olivea watson

OLIVEA WATSON L.A. BASED SINGER/SONGWRITER IS CHOSEN THE 2007 WINNER OF THE GIBSON GUITAR NEW MUSICIAN AWARD
* * *
Watson Will Received The Honor October 6 At HATCHfest In Bozeman, Montana, Where She And Her Band The Unsung Heroes Performed Songs From Their Newly Released Album ‘Way Down Deep’ At The Emerson Theater at 8 p.m. On Friday, October 5
Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Olivea Watson, who released her independent debut album Way Down Deep in September, has been announced as the winner of the prestigious Gibson Guitar New Musician Award for 2007.
One of the songs they will be performing is Way Down Deep’s first single “Let Go,” which recently hit Radio & Records’ Hot 100 Airplay Chart. She will also receive an exclusive Gibson Acoustic guitar valued at over $5,000.
Previous winners include Chris Webster (2005) and presenters have included Jackson Browne. Last year’s HATCHfest attendance was 11,800, and noteworthy attendees over the years include The Samples, Stephen Perkins of Jane’s Addiction, Jackson Browne, Peter Fonda, Michael Keaton, Bill Pullman, Jeff Bridges, Brian Geraghty, William Fichtner, The LifeSavas, J.D. Souther and Tony Furtado.
Olivea Watson was also recently nominated for the 2007 New Music Award "AC Breakthrough Artist Of The Year"
************************************************************ ***************
2007 GIBSON ARTIST OF THE YEAR!!!!
Olivea won Gibson New Artist on the year! Along with that will come lots of great things through Gibson. Watson will be receiving the honor on Saturday, October 6, at the Award Ceremony of this year's HATCHfest, which runs from October 2 to 7 in Bozeman, Montana. Olivea won a custom, one of a kind, J-200 Acoustic Guitar from Gibson.
************************************************************ ***************
A/C BREAKTHROUGH ARTIST OF THE YEAR NOMINEE!!!
Olivea is nominated for Breakthrough Artist if the Year for The New Music Awards held on Nov. 10th in Los Angeles, CA. She and her band "The Unsung Heroes" will be performing her radio hit "Let Go" at The New Music Awards.
NEWS:::::::::::
Olivea WON AS RUNNER-UP for RELIX MAGAZINE JAMOFF for her song "Goodbye"
************************************************************ ***************
NEWS:::::::::::
Olivea will be on the new compilation CD "HELP SAVE WORLD HUNGER" by BLASTED RECORDS for her song "LET GO. All proceeds benefit world hunger and the compitation will be distributed nationwide in record stores.
************************************************************ ***************
MORE NEWS:::::::::
Olivea will be on a compilation CD "Music for CoffeeBeings" distributed in coffee houses throughout Canada for her song "LET GO"
************************************************************ ***************
MORE NEWS:::::::::::
Olivea was offered a major distribution deal and her debut record "Way Down Deep" will be released in Sept '07 September
************************************************************ ***************
Olivea was chosen, along with 20 others, as a winner for IndieGirl best songwriting contest for her song "Wake Up". Thousands applied and only 20 were finalist and Olivea is one of them!
************************************************************ ***************
Olivea is 1st Runner up in the "National Singer/Songwriter Awards" for her song "All's I Want". Thousand's of songwriters submitted, it is an honor to be recognized as a songwriter!
************************************************************ ***************
CHECK OUT OLIVEA'S NEW REVIEW in NorthEast In-Tune Magazine!
Click on link or copy and paste it in your browser .... http://www.northeastintune.com/index.php?bd=reg&sb=land& amp;article=090679
************************************************************ ***************
MS Music Fest 2006 - Compilation CD for the Montel Williams MS Foundation.
Olivea's song "All's I want" was chosen for The Montel Williams MS Foundation to help raise money for MS.
************************************************************ ***************
Olivea was chosen from amongst 5,000 entries to perform in the "Williamsburg LIVE Songwriting Competition" in NYC this Sept.
************************************************************ ***************
Olivea was interviewed in "ACOUSTIC GUITAR MAGAZINE" in the "On the Verge Section".
************************************************************ ***********
Mish Mash Indie Artist Review (April/May 2006 issue)
At first glance, Olivea Watson may seem like any other singer songwriter, making her way through a bevy of heartfelt pop songs. But, as the music plays, it's obvious that there's plenty of substance to go along with her well-worn roots rock style.
The most striking thing about her is her voice, which sounds strangely enough like a cross between Chrissie Hynde and The Sundays' Harriet Wheeler. It's strong and assured like Hynde's, but there's an underlying sensitivity which keeps you guessing. It also helps that her songwriting is top-notch and creatively done, and the combination of voice and writing pull this one away from the pack.
In other words, this should be just another album by another wannabe rock star, but it shines in spite of itself---and that makes it even better in the end.
MISH MASH Mandate: Brass In Pocket
************************************************************ *************
VH1 Compilation CD "Save the Music"
U Heard it First: The Best Independent Music - VOL 1
Olivea was asked to be on "The Best Independent Music -VOL 1" compilation CD for her song "Back to L.A.". This CD will be distributed to all the celebrities and attendee's at the upcoming VH1 "Save the Music " benefit.
************************************************************ **************
Honorable Mention for BILLBOARD WORLD SONG CONTEST
Billboard World Song Contest
livea got a "Honorable Mention" for her song "Can you Feel" in this year's Billboard World Song Contest. This is quite a accomplishment considering the thousands of entries and quality of the entries. Billboard recognized her for her ability to write songs at such a high level and issued her a certificate demonstrating her talent, dedication and ability she has to write a "Hit Song".
- Billboard World Song Contest
************************************************************ **************
OLIVEA WATSON
L.A. BASED SINGER/SONGWRITER
AND HER BAND THE UNSUNG HEROES
“LET GO” OF THEIR DOUBTS AND FEARS AND
EMBRACE THE STRUGGLE TO TAKE FANS
‘WAY DOWN DEEP’
* * *
In Addition To Winning “Honorable Mention” For Four Of The Album’s Tracks In Billboard’s World Song Contest; The Versatile Singer, Guitarist And Violinist’s First AAA Radio Single “Let Go” Will Be Featured On An Exclusive Best Buy Compilation Called ‘Help Save World Hunger’; “All’s I Want” Is Included On A Fundraising CD For The Montel Williams MS Foundation; And “Back To L.A.” Is On The VH1 Compilation ‘Save The Music’
* * *
Watson Is Currently Involved In Raising Awareness For War Child International, A Global Network Dedicated To Advancing The Cause Of Peace Through Investing Hope In The Lives of Children Caught Up In The Horrors Of War
A few years ago, shortly after moving to L.A. from The Big Apple to more seriously pursue her path as a singer/songwriter, Olivea Watson (www.olivea.com) reached a difficult crossroads. Struggling to define her musical direction and facing nagging doubts about her prospects for making inroads on the local club scene, she caught her breath for a moment and decided to take a good friend’s simple advice: “Let go.”
“Let Go,” the heartfelt, roots-rock/blues song that she wrote in response to her crisis of faith, is poised to be the latest breakthrough in the artist’s suddenly blossoming career. The first single from her debut album Way Down Deep (set for release in September on Ramblin Rose Records, with distribution by Burnside), the track is about to go to AAA stations across the country.
“Let Go,” which has logged over 8,000 listens on Watson’s popular myspace page (www.myspace.com/oliveawatson), is also set to be included on a compilation called Save World Hunger, released by Blasted Records in August; it will be available at Best Buy stores nationwide. The song is also the lead track on a compilation called “Music For Coffee Beings,” which is distributed in all independent coffee shops throughout Canada.
Watson is currently using her musical platform to increase U.S. awareness of War Child International, an international network of independent organizations working to help children worldwide affected by the ravages of war. War Child, whose main offices are located in Canada and Holland, was founded upon a fundamental goal—to advance the cause of peace through investing hope in the lives of children caught up in the horrors of war. Watson joins numerous indie artists and such music luminaries as Bono, Sheryl Crow, Phil Collins, David Bowie, Eric Clapton and Elton John in shedding light on the noble efforts of this crucial global charity.
Like a lot of indie artists aggressively seeking unique outlets for their music, Watson was placing her songs on a wide variety of other charity samplers long before her debut had a release date. Her track “Back To L.A.” was featured on the VH1 CD Save The Music, one of the station’s U Heard It First: The Best Independent Music series. Her heartfelt country/blues flavored rocker “All’s I Want” was chosen for the Montel Williams MS Foundation to help raise money for multiple sclerosis; the song was on the organization’s compilation CD connected to the MS Music Fest 2006.
Four of the songs from Way Down Deep also garnered Honorable Mention praise from Billboard Magazine’s World Song Contest, impressive for one artist in a sea of thousands of song entries. Watson is a prolific songwriter who can edge towards the political at times. But she’s mainly interested in chronicling her own personal experiences about trying to negotiate the hairpin curves and emerge a winner in the indie music world. Just before getting her distribution deal, she wrote “Goodbye” as a winking farewell to her songwriting career, as if it might be the last one she writes. “Wake Up” addresses the reality that most of us experience, repeating our patterns day to day without questioning the point of what we’re doing with our lives.
Not that Watson, who grew up in small town upstate New York, has a problem with her day job. She’s taught her first instrument, violin, to private students for several years, but her goal has always been getting out there and performing her own songs for live audiences.
She’s been succeeding brilliantly in doing just that these past two years, playing all the L.A. hotspots a clubhopper can name with her band of veteran sideman, which she fondly dubs “The Unsung Heroes”: Molly Malone’s, Key Club, Viper Room, Genghis Cohen, The Gig and Hotel Café. Last summer, Watson and the guys were given an unprecedented residency at The Mint, playing as the regular house band on Thursday nights.
Watson’s Unsung Heroes are a mix of musical pros that have decades of collective experience playing with artists in all genres. Her regular live band consists of guitarist Tim Burlingame (Kathrin Shorr); keyboardist Carl Byron (Anne McCue, Hound, Low And Sweet Orchestra, Michelle Shocked, David Baerwald, Jim Lauderdale, Walkie Talkie, Sin City All Stars); the singer’s musical partner, bassist Marcus Giamatti (James Montgomery); and the versatile drummer Otis Hayes (Chuck Berry, Ice-T, John Lydon).
Way Down Deep, which was recorded at Burbank’s famed Mad Dog Studios, also features guitarist Doug Pettibone (Jewel, Lucinda Williams); Skip Edwards (Lucinda Williams, kd lang, Michelle Shocked)’, harmonica player David McKelvy (Brian Wilson, Stanley Clarke); drummer Shawn Nourse (Dwight Yoakam, I See Hawks In LA); and percussionist George Martin (formerly with Earth, Wind & Fire). Watson co-produced the album with Giamatti.
Another key player in Watson’s inspiring turn from “discouraged artist” to “hot up and comer” was another L.A. based guitarist she once worked with, Michael Hakes, the friend she credits as most responsible for motivating her to make her own record. Sadly, the week before she was set to go into the studio with him to start recording, he found out he had leukemia; he died shortly thereafter of pneumonia related to his illness.
“He was the one who hooked things up with Mad Dog,” she says, “and then after he died, I unfortunately got caught up for a while with other producers who made promises that never resulted in anything productive. But eventually, I got to record Way Down Deep at the place we originally were going to do it, and it felt very much like home.
“So much of the joy I experience making music comes from all of the wonderful people I’ve had the chance to play with,” Watson adds. “I’m happiest when I’m rehearsing or playing onstage with my band, and every time I think things are going to be hard, I just have to pick up my guitar and suddenly everything’s ok. We’re definitely at our best when we’re performing live. I love the album, but our shows really show who we are and have a more rootsy feel. It’s fun to push the envelope and see people in the audience respond to all the energy."
Layout Created Stump'd