TOTO celebrate "40 Trips Around The Sun" announce First Run of 2018 Dates & New Sony Album

This media release just landed in my inbox and is great news for fans of TOTO, especially the band's terrific 2015 album release TOTO XIV.

TOTO CELEBRATE “40 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN” ANNOUNCE FIRST RUN OF DATES &

NEW SONY ALBUM IN SUPPORT OF

40TH ANNIVERSARY IN 2018

 

New Album To Be Released On Sony Music’s Legacy Recordings Worldwide In February Of 2018 Will Contain Classic Remastered Hits Alongside Brand New Tracks

Los Angeles, CA --- TOTO is pleased to announce the first set of shows in support of the band’s 40^th Anniversary beginning in 2018.  The 40 Trips Around The Sun Tour will begin in February 2018 in Europe.  The tour will be the band’s most extensive run in years and will be a worldwide tour to celebrate the band’s enduring career.  More shows will be announced shortly.

 

Along side the launch of the tour, TOTO along with Legacy Recordings have created a brand new Greatest Hits package. The album will feature brand new previously unreleased music along side newly remastered classic tracks worked on by Elliot Scheiner & Gavin Lurssen and his team.  The core Toto members, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Joseph Williams re-entered the studio this past year to work on the material.  Full details on that album along side many other projects the band has in the works with Legacy Recordings will be announced at a later date.

 

“Myself, David, Steve and Joseph are humbled and thrilled at the long lasting success of the band,” Steve Lukather remarked.  “This 40^th Anniversary tour is going to be a special one for us and all of the fans that come out.  On top of all that, it’s really exciting to be working with Sony Music again.  We’ve spent a lot of time this year working on new music and re-mastering the older tracks.”

 

Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of TOTO.  As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums.  Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations.

 

With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, TOTO remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility.  Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television.  They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational worldwide fan base.

 

 

TOTO – 2018 - 40 TRIPS AROUND THE SUN TOUR

2/19     Hamburg, DE                          Mehr! Theater

2/21     Dusseldorf, DE                        Mitsubishi-Electric Hall

2/22     Munich, DE                             Olympiahalle

2/24     Berlin, DE                                C-Halle

2/25     Leipzig, DE                             Haus Auensee

2/28     Krakow, PL                             Tauron Arena

3/2       Vienna, AT                              Gasometer

3/10     Milan, IT                                 Mediolanum Forum

3/13     Stuttgart, DE                            Porsche Arena

3/15     Lille, FR                                   Zenith

3/17     Amsterdam, NL                       Ziggo Dome

3/18     Brussels, BE                             Forest National

3/20     Offenbach, DE                         Stadthalle

3/23     Bologna, IT                             Unipol Arena

3/25     Marseille, FR                            Dome

3/26     Toulouse, FR                           Zenith

3/27     Lyon, FR                                 Halle Tony Garnier

3/30     Paris, FR                                  La Seine Musicale

4/1       London, UK                            Royal Albert Hall

4/2       Manchester, UK                       Bridgewater Hall

4/4       Dublin, IE                                Vicar Street

4/7       Belfast, UK                              Waterfront Auditorium

4/8       Glasgow, UK                           SEC Armadillo

 

 

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New releases highlight stellar music makers

Strong musicianship, stellar songwriting and outstanding performances highlight four new releases out now.

Artist: Rhiannon Giddens
Title: Freedom Highway (Nonesuch Records)
You might like if you enjoy: Carolina Chocolate Drops, the Staple Singers, Otis Taylor's "Fantasizing About Being Black"
Tell me more: An album that is as haunting as it is brilliant, singer-songwriter/banjo virtuoso Rhiannon Giddens' Freedom Highway looks at the African-American experience free of cliche. Giddens uses her emotive soprano to make the painful past come alive from the earliest moments on her album where she sings of a slave threatened with losing her infant child at any time "at the Purchaser's Option." On "Julie," Giddens shares an original tale that serves as a rich dialogue between a slave and her owner. As the Union Army advances on the plantation, the slave owner exclaims that she has been a kind master and hopes to have her slave safeguard gold from the advancing Northern troops; the bittersweet finale reveals the slave's children have been sold by the uncaring white Southerner. "Mistress, O Mistress, I wish you well / But in leaving here, I'm leaving hell." Giddens also focuses on modern-day issues of race in the gospel-meets-soul "Better Get It Right the First Time," where her amazing vocals blend masterfully with rapper Justin Harrington's spoken word. Information: RhiannonGiddens.com.

Artist: Alison Krauss
Title: Windy City (Capitol Records / Cracker Barrel)
You might like if you enjoy: Alison Krauss, Rhonda Vincent, Dolly Parton
Tell me more: Cracker Barrel provided me with the company's exclusive version of Alison Krauss' latest album Windy City to review. That specific version includes the 10 tracks that appear on the standard release, as well as a ravishing duet featuring Krauss and country singer Jamey Johnson ("Make the World Go Away"). Windy City is Krauss' first album apart from her long-time backing ensemble Union Station in a decade (namely 2007's multi-Grammy winner Raising Sand where she collaborated with Robert Plant). One of the most acclaimed artists recording music today, Krauss has won 27 Grammy Awards (the most of any female artist ever) and has played a seminal role in renewing interest in American bluegrass over the past three decades. Windy City is a tribute to the past, with Krauss using her beautiful soprano to revisit classic country and bluegrass material originally recorded before 1970. Standouts adorn every corner of the release; some of this writer's favorites include the gorgeous "Losing You," uptempo "It's Goodbye and So Long to You," jazzy "I Never Cared For You" and an artfully-arranged take on the Glen Campbell hit "Gentle On My Mind." Information: CrackerBarrel.com.

Artist: Robert Randolph & the Family Band
Title: Got Soul (Sony Masterworks)
You might like if you enjoy: Sonny Landreth, Robert Randolph
Tell me more: Pedal-steel guitar hero Robert Randolph not only continues to extend the role of his "sacred steel" instrument on the aptly-titled Got Soul, but the New Jersey native has fully hit his stride as a great songwriter crafting works that support his explosive style across the 12-track release. He is a generous performer, with guest singer Anthony Hamilton soaring on "She Got Soul" and country hit maker Darius Rucker bringing some feel good vibes to the buoyant "Love Do What It Do." Later, Randolph and company delve into his love of funk ("Shake It," "Lovesick"), blues rock ("I Want It"), gospel ("Find a Way"), R&B ("Gonna Be All Right") and '60s Southern soul ("I Thank You" featuring singer-Hammond B3 organ player Cory Henry) with equal poise and firepower. Information: RobertRandolph.net.

Artist: Doug Schmude
Title: Ghosts of the Main Drag (Lost Hubcap Records)
You might like if you enjoy: John Mellencamp's '80s albums, the Fallen Stars, the Old 97's
Tell me more: On his new independent release Ghosts of the Main Drag, singer-songwriter Doug Schmude offers up a winning hybrid of Americana and indie countrified rock. With a mix of witty straight-forward lyrics and catchy songwriting instincts and solid contributions from a number of top players, highlights on the 10-song disc include the radio-ready "Small Town Eulogy" (featuring some stellar fiddle work by Kyle Nix) and "Why's it Take a Funeral?," the heartfelt love song "One Thing Left to Say" and the real world tale of hard work and family ties that comes alive via "Wooden Nickels." Information: dougschmude.net.



Robert Kinsler

Ray Davies confirms 1st solo LP in 9+ years - 'Americana'

Cool news for a Monday – very cool to hear that the great Ray Davies is set to return with new music, and is being backed by one of my favorite bands The Jayhawks!

RAY DAVIES TO RELEASE ‘AMERICANA,’ HIS FIRST SOLO ALBUM IN NEARLY A DECADE, APRIL 21 ON LEGACY RECORDINGS

STREAM NEW SONG “POETRY” NOW VIA NPR MUSIC: http://n.pr/2kju2RN 

On April 21, 2017, Ray Davies will release his first new album in over nine years – Americana – via Legacy Recordings (a division of Sony Music Entertainment). The 15-track collection of originals serves as a master-crafted return for one of the most acclaimed and iconic songwriters of the past 50 years, and follows Davies’ 2013 memoir of the same name, using the book as both source material and creative catalyst. Davies enlisted The Jayhawks as backing band, and recorded the album in London at Konk, the studio founded by The Kinks in 1973. 

Album highlight “Poetry” is streaming now via NPR Music, listen here and feel free to post: http://www.npr.org/music/  

Americana will be available digitally, on CD, and Vinyl. For pre-order, please visit https://raydavies.lnk.to/Americana, https://RayDavies.lnk.to/amz-vnl

‘Americana’ was written, conceived, and arranged by Davies, and co-produced with Guy Massey and John Jackson. The album is an autobiographical work, chronicling the inextricable role America has played in Davies’ life. From his earliest days touring the U.S. with the Kinks and subsequent blacklisting by the American Musicians Union, to his years playing stadiums and eventually staying in New York and New Orleans for a time, America has served as both muse and tempest to Davies. 

The songs on ‘Americana’ dig into the rich American musical tapestry, through the lens of Davies’ own wholly unique American experience. The music swerves from the open-road manifesto of “The Great Highway,” to a delicate duet with The Jayhawks’ Karen Grotberg on “Message From The Road,” to “Poetry,” which offers a vital reminder of Davies’ ability to spin small detail into penetrating truth.  The album also features a number of short spoken-word passages from Davies’ memoir. A second volume to ‘Americana’ will be a released later in 2017.

Since the release of his last studio album of new material, 2008’s Working Man’s Café, Ray Davies released the 2010 collaborative project See My Friends, which featured Bruce Springsteen, Mumford & Sons, Metallica and Spoon; performed at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics; served as inspiration, the original story plus music and lyrics for the hit UK musical ‘Sunny Afternoon’ (winner of the 2015 Olivier Award for Best New Musical) and much more.   At the beginning of 2017 Davies topped Queen Elizabeth’s New Year Honours List, and will shortly be receiving a knighthood for his service to the arts. Davies is a member of both the Songwriter’s Hall Of Fame and Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame. Five albums by The Kinks were chosen for Rolling Stone's '500 Greatest Albums of All Time’ list.

‘Americana’ tracklisting:
1. Americana
2. The Deal
3. Poetry
4. Message From The Road
5. A Place In Your Heart
6. The Mystery Room
7. Silent Movie
8. Rock 'N' Roll Cowboys
9. Change For Change
10. The Man Upstairs
11. I’ve Heard That Beat Before
12. A Long Drive Home To Tarzana
13. The Great Highway
14. The Invaders
15. Wings Of Fantasy