Roots Music All-Stars – Fiddler Anne Harris and Multi-
Instrumentalist/Songwriter Markus James – Join Forces as Halo Rider to Release New Singles and Videos September 15 and November 3rd
Listen to “Devil and Angel” Here:https://promo.theorchard.com/nUtppKo4q54nFvw5llBT
“Between them, they make heavily blues-infused music which is edgy, haunting, cinematic, compelling, soulful, and deeply rooted. Whether you’re a radio personality, a talent booker, a promoter, or “just” a fan of thoughtful, exploratory and evocative music with a memorable presentation, this is an alliance not to be missed.” —Richard Shurman, Blues producer and historian
“The music of Halo Rider is refreshingly new, yet feels very familiar. Anne Harris and Markus James have created one of the most hauntingly beautiful recordings in recent memory. This is truly music to be savored”- Jesse Finkelstein, Managing Director, Blues Radio International
“Awesome” –AJ Gross, founder and director, Big Blues Bender
“Great show” – Sue Whittingham, coordinator, Aspen / Snowmass Concert Series
CHICAGO, IL –Individual roots music all-stars Anne Harris and Markus James have joined forces to become Halo Rider, a multifaceted duo that brings a whole new realm of excitement to the alternative blues, Americana and adult alternative genres. Halo Rider is a kaleidoscope of deep grooves, atmospheric instrumental passages, harmonies, and poetic flashes in a lyric-driven musical terrain that ranges from acoustic old-time to amped up Hill Country to electrified blues-rock.
Anne and Markus have played at several festivals and concert series over the last few years as “Harris James,” and are now ready to start releasing some new music tracks and videos as Halo Rider. Halo Rider is set to release two tracks and videos this fall on James’ Firenze Records label, with digital distribution through The Orchard / Sony. They recently played The Heritage Festival in Wheeling, West Virginia, and also created a firestorm with their appearance at The Big Blues Bender in Las Vegas.
Halo Rider will release their first single, “Devil and Angel,” and its accompanying video, on September 15. One minute previews of the video have already been available and generated some exciting numbers: over 13,000 YouTube views as of end of August; over 2,800 Facebook likes and over 2100 Instagram likes. Watch part 1 of the video here: https://youtu.be/2lgdj0xcjFY (“Lord where I wander/don’t nobody know/devil and angel/everywhere I go”(c) 2023 Markus James (LivNat / ASCAP); (p) 2023 Halo Rider / Firenze Records).
Part 2 has scored over 3,800 views on YouTube: https://youtu.be/-7K0DhLxIMYyoutube
(“You left me hangin’/twist in the wind/had to hold my breath/til someone cut me down and then/I turned into a heathen/vanish in the crowd/had to resist the temptation/to be thinkin out loud.”
(C) 2023 Markus James (LivNat / ASCAP); (P) 2023 Firenze Records).
“Devil and Angel” is a sultry, deep groove with brooding lyrics, featuring a male/female duo rap breakdown, slide guitar and violin solos. The second single, “Sweet Forgiveness” (releasing on November 3rd), is Kentucky mountain acoustic folk style, with vocal harmonies and fiddle solos.
Violin/fiddle player Anne Harris has had a high profile in the blues touring circuit, due to her playing with Otis Taylor for many years, as well as being an in-demand musician for sessions and tours with Jason Ricci and JP Soars, among others. Multi-instrumentalist and singer Markus James has garnered extensive praise for his ‘outside the box” excursions into blues and Americana on his several solo albums.
ANNE HARRIS
Chicago-based fiddle player Anne Harris has been a favorite on the blues festival scene for over a decade. Her collaborations, live and in-studio, span a large and diverse group of artists, including multi-Blues Music award winner Otis Taylor, Anders Osborne, Living Colour, Amy Helm, Vieux Farke Toure, Guy Davis, and occasional stints with classic rock legends, Jefferson Starship.
“Once you have witnessed Anne Harris play the violin, you aren’t likely to forget the experience any time soon. It’s not just the wondrous music she makes drawing her bow across the strings, it’s also the way the spirit of the music emanates from her physically. She inhabits the music, or maybe the music inhabits her, but it is impossible not to be drawn under her spell.” (BluesWax)
“Anne is an internationally recognized instrumental talent that has captivated audiences around the globe. Her command of the stage is punctuated with a free reeling and coiling whirlwind of sound and visual excitement. Her gypsy-like stage presence is truly unforgettable and revolutionary in the ever expanding Blues genre. ” (Cleve Baker)
MARKUS JAMES
Singer-songwriter Markus James recorded five critically-acclaimed albums of original blues-based music with traditional musicians in Mali, West Africa (“Nightbird is one of the deepest listening experiences that will hit the US market this year” –Billboard), and the award-winning documentary film about this collaboration, “Timbuktoubab”, was seen on many PBS and satellite stations around the US. Markus’ latest album, Head For The Hills, recorded in North Mississippi’s hill country featuring drummers Calvin Jackson and Kinney Kimbrough, received rave reviews (Head For The Hills is undoubtedly one of the finest releases of recent years, both within the genre and beyond” – Blues Matters (UK), and led to performances on “The House of Blues Radio Hour,” Montreal International Jazz Festival, and Telluride Blues Festival, among others. The instrumental track, “On a Mississippi Porch” appears in the recent Oprah Winfrey film, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.
Hi-res photo: http://www.markpuccimedia.com/Halo-Rider-Hi-Res-Photo-scaled.jpg
Halo Rider Social Media Links:
https://www.instagram.com/haloridermusic/
https://www.facebook.com/HaloRiderMusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1o2TLpvSEV3ZjpUBQA8Jgk
www.halorider.com
