The Wheel
End Up Records
Released 06/09/09

If you ask him, New York Native Andrew Vladeck will tell you it’s all about the words. Yet it’s his modern take on old-time instrumentation that first calls attention.  A Fender Twin amplifier doesn’t come to mind when one thinks of a banjo, but in his quest to escape the folky comfort zone, Andrew has hotwired his way into a truly individual style.

A well-known musician in the alt-folk scene in NYC, Andrew’s unique sound is captured on the upcoming End Up Records release “The Wheel.“ Produced by Kyle Fischer (Rainer Maria) and mixed by Dave Schiffman (Johnny Cash, Mars Volta), with appearances by Caithlin De Marrais and Lara Meyerratken (Ben Lee), the album includes the caustic “The Songs you Inspire,“ which won 1st Place in the Int’l Songwriting Competition.



A former Urban Park Ranger, Andrew was fascinated by the interplay of nature with Gotham, and the edges where the two meet.  Andrew is similarly inclined towards music, striving to blend his affection for the ante-bellum with the contemporary.  The result is folk and indie rock reconfigured—a “new wave” of folk that is distinctly American sounding.  Still, Andrew is first and foremost a wordsmith, whose sparkling, sharp-edged approach sets his often dark and hilariously ironic lyrics over sparse and tasteful instrumentation.
Andrew was featured on BBC’s The World, and was voted NYC Artist of the Month in The Deli Magazine.  He’s also a founding member of the upcoming indie folk quintet The Honey Brothers, and is a regular contributor to the NYC-based folk collective, Balthrop, Alabama.

The Wheel is the first full-length release by Vladeck since 2006.  He will be touring extensively throughout the summer and fall in support of the new record.
 
- Offical Andrew Vladeck Site

Soulful, poignant and delicate are just some of the words being used to describe the music of West country-based singer/songwriter Diana Johnstone. Born in Plymouth, Devon, Diana began singing and playing guitar in her late teens at the famous Folk Cottage in Mitchell, Cornwall, performing alongside Mike Silver, Clive Palmer and Ralph McTell.

There she met and subsequently married multi-instrumentalist, Davey Johnstone (Magna Carta, Noel Murphy, Joan Armatrading.) In 1972, Davey was asked to join the Elton John band just as the Rocket Mans career was heading into the stratosphere. For Davey, Diana and their son Tam the next few years would be spent in a whirlwind of whistle stop tours and incredible celebrity encounters: Groucho Marx at the Beverly Hills hotel, Stevie Wonder ..boards aboard the Starship (Eltons private plane), Gracie Fields, John Lennon During this time, Davey recorded a solo album for Eltons Rocket Records label with legendary record producer Gus Dudgeon at the helm. The album, Smiling Face (now remastered and released on Sound City records) features three songs co-written by Diana.

She also sings lead vocals on the track A Lovely Day (as featured in playwright Willie Russells Daughters of Albion - Yorkshire TV, 1977.) When Diana and Davey divorced in the mid-1970s, Diana took up a career in film and TV set design (working with director Nic Roeg and actor Tony Curtis among others), before coming back to music in the late 1990s. On moving to the Bath area she began writing and performing her own material again. Her unique style of playing combined with her thoughtful lyrics and mesmerizing voice has already attracted a keen following. This, along with her well-received live performances has ensured that Diana Johnstone is definitely one to watch among the new breed of innovative female singer/songwriters. Dianas debut CD, Learning to Walk is available now.

- Offical Myspace Blog