Small Town (Plain Spoken) by John Mellencamp on VEVO.
EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT TO RELEASE
JOHN MELLENCAMP
PLAIN SPOKEN: FROM THE CHICAGO THEATRE
AN INTIMATE CONCERT / NARRATIVE EXPERIENCE
~DVD+CD, BLU-RAY+CD AND DIGITAL FORMATS~
~MAY 11, 2018~
~VIEW “SMALL TOWN”HERE~
~Pre-order Available ForDVD+CD
and
Blu-ray+CD~
“…The star's singing voice and speaking voice become an engaging duet,
revealing the deeper meanings and motivations behind a great singer-songwriter's
work.”
-The Los Angeles Times
“(Mellencamp) leads a stellar band through the hallmarks of his own career,
while a voice speaks of the passion, excitement, triumph, and trouble of youth
creates a contrast that is thrilling.- No Depression
New York, NY—Songwriter. Storyteller. Musician. Actor. Artist. Social
Activist… These are just some words that come to mind when the name John
Mellencamp is spoken. On May 11, fans will have the ability to get a deeper look
at this artist when Eagle Rock Entertainment proudly presents Plain Spoken: From
The Chicago Theatre on DVD+CD, Blu-ray+CD, and digital formats.
“Try to keep it as plain spoken as possible…” those are some of the first
words the viewer hears in Plain Spoken: From The Chicago Theatre. A
self-narrated musical journey, the film encapsulates the sound and soul of John
Mellencamp. Stepping outside the boundaries of a concert film or documentary,
Plain Spoken blends highly personal voice-overs from Mellencamp with live
footage of him performing with his full band at the historic Chicago Theatre,
just 250 miles from his native Indiana. He tells us the story of his Midwestern
upbringing, the trials, turns and triumphs of his career, and his overall
outlook on life while the music plays, supporting his stories. The result is the
essence of John Mellencamp, delivered fully on-screen.
In addition to the full film with Mellencamp’s commentary, this audio visual
release offers a “non-commentary” option (available in the Main Menu) in which
viewers can watch the concert on its own. The audio visual set is completed with
a component CD of concert audio. The set, which includes special guest Carlene
Carter, showcases Mellencamp performing his most cherished songs. “Small Town,”
“Minutes To Memories,” “Pop Singer,” “Cherry Bomb,” “Longest Days,” “Authority
Song,” and “Pink Houses” are just some of the gems cherry-picked from his
brilliant catalogue, as well as including songs from his most recent album Sad
Clowns And Hillbillies.
With a career spanning more than 35 years, John Mellencamp has elevated his
legacy from pop star to one of the most highly-respected songwriters of a
generation. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, “The Souls of the
People” John Steinbeck Award, and will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of
Fame on June 14, 2018, among many other prestigious honors. He has achieved a
total of 22 Top 40 hits in addition to earning the record for the “Most #1
tracks by a solo artist on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks” chart.
Plain Spoken: From The Chicago Theatre serves as a stunning cinematic
experience that offers a welcoming, intimate glimpse into the words and wisdom
of John Mellencamp.
TRACK LISTING:
1.) Lawless Times
2.) Troubled Man
3.) Minutes To Memories
4.) Small Town
5.) Stones In My Passway
6.) Pop Singer
7.) Check It Out
8.) Longest Days
9.) The Full Catastrophe
10.) My Soul’s Got Wings
11.) Overture
12.) Rain On The Scarecrow
13.) Paper In Fire
14.) Authority Song
15.) Pink Houses
16.) Cherry Bomb
ABOUT JOHN MELLENCAMP
John Mellencamp’s career in music, spanning more than 35 years, has seen him
transition from pop star to one of the most highly respected singer/songwriters
of a generation. Mellencamp is incredibly acclaimed; a recent nominee to the
Songwriters Hall of Fame, he is also member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a
Grammy winner, a recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, ASCAP Foundation’s
Champion Award, The Woody Guthrie Award and Americana Music Association's
Lifetime Achievement Award and more recently, the Founders Award, the top honor
assigned by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. He is
also one of the most successful live concert performers in the world. The social
activism reflected in his songs helped catalyze Farm Aid, the concert series and
organization that has addressed the struggle of American family farmers for more
than 25 years. John Mellencamp’s latest album, Sad Clowns & Hillbillies,
featuring Carlene Carter, is his 23rd over the course of a remarkable career and
was released on April 28, 2017. Sad Clowns & Hillbillies returns Mellencamp to
the musical eclecticism that is, itself, a reflection of his wide-ranging
musings on life and showcases a poet who has wisely used the years between youth
and the present day to become an absolute master of songwriting and
interpretation. That passion and experience resonates most beautifully in this
showcase of his music. John also wrote the title song for the upcoming film, The
Yellow Birds.
John continues to focus on another facet of his artistic expression:
painting. His style has progressed over the years as evidenced by several
gallery shows and published portfolios, and in recent years he has increased his
output by completing over 100 new works. His pieces were shown in 2012 at the
Tennessee State Museum in Nashville under the under the title “Nothing Like I
Planned: The Art Of John Mellencamp” and, more recently at the Butler Institute
of American Art in an exhibition entitled “The Paintings Of John Mellencamp.”
“The Paintings of John Mellencamp” traveled to the Museum of Art-DeLand, Florida
and John’s art was showcased at the ACA Gallery in New York. The unique
instrumentation of his band and his poignant songs about everyday life in the
American heartland, are widely credited with being the forbearer of the
Americana/No Depression genre of rural-inflected music. An extraordinary
collaboration performed by an ensemble cast of 15 actors and a four-piece live
band, comprised of members of John Mellencamp’s band is The Ghost Brothers of
Darkland County, a musical with music and lyrics by John Mellencamp, a libretto
by author Stephen King and production by T Bone Burnett. The show is being
further developed in London, though King and Mellencamp are no longer as
actively involved. Mellencamp continues his journey as the walking embodiment of
heartland rock; passionate, plain-spoken, and a self-proclaimed rebel.
ABOUT EAGLE ROCK
Eagle Rock Entertainment is the world’s largest producer and distributor of
music programming for TV, DVD, Blu-Ray and Digital Media. Eagle produces quality
HD programs, both concerts and documentaries, directly alongside artists
including Imagine Dragons, Paul McCartney, Katy Perry, The Rolling Stones, Pink
Floyd, The Who, Queen, and Peter Gabriel. Eagle is a multiple Grammy® Award
winner and has received numerous multi-platinum sales awards around the world.
Eagle Vision is headquartered in London, and is a Universal Music Group company.
ABOUT REPUBLIC RECORDS
A division of Universal Music Group, the world's leading music company, Republic
Records is home to an all-star roster of multi-platinum, award-winning legends
and superstar artists such as Ariana Grande, Aminé, Black Sabbath, DNCE,
Florence + the Machine, Gotye, Hailee Steinfeld, James Blake, James Bay, John
Mellencamp, Jordan Smith, Julia Michaels, Keith Richards, Kid Cudi, Liam Payne,
Marian Hill, Of Monsters and Men, Post Malone, Seth MacFarlane, Stevie Wonder,
and more. Founded by brothers and chief executives Monte and Avery Lipman, it is
also comprised of innovative business ventures, including American Recordings
(The Avett Brothers, Towkio), Boominati Worldwide (Metro Boomin), Brushfire
(Jack Johnson), Casablanca Records (Giorgio Moroder, KUNGS, Tďesto), Cash Money
(Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj), Hollywood Records (Sofia Carson, Zendaya), Lava
Records (Greta Van Fleet, Jessie J, Lorde), Monkeywrench (Pearl Jam), XO (The
Weeknd), Roc Nation (Belly, Justine Skye, The Dream), Tuff Gong (Damian Marley),
Victor Victor Records (D Savage, Ski Mask The Slump God), among others. Republic
also maintains a long-standing strategic alliance with country powerhouse Big
Machine Records (Taylor Swift), and Universal Music Latin Entertainment (Luis
Fonsi, J Balvin). In addition, Republic has expanded to release high-profile
soundtracks for Universal Pictures (Fifty Shades of Grey, SING), Fox TV (Lee
Daniels' STAR), and NBC TV (The Voice), as well as other notable film and
television franchises.
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