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Rundgren Radio To Present Back To Back Todd Rundgren Concerts at Cleveland Ohio's Agora Theatre
RundgrenRadio.com will be presenting back to back "Unpredictable Todd Rundgren" concerts at Cleveland's Agora Theatre on October 12th and 13th of 2012. Rundgren has decades of history with the Agora but the last time he performed there was in 1995.
RundgrenRadio.com will be presenting back to back "Unpredictable Todd Rundgren" concerts at Cleveland's Agora Theatre on October 12th and 13th of 2012. Rundgren has decades of history with the Agora but the last time he performed there was in 1995.
"We're excited about bringing Todd back to the famous Cleveland Agora for these back to back concerts. He has a rich history with the Agora franchise touring as Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Back To The Bars, and TR-i The Individualist to name a few", Melinda Cain of RundgrenRadio.com said. "This will be Todd's first time performing his Unpredictable concerts in Cleveland and the best way we've found to describe what the shows are like is to tell fans to pretend Todd and three accompanying musicians are performing in their den for a house concert", she added.
One of the three musicians accompanying Todd for the Cleveland concerts is bassist Kasim Sulton, who has performed live as a solo artist at Cleveland's Beachland Ballroom and Winchester's in the past. The other two musicians joining Todd will be guitarist Jesse Gress and a percussionist to be named at a later date.
Todd Rundgren has released over 30 albums either as a solo artist or with his bands Nazz, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Utopia, and The New Cars. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972. Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings as solo artist, and during the seventies and eighties with the band Utopia. He has also been prolific as a producer and engineer on the recorded work of other musicians.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Rundgren engineered and/or produced many notable albums for other acts, including Straight Up by Badfinger, Stage Fright by The Band, We're an American Band by Grand Funk Railroad, Bat Out of Hell by Meat Loaf, and Skylarking by XTC. In the 1980s and 1990s his interest in video and computers led to Rundgren's "Time Heals" being the eighth video played on MTV, and "Change Myself" was animated by Rundgren on commercially available Amiga Computers.
His best-known songs include "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw the Light" which have heavy rotation on classic rock radio stations, and "Bang the Drum All Day" featured in many sports arenas, commercials, and movie trailers.
The Agora Theatre and Ballroom (commonly known as the Cleveland Agora, or more simply, The Agora) is a concert club located in Cleveland, Ohio. The Agora name was previously used by two other Cleveland venues in succession, the latter of which was destroyed by fire in 1984. Following the fire which destroyed the Agora Ballroom on East 24th Street, club owner Henry LoConti, Sr. decided to move to the 5000 Euclid Avenue location.
Following extensive renovations, the new Agora Theatre and Ballroom, the third Cleveland venue to bear the Agora name, opened in October 1986. The current Agora was the site of a live recording on the 1996 reissue of Patti Smith's Horses album. The current Agora venue, known as such since 1986, first opened in 1913 as the Metropolitan Theatre. On December 29, 2011, the LoConti family donated the Agora to MidTown Cleveland Inc., a nonprofit organization.
As each generation comes into its prime it affects the contemporary musical environment, bringing in elements of the sounds it grew up with. These days, we are surrounded by references to the culture and sounds of the 1970’s; the era of funk, glam rock, early minimalism, the bi-centennial, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. The 70s was a restless, intelligent, dissatisfied time- a decade of contradictions, a decade of loss, a decade of discovery.
ETHEL celebrates this vibrant decade in a program that is scheduled to include Lou Harrison's Quartet Set (1972), a seminal example of cross-cultural concert music, as well as Kimo Williams' Quiet Shadows, a hauntingly beautiful Vietnam - inspired work, arrangements of music by Sun Ra, and a fascinating new work by rising star Judd Greenstein that incorporates the sound of synthesizers from the 1970s.
Central to this program is the thrilling collaboration between ETHEL and ‘70’s icon, Todd Rundgren. Having toured together in the United States and Europe in 2005, they found a deep connection and ongoing friendship in their passion for authenticity and their curiosity about what’s emerging. Each has assaulted the boundaries of convention with dynamic creativity. The energy onstage is explosive and beautiful.
Todd Rundgren appears courtesy of Panacea Entertainment. Image courtesy of Lynn Goldsmith / LGI.
2012 US Tour
October 17 2012 - Philips Center - University of Florida| Gainesville, FL
October 19 2012 - Palmer Auditorium - Connecticut College| New London, CT
October 20 2012 - Zeiterion Theatre| New Bedford, MA
October 21 2012 - Berrie Center for the Performing Arts - Ramapo College| Mahwah, NJ
October 23 2012 - Redfern Arts Center - Keene State College| Keene, NH
October 24 2012 - Midland Theater| Newark, OH
October 26 2012 - Clowes Memorial Hall - Butler University| Indianapolis, IN
October 28 2012 - Clarice Smith PAC - University of Maryland| College Park, MD
October 30 2012 - American Theatre| Hampton, VA
November 1 2012 - Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts| Cerritos, CA
November 3 2012 - Mondavi Center - University of California| Davis, CA
THURSDAY June 28th at 8:30pm
EDT / 7:30 CDT / 5:30 PDT at www.rundgrenradio.com (Click
LISTEN)
Special guest Mark Volman will be on to discuss Todd's Revival
Camp. Also, Doug & CruiserMel will be discussing the next RR promoted Todd
gigs coming up on 10/12-13 and continuing the post-Rockford
discussion.
Mark Volman is an American rock
and roll singer, best known as a founding member of the 1960s band The Turtles.
Volman became a stand-out figure upon joining the Mothers of Invention under the
tutelage of Frank Zappa. At times during his career he has used the pseudonym
"Flo".
Ringo Starr returned to Easton tonight, and with a little help from his friends, lit up the State Theatre with radiant energy as bright as the constellation painted on the trap behind him.
Starr and His All Starr Band — which included rock veteran Todd Rundgren and Toto axe man Steve Lukather on guitar, Santana keyboardist/organist Gregg Rolie and bassist Richard Page, of Mr. Mister —brought their tour to the State Theatre.
Starr let the rest of his band file out first before coming from the side of the stage to a nearly deafening roar and applause from the crowd, taking the stage flashing peace signs on both hands.
Remarking on his fourth visit to the theater — he performed at State in 2010, 2006 and 2003 — Starr joked, "The world stood still. And then Ringo came to town."
Starr's wry sense of humor was prevalent as he kept the energy up, joking between songs and responding "And I love you, too" to the continuous shrieks of "I love you" from the crowd.
"Love is love, you know," Starr said, later quipping, "I always love it when it's a deep voice."
The drummer's set blended songs from his solo career —including his 1971 hit "It Don't Come Easy" and the song "I'm the Greatest," which was written for Starr by former bandmate John Lennon — and Starr's "other" band, The Beatles ("Don't Pass Me By" and the Fab Four's rendition of The Shirelles' "Boys").
Starr also sprinkled in tunes off his 2012 release, the aptly named "Ringo 2012." This included the upbeat "Wings" and "Anthem."
With a plethora of talented — and well rehearsed — musicians surrounding him, Starr made sure to let his musical companions have their turns in the spotlight.
The band, sans Starr, who exited the stage, stirred up the crowd with an extended and impressive spin through Santana's "Black Magic Woman." It was the first of two Santana representations, following an earlier take on "Oye Coma Va."
Rundgren, sporting lime green pants and frequently banging away on a sea foam green Fender Telecaster, also had an opportunity to flex his muscles. He led the band, and the crowd, through the rock classic, "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad."
Later in the night, Rundgren put down his guitar, grabbed a pair of drum sticks and jumped in front of two tympani drums for a raucous, sweltering rendition of "Bang the Drum All Day," with Starr smiling from ear to ear as he kept a steady beat perched behind his drum kit.
Starr spent most of the time on stage not as the house drummer, but as the front-man; dancing and swaying along to the music. Nearly every song ended with many, if not most, of those in attendance on their feet.
One of the biggest thrills of the night came when Starr led the crowd through a sing-a-long of The Beatles' "Yellow Submarine." During the song, one fan held up what appeared to be a cardboard submarine, bopping it along to the music.
Starr made sure to share the love, which was reciprocated by the rest of those on stage.
"You can't imagine the what it's like to be on stage with the heartbeat of our generation," Rundgren said.
Lukather stood out among the All Starrs, laying down a blistering, frenzied solo during "Oye Coma Va."
Starr and Co. closed out the night with arguably his most popular Fab Four vocal contribution, "With A Little Help From My Friends," and Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance."
It was clear throughout the night that Starr was having fun on stage — looking less like a 71-year-old pop icon, and more like an exuberant teenager discovering the power and joy of rock 'n' roll for the very first time.
Ringo Starr's birthday doesn't happen until next month. But June 22, when the band played at Jones Beach Amphitheater in New York, was the birthday of one of the band's members, the 64th birthday of Todd Rundgren. And the show included a little celebration.
Starr called him "the birthday boy," then wondered if there "was something in that birthday cake?? That's all I'm gonna say," according to Kris Tash, who attended the show.
The severe weather that rolled across the tri-state area didn't dampen the enthusiasm of the crowd that gathered to see the them, she said, though the traffic might've lessened it a bit.
“A drive that should've taken two hours from New Jersey, took us about 3-1/2," she said. "And when Ringo hit the stage, we found out we weren't the only ones. After 'Matchbox' and 'It Don't Come Easy,' he said, 'I got stuck on the freeway, too!' He was really glad to be back, though, saying, 'Finally, Jones Beach!'"
Former drummer for The Beatles, Ringo Starr talked to Artisan News to discuss his charity art show at the Pop International Galleries in New York City.
Thursday.
RundgrenRadio.com
8:30pm ET on THURSDAY June 28.
Special guest Mark Volman will be on to discuss Todd's Revival Camp. Also, Doug & CruiserMel will be discussing the next RR promoted Todd gigs coming up on 10/12-13 and continuing the post-Rockford discussion.
Mark Volman is an American rock and roll singer, best known as a founding member of the 1960s band The Turtles. Volman became a stand-out figure upon joining the Mothers of Invention under the tutelage of Frank Zappa. At times during his career he has used the pseudonym "Flo".
Todd Rundgren (Ringo Starr's All Star Band ) Interview
By: Thom Jennings Monday, June 25, 2012
As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist, lecturer, and interactive artist. Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and contact of popular music. From his own timeless hits of )"Hello It's Me," I Saw the Light," "Bang the Drum,") to his power pop band Utopia, to his myriad record productions (Hall & Oates, Patti Smith, Grand Funk Railroad, Cheap Trick, Meat Loaf) and universally acknowledged as the godfather of the marriage of music and multimedia, he is truly a modern day Renaissance man.
We sat down and talked to Todd about his second go round with Ringo and the All Star Band and what does playing with Ringo personally mean to him. Sit back and enjoy a pleasant conversation with Todd Rundgren.
We would like to thank Jennifer Smith from the Fallsview Casino for setting up the interview with Steve. For more information on the Ringo Starr All Star Band, please go to: Ringo Starr All Star Band.
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For more information on Todd in general, please go to: Todd Rundgren.
With a little help from his friends, Ringo Starr cranked up the 13th-edition All-Starr Band last week in Niagara Falls, gassed it up, and is taking it on the road…
The sumptuous 2012 model All-Starr Band includes “newcomers” Steve Lukather (Toto) and Gregg Rolie (Santana, Journey) alongside veterans Todd Rundgren, Richard Page, Mark Rivera and Gregg Bissonette.
Playing to a sold-out crowd in the Avalon Ballroom at Fallsview Casino, this musical A-team pounded out a jukebox of hits that included Rosanna, Africa, Black Magic Woman, I Saw the Light and Broken Wings, along with Ringo’s classics like It Don’t Come Easy, Photograph, and Yellow Submarine.
Ringo also performed tracks including Wings and Anthem, both from his just-released 17th solo album, Ringo 2012. Ringo jokes…
I covered one of my old songs, Wings — I even thought that “Wings” would be a nice album title! I’m sure Paul would have been cool with me calling my album Wings, but someone else would have found a way to misinterpret that too. So “Ringo 2012″ it is – pure and simple – just the way I like things…because this is where I am now.
Where Ringo is now is where Rock Cellar Magazine was too — the launchpad of the 24-stop tour. He was bedecked in his trademark sunglasses, a dark blazer and matching pants — and, perhaps not surprisingly, a t-shirt bearing the Beatles’ Revolver album cover.
[Related Interview with Revolver album biographer Robert Rodriguez HERE in this issue] Ringo Starr chatted with us about his All-Starr Band, both past and present, and every member of the All-Starr band spoke exclusively with Rock Cellar Magazine about their favorite Beatles album and the indelible mark it made on their lives.
Ringo Starr was a Beatle. Enough said. Rock Cellar Magazine: Do you have a favorite Beatles album? Ringo Starr: For me, that would be the second side of Abbey Road.
That one is my favorite because I just love all those bits and pieces that weren’t full songs that John and Paul had been working on and pulled all together — Mean Mr. Mustard, Polythene Pam, and She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. RCM: Your song Octopus’s Garden was on the first side of Abbey Road. Can you share a memory of writing that song? RS: I was with my family on a boating trip in Sardinia when I wrote that song. I remember the captain giving us squid and chips, and we said, “What’s that? We don’t eat squid. Have you got any fish?” Because we’re from Liverpool. (laughs)
The captain and me ended up hanging out together and we’re talking about octopus. He began telling me how they build these gardens – they go around on the seabed floor finding shiny stones and sea shells, and they put them all around…
I thought to myself, this is the happiest thing I’ve ever heard! I had my guitar with me and I played three chords, and that’s how the song Octopus’s Garden began. — Ringo Starr
RCM: Were you confident in your songwriting at that point in your career? RS: More so at that point than when I presented Don’t Pass Me By on the White Album. I always just tried to write the best song I could. And that’s what I still try to do, because the plan of life is that you improve. That’s the only plan, really, with the hope that your ideas and art get stronger the longer you work at it.
RCM: It was a year ago this month that Clarence Clemons of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band died. What was it like to have Clemons on saxophone in your very first All-Starr Band back in ’89? RS: Clarence was great because I was so nervous on the first All-Starrs tour and I wanted a big guy I could lean on, and no one was bigger than him. And a great musician, he was, and a lot of fun to be around. RCM: More recently, Levon Helm died this April, and he too was a member of that first All-Starr Band. RS: Levon, of course, I loved Levon. I loved his playing. His drumming style was incredible and it really belonged to him. You know, the drums don’t have all those chords that guitars have, where you can either put something in or leave something out — that’s really our art, and he was great at it. And a great singer, oh yes indeed.
I also loved him as a man. We were close over the years. He was on the Ringoalbum. You know, this happens, the wheel keeps spinning and God bless them both.
Left photo by Jeff Kravitz; WireImage Right photo by Robert Knight
RCM: Colin Hay (Men at Work) recently told Rock Cellar Magazine thatbeing in the All-Starr Band is like being in the greatest cover band in the world. RS: I’m surrounded by incredible musicians, incredible songs, and I don’t know if it’s going to work the day before we get here. All-Starrs have worked for the last 23 years now — so this is what we do.
I remember Stewart Copeland (The Police) came to see the show and he said the best line: “What a great band – no sidemen!” Until he said that, we never thought of it that way. The band loves that expression. And he’s right, because everybody on stage is a star in their own right.
Steve Lukather, founding member of Toto, 35-year veteran of 2,000-plus albums (with Michael Jackson, Elton John, Miles Davis and many more), winner of five Grammys and inductee in the Musicians Hall of Fame. Rock Cellar Magazine: What is your favorite Beatles album? Steve Lukather:Meet the Beatles — that was the life changer for me, with the song I Saw Her Standing There.
It was George’s solo – well, everything really. My father had bought that album for me when I was seven, and I wore that record out! It was the “on” switch to my life, and every song was magic. The sound was otherworldly to me, as if something from another place and time came to touch me.
And that feeling is still there for me and for everyone I know that was there in real time. Not “retro” but real time. You had to be there and live through it all, really, the way the Beatles changed everything. Kids today could never understand it. It was not like some teeny bop shit. It was real, and still is. RCM: What other Beatles albums did you own? All of them? SL: I collected them all from the moment they were released, so it was a soundtrack to my coming of age in every way. Getting a new Beatles record was an event, not a purchase. I would do things for my mom and dad to get the money to buy them, or it would be a birthday or Christmas gift, then I would sit and devour the music ’til it drove my family nuts! (laughs) But those Beatles albums were the first songs I learned to play.
photo courtesy of Steve Lukather
RCM: You were in a band even as a kid, right? SL: Yeah, when I was 11 years old – and the White Album had just come out and I learned to play Back in the U.S.S.R. I was a little kid! It was always about the music for me, and my voice hadn’t even changed yet. And we were pretty good. We’d be makin’ 20 bucks a week playing gigs. I remember we played at school, and hearing the girls scream – I was a goner from then on! (laughs) RCM: Tell us about the new album you’re working on. SL: I am done tracking and recording, then it’s mix time with a few last minute overdubs, but it won’t come out ’til January 2013. So I’ll have time to be in the same room for the mixes, but I am very proud of it. It’s called Transition at this point.
Lukather in Toto; 1982 (photo: stevelukather.net)
RCM: And what are your plans for the year ahead? SL: Well, I’ll be performing with Ringo until July 21st, then I leave on the 26th for a month in Europe with Toto, then back to L.A. for USA shows. Then I go back out to Mexico with Joe Satriani and John Petrucci for two G3 shows. I toured Australia with Joe and Steve Vai in March. Then I’m off ’til next February until I begin my solo tour, then come back in May to rehearse with Toto for our 35th anniversary world tour. That’s it in a nutshell! RCM: As a newcome to the All-Starr Band, how have the first couple of weeks in rehearsals being going? SL: It’s a great band with a bunch of great players and singers, and then of course, Ringo! I am so honored to be here and he is such an amazing man – everything I could have dreamed him to be. This is the best summer vacation I have ever had!
Gregg Bissonette, longtime rock drummer for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, David Lee Roth, Brian Wilson, Duran Duran, Toto and his idol, Ringo Starr. RCM: Do you have a favorite Beatles album? Gregg Bissonette: I’d have to say A Hard Day’s Night.
I was seven years old at the time, and it was the first time I heard the Beatles. I remember going to the drive-in movies and seeing A Hard Day’s Night and hearing songs like Can’t Buy Me Love, You Can’t Do That, and Any Time at All. As the years went on, Help! was a huge album for me, along with Rubber Soul and Revolver which were hugely important to me – and still are. But I remember seeing all the U.S. Parlophone records around, but we had all the Capitol stuff like the Beatles’ Second Album, along with Meet the Beatles. RCM: Meet the Beatles was actually the album that turned Steve Lukather onto the Fab Four. You have a long history with him, right? GB: Yeah, the first time I met Steve was in ’85, right after I joined David Lee Roth’s band. Jeff Porcaro invited me to sit in with the band Los Lobotomys where he was playing drums with Steve Lukather on guitar and David Garfield on keyboards, and that was the first time we jammed together. We did a lot of gigs after that in Los Angeles and a lot of recording sessions.
Bissonette (right) with David Lee Roth
Then Steve invited me to play with Toto for four months in Europe in ’95. Then the Luke album was done and he invited me to tour that album in Japan and Europe, followed by a tour with Steve Lukather and Larry Carlton where we won a Grammy for an album called No Substitutions. I also played on his new album that isn’t finished yet; it’s so great to have him in the band…! RCM: Along with being his drummer, what’s your relationship like with Ringo? GB: It’s a great friendship, but as drummers we have an awesome relationship too. We are always talking about fills and grooves and where this song, and that song, should end. For instance, Todd’s song I Saw the Light – I think Todd probably played the drums on that – it goes, dun-dun-dun-doo-bop-ti-ti-boom-boom for the intro and the verses. But then the chorus goes boom-ti-ti-bop. So they flip, and we are always joking about that, like, “This crazy part is coming up!” It’s a real brotherly drumming kind of relationship, and lord knows I’ve learned so much from Ringo over the years.
Todd Rundgren, songwriter, recording artist, software developer, interactive artist and renowned producer of albums including Meat Loaf’s Bat Out of Hell. RCM: Do you remember the first Beatles album you ever heard? Todd Rundgren: I remember hearing the song Please Please Me on the car radio, from their debut album, and thinking, “Wow — that’s different! That’s different from the usual crap we hear on the radio.”
And it really was. It was very different to all the pretty boy Fabian or Frankie Avalon and a bunch of back-up musicians thing. Hearing the Beatles for the first time, I remember thinking, “These guys are tight, and exciting!”
But just before that – I was maybe 15 years old when the Beatles came out – before they had even released a record in the U.S., I remember being in the school library where they had magazines like Time and Newsweek.
I vividly recall leafing through those magazines and reading this little sidebar talking about the Beatles. But the focus was less about their music and more about their hair. Y’know, what they called the pudding-bowl hair cut, or whatever it was. And I thought, “This is for me because I hate having my hair cut!” I loved the idea of having long hair, so before I had ever heard their music I was into the Beatles – just because of the hair. RCM: History repeats itself – Justin Bieber’s hair makes headlines now. TR: Well, he is pretty much nothing but a haircut (laughs). And that’s nothing compared to when you saw the Beatles getting chased down the street by hundreds of screaming girls because they have long hair and pointy boots. I remember seeing that and thinking, “That’s what I need!” Because I couldn’t get a girlfriend for the life of me, but I thought, “All I got to do is grow my hair long and play a guitar, and life will be better!” RCM: Any other Beatles’ songs you remember hearing for the first time? TR: I remember the first time I heard Roll Over Beethoven on a jukebox in a pizza restaurant with a big 15-inch speaker. That was the very first time I’d ever heard a bass drum! And that thump that went, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom, and thinking, “Wow, now that’s something!” I wasn’t just hearing it, I could feel it! And so my brain started to open up about all the possibilities of what music might be for me.
I was a guitar player and loved the instrument, and thought I might get into a band like the Ventures, y’know, playing Walk Don’t Run or instrumentals like that. And here were the Beatles – with songs that spoke about the concerns of youth and not just, “Oh baby, I love you.” It was music that was starting to get wider and brighter, and I wasn’t totally sure what it was but I knew it was something I wanted to do at that point… when I first heard those Beatles songs. RCM: As a veteran of the All-Starr Band, how does this line-up compare to previous incarnations? TR: This has been my third experience with the band, and this is the first time, from a non-musical stand point, where this band actually walks the walk, with the whole “peace and love” thing. Every day that we play together, we love each other more! We go out to dinner together, we go to the movies together, and all that inspires us to play better together. And I guarantee that by the end of this tour, we’re going to be delivering renditions that surpass anything we’ve done before.
Richard Page, singer and bassist of multi-platinum-selling band Mr. Mister, songwriter for the likes of Kenny Loggins, Celine Dion, Tupac and Madonna, and musical collaborator with Elton John, Michael Jackson and countless others. RCM: Is there one album that turned you onto the Beatles? Richard Page: Lemme tell you, I wasn’t a huge Beatles fan in the beginning..!
I think I was about 10 years old when they first came on the scene and I was living in Santa Monica, CA. Growing up there, and at that time, the Beach Boys were much more popular in my area where I lived. There were a few Beatles fans, and I remember that kids at school would kind of draw a line in the sand, like you were either a Beatles fan or you were a Beach Boys fan. And you’d dress the part. You’d dress like a Beach Boy or you’d dress like a Beatle. And I was a Beach Boys fan.
All that changed when I discovered Revolver, and then I really, really got what they were all about. That album blew my mind because it was so intricate and so interesting lyrically and compositionally. It was so unusual and groundbreaking. So with Revolver, that’s where I really started to become a fan of the Beatles. RCM: You’ve been with the All-Starr Band for a few years now. How does it differ from being in previous bands like Pages, Mr. Mister and Third Matinee? RP: I’d say it’s just like any other band except we haven’t been with each other for years and years, so we don’t carry around all the baggage. (laughs) So that’s good! It’s really a lot of fun as we get to hang out, socialize, and get to know each other.
And the cool thing about it is that all the songs are huge hits that everybody knows. They’re a part of everybody’s history, like Gregg Rolie doing Black Magic Woman this tour. It’s always amazing to watch people’s faces light up as soon as they hear the down beat of a song they love. You should see it from where we’re standing the people just go crazy when we break into Yellow Submarine. RCM: What was it like when you first met Ringo? RP: I was totally enamored when I first met him and I was kind of intimidated. He was so kind, though, and so regular. He’s just a really sweet guy. And he’s able to compartmentalize the “Ringo” part of his character. RCM: How so? RP: Richard Starkey is a separate thing from “Ringo.” He’s managed to have a healthy attitude about his celebrity, and lives his live with a lot of dignity. That’s one really cool thing about him once you get to know him.
Mr. Mister (from richardpagemusic.com)
Another cool thing about Ringo is this year, he’s letting me play a third song on tour and it’s not a Mr. Mister song. It’s a solo song of mine called You Are Mine which was on my last album, Peculiar Life. RCM: And you have a new album soon to be released, right? RP: Yes, it’s called Songs from the Sketchbook and it’s coming out in a few weeks. The songs were all demos or songs that I’ve pitched to other people – maybe they cut them, maybe they didn’t. But most of them are songs that I really like that maybe nobody’s heard.
I was inspired by people talking on the internet about these demos I’ve had that were bootlegged, where fans would trade them around and talk about them. And I thought that if they’re going to do that, then I’m going to get some of them together and master them and put them out the way I want them to be heard. I think it’s a cool idea and I’m really excited about releasing it soon.
Gregg Rolie, co-founder of supergroups Santana and Journey, known for his keyboards and vocals on Evil Ways, No One to Depend On, and Black Magic Woman; Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as part of Santana. RCM: Was there a pivotal Beatles album in your life? Gregg Rolie: Man, there are so many of them that would be hard to choose just one.
I can answer that question by saying the Beatles did things from Revolver to Rubber Soul that were so innovative, so hard to do. Complete opposite side of those albums would be Sgt. Peppers with the multi-tracking with four tracks. Nobody had ever done that before, either. So I can’t pick just one album, because their whole career was brilliant, and to think that it actually happened over the period of nine years — all that music was created. I’ve never seen anything so prolific as that.
And it wasn’t like schlock stuff, they did everything and they did it successfully. I know when I first heard Love Me Do on my little clock radio when I was a kid, I remember listening to it as I was going to sleep and thinking what a cool tune it was. I don’t know if anybody knew who they were at that time, but I remember how I felt like I was the one who discovered them. (laughs) RCM: What are you working on these days? GR: I’m in the process of finishing about six songs right now and I did have some stuff that I put out on a CD called Five Days. It’s just me and a piano, because my son thought it was a great idea – singing and playing at the same time, the way they used to do it. RCM: How was that experience? GR: It was unnerving, I have to tell you! When playing and singing at the same time, you have to get it right. And so I’ve done a few things like that recently and played songs that nobody would ever think I would do, along with ones I did with my band which are more of a Latin flavor. And that’s new. What I get a lot of is, fans saying, “Is that a Santana song? I don’t remember that song? Which I consider a compliment because it means it’s in the pocket with what the music is.
Rolie (rt) with Journey (photo: Michael Putland)
RCM: You have been an ardent supporter of the non-profit organization Little Kids Rock, that works to keep art and music in the public school systems. Tell us about that. GR: Well, the very fact that they’re taking music and art out of the education is moronic. It’s a proven scientific fact that if you work that side of the brain it will help you with the other side. It really does. And replacing cultural education in schools with a bunch of numbers is a disgrace.
How will kids know what’s in a museum, if they even know what a museum is? Music and art is such a great point of expression for human beings – it shapes well rounded individuals, and it’s good for the soul, even if you don’t do it professionally. And when you take that choice out of education, you’re taking away something that is beautiful and vital, and I don’t agree with it. I did a show for them in San Francisco, and I think there should be a lot more of that. RCM: As a newcomer to the All-Starr Band, how was that first day of rehearsals? GR: Ringo said that first day, “Ah, we’ll get to know each other in a couple days,” and we pretty much did! I knew Luke (Steve Lukather), not that well but I met him years ago, and I had never met Richard or Todd or Ringo. But it turned out great as this is a great group of human beings to play with. And as you get older, that becomes more important, surrounding yourself with good people, because it will just accentuate that blending of the band even more.
Mark Rivera, multi-instrumentalist who has toured with Foreigner, Billy Joel, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, and Simon & Garfunkel; saxophonist and musical director of the 13th All-Starr Band tour. RCM: Do you have a favorite Beatles album? Mark Rivera:Revolver, no question. I absolutely love Revolver.
I love all the Beatles albums — as I like to call them, because they were albums — but that one in particular because when engineer Geoff Emerick started the recording, he just totally went against the grain. He started blowing up all the equipment because up until then, they weren’t wearing lab suits and you couldn’t put a microphone too close to a bass drum. He just pushed all the limits.
I believe the first song he recorded was Tomorrow Never Knows, which is my ringtone on my phone. Revolver is just a tremendous sounding record, as they took all the boundaries and knocked them down. You’ve got to realise they changed the face of music, not just once, but again and again and again!
[Related Interview with Revolver album biographer Robert Rodriguez HERE in this issue]
When they first came out they were writing pop songs about love, and by the second and third album, things were changing and evolving. I remember the changes happening by the time Rubber Soul came out, and how the band’s appearance was changing with John’s hair getting longer. And they affected every part of my life. Not just the music, but fashion and friends as well. Todd said earlier that the Beatles influenced the way we get along with friends, because they made us want to be in a band, just like them.
So Revolver sticks out as my favourite, and always will. In fact, I’ve got on a Revolver pin and Ringo is wearing a Revolver shirt today. That album changed everything, and I just love it. RCM: You’ve been with the All-Starr Band since ’95 and have shared the stage with the likes of Randy Bachman, Jack Bruce, John Entwistle, Rodger Hodgson, Peter Frampton, Sheila E and many more. Is there one All-Starr member who you most connected with over the years? MR: Paul Carrack (Squeeze, Mike + the Mechanics, Ace) and I hung out together a lot. I just love Paul Carrack — his voice, his personality. When he was in the band we did the songs Tempted, Living Years, and How Long?, so we covered three separate parts of his career.
Then there’s Edgar Winter, who is one of the most talented musicians I’ve ever worked with. The band at that time, I remember how Richard (Page) blew my mind because I didn’t know what a wonderful musician he is, until he came in and just nailed Edgar’s song Frankenstein.
And that’s not easy, because Edgar has these big ears and he hears everything and will say, “Oh no, that’s an F sharp up into a G.” Every bit and piece of that big song is relevant. And with this band, I think Luke (Steve Lukather) is off the chain! He’s the finest guitarist I’ve ever shared the stage with. RCM: Your debut album, Common Bond, will be released this summer, right MR: Yes. People ask me why I decided to do a record now, especially with the state of affairs with the music industry. But I wanted to make an album that reflects all these different people I’ve played with and how incredible influences, like the Beatles, have shaped my music. I love Jimi Hendrix, so I recorded Spanish Castle Magic, and I have some very special guests on the album like Nils Lofgren, Billy Joel, and Ringo.
I’m living a dream, playing in the All-Starr Band. As musicians, I don’t think you can come into this career without being influenced by the Beatles. The source of everything we do really started with Ringo, and all of us are just really thankful for getting our starts by listening to Beatles records.
As each generation comes into its prime it affects the contemporary musical environment, bringing in elements of the sounds it grew up with. These days, we are surrounded by references to the culture and sounds of the 1970’s; the era of funk, glam rock, early minimalism, the bi-centennial, Watergate, and the Vietnam War. The 70s was a restless, intelligent, dissatisfied time- a decade of contradictions, a decade of loss, a decade of discovery.
