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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…by Tom Lounges / Editor
REGION RUMBLE BOOKED!
Okay folks...I know it’s August and summer is still here and the sun is baking us, but I want you all to start thinking of the snowy cold January that looms ahead for us.
As the shiver goes down your spine at the thought, imagine warding off the cold and ice with an all day, red hot rock ‘n’ roll show in the cozy confines of the Star Plaza Theatre. Mmmmmm...
Mark your calendars NOW to reserve the date of Saturday, January 14, 2006!!!
That is the date of the next “Midwest BEAT Region Rumble” at Merrillville, Indiana’s Star Plaza Theatre. Beginning next month (September), we will begin accepting packages from bands who are interested in being considered for a performance slot at this year’s event.
More details and a basic outline of how things work in regards to the annual “Region Rumble” will be published in our next issue and online at: www.midwestbeat.com (look for the “Rumble” icon for details online after September 1st).
“HAVE A NICE DAY!”
My wife, Julie Lounges, took a road trip to New York last month to take part in a video shoot for Bon Jovi’s new single, “Have A Nice Day”, which hit radio station air waves in late July.
It is the title track to the newest Bon Jovi album, Have A Nice Day, set for release on September 20 via Island Records.
Within hours of getting the call on her cell phone to be part of the invitation-only audience present for the live concert segments being shot for the video, Julie was packed and driving non-stop to the East Coast to make the next day’s 12pm shoot at a venue called Irving Plaza.
Being stuck for most of the day in a small Manhattan concert hall just a few feet away from pin-up boy Jon Bon Jovi and his band was anything but torture for my better half, who has been a big fan of the Jersey-born rocker since her teens. Have a nice day...indeed!
GANGS GEAR UP TO “RUMBLE”…
The Jets and The Sharks will be rumbling at the downtown Highland Gazebo this month as the Highland, Indiana Parks & Recreation Department-produced summer musical, “West Side Story”, hits the stage.
Hoosier rock singer, Darren Zancan, of the Crown Point-based ZION band is cast as The Jets’ star-crossed lover, Tony. My daughter Sarah Lounges, a writer for this publication and our current Teen Scene columnist, Jackie Klapak, are also in the cast.
Curtain time is 8pm on August 5, 6, 12 & 13, with a 3pm matinee performance on August 14. More information: (219) 613-3737.
STEEPWATER BAND HEAD TO SPAIN
The Steepwater Band is getting more and more recognition on the strength of their remarkable 2004 CD, Dharmakaya, which is selling briskly enough in Europe, that a concert promoter will soon be picking up the tab to fly them across the Big Pond to perform.
The Northwest Indiana-rooted blues-rock trio has been invited to perform in front of thousands of rabid European rock fans as one of the primary main stage acts at the 2005 Azkena Rock Festival in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, which takes place September 1-3.
SWB will perform on opening night and are part of a large American contingent of rockers that will include Wilco, Govt. Mule and Queens Of The Stone Age. Festival headliner is legendary Brit-rockers, Deep Purple.
“We are totally pumped about this,” said SWB drummer Joe Winters of their impending European gig. “What makes this even cooler, is that the festival promoters heard our album and searched us out. We didn’t solicit this in any way, they contacted us out of the blue to be a part of this major event.”
There is even a little mystery involved. “In addition to the ton of announced bands, there is always a ‘surprise American band of international stature’ at this festival who plays opening night,” continued Winters. “Nobody knows who it is until the day of the show. Our performance slot is the one immediately before this ‘surprise band’, so we’re really dying to know who it is this year.”
For more information: www.azkenarockfestival.com
All three of Steepwater’s members – Joe Winters, Tod Bowers and Jeff Massey – will join Yours Truly live in the radio studio for the August 28th broadcast of my Night Rock show (6-9pm on X-Rock 103.9).
They will be playing acoustic versions of some of their songs live in the studio, helping to pick out that evening’s playlist (you can back on hearing some vintage blues rock), and will allow me to broadcast for the first time ever their forthcoming new single, which is the one that impressed the promoters in Spain enough to cement the deal.
Show info: www.nightrock.6string.net
TAKING “THE HIGHWAY”TO YASGUR’S FARM...
By the time they get to Woodstock, they may not be “half a million strong” as the old Joni Mitchell song goes, but there will be a ton of people waiting to rock with Chicagoland’s Southern rock/blues kings, The Highway Band.
The group will play at the legendary Yasgur’s Farm in upstate Bethal, New York on Saturday, August 13th, as part of this year’s annual Woodstock Reunion.
Though the complete line-up was unknown to the Highway men, event promoters have told them it is very likely original Woodstock alumni Richie Havens and Country Joe MacDonald would be there to jam.
Hippies and bohemians with free time to road trip can get more information by calling: (877) 502-1616.
In other Highway Band news: the group has completed work on their new full-length CD with producer/guitarist Phil Miller of Sonia Dada fame.
The disc – Nine Fine Wines – was engineered by Rick Barnes (Nick Tremulis) and will officially be released on September 24th during a CD Release party held at Chicago’s Hard Rock Café. The Steepwater Band will join their fellow Hoosier rockers on the Hard Rock bill.
More info: www.TheHighwayBand.com
Both THE HIGHWAY BAND and THE STEEPWATER BAND joined the Midwest BEAT Magazine on July 4th to celebrate Independence Day at the slightly soggy Midwest BEAT/Night Rock Day at this summer’s annual Cedar Lake Fest.
Both groups did a great job of entertaining, as did the BEDLAM BROTHERS BAND, who opened the day’s events with a tasty mix of original music and classic bluesy rock covers.
BUDDY GUY GETS GUESTS...
Chicago blues legend Buddy Guy will get by with a little help from his friends on his forthcoming new album, Bring ‘Em In, as such established artists as Keith Richards, Keb’ Mo’, John Mayer and Carlos Santana pop up on various tracks.
The CD will be released September 20 via Jive Records. It was recorded in Memphis, Tennessee’s Royal Studios with an all-star backing band that included keyboardist Bernie Worrell, guitarist Danny Kortchm, drummer Steve Jordan and bassist Willie Weeks
Bring ‘Em Back features a slew of Guy treatments of standards and classics made famous by the likes of Curtis Mayfield, Johnny Taylor, Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, and others.
At press time, Guy was just added to the star-studded line-up of Farm-Aid 2005, which takes place on September 18 at the Tweeter Center in Tinley Park, Illinois.
HEAVY ROCKERS REORGANIZE...
• Finally, we have some confirmed news from the recently splintered camp of the popular heavy/hardcore group, Terminal Fix.
Vocalist/Frontman, Chris “Q-Ball” Roark has put together a new band called Fueled By Hate that is set to start recording late this month before debuting on club stages in early winter.
Backing up Q-Ball’s throaty growl in this new group, who have set up camp in suburban Orland Park, is guitarist Dale Spiewak, drummer Shawn McLaughlin, and bassist Mike “Zoeie” Shamhart.
Meanwhile, the rest of Terminal Fix has bounced back as well, according to drummer Dave “Wildman” Currier. “We finally have a new singer, Kenny Hollingsworth, who was formerly with a band called Fractured,” he explained. “We are currently writing all new material and will probably be hitting local stages in fall.”
Currier used the downtime from Terminal to get his freak back on with his former cohorts in rap/rock ensemble, Inzane. Once the best drawing heavy rock band in Northwest Indiana and parts of the South Side, Inzane are again intact with the all original line-up – plus one!
James Leonard who replaced guitarist Todd Palmer two years ago in the band remains despite Palmer’s return to the fold. Coupled with band founder/guitarist, Randy Shumaker, that gives the new Inzane a triple guitar assault. Rounding out the group are bassist Bill Blackwell and Beat Reader’s Poll “Best Rapper” winner, Bob Szany, on the mic.
The band’s first show with this line-up takes place August 13 at McCool’s in South Haven. Szany reports that more than enough material has been written to record a follow-up to their first album, Straightjackets For Everyone, and that some of the new songs will be road-tested on fans that night.
BAND BITS...
• Chicago Kingsnakes, one of the most enduring South Side blues staples on the club scene, has said goodbye to drummer “King Tom” King and hello to his replacement, Gus Gotsis. Gotsis has been on the Windy City scene for years and is an alumni of such established acts as Near Beer, Little Whitey & The Castlerockers and The Blooze Brothers.
The new percussionist/beat keeper joins the Kingsnakes ranks just in time to start tracking songs for their third CD for MusicKing Record, which will be released in the fall.
• Nationally recognized Northwest Indiana-based band, Evenflow, have been invited to take their acclaimed Pearl Jam tribute back up to New York City for a pair of back to back shows August 5 & 6.
Evenflow has also been invited to be the entertainment on September 8th at the Park West for the swank, invitation-only Chicago Bears Kick-Off Party. Coolness!
• Chicago’s aggressive modern rock band, Epstein’s Mother, seemed to fall off the face of the earth for several months. Many of us who had been deluged with their frequent emails wondered what had happened. Turns out bassist/band leader Trampas abruptly quit and started playing Christian Metal. Without him, the band relocated to Indianapolis, added new bass player Steve Darbo and have changed their name to 0 For 2. More information at: www.0for two.com
• Electric X is one of this columnist’s favorite original music acts from the region, because they consistently write clever and well-crafted songs. Let’s hope that a change in the band chemistry does not affect that progression of great pop-rock.
The X’s hope they have found their new permanent drummer in Dean Debone, who officially takes his place upon the X throne early this month. Debone formerly kept the beat for Chicagoland rock band, The Merkins.
Learn more about the band and their music by scanning over “X” files on line at: www.electricxrocks.com
• Moving on in his life and his medical practice, Dr. John Procopio (a/k/a Johnny Pro) has left his position of bassist for local party band, The Styrofoam Giants. Stepping in to fill the void last week for the band is their new bass player, Rene Garcia (ex-Concert Suits/Sound Gypsies).
• Together just eleven months, the Northwest, Indiana hardcore band, Iscariot, has signed a recording contract with Undecided Records out of Boca Raton, Florida.
The quartet – bassist Justin Taylor, guitarist Adam Higgins, drummer Alex Quiles and vocalist Derrick Harding – range in age from 17 to 23, formed in September 2004 and previously released a local self-titled EP. The band will do a short-run East Coast tour before completing sessions for their forthcoming new album.
More info @ www.iscariotmusic.com
Reports came in that the recently resurrected Lazer Band did a good job dusting off their old ‘70s and ‘80s songs during a show last month with Survivor. Kudos to new vocalist Chad Holm who is now behind the mic for the venerable Hoosier hard rock group. Holm was ssssssssmokin’!
The news is that, along with the old favorites, the new Lazer line-up has already crafted some tasty new originals that will be demo-ed later this month in the studio. Could a third and new Lazer Band album be far off? Fans can only hope.
THIS ‘N’ THAT...
• Beartracks Studio in Valparaiso, where such well known area artists as Shotgun Elvis, The Crawpuppies, Dawnstone and Freek Johnson have recorded some mighty tasty albums, has bee completely renovated according to engineer, Marc Nelson.
Nelson invites area musicians to stop in and check out his new facilities now that the dust has cleared and the place is ready to rock once again. For more information, call Nelson at: (219) 928-5632.
• Kankakee, Illinois has a new home for R&B, blues and jazz! This new 200-seat club called, Heroes Entertainment, sports three bars, free parking and in-house production gear.
Though only opened in late June, lots of good reports are already coming in to this column about this place from area blues cats. There is even a female-fronted house band – Shades Of Gray – which is getting a lot of praise for their ability to do a varied songbook ranging from Etta James to Alicia Keys to Chaka Kahn.
More information at: www.heroesentertainement
SAYING GOODBYE...
• In closing, this humble music fan would like to say a heartfelt “thank you” and “goodbye” to one of the greatest voices in popular music history, Eugene Record, the leader and primary vocalist of Chicago’s award-winning R&R group, The Chi-Lites.
Mr. Record succumbed in late July at age 64 after a long battle with cancer...he will be missed!
‘Nuff said! |
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After just missing out on the “Battle For OzzFest”
(coming in fourth nationwide), the group performed at Midwest
BEAT’s “2005 Region Rumble” and shortly after disbanded to
regroup and reorganize.