"The win feels incredible," says Martone, Telarc Records' executive vice president of production and senior producer. "Classical Producer of the Year is the biggest honor in our field. I am proud and humble in the company of others who have won this award."
Martone has worked for the locally based Telarc label since 1980. She's won two other Grammys, for classical and jazz production. She has also been nominated for several others.
Telarc and the Telarc-distributed label MCG took home another four Grammys Sunday. Nancy Wilson's Turned to Blue won Best Jazz Vocal Album. The WDR Big Band Köln took Best Large Jazz Ensemble, with Michael Brecker's performance on it winning Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Michael Bishop earned Best Engineered Classical Album for Elgar: Enigma Variations and Britten: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Four Sea Interludes.
Telarc has won 54 Grammys through the years, including awards for Heads Up International and MCG, two labels distributed by Telarc.
"We are so happy to be recognized for our company's excellence," says Martone. "No one has ever said, 'You can't do this because you are in Cleveland.'"
· Parma shred kings Soulless are finishing up a new LP, Forever Defiant, slated for spring release via Japan's WorldChaos. Recorded by Ben Schigel (Drowning Pool, Switched), it will be mastered in Sweden by Scar Symmetry's Jonas Kjellgren. The band headlines this year's WJCU Radiothon Benefit Concert on Saturday, February 17, at the Jigsaw (5324 State Road, Parma). The fund-raiser benefits 88.7 FM, the John Carroll student radio station. Supporting acts include local power-metal legends Wretch and Winter's Bane.
· Cats on Holiday are recording their fourth CD at Cleveland's Magnetic North studios. Guitarist Rick Christyson is co-producing with Chris Keffer (the Unknown, Michael Jantz). The disc's four covers will include swamp-pop adaptations of Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'" and AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long." Singer-guitarist Denis Devito says the band's original songs "are stories of down-and-out dreams, jumping on a freight train and trammels to Louisiana." The band is planning a spring release. Catch the Cats at Mardi Gras parties Wednesday, February 17, at the Beachland (15711 Waterloo Road) and Tuesday, February 20, at the Savannah Bar & Grille (30676 Detroit Road in Westlake).
· Cleveland indie-rock label Elephant Stone will release the sixth album from San Francisco shoegazers Dora Flood. We Live Now hits stores Tuesday, February 20. The band's entire back catalog is available as free downloads at www.doraflood.com.
· Dead Letter Room will celebrate its first anniversary by welcoming new drummer Jonathan R (also of Allegory). Featuring Decadent's David K, the morphing project operates as a duo, and its new material blends garage, post-punk, and '70s glam. Catch the band Saturday, February 17, at Verlie's Café (3355 West 46th Street).
· Visit Scene's C-Notes blog at www.clevescene.com/blogs for early concert announcements, exclusive photos from Slayer's Cleveland concert, a link to the new Chimaira video, and other free ways to kill time at work.
