31/12/2023
Hello, friends! Happy New Year! One of the reasons I have been absent from the Shellac Stack for the past few months is that I've been almost entirely consumed by the production of several new recordings on my Rivermont label, including the debut disc of Royce Martin -- an incredible young musician who, earlier this year, rented a Steinway concert grand and had it moved into the Scott Joplin House in St. Louis, MO so that he could record his amazing interpretations of Joplin's rags within the same walls where Mr. Joplin composed "The Entertainer" more than a century ago. The album is complete and -- if I say so myself -- it's a real musical breath of fresh air. In listening to Royce's interpretations, I'm reminded of the joy and elation I felt many years ago when I heard Joplin's rags for the very first time. The album is already out on CD, and we're raising money for a deluxe 180-gram vinyl edition. The vinyl is 88% funded and the Kickstarter ends when the ball drops at midnight tonight! We need just a few more contributions to push us over the top! It might be vinyl -- not shellac -- but If you like ragtime and early jazz (and who here doesn't?), I hope you will consider picking up a copy of this new album through the Kickstarter in whatever format you prefer -- CD, vinyl, or digital download. You'll be supporting a deserving young musician who is carrying the musical torch brightly and you'll get an hour of music that I'm sure you'll want to hear many times. Great bang for your buck! Please contribute if you can and help spread the word. We only have 10 hours left to go! We're sooooooo close! As the dust from the new Rivermont releases settles, I'll be back with more Shellac Stacks in the new year. Thanks for your patience. Happy New Year! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/memoriesonmorganst/memories-on-morgan-street-scott-joplin-reimagined-by-royce?ref=discovery&term=royce%20martin