The first and possibly most important piece of news is that the digital release of our newest album If the Haves are Willing is finally scheduled for 10/04/10 with Halogen Records.  We released the CD’s ourselves in late June and have been working frantically to get the digital edition ready for the streets.  There will be shows celebrating the worldwide digital release, as well as a few other surprises to be announced later this fall.

Over the past few months our guitarist Zack has been feverishly working on the new studio album from his band the Zack Dupont Band.  This is the first full band album he has put together that features his silky smooth songwriting.  His debut album Paths was released last year to a roar of public praises.  For the new record he has been working with producer Jared Slomoff as well as some of the best musicians in Vermont.  Look out for this one when it drops!

Speaking of studio work, just this past weekend we had the privilege of returning to The Tank which is our favorite studio here in Burlington with our dear friend and former pianist Jon Goneau.  Jon made a special trip up to Burlington for this late night session while back on the east coast.  While we still have no idea what will become of the recording from this session,  it was fantastic having Jon back with us.  More info will be made available as we decide how and when to use these tracks.

While on the topic of Jon Goneau, there are outtakes from the recording of No Consequence that are slowly being mixed/mastered for inclusion in the digital extended edition release tentatively slated for Spring 2011.  When the main tracks were done for that album, the beer started flowing and we kept playing.  Out of this extra 4-5 hours of improvised goodness we’ll be compiling an EP for exclusive digital release.

The last bit of news for now is a coming remix contest.  Within the next month or so we’ll be launching a contest to remix a track from If the Haves are Willing.  The best remixes will land themselves on an EP to be released digitally.  Other prizes and information will be made available once we’ve finalized the details.

Here are a few of the pictures taken at the Tank with Jon.

Lastly, we have a video shot back in April at Nectar’s.  It’s of a song called Heavy and features our buddy Sam from Otis Grove on the organ.

The four-part concert series will feature Japhy Ryder on August 7, Twiddle on August 14, Roots of Creation on August 21, and Barefoot Truth on August 28. Bands will be playing at the K-1 Gondola at Killington Resort every Saturday from 4 to 6 pm in August. Guests can enjoy the family-friendly music while winding down from a day of mountain biking on Killington Peak, playing golf, hiking on the Appalachian Trail, or fishing at Kent Pond.

Select restaurants and retailers in Killington will be partnering with It’s Cooler in the Mountains to offer specials on activities to encourage concert guests to spend the day and evening in Killington, like the Pico Mountain Adventure Center, golf, food tastings, and mountain biking.

“We’re excited to have the opportunity to bring people to Killington Road, build on the tradition of summer music in the mountains, and provide another reason for families to spend their weekend with us,” says Seth Webb, Economic Development and Tourism Director for the Town of Killington.

More information on the concert series is available online at  www.DiscoverKillington.com.

***UPDATE***
Persons in Rutland or Mendon wishing to come to the concert series without the hassle or concerns of driving themselves can call Gramps Shuttle to reserve free door-to-door transportation. The free ride promotion is limited to the first 50 guests for the August 7 concert. When getting on the shuttle, each person will pay $15 and receive in return a $15 voucher good at participating restaurants in Killington on the concert day.…. thus making your ride free.

Rides are first come – first served, and reservations must be made by Friday, August 6 at 3:00 pm. Call NOW 802-558-1543 to reserve a space. You may also email gramps.shuttle@comcast.net and leave your name, address, number of persons, desired pickup time and phone number. Pickups from Rutland will be scheduled around 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm. Return rides will be scheduled around 8:30 pm and 10:00 pm.

Gramps Shuttle will drive guests from their home to the concert venue, then to a restaurant of their choice. After dinner, guests simply catch the shuttle back to their home – it’s door-to-door service without the worries of drinking and driving or trying to arrange timing with everyone in your party.

Participating restaurants where your $15 voucher will be honored include Choices, Moguls, McGraths, On the Rocs, Birch Ridge Inn, Hemingways, Lookout, Grist Mill, Pasta Pot, Ovations, Casey’s Caboose and Outback. There’s dining to suit every taste and budget… with many specials being offered.

Concert goers will enjoy live, family-friendly music, the large outdoor patio area, free lawn games and activities, and the ability to start their concert experience with a mountain-biking or hiking ride up the K-1 Gondola.

Additionally, Killington Resort and EDT have partnered to create a raffle to win a free 2010-2011 Pico Mountain Season Pass. Concert goers may enter the drawing one time per concert for a total of four chances to win the pass, good for every day during the coming ski season.

The Eighth Annual Sol Harvest, The Manifestivus, will take place July 9 and 10, 2010. The Manifiestivus is Vermont’s party of the summer, featuring Common, Toubab Krewe, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars and John Brown’s Body, just to name a few – as well as some of Vermont’s finest local talent.

Our mission is to create a international world music festival which lifts peoples’ spirits in a way that it promotes evolution of the self through music, art and culture. Our vision is to create an elevated vibe that reminds us that we are one with each other, the land and all things.

The Manifestivus is held on 93 acres of breathtaking land in Cabot, Vermont, six hours north of New York City and three hours from Boston or Montreal. Set on a gently rolling hillside meadow surrounded by forest, the timber stage creates an unforgettable vibe which hosts 2000 dancing, smiling, loving faces under the moonlit sky. “Festivus” as it’s been dubbed, was founded by Toubab Krewe bassist David Pransky, and takes place on his family land. The Manifestivus is also managed by Carlo Rovetto of 1lb Productions and Positive Pie.

The “forward thinking, groove-heavy” (Jambase) Toubab Krewe based in Asheville, NC will perform both nights with an additional Toubab and Friends performance on Saturday. Friday night will also include a rare backwoods performance by grammy winning, film icon, and all around rock star, Common. Other performers include John Brown’s Body, Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad, DJ Ben Arsenal, Sarazino, Bajah and The Dry Eyed Crew, Manchilde, DJ DonP, D’Moja, Japhy Ryder, Casio Bastard and Rough Francis. The family-friendly event offers on-site camping, medical facilities, vendors of authentic African and Ital food, as well as local arts and crafts. The site also boasts hiking trails wind through beaver ponds, marsh and woodland forest, and a large swimming pond. The 200 + children that attend the festival have an entire supervised area devoted to fun, games and culture.

A limited number of $55 early-bird tickets will go on sale Saturday, May 15 @ High Noon Eastern on The Manifestisvus Website: www.manifestivus.com. Get ‘em while they last – once they’re gone ticket’s will be $75 in advance and $90 at the gate.

A portion of the proceeds will be donated to The Sabu School in Conakry, Guinea, a children’s school for Sierra Leone refugees, and will also go to supporting Toubab Krewe’s African teachers, their families, and the preservation of musical traditions of West Africa.

We play at noon on Saturday 7/10.. we’ll see you there!

We have a pair of CD Release Parties this upcoming weekend:
Friday 6/25 @ Nectar’s (Burlington) with the legendary Dub is a Weapon
Saturday 6/26 @ Positive Pie 2 (Montpelier) with our friends Casio Bastard

After these gigs, every show we play this summer will be celebrating the release of this album. We are very excited to get this album out to the masses as it is the most accurate example of our live sound that we’ve managed to capture in the studio.

The digital release with Halogen Records is slated for later this summer, until then the only place to get the CD (outside of VT) is from us.

In other news, our esteemed guitarist Zack duPont just won the ‘Artist of the Month’ poll from the New England Deli Magazine.   Check out his solo work at www.zackdupontmusic.com

If the Haves are Willing (tracklist) Das Gutt Ain’t that a B Can’t Do It Brother, Be Tightrope the Fill Grinder Boob Diaper (untitled) Set Self Sail

We are pleased to be working with Halogen Records/Halogen Media Works in the release of this album.  The official release date has been set for June 22, preorder is currently under way.

We’ll be having Cd release parties on 6/25 and 6/26 in Burlington and Montpelier.  More info on those to come.

If the Haves are Willing (tracklist) Das Gutt Ain’t that a B Can’t Do It Brother, Be Tightrope the Fill Grinder Boob Diaper (untitled) Set Self Sail

The first of these is happening at Higher Ground on March 13, 2010 when we share the bill with the Toubab Krewe.   We are big fans of the Toubab Krewe and their brand of West African Americana, it is bound to be a show to be remembered.  Doors open at 8PM, we take the stage at 8:30.  This is an ALL AGES show, tickets are $12 in advance and $14 day of the show available here.

Just 3 weeks after that we are returning to Nectar’s to share an evening with our friends (and fellow Ropeadope artists) Otis Grove on April 9.  We are looking at the possibility of releasing our live album at this show, more info on that as soon as we have it.

We will also be playing a few other local gigs in the Vermont area.  Including Wednesday February 10 at Red Square in Burlington.  We have a habit of picking up last minute gigs at a few of our favorite venues in Burlington.  Watch us on facebook for info on those when they occur.

As you may know, we had a little guitar swap occur in 2009.  When Jeremy chose to leave the band the rest of us were stuck deciding whether to hang up our hats and call Japhy Ryder done OR to find the perfect guitar player to fill out the roster again.  Thankfully we opted to hire our friend Zack duPont and what a difference he has made in our sound as well as in our lives.
Zack duPont is a class act.

That said, Z doesn’t spend all of his time tinkering away on the new Japhy Ryder material.  He’s in fact one of Vermont’s finest up and coming singer songwriters.  Don’t be shocked, just because he sticks to instrumental shredding with us does not mean that his vocal chords aren’t fully capable of melting your face. Z’s first solo record “Paths” was released in early January 2010, and has thus far received stellar reviews across the Northeast.

Check him out over at www.zackdupontmusic.com or even better, at one of his solo gigs.

Like we said in the spring, we took the summer off of almost all things Japhy.  Pat and Josh spent the summer playing Reggae with Vermont’s own ‘Pulse Prophets’ while Will escaped into central NY seclusion, Jason hiked the length of Vermont and Zach continued to shred with everyone that he could (that’s what he does folks – he’s a shredder).

While technically on our Japhy vacation, Will and I continued to make moves on this new record of ours.  While yes we wanted it done last spring, we’ve kept finding ways of making it better.  In July we invited our friends Timothy K Hull and Tom Morse to add an extra pair of horns to a few tracks.  After that all work on the album got pushed back due to equipment breaking, ie: the mixing board shat the bed.  The good news is that its back and we plan on continuing the process to get this album done in the very near future.

Also in the making right now is the fabled Live at Nectar’s album that we recorded in the fall of 2008.  This album will be the last release featuring former guitarist Jeremy Kizina.  The disc has been finished, it’s pretty fantastic, and is in the hands of the folks at Nectar’s.  Due to contract arrangements, we can’t put this album out until they do… so we don’t really know when that will happen.  For the time being, you can listen to one of the tracks from this album right here
(head on over to japhyryder.com and check out the audio)

We’re playing a monthly gig at Parima in Burlington and adding a few one off gigs in the Vermont area around those, but there are no plans of anything crazy in the near future.  While working on this album there is not a lot of traveling going on.  Once its done, we might be back at hitting the road.

The new record is appearing to be getting a summer/early fall release.  Comprised of 9 tracks, it is a solid representation of who we are, what we do and how we do it.  In an effort to save money and the environment we are not planning to print any CD’s,  we’re just releasing it digitally.  We apologize to all the anti-mp3 folks out there, but not really.

Last Friday Club Metronome was treated with a rare guitarless Japhy Ryder concert.  When Mr. Dupont informed us of a family emergency and his inability to attend, the only choice we had was to crush it.  Although Zack was sorely missed, with the help of our friends Alex Toth and Maria Eisen from the Rubblebucket Orchestra we proceeded to truly engage in the mystique of Jazz Fest.

Here’s 1 track from the show, its called Heavy.

(head on over to japhyryder.com and check out the audio)
The whole recording is available from www.vermontlivemusic.com

Many new features are being added to our website over the coming days.  Have a look around, you might find something you like.  A few of the new features are a finally listenable set of tracks on the Music tab and a brand new photo gallery.

That is the news for now.  We’re playing in Boston (Cambridge) on June 26 at the Lizard Lounge with fellow Ropeadope Artists Leo Genovese and Tim Collins.  Come on out and say hi.  But first, sign our mailing list if you aren’t already on it.