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Lou Whitney

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Kansas City’s The Pitch premieres Fred Wickham’s new single, “Mariosa Delta”

It’s been 16 years since Hadacol’s second and final album, All In Your Head. The band broke up shortly after its release, and it never really got the attention its predecessor, Better Than This, did. Since then, the band’s lead singer and guitarist, Fred Wickham, hasn’t exactly been absent from music — he plays with classic country cover band Kasey Rausch & the Naughty Pines, as well as performing as Scott Hrabko’s guitarist. Hadacol even reunited in 2010 and plays the occasional show around town.

Wickham has returned to recording after a lengthy break, and his debut solo album, Mariosa Delta, comes out Friday, September 29. It’s a rootsy affair — which should be unsurprising to anyone who has followed Wickham. Still, the elements from which he draws this time are, in a word, older.

“I was listening to a lot of Count Basie stuff at the time,” Wickham says. Jazz, he adds, “is not my bag, but I kinda had a little bit of that in my head, maybe.”

Much like the Mariosa Delta itself, where the Maries and Osage rivers meet, the album combines blues, jazz, and country into toe-tapping yet introspective songs. But the history on Mariosa Delta isn’t only in its musical reference points. The songs center on the story of Wickham’s grandmother Vivian and her husband’s brother Jim being gunned down by a jealous husband in front of the nightclub owned by Vivian and her husband.

Mariosa Delta has been in the works for quite some time — even Wickham says he’s no longer quite sure when it started. (One marker: The album was produced by Lou Whitney, who died two years ago.)

“We didn’t spend a whole lot of time on the record,” Wickham says. “It just took a long time to finish it, because things got in the way.”

When Whitney was diagnosed with cancer, he and Wickham could mix only one song at a time. But the patience is audible in a sound that recalls listeners vintage Band or Randy Newman.

“I’ve been listening to Randy Newman all my life — a lot!” Wickham says with a laugh. “When I was in high school, I had his poster in my bedroom. Now, when I was sitting around writing all this stuff, I wasn’t rediscovering Randy Newman, by any means, but he’s always been there.” READ MORE…

 

Baby Robot Media is a music publicity and media service agency with employees in Los Angeles, Memphis, Atlanta & New York and represent musicians from all over the world. We specialize in promotional ( PR ) campaigns for albums, singles and videos, tour press, radio, music video production, music marketing, social media campaigns, Spotify campaigns and creating promotional content. Our mission is to help great unknown bands reach a wider audience and to help already successful artists manage their brand identity and continue to thrive. Our music publicists have over 50 years of combined experience in the music industry. We are known as one of the best in the business.

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Wide Open Country premieres Fred Wickham’s new single, “I Don’t Have to Like It”

Fred Wickham’s “I Don’t Have to Like It,” from forthcoming solo debut Mariosa Delta, is a tantalizing tale of loss. It’s also the bittersweet end of a Midwestern alt-country staple’s career, following the 2014 death of producer Lou Whitney.

The song tells of regretful farewells and emotional vulnerabilities, with each gut-wrenching verse punctuated by barroom piano riffs. At its core sits a songwriter, strumming his acoustic guitar while spilling his heart for all who might listen.

“I Don’t Have to Like It” is one of my favorite cuts on the record,” Wickham tells Wide Open Country. “The rhythm section paces the song perfectly—its dramatic without sounding melodramatic. I like the way the band exercises the restraint the singer is pretending to have, when in fact, unlike the musicians, he’s actually falling apart.  This song owes a lot to producer Lou Whitney. He was the best.”

Although such lines as “I don’t mind saying it, I hate to see you go,” work as lamentations of a shunned lover, they took on new meaning after Whitney’s death.

Whitney died at age 71 following a battle with terminal cancer. The veteran Missouri musician’s production and engineering credits include releases by Wilco and Robbie Fulks. Whitney also produced both albums by Wickham’s prior band, Hadacol.

“He was a huge name among all those dedicated people who love Americana music,”  says Wickham. “He was just an incredible character. If you met him and spent any time with him, you would say, ‘That’s one of the most interesting people I’ve ever been around.’”

Wickham’s solo debut comes 16 years after the dissolution of Hadacol, an alt-country band that also featured his brother Greg. That’s a mighty long stretch of living for a songwriter with a talent for basing narratives on triumphs and sorrows. For instance, Wickham became a new father recently, adding a heightened sense of joy to his life and songs. He’s also wrestling with a late-life admission by his deceased grandmother, whose shocking tale of her brother-in-law’s murder at a family-owned club inspired the title track.

For another taste of what Mariosa Delta has in store for listeners, check out the toe-tapping fiddle tune “You Don’t Need Me.” The album arrives Sept. 29 via Thirty Days Records. READ MORE…

 

Baby Robot Media is a music publicity and media service agency with employees in Los Angeles, Memphis, Atlanta & New York and represent musicians from all over the world. We specialize in promotional ( PR ) campaigns for albums, singles and videos, tour press, radio, music video production, music marketing, social media campaigns, Spotify campaigns and creating promotional content. Our mission is to help great unknown bands reach a wider audience and to help already successful artists manage their brand identity and continue to thrive. Our music publicists have over 50 years of combined experience in the music industry. We are known as one of the best in the business.

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PopMatters premieres Fred Wickham’s new single, “Rock Bottom”

Reminiscent of the rambling of folk and country legends like Dylan and Cash, Fred Wickham‘s “Rock Bottom” is a modern bard’s sardonic tale of twists and turns for the worst. It’s all stapled together by the final utterance of its chorus: “You might think you’ve hit rock bottom, but you’ve got a long way to go.”

Despite its cynic’s worldview, the makeup of the song itself feels decidedly upbeat. Wickham’s world-worn perception of the scene his lyrics are painting is adequately met by maundering, folksy vocals. Otherwise, the instrumentation is jaunty, featuring both brass and organ-produced synth that brings more of a playful, sarcastic overtone to the ongoing events laid out in the song.

Wickham’s Mariosa Delta releases on September 29th. READ MORE…

 

Baby Robot Media is a music publicity and media service agency with employees in Los Angeles, Memphis, Atlanta & New York and represent musicians from all over the world. We specialize in promotional ( PR ) campaigns for albums, singles and videos, tour press, radio, music video production, music marketing, social media campaigns, Spotify campaigns and creating promotional content. Our mission is to help great unknown bands reach a wider audience and to help already successful artists manage their brand identity and continue to thrive. Our music publicists have over 50 years of combined experience in the music industry. We are known as one of the best in the business.

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No Depression premieres Fred Wickham’s new single, “You Don’t Need Me”

Fred Wickham’s taking a new swing at the troubador’s life. Some of you may remember the midwest rock band Hadacol from the ’90s. For Mariosa Delta, Wickham’s brought some of the band back together as well as his family — including his son Fred Wickham Jr. on mandolin joing him on tour (Dave Wilson plays mandolin and fiddle in the recording). The lead-off single, “You Don’t Need Me,” is an easy-going foot-tapper with warm notes: a honeyed fiddle and shining mandolin complete the arrangement. But Wickham’s forthright delivery and sardonic lyrics betray his rocker roots, giving the song enough texture to make your ears perk up. READ MORE…

 

Baby Robot Media is a music publicity and media service agency with employees in Los Angeles, Memphis, Atlanta & New York and represent musicians from all over the world. We specialize in promotional ( PR ) campaigns for albums, singles and videos, tour press, radio, music video production, music marketing, social media campaigns, Spotify campaigns and creating promotional content. Our mission is to help great unknown bands reach a wider audience and to help already successful artists manage their brand identity and continue to thrive. Our music publicists have over 50 years of combined experience in the music industry. We are known as one of the best in the business.

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The Bluegrass Situation premieres Fred Wickham’s new single, “Wedding Song”

Artist: Fred Wickham
Hometown: Kansas, MO
Song: “Wedding Song”
Album: Mariosa Delta
Release Date: September 29, 2017
Label: Thirty Days Records

In Their Words: “’Wedding Song’ will never be played at anybody’s wedding. Its more of an ‘anti-wedding song.’ Sometimes you know somebody’s making a big mistake and there’s not a lot you can do about it.

I don’t think there’s a better guitar player in the world than D. Clinton Thompson. I’ve been a fan for as long as I can remember, and it was a real treat to have him play on a song where it’s appropriate for him to really cut loose. Donnie’s a consummate player and, like Lou Whitney, he’s always been more concerned with what’s best for the song than with showing off. ‘Wedding Song’ was built for speed and Donnie really lets it fly. The result is pretty spectacular.” — Fred Wickham

READ MORE…

 

Baby Robot Media is a music publicity and media service agency with employees in Los Angeles, Memphis, Atlanta & New York and represent musicians from all over the world. We specialize in promotional ( PR ) campaigns for albums, singles and videos, tour press, radio, music video production, music marketing, social media campaigns, Spotify campaigns and creating promotional content. Our mission is to help great unknown bands reach a wider audience and to help already successful artists manage their brand identity and continue to thrive. Our music publicists have over 50 years of combined experience in the music industry. We are known as one of the best in the business.