Friday, July 31, 2015

Music: Mil's Trills "Now That We're Friends" Set for September Release

Led by musician/composer/vocalist Amelia Robinson, the award-winning Mil's Trills is back with its second album of high-spirited, empowering songs for children and adults alike. Centered on a theme of friendship, open minds, and compassionate hearts, Now That We're Friends... will be released on September 23.

Mil's Trills is a music project founded by Brooklyn born-and-bred Amelia Robinson, which, through highly interactive live performances and beautifully produced recordings of original songs, encourages everyone -- kids, parents,caregivers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, neighbors, and friends -- to appreciate, connect, and deepen friendships through singing, dancing, and just having fun together.

The Parents' Choice® Awards lauded Mil's Trills 2014 release, Everyone Together Now! as "an impressive debut album." Swing Whistle Zing enthused, "With an inviting jazz-blues style, families will find themselves wrapped up in the warmth of the Mil's Trills community."

Says Amelia Robinson, "While Everyone Together Now! served as a sort of "We're HEEERE!" album, Now That We're Friends ... furthers a more intimate discussion about relating to one another. It's very much about accepting each other's differences and getting along, which is what Mil's Trills is all about: building community, breaking age barriers, and embracing cultural diversity through music."

Now That We're Friends ... is a concept album on a theme of cooperative friendship in which Amelia Robinson's boundlessly welcoming, enthusiastic voice is always front and center. The album kicks off with "Say Hey!" which lays down a groovy minor vamp for the verses, explodes into major for the joyful chorus, and features decisive statements from a spectacular horn line and an incisive, swinging style from the vocal ensemble. Other highlights include the Afro-Caribbean influenced "Just A Little Bit," with exquisite lyrical phrasing from the bass section, and "Great Big Sky," a mellow reflection on the vastness of the universe.

After working at V2 Records (White Stripes, Moby, Elbow) and Dubway Studios (The Backyardigans and artists such as Alicia Keys and Cyndi Lauper), Amelia Robinson spent two years in London where she worked alongside award-winning British composer Michael Nyman and found herself at the forefront of the ukulele resurgence, performing at events such as the Ukulele Festival of Great Britain. Amelia went on to compose and conduct a 20-minute orchestral exploration through London's historic East End that enlisted the help of 500 bicycle bell-playing participants. The Cycle Symphony received a #1 Time Out London Critic's Choice and earned Amelia a spot on BBC Radio 1.

Mil's Trills has appeared on Lincoln Center's Meet the Artist Series and at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Other noteworthy performance venues have included the Guggenheim Museum, BAM, Brooklyn Children's Museum, Tribeca Film Festival, Children's Museum of Manhattan, 92nd Street Y, JCC Manhattan, and South Street Seaport (with Sesame Street's Gordon and Elmo). Coming up is Mil's Trills' Washington, DC area debut at Wolf Trap Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods.

Now That We're Friends ... will be available on Amazon, CDBaby, iTunes, Bandcamp, and on the Mil's Trills website, HERE.