here are the September dates and locations:

02-Sep-10 Key Club, West Hollywood, CA
04-Sep-10 the Monte Carlo Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
09-Sep-10 Infinity Husic Hall, Norfolk, CT
10-Sep-10 The Vibe Lounge, Rockville Centre, NY
11-Sep-10 Oyster Fest, Veterans Park, Norwalk, CT

head over to the official website to get the latest on Wang Chung as well as download their new releases.

Related posts:

1. Black Country Communion to release debut album September 2010
2. Wang Chung 2010 tour dates plus new two-CD set
3. The Neal Schon Band – live dates in March 2010

First up, here’s Ed Vigdor’s trailer for the upcoming ToddStock movie that’ll premiere next week at the Cinema Carousel Theatre in Muskegon, MI.

Also, if you don’t already know, Rundgren will be performing the albums, Healing (1981) and Todd (1974) in their entirety at six shows beginning this sunday. check my previous post for more info.

as for TR songs – I thought I’d post some neat TR covers I have lying around on my current computer. My huge music archive is still on my laptop hard drive that went kaput a few weeks ago. no worries though, I’ll retrieve the files off the old hard drive once I get my new laptop setup and running.

[the following mp3s will be available for a limited time so get 'em while you can...]

Couldn’t I Just Tell You by Joe Jackson
Keep your head and everything will be cool
You didn’t have to make me feel like a fool
When I try to say I feel the way that I do…

Love of the Common Man by Future Kings of Spain
I’ve been burned in my prime
The simple things in life seem so hard to learn sometimes..

Mated by Jaki Graham and David Grant
I see things far ahead, maybe light, maybe beautiful children
I don’t have words I’m thinking of but it’s way beyond what they call love

I Saw the Light by Lori Carson
But my feelings for you were just something I never knew
‘Til I saw the light in your eyes..

Couldn’t I Just Tell You by the Wondermints
Couldn’t I just tell you the way I feel
I can’t keep it bottled up inside
And could we pretend that it’s no big deal
And there’s really nothing left to hide

Love of the Common Man by the Lovemongers (Nancy and Ann Wilson)
Everyone is waiting, just anticipating on you
Won’t you make a showing everybody knows what to do..

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Bonus links: Zinhof‘s got the whole Acapella Tour 2CD set available on his site (mp3-320kbps)

also Never Get Out of the Boat has the long out of print Oblivion on his blog.
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Related posts:

1. Todd Rundgren – 2010 Healing/Todd album tour – plus webcast
2. Song of the day – Weakness by Todd Rundgren
3. Todd Rundgren on Letterman

If you haven’t done so already, head over to ticketmaster to purchase your tickets to one of these 6 shows. It doesn’t appear likely that Todd will be bringing this show anywhere else so if you love these two albums, this’ll be your only chance to hear the songs live in their entirety.

But if you can’t make the drive, you’re still in luck!! Rundgren will also be providing a pay-per-view webcast of the September 14th show at the Keswick Theatre via todocast. head over to the todocast site for more info.

So, here are the dates/locations for the 6 Todd/Healing album shows in September produced by Rundgren Radio:

Sun 09/05/10 Akron, OH Akron Civic Theatre

Wed 09/15/10 Morristown, NJ The Community Theatre At Mayo Center For The Performing Arts

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..and then at the end of September, Rundgren will be headed down under (and then on to Japan) for some “Robert Johnson” shows:

Fri 9/24/10 Auckland, New Zealand The Powerstation
Sun 9/26/10 Wellington, New Zealand San Francisco Bathhouse
Sat 10/02/10 Sydney, Australia The Basement
Sun 10/03/10 Batemans Bay, Australia Mackay Park
Wed 10/06/10 Richmond, Australia Corner Hotel
Fri 10/08/10 Perth, Australia The Esplanade
Mon 10/11/10 Tokyo, Japan Club Quattro
Wed 10/13/10 Nagoya, Japan Club Quattro
Thu 10/14/10 Osaka, Japan Club Quattro
Fri 10/15/10 Tokyo, Japan Duo Music Exchange

There’s also a new gig that popped up in Las Vegas (12/11/10 at NV Rocks Lounge at Red Rock Resort) so there may be more Johnson gigs planned for the West Coast in December.

for the latest TR info be sure to check out TR Connection and Rundgren Radio.

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the Todd album tracklist:
1 How About a Little Fanfare? 1:03
2 I Think You Know 3:05
3 The The Spark of Life 6:24
4 An An Elpee’s Worth of Toons 2:09
5 A Dream Goes on Forever 2:25
6 Lord Chancellor’s Nightmare Song 3:32
7 Drunken Blue Rooster 3:01
8 The Last Ride 4:51
9 Everybody’s Going to Heaven/King Kong Reggae 6:38
10 No. 1 Lowest Common Denominator 5:13
11 Useless Begging 3:40
12 Sidewalk Cafe 2:16
13 Izzat Love? 1:55
14 Heavy Metal Kids 4:16
15 In and out the Chakras We Go 5:48
16 Don’t You Ever Learn? 6:06
17 Sons of 1984 4:35

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Healing tracklist:
1 Healer 3:40
2 Pulse 3:07
3 Flesh 3:58
4 Golden Goose 3:16
5 Compassion 4:43
6 Shine 8:12
7 Healing Pt.1 7:28
8 Healing Pt.2 7:52
9 Healing Pt.3 4:40
10 Time Heals 3:33
11 Tiny Demons 3:08

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Related posts:

1. Todd Rundgren’s Johnson Webcast 2010 – PPV – Ridgefield CT
2. Todd Rundgren 2010 Spring Short Johnson tour dates
3. new west coast dates for Todd Rundgren's AWATS

Here’s what I got:

it’s the Acer® Aspire AS5741Z-5433 for $399 (sale ending 8/28).
it features -
Intel® Pentium® Dual-Core P6000 Processor (1.86GHz)
4GB installed memory
320GB hard drive
8X DVD-Super Multi Double-Layer Drive
15.6″ HD Widescreen CineCrystal™ LCD Display (1366 x 768)
Built-in HD Webcam (1.3 megapixel)
Multi-in-1 Digital Media Card Reader
1 – HDMI™ Port
6-cell Li-ion Battery (4400 mAh)
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
1 year warranty

So what do you think? yeah, I know it’s on the low end in terms of tech but after what happened to my 17″ HP, I’m a bit gun-shy about spending more money than I should on a laptop that may or may not last two years. Hopefully this little Acer won’t let me down. At the least, it’s a bit reassuring to know that the Acer is PC Magazine’s Editors’ Choice for budget laptops.

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Related posts:

1. Thanks for the defective laptop, HP!
2. issues with the laptop
3. easy transfer app

So, does anyone want my HP Pavilion DV7 for parts? I might as well put it up on ebay to get something out of this piece of crap. It’s only a year and a half old and now it’s just a paper weight. lovely.

Thanks for nothing HP.

Related posts:

1. just purchased an Acer Aspire at Staples for cheap
2. issues with the laptop

Boost Mobile recently announced that they’ll be releasing their very first touch-screen phone that also features a slide-out QWERTY keypad. Yeah, I know it’s a bit late in the game in comparison to what’s been available in the U.S. market but for Boost Mobile users like myself, it’s time for a little rejoicing.

The new Samsung Seek, which will be out in stores this month, is geared toward social networking and multimedia apps. The phone will feature a 2.6 inch QVGA touch screen, stereo bluetooth, a 1.3 megapixel camera, music player and a microSD memory slot.

There was a time when prepaid/no-contract cell phone customers felt like second-class citizens being forced to use stripped down, bare-boned, feature-less phones. But in the last few years, with the millions of people opting for the less-restrictive, no-contract plans offered by Boost Mobile, the company has obviously heard the cries of those wanting better and more feature-packed phones. And now as you can see on their website, Boost has a great variety of phones available including touchscreens, sliders, the very popular Sanyo Incognito and yes, they even offer a Boost version of the Blackberry.

Besides the variety of phones being offered, I like the flexibility in which you can pay for the service. You can pay by debit or credit card via their website but you can also Re-Boost in-person at a nearby authorized store such as a Sprint/Nextel retailer or the local Radio Shack. They even offer a way to add funds to your account right from your phone. Talk about convenience!

Boost Mobile definitely has a lot going on. I’m especially impressed that they’re constantly working to improve their service and never resting on their laurels. If you’re still with a contract-based service, it just might be time for you to consider breaking free of those chains and switch over to Boost.

Yup, pre-paid cell service has come a long way.

Samsung Seek Specifications:
Operating System Samsung Proprietary sW
Weight 3.85 ounces
Dimension (HXWXD) 4.12 x 2.08 x 0.58
Display 262K TFT, QVGA, 2.6″, 240 x 320 pixels
Talk time 5.8 hours
User Interface Touch Screen w/ Full QWERTY Keyboard
Camera 1.3 Megapixel Camera
Memory 128MB RAM/256MB ROM
Phone book Holds up to 600 entries
External Memory microSD holds up to 32GB
other features: Music Player, Email, Instant Messaging, Internet HTML Browser, Speakerphone, Voice Recongnition

Related posts:

1. Motorola i1 coming to Boost Mobile iDEN and Best Buy
2. Boost Mobile upgrades texting platform on iDEN network
3. Motorola i1 iDEN Android phone coming to Sprint/Nextel

Yes, I admit that it took a bit of convincing to get the 13 year old to agree to come with me and that’s understandable. I mean, these guys aren’t spring chickens by any means and are more likely to appear on the cover of AARP than Rolling Stone magazine. But come on, John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes and Steve Howe are legends of 70′s prog rock! And this was the FIRST time they’ve come to Raleigh so I just had to go to show my support as well as educate the young one on how *real rock musicians* play live.

And fortunately Asia did not disappoint. Yes, the members of Asia all look like your average “grandpa” but they can still ROCK. Wetton’s voice sounds stronger than ever – even singing the majority of the old 80′s tunes in their original key. Howe still amazes on the guitar. Downes has reduced the size of his keyboard rig but can still get those signature synths sounds we all know and love. And as for Palmer – man, he’s still a monster behind that double-bass drum kit. Yes, Palmer still has issues with tempo but when you’re there in the audience being pummeled by the mammoth wall of sound that the four of them create, tempo can blissfully be ignored.

highlights for me included: Palmer’s requisite drum solo – definitely worth the price of admission alone, “Holy War”, the unplugged version of “Don’t Cry”, “Time Again” and “Sole Survivor”.

There were a few noticeable rough patches though. Wetton had a hard time remembering the words to “Days Like These” and had to use a prompter. and Howe fudged the signature riff during “Heat of the Moment”. But man, I still enjoyed the show regardless.

As for my 13 year old – he gave me a thumbs up at the end of the night and I’ll accept that since he basically went along to please his old man. Hopefully concerts like this one will instill in him a reference point for what great musicianship is all about. It’s sad to think about but this level of musicianship may not be around when my son gets to be my age.

other random thoughts about the show:
- I wonder what they’re using to flesh out the harmonies during the big choruses especially since Howe and Palmer don’t sing. I suspect some real-time vocal harmonizer device of some sort.

- it was disappointing to see that the 2200 seat auditorium was a little over half full. I guess the concert promoter overestimated what Asia would draw here in Raleigh. It’s not the band’s fault since they don’t decide on the venues. but hopefully the promoter didn’t take too much of a hit for this gig.

- that being said, I like Memorial auditorium (except for the small bathrooms). The seats are nice, the staff is laidback and the section near the stage has plenty of room to move around.

- Geoff Downes didn’t have his keytar on this tour. I miss it.

- love the deep bass sound Wetton was getting with those Moog Taurus 3 bass pedals. it shook the building whenever it was used. nice!!

- Steve Howe had a Line6 Variax on a stand for the sitar sound. I personally didn’t think it was worth the trouble. the variax didn’t sound all that great. maybe a mix issue?

- and kudos to the band for including a healthy chunk of their new songs in the set list. I’m sure it’s easier just to rely on old favorites but the new stuff held their own. The set included 4 from Omega and 2 from Phoenix.

retroGrade: A

Asia
at Progress Energy Center Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
Raleigh, NC
17 August 2010

The band members: John Wetton, Geoff Downes, Carl Palmer, Steve Howe

set list:
I Believe
Only Time Will Tell
Holy War
Never Again
Through My Veins
Don’t Cry (Wetton and Downes)
Steve Howe solo
The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Wetton and Downes for Part I, full band for Part II)
Open Your Eyes
-intermission-
Go
Time Again
An Extraordinary Life
End of the World
The Heat Goes On (w/ drum solo)
Sole Survivor
-encore-
Days Like These
Heat Of The Moment

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Related posts:

1. Asia presale tickets for Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
2. Asia Omega – U.S. Summer Tour Dates – August 2010
3. Yes/Asia 2009 summer tour setlist

I’ve got lots of updates for the blog including a review of last night’s Asia concert but my personal laptop died on me. Well, I’m still hoping and praying that it’ll come back to life so we’ll see. There’s tons of important stuff on the hard drive that I don’t want to lose so hopefully I’ll be able to get it back up on running.

Anyway, just thought I’d post this notice for those waiting for new posts here.

stay tuned…

Related posts:

1. Thanks for the defective laptop, HP!
2. it just gets better
3. Journey cancels Berlin show due to health issues

His voice is unmistakable and his songs are timeless. Even years after his passing, there hasn’t been anyone that has come close to filling Roy Orbison‘s shoes. Orbison’s sweet, operatic voice combined with those haunting melodies are his and his alone. And thanks to Eagle Rock Entertainment, we can all continue to celebrate his legacy by listening to his last live performance on the newly released CD titled, The Last Concert: December 4, 1988. All the hits are here including “Crying”, “Only the Lonely”, “Blue Bayou” and “Oh, Pretty Woman”. Contrary to what you might think, Orbison sounds energetic and in good spirits during this historic performance. Even at the age of 52, he still had command over his four octave voice, hitting those spine-tingling high notes with ease.

No one knew Orbison would pass away two days after this concert so we’re very fortunate to have a high-quality soundboard recording of this show. I’m pretty certain this isn’t a multi-track recording so the sound mix that was captured onto tape that night can’t be changed in post-production. So there are some issues with levels being a bit uneven at times. For instance, the backing vocals are a bit too upfront on “Only the Lonely” and “Blue Bayou”. But that might be just me being a little nitpicky. Ultimately, the sound level issues are just minor quibbles. Orbison and the band gave a great performance that night in Ohio and this recording is a must have for any Orbison fan.

retroGrade: A

Roy Orbison – The Last Concert: December 4, 1988
Eagle Rock Entertainment
released August 2010

Tracklist:
1 Only the Lonely 4:32
2 Leah 3:16
3 Dream Baby 2:56
4 In Dreams 3:28
5 Mean Woman Blues 3:17
6 Blue Bayou 3:27
7 Candyman 3:45
8 Crying 5:43
9 Ooby Dooby 5:57
10 Go, Go, Go (Down the Line) 5:52
11 It’s Over 3:29
12 Working for the Man 1:50
13 Lana 2:48
14 Oh, Pretty Woman 5:23

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Related posts:

1. Asia Concert Review – Raleigh Memorial Auditorium – Omega 2010 Tour
2. Roy Orbison – The Last Concert to be released on CD – August 2010
3. Findlay Brown – Love Will Find You (2010) – album review

Look, I see that you’re old and wanted to hurry to show your granddaughter the beach and all but that doesn’t entitle you to forcefully swing your door into my car.

First of all, you’re the one that parked extremely close to me. You should have either corrected your shitty parking job or just parked somewhere else if you found the space too tight.

Also, you should have known that those large Venza doors swing out wide and parked your car accordingly. But NO. you just HAD to park in that space next to mine. It’s not like the parking lot was full. it wasn’t. There were plenty of spaces in the parking lot. You probably could taken up TWO spaces elsewhere and no one would have cared. BUT YOU STILL CHOSE to park in that narrow space next to mine! And then you give ME the attitude that it was somehow MY FAULT that my car got dinged??? the nerve of some people.

Did it even occur to you in that old shriveled up brain of yours that maybe you should be mindful of other people’s property??? Come on. there are other folks trying to enjoy their vacation besides YOU and YOUR FAMILY. How inconsiderate of you, old man. You basically ruined what otherwise would have been a perfect day for me, asshole.

So, old man in the silver Venza, I hope you’re happy with yourself. I hope you go right ahead and enjoy what little is left of your pathetic life of yours. Yeah, apparently the world revolves around you and you alone. No need to care about others around you. go ahead with your inconsiderate ways, old man. you may have gotten away with it this time. Next time, you might not be so lucky.

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