Rock and Roll Baby World – PR & Marketing Agency

Two School Children From Oxfordshire Are Set For Chart Battle For The Christmas Number One Spot!

Ladbrokes have just announced that two unknown school children from Oxfordshire are now in the chart battle for the coveted Christmas Number One Spot with odds of 10/1 with their charity single ‘Dare Make A Wish’.

400 other children also from the Oxford area came together to record the song, with the two youngsters, which will see all proceeds being donated to the Dyslexia Action charity.

Francesca Longrigg, writer and creator of The Land of Sometimes CD from which the single is taken from has said

“This single is by children for children. In the music industry particularly with the likes of X Factor and Novelty singles competing for the top spot we wanted to remember what the heart of Christmas is all about – the children and give them a chance to shine and have their special moment.”

Ladbrokes have put the children in front of the likes of Kylie Minogue, Girls Aloud and Olly Murs with only the X Factor hopefuls Jermaine Douglas, James Arthur and the Hillsborough charity single in front of them.

Background Info

Auditions have taken place in Banbury over the last few months to search for two children to play the lead vocals for a Christmas single called ‘Dare Make a Wish’, which is set for release on the 9^th December.

Hundreds of hopefuls turned up hoping to be chosen to play Alfie and Elise the two central characters in the magical Land of Sometimes story / musical.

Children came from all over Oxfordshire and were asked to perform in front of a panel which included musical director of the single Mo Westworth (also founder of Unison Rock Academy), Marc Marot  – ‘Former president of Island records, and now chairman of the Crown Talent and Media group who manage Jessie J as well as Kirsty Leahy – Banbury Sound/Touch FM radio DJ.

The two talented youngsters to be picked were Libby Griffiths, age 10 who attends the Sibford Junior School and Will Homewood, age 12 who attends The Warriner School.

Will and Libby came together with 400 other children from the Oxfordshire area on the 28^th November to record the single at St Mary’s Church, Banbury, which may see some of Oxfordshire’s brightest and talented young children in a race with the X factor winner to get to the top of the charts!

FURTHER INFO:

The Land of Sometimes is a musical cd for children – A magical story of two twins who go on a journey to a far away land and along the way meet the most eccentric characters who all have their own song. Fans include Ewan McGregor and Laura Bailey and reviews have appeared in many national papers such as The Daily Telegraph and The Times. All have been enchanted by this wonderfully unique cd.

The Land of Sometimes will be joining forces with the charity Dyslexia Action to release a charity single on December 9^th, which will be a version of one of the album tracks ‘Dare Make A Wish’.

The musical director for the single is the wonderful Mo Westworth, who is director of the Unison Rock Academy and the i-Stage Academy in Oxfordshire.

The proceeds will go to the charity ‘Dyslexia Action’, the biggest dyslexia charity in the UK. We believe in the tremendous power of music in helping to transform learning difficulties, and indeed the Land of sometimes very own Isadora, who plays Elise on the album, who felt that her involvement in recording The Land Of Sometimes boosted her confidence and helped her overcome learning difficulties from her dyslexia enormously.

Libby Griffiths who will sing the lead part of Elise is also Dyslexic, which the panel had no idea of until after she had won the part!

 “Dyslexia Action are so grateful for being the partner charity of the single made by all at the ‘Land of Sometimes’. We are very keen to have enthusiastic fundraisers such as LOS on this team, supporting the charity. It is both such a lovely and unique idea and we are glad to be a part of it. The money raised from this single will be used to help change many lives and help to break down the barriers in education that those living with dyslexia face. On behalf of Dyslexia Action, I’d like to thank all those involved in making this wonderful piece of music and to all those who purchase it and therefore support this very worthy cause”

 Danielle Perrin, Supporter Relationship Team

The single will be available on iTunes from Sunday December 9th, and will be titled

The Land of Sometimes voices of the big sing!

For further press info, pictures etc please contact Louise@rockandrollbabyworld.co.uk or 07980 996318

www.thelandofsometimes.com

The Celtic Tenors stop off for one night only to play at the Hall for Cornwall on the 28th July.

With their global success and marathon touring promoting their latest album ‘Feels Like Home’, which reached number 22 in the Billboard Charts in the USA, The Celtic Tenors voices have been described as ‘closest to hearing angels sing.

Multi million CD selling Matthew, James and Daryl will be touring in the UK in 2012 and bringing to audiences their phenomenal performances. Their Irish wit, charm and good looks, along with lively show, full of fun, banter and uplifting voices, guarantee an unforgettable night.

Tickets

£19.50 to £25.50

For more information please look at the Hall for Cornwall’s Website.

For review opportunities please drop Louise@rockandrollbabyworld.co.uk an email

The Celtic Tenors have captivated audiences throughout the UK, Europe and the U.S. since their arrival on the music scene in 2000. What began just a few years ago as three very talented friends gathering on the operatic stage has since exploded into an international recording and touring phenomenon that transcends the trio’s classical roots and embraces folk, pop and various other dimensions of the musical spectrum.

Following an impromptu audition in London, the original lineup of tenors – Matthew Gilsenan, Niall Morris and James Nelson – was signed on the spot to an international record deal with EMI, an event so unprecedented that it soon became the talk of the music industry.

The Celtic Tenors’ eponymously titled debut album immediately soared to the No. 2 spot on the UK classical charts. It went to No. 1 in Ireland and Germany, and won the Echo Award (the German version of the GRAMMYS) for Best Classical Crossover Album of 2002. The Tenors’ full-length TV special, Ein Grosse Irischer Abend (A Great Irish Evening), filmed in front of a capacity crowd in Hamburg, was broadcast to millions of viewers in Germany regularly for more than two years. It was then released as a special on more than 260 channels in the PBS network in the U.S. In a short time, this combination of recording, touring and worldwide television exposure made The Celtic Tenors one of the most successful classical crossover acts of 2002, with an album in the top ten on the Billboard charts in the U.S.

So Strong, the 2002 followup to the trio’s auspicious debut, was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and produced by the legendary Mike Moran.

Their first Telarc release, Remember Me, came out in February 2006, featuring  four very special guest vocalists: Samantha Mumba (“You Raise Me Up”), Brian Kennedy (“We Are Not Islands”) and Graham Russell and Russell Hitchcock of Air Supply, who lend a hand on an epic version of Air Supply’s classic power pop ballad of 1980, “All Out of Love.” The project was a no-brainer for Russell, whose first experience of the trio made him an instant fan. “’All Out Of Love’ was our biggest hit, and I wanted to re-record it,” he says. “I heard The Celtic Tenors on a visit to Ireland and I knew immediately that we just had to duet with these guys.”

The Celtic Tenors were invited to sing for former U.S. President Bill Clinton during his visit to Dublin Castle in 2002 as part of a fund-raising effort for the Northern Ireland Peace Fund. Clinton has since said The Celtic Tenors’ version of his favorite song, “Danny Boy,” is the best he’s ever heard. In 2004, the trio had the special honor of singing in a private audience for U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and his wife Nane during a trip to Ireland. The surprise recital in honor of Annan’s birthday was a personal gift to the couple from U2 frontman Bono.

The Celtic Tenors have appeared on numerous compilation albums, including True Colors, the Official Rugby World Cup Album 2003; and Harmony, the Official Classical Album for the 2004 Olympic Games. They also appeared on Another World, the huge selling 2005 recording by Liam Lawton. Total album sales worldwide, including compilations, have surpassed a million units, making them the largest selling classical crossover artists to come out of Ireland.

2008’s Hard Times, a self-released CD of works from the great Americana songbook was the first effort to include new member Daryl Simpson.

Their most recent Telarc release Feels Like Home [October 2011] features the RTE Concert Orchestra and the Omagh Community Youth Choir in Ireland.  The Tenors add their gorgeous voices to beautiful pop songs like Richard Thompson’s “Dimming of the Day” and Randy Newman’s “Feels Like Home” as well as traditional fare like “Sou Gan” and “She Moved Through the Fair.”

Over the last two weeks we have had interviews come out in two publications, which we are so pleased about.

The first one was an interview with Louise Harris, founder of Rock and Roll Baby World with Affinity Magazine which is a lovely regional glossy lifestyle magazine. You can read the interview here:

http://www.affinitymag.co.uk/an-interview-with-louis-harris/ 

The second interview was with the lovely Liz Burton from Me and My Shadow who wanted to write a piece about how PR Companies work with bloggers so we were more than happy to help. You can read that interview here:

http://missielizzie-meandmyshadow.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/working-with-pr-companies-interview.html 

In other news we have some exciting new clients coming though over the next month, in particular some more music projects some of which you will immediately recognise but others are cutting edge new and upcoming talent that are set to make an impact in 2012!

We’ve had some exciting new clients confirmed in the last couple of weeks, which we will be able to reveal soon and with the music pr side of the company getting busier we have had our logo slightly altered to represent both our passions of music and baby pr.

Hope you like it!

It was designed by Michelle at Wink Design who is just fabulous and we can’t recommend her enough. Thanks Michelle!

We are really excited to announce we are working with an exciting new singer songwriter called Michael Armstrong! His debut EP will be released at the end of June. We will be looking for people to review the EP so get in touch if you are interested and in the mean time cast your eye over the press release!

Debut EP: Paler Shade of Blue,
Living What You’re Breathing, Regalia
Release Date: 24th June, 2012 (Upbeat Synergy)

The last year has been something of a whirlwind for dad of three and London builder Michael Armstrong. As a young boy he listened to his musical heroes such as Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and The Eagles and dreamed of living the life of a rock star. However, the dream was going to have to wait as he grew up, took over his father’s building business, got married and started a family.

The love for writing songs never went away. He learned to play the guitar, taught himself piano and continually wrote new material whilst moonlighting in the evenings around London in various bands. Later, as a solo artist he played some of the toughest crowds in London, winning them round each time. Michael lived for this buzz and his dream of being a singer songwriter full time never waned.

Totally by chance and whilst on holiday in Florida in April last year, the American Idol TV show were holding auditions and the team spotted Michael and asked him to enter. An intense day of coaching followed, plus numerous knock-out heats, culminating in a final sing-off performance in front of a packed theatre audience in the evening. Michael not only won the competition outright, he received a standing ovation and was awarded a ‘ dream ticket’, offering him a place in the televised auditions. He thought this was his big chance but sadly it was not meant to be. Due to not having a US visa or citizenship, he was unable to take it any further, which was a heavy blow.

Within a few weeks of returning from Florida, Michael was working on a building job in Surrey. Spotting all the gold and platinum discs on the wall, he got chatting to the owner and realised he had struck lucky once again. The house belonged to music celebrity TV and Radio PR, Lisa Davies, whose clients include Sir Cliff Richard and Chris de Burgh among other major artists. The next day he gave her a CD containing a selection of his own compositions. She was immediately impressed and offered him a recording contract with her new label, Upbeat Synergy. His lucky break had finally come!

Michael began living a double life. One moment he was on a building site, the next rubbing shoulders with musical icons and being called up last minute to stand in at rehearsals for Cliff Richard at ITV’s Daybreak and Chris de Burgh on X Factor. This continued over the next few months as Lisa called on him to cover other TV and radio shows for her artists, including The Alan Titchmarsh Show and Loose Women, giving him a break from his day job and the experience of a ‘real life’ X Factor type boot camp.

The recent record deal has enabled Michael to record some of the songs for his new album at Elevator Studios in Liverpool. Michael chose this city, firstly in recognition of his long-term obsession with The Beatles and secondly as it gave him the opportunity to escape from London and the building world.

Michael is an exciting new British talent, unashamedly raw, emotional and direct. On the outside are his trademark sparkly eyes, cheeky builder smile and bravado and on the inside is a sensitive and tender song smith. On ‘Paler Shade of Blue’, track 1 of the EP, the lyrics purposely reference Michael’s work as a builder in a nod to the life he intends to leave behind. His songs strike you immediately as being well-honed classics, which have echoes of the crafted lyrics of Dylan and the musicality of The Eagles, Paul Carrack and Steely Dan.

This young man is a star in the making and the building work may have to take a back seat for while! Take a look at Michael’s winning performance at the American Idol heat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FHwXUrxzDM