Sun King Rising Receives Silver Award for No. 6 Magnolia Avenue Video

We won the Silver Award for our music video, No. 6 Magnolia Avenue, at the International Singer Songwriters Association 2023 ceremony! Thank you very much to all who voted for us and to ISSA. Special kudos to Dante Ludovici who directed the video, and Ace Acker who produced the record. And thanks to my record company, PeacockSunrise Records, and it’s President, Nick Katona, for believing in me.

Oct 28, 2022, Sun King Rising releases the Short Film, No. 6 Magnolia Avenue based on the Hit Single of the same title from his latest album Signs & Wonders produced and directed by Dante Ludovici, No. 6 Magnolia Avenue is a literal film interpretation of the song’s optimistic, uplifting lyric. It is the story of an unknown, down-and-out musician who attains acclaim and stardom after encountering the beautiful “Girl in China Blue” at a bar gig.

Ludovici’s production ably captures all the emotion, pathos, and humor inherent in the recording. Many of the artist’s New Castle, Pennsylvania friends and family form the colorful cast of characters.

Sun King Rising is the musical moniker and alter-ego of John Blangero, who lives in Port Isabel, Texas. By night, Blangero is Sun King Rising. By day, he is a world-renowned genetic research scientist and professor at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

Watch No. 6 Magnolia Here

Meghan Greenwood, a popular Pittsburgh choreographer/dancer, plays his love interest in the film. Ludovici also featured her in his first Sun King Rising film production, “Free Will in China Blue.” She has retained her “girl in China Blue” identity in the second production.

In addition to the mostly local Newcastle cast, Ludovici also utilizes multiple Newcastle and nearby Poland, Ohio locations to significant effect. 

Blangero wrote the song, and producer Ace Acker completed it with a who’s who lineup of Pittsburgh players and singers at David Granati’s Maplewood Studio in Ambridge, PA. Granati engineered Sun King Rising’s first album, Delta Tales. as well.

Listen to Signs & Wonders Here

Sun King Rising Online
Website: https://www.sunkingrising.com
Bandcamp: https://sunkingrising.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunKingRising
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunkingrising
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIjlf9aROZ-0EHHqvk9hzng
PSR Profile: https://peacocksunriserecords.com/project/sun-king-rising/

PeacockSunrise Records Online
Website: https://peacocksunriserecords.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeacockSunriseRecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacocksunriserecords/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SunKingRising1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIjlf9aROZ-0EHHqvk9hzng

Sun King Rising Releases the Short Film, No. 6 Magnolia Avenue. Today at 8 PM EST

Based on the Hit Single of the Same Title from His New Album, Signs & Wonders.

Produced and directed by Dante Ludovici, No. 6 Magnolia Avenue is a literal film interpretation of the song’s optimistic, uplifting lyric. It is the story of an unknown, down-and-out musician who attains acclaim and stardom after encountering the beautiful “Girl in China Blue” at a bar gig.

Ludovici’s production ably captures all the emotion, pathos, and humor inherent in the recording. Many of the artist’s New Castle, Pennsylvania friends and family form the colorful cast of characters.

 Sun King Rising is the musical moniker and alter-ego of John Blangero, who lives in Port Isabel, Texas. By night, Blangero is Sun King Rising. By day, he is a world-renowned genetic research scientist and professor at the University of Texas, Rio Grande Valley.

Meghan Greenwood, a popular Pittsburgh choreographer/dancer, plays his love interest in the film. Ludovici also featured her in his first Sun King Rising film production, “Free Will in China Blue.” She has retained her “girl in China Blue” identity in the second production.

In addition to the mostly local Newcastle cast, Ludovici also utilizes multiple Newcastle and nearby Poland, Ohio locations to significant effect. 

Blangero wrote the song, and producer Ace Acker completed it with a who’s who lineup of Pittsburgh players and singers at David Granati’s Maplewood Studio in Ambridge, PA. Granati engineered Sun King Rising’s first album, Delta Tales. as well.

Fans can enjoy the video here on the special Sun King Rising will webpage

https://www.sunkingrising.com/6premiere

Sun King Rising will give away a free Signs & Wonders CD to the first 50 viewers who subscribe to the Sun King Rising blog “The Lowdown

Signs & Wonders Sessions
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 by 
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 

Sun King Rising Online
Website: https://www.sunkingrising.com
Bandcamp: https://sunkingrising.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SunKingRising
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sunkingrising
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIjlf9aROZ-0EHHqvk9hzng
PSR Profile: https://peacocksunriserecords.com/project/sun-king-rising/

PeacockSunrise Records Online
Website: https://peacocksunriserecords.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PeacockSunriseRecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/peacocksunriserecords/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SunKingRising1
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIjlf9aROZ-0EHHqvk9hzng

Blake Releases “Remembering The Future” Official Teaser

PeacockSunrise Records is thrilled to unveil the Official Teaser for “Remembering The Future” by Blake

Remembering The Future” is slated for a mid to late summer release featuring eight tracks. What makes this album unique is that the songs were originally written and demos were recorded between 1988 and 1992 for a future release, Blake felt that the time had come to revisit these gems, more on that below. Blake has spent 100’s of hours refining the details of each track, recording mixing and mastering the final product. 

Remembering The Future” has feel-good 80s’ pop with a modern take written all over it, the debut album will be released as a Limited Edition Cassette Tape which also features the singles Color Blind and The Downfall

Vocals, Keyboards, and Programming – Blake
Recorded at Retromatic Studios in Florence, Alabama 

About “Remembering The Future”
There are many questions we ask ourselves as we get older. Have things changed? Have we made for ourselves the future we wanted when we were young? Is the world a better place? Did we make a difference? The answers, for some, are rarely what we want them to be but we continue on, hopefully still striving for that future we wanted when we were kids. 

The hard part is not letting it get you down. I use music to keep the sadness at bay but it doesn’t always work and I fall into deep holes of blackness for a while and give up only to hear the right song at the right time and get pulled back out again to strive some more.

Remembering The Future” is essentially a trip back in time, remembering my thoughts about the future. Where I wanted to be ten, fifteen, even twenty years from then. Remembering the wants and needs of every passing day from loves to come and loves had and lost, what will become of everyone’s future, and fighting for what you believe in, the divides that we have in the world, and the future of the planet. What would all this look like in the future?

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Thank you!

Blake Online
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