BREAKING NEWS!
Universal Music France compilation including "Cold War" has sold 25,000+ copies as of June 1st. Thanks Europe!
NEW "officially unofficial" Tori Bootlegs (Vol. 2) available now! Limited edition, signed and numbered.
Tori Sparks' "Caged Bird" named in Top 12 DIY Downloads by Performing Songwriter magazine. Click here to see the review (July 2008).
"Cold War" released on Paste Magazine New Music Sampler, June 2008 (Issue # 43).
Under This Yellow Sun licensed to MTV, Lifetime, and Oxygen Networks. Stay tuned for details.
"Most Alone" featured on XM Radio!
About Tori...
Tori Sparks calls Nashville home, but spends most of her time on the road in the U.S. and Europe. Called “a knockout” by the Village Voice, her dynamic live show is equal parts soulful singing and zany stand-up-style humor. Tori’s latest album Under This Yellow Sun was co-produced with indie rock veteran David Henry (R.E.M., Ben Folds, Josh Rouse, Widespread Panic, Cowboy Junkies) , and features players such as Steve Bowman of Counting Crows, Aaron Sands of Jars of Clay, John Deaderick (Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams), and Pat Buchanan (Mary Chapin Carpenter, Dixie Chicks).
Under This Yellow Sun is the first release under the auspices of Tori’s own record label (Glass Mountain Records) and publishing company (Hand Over Foot Publishing). It has been praised by Relix, Harp, Maverick, Skope, The Nashville Music Guide, XM Radio, and others.
After breaking the Top 100 on the RIYL Weighted College Charts, the album was immediately licensed by MTV, Lifetime, and the Oxygen Network for use in their 2008 television seasons. A subsequent feature by XM Radio Unsigned prompted Universal Music France to contact Sparks, has toured in France and other parts of Europe. Universal included Sparks’ single “Cold War” on their double-disc compilation, released internationally in March 2008, which has sold 25,000+ copies to date. "Cold War" is also featured on the Paste Magazine New Music Sampler released in June 2008.
Tori’s relentless touring has taken her from New York to Los Angeles to Miami, from Toronto to London to Paris, and through every small town in between. She has shared the stage with Justin Townes Earle, Garrison Starr, Rachael Sage, Maria Muldaur, John & Mary of 10,000 Maniacs, and more. The fearless chanteuse makes the audience her own in any setting. Besides her big black boots, and balls-to-the-wall guitar playing, she is known for being a part of and organizing benefit concerts on behalf of the National Federation of the Blind, F.A.C.E., the March of Dimes, and the One Campaign.
Contrary to popular belief, Sparks did not emerge Venus-like from Lake Michigan on a gigantic seashell Tori was born in Chicago, and grew up in Sarasota, FL. She recorded her first EP, Tidewaters, in 2003, while attending Florida State University. . The four-song project attracted the attention of a small independent label based in Nashville. The label snapped her up, promptly recorded her debut album and music video ”Rivers + Roads” in 2005, moved her to Music City… and even more promptly went belly-up. Where some would crumble, Tori emerged from the wreckage and dove into eight solid months of exhaustive touring, radio, and video promotion. Her work paid off, as radio and video airplay in the U.S., Belgium, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, France, and England resulted.
One of the aforementioned eight months was devoted to The Feed Your Soul Guitar Project, a tour and folk art auction benefiting Oxfam America. ASCAP, The Village Voice, Paste Magazine Online, Northeast InTune Magazine, All Music, NBC, ABC, FOX, the Women’s Right to Rock Music Festival and others thought this was pretty cool and said so. Tori's debut music video, "Rivers + Roads," was screened at the Flint Film Festival 2006, and was selected "Best Pop Video" by the Indie Gathering 2006. She was selected as a Unisong International Songwriting Contest Finalist for her politically-charged alterna-blues tune "The Poster Child” in 2005, and again in 2007 for “Cold War.”
Under This Yellow Sun and Rivers + Roads can each be purchased for less than the price of a veggie burger in Los Angeles at one of 100+ digital distributors in 25 countries. These include the ubiquitous iTunes, and 30+ CD retailers, including BestBuy.com, Target.com, Amazon.com, and others. Tori’s guilty pleasures include black jelly beans and 80s music. There is a big map of the U.S. and Europe on her wall, full of little colored pins marking cities she’s played.
Click for more information on Tori’s record label, Glass Mountain Records.
Their motto? “Freedom From the Long Shadow of the Corporate Umbrella.”
|
