September 2010 E-Newsletter

Quote of the Month

“A dream you dream alone is only a dream. A dream you dream together is reality.” John Lennon

Blog

September is here, my birth month, oh dear! It’s also the month when a year ago, I started the journey of mapping out, then recording, 22 superb John Lennon compositions with my collaborator Tom Dean of Devonsquare. Imagined seems like a dream to me now but because I dreamed it out loud with a friend, it is a reality as well. We launch our fall tour to promote our album as The John Lennon Song Project with a six-member band at Gracie Theatre in Bangor, Maine, just 45 miles north of Pittsfield where I grew up dreaming.

I want to reassure all of you that this project will in no way interfere with Aztec Two-Step. I’ll continue this year weaving in ATS dates with Neal who incidentally has been supportive and enthusiastic throughout this process. We’ll be celebrating our 40^th anniversary in 2011 with concerts all over the U.S. continuing through 2012, which will mark the 40^th year since our self-title debut album was released on Elektra Records in 1972. We’re also considering a new studio album to celebrate this significant anniversary. Believe me, no one’s more amazed by these 40 years than we are.

Meanwhile, I sincerely hope each one of you supports this labor of love in what would have been John’s 70^th birthday year. It still haunts and hurts that Lennon’s life ended so tragically but his songs live on as does his legacy as an activist and artist - perhaps the greatest of all time. Let’s put our sorrow aside and celebrate this amazing man’s artistry together. Lennon archivist Tony Traguardo has kindly put together a ten minute video tribute that will be shown where possible prior to each concert.

Ron Olesko of WFDU wrote:"Absolutely Brilliant! I've been listening non-stop. What an amazing job of paying homage to Lennon and the Beatles and creating music that has so much of your own style and class. I can't wait to go on the radio and start spinning tunes from it. Album of the year!!"

The official release date of Imagined is October 9^th - John’s 70^th birthday - but is available now on our ATS website. We’ll be performing live with Tom’s bandmate Alana MacDonald and three to four other talented musicians. Like the CD, the live show’s instrumentation features bass, acoustic and electric guitars, cello, violin, mandolin, accordion, chromatic harmonica and some very cool vocals. For complete details, song samples and Imagined fan quotes, you can visit the JLSP website.

October E-Newsletter

Quote of the Month

“If someone thinks that love and peace is a cliché that must have been left behind in the Sixties, that's his problem. Love and peace are eternal..” John Lennon

Blog

We are honored to participate once again with the Daniel Pearl Foundation by dedicating all of our October shows to the memory of Daniel Pearl, the Jewish-American journalist who was kidnapped and murdered by Pakistani terrorists in 2002. This is a worldwide initiative with thousands of musicians participating to honor Danny’s life as a musician and humanitarian. Shortly after his death, Danny’s parents founded the Daniel Pearl Foundation whose mission is to promote cross-cultural understanding through journalism, music, and dialogue.

On a lighter note, there was magic at Mitchell (Horse) Farm in Salem, CT last Saturday as Neal, Fred, Marshal and I played our 4^th consecutive festival fundraiser to over 800 jubilant attendees. We started out with 200 attendees four years ago. It was another great year of merriment and music thanks to Jonathan Edwards and band, The Jon Pousette-Dart Band, founders Dee and Hank Doolittle and all of the wonderful volunteers.

We’ve got some cool and unusual shows coming up this month as well including a benefit concert with Ralph Nader, then another trip to Kent, Ohio to play with Brewer & Shipley before moving on to Chicago! Here is a complete list of our gigs for this month.

Sun, Oct 10 @ Infinity Hall, Norfolk, CT a benefit with Ralph Nader
Fri, Oct 15 @ Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburyport, MA ATS/S&G Combo Show
Sat, Oct 16 @ Ashburnham Conservation Trust in Ashburnham, MA
Fri, Oct 22 @ Kent Stage, Kent, OH performing with our musical brothers Brewer & Shipley
Sat, Oct 23 @ WMFT, Chicago, IL on air studio concert
Thur, Oct 28 Private Halloween Party
Fri, Oct 29 @ Turning Point Café in Piermont, NY
Sat, Oct 30 @ Palace Theatre, Manchester, NH S&G Songbook Show

If you’ve been opening our recent mailers you know that I launched my John Lennon Song ProjectTour two weeks ago with a three city swing in Maine. All of the shows were tremendously successful as my band mates Tom Dean (guitars and mandola), Alana MacDonald (violin), Jordan Jancz (cello), Robby Coffin (guitars), and Teg Glendon (bass) hunkered down to honor the greatest artist of all time. Had he lived, John Lennon would have turned seventy on October 9^th. FYI, we’re performing at The Regent Theater in Arlington, MA on his birthday. Virtuoso musician Gary Schreiner (chromatic harmonica and accordion) will join us on stage there as well as Flying Monkey, Infinity Hall and Joe’s Pub. We promise to inspire.

Fri, Oct 1 @ Park Theater, Cranston, RI
Sat, Oct 2 Live broadcaston WFUV-fm 90.7 or WFUV.org between 4-5pm with Pete Fornatale
Sat, Oct 2 @ Turning Point Café, Piermont, NY
Sun, Oct 3 @ Infinity Music Hall, Norfolk, CT
Tue, Oct 5 @ Joe’s Pub, NYC
Fri, Oct 8 @ Flying Monkey, Plymouth, NH
Sat, Oct 9 @ Regent Theatre, Arlington, MA

Many thanks to Ron Olesko of WFDU who had me on his show this past Sunday to promote my JLSP CD and our area shows. Ron wrote this about Imagined: "Absolutely Brilliant ! I've been listening non-stop. What an amazing job of paying homage to Lennon and the Beatles and creating music that has so much of your own style and class. I can't wait to go on the radio and start spinning tunes from it. Album of the year !!"

The official release date for Imagined is October 9^th - John’s 70^th birthday - but is available now on our ATS website. For complete details, tour dates,song samples and Imagined fan quotes, please visit the JLSP website

August 2010 E-News

Quote of the Month

We’re just a band… John Lennon

Blog

August - the dog days of summer and the beginning of the end of not making the playoffs for many of our favorite major league baseball teams - especially my Neu Rotic Mets. Words cannot express my disappointment in their lack of clutch hitting and the ineptness of their front office so I’ll leave it at that, wordless.

After performing our S&G Songbook Show at The Kate in Old Saybrook, CT, Neal and I are looking forward to coming back to play our original songs this Saturday. And besides some other wonderful shows and festivals in August and September, we’ll be performing in Kent, Ohio and Chicago this October 22^nd & 23^rd. Before I forget, our booking agent Bobbi wanted me to mention that If anyone is interested in having us play a private party or hosting a house concert on our way to and fro, we’re available. Also, because of the way the weekends line up for Christmas and New Years this year, we’re available to perform on or around those dates.

And now, a drum roll please........ After ten months of recording and tens of thousands of miles traveling back and forth to Eaton, NH (OK, a slight exaggeration on the millage but not by much) my friend Tommy Dean of Devonsquare and I have finally finished Imagined, our John Lennon Song Project CD. After years of wishful thinking, this is adream come true album for me that features 22 of Lennon’s better known Beatles songs, many of them artfully woven together. The two exceptions are Imagine and Johnny’s An Angel,which was originally on Aztec’s 1986 Living In America album. We’ve gotten nothing but rave previews from everyone who’s heard it so far including my friend John who wasserving in Kabul, Afghanistan at the time, and my band mates Neal and Freddy. And how about this from WFUVs’ Pete Fornatale: One listen to these intelligent, heartfelt covers will convince you that Rex and Tom have been infused with the spirit of John Lennon and that they rank right up there with the very best Lennon interpreters ever.

The official release date is October 9^th - John’s 70^th birthday - but is available to you all now on our ATS website. Tom and I are very excited about the CD and our upcoming 2010 live shows, which kick off on September 17^th at the Gracie Theater in Bangor, Maine. We’ll be performing live with Tom’s band mate Alana MacDonald who sings a heart-wrenching version of In My Life, plus four other terrific musicians. And like the CD, the live show’s instrumentation features bass, acoustic and electric guitars, cello, violin, mandolin, accordion, chromatic harmonica and some crazy cool vocals. For complete details, song samples and such, you can visit our JLSP website.

July 2010 E-News

Quote of the Month

"The steady buzzzzzzz of the Katydid chorus,
the bass solo of the croaking Frog,
the steady woof-woof-woof a barking Dog -
a summer night's serenade."
- Michael P. Garofalo, Cuttings

Blog by Rex

I’m sickened by this ongoing BP disaster. We all are. The poor people, the pelicans, the wetlands, the water and sand. It feels worse than the Valdez spill because it is worse, a hundred times worse and counting.

I’ve gotten mail asking why I haven’t addressed this topic. My first thoughts were, this is way too depressing and what difference would it make anyway? In the light of day, today, all that comes to mind is we all need to band together on this and not shirk our individual responsibilities either: being more mindful of our planet, better informed, and more than ever before, working with our elected officials on these matters. Life on earth. We’re all in this together including the oil companies.

We obviously need oil and its byproducts now but we can all do better conserving it and asking our lawmakers to do a better job in regulating its manufacturing. To this end I believe there is some progress being made. Still, I’m disappointed in our president’s response to this ongoing disaster, especially after the lessons of Katrina, and for not using this as a call to arms for congress to assist the private sector in developing sustainable renewable energy sources. If not now then when? In spite of the anguish, the depression and dread, this is a golden opportunity to renew our resolve for a safer cleaner future while creating new and inspiring jobs for our staggering economy. However, I hate the prospect of more nuclear power plants. Please say no to this shortsighted and dangerous policy but yes to wind, tide and solar energy. It’s our only real chance for survival on dear mother earth.

I started thinking about a song lyric I wrote back in the early 80s. It’s startling to me how prophetic it was but we had similar ecological and economic concerns back then as well. It’ll only get worse if we don’t get involved now.

What Would The Indians Say

WELL WE DUMP ALL OUR JUNK IN THE OCEANS
FUNK UP OUR RIVERS AND LAKES
WHILE WE SPEAK ABOUT LOVE AND DEVOTION
I WONDER WHAT WOULD THE INDIANS SAY?

THERE’S GONNA BE FIRE ON THE WATER
AN AWESOME PRICE TO PAY
WE BETTER HOPE OUR SONS AND DAUGHTERS
HEAR WHAT THE INDIANS SAY

WE DO RESEARCH ON EARTH’S LITTLE CREATURES
BLIND THEM WITH COSMETIC SPRAYS
WHILE WE GAWK AT THE BLONDES IN THE BLEACHERS
I WONDER WHAT WOULD THE INDIANS SAY?

CHORUS

WELL THE TV KEEP PUSHING ITS PICTURE
TIME IT KEEP TICKING AWAY….
WHILE THE RICH KEEP THE RICH KEEPING RICHER
SO TELL ME WHAT WOULD THE INDIANS SAY?

June 2010 E-News

Quote of the Month

"Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June."
~ Al Bernstein (American Author)

Blog by Rex

Well my Amazins’ are holding their own in spite of erratic run production caused by a severe psychological hitting disorder prominently displayed by core players in the middle of the batting order - oh yeah, and the one batting eighth as well. This disorder is especially evident with runners in scoring position (that’s RISP for those of you keeping score at home). Still, there’s a glimmer of hope for our 2010 season; hope being mandatory if you’re a diehard Mets fan, which most Mets fans by nature are. Perhaps the reason we relate almost religiously to our psychologically damaged baseball team, season after season, is that we obviously have a proclivity for that malady ourselves.

Moving right along, ATS is playing some choice new venues this month including a CancerCare celebration in Bangor, ME., the fabulous Knickerbocker Cafe in Westerly, RI., then back to Maine, this time Skowhegan, to play a fundraiser for their Opera House. I mean, nothing says OPERA quite like Aztec Two-Step! Throw in a rare house concert sponsored by our lovely and longtime friend Deb McWethy of the Peterborough Folk Music Society, a private WFUV house concert fundraiser with DJ extraordinaire Pete Fornatale, and a private party also in Maine, and we have a pretty lively, fun and fulfilling June itinerary. Please scroll below or visit our website’s tour dates for all the thrilling details. http://www.aztectwostep.com/tours.aspx.

Oh yes and, Let’s Go Mets!!