Cheryl Wheeler Launches Record Company, New Record

BOSTON, MASS. – Folk luminary Cheryl Wheeler will mark a milestone in her career as she launches her own Dias Records with the release of Pointing at the Sun, available now at brick-and-mortar retailers through Golden Rod Distribution and coming to iTunes later this summer. The disc was produced by Ben Wisch (Marc Cohn, Jonatha Brooke) and Kenny White.

Pointing at the Sun, her twelfth release, illuminates Cheryl’s deft finger picking and poetic lyrics that are at times sincere (“Hold On,” “Grey and Green”), light hearted (the folk-hop “White Cat”) and whimsical (“My Cat’s Birthday).

A “rare artist” with a gift for “…strong poetry, complex melodies, clever wit” (- SingOut!), Cheryl has maintained her artistic integrity over the past two decades since her debut Newport Songs in 1983 by not conforming to trends or vanity.

More comfortable in front of an audience than a camera, Cheryl, the artist, has preferred to stand out of the spotlight while her songs continue to gain notoriety.

A respected songwriter, she has been covered by many of her peers including Bette Midler, Peter Paul and Mary, Suzy Boggus, Maura O’Connell and Dan Seals.

One of her most widely recognized songs is “If It Were Up To Me,” written after the Jonesboro schoolyard shooting incident. It was released on 1999’s Sylvia Hotel, and was adopted as a sort of anti-gun anthem following the Columbine tragedy in Littleton, Colorado that year. Garth Brooks created a medley of her song “If It Were Up To Me” and “Let’s Get Together” to create a song called “Right Now” for his album Chris Gaines Greatest Hits .

Cheryl’s ballad “Gandhi/Buddha” (from 2003’s Different Stripes) will be featured on Kenny Loggins new album , out this summer.

Renowned for her live performances, the stage is where Cheryl’s songs come to life and best showcases the dichotomy of poet-Cheryl, writer of some of the prettiest, most alluring and intelligent ballads on the modern folk scene and her evil twin, comic-Cheryl, a militant trend defier and savagely funny social critic. The result is a delightful contrast between poet and comic.

Cheryl Wheeler will perform a few dates throughout the summer before embarking on her Pointing At The Sun tour beginning September 10 in San Diego.

June 21        BERKELEY, CA        Freight & Salvage
July 4            BROWNFIELD, ME        The Stone Mountain Arts Center
July 9            CLINTON, NJ            Black Potatoe Music Festival
July 25        BYRN MAWR, PA        Bryn Mawr Twilight Concerts
July 26        SYKESVILLE, MD        Baldwin’s Station
August 15        PITTSFIELD, MA        Berkshire Women’s Music Fest
September 10    SAN DIEGO CA        Acoustic Music San Diego
September 11    SAN TA MONICA, CA    McCabe’s
September 12    PASADENA, CA        Beckman Institute Auditorium
September 16    SANTA YNEZ, CA        Tales from the Tavern
September 18    BERKELEY, CA        Freight & Salvage
September 25    PENFIELD, NY        Golden Link Folk Society
October 9        MARBLEHEAD, MA        Me & Thee Coffeehouse
October 10        FALL RIVER, MA        Narrows Center For The Arts
October 17        ALEXANDRIA, VA        The Birchmere
October 18        ANNAPOLIS, MD        Ram’s Head On Stage
October 23        PINAS ALTOS, NM        Buckhorn Opera House

More tour dates TBA…

Submitted by Think Press