Beatles on Broadway

Picture taken by Astrid Kirscherr. From left Pete Best, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Stu Sutcliffe in his famous sunglasses.

The Beatles are back, but this time, back on Broadway.

Backbeat is the stage adaptation of the 1994 film (with the same name), chronicling the Beatles' early pre-Ringo career in Hamburg, Germany. An entertaining piece, Backbeat not so much focuses on the musical endeavors of John, Paul, George, drummer Pete Best and bassist Stu Sutcliffe, but rather the love triangle between Stu, his music and his love for photographer Astrid Kirscherr, who capitulates the epitome of the beat generation.

You see, Stu was forcibly glued to the band as Lennon’s best friend from art school. Although he snatched the role as bassist from Paul, (who was shafted to guitarist and, coincidentally or not, hated Stu at the time) he fostered a love for art. Once arriving in Hamburg, this was something Astrid saw and immediately fell in love with. Stu eventually quit the band to pursue his own interests.

Once 1962 rolled around everything was looking great for the Beatles. They recently hired manager Brian Epstein and their first single, “Love Me Do,” was released with semi-amazing results. However, things were not looking great for Stu. He suffered frequent migraines, and would often experience raging and violent episodes followed by an unconscious black out. He died later that year of a brain aneurysm.

If you want to read more about the Beatles’ early history, click here to see a great biography. I read it a while ago and fell in love.

Backbeat cannot be seen on Broadway for a while, but don’t worry, it is springing up all over! The show originally ran at Glasgow Citizens Theater in February 2010, and then stormed London’s West End from September 2011 through February 2012. It will open in Toronto next month, and will make its American premiere at the Ahmanson Theater in Los Angeles on January 16, 2013 through February 24. Then (finally), it will come to the Big Apple.

The show includes rock-era classics, and songs the Beatles grew up with and first covered, including “Money,” “Please Mr. Postman” and “Twist and Shout.” Here are some clips from the movie; do you think they even compare to the Beatles?

"Good Golly Miss Molly"

"Twenty Flight Rock"

"Long Tall Sally"

"Rock and Roll Music"

"Money"

"Please Mr. Postman"

"Twist and Shout"

AC/DC Eases in the Weekend With New Wine

As today is Friday, I thought it would be very fitting to recommend a nice wine to help ease your way into a rockin’ and rollin’ weekend. But not just any wine…

Since last year, AC/DC’s branded collection stormed liquor stores in their native Australia with such success; they were demanded in England by February. Well, now America is hopping on the bandwagon, as we will now get our alcoholic dosage of AC/DC sometime this year.

You can sip on either ‘Back in Black’ Shiraz, ‘Highway to Hell’ Cabernet Sauvignon, ‘Thunderstruck’ Chardonnay or ‘Hells Bell’ Sauvignon Blanc. Also new in this American conquer is the ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ Moscato. Hmm, sounds suggestive, or just very fitting for Angus Young’s own drink.

Since its launch, more than 50,000 cases have been sold, which makes Warburn Estate, the wine producer, very happy. “Traditionally all Winestate judging’s are run exactly the same as any typical wine review program,” said Peter Jackson, Winestate’s Wine Marketing and Promotions leader. “With over 100,000 wines judged every year, more than 60% of wines submitted are not recommended. The new AC/DC wine label is not only very clever marketing, it’s actually quite a good wine!”

You heard it from the expert, not me! Buy this wine for a good taste and a good time. Each bottle is only $17.99, and while they are not in stores right now, you can purchase one online at Vinport. Drink safely!

Oh, how Bon Scott would have loved this one...

"It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock 'n Roll)"

Rolling Stones Celebrate 50 Years

From their starting days of covering the Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man” and Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” the Rolling Stones have grown to become a worldwide sensation, via the worlds of music, fashion, photography and literature alike.

This summer marks the 50^th anniversary of the band’s formation and the world is rejoicing. I have recently written an article on Dualshow about London’s Somerset House eclectic exhibit in their honor, titled “The Rolling Stones: 50,” extending from July 13 through August 27. There you can find 70 rare and unseen shots, ranging from live concerts, to studio sessions to contact sheets, negative strips and even outtakes from every period of the band’s implausible past.

Coinciding with the photography exhibit is the release of a book with the same title, hitting UK bookstores July 12. The book holds 700 photos, each coupled with a brief description.

Along with this celebration and hub-bub is speculation of a possible 50^th Anniversary tour, although guitarist Keith Richards told Rolling Stone Magazine that, “basically, we’re just not ready.” With Richards’ health a concern, the band has pushed back any tentative tour to 2013.

The group formed in June of 1962 when Mick Jagger and Keith Richards responded to an ad posted by Brian Jones. From there they gained drummer Charlie Watts and bassist Bill Wyman (Wyman later left, and guitarist Ronnie Wood joined by 1993) and, despite Jones’ departure from the band in 1969 and death only a month later, the Rolling Stones dominated the charts. And they still do to this day.

They are a vital key in the sculpture of today’s musical landscape. Let’s take a moment to celebrate one of my favorite bands. Feel free to click the links, check out the videos below and research the other songs listed. And Click Here to see Mick Jagger host SNL this season. For an old man, he's still got it!

"Sympathy for the Devil" - epic live version

"(Can't Get No) Satisfaction"

"Brown Sugar"

"Beast of Burden"

"Miss You"

"Street Fighting Man"

"Honky Tonk Woman"

"Jumpin Jack Flash"

"Gimme Shelter"

"Paint it Black"

"Wild Horses"

Also: "The Last Time," "You Can't Always Get What You Want," "19th Nervous Breakdown," "Under My Thumb," "Mother's Little Helper," "She's a Rainbow," "Get Off Of My Cloud," "Ruby Tuesday," "Let's Spend the Night Together," "Time Is On My Side," "As Tears Go By," "It's Only Rock and Roll," "Memory Motel," "Midnight Rambler," "Start Me Up" and "Angie"

Happy Fourth of July!

Just a playlist post before I go celebrate being American (or use this as an excuse to lay by the pool)!
Enjoy!

"Saturday in the Park" by Chicago. 

Saturday in the park

I think it was the fourth of July

People talking, people laughing

A man selling ice cream

Singing Italian Songs

Can you dig it (yes, I can)

And I've been waiting such a long time

For Saturday

"American Girl" by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

She couldn't help thinkin'

That there was a little more to life somehwere else

After all it was a great big world

With lots of places to run to

And if she had to die tryin'

She had one little promise she was gonna keep

Oh yeah, all right, Take it easy baby, Make it last all night

She was an American girl

"Fourth of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" by Bruce Springsteen.

Chasin' the factory girls underneath the boardwalk

Where they all promised to unsnap their jeans

And you know that Tilt-a-Whirl down on the south beach drag?

I got on it last night and my shirt got caught

And it kept me spinnin', they didn't think I'd ever get off

Sandy, the aurora is risin' behind us

Those pier lights, our carnival life on the water

"American Woman" by the Guess Who.

I don't need your war machines

I don't need your ghetto scenes

Colored lights can hypnotize 

Sparkle someone else's eyes

Now woman, get away from me

American woman, mama let me be

"Born on the Bayou" by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

I can remember the fourth of July

Runin' through the backwood bare

And I can still hear my old hound dog barkin'

Chasin' down a hoodoo there

Chasin' down a hoodoo there

Born on the bayou

Janis Joplin Joins the Walk of Fame

Janis Joplin has already been dually recognized in Chicago as a 1995 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and in 2005 with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. But now, America’s hardest rock and roll chick will be honored in Hollywood with a Star on the Walk of Fame.

Joplin first sprung into the limelight while fronting the psychedelic-acid rock band Big Brother and the Holding Company, but later progressed to a more bluesy-soulful solo career. Besides Jefferson Airplane's Grace Slick, Janis Joplin is perhaps the only female rocker whose voice was so domineering and lively, it could suffice for an entire album alone with no backing instruments needed.

I’m surprised it took so long for Hollywood to honor my favorite San Fran hippie. She died in 1970 at the young age of 27 (welcome to the 27 club!), and is only now being recognized. What a shame.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce meets every year to select about 20 honorees from hundreds of nominations. Other nominees this year include Jane’s Addiction, the late Luther Vandross, Jennifer Hudson, Ellen DeGeneres, Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Bloc. Considering the latter two, it clearly isn’t too difficult to be awarded a Star.

Actual dates of the 2013 ceremonies have not been announced, but stay tuned for more information, and check out the videos below to hear some of my favorite Janis Joplin originals. A voice like hers should never be forgotten.

"Piece of My Heart," the epitome of girl-power

"Combination of the Two"

"Mercedes Benz"

"Me and Bobby McGee"

"Cry Baby"

And on an entirely different note, I saw the Dave Matthews Band this past Friday at Hershey Park. The stadium had amazing acoustics. I highly recommend the venue, even if it is a far drive. We got pretty close up, so I wanted to share some (albeit low-quality) pictures with you!

Dave and bassist Stefan Lessard

Violinist Boyd Tinsley

Electric guitarist Tim Reynolds

Hershey Stadium. You can see a lighted-roller coaster in the background

Dispatch Returns

To all those Dispatch fans that thought they were catching their last ever reunion tour last year… you weren’t. Dispatch is back, and this time, exhibiting a little more rock and roll than before.

The band opened up to Rolling Stone Magazine on June 26 about their first album in 12 years, Circles Around the Sun, which won’t be released until August 21. The single and title track is a catchy, upbeat, head-bobbing tune. It still holds true to the band’s intensely mellow vibes, but still, you can hear something not found in most other Dispatch songs. Something a little more rock.

According to the band, the album was not produced to shock fans, despite the revolutionizing sound. Instead, it is meant to tell a story.

“’CATS’ is the legend of our friend, Larry Perry, who passed away this year,” said bassist and vocalist Chad Urmston to Rolling Stone. “In the early 1960s the space race had captured America. Looking to outdo the Soviets without putting their necks on the line, NASA, in an unprecedented, controversial move, took a very disabled young man away from his family to ready him for space flight. Both the USSR and USA had sent dogs and chimps into space, but the USA wanted more. Larry cannot walk or speak, but was in perfect health and, more importantly, in the eyes of the government, expendable.

“Unbeknownst to them, from a very young age, Larry had always been an adrenaline junkie, and the scientists and government officials were actually fulfilling the biggest adventure he could ever dream—to be launched into space. To everyone’s surprise, Larry returns from space triumphant and smiling.”

You know, it is amazing what the government keeps from their people. After reading this article, I took the time to research Larry Perry, the accidental astronaut, and found absolutely nothing. Unbelievable.

Regardless, the single is out, make sure you download it! Or, just take a listen below with some other tracks from the new album.

In addition, Dispatch will venture on an American tour this fall. As always, they will donate $1 to their charity, Amplifying Education, for each ticket sold. Not only do you get to listen to bangin’ music, but you can concurrently support a great cause.

Make sure to check out their website to pre-order the album, and to donate to Amplifying Education.

Ah let’s send him where no one else has gone

And after all he can not speak or walk

Let’s send him out to the moon, do circles around the Sun

"Circles Around the Sun"

"Not Messin"

"Josaphine"

Introducing Morning Parade

The best part of an internship, hands down, is the experience you gain and the people you meet. I have been writing for Dualshow since late March and already have had the opportunity to briefly meet artist Brian Batt, actor James Franco and now, new British band, Morning Parade.

I was fortunate enough to have a (roughly) 20-minute conversation with lead singer and guitarist/pianist Steve Sparrow. Although it was difficult to decipher his muddled British accent (which I loved), I still got a wicked inside scoop of life on tour and what it's like to break through the music industry’s sturdy barriers, which they have successfully done so overseas.

Morning Parade is new and virtually unknown in America, but after being signed by EMI Music’s Astralwerks Records this past year, that is about to change.

EMI is an impressive label; they father sensations such as Kylie Minogue and Coldplay. Morning Parade actually has a very similar sound to the latter, in the sense that their music is neither pop nor rock, but a solid in between with an additional mixture of trippy, chime-like guitaring and soothing vocals.

I hate to be blunt, but just like Coldplay, I fell in love with half of their songs and thought the other half were trash.

Sparrow tuned me into the band’s musical interests, some funny touring stories and the future of the band.

Let’s start with the first note there. Just like any good band, it is important to have an eclectic array of influences to call for a more musically invigorating and dynamic sound. Some of their favorites include Radiohead, Muse, Jeff Buckley, Biffy Clyro and Sigur Rós. Another inspiration is the Kooks, who they performed with a few months back in New York City’s Terminal 5. Probably an ideal location for the two bands: small and acoustically stimulating.

Like I said, it was hard to understand Sparrow’s accent, but I did hear enough to find myself laughing at what appears to be the band’s typical touring antics. For example, he told me a rather embarrassing story of one of his band mates (not sure which one, oops!). He apparently snuck off with a girl late at night, and then woke up the next morning mysteriously wearing a pair of fuzzy slippers. It turns out they belonged to an affluent, and scary, CEO who caught him red-handed.

“We woke up and we thought we were definitely getting dropped,” said Sparrow, laughing. “But he was very cool about it.”

Although Morning Parade is a relatively new band, you can expect a lot from them over the next few months, in America and Europe. They are embarking on a worldwide tour this summer, with stops in both continents, and are particularly excited for their participation in the Coca-Cola Olympic Torch Relay (performing across England’s Midlands and London’s Hyde Park with a multitude of other British performers).

To break through in America is to break through worldwide. Says Sparrow, “Our hopes and ambitions lie here in America, it’s such a big place.”

If you like what your hear (from the videos below), check out a complete list of their summer shows, and make sure you look out for their self-titled album which was released June 19.

Also click here to see my Dualshow Morning Parade article for more quotes and information from Steve Sparrow.

Let me know which songs you like... or don't like.

Cheers!

"Headlights"

"Under the Stars"

"Us & Ourselves"

"Close to Your Heart"

"A&E"