ORIANTHI Teams With WOODWARD AVENUE RECORDS For 'First Time Blues' Single

Blues rock guitar virtuoso Orianthi wanted to create something special to celebrate her 25th anniversary as a professional musician. The Australian-born, Los Angeles-based Orianthi entered THE DOORS guitarist Robby Krieger's Love Street Sound studio where she wrote, produced and recorded her debut single for Woodward Avenue Records. "First Time Blues" will be released on February 23.

Orianthi has been performing "First Time Blues" in concert with her band for the past year and was able to cut it live in the studio in just a few takes. She burns up "First Time Blues" with her impassioned vocals and blazing guitar licks. Joining her on track are Justin Andres (bass, vocals),Carey Frank (keyboards),Nick Maybury (electric and acoustic guitar) and Elias Mallin (drums).

Orianthi said: "'First Time Blues' is about that feeling of when you first feel brokenhearted. It doesn't change throughout life if you really have the strength to love and be all-in every time. I'm guilty of that…throwing myself into the fire just to get burned, heal, then get burned again…or not. You never know. Love is a gamble!"

To add a second guitar solo to "First Time Blues", Orianthi invited a friend to record with her: three-time Grammy-nominated blues rock guitar prodigy Joe Bonamassa. They had played together many times, but "First Time Blues" is their first recording together.

"My good friend and legend Joe Bonamassa put down his fire leads on the second solo section. Joe is such a great musician. We have jammed many times in the past and I'm grateful he came in and added his magic to 'First Time Blues'," said Orianthi who also wrote, produced and recorded her second single for Woodward Avenue Records, "Bad For Each Other" (release date to be announced),at Love Street Sound.

Orianthi (Orianthi Panagaris) looks as much like a rock star as she does a supermodel. But it's her extraordinary guitar chops that turn the most heads. She began playing professionally when she was thirteen years old before going on to perform and/or tour with Carlos Santana, Steve Vai, Alice Cooper, Richie Sambora and Dave Stewart. She was hired by Michael Jackson for his "This Is It" tour before his untimely death and was a member of the supergroup HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES (Cooper, Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Tommy Henriksen). Orianthi's debut album, "Violet Journey", was released in 2005 and she has issued five solo albums to date. She was featured accompanying Carrie Underwood during a Grammy Awards telecast, performed on "American Idol", and appears in Jackson's documentary concert film, "This Is It". Elle magazine named Orianthi one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" and she won the 2010 "Breakthrough Guitarist of the Year" award from Guitar International magazine.

The Florida-based Woodward Avenue Records is a boutique independent label committed to producing and distributing unique, collaborative musical projects that masterfully fuse genres. From jazz, R&B, soul, blues and gospel to rock, pop, country, Americana and Latin music, Woodward Avenue Records supports standout artists releasing exceptional recordings.

Woodward Avenue Records founder and president Mark Nordman said: "As a label, we've always been about supporting great artists in making the kind of music that's in their heart and soul, without commercial or arbitrary requirements to simply 'fit' in some preconceived genre box. We believe that if the music is great and created with passion and excellence, it will find its own lane with our help. There is no one who represents those ideals more than Orianthi, and we are absolutely thrilled to be working with her and her team. I promise you, there is some really awesome and memorable music on the way, and we can't wait for people all over the world to hear it!"

In a recent interview with Larry Mac of the 96.1 KLPX radio station, Orianthi stated about the musical direction of her new material: "Well, I wouldn't say it's a complete direction change. It's going more in the blues-rock sort of Americana vibe, sort of less poppy than the stuff I put out before.

"I love all sorts of genres of music, but I think what really connects with me the most is the blues, that kind of blues, sort of Americana rock vibe and a bit of country there too, and that kind of resonates with me more than anything," she explained. "So I'm just kind of going back to that. 'Heaven In This Hell', that record I did with Dave Stewart [in 2013], has a lot of that in there. Even my first record, 'Believe', had quite a bit of blues in it as well. So with this new album and the singles that are going to be rolling out, people are gonna hear more of that, a bit more of an edge and a bit more of the music I'm gonna be playing for the rest of my life."

Speaking specifically about "First Time Blues", Orianthi said: "We've been playing that song live actually, and it just really connects with people, and it's a brand new song. We just see the reaction and it's, like, 'Okay, we should probably record this pretty soon and put it out.' So, we had a blast in the studio."

As for the experience of recording at Krieger's studio, Orianthi said: "He's a dear friend of mine for many years and a legend. And I'm a big DOORS fan. So having the opportunity and the honor of recording at his studio and Robby coming in and giving the thumbs up, that means the world."

Orianthi's latest studio album, "Rock Candy", arrived in October 2022 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP followed 2020's "O" which was Orianthi's first new studio album in seven years and her first new music as a solo artist in six years. Sonically, "Rock Candy" was described in a press release as "a hard-rockin', blues-tinged, display of Orianthi's dazzling guitar playing and her soulful vocals."

Joining Orianthi on "Rock Candy" was the multi-talented Jacob Bunton, who produced the album. Additionally, he provided guitar, bass, keyboard, piano and violin playing through the course of the LP. Drummer Kyle Cunningham rounded out the recording lineup for "Rock Candy".

Photo credit: Jim Donally