Signs & Wonder is a new collection of Sun King Rising’s southern noir stories set to music, with a cast of colorful characters, intrigue, tales of sin and redemption, murder without justice, and love without limits. Had William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams been lyricists, they might have written deeply nuanced musical stories like Sun King Risings.
Release Details
Label ~ PeacockSunrise Records Catalog Number ~ PSR-1-008 Release Date ~ September 30, 2022 Available Format Compact Disc, Digital Download, & Streaming
Signs & Wonders Players
John Blangero – Piano, Keys, Lead Vocals, Orchestral Arrangements George Perilli – Drums on all tracks except 4 and 10 Roger Humphreys – Drums 4 George Elliott – Bass Guitar on all tracks Willie Ross – Guitar 1 2,3 4.5,8 Steve Schuffert – Guitar 6,7 8 9 Ace Acker – Acoustic Guitar 3 Fred Delu – Electric Piano 4
Background Vocal Arrangements
Stevee Wellons and Ace Acker Background Singers: Stevee Wellons – All tracks but 10 Joy Brown – 1,3,4,5,7,8, Bernice Wilkerson – 1,3,4,5,7,8 Pete Hewlett – 6,9 Ace – 2,6,9 Raloh Guzzi – Horn Arrangements Ralph Guzzi, Eric Defade, Kevin McManus – Horn Section Kennv Blake – Saxophone 4
Studio Credits
Engineered by David Granati Recorded at Maplewood Studio, Ambridge, PA Mixed and Mastered by Brian Foraker Produced by Ace Acker
PeacockSunrise Records is thrilled to announce Sun King Rising’s second album, Signs & Wonders is to be released on October 1, 2022, the album will be available on all popular formats: CD, Vinyl, Digital, and Streaming.
Sun King Rising is the professional moniker of singer/songwriter/piano player John Blangero who hails from Port Isabel, Texas.
He calls his music “the new wave of southern rock and soul music.”
PeacockSunrise Records is the Americana/Rock label spinoff of Nick Katona’s successful Progressive Rock label, Melodic Revolution. Like Sun King Rising’s highly acclaimed debut album, Delta Tales, Pittsburgh’s Ace Acker served as producer.
Save for Queen’s Brian May, Blangero is perhaps incomparable in all the world. Like May—Queen’s guitarist—Blangero is not only a brilliant, entirely original musical artist but also a world-renowned scientist (May is an astrophysicist) specializing in genetics research.
Blangero’s music draws from his own southern family roots, the literary genius of William Faulkner, the bluesy compositional brilliance of George Gershwin, the blue-eyed soul of Elton John, and the funky rhythms and horns of the 60s-70s Muscle Shoals. Soaring electric guitars add spice to this gumbo. It is a unique fusion of innate design with heartfelt musical expression— “the Genetics of Soul.”
“With this album, Sun King Rising has made a quantum leap,” says Katona. “Musically and lyrically, Signs & Wonders rocks hard while engaging the imagination. It is thematically coherent, complex, and sophisticated.”
Blangero attributes this to the vastly improved circumstances under which Acker was able to produce it. “We started recording the first album in January 2020. Two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic locked the whole world down,” he says.
Coping with resulting restrictions on travel and meetings forced Blangero and Acker to complete the production remotely, with thirty-two different players and singers recording in multiple studios across the country. Says Blangero, “It was a logistical challenge, to say the least.”
With Signs & Wonders, the production team had no such hurdles. Recording again at Pittsburgh’s Maplewood Studio with engineer David Granati at the helm, Acker put together a full 5-piece band, a horn section, and a background chorus with the city’s most acclaimed talents. “Most of the cuts on the album we recorded live at Maplewood, with the same band,” Acker explained, “resulting in a far more consistent sound. The logistics were a breeze.”
Signs & Wonder is a collection of Blangero’s southern noir stories set to music, with a cast of colorful characters, intrigue, tales of sin and redemption, murder without justice, and love without limits. Had William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams been lyricists, they might have written deeply nuanced musical stories like Sun King Risings.
The album’s first single, “No. 6 Magnolia Avenue,” is classic 60s/70s horn band pop in the vein of Chicago, Spiral Staircase, and Blood,
Concurrent with the single’s release, PeacockSunrise will debut its cinematic music video directed by Dante Ludovici, the man behind the cameras for the official “Free Will in China Blue” video from the first album.
Sun King Rising‘s debut album, Delta Tales was released worldwide a year ago in multiple formates; CD, digital, and vinyl which has been delayed due to the pandemic, but is still on track for release.
AboutSun King Rising?
Sun King Rising is the professional moniker of singer/songwriter/piano player John Blangerowho hails from Port Isabel, Texas. Blangero is steeped in the traditions of southern rock and country soul. His music, arrangements, and vocal stylings have a strong ’70s vibe reminiscent of Leon Russell and Joe Cocker, while also sounding fresh and new. Blangero’s songs are filled with memorable hooks, rocking piano, driving rhythms, a powerful horn section, and soulful female background singers a la’ Ray Charles’ Raelettes.
“I’ve been wanting to do a solo Americana/southern soul/classic rock type of album for many years,” Blangero said. “I wanted to capture some of that classic rock and soul vibe in my own songs. So, I started writing and recording solo demos of songs like Let There Be Light, Down the Delta Road, Drive Me to Nashville, In A State of Grace, and Love Turns Grey
The recording of Delta Tales was a fascinating task, spanning four months, from January 2020 to mid-May. The Coronavirus shutdown in April forced Blangero and Acker to complete the production remotely with players and singers dubbing their parts over the basic tracks in several different studios across the country.
Said Blangero, “It was a logistical challenge, but Ace did a great job organizing the players and the sessions. I am proud of this record. We captured the magic that I’ve always heard in my head with great background singers, classic horn parts, tight rhythm sections, killer guitar, funky keys, and my own acoustic piano parts. It sounds like it could have been recorded in the early 70s, which is the vibe I was going for.”
In closing, Blangero said, “I tried to capture my southern soul on this album. I hope that the overall message it conveys is one of positivity, especially in these dark times. I think we have put together strong songs that will make people tap their feet and sing along, too! For me, the song is everything.”
Produced by Steven “Ace” Acker, formerly of notable 1970s MCA recording artists. LAW, the album is a collection of nine original songs and a 1969 R&B gem titled, “The Snake.” It was a complex production involving multiple studios and numerous top players and singers scattered throughout the country. While not a concept album, per se, “Delta Tales” is thematically coherent. It is about the southern experience. Its songs are vignettes of love found, love lost, family, faith, historical burden, betrayal, sin, and redemption set in a southern cultural landscape. Yet, they are also universal themes.
CD TrackListing
The Snake Milkweed And Thistle Down The Delta Road In A State Of Grace Take It Down Beneath The Southern Sun Evangeline In The Morning Love Turns Grey Drive Me To Nashville Let There Be Light
Sun King Rising scores in a big way with this album and admirers of Delta Tales will look forward to a future burning with promise…. – Melody Maker
“This is a stomper and a raver that’s sure to take you back even if you weren’t there in the first place. Hot stuff…” – Midwest Record Entertainment
Delta Tales…brings such all-encompassing passion and musical vision to bear on the album’s ten cuts that it is a complete listening experience. There are no holes in this release. – NeuFutur Magazine
Soaring progressive-rock grandeur meets deeply soulful Southern rock at the crossroads of Delta Tales. – Elmore Magazine
It is rare indeed to be captivated by just the first few bars of a record, but I was immediately intrigued to discover something earthy and full of heart and soul…. – House of Prog
Delta Tales is full of dramatic close-ups, panoramic sweep, heart-stopping highs, and melodies unfolding as natural as breathing… – Hollywood Digest
UK PSYCH-ROOTS FOLK POP ARTIST ELFIN BOW TO RELEASE HER 3-TRACK EP ‘RAINBOWS & GALLOWS
Artist: Elfin Bow Date of Release: 1st December 2019 (Digital Release) Release Title: Rainbows & Gallows Digital Details: Available as a digital bundle with artwork, booklet, and posters. Available from www.elfinbow.com
Track Listing: 1. Take Me Out in Your Old Bread Van 2. Miles Away 3. Mother Said
Watch Take Me Out in Your Old Bread Van now!
About: For her first release with PSR, Elfin Bow (Elizabeth Anne Jones) is unapologetically celebrating the strange bedfellows that are Joy and Tragedy, with three original songs that tell of great love, and the cracks that both promise, and threaten, to break that love wide open.
Take Me Out in Your Old Bread Van (Time) With an accompanying video, reminiscent of full technicolor, DIY 1970’s children’s TV shows, Elfin Bow joyfully reminisces about the days when her parents used to date in an old bread van, dreaming of a large family and a rosy future. A timely launch to mark her parent’s 50th wedding anniversary, this up-beat, banjo-driven song is sure to bring a wide smile with every listen.
Miles Away (Time) That moment when you are right next to someone but may as well be a million miles away. Elfin Bow’s desolate piano and haunting harmonies wash wave after wave of tragical lyrics over a waltz that threatens to break your heart, unless…
Mother Said (Time) Described as ‘lyrically astute’ by Shindig Magazine, wordsmith Elfin Bow, takes us on a journey from the knowing look of a newborn to the aging lines of life, long-lived, in this tale of a mother’s deep intuitive wisdom gifted to her daughter.
Recorded at The Music Mine Studios by Peter Footitt, with production mix and mastering by Gary Lloyd, this release was produced by Gary Edward Jones and Elfin Bow. Featuring on the EP are Daniel J. Logan (percussion), Jon Fellowes (bass), Tom Kitching (fiddle, mandolin), Terry Clarke-Coyne (flute, vocals), Tracey Green (vocals) and Elfin Bow (guitar, piano, banjo, and vocals.) Cover artwork by Elfin Bow, photography by Victor Pennington and design by Tom Woollam.
“Elfin Bow has been making waves within the modern folk scene over the last year and is now releasing her debut three-track EP for PeacockSunrise Records. With songs showing her diverse musical style and wonderful storytelling ability. Her songs are wonderfully inclusive, dynamic, folky, poptastic and basically a load of fun. Just hearing her music always makes me smile, makes me feel warm inside, and somehow always makes me feel loved. No-one else exists, Elfin Bow is talking just to me, telling her stories in her own intimate way, making for a very special listening experience indeed.” Kev Rowland, music reviewer and author of The Progressive Underground.
The self-titled debut from California based Folk-Rock Singer-Songwriter artist Allison vonBuelow is out now. vonBuelow is best known for her work with California based Progressive Hardrock band, Scarlet Hollow. “I have waited all my life to be able to bring this CD to light.” – Allison
Recording Information All vocals arranged and sung by Allison. All acoustic guitars played by Allison Allison also played electric rhythm guitars All Electric Guitar solos by Gregg Olson All Bass parts played by Allison vonBuelow. Drums on Perfect Love played by Jay Setar. Keyboards and synths played by Allison vonBuelow.
All music was written and arranged by Allison vonBuelow. Real Life and Never Look Away lyrics were written by Allison and James vonBuelow…….Color My Heart lyrics were written by Richard Ordin
Album Art Photographed by Richard Ordin, graffiti art by Hakon Engvig of 4eign Design Picture taken by Allison with color design by Vic Bohy
Other Projects & Releases Scarlet Hollow – A Window to October (TBA) CD & Digital Album Mark Bryson – Riot on Sunset – (2018) CD Scarlet Hollow – I Am Divided (2017) FREE Digital Single Scarlet Hollow – What If Never Was (2012) CD & Digital Album Scarlet Hollow – Sanctuary – Remaster (2010) Digital EP Echoes Landing – Closer to You (2006) CD & Digital
PeacockSunrise Records (PSR) is thrilled to welcome The Sun King Reborn to its family for the release of their upcoming debut album “Delta Tales” due out in 2019.
The Sun King Reborn is the solo project of composer, vocalist, and piano player John Blangero from Port Isabel, Texas (USA). The music of The Sun King Reborn is filled with memorable hooks, rocking piano, driving rhythms, and a powerful horn section.
The songs will fill your dreams with memories of lost loves warm nights under the magnolia trees, sweet gospel music, and all-night parties at the local honky-tonk.
Steeped deep in the tradition of southern rock, roots music and country soul, John writes songs that are influenced by such classic artists as Leon Russell, Joe Cocker, and Dan Penn, but that are colored by his own musical style.
From poignant country soul ballads to up-tempo classic rock, The Sun King Reborn provides a musical backdrop for the lives of the southern working class. The band are currently in the studio putting the finishing touches to “Delta Tales.”
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Recent Comments