Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts

9/15/2023

Cairo Announce New Singer, New Single and Special Gig Date

Sarah Bayley has left Cairo due to other commitments. She leaves wishing the band all the best. On behalf of the band, Rob Cottingham, band founder, advised: “We would like to thank Sarah for the last four years. We had fun along the way, and wish her the very best of luck for the future.

“In happier news, we were blown away by this lady's voice recently and we are delighted to announce that Kat (pictured) has joined the band on vocals.

“She is ready to gig our existing material and is already working on new songs with us. Kat has an amazing voice and tone, and we would ask you all to warmly welcome her into the band, and into our prog family.”


Kat advises: “I was intrigued by Cairo’s music and instantly fell in love with the song ‘Glow’. Joining the band is different; exciting and an amazing adventure that I am thrilled to be a part of.”

In further news, Rob announces: “We are also pleased to release our brand new single 'Salvation' featuring Kat on vocals, and which will feature on our next album - details of which will be published in due course. We hope you enjoy our new song and video.”

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/sarQsKK7BqE

“We are also excited to announce a special one-off Nemesis Show on the 29th October when we invite you to party with us at Unit Nine in Milton Keynes https://www.unitninemk.com/ and to welcome Kat to the band. We will be playing the whole of the Nemesis album - plus some old favourites and some brand new material.”

The venue has an amazing state of the art sound and lighting system unique to the area and is situated right by a train station making it easily accessible for all - and has plenty of parking, too.

“We are also delighted to say that our special guests are Square Wild who will most definitely add to the party atmosphere. See more about them here: https://www.squarewildband.com/
This will be a very special one night only event for 2023 as we are in the process of writing our third album and planning a U.K. tour next year, so please get behind us and don't miss this!
Please support us; the venue and live music by booking your tickets in advance, it honestly helps more than you know.”

All tickets are available now direct from cairorocks.com/gigs page or from the venue. https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Milton-Keynes/Unit-Nine/Cairo-with-special-guests-Square-Wild/36652678/

“They say that the only constant in life is change so - onwards and upwards with Kat; enjoy our new single; thanks to you all for your continued unwavering support - and we cannot wait to see you at The Nemesis Show in Unit Nine.”

Nemesis album reviews can be found at this link: https://cairorocks.com/reviews/

Press Inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

5/16/2023

Guitar Legend Juan Carlos Quintero Signs Management Deal With Amy Worthington of Inner Knot Records

Guitar legend Juan Carlos Quintero has recently signed a management deal with longtime business associate Amy Worthington of Inner Knot Records. “Juan Carlos is that rare musician that not only excels in the performance and writing space, but who also has an innate understanding of business, and in particular, the business of music,” states Amy. “I am excited to build on our 20+ year history and formalize a management role for such a talent. The aim is to combine our music business acumen and to continue expanding his brand footprint while promoting a ramped-up touring schedule. Juan Carlos is born to be on the road-we are keen to working together to ensure he continues his robust release schedule of incredible music and to bring it live to audiences across the globe.”

“It’s a privilege to work with Amy. We have experienced years of collaboration in many areas in music providing a seamless shorthand that complements our partnership in many ways. I’m thrilled she has encased her talents towards a distinguished management position and now representing my interests in all facets of music. I look forward to achieving new milestones resulting from our renewed synergy!” stated JCQ.

Amy Worthington & Juan Carlos Quintero

Owner of Inner Knot Records, Amy Worthington has worked with several heavy hitters for the past 25 years including King Crimson and Robert Fripp, David Sylvian, Juan Carlos Quintero, Bill Bruford, Jacqui Naylor, Tesla and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin). She has handled manufacturing and distribution for all of their catalogues and has overseen North American operations throughout her tenure. She is also purveyor of a powerhouse mail order shop and has created exclusive lines of merch for numerous artists. Amy and Juan Carlos have collaborated on a variety of musical projects the past 20 years, including co-production on albums, booking of shows and festivals. Recent projects have integrated marketing, manufacturing, and distribution services in partnership with Quintero’s record label, Moondo Music LLC.

A 30-year veteran, JCQ has experienced multiple facets in the music industry as a recording artist, label owner, composer/publisher and TV & Film music executive. Producing and composing has been the forefront of a distinguished career while establishing a succession of critically acclaimed chart-topping albums in Latin Jazz, Contemporary Jazz, World Music and Smooth Jazz categories. Recognized as a renowned international jazz artist, JCQ’s signature-led guitar voice veiled over genuine original works serve as pillars of a unique global brand - fusing contemporary jazz stylings alongside authentic rhythms emanating from his native homeland, Colombia SA.

Be on the lookout for Desserts, a new album from Juan Carlos, arriving August 11, 2023 on Moondo Music.

For more information:
juancarlosquintero.com
moondomusic.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, Billy James, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

12/01/2021

Manticore Records Relaunching Under the Auspices of Regina Lake, Widow of Legendary Greg Lake

A personal statement from Regina

It was always Greg's wish to reinstate the Manticore Records Label.

Greg's idea, in his own words, was to give new, talented musicians the chance to be heard, when other doors might have been closed to them for being different.
Greg was once one such young Musician.
He had put everything in place for Manticore Records to start up again, but as we know, it wasn’t possible for Greg to be there to realise his vision.

Just a few days before Greg died, he asked me if I would like to carry on with Manticore Records, after he had gone?
Greg had already put everything into my name, ready for me to take his place.
He said it was entirely up to me.
If I wasn’t tempted to take it on, I could just let it go.
I told him, as I am sentimental about Manticore, having been there in the early days, I would give it my best, with a lot of help from my friends and advisers, including Greg’s long term manager Stewart Young, and Martin Darvill, co-manager since 2008..

On reflection I would like this label to be devoted to Greg Lake Music and Songs to keep his legacy alive for us all in years to come.

Regina Lake

The first project will be a definitive collection of Greg Lake’s solo catalogue. Also, watch a rare video of Greg singing “I believe in Father Christmas” live premiering soon here: https://youtu.be/zP33z3lGHyo.

For more information:
https://www.manticorerecords.com/
https://www.facebook.com/ManticoreRecordsOfficial

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Photo of Greg Lake by Alfred Ligammari

10/24/2019

Musicians Contact Celebrates 50 Years Of Referring Musicians To Working Bands


Musicians Contact is celebrating their 50th year in business connecting bands and musicians to each other. Founded by Sterling Howard in 1969, Musicians Contact still remains the place where working bands locate members and individual players find gigs with bands.

Notable past members include Billy Joel, Todd Rundgren, Rick Springfield, Danny Elfman, James Williamson, Kim Fowley, Earl Slick, Robin Zander, Barry Manilow, Tower of Power, Lita Ford,  Jimmy Greenspoon, Terri Nunn, John Lydon, Dr John, Stiv Bators, Bobby Kimball, Terry Bozzio, Iron Butterfly, Robert Palmer,  Art “Killer” Kane, George Lynch, Stu Hamm, Bobby McFerrin, Warrant and many others.

But Sterling says, “It's important to stress that even though we've had famous clients seeking players, obviously the vast majority of our incoming gigs come from working cover and original acts, part time, full time, local, traveling, festival, wedding, casino, club work, etc. And we've always been a free service to bands needing players. Some individuals have listed themselves as many as 20 times over the years because they are finding gigs here that they don't find elsewhere. I'm trying to point out that it is still the 'bread and butter' jobs that pay the bills, and these are the ones we get from band leaders.” (On the website Click https://www.musicianscontact.com/recent-jobs to read some partial examples.)

Sterling explains, “Why did I start the business? My working band broke up in 1967 because two of our members were drafted into the military and there was no place to find musicians except for tiny ads on music store bulletin boards. The idea struck me to form an organized musicians referral. That's when I rented an office upstairs in the Whisky a GoGo. I had resumes and ad forms, and individuals and bands would come in the office, (or call) to connect. I even had many Union members register, since the Union provided no resumes at that time. I was 22 when I started this company, and no, who would have guessed I'd still be doing it 50 years later!”




Sterling Howard - founder

Within a year after starting, the office was moved to a larger location. In the early 1970's, traveling bands found members as they passed through California and as word spread, groups from other states called for replacements. Full time working cover acts became more popular, hiring players for road gigs.

By the end of the decade, the office staff had grown to five, and a branch office was opened near Disneyland. Las Vegas groups imported players, and country artists and jazz acts started using the service to hire available players.

In those days, the job listings were distributed to individual musicians either by phone or in person, but a major change was soon to come. Sterling hired a team of technicians to build a custom made computer connected to seven tape recorders. Members could now call 24 hours, enter a password into their phone, and hear current available jobs. It was primitive by today's standards, but it worked and remember, the year was 1983!

By 1990, cruise ship jobs became more popular and gigs arrived from Asia, seeking players for r&b, funk and soul groups. The “antique” computer eventually gave way to the science of voicemail, so a new computer was put into action to distribute job listings. Entering the era of music videos for TV, managers viewed photos of musicians for use in commercials and videos.

In 1995, it was time to upgrade the call-in hotline yet again with an advanced voice mail system, allowing musicians to record their profiles and demos right over the phone. By 1998, Musicians Contact went online with it’s first website, and became truly a national service.

There have been various website updates and changes to the site, culminating in what you see today. But, the basic function has always been the same since 1969 – a referral service for bands and musicians to find each other.

Stories about famous players? “Well, I still have Billy Joel's resume from 1972 where he states 'I'm not interested in messing around, I just want money'. But later he came in when he tried to form an original band and asked the guitarist sitting next to him if he wanted to join. “Is it a paying situation?', the guitarist asked. 'No' said Billy, 'this is an original band'. “Then sorry, I'm not interested' replied the guitarist. I'm sure this has happened thousands of times to thousands of musicians!

“Burleigh Drummond, drummer for Ambrosia, hooked up with them through us about 1972 and is STILL with them. Berlin found Terri Nunn around 1979 and she is STILL with them as well. International Celtic rockers The Young Dubliners found their drummer here about 25 years ago, and they just put in an ad seeking a bassist! (and yes, David Ingraham is STILL their drummer).”

Famous past members: https://www.musicianscontact.com/famous-past-members to see many famous members who have used Musicians Contact.

Need a band member?: https://www.musicianscontact.com/find-band-members to enter a free ad and view profiles of available players.

Need a gig?: https://www.musicianscontact.com/join-a-band to list yourself as an available musician.

For more information:
https://www.MusiciansContact.com

Contact:
Sterling Howard, founder/owner
info@MusiciansContact.com
818-888-7879

Press Inquiries:
Glass Onyon PR
PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US)
glassonyonpr@gmail.com

3/22/2018

NME Partners with PledgeMusic to Support New Bands and Artists


NME – the brand that champions new music – today announces a new partnership with PledgeMusic to offer new, emerging artists and bands funding, marketing and promotional support. The move follows last year’s launch of ‘NME Emerging’, a platform hosted on NME.COM that is dedicated to supporting emerging talent, giving them the chance to be heard by NME and the 3m UK unique users that turn to NME.COM each month.

The new partnership will see PledgeMusic offering NME Emerging artists the opportunity to build their own campaign and develop their fan-base across the fast-growing 3 million-plus PledgeMusic community who are looking for new music. By the same token, the 50,000-plus artists who have already run successful PledgeMusic campaigns can now access the discerning NME.com audience. PledgeMusic will be messaging the partnership to artists across its newsletter and social media platforms.

All NME Emerging artists working with PledgeMusic will have access to dedicated campaign management to advise and assist in running campaigns tailored for their latest release, tour, video or any other related musical project. Building and placing their individual artist profile on the NME Emerging page already delivers a direct route to millions of music fans. Through the PledgeMusic portal, they will now have a practical roadmap to raising funds, moving forward and developing a career.

Malcolm Dunbar, co-founder and president UK & Europe PledgeMusic adds: “PledgeMusic is delighted and honoured to be linking up with NME Emerging in this new initiative to assist and work with developing artists and bands. NME has a rich history of supporting unsigned and independent talent and the PledgeMusic model of rights-free funding is perfectly aligned with that. All of us at PledgeMusic very much look forward to working with the NME team on the project.”

NME digital director Keith Walker says: “Working with PledgeMusic is a natural fit for the NME. It benefits fans and artists by introducing a new way to bring them together on NME Emerging.”

About NME
NME is one of the UK’s most famous and influential youth brands, turning young people on to the music and culture that will change their lives since 1952. Initially a weekly newspaper, NME now reaches more than 3m UK unique users and more than 13m global unique users each month. On social media, NME’s reach is more than 200m each month. NME is celebrated for talking about music and being experts in the field, but that’s only on part of the story. Whether it’s film, TV, food, politics, career development, social issues or Pokemon, if the NME audience is into it, NME is all over it. From #lifehacks to Eats & Beats to the world renowned NME Awards, NME has a growing portfolio of channels, events and franchises that help us deliver timely and relevant content to the NME audience and connect commercial partners with this switched on and savvy generation.
 
About PledgeMusic
PledgeMusic is a global next-generation music company and direct-to-fan e-commerce platform dedicated to enabling artists to build communities, fund and pre-sell recordings, and provide unique experiences and exclusives throughout the entire music production and promotion lifecycle. The company has offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Nashville.

Links:
www.pledgemusic.com
www.facebook.com/pledgemusic
www.twitter.com/pledgemusic
www.instagram.com/pledgemusic

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

3/08/2018

Todd Rundgren's Utopia Reunite!


Reuniting for First North American Tour in 32 years - Releasing Limited Edition “The Road To Utopia” Box Set

FOR 32 YEARS, FANS HAVE BEEN CLAMORING FOR A REUNION - The wait is over.

No longer able to turn a deaf ear to the unceasing requests from fans and the media alike, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox and Ralph Schuckett are reuniting for their first North American tour since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Presented by Sirius XM and produced by Live Nation, TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA will be performing across North America beginning on April 18.

In celebration of the upcoming reunion tour, Friday Music will be releasing a 7-disc box set, THE ROAD TO UTOPIA: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (1974-82). This limited edition collection will bring each of their seven classic albums to life, now in first-time CD digipak gatefold covers featuring the original album artwork elements, rare inner sleeve art, newly written commentary from the band, and more. The box set has a scheduled street date of April 20. Fans can pre-order now at Friday Music, Amazon and Record Store Day.

Todd Rundgren’s Utopia was formed in 1974 out of Todd’s desire to explore new musical territory. Starting as a prog-rock-progenitor septet the band’s music ranged from extended synth experiments to four-song albums, while their live shows were distinguished by their ahead-of-the-curve video backdrops and computer-generated music.

In 1976 the band evolved into “Utopia”, the shiny mainstream power-pop rock quartet, uniting Todd Rundgren on guitar, Willie Wilcox on drums, Roger Powell on keyboards, and Kasim Sulton on bass. Known for their hallmark lyrics, lush inventive background vocals and a voracious appetite for the highest level of musicianship. Utopia became known as the quintessential “musician’s band”. Every member took his turn singing lead on every album, and all songwriting was collaborative.

By 1980, Utopia had developed into a hit-making entity in its own right. Standout Utopia albums included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion, spawning hits including “Rock Love,” “Set Me Free,” “Mated,” and “Love Is The Answer”, which also became a global #1 for England Dan and John Ford Coley.

Utopia’s tours, among the first to aggressively incorporate then-state-of-the-art video technology, produced at Todd’s groundbreaking Utopia Video Studios, featured some of the most lavish and audacious stage productions in rock history. Their headline concerts frequently featured opening acts as future superstars Cheap Trick and The Cars, and the band performed at some of the 70’s most epic rock festivals, including Knebworth Castle in the UK --- once with the Rolling Stones in 1976 and twice with Led Zeppelin in 1979, before a combined audience of over 1,200,000 (amongst them a Who’s Who of rock royalty, including Paul McCartney and David Gilmour) .

Always on the bleeding edge, Utopia chalked up a long history of groundbreaking media “firsts”, including:

• 1978: The first interactive television concert, broadcast live over Warner/QUBE, the experimental interactive cable system in Columbus, Ohio (the home television audience chose each song in real time during the concert by voting via QUBE’s 2-way operating system).
• 1978: The first live nationally broadcast stereo radio rock concert (via microwave), linking 40 cities around the country.
• 1982: The first live national cablecast of a rock concert (on the USA Network), simulcast in stereo to over 120 radio stations.
In 1986, after ten years of non-stop recording and arena touring cycles, the band declared they were “going on sabbatical”, and Todd, Willie, Roger and Kas each embarked on their own career paths.

What’s been happening with the Utopians during the world’s longest ever sabbatical?

Todd Rundgren returned to his stellar solo recording and producing career. His myriad production projects ranged from Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, XTC, and Psychedelic Furs to Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, and Meat Loaf’s seminal Bat Out Of Hell, while his solo offerings catapulted Todd further into the superstar limelight with hits like “Can We Still be Friends”, and “Bang The Drum”; in addition to his own tours, Todd has been an erstwhile member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band for the past 28 years.

Kasim Sulton continued touring and recording with a long list of diverse artists including Joan Jett, Hall & Oates, Blue Oyster Cult, Patti Smith, Celine Dion, and Meat Loaf. In 1993 Kasim joined Meat Loaf’s live band after the release of Bat Out Of Hell II, touring extensively and becoming his Musical Director. In 1999 he produced Meat Loaf’s critically acclaimed VH1 Storytellers album. Releasing four solo albums of his own, Kasim has continued his long musical relationship with Todd as the bass player in his solo bands.

Willie Wilcox continued to pursue his songwriting career. Having written songs for & performed with Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates, and Kylie Minogue positioned Willie perfectly for his segue into television writing. He was the senior staff composer for NBC Universal in NY for 5 years and composed the current show theme for CNBC’s “Mad Money,” launched a major audio post production facility in Miami with clients MTV & VH1, penned famed boxer Manny Pacquiao’s ring walk music, and continues to maintain his position as senior audio director at Scientific Games, the number one gaming company in the world, where he recently completed the surround sound audio production on the blockbuster Michael Jackson game, “King Of Pop!”

Ralph Schuckett: Ralph’s tenure with Todd Rundgren’s Utopia segued into composing themes & scores for TV & Film including “Kate & Allie” & “Another World.” As chief composer for “4 Kids Productions” he scored numerous feature films & animated TV series including; “Pokémon,” “Yugioh,” “Sonic X,” “Kirby,” & “One Piece.” He has recorded and /or toured with Carole King, Hall & Oates, Whitney Houston, George Benson, and Rodney Crowell, and provided arrangements on recordings for Billy Joel, Michael Bolton. and Joan Osborne. As a songwriter / producer Ralph has worked with Belinda Carlisle, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Clarence Clemons.

As fate would have it, in early April Todd, Kas, Willie and Ralph will find themselves back in Woodstock New York, 32 years later, right where it all started, rehearsing their newest stage spectacle.

TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA North American reunion tour, featuring Todd, Kasim, Willie, & Ralph, begins on April 18 and ends on June 5 (tour dates below). Tickets and more information are available at Live Nation, Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets.

FOR INTERVIEW REQUESTS PLEASE CONTACT: paul@panacea-ent.com

THE FIRST REUNION ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW – WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e3Wrps2zr0

TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA TOUR DATES

APRIL 18 JIM THORPE PA, PENNS PEAK
APRIL 20 ENGLEWOOD NJ, BERGEN PAC
APRIL 22 HOUSTON TX, HOUSE OF BLUES
APRIL 23 DALLAS TX, MAJESTIC THEATER
APRIL 25 BROWARD FL, BROWARD PAC
APRIL 27 ST PETERSBURG FL, MAHAFFEY THEATER
APRIL 28 ATLANTA GA, TABERNACLE
APRIL 29 DURHAM NC, CAROLINA THEATER
MAY 1 HUNTINGTON NY, PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 2 WASHINGTON DC, WARNER THEATER
MAY 3 NEW YORK NY, TOWN HALL
MAY 5 PHILADELPHIA PA, TOWER THEATER
MAY 6 BOSTON MA, ORPHEUM THEATER
MAY 7 RIDGEFIELD CT, RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
MAY 9 ST LOUIS MO, PEABODY OPERA HOUSE
MAY 10 CINCINNATI OH, TAFT THEATER
MAY 12 MILWAUKEE WI, PABST THEATER
MAY 13 MINNEAPOLIS MN, STATE THEATER
MAY 15 GRAND RAPIDS MI, 20 MONROE LIVE
MAY 16 TORONTO ONT, MASSEY HALL
MAY 17 DETROIT MI, THE FILLMORE
MAY 19 CLEVELAND OH, HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 20 CLEVELAND OH, HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 22 CHICAGO IL, CHICAGO THEATER
MAY 24 DENVER CO, PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 26 LAS VEGAS NV, THE JOINT @ THE HARD ROCK
MAY 27 PHOENIX AZ, COMERICA THEATER
MAY 29 LOS ANGELES CA, THE WILTERN
MAY 30 SAN FRANCISCO CA, THE MASONIC
JUNE 1 SEATTLE WA, MOORE THEATER
JUNE 2 PORTLAND OR, REVOLUTION THEATER
JUNE 4 SACRAMENTO CA, CREST THEATER
JUNE 5 RIVERSIDE CA, FOX PAC

Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Todd Rundgren's Utopia Reunite!


Reuniting for First North American Tour in 32 years - Releasing Limited Edition “The Road To Utopia” Box Set

FOR 32 YEARS, FANS HAVE BEEN CLAMORING FOR A REUNION - The wait is over.

No longer able to turn a deaf ear to the unceasing requests from fans and the media alike, Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox and Ralph Schuckett are reuniting for their first North American tour since the Chernobyl nuclear reactor exploded. Presented by Sirius XM and produced by Live Nation, TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA will be performing across North America beginning on April 18.

In celebration of the upcoming reunion tour, Friday Music will be releasing a 7-disc box set, THE ROAD TO UTOPIA: THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (1974-82). This limited edition collection will bring each of their seven classic albums to life, now in first-time CD digipak gatefold covers featuring the original album artwork elements, rare inner sleeve art, newly written commentary from the band, and more. The box set has a scheduled street date of April 20. Fans can pre-order now at Friday Music, Amazon and Record Store Day.

Todd Rundgren’s Utopia was formed in 1974 out of Todd’s desire to explore new musical territory. Starting as a prog-rock-progenitor septet the band’s music ranged from extended synth experiments to four-song albums, while their live shows were distinguished by their ahead-of-the-curve video backdrops and computer-generated music.

In 1976 the band evolved into “Utopia”, the shiny mainstream power-pop rock quartet, uniting Todd Rundgren on guitar, Willie Wilcox on drums, Roger Powell on keyboards, and Kasim Sulton on bass. Known for their hallmark lyrics, lush inventive background vocals and a voracious appetite for the highest level of musicianship. Utopia became known as the quintessential “musician’s band”. Every member took his turn singing lead on every album, and all songwriting was collaborative.

By 1980, Utopia had developed into a hit-making entity in its own right. Standout Utopia albums included Oops! Wrong PlanetAdventures in Utopia, and Oblivion, spawning hits including “Rock Love,” “Set Me Free,” “Mated,” and “Love Is The Answer”, which also became a global #1 for England Dan and John Ford Coley.

Utopia’s tours, among the first to aggressively incorporate then-state-of-the-art video technology, produced at Todd’s groundbreaking Utopia Video Studios, featured some of the most lavish and audacious stage productions in rock history. Their headline concerts frequently featured opening acts as future superstars Cheap Trick and The Cars, and the band performed at some of the 70’s most epic rock festivals, including Knebworth Castle in the UK --- once with the Rolling Stones in 1976 and twice with Led Zeppelin in 1979, before a combined audience of over 1,200,000 (amongst them a Who’s Who of rock royalty, including Paul McCartney and David Gilmour) .

Always on the bleeding edge, Utopia chalked up a long history of groundbreaking media “firsts”, including:

• 1978: The first interactive television concert, broadcast live over Warner/QUBE, the experimental interactive cable system in Columbus, Ohio (the home television audience chose each song in real time during the concert by voting via QUBE’s 2-way operating system).
• 1978: The first live nationally broadcast stereo radio rock concert (via microwave), linking 40 cities around the country.
• 1982: The first live national cablecast of a rock concert (on the USA Network), simulcast in stereo to over 120 radio stations.
In 1986, after ten years of non-stop recording and arena touring cycles, the band declared they were “going on sabbatical”, and Todd, Willie, Roger and Kas each embarked on their own career paths.

What’s been happening with the Utopians during the world’s longest ever sabbatical?

Todd Rundgren returned to his stellar solo recording and producing career. His myriad production projects ranged from Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, XTC, and Psychedelic Furs to Grand Funk Railroad, Hall & Oates, and Meat Loaf’s seminal Bat Out Of Hell, while his solo offerings catapulted Todd further into the superstar limelight with hits like “Can We Still be Friends”, and “Bang The Drum”; in addition to his own tours, Todd has been an erstwhile member of Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band for the past 28 years.

Kasim Sulton continued touring and recording with a long list of diverse artists including Joan Jett, Hall & Oates, Blue Oyster Cult, Patti Smith, Celine Dion, and Meat Loaf. In 1993 Kasim joined Meat Loaf’s live band after the release of Bat Out Of Hell II, touring extensively and becoming his Musical Director. In 1999 he produced Meat Loaf’s critically acclaimed VH1 Storytellers album. Releasing four solo albums of his own, Kasim has continued his long musical relationship with Todd as the bass player in his solo bands.

Willie Wilcox continued to pursue his songwriting career. Having written songs for & performed with Luther Vandross, Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Meat Loaf, Hall & Oates, and Kylie Minogue positioned Willie perfectly for his segue into television writing. He was the senior staff composer for NBC Universal in NY for 5 years and composed the current show theme for CNBC’s “Mad Money,” launched a major audio post production facility in Miami with clients MTV & VH1, penned famed boxer Manny Pacquiao’s ring walk music, and continues to maintain his position as senior audio director at Scientific Games, the number one gaming company in the world, where he recently completed the surround sound audio production on the blockbuster Michael Jackson game, “King Of Pop!”

Ralph Schuckett: Ralph’s tenure with Todd Rundgren’s Utopia segued into composing themes & scores for TV & Film including “Kate & Allie” & “Another World.” As chief composer for “4 Kids Productions” he scored numerous feature films & animated TV series including; “Pokémon,” “Yugioh,” “Sonic X,” “Kirby,” & “One Piece.” He has recorded and /or toured with Carole King, Hall & Oates, Whitney Houston, George Benson, and Rodney Crowell, and provided arrangements on recordings for Billy Joel, Michael Bolton. and Joan Osborne. As a songwriter / producer Ralph has worked with Belinda Carlisle, Sophie B. Hawkins, and Clarence Clemons.

As fate would have it, in early April Todd, Kas, Willie and Ralph will find themselves back in Woodstock New York, 32 years later, right where it all started, rehearsing their newest stage spectacle.

TODD RUNDGREN'S UTOPIA North American reunion tour, featuring Todd, Kasim, Willie, & Ralph, begins on April 18 and ends on June 5 (tour dates below). Tickets and more information are available at Live Nation, Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets.

FOR INTERVIEW REQUESTS PLEASE CONTACT: paul@panacea-ent.com

THE FIRST REUNION ON-CAMERA INTERVIEW – WATCH HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-e3Wrps2zr0

TODD RUNDGREN’S UTOPIA TOUR DATES

APRIL 18 JIM THORPE PA, PENNS PEAK
APRIL 20 ENGLEWOOD NJ, BERGEN PAC
APRIL 22 HOUSTON TX, HOUSE OF BLUES
APRIL 23 DALLAS TX, MAJESTIC THEATER
APRIL 25 BROWARD FL, BROWARD PAC
APRIL 27 ST PETERSBURG FL, MAHAFFEY THEATER
APRIL 28 ATLANTA GA, TABERNACLE
APRIL 29 DURHAM NC, CAROLINA THEATER
MAY 1 HUNTINGTON NY, PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 2 WASHINGTON DC, WARNER THEATER
MAY 3 NEW YORK NY, TOWN HALL
MAY 5 PHILADELPHIA PA, TOWER THEATER
MAY 6 BOSTON MA, ORPHEUM THEATER
MAY 7 RIDGEFIELD CT, RIDGEFIELD PLAYHOUSE
MAY 9 ST LOUIS MO, PEABODY OPERA HOUSE
MAY 10 CINCINNATI OH, TAFT THEATER
MAY 12 MILWAUKEE WI, PABST THEATER
MAY 13 MINNEAPOLIS MN, STATE THEATER
MAY 15 GRAND RAPIDS MI, 20 MONROE LIVE
MAY 16 TORONTO ONT, MASSEY HALL
MAY 17 DETROIT MI, THE FILLMORE
MAY 19 CLEVELAND OH, HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 20 CLEVELAND OH, HARD ROCK LIVE
MAY 22 CHICAGO IL, CHICAGO THEATER
MAY 24 DENVER CO, PARAMOUNT THEATER
MAY 26 LAS VEGAS NV, THE JOINT @ THE HARD ROCK
MAY 27 PHOENIX AZ, COMERICA THEATER
MAY 29 LOS ANGELES CA, THE WILTERN
MAY 30 SAN FRANCISCO CA, THE MASONIC
JUNE 1 SEATTLE WA, MOORE THEATER
JUNE 2 PORTLAND OR, REVOLUTION THEATER
JUNE 4 SACRAMENTO CA, CREST THEATER
JUNE 5 RIVERSIDE CA, FOX PAC

Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

7/10/2015

Go Primitive Ready For Impact With New EP ‘100 Ways’



Five track collection due for release July 13th

A four piece from the UK, Go Primitive are a band who specialise in contemporary rock with a unique twist, following in the footsteps of groups like Foo Fighters and Twin Atlantic while forging their very own sound. It’s an approach which is paying dividends, with previous tracks being fast-tracked onto BBC Introducingshows within a week of uploading.

Always working hard on new material, their next release sees them on rollicking form with new EP ‘100 Ways’, a five song collection inspired by the many obstacles placed in front of independent musicians. Lead single ‘Breathe in, Bleed out’ sees them on typical top form, showing Go Primitive’s rock credentials in all their glory and going all out to bust through those obstacles…




Produced by Romesh Dodangoda (Kids in Glass Houses, Funeral For A Friend, Twin Atlantic, Motorhead, The Blackout, Bullet For My Valentine,  Lower Than Atlantis, Bring Me The Horizon), the EP is unsurprisingly dazzling in its depth of quality. The attention to detail that has gone into infusing these studio tracks with the energy of a live show is what will set them apart. That same attention to detail has also been extended to the excellent artwork, produced by Kids in Glass Houses front man Aled Phillips.

That Go Primitive are associated with such names goes a long way to proving their credentials as they climb the independent music ladder. They have already supported The Subways, We Are The Ocean and others, getting a fantastic response from the big crowds along the way. This, along with the fact that they can count The Editors as fans, has given Go Primitive great confidence that they are on the right track.

It’s that confidence which has given rise in large part to the ‘100 Ways’ EP. In the band’s own words:
“The E.P is a show of our strength to overcome the struggles and constant roadblocks put in front of many bands at our stage. We hope that after countless efforts, this will be the E.P that makes our name stand up to the bigger acts out there and pushes us further in our musical journey.”

A perfect blend of four personalities all fighting for the same goal, the current line up of Go Primitive has moved through various iterations to land in its final configuration. With each band member bringing their own musical background and experiences from different bands and projects, this is one band with all the tools and the grit to break through in 2015.

The ‘100 Ways’ EP is released July 13th.

Live Dates:
1 August - Atherstone Festival - Atherstone
5th September - Welfest - Welford Upon Avon
19th September - The Pig and Drum - Worcester
24th September - Big show to be announced
26th September - Homegrown Festival - Oxford
October 30th - The Zephyr Lounge - Leamington

Pre-order Links:

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