The "almost" official blog for everything Todd Rundgren Related........................................................................................................................................................................... Please visit the sister facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Ma4utopia?ref=hl
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
VIDEO INTERVIEW AKRON PPV SHOW
i thought these were going to be on the future dvd release. until i find out for sure i will leave them up on my blog.
Kasim gigs
The first gig in December for Kasim Sulton (and his band!) has been booked. They will be playing at The M Room (The Manhattan Room) in Philadelphia, PA on Sunday 6th December.
Kasim's forthcoming gigs are:
Friday 9th October - Micho's Restaurant, Reisterstown, MD
Wednesday 14th October - The Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH
Friday 16th October - The Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
Saturday 17th October - Wilbert's, Cleveland, OH
Sunday 6th December - The M Room, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.kasiminfo.com/2009Kasim.html has ticketing and venue links.
Kasim's forthcoming gigs are:
Friday 9th October - Micho's Restaurant, Reisterstown, MD
Wednesday 14th October - The Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH
Friday 16th October - The Abbey Pub, Chicago, IL
Saturday 17th October - Wilbert's, Cleveland, OH
Sunday 6th December - The M Room, Philadelphia, PA
http://www.kasiminfo.com/2009Kasim.html has ticketing and venue links.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Interview Huey Morgan british premier awats
"Don't miss Todd Rundgren when he talks to Huey Morgan of the Fun Lovin' Criminals about the forthcoming British Premiere of A Wizard, A True Star. BBC 6 Music Radio! October 25th between 14:00-15:30 UK time.".
Event: Todd Rundgren BBC 6 Music Radio Interview
"Todd Rundgren interview, Huey Morgan, BBC 6 Music, Fun Lovin' Criminals"
What: Listening Party
Start Time: Tomorrow, September 30 at 5:10am
End Time: Tomorrow, September 30 at 8:10am
Where: http://www.facebook.com/l/cee54;www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/huey_morgan/
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=172289878501&mid=12c9ba6G58ddab70Gd817baG7
Event: Todd Rundgren BBC 6 Music Radio Interview
"Todd Rundgren interview, Huey Morgan, BBC 6 Music, Fun Lovin' Criminals"
What: Listening Party
Start Time: Tomorrow, September 30 at 5:10am
End Time: Tomorrow, September 30 at 8:10am
Where: http://www.facebook.com/l/cee54;www.bbc.co.uk/6music/shows/huey_morgan/
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=172289878501&mid=12c9ba6G58ddab70Gd817baG7
A fan needs tickets to the long island ymca boulton center show
if you have tickets to the sold out ymca boulton center show on long island for oct 18th please email lmarino@upromise.com he is asking for help to get seats for this show.
RundgrenRadio tonight's guest Bob Leinbach
Host: RundgrenRadio.com
Type: Music/Arts - Performance
Network: Global
Date: Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Time: 8:30pm - 10:30pm
Location: www.rundgrenradio.com
Phone: 6467169262
Email: rundgrenradio@earthlink.net
DescriptionFrom http://www.zoominfo.com/people/Leinbach_Bob_22239963.aspx
ABOUT BOB LEINBACH
Instruments: Keyboards, Vocals, Trombone
...
Bob Leinbach, a Connecticut native, began his musical training as a trombonist.A Music Ed. major at Ithaca College in the late 60s, he and Larry Hoppen first met there and were bandmates in several groups including Boffalongo which also featured Wells Kelly.After graduating from I.C., Bob continued his career as singer, keyboard player and songwriter with his own Ithaca band Hot Sweets.
In the mid 1970s Bob moved to Woodstock, N.Y. to work and record with The Fabulous Rhinestones.In 1977 when John Hall went to pursue his solo career, Bob rejoined forces with college buddy - and now neighbor - Larry Hoppen.
...
After leaving Orleans, Bob did two national tours on keys with Joe Cocker before co-founding The John Hall Band in 1981.
...
Leinbach also went on to play and record with Jules Shear, Levon Helm, Livingston Taylor and Todd Rundgren among others.
...
Bob has written and sung numerous jingles and continues to work with Orleans, the Mohegan Sun All-Stars and other local acts when not teaching music at St. Luke's School in New Canaan, CT. Bob's students are fortunate to have such a talented, well-rounded and colorful teacher!
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
AWATS VOD news and new bass player for arena fall tour
this from todd myspace page
Fall tour news
I wanted to let you all know that the A Wizard A True Star Pay per view / Video on demand will be unavailable after Sept 30th. So if you havent seen it ye you should do so soon. Links can be found here on our Myspace home page. or www.awatslive.com
Also, for the Oct dates Sara Lee (B-52s & Gang of Four) will be filling in for Rachel Haden.
Hope all is well out there.
xoxo
lynn
Thursday, September 24, 2009
theme song tv show aliens in the family
todd wrote the theme song for this short lived tv show
thanks roger steel for posting on youtube
thanks roger steel for posting on youtube
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
RundgrenRadio :the one and only TODD RUNDGREN and his wife MICHELE ... this tuesday
The perfect way to finally close the chapter on AWATS Live USA ---
(In Bobby Strickland preacher's voice) Todd Rundgren, the man, the myth, the legend, will be our guest on Rundgren Radio this Tuesday! We will talk about AWATS and then take calls from fans that want to show their AWATS appreciation to the Toddster! Now everybody stand up and do the cool jerk!
Show airs at 8:30pm ET as always. 09/22/09
www.RundgrenRadio.com
(In Bobby Strickland preacher's voice) Todd Rundgren, the man, the myth, the legend, will be our guest on Rundgren Radio this Tuesday! We will talk about AWATS and then take calls from fans that want to show their AWATS appreciation to the Toddster! Now everybody stand up and do the cool jerk!
Show airs at 8:30pm ET as always. 09/22/09
www.RundgrenRadio.com
Friday, September 18, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
REVIEW: Rundgren’s performance conceptually innovative
http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2009/09/16/entertainment/doc4ab1adba2e7be073642175.txt
Rundgren’s performance conceptually innovative
Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
By BOB MCGUIRE
Todd Rundgren performed his entire 1973 album “A Wizard, A True Star” at the Stamford Palace on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The performance was filmed with multiple cameras after two warm-up gigs in Akron, Ohio earlier in the week. (Courtesy Photo)
Todd Rundgren performed his entire 1973 album “A Wizard, A True Star” at the Stamford Palace on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The performance was filmed with multiple cameras after two warm-up gigs in Akron, Ohio earlier in the week.
Always an innovator, Todd Rundgren is at the forefront of a new industry touring concept: performing a fan-favorite album from start to finish followed by a fistful of greatest hits. It’s a model followed this year by artists as diverse as Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, The Pixies and Aerosmith. Van Morrison has had phenomenal success this year touring a faithful version of his classic “Astral Weeks” album from the 70s.
So, back to Todd Rundgren. His “A Wizard, A True Star” (AWATS) performance in this tidy Stamford venue was remarkably successful. I’d never seen Rundgren perform, but I’ve always admired his production work for bands from Badfinger and The Band to Grand Funk Railroad and XTC. He even produced the background music for the 1986 television series Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
The performance at The Stamford Palace was more or less a Utopia concert with Kasim Sulton (bass) and Roger Powell (keyboards), but it was rounded out nicely by Prairie Prince (drums), former Cars keyboard player Greg Hawkes and veteran Jesse Gress (guitar).
A camera on a robot arm traversed above the band and crowd all evening adding to the overall sensory overload induced by lasers, lights and smoke machines. The performance was filmed for an eventual DVD release and this only added to the air of excitement in the hall.
All of the costume changes and smoke machines in the world, however, wouldn’t make a satisfying show if this wasn’t a band that could deliver the goods. They did, and had the perfect audience who had probably traveled many miles to witness this rare performance. It was originally planned for a London debut that fell through. It seems AWATS is currently being heavily sampled by the kids across the pond.
Bassist Kasim Sulton carried half of the vocal chores all evening and proved to be a perfect foil for Rundgren while playing in a dizzyingly aggressive and singularly propulsive style. Prairie Prince, formerly of The Tubes, lived up to his reputation as one of rock’s premiere drummers.
The AWATS album, especially the first side, is an extended medley after the fashion of the Beatle’s later recordings. The songs, sometimes snippets, run into each other to achieve an hallucinatory effect. Side one has a cover version of “Never Never Land” from Broadway’s Peter Pan, while side two explores what I’m sure are Todd’s radio roots of Doo Wop and blue-eyed soul growing up in the 60s in Philadelphia.
This band, tonight, goes from costumed psychedelia in the first half to doing more than credible versions in the second half of Curtis Mayfield’s “I’m So Proud,” “La La La [Means I Love You],” “Ooh Baby Baby” and a rousing rave-up on The Capitol’s 60s classic “Cool Jerk.”
Rundgren, who celebrated his 61st birthday in June, revels in being on stage and is clearly pleased as he runs through at least eight costume changes in the second set. The musicianship is flawless as the Zappa-like, tinker toy melodies are gleefully assayed by this attenuated group that practically invented the progressive genre with the release of this ground-breaking album in 1973.
The headliner has had a storied career beginning with Woody’s Truck Stop, then Nazz, followed by two solo albums as Runt. All this before helping to shape progressive rock on both sides of the Atlantic with the 1973 release of AWATS and the formation of Utopia.
Todd explained recently in an on-line interview that AWATS is “... not simply a musical presentation, it’s got to be more of a theatrical thing. I think the expectations exceed a typical sort of concert. Also, it’s of an era when, at least with my shows, I think most artists were doing something that was a little bit more production-oriented live.”
Mission accomplished; the show not only included a complete start-to-finish rendition of the 1973 classic but managed to capture a lot of the fun of the freewheeling early 70s. The band was prepared for the intricate workout and were aided by the multiple costume changes and the liberal use of theatrical props throughout the evening.
Bruce Springsteen is preparing a complete run-through of “Born To Run” while Steely Dan and even Devo are taking to the road with similar full album productions. As the economy tightens and promoters seek new angles, expect to see even more of this concept coming soon to a theater near you.
Rundgren’s performance conceptually innovative
Published: Wednesday, September 16, 2009
By BOB MCGUIRE
Todd Rundgren performed his entire 1973 album “A Wizard, A True Star” at the Stamford Palace on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The performance was filmed with multiple cameras after two warm-up gigs in Akron, Ohio earlier in the week. (Courtesy Photo)
Todd Rundgren performed his entire 1973 album “A Wizard, A True Star” at the Stamford Palace on Wednesday, Sept. 9. The performance was filmed with multiple cameras after two warm-up gigs in Akron, Ohio earlier in the week.
Always an innovator, Todd Rundgren is at the forefront of a new industry touring concept: performing a fan-favorite album from start to finish followed by a fistful of greatest hits. It’s a model followed this year by artists as diverse as Steely Dan, Bruce Springsteen, The Pixies and Aerosmith. Van Morrison has had phenomenal success this year touring a faithful version of his classic “Astral Weeks” album from the 70s.
So, back to Todd Rundgren. His “A Wizard, A True Star” (AWATS) performance in this tidy Stamford venue was remarkably successful. I’d never seen Rundgren perform, but I’ve always admired his production work for bands from Badfinger and The Band to Grand Funk Railroad and XTC. He even produced the background music for the 1986 television series Pee-wee’s Playhouse.
The performance at The Stamford Palace was more or less a Utopia concert with Kasim Sulton (bass) and Roger Powell (keyboards), but it was rounded out nicely by Prairie Prince (drums), former Cars keyboard player Greg Hawkes and veteran Jesse Gress (guitar).
A camera on a robot arm traversed above the band and crowd all evening adding to the overall sensory overload induced by lasers, lights and smoke machines. The performance was filmed for an eventual DVD release and this only added to the air of excitement in the hall.
All of the costume changes and smoke machines in the world, however, wouldn’t make a satisfying show if this wasn’t a band that could deliver the goods. They did, and had the perfect audience who had probably traveled many miles to witness this rare performance. It was originally planned for a London debut that fell through. It seems AWATS is currently being heavily sampled by the kids across the pond.
Bassist Kasim Sulton carried half of the vocal chores all evening and proved to be a perfect foil for Rundgren while playing in a dizzyingly aggressive and singularly propulsive style. Prairie Prince, formerly of The Tubes, lived up to his reputation as one of rock’s premiere drummers.
The AWATS album, especially the first side, is an extended medley after the fashion of the Beatle’s later recordings. The songs, sometimes snippets, run into each other to achieve an hallucinatory effect. Side one has a cover version of “Never Never Land” from Broadway’s Peter Pan, while side two explores what I’m sure are Todd’s radio roots of Doo Wop and blue-eyed soul growing up in the 60s in Philadelphia.
This band, tonight, goes from costumed psychedelia in the first half to doing more than credible versions in the second half of Curtis Mayfield’s “I’m So Proud,” “La La La [Means I Love You],” “Ooh Baby Baby” and a rousing rave-up on The Capitol’s 60s classic “Cool Jerk.”
Rundgren, who celebrated his 61st birthday in June, revels in being on stage and is clearly pleased as he runs through at least eight costume changes in the second set. The musicianship is flawless as the Zappa-like, tinker toy melodies are gleefully assayed by this attenuated group that practically invented the progressive genre with the release of this ground-breaking album in 1973.
The headliner has had a storied career beginning with Woody’s Truck Stop, then Nazz, followed by two solo albums as Runt. All this before helping to shape progressive rock on both sides of the Atlantic with the 1973 release of AWATS and the formation of Utopia.
Todd explained recently in an on-line interview that AWATS is “... not simply a musical presentation, it’s got to be more of a theatrical thing. I think the expectations exceed a typical sort of concert. Also, it’s of an era when, at least with my shows, I think most artists were doing something that was a little bit more production-oriented live.”
Mission accomplished; the show not only included a complete start-to-finish rendition of the 1973 classic but managed to capture a lot of the fun of the freewheeling early 70s. The band was prepared for the intricate workout and were aided by the multiple costume changes and the liberal use of theatrical props throughout the evening.
Bruce Springsteen is preparing a complete run-through of “Born To Run” while Steely Dan and even Devo are taking to the road with similar full album productions. As the economy tightens and promoters seek new angles, expect to see even more of this concept coming soon to a theater near you.
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