Attention all "Hazelnuts"...Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel is coming soon! I must say when I first heard that this is what a true Sister Hazel fan was called I had a hard time not picturing an enthusiastic crowd all bobbing up and down to "All For You" in over sized hazelnut costumes. The kind that you'd see on the side of the road advertising a new coffee shop on the corner. Well, the "Hazelnuts" were very present at the June Summerfest in Atlanta, GA, although I didn't see one in a hazelnut costume. It's amazing to me how faithful these fans of Sister Hazel are. The guys deserve it for sure. Not only is this group generous, (Sister Hazel is actually named after a nun, Sister Hazel Williams, who ran a homeless shelter in Gainesville, Florida), they constantly give back to the community and to their fans with their involvement with non-profits like Lyrics for Life (http://www.myspace.com/lyricsforlife) and annual events like The Rock Boat (http://www.therockboat.com/).

A couple of weeks ago Ryan Newell was invited to be apart of the opening ceremony for the new Hard Rock Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Sparing no expense, Ryan Newell was flown in on a helicopter. Hard Rock gave Ryan a custom Hard Rock guitar, and while he played, the gates of the new park were blown open by fireworks and pyrotechnics...talk about a rock show.

We were lucky enough to recently hang out with Ryan when he stopped by our studio to film his instructional videos for "All For You" and "Change Your Mind". You guys, he's is the real deal. What you see is what you get, and what you see is very good. Make sure you check out his interview on the front end of his videos. It's really nice to get to spend time with someone who has had as much success as Ryan and still be so humble and willing to share his experience with us. It's all for the love of music.

Sister Hazel will be releasing a live acoustic album on June 17, "Before The Amplifiers, Live Acoustic". There are 16 tracks, all recorded live in front of just 100 fans. Be sure to check out the new CD out on June 17 as well as Ryan's two instructional videos, "All For You" and "Change Your Mind" that are coming soon to ivideosongs.com.

A newly converted "Hazelnut"
...April