Untitled Document

Happy New Year from Jenni Finlay Promotions and Eight 30 Records!

Sideman's Dream (And Other Stories) Coming Out on 1/4/19
Eight 30 Records will release the digital collection Sideman's Dream (And Other Stories) on January 4, 2019! The new album – featuring Verlon Thompson's moving title track, Matt Harlan, Chris Fullerton, Walt Wilkins' previously unreleased Greg Trooper cover and more – will be available on Spotify, CD Baby, Apple, Amazon and other streaming services. “We're so excited to release Sideman's Dream (And Other Stories) through our friends at CD Baby,” says Jenni Finlay, who co-produced the dozen tracks with label co-owner Brian T. Atkinson. “This album shines a spotlight on some of our very favorite singer songwriters from the Lone Star state and beyond.”

Thompson's “Sideman's Dream,” a heartfelt tribute to Thompson's longtime musical partner Guy Clark, anchors the album. “You held your songs up to the light and my harmonies got tight,” he sings. “We were playing strong and clean we were a musical machine. It was a perfect sideman's dream.” Unfortunately, the story soon turns south. “In the end, it caught us unrehearsed between a chorus and a verse, between and blessing and a curse,” Thompson continues, “old friends and stuff that works. It went from good to bad to worse.” “It's just a story about two old rod dogs that had a bunch of great years together,” Thompson says, “and then they didn't.”

The Daily Country recently premiered the first single from the album, Walt Wilkins' "Dream Like This." Check it out HERE.

Track listing for Sideman's Dream (And Other Stories):
• Verlon Thompson, “Sideman's Dream”
• Walt Wilkins, “Dreams Like This” (G. Trooper)
• Matt Harlan, “What We Saw”
• Chris Fullerton, “The Last Thing I Want to Do Is Die” (K. Finlay)
• Tim Easton, “Cold and Bitter Tears” (T. Hawkins)
• Randy Weeks, “Sunny”
• Bill Chambers, “I'll Never Let You Go”
• Noel McKay, “I See Brown People”
• Jaimee Harris, “Where Are You Going Now?”
• BettySoo, “Wake Up to the World”
• Curtis McMurtry, “Bayonet”
• Graham Weber, “Love Don't Quit”

Craig Marshall's Turnaround Available NOW!
CLICK HERE to purchase!

“Craig weaves a bit of rockabilly with a twang and a rock beat. This winning combination showcases his solid songwriting and guitar skills.” – Guitar World

The latest entry into Marshall’s discography is Turnaround, produced by Robert Harrison, leader of the critically acclaimed band Cotton Mather.

CLICK HERE for more about Criag Marshall

photo by Jamie Kalikow

Malcolm Holcombe Comes to Catfish Concerts 1/27
Americana superstar Malcolm Holcombe will perform at Catfish Concerts on Sunday, January 27. His latest album, Come Hell or High Water, topped several "Best of" lists in 2018. Don't miss this incredible highly anticapated show!

Join us on January 27 as we kick off our SEVENTH season here at Catfish Concerts! Time flies when you’re having fun!

(PLEASE NOTE: We cannot accommodate dogs and children under 16 at Catfish Concerts. Thank you for understanding!)

CLICK HERE for tickets

New Chris Fullerton Digital Single 'MaryAnne' Out Now!
News: Eight 30 Records released Chris Fullerton's “MaryAnne” as a digital single on November 23! The new song previews Fullerton's forthcoming Consider the Shoebill, due in the coming months on Eight 30 Records. CLICK HERE for the exclusive premiere in Glide magazine!

“MaryAnne is a song mostely coming from dreams I've had during or following a seisure," Fullerton says. "Sometimes in dreams you can be your favorite things...like a Shoebill Stork." Keep an eye out for Consider the Shoebill soon!!

The Footnotes IN STORES NOW!
The Footnotes, based in Austin and Houston, recently released their third self-titled CD on November 16! Their music is rootsy, high-energy rock 'n' roll that embodies the unpretentious attitude, catchy songcraft and high-energy abandon of the vintage classics that originally inspired them to make music.

Rick Eakens has led The Footnotes on and off for most of his life, crafting the sound in his head into rootsy, high-energy rock 'n' roll that embodies the unpretentious attitude, catchy songcraft and high-energy abandon of the vintage classics that originally inspired him to make music. Based out of Austin and Houston, The Footnotes' feisty, uplifting live gigs are performed by, Rick Eakens (vocals, electric guitar), Allan Gill (bass guitar, vocals), Ric Furley (drums, percussion, vocals) and Jim Hemphill (guitar, vocals). The Beatles and Buddy Holly act as touchstones, and garage-rock combos like the Seeds and the Standells as role models for The Footnotes.

CLICK HERE for more about The Footnotes

Ray Wylie Hubbard Tribute Album Underway!
Jenni Finlay and Brian T. Atkinson are currently producing The Messenger: A Tribute to Ray Wylie Hubbard for Eight 30 Records! We already have four tracks recorded (Bobby Bare's “Snake Farm," James McMurtry's 'The Messenger,' Scott H. Biram's “Chickens," Slaid Cleaves' "The Sun Also Rises" and Rod Picott's "Portales") and are ready to get the ball rolling on the entire album. Next up: Tom Russell recording 'Dust of the Chase' this month at our studio in Austin! (To be clear: Ray and Judy give their blessings and are honored by this project, but neither Ray nor his office is involved with it).

We're producing the album as a companion piece to Brian T.'s latest book The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard. The book and album will both be released in early fall 2019. The album is a tribute to not only an incredible songwriter, but a singular mentor to incredible songwriters - those shining stars he reaches down and pulls up onto his strong shoulders. His influence is profound. Just ask Bobby Bare, Sr., Jerry Jeff Walker, Charlie Musselwhite, Hayes Carll, Slaid Cleaves, Jack Ingram, Steve Earle, Rodney Crowell, Eric Church, Aaron Lee Tasjan and dozens more. Or wait until Fall and read all about what they have to say in the book!

CLICK HERE for a sneak peek of Scott H. Biram's version of "Chickens."

New Mickey Newbury Book Looks Like Rain in the Works!
Brian T. Atkinson recently dusted off his notebook for his forthcoming book on highly esteemed songwriter Mickey Newbury, Looks Like Rain: The Songwriting Legacy of Mickey Newbury. The Houston-born Newbury was known as a true songwriter's songwriter, penning classics like "I Just Dropped In (To See What Condidion My Condition Was In)" and "American Trilogy." Austin-based author Atkinson's fourth book will be released in 2020. His previous book include I'll Be Here in the Morning: The Songwriting Legacy of Townes Van Zandt (TAMU Press, 2012) and Kent Finlay, Dreamer: The Musical Legacy behind Cheatham Street Warehouse (2016), co-written with Jenni Finlay, and the upcoming The Messenger: The Songwriting Legacy of Ray Wylie Hubbard (Fall 2019). For more information: briantatkinson.com.

Matt Harlan in the Studio!
Stay tuned for Matt Harlan's upcoming record on Eight 30 Records! Harlan's wrapping up his album (due out Spring of this year) in Austin this month to lay down tracks.

In the meantime, listen up to his topical new single "What We Saw" featuring legendary banjo ace Danny Barnes and MilkDrive's Noah Jeffries on fiddle! "I got the idea for this song - and some others I’ve been writing for the new album - from advice a songwriter friend gave me recently," Harlan says. "I was frustrated, wondering how to describe the paralyzing amount of change and division that seems to be everywhere these days, and my friend Jimmy said, 'We should all probably be starting from the perspective of bringing people together.'

"The whole time I was so worried about how we’ve been pulled apart, I hadn’t been thinking that way. So I scribbled down some words and brought a bare-bones draft to a weekly writing group we have and together we tapped into our own experiences to help each other form a picture of why we feel the way we do these days. Not only were we writing about coming together, we had to actually come together to write the song." Keep an eye out for Harlan's forthcoming full-length collection featuring "What We Saw," due in spring 2019 on Eight 30 Records!

CLICK HERE to get yours today

Greg Hawks' I Think It's Time Available NOW!
CLICK HERE to purchase!

It’s been more than three decades since Greg Hawks kicked off a career as a critically-acclaimed songwriter, frontman and multi-instrumentalist, leaving his mark on everything from alt-country to bluegrass music. He casts a wide net with 2018’s I Think It’s Time, his fourth album inspired by the twang of classic country, the hooks of 1970s pop/rock, the rhythmic soul of old-school Stax records and Hawks’ roots in the American South. With influences that veer from Big Star to Buck Owens, I Think It’s Time shines new light on an eclectic musician who was making Americana music before the genre had a name.

I Think It’s Time holds a mirror to the modern world and its swirl of partisan politics, social media debates, and maddening echo chamber of the 24-hour news cycle. Hawks shares his struggles, torn between his desire to defy our leaders — as with “ King of Hate,” one of the album’s most sharply-worded tracks — and his need to preserve his own sanity. I Think It’s Time also marks the most musically inclusive work of Hawks’ career. The sunnily strummed “Hope I Never Know” evokes Tom Petty’s award-winning work with Jeff Lynne, while “Nothing Matters Anymore” channels the dark, impactful work of Johnny Cash’s final albums. Together, the songs on I Think It’s Time do more than examine the personal and political struggles of a divided country — they show the full range Hawks’ passions and songwriting talent.

CLICK HERE for more about Greg Hawks

2019 Will Be A VERY Good Year!!

Stay tuned for upcoming releases in 2019 by:

Matt Harlan
Chris Fullerton

Terri Hendrix's continued "Project 5" and exciting events at OYOU
James McMurtry
Melissa Ruth

...and a brand new tribute album from Eight 30 Records!

Jenni Finlay Promotions

Listen Up!

Artist News

Contact Us

Drop us a line!

For stellar Americana radio promotion and more!

Jenni Finlay Promotions

Copyright © 2006 Jenni Finlay Promotions - All Rights Reserved