9th IMA Submission Spotlight: Phoenix Rising

ARTIST NAME: Phoenix Rising

HOMETOWN/CURRENTLY BASED: San Francisco, CA

WEB SITE: www.phoenixrisingmusic.net, www.myspace.com/bayareacontemporarymusic.com, www.copuscatalog.com

INFLUENCES: Stravinksy, Debussy, Chick Corea, Meredith Monk.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: In November 2008, Phoenix Rising attended the Hollywood Music Awards as nominees in the new age/ambient music category. The HMA is the only red carpet style event of its kind in the world that celebrates music in new visual mediums and gives equal attention to signed and unsigned artists.
In 2009 'Ascension' was nominated for Best Acoustic Album of the Year, and recognized by the Unisong International Song Competition. This year our album has been on the NAR charts for the last five months, and has received airplay radio and Music Choice Cable Music Programing (Reached #9 in March). Composer Wendy Loomis received ASCAplus award for composition for the past two years.

WE SUBMITTED TO THE INDEPENDENT MUSIC AWARDS BECAUSE- It gives recognition to independent artists from around the world.

9TH ANNUAL IMA JUDGE YOU'RE MOST EXCITED ABOUT: Bettye LaVette

WE'RE PROUD TO BE INDEPENDENT ARTISTS BECAUSE: We are living in a time of stress and struggle. There is still hunger, hatred, and sickness in a world that is also filled with such beauty, generosity, and harmony. We are proud to be part of a community that creates music with positive vibrations of gratitude for this life.

WHAT'S NEXT: Los Angeles showcase at Live on Wilshire, July 28. WordxWord Festival with ensemble COPUS in Pittsfield, MA on Aug. 20-21.

We feel there will always be a need for powerful music, and therfore will continue producing CDs and performing. Our goal now is to perform in more concert and performing arts series around the world, incorporating more multimedia into our shows and also offering our talents to the world for film scoring. We both love the Ascension project and are so happy that our fans and new listeners are responding so positively to its hope and healing. We know when listeners put the record on, they’ll feel better and let the energy that’s there become a part of their spirits. Just as we named ourselves Phoenix Rising as an expression of rising above the personal challenges we have faced in our lives, Ascension is reflective of the new mood of America as we move into the next administration. Even if times are hard, we’re taking a creative stand and putting good things into the world.

SUCCESS = "Action is the foundational key to all success." ~Pablo Picasso

WHAT MAKES YOUR BAND STAND OUT: Despite the stereotypes that surround musical categories like New Age and Contemporary, we encapsulate a very broad range of styles and motivations indeed. Phoenix Rising brings a neo-classical, lyrical style that is both haunting and refreshing for its very defiance of stereotypes. One of our latest performances included instrumentation of piano, c flute, alto flute, diza, bansuri, mexican gourd drum, martial arts, and poetry.


WHERE DO YOU TOUR? San Francisco, LA, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Austin, and upcoming Boston in August - anywhere that appreciates our music!

WHATS YOUR FAVORITE VENUE TO PLAY AND WHY? Some of the best performances have been in intimate venues, where we get a chance to interact with our audiences. Some of the highlights have been Don Quixote's International Music Hall and the World Flute Festival at Chapel of the Chimes.