BAND OF THE WEEK: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND

BORN IN THE USA


Leading up to the 4th of July, who better to rock the birthday of the United States than Bruce Springsteen, Mr. Born In the USA himself?

Along with the E Street Band, Springsteen's songs have paid homage to the struggles of every day American life since the early 1970s.

The songs on his 1984 album, "Born in the USA," protest the Vietnam War, lament jobs drying up in small towns, chronicle looking for love--for at least a night, express the search for a better life, and confide sometimes landing on the wrong side of the law.

Over his career to date, Springsteen and the E Street Band have sold more than 65 million albums in the United States and more than 120 million worldwide. They have earned numerous awards, including 21 Grammy Awards, two Golden Globes and an Academy Award. In addition, Springsteen is widely regarded by many as one of the most influential songwriters of the 20th century.

Though they lost band member and saxophone player, Clarence Clemons, following a stroke in 2011, Springsteen and the E Street Band are now in Europe on their Wrecking Ball tour, and will return to the States in mid-August for concert dates scheduled through September.


For more about Springsteen and the E Street Band, check out the official Web site at <http://brucespringsteen.net/>.

THE INCREDIBLE JOURNEY OF THE ROCK BAND JOURNEY

The rock band, Journey, has been around for almost forty years, and what an incredible journey it has been!

A quote from their Web site <http://www.journeymusic.com/home> states, "Since the group's formation in 1973, the band has earned 19 Top 40 singles and 25 Gold and Platinum albums. The band's Greatest Hits album is certified 15 times Platinum, bringing Journey into the elite club of Diamond-certified album holders."

Starting as an all-instrumental act, the band finally found soaring success when it hired the legendary Steve Perry as a vocalist. A string of hits followed, such as "Don't Stop Believin'," "Faithfully," and "Open Arms," as well as a number of changes in the band's members. Perry developed health problems that led to the cancellation of a scheduled tour in 1996, and eventually left Journey permanently, and the band seemed to fade away.

However, when their song, "Don't Stop Believin'" was featured on the finale of the TV show, "The Sopranos," interest in the band flared again.

But they had no lead singer.

Desperate to find someone who could recreate the classic Journey sound, founding member Dean Schon turned to YouTube and discovered Arnel Pineda fronting a band in the Philippines that mimicked classic rock bands--including Journey.

Schon was so impressed he called the other band members and they flew Pineda to the U.S. for an audition. Within a few songs, Pineda was their new vocalist, joining the band in 2008. I especially enjoyed this CBS News Sunday Morning interview <http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1378774/arnel_pineda_cbs_news_sunday_morning_interview/> that mixes an interview with the band, old Journey clips featuring vocalist Steve Perry (in the earlier days), and footage of their new frontman Arnel Pineda. If you watch the entire interview, be prepared for a touching story.

Journey has released two albums since Pineda joined them and are touring extensively--currently in the United States and Canada for the rest of 2012. See <http://www.journeymusic.com/pages/tour> for tour dates and how to order tickets.

BAND OF THE WEEK: AEROSMITH--THIS ONE IS FOR MY SISTER...

…who is a huge fan of Steven Tyler and Aerosmith.

Aerosmith kicks off their Global Warming Tour of North America this Saturday, June 16 in Minneapolis, MN. 

"The Bad Boys from Boston are back to rock America's soul," states their Web site <http://www.aerosmith.com/>. Twenty-three dates will bring this popular band to the United States and Canada.

The band celebrated their fortieth anniversary in 2010. They have sold over 150 million albums worldwide and been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  They are the recipients of countless awards including four GRAMMYs, eight American Music Awards, six Billboard Awards and 12 MTV Video Music Awards among many other honors. 

Also of interest to me as a writer is that Steven Tyler has released a memoir entitled "Does the Noise in My Head Bother You?"

Here's the blurb on the book: Tyler tells what it's like to be a living legend and the frontman of one of the world's most revered and infamous bands--the debauchery, the money, the notoriety, the fights, the motels and hotels, the elevators, limos, buses and jets, the rehab. He reveals the spiritual side that "gets lost behind the stereotype of the Sex Guy, the Drug Guy, the Demon of Screamin', the Terror of the Tropicana." And he talks about his epic romantic life and his relationship with his four children. As dazzling, bold, and out-on-the-edge as the man himself, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? is an all-access backstage pass into this extraordinary showman's life.

My Rock'n'Romance books are definitely not the same style, focusing on reformed rock stars, making peace with the past, and finding a monogamous life partner. :)

For more info and links on where to buy tickets for their upcoming concert dates, visit the Aerosmith Web site <http://www.aerosmith.com/>.

NORTHWEST LEGENDS: WHAT ARE THE LYRICS TO "LOUIE, LOUIE"?

If you live in the Northwest and are of a certain, ahem, age, you probably have personal memories of the song, "Louie, Louie." Recorded by The Kingsmen, Paul Revere and the Raiders, and a number of other bands, it's long been rumored the lyrics were obscene--at least for the 1960s, when it was recorded by The Kingsmen. 

Of course, this song and its notoriety has spread far beyond the Northwest now. If you've ever heard this song performed, you'll probably notice the lyrics are at times indecipherable. I attended a concert with Mark Lindsay (former lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders) and Jack Ely (lead singer of The Kingsmen when Louie, Louie was recorded) a number of years ago. I don't remember the lyrics, but the concert was fun. :)

Was the rumor of lewd lyrics a ploy by the record company to sell more records? Did bands sing different versions of this song? The mystery surrounding this song is part of its fun!

There is an interesting discussion of this song on the Songfacts Web site <http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=782>. WARNING: some of the comments and rumored lyrics might be offensive to gentle eyes. :)

Link to The Kingsmen Web site: <http://www.louielouie.org/>

Facebook page for Jack Ely: <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jack-Ely-former-lead-singer-of-The-Kingsmen/29278657310>

Link to Paul Revere & the Raiders Web site: <http://www.paulrevereraiders.com/>

Link to Mark Lindsay Web site: <http://www.marklindsay.com/>

And, of course, if you'd like to immerse yourself in Louie, Louie trivia, just search for this title on the Internet. Amazing what comes up! Have fun!

WHAT DO GENIE GABRIEL'S BOOKS AND THE PORTLAND ROSE FESTIVAL HAVE IN COMMON?

THEME, SETTING, PACKY!

I was delighted to discover the theme for this year's Portland Rose Festival is Rock'n'Roses--pretty close to my Rock'n'Romance trilogy. Part of THE ROCK STAR takes place at during Rose Festival time, and one scene takes place during Packy the elephant's birthday party at the zoo. Well, Packy is the grand marshall of this year's Grand Floral Parade. 

ROSES!

THE ROCK STAR and the Portland Rose Festival also share roses! The Rose Festival is all about roses, of course! Each year the Lloyd Center ice rink is turned into a delightful garden for the annual rose show.  In THE ROCK STAR, Geoff takes roses to Shannon, and Shannon adds another rose bush to the garden for special occasions near the house she inherited from her grandmother. 

RAVE REVIEWS

My Rock'n'Romance trilogy also received some very nice reviews. Here's what some reviewers had to say:

--THE ROCK STAR is "…well written, with realistic dialogue
and fully developed characters...an excellent tale of love and the power of healing..." --Reviewed by The Long and The Short of It Reviews

--THE BODYGUARD ""...a fantastic story...the plot is explosive with the twists and turns evenly paced. [the story] will have you clenching your fist in anger as well as reaching for the tissues a time or two... An absolutely brilliant read! [The Bodyguard] stands up and roars."  ----Kwips and Kritiques

--THE LEADER OF THE BAND "...As [the author] peels the artificial layers away, she reveals some most interesting surprises about some of the characters, not the least of which is the character who turns out to be the real antagonist." --The Long and the Short of It

The Portland Rose Festival was named the Best Festival in the World in 2011 by the International Festivals and Events Association (for the second time in five years).

ROCK'N'ROLL!!!

And, finally, both the Rock'n'Romance trilogy and Rock'n'Roses 2012 have Rock'n'Roll! My trilogy tells the stories of three men connected to a classic rock band. On Saturday, June 2, the Rose Fest offers the Battle of the Cover Bands starting at noon in the RoZone. Bands include Petty Fever (Tom Petty), Rolling Tones (Rolling Stones), Garcia Birthday Band (Jerry Garcia-Grateful Dead), Drop Dead Legs (Van Halen), Ramble On (Led Zeppelin), and Metal Machines (A Tribute to All Things 80’s Rock). Check out the Rose Fest Web site for times and details <http://www.rosefestival.org/>.

ENJOY!

If you are in the Portland area, I hope you enjoy the Rose Festival. If you are anywhere in the world, you can enjoy the Rock'n'Romance trilogy! Remember, THE ROCK STAR is a free e-book from Amazon.com on June 2. 

THE SUMMER COMEBACK TOUR STARTS TODAY!

I am excited to announce the Summer Comeback Tour, featuring the three books of my Rock'n'Romance trilogy re-issued late last year: THE ROCK STAR, THE BODYGUARD, and THE LEADER OF THE BAND.

KICK-OFF WITH FREE E-BOOK ON JUNE 1 & 2!

To kick off this special tour, the e-book version of THE ROCK STAR will be free on the Amazon.com Kindle program on June 1 and 2. <www.Amazon.com> You don't have to own a Kindle to take advantage of this--free apps are available on line for both PCs and Macs.

NEW CONTESTS!

The Summer Comeback Tour will also feature contests and prizes throughout the summer, with themed baskets each month, as well as random drawings for smaller prizes such as guitar keychains. Just leave a comment here to be entered. 

I'm looking forward to a wonderful summer, and hope to share some of it with you!