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Award-Winning Composers and World-Class Musicians Bring Three Tributes CD to Life

Award-Winning Composers and World-Class Musicians Bring Three Tributes CD to Life

Immerse yourself in an emotional violin solo, get swept up by stunningly prestissimo strings, and experience the layered splendor of four hands on two pianos. Three Tributes is a music CD (with an accompanying booklet) featuring three breathtaking, original scores that would make a welcome addition to anyone’s collection of chamber orchestra music.

The CD features award-winning composers Kevin Puts, Andrea Clearfield and Gunther Schuller, along with a host of world-class performers. Three Tributes was commissioned by fellow musicians (and brothers) Robert and James Freeman as a way of honoring their family’s musical legacy, which spans three generations. Their parents, Henry and Florence Knope Freeman, were both children of musicians and graduated the Eastman School of Music in Rochester in 1930.

Both Robert and James Freeman studied piano and theory at Cambridge’s Longy School while graduating from Milton Academy, and studied performance during the summers at Tanglewood, Blue Hill and Marlboro. They went on to Harvard, where each graduated with honors, followed by travelling fellowships for study in Europe.

Robert took his Ph.D. in music history at Princeton and taught there for five years before moving to MIT, where he made tenure just before moving for 24 years to the directorship of the Eastman School — his parents’ alma mater — followed by two years as president of the New England Conservatory and six as dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas at Austin.

James went straight from Harvard to Swarthmore College, where he taught and conducted for 37 years, served as departmental chair for 16 years and as Daniel Underhill Professor of Music. In 1988 he founded Philadelphia’s new music group Orchestra 2001, directing it until 2015 when he resigned to take on a new ensemble, Chamber Orchestra FIRST EDITIONS. In 1991 he was a Fulbright lecturer and conductor at the Moscow Conservatory, and has returned to Moscow many times since then to give concerts of new American music.

Both brothers have made lots of recordings, and have published their share of well-reviewed books and articles. When the idea arose to commission some original scores to honor their family legacy, Robert and James sought out music’s finest to bring their vision for Three Tributes to fruition.

Two of the composers featured on the CD have won the Pulitzer Prize. Kevin Puts is currently at work on an opera for the Metropolitan Opera. Andrea Clearfield, who took her DMA at Temple, is the founder of the Philadelphia Salon Concert Series, featuring contemporary, classical, jazz, world and electronic music, together with multimedia and spoken word arts. The late Gunther Schuller was one of the 20th Century’s music stars as composer, conductor, author and administrator. He was a great admirer of their father’s bass playing, and a good friend.

Robert and James hope that Three Tributes will inspire others to undertake similar projects. Neither of them is aware of any similar event in the history of music where two brothers from a family of professional musicians — spanning at least two generations before them — have commissioned significant works as a tribute to their parents and for future generations to enjoy.

Three Tributes CD
Available at: https://www.innova.mu/albums/james-and-robert-freeman/three-tributes

Trish Stevens
Teresa Hinojosa
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
832.569.5773 Direct
281.333.3507 Phone
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

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Sea Monster Cove Offers Visitors Unforgettable Virtual Adventures

Sea Monster Cove Offers Visitors Unforgettable Virtual Adventures

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The doors have now opened to a virtual island getaway where you can take in breathtaking underwater views, explore futuristic aquariums, and enjoy five-star accommodations and endless entertainment—all from the COVID-friendly comfort of your own home. There’s just one tiny catch.

The star attractions at this particular resort are the most terrifying prehistoric sharks and sea creatures that ever lived.

Sea Monster Cove (located at www.seamonstercove.com) is the latest creation from The Meg author, Steve Alten. And this time, he’s taking fans of man-eating prehistoric creatures even deeper into his imagination. Sea Monster Cove is a groundbreaking concept of storytelling that will immerse you in every aspect of an adventure like nothing you have ever experienced before. This multifaceted, interactive entertainment platform features an unfolding episodic web series, Where Sea Monsters Roam; heart-pounding aquarium and cage-diving interactions with the nastiest sea creatures on the planet; and an adrenaline-fueling (and quite addictive) video game.

The setting is Maug, a remote island in the Mariana Archipelago where eight years ago, French marine biologist Dr. Maxime Rostand and his team discovered hot mineral water feeding into Maug’s lagoon from somewhere below. When a listing Filipino fishing trawler enters the cove hauling an immense whale in its deep sea net, the scientists discover that the dead beast is actually a pregnant, 60-foot, 50,000-pound undiscovered prehistoric spe-cies of Mako, related to the Black Demon shark. An emergency C-section saves two of her 15 pups (and the future stars of Sea Monster Cove): Snowflake (an albino) and Layla (pure Black Demon). Through a series of events (which will unfold through monthly episodes of Where Sea Monsters Roam), Dr. Rostand discovers the source of the hot mineral water to be a primordial aquifer located two miles beneath the sea floor—its inhabitants dating back 380 million years.

All of the attractions at Sea Monster Cove are created using major-motion-picture-worthy 3D animation. The sharks and sea creatures look and act just like the real thing. And unlike the species housed in typical aquariums, these critters don’t just swim around in serene circles. These beasts know you’re watching them, and some clearly don’t like it.

The subscription-based site (priced well under the cost of a movie ticket) also includes an education center with tons of background information, a private library featuring enhanced versions of Alten’s novels (including curriculum materials for distance learners) and a collec-tion of Alten’s original screenplays. There’s even a PG13 membership option for younger viewers.

And the waters surrounding Sea Monster Cove are anything but stagnant. The designers tweak the animals’ behavioral patterns on a regular basis. Plus, each month a new Prehis-toric Sea Aquarium will open, containing its own menu of super predators that will appear in the web series and video game. The animals will also age from the moment you first encoun-ter them, and you won’t want to miss a single milestone. So come for a visit; stay for a bite—or two. Welcome to Sea Monster Cove!

Sea Monster Cove creator Steve Alten is the NY Times and international best-selling author of 20 thrillers, including The MEG series (with a major motion picture starring Jason Statham and the sequel, MEG-2: The TRENCH, in pre-production). Two more of his series have also been optioned as movies: The LOCH and one other underwater feature, which cannot be announced just yet (but the enhanced version of the novel is featured in the website’s private library). Alten is also the founder and director of the nonprofit Adopt-an-Author teen reading program.

Visit www.seamonstercove.com to begin your adventure! Or, for more information about the creator, please visit https://www.stevealten.com/, or connect with him on social media at:
https://www.facebook.com/SteveAlten; https://www.instagram.com/stevealtenofficial/;
and on Twitter @Meg82159.

Trish Stevens
Mike Dempsey
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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To Live or Maybe Not Takes Readers On Adventurous Ride With Musician Gary Revel

To Live or Maybe Not Takes Readers On Adventurous Ride With Musician Gary Revel

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Musician and historian Gary Revel fully expects readers to say, “No way this could be true,” as they peruse the pages of his colorful memoir, To Live or Maybe Not.

“Don’t worry, I feel the same way when I remember some things I have done in my life,” he quips in the book’s prologue.

Part coming-of-age and part adventurous road trip, To Live or Maybe Not begins in Florala, Alabama, near the Florida state line in 1949. Readers who experienced the nomadic, hippie culture of the ’60s and ’70s will be overcome with nostalgia, as Revel takes a long, winding stroll down a memory lane paved with colorful characters and unforgettable situations. We follow Revel through his unusual upbringing, his high school days and his US Navy service during Vietnam.

Most people associate Revel with his accomplishments in the music industry, and it was after his honorable discharge from the Navy that he found himself in Hollywood, California, where his music career blossomed. He eventually traveled back across the country to New York City, Memphis and Nashville. Revel includes entertaining anecdotes from his music career and his pivot toward family life before his life took yet another turn and he began his investigation into the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

To Live or Maybe Not leaves off with Revel and his family back in Hollywood. It’s the end of the book but the beginning of more adventures and books to come.

Author Gary Revel was born in Florala, Alabama. After his parents divorced when he was just 5, music became a trusted companion, and he formed his first band when he was 15. After a long career in music, Revel found himself investigating the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in association with the US Government’s House Select Committee on Assassinations. Revel continues to release and distribute music via his Jongleur Music company as well as develop motion pictures via his Jongleur Pictures company. He is also the author of My Angel from Heaven, Milestones, Grempk and Don’t Stop Dancing: Stranger Than Fiction, his investigation into the life of Michael Jackson.

For more information, please visit http://garyrevel.com/.

To Live or Maybe Not
Publisher: Jongleur Books
ISBN-13: 978-1097923304
ISBN-10: 1097923304
Available from Amazon.com

Trish Stevens
Julie Vaughn
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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Musical Savant Inspires Heartbroken Pianist In Return Of The Song

Musical Savant Inspires Heartbroken Pianist In Return Of The Song

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Caroline Carlyle, a gifted pianist, has abandoned her unfinished compositions and traded her old ambitions for the comfort and familiarity of being the town’s favorite piano teacher. The music that once filled her heart died along with her fiancé in the floodwaters of Guate-mala six years ago. Struggling with aching loss and a splintered faith, she has long since given up on rediscovering the inspiration that once came so easily.

Until, that is, a prodigious, musical savant enters Caroline’s life, shattering her glass cocoon, capturing the attention of many of the townsfolk, and awakening Caroline’s courage and sense of purpose. Inspired by her new acquaintance, Caroline embarks on a quest to track down the beloved rare piano she played as a child. Her search leads her to Rockwater, the Kentucky estate of a wealthy gentleman who will forever alter the trajectory of Caroline’s life.

Return of the Song is the compelling first book in the Rockwater Suite series from Phyllis Clark Nichols. Readers will find themselves immersed in the fictional town of Moss Point, Georgia, where quiet glimmers of romance and undercurrents of mystery complement the town’s Southern beauty and charm. They will discover the hope of life after loss and the rekindling of love and purpose.

With change in the air at Moss Point, secrets will be revealed, events will converge and characters will collide — all of it building to an unexpected crescendo. Who will ultimately help Caroline find the real music of her heart again?

Author Phyllis Clark Nichols weaves her faith and her Southern culture into character-driven stories that bring hope and light as they explore profound human questions. A classically-trained musician and retired cable executive, she enjoys art, books, nature, cooking, travel and stories about ordinary people who live extraordinary lives. In addition to the Rockwater Suite series, Phyllis is the author of the Family Portrait series and the inspirational Christmas novels, Christmas at Grey Sage and Silent Days, Holy Night. She and her husband live in the Texas Hill Country. Please visit her at www.phyllisclarknichols.com.

Return of the Song
Publisher: Gilead Publishing
ISBN-10: 1683701453
ISBN-13: 978-1683701453
Available from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com

Trish Stevens
Claire Downing
Ascot Media Group, Inc.
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com
281.333.3507 Phone
800.854.2207 Fax

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“The World’s Most Expensive Jacket (Ten Million Dollars),” Designed By Farrah Gray And Diamond Extraordinaire Peter Marco

Trish Stevens
Shelby Morrison
Ascot Media Group
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
281.333.3507 Phone
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

(This press release may be reprinted in part or entirety by any print or broadcast media outlet, or used by any means of social media sharing)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“The World’s Most Expensive Jacket (Ten Million Dollars),” Designed By Farrah Gray And Diamond Extraordinaire Peter Marco

“The world’s most expensive jacket is here! Valued at ten million dollars, it was first revealed in a private unveiling in Beverly Hills, CA, on February 18, 2019,” says designer Farrah Gray. The unveiling took place at Peter Marco’s world-renowned, extraordinary jewelry store on the world-famous, ultra-posh Rodeo Drive. It’s stunning, to say the least!

The jacket is available at Peter Marco’s Extraordinary Jewels, 252 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, CA. This diamond bejeweled jacket was designed and created with award-winning fashion designer Farrah Gray, and this beautiful jacket is a piece of art, bedazzling over 460 carats of flawless diamonds. It is a piece that will never be reproduced!

The world’s most beautiful trendsetters and tastemakers who can appreciate it, nicknamed it “The One.” It is constructed of 100% black python leather, featuring a posh, silk interior lining. This beautiful and handsome jacket is handmade using the finest of quality materials and fabric. “Sewn together with 99% GIA certified diamonds by Peter Marco, it is truly a one-of-a-kind art installation and jacket for the fashion extraordinaire with ten million dollars to spare!” says Gray.

“The jacket can be worn by the opulent man or woman who yearns for quality, taste and extravagant, stunning works of art when rubbing shoulders with their elite colleagues. It sets a new world record and a new standard of high couture fashion and wearable art.”

Viewings are by appointment only. A percentage of the proceeds will go to several charitable organizations chosen by the purchaser. It is available now, exclusively at Peter Marco Beverly Hills. “And it is the first of its kind in any line of diamond bejeweled jackets in the world,” adds Gray.

For more information, visit or follow Farrah Gray and Peter Marco on Instagram at www.Instagram.com/petermarco90210 and www.instagram.com/farrahgray_ .

Interviews are available upon request with Farrah Gray and Peter Marco who will be accompanied by the ten million dollar bejeweled jacket.

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Playing Back the 80s Takes Readers On Nostalgic Romp With Decade’s Most Memorable Hit Makers

Trish Stevens
Ascot Media Group
Post Office Box 2394
Friendswood, TX 77549
281.333.3507 Phone
832.569.5539 Fax
[email protected]
www.ascotmedia.com

Playing Back the 80s Takes Readers On Nostalgic Romp With Decade’s Most Memorable Hit Makers

Old Forge, PA. From Modern English and the Hooters to Bananarama and the B-52s, the music of the 1980s bounced to a distinctive beat that defined the decade as one of the last great glory eras of pop music. And thanks to the dawn of MTV and shows like “Friday Night Videos,” a generation of music lovers suddenly had faces — and often elaborately staged mini-movies — to make the music’s messages stick.

To get to the heart of what made this decade’s music so special that it still streams endlessly in businesses and on satellite radios everywhere, music journalist Jim Beviglia weaves an en-tertaining narrative of the stories behind the phenomenal pop music era in Playing Back the 80s: A Decade of Unstoppable Hits.

Anyone who’s ever rocked a mullet or painstakingly made a mix tape will find memories in every line of lyrics as Beviglia delves deep into the creative process with artists such as Huey Lewis, Rick Springfield, Kim Carnes, Vernon Reid, Dennis DeYoung, Colin Hay and Eddie Money. All told, Playing Back the 80s features original interviews with more than 60 artists, producers, session players, writers and others who were directly involved with the most memorable songs of the decade, sharing the stories of how they created — often against im-posing odds and in the midst of bizarre circumstances — the unstoppable hits and unherald-ed gems that still enchant so many fans today.

Playing Back the 80s will have music fans pulling their old cassettes out of storage and re-membering when and where they heard the songs first. For those who didn’t grow up in the 80s, this endlessly fun book will show them what the fuss was all about and maybe reveal a few surprises along the way.

Jim Beviglia is the author of Counting Down Bob Dylan: His 100 Finest Songs; Counting Down Bruce Springsteen: His 100 Finest Songs; Counting Down The Rolling Stones: Their 100 Finest Songs; and Counting Down The Beatles: Their 100 Finest Songs, all published by Rowman & Littlefield. In addition, Beviglia is the featured writer at American Songwriter mag-azine, where he writes about both new and classic artists for the print and online editions. He also hosts his own blog at countdownkid.wordpress.com, where he focuses on the back cata-logs of some of rock and pop’s greatest artists and songwriters.

Playing Back The 80s: A Decade Of Unstoppable Hits
Release date: November 15, 2018
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN-10: 1538116391
ISBN-13: 978-1538116395
Available from all online booksellers, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Walmart, plus the Rowman & Littlefield website at rowman.com

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Testimonial for Ascot Media Group from author, Randall Bell

Ascot has been terrific to work with, and they do get results.
I have used a few different PR firms. Many are a rabbit hole of promises and false hopes. Ascot is the real deal. They did a great job with my first book. They secured numerous high-end endorsements, over 50 reviews, 4 TV interviews and multiple radio and pod-cast interviews. At one point, I had too many interviews! Trish is sincere and they all work hard. I just signed up with two more books with them, and the results are even better. I am happy with their results, and I do recommend them.

Randall Bell, PhD
Me We Do Be: The Four Cornerstones of Success
Leo Fender: The Quiet Giant Heard Around The World

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