Randy O To Release New Album

From my inbox - for the Odin fans!

HOLLYWOOD, CA (August 9, 2019) – Best known as Odin’s front-man, Randy O, is returning to Sunset Strip to release his new music endeavor COMING HOME, Wednesday, September 11^th on Down Boys Music at the Top of The Rainbow Bar & Grill.

Going back to his musical roots, Randy O has taken a 20 year journey in writing and has finally recorded a much anticipated full album. “COMING HOME to me is exactly the title,” explains singer Randy O. “I buried myself into my first musical influences like Tom Petty, Tommy Bolin and Joe Walsh. Throughout time I would write songs about life and situations that affected me, good or bad.”

“FEELING GOOD” is the first single and is a culmination of a veritable who’s who of top musicians featuring TOSHI YANAGI (Jimmy Kimmel/Guitar), MATT BISSONETTE(Elton John/Bass), RODGER CARTER (John 5/drums),  WILL HOLLIS (piano& keys/ The Eagles) and MATT & CHARIGA BISSONETTE (backing vocals). Additional artists on other tracks are LANCE MORRISON (Bass/Don Henley/ Rod Stewart), KUDISAN KAI (Vocals/Chaka Khan/ Elton John), RICK SAILON (Violin) and PATRICK REGAN (horns).

TRACK LIST:

I’M FEELING GOOD - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI/ MATT BISSONETTE/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT & CHARIGA BISSONETTE

BLACK&WHITE DON’T MATTER - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI/ MATT BISSONETTE/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT BISSONETTE

IT’S THE SAME OLD DAY - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI / LANCE MORRISON/ RICK SAILON/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT BISSONETTE & KUDISAN KAI

HOLDING ON - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI/ MATT BISSONETTE/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT&CHARIGA BISSONETTE 

POP’S SONG - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI/ MATT BISSONETTE/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT & CHARIGA BISSONETTE

I’M CHANGING - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI/ MATT BISSONETTE/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT&CHARIGA BISSONETTE

JOY JOY JOY - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI / LANCE MORRISON/ RICK SAILON/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT & CHARIGA BISSONETTE

LTWA - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI/ MATT BISSONETTE/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT&CHARIGA BISSONETTE/ PATRICK REGAN 

HANAH’S SONG - RANDY O/ RODGER CARTER/ TOSHI YANAGI / LANCE MORRISON/ RICK SAILON/ WILL HOLLIS/ BACKING VOCALS MATT BISSONETTE & KUDISAN KAI

COMING HOME will be released on all digital platforms for download on ITunes, Amazon, Pandora and Spotify.  

40 Live - CURÆTION-25 + Anniversary

Happy Friday. It's sure been a long, sad week. 

Here's something from my inbox: 

New York, NY (August 8th, 2019) — Less than a year before their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, The Cure celebrated their 40th anniversary. On October 18th 2019, Eagle Vision will present two special performances in which they commemorated this milestone, when 40 LIVE - CURÆTION-25 + ANNIVERSARY is released in a Limited Edition Deluxe Box (2Blu-ray+4CD, or 2DVD+4CD, each with 40-page book), on Limited Edition Hardbook 2Blu-ray or 2DVD (each with 16 page book), and standalone digital formats.

The first film -- CURÆTION-25: From There To Here | From Here To There – was captured on the tenth and final night of the 25th Meltdown Festival (curated by lead singer Robert Smith) at London’s Royal Festival Hall in June 2018. Presented in HD with 5.1 surround sound, Smith, Simon Gallup, Jason Cooper, Roger O’Donnell, and Reeves Gabrels performed a song from each of their 13 studio albums in chronological order, displaying the evolution of The Cure’s music live on stage. At the core of the set, they broke the cycle with some new, unreleased songs – offering a glimpse into the band’s future – before retracing their steps with another song from each album, ending with “Boys Don’t Cry.”

Released in theaters globally only last week, ANNIVERSARY: 1978-2018 Live In Hyde Park London features the band’s acclaimed 29-song, 135-minute anniversary concert. Filmed in one of London’s Royal Parks to a crowd of 65,000 fans, The Curepresented a four-decade deep set on July 7, 2018, including “Just Like Heaven,” “Lovesong,” “High,” and “The End Of The World.” Adding to the experience, the band is back-dropped by giant screens displaying footage that complements the unique moods and emotive song writing that established The Cure as pioneers of alternative rock. The result is a concert that Rolling Stone expressed shows the “unique power in The Cure’s live performance.”

Directed by Tim Pope – the long-time collaborator behind many of The Cure’smusic videos and their award-winning 1986 film In Orange – Anniversary is chronicled in 4K with a 5.1 surround sound mix by Robert Smith and Paul Corkett. Pope states “I went to rehearsals in a very cramped studio just the day before the show… I knew as the set list unfolded that the only way to show people The Real Cure was to capture not only the grand, epic dimension of their stage show, but also the close, intimate side of this band simply making music together.”

“This really was the perfect way to celebrate 40 years of the band,” Smithexclaimed. “It was a fabulous day none of us will ever forget!”

THE CURE: 40 LIVE - CURÆTION-25 + ANNIVERSARY limited edition Deluxe Box includes gatefold 2x Blu-ray/DVD and 4x CDs, covering both concerts with nearly 9 hours of content, plus a 40 page hardback book. The limited edition Hardbook includes 2x Blu-rays/DVDs and 16 page booklet. CURÆTION-25 and ANNIVERSARYare available as standalone concerts on Digital.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond!

This is a love letter to classic, terrestrial radio.

I turn 40 in 12 days so that means the only option I had for radio when I was a kid and teen was the regular old free stuff. I preferred FM thanks.

My drug of choice was always WEBN, “the lunatic fringe of American FM – broadcasting live from high atop Frog’s Mountain in Cincinnati.”

I listened to WEBN nonstop in my room and in the car (when I could control the dial of course).

During the course of my normal workday yesterday I decided to pop a classic rock mixed playlist. I wasn’t even particularly paying attention to what I was listening to until Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb” came on. The Wall was released in 1979, the same year I was born.

I don’t know what it was but I was taken aback, nearly breathless at the flood of memories. WEBN played Pink Floyd constantly when I was a teenager. Remember, that was "classic rock" even back then! The Wall is a seminal rock album, so of course the station always had it on heavy rotation – the listeners demanded this.

I have so many found memories of WEBN – back then I don’t think the commercials even bothered me so much. I just remember thinking the station and the on-air talent were all so cool. I loved going to concerts at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati and WEBN would be there. When my parents took me to see Van Halen, WEBN was broadcasting about it all day to get people hyped. My mom was all freaked out and said “How big of a deal is this show anyway?” I think they were worried there was going to be riots or something (nothing happened of course).

Pink Floyd - The Wall

Like print newspapers and television stations, terrestrial radio has gone the way of consolidation. The media landscape in this country is the pits now. I would never advise anyone just starting out to study journalism or broadcasting anymore. Even long tenured, famous journalists are summarily being let go for “cost containment” issues.

When most people choose to listen to satellite radio and avoid commercials (and I’m one of them, I won’t lie) how can regular stations compete?

I don’t know how long it has been since I’ve listened to WEBN. In my car, I solely listen to WYSO to get local news as I refuse to watch the television stations here. I used to work at two of them so I know how the sausage is made, thank you very much. In Eric’s car, he only listens to the XM radio to avoid commercials. We typically hang out on the 80s, 90s and Hair Nation stations. I’ll do Classic Rewind once in a while too.

Thinking through all of this makes me feel a little guilty. When I hop in my car for my commute, I think I’ll pop WEBN on and have a listen. I know the classic rock I prefer has been pushed out for more modern stuff plus a ton of grunge, especially Nirvana. Heck maybe they will play “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” (all of it!) – imagine if other radio stations did that these days. It’s unthinkable to hear such a long song on the radio now. But I remember hearing it as a teen, over and over again.

The vast love I have for classic rock today is straight from WEBN and for that I am so thankful.

Alice Cooper Is The Best Ever

Alice Cooper is the best, most consistent performer ever, I swear. The man is a machine and seemingly never gets tired! Last night, Alice posted a video from this current tour. It looks like so much fun!

Alice Cooper - Breadcrumbs

Crashdïet Release 'In The Maze' Lyric Video

Crashdïet will release Rust on September 13. The band just released a lyric video for the song "In The Maze" which is featured on Rust. Crashdïet keeps plugging along - they've had their share of tragedy and lead singers. Rust will be the first album to feature Gabriel Keyes as lead singer. He's been with the band for more than two years at this point. The band recruited Keyes through Facebook.

Pre-order Crashdïet - 'Rust' Here!

32 Years of 'Hysteria'

Def Leppard just celebrated the 32nd anniversary of Hysteria, their most successful album. The album is everything to me - I kept my cassette version even though I don't have a tape player! It's pretty nice, reading all the tributes people made for the album on social media. Hysteria is very important to a whole lot of people, including me.

Purchase 'Hysteria' Here

3️⃣2️⃣ years of Hysteria pic.twitter.com/iek4pGgkcS

— Def Leppard (@DefLeppard) August 3, 2019

Disgust.

Because this is America now apparently. Another mass shooting, this time in Dayton, Ohio - my metro area since I graduated college back in 2001. Yes, I've been to the Oregon District many times. Yes, I've been to Ned Peppers bar. As of 9:00 a.m. ET officials have not released the victim list. Those of us who live here are bracing for the bad news.

In Dayton, Ohio, police said at least 9 people were killed and 16 others wounded. Police shot and killed the gunman and have not identified a motive. The city's mayor said the shooter was outfitted in body armor and had multiple high-capacity magazines. https://t.co/ru8irOmKmq

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 4, 2019