|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
August 6, 2008
Well I'm shocked to say that we are now entering August...the year is over 1/2 over and this freight train keeps on rolling! I've been keeping crazy-busy since we had our working vacation back east last month. This week in particular has been pretty nuts - my brother in law is in LA visiting with family this week, the same week as SRF's annual Convocation. In the midst of this I've been doing gigs here locally, and I've resumed work on records by Noveau Glam and Solna, Zane Petersen's project...we're cranking things up a notch. I finally got a good night's sleep last night. I'm exhausted...and I'm having the time of my life. : ). |
with Zane Petersen |
|||
| I've gotten some great feedback from the From the Inside record, which came out last Friday. I haven't received my own copy yet, but the fan feedback has been incredibly positive! The album features the incredible Danny Vaughn on vocals, and you can listen to some sound samples here. Keep that feedback coming! |
|
|||
| After much anticipation, Frontiers Records has finally started revealing details surrounding the Ramos/Hugo album. I was going to post their entire press release here, but most of you diehards already know that it is filled with innocent inaccuracies! So let's cut right to the highlights! |
|
|||
|
Frontiers Records is excited to announce the release of the debut album from the highly anticipated new Melodic Rock union between
Josh RAMOS and HUGO entitled “The Dream” on October 10th 2008. On the heels of his successful RAMOS debut solo album “Living In The Light”, Josh Ramos, former guitar player of THE STORM and TWO FIRES and now shredder for HARDLINE, started looking for a new suitable vocal partner who could offer his songs the right, heavenly and soaring element that could sparkle them to the next level. The opportunity came through when the amazing Hugo, well known solo artist and former singer of OPEN SKYZ and VALENTINE, accepted the invitation to come and work on the vocal melodies and sing on the new songs. |
Joey Heredia, me, Josh, Fabrizio, Johnny Mac |
|||
|
“It was great to have Hugo singing and writing on this album” says Josh Ramos, “He did a great job, a lot of Journey fans are going to love it and also hear a side to Hugo’s singing that they haven't heard before. Maybe we will be able to perform together at some point!”.
“The Dream” is a cracking Melodic Rock album, resembling Journey as primary influence, but also with elements of Two Fires and Valentine’s debut albums. One of the Melodic Rock highlights of the season and definitely and album to look out for. Check out sound samples here, or on our newly redesigned My Space page. Also check out Hugo's new DVD with his band Valentine, on sale now! You can also check out the trailer here. |
with Hugo at Firefest |
|||
| I spent most of this weekend working on a track for the upcoming Rick Springfield tribute record, Working Class Dogs. It's being released on the heals of his new album Venus in Overdrive, and features a smattering of well known artists. I honestly don't know how much I'm allowed to say just yet, but I can tell you I am working with guys who are already featured on this page. (Guess that narrows it down huh? : ) |
|
|||
| The rest of the time has been spent cleaning up loose ends. The China Blue album has now been completely submitted to Frontiers. My thanks to JK Northrup & Ron Vining for working overtime to make this happen! Now we wait...I've also been updated my Audio & Video pages, which have been sadly out of date! And some other exciting stuff on the horizon...in the meantime, check out this concert/interview footage of Jack Frost (Seven Witches) with the Joey Belladonna band. |
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
July 16, 2008 Well...as always, this update is painfully late! I have a LOT of ground to cover, which will probably need to wait another few days until I can compose all my thoughts. But I've popped up in a few news items this week that you should hear about... |
Vic Rivera is clearly excited also |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
First and foremost, I would like to thank uber-guitarist Mario Parga for bringing me on board for his exciting new project, Savage Paradise. This killer new band also features Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) on vocals, Tim Luce (Alcatrazz) on bass & Kevin Valentine (Kiss, Shadow King) on drums. Andrew McNiece turned me on to them during the aftermath of the recent (unrelated) bootleg debacle, and Graham Bonnet himself put in a good word upon returning from his latest jaunt to Europe & Russia, where he made up the dates that we weren't able to fulfill with our previous band. (Graham is going back there next month with Alcatrazz, and will be playing the Berkrock festival in Bulgaria.) But let's get back to Mario... |
Berkrock 2008 poster |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Mario & I had a series of great conversations, and I was heavily impressed by his character. I had no idea that Mario had worked with the late Cozy Powell, or that he's been working on/off with Graham for well over a decade! We did speak a lot about the musical direction, and he played me some things that were intense! This band has all the power and heaviness, while allowing me to open up the more ethereal aspects of my playing...something I don't usually get to explore on my releases, so I'm pretty stoked about that. I am obviously familiar with Tim's work with Alcatrazz, and hearing Tony's voice on Mario's previous work gave me chills! The man has still got it. I am very excited to be working with these guys, there is a lot of potential here and Mario's musical vision for this band has me feeling inspired. Mario adds, “I've been in talks with Eric and it was obvious that he's in the same place musically right now as Savage Paradise. Eric will no doubt play a big part in the sound of the band and we're all looking forward to working with him.” More to follow... |
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Moving on...Summer is finally in full swing, and we are sweating our asses off! We had an incredible trip back east, highlighted by some great family reunions, parties and of course the shows. Around a dozen family members drove up for the King of Prussia performances, in addition to another dozen friends and fans I have made over the years. Thanks to all who put in the miles to make it! |
Eddie Campbell, me, Eric Martin & Vic Rivera |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
We were spread out at four different hotels, although there was a constant pool party going on at the Best Western right up until soundcheck! I drove Doug to our hotel to meet up with Ted & Vic, when my wife called me from the Emergency Room...with Liam. My heart sank. The kid had a rough day, but he convinced the doctors that he had to be at the stage by 6:30 sharp! I don't know how he did it, but somehow he got better by then and was just fine for the rest of the trip! (Although this week he is back to borderline, but alas...) It was a rough afternoon, but it was one of those miracles that I just thank God for. My family is awesome. |
Liam makes it back from the ER just in time! |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
It was great to work with Ted Poley again, and the piano medley of Danger Danger hits was a real highlight! I really enjoyed sharing a stage again with Vic Rivera, Doug Odell & Eddie Campbell (all from Crunch, formerly Adriangale). We ripped through some classic Danger Danger tracks as well as material from Ted's new Poley/Rivera project with Vic. |
Piano Medley - Feels Like Love/One Step From Paradise |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
Next up was a set with Eric Martin (Mr. Big). My new friend Michael Leigh invited me to join in on backing Eric along with his band The Regan Years. I was very excited for this chance to work with Eric (who I hadn't seen since the MR Fest) and play To Be With You and all those classic Mr. Big songs...as well as some awesome solo material that rocked my socks off! I charted the songs before leaving LA, but had absolutely no chance to rehearse with the band prior to show time, not even at soundcheck. But the set came off pretty friggin well, and my kids got to see me perform for the first time! That was huge. Since coming home Kieran has started guitar lessons, and Liam has been taking keyboard lessons. In the time we've been back they have both already written their first songs. Killer! |
the two Eric's "Goin Sane"
|
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
I've seen a lot of fan-shot videos from this intimate outdoor show, and have recieved over 500 pictures. Check out the highlights here. Special thanks to Jay Druzsba (American Angel bass powerhouse) for finding me an awesome keyboard to use for the week, as well as driving up to the show! You are a special dude and you really saved my ass. |
Vic, Kim, me & Maria |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
I'd just like to add that the trip itself was amazing. We never had so much fun visiting the east coast as we did on this trip! Our families & friends were just awesome...it's been a few weeks now and I still am so touched by their kindness and generosity, especially from my in-laws. I also got to see family that I haven't seen in over 20 years, and my kids got to meet their new cousins. They also had a chance to properly experience Seaside Heights for the first time. I have a lot of fond memories of the Jersey shore, and I really wanted them to see it. We rented a block of rooms and everyone partied for four days straight! I also did my final rehearsals for the show there, spending five hours working out Eric Martin's set while everyone else went to the water park! That was actually a special day...we were a half block from the beach, so on my pizza break I headed for the busy boardwalk. I did this many times in my youth, seeing the lights and the loud music and dreaming about working with guys like Eric Martin & Ted Poley one day. Life is good. |
Farewell dinner w/the family
For the uninitiated - a Seaside Heights tourism video from 1960! |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
There is SO much more I need to cover here...I hate to just drop and run like this. But it is SO late, and I am seriously behind. Until next time, let me add that Frontiers Records has released a new batch of sound clips for the From the Inside record that Fabrizio & I did with Danny Vaughn. I know I have been plugging that a lot lately, and so has the label. It's a good friggin' album and you should check it out! Melodic Rock.com has done a feature of it on their site (including some great soundclips), which you can check out here. |
with Danny at Firefest, 2007 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
July 3, 2008 Hey, we're just unpacking and gearing up for the 4th of July! Thanks to everyone who made this recent east coast jaunt a great success! And thank-you to all the family and friends who piled in their cars and drove several hours to see this show! As a special thanks I've posted a quick video from the show. (Several more are popping on my video page). Check out this clip of Eric Martin talking about the Father's Day video you saw here last month (down below) as we rip into a killer version of his classic Mr. Big hit To Be With You. Pictures to follow soon! |
To Be With You (with Eric Ragno introduction) Live at King of Prussia, PA - 7/26/2008 |
|||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
|
|
||||
