The World's Longest Running Talent Showcase

Press Release

For more information, please contact:
Vykki Vox at (978) 658-6623 or [email protected]

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CSN's Boston launch will be on Thursday, JUNE 10th at the LIZARD LOUNGE in Cambridge

 

Chick Singer Night (CSN) Comes to Boston!

For Immediate Release: April 7, 2004

Boston's own Vykki Vox has recently been named as Director and Jennifer Truesdale (Jeannie Deva® Voice Studios) as Co-director of Chick Singer Night's Boston Chapter. CSN's Boston launch will be on Thursday, JUNE 10th at the LIZARD LOUNGE, 1667 Mass. Ave., Cambridge (617) 547-1228, with non-stop music from about 9:15pm to 1:30am or so. The Vykki Vox Band: Vykki (vocals/percussion) - Dave Osoff (keys/vocals) - Justin Kolack (bass/vocals and Rock City Guitars co-owner) - Greg Allison (drums/vocals) - Erik Ringstad (guitar/vocals) - along with Jennifer - will be hosting these events

The production of this nationally recognized female showcase is by the support of the Non-Profit organization Breathe - A Foundation for The Artist - http://chicksingernight.com/breathe/ - and was founded by Lori Maier of Los Angeles, to benefit community arts and various charitable causes around the country. CSN recently celebrated their 15th Anniversary in NYC at Crash Mansion, where Norah Jones was among the performers. Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks, Megan Mullally, Mindy Stein, Paul Shaffer and MTV have also been supportive of CSN and many are continuing to take notice of this growing organization. Please check out www.ChickSingerNight.com for more info, including video clips of Norah Jones' performance and a television interview with the NYC Chapter Director, Deena Miller on cn8 TV. CSN’s sponsors include Guitar Center, Fender, Tascam, Shure, Alesis, JBL, Hit Factory, iGuitars, Rock City Guitars, etc. All Boston show proceeds after minimal show expenses will go toward food, clothing and/or shelter for Boston's homeless.

CSN has already established regular events in LA at the Knitting Factory, NYC at Bitter End and Nashville at the Bluebird, as well as Chicago, Miami, Las Vegas and Hawaii. In 2004, four new cities are planned to be launched - Boston, Austin, Minneapolis and Seattle . This series is an amazing opportunity for the abundance of Boston talent, whether well-known, moderately known or newcomers, that deserve national attention.

This first Boston CSN show on June 10th will feature Joanie Pimentel of SuperHoney, Jennifer Matthews, Anita Suhanin of Shwang/Groovasaurus, Parul Vakani of Red Velvet Slide, Jennifer Truesdale and Vykki Vox. Jennifer Matthews and Vykki Vox will open the show with acoustic harmonies they call the Philosophy of Eve. Some artists will be backed by the VVB, others will perform with their own bands or with a combination. Please see below for more details on each of the performing artists. This series will undoubtedly feature some surprise special guests along the way, and definitely some raffles and give-a-ways from our many generous sponsors.

Any female singer/songwriters (all genres welcome - original music is preferred) that are interested in being part of these showcases, either as a solo backed by the Vykki Vox Band or with your own group, either acoustically or as a full band, please send press kits to: CSN Boston, P.O. Box 560193, W. Medford, MA 02156.

Featured Artist Bios:

Joanie Pimentel: Punctuated emphatically by the effusive vocal delivery of Joan Pimentel, SuperHoney embody the core aesthetics of both melodic rock and vintage soul. Joanie and SuperHoney are 3x Boston Music Award winners and Joan's voice is definitely one of the greatest Boston has ever heard. SuperHoney also earned the attention of George Clinton, who invited the band to "sit-in" with his P-Funk All-Stars at his Boston shows; and has also supported Maceo Parker, Groove Collective, Rustic Overtones, Deep Banana Blackout, Original P, The Grey Boy All-Stars, The Tom Tom Club and the Average White Band. Drawing comparisons to Janis and Aretha, Joan has won broad critical acclaim for her extraordinary prowess -- including three nominations for Best Female Vocalist (2001-2000-1999) at the Boston Music Awards. Steve Morse, music critic from the Boston Globe, calls Joanie "one of Boston's best-kept secrets....she can really dig deep for some of the most unchained vocals in town." She has been described as "gifted with the vocal power of a young Aretha Franklin" by the Northeast Performer, a "firebrand" by the Boston Herald, "Joan …has a voice that people dream about" says Boston.com, "and" adds SuperHoney guitarist, Doug Sherman, "she sings really good." Visit www.SuperHoney.com for more info.

Jennifer Matthews: An icon of the Boston scene, rocker and poet Jennifer Matthews enthralls with intimacy, nuance and vocal finesse. She can rock like a folk punk PJ Harvey and downshift with the oblique nimble sensuality of Suzanne Vega. Her songs are missions from the frontlines of life, bell clear with unrelenting personal honesty. Matthews' bewitching charm and passionate songwriting brings a new meaning to the Eclectic Rock genre. In a recent review, Boston Globe Music Writer Steve Morse described her as "at times as individual as PJ Harvey and Kate Bush, at times as hippie-sensual as Neil Young and Joan Osborne, Matthews covers a lot of ground. She's an appealing chameleon." Her energetic band features drummer Bill Ricciardelli, fretless bass player Jordan Scannella and electric guitarist Matt Moldover all graduates from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. This dynamic four piece has cultivated a sophisticated blend of rock, funk and folk sound while still retaining the distinctive Jennifer Matthews style. Visit www.JenniferMatthews.com for more info.

Anita Suhanin: Formerly fronting the original rock band Groovasaurus , winners of two Boston Music Awards and voted Boston Magazine's Best Rock Band (1998), Anita has a "lovely, smooth voice and compelling style." Anita has performed and recorded with many bands and songwriters, most recently with Jeffrey Foucault, Tim Gearan, Peter Mulvey, Chris Smither and Noam Weinstein. Lately, she performs with her friend Bruce Millard (The Howard Armstrong Band) and with her band Shwang. She currently lives in the Boston area where she writes, sings and teaches music. "Suhanin sings like a more-nimble k.d.lang, gracefully soulful and impeccably tight; she grabs hold of a melody and doesn't let go until she's good and finished with it." says Joan Anderman, Boston Globe, and Boston Magazine says "...we're haplessly, hopelessly in love with the sultry voice of Anita Suhanin..." Visit www.AnitaSuhanin.com for more info.

Parul Vakani: Parul Vakani, the vixen vocalist "sings like an angel that made a deal with the devil" and so can growl a “baby” as well as lift the spirits of the forlorn wanderer with heavenly soars. She was born in India, but belongs to the culture of Exit 60 off the New Jersey Turnpike. She is a classically trained pianist (whether she wants to be or not) and slid through college with a vocal scholarship – and you can hear why. She’s done theater, musicals, and so on. She wants to make the world a better place for all with understanding and communicating between different peoples , warding off hunger and homelessness, and of course, world peace... "Red Velvet Slide gives you an evening of music that rocks, grooves, soothes, and blues." Parul and Chris Brenne share the stage creating tunes that show their passion and fun for the music and each other. They’ve played all over the US, as well as, in Sweden, and they always get asked to come back... With dynamite vocals and "how does he do that?" guitar, their combo brings a whole new sound to the singer-songwriter scene. "Live or on CD, you'll want to hear them again and again.” Visit www.RedVelvetSlide.com for more info.

CSN Co-DIRECTOR Jennifer Truesdale: Vocalist and songwriter Jennifer Truesdale has been a part of the Boston music scene for many years as both a live performer and session vocalist. A member of the Funk/Rock band The Ultrasonics , Jennifer has also performed throughout New England with the Brian Wakley Band and The D-Street Band. She's performed with the Boston Rock Opera in their 2000 production of Jesus Christ Superstar, starring Gary Cherone and as part of Jazz on the Charles, Women in Song . "As a solo artist, Jennifer beautifully melds Blues, Funk, Soul and a dash of Pop to create a sound that is fun, soulful and energetic. "a vocal powerhouse!" "You are the Soul Mother!" In 1998, Jennifer opened a music production house with her Ultrasonics band-mates and has been working actively as a songwriter for film & television ever since. Her songs have been heard on various major network television shows including ABC's All My Children & One Life To Live, NBC's The Young and the Restless, the Fox Network's Melrose Place and the Showtime series Soul Food. Additionally, Jennifer is the Owner and Director at the Jeannie Deva® Voice Studios in Boston where she has worked with hundreds of Boston area singers, helping them to achieve their own personal musical goals. Visit www.DevaStudiosBoston.com for more info.

CSN BOSTON DIRECTOR Vykki Vox: This powerful, dynamic singer/songwriter has a "refreshing" style all her own, and brings her "radiant personality and fun into her music." At Vykki’s high energy live performances, people are always amazed at the “huge voice” that comes out of this "petite package." "Combining sultry soul with powerhouse rock," she is truly commanding in formal arenas and has earned kudos for her performances at Boston's Hatch Shell, as well as other festivals and music conferences around the country, including NEMO, Rockrgrl Music Conference in Seattle, Crossroads in Memphis and MobFest in Chicago. Vykki has shared the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd, Indigo Girls, Les Paul, Max Creek, Jonny Lang, Tom Hambridge and Susan Tedeschi among others and her 3 CDs have generated considerable AAA/AC airplay and rave reviews internationally. Vykki was the founder, co-producer and host of the Ladies Sing the Blues series, later evolving into the Ladies Sing and Beyond Showcases in and around Boston. The long-running series, which featured a wide variety of New England's best female artists, as well as our most appreciated male artists, was (and still is sometimes so we hear) broadcast on BNN TV3 , as well as many other cable stations throughout New England. Visit www.VykkiVox.com for more info.

CSN Boston House Band: The Vykki Vox Band just celebrated their 10th Anniversary and it‘s the best it‘s ever been! This high energy, funky and soulful band includes Vykki (vocals/percussion) - Dave Osoff (keys/vocals) - Justin Kolack (bass/vocals and Rock City Guitars co-owner) - Greg Allison (drums/vocals) - Erik Ringstad (guitar/vocals) and has the pleasure of working with the amazing Gary Backstrom (Jiggle) on occasion as well. The band’s "infectious grooves" have been compared to the Dave Matthews Band, Lenny Kravitz and the Black Crowes, while others speak of the legendary Little Feat. The band is in the process of recording their 4th CD and will be performing live at Ryles in Cambridge on Thurs, May 6th and at Acton Jazz Cafe on Sat, May 8th.

Philosophy of Eve: Although each are busy with their own projects, Jennifer Matthews and Vykki Vox find time occasionally to write and sing together for fun. After meeting through a mutual friend and then getting together to jam, they decided to hook up whenever their crazy schedules would allow. Their unique styles are clearly apparent, but when they harmonize, it is often difficult to tell them apart. "There is a definite magic when they sing together." "Two sounds that are decidedly independent and yet walk hand in hand."