Introducing Miranda Lee Richards Virgin Readies Debut from Self-Proclaimed `Psychedelic Folkie'
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Introducing Miranda Lee Richards Virgin Readies Debut From Self-Proclaimed `Psychedelic Folkie' BY WAYNE HOFFMAN delion." Published by Violet Hour serious power to what I'm doing." When Miranda Lee Richards was Publishing/ASCAP, Richards' songs Independent tour manager Brad growing up in San Francisco, her are guitar- focused -sometimes Clark organized a series of shows for mother -an underground comic acoustic and sometimes electric, but Richards in May and June, taking a Beat book artist -created a character always driven by sing -along melodies three -piece combo to small clubs named Suzy Skates for Roller Skat- from New York to Seattle to Orlando, ICONOGRAPHY: Icon Records, the and he said, 'I want to capture what ing magazine. A punk -rock anti - Fla. Clark says this "warm -up tour" label run by actor Mel Gibson, is you and Gilby are doing,' " Phantom superhero standing six feet tall before was "a crash course" for Richards, branching into releases by individual says. "The original idea was just to do she strapped on her hot -pink skates, who had never toured before. Clark artists. Until now, the label -which is covers, but it slowly turned into Suzy used her magical powers to bat- distributed four-song sampler CDs at an ancillary arm to Gibson's film and something more." tle corporate greed, fight pollution, Richards' gigs to stir public interest. TV company, Icon Productions -has The "something more" is a straight- and rebel against social convention. Berg says that Richards will start served as a soundtrack -only imprint. ahead rock album, aptly titled Rock & "Suzy was based on what my a larger tour with a full band closer First up will be the September release Roll Music. Recalling the Rolling mother wanted me to become," to the album's launch, most likely as from Col. Parker, a quartet made up Stones, the Beatles, and even a little Richards recalls, "a strong, inde- an opener for other acts. After the of rock veterans guitarist/vocalist 1-Rex, the songs are instantly familiar pendent, beautiful, kick -ass chick." release, Richards will tour "ad infini- Gilby Clarke (Guns N' Roses), drum- without sounding derivative. Now 26, Richards aims to fulfill tum." Berg notes: "I want her out mer Slim Jim Phantom (the Stray As for the band's name, Phantom her mother's expectations with the there constantly." Cats), bassist Muddy Stardust (L.A. says, "We wanted a name that sound- Aug. 28 release of her Virgin debut, While some performers complain Guns), and keyboardist Teddy An- ed inherently American," even though The Herethereafter. about the grind of long road tours, dreadis (Slash's Snakepit). Elvis Presley's manager and the band's Richards carne to music late, first Richards, who is managed by Andrew namesake was supposedly Dutch. "He's picking up a guitar after she finished Brightman of L.A. -based ABM, takes such a unique character. We had a high school. Today, she plays piano leavened by Californian breeziness a brighter view: "You can get caught lawyer research the name, and it came and harmonica as well and says get- and a slight country twang. up in city life and day -to-day living, up clean. Col. Parker [who died in ting a late start may actually give her Yet while the tunes are frequently and touring takes you away from all 1997] doesn't have a family, and I don't an advantage over other new artists. upbeat, the poetic lyrics more often that. It's the ultimate way to focus on think the Presley estate is too fond of "I was able to try other things and betray what Richards calls "an under- your job. It funnels all your concen- him, so they don't care." know that I didn't want to do them." tone of sadness." This wistfulness is tration into your music." Lustig says Icon, which has a skele- For example, Richards moved to most evident on "The Long Goodbye," ton staff, will use indies for marketing Los Angeles at age 20 to become a a song Richards wrote about a disin- and promotion until the project goes commercial model. "I always hated tegrating love affair, and "The Land- to a major. He also plans to use re- it," she recalls, but modeling did give scape," which Richards adapted from gional distributors to ensure the rec- her time to hone her skills as a song- a Charles Baudelaire poem about "the In The Works ords are in stores when the bands tour. writer in her spare time. When she sinless idyll built of innocent words." If Phantom has any reservations signed her deal with Virgin in 1999, Tony Berg, executive VP of A&R at Although she is still work- about being the first act on the label, she left modeling behind. Virgin, compares Richards to Edie ing on her first DreamWorks he's not voicing them. "Listen," he In addition to co- producing The Brickell and Sheryl Crow, perform- album, Spice Girl Victoria "Our goal is always to produce the says with a laugh, "it's kind of cool to Herethereafter with Rick Parker, ers who "seemed to speak to a gener- Beckham will debut her first best possible entertainment," Gibson actually be able to get the president of Richards wrote or co -wrote 10 of its ation"- particularly a young, female solo single, "Not Such an says. "We would like to see the label the label on the phone." 11 tracks; the exception is a cover of audience. "Every now and then, a Innocent Girl," on her Web become another development and a Rolling Stones 1967 release, "Dan- woman shows up with a unique point site, victoriabeckham.com. production avenue similar to our fea- MANAGEMENT CHANGES: Former of view and a sound that's identifiably Tuesday (24). The single is tures and TV departments. Everybody Hootie & the Blowfish manager Rusty her own, and it seems to resonate." commercially available in at Icon loves music as much as they Harmon and his partner, Hootie attor- Richards' first single -tentatively Europe Sept. 3. A stateside love film. I hope we can develop some ney Richard "Gus" Gusler, have signed hitting radio in August or Septem- release date is still pending. successful records in addition to our Republic/Universal act Jettingham to ber-will be "The Beginner," which film and TV projects." their new company, Raleigh, N.C. - opens the album. "I hope it'll find its Cast will release its new Icon Records president Michael based Management 101. The Fort way to modern rock radio, but it's album, Beetroot, in the U.K. Lustig says the idea is to run the label Wayne, Ind. -based band releases its not going to start anywhere near July 30. The Orchard/Poly- like an independent film studio. "If you debut Sept. 18 ... Concert promoter there," says Berg, who plans to tar- Gram International act's fol- look at how indie features are made, Seth Hurwitz, head of Washington, get triple -A and progressive AC sta- low-up to 1998's Magic Hour, all this time and effort is spent getting D.C. -based I.M.P., has entered the man- tions first. "It's an unusual record in the project is previewed by the it ready outside of the traditional stu- agement field. Hurwitz is handling that it falls between the lines that single "Desert Drought." "We dio system. You get great movies that D.C. -based DJ/production outfit Thiev- have been drawn so deeply in the last call it our Gil Scott -Heron way, and I think you can get great ery Corporation. Even though he lives few years in radio." vibe," vocalist/guitarist John records that way. You can take the time in the same town as the ad, he became Richards got accustomed to blur- Power says of the new record. to launch an artist without the corpo- aware of Thievery Corporation through ring musical lines as a child, listen- "It's us freeing ourselves of all rate pressure of the quarter system." his interest in the Cafe del Mar compi- ing to her mother's new -wave sense of routine." The set is Lustig says Icon is looking for a lations. "I kept getting these Ibiza records alongside the blues and planned for U.S. release this long -term distribution deal for sound- records and Cafe del Mar kind of stuff country preferred by her father, who fall. The band begins a Euro- tracks, while it hopes to make one -off on Amazon, and Thievery Corpora- is also a cartoonist. Unsurprisingly, pean tour in August. deals for its individual artist releases tion's name would come up as acts I Branching Out. Maverick ingénue Richards -who calls herself "a psy- so it can pair the project with the might also like," he says. While he will Michelle Branch is starting to make chedelic folkie " -blends elements of After an eight -year hiatus, appropriate label. be active in all facets of the duo's career, pop radio inroads with "Everywhere," diverse musical genres on The renegade modern rock band the Among the soundtracks previously he will focus on the pair's live show. the first single from her full -length Herethereafter: a strain of Buffalo Breeders will this fall release released by Icon are those to Payback Thievery Corporation releases its debut, The Spirit Room. Many of the Springfield here, an echo of the Title TK (the name being a ref- (through Varese Sarabande) and What albums on its own label, ESL Music .. set's tunes were the result of dreams.