Vol. 40 - No.5 • FEBRUARY 2022 • www.houstonmusicnews.net • FREE
& ENTERTAINMENT
ELLE KING
CHECK OUT OUR NEW SPANISH SECTION
Also In This Issue BAD BUNNY ADELITA’S WAY JOHN CLIFTON TANTRIC GLADYS KNIGHT DARK TRANQUILITY PAUL THORN GIN BLOSSOMS and More!
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GRILL & SPORTS BAR 202 Sawdust Rd. (The Woodlands) • 281-363-2574 • http://www.19th.cc
Feb. 19 - Thurzdaze
Every Thursday Night
Live Jam Session! @ 8:00 PM
All Musicians Welcome! February Live Music Schedule Special Events at 4 - The Dover Brothers, The Patrons, New Clear Weapons, Psycho Jenni The 19th Hole 5 - Pulse, Ethereal Tuesdays 11 - Hannah Barakat is BACK!! With Sleep Juliet Karaoke 12 - Calvin & Company, The Overtones, Wednesdays 183 South Band, The Rotary Phones 18 - On Tonight, Blind Romance, Bingo The Rotary Phones Fridays 19 - Such Marvelous Monsters, 10 oz. Steak Lunch Thurzdaze, Which Evil 25 - Bands To Be Announced Special 26 - Well Played Band, Amy N Me, Only $13.99 The Cool Arrows The 19th Hole Grill & Bar is celebrating our 32nd Year Anniversary of being a live music venue
DART TOURNAMENT EVERY MONDAY NIGHT!! Take I-45 to the Rayford/Sawdust exit in Spring • Go west on Rayford/Sawdust • Make a right turn at the first red light We’re at the end of the strip center on your left!
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Music News • February 2022
February 2022 Hi Folks, We hope that last month was good for you musically. We have more venues opening up around town with some great live music, and this month looks like it’s going to be another great opening month for the new year. More tours are being announced and the clubs are all gearing up to make this year one of the best they’ve ever had. We’d love to see you all out there at the clubs and venues with us. Remember, one of the best things that you could ever do for the local music scene is to get out there and support it. We’d also like to announce that we have done another first for the music scene. With this issue we have included a new Spanish music section. Not only does it support the Spanish music community, it does so in Spanish. It would appear that Music News has now become the only bilingual music publication in Houston. Check out great stories in it this month on Bad Bunny, Ricardo Montaner, Juan Luis Guerra, Victor Manuelle, and Lupita D’ Alessio. We hope you like it Now, on to the new issue. In this issue, as usual, we have some great stories and information to pass on to you. Check out stories in this month’s issue on Elle King, Billy Gibbons, Bad Bunny, Adelita’s Way, Tantric, John Clifton, Dark Tranquility, Theory Of A Deadman, Magic City Hippies, Gin Blossoms, and another installment of the original story, THE BIKER along with a lot more! Also in this issue are a ton of great pictures of bands performing around the Houston area. I’m sure you’re going to be familiar with a lot of these bands. If you have pictures of local bands performing, please email them to us. I would really appreciate it and I know the bands do as well. Keep it up... We would like to see more pictures from you. I sincerely hope that everybody reading this new publication finds something here that they like and I would like to encourage you to let your friends and colleagues know about us. Just look for us every month at http:// www.houstonmusicnews.net. I would also like to encourage you to email us for a free subscription to Rock And Blues International as well. Just email us at musicnew@airmail.net and in the subject line simply put “Sign Me Up” and we’ll email you a copy each month when it is published. For your convenience, Music News is also now downloadable. You can download the issue into your computer or storage device and save it and read it at your convenience without having to get logged on to the internet every time. Try it now and save every issue. It will make things a lot easier for you.
Kevin Wildman Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher
Kevin Wildman Editor and Publisher Web Address http://www.houstonmusicnews.net Mailing Address Box 1162, League City, TX 77573 Phone 281-650-1953
For Advertising email us at musicnew@airmail.net or call 281-650-1953 For A Free Subscription email us at musicnew@airmail.net and in the subject line put “Sign Me Up Now” February 2022 • Music News
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Contents
VOL. 40 NO. 54
FEBRUARY 2022
6
6
ISSUE NO. 508
ELLE KING Elle King Performs February 19th At Warehouse Live
8 BAD BUNNY
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Bad Bunny Brings His “El Último Tour Del Mundo 2022” To Toyota Center February 16th
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ADELITA’S WAY Adelita’s Way Return To Houston For A Show At Rise Rooftop February 26
18 JOHN CLIFTON
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John Clifton Performs At Katie’s Bar In Bacliff Feb. 10 and Green Oaks Tavern In Humble Feb. 12
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Music News • February 2022
TANTRIC Tantric Perform At The Wildcatter Saloon February 18
Contents
VOL.40 NO. 5
FEBRUARY 2022
22 26 Page 22 GLADYS KNIGHT Gladys Knight Performs At The Arena Theatre February 27
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ISSUE NO. 508
10 Billy Gibbons Po’ Boy 12 Marty Stuart 14 Paul Thorn 24 Dark Tranquility 26 Theory Of A Deadman 30 Louis Tomlinson 32 Immolation 36 Magic City Hippies 38 Gin Blossoms 42 Victor Manuelle (english) 46 Ricardo Montaner (english) 48 Juan Luis Manuelle (english) 50 The Biker 64 and on RANDOM SHOTS
Be Sure To Check Out Our New Spanish Music Section In Spanish 54 56 58 60 62
Bad Bunny Juan Luis Guerra Ricardo Montaner Lupita D’ Alessio Victor Manuelle
February 2022 • Music News
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Photo by Laura Carbone
Elle King 6 Music MusicNews News •• November February 2022 2020
Elle King Performs February 19th at Warehouse Live Elle King puts a gritty, bluesy spin on her blend of pop- and country-tinged retro-rock. After debuting with 2012’s The Elle King EP, she hit number one on the Billboard alternative chart with “Ex’s & Oh’s” from her Top 30 debut album, 2015’s Love Stuff. By 2020, she had released collaborations with artists spanning Ronnie Spector, Dierks Bentley, and Andy Grammer. Elle King was born Tanner Elle Schneider in 1989 in Los Angeles, the daughter of London King and Rob Schneider (actor, comedian, and former cast member of Saturday Night Live). She grew up in Ohio, and after hearing the all-girl pop-punk band the Donnas when she was nine years old, she decided she wanted to be a singer and musician. By 13 she was playing guitar, later adding banjo to her skill set. King began street busking and gigging around New York at the age of 16, moving to Philadelphia to attend the University of Arts, where she majored in painting and film. During that time, she acted in films including 2009’s Wild Cherry. After college, she spent time in Copenhagen and Los Angeles before returning to New York to settle in Brooklyn. Signing to RCA Records in 2012, King released her debut EP, The Elle King EP on RCA. One track from that
EP, “Playing for Keeps”, is the theme song for VH1’s Mob Wives Chicago series. Her debut album, Love Stuff, followed in 2015. It included the single “Ex’s & Oh’s,” which reached the top of Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart and helped Love Stuff place as high as number 28 on the Billboard 200 in addition to number seven in Canada. “Ex’s & Oh’s” reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming King’s first top 10 single in the United States. “Ex’s & Oh’s” also received two nominations at the 58th Grammy Awards: Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. In July 2015, King supported Modest Mouse on their UK tour. Afterwards, “Under the Influence” and “America’s Sweetheart” were released as singles for rock radio and mainstream radio, respectively. In 2016, her single “Good Girls” featured on the Ghostbusters soundtrack and played over the movie’s credits. King has also toured with acts such as Of Monsters and Men, Train, James Bay, The Chicks, Heart, Joan Jett, Michael Kiwanuka, and Miranda Lambert. In 2016, she recorded a duet with Dierks Bentley, “Different for Girls,” that appeared on his album Black. The track was released as a single and rose to number one on the Country Airplay chart. It was later nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance and won a Country Music
Association trophy for Best Vocal Event of the Year. On March 6, 2017, she premiered a new single “Wild Love” featuring a sparse electronic production, marking a slight departure from her previous style in music. October 2018 saw the arrival of Shake the Spirit, King’s second longplayer which she made with her band the Brethren.. It peaked at number 68 on the U.S. album chart (and a notch higher in Canada) while landing in the Top Three of Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart and the Top Ten of the rock and alternative charts. On August 3, 2019, she was featured singing on a version of Lindsey Stirling’s “The Upside”. Throughout 2019, King served as a guest co-host on the MTV series Catfish: The TV Show opposite lead host Nev Schulman. Later that year she released a Christmas song, “Under the Mistletoe,” with Ronnie Spector before delivering “Best of You,” a duet with Andy Grammer, in 2020. That year, she also issued the three-track EP In Isolation and appeared as a singer in the film Love, Weddings & Other Disasters. February 2022 • Music News
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International superstar, GRAMMY® and multiple Latin GRAMMY® winner, Bad Bunny, will make his return to the stage following the announcement of his North American tour, “El Último Tour del Mundo 2022.” The highly anticipated tour, promoted by Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), will be presented by Corona® and will visit a total of 25 cities, beginning February 9, 2022 in Denver, CO at the Ball Arena. Bad Bunny’s Houston appearance will be this month at Toyota Center on February 16th. Bad Bunny’s plans to continue touring the world with his music last year were brought to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic. His last tour the “X100PRE Tour” was one of the most prominent live shows of 2019, breaking capacity records and completely selling iconic arenas around the world including Madison Square Garden in New York City, Staples Center in Los Angeles, American Airlines Arena in Miami, Coliseum of Puerto Rico, Movistar Arena in Chile, Arena México in Mexico City and many more. The tour concluded with 48 fully sold-out shows around the U.S., Latin America, and Europe; and also included Coachella and Lollapalooza festivals. “We are excited to once again join international superstar Bad Bunny on what is sure to be another memorable tour,” said Ann Legan, vice president of brand marketing, Corona. “Corona and Bad Bunny’s shared Latino heritage make our brand an ideal accompaniment for fans to enjoy alongside his vibrant performance.”
BAD BUNNY BRINGS HIS “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO 2022” TO TOYOTA CENTER FEBRUARY 16th 8
Music News • February 2022
As we approach the return of live music, Bad Bunny prepares to deliver some of the most astonishing shows of his career, where he will finally be able to interact with his fans in person and bring to life the incredible world he has created with all of his latest revolutionary musical productions such as “YHLQMDLG,” “Las Que No Iban A Salir” and “El Último Tour del Mundo.” Proclaimed one of the world’s leading artists, the multi-platinum recording artist promises to deliver a momentous production that will undoubtedly create unforgettable moments for his fans. continued on next page
BAD BUNNY continued from previous page Bad Bunny is a chart-topping Puerto Rican singer, rapper, and producer based in San Juan who has become a dominant voice in Latin trap and a general trendsetter for música urbana since arriving on the scene in 2016. What’s most remarkable is that he achieved this popular status before he ever released an album. In 2018 alone, he appeared on or released four Top 100 singles (of over a dozen released), including Cardi B’s number one “I Like It” (also featuring J Balvin). Since issuing his own debut single in 2016, dozens of his singles and videos have appeared on an array of charts, ranging from Latin pop and reggaeton to dance and hip-hop lists. His 2018 debut album, x100pre, hit the top spot on the Latin albums chart within a week of release. Bad Bunny’s sweeping commercial appeal lies in his chameleon-like approach: he melds Latin soul, pop, and R&B, hard-hitting trap beats, and reggaeton with a slippery delivery that revels in allowing emotions to color his songs; they range from humor and pathos to heartbreak and anger (sometimes in the same song). He is one of the top collaborators in the música urbana movement. Because of his association with DJ Luian, Bad Bunny guested with a slew of top-name LatinX artists. Born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio in 1994, he began singing at five and always took it seriously. His biggest influences were Héctor Lavoe, Vico C, Daddy Yankee, and Marc Anthony. He studied audiovisual communication at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo and worked as a bagger at a grocery store while making his own music by night and posting it to SoundCloud. In particular, Bad Bunny’s song “Diles” caught the ear of DJ Luian, who signed him to his Hear This Music label in 2016. His breakthrough single, “Soy Peor,” issued in December of 2016, peaked at 22 on the Hot Latin Songs chart, and established his trap-heavy sound with the masses. Its video rang up more than 650 million views. Appearances with Ñengo Flow, Arcangel, and
Ozuna soon followed, and in early 2017 he kicked off an especially prolific run with the singles “Pa Ti,” “Loco Pero Millonario,” and “Dime Si Vas a Volver,” amid numerous collaborative tracks with Poeta Callejero, Farruko, Brytiago, Almighty, and others. In late 2017, Bunny, J Balvin, and Prince Royce scored a hit with the collaboration “Sensualidad.” The singles kept coming in 2018 as he notched another Latin hit with the solo track “Amorfoda” and collaborated again with J Balvin and American rapper Cardi B on her single “I Like It,” which topped Billboard’s Hot 100 in the summer of that year. On Noche Buena (Christmas Eve) of 2018, the most important day in the LatinX year, Bad Bunny issued his debut longplayer, x100pre, to universal acclaim. The set was co-produced by reggaeton legend Tainy and La Paciencia (Roberto Rosado), with the exception of the club jam “200 MPH,” which was helmed by Diplo. Its songs ranged from the poppunk of “Tenemos Que Hablar” to reggaeton ballads including “Solo de Mí” and “Si Estuviésemos Juntos” to tense hip-hop on “Caro.” It entered the Top Latin Albums chart at number one in early 2019, and in January peaked at number 12 on the Top 200. In June, Oasis, the long-teased fulllength collaboration between Bad Bunny and J Balvin, arrived. Utilizing a cast of producers who included Sky, Tainy, Legendury Beatz, Marciano Cantero, and Nicael Arroyo, the album peaked at number nine on the Top 200. At that year’s Latin Grammys, Bad Bunny took home the award for x100pre as Best Urban Album. He surprised fans once
more with the unexpected release of his sophomore full-length YHLQMDLG (“Yo hago lo que me da la gana”: “I do whatever I want”) at the end of February in 2020. Alternately produced by Subelo NEO and Tainy, the set featured collaborations with Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Ñengo Flow, Anuel AA, and Jowell y Randy. It entered the Top 200 at number two, becoming the debut appearance of an album by a Latin artist. It also hit the top spot at Top Latin Albums. Issued on cassette and digitally, the first pressing of the former sold out in two days. Later that year Bunny issued his first compilation, Las Que No Iban a Salir. Comprised of unreleased tracks from the x100pre and YHLQMDLG sessions, as well as new cuts including the single “En Casita,” the collection included appearances by Zion & Lennox, Yandel, Don Omar, Nicky Jam, and Jhay Cortez. On Black Friday, Bad Bunny continued his habit of issuing albums without prior announcement. El Último Tour del Mundo, with its garish, semitruck cover photo, offered a side of the urbano we hadn’t seen before. In addition to trap and reggaeton, Bunny’s songs acknowledged his love of indie rock with production and musical nods to the Cure, Radiohead, and the Police. The Tainy-produced “La Noche de Anoche,” featuring Rosalía, was, uncharacteristically, one of only three collaborations on the album. The others included “Sorry Papi” (featuring Abra, it was also produced by Tainy) and “Dákiti,” featuring Jhay Cortez. Two weeks after release, the Grammynominated set peaked in the number one spot on the Top 200. February 2022 • Music News
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The Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy’s not-atall-secret ingredient, Whisker Bomb Have Mercy Have Mercy Hot Sauce, was developed as a partnership between Billy Gibbons and Nashville-based bearded country singer Tim Montana. Whisker Bomb pepper sauces and the range of Whisker Bomb products all began while Billy was spending time in the recording studio with the luxuriantly bearded Mr. Montana. They discovered that their chin whiskers were not all they had in common. Recounts Gibbons, “We discovered that we both shared a curious aim toward expanding the flavors in spicy foods and that begat the opportunity to combine recipes for a tasty and tantalizing heat treat! Now those expressions are bottled up and ready for pouring it on. Marketed commercially as Beez and Teez Pepper Sauce, it is available in two strengths: Original and Have Mercy Hot. It can be found throughout the state at H-E-B markets and numerous other locations or online at https://whiskerbomb.com/
Billy F Gibbons and Antone’s Executive Chef Alex Padilla • Photo credit: Becca Wright
Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys Teams Up With ZZ TOP’S Billy F Gibbons For Signature 60th Anniversary H-Town Original Po’ Boy Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys, a beloved touchstone in Houston culinary circles celebrates its 60th anniversary this month. The occasion will be marked with the debut of Billy F Gibbons - Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy the final offering in Antone’s “H-Town Originals” sandwich series. The fried green tomato sandwich is a collaboration between legendary ZZ Top founder/front man Billy F Gibbons and Antone’s executive chef Alex Padilla. The sandwich will be available at both Antone’s sandwich shops beginning January 17. Gibbons, a Houston native, is no stranger to Antone’s brand. “Antone’s has been notable for presenting one of the greatest sandwich collections and that fact remains unchallenged. Their attention to perfection in the world of po’ boys made teaming up and bringing a new twist, a tasty addition, to Antone’s line of flavor sensations. Antone’s and Whisker Bomb pepper sauces are a delight,” said Gibbons. The Billy F Gibbons - Whisker Bomb Po’ Boy consists of buttermilk dipped fried green tomatoes, harissa, chipotle mayo, Billy F Gibbons’ Whisker Bomb Have Mercy Sauce, goat cheese, a mix of spices and arugula served on a warm French bread, available at both Antone’s full-service locations for $9.95. The sandwich will be available through June 1 and proceeds go 10 Music News • February 2022
towards funding The Clifford Antone Foundation, an organization based in Austin, Texas dedicated to preserving our music culture and community by caring for elders and investing in youth. Gibbons selected the Clifford Antone’s Foundation as his beneficiary because of its deep ties to Antone’s Nightclub in Austin, a venue he frequents as both an audience member and headliner. “It’s surreal to be able to partner with Billy F Gibbons, someone who grew up on Antone’s po’ boys, at the same time I grew up watching him on stage,” Craig Lieberman, CEO of Antone’s Famous Po’ Boys, said. “Our 60th anniversary is a major milestone for the brand, and we are honored to have a Texas legend like Billy to be a part of it.” “H-Town Originals” is a charitable initiative, launched during the famed sandwich shop’s 57th anniversary to engage the community and help drive awareness for causes and organizations. Local celebrities and chefs have been tasked with creating their own sandwiches, choosing a beneficiary and helping raise awareness for that cause. Previous H-Town Original features include local notables including Dr. Peter Hotez, one of the world’s leaders in helping curb the pandemic, Houston’ Ballet’s Prima Ballerina Lauren Anderson; hip hop icon, Bun B; radio host, Roula Christie and NFL linebacker Whitney Mercilus; among others.
Founded in 1962 as “Antone’s Import Company” by Jalal Antone, the son of Lebanese immigrants, Antone’s has evolved into a fast-casual sandwich concept known for its signature po’ boys, hot and cold sandwiches, gumbos, and sides made daily from scratch with the freshest ingredients. In addition to its iconic “grab ‘n go” po’ boy sandwiches, Antone’s serves a variety of handmade hot po’ boys and other deli-style sandwiches, delicious gumbos, seafood platters, salads, and more. All items on the menu are made from scratch each day and feature Gulf seafood, house-roasted meats, and their po’ boy bread. Antone’s has two full-service locations in Houston: West Loop at 4520 San Felipe; North Loop at 2724 W TC Jester; and can be found in area grocery stores including H-E-B, Kroger, and Randall’s in Houston, Austin and Dallas, prominent food service outlets and prominent locations in Houston like Texas Children’s Hospital, MD Anderson’s Rotary House, George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Kyle Field at Texas A&M and in Austin at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, Antone’s Nightclub, and AustinBergstrom International Airport (AUS). Billy F Gibbons, native Houstonian, is a celebrated guitarist and singer and founder of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees ZZ Top. BFG began his professional music career with the Moving Sidewalks who toured with Jimi Hendrix. Gibbons formed ZZ Top in late 1969 and released with the group’s debut, ZZ Top’s First Album coming in early 1971. Gibbons possesses a gravelly singing voice and is known for his bluesy, groove-based guitar style as well as his chestlength beard. Gibbons has made numerous appearances with other artists as well as delivering his acting skills in film and television. most notably in “Back To The Future III” and the FOX hit TV series, “Bones”. Rolling Stone placed him within the 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.
Shady Acres Saloon www,shadyacressaloon.com 1115 W. 19th Street, Houston 77008 713-534-1112
NEVER A COVER!
Thursday Night Heights Blues Series
Feb. 10 Feb. 3 The Hightailers Rick Lee Feb. 17 James and The Classix
Feb. 3 - Rick Lee Feb. 1o - The Hightailers Feb. 17 - James Wilhite & The Classix Jan. 24 - Little Screamin’ Kenny
Feb. 24 Little Screamin’ Kenny
Dog Friendly
Feb 4 Hardluck Revival
Feb. 5 Kory Quinn
Feb. 11 New Vintage
Feb. 19 Line Shack 6 Feb. 25 Mitch Jacobs
Feb. 26 William & The Texas Starlight
Feb. 27 Broken Spoke Trio
Mondays- The Evolution of Quiz Trivia • Sundays - Bingo 3 - 5 pm February Live Music Schedule 2/3 - Heights Blues Series with Rick Lee 2/4 - Hardluck Revival 2/5 - Kory Quinn 2/6 - Sunday 6:00 - 9:00 pm Acoustic Showcase 2/10 - Heights Blues Series
with The Hightailers 2/11 - New Vintage 2/12 - Voodoo Rodeo Band 2/13 - Seymore’s Sunday Shootout 2/17 - Heights Blues Series with James & The Classix 2/18 - Nathan Quick
2/19 - Line Shack 6 2/20 - Seymore’s Sunday Shootout 2/24 - Heights Blues Series with Little Screamin’ Kenny 2/25 - Mitch Jacobs 2/26 - William & The Texas Starlight 2/27 - Broken Spoke Trio February 2022 • Music News
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his official follow-up, This One’s Gonna Hurt You, which featured a Top Ten hit in the title duet with Travis Tritt, and became his first gold albums. Though he’d earned a fervent following, Stuart found these successes hard to duplicate — 1994’s Love and Luck saw his sales slipping, and perhaps in response, MCA issued the hits and rarities compilation The Marty Party Hit Pack. That in turn led to a series of Marty Party concert specials on the Nashville Network. However, 1996's Honky Tonkin’s What I Do Best failed to win the wide critical acclaim of its predecessors.
Marty Stuart And His Fabulous Superlatives Perform At Main Street Crossing February 13th by Steve Huey Love and Luck One of country music’s most historically minded new traditionalists, Marty Stuart is also one of its more flamboyant showmen, supporting his party-hearty image with a wardrobe of rhinestone-laden Nudie suits. Despite his fondness for flash, Stuart was one of the most eclectic country artists to rise to stardom in the ’80s, moving between honky tonk (1994’s Love and Luck), rockabilly (1986’s Marty Stuart), countryrock (2003’s Country Music), traditional country (1992’s Let There Be Country), Western music (2017’s Way Out West), gospel (2005’s Souls’ Chapel), and bluegrass (1982’s Busy Bee Cafe). Stuart easily balanced the various sides of his musical personality, with his love of country music’s past and present the common bond between it all. Stuart was born in Philadelphia, Mississippi, in 1958 and grew up obsessed with country music. He learned guitar and mandolin as a child and by age 12 was performing with the bluegrass group the Sullivans. He soon met Lester Flatt bandmember Roland White, which led to an invitation to play a Labor Day gig in Delaware with the band in 1972. Flatt invited Stuart to join the band permanently and took responsibility for overseeing the teenager’s continued education. Stuart stayed with Flatt up until the legendary bluegrass master broke up his band in 1978 Photo for health reasons; he passed away by Jeff Fasano the following year. Stuart moved on, playing Music News•• November •December February 2022 612 Music Music News News 2020
with fiddler Vassar Clements and guitarist Doc Watson while doing session work, and was invited to join Johnny Cash’s backing band in 1980. In 1978 Stuart had released his first LP, With a Little Help from My Friends (re-released in 1992 as The Slim Richey Sessions), but in 1982 he stepped out to record a more high-profile solo album, Busy Bee Cafe, an informal jam session for Sugar Hill with guest spots by Cash, Watson, and Earl Scruggs, among others. The following year, he married Cash’s daughter Cindy. He left Cash’s band in 1985 to pursue a solo career. He signed with Columbia and released a self-titled label debut album in 1986. Despite a Top 20 country hit in “Arlene,” the record didn’t sell very well, and Columbia refused to issue his completed follow-up, Let There Be Country. Stuart’s marriage also broke up in 1988, and he returned home to Mississippi to gather his wits. Jerry Sullivan invited him to rejoin the Sullivans as mandolinist, which recharged Stuart’s confidence for a return to Nashville. Stuart landed a deal with MCA in 1989 and released his label debut, Hillbilly Rock, later that year. This time he was more successful, landing a Top Ten hit with the title track and earning positive reviews from critics, who compared his sensibility to that of Dwight Yoakam. Released in 1991, Tempted was successful critically and commercially and spawned three Top Ten hits in the title cut, “Little Things,” and “Burn Me Down.” In the wake of Stuart’s breakthrough, Columbia finally released Let There Be Country in 1992. Stuart also completed
Stuart was already moving on to other concerns as well. He’d acquired an extensive collection of country memorabilia by that point and in 1996 won his first term as president of the Country Music Foundation (which oversees the Country Music Hall of Fame); he would serve in that capacity through 2002. He also remarried in 1997, to fellow country singer Connie Smith (who’d first made an impression on him during his teen years). When he returned to recording, it was in 1999 with The Pilgrim, a concept album based in country tradition, yet with a distinct progressive inclination. Despite strong reviews, it didn’t sell well, and Stuart later parted ways with MCA. He went on to sign with Sony’s Nashville division and released his label debut, simply titled Country Music, in the summer of 2003, followed by Souls’ Chapel and Badlands in 2005. A live bluegrass record, Live at the Ryman, appeared early in 2006. Stuart returned to recording in 2010 with a fast-paced traditional honky tonk album called Ghost Train: The Studio B Sessions, recorded at RCA’s legendary Nashville facility, his first release under a new deal with Sugar Hill Records. His second album for the label, 2012’s Nashville, Vol. 1: Tear the Woodpile Down, was a follow-up of sorts to Ghost Train. In 2014, the exhibition American Ballads: The Photographs of Marty Stuart took place at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville. Its catalog was published as a hardcover book. The musician followed it up with a double concept album entitled Saturday Night/Sunday Morning, devoted to traditional country and gospel. The recording was issued on September 30, 2014. Next, Stuart and his band the Superlatives teamed with producer Mike Campbell — best known as the guitarist in Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers — to pay tribute to California country & western. Appropriately titled Way Out West, the album appeared in March 2017 and featured the single “Whole Lotta Highway (With a Million Miles to Go).” For Record Store Day 2018, Stuart released Way Out West — Desert Suite (Trip One), a vinylonly EP of rare archival material including a performance of “TB Blues” featuring Merle Haggard. Later that year, Stuart and the Superlatives teamed up with Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman of the Byrds for a special concert tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the release of the Byrds’ country-rock milestone Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
February 2022 • Music News
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Americana with songs that embrace the human condition with their humor, irony, pathos, tenderness, heartbreak, grief, anger, and joy. Thorn possesses a singing voice that is equal parts gravel and honey. He is also an exhibiting painter. 2002’s Mission Temple Fireworks Stand garnered his first international exposure. His breakthrough was 2010’s charting Pimps & Preachers. 2014’s Too Blessed to Be Stressed offered what he called “positive anthem songs” and simultaneously placed on rock, indie, and Christian album charts. 2018’s Don’t Let the Devil Ride featured several gospel songs that inspired him while growing up. It included guest spots by the Blind Boys of Alabama, the McCrary Sisters, Bonnie Bishop, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. It peaked at number one the Blues Albums Chart. In August 2021 Thorn released Never Too Late to Call, a collection of organic demos built into songs with producer Matt Ross-Spang. Thorn was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the son of a Pentecostal minister. His family moved to Tupelo when he was an infant. He spent his youth and adolescence singing in church and traveling with his dad to revivals. He picked up the guitar, organ, and piano along the way. The other big influence in his life was his father’s brother, a pimp. He claims to have learned about the light and dark sides of life from each.
Paul Thorn Performs At Dosey Doe Big Barn On February 23rd by Thom Jurek Before establishing himself as a purveyor of muscular American roots music, Tupelo, Mississippi’s Paul Thorn lived several other lives. The son of a Pentecostal preacher, he was a champion 14 Music News • February 2022
prizefighter in the 1980s who fought Roberto Duran, a professional skydiver, and a factory worker. Since releasing 1997’s Hammer & Nail for A&M, Thorn has balanced blues, rock, gospel, country, and soul in a singular strain of
Though music was part of Thorn’s daily life, it wasn’t his first choice as a profession, boxing was. During the 1980s he fought professionally. His 14-4 record included winning the Mid-South Middleweight Championship in Memphis, Tennessee, and the opportunity to fight four-time world champion Roberto Duran on national television, although he lost. Realizing he would never be a champion, Thorn got his kicks as a skydiver (169 jumps) and spent a decade paying the rent by working in a furniture factory — all while writing songs and scuffling to play gigs wherever he could find them. While playing at a local singer/ songwriter’s night at a pizzeria in 1997, BMI’s Roger Sovine heard him and was impressed by his songs, singing, and stage persona. The exec asked if he could share Thorn’s name with Nashville record labels. A few weeks later, Thorn continued on next page
Paul Thorn continued from previous page played a showcase for several labels at the very same Tupelo pizzeria. One of the attendees was A&R man Wyatt Easterling, who was Miles Copeland III’s partner in the Bugle Publishing Group. He brought Thorn to Nashville and within the month, Thorn was on the road opening for Sting. The artist subsequently signed with A&M, and before year’s end he recorded and released his major-label debut, Hammer & Nail. Given the connections of his label and management company, he was able to open tours for a wide range of top-tier performers. Thorn left A&M — which had just been acquired by Universal — and signed to Copeland’s Ark 21 for 1999’s 14-song Ain’t Love Strange. Co-produced by Thorn and engineer/cowriter Billy Maddox (as “Sweet T” and “Black-Eyed Pea”, respectively) it sold respectably but didn’t chart. Thorn and his band toured the record across the country and Europe for the better part of two years. In the new millennium, Thorn decided to play by his own rules. He founded Perpetual Obscurity Records and issued Live at Short Street Package Store. He entered studios in Mississippi and Alabama with his own band and Maddox, and cut his celebrated breakthrough, Mission Temple Fire Works Stand. Adorned with his own cover art, it was issued in 2002 to international acclaim. He was profiled and interviewed in many publications, and got regular airplay and a feature on NPR. The ensuing tour was grueling but beneficial. Thorn played high-profile shows on his own and with artists including Bonnie Raitt. The songwriter took on the weighty subject of love for 2004’s Are You with Me? using a warmer, smoother, yet stripped-down production style for songs that actively employed R&B and Caribbean-based grooves. A seeming shift in sonic direction, it nonetheless carried all of of Thorn’s hallmarks as a songwriter. He took a four-year break from recording, though he still gigged
frequently in the United States and Europe — as evidenced by 2005’s So Far So Good: Best of the Paul Thorn Band Live. He returned with 2008’s A Long Way from Tupelo, which melded his previous stylistic explorations into a resonant brand of Americana using more polished production. It was his first album to chart, peaking at 27 on the Independent Albums list. In 2010 he released the humorously yet poignantly titled Pimps and Preachers. The title track was a tribute to his father and uncle, and alongside other wry observations about life in songs like “I Don’t Like Half the Folks I Love,” “You Might Be Wrong,” and “I Hope I’m Doin’ This Right.” The cover again featured his artwork and peaked at 12 on the Independent Albums chart. 2012 saw the release of What the Hell Is Goin’ On?, a collection of covers. It included his readings of tunes by Rick Danko, Allen Toussaint, Elvin Bishop, Donnie Fritts, Ray Wylie Hubbard, and others. It too peaked at 12. In 2014 Thorn released Too Blessed to Be Stressed with the McCrary Sisters as his backing chorus. Employing the musical vocabularies of gospel, country, rock, and R&B, his songs pursued his favorite themes, among them Saturday night sin and Sunday morning repentance and renewal. The album peaked at 15 on the Independent albums chart and number five on the Christian Albums charts. Thorn was a road dog for much of 2015 and 2016 in Europe, the States, and the Caribbean, and was also exhibiting
his paintings. 2018’s Don’t Let the Devil Ride was 14-track covers set that reveled in Southern gospel, soul, and blues — though he did include a stellar read of the O’Jays’ Philly soul/gospel classic “Love Train.” He recorded at legendary soul studios across the South and enlisted a host of legends as guest performers including the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Bonnie Bishop, and the McCrary Sisters. The album spent more than 20 weeks on the charts and peaked at 17 in the Top 200; it also topped the Blues and Gospel charts. Three months after its release, Thorn’s sister Deborah was diagnosed with cancer; she died just four weeks later. He was shattered. A night owl for many years, she’d provided companionship and counsel to her brother during late-night phone calls from the road. In 2019, Bill Hinds, Thorn’s guitarist for 30 years, left the band; he was replaced by Chris Simmons (formerly of the Leon Russell band). In December of 2020, Thorn released the single and video for “It’s Never Too Late to Call,” inspired by the conversations he and Deborah enjoyed during those long nights. In August of 2021, Thorn issued the full-length Never Too Late to Call. Recorded at Sam Phillips’ Memphis Recording Service Studio, it was coproduced and engineered by Matt RossSpang, who built full tracks from organic demos. Thorn co-wrote “Sapphire Dream” with his daughter Kitty Jones for a duet. Another song, “Breaking Up for Good Again,” featured a guest vocal from his wife Heather. February 2022 • Music News
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Adelita’s Way Return To Houston For A Show At Rise Rooftop February 26 Las Vegas rockers Adelitas Way found mainstream success in 2009 with the song “Invincible,” which appeared on their eponymous major-label debut and served as the theme song for the weekly World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars show. Standing at the nexus of post-grunge, alternative metal, and hard rock, the band issued two more LPs with Virgin before going the independent route with the release of 2016’s Getaway, which like subsequent efforts Notorious (2017) and Shine On (2020), arrived on the group’s own Vegas Syn label. Formed in the late 2000s by lead vocalist Rick DeJesus and lead guitarist Chris Iorio, the band (which also included rhythm guitarist Keith Wallen, bassist Derek Johnston, and drummer Trevor Stafford) released its eponymous debut on Virgin Records in July 2009, 16 Music News • February 2022
which included the aforementioned hit single “Invincible.” The band’s sophomore effort, Home School Valedictorian, arrived in summer 2011 and featured new lead guitarist Robert Zakaryan after Iorio left the group within five months of their debut’s release. At the end of 2012, writing began for the band’s third album, while only six months later, Keith Wallen and Derek Johnston announced that they were leaving. In July 2013 the group entered the studio with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz to record Stuck, which was released the following year and featured the hit single “Dog on a Leash,” which peaked at number seven on the U.S. Mainstream Rock Chart. 2015 saw the arrival of the Deserve This EP, and the following year, the band released Getaway, their fourth studio long-player and first outing for their fledgling indie
label Vegas Syn. 2017’s Notorious included the singles “Tell Me” and “Ready for War (Pray for Peace),” the latter of which served as the theme song to TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, a WWE pay-per-view event. June 2020 saw the arrival of the driving single “Shine On,” which appeared on the LP of the same name later that September. Now Adelita’s Way is back with their new EP, Rivals. The EP was released this last December and features 5 of their strongest songs to date. Those songs are “I Will Not Be Stopped,” “Own It,” “Got It Good, “Ghost,” and “Rivals,” the title song of the EP and the name of their current tour. This month they will be performing songs from their Rivals EP at Rise Rooftop on February 26th.
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well-known, notorious Central California band started with his brother Bill, is spoken of not only in hushed whispers but in loud shouts as well. Bluesman John Clifton has dedicated himself to the genre that wasn’t getting the respect it deserved. But when you’re a frontman who delivers the goods straight from the heart, soul, and gut, the Blues become relevant. From the first note of the first song on stage, you know Clifton is the man in charge. Great musicians play off one another and take each other to new heights when they do. John taps into honest emotions, and by doing so, he brings the band along for the ride. Clifton is a veteran road dog whose travels have regularly crisscrossed the U.S. in addition to playing festivals as far away as France, Belgium, Poland, and New Zealand to the tune of 150 dates a year. John’s mad harmonica skills have placed him on stages shared by James Cotton, John Mayall, Luther Tucker, Kim Wilson, and a host of other talented bluesmen. His harp chops landed him the job of featured harmonica player while touring and recording with Big Bill Morganfield on his 2016 release, “Bloodstains on the Wall.” With each of the three records, he has made with Southern California blues, roots label Rip Cat Records the accolades and intensity increased. His first solo album, Let Yourself Go, was released shortly after signing in 2015 to worldwide acclaim and airplay.
John Clifton Performs at Katie’s Bar In Bacliff Feb. 10 and Green Oaks Tavern In Humble Feb. 12 “Vocalist and harp player John Clifton is an outstanding, dedicated musician who plays genuine blues. The real deal!” — Mick Martin , Capital Public Radio “You’ve got to work hard to make it look this easy and hard is where He starts. He knows how to light up a show with intensity, and doesn’t know how to quit—so he doesn’t . With the electricity turned up to 11, you can count on John Clifton to electrify you!” — The Midwest Record “John Clifton is an excellent musician / harpist, with the urge to continue making great music. ” — Rootstime.be “John Clifton may not be a name that instantly leaps to mind like many of the West Coast blues scene harmonica players, but maybe it’s time it should be as he is right there with the best.” — Cascade Blues Assocation Who is John Clifton, and why are they saying those things about him? After 30 plus years on stage, the former frontman of a 18 Music News • February 2022
Nightlife followed in 2018, and Clifton ramped up his game by multiple notches, seamlessly translating his onstage blend of West Coast and Chicago Blues, ’50s style hard R&B and Soul to the studio. Once again, critical acclaim followed, and the album appeared on blues, roots, and rockabilly charts worldwide. The song “Still A Fool” from Nightlife was the #10 of the top new releases on Top 15 Rack of Blues Radio show on BB Kings Bluesville on Sirus XM Radio, Nightlife Spent 6 Months in the Roots Music Report Top 25 Contemporary Blues Albums and finished #72 For 2018 on The Top 200 Roots Music Report Contemporary Blues Chart. His latest CD, In The Middle Of Nowhere, followed in the spring of 2019 with 11 tracks that sizzle and shake to perfection. The album features five all-new originals, along with six covers of songs by artists as diverse as Willie Dixon and Merle Haggard, and immediately became a fixture on the Top 50 Contemporary Blues charts, Sirius/XM’s Bluesville, and Living Blues Radio. Originality and fire in his harp and vocal stylings. Electrifying excitement consistently brought onstage. This is what keeps the John Clifton Band new and entertaining every time they take the stage! There’s more! John used his skills as a record producer to take Polish artists, former International Blues Challenge finalists, The Boogie Boys, into the studio. The record he produced, Made in Cali, won Album of the Year honors in the Polish Blues Awards. Producer David Z best known for his work with Prince, Etta James, Billy Idol, and many others, chose John’s song “Anytime Is Cool” for the 2017 motion picture release “Shattered” John and Band were also asked to appear in the movie and were featured in the first scene. Songwriter, producer, singer, harmonica player, showman; with John Clifton you get the whole package.
Green Oaks Tavern
211 E. Main St. • Humble, TX • 281.570.4344 • www.greenoakstavern.com Sunday, February 6 5:00 - 8:00 pm Hamilton Loomis Band
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Saturday, February 12 John Clifton Band February 19 Johnny Riley
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February 25 February 23 Kevin Swanson Sonny BoyTerry
February 26 Tony Vega Band
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Begins, released by the Silent Majority Group label on April 22, 2008, prefaced by the single “Down and Out,” which reached the Top Five of the Mainstream Rock chart. By the time of the band’s fourth album, Mind Control, released August 4, 2009, Miller had been replaced by Richie Monica, and the group had expanded to a quintet with the addition of electric violinist Marcus Ratzenboeck.
Tantric Perform At The Wildcatter Saloon February 18 Employing a hard-hitting blend of post-grunge, modern rock, and alternative metal, Tantric emerged in 1998 and released its gold-selling eponymous debut in 2001. Featuring three-quarters of the original line-up of hitmaking postgrunge outfit Days of the New, the band released a string of Billboard-charting albums and hit singles as the decade progressed. Like its mother band, Tantric also fell victim to personnel changes, and in 2007, co-founder and vocalist Hugo Ferreira entirely restaffed the group and has remained the sole constant member ever since. Subsequent efforts like 37 Channels (2013) and Mercury Retrograde (2018) continued to populate the hard rock charts. Days of the New rocked heavy in 1998 with their major-label eponymous debut and the singles “Solitude” and “Touch, Peel and Stand,” and the boys from Louisville, Kentucky, quickly absorbed the success and MTV’s praise. But as soon as they enjoyed the rock & roll fast life, original bandmembers Todd Whitener (guitar), Jesse Vest (bass), and Matt Taul (drums) left after creative differences and whirlwind hype. Two years later, the three were still making music, but under the moniker Tantric. Signed to Madonna’s Maverick label, the band welcomed new vocalist Hugo Ferreira and issued a brand-new selftitled album, more rollicking and bold 20
Music News • February 2022
than their previous output. That album became a gold-selling hit, with “Breakdown” topping Billboard magazine’s Mainstream Rock chart and reaching the Top Five of its Modern Rock chart. “Astounded” went Top Ten on the Mainstream Rock chart and reached the Modern Rock chart; and “Mourning” hit both charts. Tantric followed three years later with After We Go, which landed on the Top 100 of the album chart and produced the Top Ten Mainstream Rock hit “Hey Now” and two other tracks that charted, a cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and the album’s title song. In late 2007, Whitener, Vest, and Taul exited Tantric, just as they had Days of the New. Ferreira retained rights to the name, however, and he organized a new edition of Tantric with Joe Pessia (guitar), Erik Leonhardt (bass), and former Fuel member Kevin Miller (drums). With this lineup, Tantric recorded their third album, The End
The band moved to Pavement Entertainment for 2013’s 37 Channels, which saw Ferreira take over the majority of the songwriting and production, as well as rhythm guitar, bass and piano. The LP debuted at number 24 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Albums chart. 2014’s Blue Room Archives was a hodgepodge of previously unreleased material, remixes, and newly recorded acoustic versions of early tracks like “Breakdown” and “Mourning.” In 2018 Tantric released its seventh long-player, Mercury Retrograde, which they promoted with a tour in support of Puddle of Mudd. Now Tantric is back with their newest and 8th studio album, The Sum Of All Fears which was released July 23rd via Cleopatra Records. The first single from the album is “Living Here Without You.”
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OPEN MIC EVERY WEDNESDAY HOSTED BY HEAVY HONEYS Thursday, February 3 - Big Blue Thumb, Alexander Cabrera, Logan McBride Friday, February 4 - Vermin Vendetta, Zton3, Bring Us The Humans Saturday, February 5 - Texas Mammoth Fest Sunday, February 6 - Pickwick Commons, Luca, Sixth Sense, Second Wind, A Winters Remorse Thursday, February 10 - Twin Wizard, Ape Vermin, Fostermother, Direlands Friday, February 11 - Kerosene Shores, Feed The Kraken,Phantom Eye, Zombieface Saturday, February 12 - Zealous Hearts, Heavy Honeys, The Hoelscher Brothers Sunday, February 13 - The Love Bites Valentines Metalfest Thursday, February 17 - Austin Bash, Planet Moon, Paul Whitley Friday, February 18 - Endymion, Unholy Prestilence, Six Hundred Cuts, The Earth As We Know It, Troia Saturday, February 19 - WACKEN METAL BATTLE USA: HOUSTON REGIONAL Sunday, February 20 - AMF ENTERTAINMENT Thursday, February 24 - The Mystical Hot Chocolate Endeavors, 307 Departure, Rejbag Zonda Friday, February 25 - Under The Son, Awaken The Giant, Honeycutt Southern Band Saturday, February 26 - A Night of Blackened Death with Blood Stained Dusk, Epic Death, Drotten, Baptized by Fire, and Divine Void Sunday, February 27 - The Dialectic Snake Father, Dorzia Love, Paranoia February 2022 • Music News
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songwriter Norman Whitfield. Knight’s tough vocals distinguished them from Motown’s pop-soul roster. Between 1967 and 1968, they had major R&B and minor pop hits in the U.S. with “Everybody Needs Love,” “The End of the Road,” “It Should Have Been Me,” and “I Wish It Would Rain,” but enjoyed most success with the original release of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” an uncompromisingly muscular performance of a song that in 1969 became a Motown standard in the hands of its author, Marvin Gaye. Gladys Knight & the Pips’ version topped the R&B chart for six weeks at the end of 1967 and also reached number two on the pop chart.
Gladys Knight Performs at The Arena Theatre February 27 by Andy Kellman Steeped in the gospel tradition like so many early R&B groups, Gladys Knight & the Pips topped the Billboard R&B chart for the first time in 1961 with “Every Beat of My Heart” and later in the decade developed into one of Motown’s most dependable acts, responsible for 11 Top Ten R&B hits from 1966 through 1972, including “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” “The Nitty Gritty,” “If I Were Your Woman,” and the Grammywinning “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye).” The group doubled its quantity of Top Ten R&B hits with the Buddah label through 1978, with second Grammy winner “Midnight Train to Georgia,” “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination,” and “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” accounting for a streak of chart-toppers off the gold-selling album Imagination. Knight & the Pips remained together through the ’80s, a period that entailed the additional R&B Top Ten entries “Landlord,” “Save the Overtime (For Me),” and the Grammy-winning “Love Overboard,” and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame the following decade. Having released her first two Pips-less albums during the late ’70s, Knight began a full-time solo career during the early ’90s. The singer’s solitary discography includes an assortment of adult contemporary R&B, gospel, and jazz recordings, highlighted by the Grammy-winning 2001 album At Last and awarded collaborations with Saints Unified Voices and Ray Charles. Among Knight’s later releases is the 2014 Top Ten gospel album Where My Heart Belongs. She remains an active performer.
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Gladys Knight, her brother Merald Music News • February 2022
“Bubba,” sister Brenda, and cousins Eleanor Guest and William Guest formed their first vocal group in their native Atlanta, Georgia in 1952. Calling themselves the Pips, after their cousin James “Pips” Woods, the youngsters sang supper-club material from Monday through Saturday and gospel music on Sundays. They first recorded for Brunswick Records in 1958, releasing the single “Whistle My Love.” Another cousin of the Knights, Edward Patten, along with Langston George, were brought into the group the following year when Brenda and Eleanor left to get married. Three years elapsed before the Pips’ next sessions, which produced a version of Johnny Otis’ “Every Beat of My Heart” for the small Huntom label. This song, which highlighted Knight’s bluesy, compelling vocal style, was licensed to Vee Jay Records when it began attracting national attention, and went on to top the U.S. R&B chart and reach the pop Top Ten. By this time, the group, now credited as Gladys Knight & the Pips, had signed a long-term recording contract with Fury Records, where they issued a re-recording of “Every Beat of My Heart” that competed for sales with the original release. Subsequent singles such as “Letter Full of Tears” and “Operator” sealed the group’s R&B credentials. A switch in 1964 to the Maxx label — where they worked with producer Van McCoy — generated minor hits with “Giving Up” and “Lovers Always Forgive.” Langston George retired from the group in 1962, leaving the fourstrong lineup that survived into the ’80s. In 1966, Gladys Knight & the Pips signed to Motown Records’ Soul subsidiary, where they were teamed up with producer/
The group enjoyed further R&B and pop hits at the end of the decade with “Didn’t You Know (You’d Have to Cry Sometime),” “The Nitty Gritty,” “Friendship Train,” and “You Need Love Like I Do (Don’t You),” while the poignant “If I Were Your Woman” was one of the label’s biggest-selling releases of 1970 and provided the group with its third R&B chart-topper. In the early ’70s, Knight & the Pips slowly moved away from their original blues-influenced sound toward a more middle-of-the-road harmony blend. Their new approach brought them success in 1973 with the smash hit “Neither One of Us (Wants to Be the First to Say Goodbye)” (number one R&B, number two pop, and a Grammy winner for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals), while further hits during this period included “I Don’t Want to Do Wrong,” “Make Me the Woman That You Go Home To,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and “Daddy Could Swear, I Declare.” In late 1973, Gladys Knight & the Pips elected to leave Motown for Buddah Records, unhappy with the former label’s shift of operations from Detroit to Los Angeles. At Buddah, the group found immediate success with “Where Peaceful Waters Flow” and “Midnight Train to Georgia,” an arresting soul ballad that topped the R&B and pop charts (and won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals). Major hits such as “I’ve Got to Use My Imagination” and “Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” (R&B chart-toppers and pop Top Five hits) mined a similar vein. In 1974, the group performed Curtis Mayfield’s soundtrack songs for the movie Claudine, spawning the major hit “On and On,” and the following year the title track of I Feel a Song gave them another R&B number one. Their smoother approach was epitomized by the medley of “The Way We Were/Try to Remember,” released in 1975, the same year that saw Knight and the group host their own U.S. television series. Gladys Knight made her acting debut in Pipe Dreams in 1976, for which the group recorded a soundtrack album. Legal problems then dogged their career until the end of the decade, forcing Knight & the Pips to record separately until they could sign a new recording contract with CBS Records. Knight continued on page 34
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Damage Done and 2005’s Character, which found them getting more atmospheric and aggressive. It also registered with listeners across Europe: It charted in five countries and peaked at number three at home in Sweden. Following 2007’s acclaimed, charting Fiction, Dark Tranquillity spent more than a year on the road, headlining the Where Death Is Most Alive tour. Century Media not only issued a split-EP from the tour’s participants, they released Manifesto of Dark Tranquillity, a compilation drawn from their catalog starting with Projector. Yesterworlds, a comp of early demos, singles, and unreleased material were also included, along with The Dying Fragments, whose tapes were taken from their earliest rehearsals and live gigs. In 2009, the label also delivered deluxe remastered reissues of Projector, Haven, and Damage Done, and a live DVD from their October tour, appropriately titled Where Death Is Most Alive.
Dark Tranquility Perform At The Scout Bar February 25th by Thom Jurek Dark Tranquillity is one of the original and most influential melodic death bands to emerge from Sweden in the early 1990s; along with In Flames and At the Gates, they essentially created the explosive subgenre that combined death metal’s intensity, progressive, and Gothic experimentation with hooky, melodic, grooveoriented riffs and twin-guitar lead lines. Dark Tranquillity were one of its earliest and most prominent practitioners, as evidenced by their 1993 debut long-player Skydancer. They were prolific during those years and toured constantly; when they were home, they issued strings of singles, splits, and EPS including 1995’s Of Chaos and Eternal Night. 1999’s Projector proved controversial for early fans due to its pronounced use of electronics, but the group shifted back again on 2000’s ultra-heavy Haven. By 2002’s Damage Done, they had emerged with a mature sound that wed both approaches. 2005’s Character proved their commercial breakthrough; it peaked at number three in Sweden and charted across Europe. They doubled down on that approach for 2007’s charting Fiction (and spent 22 months on the road), and 2010’s We Are the Void. 2013’s Construct mixed black metal with melodic death riffs and gothic rock. Following another 18 months of roadwork and a handful of singles, Dark Tranquillity released Atoma in 2016, their first without guitarist Martin Henriksson, who had retired from music. Sweden’s record-buying public pushed it to number two on the national charts, and on the album lists of six European countries. Moment was released near the end of 2020 and marked
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their first outing without founding guitarist Niklas Sundin. Formed under the name Septic Broiler in 1989, Dark Tranquillity honed their chops for a few years and debuted on record in 1993 with the album Skydancer; their lineup consisted of vocalist Anders Friden, guitarists Niklas Sundin and Mikael Stanne, bassist Martin Henriksson, and drummer Anders Jivarp. The band shuffled its membership for the 1995 follow-up EP Of Chaos and Eternal Night; upon Friden’s departure, Stanne took over lead vocals and was replaced on guitar by Fredrik Johansson. This lineup remained intact for the full-length The Gallery issued later that year, which helped them build an international fan base. Follow-ups Enter Suicidal Angels (an EP) and the full-length The Mind’s I appeared in 1997, marking a tightening of the group’s sound into a more compact attack. In 1999, Dark Tranquillity left the Osmose label for a deal with Century Media, consummated by the release of the gothically tinged Projector later that year. Electronics manipulator Martin Brändström subsequently joined the group as an official member, and guitarist Johansson departed the music industry to take a day job; bassist Henriksson took over on guitar, and the bass chair was filled by Michael Niklasson. Haven was released in mid-2000, continuing the less traditional approach of its predecessor. Afterwards, the band would continue moving in a heavier direction with 2002’s
In 2010, Dark Tranquillity released We Are the Void while on a U.S. tour headlined by Killswitch Engage. The album peaked inside the Top Ten at home, charted in Europe, and sold respectably in the U.S.; the band undertook their own headline tour of the North American continent accompanied by Threat Signal, Mutiny Within, and the Absence. They took a short break and re-entered the studio in late 2012, emerging in May with Construct, mixed by Jens Bogren. The release proved both controversial and commercially viable due to its meld of back metal tropes, gothic atmospheres, alternate clean vocals, and melodic death metal. It peaked at nine in Sweden, charted across Europe, and even made the Top 200 in the U.S. as Dark Tranquillity toured the world. In March of 2016 founding member and bassist/guitarist Martin Henriksson left the band. He cited losing his passion for playing music. Later that year, the band issued its 11th studio long-player, Atoma, with guitarist Niklas Sundin playing all the guitar parts; the recording also featured new bassist Anders Iwers, who replaced longtime member Daniel Antonsson. Dark Tranquillity embarked on a European tour with main support band Equilibrium and played festival stages across Europe. While they worked the road, Atoma climbed the charts; it peaked at number two in Sweden, charting in nine countries across Europe and even hitting the Japanese album charts. In March 2020, founding guitarist Niklas Sundin departed. Ten days later, the band commenced recording an album and hired guitarists Christopher Amott and Johan Reinholdz, who had toured with the band since 2017. In November, Dark Tranquillity issued Moment. The set was produced by Martin Brändström and mixed and mastered by Bogren. Sundin, as had since the band’s earliest days, designed the album cover art.
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Theory Of A Deadman Bring Their Say Nothing Tour To Perform At White Oak Music Hall February 22 A Canadian heavy rock crew with a versatile modern rock sound that incorporates elements of country, acoustic, pop, and post-grunge, Theory of a Deadman emerged in 2001 as the first act to sign with Nickelback frontman Chad Kroeger’s 604 Records imprint. Since issuing their platinum-selling eponymous debut in 2002, the band has found both regional and international success via releases like Scars & Souvenirs (2008), Savages (2014), and Say Nothing (2020). Tyler Connolly (vocals/guitar) reportedly slipped a copy of the band’s demo to Kroeger at a post-concert party and the two were soon collaborating on songs together. One of these, “Invisible Man,” was used as the B-side for 2002’s wildly successful Spider-Man theme “Hero” (a Kroeger collaboration with Saliva singer Josey Scott), and anticipated Theory of a Deadman’s selftitled debut the same year. Also featuring Dave Brenner (guitar), Dean Back (bass), and Tim Hart (drums), the album’s hookladen, emotional hard rock sounded very similar to their celebrity benefactor’s band. But a healthy touring work load and simple maturation ultimately helped Theory of a Deadman break out of that confining stylistic box for their more varied and distinctive sophomore effort Gasoline, which was recorded with session drummer Robin Diaz. The trio later tapped veteran journeyman Brent Fitz (formerly of Union and Vince Neil’s solo band) as their new permanent touring drummer. Theory of a Deadman returned to the studio in 2007 to record their third album, Scars and Souvenirs, which was produced by Howard Benson. The album was released in April 2008, and was certified gold in less than a year. The hard-hitting Canadian rockers’ fourth studio album, The Truth Is... arrived on July 12, 2011, and was followed by a co-headlining tour with Alter Bridge under the banner the Carnival of Madness, which also included Adelitas Way, Black Stone Cherry, and Emphatic. In 2014, the bandmembers announced they were working on an album, and a new single, “Drown,” arrived in April of that year. Their fifth album, Savages, followed in July of 2014. In October 2017 the band released a music video for the song “Rx (Medicate)” in anticipation of the arrival of the full-length Wake Up Call, which dropped later that month. Now going simply by Theory, the pop-leaning set entered the U.S. charts at 24 and peaked just outside the Top 10 in Canada. Continuing their new direction — sounding close to Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, and Shinedown — Theory further embraced soaring pop/rock on the serious single “History of Violence” from their seventh set, 2020’s Say Nothing. 26 Music News • February 2022
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Steve Aoki. Months later, he hit a U.S. chart peak with “Back to You,” a group effort with Bebe Rexha and Digital Farm Animals. He continued into 2019 with a series of singles that eventually landed on his official fulllength debut. Arriving in early 2020, Walls (Syco/Arista) featured a distinct Brit-pop influence, echoing U.K. forebears like Robbie Williams and Oasis.
Louis Tomlinson Performs at Bayou Music Center February 3rd Best known as a member of English boy band One Direction, pop vocalist Louis Tomlinson embarked on a solo career after the group ended their record-breaking, early-2010s run in 2016. After years of releasing singles and appearing on The X Factor — the same show that pushed him into the limelight — he released his official debut album, Walls, in 2020. Born Louis Troy Austin in Doncaster, England, he shot to stardom after appearing on the 2010 edition of The X Factor. He attended school in his hometown, where, by his own admission, he didn’t pay that much attention academically; instead, he was drawn to anything related to music and acting; he played the role of Danny Zuko in his school production of Grease. His active role in the musical motivated him to audition for The X Factor in 2009, but he failed to make the cut. Undeterred, Tomlinson auditioned the following year, this time making it through the preliminary stages. 30
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Initially, he performed as a solo act, but just as he and four others — Harry Styles, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Zayn Malik — were set to be ejected from the solo competition, guest judge Nicole Scherzinger suggested bringing them together and allowing them to continue as One Direction in the group competition. Although One Direction came in third on the show, they went on to become one of The X Factor’s biggest success stories, regularly topping charts worldwide and selling over 50 million records within a decade. Outside of the band, Tomlinson gained a reputation for philanthropy, as he constantly campaigned for, and donated to, various charities. In early 2016, One Direction began an indefinite hiatus, giving the individual members time to pursue their own interests. For Tomlinson, this included becoming a father. Later that year, he released his debut solo single, the platinum-certified “Just Hold On,” a collaboration with
Tomlinson enjoyed worldwide success as part of One Direction. The band’s first single, “What Makes You Beautiful,” was released in September 2011 in the United Kingdom and became a global No. 1 hit. Their first album, Up All Night, was released in early 2012 and was a chart-topper in 16 countries; their second album, Take Me Home (2012), was also a hit. One Direction performed at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London and has toured the world. One Direction continued to dominate the pop music scene, releasing two more successful albums. Midnight Memories debuted in 2013 and was quickly followed by 2014’s Four, the group’s fourth consecutive studio effort to debut at No. 1. The group went through a major shake-up in 2015, beginning with the departure of Zayn Malik in March. But One Direction finished the year with a flourish, releasing a new album, Made in the A.M., and winning Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. The group then made one final appearance, on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, before dispersing for an extended hiatus. One Direction returned to the spotlight in February 2017, when its final single from Made in the A.M., “History,” was named Video of the Year at the Brit Awards. Unable to attend the event, Tomlinson posted a clip to Twitter in which he thanked the group’s fans, saying, “You continue to surprise us with just how incredible you are.”
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Immolation Perform at Warehouse Live February 25 Just as one can smell a storm swelling on the horizon, the cataclysmic tremor that is IMMOLATION approaches to unleash its latest, immense creation: ACTS OF GOD. Due to be re-leased in winter of 2022, this 11th studio album serves as the next chapter of IMMOLATION’S Death Metal epic. With 5 long years passed since the most recent studio album, ATONEMENT, ACTS OF GOD vigorously showcases IMMOLATION’s ability to consistently create fascinating sounds, while still keeping their feet firmly rooted in the old school, New York Death Metal for which they are renowned. Emblazoned with a haunting new masterpiece by artist Eliran Kantor, ACTS OF GOD dis-plays a trifecta of angelic beings desperately trying to prevent one another’s flesh from melting in a blackened light from above. The muted colors and ethereal images will ring familiar to fans of IMMOLATION’s previous album covers. “We wanted this cover to feel much darker; more melancholy and hopeless. The music has always been very dark, and a lot of Kantor’s work had the feeling that we were going for; the semi-surreal colliding with a classic, almost renaissance feel,” explains founder and vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan. “It’s unnerving. It really reflects the music perfectly,” agrees founder and guitarist Robert Vigna. The album’s third track “The Age Of No Light” is a powerful, hard hitting song with an extreme yet catchy melody. “It’s quick, hits hard, and gets straight to the point” explains Vigna. Consistently changing speeds and patterns throughout, the song is short but remains both dynamic and memorable. “Blooded” has all the usual IMMOLATION elements: the slow, the fast, the explosive, the big overlaid sections of groovy harmony eventually dropping into evil, ripping guitar work. “It’s a little powerhouse,” describes Vigna, “it’s straightforward, and it has all the elements you would expect from us in a nice, neat package.” A song like “Immoral Stain” is a slightly mid-paced track with an intense, creepy atmosphere. Equipped with plenty of unusual moments, the beat is catchy, dark, and echoing. Searing guitar starts to recite a story and then quickly begins a conversation with thunderous vocals and a vociferous beat. “That whole section of build up just needed to be done exactly as it is. That’s what makes it sound different and interesting,” describes Vigna. Much like the rest of the al-bum, while the lyrics cover the usual, general topics of genuine evil and the great deception of religion, the specifics are most certainly left to the listener’s interpretation. Fortunately for IMMOLATION fans, there is no shortage of corruption and catastrophe in this world. Fittingly, the concluding track “Apostle” was the last song written for the album. “Some of those chorus sections have a weird almost dream-like quality,” describes Dolan. Its steadily growing momentum discharges rounds of guitar solos and relentless vocals which eventually lead way to an explosive finale to the album. The creative journey for ACTS OF GOD began with years of notes, and an abundance of inspiration. With Vigna at the helm of the structural writing as usual, further composing and concepts were tossed back and forth amongst all 4 members. Eventually, they began to skeletonize the beginning of what would become a full length, studio album. While the recording process and entering the studio can be a very sterile experience for some musicians, the ferocity of the de-mos combined with the expertise of long time friend and recording counterpart Paul Orofino of Millbrook Studios (BLUE OYSTER CULT, BAD CO, GOLDEN EARRING), assured that this would not be an issue for IMMOLATION. “Having such a level of comfort is key,” remarks Dolan. Final touches were brought about on the mixing and mastering by Zack Ohren of Castle Ultimate Studios. Firmly aligned with Nuclear Blast Records, the often coveted sound of IMMOLATION has reemerged from the depths of a cursed and cruel world to illuminate our minds and ears with exquisite, sonic destruction. 32 Music News • February 2022
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Gladys Knight & the Pips could work equally well in both R&B and pop genres, taking the group back to the top of the R&B chart and into the pop Top 20 at the end of 1987. The latter song earned them a Grammy Award for the Best R&B Performance in early 1989, the year the group enjoyed two final R&B hits with “Lovin’ on Next to Nothin’” and “It’s Gonna Take All Our Love.”
Gladys Knight continued from page 22 enjoyed minor R&B hits at the end of the decade with the solo singles “I’m Coming Home Again” and “Am I Too Late,” and during this period released her first two solo albums, Miss Gladys Knight and Gladys Knight. About Love in 1980 teamed the reunited group with the Ashford & Simpson writing/production partnership, and resulted in strident pieces of R&B social commentary in “Landlord” and “Bourgie Bourgie.” Subsequent releases alternated between the group’s R&B and MOR modes, generating hits such as the R&B chart-topper “Save the Overtime (For Me)” and “You’re Number One in My Book” (both 1983). In 1985, Knight appeared on the charttopping and Grammy-winning pop hit “That’s What Friends Are For,” alongside Elton John, Dionne Warwick, and Stevie Wonder. After a move to MCA Records in 1986, “Love Overboard” demonstrated that
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In 1989, Gladys Knight & the Pips parted company following a tour. Merald remained with his sister when she achieved a U.K. Top Ten hit that year with the James Bond movie song “Licence to Kill” (her highest U.K. chart position since Gladys Knight & the Pips’ 1977 Top Five hit “Baby Don’t Change Your Mind”). Knight’s third and fourth albums, Good Woman and Just for You, followed respectively in 1991 and 1994. The former topped the R&B chart and the latter peaked at number six and went gold. She scored her last Top Ten R&B hit in 1996 with “Missing You,” a collaboration with Chaka Khan, Brandy, and Tamia, recorded for the soundtrack of Set It Off. The same year, she and the Pips were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Eleanor Guest died of heart failure the following year. Released in 2001, Knight’s sixth solo album, At Last, made her a solo Grammy winner when it won the award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Album. In 2004, she won a Grammy in the category of Best Gospel Performance with the Ray Charles collaboration “Heaven Help Us All.” One Voice, a collaboration with Saints Unified Voices, won the award the following year for Best Gospel Choir or Chorus Album. Later that year, Edward Patten died from diabetic complications. Knight’s periodic subsequent recordings have alternated between contemporary gospel and adult contemporary R&B, and temporarily changed course in 2006 with Before Me, a set of jazz standards recorded for the Verve label. The next year, Langston George died of heart failure. Knight resumed performing, including a tour intended to be her U.K. farewell in 2009. She released Another Journey and the Top Ten gospel LP Where My Heart Belongs during the first half of the 2010s. William Guest died of heart failure in 2015. Knight has continued to perform, including extensive touring across the U.K.
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Magic City Hippies On US Tour Now And Performing At White Oak Music Hall On February 27th ‘Water Your Garden’ LP Out Now “Champagne On The Rider,” “Ghost On The Mend,” “High Beams,” “Queen,” “Water Your Garden,” and “Diamond” Singles Out Now SEE MAGIC CITY HIPPIES LIVE: Tickets available at https://www.magiccityhippies.com/tour PRE-SAVE: Magic City Hippies - Water Your Garden Pre-Save @ https://eb.toneden.io/magic-city-hippies/post/water-yourgarden-pre-save-give-away LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Champagne On The Rider” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/cotr YouTube @ https://youtu.be/IgoIbI5WYpI LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Ghost On The Mend” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/ghostonthemend YouTube @ https://youtu.be/EBWxtP2i1AU
LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “High Beams” (ft. Nafets) Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/highbeams YouTube @ https://youtu.be/8l1Xy_FFNy4 LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Queen” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/queen YouTube @ https://youtu.be/S4ehl2uarOI LISTEN/WATCH & STREAM: Magic City Hippies - “Water Your Garden” (ft. maye) YouTube @ https://youtu.be/QmwE9tsQnAE LISTEN/WATCH & SHARE: Magic City Hippies - “Diamond” Stream @ https://createmusic.fm/diamond YouTube @ https://youtu.be/G3gp-qFPAbs continued on next page
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Music News • February October 2020 2022
Magic City Hippies
Water Your Garden - TRACKLISTING
continued from previous page
1. Garden Fiya 2. Diamond 3. Queen 4. High Beams (Feat. Nafets) 5. Champagne On The Rider 6. Hangunder 7. Ghost On The Mend 8. Water Your Garden (feat. maye) 9. Atlantis 10. Therapy (feat. Tim Atlas) 11. High Above The Sun
Speaking on the record, Robby Hunter wrote: “Does life write music? Or does music write life. It’s something we ask ourselves every time we finish an album. There is some type of serendipity in finishing music that somehow plays out in real life. Almost like predicting the future. The same thing happened with ‘Modern Animal,’ and it seems to be playing out again with this new piece of work. I think that means we’re doing something right, if our music somehow knows something more about us than we do. Water Your Garden is the first album we created while all three of us were in separate places around the US. Completely remote and sending songs back and forth throughout quarantine- while everyone was locked down in their respective homes. Pat finally moved out to LA- locked down in his studio. Robby moved out into the mountains of Montana, and John held down the homebase in Miami. Since coming off our most successful tour to date, the 2020 Modern Animal tour, everyone was riding high. We had huge shows booked in our future and felt like our dreams were finally within reach- then covid hit. And everyone experienced their own version of some type of mental health issue (just like everyone else in the world). Whether it was a massive stresstest on relationships in lockdown, or family members passing away, or politics driving best friends away. Everyone seemed like they were going through something. I think haphazardly we all realized how important selfcare was, and how necessary it was to help us get through this thing. Without knowing, we began to write about our life experiences- and the songs started flowing. With the life transitions everyone in the band was going through, we were all starting to water our own gardens, and take care of ourselves, and our families for the first time. So the album just feels so fitting, even if we didn’t know where we’d all be in our lives last summer when we named it. I think that lended itself to a more introspective, emotionally mature collection of music. At least lyrically - musically it’s classic MCH, all over the place sounds. From some heavy synth-based, Jai Paul inspired bops - to Drake inspired trap to soft, vintage tinted instrumental tracks like ‘Hangunder’ and throwback 80’s hits like ‘High Above The Sun.’ Even if the majority of the songs aren’t classically ‘happy’ we are still urging the listener to dance to every track, and that is a must in magic city hippie music. We were fortunate enough to get a bunch of our friends on tracks - from maye’s perfect voice on ‘Water Your Garden,’ to Tim Atlas on ‘Therapy,’ and Nafets on ‘High Beams’ ... it all seemed to come together perfectly.” Shades on and shirts unbuttoned, Magic City Hippies generate the kind of heat that could’ve powered a high seas yacht party in the seventies or shake a Coachella stage next summer. If the trio—Robby Hunter, Pat Howard, and John Coughlin—stepped off the screen from some long-lost Quentin Tarantino flick in slow-motion (instruments in hand), nobody would question it. Embracing everything from AM radio rock and poolside pop to nimble raps and salsa, they lock into an
era-less vibe with no shortage of psychedelic funk or hooks. The three-piece deliver the kind of bangers you can play on the way to the party, during the party, and to smooth over the comedown as the sun comes up. As the guys so eloquently describe it, they “give people a choice to enjoy this on the surface level, feel funky in their bodies, and dance…or go deeper into the music.” As legend has it, the origin of Magic City Hippies can be traced back to Robby’s days of permit-less busking in Miami. Eventually, Pat and John proved to be better accompaniment than his loop pedal, so the trio played regular bar gigs and built an audience locally. They formed as Robby Hunter Band, released the Magic City Hippies album, and adopted the title as their name. That LP gained traction in 2013 with syncs on The CW’s iZombie and Showtime’s Ray Donovan. On its heels, 2015’s Hippie Castle EP catalyzed their breakout as “Limestone” piled up over 21 million Spotify streams followed by “Fanfare” with another 20 million Spotify streams. They toured endlessly and moved crowds at Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Hulaween, Okeechobee Fest, Electric Forest, and Austin City Limits, to name a few. Along the way, the band also picked up acclaim from Relix and OnesToWatch as they dropped the fan favorite Modern Animal in 2019. When the world shutdown, the boys settled in different parts of the country (Rob “doing his Johny Mayer thing” in Bozeman, MT, Pat in Los Angeles, CA, and John still in Miami). Remotely, they wrote what would become their third full-length album, Water Your Garden, out January 2022. As things opened back up, the musicians put it all together in person. Armed with singles such as “Queen,” the falsetto-spiked “High Beams” [feat. Nafets], “Diamond,” and “Ghost On The Mend” Magic City Hippies are ready to heat up their next chapter now. MGIC CITY HIPPIES LINKS Website @ https://www.magiccityhippies.com Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/MagicCityHippies Twitter @ https://twitter.com/magicityhippies Bandcamp @ https://magiccityhippies.bandcamp.com YouTube @ https://www.youtube.com/c/MagicCityHippies February 2022 • Music News
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us now,” Valenzuela says. “None of us are as brusque as we once were. We’re too old to have shouting matches.”
The Gin Blossoms Perform at The Heights Theater March 3 In the late 80’s, Gin Blossoms started to grow a huge following as the #1 local music draw in Phoenix and certainly were the hometown heroes of their favorite hang, Tempe, Arizona. Gin Blossoms indelible jangle-pop sound was evolving during radio’s diverse mix of hair bands and grunge music superstars. They qualified to perform at the South By Southwest Music Festival in Austin Texas in 1989. That same year College Music Journal dubbed them “The Best Unsigned Band In America” and added an invitation to perform on MTV’s New Music Awards in New York City. Their breakout record New Miserable Experience was where their rise to fame began. This album kept the band on the chart for almost 3 years with singles “Hey Jealousy,” “Allison Road,” Until I Fall Away,” “Mrs. Rita,” and “Found Out About You.” The crossover hits on New Miserable Experience played on 4 radio formats and, to date, have sold over 5 million records. Those hits were followed up by “Til I Hear It From You” which rocketed to #1 and moved the Empire Records smash soundtrack to platinum status. The track also became Canada’s longestrunning #1 hit of 1995, its #1 tenure 38 Music News • September 2021
lasting six weeks. This song was cowritten with the great Marshall Crenshaw and Billboard described it as “the closest thing to a perfect pop song to hit radio in recent memory.” Their next gem “Follow You Down” spent ten weeks in the top 10, and “As Long As It Matters” earned the band a Grammy nomination for “Best Performance by a Duo or Group” making their Congratulations I’m Sorry record another multi radio format favorite and multi-platinum success. Having dominated radio and MTV playlists for most of the 90s, Gin Blossoms took a brief turn of the century hiatus, a provisional parting of the ways that singer Robin Wilson chalks up to “personal dissatisfaction and the mistaken impression that we could perform at that same level with another group.” The brief break allowed guitarist Jesse Valenzuela and Wilson to reenergize via solo recordings, new combos, and production credits for an array of local Arizona acts. However, Gin Blossoms’ idiosyncratic magic proved impossible to ignore for long, and on New Years Eve 2001 in their hometown of Tempe, the band reconvened and never looked back. “There’s a certain civility among
The revivified band hit the road hard, earning a well-deserved reputation as one of the busiest touring acts in the world, playing close to 150 shows a year. Those chops were readily apparent on 2006’s Major Lodge Victory – Gin Blossoms’ long awaited fourth album and first new recording in almost a decade. Rave reviews followed, as did a top 10 Triple A smash in the album’s lead single, “Learning The Hard Way.” The album’s second single, “Long Time Gone,” quickly became another favorite among both fans and the critics and Major Lodge Victory made Billboards Top 10 Independent Albums. Next, Gin Blossoms recorded “No Chocolate Cake” and released the single “Miss Disarray” which is now one of the most requested songs in the band’s live set and the album reached #1 on Amazon’s sales chart. These talented tunesmiths promise the inevitable arrival of new material and as they approach their third decade, Gin Blossoms remain a rare breed – rock ‘n’ roll lifers, destined to continue creating, crafting, and performing for audiences ever rapt by their glorious catalog of material. “We’re entertaining and we have chops,” says Wilson, “but it really comes down to the songs. The reason we’re still here is that we have good songs. When young musicians ask me for advice, what’s the best thing to do to further my career, I always say, ‘Write good songs.’ It always comes down to that.” The band’s fusion of Pop, Melodic Rock, Folk and Country elements took the airwaves by siege, making the band an MTV playlist hostage for almost a decade and the group a natural 90’s mainstay. From their breakout album through today, Robin, Jesse, Bill and Scotty have sold over 10 million records and are one of the most in demand 90’s live artists who began at the end of the grunge era. In 2017 the band went back in the studio recording a new album. Fans will get a taste of the new album as it works its way into their live set.
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February 2022 • Music News
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August 2021 • Music News
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(“Apiádate de Mí,” “Voy a Prometerme,” “Por Ejemplo”), the first of which climbed all the way to number three on the Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay chart.
Victor Manuelle Performs At The Arena Theatre February 19 Victor Manuelle emerged as a leading voice among the generation of New York salsa performers who rose to prominence in the mid-’90s, along with Marc Anthony and India, who were his only rivals in terms of success and popularity. Mentored by Gilberto Santa Rosa and produced by Sergio George, Manuelle regularly topped the tropical charts during his mid-’90s peak, as his albums Victor Manuelle (1996) and A Pesar de Todo (1997) spun off a parade of number one hits. The esteemed sonero continued his hitmaking in the years that followed, as every single one of his studio albums in the successive decade spun off at least one tropical chart-topper of its own. As he matured, he also added executive production and songwriting credits, notably for 2006’s Decisión Unámine. The album, his first released under Sony BMG’s Norte banner, included nods to the concurrent reggaeton craze, and as a whole, showcased Manuelle’s ability to remain current with the changing tides of popular Latin music. Not that his relevance had ever been questioned, for El Sonero de la Juventud, as Manuelle was titled by his fans, remained among the top salsa performers year in and year out, and his legacy as one of the leading voices of his generation remained firmly cemented for posterity. After all, it was he who sang “La Vida Es un Carnaval” a cappella at Celia Cruz’s funeral at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York in 2003, a gesture that unquestionably
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affirmed his royalty among the timehonored salsa elite. Still, Manuelle is not without his critics, some of whom do not consider his music truly salsa. Such purists take issue with the romantic leanings of his music, preferring to classify it as bolero, or at least salsa romántica (as opposed to just plain salsa, or salsa gorda). Born Víctor Manuel Ruiz on September 27, 1968, in the Bronx, New York City, Manuelle was raised mainly in Isabela, Puerto Rico. A famous incident jump-started his professional singing career: Gilberto Santa Rosa was scheduled to perform at the graduation party of Manuelle’s high school, and the salsa legend invited the teenage sonero to join him on-stage during the performance. Santa Rosa was so impressed by Manuelle’s talent, he subsequently referred the young man to bandleader Don Perignon, who proceeded to hire him as a backup singer. Manuelle obtained priceless experience and industry contacts during his stint with Perignon, and he was ultimately awarded a solo recording contract with the Sony Tropical division of Sony Discos. Santa Rosa produced Manuelle’s debut for the label, Justo a Tiempo... (1993), and a couple modest hits resulted (“Me Dará el Consentimiento,” “Estás Tocando Fuego”). Manuelle’s recording career was off to a respectable start, and his second album, Sólo Contigo, furthered his initial success. It racked up three charting singles
Victor Manuelle (1996), the singer’s third album, was his breakthrough. Produced by the great Sergio George — who was the go-to salsa hitmaker of the day, fresh off the mammoth success of Marc Anthony’s Todo a Su Tiempo (1995) and India’s Dicen Que Soy (1994) — the self-titled album spun off one hit after another, six of them charting in total (“Pensamiento y Palabra,” “Hay Que Poner el Alma,” “Volveras,” “Todo Quedo, Quedo,” “Como una Estrella”), with two reaching number one (“Hay Que Poner el Alma,” “Volveras”). Manuelle’s follow-up album, A Pesar de Todo (1997), also produced by George along with coproducers Ramón Sánchez and Humberto Ramírez, kept the hit parade marching along unabated. Three of the album’s four charting singles hit number one (“Así Es la Mujer,” “Dile a Ella,” “He Tratado” — with “El Aguila” the one to fall short, reaching only number two). Victor Manuelle and Dicen Que Soy not only generated a bounty of hit singles but they broke the singer into the Latin mainstream, as both albums made the Top Latin Albums chart, with the latter going Top Ten. Moreover, many of the singles spun off from these albums made the Hot Latin Tracks chart, with a number of them going Top Ten. Ramón Sánchez took over the production reins from George for Manuelle’s next two albums, Ironías (1998) and Inconfundible (1999). Both were highly successful on a commercial basis, yet Ironías was especially so, including a wealth of hit singles (“Se Me Rompe el Alma,” “Qué Habría Sido de Mí,” “Al Igual Que Yo,” “Qué Te Han Dicho”), the first two of which were charttoppers. Inconfundible included a charttopper of its own (“Pero Dile”), along with three further hits (“Si la Ves,” “Como Quisiera Decirte,” “Como Duele”). In addition to generating plenty of airplay, the two albums sold well: both topped the Tropical/Salsa album chart, with Ironías breaking the Top Five of the Top Latin Albums chart and Inconfundible making it all the way to number two. Nonetheless, commercial success only tells half of the story, for as popular as these albums were, Manuelle’s music had begun to grow stale around this time. Sánchez’s production may have been modeled after George’s brash, street-edged sound, but it was no match. If anything, it was overdone, and indeed, Ironías and Inconfundible arguably sound over-produced in retrospect. continued on next page
Victor Manuelle continued from previous page Moreover, Manuelle himself didn’t help matters, as the songs he sang became increasingly formulaic and predictably romantic in theme. Manuelle broke away from the stagnation of his late-’90s work on Ironías and Inconfundible by aligning himself with some new collaborators. He worked with a new producer, José Lugo, whose long list of credits up to this point in time included steady work with Manuelle’s mentor, Gilberto Santa Rosa, as well as rival Marc Anthony. Besides Lugo, Manuelle brought aboard Bobby Valentín, aka El Rey del Bajo, whose days as a storied bandleader dated back to the Fania All-Stars. With Lugo at the helm and Valentín providing inspiration, Manuelle fashioned his next album, Instinto y Deseo, as relatively straightforward salsa. The throwback style of the album seemed to be a response to critics, including fans-turned-critics, with whom Manuelle had lost favor. More than anything, though, it was simply a welcome change of course for the sonero. If the critics remained cautiously skeptical, consumers certainly took well to the album: Instinto y Deseo topped the Hot Latin Albums chart and spawned a pair of number one Tropical/Salsa Airplay singles, “Me Da Lo Mismo” and “Cómo Se Lo Explico al Corazón.” Manuelle followed Instinto y Deseo with Le Preguntaba a la Luna, an even further old-fashioned album again produced by Lugo. Notably, four of the album’s 11 songs were written by Manuelle, who previously had relied on professional songwriters, above all the prolific Omar Alfanno, who contributed one song to Le Preguntaba a la Luna, the chart-topping album-opener, “En Nombre de los Dos.” Other hits from the album included “Poco Hombre” and “El Tonto Que No Te Olvidó,” the latter of which also hit number one. With his salsa credentials shored up in the eyes of many, Manuelle subsequently made a surprise left turn and unabashedly went for the so-called crossover. Hence the name of his next album, Travesía (“Crossover” in English), and the producers with whom he worked, Emelio Estefan and the Gaitán Bros. (i.e., Alberto and Ricardo Gaitán), who between the two camps had worked with everyone from Gloria Estefan and Jon Secada to Ricky Martin and Thalía. These producers
also served as songwriters, penning most of the album’s songs. A lot of fans and critics were put off by the pop slant of the ballads that were sprinkled across the second half of the album, but on the other hand, Travesía featured a hefty serving of firstrate salsa on the first half, with a few hits standing out (“Lloré, Lloré,” “Tengo Ganas,” “Te Propongo”). The ballads sequenced toward the conclusion of the album were less engaging, though the pop version of “Tengo Ganas” was a sizable hit, climbing up to number 11 on the Hot Latin Tracks chart. The album itself sold exceptionally well, despite the criticism; it reached number one on the Top Latin Albums chart. On the heels of Manuelle’s “crossover,” he performed a concert at Carnegie Hall in New York on November 8, 2004, that was subsequently released the following year on CD, produced by Estefan. The concert featured a moving rendition of the recently passed away Celia Cruz’s signature song, “La Vida Es un Carnaval,” which Manuelle had sung a cappella at her funeral in 2003. The song was released to radio as a single and became a modest hit. Late in the year, Sony released another live album featuring Manuelle, Dos Soneros, una Historia (2005), which showcased a poorly recorded, albeit milestone, concert also featuring Santa Rosa. Manuelle executive-produced his next studio album, Decisión Unámine (2006), himself. It was his first release under the Norte banner of Sony BMG, and it was another sharp turn of direction. Rather than going for the crossover like last time, Manuelle took a purist approach, embracing his salsa roots, and included numerous collaborations, including one
with reggaeton superstar Don Omar, two with fellow salsero Eddie Palmieri, and one with Mexican sensation Yuridia. Lugo was back at the production helm and Valentín was again credited with arrangement, and together they, along with the other studio hands, brought an old-fashioned salsa style to the album that went surprisingly well with the occasional nods to contemporary styles like reggaeton. Decisión Unámine failed to reach number one on the Hot Latin Albums chart, climbing only to number six, but it was a success nonetheless, spinning off a few strong singles (“Nuestro Amor Se Ha Vuelto Ayer,” “Maldita Suerte,” “Nunca Había Llorado Así”) and, above all, earning the praise of fans and critics. In fact, Decisión Unámine was perhaps Manuelle’s most admired album since Instinto y Deseo, if not A Pesar de Todo. In the wake of the album’s splash, Manuelle co-hosted the 2006 Latin Grammys and won a 2007 Premio Lo Nuestro award for Best Salsa Artist. Soy and Yo Mismo, released in 2008 and 2009, continued Manuelle’s string of tropical album chart-toppers, featuring a pair of singles, “Yo No Se Perdonarte” and “No Soy Quien.” Still, his recording activity slowed slightly, resulting in twoyear gaps between his albums — 2011’s Busco un Pueblo, 2013’s Me Llamaré Tuyo, and 2015’s Que Suenen los Tambores — although they continued to place high in the Latin charts. Three years later, Manuelle released his 18th studio album, 25/7, which featured collaborations with Bad Bunny, Farruko, Juan Luis Guerra, and Gilberto Santa Rosa. In 2019, he issued Memorias de Navidad, which landed at number nine on the Top Latin Albums chart.
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Friday, February 4, 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Capone’s Oven & Bar 2303 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77098 Friday, February 11, 7:00 - 10:00 pm No Label Brewing Co 5351 1st St, Katy, TX 77493 Saturday, February 12, 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Backwoods Saloon 230 Lexington Ct, Conroe, TX 77385 Friday, February 25, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am The Abbey Pub 2002 N Fry Rd, Houston, TX 77084 Friday, March 4, 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Jailhouse Saloon 310 Preston Ave, Spring, TX 77373 Saturday, March 5, 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Capone’s Oven & Bar 2303 Richmond Ave, Houston, TX 77098 Friday, March 11, 9:00 pm - 1:00 am Aspens Bar & Grill 817 Clear Lake Rd, Kemah, TX 77565 26 Music Music News••• •November November 2020 48 Music News December 2021 44 Music News February 2022 46 News 2021
Saturday, March 26, 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Sharkie’s Machine 5222 Barker Cypress, Houston, TX Sunday, March 27, 1:00 pm - 5 :00pm Drifter’s Icehouse 29293 FM 149 Richards, TX 77873 Saturday, April 2, 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Jailhouse Saloon 310 Preston Ave, Spring, TX 77373 July 2021 • Music News
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Joe and Cain Leon’sLounge present OPEN MIC WEDNESDAYS 8-12:00 AM All Musicians’s and All Genre’s of Music Welcome! Bring Your Instruments and Play! Guitar Bass Drums Keyboards Harmonica Vocals If it makes music, bring it!
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June 2021 • Music News February May 2022 2021 •• Music Music News News 45
Ricardo Montaner Performs At Smart Financial Center Feb. 11 Singer-songwriter, producer, philanthropist and businessman, Ricardo Montaner is one of the most recognized and active artists in the Spanish-speaking world. His followers in concerts and social networks number in the millions, not only for his artistic quality but also for his personality. The awards and recognitions are unstoppable in his career, and today Montaner, who has recorded 25 studio albums and over 55 compilation albums, has sold more than 65 million albums and has, among hundreds of awards, dozens of Multiplatinum, Platinum and Gold, several Gold and Silver Gaviota Awards from the Viña del Mar Festival in Chile, and the Silver and Gold Torch Award, as well. In November 2016, he received a Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in Las Vegas for his continued musical excellence and his great legacy to Latin American music. Born in Argentina and raised in Venezuela, he has been named Singer of the Year by the specialized entertainment magazine Billboard. With the worldwide success of the television reality shows The Voice, Montaner has served as a coach for the Latin American editions of La Voz Colombia (2012, 2013), La Voz Argentina (2018, 2021), La Voz México (2019, 2020) and The Voice Mexico Senior (2020, 2021). For his philanthropic work and dedication to children, in May 2007, Billboard honored him with its top award, the Hope Award. Montaner has been appointed Goodwill Ambassador by UNICEF, by the Pan American Development Foundation and by Peace Tech Lab, an organization that fights against xenophobia in social networks and on the internet in general. As a composer, Montaner has written and edited more than 300 songs, and his valuable catalog includes countless hit songs, solidifying a career that spans four successful decades. 46
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Juan Luis Guerra Performs At Smart Financial Center March 5 Juan Luis Guerra is a best-selling, award-winning Dominican singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. With his smooth, multi-octave range and soulful delivery, he has sold over 70 million records globally, and won many industry awards including a whopping 21 Latin Grammys. He and his band 440 are beloved throughout the Latin music-loving world for innovations in merengue, and resurrecting bachata as a commercial force. His sound is at once complex and diverse, weaving elements from bolero, salsa, early rock & roll, and even gospel into his mix. His 1990 album Bachata Rosa delivered five hit singles and sold over five million copies. While 1992’s Areito was controversial for its political angle led by its awardwinning-single and video “El Costo de la Vida,” it merely revealed another dimension to his artistry. 2004’s Para Ti 48 Music News • February 2022
and 2007’s La Llave de Mi Corazón were certified multi-platinum and netted him a combined five Grammys and Latin Grammys. 2010’s A Son de Guerra was certified two times platinum and won three Latin Grammys. 2014’s Todo Tiene Su Hora topped the Latin album charts and landed in the top half of the Top 200. Its momentum was due in large part to the international smash hit single “Tus Besos” that cannily wed bachata and doo wop, and early rock & roll. The wildly diverse and wonderfully optimistic Literal appeared in 2019 to rave reviews and brisk sales; it peaked at number seven on the tropical albums chart. Guerra is the son of a professional baseball player and grew up next to the National Music Gallery. As a teen, he was influenced by the Beatles and the music of U.S. hippies. Initially, he taught
himself the basics of guitar playing, but after winning a contest, he attended the National Conservatory on a scholarship. One of his instructors then helped him get into the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts and introduced him to the many genres of jazz. In time, he missed the Dominican Republic and returned to experiment with blending local African-influenced music, folk songs, and jazz with his group 440. The band takes its name from the universal tuning pattern of the “A” note, 440 Hertz. The name was chosen by Guerra’s brother, José Gilberto, who used to sit and watch them rehearse. One day he commented that they seemed so obsessed with staying in perfect tune that they should call themselves that. continued on next page
Juan Luis Guerra continued from previous page Their debut album, Soplando, made little impact. For their next efforts, Mudanza y Acarreo and Mientras Más Lo Pienso Tu, Guerra and 440 began adding merengue and lightning-quick riffs of “perico ripiao,” and suddenly found success with a young crowd tired of hearing the same old thing. The new music, called “bachata-merengue,” soon won massive acclaim in the Dominican Republic. The group was selected by their government to represent the country in the International Music Festival of OTI, the Organization of Ibero American Television. In 1988, Guerra and 440 had one of their biggest hits, Ojalá Que Llueva Café, which became the third best-selling album in Latin America. That year he lost his lead vocalist, Maridalia Hernández, who left to pursue a solo career in Europe, leaving Guerra the new lead singer. In 1991, he released Bachata Rose; its five hit singles propelled it to hit status throughout the Americas, netting Guerra his first Grammy in the U.S. The album was particularly popular in Los Angeles and soon Guerra and his band were touring the continental U.S. as well as the Latin tropics. His next album, Areito, caused controversy in the Dominican Republic for speaking out against social injustices that the desperately poor felt Guerra had never personally experienced. Still, he was given credit for his sincerity and interest in improving things in his oft-troubled homeland. Musically, Guerra changed directions again for 1995’s effort Fogaraté. This album incorporated more of the increasingly popular African soukous music. His 1998 release, Ni Es Lo Mismo Ni Es Igual, garnered Guerra three Grammys for Best Merengue Performance, Best Tropical Song for “El Niagara en Bicicleta,” and Best Engineered Album at the first annual Latin Grammy Awards in fall 2000. After non-stop touring for nearly
three years, Guerra took an extended break from recording. He emerged in 2004 with Para Ti, his first album of new studio material in six years. The album was greeted with widespread critical and popular acclaim. He won two awards at the 2005 Grammys. The single “Las Avispas” won in the Best Gospel Pop and Tropical Merengue categories — the first time in the award ceremony’s history that a song won in two categories simultaneously. Guerra once again toured relentlessly. He appeared alongside a heavyweight roster of stars at the Berklee College of Music’s 50th anniversary concert — Herbie Hancock, Michel Camilo, Pat Metheny, and Paul Simon were also on the bill. He was featured as an opening act on U2’s 360 tour as well as for the Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Bang tour. His next album, La Llave de Mi Corazón, was released in the early spring of 2007. It entered the Billboard Latin charts at number one and remained there for four weeks. He won three Latin Grammys for the album. In 2010, he appeared as a duet partner on Enrique Iglesias’ single “Cuando Me Enamoro” and appeared in the music video. The record hit the top spot on Billboard’s Latin chart and reigned there for 17 weeks. This was followed by a prerelease single, “Bachata en Fukuoka,” from his forthcoming Asondeguerra album in 2010. The single hit number one, knocking the duet entry off its peak.
Guerra’s next offering was a live outing that documented the previous album’s tour entitled Asondeguerra Tour; issued in May of 2013 it included fan favorites and reached the upper rungs of the Tropical charts. In October of 2014, Guerra released the single and video for “Tus Besos,” a bachata track heavily inspired by and flavored with the sound of early’60s doo wop. Its video continued to garner airplay a full year later ultimately netting more than 200 million views, while the single hit the top spot on several industry and airplay charts. He followed it with the studio album Todo Tiene Su Hora in November. It was ultimately certified platinum, and landed at the top of the charts, netting him a 2015 Latin Grammy for Album of the Year. In 2019, Guerra and 440 tipped off their fan base that an album was about to arrive with the release of the single and video for “Kitipun.” Shot in a Tik Tokesque story style, it quickly ran up both streaming and industry charts. The summery full-length Literal was issued in May and showcased a plethora of styles including bachata, merengue, salsa, jazz, and pop. While it peaked at 31 on the Latin albums charts, it hit seven on the Tropical albums list and attained gold certification.
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The Biker, The Blues, And A Way Of Life Steppenwolf’s famous songs about life on two wheels, The Allman Brothers’ Midnight Rider and many others tell the tale of a human spirit that cannot be broken. The blues with songs such as Key To The Highway as performed by the great Bryan Lee, Bert Wills laying down Slow Blues Lullaby and more present a reality all too real for those that have gotten stung by life. Both trains of thought bridge the same theme. Hanging in there with a certain way of life. Even if there was a way out those living these real world choices couldn’t do it even if they wanted to change. Not sure? Pack a bed roll on your front forks and go find your path. Be careful it’s more addictive than the strongest narcotic known to man. It’s a way of life, if I am lying I am dying. I will never forget the day that the strangers who were hauling beef to the slaughter house came into the Raunch House Strip Club and BBQ. Not your typical AAA rated menu mind you but none the less a local watering hole for bikers and dancers. So there she was Joltin’ Judy up on stage flitting around like some wanna be naked ballerina. Kind of strange, not exotic at all, but not so bad that someone would decide to cut her down but sometimes there are those that just cannot help themselves. You see these two cattle haulers came in saying all kinds of ugly things from their seats in the second row. Now Judy who knew how to handle hecklers took it stride for a while and then abruptly flipped them the bird and left the stage. The next girl let the song clear and then went up on stage and started her set. These two men sort of settled down but kept throwing barbs at all kind of customers too. I was at the bar drinking a cold Olympia and just watching it all unfold. You just had to know it was going to get interesting soon and it did. Now you see I am not saying that Judy left the cattle out of their truck pens but then again she was known for going outside for a breath of fresh air to cool off and have a smoke. I do know that someone came in the back door and said there was a mess of cows in the parking lot and asked if anybody inside knew anything about it. He said something about pen doors being open. The two, shall I say gentlemen, immediately made a bee line for the back door with about fifteen to twenty people following close behind. Yep, as soon as you were outside you could see the doors were open and what seemed like a lot cows were milling around the parking lot. It was a sight to see. Two grown men with cattle prods running around the parking lot whistling and prodding cows. It got real funny fast as the regulars from inside the bar were yelling to the two men about cows that were about to go onto the road. Man it was really humorous. Now getting back to Judy. Two nice officers of the law arrived and turned their lights on to help keep the cows that were crossing the street not get killed. I think the cows appreciated the courtesy actually. They just wanted the water and field grass on the other side of the fence. One of the cows was passing by and just stopped and looked at us as if to say, “very nice, well done chaps”. Well you might wonder what this has to do with music and at the time I just couldn’t get Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant out my head for some reason. Man it was funny that night. Eventually we were all back in the bar laughing like hell when Officer Good Guy came in and asked if anybody knew anything about these cattle being let loose. We were all still giggling and shaking our heads no and then even the cop busted up. Someone spoke up and said that the two gentlemen in the parking lot chasing down cows had been inside harassing both dancers and customers. Because everyone was inside no one saw a thing because most everyone was looking at the stage of course. With a big smile on his face he asked one more time, “did anyone in here see anything?” Then he answered his own question saying I suppose not trying not to laugh too much himself. Now the icing on the cake was that right at that very moment the song that came on the jukebox was Leon Russell’s It’s A Hard Rain’s A Gonna Fall and the place was up for grabs. The bar dropped the price of draft beer to half off and the girls made more tips that night than they had in a long time. True story. 50 Music News • January 2022
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ENERO 2022
En Español
Bad Bunny
Also Inside This Section Ricardo Montaner Juan Luis Guerra Lupita D’ Alessio Victor Manuelle February 2022 2022 •• Music Music News News February
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La superestrella internacional, ganador de varios GRAMMY® y Latin GRAMMY®, Bad Bunny, regresará a los escenarios luego del anuncio de su gira por América del Norte, “El Último Tour del Mundo 2022”. La muy esperada gira, promovida por Cardenas Marketing Network (CMN), será presentada por Corona® y visitará un total de 25 ciudades, comenzando el 9 de Febrero de 2022 en Denver, CO en el Ball Arena. La aparición de Bad Bunny en Houston será este mes en el Toyota Center el 16 de Febrero. Los planes de Bad Bunny de continuar recorriendo el mundo con su música el año pasado se detuvieron debido a la pandemia de COVID-19. Su última gira, el “X100PRE Tour”, fue uno de los espectáculos en vivo más destacados de 2019, rompiendo récords de capacidad y vendiendo estadios icónicos en todo el mundo, incluidos el Madison Square Garden en la ciudad de Nueva York, el Staples Center en Los Ángeles, el American Airlines Arena en Miami. , Coliseo de Puerto Rico, Movistar Arena de Chile, Arena México de la Ciudad de México y muchos más. La gira concluyó con 48 espectáculos con entradas agotadas en los EE. UU., América Latina y Europa; y también incluyó festivales de Coachella y Lollapalooza. “Estamos emocionados de unirnos una vez más a la superestrella internacional Bad Bunny en lo que seguramente será otra gira memorable”, dijo Ann Legan, vicepresidenta de marketing de marca de Corona. “La herencia latina compartida de Corona y Bad Bunny hace de nuestra marca un acompañamiento ideal para fanáticos para disfrutar junto con su vibrante actuación”.
BAD BUNNY TRAE TU “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO 2022” AL TOYOTA CENTER EL 16 DE FEBRERO 54
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A medida que nos acercamos al regreso de la música en vivo, Bad Bunny se prepara para ofrecer algunos de los espectáculos más asombrosos de su carrera, donde finalmente podrá interactuar con sus fanáticos en persona y dar vida al increíble mundo que ha creado con todos. sus últimas producciones musicales revolucionarias como “YHLQMDLG”, “Las Que No Iban A Salir” y “El Último Tour del Mundo”. Proclamado uno de los artistas más importantes del mundo, el artista discográfico multiplatino promete entregar una producción trascendental que, sin duda, creará momentos inolvidables para sus fans. Bad Bunny es un cantante, rapero y
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BAD BUNNY Continuación de la página anterior productor puertorriqueño que encabeza las listas de éxitos con sede en San Juan y que se ha convertido en una voz dominante en el trap latino y marca tendencia general para la música urbana desde que llegó a la escena en 2016. Lo más notable es que logró este estatus popular antes de que lanzara un álbum. Solo en 2018, apareció o lanzó cuatro sencillos Top 100 (de más de una docena lanzados), incluido el número uno de Cardi B “I Like It” (también con J Balvin). Desde que lanzó su propio sencillo debut en 2016, docenas de sus sencillos y videos han aparecido en una variedad de listas, que van desde el pop latino y el reggaetón hasta las listas de baile y hiphop. Su álbum debut de 2018, x100pre, alcanzó el primer lugar en la lista de álbumes latinos una semana después de su lanzamiento. El gran atractivo comercial de Bad Bunny radica en su enfoque camaleónico: fusiona soul latino, pop y R&B, ritmos de trap contundentes y reggaeton con una entrega resbaladiza que se deleita en permitir que las emociones coloreen sus canciones; van desde el humor y el patetismo hasta la angustia y la ira (a veces en la misma canción). Es uno de los principales colaboradores del movimiento de música urbana. Debido a su asociación con DJ Luian, Bad Bunny fue invitado con una gran cantidad de artistas LatinX de renombre. Nacido Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio en 1994, comenzó a cantar a los cinco años y siempre se lo tomó en serio. Sus mayores influencias fueron Héctor Lavoe, Vico C, Daddy Yankee y Marc Anthony. Estudió comunicación audiovisual en la Universidad de Puerto Rico en Arecibo y trabajó como embolsador en una tienda de abarrotes mientras hacía su propia música por las noches y la subía a SoundCloud. En particular, la canción de Bad Bunny “Diles” captó la atención de DJ Luian, quien lo contrató para su sello Hear This Music en 2016. Su exitoso sencillo, “Soy Peor”, emitido en diciembre de 2016, alcanzó el puesto 22 en la lista Hot Latin. Lista de canciones y estableció su sonido trap-heavy con las masas. Su video alcanzó más de 650 millones de visitas. Pronto siguieron apariciones con Ñengo Flow, Arcangel y Ozuna, y a principios de 2017
inició una carrera especialmente prolífica con los sencillos “Pa Ti”, “Loco Pero Millonario” y “Dime Si Vas a Volver”, en medio de numerosos temas colaborativos. con Poeta Callejero, Farruko, Brytiago, Almighty, y otros. A fines de 2017, Bunny, J Balvin y Prince Royce lograron un éxito con la colaboración “Sensualidad”. Los sencillos siguieron llegando en 2018 cuando logró otro éxito latino con la canción en solitario “Amorfoda” y colaboró ??nuevamente con J Balvin y la rapera estadounidense Cardi B en su sencillo “I Like It”, que encabezó la lista Hot 100 de Billboard en el verano de ese año. . En Noche Buena (Nochebuena) de 2018, el día más importante del año LatinX, Bad Bunny lanzó su debut de larga duración, x100pre, con gran éxito universal. El set fue coproducido por la leyenda del reggaetón Tainy y La Paciencia (Roberto Rosado), con la excepción del club jam “200 MPH”, que estuvo a cargo de Diplo. Sus canciones iban desde el poppunk de “Tenemos Que Hablar” hasta las baladas de reggaeton como “Solo de Mí” y “Si Estuviésemos Juntos” hasta el tenso hip-hop de “Caro”. Entró en la lista Top Latin Albums en el número uno a principios de 2019 y en enero alcanzó el puesto número 12 en el Top 200. En junio, llegó Oasis, la colaboración de larga duración entre Bad Bunny y J Balvin. Utilizando un elenco de productores que incluía a Sky, Tainy, Legendury Beatz, Marciano Cantero y Nicael Arroyo, el álbum alcanzó el puesto número nueve en el Top 200. En los Latin Grammy de ese año, Bad Bunny se llevó a casa el premio por x100pre como Mejor Álbum Urbano. . Sorprendió a los fanáticos una vez más con el lanzamiento inesperado de su segundo álbum YHLQMDLG (“Yo
hago lo que me da la gana”) a fines de febrero de 2020. Producido alternativamente por Subelo NEO y Taiy, el set contó con colaboraciones de Daddy Yankee, Yaviah, Ñengo Flow, Anuel AA, y Jowell y Randy. Entró en el Top 200 en el número dos, convirtiéndose en la aparición debut de un álbum de un artista latino. También alcanzó el primer lugar en Top Latin Albums. Emitido en cassette y digital, la primera tirada del primero se agotó en dos días. Más tarde ese año, Bunny publicó su primera compilación, Las Que No Iban a Salir. Compuesta por pistas inéditas de las sesiones de x100pre y YHLQMDLG, así como nuevos cortes que incluyen el sencillo “En Casita”, la colección incluyó apariciones de Zion & Lennox, Yandel, Don Omar, Nicky Jam y Jhay Cortez. El Black Friday, Bad Bunny continuó con su costumbre de publicar álbumes sin previo aviso. El Último Tour del Mundo, con su llamativa foto de portada de semirremolque, ofreció un lado de lo urbano que no habíamos visto antes. Además del trap y el reggaeton, las canciones de Bunny reconocieron su amor por el indie rock con producción y guiños musicales a The Cure, Radiohead y The Police. “La Noche de Anoche”, producida por Tainy, con Rosalía, fue, inusualmente, una de las tres únicas colaboraciones en el álbum. Los otros incluyeron “Sorry Papi” (con Abra, también fue producido por Tainy) y “Dákiti”, con Jhay Cortez. Dos semanas después del lanzamiento, el conjunto nominado al Grammy alcanzó el puesto número uno en el Top 200.
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Juan Luis Guerra Se Presenta En Smart Financial Center El 5 de Marzo Juan Luis Guerra es un cantante, compositor, compositor y productor discográfico dominicano que ha ganado varios premios y ha superventas. Con su suave rango de varias octavas y su entrega conmovedora, ha vendido más de 70 millones de discos en todo el mundo y ha ganado muchos premios de la industria, incluidos la friolera de 21 Latin Grammy. Él y su banda 440 son amados en todo el mundo amante de la música latina por sus innovaciones en el merengue y por resucitar a la bachata como una fuerza comercial. Su sonido es a la vez complejo y diverso, entretejiendo elementos del bolero, la salsa, el rock & roll temprano e incluso el gospel en su mezcla. Su álbum de 1990 Bachata Rosa entregó cinco sencillos exitosos y vendió más de cinco millones de copias. Si bien Areito de 1992 fue controvertido por su ángulo político liderado por su premiado sencillo y video “El Costo de la Vida”, simplemente reveló otra dimensión de su 56 Music News • February 2022
arte. Para ti de 2004 y La llave de mi corazón de 2007 fueron certificados multiplatino y le valieron cinco premios Grammy y Latin Grammy combinados. A Son de Guerra de 2010 fue certificado dos veces platino y ganó tres premios Grammy Latinos. Todo Tiene Su Hora, de 2014, encabezó las listas de álbumes latinos y llegó a la mitad superior del Top 200. Su impulso se debió en gran parte al éxito internacional “Tus Besos”, que fusionó astutamente la bachata y el doo wop, y los inicios del rock & rollo. El Literal, tremendamente diverso y maravillosamente optimista, apareció en 2019 con críticas entusiastas y ventas enérgicas; alcanzó el puesto número siete en la lista de álbumes tropicales. Guerra es hijo de un beisbolista profesional y creció junto a la Galería Nacional de Música. Cuando era adolescente, fue influenciado por los Beatles y la música de los hippies estadounidenses. Inicialmente, aprendió
por sí mismo los conceptos básicos de la guitarra, pero después de ganar un concurso, asistió al Conservatorio Nacional con una beca. Luego, uno de sus instructores lo ayudó a ingresar al prestigioso Berklee College of Music en Massachusetts y lo introdujo a los muchos géneros del jazz. Con el tiempo, extrañó la República Dominicana y volvió a experimentar mezclando música local con influencia africana, canciones folclóricas y jazz con su grupo 440. La banda toma su nombre del patrón de afinación universal de la nota “A”, 440 Hertz. El nombre fue elegido por el hermano de Guerra, José Gilberto, quien solía sentarse a verlos ensayar. Un día comentó que parecían tan obsesionados con estar en perfecta sintonía que deberían llamarse así. Su álbum debut, Soplando, tuvo poco impacto. Para sus siguientes esfuerzos, Mudanza y Acarreo y Continúa en la página siguiente
Juan Luis Guerra Continuación de la página anterior Mientras Más Lo Pienso Tu, Guerra y 440 comenzaron a agregar merengue y riffs rápidos como el rayo de “perico ripiao”, y de repente encontraron el éxito entre una multitud joven cansada de escuchar lo mismo de siempre. La nueva música, llamada “bachata-merengue”, pronto ganó una gran aclamación en la República Dominicana. El grupo fue seleccionado por su gobierno para representar al país en el Festival Internacional de Música de la OTI, la Organización de Televisión Iberoamericana. En 1988, Guerra y 440 tuvieron uno de sus mayores éxitos, Ojalá Que Llueva Café, que se convirtió en el tercer álbum más vendido en América Latina. Ese año perdió a su vocalista principal, Maridalia Hernández, quien se fue para seguir una carrera en solitario en Europa, dejando a Guerra como la nueva cantante principal. En 1991, lanzó Bachata Rose; sus cinco sencillos exitosos lo impulsaron a alcanzar el estatus de éxito en todo el continente americano, lo que le valió a Guerra su primer Grammy en los EE. UU. El álbum fue particularmente popular en Los Ángeles y pronto Guerra y su banda estaban de gira por los EE. UU. continentales y los trópicos latinos. Su siguiente álbum, Areito, causó controversia en la República Dominicana por hablar en contra de las injusticias sociales que los desesperadamente pobres sintieron que Guerra nunca había experimentado personalmente. Aún así, se le dio crédito por su sinceridad e interés en mejorar las cosas en su patria, a menudo problemática. Musicalmente, Guerra volvió a cambiar de dirección para Fogaraté, de 1995. Este álbum incorporó más de la música soukous africana cada vez más popular. Su lanzamiento de 1998, Ni es lo mismo ni es igual, le valió a Guerra tres premios Grammy por Mejor Interpretación de Merengue, Mejor Canción Tropical por “El Niágara en Bicicleta” y Mejor Álbum de Ingeniería en la primera entrega anual de los Premios Grammy Latinos en el otoño de 2000. Después de una gira ininterrumpida durante casi tres años, Guerra se tomó un descanso prolongado
de las grabaciones. Surgió en 2004 con Para Ti, su primer álbum de nuevo material de estudio en seis años. El álbum fue recibido con elogios generalizados de la crítica y el público. Ganó dos premios en los Grammy 2005. El sencillo “Las Avispas” ganó en las categorías de Mejor Gospel Pop y Merengue Tropical, la primera vez en la historia de la ceremonia de premiación que una canción ganó en dos categorías simultáneamente. Guerra una vez más viajó sin descanso. Apareció junto a una lista de estrellas de peso pesado en el concierto del 50 aniversario del Berklee College of Music: Herbie Hancock, Michel Camilo, Pat Metheny y Paul Simon también estaban en el cartel. Apareció como acto de apertura en la gira 360 de U2, así como en la gira A Bigger Bang de los Rolling Stones. Su siguiente álbum, La llave de mi corazón, fue lanzado a principios de la primavera de 2007. Ingresó a las listas latinas de Billboard en el número uno y permaneció allí durante cuatro semanas. Ganó tres premios Grammy Latinos por el álbum. En 2010, apareció como compañero de dúo en el sencillo “Cuando Me Enamoro” de Enrique Iglesias y apareció en el video musical. El disco alcanzó el primer lugar en la lista latina de Billboard y reinó allí durante 17 semanas. A esto le siguió un sencillo de prelanzamiento, “Bachata en Fukuoka”, de su próximo álbum Asondeguerra en 2010. El sencillo alcanzó el número uno, sacando la entrada del dúo de su punto máximo. La siguiente oferta de Guerra fue una salida en vivo que documentó la gira del álbum
anterior titulada Asondeguerra Tour; emitido en mayo de 2013, incluía los favoritos de los fanáticos y alcanzó los peldaños más altos de las listas tropicales. En octubre de 2014, Guerra lanzó el sencillo y el video de “Tus Besos”, una pista de bachata fuertemente inspirada y con sabor al sonido del doo wop de principios de los 60. Su video continuó cosechando reproducción al aire un año completo más tarde y finalmente obtuvo más de 200 millones de visitas, mientras que el sencillo alcanzó el primer lugar en varias listas de la industria y la reproducción al aire. Lo siguió con el álbum de estudio Todo Tiene Su Hora en noviembre. Finalmente, obtuvo la certificación de platino y aterrizó en la cima de las listas, lo que le valió un Grammy Latino 2015 por Álbum del año. En 2019, Guerra y 440 avisaron a sus seguidores que un álbum estaba a punto de llegar con el lanzamiento del sencillo y el video de “Kitipun”. Filmado en un estilo de historia al estilo de Tik Tok, rápidamente subió tanto a las listas de streaming como a las de la industria. El veraniego Literal de larga duración se emitió en mayo y mostró una plétora de estilos que incluyen bachata, merengue, salsa, jazz y pop. Si bien alcanzó el puesto 31 en las listas de álbumes latinos, alcanzó el séptimo lugar en la lista de álbumes tropicales y obtuvo la certificación de oro.
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Ricardo Montaner Se Presenta En El Smart Financial Center El 11 De Febrero Cantautor, productor, filántropo y empresario, Ricardo Montaner es uno de los artistas más reconocidos y activos del mundo hispanohablante. Sus seguidores en conciertos y redes sociales se cuentan por millones, no solo por su calidad artística sino también por su personalidad. Los premios y reconocimientos son imparables en su carrera, y hoy Montaner, quien ha grabado 25 álbumes de estudio y sobre 55 álbumes de compilaciones, cuenta con más de 65 millones de álbumes vendidos y tiene entre cientos de premios, decenas de álbumes Multiplatino, Platino y Oro, varios Premios Gaviota de Oro y Plata del Festival de Viña del Mar en Chile, y el Premio de Plata y Antorcha de Oro, también. En noviembre de 2016, recibió en Las Vegas un premio Grammy Latino Lifetime Achievement por su continua excelencia musical y su gran legado a la música latinoamericana. Nacido en Argentina y criado en Venezuela, ha sido nombrado Cantante del Año por la revista especializada en entretenimiento Billboard. Con el éxito mundial de los reality shows televisivos The Voice, Montaner se ha desempeñado como coach de las ediciones latinoamericanas de La Voz Colombia (2012, 2013), La Voz Argentina (2018, 2021), La Voz México (2019, 2020) y La Voz México Senior (2020, 2021). Por su labor filantrópica y dedicación a los niños, en mayo de 2007, Billboard lo honró con su máximo premio, el Hope Award. Montaner ha sido nombrado Embajador de Buena Voluntad por UNICEF, por la Fundación de Desarrollo Pan Americano y por Peace Tech Lab, organización que lucha contra la xenofobia en las redes sociales y en el internet en general.Como compositor, Montaner ha escrito y editado más de 300 canciones, y su valioso catálogo incluye innumerables éxitos musicales, solidificando una carrera que abarca cuatro exitosas décadas. 58February 2022 • Music News 5756
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Guadalupe Contreras Ramos, conocida como Lupita D’Alessio, es una cantante y actriz mexicana, reconocida por ser una de las mejores intérpretes de su país, gracias a la fuerza y sentimiento que transmite con cada una de sus interpretaciones; también es llamada “La leona dormida”. Nació en Tijuana, Baja California, el 10 de marzo de 1954 y, es hija de Poncho D’Alessio y Euralia Ramos Villanueva. Los inicios de la artista en el mundo del espectáculo, se dieron gracias a las participaciones musicales en un programa de variedades que dirigía su papá en Tijuana. En el año 1971, Lupita D’Alessio comenzó su carrera formal Participando en el primer Festival Internacional de la Canción Popular, donde Interpretó la canción “Con Amor”, del Autor Adolfo Girón. La canción tuvo una buena aceptación y la disquera Orfeón la firmó en exclusividad, iniciando así su carrera musical. Además, “Con Amor”, fue su primer sencillo, acompañado por “A Vivir”; ambos sencillos se incluyeron en su primer Long Play titulado “Mi corazón es un gitano”, que incluyó 11 canciones, entre las que se destacó “Mi corazón es un gitano”. Para el año 1972, grabó el sencillo “Buenas Noches Cenicienta”. Además, Grabó su segundo Long Play titulado “Eres Tu”. El disco contó con 10 canciones, donde se destacó un dueto con su esposo de esa época Jorge Vargas Parole. Un año después, Lupita D’Alessio hizo un nuevo disco, pero esta vez junto a Jorge Vargas. El disco se llamó “Vete de Aquí”, el cual incluía interpretaciones de ambas cantadas en dueto y en solitario. Además, se destacaron canciones como Vete de Aquí, Mariposa y Esta Noche. Para el año 1975, grabó la canción “Mundo de Juguete”, el cual se usó para la telenovela infantil del mismo nombre. También, inició a la grabación de un disco de temática infantil al que llamó “Mundo de Juguete”. Uno de los temas que se convirtió en éxito fue “Erase una vez”. Al año siguiente, Orfeon editó el disco con las canciones de la obra La Novicia Rebelde, en la que Lupita interpretaba el papel principal. En el año 1977, Lupita D’Alessio grabó el disco titulado “Lupita D’Alessio 60 Music News • February 2022
Lupita D’Alessio Se Presenta En The 713 Music Hall El 5 de Marzo con Mariachi”. Se destacaron canciones como “Tú Sigues Siendo el Mismo”, “No Cierres Tus Ojos” y “Que Sea Mi Condena”. En 1978 grabó éxitos como: Pacto de Amor, Meceme, Desencuentro y Juro Que Nunca Volveré, el cual Juan Gabriel había escrito para Lucha Villa, pero la versión de Lupita fue un gran éxito hasta la actualidad. Ese mismo año, participó en el Festival OTI en la Ciudad de México, en el cual resultó ganadora interpretando la canción “Como Tú” de Lolita de la Colina. Con ese triunfo, se ganó el derecho de representar a México en el Festival OTI Internacional que tuvo lugar en Santiago de Chile el 2 de diciembre de 1978, donde logró el tercer lugar. Un año después, grabó 3 nuevos discos: “Solo Soy Una Mujer”, con temas como Déjame y Solo Soy Una Mujer; “Aquí estoy yo”, el cual incluyó temas como Aquí Estoy Yo de Lolita de la Colina y Mi Amor Sin Ti; y el siguiente, “En Concierto”, el cual incluyó temas como Lo Siento Mi Amor e Inocente Pobre Amiga, 2 de los mayores éxitos de Lupita hasta la fecha. Fue en esta etapa donde Lupita encontró el enfoque con el que siguió su carrera en la siguiente década, interpretando
canciones feministas. En el año 1980, Lupita D’Alessio tomó como su compositora de cabecera a Lolita de la Colina. Además, grabó su siguiente disco con temas destacados como: Ya No Regreso Contigo, Punto y Coma, A Ver Si Ahora, Aprendiendo a Amar y La Diferencia del cantautor Juan Gabriel. Durante la década de los ochenta, Lupita D’Alessio tuvo su mejor época, por lo que continuó grabando canciones de otras cantantes haciéndolas grandes éxitos. Además, grabó trabajos discográficos como: Lo blanco y lo negro (1989), Soy como toda mujer (1988), Mentiras (1987), Soy auténtica… y punto (1986), Canciones Prohibidas (1985), Cantare Cantaras /Varios Artistas (1985), Yo (1984), Sentimiento al desnudo (1983), Lupita D’Alessio canta a Juan Gabriel (1983), Vieras Cuantas Ganas Tengo (1982), Te quiero, como te quiero/Disco ritmo (1982), Borraré tu nombre (1982), Sentimiento Ranchero (1981), Ese Hombre (1981), Ya No Regreso Contigo (1980). Para la década de 1990, Lupita D’Alessio grabó los últimos discos bajo Continúa en la página siguiente
Lupita D’Alessio Continuación de la página anterior el sello Orfeón y firmó con el sello discográfico Sony, con el objetivo de difundir su música e Internacionalizarse. Con Sony grabó algunos de sus éxitos como “Leona dormida”, canción que le dio el sobrenombre con el que hoy es conocida, y “Que no me doy cuenta”. En ese tiempo, grabó álbumes como: No me pregunten (1990), Gaviota del Aire (1991), Boleros de siempre (1992), La D’Alessio (1993), Desde mi libertad (1995) y Si yo pudiera detener el tiempo (1997). El 23 de abril de 1993, Lupita fue detenida por Evasión Fiscal; afortunadamente, con el apoyo de Fanny Schatz y Emilio Azcarraga, tras 15 días de detención, logró salir libre. En el año 2000, Lupita D’Alessio firmó un contrato con la disquera Azteca Music, con la cual grabó el disco titulado “Estoy Aquí”, que tuvo la producción de Pepe Aguilar. El disco se destacó por canciones como “La Aprendiz” de Alejandro Sanz, “Incompatibles y “Espejo”. Además, el álbum tuvo ventas destacadas. Debido a la mala promoción de la disquera hacía lupita, ella decidió finalizar el contrato con la productora. Para el año 2004, lanzó el álbum “Cuando el amor te besa”, el cual se hizo bajo un sello musical independiente. A pesar de que el disco fue bien recibido, el éxito no se reflejó en las ventas alcanzadas.
Warner Music. El discó logró grandes ventas en su lanzamiento, ocupando el tercer lugar en iTunes. Se destacaron canciones como: “No Preguntes con quien” y “Es un Peligro”. Además, fue jurado del programa Lo Que más Quieres. En el año 2014 grabó VideoClip de la canción “Es Un Peligro”. Además, realizó el Tour Siempre Amigas, junto a la cantante Yuri. Para el año 2015, Lupita D’Alessio recibió un disco de oro por ventas alcanzadas con el álbum “Cuando Se Ama Como Tu”. En el año 2017, Lupita D’Alessio interpretó la canción “Algo Divino” para la telenovela “Enamorándome de Ramón” de Televisa; de igual forma, también se llevó a cabo la producción de una serie, basada en la vida personal y musical de esta interprete. Entre los años 2004 y 2005, Lupita D’Alessio tuvo problemas con los medios de comunicación debido a sus cambios de estado de ánimo, lo que hacía que los medios la trataran de bipolar. Además, estos especulaban que sus problemas eran causados por la superación de su adicción a la cocaína, droga que consumió por muchos años. En el año 2007 se convirtió a la religión cristiana, por lo que dejó el consumo de drogas y alcohol, y decidió ingresar a una clínica para su desintoxicación. Un año después, su salud se vio afectada debido a un problema en la tiroides, lo que le causó aumento de peso y tuvo que retirarse un tiempo de los escenarios.
Trabajos discográficos En el año 2006, Lupita D’Alessio lanzó el álbum titulado “El Adiós”, el cual fue presentado en el mes de febrero. Se rumoró que ese trabajo marcaba el retiro de la cantante de los escenarios, ya que estaba cansada del maltrato de la prensa, que durante años publicó noticias amarillistas personales y de su música. Para el año 2013, se comunicó el regreso de Lupita D’Alessio a la música, y el 11 de noviembre sacó a la venta su nuevo disco titulado “Cuando se ama como tú”, el cual se lanzó bajo el sello
Mi corazón es un gitano: 1971. Vuelve pronto: 1972. Eres tú: 1973. Vete de Aquí: 1974. Mundo de Juguete, Lupita D’Alessio Canta a los Niños: 1975. La Novicia Rebelde: 1976. Lupita D’Alessio con Mariachi: 1977. Como tú: 1978. Juro Que Nunca Volveré: 1978. Lupita D’Alessio/En concierto: 1979.
Aquí Estoy Yo: 1979. Solo Soy Una Mujer: 1979. Ya No Regreso Contigo: 1980. Sentimiento Ranchero: 1981. Ese Hombre: 1981. Vieras Cuantas Ganas Tengo: 1982. Te quiero, como te quiero/Disco ritmo: 1982. Borraré tu nombre: 1982. Sentimiento al desnudo: 1983. Lupita D’Alessio canta a Juan Gabriel: 1983. Yo: 1984. Canciones Prohibidas: 1985. Cantare Cantaras: 1985. Soy auténtica… y punto: 1986. Mentiras: 1987. Soy como toda mujer: 1988. Lo blanco y lo negro: 1989. No me pregunten: 1990. Gaviota del Aire: 1991. Boleros de siempre: 1992. La D’Alessio: 1993. Desde mi libertad: 1995. Si yo pudiera detener el tiempo : 1997. Estoy aquí: 2000. Cuando el amor te besa: 2004. El adiós: 2006. La gira del adiós (En vivo): 2007. Cuando se ama como tú: 2013. Cuando se ama como tú (Deluxe): 2015. Sencillo “Algo Divino”, disponible en plataformas digitales: 2017.
Participaciones en televisión Cartas sin destino: 1973. Ana del aire (En el papel de consuelo): 1974. Paloma (En el papel de Dora Luz): 1975. Pacto de amor (En el papel de Julia): 1977. Aprendiendo a amar (En el papel de Jimena): 1980. Tiempo de amar: 1987. Lo blanco y lo negro (En el papel de Verónica Montes): 1989. Ellas, inocentes o culpables (En el papel de Amanda): 2000. El Show de los sueños: 2008. Parodiando Juez: 2012. Lo que más quieres Juez: 2013.
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comienzo respetable, y su segundo álbum, Sólo Contigo, amplió su éxito inicial. Acumuló tres sencillos en las listas (“Apiádate de Mí”, “Voy a Prometerme”, “Por Ejemplo”), el primero de los cuales subió hasta el número tres en la lista Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay.
Victor Manuelle Se Presenta En El Arena Theater El 19 De Febrero Victor Manuelle surgió como una voz líder entre la generación de salseros de Nueva York que saltó a la fama a mediados de los 90, junto con Marc Anthony e India, quienes fueron sus únicos rivales en términos de éxito y popularidad. Tutorizado por Gilberto Santa Rosa y producido por Sergio George, Manuelle encabezó regularmente las listas tropicales durante su apogeo a mediados de los 90, ya que sus álbumes Victor Manuelle (1996) y A Pesar de Todo (1997) generaron un desfile de éxitos número uno. El estimado sonero continuó haciendo éxitos en los años siguientes, ya que cada uno de sus álbumes de estudio en la década sucesiva generó al menos un éxito tropical propio. A medida que maduró, también agregó créditos de producción ejecutiva y composición de canciones, especialmente para Decisión Unámine de 2006. El álbum, lanzado por primera vez bajo la marca Norte de Sony BMG, incluyó guiños a la locura del reggaeton concurrente y, en general, mostró la capacidad de Manuelle para mantenerse al día con las mareas cambiantes de la música latina popular. No es que su relevancia haya sido cuestionada, pues El Sonero de la Juventud, como Manuelle era llamado por sus fans, se mantuvo entre los mejores salseros año tras año, y su legado como una de las principales voces de su generación se mantuvo firme. cementado para la posteridad. Después de todo, fue él quien cantó “La Vida Es un Carnaval” a capella en el funeral de Celia Cruz en la Catedral de San Patricio en Nueva York en 2003, un gesto que
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incuestionablemente afirmó su realeza entre la élite de la salsa. Aún así, Manuelle no está exento de críticos, algunos de los cuales no consideran que su música sea verdaderamente salsera. Tales puristas están en desacuerdo con las inclinaciones románticas de su música, prefiriendo clasificarla como bolero, o al menos como salsa romántica (a diferencia de simplemente salsa o salsa gorda). Nacido Víctor Manuel Ruiz el 27 de septiembre de 1968 en el Bronx, ciudad de Nueva York, Manuelle se crió principalmente en Isabela, Puerto Rico. Un incidente famoso impulsó su carrera como cantante profesional: Gilberto Santa Rosa estaba programado para actuar en la fiesta de graduación de la escuela secundaria de Manuelle, y la leyenda de la salsa invitó al sonero adolescente a unirse a él en el escenario durante la actuación. Santa Rosa quedó tan impresionado por el talento de Manuelle que posteriormente remitió al joven al líder de la banda Don Perignon, quien procedió a contratarlo como corista. Manuelle obtuvo una experiencia invaluable y contactos en la industria durante su paso por Perignon, y finalmente obtuvo un contrato de grabación en solitario con la división Sony Tropical de Sony Discos. Santa Rosa produjo el debut de Manuelle para el sello, Justo a Tiempo... (1993), y resultaron un par de éxitos modestos (“Me Dará el Consentimiento”, “Estás Tocando Fuego”). La carrera discográfica de Manuelle tuvo un
Victor Manuelle (1996), el tercer disco del cantante, fue su gran avance. Producido por el gran Sergio George, quien fue el creador de éxitos de salsa del momento, recién salido del gigantesco éxito de Todo a su tiempo de Marc Anthony (1995) y Dicen que soy de India (1994), el álbum homónimo escindió un éxito tras otro, seis de ellos en las listas de éxitos (“Pensamiento y Palabra”, “Hay Que Poner el Alma”, “Volveras”, “Todo Quedo, Quedo”, “Como una Estrella”), con dos alcanzando el número uno (“Hay Que Poner el Alma”, “Volveras”). El siguiente álbum de Manuelle, A Pesar de Todo (1997), también producido por George junto con los coproductores Ramón Sánchez y Humberto Ramírez, mantuvo el hit parade marchando sin cesar. Tres de los cuatro sencillos de las listas de éxitos del álbum alcanzaron el número uno (“Así es la mujer”, “Dile a ella”, “He tratado”, con “El Aguila” el que se quedó corto, alcanzando solo el número dos). Victor Manuelle y Dicen Que Soy no solo generaron una gran cantidad de sencillos exitosos, sino que llevaron al cantante a la corriente principal latina, ya que ambos álbumes llegaron a la lista Top Latin Albums, y el último llegó al Top Ten. Además, muchos de los sencillos derivados de estos álbumes llegaron a la lista Hot Latin Tracks, y varios de ellos llegaron al Top Ten. Ramón Sánchez tomó las riendas de la producción de George para los dos siguientes discos de Manuelle, Ironías (1998) e Inconfundible (1999). Ambos tuvieron un gran éxito comercial, pero Ironías lo fue especialmente, incluyendo una gran cantidad de sencillos exitosos (“Se Me Rompe el Alma”, “Qué Habría Sido de Mí”, “Al Igual Que Yo”, “Qué Te Han Dicho “), los dos primeros de los cuales fueron los primeros en las listas de éxitos. Inconfundible incluyó un éxito propio (“Pero Dile”), junto con otros tres éxitos (“Si la Ves”, “Como Quisiera Decirte”, “Como Duele”). Además de generar mucha difusión, los dos álbumes se vendieron bien: ambos encabezaron la lista de álbumes Tropical/Salsa, con Ironías rompiendo el Top Five de la lista Top Latin Albums e Inconfundible llegando al número dos. No obstante, el éxito comercial solo cuenta la mitad de la historia, ya que a pesar de lo populares que eran estos álbumes, la música de Manuelle había comenzado a volverse obsoleta en esta época. La producción de Sánchez puede haber sido modelada según el sonido descarado y callejero de George, pero no fue rival. En todo caso, fue exagerado y,
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Victor Manuelle
Continuación de la página anterior de hecho, podría decirse que Ironías e Inconfundible suenan sobreproducidos en retrospectiva. Además, el propio Manuelle no ayudó en nada, ya que las canciones que cantaba se volvieron cada vez más predecibles y predeciblemente románticas en el tema. Manuelle rompió con el estancamiento de su trabajo de finales de los 90 en Ironías e Inconfundible alineándose con algunos nuevos colaboradores. Trabajó con un nuevo productor, José Lugo, cuya larga lista de créditos hasta ese momento incluía un trabajo constante con el mentor de Manuelle, Gilberto Santa Rosa, así como con su rival Marc Anthony. Además de Lugo, Manuelle incorporó a Bobby Valentín, alias El Rey del Bajo, cuyos días como director de orquesta se remontan a la Fania All-Stars. Con Lugo a la cabeza y Valentín brindando inspiración, Manuelle diseñó su próximo álbum, Instinto y Deseo, como una salsa relativamente sencilla. El estilo de retroceso del álbum parecía ser una respuesta a los críticos, incluidos los fanáticos convertidos en críticos, con quienes Manuelle había perdido el favor. Sin embargo, más que nada, fue simplemente un cambio de rumbo bienvenido para el sonero. Si los críticos se mantuvieron cautelosamente escépticos, los consumidores ciertamente tomaron bien el álbum: Instinto y Deseo encabezó la lista Hot Latin Albums y generó un par de sencillos número uno de Tropical/Salsa Airplay, “Me Da Lo Mismo” y “Cómo Se Lo Explico al Corazón”. Manuelle siguió a Instinto y Deseo con Le Preguntaba a la Luna, un disco aún más anticuado nuevamente producido por Lugo. En particular, cuatro de las 11 canciones del álbum fueron escritas por Manuelle, quien anteriormente había confiado en compositores profesionales, sobre todo el prolífico Omar Alfanno, quien contribuyó con una canción a Le Preguntaba a la Luna, el álbum que abrió las listas de éxitos, “En Nombre de los Dos”. Otros éxitos del álbum incluyeron “Poco Hombre” y “El Tonto Que No Te Olvidó”, el último de los cuales también alcanzó el número uno. Con sus credenciales de salsa apuntaladas a los ojos de muchos, Manuelle posteriormente dio un giro inesperado a la izquierda y descaradamente se dirigió al llamado crossover. De ahí el nombre de su próximo disco, Travesía (“Crossover” en inglés), y los productores con los que trabajó, Emelio Estefan y los Gaitán Bros. (es decir, Alberto y Ricardo Gaitán), quienes entre los
dos bandos habían trabajado con todos. desde Gloria Estefan y Jon Secada hasta Ricky Martin y Thalía. Estos productores también se desempeñaron como compositores y escribieron la mayoría de las canciones del álbum. Muchos fanáticos y críticos se desanimaron por el sesgo pop de las baladas que se salpicaron en la segunda mitad del álbum, pero por otro lado, Travesía presentó una fuerte porción de salsa de primer nivel en la primera mitad, con un destacándose algunos éxitos (“Lloré, Lloré”, “Tengo Ganas”, “Te Propongo”). Las baladas secuenciadas hacia la conclusión del álbum fueron menos atractivas, aunque la versión pop de “Tengo Ganas” fue un éxito considerable, subiendo al número 11 en la lista Hot Latin Tracks. El álbum en sí se vendió excepcionalmente bien, a pesar de las críticas; alcanzó el número uno en la lista Top Latin Albums. Inmediatamente después del “crossover” de Manuelle, realizó un concierto en el Carnegie Hall de Nueva York el 8 de noviembre de 2004, que posteriormente fue lanzado al año siguiente en CD, producido por Estefan. El concierto contó con una interpretación conmovedora de la canción emblemática de Celia Cruz, recientemente fallecida, “La vida es un carnaval”, que Manuelle había cantado a capella en su funeral en 2003. La canción se lanzó a la radio como sencillo y se convirtió en un éxito modesto. . A fines de año, Sony lanzó otro álbum en vivo con Manuelle, Dos Soneros, una Historia (2005), que mostró un concierto mal grabado, aunque histórico, que también presentaba a Santa Rosa. Manuelle fue productor ejecutivo de su próximo álbum de estudio, Decisión Unámine (2006), él mismo. Fue su primer lanzamiento bajo la bandera Norte de Sony BMG, y fue otro giro brusco de dirección. En lugar de optar por el crossover como la última vez,
Manuelle adoptó un enfoque purista, abrazando sus raíces salseras e incluyó numerosas colaboraciones, incluida una con la superestrella del reggaeton Don Omar, dos con el también salsero Eddie Palmieri y una con la sensación mexicana Yuridia. Lugo estaba de vuelta al frente de la producción y Valentín nuevamente fue acreditado con los arreglos, y juntos, junto con las otras manos del estudio, trajeron un estilo de salsa antiguo al álbum que fue sorprendentemente bien con guiños ocasionales a estilos contemporáneos como el reggaeton. Decisión Unámine no logró alcanzar el número uno en la lista Hot Latin Albums, subiendo solo al número seis, pero fue un éxito, de todos modos, generando algunos sencillos fuertes (“Nuestro Amor Se Ha Vuelto Ayer”, “Maldita Suerte”, “Nunca Había Llorado Así”) y, sobre todo, ganándose los elogios de fans y crítica. De hecho, Decisión Unámine fue quizás el disco más admirado de Manuelle desde Instinto y Deseo, si no A Pesar de Todo. A raíz del éxito del álbum, Manuelle fue coanfitriona de los Latin Grammys de 2006 y ganó un Premio Lo Nuestro de 2007 como Mejor Artista de Salsa. Soy and Yo Mismo, lanzado en 2008 y 2009, continuó la serie de éxitos de las listas de álbumes tropicales de Manuelle, con un par de sencillos, “Yo No Se Perdonarte” y “No Soy Quien”. Aún así, su actividad de grabación se desaceleró un poco, lo que resultó en brechas de dos años entre sus álbumes: Busco un Pueblo de 2011, Me Llamaré Tuyo de 2013 y Que Suenen los Tambores de 2015, aunque continuaron ocupando un lugar destacado en las listas latinas. Tres años después, Manuelle lanzó su álbum de estudio número 18, 25/7, que contó con colaboraciones de Bad Bunny, Farruko, Juan Luis Guerra y Gilberto Santa Rosa. En 2019, lanzó Memorias de Navidad, que llegó al número nueve en la lista Top Latin Albums. February 2022 • Music News 63
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