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Napan Launches New Recording
Company
Artists Debut CD's Released |
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Shoestring Angel Records, an independent record label based in Napa, California, is releasing the debut CD's of recording artists Amber Estrada and Shay Fox for traditional radio and internet broadcast April 1st, 2004. Founder Jason Mori started the company one year ago after his mother, the inspiration for the company, passed from a long battle with cancer. It was his mother's and his own love for music, and the friendships that grew during her sickness, that led to the forming of the label. Having met the talented and aspiring singer/songwriters Amber Estrada and Shay Fox, and formally retired from over 15 years in the unstable information technology industry after the collapse of his latest employer, Excite@Home, Mori decided it was time for a change, not only for himself, but for the local music scene. After a summer of preparation, including vocal training with Raz Kennedy, a founding member of Bobby McFerrin's Voicestra, the trio went into Narada Michael Walden's legendary Tarpan Studios to work with producers Jim Reitzel and Matt White, and well known Bay Area musicians Kevin White, Mike Emerson, Ricky Carter, and Andre Moran. Bassist Kevin White has performed and recorded with Grammy winners Shelby Lynne, and Billy Preston and nominee Susan Tedeschi, along with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Bo Diddley and The Drifters. Guitarist Andre Moran performs and produces CA Music Awards nominee Noelle Hampton, while Mike Emerson performs regularly with Bay Area blues guitarist Daniel Castro and W.C. Handy award nominee James Armstrong. Drummer Ricky Carter has performed and collaborated with Percy Howard and is currently working with Beth Waters on her next release. Beth, a finalist in Billboard Magazines World Series, sang backup vocals on Amber's track "Sorry For Nothing". "We want to do this one step at a time. It's most important to me not to cut corners. I want to make a professional product - something commercially viable." - Jason Mori, Founder, Shoestring Angel Records, as quoted in the January 26th edition of the business section of the Napa Valley Register The finished products, Amber's EP "A Sleep To Dream", and Shay's self titled EP, are both fresh, and exciting rides of the artists original compositions. "Being at Tarpan, I kept thinking about the industry, and how it was moving towards an independent revolution, but seemed to be losing something critical at the same time" Mori said, "Digital recording makes putting music out easier, but it could be the art of recording is being lost in the translation, and maybe, so is the cohesive bond between songwriters and musicians.". "The records of the seventies, from groups like The Eagles, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Steppenwolf were probably the most technically beautiful records ever made. At some point, it's become a loudness war. We tried to replicate the former and avoid the latter." It was a team effort, with long days and nights, but the end result was both an artistic and technical success. The label plans to spend the spring and summer pitching the records to radio to coincide with performances, and build a strong fan base before branching outside the Bay Area. "There's so many opportunities right here", Mori said, "Alice's Emerging Artist Spotlight, Nadine Condon is always out here, the combination of college and commercial radio, and all the summer festivals coming up, we're planning on being pretty busy right here at home." Here's what KVYN Program Director Jamie Miller, consecutive winner of the Bohemians Best North Bay DJ, had to say about Amber Estrada and Shay Fox: Amber: "Amber's range is impressive, both vocally and with her musical style. I've never heard an artist who could go from indie-folk to torch-singer to rock-babe like she does. Every listen unveils more from the core of her unique talent." Shay: "Shay has it all: the voice, the lyrics and the music. In a time of prepackaged corporate confections, he stands out as an original with staying power." For more information on Shoestring Angel Records, you may visit their website at www.shoestringangel.com, or email info@shoestringangel.com. Jason Mori is a Bay Area native, having lived in Napa, Berkeley, San Mateo, and a boat on Pier 39 in San Francsico. He's worked as a Systems Administrator for Clorox, Sybase, and Excite, and was the manager of Excite's Server Operation Center before the company closed it's doors and led to his early retirement from the tech industry. Returning to his roots in Napa, Jason spent the fall of 2002 and spring of 2003 working for Napa's KVYN. His radio roots include engineering and air talent work at KVYN, KVON, KUIC in Vacaville, KPPL in Chico, KCSC in Chico, and helping build University of Oregon's facility in less than 48 hours. Amber Estrada is a Northern California, San Francisco Bay Area native. Jason met Estrada while working at the local radio stations the following March. Estrada, 26, comes from a musical family. "My mom has been in bands ever since I can remember," she said. "I started writing my own songs when I was maybe 12. About five years ago I picked up the guitar. "I started playing the piano when I was about 4 years old. I had lots of instruments in my home, but was only interested in the piano. I was always scared of the guitar, but Mom started me with a few chords, then I got some sheet music and learned about chord progression." She has also written poetry since a child, but only recently put the two together, writing her own songs. Having worked briefly for Dianne Warren in Hollywood at her publishing company, Realsongs, Amber was inspired by her experience and started her own publishing company, Puddle Siren Music Publishing. Influenced by traditional blues, sixties and seventies classic rock, and old school R&B, she is heavily influenced by such female artists as Stevie Nicks, Sheryl Crow, Ani DiFranco and Tori Amos. Shay Fox graduated from Vintage High in the same class with Estrada, but said, "I knew of Amber, but didn't really know her." His musical influences include Dave Matthews, Ben Harper and Jack Johnson, although music "has been a part of my life ever since I can remember." He had no thought of pursing a musical career until about a year ago when "people started saying I was good and should do something with it."If I wanted to make money, I had to write my own (songs)," he soon realized. Fox penned his first song, "Picture Perfect," about a year ago while aboard a houseboat. "Basically, it is a love song about a past relationship that seemed picture perfect, then it went south," he said. Like others he has written since then, it is based on his own life experience. "It's real life. All my songs are based on personal things I've gone through, whether relationships with women, life itself, or spiritually with my relationship with God." In fact, it was in church that Fox developed a keen interest in music. While attending grade school, he sang in the St. John's Lutheran Choir and continued to sing while attending junior high school, but traded his participation in music for sports while at Vintage High. "My music influence was from growing up in the church," he said. But learning to combine song and guitar playing turned out to be "the biggest time in my life -- stepping forward with guitar and having more of a passion for it." Shoestring Angel Records is a limited liability corporation, founded in 2003, to help build the careers of local Bay Area singer songwriters. The labels goal is to work with artists to help them make the transition from "Starving Artist" to "Successful Independent Musician". Shoestring Angel Records #### Copyright 2004, Shoestring Angel Records L.L.C. |