June 2011 E-News

Quote of the Month

“Spring being a tough act to follow, God created June.” Al Bernstein

Rex’s Blog

Dear Friends, welcome to our official ‘After Rapture’ newsletter. Surprise, surprise, we’re still here and for this I am truly grateful because I have a great idea to share with you and Hershey’s, the manufacturers of Mounds and Almond Joy candy bars. Hey guys, would it be a sin to add a few almonds to the Mounds bar too? I know, sometimes you feel like a nut and all that stuff but by now everybody knows the dark chocolate in a Mounds bar is a much healthier choice than the milk chocolate of an Almond Joy bar, plus an almond or two in a Mounds bar would slow down that devilish sugar spike. I don’t think this modest proposal is heresy, in fact I think it’s a heavenly idea. So if you agree, come on, let’s join forces and start a campaign!

OK, moving right along, we’ve now recorded all sixteen songs slated for our upcoming Cause and Effect album. Neal and I will put the finishing touches on it later this month then harvest it this fall to commemorate our 40th anniversary together. As I mentioned before, this will be a stripped down all-acoustic album that features our good buddy and band mate Freddy Holman on bass. We’re revisiting old and debuting new “give a damn” songs from our vast and varied musical canon. We’re very excited about this record.

I want to give a thumbs up to my friend Alan Gerstel’s mesmerizing memoir “Swing – The Search for my father, Louis Prima.” If you’re a fan of biographies like me, auto or otherwise, this is a fascinating story. I have already ordered six copies to give to friends of mine who were adopted but it’s not a criteria for loving this book. To order please go to www.amazom.com and click on "Books" and then enter "SWING - the...." and the book will pop up. You can also visit Alan’s website www.swingthebook.com that includes a recent TV piece that aired about his search for his father. Alan has inspired me to get back to work on my own memoir tentatively titled, “The B-Side of Success.”

This is my last shout out for The Edna Project by our friends Seth Farber and Liz Queler who have brilliantly set some of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poetry to music.

Please don’t forget about the Imagined CD that celebrates the musical majesty of John Lennon and which is also up for IMA’s People’s Choice Award this July. Please VOTE FOR US ASAP and if you haven’t yet, please PICK ONE UP SOON!

Finally, if you’re planning a fundraiser or a private party and think we’d be a good fit, please contact our agent Bobbi. She is a delight to work with no matter how small or large your event or gathering may be.

May 2011 E-News

Quote of the Month

"What potent blood hath modest May." Ralph W. Emerson

Rex’s Blog

I was saddened to learn that Phoebe Snow passed away last week at the tender age of 58. I remember with awe hearing “Poetry Man” for the first time on WNEW-FM. Her 1975 LP was one of, if not the most impressive debut albums of all-time. My then wife Joy and I literally wore that record out.

Phoebe was discovered at The Bitter End, a landmark folk club on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village where Neal and I had also played before we were discovered busking in Central Park on a sunny May afternoon in 1971.

The scuttlebutt on “Poetry Man” was that Phoebe had a gigantic crush on Buzzy Linhart, a lovely man and extremely talented musician who mentored her back then. I got to know Buzzy personally in the late seventies. He was a truly great singer, performer and songwriter in his own right but as fate allowed, his best known songs “Friends” and “The Love’s Still Growing” were made famous by Bette Midler and Carly Simon.

I feel blessed to have finally met Phoebe at a series of 9/11 benefit concerts in October of 2001 that ATS performed at along with Bruce Springsteen and a dozen other distinguished Jersey artists at The Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank, NJ.

On a happier note, Spring is busting out all over and Neal, Freddy and I have already recorded ten songs for our Cause and Effect album. We’re revisiting many of our socially conscious songs as well as some newer ones that fit thematically with this concept. As I mentioned last month, it will be a stripped down all-acoustic record that captures the energy of our live performances. We hope to have it out this fall.

I’m still digging The Edna Project by our friends Seth Farber and Liz Queler who have brilliantly set some of Edna St. Vincent Millay’s poetry to music.

Please don’t forget that my Imagined CD celebrating the musical majesty of John Lennon is up for the Independent Music Award’s People’s Choice Award this July. Please VOTE FOR US ASAP. If you haven’t already, please PICK ONE UP SOON!

Last but not least, if you’re planning a fundraiser or a private party, our agent Bobbi is a delight to work with no matter how small or large your event or gathering may be.

April 2011 E-News

Quote of the Month

“April comes like an idiot, babbling and stewing flowers.” Edna St. Vincent Millay

Rex’s Blog

Happy April All, no foolin’!

Speaking of Edna St. Vincent Millay, if you’re a nut for her and her poetry like Risa & Laird Scranton and I are, you must check out The Edna Project. Our friends Seth Farber and Liz Queler have brilliantly set some of her poetry to music.

Sad news: I just learned my Imagined CD that honors the musical legacy of John Lennon lost the Independent Music Awards ‘Best Tribute Album’ competition. Yes we are disappointed but there’s still the equally important People’s Choice Award that will be announced later this summer - so if you haven’t yet, please VOTE FOR US ASAP. Music fans from around the world have until July 11 to cast their votes. I’ve never had an album elicit such passion from so many people since our Elektra album so please, if you haven’t yet, PICK ONE UP SOON!

March was a great month for us Two-Steppers. Our four ATS/S&G combo shows at The Phil in Naples, Florida were a delight, not to mention the 80-degree weather! Plus, our two 40^th Anniversary shows at The Sanctuary in Chatham, NJ with Pete Fornatale and Buskin & Batteau and at The Narrows were a total joy. We’ll be doing another 40^th Anniversary show with B&B at Infinity Hall on June 25. This is a must-see to believe venue and show if I do say so meself!

Neal, our bassist Freddy, and I will begin recording songs for our Cause and Effect (the working title) CD later this week at Paul Guzzone’s Triple Z studio in Pomona, NY. Paul produced our last studio album Days of Horses back in 2004, which many have compared to our 1972 debut album on Elektra. We’re revisiting many of our “give a damn” songs like War, Rabbit In The Moon, Shanty Town and Living In America, as well as some new songs that fit thematically with this concept. It will be a stripped down, all-acoustic, live in studio project that captures the energy of our live performances. We hope to have it ready to folk and roll by summer’s end.

April is rather lamb-like with just two shows scheduled. They include our 40^th Anniversary show at the marvelous TCAN in Natick, MA this Saturday the 2nd, and a Nu-Utopians show celebrating the songs of John Lennon at the equally marvelous Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH on Saturday the 23rd. As I stated earlier, Neal, Freddy and I will put this “down time” to good use by rehearsing and recording for a new CD as part of our 2011 anniversary celebration. With all the political and social upheaval going on here in the U.S. and abroad these days, this seems like a relevant and worthwhile endeavor.

March 2011 E-Newsletter

Quote of the Month

“ '...then you should say what you mean', the March Hare went on. `I do,' Alice hastily replied; 'at least - at least I mean what I say - that's the same thing, you know.' ”
Lewis Carroll

Rex’s Blog

We made it! March 15th marks Aztec Two-Step’s 40th anniversary. March will also live up to its reputation for being “In like a Lion” as I begin the month touring Maine and celebrating the songs of John Lennon with my “Fab”- u- lous 7-piece ensemble, The Nu-Utopians. Great Nu-U News! Our Imagined CD was just nominated for the ‘Best Tribute Album’ of 2010 by the Independent Music Awards, a prestigious international competition. Please see all the details at the bottom of this blog. Hmmm, this could be a possible song title! OK, maybe “From The bottom of My Blog” would be better.

ATS kicks things off the following week with two shows in New Jersey including the Strand Center for the Arts in Lakewood and then back with our good friends at Sanctuary Concerts in Chatham for a gala celebration of our 40^th anniversary (including a slide show and cake!) and featuring very special guests Buskin & Batteau and Pete Fornatale. This is our first time back since the début of our Simon & Garfunkel Songbook show in 2005. Next, we head down to Florida, this time to perform at “The Phil” in Naples where we’ll be playing four shows combining ATS originals with Simon & Garfunkel songs. We’ll also throw in a few Everly Brothers for good measure!

March starts winding down a bit with our 40^th anniversary show at The Narrows in Fall River, MA, again with Buskin & Batteau as special guests; another benefit concert sponsored by Bruce John of Shaboo fame at the Bread Box in Willimantic, CT; then we reunite at a free event with the amazing Pete Fornatale narrating our Simon & Garfunkel Songbook show at the Budarz Theater @ The Ossining Public Library in Ossining, NY - a lovely new music venue and concert series started by dear hearts Alan & Ellen Marzelli.

April is rather lamb-like with just two shows scheduled so far. They include a 40^th anniversary show at the marvelous TCAN in Natick, MA and a Nu-Utopians show celebrating the songs of John Lennon at the equally marvelous Palace Theatre in Manchester, NH. However, Neal, Freddy and I will put this “down time” to good use by focusing on rehearsals for a live album of “give a damn” songs as part of our 2011 anniversary celebration. With all the social upheaval going on here in the U.S. and around the world these days, this seems like a relevant and worthwhile endeavor.
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So here we are at the The Bottom of My Blog, a brand new hit single recently composed by yours truly about my amazing Nu-Utopians.

The Nu-Utopians Imagined CD was just nominated in the “Best Tribute Album” category of 2010 by the prestigious Independent Music Awards. Please VOTE FOR US @ People’s Choice Award. Music fans from around the world have until July 11 to cast their votes.

ABOUT IMA:

The Independent Music Awards is the only international program that connects artists to new revenue opportunities & a potential audience of more than 1 billion music fans.The “Judged Winners” will be determined by a panel of 62 influential artist and industry types including Tom Waits, Suzanne Vega, Adam Duritz, Seal, Aimee Mann, Shelby Lynne, Bill Bragin (Lincoln Center), Anthony DeCurtis (Rolling Stone), Evan Schlansky (American Songwriter) and others, and will be announced in late March, 2011.

There are many artists previously on major labels like Jackson Browne this year, as well as notable indie label and self-released talent from around the globe who submitted their best work in 70 Song, Album, Video & Design categories. The competition receives submissions from more than 70 countries on 6 continents. Artists, managers and labels credit The IMAs for impacting their presence among talent buyers, programmers, media and fans.

Earning an IMA is more than just a badge of distinction. Produced by Music Resource Group, publisher of the popular industry contact database The Musician’s Atlas/AtlasOnline, and co-sponsored by eMusic, Jango, Musicati, AMI Entertainment, IMAtv, Dropcards, CMJ Music Marathon, NACA, The Planetary Group and others. The IMAs leverage its unrivaled access to performance, promotion & distribution opportunities to place winners & nominees in front of Talent Buyers, Film, TV & Gaming Music Supervisors, Media outlets, Licensing opportunities and 1 Billion music fans.

Back to Aztec Two-Step again, our new “first 40 years” T-shirts have been a big hit so far. For a look-see and complete details on these other merchandise items, tour dates, etc., please visit our ATS website.