Blues News

Members:
Brent Orndorff: vocals, guitar
Eric Rasley: bass
Dustin Richardson: drums

Blue News is a high-energy rock trio with a unique original sound which is heavily influenced by the blues. The band has a “signature sound” (Mark Lush - MidwestBands.com) which remains true to the roots of American music while it also pushes the envelope to progressively reach new creative horizons.

Blue News was formed in a small town in the Midwest during the summer of 2005. The band has accomplished a lot in a relatively short time widely due to the group's unique original sound, professionalism, musicianship and perseverance. The first CD release from the band came in January of 2006. The album was self-titled Blue News and it was recorded for literally $0 (zero dollars) in a personal digital studio and released by Statue Records of Hollywood, CA.

Interestingly, the agreement to release the record with Statue actually existed before the album was finished. The band took advantage of their location and played many live shows in the several larger cities around them such as Indianapolis, Chicago, Lafayette, Muncie, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville and more. The band had great responses to their live shows and began to develop a fan base.

Exactly one year after the band's debut release, the second album, an EP titled The Signs, was self-released by the band's own label, Blame Records. This time around it was recorded (again for $0) by Don Arney of Quantum Productions' ProTools studio (IN). Their new sound quickly reached national media exposure in 2007 when two of the band's original songs were featured in the documentary series Roadtrip Nation which airs on national television. Other episodes of RTN featured artists such as Jack Johnson and Sufjan Stevens earlier in their careers. Interestingly, the band almost received even more national TV exposure in 2007 when another song from the EP was also nearly picked up for a national Nissan commercial.

The first radio campaign for the band also came in 2007 with the assistance of Vigilant Promotions of Minneapolis, MN. The campaign brought their sound to new ears at college stations in several states and led the way for the band to play live in new areas. Thanks to Vigilant Promotions, they reached new fans at over 30 colleges around the US. In addition, Volare Star Entertainment (also based near Minneapolis, MN) began exclusively booking the band in August of 2007, booking live shows in several cities and assisting with promotions and PR.

In 2007 and 2008, the band was fortunate enough to work together with a talented team of people which believed in the band's music and helped them reach new heights. An agreement with INgrooves Distribution of San Francisco, CA for digital distribution gave the music to virtually every popular download site on the planet. The band's music can now be found on Amazon, Rhapsody, eMusic, CokeMusic/myTracks, iTunes and more. In 2009, INgrooves Licensing will be working together with Universal Music Publishing, which will provide new opportunities for TV/film synch and licensing deals for the band's music. The new deal with INgrooves and Universal means the band has a much greater chance of getting their songs in a feature film or getting further national TV exposure.

The band's latest album is a 13-track LP, Strange Light. Downloads and CDs are now available online and the new record is set to hit retail store shelves in early 2009. For the first time, fans will be able to walk into the store and get the band's CD.

On top of this great new development, the band has just recorded their first music video in HD. The video features the band performing “Shelter,” from the latest album. The song will be featured as the single for the band's upcoming radio campaign. The video is online now and will be available on iTunes in coming days. Blue News is now working on promoting the new record with their new HD music video, as well as an upcoming radio campaign and several live performances coming in 2009.

Source: Blues News