well, it appears that Tropical Storm Hanna is heading straight for the Carolinas tonight. I don’t live right on the coast but we are still going to get lots of rain and heavy winds as the storm moves inland. argh. I always worry about these gigantic trees that stand adjacent to my house whenever a strong storm blows through the area. I really don’t want to find a huge tree in my living room tomorrow morning.
So, enjoy today’s Retro-mix: storm’s a-comin’. ..and I’ll see ya on the other side…
Gnarls Barkley - Storm Coming Run towards the hills to avoid the high flood
I can do a dance that will make the sky cry blood
Robert Cray - Forecast (Calls for Pain) I can feel the thunder, I can see the lightning
I can feel the pain, Oh it’s gonna rain
Billy Joel - Storm Front There’s a storm front coming
White water running and the pressure is low
Storm front coming, small craft warning on the radio
Asia - Who will Stop the Rain? Who tells the wind which way to blow?
I wonder who will stop the rain
The rocks that hold the secrets, they don’t know
So who can stop the rain?
Big Country - The Storm Through forest and moor as the clouds filled the sky
The storm broke upon us with fury and flame
Both hunters and hunted washed out in the rain
the Alarm - Eye of the Hurricane Oh eye of the hurricane
I walk away in the wind and the rain
Into the eye of the hurricane of my life (more…)
I’m not sure if I should criticize bands like Journey for milking their fanbase or commend them for their marketing savvy. I guess this new customized Mp3 player doesn’t really cross the line of bad taste since it’s still promoting their new music. Apparently the band teamed up with ZVUE to release a special 1GB mp3 player preloaded with the new Revelation album. It’s currently available at your local Walmart and Sam’s Club.
I guess I’ll refrain from getting on my high horse until Journey ends up in “Kiss” mechandising territory with Arnel Pinedaaction figures and Neil Schon pillow cases.
Well, it looks like Cooking Vinyl is on the ball in terms of promoting the upcoming release of Todd Rundgren’s latest album, Arena. After recently announcing that they’ll be releasing the CD over in the U.K., they now have promo copies ready to be sent out to radio stations and the press. Pretty impressive. Check out some photos of the new promo CDs.
It’s definitely great to see that the U.K. record label is excited about Rundgren’s new album. U.K. fans can even pre-order the CD right on their website.
But here on the other side of the Atlantic, there hasn’t been any noticeable activity from U.S. record label - HiFi Recordings. Well, actually, that’s not TOTALLY true. The lawyers representing the record company recently banned Todd fans from trading all Rundgren related live recordings on the popular online website - Dime-a-Dozen. For some odd reason, they believe that trading fan-made live recordings will negatively affect the sales of official studio releases. Obviously they’ve been mis-informed.
But other than that, we haven’t seen any type of promotion from the record label as of yet. And it’s less than a month away from the U.S. release date!! Thankfully Rundgren has a great network of fans online where the latest info can still be disseminated in a timely and efficient manner. and that definitely helps when HiFi Recordings won’t step up to the plate. …well, .. they still have some time left to turn it around…
Let’s get the promotion/marketing team up and running, HiFi!! Let’s see some action! and while I’ve got your ear, how about showing the fans a bit more respect?
as always, check out TR Connection for the latest news on all things Todd.
And if you haven’t read it yet, check out my track by track review of Rundgren’s Arena album
Also, catch Rundgren live on tour: Wed 10/01/08 Seattle, WA Triple Door
Sat 10/04/08 Glen Ellen, CA Cohn Charity Music Festival
Mon 10/06/08 Chicago, IL Park West
Thu 10/09/08 Morristown, NJ Community Theatre
Fri 10/10/08 Pittsburgh, PA The Rex
Sat 10/11/08 Tarrytown, NY Music Hall
Mon 10/13/08 Knoxville, TN Bijou Theatre
Wed 10/15/08 Asheville, NC Orange Peel
Thu 11/06/08 Manchester, UK Academy 2
Fri 11/07/08 Edinburgh, UK The Picture House
Sun 11/09/08 Copenhagen, Denmark Amager Bio
Mon 11/10/08 Helsinki, Finland House of Culture
Wed 11/12/08 Gothenburg, Sweden Traddgaard
Thu 11/13/08 Malmo, Sweden Kulturbolaget
Sat 11/15/08 Eindhoven, Netherlands TROMP International Music Festival
Sun 11/16/08 Bonn, Germany Harmonie
Tue 11/18/08 Milan, Italy Rolling Stone
Thu 11/20/08 Paris, France Trabendo
Sat 11/22/08 Norwich, UK Waterfront
Sun 11/23/08 London, UK The Forum
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There’s no denying that Paul McCartney is a rock legend. He has written countless of songs that will continue to be played and enjoyed for generations to come. Having said that, I also have to point out that he has released some utter crap as well. No one can really say if it’s because of some sort of lack of motivation on his part or sheer vanity in thinking he could shit gold, but the fact remains that he has written just as many duds as there are classics in his catalog. so, for today’s RetroBlog mix tape, I thought I’d highlight some of Sir Macca’s lowlights. enjoy.
1) Rockestra Theme - OK, this is actually Duane Eddy’s remake of the Wings song from 1979 with Paul McCartney producing as well as playing on the track. The original song really didn’t merit a remake. It’s a mind-numbingly simple instrumental with the inexplicable vocal line - “Why didn’t I have any dinner?” huh?
2) Press (the Hugh Padgham mix) - McCartney’s 1986 album Press to Play holds a special place in my heart but really, did he actually think this song would be a successful single? come on - “Oklahoma was never like this? oh it was never like this!” groan. Is this really the man that wrote “Yesterday”?
3) Vanilla Sky - this is Macca just being lazy. He ripped off his own minor chord progression from his 1993 single “Biker Like an Icon”. Biker was just plain horrid. and so is this song. I guess Cameron Crowe didn’t have the balls to tell Macca that this song was shit.
4) Spies like Us (the Art of Noise Mix) - ouch. The record label commissioned numerous remixes for this song. obviously they were hoping one of the remixers would know what to do with this song. I think the Art of Noise did a pretty good job considering the source material.
5) Freedom - It was great seeing Macca being so supportive with the rebuilding/healing efforts after 9/11 but he should have spent more time on this song before releasing it. He probably spent less than five minutes writing this lil’ ditty. it’s painful to listen to now.
6) P.S. Love Me Do - yeah, you know dance music and Macca go so well together. not. So recording a dance version of “P.S. I Love You” and “Love Me Do” was an obvious choice, right? right? Bueller? Bueller?
as always, all tracks are hosted on savefile.com. they will only be available for a limited time. so, grab ‘em while you can.
— get your Paul McCartney fix at amazon.com -
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It’s hard to believe that it has been 11 years since ABC’s last studio release but Martin Fry is indeed back with a brand new album titled, Traffic. I’m one of those fans that faithfully followed them throughout the 80’s but lost track of them after their lackluster album Up back in 1989. So, it’s great to hear that Fry is keeping the flame alive with the new record along with a busy touring schedule to promote it.
Listening to the new album, I was pleased to hear that Fry and company have retained much of the classic sound that the group was known for back in their heyday. The record starts out strong with some well-produced material but by the second half, the songs unfortunately become non-descript with nothing memorable beyond the seventh track. But I have to give Fry, David Palmer and producer/co-writer Chuck Kentis credit for coming up with half an album’s worth of strong material. “Sixteen Seconds to Choose” kicks off Traffic with muscular drum playing and a fun distorted guitar riff. The song sort of harks back to the “That was then, This is Now” -era of the band. “The Very First Time” was wisely chosen as the first single off the album and it sounds very much like an updated reconstruction of “When Smokey Sings” (from the album Alphabet City) with its string arrangements and laidback motown groove. Other notable songs include “Love is Strong”, “Caroline” and “Ride”. The title track, “One Way Traffic”, is my personal favorite off the album. It’s got a Niles Rodgers/Chic-style groove complete with funky rhythm guitar licks and intricate hi-hat work. As a matter of fact, the song reminds me of Duran Duran’s “Notorious” which isn’t that surprising since Nile Rodgers was all over that song as producer and guitar player. But unfortunately Fry and company aren’t able to sustain that high level of songwriting throughout the whole record. as I mentioned earlier, the latter half of the record is pretty lackluster. but that being said, it’s still great to see new material from this ol’ 80’s band. I’m a bit sad that I couldn’t make it to see the Regeneration Tour last night but hopefully Martin Fry/ABC will be back touring the U.S. next summer.
Tracklist:
1 Sixteen Seconds to Choose 3:11
2 The Very First Time 3:38
3 Ride 3:37
4 Love Is Strong 4:06
5 Caroline 4:45
6 Life Shapes You 3:49
7 One Way Traffic 3:44
8 Way Back When 4:12
9 Validation 3:57
10 Lose Yourself 4:02
11 Fugitives 4:02
12 Minus Love 4:07 all tracks composed by Martin Fry, Chuck Kentis and David Palmer
listen to an excerpt of ABC’s “The Very First Time”:
the forecast calls for rain on wednesday which means that I probably won’t go see the Regeneration Tour at the local amphitheater. The outdoor venue isn’t covered so if it rains, the audience WILL most definitely get soaked. and even though I was looking forward to seeing all those retro 80’s bands- ABC, Human League, Belinda Carlisle, Naked Eyes and Flock of Seagulls, they’re not really worth the trouble of standing out in the pouring rain for four hours. ABC and the Human League are the main reasons why I’d want to see the show. Hopefully I’ll get another chance to see them live sometime in the near future.
Album: Arena
Artist: Todd Rundgren
label: Hi Fi Recordings (U.S.), Cooking Vinyl (U.K.)
release date: September 30th (U.S.), September 29th (U.K.)
review by: retroBlog.net
Back in the early nineties, Todd Rundgren once sang about “the old rocking chair” and how it beckoned him “like a junkie’s needle.” Well, thank goodness he never succumbed to that middle-aged temptation. This year, Rundgren has been busier than ever, touring almost non-stop with his own band as well as heading up a Beatles’ Sgt. Peppers tribute tour. He even managed to find time to record his twentieth solo album, Arena, which will be making its way to stores by the end of September. Arena is probably the most accessible sounding record Rundgren has made since the Nearly Human days. It’s essentially the guitar-rock album fans have long been asking for. You’ll find no church-bashing (i.e. Fascist Christ, Mammon), pseudo-rapping (i.e. No World Order, Individualist) or show tunes (i.e. The Smell of Money) here. You’ll even notice simpler chord progressions just by the fact that the songs are guitar-based rather than keyboard-based. So, those typical Rundgren-esque tone-clusters which are normally an integral part of the Rundgren sound aren’t as plentiful although they do pop up now and then like in the middle section of Afraid or the bridge in the song Today. But don’t get me wrong when I say “simpler” chords. This just means that the songs will have a more immediate impact on a wider range of listeners. Hopefully this new accessible version of Rundgren will allow him to reach a larger audience this time around which unfortunately didn’t happen the last go-round with his critically acclaimed Liars album in 2004.
As with most of his albums, Rundgren focused his material on a particular concept which, on Arena, is all about conflict and how we (men in particular) react to them. Rundgren was quoted in a recent interview that “this record is more about action. Time for talk is over. Now it’s time to actually do something.”
1. Mad
The album opens with a guitar arpeggio reminiscent of Rundgren’s “Buffalo Grass” but then kicks into a straight ahead rocker a la “Black and White”. “This is more than upset, it’s as enraged as I get and you ain’t seen me mad yet, and now I’m mad!” screams Rundgren in the chorus. His vocal performance is amazing here. Is this man truly 60 years old??!?!!?? The energetic performance on this song is that of a man half his age. it’s awe-inspiring. the song also features a tasty guitar solo that recalls the solo from Utopia’s “The Very Last Time”, which in itself was a nod to Tom Scholz/Boston. sweet. The strong album opener is also the first single off the album.
2. Afraid
“Mad” segues right into “Afraid”, one of the more typical “Todd” sounding songs on the album that could have fit right into his previous albums like The Individualist. The highlight is the middle section where Rundgren repeatedly asks “Why suffer for nothing? Suffer for something.” Then the song builds to a nice, restrained David Gilmour-ish guitar solo.
3. Mercenary
The opening metal guitar intro would work perfectly as some wrestler’s theme music on WWE monday night RAW. No one would ever recognize that this is the same dude that came up with “Bang on the Drum”. Rundgren even manages to sound pretty menacing with that Trent Reznor-type distortion on his vocals during the verses. The distortion effect goes away just in time to clearly hear Rundgren scream at the top of his lungs - “How do you like me now that I’ve done your dirty work? How do you like me NOW???” The song is obviously about the Iraq War but Rundgren leaves the door open to let it be just about any type of work being contracted out. You can even take it as some sort of statement about Rundgren’s work with The New Cars, being a “hired gun” and all. OK, that’s stretching it a bit but you get the gist. Oh, and I love the nod to Boston’s “More than a Feeling” in the acoustic-led bridge section. hhmmm, another reference to Boston? Maybe concert promoters should take note of this and somehow arrange a tour package next summer with Rundgren and Boston together? *hint, hint*.
4. Gun
“Gun” just screams ZZ Top with Texas blues riffs galore. Rundgren would say before playing this song at his shows that this is “a FUN song about something really CREEPY”. His stance on gun control is pretty clear with the chorus: “You better run ’cause I’m young, dumb and I’ve got a gun, public idiot number one, ’cause I’m young, dumb and I’ve got a gun!” and the reference to Full Metal Jacket is genius - “This is my rifle, this is my gun, this is for fighting, this is for fun!” and again, another great guitar break in the middle of this song. love it.
5. Courage
There’s a significant shift in the sonic palette once track 5 starts up. With “Courage”, Rundgren channels the 70’s version of himself, complete with jangly acoustic/electric strumming and sugary sweet harmonies. It’s interesting to note that the instrumental intro featuring the flang-y lead guitar seems to be a knowing nod to Moe Berg and the Pursuit of Happiness. A nice change of pace after the first four “heavy” sounding songs.
6. Weakness
“Weakness” is definitely one of the featured tracks on Arena especially after Rundgren dedicated the song to his wife, Michele, when he debuted the song live in Kauai at his 60th birthday bash. The song is a great hybrid of a bluesy guitar-riffed verse (a la Rundgren’s “Mystified”) mashed up with a soaring ballad of a chorus not unlike Rundgren’s “Hawking” (off of Nearly Human). His vocal performance is spectacular here which helps make those clunky superman references in the lyrics go down easier. Unfortunately the weak (yes, had to say it) part about the song is the stiff high-hat that gets pushed to the fore during the verses. It’s too bad Rundgren didn’t get Prairie Prince to overdub the cymbal work on the song because he would have been able to add that extra groove during those sparsely arranged moments in the song.
7. Strike
“Strike” is Rundgren doing his best AC/DC interpretation. There’s not a lot of substance in the lyrics here but it’s a fun song nevertheless with a lot of musical elements added into the pot to keep things interesting. The guitar solo isn’t all that striking (ouch, sorry. it was there.) here but man, that repetitive chorus will burn into your brain and last for days and days. It’s relentless! Listen to Rundgren screaming “Time to STRIKE while the iron is HOT!!” and tell me this guy ain’t 60 years old!!??!!
8. Pissin
“Pissin” is the required novelty track on the album. Rundgren always seems to include one on each of his records. It’s definitely not one of the better songs on Arena but it’s still pretty memorable. I mean, where else are you going to find someone singing the line “and now your dick is in the mayonnaise“??? The modulation into the instrumental section of the song is a nice touch.
9. Today
“Today” sounds almost like a leftover from the Liars sessions with the sequenced keyboard part and the pseudo-techno drum patterns. Here, Rundgren exhorts his listeners to resolve their differences with others, TODAY! It’s a great message and the song is a definite standout on the record.
10. Bardo
“Bardo” has Robin Trower’s “Bridge of Sighs” written all over it. I love the guitar work on this one and the mood that is set here. Rundgren expands on the message from “Today” and brings in a Buddhist concept of transition where you need to confront your own issues in order for you to move on. “You can’t go back from where you came, you must move on and face the flame of the last Bardo.” Rundgren interestingly adds some white noise during the ending guitar solo to create some tension a la the Beatles’ “I Want You (She’s so Heavy)”.
11. Mountaintop
Rundgren has already stated that he would love “Mountaintop” to replace “Bang on the Drum” as a sporting event favorite. and it has potential with the ever so catchy “higher-higher” refrain during the chorus.
Rundgren uses an interesting reverb effect on his vocals (during the verses) as well as on the bass drum that kind of recalls John Lennon’s use of the echo effect on songs like “Instant Karma”. The reverb effect on the bass drum is particularly distracting for me. I’m not sure if the general audience will pick up on it but since I’m a drummer, I notice it. basically, the digital delay on the bass drum is not in time with the overall tempo. I’m not sure if it’s intentional or not but it sure is distracting.
12. Panic
“Panic” is a great song that recalls both Rundgren’s “Yer Fast” and Utopia’s “Itch in My Brain”. Probably one of my favorites at the moment. His sense of humor shines through with lines like: “The zombies awake but it won’t help to panic… your boner goes soft but it don’t help to panic… and you just made a stinky…” classic!! heh.
13. Manup
“Manup” is a strong closer. It pretty much sums up what Rundgren wants us all to do which is essentially to stop our complaining, get up off our asses and do something! The ending guitar solo is sweet but stops short. In fact most of the guitar solos on the album are short and concise but as he has mentioned in previous interviews, that’s how Rundgren views “Arena rock”: very melodic with big hooks and concise to the point guitar solos. I would have given him more leeway with the guitar solos but that’s just me.
- Overall Sound - If you’re familiar with Rundgren’s output over the last decade then you basically know how he operates in terms of recording his albums. Arena was essentially recorded with protools on his macbook utilizing programmed/sequenced bass and drum tracks, virtual guitar amp emulators, etc. Personally I would have preferred real drums over the “canned” drum sounds but that just might be the drummer side of me talking. Those sampled drum sounds just don’t give songs like “Mercenary”, “Strike” and “Mountaintop” the visceral power they need to take ‘em over the top, you know what I mean? Aside from the guitars, the “virtual band” made some of the songs sound a bit more restrained than I would have liked. Not really sure if it was a time or budget limitation but I suppose that’s Todd’s call and who am I to argue, right? And I guess, in the overall scheme of things, the sound of the record isn’t as important as the songs themselves. As long as the songs are well written it really doesn’t matter how their recorded. Just take the timeless Beatles catalog as one example of that. And it’s safe to say with these 13 songs on Arena, Rundgren delivers! It’s definitely the perfect follow up to his 2004 Liars album.
Oh, and for those of us sticklers that still grumble over the use of drum machines and such, Rundgren’s got us covered by bundling the new album with a DVD and CD of Rundgren’s live performance of the new album from the July 14th Boulder Theater show. So the packaged bundle sounds like a great deal. Look for it in stores beginning September 30th.
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listen to an excerpt of Rundgren’s lead off single from the new album Arena - “Mad” (for streaming only):
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purchase Todd Rundgren CDs on Amazon:
— For all things Todd, check out Rundgren on myspace as well as over on the TR Connection. For detailed info on the U.K. Rundgren dates, head on over to the NoblePR Arena page. And be sure to catch Rundgren (along with Rachel Haden, Prairie Prince, Kasim Sulton and Jesse Gress) on tour which starts back up in October.
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With Todd Rundgren’s initial U.S. leg of his “Arena” tour finished, I caught up with Rundgren’s current bassist Rachel Haden to find out her thoughts on the tour and to see what she’s got next on her plate. Rachel is the daughter of jazz musician Charlie Haden and one of the Haden Triplets (along with Petra and Tanya of course). Being from a family overflowing with musical talent, it was pretty much a no-brainer for Rachel to become a musician herself. She has been involved in a variety of different projects over the years including being a member of The Rentals, that dog. and has recently recorded with Neil Hamberger on his album Neil Hamberger sings Country Winners.
So here’s the RetroBlog Q&A with Rachel Haden -
retroDan:Rachel, you’ve spent the summer touring the U.S. with rock icon Todd Rundgren who has been known to tour only with a short list of “regulars” (i.e. Prairie Prince, Jesse Gress, Kasim Sulton). How did you wind up becoming his bassist? Rachel Haden: That’s a good question. I’m still asking myself that! Prairie is a good friend and recommended me. Thanks Prairie!
retroDan:What has it been like for you touring with Rundgren? any highlights? lowlights? funny stories? Rachel: It’s been a very challenging and positive experience. I have grown so much as a person and musician on this last tour. Todd has been such a mentor to me. He pushes me out of my comfort zone. He encourages me like no one else has; not only to be the best bass player I can be but also the best person I can be. There has been nothing but highlights and lowlights and funny stories. One time Prairie and I went jogging in what we didn’t know was a swamp full of mosquitos…don’t ask. We turned around quickly.
retroDan:Any favorites off the current setlist? Rachel: Yes. I would say “Today” and “Weakness” are my favorites thus far…
retroDan:I’m curious - while on tour, what do you do with your time when you’re not on stage? Rachel: I like to work out in the Hotel gym (if there is one), have a shrimp cocktail with Prairie and watch a lot of TV Land and The Food Network. I also like to take walks and people watch.
retroDan:Rundgren’s summer U.S. leg of his tour ended earlier this month. Will you continue with Rundgren when he heads over to the U.K. in November? What are your plans in the meantime? Rachel: I will be continuing with the band over in Europe and the U.K. in November. In the meantime I am continuing to write and record on Garageband in my kitchen; with the hopes of putting out a record of my own. My sisters and my brother and I are preparing for the up and coming Haden Family show August 24th at Lincoln Center.
[update: Rundgren will be touring in October as well. Dates are currently in the works. Check the TR Connection for the latest updates.]
retroDan:With your dad being a famous Jazz musician, and you and your siblings being all musically gifted, what was it like growing up with such a musical family? Was it anything like the Partridge family? Rachel: It was very fun. There was always music being played. We really enjoy singing 3 part harmony and we did that a lot. It was just part of our life, and still is!
retroDan:How often do you get to see your family nowadays? Rachel: We are all busy with various projects, so not as often as I would like.
retroDan:what were your early musical influences growing up? Rachel: I listened to a lot of 4AD artists: The Pixies, The Cocteau Twins, The Throwing Muses, Dead Can Dance, Lush, Mark kozelek, His Name Is Alive…the list will go on forever if I don’t stop here!!
retroDan:Aside from all your musical endeavors, what else do you enjoy doing? Rachel: I enjoy making salads and watching I Love Lucy. I would also like to get out a bit more. I could be a hermit at times.
retroDan:As you’ve mentioned earlier, you’re currently working on new material for your very own solo project. You have a fantastic voice. Even Matt Sharp (The Rentals) has been quoted in the past stating that your voice is the purest that he’s ever heard. Why has it taken this long for you to finally decide to record an album of your own? Rachel: I’ve been wanting to put out my own music for quite some time now. I’ve worked with various people throughout the years and no one has really stuck with me. Aside from my sisters, it’s not easy to meet musical soul mates. That’s what I want and this takes time.
retroDan:Are those demos on myspace, material for the new album? I’m really fond of the tracks “My Valentine” and “I’m Away”, by the way. Rachel: Yes. I’m hoping to re-record “My Valentine”…the production is not exactly what I had in my mind…”I’m Away” came out exactly how I imagined. I worked on that one with Jacob Holm-Lupo from Norway. I was lucky enough to be able to fly out there this past year and stay with he and his family. What a magical experience. I’d like to do a whole record there. The musicians I met were outstanding and real. Not to mention the country too. Listen to Rachel Haden’s “I’m Away”:
retroDan:What’s your typical approach to writing songs? Do you start with a musical phrase? chord progression? lyrical idea? Rachel: I start with a melody that is inspired by my surroundings or by sounds, like traffic or the drone of the refrigerator. Movies also inspire me. Then I just expand from there with chord progressions. . Lyrics usually come last.
retroDan:What’s the status of the Rentals? Will you be back with them after this stint with Rundgren? Rachel: I’m not sure what the status of The Rentals is. I have not spoken with Matt for almost a year! Let me know if you find anything out.
retroDan:Any hope for a that dog. reunion? Rachel: I would love that.
retroDan:I love your Magic Salad video on youtube. But, Rachel, is the liquid from the tuna-can really necessary??? Rachel: I know, but to each his/her own. I like it!!
retroDan:Of all the projects that you’ve been involved with, which ones are you most proud of? Rachel: All of them.
OK, and lastly, the speed round…
- What’s currently playing on your iPod? Rachel: Sun Kil Moon, Thomas Newman, Invisible Animals, Buffalo Daughter, Yann Tiersen, Ennio Morricone…
- Read any good books lately? Rachel: Not lately..I was on a kind of reading kick last year. I read like 5 books in a month! The Bell Jar, The Stranger, Steppenwolf…those were a few of my favorites.
- Favorite movie? Rachel: No one favorite movie, but I really love Fellini and Jim Jarmusch.
- Your pick: Pro tools or A tascam 4-track cassette recorder? Rachel: I’m not good at working with programs like Pro-tools and Logic. I’d prefer to work with other people if I’m going to be doing that. I do love Garageband…and of course it all started with my Tascam 4-track. How I still love her!
- A favorite quote? Rachel: All I know is I know nothing.
Thanks Rachel!
— - See Rachel Haden along with the rest of the Haden family at:
Lincoln Center’s 25th Annual Roots of American Music Festival on Sunday, August 24th, 2008.
- also be on the lookout for Todd Rundgren’s upcoming live DVD release (which features Rachel Haden on bass) that was filmed at the 14Jul08 Boulder Colorado show.
- and catch Rundgren (along with Rachel, Prairie Prince, Jesse Gress and Kasim Sulton) on tour this fall/winter. for more information about the new album Arena, visit Rundgren’s official myspace page
Credit: All photos of Rachel Haden and Todd Rundgren are by Jaime Butler. used with permission.
Cheap Trick, Heart and Journey Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion at Walnut Creek Raleigh, NC 10 August 2008
People tend to be a bit wary of all the “packaged tours” that end up at the sheds each summer. And I totally understand it because typically they’re made up of has-been 80’s bands who are way past their prime. And I’m sure in some people’s minds, the Cheap Trick/Heart/Journey triple bill could be lumped with the rest of ‘em. Call it what you want - 80’s nostalgia, a blast from the past, whatever. But last night in Raleigh, the three bands truly rocked the lil’ ol’ amphitheater and the nearly sold out crowd (including me) enjoyed every minute of it.
Cheap Trick probably got the toughest job on the tour, playing to a half-filled house at 7pm each night. With the sun still blaring on their faces, the band blasted through their set just like they always do. Unfortunately their set was marred by a muddy sound mix. But Cheap Trick is a class act and they delighted their fans with stellar versions of “If You Want My Love”, “I Want You to Want Me”, “Surrender” and “Dream Police”. I always get a kick out of seeing Rick Neilsen’s unique collection of guitars. Felt a little sorry for his guitar tech though - tuning and maintaining all those guitars each and every night must be a bitch. Robin Zander’s vocals sounded strong for the most part but still has a tough time with “The Flame”. Even performing it tuned down a couple steps, Zander couldn’t cleanly hit that last high note in the song. It was spectacularly cringe-worthy. Other than that, CT’s set was pretty flawless. Oh, and Ross Valory (of Journey) came out in the middle of CT’s set to yell “these guys ROCK!” to an unsure crowd who were all probably wondering “who’s that old man?” heh.
Heart nailed their set last night. Definitely made them a HARD act to follow. By the time they got on stage, the place was pretty much full and raring to go. Ann and Nancy Wilson proved once again that they could rock just as good (or even better) as the rest of the boys on the bill. They played a nice mix of their 70’s and 80’s hits plus a Who and Led Zep cover. And yes, Ann Wilson is singing the songs in a lower key but it doesn’t really matter in this case because she belts these out like no one else can! If there were any wine glasses around that night, they would have been shattered by the time Ann hit that otherworldly vocal run in “Alone”. wow! She is amazing. Oh and Nancy got her time in the spotlight with a nice acoustic guitar solo before the start of “Crazy on You”. plus, she still does those high kicks that we all know and love.
And how do you follow that? It’d be tough for ANY band to keep that level of momentum going. Journey stumbles a bit at the beginning with singer Arnel Pineda not quite hitting the high notes on the set opener “Never Walk Away”. But the band quickly recovers and get things back up to fever pitch by the time they hit “Only the Young” and “Stone in Love”. I’m sure the band tries to keep things “fresh” for themselves by mixing up their setlist every night but at times the sequencing seems so random. There’s an art to building a setlist and last night’s set didn’t have that great of a flow. For example, they followed Separate Ways with Rubicon and then went straight into two new songs off of Revelation, “Change for the Better” and “Wildest Dreams”. Talk about a momentum killer. But odd sequencing choices aside, the band was phenomenal. Neal Schon, Ross Valory, Deen Castronovo and Jonathan Cain are spectacular players and all the musicians in the crowd were most likely slack-jawed in awe of their skill. Schon and Castronovo were especially amazing to watch.
Going into the show I was a bit worried that Pineda’s voice would show signs of the wear and tear of the road but Pineda was in fine form after the initial hiccup at the start of the set. Pineda was up and down the stage, dancing, jumping and shaking hands with those up in front. He was a bundle of energy and definitely brought new life into these old favorites. I’m not so sure performing “Escape” and “Lovin, Touchin, Squeezin” for the encore is the smartest choice in terms of keeping the interest of a huge crowd but all in all I had a blast seeing the newly reborn Journey with Pineda at the helm. It’s a strong show and definitely well worth seeing if it comes near your neck of the woods.
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Long time fans of Toronto-based band Martha and the Muffins are probably rejoicing over the reissue of the group’s 1983 album, Danseparc which comes out August 4th after years of being out of print. Newly remastered by producer/engineer Peter J. Moore (Cowboy Junkies), the Cherry Red reissue features three bonus tracks including the 12″ Dance mix of “Danseparc (Every Day It’s Tomorrow)” and a B-side track “These Dangerous Machines”. But Martha and the Muffins fans have even more to rejoice about. The group recently finished recording a brand new album with grammy-award winning producer David Botrill titled “Delicate” which is scheduled for release toward the end of 2008.
I recently had the chance to listen to the remastered version of Danseparc and I have to say that the album still sounds fresh and inventive to this day. Early eighties recordings tend to sound dated with the heavy use of synths and drum machines that were in fashion at the time but producer Daniel Lanois (U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan) and the group wisely chose to minimize the use of those synth patches of the day and kept things more organic. Most of the songs have a quirky edge to them that places the group’s sound somewhere near the Talking Heads/the B-52s realm. My personal favorite off the album is “World Without Borders” which features a strong melodic bridge that reminds me of XTC or even Roxy Music. I love the fact that the group had the freedom to experiment on this album. A lot of bands on the charts today seem to cut songs out of the same mold. But Martha and the Muffins made an effort to explore new and different sounds. Singer Martha Johnson even went as far as to play Mark Gane’s guitar upside-down in order to find alternative chords to play. Their willingness to take risks while recording makes Danseparc an absolute joy to listen to. Gane’s inventive guitar playing keep things lively and interesting throughout the album. plus the percussion and drum work are top notch. The David Byrne-esque track “Several Styles of Blonde Girls Dancing” features a nice little syncopated drum fill right before one of the choruses that is pure genius in my book, especially for a song done in the early eighties. Other highlights on the album include: “Walking into Walls”, “Danseparc (Every Day It’s Tomorrow)” and “What People Do for Fun”.
For more info - check out the recent press release about the Danseparc reissue. (more…)
. I’m one of those fans that faithfully followed them throughout the 80’s but lost track of them after their lackluster album 
back in 1989. So, it’s great to hear that Fry is keeping the flame alive with the new record along with a busy touring schedule to promote it.
) with its string arrangements and laidback motown groove. Other notable songs include “Love is Strong”, “Caroline” and “Ride”. The title track, “One Way Traffic”, is my personal favorite off the album. It’s got a Niles Rodgers/Chic-style groove complete with funky rhythm guitar licks and intricate hi-hat work. As a matter of fact, the song reminds me of Duran Duran’s “Notorious” which isn’t that surprising since Nile Rodgers was all over that song as producer and guitar player. But unfortunately Fry and company aren’t able to sustain that high level of songwriting throughout the whole record. as I mentioned earlier, the latter half of the record is pretty lackluster. but that being said, it’s still great to see new material from this ol’ 80’s band. I’m a bit sad that I couldn’t make it to see the 
and 
are the main reasons why I’d want to see the show. Hopefully I’ll get another chance to see them live sometime in the near future. 
, which will be making its way to stores by the end of September. Arena is probably the most accessible sounding record Rundgren has made since the Nearly Human days. It’s essentially the guitar-rock album fans have long been asking for. You’ll find no church-bashing (i.e. Fascist Christ, Mammon), pseudo-rapping (i.e. No World Order, Individualist) or show tunes (i.e. The Smell of Money) here. You’ll even notice simpler chord progressions just by the fact that the songs are guitar-based rather than keyboard-based. So, those typical Rundgren-esque tone-clusters which are normally an integral part of the Rundgren sound aren’t as plentiful although they do pop up now and then like in the middle section of Afraid or the bridge in the song Today. But don’t get me wrong when I say “simpler” chords. This just means that the songs will have a more immediate impact on a wider range of listeners. Hopefully this new accessible version of Rundgren will allow him to reach a larger audience this time around which unfortunately didn’t happen the last go-round with his critically acclaimed Liars album in 2004. 
which comes out August 4th after years of being out of print. Newly remastered by producer/engineer Peter J. Moore (Cowboy Junkies), the Cherry Red reissue features three bonus tracks including the 12″ Dance mix of “Danseparc (Every Day It’s Tomorrow)” and a B-side track “These Dangerous Machines”. But Martha and the Muffins fans have even more to rejoice about. The group recently finished recording a brand new album with grammy-award winning producer David Botrill titled “Delicate” which is scheduled for release toward the end of 2008.
