I heard that Brian Wilson will be appearing at Ravinia this year. When available, could you print the concert dates and any information on it??
Thank you and keep up the GREAT WORK!!!!
Carolyn
The Ravinia Summer Concert Schedule was announced last Thursday ... in addition to Brian Wilson on Monday, July 6th, they've also booked Steely Dan (July 24th and 25th), Lady Ga-Ga with Tony Bennett (June 26th and 27th), Aretha Franklin (July 11th), The Steve Miller Band (July 10th), Santana (August 29th and 30th), ZZ Top (August 27th), Chicago (August 22nd and 23rd), Gladys Knight with The O'Jays (September 11th), Jackson Browne (September 5th), Sheryl Crow (June 25th), The Doobie Brothers (June 30th), Rob Thomas (July 18th)
The complete schedule can be viewed here: http://www.ravinia.org/calendar
Speaking of Brian Wilson, a live tribute concert celebrating the music of Brian Wilson has just been announced. Billed as "Brian Fest: A Night To Celebrate The Music Of Brian Wilson" will be held on March 30th at The Fonda Theater. Announced participants include Norah Jones, Ann Wilson of Heart, Boz Scaggs, Al Jardine, Wilson Phillips and several others. "Many More Surprises" are also planned, including a special appearance by Brian Wilson himself. His brand new album "No Pier Pressure" will be released a week later. (kk)
Brian has also announced the following tour dates for this summer:
06/18 – Saratoga, CA – The Mountain Winery
06/19 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay
06/20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Greek Theatre
06/23 – Austin, TX – Frank Erwin Center
06/24 – Dallas, TX – Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie
06/26 – Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre
06/27 – Nashville, TN – Carl Black Chevy Woods Amphitheater
06/29 – Philadelphia, PA – The Mann Center for the Performing Arts
06/30 – Wantagh, NY – Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
07/01 – Holmdel, NJ – PNC Bank Arts Center
07/02 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
07/04 – Toronto, ON – Sony Center (Brian Wilson and band only)
07/05 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
07/06 – Chicago, IL – Ravinia Festival
07/08 – Denver, CO – 1STBANK Center
07/10 – Las Vegas, NV – Chelsea Theater at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas
07/12 – Seattle, WA – Benaroya Hall - S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium
Speaking of The Beach Boys, Endless Summer Quarterly Publisher (and Beach Boys Examiner columnist) David Beard takes a look back at the anniversary of "The Beach Boys Today" album ... a more in-depth look will appear in the next issue of ESQ ... but here's a neat recap teaser ...
http://www.examiner.com/article/examiner-exclusive-the-beach-boys-today?CID=examiner_alerts_article
I'm starting to see articles about the Wrecking Crew film documentary about these fantastic musical talents. Here's the New York Post's entry:
The unknown super group behind rock-n-roll's most iconic albums | New York Post
Bob Frable
Yep - we've been singing the praises of this film for the past eight years now and once again the rest of the news world is finally catching up. That's because it's being released in theaters prior to its DVD release ... music documentaries seem to be doing big business these days ... and as those close to the project already know, this one has taken FOREVER to make its way this far. (And they're still doing special screenings and film festival showings too!)
Producer Denny Tedesco recently sent us this Wrecking Crew update:
Dear Friends and Family of Wrecking Crew,
As many of you know we don't send out many emails unless something is happening.
Well, a lot is happening!
Originally the movie was going to be only in five theaters starting March 13th. As I write this note, we are being launched around North America in 37 theaters. If you can't make it to a local theater, it will also be released on ITUNES and VOD on various cable networks.
The DVD Release will be on June 16th and we hope to send the Kickstarter contributors their DVDs a couple of days before that date. I will let you know about downloads for our KS friends very shortly. I'm still waiting to hear from our distributor.
Since we started screening this project in 2008 at film festivals, one question always came up in the Q&As. "Will there be a soundtrack?"
As of this week, I can say, "Yes!" With the help of Richard Foos (co-founder of Rhino Records & Shout Factory), we will be releasing a 4CD set with some great options.
• 3 CDs will include hits that the Wrecking Crew Members recorded.
• 1 CD will include recordings of the musicians themselves under their own names.
• Double LP (for our vinyl friends!) Click here for a video with Hal Blaine and myself with info about the Soundtrack.
The New Book
Another great announcement is the release of the latest book by Ken Sharp. Exclusive interviews with members of the Wrecking Crew and artists including the Beach Boys, the Byrds, Cher, the Monkees, the Mamas & the Papas, the Righteous Brothers, Jackson 5, Jan & Dean, the Turtles, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Grass Roots, the Ronettes, The Association, The 5th Dimension, The Carpenters, Herb Alpert and more.
Sound Explosion!: Inside L.A.'s Studio Factory with the Wrecking Crew, a new 12" x 12" album sized book, serves as the perfect companion to the Wrecking Crew film. It is a gorgeous book that was designed by Mark London.
Augmented with hundreds of rare photos, the book also features the back story behind the recording of more than 50 classic songs including "Good Vibrations," "California Dreamin'," "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "Last Train to Clarksville," "River Deep-Mountain High," "Be My Baby," "California Girls," "Help Me, Rhonda," "I Got You Babe," "Wichita Lineman," "Bridge Over Troubled Water," "I Want You Back," "ABC" and "(They Long to Be) Close to You." Click Here to Pre-Order Your Copy
Upcoming Screenings
Here is the latest list of screenings around North America.
TOMORROW!!!:
• Please note : On March 13th, I will be at the 7:30 screening for our Los Angeles Premiere which will include many of our cast from the movie. 3/13/2015
West Los Angeles, CA: Nuart Theatre
Los Angeles Premiere Screening at NUART Theater 7:30pm
Join Wrecking Crew members Hal Blaine, Joe Osborn, Don Randi, Bill Pitman, and more of the cast of the moview, along with director Denny Tedesco. Tickets still available! Be a part of the LA Premiere.
Cambridge, MA: Kendall Square Cinema 9
Dallas, TX: Landmark Theatres
Denver, CO: Mayan Theatre
Portland, OR: Hollywood Theatre
New York, NY: IFC Center 5
Santa Ana, CA: South Coast Village 3
Tucson, AZ: The Loft Cinema
3/20/2015
Columbus, OH: Gateway Film Center 8M
Jefferson City, MO: Capitol City Cinema
San Diego, CA: Ken Cinema
Santa Fe, NM: Jean Cocteau Cinema
Saskatoon, SK: Broadway Theatre
3/27/2015
Berkeley, CA: Shattuck Cinemas 10
Gainesville, FL: Hippodrome - Gainesville
Phoenix, AZ: The FilmBar
San Francisco, CA: Opera Plaza Cinemas 4
San Luis Obispo, CA: Palm Cinema
Seattle, WA: SIFF Cinema at the Uptown
Waterville, ME: Railroad Square Cinema 3
3/31/2015
Winston-Salem, NC: Aperture Cinema
4/3/2015
Bellingham, WA: PFC's Limelight Cinema 3
Palm Desert, CA: Cinemas Palme D'Or 7
Spokane, WA: Magic Lantern Theatre
4/8/2015
Baton Rouge, LA: Manship Theatre
4/9/2015
Wichita, KS: Orpheum Theater
4/10/2015
Fort Worth, TX: Modern Art Museum of Ft. Worth
4/13/2015
Bethlehem, PA: ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks
4/14/2015
Springfield, MO: Moxie Cinema 2
4/20/2015
Lafayette, LA: Acadiana Center for the Arts
4/23/2015
Memphis, TN: Brooks Museum of Art
4/24/2015
Albuquerque, NM: Guild Cinema
Fans who contributed to The Wrecking Crew Kickstarter Campaign have TRIED to be patient waiting for their customized copy of the DVD to arrive ... but in the meantime the film was picked up by Magnolia Films for national distribution so this delayed things a bit.
All I can tell you (if you haven't seen it yet) is that it will be WELL worth the wait. News of the soundtrack album and book make all of this even more exciting. (Man, I would LOVE to get a signed copy of each, Denny!!!)
Here's a photo of Denny and me at The Arcada Theatre screening of the film last year ...
More Wrecking Crew press, courtesy of FH Reader Tom Cuddy ...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-ms-the-wrecking-crew-sound-explosion-20150308-story.html#page=1
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/features/544670-the-unknown-super-group-behind-rock-n-roll-s-most-iconic-albums.html
http://www.billboard.com/articles/magazine/6479908/la-hit-musicians-behind-beach-boys-frank-sinatra-get-their-due
http://www.laweekly.com/music/studio-musicians-who-played-on-two-decades-of-hits-finally-get-their-due-5414177
Denny also tells us that if the film ISN'T coming to your area, there are still any number of ways to watch it right in the privacy and convenience of your own home ...
Watch On Demand March 13th
Amazon:
Coming Soon
AT&T UVerse:
On Demand > Uverse Movies > Featured/Early Releases
Barnes & Noble:
Coming Soon
Cablevision:
On Demand > Movies > Advanced Screenings
Charter:
Channel 1 (On Demand) - Movie > New Releases (Search Titles)
CinemaNow:
Coming Soon
Comcast:
Top Picks > New Movies
HD On Demand > Movies > Just In
HD On Demand > Movies > Indies & Foreign > Magnolia Pictures
Cox:
Early Screening > In Theaters
DirectTV:
Channel 1000 and 1100 (On Demand) > Movies > (Search Titles)
Dish:
DVR Button > All Movies > Search Movies > Search by Film or Actor
FlixFling:
Search Title
Google Play:
Coming Soon
iTunes:
Coming Soon
Playstation 3 Store:
Video > Playstation Store > Studios > Magnolia Pictures (Search Titles)
SuddenLink:
Movies & Events > New Releases
Time Warner Cable:
HD Movies > Movies
Verizon FIOS:
Movies > By Genre > All > Indies & Docs > Magnolia
VUDU
Coming Soon
Xbox360 / Zune
Video Market Place > Zune > Featured (Search Titles)
YouTube:
Coming Soon
See more at:
http://www.magpictures.com/thewreckingcrew/#watchondemand
News came last night about the passing of Jimmy Greenspoon of Three Dog Night. We knew he hadn't been well ... and if you saw our special "Happy Together" review yesterday, you know that Chuck Negron asked fans to keep him in their prayers during this difficult time.
I got this note from Mark Bego, biographer of the rock stars, this morning and wanted to run it for our readers ...
Kent:
Hello there. I am sure you heard about the passing of Jimmy Greenspoon of Three Dog Night, March 11. At a loss to find a way to immediately channel my grief for the passing of a dear friend, I composed the following. Hopefully you can run it in Forgotten Hits.
Many thanks,
Mark
Jimmy Greenspoon of Three Dog Night (1948 – 2015)
Jimmy Greenspoon was one of the most upbeat, talented, energetic, and positive thinking people I have ever met. I had the rare privilege of writing his autobiography with him, "One is the Loneliest Number" (1991). Along the way, we became close friends. I am so saddened to hear of his passing today. He came to New York City in the late 1980s, and together we plotted to tell his wild roller coaster ride to the top of the rock world, his descent into the depths of drug abuse, and his dramatic stint with rehabilitation. We hit it off immediately, and we plotted to write what we thought was the ultimate rock & roll autobiography. Being with Jimmy was like trying to harness a tornado. He had such boundless energy. Once we sold our proposal to a publisher, I moved into his house in Arizona, and we worked every day for over four months. Together we created one of the best and most popular rock & roll books of my career. When I came up with the idea of producing a radio show, it was Jimmy who stepped up to the plate and wrote me a theme song called “On the Mark.” When I told him that I wanted to write a rock & roll cookbook, he was one of the first rock stars to give me recipes. That was the kind of friend he was. Whatever was needed, he was there to help. Jimmy Greenspoon continues to be an inspiration to so many people — me included. The world has lost a wonderful and talented keyboard player, and we have all lost a dear friend. Jimmy was truly the heart of Three Dog Night. His music and his talent lives on.
Mark Bego
Three Dog Night enjoyed a run as the most popular band in the world ... and while the three lead singers got most of the attention, there is no question about the support they got from the musicians on stage behind them. (In fact, they often did a song or two on their own in the middle of the set.)
So sad to hear of Jimmy's passing ... it sounds like he had a true and meaningful impact on your life ... so I am VERY happy to share your memories with our readers. Thanks, Mark. (kk)
http://hub.contactmusic.com/news/three-dog-night-star-jimmy-greenspoon-loses-cancer-battle_4629398
Paul McCartney (who helped cowrite another Kanye West track just released this past week ... is enjoying Top Five chart success with Rihanna with "FourFiveSeconds" ... and is reportedly working next with Lady Ga-Ga) apparently just isn't busy enough these days ... so he's lending his hand to a brand new recording project put together by Alice Cooper, Joe Perry of Aerosmith and his buddy Johnny Depp. Billing themselves as The Hollywood Vampires, Paul's contribution will be a brand new recording of the track he wrote for Badfinger (and the Ringo Starr film "The Magic Christian"), "Come And Get It", a #3 Hit here in The USA back in early 1970. Then he goes off on a tour of The UK. (Wonder when he finds time to go to the bathroom?!?!) kk
FH Reader Mike De Martino asked Gary Loizzo, lead singer of The American Breed, if he might be participating in the up-coming Marty Grebb Benefit Concert being held May 7th at The Arcada Theatre ...
I asked him if he would be sitting in at the Bucks reunion. People we need to push him.
Mike De Martino
Don't know yet ... if I do, it will be a last minute decision. Gary
He certainly would be a welcome addition ... but we've got to be VERY careful here ... under NO circumstances are we allowed to refer to this as a Buckinghams Reunion ... this is simply four guys ... Nick Fortuna, Carl Giammarese, Marty Grebb and Dennis Tufano ... who, you'll note, have been very carefully listed alphabetically ... all of whom just HAPPENED to have one time performed together as The Buckinghams ... taking the stage for one VERY special night ... playing some of the hits OF The Buckinghams ... together again on stage for a very worthy cause. However, in the concentrated concern of "political correctness" (and in no uncertain terms as mandated by the powers that be running this whole thing), this is NOT to be referred to as a "Buckinghams Reunion" ... we've been given VERY strict orders about this (and have already been reprimanded once for referring to it as such ... which we never actually did, by the way, but there are SOME people involved in this who seem to be more concerned with throwing their weight around than focusing on the REAL reason for the concert ... and I'm not about to get in the middle of THAT bullshit!!!)
So ... for the record ... it's Nick, Carl, Marty and Dennis ... performing "the hits of The Buckinghams" ... for one night only at The Arcada Theatre on Thursday, May 7th. Hopefully you already got your tickets ... because from what I understand, they're selling VERY quickly!!! (kk)
Speaking of great acts that came out of Chicago, a brand new tour featuring Chicago and Earth, Wind and Fire has just been announced ... but, incredibly, Chicago is NOT part of the itinerary!!! (I can assure you that this will change ... NO WAY they're not going to stop here and give the home-town fans something to cheer about!!!) This should be a GREAT concert event ... both bands have performed together in the past and it is REALLY something to see.
Here are all the details as they currently stand, according to Vintage Vinyl News ...
http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2015/03/touring-chicago-and-earth-wind-fire-to.html?utm_source=VVN+Music+E-Mail+Subscribers&utm_campaign=9a9de3aa10-March+5%2C+2015+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a4dfe0b50-9a9de3aa10-89761121
UPDATE: I just got an email from Lee Loughnane of Chicago and, believe it or not, Chicago is NOT on the list for this go 'round! Lee tells us:
Hi Kent,
Great to hear from you. The offer from Live Nation to partner with Earth, Wind and Fire came in pretty late. By then we had already set up many shows, including two nights at Ravinia ... so unfortunately, the answer is no ... we won't be playing Chicago with EWF this time through. Crazy I know, but that's the way it worked out. We are hoping to come back to Chicago with EWF after we have fulfilled our commitment to Ravinia, probably later in the year.
Thanks,
Lee
And you can bet that Forgotten Hits will let you know EXACTLY when that's going to happen ... man, what a GREAT double-bill this is ... I've gotta to believe both bands enjoy these shows every bit as much as the FANS do!!! Thanks, Lee! (kk)
FH Reader Tom Cuddy tells us that Earth, Wind and Fire were on Ellen yesterday ... and that after their performance, they plugged their upcoming tour with Chicago ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sYmy39HUUg&app=desktop
Did you happen to see the Shania Twain "Live From Las Vegas" television special a couple of weeks ago. Well, Shania (long one of our favorites) has just announced HER farewell tour, too. (It'll stop in Chicago on July 29th at the Allstate Arena.) By the way, if you enjoyed the special, you can pick up a live concert DVD (TWICE as long as the television special) AND an accompanying CD exclusively at WalMart. (kk)
Micky Dolenz of The Monkees celebrated his 70th Birthday last week ... WTG, Mickster!
http://www.examiner.com/list/on-monkee-micky-dolenz-s-70th-birthday-a-look-at-some-of-his-career-highlights
The music of our lives just keeps fading further and further away.
In a new article this past week, Billboard Magazine named The Top Ten Girl Groups Of All-Time ... and although The Supremes topped the list, you won't find much else to cheer about if you grew up in what USED to be known as "The Girl Group Era" ...
http://www.vintagevinylnews.com/2015/03/billboards-top-ten-girl-groups-of-all.html?utm_source=VVN+Music+E-Mail+Subscribers&utm_campaign=f3e88295dc-March+7%2C+2015+Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3a4dfe0b50-f3e88295dc-89761121
Also included ... The Top Ten Girl Group Hits, led by The Emotions with their 1977 chart-topper "Best Of My Love". (kk)
Here's more from that great Jeremy Roberts interview with Mark Lindsay ...
http://www.examiner.com/article/the-boys-the-band-mark-lindsay-explores-the-rebel-raiders-collage-album?CID=examiner_alerts_article
From FH Reader Dave Barry, here is YOUR chance to overpay for albums you probably already have in your collection anyway!!!
https://www.yahoo.com/makers/why-this-record-stores-750-lps-are-hot-sellers-112730604250.html
Got this from our FH Buddy David Salidor, who just started working with a fellow by the name of FRANK SHINER, who has recorded an album produced by Gary Katz of Steely Dan fame. The impetus was to do an album of new standards ... so he's cut songs by the likes of Costello, Ferry, Waits, Newman and Paul Simon.
Frank has a show coming up at The Cutting Room on March 21st ... so we wanted to get the word out there in time for interested folks to catch the show ...
The artistry of Frank Shiner lies in his lifetime of experience in singing and acting. “As a student of Shakespeare, and a student of language, the song is a play and the lyric is the most important thing to me. If a pretty sound comes out after that, it’s a bonus … never the initial goal”.
Shiner has, with the release of his first album, achieved the rare distinction of creating a work that sounds remarkably like something from the Great American Songbook, yet the songs are actually all hidden gems from some of the most gifted composers around; Paul Simon, Tom Waits, Van Morrison, and Randy Newman, to name a few. The Real Me, Frank Shiner’s aptly titled debut album on Bakerson / Universal Records, is immediately a pop adult standards work; concentrating on a new breed of standards, from the “deliciously jazzy” simplicity of Elvis Costello’s “Almost Blue,” to the “cool, sexy” rhythms of Tom Waits’ “Temptation.”
The L. A. Examiner said of the album, “Just when you thought that Josh Groban and Michel Buble held the patent on amazing voices, along comes Frank Shiner to shatter those preconceived notions.”
“I'm kind of a genetically modified singer,” Frank says … “I'm what happens when you splice a dramatic tenor with a blues singer.”
Taken together, the songs on the album describe a chapter in Shiner’s decades-long love affair with his wife Suzanne. Nearly twenty years earlier, with one child to raise and another on the way, Shiner decided to put his career on hold.
“There were never any regrets”, says Shiner, “I fulfilled my responsibility as a husband and father and I take great satisfaction in that.”
In 2010, Suzanne began a battle with cancer “a truly life altering experience that changes your perspective on everything,” according to Shiner.
The depth of the couple’s relationship courses through nearly every song on The Real Me (“Feels Like Home” written by Randy Newman, became a Top 5 AC single for Shiner), as his wife went through hell, which makes her prodding of her husband during an open mic night at a small suburban nightspot in late 2010 even more moving and climactic. She pulled on his heartstrings saying it would bring her great joy if he would sing … the only thing that could get him up on the bandstand. The bandleader rushed out to the parking lot afterwards to collar Shiner before he disappeared and went on trying to recruit him for months. One day he said, “Frank, music heals the soul.” The singer finally took the advice to heart, with all that he and his wife were going through with her illness.
Recording these near-biographical songs with producer Gary Katz was the realization of a dream that only resurfaced a few years ago. Katz, best known for his work with Steely Dan, has also produced for Joe Cocker, Laura Nyro, Diana Ross, and many others.
Shiner met the challenge of the recording process with the same straightforward resilience that sent him up to the bandstand that night in 2010. After half a lifetime of dreams deferred, Shiner’s mind was flooded with thoughts of his father telling him thirty years before, “Follow your heart.”
Starting at age ten, Shiner worked side-by-side with his father in the family-owned bakery in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Into Catholic high school, ever the class clown, Shiner’s musical universe expanded. His teachers nurtured his musical talent in “seasonal singers and chorus,” and when Shiner was cast as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, “I finally felt at home, when I stood on that stage and heard the audience reaction, I said, ok this is what I want to do.”
Shiner’s debut single, “Driving Home for Christmas,” was a holiday evergreen from the pen of British-singer/songwriter Chris Rea. The song was produced by Gary Katz (Steely Dan), and Shiner donated all proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in honor of his late father.
“I go about life from my heart,” says Shiner. “I love hard, I suffer from anger, I suffer from loving too much, I suffer from worry, but it’s all from my heart … it’s all real.”
With back-back successful shows at Manhattan’s 54 Below (and, an upcoming show at The Cutting room on March 21) Shiner is embarking on a cross-country tour in support of the album.
www.frankshiner.com
https://www.facebook.com/FrankShinerMusic
Looks like Frank's already got his second radio hit ... "Feels Like Home" made The Top Five on the AC Chart ... and now they're playing "The Real Me"! In fact, his second single "The Real Me" - out now - lands in the Top 20 this week, 5th Most Added in its 8th week, and tied for the 2nd biggest jump in the top 20 with Columbia's Ella Henderson and Universal's Colbie Caillat. (kk)
<img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SjwImo17StE/VPxxLJvpOMI