Pongid

Don Russian - Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gugcZ8wHXOc

April 2009 Featured Artists - John Haydon and Don Russian

John Haydon:
Pongid Radio is playing "I Wanna Go Away With You" - and we're looking forward to his new releases.

John Haydon's 5th and most recent release "Phantom Heart" is an achingly beautiful and haunting exploration of the dark, hidden realms of the heart and the happiness found in love. The listener can't help but feel that Haydon has transformed a very personal dark night of the soul into a bitter-sweet collection of songs that shine with ageless beauty. Fans will be interested to know that two thirds of the songs were written as "hidden-message love letters" during the formation of a band with another songwriter that he fell in love with (a short documentary about the album

called "Song Stories" will be available at www.johnhaydon.com). The songs resonate with poetic sensibility and naked honesty conjuring up the ghosts of Leonard Cohen, Neil young and John Lennon.

For the past 13 years, Haydon has been developing an honest and direct, yet refined songwriting voice. Each song is a balancing see-saw with loneliness and despair on one end and hope and determination on the other end. His previous record "She's Gone" (on iTunes) was released  in 2002 and received rave reviews in major music publications in the Northeast.

His musical styles have gone from Pop Rock to Alt-County to Singer/Songwriter to Minimalist Folk reflecting influences that include Badly Drawn Boy, Neil Young, Galaxy 500

, Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash. However, the essential constant thread in his music is what one fan calls "courageous vulnerability".  John adds, "Artists like Leonard Cohen, Gram Parsons and Neil Young have always been mentors to me in how they put honesty before anything else in their music. If I can get one thing right, it would be being honest and naked in my music".

No effort was spared making this record. John hand-picked Boston's best including Russell Chudnofsy (Lori McKenna), Mike Piehl (Chris Smither), Steve Chaggaris (Ke

n Clark Organ Trio /The Soul Band) and Margaret Garrett (Mr. Airplane Man). All the songs were recorded at Moontower Studio, Woolly Mammoth Studio and his home studio in Massachusetts. The masterful Pete Weiss (Bow Thayer, Ramona Silver, Lucky 57) mixed everything at Verdant Studio. Finally, Jeff Lipton (Magnetic Fields, Big Star, Jess Klein, Sebadoh) at Peerless mastered the disc.

Note:

On 4/23/2008, The Watertown Tab published the following article: http://www.wickedlocal.com/watertown/archive/x914614997

Instrumentation
John Haydon - acoustic guitar / vocals.

Discography
Five Dollar Milkshake - Apartinthemiddle - 1998
John Haydon - Resolve - 1999
John Haydon - This Time - 2001

Timbre Project - 2001
John haydon - She's Gone - 2003
Hayseed Prophets - Future Looks Bright - 2003
John Haydon - Phantom Heart - 2008

Links
http://johnhaydon.com

New 4 Song EP due 05-03-09!  Check out his MySpace page here.

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"Exudes the brave, naked honesty of Daniel Johnston with a delivery somewhere between Neil Young and Dean Wareham." - Platitude Review

"From the hypnotic and soulful 'Blue Van' to the pensive, close-to-the-bone 'Peel Away', Haydon does offer up a little slab of his soul with each song." - Provincetown Banne

"Impressive and soulful, it immediately catches attention and sets out its stall as redemptive music." - Three Monkeys eZine

"...more than a collection of raw and honest songs about lost love and navigating life. It’s also proof that music has the power to pull someone out of the depths of depression and pain." - Brookline TAB

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Don Russian

Jon and Jim Drake are two brothers raised on the likes of Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, The Boss, The Beatles, and The Waterboys (courtesy of father/manager Chuck Drake).  The brothers have been learning and writing together since childhood beginning with a single Yamaha Eterna and a Tascam four track tape recorder.

Years later and armed with beautifully crafted guitars and crunchy distorted tube amps, the Drake brothers became a ttached to other soun ds like early punk rock, garage rock, and art rock/glam rock.. the likes of the Buzzcock s, The Clash, Trail of Blood, Modest Mouse, The Stooges, Kings of Leon, The Teeth, and of course a little Wilco and Neutral Milk Hotel.

With all of these influences the brothers crafted their own sound with a classic guitar, guitar, bass and drums presentation.  Combined with strong song writing and vocal abilities gained through studies both collegiate and independent, the boys have become a force to reckon with.  On top of that, they are backed up by one of the tightest, punchiest rhythm sections around via Jared Olson and Paul Chivari.
 
DON RUSSIAN has been hitting the pavement and perfecting their product for years.  As of today.. there is a steady buzz in the air as the show success continues to grow.  DON RUSSIAN is up and coming and definitely a band to watch.

DON RUSSIAN RESUME:
The Note, The Double Door, Martyr's, Ronnies, Reggies, Mutiny, Elbo Room, Liquid Blues, Clearwater Theater, and more... Currently working with Empty Bottle. 

Played With:
Lucid Ground, The GoStation, TEAM BAND, Elephant Gun, Cycle Something, and more...

Instrumentation
Jon Drake- guitar, vocals.
Jim Drake- guitar, vocals.
Paul Chivari- bass.
Jared Olson- drums, vocals.

Info: rock. original. intense. creative. garage pop rock with a punk flare. See a show; you will want to tell everyone about it.  This is THE quintessential Chicago rock band: high energy, wonderfully crafted songs, innovative guitar work.. all of this with a professional presence on and off the stage.

Check out their music on our station - visit their Myspace page here.