Mavis Staples Recent News

Mavis Staples To Appear At New Yorker Festival

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 00:09:00 -0700

The incomparable soul and gospel singer Mavis Staples will appear this October 1st at the 2011 New Yorker Festival, the esteemed magazine’s three-day celebration of arts, literature, and ideas. This year’s event is entitled a “conversation with music” and will take place at the historic Gramercy Theatre. It will be moderated by the magazine’s Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer Lawrence Wright.

Mavis Staples is a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. The legendary artist is currently in the midst of a stunning creative resurgence with her Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) produced album entitled You Are Not Alone which the magazine Mojo called “a contender for album of the year.” The album won a Grammy Award for “Best Americana Album,” a selection the LA Times heralded as the year’s “most deserved win.”

Staples will appear at the New Yorker Festival with a distinguished and diverse roster of writers, thinkers and artists, including Zach Galifianakis, Ralph Fiennes, and Jonathan Franzen. The event is expected to sell out and draw close to twenty thousand people from around the world.The Chicago Tribune described a recent Staples’ live show as “a ferocious, bring-it-on performance… downright fierce.”

Acclaim for Mavis Staple’s Album You Are Not Alone:

“Gorgeous.” - Time

“Inspired.” - Spin

“Staples sounds as inspiring as ever.” – Rolling Stone

“Stellar.” – Entertainment Weekly

Mavis Staples Wins Living Blues Awards

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 00:08:00 -0700

Congratulations to Mavis Staples! In the latest issue of Living Blues they announced the recipients of the 18th Annual Living Blues Awards. Mavis took home awards for Blues Artist of the Year (Female) and Most Outstanding Blues Singer. Take a look at the entire list of winners here.

Sixteen ANTI Artists Participate In 'Raise Your Voice!,' A Free Album In Support Of Public Broadcast

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 00:08:00 -0700

170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting and ANTI- Records are pleased to announce the release of Raise Your Voice!, a 16-track compilation of music from ANTI- artists being offered as a free download to advocates for public broadcasting. Anyone who signs up to join the campaign can download the compilation -- available for a limited time only -- by visiting RYVoice.org. Supporters will also have the opportunity to share Raise Your Voice! with their friends and social networks.

Artists contributing tracks to Raise Your Voice! include Wilco, Tom Waits, Neko Case, Booker T. Jones, Man Man, Dr. Dog, Mavis Staples, Jolie Holland, William Elliott Whitmore, Tinariwen, Lost In The Trees, Sean Rowe, Marketa Irglova, Joe Henry, The Swell Season and DeVotchKa

Public broadcasting offers millions of hours of free music, arts and cultural programming to American audiences, thanks in part to federal funding. From national music programs such as public television’s Austin City Limits and public radio’s Mountain Stage to the diverse local programming on public radio music stations throughout the country, public broadcasting is a vital part of our nation’s musical landscape.

Public radio preserves American culture and is one of the only places left where uniquely American music -- jazz, rock, bluegrass and classical -- can be heard by a mass audience. Public radio stations around the country play an important role in the music economy and have created a valuable partnership that connects audiences to music, and all those who devote their lives to it—performers, singer-songwriters, musicians, lyricists and composers. More than 100 local public radio stations broadcast full-time music and hundreds more include music as part of their programming lineups.

While the average station gets the majority of its funding from listeners, underwriters and other local sources, federal funding helps close the gap and keep many small and rural stations on the air. Without federal funding these stations could go dark and the platform that they’ve provided for so many musicians could go with it.

“We are thrilled to offer Raise Your Voice! to our advocates,” said Jeff Nelson, co-director , 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting. “It is critical that we raise awareness about the importance of public broadcasting to music in America as we make our case to Congress to maintain federal funding for local stations across the country. We are grateful to ANTI- and these fantastic artists for their generosity and for standing up in support for public broadcasting.”

Ari Picker, frontman for ANTI- band Lost in the Trees added, “Our culture needs public broadcasting. And public radio has been an enormous resource for musicians like myself. I feel extremely privileged to donate our music to Raise Your Voice! to boost awareness about the need to protect public broadcasting in America.”

The website for Raise Your Voice! was created by Oniracom, a Santa Barbara-based audience marketing agency for music and entertainment.

About 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting

The 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting campaign is a collaboration of public radio and television stations, national organizations, producers, viewers and listeners throughout the country who understand the critical need for a strong public media in the United States. The campaign is co-managed by the Association of Public Television Stations and American Public Media on behalf of more than 400 station partners. The centerpieces of the effort are its website, 170MillionAmericans.org, Facebook page, Facebook.com/170Million, and Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/#!/170million,that give supporters of public media a way to take action in support of their local public radio and television stations.

About ANTI-Records

Epitaph Records was founded in 1981 by Brett Gurewitz of the influential punk rock band Bad Religion. This incredibly diverse and resolutely artist friendly label first entered the annals of pop culture in the early 90s when it introduced previously underground artists such as Rancid, The Offspring and Pennywise to a vastly larger audience, earning the bands gold and platinum records, and forever changing the sound of popular music. Epitaph has since added additional imprint ANTI-Records, which has developed into an independent power house servicing a roster of acclaimed and iconic artists such as Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Neko Case, Mavis Staples and many more. Epitaph Records currently operates out of offices in Los Angeles, Canada, Melbourne and the Netherlands.

ANTI Artists To Appear At 2011 Bonnaroo Festival

Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:06:00 -0700

This year’s annual Bonnaroo Festival, happening from June 9th to June 12th in Manchester Tennessee, is shaping up to be one of the best ever. The festivities helped, in part, by an eclectic and consistently soulful collection of artists recording on the Anti Records label that include Mavis Staples, DeVotchKa, Man Man and Galactic.

Mavis Staples recent Jeff Tweedy (Wilco) produced album You Are Not Alone was called “Gorgeous” by Time Magazine and “Inspired” by Spin. A Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, and listed by Rolling Stone as one of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time, the legendary soul and gospel artist is currently in the midst of a stunning creative resurgence. The Chicago Tribune described a recent Staples’ live show as "a ferocious, bring-it-on performance… downright fierce."
http://www.anti.com/artists/view/44

DeVotchKa has melded influences – from Eastern European wedding bands to Norteño ballads – into an authentic and totally original blend of popular music. Their latest album 100 Lovers offers a collection of haunting and heartfelt stories delivered with enigmatic lyrics and cinematic soundscapes. The LA Times said of the record, "This sonically, musically and conceptually expansive album doesn’t need a release date so much as a big-screen premiere." NPR called 100 Lovers "Moody and triumphant at the same time” while Relix describes it simply as "exhilarating."
http://www.anti.com/artists/view/49

Celebrated avant-garde rock band Man Man are renowned for their raucous and celebratory live performances. On their acclaimed new album, Life Fantastic, the band turns internal pain into a glorious and soulful noise. As singer-songwriter Honus Honus explains. “This is an album fueled by the end of relationships, the death of good friends, an absence of structure, drifting from place to place without a real home. Sometimes I guess you have to stumble around in a fog for a while until you find a way out, rediscover your heart. In many ways, this is an album about carrying on.” Pitchfork said of the album “Honus continues to prove himself one of rock's best working lyricists” while Uncut called it “the sound of a valuable, extravagantly vital band in full swing.”
http://www.anti.com/artists/view/52

New Orleans outfit Galactic has a well-earned reputation as one of the most exhilarating live acts around. Last year the band released the critically acclaimed genre defying sonic tribute to the Big Easy entitled YA-KA-MAY, which the Huffington Post proclaimed as “NOT your grandparents' New Orleans record!” Recently the celebrated group offered up a rollicking live counterpart to YA-KA-MAY with The Other Side Of Midnight: Live In New Orleans, recorded during an electrifying sold-out show at the legendary storied Tipitinas in New Orleans and featuring a host of guest appearances from the bawdy gender bending “bounce” star Big Freedia to local legends Cyril Neville and Trombone Shorty. Galactic have become a perennial festival favorite, bringing their high energy New Orleans party sound to audiences throughout the world.
http://www.anti.com/artists/view/48

For more info on Bonnaroo, please go to:
http://www.bonnaroo.com/info/what-is-bonnaroo.aspx

Post Grammy Mavis To Play Conan, NAACP Awards & More

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 00:02:00 -0800

After winning the first Grammy of her career earlier this month, Mavis Staples makes a triumphant return to LA next week for a Conan appearance on Wednesday March 2nd and a performance honoring former Secretary of State Colin Powell at the NAACP Image Awards on Friday March 4. Mavis is an NACCP Award-nominee for You Are Not Alone, which is up for Outstanding Gospel Album. The Awards will air live from the Shrine Auditorium on Fox at 8/7 Central.

In between her TV appearances, on Thursday, March 3, Mavis will stop by KCRW for a live on-air interview (10am PT) and that night she will be joined by her full band for an “insanely rare” (LA Times) performance at the Satellite (formerly Spaceland).

Staples, nominated alongside Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Rosanne Cash and Los Lobos, took home the Grammy for Best Americana Album for You Are Not Alone. Produced by Jeff Tweedy, the album earned Mavis the highest Billboard chart debut of her 50+ year career along with universal critical acclaim. NPR enthused, “she turns a simple pop song into a lament that could move a listener to tears,” while the Chicago Tribune called her “a voice of reassurance in troubled times.”

Mavis Staples Wins Grammy For Best Americana Album

Mon, 14 Feb 2011 00:02:00 -0800

Anti-Records would like to congratulate the remarkable Mavis Staples for her Grammy Award win in the category of Best Americana Album vocal or Instrumental for her incredible 2010 album You Are Not Alone. The record was produced by Jeff Tweedy of acclaimed band Wilco who additionally wrote two of the compositions including the album’s stirring title song. Also featured are Staples’ heartfelt interpretations of songs by her father Pops Staples, Randy Newman, Allen Toussaint, John Fogerty, Rev. Gary Davis and Little Milton. Staples’ win this year in the wide ranging and diverse “Americana” category is of particular significance because it illuminates the renowned soul and gospel singer’s ever broadening multi-genre appeal. Though a veteran performer with beloved recordings dating back to 1969, this is Mavis Staples first ever Grammy Award as a solo performer.

You Are Not Alone was heralded by The Chicago Tribune as “A voice of reassurance in troubled times” and described by Time Magazine as “Gorgeous” and Spin as “Inspired.” Staples formative work alongside her father and sisters in The Staples Singers provided an inspirational soundtrack for the American civil rights movement with such hits as “Respect Yourself” and “I’ll Take You There.” In recent years Staples has experienced an undeniable artistic resurgence with her 2007 album We’ll Never Turn Back, and 2008 live recording, Live: Hope at the Hideout, named one of the Best Live CDs of All Time by Amazon.com’s editors and earning Staples her first Grammy-nomination as a solo artist.

At Sunday’s pre telecast ceremony for the 53rd Grammy Awards, Staples responded to the honor with a moving and tearful speech. “My goodness, it’s been a long time, a long time coming,” she offered emotionally. “Ok, ok, ok, all right, give the honor to God and to my father, Pops Staples. It’s because of you Pops that I stand here today. I tell you, you laid the foundation, and I am still working on the building.” Staples thanked producer Jeff Tweedy for “bringing the young adults, the college kids” back to her and then stated emphatically “I’m going to be around a while. “You haven’t seen the last with me. God is not through with me yet.”

Mavis Staples Nominated For NAACP Award

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 00:01:00 -0800

The NAACP has just announced the nominees for their Image Awards and Mavis Staples’ soulful collaboration with Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, You Are Not Alone, has been nominated for Outstanding Gospel Album. This is a great and absolutely well deserved honor for a legendary artist at the height of her creative powers. Much congratulations.

The 42nd Image Awards Ceremony will be broadcast on March 4th on Fox. For more info go here.

ANTI 2010 Fall Sampler Now Available On iTunes

Tue, 07 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800

Above is a chance to preview the amazing new ANTI-Records 2010 Fall Sampler. It’s eleven absolutely essential artists at the peak of their creative powers, including a song from the amazing new album by DeVotchKa, a preview of the stunning Anti debut from talented singer-songwriter Sean Rowe, Grinderman, Yann Tiersen and much more fine music. Click here to get it on iTunes!

ANTI Fall Sampler Track Listing:

1. Mavis Staples “I Belong To The Band”
2. Devotchka “Contrabanda”
3. Bettye LaVette “Salt Of The Earth”
4. Dr. Dog “Mirror, Mirror”
5. Sean Rowe “The Walker”
6. Grinderman “Heathen Child”
7. Lost In The Trees “Walk Around The Lake”
8. Yann Tiersen “Ashes”
9. The Frames “Falling Slowly”
10. Sage Francis “The Best Of Times”
11. Mose Allison “Modest Proposal”

Anti Records Artists Nominated For Grammy Awards

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:12:00 -0800

Like a gleaming exclamation point at the end of an unquestionably fruitful year, the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards has singled out three legendary acts on the ANTI-Records roster for award nomination. All of us here at the Anti-/Epitaph would like to offer our heartfelt congratulations to Mavis Staples, Bettye LaVette, Roky Erickson and Will Sheff for being so deservedly honored by their peers in the music industry.

Anti- Records 2010 Grammy Nominees:

Best Americana Album -Vocal or Instrumental: You Are Not Alone - Mavis Staples

Best Contemporary Blues Album -Vocal or Instrumental: Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook - Bettye LaVette

Best Album Notes: True Love Cast Out All Evil - Will Sheff, album notes writer Roky Erickson With Okkervil River

*The 53nd Annual Grammy Awards show will occur on February 31, 2011 at The Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Get The New ANTI Fall Sampler, Along With 9 Albums On Sale For Under $10

Tue, 30 Nov 2010 00:11:00 -0800

Beginning this week, Anti-Records is pleased to offer our complimentary Anti Fall Sampler with the purchase of any of our recent releases for a limited time holiday recession friendly sale price. So for under $10, you can receive a new album by one of our acclaimed artists and an additional album featuring a mix of songs by a storied roster that includes the legendary Mavis Staples, Nick Cave’s raucous outfit Grinderman, adventuresome French composure Yann Tiersen, iconic jazz artist Mose Allison and more. This offer will only be available at participating independent record stores while supplies last.

Anti Albums on Sale:

Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone
Grinderman – Grinderman II
Dr. Dog – Shame, Shame
Sage Francis – Li(f)e
Lost in The Trees – All Alone In An Empty House
The frames – The Cost
Yann Tiersen – Dust Lane
Bettye LaVette – Interpretations: The British Rock Songbook
Mose Allison – The Way of The World

Fall Sampler Track Listing:

1. Mavis Staples “I Belong To The Band”
2. Devotchka “Contrabanda”
3. Bettye LaVette “Salt Of The Earth”
4. Dr. Dog “Mirror, Mirror”
5. Sean Rowe “The Walker”
6. Grinderman “Heathen Child”
7. Lost In The Trees “Walk Around The Lake”
8. Yann Tiersen “Ashes”
9. The Frames “Falling Slowly”
10. Sage Francis “The Best Of Times”
11. Mose Allison “Modest Proposal”