Saturday, February 4, 2012

Rundgren tours starting to unfold ..Ringo All-Star tour in spring /summer?

In 2012, Todd Rundgren will tour in what he calls an "Unpredictable" format (March), with the band Ethel (Oct/Nov), and it looks like he'll be in Ringo's All-Star Band this Summer or Spring. That's what we know so far but there's always more.

Rundgren Radio presents 2 nights at The Agora Cleveland Ohio

2 new dates !! March 9 & 10 at The Agora in Cleveland !!
http://www.clevelandagora.com/

UPDATED.. THIS SHOW IS POSTPONED FOR NOW.

Rolling stone #271 Cameron Crowe article on Todd Rundgren

http://www.theuncool.com/journalism/rs271-todd-rundgren/
Thanks Doug (www.rundgrenradio.com) for finding this and bringing it to my attentions

Friday, February 3, 2012

DJ Mingo-go, waitress and semi-professional Toddstalker; Jill Mingo




http://www.vinduet.no/Diverse/Todd-is-Godd-9

"A lot of people ask how I got into Todd....in case anyone ever wondered. I am still perplexed how it too me so long, but when yr there, YR THERE! For me, when I "found Todd", I was at a point in my life where I very low. And finding him made me realize that even though you can go your whole life knowing about something, you may not really KNOW. It really gave me hope that there's always more. And it changed my whole outlook on life.

I've told a lot of folk this. I have been obsessed with music since I was in the crib. Ask my sisters (they're both on here and can vouch), and music was big in my household growing up. I would save my allowances from the age of 6 buying ALBUMS. Early ones include Capt. & Tennille, John Travolta, Queen and David Bowie. I guess you could say I had eclectic tastes. My big bro and big sis both were "punks" in the 70s in St. Louis so I was exposed to the weirder side of rock quite early on. For some reason, they weren't into or real aware of Todd. My earliest active memories of Todd were him constantly being on Midnight Special and various video shows as "Pioneering video artist Todd Rundgren and his Utopia" and then there'd be some video or concert with guitar solos. By this time, I was firmly into Devo, Blondie and XTC (I bought Drums and Wires in 1980 - I was 11, it was on import) and I liked things like Gary Numan - pre "Cars". I also had Panaroama when it came out - speaking of Cars!) Todd just seemed very "Mainstream" and "Rock"...but of course, was 10-13 when this was my impression. When "Time Heals" was on, it got shown a lot on HBO as a video between movies - I used to look in the guides to see what times the movies end to catch music videos as MTV didn't launch in St. Louis until Dec. 82). I DID like that video and was curious. But at this point, I was pretty much into what pre-teens are into....cute boys, pop tunes, and all the rest. Fashion. Most of the music from this era, I still like, but I would have rejected say Capt. & Tennille...who I now think are wonderful and Sedaka was definitely BACK! I have realized the music I loved when I was 4 is as valid as it ever was. I just hadn't developed what it was to be "cool". That came about when I was 12-18. I stopped caring again by the time I was 18.

As years went on, I got further into electronic music - mainly dance music and more into bossa nova and exotica. When I hit my early 20s, I started digging into the Beach Boys - mainly due to my friend Christopher who was into dance music and making music. It was timing, really, 'cause Primal Scream's Screamadelica came out and BBs were getting name checked...so I started checking them out. I think that's when my love for pop or as the Japanese call it it,"Soft rock", came about. By this time, I lived in the UK, and I started getting more and more 60s bands that had this psych edge to their pop music. A lot of music in the late 90s really reflected on this sound, mixed with dance beats, soul and lounge vibes. Particularly stuff from Japan. Still electronic by and large. I had a successful indie music PR company (still do...just not as successful) where I promoted lots of indie and mainly electronic music. I started stalking labels like Bungalow and Tricatel and working for them. And then Emperor Norton came to me. They had put out the Virgin Suicides soundtrack. That was when I realized that "Hello, It's Me" and more importantly "A Dream Goes on Forever" (which was a childhood fave of mine...like when it was in the charts) was TODD RUNDGREN. Not just some irritating rock guitar solo video pioneer....a pop genius. Which was what I was into. And I thought "I should check out this Todd". That must have been around 1999.

In 2000, I was in Japan with my friend Douglas Stewart (See BMX Bandits for further details) for his wedding, and we were in Recofan shopping and he handed me "With a Twist" and said, "do you have this? It's got a great Martin Dennyesque cover of "Hello, It's Me'" and I said "Oh, Todd Rundgren. Is he any good? I've been meaning to check him out." Douglas then told me Todd was amazing, and when I asked where to start, he said that was quite a big problem as there really wasn't a greatest hits to start with because he was more an album artist. All were great in his opinion, but he had a LOT of albums. After much consideration, he said that S/A was a good bet as I'd know songs on it and it was his most successful, but not necessarily his best. But probably easy to get into. I bought "With a Twist". I didn't play it much but DID love the "Hello, It's Me" version. And I always meant to go and listen more 'cause I did like the LP and recognized several songs. About 6 mos. later, I found S/A in a charity shop for $4 and bought it, but as it was double vinyl, I rarely listened to it. But...again, I did enjoy it and did play it DJing sometimes. I was still "Todd Curious"

Then in Aug. 08, I saw that Todd was playing in Edinburgh in Nov. and it was only £23 with booking fee. I thought it seemed very reasonable, but it was a Friday nite which is prime tips for a waitress. However, I decided to bite the bullet and go see him - on my own - invited my ex who wimped out on the day. Nov. 7, 08. I had done my research and that he was doing his new LP which was "arena rock". Played some of the songs on MySpace and it didn't sound like he'd lost it like many other older artists. So away I went. (I think when Todd played in Glasgow in 04, I was likely tour managing and never realized he was in town). I came back and just started youtubing and wiki and all that. Reading, reading and watching and listening. I decided I would just buy no more than two CDs per week to get to see if I really wanted to go deep. I had a chance meeting with my psych rock friend Alasdair and told him I'd seen Todd and he came round with his band's demo...and brought me AWATS to listen to, Runt to listen to (we listened to both...this was my first listen to AWATS and I was like "Well, I'm gonna have to get THIS one...I bought it at the end of Nov) and he lent me Faithful and I burned a copy of the Nazz CD anthology. I had just bought the Go Ahead Ignore Me anthology and was waiting for it to arrive in the post (it must have been like Nov. 11th). The 2nd CD I bought was Healing... I chose something from the 80s 'cause I figured that was something I was least likely to enjoy...would date. I pretty much knew after that there was going to be a tattoo. After that, the order gets dodgy. New World Order, Todd, Initiation, Liars were probably next. Arena was a rather late one. Up Against it was the last one - as that was pricey. I got that in Aug maybe. I don't have EVERYTHING, but I have almost everything. Not all singles or anything collectory. Just the music. I mean, I even have the Undercover soundtrack. I can't say I know all the music or all the song titles of every track. Lots of that I don't know. But I'd say by the end of Nov. 08, I knew it was for real. I hadn't even met the Todd fans yet. But when you know...YOU KNOW.

So that's how Todd has wound up tattooed on my heart....'cause there's always more!"
Now it's 37 shows later...that's right. The two Oslo shows and one Bergen show I'm going to will make it an even 40! My second Todd show was at the Norweigian Wood festival in June 09. I had booked a cheap flight to Oslo and lost my job less than a week later. It was my 40th bday on June 21st, and I desperately wanted to go see Todd. I decided to put out an appeal on Facebook Facebook to see if instead of buying me a drink, friends would just paypal me a pound. Within 24 hours, I had over £200 and was able to go to Norway. Upon arriving at the festival, I met with some TR fans from TR Connection (the popular Todd Rundgren fan site that Todd himself endorses) that spent the rest of the time buying me drinks, dinner, and even let me stay at their flat til I needed to catch my morning flight. I met Audun Vinger there as well. The tattoo attracts a LOT of attention. So my love for Norway and their TR fans is something that words canNOT express.

I have flown to the US 8 times since "finding Todd", and the Netherlands twice. Not to mention these two TRips to Norway and a week long tour around the UK. I went to the TR's Musical Survival Camp last June and spent a week in the Catskill Mountains with Todd and his friends, with nightly jam sessions, drinking, dinner, drum circles....you name it! They're doing it again this July but it's TR's Musical REVIVAL Camp at the Full Moon Resort in NY. Of course, I'm going. I refer to myself as a "semi-professional Todd Rundgren stalker". The friends I have made through TR are plentiful and some of the best people I have ever known. The messages in his music seem to unite the sorta people that I want to know. Well, NEED to know. It lets me know that I'm not alone in this little adventure called life. All roads lead to Utopia, although I'm not sure if we'll ever get there. Still, I'm going to enjoy the ride!

Review of new TODD live cd/dvd... something else reviews

Todd Rundgren – Todd: Live CD/DVD (2012)
Posted by Glen Boyd
http://somethingelsereviews.com/2012/02/03/todd-rundgren-todd-live-cddvd-2012/

A lot of people don’t remember Todd Rundgren today, and it’s really a damn shame. Because, back in his late-1970s and early=1980s heyday, Todd Rundgren was the man.

These days, when people think of Todd, what they most likely remember him for are the brilliantly constructed pop classics “I Saw The Light,” “We Gotta’ Get You A Woman,” and especially “Hello, It’s Me.” If ever there was a more perfect pop single than that, I have yet to hear it.

But beyond the great pop songs, and the multi-colored hair you see on those late night “Midnight Special” infomercials today, Todd was more known back then as something of a musical renaissance man.

Sure, he wrote great pop songs. But the slightly ahead-of-its-time musical sophistication of his early solo albums — on which he played every instrument, and oversaw every aspect of the actual recordings — also made him the most sought after producer of his time. It is only when you check Todd Rundgren’s credits as a producer back then (which include everyone from Hall and Oates and Patti Smith, to Badfinger and Grand Funk Railroad) that you start to realize just how pivotal he was in shaping the sound of the seventies.

In truth, Todd Rundgren was something like the Rick Rubin of his day.

But it doesn’t stop there. On his own records, things went much deeper. For every fluffy piece of pop like “Hello, It’s Me,” Todd explored everything from fusion-jazz to avant-experimentalist forms on albums like the tragically slept upon A Wizard, A True Star.

[SOMETHING ELSE! REWIND: Digging into a trio of classic Todd Rundgren favorites -- from 'Rust,' 'Something/Anything?,' and 'Back to the Bars.']

These days, when it comes to Todd’s own albums, it’s the two-disc pop classic Something/Anything? that gets the most love. But his 1974, largely unsung classic Todd is by far the more musically adventurous record. On this amazing, largely forgotten (and probably out-of-print) album, Todd goes from the pristine pop of songs like “A Dream Goes On Forever,” to styles incorporating everything from 1970s glam metal, to Zappa-esque, fusion-laced humor, to Brian Wilson-influenced symphonic sweep and beyond. There is even tap-dancing sequences on this record (but more on that in a minute).

The thing is, Todd displays every bit the studio sophistication of much more universally lauded masterpieces like the Beach Boys’Pet Sounds or Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland (both of which share many qualities with Todd, by the way). Yet, it receives nowhere near the same critical recognition that those masterpieces do.

Like I said, it’s a damn shame. Because Todd was all over the map on that record in the best way. From the heavy metal cast blue eyed soul of “The Last Ride” to the ferocious stomp of the “King Kong Reggae,” Todd is an unsung classic.

So the good news is, he has brought it back. On this concert DVD, recorded in 2010 in his hometown of Philadelphia, Todd Rundgren and his all-star band of great musicians recreate the Todd album from start to stop. What is most amazing about this DVD, is just how well they pull it all off, right down to the studio trickery that went into the making of this amazing, if largely historically unsung record.

Todd’s voice is a bit deeper these days. But he still hits the high notes perfectly, particularly on “The Last Ride,” Todd’s great take on the Philly soul that was so prevalent back when this album was originally recorded. He also nails the incendiary, closing guitar solo of the original.

Even more impressive, is the way Todd’s band is able to recreate the multiple layers of the original recording in a live setting. All of the studio trickery of the original 1974 Todd sessions is faithfully reproduced here — from the multi-layered symphonics of “I Think You Know,” right down to the tap-dancing of “Useless Begging” (which drummer Prairie Prince handles beautifully).

As for the other guys in the band, they include longtime Rundgren mates like original Utopia bassist Kasim Sultan and former Cars keyboard player Greg Hawkes (who looks for all the world like a Rodney Bingenheimer clone here in his blond, pageboy bowlcut).

This great band also gets some great chances to flex their considerable musical muscle, and totally rock out on tracks like “Heavy Metal Kids,” and especially “Everybody’s Going To Heaven/ King Kong Reggae.”

This is a great concert DVD, from one of the most underrated (at least today) visionaries of the original seventies era we regard today as “classic rock.”

There is only one bonus feature here, but it’s a good one. Noted sportscaster Roy Firestone — who is apparently also a major league “Toddie” as he puts it — sits Todd himself down for an interview, in which the man opens up about a variety of subjects ranging from his love of the band Yes to his recollections of how George Harrison dissed him on the production credits for Badfinger’s Straight Up.

You won’t want to miss this one. In stores, February 14.

"Todd live" DVD / CD update

Just got a heads up ..we will have these in about a week and will ship as soon as we get them !!
NEW Live Todd DVD !!!
Available for Pre-Order NOW !!
www.toddstore.com
A BIG Thanks in advance for ordering directly from the Toddstore !

Interview : Badsound Magazine

http://www.badsoundsmagazine.com/article/toddrundgren/#more-49


Last night I popped two Benadryls to counter a bout of insomnia and itchy mosquito-bites. It knocked me into a fourteen hour coma whereby an elaborate dream-plot unravelled, involving the legendary Todd Rundgren.

Cast as a saintly godfather figure with his now silvery black hair, his undeniably Swedish bone structure and boyish eyes were hidden behind rounded, onyx spectacles. His words came articulate and heady, with a childlike aura preserved in the form of a carefree but obsessive nature– a chaotic orchestration of detail. I dreamed he'd landed in Oslo Spektrum and immediately explored every nook and cranny, climbing stairs, peeking behind walls patiently; while I, frantically ran like a backstage manager trying to fulfill a list of psychedelic wishes. Purple cowbells. A plate of fresh mussels. Egyptian dancers.

When I awoke, I realized it all coincided with the warm, glowing demeanor I'd experienced after calling him in his home in Hawaii. Hello, it's me. I'm generally terrified of interviewing my heroes, for fear they'll traumatically alter the image and perceptions I have of their music. Such was not the case. Todd Rundgren's pop experiments and eccentricities throughout decades have made him one of rock'n'roll's greatest pioneers– from bangin' noise with Sixties' garage band Nazz, to a ritalin-fueled extreme bout of genius releases in the Seventies including Something/Anything? (1972) and A Wizard, A True Star (1975), to working as a engineer/producer for Meat Loaf, Grand Funk Railroad and Patti Smith. No matter how complex his use of musical devices of the time, his music has always been loaded with a touch of a bleedin' human. We discussed everything from his Scandinavian roots, the upcoming album, and the real, yes children, truth behind Healing (1981).

You played in Norway two years ago last, I believe, supporting the Arena tour at Norwegian Wood.

T: Uh-huh, two or three years ago.

What has been your experience of Norway?

T: Well I've been to Norway quite a few times under varying circumstances. I've been there touring, though I didn't tour very regularly. Since the Seventies, I've toured there with Ringo Starr, my own thing, and I'm trying to remember if I got there with Joe Jackson. But I don't think we did. Most of the time it's when the weather was somewhat pleasant. But you're right, the last time wasn't so long ago.

Ringo Starr actually played Norwegian Wood this past year. Summertime is notoriously good weather-wise, other then that it's eight months of darkness so... quite unlike Hawaii.

T: Well I've been to Stockholm in the winter, so I know what it's like when it's dark all day long (laughs). It won't be a complete surprise– my name Rundgren of course, is of Scandinavian extraction. Swedish actually. My grandfather was Swedish, so I should have it in me somewhere….

Some kind of Scandinavian skin…

T: Yea, (laughs) somewhere in here…

Have you travelled much in Norway other than on tour?

T: No, I haven't had any leisure time in Norway which I'd really like to have. My wife's family is from Norway. Yea. She's often mentioned wanting to go back and find some of her family roots, so that might happen sometime. But I can pretty much guarantee that'll happen in the summer!

How was the response when you played here last? Hopefully not stereotypically deadpan norgs or subdued audiences.

T: Haha, no, well, when I played with Ringo, I remember people getting pretty excited. But let's see… last time I played outside the festival context with my own thing, I remember the weather was kind of cold and wet. We didn't have a huge crowd come out but the people that came out as I recall, were really enthusiastic. I think I have some small cult of fans in Norway that uh, keep the torch burning for me…

Yes, you do. You definitely have a cult following! Which leads me to ask– I know a lot of die-hard fans name Healing as their favorite album.

T: --Oh, that's terrific!

Does this surprise you, or did it surprise you when fans in the States asked you to bring it back?

T: Yea, the show we did– I didn't realise there was so much demand! (laughs) You know the problem is, there's always someone between you and the fans, called the promoter. If the promoter doesn't think he'll be able to sell enough tickets, he'll never offer you a gig. Part of the problem historically for me, has been trying to find promoters you know, who'll put together a tour so we can play for instance, more than one festival. Or more than one city in Norway. I think that especially when you're talking about a cult of audience who'd really come out and buy tickets, but aren't visible to the promoters who actually book the gigs. That's part of the problem. It used to be when we had a more traditional record company structure that record labels would do a lot to bring you over and build an audience for you. But of course now, record labels are few and far between. Most of them don't make that kind of investment any longer.

So I guess on behalf of those who are huge fans of Healing, it's not easy to foresee whether it'd be brought to Norway.

T: Well, part of the problem with that show was it's somewhat expensive to travel with. That's why it didn't last longer then a couple of weeks in the United States. The particular shows where I reproduce a whole album usually have a theatrical component to them, it's a bigger band and crew.

So we wouldn't see a deconstructed version, like I dunno, like those mid-eighties tv studio sets? He he.

T: I guess there are different ways to do if we stripped the show down. Um… the solution I guess is like in the States, is groups of fans who can't find a promoter, come together. They'll promote their own shows, and that's always a lot of fun. To do something that kind of doesn't need a traditional sort of business structures. A certain level of enthusiasm that the promoters don't feel.

Well that's definitely becoming increasingly popular, All Tomorrow's Parties festival in London comes to mind, when bands are coming back and playing older albums because of fan enthusiasm for it. I really hope with Healing in Europe, we generate enough fan interest if there's no promoters to intervene.

T: It's also a way to get a promoter's attention. You know, if the fans hold an event that looks like it has enough sincere ticket buyers. Yea, it's a whole new age out there. The internet certainly helps.

How has it been, since it's only been these last few years playing entire albums like Healing, Todd and the Utopia reunion– translating them on stage? What's been most difficult and what, perhaps, came easily?

T: Well as you mentioned, my tour has been a combination of things. Like in the last year, I toured oh, a lot of different ways. In the Spring I did more Healing shows, five or six shows, and that's a kind of special show. Then I went out and did a new show, which is more familiar material, especially to my fans. But we were trying to put together a show we could take to performing arts centers. The difference between performing arts centers and regular venues is they have season ticket holders.

I see.

T: So you can do something that can appeal who aren't necessarily your hardcore fans. So we did that in the summer, and we also went to Japan and did one show at the Fuji Rock Fest.

Great festival!

T: Yes, it was. And THEN, I came to Europe in October to perform with the Metropool Orchestra in Holland. So that was yet another kind of show, since I don't tour with an orchestra (laughs). We rehearsed for five days and only did two shows. Next year it's kinda the same thing, sometimes with my own show. As a matter of fact, when I'm going to Norway I'm doing…

…An acoustic show.

T: That's right. And then in Stockholm. I'm doing a kind of show I never do at all, it'll be a strictly solo show.

So you decided the kind of show according to the resources of each city.

T: Yea exactly, I would bring my whole band to Norway if we were doing enough shows, but we're not doing enough to pay for the airline ticket. So I have to come by myself and do the best I can. Maybe under another circumstances we'll come back with a band of my own. But we're always looking to get to Europe, and places we don't tour a lot. We actually have been looking at dates in Norway for sometime but for some reason there's no promoters that wanted to put one on.

Really??

T: I think there were a few offers but not enough to get the band over. I think we played five shows in England and that's it.

Ok, ok. That's a shame. Well I guess it's difficult for even Norwegian bands to tour Norway because of the terrain, and there's only two major cities for larger acts, Oslo, the capital of just over half a million people, and Bergen.

T: Well. I'm playing them both! (laughs)

Between your touring schedule, which has gone in overdrive comparatively to years before it, as well as a very intense rehearsing schedule– how do you keep sane, I dunno, mind and body?

T: (laughs) Well traveling on the road can be a hardship, but I enjoy the playing still. It's kinda physical thing. I put a lot of physical energy into it. And in my opinion, keeps me healthy in a way. If all I did was sit in a chair at home (laughs) I guess my muscles would atrophy. So fortunately doing a lot of shows gets me out of the chair and a lot of exercise. I usually feel pretty good while on the road.

Are there any particular pre-show rituals or tour superstitions?

T: I don't think I do anything that's peculiar…

So no blue M&M's…

T: I guess I like to have about an hour before the show to gather my energy and clear my mind, but as far as doing some… I don't even have a vocal exercise! I usually work it doing soundcheck but that's pretty much it. Usually I don't do anything special, I just hit the stage and start screaming.

That's quite amazing. I wanted to return to Healing– I've heard so many competing myths and stories as to how this album came about. Could you clarify for us, or is the real, real reason something strictly personal.

T: Well some people thought it was an reenactment of having been robbed in my house. Which is one rumour I've heard.

That's right, that's one rumor I've heard as well.

T: Yea, unfortunately the actual sequence of events doesn't support that theory. When that event happened, which was the late fall of October or something like that, I had already substantially finished the record. The record was already done. I did the record as an experiment. If the record could be therapeutic if you actually consciously try to make it so. And uh, while it was therapeutic for me creating a texture of sound that was amenable to that idea, after the album came out, some people told me they thought the record actually had therapeutic value. Now I'm wondering whether it was the quality of the music, or because there is some audio suggestion in there, when you call a record, "Healing".

I think it's definitely both.

You know, people get themselves in the frame of mind for it. Waiting for something therapeutic to happen.

Yes.

T: I did it as an experiment but with no claims or guarantees that it'd have anything other than a musical effect. But as you mentioned, the record seems to have a deeper meaning for some people. But I guess that's why when we solicited requests for what album our fans wanted to see reproduced on stage, Healing was one of the ones they picked. The first one they picked was A Wizard, A True Star, ironically enough. I was never aware there was a kind of soft spot in everyone's heart for Healing.

It's like you say, the musical elements– there are moments when the percussion and added instrumentation is quite complex… almost melting into a drone, which is quite hypnotic. But it could also be a favourite because of this cohesive mood, when it's premise is something holistic or hopeful. That really shines through, like it has a collective feel as opposed to a lot of rock records which might be I dunno…(laugh) more destructive?

T: (laughs) Yea, the problem with making records like that is not getting bored with making a long textural thing. It's a tendency to do a lot, or perhaps throw in a lot of more rhythmic elements or little tricks and things like that– I had to remind myself this is almost like creating a platform for self-hypnosis. The musical texture is integral to creating, like a brain wave pattern, or a delta wave.

Right, right.

T: And yet, you have to constantly remind yourself in the process to not get out of that groove. It has to stay in there long enough for the delta wave to form.


"Usually I don't do anything special,
I just hit the stage and start screaming."

Your approach has always been quite unconventional and experimental, particularly in regards to using technology of the time. To what degree does technology go hand-in-hand with your inspiration for songs?

T: Well I used to like to mess around with all of the gadgets in the studio, see what could be done with them in different configurations. The result of that is something like A Wizard, A True Star, which is aggressively experimenting not only with musical forms but the way the sounds are captured. And as time went on, I realised it wasn't appropriate for every record– sometimes you want people to focus on the music and less on the sound of the instrument. Nowadays you have more options. I take to using Reason, and pretty much do everything on my laptop. I don't so much think in terms of a studio environment, I think about making music pretty much anywhere I can find a space to make it. So if I'm producing somewhere else, especially here in Hawaii, I'm not looking for a studio but a house or barn somewhere, and set up an extemporaneous studio. That kind of flexibility has let me think in different ways– I used to have to teach myself– I don't know how to write music, traditional musical notation– so I'd have to teach myself how to remember song ideas. But now I got my laptop.

Technology has almost grown into your hand, or as close to thinking as possible.

T: It's very transparent. You don't need the overhead of making a record, you can just jump right into it.

So has technology become a main source of inspiration, or are there timeless sources as well?

T: Well I have to say, actually someone said to me they saw it in a record store in Norway– recently I put out a record called [Re]production, where I recorded new versions of songs I produced for other people. I used that as an opportunity to mess with technology in a way aggressively I haven't done recently. I had access to a lot of tools in my possession, like auto-tuning, but I hardly used it. Until this recent project where I learned the ear of the audience has been used to in certain contexts. The question is, if you can use it in an interesting way or not destroy what you're trying to do in the music. So technology on this last record has played a big role.

Are there bands you're currently producing or recommend?

T: I don't do a lot of producing these days. A lot of the artists I've worked with simply don't make records anymore (laughs). Or they do their own records now and promote themselves using the internet. I used to help a lot of new bands, help them through the recording process. But nowadays anybody can afford the tools they need to capture their own music… iPads, garageband, etc.

True dat.

T: Yea, most artists I'd worked with are now self-propelled.

Future plans?

T: Well it's important for me to continue to tour. The record industry isn't the way it used to be, so my principle way of making money is touring. I have no intention of retiring in any sense. As I've said I'm going out next year in a number of configurations, I'm going out with a string quartet in the fall, bunch of all-star musicians in the spring. And I'm looking forward to coming to Norway to do a solo show. I have new ideas for records in my head, and I think we're just waiting for… I've had offers to underwrite the recording… we're just waiting for some things in the record industry to sort itself out. You know one more record label has just disappeared.

You mean EMI…

T: Yea. The major labels keep shrinking, and they've been absorbed by Sony. So at the time we were at talks with EMI and now, they have to go through all this reorganization. So I can't give concrete dates or deadlines, but I can guarantee within the next year I'll start a record. It might even be completed in time to come out next year.

We definitely look forward that. Anyway, thanks again for your time! Let us know if you need any recommendations in Oslo.

T: It's my pleasure, and I definitely will. Last time I only had the chance to eat dinner, play, and leave. Thankfully this time we get to spend a few days so I'm really happy about that… See you in Oslo!

For By:Larm ticket holders and die-hard fans, Todd will be answering questions in a Q&A session led by Audun Vinger on Saturday, Feb 18th, 12:15pm-sharp at Folketeateret. He'll then be performing the following Sunday at Parkteatret, a rare and solo concert. Get your tickets fast!

Tagged: todd rungren, bylarm

Thursday, February 2, 2012

Listen To Todd Rundgren's Remix of Lindstrom's 'Quiet Place to Live"

click on this link below to find the remix of the song.

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-listen-to-todd-rundgrens-remix-of-lindstroms-quiet-place-to-live-20120202

By Rolling Stone
February 2, 2012 4:00 PM ET


Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-listen-to-todd-rundgrens-remix-of-lindstroms-quiet-place-to-live-20120202#ixzz1lGqEjN8Z
Norwegian producer Hans-Peter Lindstrøm has created remixes of songs by countless artists, including LCD Soundsystem, Best Coast and Roxy Music. But the tables were recently turned on him when Todd Rundgren agreed to remix Lindstrøm's original track "Quiet Place To Live." "When speaking about possible remixers for the album with friend & partner in crime Prins Thomas, he suggested that I rather ask anybody special instead of the usual suspects," Lindstrøm says.

"When suggesting Todd Rundgren, I told him: 'Yeah that would have been awesome!,' but I THOUGHT that it was never gonna happen. However, when mentioning it to Joakim from smalltown, he told me that he was gonna give it a shot, since he already knew his management," Lindstrøm says. "Less than a week after, he agreed upon doing a remix of 'Quiet Place To Live' from my new album. I'm not aware of any other remixes he's done before, in which case this feels really special as Todd Rundgren's music has been inspiring me a lot over the years."

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/exclusive-listen-to-todd-rundgrens-remix-of-lindstroms-quiet-place-to-live-20120202#ixzz1lGphQtg6

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Tix available for 3/5 rehearsal show for the Robert Johnson concert @ City Winery

http://citywinery.com/events/250264
A preview of the Robert Johnson 100th birthday tribute at the Apollo Theatre taking place on the next evening, March 6th.

Enjoy a multi-artist show with an amazing house band lead by Steve Jordan. Artists performing at the Apollo and a good chance will be participating in this live rehearsal are The Roots, Chuck D, Living Colour, Shemekia Copeland, Bettye Levettte, Taj Mahal, Keb Mo, Sam Moore, and Todd Rundgren. This is a rare chance to not only see artists working through material, but get an intimate and close sneak-peak of this historic concert taking place celebrating the musical legacy of Robert Johnson--considered one the most influencial musicians of the 20th century and certainly for the Blues. The show at the Apollo benefits the Building of the Blues Hall of Fame by the Blues Foundation in Memphis.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Visit Bart's blog.

http://bartversteegfotograaf.com/

Bart has provided me with some great information over the past years. Take a look at his Blog. He has taken some incredible pics over the years of Todd

preview of upcoming interview from GITARIST mag

click on image to enlarge
preview of upcoming interview from GITARIST mag.
thanks to bart v.