You can't make this shit up. Todd Rundgren translated and recorded Flappie, an off-kilter Dutch Christmas song written by Dutch comedian Youp van 't Hek. He stayed clode the original, although the arrangment feels a bit crowded. Spoiler: the rabbit dies.
Showing posts with label Todd Rundgren. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Todd Rundgren. Show all posts
December 03, 2020
September 01, 2018
Todd Rundgren: rig rundown
Watch Todd Tundgeren discussing his guitars for a rig rundowwn for Premier Guitar. His band mates Jesse Gress (guitar) and Kasim Sulton (bass) weigh in as well.
For this tour, Todd Rundgren left behind the big stage show and truckloads of gear and opted for a string of streamlined, intimate performances spanning his entire career. To make the show happen, he toured with just two guitars—his longtime No. 1 is this MIJ ’80s Fernandes P-Project “super strat.” As he tells in the video, the industry was much different in the late 1980s. He toured Japan just before the ’90s started, and he was gifted with a pile of Fernandes guitars. He took some of them back to the States and sat on them for years. He eventually got curious and started a tone shootout between all the freebies. This seafoam green model emerged victorious and was bestowed the obvious name, “Foamy.” He never really used tone knob or switches, so he had those disconnected and now it has a single volume control and a 5-way toggle. He uses D’Addario NYXL .010–.046 strings and always tunes to E.
June 07, 2017
Todd Rundgren: Berklee Commencement Address
November 24, 2014
Words about music (358): Todd Rundgren
Todd Rundgren @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2010/02/08 - photo: HCTF
I can't stand Beyoncé. The way she sells it so hard, constantly. Everything is shoved right in your face. Like, you don't have the sense to make a judgment of your own. That's what I like about Frank Ocean or Bon Iver – they try to capture a feeling in the most sincere way.
Todd Rundgren
April 15, 2013
Todd Rundgren: new album "State", tour dates
Todd Rundgren @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2010/02/08 - photo: HCTF
Todd Rundgren will be touring extensively behind his new album State. While he only used his guitar and his laptop to record the tracks, he will be playing with a full band in the USA, Europe, Australia and Japan. A CD signing happens at Noble @ Grove Farmer's Market in Los Angeles, CA on April 15 (6PM).
USA live dates (1st leg):
- 05/06 The Bearsville Theater, Woodstock (Bearsville), NY
- 05/07 The Bearsville Theater, Woodstock (Bearsville), NY
- 05/07 Late Night with David Letterman, New York, NY
- 05/08 Infinty Hall, Norfolk, CT
- 05/10 Gramercy Theatre, New York, NY
- 05/11 Trocadero Theatre, Philadelphia, PA
- 05/12 The Paramount, Huntington, NY
- 05/15 Rex Theater, Pittsburgh, PA
- 05/16 Lifestyle Communities Pavilion, Columbus, OH
- 05/18 Bogart's, Cincinnati, OH
- 05/20 Varsity Theater, Minneapolis, MN
- 05/28 Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
- 05/29 Debaser Malmö, Malmo, Sweden
- 05/30 Debaser Slussen, Stockholm, Sweden
- 06/02 Spirit of 66, Verviers, Belgium
- 06/04 Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- 06/06 O2 ABC Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
- 06/07 The Picture House Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- 06/09 HMV Ritz, Manchester, United Kingdom
- 06/12 O2 Academy 2 Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
- 06/13 O2 Academy Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- 06/15 O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, United Kingdom
- 06/23 House of Blues New Orleans, New Orleans, LA
- 06/25 House of Blues Houston, Houston, TX
- 06/26 The Belmont, Austin, TX
- 06/28 House of Blues Dallas, Dallas, TX
- 06/29 Gruene Hall, New Braunfels, TX
- 06/30 Cain's Ballroom, Tulsa, OK
- 07/02 Boulder Theater, Boulder, CO
- 07/03 Belly Up, Aspen, CO
- 07/06 Rialto Theatre, Tucson, AZ
- 07/08 The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA
- 07/11 The Canyon, Agoura Hills, CA
- 07/12 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
- 07/17 The Gov, Adelaide, Australia
- 07/19 Chelsea Heights Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
- 07/20 Ferntree Gully Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
- 07/21 Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
- 07/23 Lizottes, Newcastle, Australia
- 07/25 Bridge Hotel, Sydney, Australia
- 07/26 Revesby Workers Club, Sydney, Australia
- 07/27 Twin Towns, Coolangatta, Australia
- 08/21 Billboard Live, Tokyo, Japan
- 08/22 Billboard Live, Tokyo, Japan
- 08/24 Billboard Live, Osaka, Japan
» tr-i.com
August 28, 2012
Tame Impala: "Elephant" remix by Todd Rundgren, tour dates
Aussie indie darlings Tame Impala get the Todd Rundgren treatment with a remix by the legendary producer of their song Elephant, a track from the new album Lonerism, out Oct 5th (AUS), Oct 8th (UK/EU), Oct 9th (USA) on Modular Recordings.
Australian live dates:- 09/29 Parklife, Brisbane
- 09/30 Parklife, Sydney
- 10/01 Parklife, Perth
- 10/06 Parklife, Melbourne
- 10/07 Parklife, Adelaide
- 11/07 Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NU
- 11/08 Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
- 11/09 Royale Night Club, Boston, MA
- 11/10 Webster Hall, New York, NY
- 11/13 Metro, Chicago, IL
- 11/15 The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
- 11/17 The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
January 20, 2012
Todd Rundgren: semi-acoustic solo shows in Scandinavia and NYC
Todd Rundgren @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2010/02/08 - photo: HCTF
Todd Rundgren is doing a string of solo semi-acoustic shows in Scandinavia and New York. He will also participate in a Robert Johnson tribute.
Live dates:- 02/19 Oslo, Norway @ Parkteatret
- 02/22 Bergen, Norway @ Ricks
- 02/23 Stockholm, Sweden @ Sodra Teatern
- 02/26 New York City, NY @ City Winery
- 02/27 New York City, NY @ City Winery
- 03/02 New York City, NY @ City Winery
- 03/06 New York City, NY @ Apollo Theater (part of Robert Johnson Tribute)
- 03/07 New York City, NY @ City Winery
June 28, 2011
Todd Rundgren: intimate UK concerts in October
Todd Rundgren @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2010/02/08 - photo: HCTF
After performing in the USA, Japan and The Netherlands, Todd Rundgren flies to the UK for four special intimate shows as part of his "An Evening with Todd Rundgren" performances.
UK live dates:- 10/01 HMV Ritz, Manchester
- 10/03 London, Jazz Café
- 10/04 London, Jazz Café
- 10/05 London, Jazz Café
Ticket Hotline: 08700 603 777 or go to www.seetickets.com.
April 21, 2011
Todd Rundgren: USA and Japan tour, one-off show in Amsterdam
Todd Rundgren @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2010/02/08 - photo: HCTF
Todd Rundgren is on tour this Summer in the USA and Japan. A special one-off show happens in Amsterdam in September at the Paradiso.
USA Tour:- 06/23 Woodstock, NY @ Bearsville Theater
- 06/25 New Hope, PA @ Havana
- 06/26 Norfolk, CT @ Infinity Hall
- 06/28 Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
- 06/29 Annapolis, MD @ Ramshead
- 07/01 Tarrytown, NY @ Music Hall
- 07/02 Buffalo, NY @ The Tralf
- 07/03 Oneonta, NY @ Oneonta Theater
- 07/05 New York, NY @ Boulton Center
- 07/06 New York, NY @ BB Kings
- 07/08 Wilmington, DE @ Grand Opera House
- 07/09 Cleveland, OH @ Ohio Theater
- 07/10 Milwaukee, WI @ Summerfest
- 07/15 Agoura Hills, CA @ Canyon Club
- 07/16 San Juan Capistrano, CA @ Coach House
- 07/29 Yuzawa-machi, Niigata, Japan @ Naeba Ski Resort
- 07/30 Yuzawa-machi, Niigata, Japan @ Naeba Ski Resort
- 07/31 Yuzawa-machi, Niigata, Japan @ Naeba Ski Resort
- 09/24 Amsterdam, The Netherlands @ Paradiso
(with Het Metropole Orkest)
February 03, 2011
New York Dolls: Dancing Backward in High Heels
photo: Paul Bachman
From the big league to Newcastle. The New York Dolls recorded their new album in the tiny but well equipped Blast Studios in Newcastle. Produced by the engineer of The Killers, Jason Hill (who also plays bass), the Dolls had three weeks to come up with a new album. As per usual singer David Johansen supplied the lyrics and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain came up with the music and some words.
Their previous record, the 2009 album 'Cause I Sez So reunited the band with legendary producer Todd Rundgren, who brought back the Seventies glam and gloss. None of that is present on Dancing Backward in High Heels, which is raw and heartfelt. Obviously inspired by playing a three night stand at the tiny club The Cluny (September 4-6, 2010) they revisited the Sixties doo-wop (I Sold My Heart to The Junkman). Johansen stills projects the raunchy front man (I'm So Fabulous, Talk To Me Baby), but he also realizes that he is older and wiser now, singing as slow song about Kids Like You, on top of an Animals-esque organ played by Sylvain.
October 28, 2010
Todd Rundgren: teaching at Indiana University
Todd Rundgren @ Paradiso, Amsterdam 2010/02/08 - photo: HCTF
Todd Rundgren, musician and producer extraordinaire, will teach the kids how it's done at Indiana University, Bloomington:
During his stay in Bloomington, Rundgren will give a public lecture titled "LONGHAIR: Todd Rundgren on the Beatles Effect" at 7 p.m. Oct. 28 in Ballantine Hall 013. He will also present a Halloween-night recital titled "CLUSTER: The Birth of the T Chord" at 8 p.m. Oct. 31 in Auer Hall. Both are free and open to the public.
» iu.edu
September 13, 2010
Union Jackals: Universal Screenplay
Carl Mann, Paul Reeves and Stephen Barnes think big. The three members of London based Union Jackals have finished a concept album of sorts called Universal Screenplay, with sci-fi musings, delightful pop and great harmonies. With a batch of songs like that, visualization is a must and they are in the midst of creating videos for all the tracks, inviting anyone with a good idea and technical skills to help out. The clips for Press Reset and I Am The Sun are finished. The band has an in-depth blog about the proceedings on universalscreenplay.com
Projects like this can easily get bogged down in endless hassle and fizzle out about half way there. The music can stand on its own very well. Using well behaved feedback in Press Reset, Eighties gloss production for Racing A Horse and channel switching echo in Analogue Star, it's all there and then some.
Recommended if you like the he kids in a musical candy store approach of Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish, Todd Rundgren's A Wizard A True Star, The Pixies' Tromp Le Monde and The Clash' London Calling.
Universal Screenplay is released on Mapped Out Recordings on October 18th. Also available on that date is the Press Reset / I Am The Sun EP, with remixes and edited tracks.
"Universal Screenplay" tracks:- Afterlife
- We Are The Human Race
- Open Skies
- Press Reset
- Prologue
- I Am The Sun
- Racing A Horse
- The Red Channels
- Spaceship Dream
- Interlude (The Result Of A Thousand Burnt Paws & Candles)
- Analogue Star
- Some God's Changelings
- Epilogue
"Press Reset / I Am The Sun EP" tracks:
- Press Reset (Edit)
- I Am The Sun (Edit)
- I Am The Sun (What's His Face Remix)
- Under The Sun (Tenth Chapter & Base Mosquito Remix Edit)
- I Am The Sun (Jackalista's Jack To Jack Remix)
- I Am The Sun (Dustmotes Remix)
March 18, 2010
New York Dolls: European tour dates
photo: Paul Bachmann
The New York Dolls bring their glam punk rock to Europe in April. They will play the classics and lots of songs form their Todd Rundgren produced 'Cause I Sez So album.
- 04/15 Caen, France @ Big Band Cafe
- 04/16 Paris, France @ Le Trabendo
- 04/17 Le Mans, France @ Le Mans Raceway
- 04/19 London, England @ Koko
- 04/20 Dublin, Ireland @ Academy
- 04/22 Den Haag, The Netherlands @ Paard Van Troje
- 04/23 Leuven, Belgium @ Het Depot
- 04/25 Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Club (TBA)
- 04/27 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Amager Bio
- 04/28 Goteborg, Sweden @ Sticky Fingers
- 04/29 Drammen, Norway @ Union Scnene
- 04/30 Bergen, Norway @ Bergenfest
The current incarnation of the New York Dolls consists of David Johansen (vocals); Sylvain Sylvain (guitar); Steve Conte (guitar); Brian Delaney (drums); and former Hanoi Rocks bass guitarist Sami Yaffa.
Video: New York Dolls - 'Cause I Sez So
(live on "Later with Jools Holland" 2009/05/15).
HCTF review of 'Cause I Sez So.
February 27, 2010
John Cale: interview on BBC6 February 28
John Cale has yet another interview on the BBC. About the possibility of releasing a new album:
What's next for you?
When I'm finished with this series of concerts in July I'll go back into the studio and finish these songs. I have 28 songs at the moment, but I've got to finish them. I haven't figured out how to release them, that's a bit of a conundrum.
Do you still believe in the album as a concept?
I'm not sure that I do. Todd Rundgren gave a concert in New York the other day and immediately after you could get a memory stick of what you'd just experienced. I thought that was a very shrewd idea and wondered if there are any variations of that I could do.
The full interview will be on The Music Week on 6 Music on Sunday from 1300-1400 GMT.
February 09, 2010
Todd Rundgren: live @ Paradiso, Amsterdam, The Netherlands - 2010-02-08
photo: HCTF
The main course of the Todd Rundgren concert at Paradiso in Amsterdam was a complete run-through of his A Wizard, A True Star album, a record hilled to overflowing with musical genres. When it was first released in 1973 technology was pushed to the limit to create the sounds that are now built into effect pedals, off-the-shelf software, and keyboard gizmos.
Rundgren went through 12 costume changes - his wardrobe being designed by his wife Michelle. With the band playing on risers, he could move around a bit, although he said after the show that it felt being a bit cramped up there: "My main concern was not to fall of the stage". The other shows of the AWATS tour were performed in larger venues.
There were some mics problems during the first songs, especially with the one he used inside the astronaut's suit for the opener International Feel. Highlights were You Don't Have To Camp Around, with Rundgren staring in mock disbelief at a picture of himself in full Seventies regalia and the jumpy Just Another Onionhead. The doo-wop hit a peak during an extended Cool Jerk. When The Shit Hits The Fan/Sunset Blvd and Le Feel Internationale were moved to the end of the set to reprise the album's start. The encore was Just One Victory, the final AWATS track, which has been his customary last song for longer that he cares to remember.
Setlist:
|
The band: Todd Rundgren: guitar, vocals Jesse Gress: guitar Greg Hawkes: keyboards, vocals Prairie Prince: drums Ralph Schuckett: keyboards, vocals Bobby Strickland: saxophone, vocals Kasim Sulton: bass, vocals |
photo: HCTF
Rundgren took a risk treating the prog rock loving audience to a ten song set of Robert Johnson first, backed by the core of his live band as Todd Rundgren's Johnson. There were some sound problems in this set as well. The stage right side of the PA finally came to life halfway through the second song, and drummer Prairie Prince gave the sound guys many a nasty stare. When they settled into a solid blues groove, the crowd gave in and embraced the basic 12-bar blues.
Setlist:
|
The band: Todd Rundgren: guitar, vocals Jesse Gress: guitar Prairie Prince: drums Kasim Sulton: bass |
» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
» awatslive.com
February 02, 2010
HCTF Exclusive: Todd Rundgren's Johnson "Crossroads"
Todd photo: Lynn Goldsmith
Here Comes The Flood proudly presents Crossroads, a track from the forthcoming new Todd Rundgen album Todd Rundgren's Johnson, reinterpreting the songs of legendary blues man Robert Johnson (1911-1938).
MP3: Todd Rundgren's Johnson - Crossroads
The world premiere of Todd Rundgren's Johnson was at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater, San Francisco, December 1, 2009. Rundgren played a 45 minute set of Robert Johnson songs, with Prairie Prince on drums, Jesse Gress on guitar, and Kasim Sulton on bass. It was the opener for a complete rendition of his A Wizard, A True Star album, Rundgren doing a Pink Floyd thing by playing two albums in full. It will be done again at the final (for now) AWATS shows in London (Feb 6) and Amsterdam (Feb 8).
Todd Rundgren's Johnson will be released later this year. Release date to be decided. He mentioned the album in an interview with The Examiner in November 2009:
I'm currently finishing up an album of Robert Johnson's songs. Delivering them to my label in about a week. Little difficult because everyone's covered him, so I'm trying to make sure my take isn't pedantic. I'm not a blues singer, I've done R&B. There's a difference. Blues is straight ahead. I do tend to move straight ahead, though, in the way that I work, and try not to run into a wall!
Tentative setlist for Todd Rundgen's Johnson:
- Dust My Broom
- Stop Breakin' Down
- Walkin' Blues
- Love in Vain
- Sweet Home Chicago
- (Hot Tamales) They're Red Hot
- Come On in My Kitchen
- Hellhound On My Trail
- Traveling Riverside Blues
- Crossroads
Video: Todd Rundgren - Crossroads
Video: Todd Rundgren - Hellhound On My Trail
Video: Todd Rundgren - Love in Vain
(live at the Orpheum Theater, Los Angeles, CA - 2009/12/04)
A Todd Rundgren's Johnson tour is currently being planned. Confirmed dates:
- 04/02 Engelwood, NJ @ Bergen County PAC
- 04/03 Salisbury, MA @ Tupelo Music Hall
- 04/07 Newark, OH @ Midland Theater
- 04/09 Pittsburgh, PA @ Palace Theater
- 04/10 Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun - Wolf Den
- 04/11 Ridgefield, CT @ Ridgefield Playhouse
- 04/13 Alexandria, VA @ The Birchmere
- 04/14 Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Tavern
» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
» awatslive.com
January 22, 2010
Todd Rundgren: BBC 6 "The Record Producers" 01/23 trailer
Here Comes The Flood has just received the official teaser/trailer for the Record Producers program dedicated to Todd Rundgren. It will be broadcasted on January 23rd at 22:00 GMT.
The documentary will be available on demand online from Sunday January 24th from BBC i.Player.
MP3: BBC 6 Music - Todd Rundgren trailer
Todd Rundgren plays two shows in Europe, performing his legendary 1973 album A Wizard, A True Star album in full.
- 02/06 London, UK - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Box Office: 08700 603 777. Book Online: seetickets.com - 02/08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
» bbc.co.uk
» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
» awatslive.com
Photo: Jean Lannen
January 20, 2010
Todd Rundgren: BBC 6 "The Record Producers" 01/23
Auntie Beeb digs deep for a profile of Todd Rundgren. As part of BBC Radio’s critically acclaimed “Record Producers” documentary series, the 90-minute special will air on BBC 6 Music two weeks before Rundgren performs the British concert premiere of his psychedelic 1973 album “A Wizard, A True Star” at the HMV London Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday February 6th.
In this edition of The Record Producers, Richard Allinson and Steve Levine profile the work of an arranger, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and artist in his own right - Todd Rundgren.
The Philadelphia-born producer has had parallel careers as band member, solo musician and producer throughout his career and worked with a wide range of artists from Canadian folk singers to Japanese techno-pop and from southern blues artists to Californian punk bands.
Featuring music from New York Dolls, Utopia, Patti Smith and Badfinger and specially recorded interviews with Ron & Russell Mael of Sparks, XTC's Andy Partridge, Tom Robinson and Todd himself, Richard and Steve examine just a portion of work that has made him such a prolific figure in the music industry for the past 40 years.
The programme also includes exclusive access to the multi-track tapes of two songs from his most successful record as a producer - Meat Loaf's 'Bat Out Of Hell'.
The BBC 6 Music program The Record Producers airs on Saturday January 23. If you are serious about music you don't want to miss the British concert premiere of Todd Rundgren’s “A Wizard, A True Star” live at the HMV London Hammersmith Apollo on Saturday February 6th or the Amsterdam Paradiso AWATS show on Monday February 8th.
- 02/06 London, UK - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
Box Office: 08700 603 777. Book Online: www.seetickets.com - 02/08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
Video: Meat Loaf - Paradise by the Dashboard Light
» bbc.co.uk
» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
» awatslive.com
Photo: Lynn Goldsmith
January 15, 2010
Todd Rundgren: London and Amsterdam AWATS on USB
Want to take Todd Rundgren home with you? The perfomances of A Wizard, a True Star in London and Amsterdam will be recorded by Concert-Online.com and will be available right after the show at the merchandise stand:
Todd Rundgren, the legendary rock musician and record producer, who has worked with everyone from Patti Smith, Meatloaf and the New York Dolls, today announced that his February 2010 London and Amsterdam “A Wizard A True Star” concerts will be released on USB stick.
The live audio recordings will be available in MP3 format on Todd Rundgren Concert Sticks (1GB memory, MP3s in 320 kBit/s).
The line-up for the European AWATS gigs includes former Utopia band members Ralph Schuckett (keyboards, vocals) and Kasim Sulton (bass, vocals), plus former Cars member Greg Hawkes (keyboards, vocals), Jesse Gress (guitar, vocals), Bobby Strickland (saxophone, vocals) and Tubes drummer Prairie Prince.
- 02/06 London, UK - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
- 02/08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
» awatslive.com
The HCTF Todd Rundgren interview.
November 25, 2009
Aloha from Hawaii: the HCTF Todd Rundgren interview
photo: Jean Lannen
Todd Rundgren has been busy performing his classic A Wizard, A True Star album in full. Originally planned as a one-off show in London in February 2010, the production was brought to the States by fans who didn't want to (or couldn't) make the trip to England and demanded (in a polite way) that the show was staged on their side of the big pond. Rundgren played seven shows on a five cities tour in September .
He will be touring the US West Coast again in December before bringing the tour to a close (for now) with shows in London and Amsterdam in February. The performances were received quite well. The staging involves a lot of costume changes - his wardrobe is designed by his wife Michele - and theatrical props to act out the different characters of the album. Video is being used to underpin some aspects of the show most notably using footage of George Bush walking into a locked door.
Todd Rundgren lives on Kauai, Hawaii. HCTF spoke with Mr. Rundgren on the phone.
Performing complete albums has become popular recently. Whose idea was it to perform A Wizard, A True Star in full?
"When I was in England last year for the Arena tour my English promoter asked me to do something special and suggested A Wizard, A True Star. A lot of the younger UK artists had been mentioning the album as a big influence and samples of it turned on their records. So the promoter suggested to to stage a production of the original. When the news broke fans in the States clamored that they wanted to see it too and so those shows happened over there. They did their utmost to promote it and we only had to show up basically, taking care of the production and the logistics."
Technology has moved forward big time since the release of the album in 1973. Is this making things easier to replicate the songs on stage?
"Back then we didn't have samples. We cobbled the sounds together in the studio in anyway we could. We recorded the album just before the synthesizer arrived and became affordable. We did a lot of treatments. Nowadays most of those sounds and effects are built into the instruments."
"There is a song on the album - Dogfight Giggle - that is basically noise. No need to play that, so we play the tape and I can cut to a little video presentation. I started experimenting with video in the Seventies, when it was very expensive to use."
You made changes of the running order of the album when you play it in concert. Why is that?
"It was released on vinyl - there were no CD's back then, so I had to deal with the cut between the two sides which had consequences for the running order. I still wanted it to come off as a theatrical show. Is It My Name? is a good rock song, but it's not a sensible song to end the show with before my traditional encore Just One Victory. So I moved When The Shit Hits The Fan/Sunset Blvd and Le Feel Internationale to the end of the set to reprise the album's start."
© Lynn Goldsmith
Just like Sgt. Pepper?
"That makes it's more Sgt. Peppery, yes. I have been performing Just One Victory as my encore for years and years. The audience know it's all over after that. No need to ask for more after I have played that (laughs)."
Your former band Utopia was the opening act on some of the USA shows, although it wasn't billed as such. Is that going to happen again?
"It made sense when three of members of the band were on stage, but we won't be doing it again. Roger Powell is not coming to Europe. He is no longer a professional musician - he is a computer programmer now and he doesn't want to travel. Fortunately we have an excellent replacement. Ralph Schuckett, who played on the original A Wizard, A True Star album, will be joining us."
So what are you going to play besides "Wizard"? You could do the Pink Floyd thing and play two albums. Your latest studio album Arena before intermission and then AWATS.
"That happened on some occasions. It could happen again, but we like to keep the element of surprise for the audience. Then again, we will be performing next week, so the cat will be out of the bag soon."
Arena was performed in sequence. How did that come about?
"That happened because of the time aspects. I turned 60 last year and there was a huge party here on the island that lasted two weeks. We decided to perform and the band learned the songs one by one in sequence. It was pre-produced that way. We had a world premiere of the songs for the guests on my birthday. We took it on the road before the album came out and exposed the audience to one hour of music they hadn't heard before, which was a bit of challenge for them."
A Wizard, A True Star dates:
- 12/01 San Francico, CA - Palace of Fine Arts Theatre
- 12/02 Sacramento, CA - Crest Theatre
- 12/04 Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
- 12/05 Ventura, CA - Majestic Theatre
- 02/06 London, UK - HMV Hammersmith Apollo
- 02/08 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Paradiso
» todd-rundgren.com
» myspace.com/toddrundgrenmusic
» awatslive.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)