Tons of updates from RundgrenRadio

Lots of updates and exciting news going on in the Todd community!

Thanks to Doug & Melinda at RundgrenRadio.com

(1) Todd Rundgren was the guest last night on Rundgren Radio! You can listen to a replay at rundgrenradio.com or on iTunes podcasts. David Skye from Shout Records also called in to discuss future official bootleg releases like the new Todd Rundgren For Lack of Honest Work 3 box CD .

Todd answered a lot of our questions like “Will any of the shows be available for webcast like AWATS”?

(2) The popular 80’s band the Fixx have been added to the lineup for two of the Todd/Healing concerts this September! They will be openers for the St. Louis concert on 9/10 and the Indianapolis concert on 9/11. Please note the St. Louis concert start time has been moved to 7pm. Cy Curnin, lead singer of the Fixx, will be a guest on RundgrenRadio.com for a special show on Sunday August 29th at 2pm ET!

(3) If you are out of the loop on Todd’s tour this September, he will be performing both the Todd and Healing albums live in their entirety! There are only 6 opportunities to see one of more of these special shows. More information is available at

http://www.sonsof1984.com/

(4) The official tour shirt with artwork created by super longtime Todd fan Bill Bricker of Toddata.com is available now at the Todd Store:

http://www.ToddStore.com

(5) If you are considering a trip to see any of these concerts, super Todd fan Jill Mingo has put together a charter bus for fans to get from one venue to another for a few of the shows. For more info visit:

http://www.facebook.com/rundgrenradio#!/event.php?eid=103676663007645&ref=ts

(6) Tickets are still on sale for the Roy Firestone interviewing Todd Rundgren event being held in Philadelphia on 9/13/2010. If you’re planning on going, here is the link for buying tickets:

https://rundgrenradio.tix.com/Event.asp?Event=287682

Roy has informed us that he has worked behind the scenes to prepare for this event including talking to Patti Smith, Daryl Hall, Michele/Rebop/Ruth Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, and more. Plus, there will be audio and video played on the big screen during parts of the interview. And, get this --- there will be a guitar on stage! What happens with said guitar is anyone’s guess.

(7) One of the Todd/Healing concerts will be held in Muskegon, MI and the World Premiere of the Toddstock movie will be held there the night before at Carousel Cinema and will be followed by a party. Todd will be in attendance at both and all party attendees will have the opportunity to have a professional photographer take a photo of them with Todd & Michele (photo can be purchased online for only $5)! More info on this event, including how to get tickets, can be found here …

http://www.rundgrenradio.com/toddstockmovie.html

Limited seating and sales are going well so don’t delay on this one!

(8) A Toddstock Movie poster will be available for sale at the RundgrenRadio.com Birthday Bash III in Akron, OH! The poster is limited to only 400! This will be the only place to get the poster so if you are not attending you may want to hit up a Todd fan friend that is going to get you one of those beauties. Check it out on our home page at RundgrenRadio.com. You can also see a Toddstock movie trailer video on the home page!

(9) Speaking of parties, if you are going to the Todd Rundgren concert in Akron on 9/5, you are invited to the RundgrenRadio.com Birthday Bash III on 9/4 beginning at 7pm in the ballroom at the Akron City Centre Hotel. The event will be loaded with approximately 500 Todd fans and there will be plenty of audio, video and live entertainment as well as some snacks and delicious/unique cake! The event is FREE! Please register to attend if you plan on going:

http://www.mysignup.com/rrbash3

(10) RundgrenRadio.com commissioned the super Lego Todd video maker to add another one to youtube! Check it out at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EmHAKRwh_w

(11) Todd will be touring in Australia and New Zealand for the first time ever! He will also be visiting Japan! Check out all the tour dates on our Todd Rundgren Tour page. Todd’s latest album, Todd Rundgren’s Johnson, has already been released in New Zealand and should be available in the States and other areas soon.

(12) The My Record Fantasy camp we discussed in the last newsletter is set for January 17-19 and they have informed us that a press release will be out any day now announcing what kind of album Todd will be doing during this camp.

RundgrenRadio.com is trying to send someone to this camp via a Scholarship Drive and you can help! For more information, please visit …

http://www.rundgrenradio.com/scholarship.html

STYX announces The Grand Illusion/Pieces of Eight tour

Classic rockers STYX are very happy to announce that for the first time ever, they will perform TWO of their classic albums live, in their entirety, in an exclusive and limited tour this Fall!

It’s the tour STYX fans have been waiting for.

STYX--Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), James “JY” Young (vocals, guitars), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums) and Ricky Phillips (bass), along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo—are getting ready to head out on the U.S. concert trail again this year.

However, for this round of dates, the band has an extra-special treat planned - it won’t be a typical STYX show.

Along with the classic hits, the band will be performing 1977's THE GRAND ILLUSION and 1978's PIECES OF EIGHT in their entirety.

Both albums spawned such hit singles and Classic Rock radio standards as "Come Sail Away," "Renegade," "Blue Collar Man" and "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man).”

And as icing on the cake, a seven-song EP, entitled REGENERATION, VOLUME 1, containing six newly re-recorded classics--"Come Sail Away,” "Crystal Ball," "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man),” “Lorelei,” “The Grand Illusion” and “Sing For The Day”—and a brand new track, “Difference In The World,” will be available for sale at every stop along “The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight” October/November tour route.

“This is the most unique STYX concert ever,” says singer/guitarist Tommy Shaw. “It's a hybrid experience of enjoying the artistry of the vinyl album and the energy and of our live performance. Some songs have never been performed live!”

Spawned from a suburban Chicago basement in the early ‘70s, STYX would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late '70s and early '80s, due to a fondness for big rockers and soaring power ballads.

Over the course of their 38-year career they’ve released 15 studio albums, 6 best-of compilations and 4 live albums, garnering 8 Top Ten singles. STYX has sold over 30 million albums worldwide.

On the touring front, STYX has performed more shows since ’99 than all of the previous years of its career combined. Two Super-Bowl appearances, Pollstar box office chart-topping tours with Def Leppard, Journey, Boston, REO Speedwagon, Bad Company, Foreigner (to name a few), two more studio albums and no end in sight, STYX continues to conquer the planet, one venue at a time.

Check out the “The Grand Illusion/Pieces Of Eight” at any of the following stops:

DATE CITY VENUE
Thu 10/14 Evansville, IN The Centre (on-sale 8/13)
Fri 10/15 Merrillville, IN Star Plaza Theatre (on-sale 8/14)
Sat 10/16 Waukegan, IL Genesee Theatre (on-sale /14)
Sun 10/17 Columbus, OH The Palace Theatre (on-sale 8/13)
Tue 10/19 Chattanooga, TN Tivoli Theatre (on-sale 8/20)
Thu 10/21 Melbourne, FL King Center (on-sale 8/20)
Fri 10/22 Ft. Myers, FL Barbara B. Mann Perf Arts Hall (on-sale 8/20)
Sat 10/23 Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckerd Hall (on-sale 8/20)
Mon 10/25 Salem, VA Salem Civic Center (on-sale 8/20)
Wed 10/27 Washington, DC Warner Theatre (on-sale 9/10)
Thu 10/28 New York, NY Beacon Theatre (on-sale 8/6)
Fri 10/29 Baltimore, MD Hippodrome Theatre (on-sale 8/20)
Sat 10/30 Albany, NY Palace Theatre Albany (on-sale 8/19)
Tue 11/2 Bangor, ME Bangor Auditorium (on-sale 8/27)
Wed 11/3 Lowell, MA Lowell Memorial Auditorium (on-sale 8/20)
Fri 11/5 Erie, PA Warner Theatre Erie (on-sale 8/27)
Sat 11/6 Toledo, OH Stranahan Theatre (on-sale 8/27)
Sun 11/7 Louisville, KY Louisville Palace (on-sale 8/27)
Tue 11/9 Memphis, TN The Orpheum Theatre (on-sale 8/27)
Thu 11/11 Nashville, TN Ryman Auditorium (on-sale 8/27)
Fri 11/12 Biloxi, MS Hard Rock Casino & Resort (on-sale TBA)
Sat 11/13 Atlanta, GA Cobb Energy Center (on-sale 8/27)
**On-sale dates are subject to change.

RIP Michael Been (The Call)

It has been an odd week in the world of rock music...

The lead singer of a British pop trio climbed a telecommunications mast behind the main stage at a Belgian rock festival and leaped to his death in the parking lot below, police said Saturday

Twenty-two-year-old Charles Haddon of Ou Est Le Swimming Pool died late Friday during the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt, a town in eastern Belgium. District attorney Marc Rubens said police were treating the death as a suicide.

On Thursday, Michael Been, frontman for the U.S. group The Call, died of an apparent heart attack at the same festival. The 60-year-old was working as the soundman for his son's band, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club.

On this side of the pond, a man jumped to his death onto the stage of a Northern California concert in front of hundreds of horrified music fans.

The band, the Swell Season, was playing an outdoor show at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga on Thursday night when the jump happened. Authorities are treating the death as a suicide, and the man's identity has not been released.

Witnesses say he jumped off the roof and landed on stage near the band's lead singer Glen Hansard.

Remember when you went to a concert, got stoned, and listened to the music?

Michael Been was the front man for the The Call, known for singles that included "Walls Came Down" and "Let The Day Begin." The Call released ten albums over their twenty-year career, and Been also released a solo album in the mid-1990's.

The band appeared to go on hiatus around the turn of the millennium, and Been concentrated on working with his son's group.

Been also appeared in a number of films, including Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation Of Christ, where he played the Apostle John.

JOHN MELLENCAMP "NO BETTER THAN THIS"

With "No Better Than This" John Mellencamp deepens the rich, intimate simplicity of his last record, focusing on strong song craft.

Recorded in mono, the album is disarmingly warm and inviting, giving the songs room to breathe with lo-fi, unadorned arrangements. T-Bone Burnett once again takes up production duties.

This is not an album that will ship a million records, but it is ripe for an audience looking for hearty Americana.

As time marches on, Mellencamp has become something of a retrospective malcontent as his sixties creep up on him.

He still harbors the restless spirit of a much younger man, calling out for social justice and pondering life's big questions straightforwardly. He proves himself a first-rate poet as he magnifies the vicious circle - the "broken promises" - that keep the oppressed immobile in contemporary society.

Mellencamp waxes poetic on finding euphoria in life's most affirming moments in the upbeat title track and lead single, even though a bittersweet sense of urgency peaks out through the song's sunny surface.

Mellencamp remains thoroughly and remarkably engaging throughout, "No Better Than This." He writes story songs that immediately grab and speak to people of all walks of life- the essence of American music.

Krispy Kreme Cheeseburger...because a burger was just too healthy

The Krispy Kreme cheeseburger – that's right, a cheeseburger between doughnut halves-more proof that Americans will take anything that risks clogging our arteries immediately and try to make it worse!

The doughnut is halved, then its cut sides are grilled and become the outside of the sandwich so that the sugary glaze makes mortal contact with the cheese and the meat.

Even if that sounds good, there are all kinds of objections from the eat-healthy crowd.

The Machine Shed, a restaurant with a food concession at the Wisconsin State Fair, told the Milwaukee Journal it expected to sell about 3,500 Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers over the first three days of the fair. About a quarter of its customers were pitching in an extra buck for the side order of chocolate-covered bacon.

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Now I come from Philadelphia-where after frying steak with cheese, we like nothing better than to smother deep fried potatoes with melted cheese.

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Americans invented deep fried ice cream. And deep fried Snickers bars.

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But this may be the pinnacle of junk food!

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I know this has nothing to do with music, but it was just too funny to pass up!

RUNDGREN SEEKS CHORAL GROUPS FOR TOUR

Famed rock musician Todd Rundgren seeks choral groups for tour

Famed rock musician Todd Rundgren is seeking groups of 12 - 15 mixed voice singers to perform background vocals on his upcoming tour this fall in the following cities:-

Wednesday, September 8
Frauenthal Center for the Performing Arts, Muskegon, MI

Friday, September 10
Roberts-Orpheum Theatre, St. Louis, MO

Saturday, September 11
Clowes Memorial Hall, Indianapolis, IN

Tuesday, September 14
Keswick Theatre, Glenside, PA

Wednesday, September 15
Mayo Performing Arts Center, Morristown, NJ

Todd's musical director will fly in for a one-day rehearsal with the group during the first week in September and there will be a three hour rehearsal with Todd and the band during sound check day of show.

Charts can be sent in advance.

There is a $1,000 honorarium per group and a meal will be provided after the sound check.

This really is a great opportunity for a choir or ensemble to work with one of the nation's most highly regarded rock musicians and a chance to perform on a large stage in front of a new and different audience.

For more information, contact editor@acappellanews.com

http://www.choralnet.org/view/263521

HOEY'S "UTOPIA"

World renowned rock guitarist Gary Hoey takes his singer/songwriter talents to the next level with his new album, “Utopia” on Wazoo Music Group, coming August 24.

With a collection of 16 albums and five top 20 Billboard hits, itʼs no wonder Gary Hoey is listed in the top 100 greatest guitar players of all time. Whether itʼs rock, blues, surf or Christmas, Hoeyʼs command of each style makes his live show one of the most exciting on the circuit today.

Multi-tasking as writer, producer and guitar player, Hoey has had clients who include DISNEY, ESPN, NO FEAR, performed the National Anthem for the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, SAN DIEGO PADRES and the BOSTON RED SOX. Gary was recently featured on VH1 CLASSICS documentary “Aftermath”

In 1993 Gary Hoey launched his career with the hit song “Hocus Pocus” (Warner Bros Records). His fiery technique helped to send it to the top 5 on Billboards charts. The Boston raised guitarist followed up with the soundtrack to the surf saga, Endless Summer II (Warner/Reprise).

His popular Ho! Ho! Hoey series of Christmas CDs and on-air station visits have become a staple at hundreds of radio stations nationwide. His live rock and roll Christmas show continues to grow new fans each year. HALLMARKʼS musical greeting cards feature two Ho Ho Hoey classics.

Hoey has toured and traded licks with the likes of Brian May (Queen), Ted Nugent, Foreigner, Joe Satriani, The Doobie Bros, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Steve Vai, Peter Frampton, Rick Derringer and Deep Purple.”

Upcoming Tour Dates

AUGUST 8 - THE MOUNTAIN WINERY - SARATOGA, CA

AUGUST 10 - ORANGE BLOSSOM JUNCTION - EXETER, CA

AUGUST 12 - EL REY THEATER - CHICO, CA

AUGUST 13 - ORANGE COUNTY FAIR - COSTA MESA, CA

AUGUST 14 - BRIXTON - REDONDO BEACH, CA

AUGUST 15 - PALA CASINO - PALA, CA

AUGUST 19 - CASINO DEL SOL - TUCSON, AZ
AUGUST 20 - THE MARQUEE - TEMPE, AZ

AUGUST 21 - FEELGOODS ROCK BAR - LAS VEGAS, NV

SEPTEMBER 4 - HEINZ FIELD - PITTSBURGH, PA
SEPTEMBER 17 - BANKHEAD THEATER- LIVERMORE,CA

IT'S THE SAME OLD SONG...

Is it that the networks need to fill up the time, or are Americans so interested in the mundane that we watch the same plotline unfold three years running.

There’s something less than manly about a man who is so insecure, he would use the same feeble attempt at garnering media attention three years in a row. But what does that say about the American primates who are glued to their TV sets and iPhones and news rags wondering whether the Most Overrated Quarterback To Ever Hold A Football has retired?

Haven’t we been here before?

On March 6, 2008, the girlie-man in question retired. Remember? He cried like a baby and retired.

But his ego would not let him end his career on an interception (as so many of his seasons had ended, since he makes a lot of bad decisions to compensate for not being that good of a quarterback).

The during the month of July, the bed-wetter orchestrated a media circus in an attempt to get released. What he got himself was traded to the Jets.

Guess what? Three picks in his last game! No playoffs!

And next year, it’s the same old story. Retirement, media circus, almost-daily press conferences, and a last-minute arrival at training camp just in time to sign some autographs and pack up to go home.

Guess what? A pick in overtime ends his season!

Here we are again, with a media circus orchestrated by this wuss texting teammates to say he’s retiring, and then denying it. I am in my second annual ESPN ban, as I refuse to watch the same news stories for three years in a row. This is so repetitive, it feels like everyone is just pulling out three-year-old copy and reprinting it.

Please-can we all agree that we’re sick of news coverage on this guy?

What does all this have to do with music? Good point. But they do play Todd Rundgren's "Band The Drum All Day" at Packer's games when they score a touchdown. So in a "Six Degrees Of Separation" frame of this is a music post...
I agree-I'm reaching.