American recording artist, Dean Friedman, best known to UK
& Ireland audiences for his classic hits, ‘Lucky Stars’, ‘Lydia’, ‘McDonald’s Girl’, ‘Ariel’, and ‘Woman of
Mine’, embarks on a 40+ city concert tour, running 20th April
thru 20th August, 2017, and featuring appearances at the Brighton
Fringe Festival (6th May), Great York Fringe Festival (22nd
July), Edinburgh Fringe Festival (10 thru 21 Aug – not 14,15) and
including a 2-night run at The Pheasantry [Pizza Express], London (26, 27
May).
Friedman’s
tour coincides with the release of a brand new fan-funded album – his first new
album release in seven years. Says Friedman of the, as yet, untitled album, “I’ve
always tried to paint pictures in my songs, with words and music. Recording in
a studio, turning the songs into an album, allows me to add color and shade and
texture to those sonic portraits and aural landscapes.” The new
album, currently in production, has a projected release date of 15th
July, 2017.
Tickets
to all of Friedman’s tour dates, as well as his CD and book catalog, can be
purchased direct via www.DeanFriedman.com .
Friedman’s
recent tours continue to garner rave reviews: “Every song in this show is a
classic.” (London Theatre
Guide), “Songsmith Extraordinaire” – (Music Week), “Stunning
Musicianship” (HotPress) , “Dean Friedman is entirely unique and
utterly brilliant!” – (ThreeWeeks)… are just a few of the superlatives used to describe his unique and
original talent.
In addition to his familiar radio hits, album
releases and touring, Friedman composes and produces music soundtracks for TV
and film, including the music to the hit Central TV series BOON and NBC’s Eerie Indiana.
He’s also published a respected tome on the art and craft of songwriting titled,
‘The Songwriter’s Handbook’ (The
Artists League), based on the ‘Songwriting Workshops’ and ‘Songwriting
Masterclasses’ he’s conducted at universities and music conservatories around
the world, including L.I.P.A. (The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts).
This
year marks Friedman’s 14th appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe
Festival, where in addition to his regular concert runs, he’s written and
produced several hit children’s musicals, including ‘Smelly Feet’ – a children’s musical that really stinks! This
summer, Friedman will premier a new kids musical titled, ‘The Legend of Finn McCool’ – a silly tall tale of giant proportions. The show is based on
a beloved Irish folk-tale about Ireland’s mightiest giant, Finn McCool, and
tells the story of how the Giant’s Causeway came to be built.
Friedman has faced
his share of controversy in recent years: The Merseyside band, Half Man Half Biscuit released a
best-selling EP containing a track entitled, ‘The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman’,
which went to #1 on the UK Indie chart; a claim which Friedman vehemently
denies, ‘I’ve never even met Nigel
Blackwell’s mum!’. Friedman extracts his revenge on his recent CD, ‘Submarine Races’, in the
song, 'A Baker's Tale', the hitherto untold story of Nigel Blackwell's
dubious origins.
Though Friedman's
single, ‘McDonald's Girl’, was officially banned by the BBC for
mentioning the name of the well known fast food restaurant in its chorus, the
irrepressible pop song has been covered by a number of contemporary bands
including top-selling, Canadian group, Barenaked Ladies (WEA), and The
Blenders (Universal), whose version soared to #1 on the national airplay
charts in Norway. With the advent of YouTube, video versions have gone viral
and finally, thirty five years after the song was banned by the BBC, the
McDonald’s corporation officially licensed the song for a national TV/Radio
campaign, confirming the song as a pure pop phenomenon.
One of Friedman's
recent tours was almost cancelled when it was announced that his tour sponsor www.goldenseeds.co.uk would distribute
packets of cannabis seeds to the first ten people that purchased CD's at each
of Friedman's gigs. The controversy was only resolved after Friedman promised
not to distribute the seeds within 50 yards of the venue premises. (click to
see Songwriter's Cannabis
Controversy).
Friedman will be performing solo, on guitar
and keyboards, featuring songs from throughout his 40 year recording career,
including familiar radio hits, ‘Lucky Stars’, ‘Lydia’, ‘McDonald’s Girl’,
‘Ariel’ and ‘Woman of Mine’,
as well as selections from his newest album. Discover what legions of
devoted fans have known for years - the sophisticated, funny and profound work
of a master songsmith.
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