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 40th 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 40th 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 40th 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.
