Fastball

Where Ya Been? Vitamin C Juicing Up A Comeback, Fastball Heading Back To The Mound

08 May 2006 06:00:00 EDT

Vitamin C has new albums for both kids and adults on the way; Fastball are contemplating a new LP.
By Gil Kaufman

We couldn't get enough of them. Their songs were our soundtrack, and we laughed, danced, cried and loved along with them. They flashed across our radio and TV burning brightly — but where have they been lately? As you'll find out in our regular feature Where Ya Been?, sometimes the stories behind your favorite songs are more interesting than the hits themselves.

Who: Vitamin C (a.k.a. Colleen Fitzpatrick)

Biggest Hit: "Graduation (Friends Forever)"

Claim to fame: The only alternative-rocker from the 1990s we can think of who had her own Barbie doll and shade of lipstick.

Why do I know that name?: You may not remember Colleen Fitzpatrick from her early-1990s grunge-pop band Eve's Plumb, but if you've attended any graduation ceremony in the past six years, you know her flame-haired alter ego, Vitamin C. Fitzpatrick, a singer, dancer and sometime actress who appeared in John Waters' 1988 film "Hairspray," released a pair of albums with Plumb before the band disintegrated in 1998 and she decided to reinvent herself as a pop princess. "I began songwriting because I've always been more into the behind-the-scenes aspect of the music anyway," Fitzpatrick said. "I do like performing, but I liked the idea of creating a concept, and I have a dance background, so when I started doing Vitamin C, I tried to do more of a dance thing with a tongue-in-cheek side of it. It was going to be more high-concept, like a highly stylized, virtual pop star that was not necessarily based in reality."



	Vitamin C: Where Ya Been?

BFF!: At first, Fitzpatrick wasn't sure whether she would sing the Vitamin C songs or hire someone else to. But the singer said she saw a hole in the late-1990s music marketplace for a pop star with a positive message and a sense of humor singing to a mix of rock and dance music. She was right: Released late in the summer of 1999, Vitamin C spawned the sugary hits "Smile" and "Me, Myself and I," but it wasn't until early 2000 that the "concept" blew up into a phenomenon. The album's third single, "Graduation (Friends Forever)," became one of the most ubiquitous songs of the spring, pushing Vitamin C into platinum sales and worldwide fame. "Everyone went crazy for a while, which is great," Fitzpatrick recalled. "But I don't think the level of success hit me until many years later. Every year, 'Graduation' is played around the world from the beginning of May until July." She won't say how much money the song generates annually in royalties, but given its "Happy Birthday"-style popularity and universal appeal, Fitzpatrick is probably in good shape.

How crazy?: Things got so big that in addition to the expected tie-in products like backpacks and school supplies, Fitzpatrick got her own shade of lipstick and a Barbie doll created in her (fake) image — the first, she noted, to have a bellybutton. But with great influence over pre-teen girls came great responsibility — like, well, watching what you say. Far from the dirty-haired boys who came to see her in Eve's Plumb, Fitzpatrick often found herself playing for wide-eyed young girls (and their mothers) at Vitamin C shows. "I remember one of my first big Vitamin C performances, in Tampa [Florida]," she recalled. "When people had heckled me in Eve's Plumb — like a guy saying something like 'Take it off!' — I would be tempted to tell him to f--- off. But I looked down and the first three or four rows were packed with young girls holding their mom's hands. I was like, 'Whoa!' I had the mic in my hand and I realized I couldn't curse or get graphic and I was like, 'I'm in a whole different world!' "

And then ...: Though Fitzpatrick had an advantage over then-contemporaries like No Authority and Sammie — due to her age and experience with major labels with Eve's Plumb — that couldn't save her from the sophomore jinx. "I knew the level of success Vitamin C was going to have would ebb and flow," she said. "I knew after 'Graduation' that I would have to figure out how to reinvent myself again." After touring the world, she quickly recorded a harder, more electroclash-influenced second album, More, which was released in late 2000, spawning a hit with "Itch." But Fitzpatrick wasn't in the U.S. when the single was hot, and by the time she got back it had stalled out.

Act 3: Fitzpatrick saw the cooling off of Vitamin C as an opportunity to write for other artists, instead of an end to her second career. She worked on a few TV deals, released a mash-up of Blondie's "Heart of Glass" and the Strokes' "Last Nite" in 2004 that was a hit in Europe, and was a celebrity judge on the WB's "American Idol" spoof, "Superstar USA." Her focus lately is behind-the-scenes work for what she calls her "Baby Black Eyed Peas": an urban pop group called the Truth Squad. The band of 12- to 14-year-old male and female singer/rapper/dancers have just finished their debut, which is due out this summer — complete with a cover of "Graduation." In addition, Fitzpatrick, now 33, has written and produced an album "recorded" by Angelica, Camille and Jade of Sky Dancers toy fame (due out late this year), and she's also written songs for "Unfabulous" star Emma Roberts. (Incidentally, Fitzpatrick is married to her former Eve's Plumb bandmate Michael Kotch, who is one of the principal musical contributors to "Unfabulous" and the kids' show "Darcy's Wild Life.") Under the name Vitamin C, she's about to finish work on a children's world-music album that will celebrate diversity through songs like the Indian-styled "Bhangra On and On" and "We All Share the Same Sky," and she started work on a non-children's third Vitamin C album she describes as "Goldfrapp-meets-Vitamin C," which she hopes to have out by early 2007. "Just because you're not always on MTV doesn't mean you're not actively working," she said.

The moral: If you're OK with laying low for a while, a huge hit doesn't always punch your one-way-ticket to obscurity.

* * *

Who: Fastball

Biggest Hit: "The Way"

Claim to fame: Their biggest hit — and the fact that they were a Beatles-style, two-frontman band.

Why do I know that name?: Like Vitamin C, the boys in Austin, Texas' Fastball were no novices when their big moment came. The members, singer/keyboardist Tony Scalzo, singer/guitarist Miles Zuniga, drummer Joey Shuffield and late-addition bassist Jeff Groves, had all been in bands for more than a decade before forming Fastball in the mid-1990s. They released their major-label debut, Make Your Mama Proud, in 1996 to some acclaim but not much heat. But when radio got hold of "The Way," the first song on their 1998 album All the Pain Money Can Buy, the band was suddenly catapulted into the stratosphere.

Unlikeliest hit ever?: ... And not only because the song was about an elderly couple who decided to leave their family behind and never come back. Even though the band had toured extensively behind their first album and built up a fanbase, Scalzo said "The Way" was such an overnight success that they didn't need to. "But I think all that touring we did made us feel like we were a national act when it happened," he said. The song was #1 on the modern-rock charts for nearly a month and a half, and Scalzo, now 42, said it "completely changed things. We got on 'TRL,' played 'Leno' and 'Conan' ... basically every single thing except 'Saturday Night Live,' and that's because we were on the road so much," he said. The song was nominated for two Grammys and the group snagged a Best New Artist nomination at that year's MTV Video Music Awards.



	Fastball: Where Ya Been?

Money can't buy me love: Flush with success and a platinum album, the group threw down big money for their much glossier follow-up, 2000's The Harsh Light of Day, which featured guest spots from legendary soul keyboardist Billy Preston and even the Stray Cats' Brian Setzer. And, in true "Behind the Music" fashion, they went a bit buck wild. "We could have saved our money, but we spent way too much on hotels, first-class flights, a bus, a big crew," Scalzo said. The hits dried up and the group got dropped, later releasing a well-received but poor-selling albu

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For The Record: Quick News On Maroon 5, The Roots And Dave Chappelle, Slipknot, Morrissey, Velvet Underground & More

31 Mar 2004 16:56:00 EST

By MTV News staff report

John Mayer and his friends in Maroon 5 plan on spending the summer together on the road. The artists, who've played several shows together in the past, kick things off July 2 in Milwaukee and continue through August 29 in Atlanta. ...

When a family in West Des Moines, Iowa, rented its house to Slipknot last week to use for the "Duality" video shoot, a little damage was expected, and since the family was planning to gut the house anyway to renovate it, that was OK. But the homeowners had no idea how extensive the devastation would be. The list of items the family is asking the band to replace or fix includes: windows throughout house, entire kitchen, driveway, lawn, front door, rugs, gutters, back door, window frames, basketball backboard, ceiling, chandelier and picnic tables. ... The Tipping Point, the Roots' follow-up to their Grammy-nominated album, Phrenology, is due June 29 and will be preceded by the single "Don't Say Nothin'." Producer Scott Storch, underground MC Jean Grae and comedian Dave Chappelle guest on the album. ...

A 21-year-old Texas college student has accused "Girls Gone Wild" producer Joe Francis of rape. The woman alleges Francis spiked her drink and raped her in his South Beach hotel room in Miami over the weekend of March 12. Although she couldn't remember what happened the night before, she assumed the next morning that she was raped because Francis told her they already had sex. Miami Beach police are investigating the charges, but an arrest warrant has yet to be issued. Francis denies the charges, according to his spokesperson. ...

James Brown, Chris Rock ... and Morrissey? A number of legendary performers have played the Apollo Theater in New York, and now the former frontman for the Smiths will be doing a five-night residency at the legendary Harlem venue. Morrissey will be there May 3-4 and May 6-8. ... A recording of a John Lee Hooker set that had been lost for 50 years, Jack O' Diamonds, will be packaged with Hooker's upcoming DVD, "Come & See Me," due May 18. The album was recorded during a private performance in someone's dining room in 1949. ...

From Autumn to Ashes and Atreyu will crash and wail as they stagger through a path of destruction on an upcoming tour that kicks off April 26 in Tempe, Arizona. The trek will continue through May 13 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ... In addition to writing with Taproot and finishing his first solo album, Billy Corgan cowrote three tracks on Breaking Benjamin's second album, We Are Not Alone Here, due June 29. "It was the experience of a lifetime," singer Ben Burnley said in a statement. "He stressed 'thinking outside the box' and that's how we came up with 'Forget It,' which moves up a half-step every verse and chorus. Structurally and melodically, it's very cool." ...

Clinic have scheduled a North American tour for May, even though their third full-length album (and their debut for Universal), tentatively titled Winchester Cathedral, won't be out until August at the earliest. The tour begins May 8 in Brooklyn, New York, and ends May 23 in San Diego. ... The Velvet Underground's 1972 album, Live at Max's Kansas City, will be re-released in an expanded edition on June 8. The LP, culled from a 1970 audience recording of the Velvets' last show (until they briefly reunited in the 1990s), will feature a bonus disc of previously unreleased material. ...

Fastball's fourth album, Keep Your Wig On, is due June 8. Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger, Sheryl Crow songwriter Jeff Trott and ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead producer Mike McCarthy conspired to produce the record. ... More than 73 songs were recorded for Amen's new album, Death Before Music, due May 18, before singer Casey Chaos pruned the crop down to 15. The LP follows 2000's We Have Come for Your Parents. ...

03.30.2004

Cheers to the Lou. J-Kwon has kept his promise to keep the remix to his hit "Tipsy" "so so St. Louis." He just finished a new version of his track featuring Chingy and Murphy Lee. ...

U.S. District Judge Ronald Lagueux has ruled that all civil suits filed regarding the 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, will be handled in federal court. The judge announced his ruling on Monday, stating that the federal court system has authority to handle cases involving accidents in which 75 people or more died and a defendant lives in a different state than the one in which the accident took place. ... Country legend Loretta Lynn's first album in four years, Van Lear Rose, features a guest appearance by the White Stripes' Jack White, who also produced and arranged some tracks. After the Stripes' White Blood Cells was dedicated to Lynn, the singer opened for the band and sang several duets with Jack at a New York show last year. Preceded by the single "Portland, Oregon," Van Lear Rose is due April 27. ...

Ja Rule, Omarion, Courtney Love, MC Lyte, Ice-T and Jermaine Dupri were among the celebs who came to New York's Spice Market on Monday to celebrate the release of Janet Jackson's new album, Damita Jo. ... Missy Elliott's "Pass That Dutch" and Christina Aguilera's "Fighter" will be the leading contenders at the 13th annual Music Video Production Association Awards with six nominations each. Dave Meyers ("Pass That Dutch"), Floria Sigismondi ("Fighter"), David LaChapelle (No Doubt's "It's My Life"), the Malloys (Metallica's "St. Anger") and Sophie Muller (Pink's "Trouble") will vie for Director of the Year at the ceremony, May 20 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. ...

Queens of the Stone Age will release a limited-edition EP called Stone Age Complication on April 20. The disc will feature six B-sides, half of which will be covers: the Kinks' "Who Will Be the Next in Line," Subhumans' "Wake Up Screaming" and the Cramps' "The Most Exalted Potentate of Love." The collection will also feature the U.N.K.L.E. remix of "No One Knows" and the two originals "Born to Hula" and "The Bronze." Only 25,000 copies of the EP will be printed, and the disc will only be available at select retail outlets. ... Metallica fans in Sweden are trying to convince government officials to erect a stone in memory of late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. The fans have named the project "Cliff in Our Minds." Burton died in a 1986 bus accident near Ljungby, Sweden. ...

Ryan Adams has released a three-song EP called Moroccan Role which is only available through iTunes. The disc features the previously unreleased tracks "Ah Life," "I'm Coming Over" and "Don't Even Know Her Name." ... Reunited San Francisco thrash metal band Exodus will launch a North American tour on April 10 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The dates, which run through May 9 in Santa Ana, California, will be to support the band's new album, Tempo of the Damned. ...

Erich "Mancow" Muller, a syndicated shock jock from Chicago, has sued a listener for filing multiple indecency complaints against his morning show. Mancow is accusing Chicagoan David Smith of filing more than 60 FCC complaints and pressuring sponsors to leave the show, and is seeking $3 million and a court order to stop him from filing more complaints. Mancow has been fined for six different shows as part of the FCC's recent crackdown on so-called offensive broadcasting. ... Dax Shepard from "Punk'd" is making his second guest appearance on "Life With Bonnie" this week. Though he last played a young director on an episode that aired just a month ago, Shepard this time takes on the role of a plastic surgeon who leaves his mark on Bonnie Hunt. The episode, called "Nip, Tuck and Roll," airs Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

Members of the Spice Girls and 98 Degrees are turning up the heat for the Broadway production of "Rent." Melanie Brown, a.k.a. Scary Spice, will be taking on the part of Mimi, starting April 16, and Drew Lachey, a.k.a. Nick's brother, will be taking the part of Mark, a role Joey Fatone once filled. Brown's stint will run through September, the month Lachey joins the cast, which means they'll overlap for a few weeks. ... The Polyphonic Spree have set a July 13 release date for Together We're Heavy, the many-membered group's second album. Tripping Daisy/ PJ Harvey collaborator Eric Drew Feldman produced the album for the Spree, who are about to hit the road with David Bowie. ...

Swedish melodic death-metal band In Flames will launch a tour with Killswitch Engage on May 3 in Pontiac, Michigan. Dates run through May 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. In Flames' new album, Soundtrack to Your Escape, comes out April 6; the third Killswitch Engage record, The End of Heartache, will be released May 11. ... Late-'80s industrial/thrash band Prong will begin a tour of North America on April 29 in Sacramento. Dates run through May 29 in Fort Collins, Colorado. The stint will be the band's first in eight years. Prong's latest LP, Scorpio Rising, came out in November. ...

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In Stores Now And Coming Soon: New LPs By Eve, Queens Of The Stone Age, Coldplay, Stone Sour, Trina, Jimmy Fallon & More

27 Aug 2002 07:52:00 EDT

By Abbey Goodman

Eve is stepping up her game. First she secured her place as "the first lady of hip-hop." Then she branched out into acting (see her now in "XXX" and the upcoming "Barbershop," whose soundtrack comes out this week as well). Now she's on to her third album, Eve-olution featuring production by Irv Gotti, 7, Dr. Dre and the Trackmasters.

Next up is Queens of the Stone Age, whose Songs for the Deaf shares shelf space with perhaps their polar opposites, BBMak. The British boy band's new album, Into Your Head, is also in stores this week.

Although he doesn't like to cop to it, his cover is already blown: actor Jared Leto is in a band, 30 Seconds to Mars, and this week they'll release their self-titled debut album alongside Coldplay's follow-up to Parachutes called A Rush of Blood to the Head. Stone Sour, the side project of Slipknot's Corey Taylor, also arrive with their self-titled LP.

The Rolling Stones are releasing most of their catalog on the high resolution Super Audio CD format, which can be played on standard CD players as well as Super Audio compatible systems.

And lest you think you can go one day this week reading a story without mention of this year's MTV Video Music Awards, think again. Not only will funnyman Jimmy Fallon host the show Thursday night (August 29), but his own comedy album hits stores this week as well. Cross-promotion, gotta love it.

Out Tuesday, August 27:

4th Avenue Jones - No Plan B (Interscope)
30 Seconds to Mars - 30 Seconds to Mars (Immortal/ Virgin)
71 North - Watch Us Roll (Warlock)
A.I. - Artificial Intelligence (DreamWorks)
"Artificial Intelligence Indulge In Alien Sex On Debut"
Alcazar - Casino (E-magine)
Monty Alexander - My America (Telarc Jazz)
Alien Radio Remixed - Slam (Studio K7)
Arrogance - 5'11 Record (Gaff)
Axiom of Choice - Unfolding (Narada World)
Patricia Barber - Verse (Premonition/ Blue Note)
Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Distance Between (Ultimatum)
Daniel Bedingfield - Gotta Get Thru This (Island)
BBMak - Into Your Head (Hollywood)
Buy Now: Into Your Head (Hollywood)
Beenie Man - Tropical Storm (Virgin)
Bigger Lovers - Honey in the Hive (Yep Roc)
BlackHawk - Spirit Dancer (Columbia)
Bleach - Again, for the First Time (Tooth & Nail)
Blind Boys of Alabama - Higher Ground (Real World)
Breaking Benjamin - Saturate (Hollywood)
James Brown - Next Step (Red Ink)
Peter Bruntnell - Ends of the Earth (Back Porch)
Aoife Clancy - Silvery Moon (Appleseed Recordings)
Coralie Clement - Salle des Pas Perdus (Nettwerk)
Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (Capitol)
Read: "Coldplay Bleed For Beauty On A Rush Of Blood To The Head"
Buy Now: A Rush of Blood to the Head (Nettwerk/ Capitol)
Colour Trip - Kill My Super Ego (Arctic)
Elizabeth Cook - Hey Y'All (Warner Bros. Nashville)
Chris Cox - Provocative Trance (EMI)
Norrie Cox & His New Orleans Stompers - Live at the Illiana (Delmark)
Defiance - Out of the Ashes (Punk Core)
Chris DeLuca - Deadly Wiz Da Disko (Studio K7)
Devin the Dude - Just Tryin' Ta Live (Rap-A-Lot)
"Dre, Scarface, Nas, Xzibit Know Devin Is The Dude"
Diabolical - Thousand Deaths (World War III)
The Dillinger Escape Plan - Irony Is a Dead Scene (EP, Epitaph)
Dirt - From Dirt We Come (Two K Sounds)
Division of Laura Lee - Black City (Burning Heart)
Dixie Chicks - Home (Open Wide/ Monument)
DJ Funk - Booty House Anthems (Warlock)
DJ Irene - Hard House Live (Warlock)
DJ Venom - House Blend 7 (Warlock)
DJ Venom - Straight Bangin' (Warlock)
DJ Venom - Straight Bangin' 2 (Warlock)
Dragpipe - Music for the Last Day of Your Life (Interscope)
Dave Dresden - Provocative Progressive (The Right Stuff)
Dry Cell - Disconnected (Warner Bros.)
E-Moe - Ghetto Gospel (Siccmade Muzicc)
Chris Emerson - Tourist (Monomoy)
Eve - Eve-olution (Interscope)
Read: "Eve Eyes Nelly Tour, Talks Drama With Dr. Dre"
Buy Now: Eve-olution (Ruff Ryders/ Interscope)
Jimmy Fallon - The Bathroom Wall (DreamWorks)
Read: "Jimmy Fallon: Disaster Waiting To Happen"
Buy Now: The Bathroom Wall (Dreamworks SKG)
Fastball - Painting the Corners: The Best of Fastball (Hollywood)
Bob Geldof - Sex, Age & Death (Koch Progressive)
Dave Gleason - Dave Gleason's Wasted Days (Well Worn)
Graffiti Kings - Graffiti Kings (AMC)
Grits - Art of Translation (Gotee)
Gusgus - Attention (Moonshine)
Homo Iratus - Knowledge ...Their Enemy (Arctic)
Hound Foundation - Hound Foundation (Spy)
Sonya Hunter - Sun in Mind (Innerstate)
Diana King - Respect (Maverick)
Kingpin Skinnypimp - Pimpin' & Hustlin' (Rap Hustlaz)
Kiss - Very Best of Kiss (Universal)
KRS-One - Mix Tape (In the Paint)
Read: "KRS-One On Nelly: 'I Can Slap Him Around For Days' "
Lagwagon - Let's Talk About Leftovers (Fat Wreck Chords)
Albert Lee & Hogan's Heroes - Tear It Up (Heroic)
Lil' Flip - Underground Legend (Loud)
Aimee Mann - Lost in Space (Superego)
Read: "Aimee Mann Finds Herself Lost In Space"
Buy Now: Lost in Space (Superego)
Marxamill - Indictment (Orpheus)
Merlyn - Soul Reflection (StreetBeat)
The Miles Hunt Club - The Miles Hunt Club (Eagle)
Montgomery Gentry - My Town (Columbia)
Ms. Jade - Girl, Interrupted (Interscope)
Read: "Ms. Jade's 'Big Head' Is Meant To Move Your Big Butt"
Carla Olson - Ring of Truth (Smile)
Maren Ord - Waiting (Nettwerk)
Jeff Pitchell - Heavy Hitter (Orpheus)
P.O.D. - Satellite (expanded version, Atlantic)
Read: "P.O.D. Record Track For Santana Album, Assemble Bonus DVD"
Promatic - Promatic (In the Paint)
Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
Read: "Queens Of The Stone Age Flex Their Star Power"
Buy Now: Songs for the Deaf (Interscope)
Darren R. - History of Hard House (Warlock)
Ranch Girls & the Ragtime Wrangler - Can You Hear It (Hayden's Ferry)
Mary Ann Redmond - Prisoner of the Heart (Q&W) Riot - Through the Storm (Metal Blade)
Rolling Stones - 12 X 5 (Abkco)
Read: "The Stones Revealed (The Good Stuff) On Super CDs: Kurt Loder Reports"
Rolling Stones - Aftermath (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Between the Buttons (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Big Hits (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - December's Children (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - England's Newest Hit Makers (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Flowers (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Got Live If You Want It (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks 1964 - 1971 (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Metamorphosis (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - More Hot Rocks: Big Hits & Fazed Cookies (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Out of Our Heads (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Rolling Stones, Now! (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Singles Collection: The London Years (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Their Satanic Majesties Request (Abkco)
Rolling Stones - Through the Past, Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) (Abkco)
Rotten Apples - Real Tuff Durable Plastic (Empty)
Sam Shaber - Eighty Numbered Streets (Eighty Numbered Streets)
Todd Sharp - Walking All the Way (Wanna Play)
Duncan Sheik - Daylight (Atlantic)
Silverchair - Diorama (Atlantic)
Read: "Silverchair Craft U.S. Diorama,

Related Artists
- Eve
- Queens of the Stone Age
- Coldplay
- Stone Sour
- Trina

Bob Dylan At 60: Weiland, Stipe, Wyclef Tip Their Hats

22 May 2001 22:36:00 EDT

Billie Joe Armstrong, Sting, Mark McGrath, Chemical Brothers, John Doe also weigh in.
By an MTV/VH1 News staff report

Rock's a young person's game, so how is Bob Dylan still showing everyone how it's done 40 years into his career? Sure the Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney continue to churn out albums, but Dylan is not only still around, he's winning awards and releasing some of the strongest albums of his career. He turns 60 years old on Thursday (May 24), and in many ways he's just as challenging a character now as he was when he upended pop music back in the mid-'60s. Enigmatic, powerful, and armed with enough wit and whimsy to keep you guessing forever, he deserves a pat on the back and a tip of the hat.

We asked an eclectic group of musicians — including Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, rapper Wyclef Jean, Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and electronica duo the Chemical Brothers — to talk about the man's contributions to music and his impact on their art. So happy birthday, Bob. You said it best in your recent Oscar-winning song, "Things Have Changed," when you sang one of your quintessential lines about a drifter on a journey: "Lot of water under the bridge/ Lot of other stuff too/ Don't get up gentlemen/ I'm only passing through." Scott Weiland — "I didn't become a Dylan fan until recently. I've been a Beatles fan my whole life, but Dylan, I always thought, 'I don't understand what's so great about that guy.' But as I've gotten older, and as I've become more open about learning about a lot of things, I've realized that all you have to do is listen to the story he's telling and the way that he's able to use words. He's been widely accepted as probably the most influential writer of lyrics ever since rock 'n' roll began." Wyclef Jean — "'Gone Till November' is an original song that I wrote, but I mention Bob Dylan's name in the song. I said, 'I had none, so I had to do some/ So I'm knockin' on heaven's door like Bob Dylan.' And I was like, 'Yo, we should get Bob Dylan in the video!' And it was like, 'You ain't getting no Bob Dylan! Bob Dylan never shows up in videos, man! Bob Dylan doesn't do that kind of stuff!' But I was like, 'Yo, we can get him, man!' And we got Bob Dylan. I think that what Bob Dylan brought to the game is lyrical continuity in the music, and [the idea that] it's not all about the commercialism. It's about standing up for something and speaking out for the rights of the people." Mark McGrath, Sugar Ray — "I personally have never been influenced by Bob Dylan. He's at another level beyond music; he kind of transcends music. I've never been the hugest fan, but I definitely respect him for what he's done for the American culture in general. I can't write lyrics like he does. I write about beer and falling down, and he writes about cultural change, which I know nothing about. I'll leave it to the pros." Chris Robinson, Black Crowes — "Bob's influence on me was just the power of the music and the magic. Even when I was very young and I wasn't aware of music on a conscious level, I always knew when I heard Bob I knew it was important." Michael Stipe, R.E.M. — "There's a really short list for me as a music fan [and] as a musician and songwriter of people who have had really long careers and maintained a sense of dignity and a really uncompromising approach to their work. It's about keeping your eye on the ball. Fame is great, power is great, money is great. Bob Dylan probably has all that. But the thing that has always kept him writing the stuff he writes is the music. That's what it's about. To me, he's a huge star. I've met the man, too. He's got the softest hands I've ever touched. 'Like a Rolling Stone' is one of the greatest songs ever written. I've always wanted to cover it. I sing it in the shower." Sting — "It was interesting this year at the Oscars, because I was nominated, and Bob Dylan was nominated, and Bob won. I couldn't begrudge him it, because I learned to write songs at his feet like most people of my generation did. We copied Bob Dylan, or tried to." Miles Zuniga, Fastball — "Bob Dylan, to me, is some sort of magician. In [Dylan's 1967 movie] 'Don't Look Back,' you just don't know how he's doing all that. 'I'll let you be in my dream if you let me be in your dream.' That's my favorite line from the movie. He presented [his ideas] like they were always there and you just stumbled upon them, like a mountain. The music and the force of his words are so convincing. You absolutely yield to the force of his words." Rosanne Cash — "There are so few artists who haven't started doing parodies of themselves at around the age of 45 or 50, and Bob hasn't done that. He's been completely original from '64 on. That's a tough trick. To keep going to the same well and finding new things there, to be young and vital regardless of age. The fact that my dad (Johnny Cash) was doing a song with Bob Dylan made me unutterably cool, and 'Girl From the North Country' was so poignant. I had a good sense of who my father was as an artist, so their pairing didn't seem incongruous. In fact, it seemed very natural — these guys are complete originals, of course they should do something together." Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day — "He showed me how to stuff as many lyrics into one song as you can get. 'Like a Rolling Stone' was one of the first songs that got into that feeling of abandon. It sounds like he's talking to some trust-fund college kid who came up and had the world on a silver platter and then he suddenly has to fend for himself, has a lot of growing up to do. One of the reasons he's so legendary is that he's so human, he's put out crap, too. That's what makes him even better — he has evolved. Eventually everybody makes crappy records, but to come back and make something halfway decent ..." Jeff Tweedy, Wilco — "Dylan is, I think, the only artist of the rock era who is truly timeless. Even the Beatles, great as they are, sometimes sound dated. In Dylan's music, the studio is always transparent, as if the only thing that mattered in the studio was that it documented his furious intellect. If there is something like a rock canon, Dylan is the obvious center of it." Mike Peters, the Alarm — "From having posters on the wall in your bedroom growing up and reading and listening to all of this incredible poetry, to actually being able to go on tour with Bob Dylan later in life is a massive thing." Stevie Nicks — "His influence on me as a songwriter is mammoth. When you listen to Bob Dylan's words for many, many years, you really understand that if you want to be a true songwriter, you've got to stand up to him." John Doe, X — "Musically and lyrically, he taught me more than I can say. He rewrote the book — a new chapter on folk, a new chapter on rock and a new chapter on poetry. I know that he has a philosophy of 'strange is better.' At 60 or even after 40, you're usually thinking, 'Well I've done that, now I should be normal.' He doesn't think that way at all. His contribution is his sense of adventure, being a seeker and continuing to experiment. Everybody steals from themselves and copies themselves for the first five years. He still has an unbelievable sense of discovery." Ed Simons, Chemical Brothers — "There's this yearning — there's a sort of restless quality because he's always questioning things, every song. A lot of music feels like it's a complete statement, and to me, that's why I like Bob Dylan — it always feels like there's more. ... We went to see him a couple years ago at a very small club in New York. ... You know, I've never cried at a gig — it was so moving, incredible." Tom Rowlands, Chemical Brothers — "It's just the most amazing imagery that you'd never have in any other songs. It's from another place totally when you listen to it. It just still blows you apart, really. It's brilliant." For more on Dylan, be sure to check out "Forever Freewheelin': Dylan As Improviser."

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SXSW: Decks, Drums, Rock And Roll

12 Mar 2001 16:00:00 EST

In its 14th year, Austin, Texas, music conference continues efforts to mix indie rock, DJ culture, hip-hop, Americana.
By Gil Kaufman

When the electronica revolution hit Austin, Texas' South By Southwest festival four years ago, it was hard to picture how anonymous DJ culture was going to coexist with four nights of indie rock, Americana and roots music.

But now, even though the electronica invasion has faded somewhat from public consciousness, you're almost as likely to see a rapper or button-pushing mixer during the fest as you are a standup bass player or string-tie-wearin' Tex-Mex combo.

When the 14th annual music gathering kicks off Wednesday, it will have the usual wide variety of acts — 1,000 total. But as far as creative director Brent Grulke is concerned, at this point beats and boots are just business as usual in this music Mecca.

"The interaction between electronic music and hip-hop now represents a really significant part of the festival in a way that was virtually nonexistent a few years ago," said Grulke, who has been involved with the festival every year of its existence.

Part music-industry confab, part band showcase and all about schmoozing, SXSW is the kind of place where you can see ya'llternative singer/songwriter Sally Timms playing just a few doors down from ghetto tech star DJ Assault.

Its 8,000-plus registered attendees will descend on the college town and state capital to stumble from venue to venue, drink beer, eat barbecue and check out panels on such topics as, "How Do You Publicize a Mike Watt in a Britney Spears World?" "It's not just the numbers [of hip-hop groups] involved," Grulke said. "We now have very established talent that performs, we have two of our largest venues, Stubb's and the Austin Music Hall, with entire nights dedicated to hip-hop this year." Among the big names on tap for this year are twangy singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams, who will debut some of the material from her upcoming album, Broken Butterflies, (due in the spring) and the Black Crowes, in town to preview songs from their upcoming album, Lions (May 8).

Also performing are hip-hoppers Jurassic 5, the Liks and Black Eyed Peas; local rockers Fastball; experimental turntablist DJ Spooky; and a rare show from ex-Tina Turner hubby Ike Turner with his Ike Turner Revue.

Psychedelic popster Robyn Hitchcock will head up a reunited version of his late-'70s psych-pop band the Soft Boys, and Juliana Hatfield will take the stage for a reunion with her mid-'80s Boston pop rock group the Blake Babies.

Other acts performing on more than 40 stages include bluegrass star Ricky Skaggs, Los Angeles rock 'n' soul act the Bellrays, arty poppers the New Pornographers, Japanese pop punkers Ex-Girl, Canadian live house band the New Deal, turntablists X-ecutioners, world beat star Thomas Mapfumo, Latin all-star band Los Super Seven and Los Angeles punk rockers Texas Terri & the Stiff Ones.

Grulke said the festival also will feature one of the biggest slates to date of world music acts. Joining such international rock bands as Aterciopelados (Colombia), Coccoon Pit (Japan), the Gift (Portugal) and Yao (China) will be more than 70 other acts spanning the globe, including Moroccan reggae group Sawt el Atlas, world beat singer Henri Dikongue (Cameroon), Hungary's DJ Pozsi and hip-hoppers Pepe Deluxe (Finland).

SXSW's star-making mythos has been overstated in the past, but it is a good opportunity for bands to get in front of what is arguably one of the biggest concentrations of U.S. music media. No pressure, right? Just imagine if it was among your first-ever U.S. performances. That's the case for English hip-hop/punk group Brassy, who will have played just five shows in this country before unleashing their Digital-Hardcore-meets-Luscious-Jackson sound on the media elite Friday night.

"I don't know anything about it," said lead singer/guitarist Muffin Spencer, 32, an expat American who said she left the U.S. 14 years ago because she thought British bands were more interesting. "We met with our former publishing company and there was a little old man there who said it [SXSW] is a place to go and get smashed on tequila, which sounds fine." Spencer, younger sister of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion leader Jon Spencer, said she thinks the festival will be a good chance for critics who might have missed the recent U.S. release of the band's full-length debut, Got It Made, to check out their energetic live show. The 17-track album features such break-beat pop as "Work It Out" and the band's electro-punk anthem "No Competition." Grulke said one thing that won't be as prominent in the festival's sprawling trade-show area this year is the proliferation of dot-com booths that sprung up like weeds last year. "A lot of those companies that didn't know what their business agendas were are gone," Grulke said.

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Fastball Plans Tour, Radio Strategy For New LP

05 Oct 2000 09:15:00 EDT

Sonicnet Music News

Fastball will launch a U.S. tour October 26 in support of its third album, the recently released "The Harsh Light Of Day."

The trek will kick off in Dallas and hit cities in the East and Midwest before coming to a close November 24 in Minneapolis. A second leg hitting primarily cities in the West is expected to be announced soon.

"The Harsh Light Of Day," featuring the single "You're An Ocean," [RealVideo] debuted last week at number 97 on the "Billboard" 200 albums chart.

Singer and bassist Tony Scalzo said recently he was "just screwing around on the piano" when "You're An Ocean" began to emerge. "It turned into a song pretty quick, and I started writing words -- sort of cracking myself up a little bit, seeing how ridiculous I can get. You know, 'You may be from Venus, but I'm definitely not from Mars.'" The band recruited Billy Preston to play piano on the recorded version.

The Austin, Texas, band's "All The Pain Money Can Buy" (1998) produced the hits "The Way" and "Out Of My Head," with the former remaining at number one on the modern-rock charts for seven weeks. "You're An Ocean" has seen relatively little support in that format but is faring well on adult-pop stations. It stays put this week at number 17 on "Billboard" magazine's Adult Top 40 singles chart.

Feeling that "You're An Ocean"'s fractured airplay hasn't properly exposed the album, the band's label plans to service three tracks to different radio formats before the end of the year. The likely choices will be "Morning Star," to rock radio; "This Is Not My Life," to alternative rock; and "Love Is Expensive And Free," to adult pop, according to Justin Fontaine, senior vice president of promotions at Hollywood Records.

"We realized this is a very deep album with a lot of great songs, and we want to expose it as much as we can," Fontaine said.

Fastball tour dates:

10/26 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
10/27 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room
10/28 - Austin, TX @ Stubbs
10/30 - New Orleans, LA @ House Of Blues
11/1 - Tallahassee, FL @ Floyd's Music Hall
11/2 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
11/3 - Hilton Head Island, SC @ Blue Nite Cafe
11/4 - Atlanta, GA @ Roxy
11/5 - Winston-Salem, NC @ Ziggy's
11/7 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
11/8 - Norfolk, VA @ The Boathouse
11/9 - Long Island, NY @ Vanderbilt
11/10 - Hartford, CN @ Webster Theatre
11/12 - New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
11/14 - Boston, MA @ Middle East Club
11/15 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
11/18 - Chicago, IL @ The Metro
11/19 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
11/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue

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Fastball

Fastball Previews New Tunes On Tour

23 Aug 2000 16:15:00 EDT

The members of Fastball unveiled new music from their forthcoming album "The Harsh Light Of Day" at Monday's "Sneak Preview" club tour kickoff at the Viper Room in West Hollywood.

In addition to the new songs, the trio introduced fans to the band's new touring members, keyboardist and accordion player Kevin Lovejoy and second guitarist Brad Fernquist, who has road-tripped with New Radicals. Both will be making the rounds with the group on its intimate 15-date trek.

"We want to break them in," said Fastball singer-guitarist Miles Zuniga of his new touring members. "The record's not even out yet, and we're not available to do a real tour until late October or early November."

During the 50-minute set, the group rolled out such hits as "The Way," "Fire Escape," and "Out Of My Head," as well as new tunes "Don't Give Up On Me" and "You're An Ocean." The band also covered David Bowie's "Life On Mars?" and Willie Nelson's "On The Road Again."

Among the guests at the show were Go-Go's bassist Kathy Valentine and drummer Clem Burke of Blondie. "They came together," Zuniga said. "We watched my tape of Japanese Beatles[-like] bands on the bus after the show."

Appropriately, the group is hoping to bring The Parrots, a Beatles cover band from Japan, out on the road later this year. "That way I know I'll like the music," Zuniga joked, adding that the band is also interested in picking up such supporting acts as John Wesley Harding and The Honeydogs on a rotating basis.

In addition to rolling out its "Sneak Preview" club tour, the group recently shot a video in Los Angeles for its new single, "You're An Ocean", featuring competitive surfers Shannon Payne-McIntyre and Damien Moody.

"I call it a surfer love story," the guitarist said. "Plus we've got girls lined up all around me who look like 1930s flappers [and showgirls], except they're in Lycra.

"Something needs to happen during the guitar solo, and that's usually what happens," Zuniga explained jokingly. "We need more eye candy. If it happened during a tuba solo, I don't think it would have as much oomph. That's how we've evolved from the metal days, when guys would lick their guitars and girls danced in cages."

The tour (minus girls dancing in cages) is slated to hit San Francisco on Wednesday, and "The Harsh Light Of Day" drops on September 19.

Here's where Fastball's "Sneak Preview" club tour is headed:

8/23 - San Francisco, CA @ The Cellar @ Johnny Foley's
8/25 - Seattle, WA @ The Tractor
8/26 - Boise, ID @ Neurolox
8/28 - Denver, CO @ Soiled Dove
8/30 - Minneapolis, MN @ The 400 Bar
8/31 - Chicago, IL @ Schuba's
9/2 - Brookings, SD @ Bash In The Grass
9/4 - Toronto, ON @ Beachfest
9/6 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge
9/7 - Boston, MA @ Lilli's
9/8 - Baltimore, MD @ Fletcher's
9/10 - Nashville, TN @ TBA
9/11 - Atlanta, GA @ Smith's Old Bar
9/13 - Dallas, TX @ Gypsy Tea Room

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Fastball

Fastball Taps Brian Setzer For New LP Track

06 Jun 2000 18:15:00 EDT

Austin, Texas trio Fastball has completed work on its new album, "The Harsh Light Of Day," and the group has set a September 19 release date for the disc.

Fastball again tapped producer Julian Raymond to helm the boards for the effort, the follow-up to the platinum-selling "All The Pain Money Can Buy" (see "Fastball Sees 'Harsh Light Of Day' For Next LP"), and the album will also feature guest appearances from singer-guitarist Brian Setzer and keyboardist Billy Preston, sometimes referred to as "The Fifth Beatle" for his work on the Fab Four's "Let It Be" album.

Fastball's Miles Zuniga and Tony Scalzo recently spoke to the MTV Radio Network about working with former Stray Cats frontman Setzer on a new song, "Love Is Expensive And Free," for the band's forthcoming third album.

"We had this song, and it's got a mariachi band and Jose Hernandez playing on it," Zuniga said.

"It's a mariachi orchestra," Scalzo interjected.

"It's a full-on orchestra," Zuniga agreed. "After we listened to it, some of us thought that maybe it was a little over-the-top. [Laughs] So we came up with the idea to get Brian to play a little guitar, 'cause he's real schooled in all kinds of music. He agreed to do it, and it was great. He came down, [heard it], and liked the song."

"He had already done a bunch of homework," Scalzo said, "and when he came into the studio, he had like three pages of notes and went, 'I got all kinds of ideas for this song.' You can imagine how that sounds, from a fan's perspective." [RealAudio]

Fastball will introduce material from its next album during a radio festival in Honolulu on July 22.

Track listing for Fastball's "The Harsh Light Of Day:"

"This Is Not My Life"
"You're An Ocean"
"Goodbye"
"Love Is Expensive And Free"
"Vampires"
"Wind Me Up"
"Morning Star"
"Time"
"Dark Street"
"Funny How It Fades Away"
"Don't Give Up On Me"
"Whatever Gets You On"

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Fastball Sees "Harsh Light Of Day" For Next LP

24 Apr 2000 12:15:00 EDT

How does a band approach recording the follow-up to a sleeper hit album? For Fastball, the answer is simply getting down to work.

"We just hunkered down and knocked it out," guitarist-vocalist Miles Zuniga told MTV News of the band's new album, "The Harsh Light Of Day," which is tentatively scheduled for a September release.

The group, whose second LP, "All The Pain Money Can Buy," went platinum in 1998 (fueled by the inescapable hit "The Way"), has pretty much spent the last two years on the road. When it came time to record, the Texas trio of Zuniga, bassist-vocalist Tony Scalzo, and drummer Joey Shuffield quickly got into the studio to do their thing.

"We just work," Zuniga said emphatically. "I guess a lot of bands don't work. They show up. They eat lunch. They go shopping. We like to get it done. Some bands will spend two weeks on a guitar part or sound or something, keep erasing and re-recording things. I don't like to make records that way. I think immediacy is part of the deal. It's part of what makes the record exciting.

"I like that we didn't spend a lot of time sitting on our ass," Zuniga added, laughing. "We wrote songs the whole time we were on tour, so it wasn't like we took two months off and wrote the record. We had been writing the entire time. Tony and I had demoed pretty much everything, so it was mostly going through the weeding-out process, figuring out which ones were the strongest, and basically just getting down to it."

After enjoying the success of hit song "The Way," a single that reached number one on the Modern Rock chart and number two on the Pop chart, the band could conceivably feel pressured to crank out more hits, but according to Zuniga, the group didn't worry very much.

"I tried really hard not to think about that," Zuniga said. "We didn't really know what a hit single was. We never thought 'The Way' was going to be a hit single. We thought it was an album track.

"The writing thing should be as pure as possible," he continued, "trying to get your feelings out, and trying to write a really good song. In my case, I tried really hard to write quickly, if I had a good idea. That's what Tony does, and that's what a lot of songwriters I admire do. Like John Lennon said -- if you have a good idea for a song, don't leave the room until you're done with it -- and it's true.

"I tried to write songs within twenty minutes while the feeling was there, and ironically enough, the two songs I just spit out are probably going to be singles," he recalled. "Those songs come from your subconscious, and it's better than something you're thinking about all the time."

After going through the batch of songs, the band got together with "All The Pain" producer Julian Raymond for his input, which Zuniga considers invaluable.

"In a way, Julian is kind of like our fourth member," he explained. "He just fits real good with us. He'll push you to do stuff. He's got perfect pitch. As a vocalist he can push you to do things. He'll know what you can do, kind of, [to] help you get there. He has as a lot of really good ideas, and he works really hard. In a way, I think he's really critical to our sound."

Although Fastball used the same producer on "The Harsh Light of Day," Zuniga feels the sound has moved into a new territory.

"This record sounds different than the last one," Zuniga offered. "It's a little more modern-sounding. It's a little more rhythmic, but I mean, for us. It doesn't sound like Dru Hill or anything. There's a lot of drum loops going. We brought in a string quartet on a couple of songs.

"It's just a lot more ambitious sounding," he summed up, "but it's still really just about the songs. It's the same deal.... I think it's just more accomplished. I think it's better in every way."

Despite the pressures of following up a hit album and spending nearly all of the last two years on the road, the band is eager to get back to playing live.

"Strike while the iron's hot," Zuniga said. "I just want to get out there and play for people and for them to hear our new music."

Zuniga admits that there is pressure following up a hit record, as reflected by the new album's title, "The Harsh Light Of Day."

"Because that's what we're going to be subjected to," Zuniga explained with a long laugh. "I feel very, very confident, though. I mean, I feel like we made a great album. It's a step forward. It has some really great songs on it. I think people are really going to like this record... and I think we'll be around for a while."

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Fastball

Fuel Spending Time With Jimmie's Chicken Shack, Fastball, GBV, Others On The Road

24 Aug 1999 12:15:00 EDT

Pennsylvania alt-rock hitmakers Fuel kick off a U.S. tour Tuesday night that will see the band share the stage with the likes of Fastball, the Verve Pipe, Guided By Voices, and Jimmie's Chicken Shack on select dates.

The men behind "Shimmer," "Bittersweet," and "Jesus Or A Gun" get rolling in Dewey Beach, Delaware and will stay on the road through late October. During the run, the band will join forces with Julian Lennon, Push Stars, The Nixons, Marvelous 3, Hollow, and Emmet Swimming as well as the aforementioned acts.

Here's how Fuel's U.S. tour shapes up:

8/24 - Dewey Beach, DE @ Bottle & Cork (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
8/25 - Sea Bright, NJ @ Tradewinds (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
8/26 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
8/27 - Fredericksburg, VA @ Great Hall
8/28 - Greensboro, NC @ Tanglewood Park
8/29 - Virginia Beach, VA @ EC Surf Championship (w/ Hollow, Push Stars, and Julian Lennon)
9/1 - Pittsburgh, PA @ IC Light Amphitheater (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
9/2 - Providence, RI @ India Point Park
9/3 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
9/4 - New York, NY @ Columbia University
9/5 - Plainview, NY @ The Vanderbilt (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
9/8 - Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere's (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
9/10 - South Bend, IN @ Heartland (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
9/11 - Towson, MD @ Towson Center (w/ Marvelous 3)
9/12 - Dayton, OH @ University Of Dayton Arena (w/ Fastball, Guided By Voices, and the Verve Pipe)
9/17 - Clemson, SC @ Clemson University's Little John Coliseum
9/24 - Shepherdstown, VA @ Butcher Center (w/ Emmet Swimming)
9/26 - Charlotte, NC @ Carolina Music Fest
9/29 - Carbondale, IL @ Copper Dragon (w/ Jimmie's Chicken Shack)
9/30 - Memphis, TN @ Mid South Fair (w/ The Nixons)
10/9 - Huntingdon, PA @ Juniata College
10/22 - Pensacola, FL @ Pensacola Civic Center
10/23 - New Orleans, LA @ City Park

-Robert Mancini

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