Tuesday, April 22, 2014

re:  Concert News:
SPECIAL TO FORGOTTEN HITS -
DOLENZ ADDS AUDIENCE Q&A TO SOLO SHOW NEXT MONTH
New York -- When Monkee Micky Dolenz performs his solo show next month at the famed Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois (May 2nd), he'll feature a new component to it: a Q&A session with the entire audience following the show. 
Inspired in part by a lengthy Q&A that Dolenz participated in during last month’s Monkee-Con event in New Jersey (which was received extremely well), Dolenz says he’s added it as a way to say thank you to all the fans.
Added Dolenz, “It was a terrific event at the Monkee-Con as the Q&A session covered questions about my whole career; from the TV-show, of course, to my most recent solo album Remember and the Live At B. B. King’s recording. Andrew Sandoval from Rhino moderated it and did just an exemplary job.”
Promoter Ron Onesti added, “I’ve done several shows with Micky previously,  but adding this Q&A was a brilliant masterstroke. His stories and anecdotes about the songs and the different personalities he’s come into contact with all are truly special. It definitely gives the audience a peak behind-the-curtain."
This "Must See" show just got even better ... and I've got to miss it!!!  (Warming up for Micky is The Cowsills, another group I've always wanted to see!)  Here's hoping a few of our readers make it out to the show next weekend and can report back with full concert reviews.  (kk)

And, speaking of great shows at The Arcada Theatre, there's another real doozie THIS weekend ... Dean Torrence and The Surf-City All-Stars will be performing all the surfin' hits of Jan and Dean, The Beach Boys and others on Saturday, April 26th.  (Check the oshows.com website for tickets and more information.)
We saw these guys a couple of years ago and they put on a great show.  (Rumor has it our FH Buddy Bob Greene might even be there for this one!)  Once again we are unable to attend ... so we welcome reviews from our readers about what promises to be another killer show at The Arcada. 
Several of these guys were former members of The Beach Boys' touring band back over the past several decades.  They include Gary Griffin (keys / vocals), Philip Bardowell (guitar / vocals), David Logeman (drums), Chris Farmer (bass / vocals), Aaron Broering (guitar / keys / vocals) and, appearing as a special guest, Matt Jardine,  son of Beach Boy Al Jardine!
Please do let us know if you're able to attend this show ... we want to hear all about it!  (kk)
Hey Kent -  
Just a quick correction / addition ... the August 16th Rod Stewart Show at the Allstate Arena will also be with Santana - this should be a great show.
Marlene

re:  The Chicago Gold Show:
Kent -
Now that you have the ear of Ron Onesti, I second Chet's suggestion ... but let's take it a little further. Way back at the Holiday Star I saw a "Chicago Gold" show that blew my mind ... Ronnie Rice, Dennis Tufano, Jimmy Sohns, the Cryan Shames, the Ides of March, and back from the dead, the American Breed! Of course we had to go the Holiday Star Plaza to see it ... ironic isn't it? This is a dream of mine ... and if any one can pull this off, it could be Ron.  In fact, he could probably sell out a few dates with a show like this. I'd love to see Ronnie back with Ray for a full NC 6 REUNION and Dennis back with Carl and Nick (yeah, I know that ain't gonna happen ... but if you share the proceeds with a charity, just maybe?????).
THIS COULD BE A HOLIDAY SHOW THAT WOULD KNOCK THE SOCKS OFF ALL TRUE CHICAGO FANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And now that I am thinking big, how about a doo wop show? I am dying to see Kenny Vance and the Planetones ... and how about Jay Black? And how about those young Irish kids that have that 60's sound the Strypes?
Then again I probably could not afford all of this but I hope the CHICAGO GOLD idea is given some consideration!
Mike
 

As you said, we've been talking about doing this forever - Jim Pilster (JC Hooke of the Cryan' Shames) has put together the Chicago Gold shows for a few years now - we just need to get it together and do it for the history books, and get it on film for PBS! That would be great! I would love to see the Mauds represented, but unfortunately we lost that great soul voice of Jimy Rogers a couple of years ago. What a powerhouse he was! But I'd love to see that one come together for the archives.
Marlene
I really believe that if anybody can pull this off, it's Ron Onesti ... and he's got the PERFECT venue to host the thing ... maybe even sell out a two or three day weekend ... and with a little help and support from the fans of this music, this could turn into a major musical event.  I think intercutting it with vintage film clips from back in the day and then cutting back to live performances would make for an incredible two hour television show.  (Some of these clips are quite rare ... and quite expensive ... but as a means of permanently documenting this very special moment of Chicago Rock History, I think WELL worth the efforts ... it becomes the lasting memento of this era.  Get somebody like Bob Sirott or Bob Stroud to host it ... it sounds like a "can't miss" to me!
And we need to do this sooner rather than later ... before we lose any more great, incredible talent like Jimy Rogers of The Mauds ... man, what a voice ... and what a stage presence.  Although it wouldn't have been the case at the time, we should probably get The Ides of March to headline this thing ... and put together a super-star, cracker-jack band to back up all the artists ... Dennis Tufano, the original lead vocalist of The Buckinghams (and, if they're willing ... Carl Giammarese and Nick Fortuna, too ... hey, c'mon ... it's for HISTORY!!!), Gary Loizzo of The American Breed, Ronnie Rice and Ray Graffia, Jr., the guys who sang the biggest New Colony Six hits, Tom Doody, Jim Pilster and Jim Fairs of The Cryan' Shames, Jimy Sohns of The Shadows Of Knight ... a song or two by The Flock and Spanky McFarlane ... all of a sudden (to quote The Carpenters) it's yesterday once more.
Hey, maybe even round up the Chicago horns to give this thing a kick ... and who knows, a song or two by those guys, too, as they issued in the brand new era of Chicago Gold.  And what about Styx?!?!  Rufus?!?!  Man, this thing could play for a WEEK!!!  (And have a different headliner every single night!!!)
Let's get our team of movers and shakers on this, shall we???  (kk)