Singing River Records Signs Student Group 'bluebirds' To Label

Nov. 18, 2011

Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@xfmlsp.com, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

FLORENCE, Ala. - When University of North Alabama senior Noah Myers first stumbled upon the music videos of fellow student Madeleine Frankford, he knew he had discovered his musical companion. A few months later, the duo now call themselves Bluebirds and are on the road to success after recently being signed by Singing River Records. Singing River Records, which was first initiated by the Department of Entertainment Industry in the fall of 2007, gives UNA students the opportunity to gain real-world experience in the music and entertainment industry. Myers and Frankford were chosen from a pool of applicants who competed to be the 2011-2012 Singing River Records artist. "Singing River Records is proud to have Bluebirds as its artist this year, and all the students involved with the label are excited for this year's project to hit the ground running," said Josh Skaggs, UNA junior and public relations and publicity representative for Singing River Records. Myers, 23, is an entertainment technology major and 2006 graduate of Bob Jones High School who hopes to someday become involved in the live sound process of recording music. Frankford, 19, is a sophomore sociology major and 2010 graduate of Athens High School. Frankford, who is still unsure about her future career, loves to interact with other people in the music industry and hopes to always keep music as a hobby. Myers said the Bluebirds' music is a mixture of folk and male and female harmonies, and several of their songs are either vocally driven, have piano, feature drums or contain a range of sounds that increase their target audience. The duo considers its musical influences to be Ingrid Michaelson, Jeff Buckley, Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver and The Civil Wars. The Bluebirds competed with several other artists and groups by submitting a demo and individual recordings to Singing River Records at the beginning of the fall semester. They were selected and signed to the record label in October, according to the band. The group is currently working in the studio to record an EP, which will be released in late fall or early spring. "It has been a good experience and it's always great to have songs and a demo," Myers said. "For example, later on, when I want to open up for an act at some venue in whatever city I move into, I will have a demo to show them and it will help me get my foot in the door." Frankford said the experience of working with Singing River Records has gone smoothly, and has opened her eyes to a new world she had no previous knowledge of before singing to the record label. "It's a learning experience for me because I am so new to the game," she said. "It's about connections, whether that be with the entertainment industry department at UNA or other venues that we play at. Our plan is to start out in Florence and work our way out and play at different places." Singing River Records is a music label that allows students to completely produce, manage and market a music group and album. Students at the label are responsible for tasks such as finding an artist, producing the album, booking shows and marketing the final product. In the past, students have chosen musicians Archie Hubbard, Michael Clements, Lee Taylor and Rachel Pochop as Singing River Records artists. "This year, the label wanted to do something different that we haven't done in the past," Skaggs said. "The Bluebirds have a different sound than what has been previously by out by the label and are the first duo we have signed. In the past, we have always signed a singer/songwriter to a contract and this year we wanted something different and the Bluebirds were it." The Bluebirds will perform live Dec. 2 from 8-11 p.m. at Rivertown Coffee on Seminary Street in downtown Florence. Fans can like them on Facebook by visiting www.facebook.com/bluebirdsmusicor follow them on Twitter at bluebirds_music. For more information about the Bluebirds or Singing River Records, contact Dr. Bob Garfrerick, chair of the UNA Department of Entertainment Industry, at 256-765-4369 or ragarfrerick@xfmlsp.com.

About The University of North Alabama

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs through the colleges of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering; the Sanders College of Business and Technology; Education and Human Sciences; and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions. Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Muscle Shoals, Sheffield, and Tuscumbia. UNA Athletics, a renowned collegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of NCAA Division I as part of the Atlantic Sun and United Athletic conferences. The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age, or national origin. For more: xfmlsp.com and xfmlsp.com/unaworks/.