Friday, October 12, 2012

News Update for Friday October 12th, 2012

 
 
 
Eagle Rock Entertainment To Release
Let The Music Play
The Story Of The Doobie Brothers
 
 
 
 
~On DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video November 13, 2012~
 
 
New York, NY (October 11, 2012) — Eagle Rock Entertainment, on November 13, 2012, will release Let The Music Play – The Story Of The Doobie Brothers on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital Video.
 
Let The Music Play is the authorized story of The Doobie Brothers from their beginnings in California in 1970 to worldwide success, selling over 40 million albums during their long career.  The film features interviews with band members Patrick Simmons, Tom Johnston, Michael McDonald, John McFee ,Tiran Porter, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter, their manager Bruce Cohn and long term producer Ted Templeman, revealing the full story of the band’s highs and lows through four decades of musical evolution.
 
 
The Doobie Brothers breakthrough came with “Listen To The Music” in 1972, and they went on to experience both sustained success and line-up changes in the mid-seventies.  The band made a change of musical direction and enjoyed further success following the arrival of Michael McDonald in 1976. Worn out by non-stop touring and internal disagreements, the band broke up after a “farewell” concert in 1982. There were sporadic reunions in the eighties before the band reformed permanently in the early nineties and have continued touring and recording ever since.
 
 
As well as the film itself, Let The Music Play – The Story Of The Doobie Brothers features bonus live performances of: “Rainy Day Crossroad Blues,” “Without You,” “Listen To The Music,” “Black Water,” “Takin’ It To The Streets,” “Rockin’ Down The Highway,” “Neal’s Fandango,” “Long Train Runnin’” and “China Grove”.
 
 
Let The Music Play – The Story Of The Doobie Brothers is more than just a rockumentary, exposing their incredible career and achievements. Boasting an additional nine live tracks, with a total running time of well over two hours, this is the complete package for any fan of this amazing band.
 
 
Official band website:
 
 
Follow Eagle Rock Entertainment at:
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EagleRockNews
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/eaglerocktv
 
 
 

TRACER announce new album and April 2013 UK tour
 
 
Following their rapturously received headline tour in October 2012 and recent Best New Band nomination at the 2012 Classic Rock Roll of Honour Awards, Australian rock band TRACER returns to the UK for 4 concerts in April 2013.

The tour will coincide with the follow-up to their debut album Spaces In Between.
Read the official announcement HERE:
 
 
The new, as-yet-untitled album will be produced by Kevin Shirley (Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Slayer, Silverchair, Cold Chisel), and is planned for late March/early April release.
 
Tracer’s 2013 UK tour starts at London’s Scala on Tuesday 9 April. Tickets will be made available as special 48-hour Planet Rock radio pre-sale from Wednesday 10 October.
Tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday 12 April from the 24 hour box office: 0844 478 0898, www.thegigcartel.com.
 
 
 
Tracer photo by http://www.bjwok.com/
 
 
Tracer is comprised of Michael Brown (guitar, vocals), Andre Wise (drums), and new bass guitarist, Pat Saracino.
The band has attracted the attention of the British rock and guitar press including Classic Rock (New Band of the Month), Total Guitar, Metal Hammer, Rock Sound, Guitarist, Fireworks and Powerplay.

Their Too Much video has amassed close to 100,000 YouTube hits.
 
Tracer UK tour dates:
 
9 Apr - London Scala
10 Apr - Bristol Tunnels
11 Apr - York Fibbers
12 Apr - Sheffield Plug
 
 
Official Website:
 
 
 
 
Hugh Cornwell to perform on BBC 2's The Review Show
 
 
 
Hugh Cornwell, the original lead singer/guitarist for The Stranglers, will perform the title track from his new album Totem And Taboo on BBC 2’s The Review Show on Friday November 9th at 11pm.
The television performance follows his current UK tour which hits Leeds Cockpit last night (Oct 11).
 
The first set will see Cornwell perform the new album Totem And Taboo, while the second set will see him perform The Stranglers’ seminal 1977 album No More Heroes.
Both albums will be performed in their entirety. 
 
Tickets can be ordered from the 24 Hour Box Office: 0844 478 0898, and booked online from www.hughcornwell.com and www.thegigcartel.com. 
 
 
Leeds The Cockpit (Oct 11) 
Manchester Academy 3 (Oct 12)  - TONIGHT
Birmingham O2 Academy 2 (Oct 13)
Bristol The Fleece (Oct 17)
Southampton The Brook (Oct 18) 
London O2 Academy Islington (Oct 19) 
Tavistock The Wharf (Oct 20)
 
Hugh Cornwell is the original guitarist, singer and main songwriter in the British Rock band The Stranglers. He enjoyed UK and European success with 10 hit albums and 21 Top Forty singles, with songs such as Peaches, No More Heroes, Golden Brown, Always the Sun, Grip, Nice N Sleazy, Duchess and No Mercy.
 
Check out the Totem and Taboo video on You Tube here:
 
For the official web press release click HERE:
 
Official artist weblink:
 
 
 

Frontiers Records unleashes the "Rock’n Roll Animal"!
 
 
 

GENE THE WEREWOLF international debut album to hit the stores in November
Frontiers Records is excited to announce the release of GENE THE WEREWOLF international debut album aptly entitled “Rock’n Roll Animal” on November 23rd in Europe.

The band hails from Pittsburgh when in 2007 five musicians disillusioned from their previous experiences decided to join forces in something "insanely different" from what they have been doing until then and “give a nod to the music we listened to growing up in the 80's. One of the more important aspects of the new project was to not take ourselves too seriously and have fun with it”, tells the band’s guitar player Drew Donegan.
 
It didn't take long for people to gravitate towards the band, as local media outlets began referring to the band as Pittsburgh's local "Supergroup". Furthermore, the band’s first show sold out within minutes of doors opening!
 
Donegan describes Gene the Werewolf’s sound as “classic rock with a modern vibe”, similar to what bands like Kiss, Def Leppard, AC/DC and Motley Crüe would sound like if they released their music today... a far cry from the pop-punk bands the band members had been in previously. “We also like the term diamond-core, because diamond is the hardest rock known to man”, Donegan adds.
When referring to “Rock n Roll Animal”, the band's newest album, Gene exclaims: "It's the perfect soundtrack to a beer-infused Saturday night!"
 
Plenty of bands aren’t shy about flaunting cocky bios and making no secret of their self-perceived talent, but few take it as far as Gene the Werewolf. “We used to say we were the best rock band, but by now I’d say we’re just the best band ever,” Donegan said. “We play absurdly loud, sweat our asses off, and then sleep on filthy apartment floors together because we love doing it".
 
Ultimately, the band's intentions are as pure as they've ever been. "We formed this band to play loud, rowdy, and crude Rock N' Roll," says Gene. "I think with this record we've accomplished everything we've ever wanted out of being in a band together."
 
 
Enjoy Gene The Werewolf newest videoclip “I Only Wanna Rock n Roll” following the link below: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGmj5YxK8OA

Tune in on the Frontiers Records webradio (www.frontiers.it/webradio) to listen exclusively to the amazing first single “I Only Wanna Rock n Roll” and get ready for the forthcoming hilarious band’s videoclip to be launched soon!
 
“Rock ‘n Roll Animal” includes the following cuts:
Wicked Love; I Only Wanna Rock N Roll; Superhero; Heart Of Steel; Rock N Roll Animal; I've Got The Love; Ruffneck Woman; Light Me Up; Firecracker; Give It Up; The Ballad Of Gene. Make Love (Bonus Track Itunes)
 
 
GENE THE WEREWOLF
Jon Belan a/k/a Gene the Werewolf – vocals, guitar
Drew Donegan – guitar
Aaron Mediate – keyboards
Nick Revak – drums
Tim Schulz – bass and vocals
 
 
Weblink:
 
 
 
Slight additional note to yesterday's Girl related piece
 
Yesterday I posted an update from former Girl / Sheer Greed guitarist / vocalist, Gerry Laffy on those reissues of rare material, including some of his solo works too.
 
 
 
Gerry gave me a tip off on a release that iTunes has now made available, which is a bit of a gem!
 
'My Number - The Anthology' by Girl, contains a massive 37 tracks!
£7.99 for the lot, is certainly well worth doing over £0.79p each track!
 
Check it out here:
 
 
 
 
 
David Reece Confirmed as new POWERWORLD Vocalist
 
 
 
 
 
 
Third Album Virtuality Scheduled For Release in Spring 2013
 
 
It's been the perfect surprise: the German metal band POWERWORLD have enlisted American vocalist David Reece (Accept, Bangalore Choir) to replace Andrew 'Mac' McDermott, who recorded the vocal parts on their second album Human Parasite in 2010 and sadly passed away in August 2011. Rumors that interims shouter Michael Bormann, who helped out on POWERWORLD's tour with Axel Rudi Pell, would sing on the upcoming album, have proved unfounded. Bassist Ilker Ersin: "It's true that we briefly toyed with the idea, but for various reasons we decided not to follow it up."
 
Ersin is all the more happy about his new colleague, David Reece: "It's an amazing experience for me to be working with an American instead of a European musician for the first time in my career, especially since David is an experienced vocalist. The first songs he recorded for POWERWORLD have confirmed my expectations."
 
 
Reece, who succeeded Udo Dirkschneider on the Accept album Eat The Heat in 1989,  went on to tour with Accept and then founded Bangalore Choir before releasing his celebrated solo debut Universal Language three years ago, is also looking forward to his new challenge: "POWERWORLD sound more progressive and intense than the stuff I recently worked on. I feel that my voice suits their material perfectly, and I'll work hard on delivering my optimum performance.
I'm glad to be back home, because being married to a German woman, Germany is my favorite country in Europe."
 
The new album will be called Virtuality and has been scheduled for release in spring 2013. According to Ersin, it's not a concept album but a recording which "reflects the madness in the virtual and also in the real world." Stylistically, Virtuality is a mix of modern metal with progressive influences and classic hard rock.
Reece:
"We can hardly wait to introduce the new material to our fans and go on stage with them as soon as possible, particularly since we have found our ideal record company in SPV." Along with David Reece and Ilker Ersin, POWERWORLD 2012/2013 consists of  Andreas Rippelmeier (guitar), Marco Grasshoff (keyboards) and Guido Gallus (drums).

For more information, check out POWERWORLD`s website at www.powerworld.org.
 
 
 

JOHN TAGLIERI SET TO RELEASE BEST OF COLLECTION
INCLUDES TWO BONUS TRACKS
 
 
(Hanson, MA - 9 Oct. 2012) Beginning his solo career way back in 1999, singer / songwriter John Taglieri has released a total of nine albums to date between his solo releases and his band TAG, beginning with "Leap Of Faith", which garnered him a record deal, a 'Male Pop CD Of The Year' award & worldwide notoriety. In 2005 Taglieri broke all the rules and quit his nice, comfy, well paid day job to strike out as a full time musician. Not only did he succeed but he has bypassed any expectations he may have had, touring an average of 230 shows per year, securing sponsorships, opening for national acts, and seeing the world…all culminating in the 2012 release "Lucky #9" topping out at Number 2 on the Amazon AA chart and spawning two Top 5 singles, including the chart topping, "Make Me Believe." "It's been amazing to me to be able to make a living making music, seeing the world and working with my idols for as long as I have. I can't believe I'm about to release my tenth CD...I'm truly a lucky person…" said Taglieri.
 
 
With The Very Best Of John Taglieri...The Songs That Should Have Made Me RICH!!!, John delivers a 20 song extravaganza celebrating his career, which pulls two songs from each of his nine releases and also brings two previously unreleased tracks, 'What I Wanted After All' and 'Back To You' out of the archives and made available to the public for the first time. Taglieri said of the new tracks...
"The two new tracks are GREAT songs that I'm very proud of and excited to finally get out for people to hear! I'd have them for a bit and was waiting for the right time to release them…and well, this is it! 'What I Wanted After All' is a fun upbeat pop rocker about how sometimes getting what you want turns out to not always be…well…what you want! LOL. And 'Back To You' is a bouncy rock/country-ish feeling song about trying to convince someone that's leaving you that coming back is the best decision they can make and the one you want to make. Something i'm sure we've all been through!"
 
 
As for the album's title, "The Very Best Of John Taglieri...The Songs That Should Have Made Me RICH!!!", it's John being himself, humorously self-deprecating. "Hey, we all want to be rock stars and drive the fancy cars and have the big house!! Well…I guess 1 out of 3 isn't bad!! LOL... I'm still amazingly lucky to have my career and be able to do all the things I do. So maybe now as a collection, these damn songs will finally make me RICH! Ha ha!"
 
The Very Best Of John Taglieri...The Songs That Should Have Made Me RICH!!! is out digitally worldwide on 23 October via Leap Dog Music.
 
Relevant Links:

 
 
 
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Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Late News Update for Wednesday October 10th, 2012

 
 
Hey folks,
 Back to the news updates, here we go without any further delay!
Thanks for your continued support here folks!
Cheers,
Al
 
 
Thin Lizzy, over and out ..., by the end of the year
 
 
 
 
Tonight I'm kind of in shock from reading this ...

I am long overdue a chat with with my friends Scott Gorham and Marco Mendoza and wish I had done it recently.
No, no one has died ... At least I hope not anyway, but it seems for whatever reason, the current lineup of Thin Lizzy, will not continue ..., under the Lizzy name.

The new album that they have been recording or had in pre-production will not now be released as a Thin Lizzy album ....
I just find it hard to believe, I really do?!

I'm thinking that it seems that either:
1. Phil Lynott's Mum Philomena has perhaps put a stop to this or
2. The band have given in to all the moaners and groaners who said it's not Thin Lizzy without Phil.I personally thought that way to a degree, but got over it when I saw the current band live and it's not just Scott Gorham in the band today, Brian Downey is there, who started playing in bands with Phil before Lizzy!
Darren Wharton is also there, who played on the last three Thin Lizzy albums with Phil.

Thin Lizzy, alongside UFO, have always been my favourite band, EVER!!!
Anyway, enough from me on this, here is the official press release issued tonight:
 
 

THIN LIZZY ANNOUNCE ‘FAREWELL’ TO TOURING AND NEW ALBUM
 
 

After a very successful 2 year run with the current line up. Thin Lizzy have made a decision to not release a new album under the Thin Lizzy name.

Scott Gorham:
 
"Out of respect to Phil Lynott and the legacy he created, we have decided that we should not release a new album under the Thin Lizzy name.
It was a very difficult decision as we put a lot of time and effort into re-building the Thin Lizzy brand over recent years.
Releasing a new album was the only way to continue this success. We all know how much Phil meant to this band and the fans.

We have written 20 songs that we all feel very strongly do the band and Thin Lizzy name credit. We believe Phil would have been proud of them.

We always knew a new record was a touchy subject with some people and as such really want the quality of these songs to be heard by everyone without any judgment or prejudice.
To that end, we have decided not to release these songs under the name Thin Lizzy.
 
We want to thank everyone for their support and encouragement over the years and to all our fans.
We will release this material soon and you will be hearing some great new music with the classic Thin Lizzy sound intact.
We will announce future plans early in the New Year."

 Ricky Warwick:
 
"Our plan always was to put out new music to keep the name Thin Lizzy alive and fresh with all the band’s fans – old and new. Nobody respects Phil as much as I do and singing his songs for the past 2 years has been an incredible honor and something I will never forget.

Our plan was to always keep the band on top of their game, with great shows and great production to honor all that was Phil Lynott and his iconic body of work.
Without a new album to gain new press and keep the momentum we have built up over the past two years, we are worried the Thin Lizzy brand and all it stands for will diminish to a point we would never want to see. Therefore our regular touring as Thin Lizzy will cease at the end of this year after our European tour.

 
I do want to stress that this does not necessarily mean we will never play together again as Thin Lizzy. If there are options for other parts of the World, in territories that this line up has never visited then, we may still play odd shows in 2013 and beyond if people want to see us." 

 
From all the band and associated personnel, we THANK EVERYONE OF OUR FANS & SUPPORTERS for making these past 2 years so incredible and we look forward to seeing you all on the Nov / Dec Tour (dates below):
 
 
Fri/Nov-09 Athens, Greece Fuzz Club
Sat/Nov-10 Thessaloniki, Greece Principal Theatre
Sun/Nov-11 Istanbul, Turkey Kucukciftlik Park
Tue/Nov-13 Budapest, Hungary Petofi Csarnok
Thu/Nov-15 Pratteln, Switzerland Z7
Fri/Nov-16 Koln, Germany Kantine
Sun/Nov-18 Prague, Czech Republic Lucerna
Tue/Nov-20 Sala, Sweden Sala Folkerts Park
Wed/Nov-21 Oslo, Norway Rockefeller
 Thu/Nov-22 Bergen, Norway Rick's Theater
Sat/Nov-24 Linkoping, Sweden Cupolen
Sun/Nov-25 Aalborg, Denmark Skraaen
Mon/Nov-26 Odense, Denmark Posten
Tue/Nov-27 Esbjerg, Denmark Tobakken
Thu/Nov-29 Bournemouth, England Academy
Fri/Nov-30 Southend, England Cliffs Pavilion
Sat/Dec-01 Exeter, England University
Mon/Dec-03 Norwich, England UEA
Tue/Dec-04 Bristol, England Colston Hall
Wed/Dec-05 Middlesborough, England Empire
Fri/Dec-07 Liverpool, England Academy
Sat/Dec-08 Edinburgh, Scotland Picture House
Sun/Dec-09 Nottingham, England Rock City
Tue/Dec-11 Birmingham, England HMV Institute
Thu/Dec-13 Dublin, Ireland Olympia Theatre
 
 Official band weblinks:
 
 
 
 DVD, BLU-RAY & CD OF
FCA! 35 TOUR: AN EVENING WITH PETER FRAMPTON
OUT NOVEMBER 13

FEATURES FOOTAGE FROM 2011/2012 WORLD TOUR
CELEBRATING 35TH ANNIVERSARY OF LEGENDARY LIVE ALBUM
FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE!
 
 


"…the British guitar virtuoso is still making sweet music."
—Los Angeles Times

“[The evening] reminded you of Frampton’s accomplishments as a lead guitarist. He delivered, with practiced ease, everything from jazz-inflected introductions to fierce, irresistible solos.”
- Herald Scotland

“Pleasing those who came to hear the hits and impressing the musicians in the crowd with his still-smoking guitar chops”
--Santa Barbara Independent

New York, NY (October 10, 2012)—FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter Frampton, a new live 2DVD, Blu-ray, and The Best Of FCA! 35 Tour 3CD set from the acclaimed artist, will be released on November 13 via Eagle Rock Entertainment
 
 
The performances featured classics such as “Show Me The Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do” as well as tracks from Peter Frampton’s most recent albums Thank You Mr Churchill and the Grammy®-Award winning instrumental album Fingerprints. T
he 2 DVD/Blu-Ray/3CD Set features Peter's favorite tracks culled from the world tour.
FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter


FCA! 35 Tour: An Evening With Peter Frampton, directed and produced by Pierre & François Lamoureux, features two February 2012 shows - one performance in Milwaukee at the Pabst Theater and another in New York at the Beacon Theatre.
The Best Of FCA! 35 Tour 3CD was executive produced by Zach Bair and Mark Fischer of Disc Live Network.


From 2011 to 2012 Frampton toured the world in celebration of the 35th anniversary of his landmark 17 million selling live album Frampton Comes Alive!
Each stop on the tour was divided into two sets: a first set featuring Frampton Comes Alive! performed in its entirety and a second set including songs from throughout his career.


 “I have tried to find the best musical performances from as many different countries and cities as possible,” says Frampton. “My MO in choosing these tracks was to make this CD as representative as possible of the entire year of shows. Maybe there’s one you were at, whether you’re from Europe or the US. I’m still going through the 116 versions of ‘Do You Feel…’ as I write this! I might never want to play it again, so you better pick this CD up just in case!”
 

Track Listing:
DVD:


Disc One
1. Somethin’s Happening
2. Doobie Wah
3. Lines On My Face
4. Show Me the Way
5. It’s A Plain Shame
6. Wind of Change
7. Penny For Your Thoughts
8. All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side) 
9. Baby, I Love Your Way
10. (I Wanna) Go to the Sun
11. (I’ll Give You) Money
12. Shine On
13. Jumpin’ Jack Flash
14. Do You Feel Like We Do

Disc Two
1. Asleep at the Wheel
2. Restraint
3. Float
4. Boot It Up
5. Double Nickels
6. Vaudeville Nanna And The Banjolele
7. Road to the Sun
8. I Don’t Need No Doctor
9. Black Hole Sun
10. Four Day Creep
11. Off the Hook
12. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

 
CD:

 
Disc 1
1. Somethin's Happening
2. Doobie Wah
3. Lines On My Face
4. Show Me The Way
5. Its A Plain Shame
6. Wind Of Change
7. Just The Time Of Year
8. Penny For Your Thoughts
9. All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side)
10. Baby, I Love Your Way
11. (I Wanna) Go To The Sun
12. Nowhere's Too Far (For My Baby)
13. (I'll Give You) Money
 
Disc 2
1. Do You Feel Like We Do
2. Shine On
3. Jumpin' Jack Flash
4. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Disc 3
1. Asleep At The Wheel
2. Restraint
3. Float
4. Boot It Up
5. Double Nickels
6. Vaudeville Nanna And The Banjolele
7. Suite:Liberte
8. All I Wanna Be (Is By Your Side) Electric
9. Road To The Sun
10. I Don't Need No Doctor
11. Black Hole Sun
12. Four Day Creep
13. Off The Hook
 


Official website:

Follow Eagle Rock Entertainment at:
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/EagleRockEnt
Twitter: www.twitter.com/EagleRockNews
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/eaglerocktv
 
 
 

Former Girl guitarist Gerry Laffy makes rare Girl material available
 
 
 

Gerry Laffy, guitarist and one of the original members of Girl, has recently made available some rare recordings of 'Girl Live in Tokyo 1980' on CD as well as rare video footage, on the DVD, 'Girl - Sheer Greed - Gerry Laffy - The Rare Video Collection.' 

There are also reissues of previously released works, with various bonus material.
All these being made available as double albums, for £10 each plus £2 S&H or £3 for overseas.
Paypal only payments to:

gtheartist84@hotmail.com
 

The British band Girl, broke through in the UK back in 1980, during the then New Wave of British Heavy Metal, playing as special guests on UK tours with both UFO and Pat Travers.
 

Girl were clearly made up of special players, as lead vocalist Phil Lewis then went on to have success with British rockers Torme and currently still fronts US rockers, LA Guns, who he joined in 1987.
Girl's other guitarist Phil Collen went on to join Def Leppard, replacing Pete Willis in 1982. Collen also has a side project currently called Manraze, that ironically features former Girl bassist Simon Laffy, yes, Gerry's brother!

Original drummer Dave Gaynor was replaced by Pete Barnacle (Ex-Gillan) and band members Simon Laffy and Barnacle continued with the other half of the dual guitar attack, Gerry Laffy, to keep the tradition going but with a name change from Girl to perhaps the more 'acceptable' name of the band's first album, 'Sheer Greed.'
 

The trio were joined in Sheer Greed by second guitarist Neil Gabbitas, who then put out two albums, one studio and one live.
 

Gerry Laffy went on to play with UK acts, London Cowboys, Ultravox and John Taylor's (Duran Duran) band.
Gerry then turned to the film industry, becoming the personal manager of successful film and music video director Russell Mulcahy, films including Razorback, Highlander 1 and 2, Richochet, Blue Ice and more, as well as music videos for Duran Duran, Elton John, Spandau Ballet, Bonnie Tyler, Queen, Rolling Stones and many more.


Gerry has never lost touch with his musical abilities though and has released three solo albums to date, as well as a release with his brother Simon back in 1994.
Generally these days though Gerry has been focused on his own art work, as his art website eludes to here: http://www.gerrylaffyart.com/
 
You can follow Gerry on Facebook here:http://www.facebook.com/#!/gerry.laffy
 
 
 
 
Roger  Hodgson, Legendary Voice of Supertramp,
Returns for ‘Breakfast in America’ this Fall

First Major U.S. Tour in 30 Years Hits East, West Coasts
Amid Sold-Out European Trek and Critical Acclaim
 
 
 

Fresh on the heels of his current sold-out European tour and additional sold-out performances earlier this year in the U.S. and South America, legendary songwriter and vocalist Roger Hodgson, co-founder and original singer-songwriter from Supertramp, continues the U.S. leg of his popular “Breakfast in America” tour this fall amid tremendous critical acclaim.
 
The 34-date tour – which features all his hit songs including “The Logical Song,”  “Breakfast in America,” “Give a Little Bit,”  “Dreamer,” “School,” “Take the Long Way Home,” “Child of Vision,” “Even in the Quietest Moments,” “It's Raining Again,” and "Fool's Overture" – is his first major U.S. tour since his departure from Supertramp in 1983.
 
 
No longer the young shy virtuoso, he is now a charismatic and full hearted performer, his signature voice sounding better than ever. As Rolling Stone noted following a performance earlier this year: “Remarkably, the humble musical legend is back and his signature voice sounds stronger than ever… To see and hear Roger Hodgson in concert today is not simply to experience a sort of musical homecoming. It is also the only real way to hear some of the most beloved songs ever sung as they were meant to be sung by the man who first brought them to life.” Added the Huffington Post: “This is the real deal: a legendary music man, in brilliant form and shimmering presence, supported by a tight, terrific band.”
 
Universally hailed as one of the most gifted composers and lyricists of our times, Roger Hodgson helped define a generation of progressive rock, and wrote and sang Supertramp’s globally successful and enduring anthems – timeless songs that helped his former band sell well over 60 million albums to date. His unmistakable voice also propels Supertramp fan favorites he created such as “Hide in Your Shell,” “Child of Vision,” “Don't Leave Me Now,” and “Lord is it Mine.” Hodgson delivers all of those songs, as well as solo compositions such as “Only Because of You,” and “Lovers in the Wind” from his five solo album releases, on his world tour.  
 
 
Uniting generations at his concerts, Hodgson and his four-piece band transport baby boomers back to their youth and give younger generations a taste of why his heartfelt songs have endured. Breakfast in America had sales of over 20 million copies and hit the #1 spot on album charts worldwide. Audiences are once again experiencing the magic and spirit that Hodgson created with Supertramp.
 
Hodgson closes his concerts with the crowd singing along to “Give a Little Bit,” a song heard in a recent video that went viral with over six million views. Hodgson's timeless composition has a universal message that is as relevant today as when he wrote it over 40 years ago. The newest version, “Give a Little Bit with Children’s Choir,” was just released as a single on iTunes.  Hodgson’s latest CD, “Classics Live,” is available through iTunes or from
 
 
Hodgson co-founded Supertramp in 1969 and for many fans was the heart and creative force behind the band for the 14 years prior to his departure. Roger’s passion for his music and his art shines through in the magic and intimacy that is felt when he performs his songs in concert.
 
“Success in music to me is when I look out and I see a member of the audience crying or having ecstatic joy in their heart,” says Hodgson, who was awarded the Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French Ministry of Culture at a sold-out Paris concert earlier this year. “To me, how much I have shared my heart and been able to touch someone else in a positive way is the measure of success as an artist.” The San Diego Reader remarked on Roger, “Frequently entertaining the audience with stories about the origins of his songs, Hodgson connects deeply with the fans in a way few stars of his stature do.” 

 
ROGER HODGSON – “BREAKFAST IN AMERICA” FALL U.S. DATES: 
 
10/26   Rancho Mirage, CA    Agua Caliente Casino
10/27   Modesto, CA  Gallo Center for the Arts – Mary Stuart Rogers
10/29   Friant, CA  Table Mountain Casino
11/1     Glenside, PA   Keswick Theatre
11/2     Westbury, NY  Theatre at Westbury
11/3     Ridgefield, CT  Ridgefield Playhouse
11/4     Lynn, MA   Lynn Auditorium
11/7     Englewood, NJ  Bergen PAC
11/8     Morristown, NJ  Mayo PAC
11/9     Shippensburg, PA  Shippensburg University – H. Ric Luhrs PAC
11/13   Carmel, IN  Center for the Performing Arts – The Palladium
 
 
For complete information on Fall concerts go to:
 
 
Click here for a video montage:
 
 
Visit Roger online at:
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Asia ‘XXX’ album review


Asia ‘XXX’ album review

Released on: Frontiers records. Release date: Available now



 
 

OK, I know, this album has been out for a little while (July ... ), but the copy I have, I misplaced and got sidetracked and lost track of wrapping this review up. My bad sorry, but the review is here now, because it deserves to be!

 
Asia is a band with so much history and no, I am not going write all that here!
Come on folks, the band’s first album was released in 1982 … Yes, thirty years ago, cue this latest release, ‘XXX!’

 
I will say this though, in the beginning there was the classic line up of John Wetton (King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, UK) on bass / lead vocals, Steve Howe (Yes) guitars, Carl Palmer (Emerson, Lake and Palmer) on drums and Geoff Downes (Yes, Buggles), they released the first two albums and then everything more or less started to go into disarray.
The one mainstay throughout all the lineup changes has been Geoff Downes.


In 2006 all the original band members, patched up their differences and were together once more and in 2007, they set about recording ‘Phoenix’ which was not released until 2008, delays were mainly down to John Wetton health (Heart) problems.

Today the band are still complete, and are currently out touring again in support off this new, very good album.

 
‘Tomorrow The World’ opens the album with a gentle intro before kicking in with very familiar sounding class melodies. They seriously have gone back to a very familiar sound and that no knocking of either ‘Phoenix’ or ‘Omega’ as they have their own merits, no question, but this album certainly echoes so much more of what got them attention originally.
Great hooks, especially from Downes and a very, very strongly written up tempo song indeed.

 

The strangely titled ‘Bury Me in Willow,’ starts with a chugging not too heavy a riff and then gets into the traditionally catchy Asia pre and full chorus. It’s a really beautiful song, it’s up tempo in place, but also has its more restrained moments. It’s a great song, even with the odd title.

 

‘No Religion’ is way more up tempo and wow, some almost dirty chords here too!
It does come down a bit about halfway through, before some dirty chords and brief solo from Howe.
Some great solo moments here throughout generally too, love the keyboards especially.
What can I say, yet another strong hook ridden song.


With ‘Faithful’ it’s quite the atmospheric ballad initially that then picks up in the second half, beautifully put together.
 
Every song on here, the more you listen to it, you just here so much more to each one, so much multi-tracking, but then that was the power of Asia originally.

 

‘I Know How You Feel’ is a mid tempo piece, starting with sequencer like keys, almost like Supertramp’s ‘Logical Song,’ but quicker, then the songs gets into its own groove then the keys are there again, before it becomes more intricate and nicely develops and grows into something more.

 

There’s a piano start to ‘Face on the Bridge,’ before it kicks into its stride, good old sub-funky bass line, then it grows into a much more up tempo track. A strong vocal harmony line in the choruses leads into some nice solo guitar work from Steve Howe and then back into the song. Sounds right at home in Asia territory!    


A big intro for ‘Al Gatto Nero’ next and then it’s into familiar Asia turf, with wonderful melodies and much more, even with John Wetton’s little Italian sung moments. Good one!

 

Next up ‘Judas’ is another slice of magic and rich melodies, keyboard flurries, sweet guitar fills, harmony vocals and it’s just glowing!

 

Closing track here is ‘Ghost of a Chance,’ starts gently with simply piano and John’s vocals, before John plays some easy going bass lines and Steve plays some beautiful accompanying guitar briefly, then it’s back to piano and vocals and then the full band comes in.

Carl Palmers playing here and throughout, although not mentioned until now is simply exemplary!
The man is perfect and yes, I know I’m a drummer, but I say it now, because he deserves huge praise.
For all the man’s intricate fills he does, it’s never same old, same old, it's never boring, far from it, but it fits so slickly in that people may take it for granted.
Listen to the album, any Asia album and just for once, focus on the drums. The man is a genius!

It’s amazing some of the stuff he does and I’ve seen a drum clinic he did once, phenomenal! If you get the chance to see him play, with Asia or outside of the band, it is a ‘must do’ chance.

A great release from the band! Good old Asia!
 
 
 
Rating: 4.25 out of 5
 
 
Official website:
http://originalasia.com/
 
 
 
 
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