Press Kit

Click here for a press quality photo of Caroline

Here for a Brief Bio

And click here for a downloadable poster.

Reviews for Caroline Aiken

Big House Benefit a Major Success

Gritz Magazine      Article & Photos by John Charles Griffin   Feb. 11, 2008

The annual Allman Brother's Big House Museum Benefit was a rock'n'roll home run with near-capacity crowd at Macon's Armory Ballroom on Saturday, January 19th despite weather forecasts earlier that day for potential snow with ice on bridges.

Doors opened at 6:00 p.m. with an excellent buffet dinner catered by Macon Independent Restaurant Association with precision planning by hip restauranteers Tina Dickson, Saralyn Harvey, and John McCord. A versatile menu of great food included Grey Goose Burgers, Ingleside Pizza Slices, Good to Go Restaurant's down home vittles, and Satterfield's famous Barbecue.

Musical entertainment began with vibrant accoustic guitar and vocals by Caroline Aiken who serenaded Macon's "First Lady of Soul Food" with an Aiken classic "Mama Louise at The H&H."

Later Tommy Talton and Caroline did a wonderful rendition of an Allman Brothers selection, "Not My Cross to Bear." Talton's Band followed in superb Capricorn music style playing several favorites from Cowboy, his legendary seventies group.

Up next rising 17 -year-old star Will Marshall (Hudson & Marshall) followed with Live Auction bid calling to generate big bucks for such  unique items as signed Allman Bros guitars, Celebrity Fishing with Alan Walden, and an all inclusive A.B.B. Concert trip to New York's Beacon Theatre with round trip transportation, hotel reservations, and V.I.P. seating. Based on excitement levels generated in the audience, one might safely assume that young Will could be the Number One teen-age auctioneer on the planet.

Last but not least the entire house literally rocked out when Wet Willie's
Jimmy Hall took the stage with soulful vocals, harmonica, and saxaphone alongside guitar sensation Jack Pearson, veteran of several Allman Brothers tours and recordings. As the set progressed many of the audience danced  like they were back in college to lively songs such as  "Keep on Smiling,"  "Red Hot Chicken," "Grits Ain't Groceries, and  "Macon Hambone Blues."

Newly elected Mayor Robert Reichert provided a nice perspective of the
evening with a few comments onstage between sets, "Thanks to The Big
House Foundation for what you are doing for this city, supporting Macon's place in music history. It's a great night and a fine group of people in this room. Just a wonderful time to get out and boogie," stated Reichert.
 

A Live Performance Review -    From the Mendicino (CA) Music Festival Marketing Director after Caroline's July performance at the festival:

"I wanted to say that your performance was absolutely stellar. You made a bunch of new fans if the reactions I heard from people was any indication. I can speak for one avid new fan who very definitely is going to be following anything you do---and that's me. Your stage presence and musicianship was fully as good or better than anything I have ever seen, and I've been a concert goer for most of my 50 something years. I will remember your version of "Madman Across the Water" as long as I have a memory, which I hope is a long time to come."
 

Marketing Director, Mendocino Music Festival

Caroline Aiken plays Cain's on Saturday for the Living Tall With Parkinson's benefit concert.

by JOHN WOOLEY & MATT GLEASON World Scene
7/6/2006

Folk artist Caroline Aiken cried the first time she heard Ralston Bowles' heartrending ballad "Fragile."

It was the kind of song she knew she had to record for her latest offering, "Are We There Yet, Mama?"

And it's the kind of song that the 50-year-old singer -- she'll be in town Saturday night for the Living Tall with Parkinson's benefit concert at the Cain's Ballroom -- said gives hope and solace to listeners, even those with Parkinson's.

In it, she sings, "I am not where I would like to be/Just where I am right now."

It's a powerful song, she said, because it reminds people that "they are not alone in their struggle."

"I think the more we realize how closely knit we are on this little blue and green ball, the better we will be," she said during a phone interview from her native Georgia. "'Fragile' is a real sweet sentiment about being human."

Another song that Aiken looks forward to most nights is a tune called "Die Happy," in which she sings, "If I die, if tomorrow falls/I Die Happy/I've had it all."

"It's a real bluesy, funky song, you know. It feels good to play it," she said. "It's an ironic look on death because I'm not really afraid of it. To me, I think life is cyclical. I don't think you go very far, but that's just me. I haven't given way to too much of the hereafter yet.

"I just think 'Die Happy' is a song I wrote kind of tongue-in- cheek, but, really, in the last gasp, I do want to die happy, and I think everybody wants to die happy.

"So it's actually a very positive song," she said laughing.

Aiken and the Jeff and Vida Band will play the Parkinson's benefit show Saturday night at the Cain's.

Tickets are $17.50 in advance; $20 at the door. Doors open at 7 p.m.; show at 8 p.m. -- M.

APDA / American Parkinson's Disease Association (Tulsa Chapter) at  APDA  c/c Chris Gentges, 1125 S. Trenton, Tulsa, OK 74104

National Parkinson Foundation of the Heartland – Northeastern Oklahoma Chapter - Connie Barton

 

 

 

Here's a great read from a NEW magazine out of Macon, GA - Belle. Click the link for a feature on the music scene in Macon from the 70's on and Caroline's role in it.  

Caroline Aiken, Jennifer Nettles and Heston as featured in the April, 2003 issue of Piedmont's Review's "Atlanta  Finest Musician's" Feature story.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Georgia Music Magazine, 2nd issue:

TRISHA YEARWOOD / FRONT COVER

FRONT PAGE ‘NEW RELEASES’ LISTS CAROLINE AIKEN

 

BY LEE VALENTINE SMITH

 

CAROLINE AIKEN / “ARE WE THERE YET, MAMA?”

INDEPENDENTLY RELEASED MAY 2005

     Caroline Aiken, often sighted as one of the cornerstones of the Decatur folk movement, has long been at the forefront of modern folk and acoustic

expression. To her credit, she’s never compromised her vision, weakened her

stance or sold out her muse for monetary or social gain. Her newest release

continues in her familiar, no-nonsense tradition, and the recording finds her in fine form augmented with sparse and tasteful accompaniment.

 

      Recorded live, the disc is almost completely stripped of those

often-annoying crowd noises, and therefore plays like a warm studio

collection, paired with the intimate immediacy of a club gig. Her soothing,

fine wood-grain voice purrs with a youthful innocence one minute, then

growls like a wise old blue singer the next, marking each song with her

trademark, time-honed stamp of quality.  

 

     The lack of audience clatter also seals the performances away in a sort of

air-tight sonic chamber, bringing the performers right into your head, as if

Aiken and friends are playing a secret late-night gig, solely for the

listener. Even though she could’ve filled a box set with originals, she

wisely uses material from 5 other talented sources in addition to her own

compositions.

    

      The 6 and 12 string driven acoustic buffet includes delicacies like her

originals “Speed and Steel” a tune that glistens with the serpentine beauty

of an escaping reptile, and the bobbing and weaving of “Between hello and

Goodbye.” The somber instrumental “Walking In Paris” spirals nicely back

into Aiken’s storied past with an a cappella reading of the Sea Island

Singers’ “Turtle Dove.”

 

     The title track is a Walter Hyatt-penned howler that perfectly fits the mood

of the piece and sets up the tableau of the singer as a wondering minstrel,

takin’ her show on the road and getting  by with a little help from her

friends (here, she’s ably aided by bassist Edo Castro, and

multi-instrumentalist, Joel Tepp). The globe-trotting vocalist and guitarist

wandered all the way to California to document this show, and all she got

was this wonderfully emotive record. Lucky her. And lucky us for having it

to enjoy again and again.

 

Creative Loafing - Atlanta

Profile
Caroline Aiken
By Lee Valentine Smith

Caroline Aiken has been a fixture of the local acoustic scene since she debuted here in the late '70s. Since then, the Atlanta native has roamed the globe as a true independent artist, releasing a string of successful indie CDs. She recently self-released her newest CD, Are We There Yet, Mama. Before heading out for a West Coast and European tour, she plays her final local show of the year Sat., Aug. 27, at the Mambo Room.

"I first came to Atlanta to play in 1974, between Brazil and the West Coast, before Yosemite and before Seattle. I played in the middle of a set by Eric Quincy Tate in 1974. Hotlanta was the name of the club, on Piedmont, I think. A great big place."

She returned the favor and offered spots in her set to then-unknown teenagers Emily Sailers and Amy Ray, long before they were called the Indigo Girls.

"To make a living in this town as a musician, you have to be creative, you have to learn to write a grant, figure out how to do workshops, how to work your craft into a way to market and sell it. In my early days, it wasn't about the business; it was just about getting my chops down."

"I do it all myself, and I'm not looking for anyone else to do it for me. I've signed management, label deals, but you know what? You have to learn to read the fine print, you have to understand futures, and you have to understand what an option means. Young kids come up and say, 'Man, we just signed a five option deal, they must really like us.' But I'm like, 'Five options, at 18 months each option, that's your whole musical life, dude. And you haven't made a record with these people yet and you don't know what they are like in the studio, or if they are gonna support your tour with publicity or radio support.'"

"My cure for the world: We should be bigger than our differences and expand to include those that we don't understand or make us afraid. And music can help that become a reality. Like with a kidney stone. You kill it with sound, till it's in little pieces. I'd like to see the anger dissipated like that. We need to be bigger than our differences."

People are talking!  See what they're saying about Caroline:

Dayton Daily News - Dave Larsen "An impressive talent"	Good Times - Santa Cruz, CA - Steve Palopoli "Underground legend..."
Victory Music Review (Seattle) "Sensual voice, expert guitar, masterful writing"	Creative Loafing "Shimmering Highlights"
Grand Center - Charles Honey "Reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt"	Austin Chronicle - Joe Mitchel Leaves "one hypnotized"
Tacoma Music - Stacy Emerson "Known for her extraordinary ability to jaw-drop a crowd..."	Acoustics, Atlanta - John Burnet "Always powerful"
University Reporter (Atlanta) "Performance is perfectly captured"	Ladyslipper Catalog An "exceptional voice"
Dirty Linen "Really has something to say"	Chuck De Varennes (Atlanta music reviewer) "You'll be hooked"
	Rockrgrl Magazine - Carol Clemets

Sept. 2006 Bio

Caroline’s performances are known for emanating a high level of infectious energy and jaw dropping guitar playing. Her genre spans many styles: rock/blues/folk/country to southern roots. She is not only an accomplished singer/songwriter but also a respected musician that can cut it up on a 12-string guitar and woo the crowds with her piano ballads.   She has recorded and shared stages with The Indigo Girls and Bonnie Raitt in venues such as San Antonio’s Majestic Theater, Denver’s Red Rocks, and Berkeley’s Greek Theater. Caroline’s performance history includes headlining at the Kerrville TX’s Music Festival; Headlining at Mendocino Music Festival; Seattle’s Bumbershoot; Folk Life Festival; NY’s Falcon Ridge; Northern California’s High Sierra Music Festival, and more.

In May 2006 she embarked on a 2 month European tour including an invitation to be the first woman guitarist to teach and perform at the famed Schörndorf Guitar Festival in Germany. She also played in England, Wales, Germany, Belgium and Holland to sold-out crowds. She returned to the U.S. to headline at the prestigious Mendocino Music Festival to standing ovations, and will be headlining Labor Day at Kerrville Wine and Music Festival and ending the year as a headliner at the Moab Music Festival.

Here is what just some of the critics and fans are saying about Caroline Aiken:

"Aiken's guitar work is astonishing, especially as much of it, including slide, is on 12 strings…making this disc required listening for anyone who thinks s/he plays the blues or owns a 12 string…"

     -Tom Petersen, Victory Review Magazine, Dec 2005

“Anyone who’s ever heard the sultry, bluesy voice of Caroline Aiken knows she’s the real deal. She infuses each song with true grit and years of performing experience, sanding down the rough edges just a little with her soft Southern drawl.”

    -Mare Wakefield, DIY Salute, Performing Songwriter Magazine, 2005

"Caroline Aiken, often sighted as one of the cornerstones of the Decatur folk movement, has long been at the forefront of modern folk and acoustic expression… Her soothing, fine wood-grain voice purrs with a youthful innocence one minute, then growls like a wise old blue singer the next, marking each song with her trademark, time-honed stamp of quality."

     - Georgia Music Magazine, July 2005

"…. Your performance was absolutely stellar. You made a bunch of new fans if the reactions I heard from the people was any indication. I can speak for one avid new fan who is very definitely going to be following anything you do---and that's me. Your stage presence and musicianship was fully as good or better than anything I have ever seen, and I've been a concert goer for most of my 50 something years. I will remember your version of "Madman Across the Water" as long as I have a memory…" 

     -Ken Krauss, Mendocino Music Festival Marketing Director, August 2006 .

 

                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Caroline Aiken is poised to be a radio 'break-out' artist during the upcoming year! Her new CD "Are We There "Are We ThereYet, Mama?" is a perfect mix of superb songwriting, stellar musicianship and vocal stylings. With this CD, Caroline Aiken continues her association with artists like Bonnie Raitt and the Indigo Girls in an exclusive singer/songwriter/performer collective!"

  Norm Prusslin, President

Intercollegiate Broadcasting System/National College Radio Station Organization

Caroline Aiken  •  carolineaiken@gmail.com  •  www.carolineaiken.com

P.O. Box 11723 Atlanta, Ga. 30355