By Popular Demand: Fremont John Returns to the Dogwood Center for Performing Arts

In support of his most recent critically-acclaimed CD release, Contrarian, Singer/Songwriter/Guitarist Fremont John will be returning to perform live at the Dogwood Center for Performing Arts in Fremont, Michigan on Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm.

At his highly-anticipated return appearance at the Dogwood Center this year Fremont John will be performing tunes from his latest critically-acclaimed CD Contrarian, as well as from his previous successful releases, the instrumental Guitar Songs, Timeline, and a choice selection of old favorites.  If you love a great guitarist and soulful singer . . . Fremont John’s your man!

“In the current musical world of beats and brashness, Guitar Songs is a breath of fresh air!  Sensitive and lyrical, these instrumentals are delivered in a manner that invites the listener in.  Fremont John has given his fans yet another reason to listen closely.”— Edgar Struble, National TV Music Director

In his show at the Dogwood Center Fremont John will feature a group of seasoned musical pros, including Mike Luusua on Keyboards and backing vocals, Jason "Harvey" Hargreaves on bass and backing vocals, Roger “Hooey” Tarczon on drums, Michael Carden on percussion and backing vocals, and Jim Frost on backing vocals.  Appearing as a ‘special guest’ will be popular Key West, Florida singer (originally from Michigan) Dora Gholson who really rocks the Rock!

Fremont John continues to electrify audiences with his uniquely expressive vocal sound, his powerful and inspiring lyrics, and his imaginative and superior guitar prowess.  In short, his heartfelt and soulful musicianship creates enough electricity to light up a small town!  Don’t miss this opportunity to catch Fremont John and this incredible line-up at the Dogwood Center for Performing Arts in a show that’s sure to be unforgettable.

“He sings like a man on a mission of purpose! — Edgar Struble, Music Director for the 2008 Country Music Awards

Where:            4734 S. Campus Court, Fremont, MI 49412, (231) 924-8885

                                    www.dogwoodcenter.com 

When:             Saturday, September 21, 2013 at 7:30 pm

Admission:      $12.50 for general admission (tables can be reserved with the                               purchase of 8 tickets)

Visit Fremont John at:  www.fremontjohn.com

Contact Info for Fremont John: 

Redwood Entertainment, Inc., Janet Castiel (212) 543-9998 info@redwoodentertainment.com, www.redwoodentertainment.com                          

   

"Andrea Mezvinsky & Maryelle Turner's Underdogma Comedy Show"

The delightfully irreverent Andrea Mezvinsky, crowned ‘America’s Funniest Mom’ on The Oprah Winfrey Show, will be performing her and Maryelle Turner's Underdogma Comedy Show at the renowned Comic Strip, voted AOL City Guide’s ‘Best Comedy Club’ and home to comedy legends Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler, on Thursday, September 19, 2013, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm.  

“Andrea Mezvinsky . . . was the stand-out performer . . . she cracked the house up at Caroline’s on Broadway." 

— NY Daily News

Andrea Mezvinsky’s (www.andreamezvinsky.com) first job in show business was as a magician's assistant, performing the “zigzag lady trick” (being sawed in half while standing up).  Now she is a STAND-UP and a crack-up with some hilarious wisecracks on life in the 21^st Century.  First cousin to Marc and Chelsea Clinton-Mezvinsky, Andrea’s point of view on politics and family matters are unique.  In addition to The Oprah Winfrey Show, she has also appeared in Open Admissions on CBS, The Perfect Woman on The Bravo Channel, and the lead in the Independent film Gratuitous Sex that won honors at the Sundance Film Festival.  Andrea’s theatre credits include:  the Off-Broadway hit Grandma Sylvia's Funeral, and her one-woman show Sometimes Over the Summer, produced at the John Houseman Theatre and the Midtown International Theatre Festival.  More recently Andrea performed in Turning Points at The Cherry Lane Theatre, co-starred in Storm Up The Sky with Richard Mazur, appeared in the Samuel French Festival’s production of Socks Without Partners directed by Laurie Eliscu at New York City’s venerable Beckett Theatre, and most recently, she produced, directed, wrote and starred in the video short Zumba.

Treat yourself to this rare opportunity to see Andrea Mezvinsky & Maryelle Turner’s witty Underdogma Comedy Show, loaded with her unique brand of droll self-mockery—you deserve it—and you’ll be thanking yourself as you leave the Comic Strip with that smile on your face.

Where:            1568 Second Ave. (btw 81^st & 82^nd St.), NY, NY 10028, 212-861-9386, http://www.comicstriplive.com/

When:             Thursday, September 19, 2013, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm

Admission:      $10 + 2 drink minimum

Contact Info for Andrea Mezvinsky:  Janet Castiel, Redwood Entertainment, Inc., 212 543-9998, info@redwoodentertianment.com, www.redwoodentertainment.com  

"D.N.A." – A fast paced, interactive show designed to entertain, inspire and inform.

"D.N.A." – A fast paced, interactive show designed to entertain, inspire and inform. Every night Derrick N. Ashong (aka "D.N.A.") will explore a wide variety of socially relevant issues spanning the arts, society, technology, business and politics. Born in Ghana and raised in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and New Jersey, Ashong will share his unique perspective on issues that impact the next generation. Airs weeknights at 6:00 p.m. ET
Read the full announcement at: http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/fusion-unveils-programming-engage-champion-diverse-america/story?id=19840930

Janet Castiel, Redwood Entertainment, Inc. -- (212) 543-9998 -- info@redwoodentertainment.com

Erica Jacob’s Debut Album “Extraordinary Woman” Set For Release on Young Pals Music

Erica Jacob, “Extraordinary Woman”

Every “Extraordinary Woman” has her tale to tell. If she’s done it right, life’s journey embodies adventure, love, passion, heartache, risk, redemption and rediscovery. Erica Jacob, in short order, has ticked off the majority of that list, and she’s ready to tell the world about it.

Her debut album comprises 10 songs that exemplify “everywoman’s” ongoing pilgrimage. Produced by Ayhan Sahin (Olivia Newton-John, Sandra Bernhard, Chaka Khan)—and released on his New York-based indie label Young Pals Music— Jacob’s “Extraordinary Woman” is a joyous pageant of sing-along anthems, offering musical mastery akin to the 100-watt persona of Jennifer Hudson, and the vocal chops of Alicia Keys.

Jacob met Sahin eight years ago, and they immediately recognized musical kinship. She first contributed vocals to his full-length musical “Swedish Style,” and then a co-produced album between Sahin and acclaimed musician/co-producer Dennis DelGaudio (Billy Joel, Elton John.) Ultimately, Sahin was so impressed with her talent that he signed Jacob for a full-length solo project.

That was three years ago, and in the time since, with his guidance, she has defined a signature vocal style all her own, resulting in a collaborative labor of love. In addition, Sahin wrote all songs on the album, alongside several collaborators, including DelGaudio, Jerri Bokeno, Bernadette O’Reilly and Tara Bahna James—while Jacob contributed lyrics for three tracks.

Album opener “Kryptonite” (which features Phil Collins’ familiar percussive hook from Frida’s 1983 hit “I Know There’s Something Going On”) tumbles playfully with a taut tale of loving the wrong guy: “I can’t live this life without you, but I don’t wanna live it with you,” Jacob laments.

Launch single “Run” throbs and thumps with equal fervor, alongside a taunting tug of war, as she warns, “I’m not addicted to the love we share”; while nimble frolic “Look What You’ve Done To Me” offers a sax-soaked narrative on love done right. Maintaining the pace, sonic speedball “Lost and Found” works up a sizzling sweat with the ultimate lyrical kiss-off; as the bouncy “City Lights” conjures a warm tropical eve, as she sings, “Stop with all the fuss and fights and meet under the city lights/Kiss and tell and dance the night away.”

Slowing the tempo, beautiful brooding ballad “Falling” swirls with an emotional instrumental tornado, as Jacob reflects with regret on a faded love affair; while in equally doleful sonnet “Too Many Reasons”—an album standout—she mourns with unstrung anguish, “Nothing’s the same as the pain of beginning again.”

The set’s title track, of course, offers the ultimate acclamation of an “Extraordinary Woman.” The giddy, dancefloor twirler is a consummate paean to strength and inner beauty, as she proclaims, “There’s more to me than meets the eye/Don’t stop at the what, babe, go for the why.”

That song’s lyrical mandate “Don’t stop” is certainly an applicable mantra for Jacob’s career. She was raised in Houston, singing in church, and cherishing the gospel & blues of Ella Fitzgerald, along with the diverse talents of Judy Garland, Fiona Apple and Jeff Buckley. As a teen, she performed in theater productions throughout Texas, developing onstage chops as an actress and singer.

Eight years ago, Jacob was ready to take on the bright lights of New York City. She wasted little time, performing at Town Hall’s “Broadway's Rising Stars”; in “Emma the Red” at the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre; for the New York Theatre Barn’s monthly cabaret series; and in numerous musicals, including “Scarlet Takes A Tumble,” “Confessions of a Reality TV Star,” “Angels,” “Dear Mr. Rosan,” and “Bring Me A Dwarf: The Twisted World of Peter Charles Morris.”

In addition, she aligned with songwriter Maria Christensen (Jennifer Lopez, Celine Dion, ‘N Sync), who so believed in Jacob’s talent that she lined up backup gigs with acclaimed singer/songwriter Martin Sexton. Jacob also recorded with French producer Francois Bisi, Bollywood producer Gerard John, and provided vocals for rapper H the Eighth Letter. And faith continues to pervade her soul—as a worship leader at Manhattan’s Christian City Church (C3).

Today, as a full-fledged Actors’ Equity member, Jacob also serves as Executive Producer for theater company/artist collective Purple Threads Ensemble, which develops and showcases plays, choreography and festivals that explore the human condition (including the renowned Kitchen Riots festival). The group’s mandate, in fact, mirrors her own: “Art is important. It can build a bridge of understanding. For a shared moment, in the presence of great art, we are united.”

Extraordinary, indeed.

Chuck Taylor has been an entertainment journalist for 25 years, including more than a decade as a Senior Writer/Editor for Billboard magazine in New York.

Janet Castiel, Redwood Entertainment, Inc. -- (212) 543-9998 -- info@redwoodentertainment.com