About Colorway: Since releasing their self­titled debut in 2013, Northampton, MA based Colorway (lead vocalist/guitarist/songwriter F. Alex Johnson; bassist Dave Hayes; and drummer J.J. O’Connell) have evolved into a rousing guitar rock outfit who have been celebrated for their energetic shows and savvy combination of hook­filled pop and rough & tumble rock. Created by Johnson as a way to give home to the melodies that kept awaking him every day, Colorway is proud to announce the release of their sophomore record, T​he Black Sky Sequined​on May 5​ on CD, digital and 180 gram vinyl. Named after a poem penned by Johnson’s late mother Judy, the origins for T​he Black Sky Sequined​ began on Alex’s iPhone’s voice memo recorder before sunrise. Later in the day those short snippets would be turned into demos and then fine tuned at rehearsal. The ten song album was recorded by Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab in Easthampton, MA and mastered by multiple Grammy award­winning engineer Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studio in Portland, ME. The first single from T​he Black Sky Sequined,​“Come Back July” was coincidentally written by Johnson on July 31​between 9pm and midnight August 1. “I love the summer as any New Englander would,” he says, “but you know what comes after August? The fall. And with it comes the cold, things start to die, and then it all goes straight to hell. So I wanted to write a love song to the time of the year when my little slice of the world feels the most alive—before it leaves us all for another twelve months.” Beginning his musical career at the age of 14 in Fall River, MA, Johnson moved two hours west to Northampton in the early 1990s, where he co­founded the much heralded alt­country sextet, Drunk Stuntmen. After releasing five CDs and playing upwards of two hundred shows a year in the US and abroad, he left the band in 2008. “It was a long, hard but ultimately rewarding learning experience,” he says. In 2004, he also became the lead guitarist, and still performs with regularly, the senior singing sensations, The Young at Heart Chorus. The group was the subject of a 2007 Fox Searchlight Documentary, and appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Ellen Degeneres Show. In 2008, after twenty years of hard living Johnson finally got a wakeup call in the form of a DUI that helped him make the decision to quit drugs and alcohol cold turkey. The ensuing years of clarity allowed him to finally embrace making original music again. In the winter of 2012 he recruited Hayes and O’Connell to record the band’s eponymous debut album which was released to an enthusiastic response. The new offering, T​he Black Sky Sequined,​is already making the band new fans. The Hartford Courant’s​Michael Hamad recently wrote, “With Colorway, you sense an unspoken credo: Stick to what you know, and do it at the highest level. [Their] disregard for what’s trendy is exactly why Colorway is worth seeking out.” With a goal of crafting a catchy tune with edgy guitar, Colorway draws upon the experience and care that only three friends with twenty years of music making can provide. “Music can move people on so many levels. If I even can reach one of those levels with the listener on even one of these ten songs on this album, I'll call it a grand accomplishment,” says Johnson. ==================================================== Credits: Colorway is: F. Alex Johnson: guitar/vocals Dave Hayes: bass/backing vocals J.J. O'Connell: drums/backing vocals/percussion With: Dave Trenholm: horn arrangement/tenor saxophone Tom Mahnken: baritone saxophone Terry S Nagel: trombone Nick Borges: trumpet Produced by Colorway. Additional production by Mark Alan Miller Recorded and mixed by Mark Alan Miller at Sonelab, Easthampton, MA Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering, Portland, ME Lacquers for vinyl cut by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman, Los Angeles, CA Legal: Peter Irvine (peter@peterirvinelaw.com) Front cover art: Laura Nugent Back Cover Art: Pietro Spica Inside Photo: Jodi Nicholas (www.approachableworld.com) CD/Vinyl layout Tom Pappalardo Thanks and love to: Jodi Lynn Nicholas, Judith Ann Johnson, Lynda Jean Johnson (and the whole Johnson Family), Paul Brown, The Nicholas Family, Roy Faudree, Sheena See (No Theater), Omar, Jocelyn Merrick, Amos and Stewart, The O'Connell Family, John Boulais, Nicole LaChapelle, Sigrid Von Wendel, Thatcher (RIP) and Vigo, Gerry LeBlanc, Jim Weeks, Terry Flood, Chet O'Keefe, Mentos, Timi Conley, Dave Domizi, Paul Rechsteiner, Andrew Bissaro, Nik Asikis, Don Francis Robinson, Melissa Karoutas, R. Michelson Galleries, John Montanari, Jim Neill, Groove House Records, Bill Smith Custom Records, Groover House Records, Stoughton Printing, Bob Cilman, Young@Heart Chorus, Steve Sanderson (and all in Drunk Stuntmen), Rick Murnane, José Ayerve, Dave Dumas, Justin Pizzoferrato, Tom Pappalardo (Standard Design), Bronwen Hodgkinson (Ardent Design), Laura Nugent, Pietro Spica, Vin Bator, Tom Adams (www.reelifeproductions.com), George Lenker, Brendan Leith and Frank Zappa. Special thanks to Mark Alan Miller, Bob Ludwig (and all at Gateway Mastering), The Village of Florence, The Spindle City and you, yes, you for supporting independent music. And on we go . . . All songs written by F. Alex Johnson (SESAC) except "I Never Changed" written by F. Alex Johnson (SESAC) and Jodi Lynn Nicholas (SESAC) ©2015 Molehill Mountain Productions (SESAC). All rights reserved. For more music, tour dates, merchandise and just about everything else, please go to www.colorwaymusic.com For booking and general questions: info@colorwaymusic.com For everything else: www.colorwaymusic.com Write to us at: Colorway PO Box 60062 Florence, MA 01062 Proudly made in the USA