FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

CONTACT:

Steve Baker
SMB Music Group, for Bull City Syndicate
919-981-0303
steve@smbmg.com

Bull City Syndicate Announces the Addition of Female Vocalist to Their Line-up

Durham, NC, January 8, 2009 – North Carolina’s premier horn-band, Bull City Syndicate, is adding former Mrs. North Carolina Angel, Charlotte Renee Gregory, to their roster, effective immediately. Miss Gregory is widely regarded as one of the finest, and most versatile vocalists in the region, and has previously performed with Trisha Yearwood, Ricochet, Ken Mellons, Rhett Akins, Rockin' Country (Myrtle Beach), Charlie Monk, and as an Opryland cast performer. In addition to the Mrs. North Carolina Angel title in 1999, she has held dozens of other North Carolina titles, including that of her hometown, Miss Benson, and has fronted regionally known country and variety acts, including Café Mars, Heart’s Desire, Sugar Daddy and The Flabbergasters.


Photo: Fade to Black Photography

Bull City Syndicate, (formerly known as Soul Kitchen & The Bull City Horns), breaks with their 15-year tradition as an “all guy” band in making this move. Clarke Egerton, music director for the band, explains, “We’ve often considered the possibility of adding a female vocalist to our roster, but we’ve always had a sense that no one really wanted to see a true ‘horn band’ fronted by a female! On the other hand, we also never met the right female for our band, so it wasn’t something we ever felt we had to do, unless the circumstances were just right. As it happens, the general market for a variety band, like BCS, pretty much demands the diversity of both male and female vocalists, so, we feel like now is the time to make this addition to the group, and we’re excited that Charlotte was available and willing to join us.”

Miss Gregory will be sharing lead vocal duties with the band’s existing front-man, Dan Lantier, and the rest of Bull City Syndicate’s line-up remains unchanged. She is expected to make her debut appearance with Bull City Syndicate in late February, and she will also continue in her position as lead vocalist for the Raleigh-based jazz/funk group, Café Mars.

For additional information about Bull City Syndicate and Charlotte Renee Gregory, contact SMB Music Group, at 919-981-0303, or go to the band’s websites:

http://www.bullcitysyndicate.com
http://www.myspace.com/bullcitysyndicate
http://www.myspace.com/bcshornbandtribute

ABOUT Bull City Syndicate: Bull City Syndicate is a Durham, North Carolina-based funk/rock/variety horn band, performing throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. They are featured at many of the largest festivals and showcase venues in the region, and also as a variety act for private and corporate events. Their latest CD, You Make Me Feel, is a tribute to North Carolina songwriters, and was produced by Grammy-nominee, John Custer.

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Dire Straits once sang these fateful lyrics: "They don't give a damn about any trumpet playin' band. That ain't what they call rock and roll."

Well, Bull City Syndicate begs to differ, as do 100's-of-millions of horn band fans around the world who continue to attend sold-out performances by the likes of Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire.

While Bull City Syndicate remains true to their own material, their fans continue to request the classic hits of these great Horn Bands . . . and BCS delivers! Now, the band has put together the ONLY known "Horn Band Tribute" show on the East Coast, (and maybe in the entire country, for that matter). The new show is not only great for showcase clubs and theaters, but also perfect for festivals and other special events. Included in the show are the greatest hits of Chicago, Earth Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, Blood Sweat & Tears, and others. They even offer a special twist - something they refer to as, "If the 80's Gave a Damn," in which they showcase several monster hits from the 1980's, as if they had been originally presented by a real horn band, rather than with a bunch of synthesizers. (Take that, Dire Straits!)

Here's the bottom line:

For years, their fans have constantly requested they perform more and more songs by Tower of Power, Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, etc. OK, we listened, and decided to put together a show just for the millions of horn band enthusiasts out there. if you have a chance to catch the show, (or, if you're someone interested in hiring the band for this show), you'll hear a sampling of the greatest hits of these great horn bands:

Chicago
Earth, Wind & Fire
Tower of Power
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Kool & The Gang
Ides of March
Chase
................and more!

There will also be a sampling of songs that SHOULD have originally had horns! BCS gets a big kick out of taking some of those 80's hits that were layered with bad synthesizer patches, and replacing them with REAL horns. There will also be a few other treats that any horn band lover will appreciate.

No - They're not abandoning their other formats, clients, and fans. They'll still be available, as they have been for the past 15 years, offering a wide variety of music for most any type of event, including festivals, corporate parties, high-end weddings, and even shows where they play their OWN stuff! But, you may want to have them just for a "Horn Band Tribute Show" - something no one else on the East Coast is offering. (And as far as we know, something no other band in the entire nation is doing!)

Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire proved that there is still GREAT DEMAND for the classic horn bands, as they recently toured together for two years, selling out venues from Coast to Coast. The great horn bands have sold 100's-of-millions of records over the past 40 years, with hits in every decade, from the 60's through today. Now, Bull City Syndicate, already the most renowned horn band in the Carolinas will be paying Tribute to their own heroes.

Check out their NEW AUDIO CLIPS at this new page:

http://www.myspace.com/bcshornbandtribute

See you at one of the shows, soon!

BCS

Well . . . last Friday was our long-anticipated gig with Eddie Money. Bull City Syndicate was scheduled to open for The Money Man, as part of the NC International Auto Expo, at the State Fairgrounds.



Everything went off without a hitch . . . except for the miscalculation by the Auto Expo people in scheduling ANYTHING up against the ACC Mens Basketball Tourney. (Are they CRAZY!!!!????) In North Carolina, particularly in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, college basketball is the official State religion.

We went onstage about the same the Duke game was beginning. Needless to say, the crowd was . . . uh . . . thin. Which, considering the 5,000-seat capacity of the Dorton Arena, left us all with a temporary feeling of disappointment.

But, I’m really proud of all the guys in Bull City Syndicate (and Eddie’s band, for that matter), in delivering a full-on, unabashed performance . . . which was enthusiastically received by the residual group of non-basketball fans who made their way to the arena.

The best comment of the night came from Eddie Money’s road manager, when he said to me, "Dude, if we were just a normal band, I wouldn’t want to follow you guys! You kicked ass! Fortunately, Eddie has 7, million-selling records, so we can hold our own with anybody. That said, you guys can open for us anytime."

And, he was right. Eddie’s not the young stud he was back in the day, but he and his band were tight, delivered the hits with passion, and were loved by their fans.



All-in-all . . . a VERY fun night.

Steve
Bull City Syndicate

Our new CD, You Make Me Feel, is now available online, at iTunes and CDBaby.com:

http://cdbaby.com/cd/bullcitysyndicate





Grab a copy, or ten, today!

With Grammy-nominated producer John Custer at the helm of the project, You Make Me Feel, by Bull City Syndicate, is the most ambitious recording by a Raleigh/Durham-based band in a generation.

Over the course of 13 years, formerly known as Soul Kitchen & The Bull City Horns, Bull City Syndicate (BCS) has successfully scaled the local scene of dance-cover bands, ascending during those years from a top-drawing club act to one of the most in-demand private and corporate party bands in the Mid-Atlantic region. Then, someone had an idea . . . and a good one at that. Specifically, to hand over to a world-class producer the yet unrealized potential of nine individually unheralded talents, and have them recreate tunes from some of North Carolina's rich history of funk, soul and pop songwriters.

Featuring songs exclusively written by composers with a significant connection to North Carolina, either by birth or current residency, BCS entered John Custer's Jag Two Studios in October of 2006, and didn't exit until the following April. The product of those six-plus months is a genuinely compelling funk/horn-band experience, referencing and paying homage to the broad spectrum of funk, soul and R&B's most enduring musical traditions.

Retro, while not blatantly so, the record often reminds us of what the current R&B hit-factories most often fail to deliver, namely, great melodies, real vocalists, and an in-your-face horn section. While it's easy to point out the influences, (both subtle and overt), of Marvin Gaye, Curtis
Mayfield, Sly, James Brown, The Temptations, and the like, the originality of Custer's horn arrangements help sidestep any presupposed comparisons to the most famous of horn bands . . . Earth, Wind & Fire, Tower of Power, or Chicago.

Bull City Syndicate will celebrate the release of You Make Me Feel with two CD Release Parties at Oliver Twist Tapas Restaurant & Lounge, on August 10th and 11th. A $10 cover charge will also include a copy of the CD for each patron. Shows each night will go from 9:30pm to 1:30am.

Oliver Twist
8111-137 Creedmoor Rd.
Raleigh, NC 27613
(919) 844-4426
http://www.theolivertwistlounge.com

Bull City Syndicate
c/o SMB Management, Inc.
302 Bridgepath Drive
Cary, NC 27513
(919) 981-0303
http://bullcitysyndicate.com
http://myspace.com/bullcitysyndicate

After a humorous and unexpected intro ditty, the album appropriately begins with "Carolina," an original track by producer, John Custer. With alternating lead vocals by trumpeter Steve Baker and BCS front-man, Dan Lantier, (ala the Temps), "Carolina" is a new state theme song in waiting. However unlikely intended, Larry Woodard's pace-setting drum pattern and Lantier's repetitive falsetto theme, ("Carolina for life, Carolina for life . . ."), should challenge James Taylor's "Carolina in My Mind" as the new unofficial anthem on Chapel Hill's storied university campus, and especially for the school's departed alumni.

"Brother Man" presents itself as perhaps the most strikingly different, yet most lyrically meaningful track on the entire album as John Custer brings to bear all his production skills and writing talent in tribute to recently departed friend, Nathan Davis. Davis, an impassioned, fiery North Carolina singer-songwriter, and friend of several BCS members, was in the midst of recording a new album, (also produced by Custer), when his untimely passing occurred. The track is announced by what Custer himself considers "the best intro I've ever recorded," as he unleashes the full power of the Bull City Horns along with Larry Woodard's staccato pounding. This bombast is juxtaposed by Vhondy Stickland's melodic flute and Dan Lantier's layered choir-like background voices, in what sounds half coronation, half requiem. Either way, if Grammies were awarded for song intro's, there would be no competition at the 2008 award ceremony. Fortunately, while the inspired intro reprises two more times, the song's entirety is not ignored as Steve Baker once again takes the lead voice in an emotional delivery of Custer's heartfelt appeal for his "brotherman" to "do another show":

". . . and the front door it ain't locked. In case you want to show up, you'll find us all inside. You are alive in me, and the world revolves to miss you . . . my brotherman."

(Revolution Lane, a full-length album by Nathan Davis, and produced by John Custer, is scheduled for posthumous release in late '07.)

The title track to the new Bull City Syndicate release, "You Make Me Feel," is a another composition by producer John Custer, previously released on Dag's 1998 release, Apartment #635. Most significantly different from Dag's version are the alternating vocals by trumpeter, Steve Baker, and frontman, Dan Lantier, as well as the prominent horn lines replacing the original's backing vocals. These changes provide an updated and fresh interpretation to what is certainly BCS's best chance at a pop hit single. Notably, bassist Jeff Nelson more than adequately follows after the daunting bass chops of Dag's Bobby Patterson by laying down an impressive groove, making this the most radio-friendly song of the album.

Bull City Syndicate has a great little side-project, called Cafe' Mars.

Cafe' Mars serves up a cool mix of funk, jazz, and danceable top-40 pop - which is not only unique to the Triangle music scene, but a welcome respite from the tired, old, 70's disco and classic rock still being offered by most local bands.

We encourage you to check out Cafe' Mars the next time you hear of them playing at one of the local haunts. We think you'll be very pleasantly pleased.