Nashville, Tenn. — Hailed by The New York Times as one of the artists at the forefront of the neo-folk movement, the Duhks continue the evolution with their fourth album, Fast Paced World, (August 19th / Sugar Hill Records). “We traveled from Winnipeg, locked ourselves in a Nashville basement, pooled our ideas together and invented a new sound,” says new frontwoman and bilingual, budding soul queen, Sarah Dugas (she replaced Jessee Havey in 2007).

Produced by Jay Joyce, who joins an impressive line of producers (Béla Fleck, Tim O’Brien) before him, the Duhks have created their most energetic, fully realized, unearthly album to date. Seriously. “Jay’s basement studio was like something out of the Star Trek Enterprise,” adds founder and clawhammer banjoist, Leonard Podolak, who, in the past, “traditionally stuck close to the acoustic sound of our instruments. This record is a beautiful mosaic of different ideas and soundscapes.”

Leonard, Sarah, Tania Elizabeth (fiddle, mandolin), guitarist Jordan McConnell and new worldbeat drummer Christian Dugas (Sarah’s brother) have melded French lounge pop (”Toujours Vouloir”) and scratchy soul meditations on the Galveston flood in 1900 (”Mighty Storm”) and sleeping (”Sleepin’ Is All I Wanna Do”) with the soundtrack of the weirdest 1930s Marlene Dietrich movie you never saw (”This Fall”), and beyond. “We’re all proud of this record and can’t wait to release it to the world,” adds Sarah.

“Fast Paced World” by The Duhks was released today on Sugar Hill Records today, August 19.

In the space between the Grammy-nominated Migrations (2006, Sugar Hill Records) and now, the Juno-winning band has gained critical love (”overall virtuosity that could make them stars” - Boston Globe), toured the world and earned a solid fan base - no doubt due to their manic, spirited live shows. (Check YouTube for John Paul Jones joining the band for “Whole Lotta Love”).

Environmental issues have always been a passion for the band, inspiring them to launch The Duhks Sustainability Project (www.greenduhks.com). The goal is to “tour as sustainably as possible - Biodiesel, local organic farmers, sustainable eco-conscious clothing,” says Tania, who was recently invited by Bonnaroo to speak about sustainability during the 2008 festival.

The Duhks on tour:

• Sep 05 — Great Barrington, MA - Club Helsinki
• Sep 06 — Hoboken, NJ - Maxwell’s
• Sep Oct — New York, NY - Joe’s Pub
• Sep 11 — Annapolis, MD - Ram’s Head on Stage
• Sep 12 — Philadelphia, PA - Tin Angel
• Sep 13 — Pittsburgh, PA - Thunderbird Café
• Sep 25 — Oakland, CA - Yoshi’s at Jack London Square
• Sep 29 — Seattle, WA - Tractor Tavern
• Oct 03 — Homer, AK - The Downeast Saloon
• Oct 04 — Anchorage, AK - Alaska Center for the Performing Arts
• Oct 05 — Kodiak, AK - Gerald C. Wilson Auditorium
• Oct 08 — Blacksburg, VA - The Lantern
• Oct 10 — Pittsboro, NC - Shakori Hills Grassroots festival
• Oct 11 — Pittsboro, NC - Shakori Hills Grassroots festival
• Oct 12 — Pittsboro, NC - Shakori Hills Grassroots festival
• Oct 15 — Virginia Beach, VA - The Jewish Mother
• Oct 16 — Arlington, VA - IOTA Club
• Oct 17 — Asheville, NC - Garage at Biltmore
• Oct 18 — Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
• Oct 20 — Atlanta, GA - Smith’s Olde Bar
• Oct 21 — Athens, GA - The Melting Point
• Oct 24 — Live Oak, FL - Spirit of the Suwanee Music park
• Oct 25 — Live Oak, FL - Spirit of the Suwanee Music park
• Oct 26 — Live Oak, FL - Spirit of the Suwanee Music park
• Oct 29 — Somerville, MA - Johnny D’s
• Oct 30 — Norfolk, CT - Infinity Hall

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Donna the Buffalo - “Silverlined” on Sugar Hill Records will be released July 8.

Nashville, Tenn. — Donna the Buffalo is twenty years young this year and as energized as ever. Their 7th record, Silverlined, which will be released on Tuesday, July 8, 2008 on Sugar Hill Records, builds on Donna the Buffalo’s signature sound — a bedrock of traditional mountain music infused with elements of Cajun, rock, folk, reggae and country. Throughout Silverlined, these undulating rhythms carry the original lyrics, and alternating vocals, of founding members Tara Nevins and Jeb Puryear along a powerful, mesmerizing current.

Donna the Buffalo represents one of most respected ‘brands’ in the world of touring roots acts. The band has put countless miles on their vintage biodiesel bus playing the country’s most prestigious festivals and clubs. Their fervent fan base, nicknamed The Herd, follows the band with zeal and has created a unique and supportive community online and at DTB shows across the nation. As an extension of this community and the band’s own dedication to live roots music, Donna the Buffalo started its own annual event — The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance — in upstate NY which draws more than 15,000 people every year.

Unlike their last record, Life’s a Ride, which was recorded in DTB’s home studio, (The Tracking Shack, in Perry City, New York) Silverlined went many miles, and has many hands in its making. Only one track was recorded in their home studio; two were recorded at Yes Master studio in Nashville, Tennessee, ten at Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina, and several vocal tracks were laid down at Sound Cell Studio in Huntsville, Alabama. Silverlined was co-produced with — and engineered by — New York-based recording engineer Joe Blaney, whose eclectic list of clients includes the diverse talents of Keith Richards, Prince, and Blues Traveler.

Rounding out DTB with Nevins (vocals, guitar, fiddle, accordion) and Puryear (vocals, guitar) are Tom Gilbert, drums (eleven years with DTB), David McCracken, keyboards, and Jay Sanders, bass (he recently replaced Bill Reynolds who’s off with Band of Horses). Silverlined also includes the talents of such well-known guests as Béla Fleck, Claire Lynch, David Hidalgo and Amy Helm.

Silverlined Track Listing:

1. Temporary Misery 3:20
2. Tomorrow Still Knows 4:51
3. Locket And Key 3:20
4. Garden Of Eden 3:52
5. Broken Record 3:18
6. Meant To Be 3:48
7. Biggie K 3:26
8. Silverlined 3:08
9. The Call 5:03
10. I Don’t Need A Riddle 2:53
11. Blue Eyes 4:03
12. Beauty Within 3:03
13. Forty Days And Forty Nights 3:55

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Nashville, Tenn. — Sugar Hill Records is set to release two new titles as part of their Americana Master Series. Ricky Skaggs: Best of the Sugar Hill Years and Doc Watson: Best of the Sugar Hill Years will both hit the streets on July 8th, 2008. Researched and compiled from each artist’s body of work on the label, these tracks were culled from radio chart toppers, fan mail, downloads, and songs and tunes that are recurrent favorites at live performances.

Doc Watson

Doc Watson “Americana Master Series - Best of the Sugar Hill Years” (Sugar Hill Records)

Doc Watson has been an iconic influence on every acoustic guitar player that has come in his wake. A recipient of the National Heritage Award and the National Medal of Arts, Watson’s contribution to the American folk idiom is immeasurable. For the Americana Master Series, Watson’s Sugar Hill releases - which span over 40 years from 1960 through 2006 - were meticulously combed for the best representation of both the virtuosity that embodies his work, as well as its breadth.

From bluegrass selections that exemplify the flat-picking that has become Watson’s calling card to gospel and traditional tunes featuring his soulful vocals, the collection draws upon solo work as well as duets with son Merle and collaborations with Bryan Sutton and Marty Stuart. Also included are tunes featuring the guitarist on banjo and slide guitar, demonstrating the icon’s virtuosity and deep connection to Appalachian roots music.

Doc Watson: Best of the Sugar Hill Years Track listing:

1. Slidin Delta 2:00
2. My Dear Old Southern Home 2:22
3. Country Blues 3:24
4. You Must Come In At The Door 2:14
5. Greenville Trestle High 3:26
6. Bright Sunny South 2:34
7. Let The Church Roll On 2:55
8. My Little Woman, Youre So Sweet 2:19
9. Watson Blues 3:31
10. Wreck Of The Number Nine 2:51
11. Solid Gone 3:01
12. Whiskey Before Breakfast 2:53
13. What Does The Deep Sea Say 3:30
14. Your Lone Journey 2:45

Ricky Skaggs

Ricky Skaggs “Americana Master Series - Best of the Sugar Hill Years” (Sugar Hill Records)

By the time Ricky Skaggs launched his solo career on Sugar Hill in 1979, he’d already amassed a resume that most retirees would envy. He’d been a member of Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys and the legendary Country Gentlemen. He’d made vital recordings with his friend and collaborator Keith Whitley. He’d been in Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band, and he’d been part of the pioneering neo-bluegrass band Boone Creek, whose album One Way Track had in fact been Sugar Hill’s first release as a label.

For all he did to bring roots to country, this collection is basted in bluegrass, a hand-picked anthology of the hand-picked music of Skaggs in his early years. Classics like “I’ll Stay Around” and “Little Cabin Home On The Hill” from Sweet Temptation show an artist who had internalized the sound and tone of the founding fathers, while Tony Rice’s guitar solos introduce overtones of innovation. With the string of Grammy-winning discs since, he’s returned to the form and function of his Sugar Hill years. He’s always been ahead of the curve with yesterday’s sounds, and you can hear why in these cuts.

Ricky Skaggs: Best of the Sugar Hill Years Track Listing:

1. Daniel Prayed 2:14
2. Ill Stay Around 2:35
3. Bury Me Beneath The Weeping Willow 2:41
4. Little Cabin Home On The Hill 3:21
5. Drifting Too Far From The Shore 2:15
6. Little Community Church 2:37
7. Im Not Broke, But Im Badly Bent 2:14
8. Head Over Heels In Love With You 2:13
9. The Old Crossroads 2:42
10. No Mother Or Dad 2:40
11. If I Needed You 3:15
12. Where The Soul Of Man Never Dies 2:34
13. I Know What It Means To Be Lonesome 2:15

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The Infamous Stringdusters

Make your plans now. The Infamous Stringdusters along with Sugar Hill Records have announced that the ‘Dusters will play an album release party in honor of the band’s self titled, sophomore release at the Station Inn, in Nashville, Tenn. on June 6th. Showtime starts at 9:00 PM and cover charge is $12.00. “The Infamous Stringdusters” will be released on June 10.

When “The Infamous Stringdusters” comes out on Sugar Hill Records, some may assume from the title that it’s a debut recording. Those already aware of the Stringdusters phenomenon will know differently. That 2007’s “Fork in the Road” was the album that boldly introduced this daring, disciplined band to the world of bluegrass and a wider world of music enthusiasts who heard it and decided, “if that’s bluegrass, then I love bluegrass.” “Fork in the Road” was named Album of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA). Its title track was named Song of the Year, and the band itself earned the honor of best emerging artist in a competitive field. It was a stunning cap to an amazing 2007.

Yet “The Infamous Stringdusters” feels like an introduction of a sort. Whereas “Fork in the Road” was made during their first potent months together, the new CD represents all the band has become during two years of intense touring, meticulous woodshedding and brotherly jamming. It’s their first record with accomplished guitarist Andy Falco, whose blues-infused licks and stunning virtuosity has added a new facet to the band’s musical personality. It’s the first with the band’s dream producer Tim O’Brien, a Grammy-winning musician who has pioneered and embodied the progressive school of roots and bluegrass that underlies the Stringdusters sound. And of course it’s the first with these songs - nine band originals supplemented by a few carefully chosen tunes from colleagues in the acoustic music community.

Dobroist Andy Hall’s “Well, Well” captures a character in limbo between desperation and optimism. Bassist Travis Book contributed several songs, including the sentimental “Bound For Tennessee.” Fiddler and singer Jeremy Garrett lends layers of lonesome to his song “When Silence is the Only Sound.” Meanwhile, “Loving You” by Grammy nominated writer Sarah Siskind is a signature example of what sets the Stringdusters apart, with its off-kilter groove and dark-hued melody. The bluesy and slightly demented “Get It While You Can” was composed by Bad Livers mad genius Danny Barnes. And rippling newgrass instrumentals from the hands of mandolinist Jesse Cobb (”Golden Ticket”), banjo master Chris Pandolfi (”Glass Elevator”) and Hall (”Black Rock”) complement the album with flawless examples of the band’s trademark instrumental virtuosity.

In their breakout year of 2007, The Infamous Stringdusters played over 150 dates, including the biggest festivals in acoustic music, jammed on major stages with heroes like David Grisman and Sam Bush, and landed a development deal for motion picture music with Lions Gate Entertainment. With the release of “The Infamous Stringdusters,” 2008 promises more roads and more new fans in bluegrass and beyond.

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Sugar Hill Records continues to expand its Americana Master Series with seven new CD releases. All sharing the sub-title, “Americana Master Series, The Best of the Sugar Hill Years,” the releases showcase the Lonesome River Band, Reckless Kelly, Peter Rowan, Doyle Lawson, the Nashville Bluegrass Band and Terry Allen.

Sugar Hill launched the series in March with CDs by James McMurtry, Jerry Douglas and Guy Clark.

“Researched and compiled from from the artist’s body of work on Sugar Hill Records, these tracks were culled from radio chart toppers, fan mail, downloads, and songs and tunes that are recurrent favorites at live performances,” according to a Sugar Hill publicist.

The new releases are already on store shelves. Information is available from http://www.sugarhillrecords.com/

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