Dear Fellows:Delayed but undaunted, here presented is our first ever mid-year report. It presents a comprehensive update of our performances, our new(ish) personnel who deserve your best salutations, and a major release announcement and links for information & purchase of same.
First, a preamble. The band is both a world renowned icon of rock music because of PAUL KANTER & DAVID FREIBERG & for its hits and history, A CONCERT TOUR DE FORCE fronted by the incomparable CATHY RICHARDSON, a musical family of comrades in arms some who have grown up and seen the world together and know one another for years ... 50? (PAUL & DAVID) ... 28? (me & SLICK) ... 32? (PAUL, DAVID & DONNY) ... 14? (CHRIS & me & SLICK), a gang like Jesse James or The Dalton Bros. had ... and a business ... NOT like a Romney/ Bane Capital kind o'business ... more like a 'mom & pop" artisanal micro brew business ... BUT a business. This requires we all show up on time and do our jobs and be kind to our hosts and not do things that might endanger or hurt others in our 'family.' The musicians and staff that continue on, fit that bill.
FIRST
THIS wonderful band adventure will not last forever. That is why we all cherish and one every minute of it and don't take it for granted. All aboard that are going aboard. All now aboard are reinvested and reaffirmed for the adventure ahead and our dates beyond America. The most up to date tour schedule follows ... we may jostle a few things at the end of October, but this looks pretty FIRM to me:
JULY
29 - FIRM/ Lake Forest, CA/ Pittsford Park
AUG.
17 - FIRM/ Colorado Springs, CO/ Stargazer Music Hall
19 - FIRM/ Woodland Hills, CA/ Warner Park
31 - FIRM/ Washington, DC/ Abbey Road On the River
SEPT.
1 - FIRM/ Washington, DC/ Abbey Road On the River
4 - FIRM/ Tel Aviv, ISRAEL/ Reading 3 @ Tel Aviv Seaport
5 - FIRM/ Tel Aviv, ISRAEL/ Reading 3 @ Tel Aviv Seaport
6 - FIRM/ Jerusalem, ISRAEL/ Zappa
8 - FIRM/ Catanzaro, ITALT/ Parco Delle Biodiverità Mediterranee
12 - FIRM/ Rome, ITALY/ Exess
14 - FIRM/ Arlington Heights, IL/ Metropolis Arts Centre
15 - FIRM/ Toledo, OH/ Valentine Thr.
OCT.
6 - FIRM/ Petaluma, CA/ Carousel Fund w/ THE FAMILY STONE
9 - FIRM/ Kinross, UK/ Green Hotel
10 - FIRM/ Edinburgh, SCOTLAND/ Queens Hall
11 - FIRM/ Glasgow, SCOTLAND/ The Ferry
12 - FIRM/ Blackburn, UK/ King George's Hall
13 - FIRM/ Grimsby, UK/ Yardbirds Football Club
16 - FIRM/ Southampton, UK/ The Brook
17 - FIRM/ Wolverhampton, UK/ Robin 2
18 - FIRM/ Chatham, UK/ Central Thr.
19 - FIRM/ London, UK/ The Borderline "BRATE"
19 - FIRM/ London, UK/ The Borderline "BRATE"
22 - FIRM/ Paris, FRANCE/ Le Bataclan
23 - FIRM/ Reims, FRANCE/ La Cartonnerie
24 - FIRM/ Verviers, BELGIUM/ Spirit 66
26 - FIRM/ Helmond, NETHERLANDS/ Lakei
27 - FIRM/ Copenhagen, DENMARK/ Huset
NOV.
2 - FIRM/ Plymouth, NH/ Flying Monkey Performance Center
3 - FIRM/ NY, NY/ The Concert Hall "BRATE"
DEC.
21 - FIRM/ SF, CA/ Apple Store Union Square
JAN. 2013
1 - FIRM/ SF, CA/ The Rrazz Room
2 - FIRM/ SF, CA/ The Rrazz Room
3 - FIRM/ SF, CA/ The Rrazz Room
4 - FIRM/ SF, CA/ The Rrazz Room
5 - FIRM/ SF, CA/ The Rrazz Room
FEB. 2013
15 - HOLD/ Jacksonville, FL/ TBA
16 - FIRM/ Mt. Dora, FL/ Mt. Dora Music Festival
17 - HOLD/ Tampa, FL/ TBA
18 - OFF
19 - TBA
20 - TBA
21 - OFF in Key West
22 - FIRM/ Key West, FL/ Ibis Resort Pier
23 - FIRM/ Miami, FL/ Magic City Casino
MAR. 2013
16 - HOLD/ Pensacola, FL/ City Fest
SECOND
The band and me especially wishes to thank and embarrass CHRIS HAGER, our anointed official tour manager - perhaps the job he was born to do. CHRIS's kindness, coolness under fire, conscientious aspect and loving countenance have buoyed us all. He has gone above & beyond in ways no one but a privileged few can know. If we were not a "mom & pop" we'd bring him everywhere & perhaps someday we shall, but you'll all see me when CHRIS is not there, so say "hi."
PAUL LAMB begins his 3rd life with JEFFERSON STARSHIP next weekend. PAUL engineered & played on TOL, then he ran sound for HOW and he now joins us as production manager/ head technician. I now offer special thanks and praises to TYLER SWEET, who jumped in - in June and saved us. TYLER is the regular tech for BRIAN SETZER, he has also worked for SANTANA & THE PRETENDERS - and in my 37 years in show business, he could be the 2nd best or maybe best tech I ever met. When he came aboard, he had gear to replace/rebuild ... sabotage to undo ... and a immense repertoire of KANTNER songs in assorted tunings to absorb ... and he did this with such elegance, eloquence, good humor & professionalism - we were all blown away. Most times, things happen for no reason - chaos theory prevails ... sometimes, things happen for a reason .
THIRD
On July 3, 2009 - the band + guests played Roswell, NM and appeared as Grand Martians in the annual UFO Parade. The week before we rehearsed and learned some sic-fi covers and experimented with some jams & changes. Aboard for this "Tales from the Mothership" were our DEEP SIX plus DARBY, TRAYLOR, TC ... SEARS & SLESS. We had intended to make a movie ... we shot a ton of footage and multi-tracked the concert ... but the hard drives ... er ... got dropped ... and gravity said "NYUK, NYUK" ...
I of course (an old Deadhead/taper) - made my own HD reference capture ... though over modulated in some spots - it was mostly OK to GREAT and I made it my hobby for a few years to tweak it back to life. In truth, the music was so compelling - it demanded to rebirth itself. Even the relatively lo-fi capture of rehearsal using built in Edirol mics recorded amazing stuff ... I dunno ... SLESS really channeled BVT era GAR ... if anyone here can't cypher my code, others will 'splain it to ya.
The 4 disc box set is ready for prime time ... here is the link for purchase:
http://www.gonzomultimedia.com/product_details/15498/Jefferson_Starship-Tales_From_The_Mothership_-_Roswell_UFO_Festival_3_July_2009.html
For Immediate Release
Classic Rock Legends Jefferson Starship To Release Exclusive Live 4-CD Set 'Tales From The Mothership'
The Paul Kantner Science Fiction Rock & Roll Motion Picture Show!
London, UK - “Roswell UFO Parade & Festival Hosts Jefferson Starship Sci-Fi Extravaganza” read the headlines for the annual July 3rd event that took place in Roswell, New Mexico in 2009. Jefferson Airplane founder Paul Kantner and his legendary band Jefferson Starship and special guests, which included original Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten, performed a one-of-a-kind sci-fi concert at Pearson Auditorium in Roswell in honor of the town's famed annual parade. The group was also bestowed the honor of being the parade's 'Grand Martians' that year and rode atop a special float especially built for them. The entire concert was filmed and recorded, and in addition to such iconic hits as “White Rabbit”, “Somebody To Love”, “Volunteers”, “Wooden Ships” recorded by its forebear Jefferson Airplane (the last two penned by Kantner), a special programme of science fiction themed compositions and select recordings were performed, some for the first time ever! Now, much to the excitement of Jefferson Starship fans across the globe UK's Gonzo MultiMedia is releasing the the entire concert in an extravagant 4-CD box set.
In 1971 the band's first album (Paul Kantner's first solo album actually), 'Blows Against The Empire' was also the first rock music recording ever nominated for literary science fiction's prestigious Hugo Award. In addition to Kantner, 'Blows' featured a 'Who's Who' of Bay Area musicians including David Freiberg from Quicksilver Messenger Service. Freiberg and Kantner, later launched the ongoing Jefferson Starship, eventually writing the hit “Jane.” David rejoined the band full time in 2005.
In 1991 the late great rock impresario Bill Graham signed on to produce 'Blows' from a 'scripted stage play concept' co-written bu Paul Kantner and his (then) new manager Michael Gaiman, a lifelong fan. Sadly, Bill was killed in a helicopter crash and the idea was shelved until Sony Pictures pitched an 'option' for a 'Blows' motion picture in 1996. “That was a big year for sci-fi,” recalls Gaiman. Stemming from a shared interest in 1950s science fiction film and literature, Paul and Michael have worked together for nearly 25 years. In 2008 they co-produced (along with David Freiberg), 'Jefferson's Tree of Liberty,' Jefferson Starship's first studio recording in a decade. The album garnered stellar reviews worldwide. In 2009 Jefferson Starship headlined 'The Heroes of Woodstock', the authorized touring commemorative of the 1969 Woodstock Music & Arts Festival.
“On July 3rd, 2009, thanks to the Roswell UFO Festival Committee and Cool 94.9 Radio, we got to scratch that itch and assuage a long time desire to stage a mosh of rock music and science fiction,” says Gaiman.
Along with Paul Kantner and David Frieberg, Jefferson Starship also features lead singer Cathy Richardson (who played Janis Joplin on Broadway in 'Love, Janis') and longtime band members Slick Aguilar, Chris Smith and Donny Baldwin. In addition to Grateful Dead's Tom Constanten, special guests include Pete Sears (the band's former bass & keyboard player on all their hits), Barry Sless (guitar & pedal steel with Phil Lesh & Friends), former lead vocalist Darby Gould and legendary folk artist Jack Taylor, one of Paul Kantner's early musical influences.
Renegade Productions, the band's frequent collaborator ('Jefferson's Tree of Liberty' was the first album ever recorded in their new studio at the time) staged the production and provided custom sound, lighting and image projection. Karl Anderson of Global Recording Artists filmed the event dubbed 'Tales From The Mothership,' a joint production of The Roswell UFO Festival Committee and Jefferson Starship. “It's not a documentary, not a 'rockumentary', not a 'mockumentary'...it's a 'Spockumentary,” Gaiman quips.
Along with the entire concert from July 3, 2009, the 4-CD set also includes rehearsals from 6/27/2009 and the band's soundcheck before the show.
Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@cs.com
FOURTH
Soon, we shall have CD release dates for the PAUL KANTNER WINDOWPANE COLLECTIVE sets ... and info on additional volumes. We shall also be announcing our contest for winning admission to the private Apple Store show in San Francisco in December and we shall reveal our big plans for 2013, so stay tuned.
MC
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