Erik Viel "Off the Beaten Path" Available @ Best Buy, Circuit City, f.y.e., CD Baby, HomeGrown Music Network, iTunes, Amazon and Wal-Mart.com: In the News

PERU We have made it to South American Radio. Songs from "Off the Beaten Path" are now being played in Peru on the program "Desde la Torre". Gracias!
- the Escuela Libre de Puerto Huamán / led by Alberto Benavides Ganoza / produced by Cesar Panduro / philosophy / policy / culture / Radio 88.3FM Huacachina of Ica / every Tuesday from 8 to 9 pm

BELGIUM "Off the Beaten Path" was recently reviewed in RootsTime Belgium. "Off The Beaten Path" is a very versatile CD. Partly because of the many guest vocalists and also because of the instrumentals. The blues shuffle "Wanderin Blues" features guest vocalist Andrew Black, who proves that blues is his thing. On organ, Chris Corso shines, and that together make it one of my favorite songs."
- RootsTime Belgium
(http://www.rootstime.be/ )
Translation from Dutch

Thank you Freddy Celis.

Also, receiving airplay on www.rootsradio.be Thank you to Arthur van Roy.

We are also receiving airplay on "Somewhere Between" which was voted Best Webradio 2004 Belgium. Thank you to Ray Pieters who has run this show for 27 years. It is now playing at Internet Radiostation "Golden
Flash" in Westerlo, Belgium every Thursday from 9 pm till 12 p.m. (www.goldenflash.be )

FRANCE The Road to Jacksonville is a website well known to those in the Southern Rock community.
http://pagesperso-orange.fr/roadtojacksonville/rtjfrench/index.html
"Off the Beaten Path" was reviewed in the French version of the site by Jacques Dersigny.

"A big strapper from Georgia, Erik Viel gives us a very subtle album, with bucolic aspects, between country blues, folk and for our pleasure southern rock...and what southern rock my friends. ...recommended strongly."
Jacques Dersigny
Road to Jacksonville.com
Translation from French

The accompanying radio show can be heard on FM 94.8 La Rochelle, France on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month from 10 til 11 pm.

I have also received numerous requests for promotional copies and songs from the CD will soon be receiving airplay in Limoges, France (pop. 200,000) on Beaub FM (www.beaubfm.com), Kaolin FM(www.kaolin-fm.com), RMJ FM and RADIO VASSIVIERE
(www.radio.vassiviere.com) The dj is Serge Levet who is also member of ''the collectif of radios blues'' www.radiosblues.com Thank you to Christian Maraillac for the request.

NETHERLANDS Recently we have received airplay on Radio Winschoten and have also recently sent promotional copies to CrossRoadsRadio www.crossroadsradio.nl. Thank you to Jos van den Boom. Aside from the United States, there have been more hits on this website from the
Netherlands than any other country.

SPAIN "Bard of Ontario" has been receiving airplay on Spanish National Public Radio
( http://www.rtve.es/rne/r3/) Radio Nacional de Espane .

"I'll be Loving You" has a groove that would make any Deadhead dance. This album includes a great rendition of John Prine's "Please Don't Bury Me" that definitely got my toes tapping....Viel incorporates a lot of influences in these thirteen songs, from folk to blues and country. These songs are very rich and well-constructed. The vocals are never strained and the instrumentals are all very easy to listen to. This is a quality CD by a top-notch singer-songwriter. I expect a lot of good things from Erik Viel. (4 stars)
-Gary Schwind
AntiMusic.Com
http://www.antimusic.com/reviews/07/ErikViel.shtml


"Erik Viel is a talented writer and arranger of both instrumental and vocal Southern-style Americana, and he has a traditionalist’s taste in covers, too. Off the Beaten Path is a fulfilling trip."
-Chip Withrow
The Muse's Muse Music Reviews
http://www.musesmuse.com/mrev-erikviel-off.html

"Off the Beaten Path explores special, personal havens. Erik’s ability to share the intangible through his music carries you along secretive paths. One of those mystic places is Saranac – a mountain lake in upstate New York. The panoramic breathing room separating guitars and organ on Badlands is hypnotic. The buffet of genres digitally encrypted on the plastic disc feel good together . . . like your favorite flannel shirt on a crisp autumn day . . . as comforting as soul food."
-Black Jack Ketchum
WRFG/89.3 FM – Good Morning Blues
Atlanta Radio Personality

"This guy goes from flat-out Southern Rock, to jangly guitar driven folk to blues to guitar driven acoustic instrumentals and pulls it all off very well. He's backed by some very fine musicians. This is Southern Americana music all the way".
-Dave Pyles
Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

"Off the Beaten Path finds Viel creating a seamless scrapbook of both people and places…Highlights include the driving country rock of “Southern Highway,” the refreshingly jazzy ode to the North Country, “Bard of Ontario,” and “Wanderin’ Blues,” a superb slow blues with fine vocals from Black, and fat, greasy organ fills from the talented Chris Corso. Equally impressive are the instrumentals, "New River Waltz," "The Kenai," "Saranac," and "Doriando… They're some of the finest moments here, finding Viel wrapping his tasteful guitar work around a series of thoughtful, stripped down performances with just a touch of bass, organ, or percussion where needed. The scorching "Badlands" that wraps up the album, serves as an impressive showcase for Viel's outstanding electric guitar work and he admirably tears things up with some of his finest playing on the album."
- Rob Lehrian
Supporting the Blues

- "Off The Beaten Path" is now being distributed through the HomeGrown Music Network.http://www.homegrownmusic.net/

- Erik is happy to begin working with Victoria Wenzel and Total Eclipse Entertainment of Charleston, South Carolina.Total Eclipse Entertainment is one of the premiere event-entertainment choices for the Southeastern U.S

- An interview with Erik is featured in the just released Fall 2007 issue of Southeast Indy Report magazine. SIR Magazine circulates thousands of copies quarterly to record labels, radio stations, industry events and conferences, to generate exposure of up-and-coming talent and behind-the-scenes industry professionals. It will be circulated at the 2007 Atlantis Music Conference and 2007 Atlanta Billboard Conference.

- Songs from "Off the Beaten Path" are currently being played on WRFG 89.3 FM radio in Atlanta on the Good Morning Blues show hosted by BlackJack and A.J..
(http://www.wrfg.org/)
Thanks BlackJack!

Also, Radio 99.7 FM in Brisbane, Australia on "Sidestream". Thanks Arthur Elliott!
(http://www.red997.com.au/joomla_folder/)

Also, 'Acoustic Planet' each Thursday 8:00 to 10:00 pm. (Eastern). Broadcasting on CHES 101.5 FM in Erin, Ontario. Thanks Steve Clarke.
http://www.erinradio.ca/pages/acoustic_planet.asp

-Update 10/31: Also, being played in the Netherlands and Belgium on Radio Winschoten
http://www.radiowinschoten.nl/ and KPFT 90.1 FM Houston,TX
http://houston.kpft.org/site/PageServer
I'm not really sure who to thank for either of these.

Online, you can hear songs from the new album on "The Open Mike Cafe" out of Warren, Michigan. Thank you Mike Stephens!
(http://www.gcast.com/u/openmike/openmikecafe?nr=1&&s=246167892)

and "Helsinki's Blues Cafe" out of Finland. Thank you Geoff!
(http://www.live365.com/stations/catnadja)

- Update 10/27: Also receiving airplay on Roots Rock Radio. Roots Rock Radio presents the best of indie ROOTSROCK/POP,
ALT COUNTRY/AMERICANA, BLUES/ROCKABILLY, GARAGE/PUNK, and Real ROCK & ROLL from around the globe.
http://rrradio.com/
Thanks Richard Taylor!

- This website has received over 12,000 hits in its first month from over 20 countries including Germany, France, Switzerland, New Zealand, Bulgaria, Poland, Belarus, Brazil, Russia, India, Canada, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, Seychelles, Australia, United Kingdom, Italy, Belize, Japan, Mexico and Columbia.
-Update 10/31: Since August, this site has received over 19,000 hits from 40 different countries.

"Southern Americana". Erik coins the musical style as a mixture of rock, blues, folk and acoustic music. "Off the Beaten Path" is an album written about the remote regions of our country and the people who reside within them...the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, the New River Gorge in West Virginia, the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York, the Cascade Loop in Washington, the Badlands in South Dakota and the North Georgia Mountains. 10 of the songs on the album are Erik’s original compositions. There are also 3 versions of songs written by Gregg Allman, John Prine and Toy Caldwell respectively. The songs on the album are performed by some of the finest, experienced musicians in the Southeast. The vast majority of the album was recorded on the first take.....as they say "If you do it right, once is enough." Erik has been honing his craft for nearly 25 years and the songs on the album are a reflection of his diverse musical background. Erik plays all acoustic and electric guitars on the album and also served as the producer. Among Erik's favorite artists are the Allman Brothers, The Band, Johhny Cash, Gordon Lightfoot, Carlos Santana, B.B. King, Tony Rice and Mountain Heart.

Off The Beaten Path
1. Southern Highway
2. New River Waltz
3. Wanderin' Blues
4. Bard of Ontario
5. I'll Be Loving You
6. The Kenai
7. I'll Wait Another Day
8. Saranac
9. Please Don't Bury Me
10. Multi-Colored Lady
11. Doriando
12. Off The Beaten Path
13. Badlands