The "almost" official blog for everything Todd Rundgren Related........................................................................................................................................................................... Please visit the sister facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Ma4utopia?ref=hl
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Friday, November 11, 2011
webcast info for preshow party at akron show
Watch this space for webcast details. The channel for the mobile cam has been changed to: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Ikron-Utopia
Thursday, November 10, 2011
message from Kasim
NOVEMBER,
In all honesty, I wasn't looking forward to the Utopia tour.
It wasn't the Utopia that I was a part of and my role in the band for these shows was simply singing background vocals.
I was certain it was going to be 3 weeks of thumb twiddling.
I've never been comfortable on stage without playing some kind of instrument
As much as I love singing, I need to be holding more than a microphone to be at ease.
The rehearsals were short and unfortunately, after the second day it became apparent that Moogy wasn't going to be able to tolerate any amount of traveling given his health.
Having to make the decision to go forward without Moogy and have him join us for the shows that were closer to home was a difficult one.
Given the fact that Moogy was the main reason we were doing these shows in the first place, missing his persona on stage, his distinct playing and his bad jokes was going to be hard.
Of course it could be done but it wasn't the way anyone wanted this tour to proceed.
Todd mentioned that I might be able to pick up some of the slack on what we'd be missing without Moogy's keyboards and I gladly jumped at the chance to busy myself with the challenge.
I'm not a great keyboardist. I'm nowhere near as proficient as one needs to be in order to play this kind of music but little by little I'm picking up parts here and there and I'm happy to go the extra mile to help round out the sound.
After a week on the road I can honestly say it's one of the best tours I've done.
John Siegler, Ralph Schukett and Kevin Ellman are some of the nicest guy's I've ever had the pleasure to work with.
Not only great musicians but wonderful to be around too.
Considering I've spent so much time in the past with musicians who 'thought' they were extremely good, it's refreshing to be around those who really are.
So, I've gone from dreading a tour to not looking forward to it ending.
Funny how life works.
In all honesty, I wasn't looking forward to the Utopia tour.
It wasn't the Utopia that I was a part of and my role in the band for these shows was simply singing background vocals.
I was certain it was going to be 3 weeks of thumb twiddling.
I've never been comfortable on stage without playing some kind of instrument
As much as I love singing, I need to be holding more than a microphone to be at ease.
The rehearsals were short and unfortunately, after the second day it became apparent that Moogy wasn't going to be able to tolerate any amount of traveling given his health.
Having to make the decision to go forward without Moogy and have him join us for the shows that were closer to home was a difficult one.
Given the fact that Moogy was the main reason we were doing these shows in the first place, missing his persona on stage, his distinct playing and his bad jokes was going to be hard.
Of course it could be done but it wasn't the way anyone wanted this tour to proceed.
Todd mentioned that I might be able to pick up some of the slack on what we'd be missing without Moogy's keyboards and I gladly jumped at the chance to busy myself with the challenge.
I'm not a great keyboardist. I'm nowhere near as proficient as one needs to be in order to play this kind of music but little by little I'm picking up parts here and there and I'm happy to go the extra mile to help round out the sound.
After a week on the road I can honestly say it's one of the best tours I've done.
John Siegler, Ralph Schukett and Kevin Ellman are some of the nicest guy's I've ever had the pleasure to work with.
Not only great musicians but wonderful to be around too.
Considering I've spent so much time in the past with musicians who 'thought' they were extremely good, it's refreshing to be around those who really are.
So, I've gone from dreading a tour to not looking forward to it ending.
Funny how life works.
The Runt is back
Malcolm X Abram: The Runt is back
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal pop music writer
Published: November 9, 2011 - 07:10 PM
I don’t want to draw unwanted attention from Mother Nature or wake up Jack Frost, but haven’t the last few weeks been beautiful? Hopefully, whilst you have been scurrying through your busy days, you’ve taken a moment or two to simply look into the skies and appreciate the loveliness.
Because we all know what’s coming and by the time you read this, it might already be here.
Hopefully there will be lovely weather to appreciate as you go out this weekend to see some live music (that’s called a smooth transition in the journalist game), and you have some very interesting choices.
We’ll begin with a return visit from Northeast Ohio favorite Todd Rundgren to Akron’s Civic Theatre on Saturday.
Rundgren has dipped into the musical way-back machine once again, but this time he’s not taking on one of his solo albums. He has revived the short-lived prog-rock band Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, with original members Kevin Ellman, Moogy Klingman, John Siegler, Ralph Schuckett and longtime Runt cohorts Jesse Gress and Kasim Sulton. TRU is not to be confused with the more pop/rock-leaning, Rundgren-fronted Utopia of the ’80s.
No, TRU and its catalog, which consists of the 1974 self-titled debut and a live 1975 follow-up, Another Live, were full on ’70s prog-rock with a bit of Rundgren’s pop melodies. The self-titled debut featured an action-packed 15-minute tune, Utopia Theme (live), and the epic 30-minute album-closer/endurance test Ikon.
I hadn’t listened to either album in a good 15 years, but having recently done so, I’m really interested to see and hear TRU pull it off, particularly Rundgren’s guitar parts, which are pretty demanding.
One big difference between this show and Rundgren’s previous Akron stops is that it won’t be a debut performance, as TRU has already played several shows, including a benefit concert for keyboardist Klingman, whose recent cancer diagnosis was the spark for the reunion. This is the group’s first tour in 35 years
By Malcolm X Abram
Beacon Journal pop music writer
Published: November 9, 2011 - 07:10 PM
I don’t want to draw unwanted attention from Mother Nature or wake up Jack Frost, but haven’t the last few weeks been beautiful? Hopefully, whilst you have been scurrying through your busy days, you’ve taken a moment or two to simply look into the skies and appreciate the loveliness.
Because we all know what’s coming and by the time you read this, it might already be here.
Hopefully there will be lovely weather to appreciate as you go out this weekend to see some live music (that’s called a smooth transition in the journalist game), and you have some very interesting choices.
We’ll begin with a return visit from Northeast Ohio favorite Todd Rundgren to Akron’s Civic Theatre on Saturday.
Rundgren has dipped into the musical way-back machine once again, but this time he’s not taking on one of his solo albums. He has revived the short-lived prog-rock band Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, with original members Kevin Ellman, Moogy Klingman, John Siegler, Ralph Schuckett and longtime Runt cohorts Jesse Gress and Kasim Sulton. TRU is not to be confused with the more pop/rock-leaning, Rundgren-fronted Utopia of the ’80s.
No, TRU and its catalog, which consists of the 1974 self-titled debut and a live 1975 follow-up, Another Live, were full on ’70s prog-rock with a bit of Rundgren’s pop melodies. The self-titled debut featured an action-packed 15-minute tune, Utopia Theme (live), and the epic 30-minute album-closer/endurance test Ikon.
I hadn’t listened to either album in a good 15 years, but having recently done so, I’m really interested to see and hear TRU pull it off, particularly Rundgren’s guitar parts, which are pretty demanding.
One big difference between this show and Rundgren’s previous Akron stops is that it won’t be a debut performance, as TRU has already played several shows, including a benefit concert for keyboardist Klingman, whose recent cancer diagnosis was the spark for the reunion. This is the group’s first tour in 35 years
Video: Todd Rundgren's Utopia 2011-11.09 - Center Stage, Atlanta, GA - Utopia Theme
upped on youtube by tardis7171
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
potential limited edition version of Paul Myers, Todd Rundgren Book
Do you think there are at least 500 Todd fans (around the world) who would spend buy an expensive, hard back, velvet boxed edition of my book A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio, with extra photographs, autographed by TR and me? It could happen if I can promise 500 potential buyers to this great company in England. Petition time? (Thinking about it)
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
DVD LIVE !! TODD and Healing and Roy Firestone Interview to be released
Todd Rundgren will release his September 2010 performance of his album, Todd, on February 14 via S'More/Rockbeat.
By the time he recorded the eponymous Todd in 1973, Todd Rundgren had charted with such evergreen hits as Hello It's Me, I Saw the Light and We Gotta Get You a Woman, and had also been dubbed 'Rock's Renaissance Man' by Rolling Stone after releasing studio masterpieces Something/Anything? and A Wizard, A True Star. Todd was a departure; the iconoclastic artist included pop ballads alongside medleys, anthems, and prog rock. The album is universally heralded as one of Rundgren's best, often compared to Electric Ladyland and Pet Sounds.
In 2010, 37 years after its original release, Rundgren performed Todd live in its entirety for the first time ever, as part a special limited six-date sold-out tour (the Healing album was also performed, which will be a subsequent stand-alone live DVD/CD release). The September 14 date at Philadelphia's Keswick Theater, in Rundgren's hometown, was videotaped and is being released as both a live DVD by S'More Entertainment and a live audio CD by sibling RockBeat Records. Joining him onstage were Utopia's Kasim Sulton (bass), The Cars' Greg Hawkes (keyboards), The Tubes' Prairie Prince (drums), Guitar Player Magazine's editor Jesse Gress (guitar), Bobby Strickland (sax) and a full choir. Both the DVD and CD will hit retail on February 14, 2012.
In addition to the musical performance, multiple Emmy Award-winning television personality and sportscaster Roy Firestone, whose knowledge of Rundgren's work is encyclopedic, was enlisted to conduct an extensive in-depth conversation with Rundgren onstage, which will also be packaged with the DVD.
From pop classic A Dream Goes on Forever to rocker Heavy Metal Kids, from the anthemic Sons of 1984 to the explosive Blue Eyed Soul of The Last Ride, from the industry satire An Elpee's Worth of Toons to the Gilbert & Sullivan homage The Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song, Todd is a masterful example of Rundgren's broad musical palette.
Read more: http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/#ixzz1ckNuRiRY
By the time he recorded the eponymous Todd in 1973, Todd Rundgren had charted with such evergreen hits as Hello It's Me, I Saw the Light and We Gotta Get You a Woman, and had also been dubbed 'Rock's Renaissance Man' by Rolling Stone after releasing studio masterpieces Something/Anything? and A Wizard, A True Star. Todd was a departure; the iconoclastic artist included pop ballads alongside medleys, anthems, and prog rock. The album is universally heralded as one of Rundgren's best, often compared to Electric Ladyland and Pet Sounds.
In 2010, 37 years after its original release, Rundgren performed Todd live in its entirety for the first time ever, as part a special limited six-date sold-out tour (the Healing album was also performed, which will be a subsequent stand-alone live DVD/CD release). The September 14 date at Philadelphia's Keswick Theater, in Rundgren's hometown, was videotaped and is being released as both a live DVD by S'More Entertainment and a live audio CD by sibling RockBeat Records. Joining him onstage were Utopia's Kasim Sulton (bass), The Cars' Greg Hawkes (keyboards), The Tubes' Prairie Prince (drums), Guitar Player Magazine's editor Jesse Gress (guitar), Bobby Strickland (sax) and a full choir. Both the DVD and CD will hit retail on February 14, 2012.
In addition to the musical performance, multiple Emmy Award-winning television personality and sportscaster Roy Firestone, whose knowledge of Rundgren's work is encyclopedic, was enlisted to conduct an extensive in-depth conversation with Rundgren onstage, which will also be packaged with the DVD.
From pop classic A Dream Goes on Forever to rocker Heavy Metal Kids, from the anthemic Sons of 1984 to the explosive Blue Eyed Soul of The Last Ride, from the industry satire An Elpee's Worth of Toons to the Gilbert & Sullivan homage The Lord Chancellor's Nightmare Song, Todd is a masterful example of Rundgren's broad musical palette.
Read more: http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/#ixzz1ckNuRiRY
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