Ben Arnold, with Anna Coogan October 23, 2010

CONCERT - $16 Advance/$20 Door, 8:00 pm

From big budget major label record deals to self-financed recordings, Philadelphia-based singer and songwriter Ben Arnold has seen both sides of the proverbial coin. It's a journey that has no doubt informed his songwriting. But, despite the highs and lows, Ben finds himself exactly where he's meant to be in his career, a self-sustaining artist composing his finest songs to date, playing to a loyal, ever-expanding audience and on the verge of releasing a new album that is yet another benchmark in his steadily growing discography.

Becoming the first singer-songwriter ever signed to the groundbreaking independent record label Ropeadope, Ben Arnold's new collection of songs, Nevermind My Blues is available nationwide on October 30. The very fact that Ropeadope (a label best known for cutting edge artists like The Benevento-Russo Duo, King Britt, Sex Mob and Tin Hat) would offer a home to an artist in a genre it's never yet navigated speaks volumes about the universal appeal of Ben's artistry.

"We've never had a singer-songwriter in nearly 10 years as a label because we never really felt that anyone had that 'Ropeadope vibe' to them," states label founder Andy Hurwitz. "But when the opportunity to sign Ben came along, we had to go for it. I've been a huge fan for years. He's easily one of my favorite contemporary living artists."

Ben Arnold has toured throughout the United States and Europe with various line-ups both solo and with his rollicking live band. He has shared a stage with everyone from Ryan Adams, David Gray, Ben Folds and Lucinda Williams to Ron Sexsmith, Randy Newman and even a strangely magical week in Holland with Townes Van Zandt. While maintaining a relatively low touring profile during the recording and in the build up to the release of Nevermind My Blues, Ben plans to tour extensively throughout 2007 and 2008.

www.benarnoldmusic.com

At the age of 19, Anna Coogan found herself in Salzburg, Austria, studying opera in a language she did not yet know. She explains: “I’m not exactly sure how I got there- a series of good auditions and better luck. I did not speak a word of German when I first got there-- it was a crash course.”

Somewhat bewildered by the pressures of being in the prestigious world of opera, Anna shocked the old guard at the Mozarteum by singing American show tunes for recitals, and missing class to go skiing in the Austrian Alps. “I love opera, but I never could relate to the music. It did not feel like mine. I’d show up burnt from the mountains, unable to sing very well, and be in a load of trouble with my teachers.”

Homesick and lovesick for the man she would later marry, Anna returned to the US in 2001, swearing off music for good. She re-enrolled at the University of Washington in Seattle and began to a degree in Evolutionary Biology. It was in late 2001, sometime after the events of September 11, that Anna first heard Alison Krauss sing. “I had never heard any sort of country music until that point. I grew up on the Beatles, on opera and old 1960’s folk music. Hearing old-time music changed the course of my life, yet again. I was hooked.”

Finally finding music that she could relate to, Anna picked up her old guitar and started hammering out old-time, two chord songs. She wrote her first song, played her first gig, and formed the band “Anna Coogan and north19” in a matter of months.

After only a year together, Anna Coogan and north19 released their first full length record, Glory, on local country-noir label Tarnished Records. The positive reception surprised the young band, who went from playing open stages and coffeeshops to selling out the larger clubs in the region. Glory rose to the top of local station KEXP’s charts, and the band was featured live in-studio on the show “Swinging Doors”. The record sold well across the US and Europe, rose to number 13 on the FAR charts, and was featured on national and local TV.

After the 2007 release of sophomore album Sleepwalker, which was mixed by Grammy winner S. Husky Huskolds (Norah Jones, Tom Waits) and featured on ABC series “Kyle XY”, Anna Coogan and north19 quietly retired. Anna once again found herself rootless in the music world: “After all we put into north19, it was sad to see it go.” She says, “But it was time.”

Since the late 2007 split of the band, Anna has taken to the road as a solo artist, this time backed by fiance Brooks Miner on keyboards and musicians on both coasts. Armed with a load of new songs, Anna and Brooks are heading into the studio in July 2009, with the help of producer JD Foster (Patty Griffin, Calexico), engineer Geoff Hazelrigg, and longtime drummer Eric Hastings. The summer of 2009 will be a busy one for the couple, with a European tour (featuring a slot at the prestigious Blue Balls Festival in Switzerland), making a record, and finally, their long-awaited wedding.

www.annacoogan.com

Official Website: http://www.psalmsalon.com