From their website:

(from left to right) Greg Jehanian [bass], Mike Weiss [guitar], Brandon Beaver [guitar], Rick Mazzotta [drums], Aaron Weiss [vocals]

“It is no mistake that mewithoutYou have become one of today’s most fascinating experimental rock acts. The last 15 years have borne witness to the Philadelphia five-piece exercising stylistic evolutions and aerial dynamics with humbling dexterity and untamed ambition. At their roots may be a theatrical progressive punk/post-hardcore band, but they’ve never been content to remain comfortably within a familiar genre. Their continuous multi-directional movements have left them increasingly difficult to classify, the growth of their branches impossible to predict. The group’s sixth full-length album, Pale Horses, is the best evidence to date of their eclectic agility.

The one constant in mewithoutYou’s storied career has been lead singer Aaron Weiss’ ability to sketch ornate, thought-provoking narratives. Seamlessly weaving his signature holler amidst whispered storytelling and stream-of-consciousness outpourings, his latest offerings vacillate between the emotionally wracked, vibrantly symbolic, and ambiguously metaphysical. His meandering, technicolor vision of a world apocalyptic—populated with werewolves and vulturemen, shape-shifters and apparitions, android whales and an Idaho bride—combines the fantastic opulence of the group’s recent albums with the vulnerable personal confessions of their earliest work.

Longtime band-mates Mike Weiss, Rickie Mazzotta and Greg Jehanian continue to craft dramatic, nightmare soundscapes which lavishly complement their singer’s ecstatic hallucinations. The addition of Brandon Beaver (of Buried Beds, the Silver Ages) allows the group as a 5-piece to revisit its earlier intricate, layered fretwork, while adding new depths of vocal harmonies and ever-peculiar arrangements. Musically, the group hearkens boldly to the raw intensity of 2004’s Catch for Us the Foxes, while building on the rich imagery of 2006’s Brother, Sister. Epic in scope, Pale Horses is mewithoutYou at their best, breathing fresh life into the end times, gloriously terrifying and hauntingly iconic.

Their latest album also marks a new beginning for the band, as it’s their first to be released on Run for Cover Records. Teaming with the rising Boston independent label was the outgrowth of their partnership with Will Yip, whose masterful production transforms the band’s transcendental musings into a widescreen experience. Drums and bass lines quake with the faults of the earth, as an army of guitars and multi-instrumental nuances ring in the paranoia, mass hysteria and peaceful exaltation. The result is a stunning collage—fitfully disturbing, steadily bizarre, uniquely celebratory—undoubtedly the grandest musical adventure yet conceived within mewithoutYou’s expanding tapestry.”

From his website:
James Taylor’s music embodies the art of songwriting in its most personal and universal forms. He is a master at describing specific, even autobiographical situations in a way that resonates with people everywhere. For more than forty years Taylor has been a compass for his fans, articulating moments of pain and joy, and letting his listeners know that they are not alone.

As a recording and touring artist, Taylor has set a precedent to which countless young musicians have aspired. His warm baritone is among the most recognized voices in popular music and his distinctive style of guitar-playing has been enormously influential. He has sold over 100 million albums throughout his career, beginning in 1968 when he was signed to The Beatles’ Apple Records. In 1971, Taylor was featured on the cover of Time magazine, heralded as the harbinger of the singer-songwriter era. His voice has been a constant in a changing world for his first generation of fans and their children.

Taylor’s songs have had a profound influence on songwriters and music lovers from all walks of life: “Fire and Rain,” “Country Road,” “Something in the Way She Moves,” “Mexico,” “Shower the People,” “Your Smiling Face,” “Carolina In My Mind,” “Sweet Baby James,” “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight,” “You Can Close Your Eyes,” “Walking Man,” “Never Die Young,” “Shed a Little Light,” “Copperline,” “Enough to be On Your Way,” “Caroline I See You,” and many more. He has earned 40 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum awards and five Grammy Awards for a catalog that runs from James Taylor (1968) and Sweet Baby James (1970) to Hourglass (1997) and October Road (2002). His first Greatest Hits album earned the Recording Industry Association of America’s elite Diamond Award, given for sales in excess of 10 million units in the United States. For his artistic accomplishments, Taylor was honored with the 1998 Century Award, Billboard magazine’s highest accolade, bestowed for distinguished creative achievement.

Taylor released his breakthrough album Sweet Baby James in 1970. It went triple-platinum and spawned his first top 10 hit, the intensely personal “Fire and Rain.” The following year saw the release of another million-seller, Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon, with the No. 1 single “You’ve Got a Friend,” written by his longtime friend Carole King. The recording won a Grammy Award in 1971 for Best Pop Male Vocal. In 1972, Taylor scored another gold album with One Man Dog, followed up in 1973 with Walking Man. The album Gorilla (1975) included two more major chart entries: “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” and “Mexico.” Following his final Warner Brothers recording, In the Pocket, Taylor moved on to Columbia Records and released a string of critically praised and commercially successful albums: JT, his 1977 double-platinum Columbia debut; Flag (1979); Dad Loves His Work (1981); That’s Why I’m Here (1985); Never Die Young (1988); New Moon Shine (1991); the double-disc Live album (1993); Hourglass (1998), garnering Taylor his first Grammy Award for Best Pop Album; and October Road (2002)—all certified platinum.

The year 2000 saw Taylor’s induction into both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame. The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences selected him as its MusiCares Person of the Year in 2006, and his One Man Band (2007) was nominated for an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Variety, Music, or Comedy Special. In 2008, Taylor released Covers and Other Covers that features Taylor’s full band and is his own musical interpretation of tunes from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s. In May 2010, Taylor released the Live at the Troubadour CD/DVD of his November 2007 live performance with Carole King at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles. Their subsequent Troubadour Reunion tour was one of the most successful concert tours of the decade. Most recently, Morgan Neville’s acclaimed documentary, Troubadours: The Rise of the Singer-Songwriter was nominated for the Jury Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS as part of its prestigious American Masters series.

In 2012, Taylor was awarded the distinguished Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government and in 2011, was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Barack Obama in a ceremony at the White House. Both medals are their nation’s highest honors for artistic excellence recognizing “outstanding achievements and support of the arts.” In 2011, Taylor was also honored with a Carnegie Hall Perspectives series, which consisted of four concert evenings presented by Carnegie Hall and featuring Taylor and personally selected musical guests. The first of these concerts was a gala benefit celebrating the 120th anniversary of Carnegie Hall. Three months after the National Medal of Arts ceremony, Taylor returned to the White House to perform for President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a state dinner held in the Rose Garden.

In a career marked by artistic triumphs, the past few years for Taylor have been notable for both creative virtuosity and recognition of exceptional achievement. Although Taylor took a touring hiatus in 2013 to continue work on a new album, he added a private concert for the victim families of Newtown, CT, a memorial service for MIT Officer Sean Collier and an appearance at The One Fund benefit concert in Boston. He was also a featured performer at President Barack Obama’s inauguration ceremony in January.

June 2015 will see the release of Before This World, Taylor’s new album of original material, his first in over 13 years. Taylor wrote and recorded much of Before This World while touring over the past several years.

It will also be a particularly special summer for Taylor as he will be performing a full length concert with his All-Star Band for the first time ever at Fenway Park to a sold out crowd on August 6th, with guest Bonnie Raitt. Taylor will also be returning to Tanglewood on July 4th for his 24th performance since his first appearance there in 1974.

James Taylor has received honorary doctorates of music from Williams College and the Berklee School of Music. Raised in North Carolina, he lives in western Massachusetts with his wife Caroline and their sons Henry and Rufus.

Spring 2015″

From his website:

“In a world where conformity is often the path of least resistance, singer/songwriter David Dunn has always managed to stand out in a crowd. And considering he grew up with three brothers and two sisters in a city where working in the oil industry is practically a given, that’s really saying something.

Before forging his own path as a musician, however, all roads pointed to a future career in engineering. It wasn’t a move totally out of left field since that’s what David majored in. But as he indulged his inner nerd at Texas Tech University and even enjoyed his studies to a certain degree, David also felt an undeniable pull toward more creative pursuits.

For some music lovers, writing songs and performing is more of a hobby, but for David, an honors student who moonlighted as a singer/songwriter, playing the local acoustic scene in Lubbock only added fuel to his passion. In fact, during his senior year, David seriously upped the ante by recording his first full-length album
before heading to Africa for 13 months of humanitarian and missions work.

After what he describes as “probably the biggest growth period of my life,” David returned to the States with a horrible case of malaria and plenty of songwriting fodder. As David tweaked his sound and continued writing about “the things he cared about,” it became increasingly clear that his engineering degree would remain unused.

As it turns out, his persistence in pursuing the road less traveled would pay off. In addition to appearing on TV’s “The Voice,” his music was gaining traction with audiences in a major way, not always the easiest of feats for an independent artist.

And now, with the support of Seattle-based BEC Recordings, Dunn is making his debut on a national stage with Crystal Clear. Culled from nearly 100 songs that were written over two and a half years, Dunn’s main goal is “to tell the truth, and do it in a beautiful way.”

“Two and a half years is a lot of time for me to change as an individual,” David shares. “When I write songs, they are usually about what I’ve been learning. Art is my context for being able to say what’s on my mind, and hopefully, it can help encourage those who are in a similar place in life.”

Gravitating toward big beats with piano or synths surrounding them, Dunn’s music is vibrant, dynamic and instantly memorable. To wit, just when someone thinks he/she may have his formula all figured out, David is quick to throw a curve ball with unorthodox production and musicianship that’s still chock full of catchy pop hooks.
“I want people to almost be jolted by the kick of what we’re trying to do sonically,” David says. “It’s often very difficult to describe what I do. It’s often easier to tell you some of the bands I’m trying to pull from.”

From a songwriting standpoint, Dunn’s turns of phrase are equally affecting. With his first single “Today is Beautiful,” David provides an intriguing snapshot of humanity that was inspired by a trip to Disney World of all places. While visiting every kid’s idea of paradise with his parents, siblings and a gaggle of nieces and nephews, the outing yielded some surprising revelations.

“Their motto is ‘The Happiest Place on Earth,” and every kid should just be thrilled to be there, right? My nephew had been having the best time, but between rides, he had a meltdown because his older sister refused to let him push the stroller with my baby nephew in it,” David recalls. “And because she refused, he just couldn’t take it. He threw himself into a state of absolute misery, just bawling his eyes out and causing a scene.”

Later on that afternoon, David couldn’t help making a correlation between his nephew’s random outburst and the average grown up’s behavior whenever life deals an inconvenient card.

“We, as humanity, do the same thing when we’re going on about our lives, and this little problem comes up. It irks us, and we focus on it so much that it becomes this huge ordeal that puts us in a state of misery that we can’t get over,” David shares. “We neglect to just lift our eyes and see that, in reality, we really are living in Disney World. We are in this place where we have a God who loves and cares about us and wants the best for us. If we can view that problem from His point of view, from an outside perspective, we can see it for what it is, just a stroller that our older sister won’t let us push. It might even be an opportunity for growth.”

With “Nothing Left,” which draws from the C.S. Lewis quote “To love at all is to be vulnerable,” David reflects on the inevitable clash of beauty and pain that comes from truly loving someone the way God does.

“If you look around the world, the number one thing that people think about and talk about and exist to do are relationships,” David shares. “Most of the time if you’re willing to love somebody the way God intended, however, it’s going to be difficult, and you’re really opening up yourself to be squashed. Rather than focusing on the false perception that love is supposed to make me happy, this song is like a hammer. Love is the reason we are here. Love has turned into what makes me feel good, which I think is absolutely ruining relationships across the board.”

Filled with confessional songs that engage both the ear and heart, Dunn’s music, like the artist himself, just can’t help standing out. Drawn from a personal place of reflection and crafted with a creative type’s attention to detail, Crystal Clear is an engaging introduction to an artist who doesn’t pretend to have life and faith all figured out. At the end of the day, however, he still knows where his help comes from, and that’s definitely worth hearing about again and again.”