SXSW 2005 Showcasing Artists
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Dwight Twilley
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As one of the premier innovators of the “power pop” sound, Dwight Twilley's place in rock history is assured. Not one to rest on his laurels, however, the multi-talented performer continues to dazzle his public with new statements to add to his impressive creative resume. As one of the initial artists to sign on with Digital Musicworks International, Inc. (DMI), the world's first next-generation music label, Twilley continues to demonstrate those qualities of innovation, a perfect match with the all-digital, full-service imprint. DMI is releasing for digital downloads two new Dwight Twilley projects: a brand new studio album of songs, 47 Moons (his first in three years – due in January 2005); and a holiday EP aptly titled Have a Twilley Christmas , available 10/18/04.
“This is exactly what I've been waiting for,” says Twilley about working with DMI. “As an artist, not only do I gain creative control over my music, I also benefit from traditional marketing and radio promotion, too. It's the perfect label for what artists are looking for today and tomorrow.” As a veteran of the “record label wars,” Twilley knows of what he speaks. He fronted the Dwight Twilley Band, a legendary trio from Tulsa , which scored a deal in 1974 with Shelter Records and had a major hit with the very first record they recorded professionally, “I'm On Fire,” in the summer of 1975. The band went on to record a brilliant first album, Sincerely , which was released in 1976. Sincerely has since come to be regarded as one of the best American albums of the Seventies. A second album, Twilley Don't Mind , was recorded with a more basic live feel to it, and released on Arista in the fall of 1977. Disenchanted with their failure to sustain the commercial success they deserved, the group disbanded in 1978. Twilley went on to record a solo album for Arista, Twilley , and proved conclusively that he could do it all himself -- songwriting, arranging, guitars, and piano. After several years of legal strife while continuing to record, he got out of his Arista contract and Scuba Divers was released on EMI in early 1982. Twilley had another hit with a re-recorded version of “Somebody To Love” (originally a minor hit single for him in 1979). During the year, he appeared frequently on the fledgling MTV channel, and was the subject of one of the very first MTV live concerts in July 1982. In 1984, Twilley released the hit album, Jungle , which included the smash single, “Girls” (with a cameo by long-time friend Tom Petty). With a funny, Porky's -inspired video, the song was in heavy rotation on MTV for six months. A second single, “Little Bit Of Love” also hit, and the third single “Why You Wanna Break My Heart” was included in a cover version on the platinum-selling Wayne's World soundtrack several years later. After several years touring extensively in support of the hit album, Twilley was convinced to leave EMI and sign with a new company, where he recorded a new album, Wild Dogs . Two weeks before its release, he woke up to find the head of the company on network television as a key figure in a big payola scandal . Disillusioned with the music business, Twilley spent the next several years writing a critically acclaimed award-winning book on long distance parenting called Questions From Dad (Charles H. Tuttle Company, 1994). He was asked to speak in Washington D.C. for the Children's Rights Council and made appearances on the Maury Povich Show and the Today show among others to promote the book. He was neither inactive musically nor absent from the record bins during this time. The two Dwight Twilley Band albums were reissued twice (‘89/'90 and ‘95) with bonus tracks. In 1993, DCC issued a terrific collection of unreleased songs called The Great Lost Twilley Album from the Dwight Twilley Band's Shelter years. Twilley contributed tracks to the first Yellow Pills sampler (Big Deal Records), and to Come And Get It: A Tribute To Badfinger (Copper Records), and released two vinyl singles in France . In 1996, he released a CD career overview called XXI on The Right Stuff. By that time, after the great earthquake in the Los Angeles Valley in 1994, Twilley had returned to Tulsa to live. In 1999, Dwight Twilley recorded a new album, appropriately called Tulsa (Copper Records, reissued in England in 2000 on Castle/When! Records). The album met with glowing reviews (one called it the best album of his career), and made many year end Best Of 1999 lists. Also in 1999, Not Lame Records issued a new collection of previously unissued tracks from Twilley's archives, called Between the Cracks, Vol. 1 , which was also issued in England by Castle/When! in the summer of 2000. As the new millennium began, Twilley launched his own record company, Big Oak Recording Group, and released Twilley's The Luck , produced by Richard Podolor , in June 2001 . For his DMI label debut, 47 Moons , he reunited with original Dwight Twilley Band guitarist Bill Pitcock IV, as well as a group of other handpicked musicians to play out his vision for the dozen songs he wrote for the album. Twilley also produced 47 Moons and recorded it at his Big Oak Studio in Tulsa , again demonstrating his versatility by doing all the vocals, as well as playing acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards and an array of additional instruments. Musically, 47 Moons is his most progressive, innovative album thus far, with that classic Twilley vocal sound brilliantly flourishing, embellished with a number of rock aural shadings. “After the release of The Luck , we spent a lot of time building and equipping our own recording studio,” says Twilley about the recording sessions. “The hard work was well worth it. With my wife Jan engineering and my good friends Bill Pitcock IV and Jerry Naifeh only a phone call away, I had never felt so self contained and in control of my art.” “I've been writing songs for so many years. For me, I've found that the hardest part is just finding the right idea. Once I have the idea, actually writing the song is nearly effortless,” explains Twilley about his songwriting process. “I was listening to one of those late night radio talk shows where they talk about UFO's and Zombies. Someone mentioned quite matter of factly that Jupiter has 47 moons. I immediately thought ‘we only have one.' The next day I wrote the song, ‘47 Moons.' Ironically, a few days later, I opened a newspaper and saw an article in the Science section. The headline read: ‘More Moons Discovered Around Jupiter.' I felt compelled to go back and adjust my lyrics. I'm very proud of the song because it's like it has 47 meanings. I've noticed that people interpret the song in different ways. I think there's something magical about that. Sometimes the planets do align. I feel that way about my new album and my new relationship with DMI.” DMI website: www.digitalmusicworks.com Publicity Contact: Mark Pucci Media (770) 804-9555; email: mpmedia@bellsouth.net Dwight's site: www.dwighttwilley.com |
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