Missy Raines Signs with Compass Records

Nashville, TN - (November 6, 2008) - The Compass Records Group is thrilled to announce the signing of Missy Raines, "superstar bluegrass bassist" (The Free Lance-Star) and seven time recipient of the International Bluegrass Music Association's award for Bass Player of the Year. Now fronting her hot new band The New Hip, a "startlingly gifted quintet" (Jon Weisberger, The Nashville Scene), Raines is poised to have her longtime dream realized: an album that fuses bluegrass virtuosity with jazz-tinged grooves and a song-driven sensibility.

A beloved figure in bluegrass and a pioneering force in acoustic music, Missy Raines' adventurous musical spirit has always been her compass. Launching her career with experimental bluegrass outfit Cloud Valley, Raines toured the country with Eddie and Martha Adcock before lending her bass skills to the Masters (Adcock, Kenny Baker, Josh Graves and Jesse McReynolds).  In 1995 Raines joined Claire Lynch's popular Front Porch Band and there developed a successful performing and recording partnership with band mate Jim Hurst. A stint with the Brother Boys opened Raines' eyes to the value of spontaneity and immediacy in her musical approach.

Missy Raines and The New Hip will release their first full-length album, Inside Out, on Compass Records on February 10, 2009. Recorded in Nashville and produced by Raines, members of The New Hip and Ben Surratt, Inside Out features special guest appearances by Matt Flinner (mandolin), John R. Burr (piano) and Megan McCormick (guitar, vocals).

Brad Paisley cites John Jorgenson as influential "favorite picker" in USA Today article.

In an article published 11/7/08, Brian Mansfield looks at Jorgenson and other influences on Paisley.  Read the article at http://www.usatoday.com/life/flash.htm?gid=759&aid=3619

Jay Clifford Updates!

- Jay's new video for the single "Know When To Walk Away" (Directed by Zach Braff) debuted on Myspace on 9/12 and has received over 250,000 plays. See the video here: http://www.jayclifford.com
-The video has been accepted for an add on numerous internet sites to include VH1.com and Pastemagazine.com
-Jay has been co-writing and recording with Epic Recording artist Howie Day for Day's sophomore album which is now finished and is scheduled for a late 1/09 release
-Jay's song "Cathedrals" was recorded by Joan Osborne and is on her latest album. Boulder, CO's KBCO loves it and has included it on their very popular charity compilation CD.
See Joan's video for "Cathedrals" here: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5jtAf8PClY)
-Jay's song "Mexico" was recorded by MPRESS records artist Rachel Sage and is on her latest album "Chandelier". The song is being worked to AAA radio now.
-Jay's song "Know When To Walk Away" is the lead track on MPRESS Records New Arrivals CD (http://www.newarrivalscd.com/nav3.html)
-"Know When To Walk Away" was also featured recently on the smash TV show "Grey's Anatomy"

Jay Clifford video release

Jay Clifford releases video for single, "Know When to Walk Away".  Directed by Zach Braff

Jay Clifford has been hard at work with actor/director Zach Braff on his new video for the song "Know When to Walk Away."  The world premier will be on Myspace.com on Sept. 12. It will be on Braff's Myspace TV channel and on Clifford's profile page simultaneously.  The video will be released to all other internet outlets on Sept. 19.  "Know When to Walk Away" is a powerful single by singer/songwriter Jay Clifford formerly of Jump, Little Children.  The song was recently featured on an episode of "Grey's Anatomy."

"Zach Braff needs your help making Jay Clifford's next music video" read the main page of the website where fans could send in their Youtube style videos for their shot to be in the video for singer/songwriter Jay Clifford's single "Know When to Walk Away."  Jay filmed his portions of the music video with Zach Braff, most notably of TV's "Scrubs" and director and star of "Garden State," who is a fan of both Jay's solo debut and his former band, Jump Little Children.  To finish the video, the pair came up with the idea to enlist the help of "the people of the Interweb."  The final video includes footage culled from hundreds of submissions worldwide.  Used clips included submissions from Berlin, Australia, London, the Alps, Norway, all over the US and many more.  Many of the full original fan videos can be viewed by searching Youtube.com for "Know When to Walk Away Music Video".

According to Zach Braff, "I just thought it would be a really cool idea for all those people out there who like to make movies to make a music video together.  Like a global crew of people making one music video. And I thought the perfect person to make the video for, would be Jay Clifford."

Fans were asked to shoot video of themselves and their friends in any creative way they desired as long as they were singing along to the song. Submissions were then incorporated to create the complete video for "Know When to Walk Away." See www.jaycliffordmusicvideo.com for more details.

The video also will feature GET Interactive advertising technology which will allow viewers to directly interact with brands that appear in the streaming video.  With the GET platform, content creators and producers can weave commercial brands into storylines without altering scripts or disrupting the cinematography to make sure that products are prominently displayed.  This increases the supply and value of product placement inventory since all products can be identified and sold, while maintaining directorial integrity.  Viewers can be entertained as intended without feeling like they are watching overproduced commercials.

Singer/songwriter Jay Clifford released his debut solo album Driving Blind on Sept. 4, 2007 on 33 and 1/3 Records.  Full of emotionally evocative vocals and intriguing lyrics, Driving Blind showcases the maturation of a truly gifted artist.  Jay Clifford makes his nest in Charleston, but his hauntingly ethereal voice and pitch-perfect compositions have flown around the world — as he once sang, "in the cathedrals of New York and Rome" — since his band, Jump Little Children went on hiatus in 2006.  Jay's former band, Jump Little Children, had a deal with Breaking/Atlantic Records.  In 2000, they released a record with the single "Cathedrals," which was a Top 10 AAA single that year (Elton John personally contacted the band to express his admiration of the song).

Jay has also co-written songs with Sean Lennon (Capitol), Robert Randolph, Mandi Perkins (Sony/BMG), and Peter of Peter, Bjorn and John (independent- Almost Gold).   Australian Recording Industry Award winner Missy Higgins co-wrote her single "Ten Days" with Jay, and it peaked at number 12 on the ARIA charts.  "Ten Days" was on Mandi's The Sound of White, which won 7 ARIA awards that year, including Album of the Year.  Jay has also worked with Sadler Vaden of Leslie (independent), Joel Hamilton of Working Title (Universal), and Michael Flynn of Slow Runner (independent). Jay Clifford will tour to support the video beginning October 15, 2008.

To find out more about Jay Clifford, please visit his myspace at www.myspace.com/jaycliffordmusic or www.jayclifford.com.

For interview availability and media information, please contact Jay Jones Music.  For more information, please visit www.jayjonesmusic.com.