Tuesday, January 30th 2007
A fantastic time was had by all at the Sheila Witkin Memorial concert. I saw just about everyone from the old days here in South Florida. The bands were as stellar as I remember. Of course, Critical Mass being my fave. They rocked and as usual, Fazz showed us why the band is legendary. The above photo is The Kids performing at the event. Thanks to the Limestone Lounge for the photo [ sorry, I don't have the name of the photogragher to properly credit them]. Yes, that is "Captain Jack" on guitar. The only thing I can say about that is,he is as cool as he has always been.
We have new dates for Lauren. They are posted on her myspace Here.
My sincere thanks to all at Sheila's concert from the Bands to the organizers. Sheila was the driving force in a scene that shaped almost all my first opinions on music, fashion and must importantly what it takes to get on a stage and deliver. Oh, and Frank P. seeing you again brought back all of those amazing, fun times. You went through all of that period of time with me. Love you brother.
Alright enough nostalgia......
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Wednesday, January 24th 2007
Coming up on Sunday, January 28th there is a special event here in South Florida. It's the Sheila Witkin Memorial Concert for charity. A nice promo vid put together by Frank Prinzel
I was privileged to work with Sheila in the seventies. I played with a band called Critical Mass. Led by one of the most commited and talented rock and roll maniacs I have ever been around, MIck Fazz. During my time with this band I learned how to properly be on a stage and entertain as well as play with all your heart, all of it I can attribute to having to keep up with Mick. Most of the time I fell short. I look forward to seeing them perform at the show.
This was in the local "New Times" : Sheila Witkin was the type of fly on the wall that never got swatted. Her contributions to South Florida's music scene in the late 1970s by way of promotion and artist development was a critical component of what gave this region an identity when it came to indie rock. And people loved her for it. Unfortunately, Witkin passed away in April 2006, but a throng of folks who knew her best are flying in from around the world (we're not kidding) to be part of a kick-ass tribute concert in her honor.
Hopefully, I will have some pictures to post of the event. The photo above is a promo pic of "The Mass" when I was 19 years old.
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Thursday, January 18th 2007
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Wednesday, January 17th 2007
Went to the Hard Rock last night and saw Dave Navarro's band The Panic Channel. They opened up for Rockstar Supernova. They were fantastic and I saw my new favorite live drummer, Stephen Perkins. Man was he good. It takes a lot to get me excited about seeing a player, especially a drummer, but Stephen was rock solid had great feel and was super exciting to watch. The rest of the group were superb as well . I think it was one of the first, if not the first, shows they did. I love the record and they were something else live.
There is also a small piece about me in the new Gibson newsletter Here.Although, they did spell my name wrong.
London is still working out all the details of the upcoming live stuff. As soon as I know I will post it.
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Friday, January 12th 2007
Ok, time to get serious. At least for a minute.....
Copyrights are more valuable than ever. It's just a question of how you market and collect the receipts for said intellectual property.
We need new blood, to reconcile the music business with a future that is already here. Talent spotting will always be important. But in an era of instant communication around the globe, with everybody linked in, finding talent isn't that hard, it's more a matter of MARKETING said talent. But, with intense bottom line pressure, nobody is innovating, everybody's playing by the old rules. Run the new stuff up Top Forty and sell the hell out of the catalog to the big box retailers, allow them to pay for it EONS from now, giving you time to pull a rabbit out of the hat, those days are through, that paradigm won't work anymore. It has to be about less money initially. About gaining the trust of the customer with more credible acts, that touch people's souls as opposed to sliding right off of them. That takes time. A LOT of time. Nobody at a major label today has that time. So, running in pursuit of the old dream, they're leaving the playing field wide open for new players, with new game plans. But said plans have to reflect the new reality, one wherein every person owns a lot of music, most of it presently free. The acquisition of said music has to be legitimized, MONETIZED, before the sun starts to shine again. Oh, you can build something on the road, but to leave out compensation for recorded work, that's a mistake. Legalize P2P and you get the YouTube phenomenon, everyone will be music CRAZY! License at the ISP level. To ignore how the vast majority of music is acquired is not only ridiculous, but economic death. Music is very valuable, it's just a matter of charging for it via the new system.
All of this is thanks to Bob Lefsetz one of the few people who, in my mind at least, has some viable ideas for the future of the music industry.
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Tuesday, January 9th 2007
Dubai?? Where is Dubai??? Well, I asked the same question. According to the all knowing Wikipedia : Dubai is the most populous and second largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates after Abu Dhabi. Dubai is distinct from other members of the UAE in that revenues from oil account for only 6 percent of its gross domestic product. A majority of the emirate's revenues are from the Jebel Ali Free Zone and increasingly from tourism.
So, why Dubai you ask? Because we are playing the Desert Rock Festival in Dubai. Sounds like a fun time. It is always enjoyable to do these festivals. You get to see a bunch of bands play throughout the day and hang out in the backstage area. In this case, there are some bands I have never seen: Stone Sour, Children of Bodom, Mastodon and, of course, Iron Maiden headlining [I have seen them]. The dates are March 9th and 10th. With our set being on the 9th. I am sure there will be some other shows added around this event, so, I will keep everyone posted.
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Friday, January 5th 2007
New Years Eve has come and gone and now we are in that twilight period waiting for everything to kick back into gear in the middle of the month.
There is a great review of our Newcastle show on the Hard Rock House siteHere.
There is also an interview with Lauren on the same site. Just go to the interview link and click on Lauren and Steve Harris.The photo is me and Chris Squire of Yes. Lauren's dad was a big fan of his and he was an influence on Steve's bass playing. After talking to Chris, he told me the respect was mutual. I met Chris back in the early 80's. MIck Fazz from Critical Mass introduced him to me at the Agora Ballroom in South Florida. Mr. Squire was part of the production company that produced Critical Mass' MCA debut.
Speaking of the Mass.... there is a very worthwhile event coming up on the 28th of January. Details can be found at www.myspace.com/sheilawitkinmemorial. Sheila was a great friend to all of us in the music community on both coasts. This is a charity concert in her honor. I think it will be awesome to catch up with friends that I have not seen in a long time. It is unfortuate that it has to be under these circumstances, but I know Sheila would have loved that fact that everybody is playing a show in her honor. See you all there
Tommy
Shout it out - Leave a comment
__________________________________________________Monday, January 1st 2007
And another year has passed. I want to wish everyone a healthy and happy new year. I have had a great time putting this site together and keeping everybody updated with all the developments on the road with Lauren. Thanks to you all for checking out the site , giving me your comments and just being involved in what we truly consider a privilege to be able to do for a living. In the New Year, I hope to continue building our online community of friends so you can all participate in the unbelievably exciting process of bringing Lauren's music to the world. I want to thank all of the great folks who came out early to the Maiden shows to catch our set. This year will be all about releasing a record and spreading the musical word.
There are alot of people to thank on the Maiden tour, so here goes... First and foremost Steve Harris, who is one the most commited and focused individual I have had the pleasure to work with. I now know the reason why Iron Maiden has set the standard for musical integrity, honesty and just plain ROCKIN since their inception. It is due directly to Steve's efforts. I am in awe of your courage, skill and talent, sir. I also want to thank my partner Steve Altman who continues to surprise me with his ability to make everything "happen" when I am on the verge of giving up. Our fantastic band , Richie Faulkner and Randy Gregg who consistently delivered above and beyond on each and every show. The entire Maiden and Trivium crews, who treated us with complete professionalism and respect. Of course, Lauren Harris who knows what I think of her efforts. I couldn't help but tell her after every show. Lastly, all the Maiden fans, who were everything we hoped they would be. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
The photo is me and Randy with photographer Japanese George from Tokyo and our friend Steve P. in his "fancy dress" in honour of the Earls Court shows.
I can't wait to see everyone out there in the New Year. I will keep everyone posted as to what we are doing soon. Word has it....Dubai!!!!!harity concert in her honor. I think it will be awesome to catch up with friends that I have not seen in a long time. It is unfortuate that it has to be under these circumstances, but I know Sheila would have loved that fact that everybody is playing a show in her honor. See you all there
Tommy