Posted on Sep 15th 2011 2:00PM by Chris Epting
For more than 40 years, Todd Rundgren has carved out one of the most ambitious, impressive and unpredictable careers in music. A multi-faceted musician, composer and performer, he's also one of the most notable and successful record producers of his generation. Artists as diverse as Badfinger, the New York Dolls, the Patti Smith Group, Grand Funk Railroad, XTC, Meat Loaf, the Tubes and many others have gotten the Rundgren production treatment over the years. For his latest project, 'reProductions,' Rundgren built a playlist of songs from artists he's produced over the course of his career and reimagined them as techno/dance-pop numbers.
The result is a beguiling, ethereal mix of radically rearranged songs that, in some cases, all but abandon the original melodies. Rundgren's knack for crafting unorthodox pop hooks and his sonic sculpting behind the board make for a lush, compelling collection of spacey, beat-studded productions. On top of that, he got an assist from fans at Gigatone, a studio fantasy camp that allowed them to play on some of the tracks.
Spinner recently caught up with Rundgren to discuss the album, its unique concept and his thoughts on producing.
READ THE FULL INTERVIEW BY CLICKING ON THE LINK BELOW.
http://www.spinner.com/2011/09/15/todd-rundgren-reproductions/
The "almost" official blog for everything Todd Rundgren Related........................................................................................................................................................................... Please visit the sister facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Ma4utopia?ref=hl
Friday, September 16, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Todd Rundgren's Utopia Ruth Eckard Hall Capital Theater 11/5/2011 Clearwater, Florida
http://www.rutheckerdhall.com/event/todd-rundgrens-utopia/9979/
For the first time in more than 35 years, Todd Rundgren’s UTOPIA featuring original members Moogy Klingman, Kevin Ellman, Ralph Schuckett and John Siegler have reunited and will perform in concert at the historic Capitol Theatre Capitol in the Cleveland Street District in Downtown Clearwater.
DONT BOOK AIRFARE AS OF YET UNTIL WE GET CONFORMATION THAT THIS IS SET IN STONE. SEEMS THAT THE PLANS KEEP ON CHANGING.
For the first time in more than 35 years, Todd Rundgren’s UTOPIA featuring original members Moogy Klingman, Kevin Ellman, Ralph Schuckett and John Siegler have reunited and will perform in concert at the historic Capitol Theatre Capitol in the Cleveland Street District in Downtown Clearwater.
DONT BOOK AIRFARE AS OF YET UNTIL WE GET CONFORMATION THAT THIS IS SET IN STONE. SEEMS THAT THE PLANS KEEP ON CHANGING.
You've Got To Hide Your Love Away - Todd Rundgren Jam Session - 2011.01.17
Todd Rundgren, Brent Bourgeois, Robert Warwas, James Van Wert, Jesse Gress, Kasim Sulton. Jam session at Pearl on the River, in Sacramento, CA
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
A vision in the middle of a day dream by chris epting
A Vision in the Middle of a Daydream
posted by Chris Epting | 12:03pm Saturday February 5, 2011
http://blog.beliefnet.com/popcultureroadtrip/2011/02/a-vision-in-the-middle-of-a-daydream.html
Excerpted from a recent piece I wrote for AOL News…
“Veteran singer-songwriterMark “Moogy” Klingman (who, along with Buzzy Linhart wrote the Bette Midler standard “(You Gotta Have) Friends”) was recently diagnosed with cancer. His battle to survive is being fueled with what he knows best:singing and playing keyboards for his band The Peaceniks, in and around New York City.
”The medicine that works best is the music,” he told AOL News recently, “and what’s happening at the end of this month is probably the best medicine the musical gods could have ordered.”
Klingman’s referring to two shows he’ll be part of Jan. 29 and 30 at the Highline Ballroom in New York City. The concerts will be special, as they will feature a reunited version of the revolutionary early-1970s band that helped put Klingman on the musical map: Todd Rundgren’s Utopia.”
Well, as most Rundgren/Utopia fans know, those shows happened last weekend. On Wednesday, 2/2, Sunday night’s performance aired in its entirety as a video-on-demand offering.
For those of us who’d wanted to attend but couldn’t – and I’m sure for many who had been in attendance – there was great anticipation about the webcast. By most firsthand accounts, the shows were dazzling. Any flubs, miscues or forgotten lyrics were all but forgiven in view of the scant rehearsal time and complex material.
Beyond that though, the inspiration for the shows, Klingman’s terminal illness, no doubt tempered the mood in terms of critique.
After watching the show, I’d offer that by any definition, this was an extraordinary musical evening. That’s true in large part to Klingman, who although has been suffering the ravages ofnot just the disease but also the treatments, played the keys like his life depended on it – because in a sense – it did. As he has said, this project (and the energy surrounding it) is something he has derived strength from.
Delicately opening the night alone at the piano with a shimmering interlude based on the Utopia Theme, Klingman then dovetailed the melody into “Never, Neverland” which found Rundgren at the center stage mic.
In a balanced, stirring moment, two old friends were recreating a classic just as they had on Rundgren’s 1978 Back to the Bars club tour and earlier, on 1973′s “A Wizard, A True Star” album.
After a set of Klingman compositions (including the elegant, soulful “Dust in the Wind”, the lyrics of which now take on a heightened meaning), the full band (keyboardist Ralph Schuckett, bassist John Siegler,drummer Kevin Ellman, Rundgren, backing singers Kasim Sulton, Darryl Tookes,Curtis King Jr. and guest guitarist Jesse Gress) settled in to tackle (primarily) a host of knotty-yet-melodic Utopia classics from the challenging prog era of1974-75.
Overall, the broadcast had a soothing quality. The comforting, evocative chord progressions and cozy-flannel familiarity of Rundgren’s voice made for a night of intimate musical scrapbooking – a couple of hours on a wintry night spent around the crackling Utopian campfire before about 700 friends.
Given Rundgren’s busy schedule,the core band was to set the foundation for him with a week or two of rehearsal. Then he’d step in at the eleventh hour to assume his role as savant front man.
Would the cement have time to dry? Would Rundgren be able to play catch up with his formidable former band?
Yes and yes.
Under the watchful eye – and authoritative-beyond-description basslines – of John Siegler, things soared.
Todd Rundgren, never one for over sentimentality, also helped keep the evening rolling along. There was no time for mawkishness, because there was music to play and that was his mission.Part of the charm of the night centered on Rundgren. For decades one of rock’s premier front men, as good as he is – and he remains a monster – he stills seems vulnerable and slightly awkward, which adds to his appeal.
One might also forget that in the 1970s, his name regularly appeared in magazine reader polls next to Page and Clapton as the best guitarist of the day, and he reminded the crowd of this with some searing, dazzling fretwork.
As for how the band sounded in this reunited form, they recreated the rich, luminous sound that had been their trademark with relative ease, evoking the powerhouse that they were almost four decades ago.
Remember, this was an A-list group that, to a person, was as proficient as any other band of the era. Ellman’s disarmingly simple drum style formed a rock steady rythym section with Siegler, and Schuckett played with studied, professorial class.
And Klingman? His emotional, cascading piano solos added rainbow pools of texture and emotion.
What I found most striking was the jaw-dropping diversity of the repertoire. One might forget the full-bodied range this band had and just how many styles could be squeezed into one night’s performance.
There were cosmic ballads,(“The Last Ride”, “The Wheel”), the funky gestalt of “Another Life”, and a healthy slab of the 30-minute musical quilt known as “The Ikon.”
And then there were the anthems – the proggy, black-light sci-fi metal of the “Utopia Theme”, the call-to-arms classic “Freedom Fighters”, the typically-majestic set-closer “Just One Victory” and the rousing sing along encore, “Sons of 1984.”
There were Klingman’s own Tin Pan Alley-esque odes, a cover of The Move’s chunky classic “Do Ya”, and still there was more.
The breadth of material was just as head spinning now as it was in the mid 70s, cramming oddball time signatures,blue eyed soul, airy esotericism, funk, and interstellar jazz into one rippling, prismatic two-hour set.
The faithful crowd was typically enthusiastic as they are for anything Rundgren-related, but with a purpose.They basked in the glow of the musical sun – and radiated the energy back to the band, punctuating the night with whoops, hollers and waves of love designed to crash upon Klingman – which they did.
Like the band, the audience also came to play.
As mentioned, there were a few flubs, but they only added to the spontaneous, little-boy wonder of the evening.
As a viewer, I feel compelled to say thanks to these players, who took some time for a friend. In doing so, they also led many of us back to another place and time – offering us a peek through the window to an earlier point in our lives – a hope-laden,pregnant-with-promise era when music was our nectar.
As Rundgren told me when I interviewed him for the piece I wrote prior to the show: “As is the case when you choose to play the older stuff, it has an instant effect on fans because it transports them back to a time when they were younger, when there was a sense of optimism, and when music really mattered in their lives.”
So true.
Maybe it was a summer day at Wollman Rink in Central Park.
Or a cool fall day in a college football stadium.
Or a barn-like auditorium on a Minnesota winter night.
Or in your bedroom,listening to the “Another Live” album through headphones.
Wherever we were first initiated, Utopia meant a lot to many of us. The humanity of the music, and the spirit of the music are clearly still vital.
This is what good music does; it makes us laugh, makes us cry and sends chills down our spine. It soothes us, it inspires is and awakens all of our most precious instincts.
It connects us.
And it has the power to make people feel better.
Just as this broadcast did
posted by Chris Epting | 12:03pm Saturday February 5, 2011
http://blog.beliefnet.com/popcultureroadtrip/2011/02/a-vision-in-the-middle-of-a-daydream.html
Excerpted from a recent piece I wrote for AOL News…
“Veteran singer-songwriterMark “Moogy” Klingman (who, along with Buzzy Linhart wrote the Bette Midler standard “(You Gotta Have) Friends”) was recently diagnosed with cancer. His battle to survive is being fueled with what he knows best:singing and playing keyboards for his band The Peaceniks, in and around New York City.
”The medicine that works best is the music,” he told AOL News recently, “and what’s happening at the end of this month is probably the best medicine the musical gods could have ordered.”
Klingman’s referring to two shows he’ll be part of Jan. 29 and 30 at the Highline Ballroom in New York City. The concerts will be special, as they will feature a reunited version of the revolutionary early-1970s band that helped put Klingman on the musical map: Todd Rundgren’s Utopia.”
Well, as most Rundgren/Utopia fans know, those shows happened last weekend. On Wednesday, 2/2, Sunday night’s performance aired in its entirety as a video-on-demand offering.
For those of us who’d wanted to attend but couldn’t – and I’m sure for many who had been in attendance – there was great anticipation about the webcast. By most firsthand accounts, the shows were dazzling. Any flubs, miscues or forgotten lyrics were all but forgiven in view of the scant rehearsal time and complex material.
Beyond that though, the inspiration for the shows, Klingman’s terminal illness, no doubt tempered the mood in terms of critique.
After watching the show, I’d offer that by any definition, this was an extraordinary musical evening. That’s true in large part to Klingman, who although has been suffering the ravages ofnot just the disease but also the treatments, played the keys like his life depended on it – because in a sense – it did. As he has said, this project (and the energy surrounding it) is something he has derived strength from.
Delicately opening the night alone at the piano with a shimmering interlude based on the Utopia Theme, Klingman then dovetailed the melody into “Never, Neverland” which found Rundgren at the center stage mic.
In a balanced, stirring moment, two old friends were recreating a classic just as they had on Rundgren’s 1978 Back to the Bars club tour and earlier, on 1973′s “A Wizard, A True Star” album.
After a set of Klingman compositions (including the elegant, soulful “Dust in the Wind”, the lyrics of which now take on a heightened meaning), the full band (keyboardist Ralph Schuckett, bassist John Siegler,drummer Kevin Ellman, Rundgren, backing singers Kasim Sulton, Darryl Tookes,Curtis King Jr. and guest guitarist Jesse Gress) settled in to tackle (primarily) a host of knotty-yet-melodic Utopia classics from the challenging prog era of1974-75.
Overall, the broadcast had a soothing quality. The comforting, evocative chord progressions and cozy-flannel familiarity of Rundgren’s voice made for a night of intimate musical scrapbooking – a couple of hours on a wintry night spent around the crackling Utopian campfire before about 700 friends.
Given Rundgren’s busy schedule,the core band was to set the foundation for him with a week or two of rehearsal. Then he’d step in at the eleventh hour to assume his role as savant front man.
Would the cement have time to dry? Would Rundgren be able to play catch up with his formidable former band?
Yes and yes.
Under the watchful eye – and authoritative-beyond-description basslines – of John Siegler, things soared.
Todd Rundgren, never one for over sentimentality, also helped keep the evening rolling along. There was no time for mawkishness, because there was music to play and that was his mission.Part of the charm of the night centered on Rundgren. For decades one of rock’s premier front men, as good as he is – and he remains a monster – he stills seems vulnerable and slightly awkward, which adds to his appeal.
One might also forget that in the 1970s, his name regularly appeared in magazine reader polls next to Page and Clapton as the best guitarist of the day, and he reminded the crowd of this with some searing, dazzling fretwork.
As for how the band sounded in this reunited form, they recreated the rich, luminous sound that had been their trademark with relative ease, evoking the powerhouse that they were almost four decades ago.
Remember, this was an A-list group that, to a person, was as proficient as any other band of the era. Ellman’s disarmingly simple drum style formed a rock steady rythym section with Siegler, and Schuckett played with studied, professorial class.
And Klingman? His emotional, cascading piano solos added rainbow pools of texture and emotion.
What I found most striking was the jaw-dropping diversity of the repertoire. One might forget the full-bodied range this band had and just how many styles could be squeezed into one night’s performance.
There were cosmic ballads,(“The Last Ride”, “The Wheel”), the funky gestalt of “Another Life”, and a healthy slab of the 30-minute musical quilt known as “The Ikon.”
And then there were the anthems – the proggy, black-light sci-fi metal of the “Utopia Theme”, the call-to-arms classic “Freedom Fighters”, the typically-majestic set-closer “Just One Victory” and the rousing sing along encore, “Sons of 1984.”
There were Klingman’s own Tin Pan Alley-esque odes, a cover of The Move’s chunky classic “Do Ya”, and still there was more.
The breadth of material was just as head spinning now as it was in the mid 70s, cramming oddball time signatures,blue eyed soul, airy esotericism, funk, and interstellar jazz into one rippling, prismatic two-hour set.
The faithful crowd was typically enthusiastic as they are for anything Rundgren-related, but with a purpose.They basked in the glow of the musical sun – and radiated the energy back to the band, punctuating the night with whoops, hollers and waves of love designed to crash upon Klingman – which they did.
Like the band, the audience also came to play.
As mentioned, there were a few flubs, but they only added to the spontaneous, little-boy wonder of the evening.
As a viewer, I feel compelled to say thanks to these players, who took some time for a friend. In doing so, they also led many of us back to another place and time – offering us a peek through the window to an earlier point in our lives – a hope-laden,pregnant-with-promise era when music was our nectar.
As Rundgren told me when I interviewed him for the piece I wrote prior to the show: “As is the case when you choose to play the older stuff, it has an instant effect on fans because it transports them back to a time when they were younger, when there was a sense of optimism, and when music really mattered in their lives.”
So true.
Maybe it was a summer day at Wollman Rink in Central Park.
Or a cool fall day in a college football stadium.
Or a barn-like auditorium on a Minnesota winter night.
Or in your bedroom,listening to the “Another Live” album through headphones.
Wherever we were first initiated, Utopia meant a lot to many of us. The humanity of the music, and the spirit of the music are clearly still vital.
This is what good music does; it makes us laugh, makes us cry and sends chills down our spine. It soothes us, it inspires is and awakens all of our most precious instincts.
It connects us.
And it has the power to make people feel better.
Just as this broadcast did
Monday, September 12, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Call in show and interview: 9/12 May Pang and Cynthia Neilson- Live
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maypang/2011/09/12/dinner-specials-with-may-pang-and-cynthia-neilson-live
on 9/12
Call in number to speak with the host
(347) 202-0814
skype If you liked this show, you can follow May Pang.
h:36841
s:2293645
upcoming
His contribution to music is undeniable...join May and Cynthia as they welcome rock icon Todd Rundgren...live...call in and join the show...347-202-0814.
on 9/12
Call in number to speak with the host
(347) 202-0814
skype If you liked this show, you can follow May Pang.
h:36841
s:2293645
upcoming
His contribution to music is undeniable...join May and Cynthia as they welcome rock icon Todd Rundgren...live...call in and join the show...347-202-0814.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Todd interview w/ Radcliffe and Maconie 9/22
Don't miss Todd Rundgren interviewed on the Radcliffe & Maconie Show on September 22nd at 2:30pm GMT. Todd will be talking about his upcoming Manchester Ritz concert on October 1st. Listen online and on-demand via BBC iPlayer - http://www.facebook.com/l/1AQC8cf-qAQBVdZrEdVZN6edDgDINTVgVb9HrholCGKGmIw/www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0100rp6
Moogy's birthday bash !! Sept 8 NYC
MOOGY'S BIRTHDAY BASH!
Thursday Sept. 8th, 8 to 11 pm
at the Triad Theater
158 West 72nd Street between Broadway & Columbus
in Manhattan on the 2nd floor
www.Triadnyc.com
This is a Birthday Celebration and Benefit
for the Klingman family with the Utopia Brothers,
the Peaceniks, Mercades Hall, Mary C, Stevie Holland, and Ian Lloyd!!
Hi Folks,
I'm dealing with the final rehearsals with my bands and I hope everyone can make it to my show. It's going to be a great night this Thursday, Sept.8th at the Triad Theater, so please don't miss it. My 62nd birthday is on Sept. 7th!!
My band, the Utopia Brothers, will be doing some of the Utopia Material that we'll be doing on our first Utopia tour in 35 years with Todd Rundgren!! That tour starts on November 1st, 2011 in Orlando, Florida and promises to be a great time!
John Siegler and Kevin Ellman will be with me this Thursday and on the Utopia tour when it starts on November 1st. we will have John Siegler on bass and Kevin Ellman on drums as part of the Utopia Brothers doing "The Freak Parade" and "the Utopia theme", so Utopia fans, don't miss this!!
My other band, the Peaceniks, is working on our third album and we'll be rocking hard this Thursday night playing new songs and old! With Barry Gruber on bass and vocals, Patti Rothberg on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jim Satten on lead guitar and Mark Greenberg on drums we will be rocking!
Having Mercedes Hall singing on the bill will also be a great treat! Her singing is superb and thrilling, all at the same time. She's won some jazz awards for her great albums and she's a living legend.
Mary C can blow the ceiling off of any room and I just saw her last week as she wowed the crowd at another local club. Mary C does R & B and rock like you've never heard it.
Mary C is the daughter of Mercedes Hall and when they're together in a room anything can happen!
Stevie Holland had a magnificent run of her one woman show about Cole Porter and his wife, called "Love, Linda" about Cole. She also has had a number of hit jazz albums released and I'm proud to be having her on the bill with me.
It's $15 cash at the door. Give more if you can. No reservations needed. Doors open at 7:30 pm. I'm glad to be celebrating with a great night of music. It's also a benefit for my family and I as I continue to fight the good fight against the "Big C".
Music is healing and healing is music, so come to the concert and let me heal you as I get healed.
Peace,
Moogy Klingman
Thursday Sept. 8th, 8 to 11 pm
at the Triad Theater
158 West 72nd Street between Broadway & Columbus
in Manhattan on the 2nd floor
www.Triadnyc.com
This is a Birthday Celebration and Benefit
for the Klingman family with the Utopia Brothers,
the Peaceniks, Mercades Hall, Mary C, Stevie Holland, and Ian Lloyd!!
Hi Folks,
I'm dealing with the final rehearsals with my bands and I hope everyone can make it to my show. It's going to be a great night this Thursday, Sept.8th at the Triad Theater, so please don't miss it. My 62nd birthday is on Sept. 7th!!
My band, the Utopia Brothers, will be doing some of the Utopia Material that we'll be doing on our first Utopia tour in 35 years with Todd Rundgren!! That tour starts on November 1st, 2011 in Orlando, Florida and promises to be a great time!
John Siegler and Kevin Ellman will be with me this Thursday and on the Utopia tour when it starts on November 1st. we will have John Siegler on bass and Kevin Ellman on drums as part of the Utopia Brothers doing "The Freak Parade" and "the Utopia theme", so Utopia fans, don't miss this!!
My other band, the Peaceniks, is working on our third album and we'll be rocking hard this Thursday night playing new songs and old! With Barry Gruber on bass and vocals, Patti Rothberg on acoustic guitar and vocals, Jim Satten on lead guitar and Mark Greenberg on drums we will be rocking!
Having Mercedes Hall singing on the bill will also be a great treat! Her singing is superb and thrilling, all at the same time. She's won some jazz awards for her great albums and she's a living legend.
Mary C can blow the ceiling off of any room and I just saw her last week as she wowed the crowd at another local club. Mary C does R & B and rock like you've never heard it.
Mary C is the daughter of Mercedes Hall and when they're together in a room anything can happen!
Stevie Holland had a magnificent run of her one woman show about Cole Porter and his wife, called "Love, Linda" about Cole. She also has had a number of hit jazz albums released and I'm proud to be having her on the bill with me.
It's $15 cash at the door. Give more if you can. No reservations needed. Doors open at 7:30 pm. I'm glad to be celebrating with a great night of music. It's also a benefit for my family and I as I continue to fight the good fight against the "Big C".
Music is healing and healing is music, so come to the concert and let me heal you as I get healed.
Peace,
Moogy Klingman
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
first UTOPIA tour in 35 yrs
UTOPIA with moogy and the rest of the original band will start their tour on Novemeber 1st 2011 in orlando florida.
Monday, September 5, 2011
2011-2012 Tour Daryl Hall and todd Rundgren... Hope its not a rumor.
Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren 2011 - 2012 Concert Schedule All through 2011 and 2012, you can catch Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren live. Once Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren's schedule is released, it will be viewable below so you can see the Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren schedule and view concert tickets for Daryl Hall & Todd Rundgren.
http://www.frontrowking.com/buy-daryl-hall-todd-rundgren-concert-tickets/index.html
http://www.frontrowking.com/buy-daryl-hall-todd-rundgren-concert-tickets/index.html
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