Friday, October 31, 2008

WIN TODD RUNDGREN TICKETS

http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2008/10/post_33.html

Win Todd Rundgren Tickets!
11:17 AM GMT 31/10/2008

Todd Rundgren, legendary purveyor of deft pop gems and cosmic prog-fusion is returning to the UK next month for a four date tour in support of his latest album, Arena (out now). You can hear tracks by heading over to his official MySpace page HERE.

He'll play:

Manchester Academy 2 (November 6)
Edinburgh The Picture House (7)
Norwich Waterfront (22)
London Kentish Town Forum (23)

MOJO is delighted to announce that we have one pair of tickets for each show up for grabs. Each winner will also receive a signed copy of Arena. All prizes are courtesy of Mean Fiddler.

So, to be in with a chance of winning one of these excellent prizes, please email your answer to the below question to Editor@mojo4music.com before Tuesday, November 4. Winners with the correct answer will be chosen at random.

And remember to include your venue of choice!

Correctly complete the following Todd Rundgren album title?

A Wizard, a ....

a) True Star
b) Capella
c) Mink Hollow

Photo: © 2008 Jean Lannen

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Terms & Conditions

• No prizes can be traded or exchanged for a cash alternative
• Closing date for this competition is November 4, 2008
• All entrants are responsible for including correct contact details
• The judges decision is final and no negotiation or debate will be entered into.
• All winners will be notified by email.
• This competition is open to all UK readers, except employees, associates and their families of Bauer Media.

INTERVIEW Scottish magazine




CLICK ON PHOTOS TO SEE FULL SIZE
An interview with Todd will be published on the Scottish magazine website www.list.co.uk on Monday November 3. The interview was conducted by Paul Dale a few weeks ago by phone to the US. Apparently it’s amazing.

The interview dovetails a lead concert listing in the magazine this week (attached).

The publicity surrounding this is for Todd’s Edinburgh Picture House gig on Friday November 7th.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

A SURPRISING THING HAPPENED AT THE POLL

TAKE A LOOK AT THE POLL I PUT UP THIS WEEK. I ASKED TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE SONG.

I AM SURPRISED THAT THE SINGLE FOR THE ARENA ALBUM (STRIKE) DIDNT GET ONE VOTE. AND THE FAVORITE SONG AMONG THOSE WHO VOTED IS A BALLAD.

I JUST THOUGHT THIS INTERESTING..

LEAVE YOUR COMMENTS BELOW..

RUNDGREN RADIO 10/31 halloween special

TRi-ck Or TReat ToddCast Special! Replay from a TRconnection.com 2005 Toddcast. Author: EJ Haas. 'Tis the season to be spooky! If you like those classic Midnight Monster Chiller Horror Movies, you're gonna LOVE this! EJ proudly presents the ToddCast Halloween Special, a Macabre Masterpiece of Toddish Terror, LIVE (sort of) from Toddsylvania

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Rundgren Radio announces New Years Eve show




RUNDGRENRADIO.COM PRESENTS:
TODD RUNDGREN IN PHILLY ON NEW YEARS EVE!!!!!!!!!

This may be the first Todd gig on NYE since 1996!?
Price will be $125 per ticket and will include a custom imprinted champagne glass and an optional champagne fill around midnight.

We hope to have all the info online soon so people can start buying tickets. The spots available will be limited to less than 300! The info will be available on http://www.toddnye.info/ soon and we'll let you know when it's ready.
T-shirts will be available for sale and they will be custom made for this gig! Prairie Prince might do the artwork! He wants to do it, but it all depends on how much free time he can get to work on it. Buyers will have the option of a short sleeve T, long sleeve T, or sweatshirt! Pricing TBD soon.
Toddtini shakers will be available for sale for the first time ever! These are gonna be cool. Stainless steel 16oz. martini shaker with something on both sides! One side will be a pic of Todd (comic book face because it's a one color deal, black, so you can't do a real photo) and the other side will be Todd's martini recipe!
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2980383910_2272a16d76.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2980384038_59931b135b.jpg

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON RUNDGRENRADIO

TUNE IN TONIGHT FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT THAT WILL BE MADE ABOUT A SPECIAL EVENT .

WWW.RUNDGRENRADIO.COM


Special guest Kenny Emerson!
In between his love of traditional Hawaiian music, Ken has played and/or toured with many luminaries in the musical world beyond Hawaii including Todd Rundgren, Taj Mahal, Boz Scaggs, Jackson Browne, Donald Fagen, Dave Mason, Charlie Musselwhite, Elvin Bishop, Graham Nash, San Francisco's Grateful Dead members Bob Weir and Bill Kreutzmann, Pablo Cruise Band and The Rowan Brothers.
Kenny contributed on Todd's albums "One Long Year" and "Liars". www.myspace.com/kenemersonguitarist

Huge announcement during the show tonight too! Don't miss it Todd fans!www.RundgrenRadio.com

Monday, October 27, 2008

Review: Arena receives 12 out of 13

http://www.roomthirteen.com/cgi-bin/cd_view.cgi?CDID=9305
by Avril Simister
ARENA rate 12 out of possible 13

Waiting for a new Todd Rundgren album is a strange experience, because you’re never sure what you’re going to get. Rundgren only makes an album when he’s got something to say, and he’s one hundred percent sure of how to say it. But that doesn’t mean he ever sticks to one genre. 'Arena' does exactly what it says on the cover, contains thirteen arena-rock songs. “Old-school guitar-rock” in Rundgren’s own words.

‘Mad’ and ‘Afraid’ are slow-burn rockers with thoughtful lyrics and decent riffs. The heavy rock kicks off with ‘Mercenary’ and its screamed “How do you like me now?” which is guaranteed to stick in your head. ‘Gun’ is interesting, because it sounds like it could have easily been written by Alice Cooper: “I’m young, dumb, and I’ve got a gun”. By this point you’re pretty sure Rundgren has a few issues with modern life. But the thrill of this track comes from the guitar work, particularly the solo, which could have come off a Wishbone Ash song.

What makes this record stand out from the average heavy rock offerings is that Rundgren will always include swirling harmonies and keyboards that offer a solid background for the riffs. So it sounds like him. Especially on slower tracks like ‘Courage’, where he ponders his worth as a man, and ‘Weakness’, a heart-wrenching love song. Suddenly gone is the anger at society, hangers-on, and the NRA. It’s like listening to a massive mood swing, without ever hitting a depressive low.

There’s a heavier reliance on blues than you’d expect, in the guitar work. The Zeppelin-meets-AC/DC stomp of ‘Strike’ showcases fantastic guitar work, as does the echoed haze of ‘Bardo’ and fuzzy chug of ‘Mountaintop’. But somewhere in the back of your mind you’re very aware that Rundgren is the pioneer of solo working, rather than having the back-up dynamic of a band playing together.

All of the songs here have a sharpness of perception and sense of humour in the lyrics that mean Rundgren can swing from being totally serious to riff-heavy gonzo rock without ever compromising the intelligence or value of his work. There’s a lot more studio wizardry here than you’d find on your average rock album, but what did you expect?
At an age where most artists would consider moving into crooner territory, it’s fantastic to find an album full of heavy-rock gems. Quick, someone do something to piss him off again…

Review Ratings
Here at Room Thirteen we've decided to do things slightly differently when it comes to rating CDs and live sets. It may seem normal to rate out of 5, 10 or 100 - but we've decided to rate out of 13. Every live review and CD review has a rating at the top of the page - detailing the marks out of 13. We feel that this gives more versatility than rating out of 5 and it fits in with our love of 13. If you've got any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Sunday, October 26, 2008