MUSIC REVIEW: INTO THE MIST

Few musicians have the ability to capture both the light and dark sides of human emotion quite as elegantly as Fiona Joy. Just when you think she has hit the pinnacle of her musical expertise, she unveils a masterpiece like Into the Mist (Blue Coast Records). With only a year in between the release of Signature Synchronicity and Into the Mist, it is clear that Joy has been stricken with a fever to create. The audiophile edition is being officially released at the LA Audio Show on Saturday June 3rd at 3 p.m. in a "Listening Party" with the Sony-Sponsored Magic Bus, as announced earlier on BEING.

The opening title “A Walk in the Park” begins the album with a wave of gaiety and radiates with a warm sense of peace. It feels as though a door has been burst open and has led the listener directly into the beautiful world that Fiona paints with her songs.  Segueing into “Moon Over Lotus Pond,” the mood is glazed over with a dash of pensive melancholy and evokes a sense of gratitude and wonderment.

Fiona Joy

The true heart of the album resides within the title tracks. “Into the Mist” is where Joy begins to bleed her emotion onto the ivory keys of her piano. That same air of melancholy echoes into “Mist Rising” until finally lifting once again in “Mist Before Dawn.” The symbolism in the titles is not lost within the music with the “mist” standing for emotional turmoil that eventually comes to pass.

All sense of sadness and doubt is lifted as soon as “Feeling Sunshine” rolls around. It tinkers around playfully in stark contrast to the opus that precedes it.  Complimented by “Grey Sky Morning,” a song that conveys a feeling of softness of having woken up from a nostalgic dream.  “Galloping” is an oeuvre doused in rising crescendos and plummeting diminuendos that leads the album to its graceful end with “The Void.” The final track has a languid air of mystery that ends the journey with an elegant touch.

There is no doubt that Fiona Joy is a being defined by her raw sense of emotion.  Considering it is only her second solo release, one can only imagine the powerful works that are yet to come.  Into the Mist is a beautiful continuation of Fiona Joy’s musical autobiography.

- Samantha Garcia

FIONA JOY VIDEO: GALLOPING

MUSIC EVENT

 Audiophiles Like Cupcakes, too... 

Australian Pianist Fiona Joy officially releases her new audiophile recording of  INTO THE MIST amidst a flurry of "pink treats" at this Saturday's LA Audio Show.  The public is invited to enjoy a heightened music-listening experience inside the Sony-sponsored Hi-Res MAGIC BUS.



"Hear to Make Music" is the theme of the LA Audio Show and Saturday, June 3rd will be a special day for piano music fans in Southern Californians. At a special event open to the public, Fiona Joy will greet fans and officially unveil her latest solo piano album, "Into the Mist" and three new music videos. In a nod to her beloved pink dress, the Australian talent will serve pink lemonade and her favorite pink treats (including Yummy cupcakes and Tim Tams) at her "Listening Fest" from 3 to 5 PM on June 3, next to the Sony Sponsored Hi-Res Magic Bus, located near the Sheraton Gateway hotel's main entrance.  

"This is a chance to enjoy piano music on a million dollar sound system; it almost feels as though you're playing it yourself," she says, adding, "I'd really like younger people who've only experienced music in a compressed mp3 format to come and experience this for themselves."

"Into the Mist" is the second album for the acclaimed Australian  musician.  The first, "Signature Solo," was well received and won a number of recording awards.   Both are on the Blue Coast Records, which is also an exhibitor at the Show. 

This worldwide release will include SACD, CD, and high-resolution audio download formats as well as Internet radio. The neo-classical program, a #1 album at Blue Coast Music for high-resolution audio sales, was recorded in and released as DSD256. It may be downloaded in additional formats as 44.1kHz (WAV), 96kHz (FLAC) 2.8 MHz (DSF), 5. 6MHz (DSF) and 11.2MHz (DSF) files . 

Cookie Marenco, founder of Blue Coast Records, recorded, mixed and mastered the album using her proprietary recording technique called Extended Sound Environment (E.S.E.) that includes recording the musicians in the studio without headphones or overdubs onto DSD or analog tape. Into the Mist was recorded in a single take using the E.S.E technique.

Blue Coast will have a model studio set up at the Show and after the official launch of the album, held in conjunction with Sony and the Magic Bus, Ms. Joy and Ms. Marenco will host a tour of the studio.  While the Fiona Joy album debut is set for the first day of the LA Audio Show, other Blue Coast artists will appear during the course of the Show's three-day run.

See event info on Facebook for existing friends and fans, here: https://goo.gl/x9BMDo 

Events: FIONA JOY – Performing Live at T.H.E. SHOW NEWPORT

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   “Fiona Joy takes over from where George Winston left off…" says Cookie Marenco, five-time Grammy nominated Producer, Founder of Blue Coast Music Group. Fiona and Cookie have been enjoying a unique collaboration as they make waves in the audiophile world.
2. This weekend, May 28 - 31st 2015, Fiona Joy will join with other Blue Coast Records artists to put a fresh face on the often lofty audiophile world, which leans toward classical and jazz recordings. Fiona Joy is a classically-trained (yet contemporary) composer pianist, producer and vocalist from Australia who has won over 50 international awards, including the 2013 ZMR Award for Best Instrumental Piano Album. In 2014 she contributed her song “Grace” to Winds of Samsara, an album that won a GRAMMY® Award for Best New Age Album. 
3. Fiona is owner of Little Hartley Records, managing all aspects of her music worldwide, and releasing her work in various audiophile formats, including vinyl. She has ten albums to her name, including her most recent release, Signature – Solo, available in high-resolution DSD and SACD from Blue Coast Records; the album is being produced in additional formats and variations to enchant music lovers at every level. 
4. Fiona Joy's live performances at T.H.E Show (taking place at Hotel Irvine) will last approximately 45 minutes. Since the performances are in the Lounge, there is no telling the level of sound quality, a bit ironic in that Fiona Joy is know to be perfectionistic about the listening experiences she provides her fans.  However, she says, "I loved meeting this community last year...they work hard, listen hard, and play hard...by the time they make it to the Lounge, we'll all be ready to unwind and I can't imagine they'll care too much about the hotel's sound system!"
5. Fiona Joy will also spend a good bit of her show time in Blue Coast Music Group’s Hospitality Suite 546, from approximately 10-2 daily.
6. Attendees are encouraged to drop in for FREE Gift Bags, BLUE COAST Music Sales, Signings...and lots of tasty Goodies!!!!

Fiona's Performances in Hotel Irvine - Lounge

Friday@ 5:00 in Lounge

Saturday @ 5:00 in Lounge

Sunday @ 4:00 in Lounge

Fiona's Artist/Producer Discussions in Blue Coast Recording Suite 547
Friday @ Noon - “Recording Process of Signature – Solo”
Saturday @ 11:00 - “Touring in China”
Sunday @ 11:00 - “Producing & Arranging”

For general meetings, Media interviews, Sponsorships, or Performance requests during THE Show, please text your request and timing/location details to Beth Hilton @ 310-560-8390.

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Dynamic Duo Pioneering in Audiophile World, Highlighted by WomanBizLife

New music is released everyday, but not much of it is recorded in a hi-resolution format by two women to offer to the testosterone-heavy and affluent audiophile world.  Today, such a feat was recognized by Woman Business Life, which was appreciated greatly by pianist/composer Fiona Joy and renowned producer/engineer Cookie Marenco.  

"I'm thrilled that a women's business site would promote us.  Musically, I love that fact that the audiophile market understands the integrity of a single note, and can hear and appreciate the intervening silence as much as the note choices," Fiona said, adding a bit of girl power with, "I also love working with Cookie Marenco, a woman who is breaking new ground in an industry dominated by men."

More and more young women are pursuing music careers, not as performers, but as producers and engineers at every stage of production. Public recognition like this is encouraging to them, says Fiona, who is also a producer; her 2014 project with Jennifer DeFrayne was produced at Will Ackerman's Imaginary Road Studios, and won DeFrayne a Best New Artist nomination in the ZMR Awards race.

SIGNATURE - SOLO was released today by Marenco's new label, Tiny Island Music / a division of Blue Coast Music Group, and is also available in various hi-res and "regular" formats...read the complete piece at WomanBizLife for details, or listen and purchase music at https://tinyislandmusic.bandcamp.com/   

Fiona Joy, an Australian resident, will perform at the esteemed audiophile event T.H.E. SHOW in Newport Beach, CA this coming May, following a tour in China and an appearance at the ZMR Music Awards Show in New Orleans, LA.