doing it will help somebody else — this is important to me. And to think
that if somebody else did the same thing, well, there’s a certain vibration that’s there that is very strong and resonates deep in my soul.”

“This is the same kinda feeling that I got when writing the song “28 Days.” Coming up with a lyrical message with melody, harmony and a rhythmic vibration that will hopefully resonate with many people,” Guerin adds.

“If everyone were to wear masks for 28 days, the rates of COVID-19 would decrease dramatically,” says infectious disease expert Dr. Déry, an international relief worker for decades. “Twenty-eight days are two cycles of the incubation period of the virus, which
is 14 days. Along with other interventions such as social distancing and hand washing, everyone wearing masks daily for 28 days can potentially impact the pandemic by limiting transmission of the virus, and get us closer to a more normal pre-COVID life.”

The #28DayChallenge encourages everyone to spread the word that if we all mask together for two full cycles, we have a chance to knock the virus down.

“I’ve seen and experienced firsthand here, and from touring all over the world, people showing care on a day-to-day basis through masking,” Guerin said of why he was inspired to record 28 Days after hearing Dr Déry’s COVID-19 masking suggestion.

The Red Hot label family of artists believes that music is the universal language that can spread the message to heal humanity, with 28 days of consistent masking. As the song says: #LetsDoThis.

READ MORE: Offbeat Magazine

28 DAYS LYRIC VIDEO

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PETER STAMPFEL’S 20TH CENTURY IN 100 SONGS

Peter Stampfel’s 20th Century is a 100 song collection produced by iconic indie producer Mark Bingham (Glenn Branca, Hal Wilner, Allen Ginsberg…) recorded over the course of nearly 20 years.
Pre-Sales begin on January 22, 2021

As ambitious as the project obviously is, the basic underlying concept was dead simple: to record Peter’s favorite song from every year of the 20th century. These are not the biggest hits; in fact some selections are virtually unknown outside circles of the most diehard obsessives obscurantists.

In a sense, Stampfel has been preparing for this project throughout his six decade long career. He started in the 1960’s uncovering and revamping repertoire from the 19th and early 20th centuries. He would rewrite/revise and decompose songs from the 19th and 20th centuries, changing the words and music to fit the times with avant-roots mischief makers the Holy Modal Rounders; playwright Sam Sheppard held down the drum seat for a spell; they lent instrumental support to the debut album of infamous radical poets’ performing collective, The Fugs. The Rounders’ “If You Want To Be A Bird” featured in one of the most pivotal scenes in one of the 60’s most pivotal films, Easy Rider. Stampfel’s never slowed down and never looked back since.

The recording of Peter Stampfel’s 20th Century initially started in 2001 with a core ensemble featuring Amasa Miller from Charmaine Neville’s band, Alex McMurray, Carol Berzas and Jeannie Scofield under the supervision of composer/ guitarist Jonathan Freilich of the New Orleans Klezmer All Stars. Most of the songs from 1901 through 1950 years were done over a few week-long sessions at Bingham’s Piety Street Studios in New Orleans.

The next burst of concerted recording activity came in 2003, with Mark joining Peter in Manhattan for 10 days in the midst of a July heatwave in a downtown loft with no air-conditioning. Drummer James Alsanders was in town and sat in on a few tunes.

Then came the Lull. The last 20 years of the 20th century is not amongst Peter’s favorite musical eras. In 2016, Peter began soliciting song selections from his many friends who were/are music journalists to cover that era. Mark returned to NYC and recorded Stampfel with pianist Steve Espinola helping out at Restoration Sound in Brooklyn.

On his return to Louisiana, Bingham began recording the Lost Bayou Ramblers at his studio in Henderson, LA. He became the guitarist in the Ramblers side project Michot’s Melody Makers, formed by fiddler/singer Louie, co-founder of LBR. Mark wound up enlisting LBR and MMM bassist Bryan Webre and drummer Kirkland Middleton as accompanists recording the final batch of song with plans to finish the project Spring of 2019.

Then Peter lost his voice; His vocal cords didn’t work. He not only couldn’t sing, he couldn’t talk. He spent the next few months re-learning how to sing, using a lower register and less volume.

That Fall, while the Lost Bayou Ramblers were on break, Bingham brought Stampfel down to Louisiana, called in Webre, Middleton, and Michot, added Michael Cerveris (star of the Broadway musical adaptation of The Who’s Tommy) and did the last 28 songs!

100 songs, 18 years of record, a century’s worth of music. A gargantuan effort by any measure – and as hugely rewarding a musical experience as you’d expect.

Exclusive Limited Release Date: 2/5/2021
National Street Date: 4/16/2021

Stay tuned for interactive website: peterstampfels20thcentury.com

Black Equity In Americana: A Conversation

 

Louisiana Red Hot Records is proud to announce General Manager and A&R Head Lilli Lewis to be a virtual panelist for Black Equity in Americana: A Conversation, presented by the Americana Music Association

Rolling Stone: ‘Black Equity’ Panel to Discuss Representation in Americana Music

A livestream discussion between Black musicians and industry veterans aims to accelerate racial equity in Americana music

August 12, 2020 – As a result of one of the most disturbing eras of blatant American racism in a generation, Black musicians and industry veterans are holding a conversation to accelerate racial equity in Americana, one of our nation’s most essential musical genres. On Thursday, August 20th, at 1 PM PDT/4 PM EST, Black Equity in Americana: A Conversation will occur. The live Zoom panel streaming on Facebook via the Americana Music Association’s Facebook page will feature an honest, restorative dialogue featuring a group of Americana music’s top Black artists and creative professionals.

https://www.facebook.com/AmericanaMusicAssociation


The panelists scheduled diversely represent Black experiences and future expectations across Black culture in Americana music: 

Adia Victoria – Gothic Blues Artist
Jason Galaz – Muddy Roots Music Festival Organizer
Kamara Thomas – Acclaimed Singer/Songwriter/Storyteller
Lilli Lewis – Artist, Louisiana Red Hot Records General Manager and Head of A&R
Rev. Sekou – Musician, Theologian, and Activist

The discussion will be moderated by seasoned freelance music journalist Marcus K. Dowling. In the past year, the Washington, DC native’s words have been published by Bitter Southerner, The Boot, Vibe, Mixmag, Water and Music, the Washington City Paper, and countless others.

The August 20th livestreamed panel is aimed at advocating for a more significant presence for Black artists and industry leaders as stakeholders more broadly represented in Americana’s present and future. For nearly three centuries, Americana music has celebrated the soulful, multi-ethnic, and communal essence of the American experience. However, throughout the country’s — and by extension — the genre’s history, minimal representation of Black artists has been a constant. Given that gospel, blues, and soul are intrinsic to Americana as a musical genre, this has too long been a problematic issue and must be remedied.

A dynamic group of well-respected, Black, and activist-minded Americana musicians and professionals will discuss methods for enacting systemic change bearing sustainable impact. The first of what will likely be numerous conversations, this impacting moment sets the table for an exciting future. 

A follow-up panel on Black Equity in Americana has also been scheduled for the Americana Music Association’s Thriving Roots Conference September 16-18, 2020.

 

Marcus K. Dowling, Moderator 

Marcus K. Dowling is a journalist, broadcaster, and entrepreneur. In the past ten years, he has aided creative entrepreneurs in the arts and entertainment industries in earning over $25 million in gross revenue. As a writer he regularly contributes to the likes of Bitter Southerner, VICE, Pitchfork, Complex, Bandcamp, Mixmag, ESPN’s Undefeated, Medium’s LEVEL, and more.

 

Adia Victoria, Panelist

Adia (UH-DEE-YUH) Victoria is a poet, blues artist and southern folklorist from South Carolina. Her latest album Silences was produced by Aaron Dessner and is available on Atlantic Records. She mostly tries to mind her own business. 

 

Jason Galaz, Panelist

Jason Galaz, a California transplant living in Nashville, Tennessee. Host of boutique music festivals across the U.S. and Europe with focus on DIY ethos and independent music in between genres. Also a member of the National Association of Hispanic Realtors, an organization dedicated to sustainable advancement of Hispanic homeownership. 

 

Kamara Thomas, Panelist

Kamara Thomas is a singer, songspeller, mythology fanatic, and multi-disciplinary storyteller based in Durham, NC. She will release her new album Tularosa: An American Dreamtime in 2021. Kamara was named one of the “14 Artists Proving Black Americana is Real” by Paste Magazine and she is currently spearheading “Country Soul Songbook,” an artist-driven performance and documentary project spotlighting underrepresented voices in Country and Americana music.

 

Lilli Lewis, Panelist

Known in New Orleans as the “Folk Rock Diva,” Lilli Lewis is the Chief Operating Officer for Marketing, Merchandising, Licensing and Distribution firm, SunRea Enterprises, LLC. Three time recipient of OffBeat Magazine’s “Record Label of the Year” while General Manager and A&R Head for New Orleans’ long-standing Louisiana Red Hot Records, she is also Community Radio Show Co-host for “The Internal Weather Report” on 102.3 FM, WHIV New Orleans and a guest writer for OffBeat Magazine. Trained as opera singer and classical pianist, Lilli has enjoyed life as a DIYer in the music industry as composer, producer and performing artist for over 20 years.  

 

Rev. Sekou, Panelist

Raised in the rural Arkansas Delta, Rev. Sekou is the Interim Executive Director of Worker Interfaith Network in Memphis—focusing on supporting low-wage workers. Rev. was a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University’s Martin Luther King Education and Research Institute at the time of Michael Brown Jr.’s killing, and traveled to Ferguson in mid-August 2014 on behalf of the Fellowship of Reconciliation (the country’s oldest interfaith peace organization) to organize alongside local and national groups. Rev. Sekou has written two collections of essays— Urbansouls: Meditations on Youth, Hip Hop, and Religion and Gods, Gays, and Guns: Essays on Religion and the Future of Democracy. He has written widely on the 2011 killing of Mark Duggan by British police and the subsequent London riots, and is the author of the forthcoming Riot Music: Race, Hip Hop and the Meaning of the London Riots (Hamilton Books). With the Deep Abiding Love Project, he has helped train over ten thousand clergy and activists in militant nonviolent civil disobedience through the United States. He spent six weeks on the ground in Charlottesville, Virginia, training clergy in response to the Unite the Right rally. Rev. Sekou has released three albums—The Revolution Has Come (2016), In Times Likes Theses (2017), and When We Fight, We Win: Live in Memphis (2019). He has toured the world and delivered “one of the most rousing Tiny Desk concerts,” according to Bob Boilen of NPR. 

VIRTUAL CONCERT FOR MASKS FOR AMERICA​​

On August 1st and 2nd, 2020, Louisiana Red Hot Records, in partnership with 102.3 WHIV FM New Orleans, OffBeat Magazine, and Letters from the Porch streamed a MASK UP! COVID DOWN! program aimed at raising funds for Masks for America, an organization that has so far delivered over 250,000 FDA-certified KN95 + N95 masks to frontline essential workers in the areas hardest hit by COVID19 like New York City, Detroit, New Orleans, Chicago, and Washington D.C.

The three hours of programming represented from artists all parts of the world, and was aimed at showing solidarity in the effort of masking up for COVID health.

Featured Artists:
Alex Bosworth, Ashley Beach, Cassie Watson, Corey J The Rapper, Courtney Bryan, Dave Easley, Erica Falls, Fermin Ceballos, Free Feral, Freeman Dre, Gina Forsyth, Glen David Andrews, Jess Klein, Joy Clark, Julie Odell, Kelcy Wilburn & Ever More Nest, Kelly Love Jones, Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove, Leland Sundries, Lilli Lewis, Mack Guillory, Mahmoud Chouki, Noisewater, Roadside Glorious, Roland Guerin, Sarah Quintana, Sean Ardoin, Shakeh Heberkian, Sierra Green & The Soul Machine, Sunpie Barnes, Tank & The Bangas, The Tumbling Wheels, Tif Lamson & Russell Welch, Vegas Cola, & Wade Hymel

The stream also debuted the New Orleans party themed Mask Up! anthem performed by Lilli Lewis, Corey J The Rapper, and Kirk Joseph’s Backyard Groove. The song was co-produced by Lewis and David V of Studio 55 Productions.

Click here for more information or order your own Mask Up! COVID Down! merch now!

 

THE MAKING OF THE MASK UP THEME SONG VIDEO

 

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