Aztec Two-Step

Rex’s February 2012 Blog

2012-01-31T15:56:00.002-05:00

I love February. I love how it’s spelled: Feb-ru-ar-y. I love that there’s a “Leap Year” attached to it every four years including 2012. No other month has that and everyone knows at least one person born on February 29^th.How lucky they are!

February was my favorite school month as a kid not only because of Valentine’s Day, but because it only has 28 days in the ‘common years’ which meant two or three less days of school than the normal months. It was also our annual winter vacation month which meant at least one whole week off from school, plus, two other days off for President Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays, not like today where they’re combined into just one lousy ‘President’s’ vacation day. That’s just not right, sorry!

This year I especially love February because I’m driving down to Florida with my son Rufus for our first golf vacation together, sandwiched between two weekends of spectacular concerts with The Nutopians, my 8-piece John Lennon tribute band (Feb 24-26), and of course dear old Aztec Two-Step (March 9-11). This, my friends, is what is known as the best of both worlds!

Cause & Effect is already getting lots of local and national airplay and our C&E CD shows have been selling out with amazing enthusiastic audience responses to the new versions of our “give a damn” songs; plus the four new “topical” songs on the album. Mike Kornfeld of AcousticMusicScene.com is doing a terrific job promoting it. Any and all media outlets or progressive FM radio leads are very much welcomed.

Rex’s January 2012 Blog

2012-01-31T15:56:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year Family! Let’s ring out the old and ring in the new by being deliriously joyful, kindhearted and generous to a fault before falling back to our normal selfish, self-loathing selves when the hangover kicks in on New Year’s day.

To kick things off in 2012, Aztec Two-Step is “officially” releasing Cause & Effect by sending it out to national press and folk radio. We’re working with Mike Kornfeld of “Acoustic Music Scene” to help promote this super fine recording. Any media or radio suggestions are welcome!

This is also Neal’s birthday month and on his special day, Tuesday, Jan 10 at 8pm, we’re being interviewed at 92Y in NYC by revered newsman Budd Mishkin, NY1 Anchor and host of One on One with Budd Mishkin. We’ll be answering Budd’s deep probing questions and playing a few songs as well. See what happens when you learn to play nice, share toys, remember one another’s birthdays for 40 plus years! Scroll down for all the details. Please attend if you can!

On Saturday, Jan 14, ATS is appearing live on WFUV with Pete Fornatale to help get the word out about the aforementioned Cause & Effect. It will stream live on www.wfuv.org if you want to listen in. Same thing goes next morning, when The Nutopians, my stellar 8-piece John Lennon tribute band, also appears live on John Platt’s WFUV “Sunday Breakfast” radio show beginning around 10am to help promote our Sunday, Jan 22 appearance at City Winery, Manhattan’s hottest new listening venue. A great turnout for this show will help ensure ATS playing there later this year. Come early, have dinner, drink wine!

Rex’s December 2011 Blog

2012-01-31T15:55:00.003-05:00

With the arrival of ‘Tis the season’ “give” is the operative word this month. It’s that joyous time of year to be jolly, give gifts, and to get them too! We’re hoping you’ll pluck a few items from our catalog of music, video and haute couture - OK hats and T’s. We’re also introducing two new lines of T’s this month with themes from two of our song classics: Dancers All and Rabbit In The Moon.

No doubt, these are trying times. Perhaps that’s why Cause & Effect: Changing The World With Song has not exactly flown off our website’s virtual shelves these past two mailings. We sincerely thank all of you who have, but hope those of you who have yet will give it a chance, a listen or away - to a friend, a foe or even a loved one this gift giving season. It is a damn good ‘give a damn’ album, one of our very best in my un-humble opinion. So if you’re a fan of the band (and I bet you are!) take it from me you’ll love this CD. FYI, less than a third of our recipients open our mailer in any given month. Same percentage for those who sign up at concerts but do not respond to the automated confirmation request in order to receive it. Much like growing old, showbiz ain’t for sissies. However, if you’re able, we sure hope you’ll throw your support our way this holiday season.

Rex’s November 2011 Blog

2012-01-31T15:55:00.001-05:00

I’m a child of the ‘60’s so obviously Occupy Wall Street intrigues me. I went down and scouted about on a lovely Sunday afternoon a few weeks ago with my gal Bobbi. Like so many others who have been there and written about it, we were both surprised and delighted by the intelligence and sincerity of the protesters we encountered. Every few feet were small groups of people gathered to either listen, or articulate a message of economic accountability and change. People of all ages, races and walks-of-life were milling about or mingling, including many families with school age children, often carrying homemade signs.

I never got the sense that anyone there wanted to overthrow the government or start a violent revolution; mostly messages of accountability for our elected officials and lawmakers regarding Wall Street regulations and corporate campaign contributions; common sense stuff that most Americans seemingly want, including many if not most of the so-called 1 percent.

It’s snowing as I write this on October 29^th; Lord have mercy!

“Snow in San Anselmo,
My waitress… said it was coming down
Said it hadn’t happened in over 30 years
But it was laying on the ground”
From a brilliant Van Morrison song on Hard Nose The Highway.

Will the onslaught of freezing-cold winter weather disburse these remarkable protesters, especially in the northern and mid-western states where their encampments will be hit the hardest? If so, I expect a meaningful part of their mission is accomplished, and this “revolution” will carry on and continue to percolate on Main Streets throughout America for many months and years to come. Power to the people, right on!

Please come out and hear The Nutopians, my exquisite 8-piece ensemble, celebrate the song compositions of John Lennon this week and please don’t forget about our most recent and most poignant Cause & Effect CD. Ironically, 1 percent on our mailing list responded to last month’s announcement.

Rex’s October 2011 Blog

2012-01-31T15:54:00.003-05:00

September, with wisps of inevitable autumn, was even more its usual bittersweet this year. Propelled by a semi-significant “baby boomer” birthday thanks to a certain Sir Paul McCartney lyric; coupled with the 10^th anniversary of 9/11, it played heavily on my heart and mind. Still, life goes on thankfully and I was blessed to sing “Towers of Love” with its author Stuart Kabac and lovely high school a capella group called Passing Notes at a 9/11 memorial concert co-sponsored by Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, NJ - then less than a week later blew out a candle on stage at our Common Fence concert in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Sometime in between, I shared the stage and two songs at One Longfellow Square in Portland, Maine with Jonathan Edwards to help celebrate the venue’s new non-profit status. Jonathan wryly quipped by going non-profit it had now joined ranks of its performers.

In hindsight, we probably should have included Towers of Love, a remarkable song written days after 9/11, on our Cause & Effect CD. It would have been a perfect fit. Still, I think we’ve made a masterful album, which by the way, is now available on our website and at concerts. Our CD won’t become “official” until we send out to radio and press in mid-January 2012. If any of you would like to suggest relevant online radio and media outlets, or traditional print and radio programming in your area, please send us your suggestions. Also, we welcome any of you who are interested, to join our “street team” volunteers by putting our CD/concert posters up and around in the areas where we’re performing. In this economy, any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Here in October, as was September, there is so much to be thankful for as I wind this whimsy down: a visit with my son Rufus later this week, my fortunate good health, new and ongoing creative ventures, the goodness that has sprung from perhaps our nation’s greatest tragedy, and the new and lasting friendships that have ensued since then. May blessings, peace and prosperity befall us all.

Rex’s September 2011 Blog

2012-01-31T15:54:00.001-05:00

Hallelujah, the great storm is over!

We ended our Simon & Garfunkel Songbook show at Infinity Music Hall last Friday with Irene Goodnight in honor of the approaching hurricane, so I’m starting our newsletter off with it to bid her farewell. I hope you all fared well. Trees are still falling like flies around here due to massive ground saturation and gusting winds so we’re still staying put with lots of fun provisions to eat including peanut butter and jelly sammys! Our S&G show with Pete Fornatale at the Steppingstone Theatre in Great Neck, NY was canceled because of the storm but hopefully it will be rescheduled before summer ends.

Hallelujah again as we have finished our new Cause & Effect CD. It’s being manufactured as we speak and should be ready for our Towne Crier show in Pawling, NY on September 23rd. The scope of the album is social/political musings, sixteen compositions from the past and present, as we go about our job of changing the world with song. We’re very pleased with our effort and feel blessed that we’re still able to perform at the top of our game forty years into our career. As soon as we have it in our hands, it’ll be available on our ATS web store. http://www.aztectwostep.com/store.htm Of course, you can also pick it up at one of our shows.

Rex’s August 2011 Blog

2012-01-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

A thousand thanks and blessings to all of you who voted for Imagined: Celebrating The Songs of John Lennon. The Nu-Utopians won the Independent Music Awards Vox Pop Award for best tribute album in 2010. Tom Dean of Devonsquare and I began collaborating on Imagined a year ago this month and officially released it on what would have been John’s 70^th birthday last October. Although we were disappointed that we didn’t win IMA’s Critics Choice Award back in May, it sort of made sense when we learned that Snookie and the entire cast of Jersey Shore were judging our category. That’s pretty funny, no?

We learned about our win last week while recording nine new tracks for our second Lennon album at The Studio in Portland, Maine, then went out and celebrated at J’s Oyster Bar; a cool dive bar in the Old Port area with great eats. We brought all seven band members in to record, plus Maggie Coffin, our guitarist Robby’s phenomenally soulful fifteen year-old daughter to sing lead on “Revolution” and “Dear Prudence.” If you’ve seen her perform these songs with us live then you know exactly what I’m talking about here. Stay tuned for all the details as we continue to record with a release date scheduled sometime in early 2012.

Meanwhile, Neal and I expect to finish our Cause and Effect CD later this month. Neal is putting the final touches on a few of the tracks before we “harvest” it this fall to commemorate our 40^th anniversary together. As mentioned before, this will be a stripped down all-acoustic album of our “give a damn” songs including several new compositions that feature our beloved Freddy Holman on bass. This recording really captures our live “power trio” sound and may well be the best album Aztec Two-Step

July 2011

2012-01-31T15:52:00.000-05:00

Welcome to summer dear friends. Neal and I are making great strides on our Cause and Effect album that we’re recording with our bassist Freddy Holman. We’re putting on the finishing touches now and will harvest it this fall to commemorate our 40^th anniversary. As mentioned before, this will be a stripped down all-acoustic album of our “give a damn” songs including several new ones. It really captures our live power trio sound and may well be the best album we’ve ever made.

Speaking of summer and flies, after 21 months on the golf DL (disabled list) from a rotator cuff injury I was finally able to tee it up for 9 holes with my son Rufus last month. A few days later after no apparent side effects we teed it up again. I’ll skip over our awful scores and fast forward to last week with Tom Dean, my partner in crime with The Nu-Utopians, on his beautiful mountain golf course in North Conway, NH. It was there that I was reacquainted with those tiny silent assassins better known as Black Flies. According to Tom, they are New Hampshire’s unofficial state bird between Mothers and Fathers Day. We were warned that the little buggers were out in mass before teeing off but not wanting to endure that smelly bug spray, I decided to wait until they attacked. Bad idea! 42 bites later I realized I’d been had. Forewarned is forearmed so lather up my friends before venturing out this season! On a happier note, our beloved fireflies are bobbing about in full splendor now.

June 2011 E-News

2011-06-01T12:40:00.000-04:00

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

2011-05-02T08:27:00.001-04:00

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

2011-05-01T20:43:00.001-04:00

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^thAnniversary 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

2011-03-08T18:31:00.001-05:00

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^thanniversary (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^thanniversary 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^thanniversary 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.

September 2010 E-Newsletter

2010-10-28T20:09:00.000-04:00

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

2010-10-28T20:04:00.001-04:00

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

2010-08-02T12:06:00.001-04:00

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

2010-07-03T10:16:00.001-04:00

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

2010-06-10T22:05:00.000-04:00

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!!

May 2010 E-News

2010-05-09T21:32:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Month

"What potent blood hath modest May."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Blog by Rex

Ya gotta believe that The Amazin’s are back in spite of dire punditry predictions for their 2010 season. Understandable (unless you’re a diehard Mets fan!) in the wake of consecutive colossal September collapses’ in 2007 & 8 - and of course last year’s dismal showing brought on (in part) by devastating injuries to several key pitchers and position players. So, when my New York Mets finished off their April home stand with a 9-game winning streak to inch a half game ahead of their turnpike rivals, the Philadelphia “Cheese Steaks,” as the delirious droll WFAN radio host Steve Summers refers to them, you can only imagine the ecstasy in Metsville. I actually have the utmost respect for the Phillies in spite of their pathetic showing in last year’s “Fall Classic” against the best team money always buys, the New York Yankees. Yeah, yeah, we all know about the “Core Four” but please, how pathetic is it to be able buy or discard players at a moment’s whim or whenever the need arises? I’d be embarrassed to be a Yankee fan the way The Evil Empire buys their championships year after year, but of course they never are, always wanting more more more. Now, if only my Mets would go out and pickup a serious free agent thumper this year and another starting south paw or two and…

Speaking of gaming, we hope you’ll come out for our free concert at Mohegan Sun’s Wolf Den this Wednesday, May 5^th starting at 8pm. We’re playing one long set backed by bassist Freddy Holman and percussionist Marshal Rosenberg. Meet us for a pizza party at Pepe’s afterward!

We’re also back at gorgeous Infinity Hall in Norfolk, CT on Saturday, May 15^th featuring our original songs after doing our S&G show there previously.

April 2010 E-News

2010-04-05T20:25:00.001-04:00

Quote of the Month

Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!" ~ Robin Williams

Blog

Spring has sprung and thanks to you good people Neal and I have been on a very nice roll lately. Our performances have been great successes both artistically and at the box office in spite of the ongoing recession. We keep expanding our horizons as evidenced with a trip out to Pittsburgh, PA and Kent, Ohio this month and into Illinois this coming October. New playing opportunities keep popping up and we continue to get party inquiries which helps us stay afloat in these turbulent times. Miraculously, we turned 39 last month and if the fates allow we’ll have a brand new ATS studio album sometime in 2011 to celebrate our momentous 40^th anniversary. Meanwhile, my John Lennon Imagined recording with dear friend Tom Dean of Devonsquare is in its final stages. We are shopping it now with hopes of it being available for JL’s 70^th birthday on October 9, 2010. Please visit http://www.tomdeansongs.com/JLSP.html for a sneak preview and to sign up on our facebook page for updates.

Here’s a few more springtime quotes beginning with the greatest of them all:

Hope springs eternal. ~ Alexander Pope (from An Essay on Man, 1732)

The first day of spring is one thing but the first spring day is another. ~ Henry Van Dyke

In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt. ~ Margaret Atwood

First a howling blizzard woke us,
Then the rain came down to soak us,
And now before the eye can focus –
Crocus. ~ Lilja Rogers

Science has never drummed up quite as effective a tranquilizing agent as a sunny spring day. ~ W. Earl Hall

Spring is not the best of seasons.
Cold and flu are two good reasons;
Wind and rain and other sorrow,
Warm today and cold tomorrow. ~ Author Unknown

April is a promise that May is bound to keep. ~ Hal Borland

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~ Mark Twain

April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go. ~ Christopher Morley

The first day of spring was once the time for taking the young virgins into the fields, there in dalliance to set an example in fertility for nature to follow. Now we just set the clocks an hour ahead and change the oil in the crankcase. ~ E.B. White

April hath put a spirit of youth in everything. ~ William Shakespeare

People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring. ~ Rogers Hornsby

Let’s Go Mets!

March 2010 E-News

2010-03-02T21:09:00.003-05:00

Quote of the Month

"Man is as vast as he acts." Yogi tea label

Blog

Our friend Gary Licker from Holbrook, NY designed and launched our first website way back in the ‘90s, then directed a documentary about us called "No Hit Wonder" which was aired on several PBS stations in 2000. Apparently it has been in the top 5 of the most popular short documentaries category on Hulu for the past 8 weeks. I had never heard of Hulu until just now but evidently it's all the rage. If you'd like to see the video in its entirety, or read some flattering comments about it, please click on hulu.com. It's also available on our website Aztec Two-Step store.

The premise of the documentary is that we've had this rather improbable career in spite of never having had a top 10 anything (or top 100 for that matter) in the music business. It's both ironic and cool that Gary's film finally got Aztec Two-Step "charted" after 39 years of playing music together in this our anniversary month. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank Gary publicly for his kindness and support all these years.

We are truly blessed.