TREVOR MENEAR: ON THE ROAD TO GREATNESS

Photo ©2008 Mathieu Bitton

TREVOR MENEAR is a Chicago-based guitar god in the making. His version of John Sinclair on the John Lennon compilation album, Instant Karma, certainly made waves, and his latest album Introducing Trevor Menear will surely gain plenty of new fans of blazing blues guitar. He's been around music since he was 2 years old – his mother sang and his father played guitar – and now he's making his name as a songwriting guitar sensation.


So, you grew up around music; your father played in a cover band and your mother was the backup singer. How did that early exposure influence your career?

It definitely helped in many different ways. That started when I was two years old, my dad had a band that would cover lots of classic rock artists. The ones that I remember him playing are "The Great Gig in the Sky" by Pink Floyd, "Peaches en Regalia" by Frank Zappa, and "L.A. Woman" by The Doors. Those were the ones that stood out the most. And while they were branching out my mom was singing backup and they would rehearse in our basement.

Do you feel that listening to live music when you were so young, and having parents that were musicians, helped you feel more comfortable when you actually started playing yourself?

Well, my parents also had a drum kit that I used to play when I was that age, and I took piano for about a year, and I always had an ear for music. I really had an ear for roots music. Like one of my earliest memories is seeing this gospel program on TV around Christmastime, and that really stuck with me, and I tended to gravitate more towards blues and roots music. I started to teach myself for the first three years and listen to the radio and try playing along with songs on the radio, so I remember practicing along with Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden and Stone Temple Pilots. But all of that early exposure geared me more towards being a guitar player, rather than a singer/songwriter. To be honest, I didn't really ever want to sing in the first band but I ended up doing it because no one else would. I always considered myself more of a guitarist than a singer.

So you talked a little about the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Soundgarden, but you say that Nirvana's Nevermind sparked your first musical epiphany. What set them apart from the rest for you?

I was over at my friend's house playing around, and his older brother had just bought the album and he was playing it in his room. We started listening to this album through his door and then went inside. As we were listening to it I opened the liner notes and was looking at the pictures, and there's that picture of Kurt Cobain flipping the camera off. And for some reason I loved everything about it. It sounded like nothing I had ever heard before and it made me want to play guitar. As soon as that happened I bought their earlier CD Bleach and then I just kind of fell in love with them. Eventually that kind of led me to get into the grunge scene, just being a music nerd and hangin' out and watching MTV back when they were still playing music videos.

So tell me a bit about your high school blues band. You opened for acts like Ted Nugent, Johnny Winter, and even James Whiting. What was that like for you at such a tender age?

That's when I really started getting into the Allman Brothers and I started checking out Duane's influences. When you find somebody that's really impacted you, you start to check out their influences and go backwards. When I heard Duane, I just – his playing is more along the lines of trying to mimic a vocalist, and I was hearing all these Delta vocalists in his playing. And when I started checking out Duane, then I got into Elmore James and Bobby Bland and King Curtis, and all those guys. So in high school that's where I was at. Our cover band was half covers half originals; we would do a lot of Chicago street festivals, and we would also play at a couple local bars. One of these bars was Joe's, where we opened up for Johnny Winter, and that was a huge deal for me. I was totally freaked out before we opened up for Johnny Winter, but I got a really good response, and he actually even called me into his tour bus and I got to talk to him for a little while. So that was one of the memorable gigs. Ted Nugent and Sugar Blue [James Whiting] were both outdoor festivals. With Sugar Blue, I was sitting in with my dad's cover band, and he took the stage and sat in with us. That's when he first heard me, I guess. Then flash forward probably about two years: I was working in a butcher shop, and every October they do their own October outdoor fest. And they're grilling and they have bands come. Sugar Blue's band was one of the bands that came through, and he remembered me and I actually got to sit in with his band for most of the entire night. I just showed up and brought my guitar and actually got to sit in with his band, and that was definitely a trip.

In what way?

I was just expecting to get up there and sit in with him, and then he asked me, 'what songs do you know, like, kick something off!' and I was just like, 'Well, do you know "Killing Floor"? and we played Hendrix's version of and it was like Bam - we just kicked right into it.

Jimi, Stevie, Kurt, and Duane are the players who've had the deepest impact on you, they also all learned to play by ear. Coincidence?

Well they all peaked my interest, you know? Made me go back to the woodshed and start practicing all over again. You know they made me think differently when I heard them, and made me re-evaluate everything that I was doing. When I started studying jazz a little bit more, I had to get in there and make my way and learn how to read charts. So I got into college and I noticed that all of the theory training was making me write differently, and I couldn't get back to just throwing chords together or hearing riffs. I couldn't play a chord without thinking about numbers, or, you know, how it relates to the key that it's in. So, in a way I tried to mix both of those worlds together, and it's a frustrating process of trial and error, because you don't want to over-think everything too much.

When did you start pursuing a serious solo career?

Honestly, I wasn't keen on the whole solo artist thing, until I left college. I initially started out college at UT. I kind of wanted to be around that southern vibe going on, and I wanted to start a collaborative band. I was looking at studying jazz, and trying to brush up on my skills as much as possible, and get all these other outside influences incorporated into my playing. I was in a couple side projects that never really went anywhere, and after two years I figured, you know, the stuff that they were teaching me was very helpful, and I learned a lot, but it got to a certain point where it's all what you put into it and how you're going to develop all those skills on your own.

All that knowledge is in records; you just have to listen. It's in books you can check out. I knew that it would be a long haul, so I wanted to learn that kind of language. When you hear stories about Charlie Parker woodshedding in a garage for two years, and isolating himself and not talking to anybody, that's how he got where he got. But it was like, 'I haven't found a serious band yet, and if I just apply this stuff on my own time and really practice, then yeah, I can get this down.' So it was like a turning point, like okay, what do I want to do now? How am I going to reach that point? And I figured that the best thing I could do was live alone and practice as much as I could. And initially I was set on just trying to practice and be this mean monster guitar player, then I started actually writing lyrics and focusing on songs.

When you've written a song, what do you feel most attached to when you play it and think of it as an entity? In other words, are you tied more to the music or the lyrics, what are you most proud of at the end of the day?

It's a tricky question to answer because it tends to change for me. Sometimes it's song by song. Let's take this record, for example. My focal point was mainly on the guitar solos – setting a structure for the solos, then an outline for the music, and then hearing some sort of melody for the lyrics. Poetically, it doesn't stand up to anything that's groundbreaking, but for this album, it was focusing on song structure and melody, not so much the lyrics. But lately I'm finding that the new material I'm writing, that if I write the lyrics first I tend to appreciate the songs a lot more. I'll have stockpiles of unfinished ideas all over the place and I'll combine different lyrics just to fit a melody. Or sometimes it'll take the opposite route. I'll have the whole song finished lyrically, and then I'll put the melody to it. So I don't have a certain method figured out yet.

– Max Putnam

Blues Underground Review link

Every now and then, as each generation of music goes by, we can certainly look back and pick keys figures that drove that generations music forward. 25 years from now I am certain that one of the names mentioned, when referring to the great blues rock artists of that generation, will be Trevor Menear.

At only 21, when he released his critically acclaimed debut album "Introducing Trevor Menear", he has already shown us that his future is bright and that he has earned the right to start carrying one of the many torches that will guide blues rock forward for many years to come.

"Introducing Trevor Menear" has it all from hard driving straight ahead power blues, to softly flowing hypnotic ballads, examples being the big hits "Suffer To Be Simple" and "Forgot About The Man", as well the slower moving tunes such as "Remember Charlotte" and "Day In The Drench", which not only showcase his great vocals but also his inherent talent at song writing.

Debut albums can really be a treat and "Introducing Trevor Menear" is certainly one of those examples.

A highly recommended album that will surely please all... Trevor Menear is a HUGE HUGE Talent...

Review by John Vermilyea (Blues Underground Network)


"The next guitar legend on the verge of greatness."—GROUPEEZ MAGAZINE

"Extraordinary guitar work and voice that belies his age...on the cusp of something big."—THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

"An entire generation of true music afficianados have been longing for Trevor Menear." CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

"At 21, his playing is on par with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jonny Lang at the height of their glory." CROSSROADS MAGAZINE


Tracklist

1. Forgot About The Man
2. Suffer To Be Simple
3. Fool's Afternoon
4. Reason To Leave
5. Bug
6. Day In The Drench
7. Remember Charlotte
8. The Cloud
9. Arms Of Your Love
10. Push
11. Hey Train
12. Last Bag
13. Ants
14. Monk's Intermission


About Trevor Menear

It takes some people their whole lives to decide what they want to do. Trevor Menear figured it out by the time he was two.

That's how old he was when his parents gave him a drum kit. He loved his little set, but found himself gravitating toward his father's guitars. "I would pick them up and fool around, bend the strings," Menear recalls.

Twenty-one years later, the Chicago-based guitar slinger hasn't looked back. On his self-titled debut, he conjures up images of his musical heroes Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman, while creating his own accessible blues pop hybrid. His expressive voice is bolstered by his plangent, nuanced guitar work that belies his young age. France's CROSSroads magazine declares, "his playing is on par with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jonny Lang."

While his Shangri-La Music debut will be most people's first exposure to Menear, many have already discovered him through his participation on Warner Bros. Records' "Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur," where he sits in the company of such giants as Green Day and U2. His cover of John Lennon's "John Sinclair" was one of six exclusive bonus tracks selected for the American Express edition of the CD.

Although he noodled on his dad's guitars as a toddler, it wasn't until the ripe old age of 7 that he had his first musical epiphany, courtesy of Nirvana. "The day 'Nevermind' came out, my friend's older brother bought it and he played 'Smells like Teen Spirit'," recalls Menear. "I just remember listening to that guitar and I was like, 'I want to do that; I have got to learn to play the guitar'."

Nirvana is part of a musical nexus for Menear that, not surprisingly, revolves around Hendrix, Vaughan, Allman and Ray Charles, but also embraces Miles Davis, Frank Zappa and the Beatles. "They are all artists I really admire because they were always progressing," he says. Currently in Menear's CD player: the works of composer Bernard Herrmann, best known for scoring Hitchcock's movies; the Flaming Lips and the White Stripes.

His father, noted Midwestern broadcaster Kevin Matthews, finally bought Menear his own guitar when he was 10. Having mastered playing by ear after taking piano lessons at 4, Menear learned guitar quickly. By the time he was in 4th grade, he fronted his first band Moon Bubble.

At home, music was a constant. His father played in a cover band and his mother was a former back-up singer. "My father's band would rehearse in the basement. They were doing Frank Zappa tunes, the Doors, Pink Floyd covers."

Menear's singular devotion to his craft caused a little parental concern. "I was in my room all the time, learning songs and practicing and my mom would be begging me to come down for dinner," he remembers. "I was making her really angry because I would stay up there; that's just the way it was."

Moon Bubble gave way to Stormy Monday, as his burgeoning love of jazz and blues developed. "We started that band freshman year in high school," Menear says. With a little help from the drummer's bartending brother, the band was the opener of choice for blues bands playing at Chicago nightspot Joe's, as well as for a number of national acts including Ted Nugent, Johnny Winter, Night Ranger and the Wooten Bros.

Even though underage, Menear pursued club gigs with a passion. "The rule was you had to pretty much finish your set and then leave," he recalls. Menear played all over Chicago, including the vaunted House of Blues.

Offered three music scholarships, Menear left Chicago to study at the University of Tennessee, but after one semester he knew his real education lie in clubs, not the classroom. "There comes a point where your own music becomes so important to you, you'll put it in front of anything else and I guess that's what made me want to drop out," he says. "So I started saving all this cash and selling guitars. I got a studio apartment in Chicago and did the whole starving artist thing."

He also started writing the songs that would end up on his self-produced album. "I really couldn't afford to hire a producer," he says. "He kept adding layers until the beginning demos morphed into a polished, finished album. His talent attracted a number of well known guests, including Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, kd lang), Rami Jaffee (Wallflowers, Foo Fighters), David Leach (Ben Harper), Tony Llorens (B.B. King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan) and Grammy-winner Grey DeLisle.

First single, the organ-drenched, bluesy toe-tapper "Reason to Leave," has its genesis in the time-honored tradition of boy meets girl. "I was out with some friends and this girl walked in that I ended up talking for a little bit. We were at a blues bar and I thought if I went home and got my guitar and sat in [with the band], she'd be impressed or something," Menear says with a little laugh. "I went home, by the time I got back, she was gone." When he wrote the song, however, the story ends differently. "I thought it would be great to find the right person and just leave for a little while."

Similarly, "Suffer to the Simple" was born out of a real-life situation. The blues shuffler is "about bouncing around the west suburbs of Chicago and being raised under these conservative values and then living in the city completely on your own, paying your own bills," he says. "That's a completely different thing."

Menear's keen sense of observation anchors the lyrics, while his guitar playing causes the melodies to soar. "I think there's a song for everybody on the record," he says. "I didn't do that intentionally, it's just the way it came out. I just had the pure intention of reaching people."

As much as he loves the album, Menear is eager to take it to his fans and is planning a series of U.S. residencies, followed by European touring. "More than anything, I want to play live as much as possible. I love playing off the energy of the people, the anticipation of the gig and branching out more with extended solos and improvising."

Spoken like a true bluesman.

—Melinda Newman

Shangri-La Music is doing a special Trevor ticket giveaway for this week's West Coast Tour.

TREVOR MENEAR TICKET GIVEAWAY:
Want to win tickets to see Trevor? Well all you have to do is fill out the form below and let us know what show you want to go to. We will be picking a winner in each market and letting them know the day before each show if they have won. Keep an eye on your email to see if you've won.

Click on the following link to register to win tickets:
TICKET GIVEAWAY

TOUR DATES:
11/10 Santa Fe Brewing Company Santa Fe, New Mexico
11/12 The Mint Los Angeles, California
11/13 The Cellar Long Beach
11/14 Zoey's Café & Lounge Ventura, California
11/15 2008 NACA West Showcase Ontario, California
11/17 Biscuits And Blues San Francisco, California

Trevor Menear ROCK THE VOTE Public Service Announcement online now. This was done during last week's segment of the RTV Tour.

TREVOR MENEAR PSA

If you have not yet registered to vote, it is URGENT that you do. Go to www.rockthevote.com

Hi guys, we are so thrilled to be part of the ROCK THE VOTE ROAD TRIP. Trevor was selected along with such artists as Talib Kweli, Vampire Weekend, My Morning Jacket, Ben Taylor, Santogold, Q-Tip, Bootsy Collins and others.



See the MySpace main page for all dates and additional tour dates. Trevor is on tour through the end of the year and gearing up for some big festivals next year. Don;t miss him at the House Of Blues on October 17th in Chicago.

Don't forget to vote at RockTheVote.com

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Trevor will be opening for label mates The Pretenders on Spetember 19th at Sonar in Baltimore. We hope it's the first of many!

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Introducing Trevor Menear review at JOHN SHELTON'S TOP 21:


Combining the direction and structure of pop music with the soulful elements of blues (as if there were elements of blues that weren't soulful...), Introducing Trevor Menear leaves very little to be desired.
Opening with "Forgot About the Man", a strong, grooving progression topped with Menear's soulful voice, really sets the mood for the entire album. Incredibly organ heavy, and a really balanced amount of noodling, this album is incredibly solid and worth checking out for anyone into the bluesy singer/songwriter types.

____________________________________

Look for a review in this week's The Illinois Entertainer as well.


CIMS RECOMMENDS Trevor Menear:

It takes some people their whole lives to decide what they want to do. Trevor Menear figured it out by the time he was two. Feel stupid yet?

Click Here

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Trevor's acoustic cover of Big Star's "Thirteen" is in rotation at XM's The Loft. This non-album track is getting great attention and will be featured on an exclusive promo CD coming soon with other recent covers of The Beatles ("I'm So Tired"), Nirvana ("All Apologies"), Muddy Waters ("Champagne & Reefer") and Robert Johnson ("Stones In My Passway").

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AUGUST 7, 2008



TREVOR MENEAR FEATURED ON CIMS MUSIC STORE!

AUGUST 6, 2008



Lollapalooza 2008 Metromix Music Lounge


Trevor Menear performs at the Metromix Music Loung
Credit:Barry Brecheisen for Metromix


Credit:Barry Brecheisen for Metromix

August 5, 2008



ROCK THE VOTE NIGHTS AT LOLLAPALOOZA

During the day Rock the Vote was all over the place, registering people at the festival with Headcount, doing registration at the Diesel Store and recording PSAs at the Metromix.com Music Lounge. Pete Wentz recorded his Rock the Vote PSA and posed for photos with his wife Ashlee Simpson. The Cool Kids, Rhymefest, Kenna, Your Vegas, Butch Walker among many other friends of RTV recorded PSAs. Artists got free meals and watched Rock the Vote artists Ben Jelen and Trevor Menear and many other artist perform acoustic sets at the Eastsport Café. Paper Magazine filmed interviews with Kid Sister and Spank Rock in the lounge, and Go TV was out in the field doing interviews for Rock the Vote at the festival.

AUGUST 4, 2008


NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR CAMPUS ACTIVITIES


AUGUST 1, 2008



Mlive.com - Everything Michigan

Trevor Menear performs in Grand Haven
Posted by John Gonzalez | The Grand Rapids Press August 01, 2008 03:58AM
Categories: Entertainment
Check out a great up-and-coming blues/rock guitarist this weekend if you're in the Grand Haven area.

5. Taste of Holland Festival, with Endless Summer Band, Holland Chorale, benefiting Children's Miracle Network, 5-10 p.m. today, Eighth Street Marketplace, 150 W. Eighth St., Holland, (800) 506-1299, holland.org.

4. West Michigan Flute Orchestra, 7 tonight, Grand Rapids Community College Music Center, room 200, 142 Ransom Ave. NE, free, (269) 967-7548, westmichiganflute-association.com.

3. Idlewild Jazz Festival, Robin Eubanks, Eric Alexander and In the Pocket, Shahida Nurullah with Day Cray Trio, 1:30-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Idlewild, Lake County, south of U.S. 10 and east of U.S. 131, $40, free to age 15 and younger, (313) 965-0505, idlewildjazzfest.com.

2. Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, 9 a.m.-11 p.m. today, begins at 9 a.m. Saturday and 6:30-8:45 p.m. Sunday, Waterfront Stadium, 1 N. Harbor Drive, Washington Avenue, other venues, coastguardfest.org. The Grand Parade is at 11:45 a.m. Saturday.

1. Trevor Menear with Dave Uhrich, 9 p.m. Saturday, Fraternal Order of Eagles beer tent, 20 N. Second St., Grand Haven, $5.

-- Hear Press Entertainment Editor John Gonzalez on the "Barnaby and Gonzo Show," 7-10 a.m. Saturdays on WLHT-FM (95.7)

JULY 27, 2008



Local Spin Of The Week: Chicago's Trevor Menear



by John Sinkevics | The Grand Rapids Press July 27, 2008 04:30A

When I first heard Trevor Menear play his guitar in concert in the Grand Room of Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park 2 1/2 years ago, I knew I was listening to a kid with a special talent. Not only can Menear, now 23, play his guitar like a natural -- as if it's an appendage of his body -- but his soulful vocals give his blues-imbued songs real power. (See my column in today's Press.)

Now, he's finally got an "official" studio album to release. Already available digitally, Shangri-La Music is set to distribute "Introducing Trevor Menear" nationally starting Friday. The recording shows off just what Menear is capable of. Today, "Sound Check" spotlights the track "Reason To Leave" (the CD's first single) for your listening pleasure.

July 27, 2008



Releasing a CD takes time — ask Trevor Menear

Sunday, July 27, 2008
By John Sinkevics
The Grand Rapids Press
Even in this fast-paced, Internet-happy, instant rewards universe, good musical wine takes time.

Award-winning Michigan jazz trio Organissimo began "getting sounds together" for its captivating new studio album, "Groovadelphia," back in early 2007.

By the time it officially comes out, in mid-August -- after recording, mixing, mastering, preparing cover artwork and CD manufacturing -- the band will have started work on a live album it plans to release next year.

Chicago guitarist Trevor Menear knows that feeling of delayed gratification, too.

Menear, 23, started laying down tracks for his bluesy debut album, "Introducing Trevor Menear," two years ago. Released digitally on the Internet just this month, the CD on the Shangri-La Music label officially gets released nationally on Friday.

Menear even confessed he already has "pretty much finished up" songs for a second record.

That's partly because he decided to completely re-record his debut CD to "polish some things up," then mix and match tracks from the two recording sessions to create "a Frankenstein" compilation of sorts that delves into blues, rock, R&B and even singer-songwriter material.

"It's been a long time coming," he conceded in a phone interview from a Chicago studio where he was working on a cover of The Beatles' "I'm So Tired."

"(But) it's the best of both worlds on one record. It's definitely an interesting first record. It's all over the place. Everybody who's involved with it is very excited."

For good reason.

Menear, who has performed regularly in West Michigan, represents that rare combination of exemplary instrumental talent, wise-beyond-his-years songwriting and restrained yet powerful singing that gives his material a naturally soulful sheen.

There's the blistering rock-blues of "Forgot About the Man," the funky vibe of "Reason to Leave" and the acoustic guitar grace of "Monk's Intermission." It's an eclectic blend of styles that speaks to Menear's wide-ranging musical influences: Jimi Hendrix, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Nirvana, The Beatles.

"Anything that I write is going to be blues-based," he said, though he's grown ever more interested in singer-songwriter music. "But I'm always trying to keep an ear out for different things ... for people taking roots music in a different direction. My tastes change monthly."

On Saturday, Menear will join fellow Chicago guitarist Dave Uhrich for the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival's climactic conclusion, playing the always-packed Grand Haven Eagles club beer tent. Fans can expect even more dynamic renditions of songs Menear and his band have played for years.

"It sounds a little bit different live, and more authentic," Menear suggested.

Growing up in Chicago, it's no surprise the son of WLAV-FM (96.9) morning show host Kevin Matthews would be rooted in the blues, even if his music really can't be pigeonholed "into one specific genre."

Indeed, Menear's diverse work already has popped up in a wide variety of places, from music for the cable TV show "Pinks" to landing a bonus track on Warner Bros. Records' "Instant Karma" tribute to John Lennon with an unusual rendition of the song "John Sinclair."

The experience has helped him take a mature approach to his solo debut, which has earned airplay on a Los Angeles radio station. The bottom line is he's not bothered that it has taken so long for his album to hit the streets, and not nervous about the reaction the CD might elicit from critics.

Instead, Menear and his band hope to "build a scene in Chicago" as a live act and possibly latch onto a national tour with another group.

"I've sat with the record so long, it's just part of the process of getting out there to play live," he said. "We're just going to get out and play as much as possible."

Send e-mail to the author: jsinkevics@grpress.com

7/24/08



New Pretenders LP En Route

he name is the Pretenders and the game is Break Up The Concrete — the title of their new album, due September 23 from Shangri-La Music.

Now before you get all crazy thinking the band has hooked up with one of BLURT's fave indies, the Memphis-based Shangri-La Records — THIS Shangri-La is an entirely different one, the mainstream pop label that has the Duke Spirit, Neimo and Trevor Menear (who?) on its roster. Ahem. Decorum prevents us from commenting too sharply here, but perhaps the new label should have considered a different name out of respect and good taste. The Memphis Shangri-La has been around for ages.

JULY 19, 2008



Billboard : GOING FOR ADDS (July 21 - 27, 2008)

Do The Ricky Bobby (B-hamp)
M'aidez (People In Planes)
Favorite Disease (Thousand Foot Krutch)
Tomorrow (Sixx:A.M.)
Folsom Prison Blues (Everlast)
Energy (Keri Hilson)
Talking To The Walls (Finger Eleven)
Just A Dream (Carrie Underwood)
I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You (Black Kids)
Don't Stop (Innerpartysystem)
Can't Believe It (Lil' Wayne & T-pain)
Magic (Robin Thicke)
One Life to Love (33 Miles)
On The Rebound (Darren Rahn Featuring Wayman Tisdale)
Someday (Stacy Kray)
Bahamas Blues (David Wells)
Practice Makes Perfect (Cute Is What We Aim For)
Shine With Me (POD)
Viva La Vida (Coldplay)
That's The Way (Stacks & Fat Joe & Trina)
Overnight Sensation (Jackie Payne And Steve Edmonson)
Rise (Flobots)
The Past (Sevendust & Daughtry)
Beating My Heart (Jon McLaughlin)
Those Gurls (Snoop Doggy Dogg)
Still Aqui (Cnote)
Hero (Nas)
After Hours (We Are Scientists)
Days Go On (Greg Laswell)
Pony (Erin McCarley)
Reason To Leave (Trevor Menear)
Knock Down The Walls (Chubby Checker)
Lover On The Bayou (Mudcrutch)
I'm On A Roll (Sammy Hagar)
Home With You (Boz)
Joy (Ledisi)
Lovely (Case)
Summer Of '98 (Secret Handshake)
I Don't Get It (Topic)
So Fly (Slim Featuring Yung Joc)
Twang Thang (Hoss Howard)
Professional (Young Steff)
It's A Miracle (Was (Not Was))
Do It (Noelle)
Learning To Fall (Lowen & Navarro)
Innocent (Stellar Kart)

AT LONG LAST! INTRODUCING TREVOR MENEAR, the debut album from the Chicago artist is released today everywhere online. The CD will be available in selected retail stores August 1st on Shangri-La Music.

Listen to samples and BUY NOW for $7.99 on iTunes!

See videos and listen to full songs at
www.trevormenear.com

Trevor Menear, 23 is winning over fans and critics, alike, with a talent well beyond his age. A born musician, he picked up the guitar at the early age of 10 and has been playing festivals since he was a kid, opening for the likes of Jonny Lang, Jonny Winter, Sugar Blue, Ted Nugent, Buckwheat Zydeco and many other notable musicians. At the age of 13, he was one of the youngest musicians to play the House of Blues in his hometown of Chicago. On his Shangri-La Music debut, Introducing Trevor Menear, he conjures up images of his musical heroes Jimi Hendrix and Duane Allman, while creating his own accessible blues pop hybrid. His expressive voice is bolstered by his plangent, nuanced guitar work that France’s CrossRoads Magazine declared “on par with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jonny Lang at the height of their glory."

While Introducing Trevor Menear is his debut album of original material, Menear recently gained attention with his cover of John Lennon's "John Sinclair" on Warner Bros. Records' Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. The track, with a retro sound recorded on 78 rpm acetate with a 1930's resonator guitar, appears on the American Express and iTunes digital box set editions of the compilation. Menear also won over crowds at this year's SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX with multiple showcase appearances and guest spots with soul artist Chris Pierce.

Now here's the catch, we know that times have changed and that people would rather steal music at lesser sound qualities than spend $20 on a CD, or as I've noticed recently, even 99 cents a song on iTunes. So you can buy the 14-song album for the low price of $7.99!! That's about 55 cents a song! Plus you get a bonus 16-page booklet with full credits, lyrics and photos.

What the world has to say about Trevor:

"Who the hell is Trevor Menear? ...and will that question turn out to be our own version of the infamous 'who's Garth Brooks?'" —Chicagoist.com

"At 21, his playing is on par with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Jonny Lang at the height of their glory." —CROSSROADS MAGAZINE

"Extraordinary guitar work and voice that belies his age...on the cusp of something big." —THE GRAND RAPIDS PRESS

"Trevor Menear is on the fast track to stardom." —ABC News

"The next guitar legend on the verge of greatness." —GROUPEEZ MAGAZINE

"Trevor's guitar playing can rip the roof off or put you in a trance. and did i mention he could sing??!!" —Rami Jaffee

"He's soulful, and I can hear true heart in his music, which isn't always so common."
—Zoe Cordes Selbin, KOOP Radio

"Trevor is a phenomenal guitarist. I have worked with Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan, and can therefore say that Trevor is following in Their footsteps." — —Tony Llorens, formerly with Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Buddy Guy, Albert Collins, etc...

"Trevor's strong point of view and clarity of vision are qualities that most artists struggle a lifetime to establish. From the moment we met..i knew he was special."
—Grey DeLisle

Check out Tour Dates and come support live music.

The album's debut single REASON TO LEAVE is at radio now. Spread the love!!



Watch THE MAKING OF the album:

TREVOR MENEAR's DEBUT ALBUM, INTRODUCING TREVOR MENEAR, IS RELEASED ON AUGUST 1 WITH EARLY DIGITAL RELEASE ON JULY 15TH

ACCLAIMED GUITARIST SCHEDULES STRING OF SUMMER SHOWS

Santa Monica, CA (June 26, 2008) – Trevor Menear's debut album, Introducing Trevor Menear will be released by Shangri-La Music digitally on July 15, 2008 and the CD version on august 1, exclusively through the CIMS retail network (Coalition of Independent Music Stores), it was announced today. The Chicago-based rock guitarist is also scheduled to perform several hometown shows throughout the summer.

Menear, 23 is winning over fans and critics, alike, with a talent well beyond his age. A born musician, he picked up the guitar at the early age of 10 and has been playing festivals since he was a kid, jamming with the likes of Jonny Winter, Sugar Blue, Ted Nugent, Buckwheat Zydeco and many other notable musicians. At the age of 13, he was one of the youngest musicians to play the House of Blues in his hometown of Chicago.

"We're thrilled to be working with such a gifted young artist," says Jeff Ayeroff, Co-president of Shangri-La Music. "Trevor embodies the type of inventive musicians we are looking forward to helping develop and expand their careers."

Menear's songwriting, guitar playing and producing talents attracted a number of well known guests for this CD debut including Greg Leisz (Joni Mitchell, kd lang) on pedal steel guitar, Rami Jaffee (Wallflowers, Foo Fighters) on organ, David Leach (Ben Harper) on percussion, Tony Llorens (B.B. King, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan) on organ and vocals from C.C. White (Ryan Adams) and Grammy-winner Grey DeLisle.

"It was a pleasure to play on Trevor's new album. He plays with the inspiration and sensitivity of someone far beyond his years," says Llorens. "I have worked with Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan and can therefore say that Trevor is following in their footsteps."

Grey DeLisle also spoke to Menear's talent in saying, "Trevor's strong point of view and clarity of vision are qualities that most artists struggle a lifetime to establish."

While Introducing Trevor Menear is his debut album of original material, Menear recently gained attention with his cover of John Lennon's "John Sinclair" on Warner Bros. Records' Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur.. The track, with a retro sound recorded on 78 rpm acetate with a 1930's resonator guitar, appears on the American Express and iTunes digital box set editions of the compilation. Menear also won over crowds at this year's SXSW Music Festival in Austin, TX with multiple showcase appearances and guest spots with soul artist Chris Pierce.

Journalists worldwide are also taking note of Menear's guitar skills. CrossRoads Magazine in France raved, "At 21, his playing is on par with Stevie Ray Vaughan and Johnny Lang at the height of their glory."

In a review of Menear's live show, the Grand Rapids Press praised his "extraordinary guitar work and voice that belies his age." The paper went on to say Menear is "on the cusp of something big."

Trevor Menear will kick off the album release with both solo acoustic and full band shows throughout Chicago this summer and will be returning to Michigan on August 2nd where he will take the stage as part of Grand Haven's annual Coast Guard Festival. He will also appear as a guest on the WGN 720 Chicago radio show Sunday Papers with Rick Kogan on July 27.

Trevor Menear Tour Dates:

6/25 Underground Lounge Chicago, IL Solo Acoustic Show
7/2 Underground Lounge Chicago, IL Solo Acoustic Show
7/23 Underground Lounge Chicago, IL Full Band Show
8/2 Coast Guard Festival Grand Haven, MI Full Band Show
8/4 The Elbo Room Chicago, IL Full Band Show

About Shangri-La Music:
Headed by Jeff Ayeroff, former Co-Chairman of Virgin Records America, Co-President of The Work Group and Vice Chairman of Warner Brothers Records, and his longtime Rock the Vote partner Jon Rubin, Shangri-La Music is a new joint venture with Shangri-La Entertainment. Along with Trevor Menear, early signings to the label include UK rock band The Duke Spirit and Parisian rock quartet Neimo.

More information on Trevor Menear is available at www.trevormenear.com or www.myspace.com/trevormenear.

Contact:

Publicity:
Maureen O'Connor Joe Schneider
Rogers & Cowan Rogers & Cowan
(310) 854-8116 (310) 854-8140
moconnor@rogersandcowan.com

Management:
Mathieu Bitton
Candy Tangerine Productions
(310) 999-3865