Fresh from the AP Music Group factory is a brand new single 'Prayed Up' with AP artist Mena & super producer 'Joe Vulpis'. 

Prayed up comes from Mena's brand new album 'Amen' which is OUT NOW worldwide. 

Joe had the following to say via his instagram - "Grateful and blessed for my next single with Mena. Always a pleasure to work with a true artist!"

Check out all things MENA - Menamovement.com

STREAM PRAYED UP 

AP Music Group are very excited to share with you that founder Joe Vulpis will be releasing brand new music with artist Mena in the upcoming fall, it's a 5 album writing project both Men & Joe have been working on for some time, this project is HUGE so we hope you enjoy it when it is released. 

Joe had the following to say regarding the upcoming project. 

"Very proud to be a part of this 5 album writing project with Mena. 
        (78 new songs to be released starting this fall..)"

​

"What We're Made Of" is an older song but during the pandemic we kind of decided to do the whole social distancing Zoom thing," says American Nomads keyboardist and co-founder Walter Kenul (Pron. Kennel) with a laugh as he discussed the band's recent release of two older singles which are very relevant in today's world. Richard Humann our lyricist thought of it and we all agreed; it turned out great and we're very happy with it."
"What We're Made Of" is meant to be a song of inspiration in these times of uncertainty but Kenul says even though its roots are in Americana music; it had a European conception.
"The song was probably written about four or five years ago. Richard was over in Venice and I'm from Croatia and I have a home there, so we started it while he was in Italy and I was in Croatia and we did an Americana song which is kind of odd but that's what we did (laughs). We communicated and made it happen and I guess it's kind of funny the way it originated but it turned out great; it has that whole working-class kind of thing and again we're happy with it."
















Based in New York, the players are all seasoned musicians but the band itself is relatively new on the  scene. Kenul explained how their small beginnings led to an expansion; one that everybody can agree was well worth the while. 

"We're based in Brooklyn; we are seven pieces and we have a pedal steel player Gerald Menke when we do shows and when we record but it's pretty much a seven-person band so yeah, it's a full house. We actually started; well it kind of started when I was in Europe with Richard. I had kind of stopped playing music for a while but that kind of inspired me to start again so I went back to my long-time friend Dante DeLemos who is a brilliant guitar player and songwriter and we actually record at his studio. So, it was Richard, Dante and myself; we started writing songs, recording; pretty much a concept kind of group. We did a song with Joe Vulpis called, "A Revelation's Gonna Come" and that hit number six on the country adult contemporary charts and was nominated for a Grammy three years ago. So that kind of got people saying; why don't you guys play out? You guys are great! We kind of brain stormed and we started gathering some acquaintances that we knew and formulate a band; American Nomads; which is Susan Darmiento also a lead vocalist, George LaGrange a second guitarist, Jay Rivera on bass, Joe Conoscenti on drums, Joe Humann on harp and Gerald Menke on steel pedal. We've been doing a lot of gigs at top clubs in New York, we also played last year at the 50th anniversary of Bethel Woods on the same bill with Ringo Starr, Blood, Sweat & Tears and Edgar Winter so we were very fortunate to get that gig thanks to our buddy Ken Franklin; thank you Ken. That kind of put us on a different level to be there and that really inspired us to continue writing and gigging and that's where we are right now."

Seven pieces can be tough to manage; musicians are not ones to rest on their days off so keeping everybody on the page and focused isn't always an easy task. Kenul says this group is more like a big family than a band and that's in part due to his unique living arrangements. 
"Years back I bought an old fire house in Brooklyn and we rehearse there because there's plenty of space. We have a great situation and it's a great place to rehearse and I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful wife who cooks for us afterwards," he said with another laugh. "So, we have a band dinner afterward and then we just kind of talk about the rehearsal, future gigs, songs and just about anything; it's a family atmosphere and a perfect situation for us. Knowing that it's very difficult for people to have bands in the city; rehearsing, a home front, recording, it's very difficult so, again we are very fortunate to have this situation happening for us."

Old fire house in Brooklyn? The thing he failed to mention is that this old fire house has a very musical past; Cyndy Lauper, The Eagles and more have visited its interior.
"Originally when I bought it, two friends of mine had a sound company; Brian Olsen and Kevin Hartman and they started Fire House Productions being it was a fire house. They were doing monitors for Peter Gabriel at the time and Peter saw that they were up and coming and he really liked them so he put up money for them to expand. Right now, Fire House Productions does sound for The Rolling Stones, The Cure, all top acts. They are one of the biggest in the world right now and it all started there. I got to meet a lot of celebrity musicians, Dire Straits, Peter Gabriel, David Byrne; we got to meet a lot of people there and again it's like a family with a really great vibe and we hope to keep it going." 


The second release, "Stronger When We're One" is said to have a, "Universal message which resonates during our time of civil and physical unrest" and was written last year; well before the current climate existed."
"Stronger When We're One" I wrote right after we played Woodstock because I was so inspired to see people coming back after 50 years, coming back to relive that magical time and that moment. They had gray hair (laughs) but everybody was so happy to be there and it was such a special moment. Those songs from the late 60's and early 70's were so great; they were peace songs and love and the whole vibe with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and all the people who were promoting love and peace, it was just such a great time. I said to myself; ya' know what? I really want to capture that; I really want to write a song that kind of mimics that, a nostalgic kind of sound. Something that when the chorus comes in it grabs you right away and that's crucial for me as a songwriter, the chorus is the most important because that's the part that people remember and if it's a good song they're going to be humming it the rest of the day so that's what I shoot for. Whether or not I captured that, I think I came close and I was very happy with the end result.

Dante was on it, he played bass and guitar, our drummer was in the process of moving so I couldn't get him to record so I called my friend Sammy Merendino who is a fantastic drummer who played with Michael Jackson, Billy Joel, Cindy Lauper, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, the percussionist was Grant Braddock who does all the Broadway shows and is currently does "The Lion King," Hayes Greenfield played the sax; normally we don't have sax on Americana songs but sometimes you write a song that is very inspirational and you just want to make it happen and I like to mix it up once in a while. The end result was great and I was really happy with it."


With so much uncertainty around live gigs, many bands and sol artists have turned to virtual concerts, livestreams and other innovative ways to keep their product available; so what do the American Nomads have lined up? 
"We're playing at the Bearsville Theater up in Woodstock, NY on September 12. We were cancelled May 9 because so we will be there then and if anyone in the area would like to come see us, they can purchase tickets at the Bearsville Theater; hopefully we'll meet some new fans over there. We really enjoyed playing there last year; it's a great vibe in a fantastic theater. There again it's all about the music, great people; music is so powerful that people come out to hear it in Woodstock, it's a tradition there. We are very fortunate to have been there and we're happy to be there again in September. Sweet Marie will be opening for us and also Joe Vulpis with his band."  

To discover more about the American Nomads please visit www.americannomadsband.com .

(Article Source)

These tragic times of Covid-19, The 2020 Pandemic, Heightened Hatred, & Sudden Loss of Loved Ones who've yet to be properly honored, has us all bonded in heartache. While recent cyclones, fires, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, & other sudden devastation, in addition to loss of income, homes, & purpose, has many feeling as if there's nowhere to turn. But, we're all in this together to help one another & create change, while hopefully following the lead of those who've left us behind to live a ... Life Well Lived.

Produced & played by AP Music CEO Joe Vulpis; check out  'Life Well Lived' the music video.

Singer-songwriter / producer Joseph James (Joe Vulpis) has been performing, writing and producing within his company AP Music for 30 years. He has worked with Lady Gaga (Stephanie Germanotta Band), Al Martino (Johnny Fontane/The Godfather), Ritchie Blackmore (Blackmore’s Night, Deep Purple and Rainbow), to name a few.

A truly dedicated perfectionist whether writing, performing, producing, or being a hard-core radio promoter for select artists he feels have the ‘it’ factor. His songwriting speaks for itself, from Top 40, country, or dance. He has accolades and a few gold records, but he treats every project without ego, knowing that even having a real shot at the next big record or artist requires all aspects to be in sync – from the basic demo (hit), to the final master with the right artist to boot.

His decision to perform at SXSW was for nothing more than to have fun with friends and do something he has always wanted to do for years. With hundreds of songs in his publishing catalog, you can expect to hear an incredible set with Joe and his band.

The band have two dates that have recently been announced; 

Wednesday March 18th  6:30 pm - Location to be published week of SXSW

March 17th & 20th - TBA on the bands instagram @josephjamesband
the morning of the show

For further information, please visit apmusicgroup.com.

Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/joevulpis
AP Music Website: www.apmusicgroup.com/ 
Instagram: www.instagram.com/josephjamesband/

UPDATE: As a result of the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak The SXSW festival has been cancelled therefore The Joseph James Band will no longer be performing. 

The website will be updated in relation to any further performance announcement, stay tuned. 

Both AP Music artists 'Bel Holiday' & 'The American Nomads' took to the stage last night at DROM in NYC as part of a Holiday Benefit Concert performance, it's safe to say both Bel & the Nomads had a blast. We will be posting videos of their performances very soon so keep an eye out. 

Bel Holiday Performed tracks from her upcoming EP 'Watermelon' which is set for a 2020 release, produced by Joe Vulpis.

​Defiantly keep your eyes peeled for that one!

That's right!! We have launched our brand new-look website.. it was well overdue to revitalise our HQ for all things AP Music.  Come on in & explore our new look, tell us what you think, leave a comment on this post. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years and continues to support us and our movement in music, without you it would not be possible.

Thank you & welcome to our new website. - Joe Vulpis