Big Drop - OUT NOW!!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Stanford first picked up a trombone--or as he calls it, his "gateway" instrument-- when he was a kid. Bass, guitar and piano followed. His love for music led him to study at University of the Arts in Philadelphia. However, he ultimately abandoned his studies. "I realized that a degree in jazz performance really won't get you a hot cup of jack squat, " he says with a laugh. "In examining all the artists that inspire me and get my blood pumping, like Bob Marley, I realized school wasn't necessarily a big part of where any of them came from. I decided the only way to really school myself in music is to play music."<br /><br />But his schooling did provide one career path; he and several of his fellow students formed a band called Townhall. In their few years together, they became something of a regional sensation, playing in front of up to 2, 000 people.<br /><br /> <br />"I learned about being on the road and about the craft of songwriting and the craft of entertaining, " he says of his days in Townhall. "Even if it's just a six-inch platform, as soon as you step up on stage, just give them a show. When people buy a ticket, they want a piece of you in a sense and there's also something just in terms of respecting the tradition of all the great people who inspired me, like Tom Petty, who was the first artist I saw live."<br /><br />Eventually, the members of Townhall grew apart and Stanford decided to go solo: "I found I was reaching people in a fundamentally deeper and more effective way when I would just play my songs with my guitar, " he says.<br /><br /> <br />Confirmation of that fact quickly came when, through a little help from a fellow Philadelphian, Stanford landed his record deal. Stanford wrote "Heartbeat, " a tune also featured on "The EP, " with the aforementioned Tozer, another Philly boy best known for his work with multi-platinum sensation John Legend.<br /><br />The set opens with "My Own Worst Enemy, " a mission statement of sorts about Stanford's relationship with an alternately loving and harsh mistress: music. "It's given me the greatest things. It's about the struggle of trying to make a life out of it, " he says. "When I was struggling, I'd start to think about my options and I really couldn't think of any so it always came back to music for me."<br /><br />The EP's emotional center is "Downriver," a stripped-down song highlighting his ringing guitar work that was recorded live at Los Angeles' taste-making Hotel Café shortly after his arrival in the City of Angels, where he currently lives.<br /><br />"That's a real important song for me," he says. "It sums up that feeling of surrender, when I decided if I never make a dime from my music, I have to be okay with that because this is the path I've chosen. It was very liberating in a lot of ways. There's going to be rapids and obstacles, but the only way to reach the other side is to throw away your fears and go with the flow."<br /><br />It looks like the Laundromat will have to wait. http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford Delta 0 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss George Stanford http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/video/14paZPkW/meet-me-in-la/ Sat, 18 Apr 2009 17:02:21 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/video/14paZPkW/meet-me-in-la/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-01.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/75cd0a415d60a2f707ae49b57002496b_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> yt36zfkh_5 George Stanford http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/music/eanFnhOF/george-stanford-meet-me-in-los-angeles22609/ Sat, 04 Apr 2009 02:26:26 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/music/eanFnhOF/george-stanford-meet-me-in-los-angeles22609/"><img border="0" src="http://resources-p2.imeem.com/resources/versioned/2/graphics/icons/no_album_art_100x100.png" title="Click to play this song"/></a></div> vNIcpcwd04 For all the fans of George Stanford, check out his <a href="http://links.imeem.com/13R2BWFP" title="http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=372908367">StreetTeam</a> on Myspace. There are great fan promotions, the latest news, music and videos! George Stanford Update http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/blogs/2008/06/18/ZJ6vE7fq/george-stanford-street-team Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:08:43 -0000 l76KYzl4i3 If you missed seeing Geroge Stanford on his last tour, he will be hitting the road this summer!<br />Dates and details coming soon! George Stanford Tour Dates http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/blogs/2008/06/17/2EwRLz_V/summer-tour-coming-soon Tue, 17 Jun 2008 21:18:51 -0000 ZhKJVcE1NB If you live in or around the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, don't miss the last show of George's tour at the Tin Angel on June 29th! George Stanford Tour Dates http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/blogs/2008/06/12/priA_WN9/last-show-of-the-tour-coming-up Thu, 12 Jun 2008 23:10:18 -0000 CD9lAQ0t1g Watch this humorous footage of George Stanford and his band that they shot themselves as they wait to the Essex Ferry in VT. Laugh, have fun! <br />Go watch it here at <a href="http://links.imeem.com/13x0kwzO" title="http://youtube.com/watch?v=G-jaPLY0DoY">Youtube:Waiting for ferry, band forgets pants</a> George Stanford Update http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/blogs/2008/06/11/JswwEPZY/funny-video-from-george-and-the-band Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:48:48 -0000 126no-uW2n This Sunday, June 8th, Mercury artist George Stanford will be treating fans and Nordstrom customers to a free intimate performance and signing of his debut album, “Big Drop.”<br /><br />Sunday 6/8/08<br /><br />12:00 Noon<br /><br />Nordstrom at The Plaza at King of Prussia<br />190 North Gulph Road<br />King of Prussia, PA 19406<br /><br /><br />SEE YOU THERE!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />www.georgestanford.com<br />www.myspace.com/georgestanford<br /> George Stanford Tour Dates http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/blogs/2008/06/06/3sjct_x0/george-stanford-in-store-this-sunday Fri, 06 Jun 2008 22:02:47 -0000 6GfVQk4NhZ George Stanford http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/video/UoWbrwuM/george-stanford-imeem-shout-out-music-video/ Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:56:41 -0000 <div><a href="http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/video/UoWbrwuM/george-stanford-imeem-shout-out-music-video/"><img width="100" height="75" border="0" src="http://srv0204-05.sjc3.imeem.com/g/v/83b0d259a3869518cf7b876fb3c2c811_00010.jpg" title="Click to play this video"/></a></div> -UqBIc6fxJ Make sure to pick up George Stanford's debut album, Big Drop, IN STORES NOW!!<br /><br /><a href="http://links.imeem.com/23nj_8ubO" title="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/stat?id=1cwLF4Obvzo&offerid=78941&type=3&subid=0&tmpid=1826&RD_PARM1=http%253A%252F%252Fphobos.apple.com%252FWebObjects%252FMZStore.woa%252Fwa%252FviewAlbum%253Fi%253D281437128%2526id%253D281437075%2526s%253D143441%2526partnerId%253D30">iTunes</a><br /><br /><a href="http://links.imeem.com/13OE9ubO" title="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FBig-Drop-George-Stanford%2Fdp%2FB0017TCSTE%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dmusic%26qid%3D1212515965%26sr%3D8-1&tag=univmusigrou-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325<BR/">Amazon</a> George Stanford Tour Dates http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/blogs/2008/06/02/HyxAe3KH/big-drop-out-now Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:47:29 -0000 Hlj2YNaC7u George Stanford Big Drop http://www.imeem.com/georgestanford/playlist/4vqoESUI/big-drop-music-playlist/ Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:36:06 -0000 y6ZV0l7_2y