Jonatha Brooke, off the hook.

We had an intimate night with Jonatha, and people should be very excited to hear that an interview with her is on the way. All of us here at MONO was extremely excited that Jonatha was open for a meet and greet with an interview. It's not often you get to talk to a favorite artist of yours backstage or in this case downstairs. One thing still makes us concerned however...why is Jonatha not as well known or heard as she should be? Here is an artist who has collaborated with a range of awesome talent from Neil Finn to Chris Botti. I am going to say it now...GO GET HER LATEST ALBUM!!!

The Works, Jonatha Brooke's seventh solo release, is a full-length album of previously unheard lyrics by Woody Guthrie, set to original music written and performed by Brooke. Brooke is one of a select group of artists to be invited into the Guthrie Archives to create new works from his vast collection of lyrics, prose, poetry and artwork. Brooke co-produced The Works with the legendary Bob Clearmountain (Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones). Recorded over a two-month period in New York City, several acclaimed musicians including keyboardist Joe Sample (Eric Clapton, B.B. King), bassist Christian McBride (Sting, Diana Krall), drummer Steve Gadd (Paul Simon, Eric Clapton), and steel guitarist Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, k.d. lang, Wilco), joined Brooke in the studio. The album features duets with artists Keb' Mo' on 'All You Gotta Do Is Touch Me'; Eric Bazilian on 'There's More True Lovers Than One' ; Glen Phillips on 'Sweetest Angel'; with a special guest appearance by Derek Trucks playing slide guitar on 'New Star.'

This week's phone-pic challenge

Name the band and win a T-shirt. Seriously. Hit "contact us" with your answer.


Pat, Brett and Lauren, you can't play.

4 stringing with Aaron Gonzales

Aaron first approached MONOcases through a good friend of ours, Ray Riendeau who is also a big supporter of our products. We got one into Aaron's hands and he has been on tour with the cases ever since. He has over 20 years of experience anchoring the low end and prides himself on being a versatile, well rounded musician. Many of those styles include Blues ,Country, Funk and Rock. You can find Aaron on tour with Jadi Norris, a North Carolina native who is going on tour in Arizona and through New Mexico.

Links:
Jadi Norris
Aaron Gonzales

Call + Response

CALL+RESPONSE is a first of its kind feature documentary film that reveals the world’s 27 million dirtiest secrets: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history. CALL+RESPONSE goes deep undercover where slavery is thriving from the child brothels of Cambodia to the slave brick kilns of rural India to reveal that in 2007, Slave Traders made more money than Google, Nike and Starbucks combined.

Luminaries on the issue such as Cornel West, Madeleine Albright, Daryl Hannah, Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd, Nicholas Kristof, and many other prominent political and cultural figures offer first hand account of this 21st century trade. Performances from Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek and Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Rocco Deluca move this chilling information into inspiration for stopping it.

Music is part of the movement against human slavery. Dr. Cornel West connects the music of the American slave fields to the popular music we listen to today, and offers this connection as a rallying cry for the modern abolitionist movement currently brewing.

There is a sea of change happening in human rights activism. The world’s issues cannot be solved alone by governments and non-profits, but require community-based participation. As a feature film, CALL+RESPONSE has the unique position of being not only a ground-breaking genre-bending film, but due to the fact that this project was funded completely through donations, it operates as a powerful movement with 100% of profits going to fund global field projects on the front lines of this issue.

CALL+RESPONSE is creating interactive field projects for each aspect of human slavery: sex slavery, labor slavery, child soldiers and child slavery. All profits from the use of the film, dvd, soundtrack, itunes downloads will be directed, by the viewers, to these projects with clear start and finish points (ie a landrover for a child soldier rehab camp, sewing machines for a after-care training facility). Our goal is to fund and celebrate completed projects together in community. We are closing the loop by allowing viewers to become participants in the solution.

For more information about how you can become an integral part of stopping this vicious crime, visit www.callandresponse.com

PC Load Letter?!

MONO reached a very exciting milestone last week. Yes players, we've smoked our first email server. I think there was actually smoke coming out of it.

So after a week of bounced emails we're happy to announce that we have a shiny new email server. So bring it on. Send us those mass political forwards. Send us those 10MB photos. Let's see what this baby can take.

(And for those of you who have been patiently waiting for a response from us, please email us again as your original note has gone to email heaven.)

Three hun-dred six-ty five de-grees...

That was hot. A night to remember up in Santa Rosa at the Wells Fargo Center of the Arts. The night was young starting at around 8pm. We're usually waiting to exhale at around 10 for openers. No openers for David Byrne, because he doesn't need it. The place was packed and loud waiting for Mr. Byrne to burn down the house. He literally saved the best for last after 2 encores. David and his band are out on an extensive tour that spans the entire USA up until the holidays. Then they are back on the road into Europe where I am sure sell out crowds will await him. They are on tour promoting the album "Everything That Happens Will Happen Today" a collaboration of efforts from Byrne and Brian Eno. Selections from the album were prominent during the 2 hour set.





I was particularly impressed with how well the show was produced and put together. The lighting and stage crew did a phenomenal job hitting all the marks with the music. The dancers also put on quite a show adding to the overall experience of seeing DB live. It was also great getting to see Paul Frazier and Graham Hawthorne in action. They have been MONOplayers for quite sometime and have supported MONO products for a while.





So it was 2 encores and the lights came back on and everyone left with spirits high. The after party soon commenced and we were allowed into a room with drinks and conversation. The band and crew were definitely in relaxation mode after a full night, their third consecutive in the bay area. It was a good time of catching up and winding down all rolled into one.

Derek Webb has something to say.

After leaving Caedmon's Call to pursue a solo career in 2003, Derek Webb hasn't stopped making music since. His latest "The Ringing Bell" the fourth album post-Caedmon's finds Webb speaking words of peace...not so peacefully. And that's what makes Derek Webb a man that has something to say.

Aside from his sometimes raspy vocals, Webb can be tender at times yet cut through your thoughts at others. It's a great mixture of soft and edge that puts him in a light of his own. Yes, he pushes boundaries, but earns respect for going there.

Welcome Derek Webb, MONOplayer. We'll be hearing more from him later.



For more buzz visit www.noisetrade.com/derekwebb