Event: Pamela Des Barres on RundgrenRadio.com
"Former GTO and Rock Author"
What: Performance
Host: RundgrenRadio.com
Start Time: Tuesday, March 3 at 8:30pm
End Time: Tuesday, March 3 at 10:30pm
Where: www.rundgrenradio.com
The "almost" official blog for everything Todd Rundgren Related........................................................................................................................................................................... Please visit the sister facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Ma4utopia?ref=hl
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Livedaily article
http://www.livedaily.com/news/15728.html
Todd Rundgren maps more 'Arena' dates
Published February 25, 2009 05:02
By Tjames Madison / LiveDaily Contributor
Visionary rocker Todd Rundgren will continue to support his latest album, "Arena," with another round of US dates.
The 20-show outing is set to kick off March 25 with several shows in Florida, and stop by clubs and theaters across the eastern half of the country through late April. Highlights include a two-night stand in New York City. Details are listed below.
When the tour wraps, Rundgren will head to Hollywood, CA, to guest star at the upcoming Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. The five day event, which starts April 29, allows music lovers to rehearse with rock-star counselors, write original songs, record at Capitol Studios and play at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. They should learn a lot from Rundgren, who is an in-demand producer, songwriter, video pioneer, computer software developer and interactive artist.
With "Arena," Rundgren makes a return to old-school, guitar-heavy arena rock--a move that came about as a consequence of serious misfortune. The multifaceted singer/songwriter was playing with The New Cars between solo albums, "and right when we were supposed to begin our big worldwide tour, we had an accident on the bus and Elliot Easton broke his collarbone," he explained to LiveDaily during an interview last fall.
The accident brought The New Cars outing to an abrupt halt, Rundgren added.
"It was at that point that I got back into doing the guitar-oriented, guitar-quartet thing. It was a quick and easy way to tour when I found myself suddenly without a tour from injury. The response that I got was sort of remarkable. I think it was taking fans back to a time when they first became fans."
"Arena" follows Rundgren's 2004 effort, "Liars," which marked his first set of new material in more than a decade.
In addition to working on his own music, the cutting-edge artist recently finished producing the New York Dolls' forthcoming album.
[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
March 2009
25 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution Live
27 - Clearwater, FL - Capitol Theater
29 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza
31 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theatre
April 2009
1 - Jacksonville, FL - venue to be announced
3 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
4 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood
6 - Indianapolis, IN - Vogue Theatre
7 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
8 - Covington, KY - Madison Theater
10 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
12 - Nashville, TN - Bellcourt Theater
14 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head Live!
16, 17 - New York, NY - City Winery
18 - Vineland, NJ - Hanger 84
20 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
21 - Foxboro, MA - Showcase Live
23 - Cleveland, OH - Ohio Theater
24 - Chicago, IL - Park West
Todd Rundgren maps more 'Arena' dates
Published February 25, 2009 05:02
By Tjames Madison / LiveDaily Contributor
Visionary rocker Todd Rundgren will continue to support his latest album, "Arena," with another round of US dates.
The 20-show outing is set to kick off March 25 with several shows in Florida, and stop by clubs and theaters across the eastern half of the country through late April. Highlights include a two-night stand in New York City. Details are listed below.
When the tour wraps, Rundgren will head to Hollywood, CA, to guest star at the upcoming Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. The five day event, which starts April 29, allows music lovers to rehearse with rock-star counselors, write original songs, record at Capitol Studios and play at the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. They should learn a lot from Rundgren, who is an in-demand producer, songwriter, video pioneer, computer software developer and interactive artist.
With "Arena," Rundgren makes a return to old-school, guitar-heavy arena rock--a move that came about as a consequence of serious misfortune. The multifaceted singer/songwriter was playing with The New Cars between solo albums, "and right when we were supposed to begin our big worldwide tour, we had an accident on the bus and Elliot Easton broke his collarbone," he explained to LiveDaily during an interview last fall.
The accident brought The New Cars outing to an abrupt halt, Rundgren added.
"It was at that point that I got back into doing the guitar-oriented, guitar-quartet thing. It was a quick and easy way to tour when I found myself suddenly without a tour from injury. The response that I got was sort of remarkable. I think it was taking fans back to a time when they first became fans."
"Arena" follows Rundgren's 2004 effort, "Liars," which marked his first set of new material in more than a decade.
In addition to working on his own music, the cutting-edge artist recently finished producing the New York Dolls' forthcoming album.
[Note: The following tour dates have been provided by artist and/or tour sources, who verify its accuracy as of the publication time of this story. Changes may occur before tickets go on sale. Check with official artist websites, ticketing sources and venues for late updates.]
March 2009
25 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution Live
27 - Clearwater, FL - Capitol Theater
29 - Orlando, FL - The Plaza
31 - Birmingham, AL - Workplay Theatre
April 2009
1 - Jacksonville, FL - venue to be announced
3 - Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
4 - Memphis, TN - Minglewood
6 - Indianapolis, IN - Vogue Theatre
7 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall
8 - Covington, KY - Madison Theater
10 - Columbus, OH - LC Pavilion
12 - Nashville, TN - Bellcourt Theater
14 - Annapolis, MD - Rams Head Live!
16, 17 - New York, NY - City Winery
18 - Vineland, NJ - Hanger 84
20 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse
21 - Foxboro, MA - Showcase Live
23 - Cleveland, OH - Ohio Theater
24 - Chicago, IL - Park West
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
RundgrenRadio Mary Lou Arnold tonight
Special guest Mary Lou Arnold. She has been on stage, in the recording
studio, and behind the scenes on the road keeping all the tour details
together for Todd Rundgren since the 80's.
www.RundgrenRadio.com
Listeners are welcome to call in and ask questions. The ever so
popular chat room will be open.
studio, and behind the scenes on the road keeping all the tour details
together for Todd Rundgren since the 80's.
www.RundgrenRadio.com
Listeners are welcome to call in and ask questions. The ever so
popular chat room will be open.
Monday, February 23, 2009
spring tour updates
Wed 03/25/09 Fort Lauderdale, FL Revolution Official
Fri 03/27/09 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theater Official
Sun 03/29/09 Orlando, FL Plaza Theatre Official
Tue 03/31/09 Birmingham, AL Workplay Official
Wed 04/01/09 Jacksonville, FL TBA Official
Fri 04/03/09 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse Official
Sat 04/04/09 Memphis, TN Minglewood Official
Mon 04/06/09 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Official
Tue 04/07/09 Louisville, KY Headliners Official
Thu 04/09/09 Covington, KY Madison Theater (Covington) Official
Fri 04/10/09 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion Official
Sun 04/12/09 Nashville, TN Bellcourt Theatre Official
Tue 04/14/09 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Live Official
Thu 04/16/09 New York, NY City Winery Official
Fri 04/17/09 New York, NY City Winery Official
Sat 04/18/09 Vineland, NJ Hangar 84 Official
Mon 04/20/09 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Official
Tue 04/21/09 Foxboro, MA Showcase Live Official
Thu 04/23/09 Cleveland, OH OH Theater Official
Fri 04/24/09 Chicago, IL Park West Official
Fri 03/27/09 Clearwater, FL Capitol Theater Official
Sun 03/29/09 Orlando, FL Plaza Theatre Official
Tue 03/31/09 Birmingham, AL Workplay Official
Wed 04/01/09 Jacksonville, FL TBA Official
Fri 04/03/09 Atlanta, GA Variety Playhouse Official
Sat 04/04/09 Memphis, TN Minglewood Official
Mon 04/06/09 Indianapolis, IN The Vogue Official
Tue 04/07/09 Louisville, KY Headliners Official
Thu 04/09/09 Covington, KY Madison Theater (Covington) Official
Fri 04/10/09 Columbus, OH LC Pavilion Official
Sun 04/12/09 Nashville, TN Bellcourt Theatre Official
Tue 04/14/09 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Live Official
Thu 04/16/09 New York, NY City Winery Official
Fri 04/17/09 New York, NY City Winery Official
Sat 04/18/09 Vineland, NJ Hangar 84 Official
Mon 04/20/09 Northampton, MA Iron Horse Official
Tue 04/21/09 Foxboro, MA Showcase Live Official
Thu 04/23/09 Cleveland, OH OH Theater Official
Fri 04/24/09 Chicago, IL Park West Official
Friday, February 20, 2009
Italian TV performance with Patty Pravo - Dave weckl - Nathan East - Todd Rundgren 2/20/09
click on image to see full size and also scroll down to find link for video of performance





http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-98a82dba-4c96-4778-b069-f44e00a9b9bd.html?p=0
Feb 20th performance in Italy with
Patty Pravo - Dave weckl - Nathan East - Todd Rundgren





http://www.rai.tv/dl/RaiTV/programmi/media/ContentItem-98a82dba-4c96-4778-b069-f44e00a9b9bd.html?p=0
Feb 20th performance in Italy with
Patty Pravo - Dave weckl - Nathan East - Todd Rundgren
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
RundgrenRadio May Lou Arnold 2/24/09
Call-in Number: (646) 716-9262
Upcoming Show: 2/24/2009 8:30 PM
Host Name: Rundgren Radio
Show Name: Rundgren Radio with Mary Lou Arnold
Special guest Mary Lou Arnold. She has been on stage, in the recording studio, and behind the scenes on the road keeping all the tour details together for Todd Rundgren since the 80's.
www.rundgrenradio.com
Upcoming Show: 2/24/2009 8:30 PM
Host Name: Rundgren Radio
Show Name: Rundgren Radio with Mary Lou Arnold
Special guest Mary Lou Arnold. She has been on stage, in the recording studio, and behind the scenes on the road keeping all the tour details together for Todd Rundgren since the 80's.
www.rundgrenradio.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
RUNDGRENRADIO TONIGHT JESSE GRESS
Jesse Gress tours and records with Todd Rundgren and the Grammy-nominated Tony Levin Band. A respected performer, music educator, and former music editor of Guitar Player, Jesse has hundreds of transcription folios and magazine articles to his credit, as well as five acclaimed reference books.
Show starts at 8:30pm ET.
http://www.RundgrenRadio.com
Show starts at 8:30pm ET.
http://www.RundgrenRadio.com
rock and roll fantasy camp update
*TODD RUNDGREN GUEST STARS AT
ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY CAMP, KICKING OFF APRIL 29th IN HOLLYWOOD
Campers Live Like Rock Stars, Jamming With Their Idols, Recording At World
Famous Capitol Studios And Playing A Dream Gig At The Whiskey A Go Go On The
Sunset Strip
Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri Cooks For His Fellow Campers At Opening Night Bash*
The legendary *Todd Rundgren* will be a guest star at the upcoming session
of *Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp*, the phenomenon that's been pairing music
fans with rock stars since 1997. The multi-faceted artist, now known as
TR-i, has garnered acclaim not only as a musician but also as a songwriter,
record producer, video pioneer, computer software developer and interactive
artist.
The five-day session, which runs April 29th through May 3rd in Hollywood,
CA, gives music lovers - regardless of their musical ability - a
once-a-lifetime opportunity to live like a rock star and jam with their
idols. Participants form separate bands, each of which receives intensive
coaching from a different rock star in preparation for the two big events
that cap off this unforgettable experience. Each band records an original
song with renowned engineer/producer Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Jimi
Hendrix) at the historic Capitol Studios. Located near Hollywood and Vine,
the famed studios have hosted recording sessions for everyone from Frank
Sinatra and the Beach Boys to Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then the
bands will rock all night, performing at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on
the Sunset Strip, where *Todd Rundgren* will join them on stage.
This session's stellar group of camp counselors includes *Duff McKagan (Guns
N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Steve Lukather (Toto), Bruce Kulick (KISS), Mark
Farner (formerly of Grand Funk Railroad), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats),
Mark Hudson, Alan White (Yes), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Carmine Appice
(Vanilla Fudge) and Earl Slick (David Bowie's band)*. Additional rock stars
and special guests will be announced soon. Campers can also purchase a
"spouse package" if they'd like to bring along a friend or family member.
Chef Guy Fieri, the "bad boy of Food Network," is one of several celebrity
campers that have signed on for the April session. He has graciously offered
to cook up a special meal for participants at the opening night gala
kick-off party.
To learn more about *Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp*, which has been featured by
the "Today" show, "Good Morning America," USA Today, The Wall Street Journal
and "The Simpsons," please visit http://www.rockcamp.com or call
1-888-762-BAND.
For more information on *ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY CAMP*, contact:
Judi Kerr, Judi Kerr Public Relations
(310) 477-8191
judikerr@aol.com
or visit:
http://www.rockcamp.com/
ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY CAMP, KICKING OFF APRIL 29th IN HOLLYWOOD
Campers Live Like Rock Stars, Jamming With Their Idols, Recording At World
Famous Capitol Studios And Playing A Dream Gig At The Whiskey A Go Go On The
Sunset Strip
Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri Cooks For His Fellow Campers At Opening Night Bash*
The legendary *Todd Rundgren* will be a guest star at the upcoming session
of *Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp*, the phenomenon that's been pairing music
fans with rock stars since 1997. The multi-faceted artist, now known as
TR-i, has garnered acclaim not only as a musician but also as a songwriter,
record producer, video pioneer, computer software developer and interactive
artist.
The five-day session, which runs April 29th through May 3rd in Hollywood,
CA, gives music lovers - regardless of their musical ability - a
once-a-lifetime opportunity to live like a rock star and jam with their
idols. Participants form separate bands, each of which receives intensive
coaching from a different rock star in preparation for the two big events
that cap off this unforgettable experience. Each band records an original
song with renowned engineer/producer Eddie Kramer (Led Zeppelin, Jimi
Hendrix) at the historic Capitol Studios. Located near Hollywood and Vine,
the famed studios have hosted recording sessions for everyone from Frank
Sinatra and the Beach Boys to Green Day and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Then the
bands will rock all night, performing at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on
the Sunset Strip, where *Todd Rundgren* will join them on stage.
This session's stellar group of camp counselors includes *Duff McKagan (Guns
N' Roses, Velvet Revolver), Steve Lukather (Toto), Bruce Kulick (KISS), Mark
Farner (formerly of Grand Funk Railroad), Slim Jim Phantom (Stray Cats),
Mark Hudson, Alan White (Yes), Elliot Easton (The Cars), Carmine Appice
(Vanilla Fudge) and Earl Slick (David Bowie's band)*. Additional rock stars
and special guests will be announced soon. Campers can also purchase a
"spouse package" if they'd like to bring along a friend or family member.
Chef Guy Fieri, the "bad boy of Food Network," is one of several celebrity
campers that have signed on for the April session. He has graciously offered
to cook up a special meal for participants at the opening night gala
kick-off party.
To learn more about *Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp*, which has been featured by
the "Today" show, "Good Morning America," USA Today, The Wall Street Journal
and "The Simpsons," please visit http://www.rockcamp.com or call
1-888-762-BAND.
For more information on *ROCK 'N' ROLL FANTASY CAMP*, contact:
Judi Kerr, Judi Kerr Public Relations
(310) 477-8191
judikerr@aol.com
or visit:
http://www.rockcamp.com/
Saturday, February 14, 2009
TODDSTOCK pictures / video now available
CLICK ON EACH PICTURE TO SEE FULL SIZE




Happy Valentines Day from Todd & Michele!
http://www.photobucket.com/toddstock
Login is "Arena" (case sensitive)




Happy Valentines Day from Todd & Michele!
http://www.photobucket.com/toddstock
Login is "Arena" (case sensitive)
Friday, February 13, 2009
Todd to perform one show in Italy Feb 20th
With a little help from our friends
Lino our Italian friend has been working hard lately. He first approached us with an idea of putting TR on the same stage as Italian songstress Patty Pravo who I understand is a long time fan of Todds. The idea has come to fruition and Todd will be heading over to Italy at the end of the month and will be playing a song with Patty Pravo at the SAN REMO FESTIVAL on Feb 20th. Thanks so much to Lino for handling the translation of correspondence and such.
Lino our Italian friend has been working hard lately. He first approached us with an idea of putting TR on the same stage as Italian songstress Patty Pravo who I understand is a long time fan of Todds. The idea has come to fruition and Todd will be heading over to Italy at the end of the month and will be playing a song with Patty Pravo at the SAN REMO FESTIVAL on Feb 20th. Thanks so much to Lino for handling the translation of correspondence and such.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
NEW TOUR DATES JUST ANNOUNCED
A SPRING TOUR OF ABOUT ONE MONTH IN LENGTH .....
Mar 25 2009 8:00P
Revolution Fort Lauderdale FL
Mar 27 2009 8:00P
Capitol Theater Clearwater, Florida
Mar 29 2009 8:00P
The Ritz Orlando, Florida
Mar 31 2009 8:00P
Workplay Birmingham, Alabama
Apr 4 2009 8:00P
Minglewood Memphis, Tennessee
Apr 7 2009 8:00P
HEADLINERS Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 9 2009 8:00P
Madison Theater Covington, Kentucky
Apr 10 2009 8:00P
tbd Columbus, Ohio
Mar 25 2009 8:00P
Revolution Fort Lauderdale FL
Mar 27 2009 8:00P
Capitol Theater Clearwater, Florida
Mar 29 2009 8:00P
The Ritz Orlando, Florida
Mar 31 2009 8:00P
Workplay Birmingham, Alabama
Apr 4 2009 8:00P
Minglewood Memphis, Tennessee
Apr 7 2009 8:00P
HEADLINERS Louisville, Kentucky
Apr 9 2009 8:00P
Madison Theater Covington, Kentucky
Apr 10 2009 8:00P
tbd Columbus, Ohio
Mix Magazine
Music: Todd Rundgren
Feb 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Blair Jackson
HAPPY TO BE ALONE AGAIN
This Month in Mix
Check out what's inside...
Digital Edition
Todd Rundgren
When Todd Rundgren makes a solo album, he makes a solo album. The multifaceted singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer/engineer/tech pioneer first got the urge to do it alone all the way back in 1972, on three of the four sides of his breakthrough Something/Anything? set. Since then, he's recorded albums in every conceivable way — with bands, without bands, layering instruments one at a time, live in the studio with no overdubs, live onstage; you name it. He's cut note-for-note replicas of famous pop songs; laid down convoluted guitar-dominated prog-rock tracks; made an album entirely out of treated vocals; hit the charts with catchy, radio-friendly ballads; recorded interactive albums; and even made one with bossa-nova versions of some of his best-known tunes. His 2004 album, Liars, was a solo affair mostly; just a couple of guest spots kept it from being all-Rundgren. But on his latest, Arena, not only did he make it completely alone — using no other players or assistants — but he didn't even use a studio.
That's quite a feat when one considers that the title refers to the “arena rock” genre, with all its bombast, booming drums, screaming guitars and everything else that term implies. “A lot of my fans like the idea of me being a guitar-playing front man,” Rundgren says with a smirk by phone from Bearsville, N.Y., on Christmas Eve morning. The previous night, he and his current band had played a sold-out concert in this small town that was Rundgren's home base years ago. “I've been through a lot of styles since Utopia [the dazzling prog-rock band he formed in 1974], and there have been times when I've gotten away from the guitar a bit. But after the [summer 2006] New Cars tour was cancelled, I went out and was guitar player with the Tony Levin Band and with some other groups [including his own], and we were getting such great responses from the audience — that's what pushed me to make a guitar-oriented record again. I'm going back to a retro phase — to the era when the guitar was the principal instrument.
“The idea of this record is, I wanted the guitar to essentially provide all the color. Instead of adding a layer of synthesizers or some abstract sounds, I'd just get another guitar sound and use that. There's occasional organ in some places, and there's one song that's a little more modern-sounding in terms of the use of sequencers and stuff [“Today”], but mostly it's lots of guitars.”
Arena was made entirely within a laptop environment, using Propellerhead Reason software, Line 6 TonePort, the Line 6 edition of Sonoma Sound Works' RiffWorks and other virtual tools. “As it turned out, I was having issues with my Pro Tools equipment and didn't want to get it fixed, so I devised this method that allowed me to do the entire project on my laptop with very little extra equipment,” Rundgren says.
“Doing it on the laptop eliminated a rack full of stuff at least, because all I needed was a couple of pieces of hardware — one was an audio I/O box and a Line 6 TonePort [UX-8], which also had two phantom-powered mic ports, so when it came time to do the vocals I didn't have to add any more hardware to that.” The strikingly varied guitar textures on Arena — from crunchy fuzzed riffs to liquidy, practically translucent lines — are products of the Line 6 environment, specifically TonePort and another software window called GearBox.
The flexibility of his laptop system allowed Rundgren to bypass a traditional console, digital recorder and even drums. The last particularly surprised me because Rundgren is a fine drummer and the sound is so authentic on Arena I assumed they were mostly real drums. “Nope, all programmed [in Reason],” Rundgren says with a laugh. “That's kind of revealing the man behind the curtain. If you had to ask, though, I guess I did an okay job of programming them. The drums probably took the longest time of anything — making them sound like real drum performances. Unlike other instruments, drums have a whole lot of vagary in it — little feel things that are just barely audible — and getting those properly framed is the biggest challenge.
“Knowing how to play drums definitely gives you greater insight into how to program them realistically. Plus, at this point, getting the ideal drum take might take just as long from a playing standpoint. I'm not in shape [as a drummer] and I've got tendinitis in my elbows, which makes it hard for me to do it for a long time.”
Rundgren modestly adds, “Almost everything I play besides the guitar, I play with limited technique so it's always interesting working within those limitations. What that does is it leads you to create more textured arrangements. If you're playing a whole lot of notes on one instrument, it's difficult to fit other things into it. But if what you're playing is relatively simple because that's all you can do, you can add other textures to create contrapuntal lines and things like that.”
Speaking more generally about Reason, Rundgren notes, “It uses an extremely familiar metaphor, at least for people who have used synthesizers and sequencers and such. It looks like a rack full of that kind of equipment. It's a literal metaphor, even down to the patch chords in the back, which, when you hit this button that flips the rack around so you can go work with the patch chords, the patch chords sway in the breeze! They come up with a new version of [Reason] with some regularity, and they're always coming up with things that make it even better.”
The actual recording, mostly at his home in Hawaii, was done using RiffWorks, which locks to Reason using ReWire. “You might pick out a guitar loop you want to record over, and you start it up and you start doing takes. I keep the takes I like, I export them out of RiffWorks — I'll clean them up using a simple audio program — and then bring them all into a sampler inside Reason, essentially making an instrument out of each one of them using all the samples I've recorded and then just lay them out as MIDI events.”
Rundgren says that working solo “allows me to focus all the energy into what works best musically. You're not spending all this time going for what would be the so-called ideal take, where four or five guys in the band manage to lock in together and play the parts they intend to play. So the execution of it becomes relatively simple, and the tweaking you do later tends to be more about the sounds you're after rather than the performances.” He says all of his reverbs and other processing also came from with Reason.
“There's a huge amount of flexibility; it can go wherever I go,” he enthuses. “I could mix wherever I want as long as you get used to doing it with headphones and you have confidence that what you're hearing in the 'phones will translate well to speakers. In this case, I'm really happy with how it turned out. There were no major problems along the way.”
But his job with the music on Arena didn't end with the completion of the album. “Then I had to teach it all to my band, and that's been great! The songs have grown, having their input and ideas, which is what you hope will happen with an album. This stuff is really fun to play.”
Feb 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Blair Jackson
HAPPY TO BE ALONE AGAIN
This Month in Mix
Check out what's inside...
Digital Edition
Todd Rundgren
When Todd Rundgren makes a solo album, he makes a solo album. The multifaceted singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer/engineer/tech pioneer first got the urge to do it alone all the way back in 1972, on three of the four sides of his breakthrough Something/Anything? set. Since then, he's recorded albums in every conceivable way — with bands, without bands, layering instruments one at a time, live in the studio with no overdubs, live onstage; you name it. He's cut note-for-note replicas of famous pop songs; laid down convoluted guitar-dominated prog-rock tracks; made an album entirely out of treated vocals; hit the charts with catchy, radio-friendly ballads; recorded interactive albums; and even made one with bossa-nova versions of some of his best-known tunes. His 2004 album, Liars, was a solo affair mostly; just a couple of guest spots kept it from being all-Rundgren. But on his latest, Arena, not only did he make it completely alone — using no other players or assistants — but he didn't even use a studio.
That's quite a feat when one considers that the title refers to the “arena rock” genre, with all its bombast, booming drums, screaming guitars and everything else that term implies. “A lot of my fans like the idea of me being a guitar-playing front man,” Rundgren says with a smirk by phone from Bearsville, N.Y., on Christmas Eve morning. The previous night, he and his current band had played a sold-out concert in this small town that was Rundgren's home base years ago. “I've been through a lot of styles since Utopia [the dazzling prog-rock band he formed in 1974], and there have been times when I've gotten away from the guitar a bit. But after the [summer 2006] New Cars tour was cancelled, I went out and was guitar player with the Tony Levin Band and with some other groups [including his own], and we were getting such great responses from the audience — that's what pushed me to make a guitar-oriented record again. I'm going back to a retro phase — to the era when the guitar was the principal instrument.
“The idea of this record is, I wanted the guitar to essentially provide all the color. Instead of adding a layer of synthesizers or some abstract sounds, I'd just get another guitar sound and use that. There's occasional organ in some places, and there's one song that's a little more modern-sounding in terms of the use of sequencers and stuff [“Today”], but mostly it's lots of guitars.”
Arena was made entirely within a laptop environment, using Propellerhead Reason software, Line 6 TonePort, the Line 6 edition of Sonoma Sound Works' RiffWorks and other virtual tools. “As it turned out, I was having issues with my Pro Tools equipment and didn't want to get it fixed, so I devised this method that allowed me to do the entire project on my laptop with very little extra equipment,” Rundgren says.
“Doing it on the laptop eliminated a rack full of stuff at least, because all I needed was a couple of pieces of hardware — one was an audio I/O box and a Line 6 TonePort [UX-8], which also had two phantom-powered mic ports, so when it came time to do the vocals I didn't have to add any more hardware to that.” The strikingly varied guitar textures on Arena — from crunchy fuzzed riffs to liquidy, practically translucent lines — are products of the Line 6 environment, specifically TonePort and another software window called GearBox.
The flexibility of his laptop system allowed Rundgren to bypass a traditional console, digital recorder and even drums. The last particularly surprised me because Rundgren is a fine drummer and the sound is so authentic on Arena I assumed they were mostly real drums. “Nope, all programmed [in Reason],” Rundgren says with a laugh. “That's kind of revealing the man behind the curtain. If you had to ask, though, I guess I did an okay job of programming them. The drums probably took the longest time of anything — making them sound like real drum performances. Unlike other instruments, drums have a whole lot of vagary in it — little feel things that are just barely audible — and getting those properly framed is the biggest challenge.
“Knowing how to play drums definitely gives you greater insight into how to program them realistically. Plus, at this point, getting the ideal drum take might take just as long from a playing standpoint. I'm not in shape [as a drummer] and I've got tendinitis in my elbows, which makes it hard for me to do it for a long time.”
Rundgren modestly adds, “Almost everything I play besides the guitar, I play with limited technique so it's always interesting working within those limitations. What that does is it leads you to create more textured arrangements. If you're playing a whole lot of notes on one instrument, it's difficult to fit other things into it. But if what you're playing is relatively simple because that's all you can do, you can add other textures to create contrapuntal lines and things like that.”
Speaking more generally about Reason, Rundgren notes, “It uses an extremely familiar metaphor, at least for people who have used synthesizers and sequencers and such. It looks like a rack full of that kind of equipment. It's a literal metaphor, even down to the patch chords in the back, which, when you hit this button that flips the rack around so you can go work with the patch chords, the patch chords sway in the breeze! They come up with a new version of [Reason] with some regularity, and they're always coming up with things that make it even better.”
The actual recording, mostly at his home in Hawaii, was done using RiffWorks, which locks to Reason using ReWire. “You might pick out a guitar loop you want to record over, and you start it up and you start doing takes. I keep the takes I like, I export them out of RiffWorks — I'll clean them up using a simple audio program — and then bring them all into a sampler inside Reason, essentially making an instrument out of each one of them using all the samples I've recorded and then just lay them out as MIDI events.”
Rundgren says that working solo “allows me to focus all the energy into what works best musically. You're not spending all this time going for what would be the so-called ideal take, where four or five guys in the band manage to lock in together and play the parts they intend to play. So the execution of it becomes relatively simple, and the tweaking you do later tends to be more about the sounds you're after rather than the performances.” He says all of his reverbs and other processing also came from with Reason.
“There's a huge amount of flexibility; it can go wherever I go,” he enthuses. “I could mix wherever I want as long as you get used to doing it with headphones and you have confidence that what you're hearing in the 'phones will translate well to speakers. In this case, I'm really happy with how it turned out. There were no major problems along the way.”
But his job with the music on Arena didn't end with the completion of the album. “Then I had to teach it all to my band, and that's been great! The songs have grown, having their input and ideas, which is what you hope will happen with an album. This stuff is really fun to play.”
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
RundgrenRadio: Keyboard player special
Rundgren Radio airs tomorrow night (Tues 2/10/09) at 8:30pm with all 3
of those guys on at the same time!
Keyboard player or not there will be something for YOU in this first
ever 3 special guests on at one time show!
All 3 of our guests have recorded and toured with Todd Rundgren. John
Ferenzik played guitar on The Individualist tour and keyboards on the
LIARS tour. Greg Hawkes, a founding member of The Cars, played
keyboards and sax on The New Cars tours. Roger Powell was the
keyboard/synthesizer player for Utopia. WHAT A LINEUP!
Chat room will be open. Listeners are welcome to call in and ask
questions. Show starts at 8:30pm ET as usual. See ya this Tuesday
2/10/2009 at www.rundgrenradio.com
of those guys on at the same time!
Keyboard player or not there will be something for YOU in this first
ever 3 special guests on at one time show!
All 3 of our guests have recorded and toured with Todd Rundgren. John
Ferenzik played guitar on The Individualist tour and keyboards on the
LIARS tour. Greg Hawkes, a founding member of The Cars, played
keyboards and sax on The New Cars tours. Roger Powell was the
keyboard/synthesizer player for Utopia. WHAT A LINEUP!
Chat room will be open. Listeners are welcome to call in and ask
questions. Show starts at 8:30pm ET as usual. See ya this Tuesday
2/10/2009 at www.rundgrenradio.com
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Saturday, February 7, 2009
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Friday, February 6, 2009
todd rundgren: rock and roll fantasy camp


Dear Rockstars,
The upcoming camp is heating up! Legendary rockstar/producer, Todd
Rundgren, is coming to Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp to jam with each band.
Todd, who is arguably one of the most versatile rockers of our
generation, is going to conduct master classes, jam sessions, and
rehearse with each band at the upcoming camp. This is VERY exciting as
I consider Todd to be one of the most innovative and talented
producers/musicians of our time. There's not a sporting event or radio
station on Friday afternoon that doesn't play his song "Bang on the
Drum All Day." Please see the spotlight section of the newsletter to
learn more about Todd and his many accomplishments. Todd Rundgren is a true jack of all trades, gaining success and notoriety in the music, production, and
even computer programming worlds. Todd has had a successful solo
career, and has played with his band Utopia. As a producer, Todd has
been hailed as a genius for his ability to command career defining
albums from such bands as Meatloaf, XTC, Cheap Trick, and The Band.
Todd has also found success in the digital world as well where he has
developed various computer programs, including Patronet in the mid
1990's. Todd has brought success to everything he has touched and we
know he'll bring that same enthusiasm to camp this April!
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