Since gaining prominence in the early 2000’s, ukulele marvel Jake Shimabukuro has mesmerized audiences with his innovative and dynamic style, taking the instrument to dizzying new heights. Over a dozen solo albums, Shimabukuro has shown a knack for moving effortlessly between genres, sometimes in the same song. After being taught the instrument by his mother at age four, Jake became a local phenom, performing on his own and in a local group Pure Heart. Early in his solo career he became a YouTube sensation when his cover of George Harrison’s “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral. Since then, Jake has gone on to play the world’s most venerable venues, from The Hollywood Bowl to Lincoln Center to the Sydney Opera House and The N.O. Jazz Fests and collaborated with some of the world’s greatest musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma, Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, Jimmy Buffett, Jack Johnson, Bette Midler, Ziggy Marley, Sonny Landreth, Billy Strings, Lukas & Willie Nelson and Warren Haynes. Shimabukuro has also won his share of awards and, just a few years ago he was nominated by President Joe Biden to serve as a Member for the National Council on the Arts. One strong thread that runs through much of Shimabukuro’s work is that of collaboration. From the Trio album to Jake & Friends to Grateful and beyond, Shimabukuro thrives in the ability to feed off and inspire his fellow musicians. For his brand-new project, Shimabukuro joins forces with his friend, drumming legend and founding member of Fleetwood Mac, Mick Fleetwood, to create a fresh new take on the Blues. “I’ve always wanted to do a Blues album and when Mick and I started talking about working together, I thought who better to work with than Mick Fleetwood?” The result is something exhilarating and unique, as these two titans of their instruments reinterpret some of the greatest songs written by some of their favorite songwriters in a Blues setting. It’s a union whose roots go back to the late 1990s when a young Shimabukuro met and played with Fleetwood at the Hawaiian Music Awards ceremony along with singer songwriter Kenny Loggins. It wasn’t until a few years ago, that the two were reconnected by a mutual friend at a Fleetwood Mac reunion concert in Nashville. That night, the seeds of the collaboration were planted at Fleetwood’s suggestion. Not long thereafter the two convened along with Jake’s touring bassist Jackson Waldhoff and keyboard player Michael Grande to start work on a new studio album in Maui. Mark Johnstone from The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band plays keys on two songs, “Need Your Love So Bad”, and “Rockin’ In The Free World”. Over the course of two 3-day sessions, the band recorded 9 songs live in the studio. The only track that was not recorded with all of the musicians playing together was Sonny Landreth’s brilliant slide guitar on the Jeff Beck/Stevie Wonder classic “Cause We’ve Ended As Lovers”. This soaring track full of peaks and valleys was a tremendous way to start the album. The interplay between Landreth and Shimabukuro is so seamless, you’d never know that they did not play together in the same room. The Chemistry is due in large part to the  two performing the song together during a recent tour. In addition, Sonny would often sit in with Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band back when Jake was a member. Up next is a truly unique interpretation of the Blues standard, “Rollin’ N Tumblin’”. The song fades in with a swirling, delay-drenched psychedelic uke over top of Fleetwood’s tribal drumming pattern, giving credence to why Jake is often referred to as the “Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele”. Then, on a dime, Jake changes his sound and cuts to playing the song’s theme which is echoed nicely by the Hammond Organ. Jake’s playing on the track is experimental and otherworldly, at times ascending into a psych jazz rock fusion in the most visceral ways. “Mick’s energy when he plays is so infectious. He’s such an intense musician. He pushes everyone around him and it’s so inspiring to see his facial expressions and watch his movements and the way he hits the drums,” says Shimabukuro exuberantly. About “Kula Blues” Jake explains, “I’d never written anything that sounded this bluesy or a shuffle, so I wanted to take a stab at it and have a song where any musician could sit in without needing a chart”. Again, Jake credits Mick Fleetwood with bringing the track to life. “He just got behind the drums and without even counting it off came charging in. You either jump on the train or get outta the way!” A couple of other standouts on the album are “Whiter Shade of Pale” and “Rockin’ in the Free World”. Of the former, Shimabukuro recalls “I was so in the moment, I remember just closing my eyes and really forgetting my pedal board and everything and just reacting to Mick and the band.” Fortuitously, The Bridge School Benefit, founded by Neil Young had asked Jake if he would do a cover of “Rockin’ in the Free World" the same week he and Mick were in the studio. The track has an explosive energy that builds to an incendiary psychedelic guitar, ‘er make that ukulele solo spurred on by Fleetwood’s thunderous drums. One of the things that really comes across speaking to Jake about this record is the ‘spirits in the air’ during the recordings. This is particularly apparent on their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Songbird”. Recorded not long after Christine McVie’s passing, the band only did one take. You can feel the emotion in the performance. “I remember Mick took a moment of silence after the song ended and you could see that he felt Christine’s presence.” Fleetwood’s tom tom groove provides the heartbeat for Shimabukuro’s floaty, ethereal uke, as he moves naturally between fast strumming chords and  lilting melodic phrases. “I felt so fortunate to be able to experience that with Mick. It was very powerful to see the effect it had on him.” Another ‘ghost in the machine’ or ‘happy accident’ was the sound of the drums leaking into the ukulele’s electric pickup. Because the musicians were so close together, you can hear all the drums on the ukulele track. When the fx are going on the uke, you get this cool subtle layer of the drum fx in the mix, contributing to the overall vibe and cohesion of the record. Not long after the completion of the record, Maui was devastated by historic wildfires. At the benefit concert in Honolulu Fleetwood once again joined Shimabukuro and the band to perform the songs on Blues Experience for the first time. Before the performance, Fleetwood gave a powerful and inspirational speech to the community. Shimabukuro expands on this, “Mick’s like the point guard on a basketball team making everyone around him play better. It’s really incredible. He has such a huge presence, charisma and energy. It was such an honor to do this project together.

Drenched in sun-kissed natural beauty both inside and out, Nashville native, Deana Carter, didn’t take a seemingly easy route to stardom, but instead chose to defy the conventional expectations of the typical Nashville artist blueprint and make her own mark. And she did, undeniably taking the industry and fans by storm with her wildly successful multi-platinum international debut “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” more two decades ago. Anchored by the dreamy super hit ” Strawberry Wine”, Carter showcased her own blend of country and retro rock sprinkled with the folksy singer/songwriter qualities that have garnered Deana Carter well deserved respect and wild acclaim. With EIGHT albums under her belt, Carter explores many subjects commonly shared over a quaint dinner, afternoon coffee or a sunny day hike with a good friend. Her last release of Southern Way of Life was her first dive as Label CEO on her own Little Nugget Records, distributed by Sony/Red. These songs weave through the sometimes rocky terrain of adulthood, including loss of love, relationships on many different levels, trials, tribulations and simply put – life. As always, Instinctively autobiographical, the subject matter mimics the interesting ride of Carter’s own life – so far. The daughter of famed studio guitarist and producer Fred Carter, Jr., Deana grew up exposed to the wide variety of musicians her father worked with, including Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan, Waylon Jennings, Simon & Garfunkel, Muddy Waters, Dolly Parton, and many more. Their strong influence would eventually seep into Deana’s own country-pop style, which reflects qualities that can also be heard in similar artists now, such as Miranda Lambert and reflective of artists like Sheryl Crow. Developing her songwriting skills by trial and error at writer’s nights throughout Nashville, Carter eventually signed a writing deal with Polygram and soon after a record deal with Capitol Records. One of her demo tapes happened to fall into the hands of none other than Willie Nelson, who remembered Deana as a child. Impressed with how she’d grown as a songwriter, Nelson asked Deana to perform along with John Mellencamp, Kris Kristofferson and Neil Young as the only female solo artist to appear at Farm Aid VII in 1994. Her debut album, “Did I Shave My Legs For This?” boasts six songs co-written and with the album co-produced by Carter, was released to strong reviews in late summer 1996. By the end of the year, the record had climbed to the top of both the country and pop charts, quickly achieving multi-platinum status, with 3 number one singles in a row. A “first” for the genre, Deana’s celebrated debut album held this distinction and many ground breaking achievements for more than 5 years and has become one of Country Music’s most treasured classics of the 90’s. “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” followed in late 1998 and in 2001 Carter realized her dream of performing with her dad on an intimate holiday album, aptly titled “Father Christmas.” Making a strong move towards adult pop Carter released “I’m Just a Girl” on Arista Records in 2003, the same year Capitol Records released a Greatest Hits compilation. Follow-ups “The Story of My Life” in 2005 and “The Chain” in 2007 were both released on Vanguard Records. In an effort to pay homage to her musical roots and preserve her legendary father’s label Nugget Records, that famously presented some of the best in country music some 40 years ago, Carter opened her own label, Little Nugget Records, on which her latest album “Southern Way of Life” was released. Carter now divides her time between Los Angeles, Florida and Nashville, writing and producing for both the pop/rock and country markets when not on the road touring or making movies. Her superstar success continues to be evident as the chart topper “You & Tequila”, co-written  with Matraca Berg and recorded by Kenny Chesney, was nominated as CMA’s “Song of the Year”, as well as two Grammy nods, notable the coveted “Song of the Year” , and, also, received a nomination as ACM’s “Song of the Year”. You and Tequila received a coveted ‘Songs I Wished I’d Written’ by the NSAI in Nashville, something Deana treasures, coming from her hometown music community. Carter also co-wrote and produced an album for recording artist Audra Mae & the Almighty Sound, while putting the finishing touches on her own “Southern Way of Life.” She has recently held a Governor’s seat on the Grammy Board for the Recording Academy and served on the Producer’s & Engineer’s Wing, The Membership Committee, & held an active voice for Artists & Creators with Advocacy in Washington, D. C. & throughout the last year for Pandemic Relief. Singer, songwriter, producer – Deana Carter continues to defy conventional expectations, making waves as she makes great music, tours, & makes movies.