Lefthook/Columbia Records Set to Release Susan Cagle's 'The Subway Recordings'

Lefthook/Columbia Records is ready to release The Subway Recordings, the eagerly-awaited major label debut from singer/songwriter/underground performer Susan Cagle, on Tuesday, May 23.

Cagle -- whose mesmerizing impromptu concerts on New York City subway platforms have made her one of the most endearing performers to ever pass the hat and capture the hearts of Big Apple commuters and music fans -- will appear above ground with her band to play two shows at this year's South By Southwest (SXSW) music festival in Austin, Texas.

With the breath-of-fresh-air arrival of The Subway Recordings, the rest of the world can hear the soulful swaying sounds and pure vocal tones that have made thousands of New Yorkers willing to run late to work. Susan's ten original song collection has been culled from two extraordinary performances recorded at stations along New York's fabled 42nd Street line: six tracks recorded during rush hour in Times Square and four cut late at night at the legendary Grand Central Station.

Produced by Jay Levine (Lefthook Entertainment), The Subway Recordings features Susan on guitar and vocals, backed by her sister Caroline (bass, backing vocals) and brothers Jesse (guitar) and John (drums on the Times Square tracks).

On her own and as an official part of the "Music Under New York" program, Susan Cagle has become an underground sensation in New York City -- literally. Since 2002, the striking 25-year-old has become one of the most popular singer/songwriters ever to play for tips on a Manhattan subway platform (she has already sold more than 30,000 copies of her self-made recordings). It was at the 34th Street station along the N/R lines that Susan first caught the attention of producer Jay Levine who later introduced her to the executives at Columbia Records.

No stranger to performing live, Susan was raised in a family of musicians who made their living by playing together on street corners and in subway stations. The second oldest of ten brothers and sisters, she traveled the world as a child, learning to sing and play music while barely out of the crib. During performances with her family, she was taking solos before she was four years old, and started playing guitar at age seven. By the time she was fourteen, she had lived in Venezuela, Mexico, Greece, Italy, France, Germany, England, Scotland, Ireland and all across the United States -- from California to up and down the East Coast -- and had traveled as far west as Hawaii and as far east as communist-era Czechoslovakia.

When she came of age, she decided to pursue her own musical path. With her soulful vocals, hooky songs and sweet stories, Susan struck out on her own and moved to New York in 2001, mere weeks before September 11th.

"After that day, I just thought I had to do something," says Susan. "Earlier in my life, when I would play, people would say that they were touched by my songs. So I figured, I would go out and try. It was just so amazing; you could just feel it. Some people would cry and everyone was listening ... I felt like I was able to touch them in some way through my music."

Susan Cagle and her band will head out on the road this spring with a multi-city tour of subways and above ground venues across the U.S. (details TBA).

  Susan Cagle
  The Subway Recordings
  track listing:
  1. Shakespeare
  2. Stay
  3. Dream
  4. Be Here
  5. Ain't It Good To Know
  6. Manhattan Cowboy
  7. Happiness Is Overrated
  8. You Know
  9. Transitional
  10. Ask Me

  Tracks 1-6 Recorded at Times Square Station during rush hour.
  Tracks 7-10 Recorded at Grand Central Station late at night.

  www.susancagle.com
  www.columbiarecords.com

SOURCE: Columbia Records

CONTACT: Maggie Wang, Columbia Records, New York, +1-212-833-8208,
Maggie.Wang@sonybmg.com

Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/
http://www.susancagle.com/