Shadow & The Thrill is a modern, blues-infused, groove-laden, hook-filled melodic rock band born from the vibrant streets of Los Angeles and New Orleans. With a sound that brings songs of salvation to soothe the soul, this band delivers a musical experience that is both timeless and refreshing.

Their debut album, **SUGARBOWL**, showcases their unique blend of rock and blues, masterfully mixed by the certified multi-platinum and Grammy Award-winning Sylvia Massy, renowned for her work with legends like Johnny Cash. This album is a testament to the band's commitment to crafting songs that resonate deeply with their audience.

At the heart of Shadow & The Thrill are two seasoned musicians whose pasts dictate their promising future. Tony, a Grammy-nominated artist known for his work with Great White, brings his multi-platinum Billboard-charting expertise to the forefront. His vision for SUGARBOWL is an album experience that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the icons of rock and pop music.

SUGARBOWL is more than just a collection of songs; it's a journey through the highs and lows of human relationships. Each track tells a universally recognizable story of love, loss, and resilience. From heartache and anguish to the determination to move forward, the lyrics capture the raw emotions that accompany the end of a relationship.

Critics have praised Shadow & The Thrill for their ability to blend powerful melodies with soulful blues influences. Their music has been described as "a modern twist on classic rock," with "infectious grooves and memorable hooks" that keep listeners coming back for more.

Join Shadow & The Thrill on their musical journey and let their songs of salvation soothe your soul. Whether you're a fan of blues, rock, or just great music, SUGARBOWL is an album that promises to leave a lasting impression. Experience the magic of Shadow & The Thrill and discover why they are one of the most exciting new bands on the scene today.

The band collaborates from the beginning with Italian multi-instrumentalist Alessandro Del Vecchio (Silent Force, Hardline) as producer, sound engineer, keyboardist and songwriter.

Their self-titled debut album was released on February 24, 2015. Their second album, Light in the Dark, was released on October 13, 2017. The album was ranked #8 on Dr. Music's 2017 "Album of the Year" list.

On November 20, 2019, their third album called Rise was revealed. It was released on January 24, 2020.

In 2022 Blades and Aldrich left the band, and Joel Hoekstra and Jeff Pilson joined. The new lineup released a single, "Eagle Flight", on November 28, 2022 and announced a new studio album with the same name will be released in the first half of 2023. Subsequently on January 6, 2023 they released an official music video for the new single, "Need Each Other".

Band members

• Deen Castronovo - lead and backing vocals, drums (2014-present)
• Joel Hoekstra - guitars (2022-present)
• Jeff Pilson - bass, vocals (2022-present)

Former members

• Doug Aldrich - guitar, backing vocals (2014-2022)
• Jack Blades - bass guitar, backing and lead vocals (2014-2022)

Touring members

• Alessandro Del Vecchio - keyboards, piano, backing vocals (also session member)
• Steve Toomey - drums

“I knew I would meet my demons in prison and that one of us would die. I just didn’t know which one of us would walk out of there alive.”

For most, such thoughts would be a chilling wake-up call, a harbinger of impending battle. But for JD Graham, whose passion for self-destruction once overshadowed any fear, these words marked the beginning of a transformative journey. Overcoming a 25-year-long drug addiction, Graham's story is one of profound redemption and raw authenticity, deeply reflected in his music.

Growing up in Yukon, Oklahoma, Graham spent his early years entangled in hostility and deception. Introduced to drugs at the age of 11 through a valium prescription, his teenage years were marked by a relentless pursuit of narcotics, culminating in his role as a dealer by 18. His adulthood saw him immerse himself in the death metal scene, eventually transitioning to a southern rock sound with his band, Sour Diesel Train Wreck. The band’s 2012 album brought national recognition, leading to shared stages with artists like Reckless Kelly, Stoney LaRue, and Shooter Jennings.

However, Graham’s addiction persisted, and in 2017, a catastrophic car accident resulted in a five-year prison sentence. This proved to be a pivotal moment. Despite initially continuing his search for drugs within prison walls, a visit from church members ignited a profound change. Acknowledging God's work in his life, Graham made a resolute decision to embrace sobriety. In the solitude of his cell, he wrote 160 songs, giving voice to years of suppressed emotion and guilt.

His debut album, **Razor Wire Sunrise**, was recorded within the Arizona State Prison, making history as the first album to be recorded in that facility. The title track, inspired by the view from his cell, encapsulates the decisions that led him to that point. Graham’s impact extended beyond his music, as he initiated a successful music program within the prison, which continues to thrive with a waiting list and significant donations.

“I saw all this prison programming and cognitive behavior programs, but it wasn’t working to change people’s lives. When I started teaching music, I saw many of those guys find a sense of purpose. I saw music get guys off drugs and change their entire approach to their daily lives.”

In 2023, Graham solidified his place in the songwriting world with the release of **Pound Of Rust**. Recorded at the Skinny Elephant in East Nashville and produced by Neilson Hubbard and acclaimed songwriter Ryan Culwell, the album is a raw, unvarnished testimony of a man with nothing left to lose. Each song on the album is an unfiltered glimpse into Graham’s soul, capturing the essence of his journey through addiction, faith, and redemption.

Graham’s music is a powerful force of honesty and connection. His performances leave audiences captivated, hanging on his every word. **Pound Of Rust** is a lifetime in the making, encapsulating the full culmination of the man who stands before us today. As he continues to write and perform, Graham’s journey is fueled by faith, redemption, and a relentless pursuit of human connection.

His 2023 release propelled him to the national touring circuit, gracing intimate listening rooms and songwriter festivals, including notable appearances at Mile 0 Festival and Born and Raised Festival. With a highly anticipated new album set to release in Spring 2024, JD Graham remains a beacon of hope and authenticity in the music world.

“My brother asked me what the goal was with my music, and I told him connection. Whether that was talking to someone struggling on a barstool after a show or telling my story through a song to a crowd of people and reaching a stranger’s heart. Human connection is all I want; I think it’s why we are all here."

JD Graham’s story is a testament to the power of faith, redemption, and the unyielding human spirit. His music, a reflection of his tumultuous yet inspiring journey, continues to touch hearts and change lives.

Mandoki Soulmates, led by the visionary Hungarian-German musician Leslie Mandoki, is more than just a band—it's a global musical phenomenon. Bringing together an all-star lineup of legendary artists, Mandoki Soulmates transcends genres and generations to create a unique and powerful sound that resonates with audiences worldwide.

A Star-Studded Ensemble

Imagine a musical project where the talents of Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Bobby Kimball (Toto), Steve Lukather (Toto), Al Di Meola, and many more converge. This dream team of rock, jazz, and progressive music icons forms the heart of Mandoki Soulmates. Each member brings their distinctive style and virtuosity, resulting in a rich, intricate tapestry of sound that is as innovative as it is timeless.

Musical Innovation and Genre Fusion

Mandoki Soulmates are celebrated for their ability to seamlessly blend rock, jazz, and progressive elements into a cohesive and exhilarating musical experience. Their compositions are a perfect fusion of jazz improvisation, rock energy, and symphonic grandeur. Tracks like "Young Rebels" and "Let the Music Show You the Way" highlight their dynamic range, while "Mother Europe" offers a symphonic epic that speaks to the continent's rich cultural heritage.

Thought-Provoking Lyrics and Social Commentary

At the core of Mandoki Soulmates' music are lyrics that tackle profound social and political issues. Leslie Mandoki’s personal history as a refugee during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 imbues the band's messages with authenticity and urgency. Songs like "We Are One" and "Last Day of Summer" emphasize themes of unity, freedom, and the human condition, encouraging listeners to reflect on the world around them.

Impeccable Production and Sound Quality

Every Mandoki Soulmates album is a testament to exceptional production quality. The meticulous attention to detail ensures that each instrument and vocal part is captured with clarity and precision, creating a soundscape that is both immersive and impactful. The lush arrangements and crisp percussion are a testament to the band's commitment to excellence.

A Vision of Music as a Force for Good

Leslie Mandoki's vision extends beyond music; it’s about creating a positive impact through art. He believes in the power of music to unite and inspire, a philosophy that permeates every aspect of Mandoki Soulmates. Their concerts are not just performances—they are powerful experiences that leave audiences feeling uplifted and connected.

Join the Journey

Mandoki Soulmates is a celebration of musical mastery and a powerful reminder of music’s ability to transcend boundaries and bring people together. Their blend of sophisticated, genre-defying music and poignant social commentary makes them a must-listen for anyone who appreciates the artistry and emotional depth in music.

Experience the magic of Mandoki Soulmates and discover why this symphony of legends continues to captivate and inspire audiences around the globe.

Though the band has released little content since 2001, they never officially broke up and continue to occasionally perform to the present. In the United States, the Connells had three top 10 hits on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, but they are best known for their song "'74-'75", which was a number one hit in Norway and Sweden in 1995 while reaching the top 10 in a total of 11 European countries.

Early history (1984-87)

Guitarist Mike Connell formed the band in 1984 along with his brother David Connell on bass, Doug MacMillan on lead vocals, and future filmmaker John Schultz on drums. This initial four-person line-up was quickly supplemented by the addition of George Huntley on second guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Around the same time, former Johnny Quest drummer Peele Wimberley replaced Schultz, finalizing the "classic" line-up of the band.

An early version of "Darker Days", recorded by the band's initial four-piece lineup, appeared on the North Carolina indie compilation More Mondo in 1984. A re-recorded version of "Darker Days" provided the title track to the band's debut album, which was produced by fellow North Carolinian Don Dixon. The album was released in 1985 on Elvis Costello's Demon Records in the UK and the band's own Black Park Records label in the U.S., with slightly different track listings for each country. In addition to the title track, one of the most notable songs on the album was "Hats Off", an attack on then-President Ronald Reagan. After the release of the Darker Days album, the band re-recorded a more aggressive take of "Hats Off" for a 12" single, which was the second Connells release on Black Park, and the last until 2000. During this period, videos for the songs "Seven" and "Hats Off" were aired on MTV's 120 Minutes program.

College success (1987-93)

After touring heavily behind Darker Days, the Connells re-entered the studio in 1986 with producer Mitch Easter to record their second album, Boylan Heights. The decision to work with Easter continued to perpetuate the comparisons to R.E.M. Mike Connell's songwriting on Boylan Heights would provide most of the foundation for the band's live show sound for the remainder of their career. The opener, "Scotty's Lament", featured the most explicit Celtic influence in the band's songbook, while the chorus lyric "I delight in my despair" satirized the band's early image as doom and gloom merchants a la Morrissey and The Smiths. Also notable is that the lyrics for that song originally included the sardonic twist, "I delight in your despair."

"Choose a Side" incorporates synths (played by Huntley), and "Over There" features an ironic military trumpet counter-melody. Closing ballad "I Suppose" was a haunting tribute to the Raleigh upper-class neighborhood of Boylan Heights. Although the band shopped Boylan Heights to various labels, the major record companies, including Columbia Records, which expressed some mild interest, passed on it. The record was ultimately released in 1987 on mid-major TVT Records, which had made its name releasing a series of "Tee Vee Toons" television theme song compilation CDs. TVT would prove to be no commercial match for R.E.M.'s own mid-major label, I.R.S. Records, and over the next decade, the Connells would engage in a series of disputes with the label, on at least one occasion suing, unsuccessfully, to break their recording contract.

Boylan Heights was a substantial college radio hit, and the Connells continued to tour relentlessly. During this period, both Connell and Huntley began to move away from their twelve-string Rickenbackers towards six-string Fender and Gibson guitars, leading to a heavier, less folky sound, although elements of the band's patented jangle were still audible on "Hey Wow", the lead single from Fun and Games, the 1989 follow-up album. Other songs, such as "Something to Say" and "Upside Down" were heavier, featuring power chords, as well as the most self-lacerating lyrics to date from Connell. Fun and Games also saw Huntley's role as a songwriter grow; after contributing one song each to Darker Days and Boylan Heights, Huntley wrote or co-wrote five tracks on Fun and Games, with the anthemic "Sal" quickly becoming one of the most popular songs in the band's live set. CD pressings of Fun and Games included a bonus track, "Fine Tuning".

Fun and Games was quickly followed in 1990 by One Simple Word, which was recorded in Wales with U.K. producer Hugh Jones. Jones had previously produced various British bands that the band had admired. Despite the high quality of the songs and improved playing by the band, notably on the Connell-MacMillan collaboration "Stone Cold Yesterday" and Connell's own "Get a Gun" which were both college radio hits with videos, the band struggled to reach a higher level of success, although "Stone Cold Yesterday" notched the band a No. 3 hit on the Modern Rock Tracks chart, where "Get a Gun" also reached No. 24. This album saw the band stretch their sound and playing further, as on Connell's debut as a lead vocalist, the plaintive ballad "Waiting My Turn", which featured Kate St. John on cor anglais, but also saw the reworking of two songs that dated back to the Darker Days era, "Too Gone" and "Take a Bow". Some critics have contended that the album/tour/album cycle was by this point outstripping Connell's ability to compose new material. This is why the increasing contribution of other songwriters in the band became important as lead vocalist, Doug MacMillan also contributed a song, "Another Souvenir", that he had written on his own.

'74-'75 and European success (1993-96)

After a three-year recording hiatus, which included more legal jousting with TVT Records and the addition of Steve Potak on keyboards, a rejuvenated Connells released Ring in 1993. Though the lead single, "Slackjawed", was another college radio hit in America, the band was initially disappointed with the album's reception and considered breaking up. However, the follow-up single, "'74-'75", another Celtic-influenced ballad, took off in Europe shortly thereafter and became a top-20 hit across the continent, including in the United Kingdom where it peaked at No. 14 in the UK Singles Chart, as well as Sweden and Norway, where it even managed to top the charts. This led to the band touring extensively in Europe and opening stadium shows for Def Leppard. "'74-'75" won numerous European music awards in the mid-1990s, leading to greater financial and radio success than the band had known to that point. "'74-'75" also appeared in the 1995 film, Heavy. However, while European music fans made Ring a platinum record outside the United States, such high level success in America still remained elusive. Ring reached No. 36 in the UK Albums Chart. Ring also marked the debut of David Connell stepping up as a songwriter by co-writing a song for the record, "Hey You". MacMillan's role as a songwriter also increased on this album, contributing three songs. The band also played "Slackjawed" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

Later career (1996-2001)

1996's Weird Food and Devastation expanded the band's sound in new directions, but failed to build on the momentum established by its predecessor. It was produced by the band's longtime soundman, Tim Harper, later known for his production work for Whiskeytown. The title of the album reportedly alluded to the band's impressions of Europe during their seemingly endless tours there in support of "'74-'75". It featured a starker and heavier production than the more melodic Ring. By now, Connell and MacMillan shared songwriting duties about equally, with Connell's style taking a quirkier turn on songs such as "Adjective Song". Lead single "Maybe" was more in line with the anthemic pop songs of the band's early days, but his remaining songs on the album were often odd and dissonant compared to his previous work. "Friendly Time" abandoned coded attacks on Ronald Reagan for coded attacks on rock critics such as Robert Christgau and J. D. Considine. The album also debuted the songwriting efforts of drummer Wimberley with the track ?Any?, who also landed an outtake, ?Bitter Pill?, on the soundtrack of the film Scream. The band shot music videos for "Maybe" (a parody of the Burt Reynolds film Deliverance) and "Fifth Fret" (which was a parody of the Alfred Hitchcock film Psycho). The band was invited to perform for a second time on Late Night with Conan O'Brien where they performed "Maybe". Their tour for the album was cut short in early 1997 when MacMillan became extremely ill prior to a show. He had been experiencing stomach pains for over a year, but believed it was due to his poor diet while on the road. After undergoing emergency surgery, he was diagnosed with diverticulitis and took several months off to recover.

In 1998, the band released Still Life, which marked their final album for TVT. Produced by Jim Scott, Still Life marked a departure from the harder sound of Weird Food and Devastation with an overall softer feeling reminiscent of Counting Crows and Teenage Fanclub. Mike Connell's contributions to the record included a long-standing song with the band that was originally known as "Brown", which was re-titled "Dull, Brown, and Grey". It was the band's only album to include songwriting contributions from all members, with MacMillan taking a decreased role in the album's writing. Peele Wimberley departed the band later that year and was replaced by Steve Ritter.

The band released Old School Dropouts on the revived Black Park Records label in 2001. The band produced and recorded the record in Steve Potak's studio and promoted it sparingly in the American South. The song "Washington" received some airplay on alternative radio.

Current activities

After the release of Old School Dropouts, George Huntley left the band to spend more time with his family and begin a career in real estate. Mike Ayers was added in George's place on lead guitar. Meanwhile, Peele Wimberley briefly played with another band called Parklife, and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue interests in Hollywood and in electronic music. He is currently a member of the Los Angeles band, The Lamps. David, who lost his first wife to cancer, remarried and has a career in landscape painting and art shows, and brother Mike is practicing law in Raleigh. Huntley is now selling real estate and working part-time at the University of North Carolina music department. In 2010, Joel Rhodes played on trumpet and flugelhorn until 2017. After several years with Steve Ritter and Chris Stephenson on drums, Rob Ladd was added as the drummer in early 2012.

Due to family and career commitments, the band does not play together as regularly any more. The performances are normally in the southeastern United States, usually at benefit concerts and music festivals.

The band's catalog was acquired by Bicycle Recording Company, an independent publisher based in Beverly Hills, CA in April 2010 and has reissued the band's TVT catalog digitally through IODA (The Independent Online Distribution Alliance). The releases became available August 31, 2010 on most digital music stores.

As of April 2013, the band was recording new material at Baby Topanga Studios. New songs include "Stars", "Burial Art", "Mr. Lucky", and "Helium".

On September 27, 2014, the Connells celebrated their 30th anniversary with a show in their hometown of Raleigh, NC. The show featured a surprise appearance from original member George Huntley playing and singing on multiple songs throughout the show.

In 2016, the band released a greatest hits album called Stone Cold Yesterday: Best of the Connells.

On January 25, 2020, the band played at Ram's Head Live in Baltimore playing a set that included three songs from a "new record" supposedly coming out in 2020. On October 31, 2020, the Connells played at a live webcast concert at the Cat's Cradle via internet, where they once again play some new songs which are to yet to be released.

On September 24, 2021, the first new studio album in 20 years called Steadman's Wake was released on CD, vinyl and all digital formats. It features eleven new songs, of which three are re-recordings of songs from their previous album. Beforehand, the band released three songs from the new album as singles: "Really Great", "Stars" and the title track "Steadman's Wake".

On May 5, 2023 the band released their first ever live album, "Set the Stage".

Influences and sound

From the beginning of the group, Mike Connell wrote both the music and the lyrics of the majority of the band's songs, although he was not the band's primary lead singer. Connell's influences included the 1960s guitar pop of his childhood, including The Byrds and The Beatles; in an early interview, he stated that the first song he wrote as a teenager was titled "Psychedelic Butterfly".

Connell and other members of the Connells band were also influenced by then-contemporary British bands such as The Smiths and Echo & the Bunnymen. Another, more idiosyncratic, influence was the British progressive rock band Jethro Tull, whose song "Living in the Past" was covered by the Connells on 1995's New Boy EP. Like Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Johnny Marr of The Smiths, Connell and Huntley played Rickenbacker guitars for the first several years of the band's career, creating a jangly, folk-rock sound reminiscent of The Byrds and other Southern U.S. and North Carolina bands of the era, such as the dB's and Let's Active.

Although the Connells were frequently dismissed as R.E.M. imitators due to the Athens, Georgia band's overwhelming popularity relative to that of its contemporaries, there were significant differences between the two bands. First of all, the Connells' influences occurred at the same time that R.E.M.'s influences occurred. Connell and Huntley both played twelve-string Rickenbackers, as opposed to the six-string models favored by R.E.M.'s Buck; this gave the Connells an even janglier sound. Whereas Buck's guitar style featured heavy use of arpeggios, Connell's style was primarily based on strummed open chords in the keys of G and D, with a strong Celtic feel to songs such as "Scotty's Lament" and "'74-'75". Likewise, Connell's lyrics were clearer and more direct than the stream-of-consciousness lyrics of Michael Stipe. The melancholy lyrics of early songs such as "Darker Days" drew comparisons to The Smiths, and an early feature on the band in the Raleigh's Spectator Magazine music weekly dubbed them "Raleigh's local depressants". And the band has a much more melodic bent than their forebears.

Band members

Current members

• David Connell - bass (1984-present)
• Mike Connell - guitars, lead and backing vocals (1984-present)
• Doug MacMillan - lead and backing vocals, guitars (1984-present)
• Steve Potak - keyboards (1991-present)
• Mike Ayers - guitars (2001-present)
• Rob Ladd - drums (2012-present)

Former members

• John Schultz - drums (1984-1985)
• George Huntley - guitars, keyboards, lead and backing vocals (1985-2001, 2014)
• Peele Wimberley - drums (1985-1998)
• Steve Ritter - drums (1998-2012)
• Chris Stevenson - drums (2012)
• Joel Rhodes - trumpet and flugelhorn (2010-2017)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

• Darker Days (1985)
• Boylan Heights (1987)
• Fun & Games (1989)
• One Simple Word (1990)
• Ring (1993)
• Weird Food and Devastation (1996)
• Still Life (1998)
• Old School Dropouts (2001)
• Steadman's Wake (2021)

Extended plays

• Hats Off EP (1985)
• New Boy EP (1994)

Singles

Music videos

• Hats Off (1986; directed by Grady Cooper and Demetre Gionis)
• Seven (1986; dir. by Frank Thompson)
• Scotty's Lament (1988; dir. by John Schultz)
• Over There (1988; dir. by Peyton Reed)
• Something to Say (1989)
• Stone Cold Yesterday (1990; dir. by Mark Pellington)
• Get A Gun (1990; dir. by John Schultz)
• Slackjawed (1993; dir. by Peyton Reed)
• '74-'75 (1993; dir. by Mark Pellington)
• New Boy (1993; dir. by Peyton Reed)
• Maybe (1996; dir. by Grady Cooper and Norwood Cheek)
• Fifth Fret (1996; dir. by Phil Harder and Rick Fuller)

Side and solo projects

During the early days of the band, Doug MacMillan often played with other local Raleigh bands. He is also the voice of Captain Stickman in the Captain Stickman vs. Color Black videos.

In 1996, George Huntley released a solo record of additional material that he had written over the years he spent with The Connells, titled Brain Junk. The record was released on The Connells' record label, TVT. Brain Junk featured Huntley's honesty and the trademark jangly guitar work which was evident on early Connells recordings. This effort was quite different from Huntley's contributions to The Connells (such as "Sal", "Doin' You", and "Motel"), and featured a more stripped-down sound as well as some songs which sound as if they could have come a Connells release. On this record, Huntley explored various styles that did not fit in with The Connells' sound. "Ever Want Me To" was the first single from the record and TVT Records had a video made of the song starring Huntley. The second single, "Catch Fire", was used in the Sandra Bullock/ Denis Leary film, Two If By Sea.

Doug MacMillan's side project is the band Mommie, which records lyrics and music written by MacMillan and his children. The most notable song is "Dumptruck", which has been played live by The Connells. Prior to that MacMillan was involved in a project called The Clifmen. This group, composed of musicians from various Raleigh independent bands, made one record.

Peele Wimberley played drums with various artists after his stint with The Connells including Parklife, Taylor Roberts, and Milagro Saints. After moving to Los Angeles Wimberley played keys and percussion in Lamps with John Crooke and David Burris, formerly of Jolene, Chris Phillips of Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Vicki Peterson of The Bangles. During his first few years in Los Angeles he wrote and cowrote incidental music for the show Last Comic Standing and for special products such as the DVD releases of the films Yes Man and Observe and Report. Peele has released an album under the name Silveradio which features his own songwriting and playing and is currently pursuing his electronic music interests with a project named Sleepie Digitz, as well as having played drums on upcoming releases by Apollo Heights and Ocean Carolina.

Mike graduated from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in 1981, and received his Juris Doctor (Law) degree also from UNC Chapel Hill in 1985. He was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1986. Mike practices law at a firm in North Carolina, specializing in workers' compensation law.

David Connell is a successful painter in the Raleigh art community. His works have been on display in galleries in Raleigh, New York City, and elsewhere.

Steve Potak has played keyboards with numerous Raleigh bands, most notably the band Stream.

John Schultz's first film, Bandwagon, was based on experiences in the early days of The Connells' career. Doug MacMillan has acted in almost every John Schultz film. He played one of the main characters in Bandwagon where he was the Zen-like band manager, Linus Tate. MacMillan has also performed in several other Schultz films: he had the role of the science teacher in Drive Me Crazy, briefly played a valet in Like Mike, and had a role as a Health Inspector in the recent remake of The Honeymooners.

In 2002, the band recorded a cover of Cypress Hill's "Insane in the Brain" for Cevin Soling's When Pigs Fly.

References

External links

• Official website
• 'Not So Bad At All' - a b-side/non-album track compilation. 2cd downloadable via lewisslade.com
• 'Cover Tape' (Deluxe Edition) - a collection of many cover versions the band has performed live over the years. 2cd downloadable via lewisslade.com
• Mommie's MySpace page (Doug MacMillan side project)

Ian Hunter Patterson (born 3 June 1939) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Mott the Hoople, from its inception in 1969 to its dissolution in 1974, and at the time of its 2009, 2013, and 2019 reunions. Hunter was a musician and songwriter before joining Mott the Hoople, and continued in this vein after he left the band. He embarked on a solo career despite ill health and disillusionment with commercial success, and often worked in collaboration with Mick Ronson, David Bowie's sideman and arranger from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars period.

Mott the Hoople achieved some commercial success, and attracted a small but devoted fan base. As a solo artist, Hunter charted with lesser-known but more wide-ranging works outside the rock mainstream. His best-known solo songs are "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", later covered by Great White, and "England Rocks", which was modified to "Cleveland Rocks" and then covered by The Presidents of the United States of America, and became one of the theme songs used for the American TV series The Drew Carey Show.

Early years

Hunter was born in Oswestry, Shropshire, England. Due to the onset of war, the family moved to Hamilton, South Lanarkshire to live with the family of his Scottish father. Hunter was brought up there until the age of six and has stated that he considers himself a Scot, but also identifies as English.

Hunter's entry into the music business came after a chance encounter with Colin York and Colin Broom at a Butlin's holiday camp, where the trio won a talent competition performing "Blue Moon" on acoustic guitars. York and Broom were members of a Northampton-based band called The Apex Group, fronted by bass player and band leader Frank Short. Hunter soon left his home in Shrewsbury, transferred his apprenticeship from Sentinel/Rolls-Royce to British Timken in Northampton, and joined The Apex Group on rhythm guitar. Hunter recalls jumping around like a lunatic on stage: "Music affected me so much. The rest of them just stood there. It was funny, I had kids who came just to watch me do this, and I can't imagine what it looked like."

Hunter left The Apex Group in 1958, just before they recorded their first single "Yorkshire Relish" / "Caravan" for John Lever Records. Hunter played in a few local groups, but eventually his financial situation forced a change. "I wasn't making my hire-purchase payments, and 'little jobs' were getting done and people were getting smacked. I was never in the middle of it, but I was always somewhere in the area." He returned to Shrewsbury, ostensibly to become more responsible in his personal life, and settled down enough to have a steady girlfriend in Diane Coles. Outside of his day job, he and Tony Wardle formed a harmonica duo inspired by Morton Fraser's Harmonica Gang, a local variety act.

It was during this period - late 1963 or early 1964 - that The Apex recorded a second disc for John Lever records, released as The Apex Rhythm & Blues All Stars. The four-song EP included their own "Tall Girl", and covers of Chuck Berry's "Reeling and a-Rocking" and "Down the Road a Piece", and Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs' "Sugar Shack". Hunter probably does not appear on this record; the EP was recorded around the time Hunter left the group for the second time.

At Freddie Lee's [who he?] suggestion, The Shriekers [who they?] began taking jobs in the same German clubs where the Beatles had cut their teeth a few years earlier. In an interview taped in 2004, Hunter volunteers that Lee and their gigs in Hamburg were a major turning point, at which he first began to "think maybe I could do this instead of working in factories."

In 1966, Hunter moved to London, where he joined The Scenery with guitarist Miller Anderson, drummer Dave Dufort and keyboard player Dante Smith. There Hunter met Mick Ronson, then guitarist of bands the Voice and The Rats, at the Flamingo Club in London. According to Anderson, "Mick was coming down the stairs ... and we were going up and I said, `Mick, this is my friend, Ian [Hunter] Patterson.'"^:?41? The Scenery, now with John Vernon Smith on drums, recorded tracks with Bill Farley at Regent Sound that were licensed for international release without their knowledge. Hunter and Anderson recall writing and recording "To Make a Man Cry," but not the B-side, "Thread of Time." John Vernon Smith appears on the picture sleeve, but Johnny Banks, of The Merseybeats, played on the record. Johnny Gustafson was also included in the session work. The songs were released on the Impact label, and it is unclear whether they originated from France or Belgium.

Hunter remained in the band after Anderson's early 1968 departure. Anderson and J.V. Smith were replaced by guitarist Chris Mayfield and drummer Pete Phillipps, and the group backed up Freddie Lee in 'At Last The 1958 Rock and Roll Show'. They got a regular booking at The Angel in Edmonton, and drew interest from both Chrysalis Records and NEMS but were signed by neither. With Miller Anderson back in place of Mayfield, the group released a single on CBS called "I Can't Drive". As the short-lived rock and roll revival waned, 'At Last the 1958 Rock and Roll Show' changed its name to 'Charlie Woolfe' and released a final single, "Dance, Dance, Dance".

During these obscure early years for Hunter, Hereford band Shakedown Sound, with future Mott members [which ones?] in their ranks, gigged in roughly the same circles but without any record company interest.

Hunter played with various other artists throughout the 1960s, including The Young Idea, Billy Fury and David McWilliams. In late 1968 Mickie Most hired Hunter and Dufort to play in a band that was to be called 'The New Yardbirds', a name that Jimmy Page had been using for his post-Yardbirds group before discarding it in favour of 'Led Zeppelin'. This led confused fans to think that Hunter had been a member of Led Zeppelin. Explained Hunter: "See: this is rubbish, but people read it and believe it." Hunter also worked as a journalist and staff songwriter for Francis, Day & Hunter Ltd., did road-digging for a local council, and reported for a local newspaper.

Career

Mott the Hoople

By 1969, Hunter had two children, but was still hoping for a return to making music full-time. Meanwhile, guitarist Mick Ralphs joined organist Verden Allen in Jimmy Cliff's backing band, The Shakedown Sound. Eventually Ralphs, Allen, vocalist Stan Tippins, bassist Overend Watts, and drummer Dale Griffin united to become Silence, who auditioned for British impresario Guy Stevens. Silence renamed themselves after Willard Manus' 1966 novel, Mott the Hoople. The band lacked a credible singer with stage presence, and the seasoned Hunter, who had by this time taken to wearing his trademark sunglasses, auditioned for a laugh and was given the position. They were a critical success in the UK, where some of their most dedicated early fans included future members of the Clash. However, they could not sustain their commercial appeal, and their American tours were slow in building a following. Mott released several LPs and attracted enthusiastic live audiences, but experienced dismal sales despite the svengali-like leadership and promotion of Stevens. After a 1972 concert in a "gas cylinder" in Switzerland, the band announced their end.

David Bowie, a fan of the band, then offered them a song he had just written. As Hunter recalled in a 2004 DVD interview, "He offered us "Suffragette City", which I didn't think was good enough. And then he sat down on the floor, Regent Street it was, in a publisher's office, and plays "All The Young Dudes" on an acoustic guitar." It reached No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart, and revived the band, who were appreciative of Bowie's rescue. Guitarist Ralphs relates that Bowie taught Mott studio tricks, but one of the best-known sounds during the period was a 'hand-clap-in-the-toilet' routine that relied more on Hunter's vision than it did on Bowie's clearly more experienced studio abilities. Bowie guitarist Mick Ronson also significantly contributed to Mott's sound, a fact noticed by Hunter, who would later collaborate with Ronson a great deal.

The post-Bowie Mott the Hoople had notable commercial success with the albums All the Young Dudes (1972, produced by Bowie); Mott (1973) and The Hoople (1974). The band experienced financial success with songs such as "Roll Away The Stone", "Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll", "Honaloochie Boogie", "All The Way From Memphis", "Saturday Gigs", and especially "All The Young Dudes". Hunter chronicled the highs and lows of touring in Diary of a Rock'n'Roll Star, his journal of a chaotic five-week American tour in November and December 1972. Ralphs left in 1973 to form Bad Company, and Hunter began to play guitar until Luther Grosvenor took over. Hunter at the same time was increasingly pressured to write hits for the band.

Grosvenor, aka Ariel Bender, was briefly replaced by Ronson, formerly the leading member of Bowie's backing band The Spiders from Mars, after the release of a live album following The Hoople. Hunter left the band in December 1974. The remaining members (Dale 'Buffin' Griffin, Pete 'Overend' Watts, and Morgan Fisher) carried on under the names Mott and The British Lions, which also included former members of Medicine Head.

On 16 January 2009, several sources, including Hunter's own website, announced that Mott the Hoople would reunite for two concerts at the Hammersmith Apollo in London, on 2 and 3 October 2009. These two dates sold out, and three additional dates were added. In the end, Mott the Hoople played two warm-up gigs in Monmouth, five nights at the Hammersmith Apollo, and made a final appearance at the Tartan Clefs Charity night at the Kelvin Hall that November. A further British tour in 2013, taking in Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow and Manchester (which was released on CD and DVD), culminated in a last night at The O2 arena on 18 November 2013.

1970s

In March 1975, Hunter joined forces with Mick Ronson, his most frequent collaborator until Ronson's death in 1993. Hunter's first single from his eponymous solo album was the UK Top 40 hit "Once Bitten Twice Shy". Hunter and Ronson then parted professionally, reportedly due to Hunter's refusal to deal with Ronson's manager, Tony DeFries.

Hunter's second solo album, All American Alien Boy (1976), was a more soul-infused work which featured saxophonist David Sanborn and bassist Jaco Pastorius. Queen, once an opening act for Mott the Hoople, provided backing vocals on one track.

Hunter's next album, Overnight Angels (1977), was produced by Roy Thomas Baker and featured a heavier guitar sound courtesy of former Bowie sideman Earl Slick. Hunter's record label in America, Columbia Records, refused to release the album in the US due to issues concerning Hunter's management: "Overnight Angels was not released in the US because I fired my manager, Fred Heller, during the English promotional tour - just before it was to be released in America. Columbia said they didn't want to release it until I had new management and that dragged on until it became too late."

In late 1978, Hunter produced Generation X's second LP Valley of the Dolls (1979).

Ronson returned as producer and guitarist on Hunter's 1979 album, You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic, which also featured John Cale and Roy Bittan, Garry Tallent and Max Weinberg from Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Two songs from ...Schizophrenic became successes for other artists: Barry Manilow's version of "Ships" became a top ten US hit in late 1979, and the Presidents of the United States of America's 1997 cover of "Cleveland Rocks" was used as one of the theme songs for The Drew Carey Show. "Cleveland Rocks" is arguably Hunter's most enduring solo song; a de facto anthem in Cleveland, Ohio, where it is sometimes used as a victory song for the city's sports teams. Hunter was given the key to the city by Cleveland mayor Dennis Kucinich on 19 June 1979. The same year, Hunter co-produced with Ronson, Ellen Foley's Night Out album, where he also contributed keyboards, guitar, and percussion.

1980s

The best-selling status of ...Schizophrenic led Hunter's record label, Chrysalis Records, to commission the release of the double album Welcome to the Club (1980). Primarily a live album, it also featured some original studio material. Todd Rundgren played lead guitar on Hunter's eleven-show 1980 US tour but does not appear on the live album.

Hunter's first studio album of the 1980s was Short Back 'n' Sides (1981), produced in collaboration with Ronson and Clash guitarist Mick Jones. Ronson's input on Hunter's next album, All of the Good Ones Are Taken (1983), was restricted to playing guitar on a single track. The title track became a minor hit in the US, after MTV put the song's video into heavy rotation. In the same year, Ronson travelled to Canada to produce the Payolas' album Hammer on a Drum, to which Hunter contributed backing vocals.

1990s

YUI Orta was released as a joint album by Hunter and Ronson in 1990, and the pair performed alongside David Bowie and Queen at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in April 1992. Ronson died of liver cancer a year later, and Hunter gave his memorial speech. Hunter wrote and recorded "Michael Picasso", a tribute to Ronson that was included on Hunter's 1996 album The Artful Dodger, the follow-up to Dirty Laundry (1995). Hunter appeared on Ronson's posthumously-released solo album, Heaven and Hull (1994), and performed at the first Mick Ronson Memorial Concert in April 1994.

2000s

In 2000, Hunter played a handful of live dates in the UK and the US to promote the release of Sony's 2-CD anthology, Once Bitten Twice Shy. For the UK dates, he used the same band as in 1999: Darrell Bath (guitar), Paul Cuddeford (guitar), Paul 'Trevor' Francis (bass), Ian Gibbons (keyboards), and Steve Holley (drums). For the lone US date, his band included Andy York (guitar), John Conte (bass), Tom Mandel (keyboards), and Steve Holley (drums).

In 2001, Hunter toured North America with Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band as part of a line-up which included Ringo Starr, Sheila E., Greg Lake, Howard Jones, Roger Hodgson, and Mark Rivera. Hunter's studio album Rant, produced with guitarist Andy York, released the same year and was followed by two live albums: 2004's Strings Attached with a 20-piece orchestra, and 2005's The Truth, The Whole Truth and Nuthin' But The Truth with Mick Ralphs (and Brian May of Queen and Joe Elliott of Def Leppard on one song). Hunter won Classic Rock Magazine's Songwriter Award in October 2005. His studio album, Shrunken Heads, was accompanied by a three-song bonus CD, and was released in May 2007 by Jerkin' Crocus in Europe and Yep Roc Records in the US. Man Overboard, was released on 21 July 2009, by New West Records.

2010s

Hunter's 20th solo studio album When I'm President was released on 3 September 2012, in the UK on Proper Records, and on the following day in the US on Slimstyle Records.

Hunter and his Rant band performed on 3 June 2015, at the City Winery in New York. A new live album, Ian Hunter & The Rant Band - Live in the UK 2010, was released on 20 October 2014, on Hunter's own label Rant Records. Hunter continues to tour across the UK, Europe and North America. In January 2015, he played three nights in Tokyo. Hunter's observations on his Tokyo trip were documented in an article titled 'Diary of a Rock 'N' Roll Star - Part 2' that appeared in the June 2015 issue of Mojo.

A new studio album, Fingers Crossed, was released worldwide on 16 September 2016, on Proper Records. The album featured the song "Dandy", which Hunter wrote about and dedicated to the late David Bowie. Hunter said: "It was drab in England in the early 70s and I think David was the probably the first technicolour artist, going to see him was like going to the movies. Then you came out and caught the last bus home."

On 29 March 2019, Hunter joined Def Leppard and other artists on stage during the band's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance. The group played "All The Young Dudes" to close the night.

Hunter & the Rant Band's four-night Gala 80th Birthday Celebration was held at the City Winery in New York City from 31 May to 3 June 2019. On 30 September 2019, Hunter's 2019 US tour was cancelled because he developed a severe case of tinnitus and his doctors advised him to stop performing until it subsided.

2020s

He has not toured since 2019, but has continued to record, and lately collaborate remotely with various artists. He released the studio album Defiance Part 1 in 2023. A follow-up, Defiance Part 2: Fiction, is scheduled to be released in April 2024.

Discography

Solo albums

Solo singles

Mott the Hoople albums

• Mott the Hoople (1969) - UK No. 66 / US No. 185
• Mad Shadows (1970) - UK No. 48
• Wildlife (1971) - UK No. 44
• Brain Capers (1971) - did not chart
• All The Young Dudes (1972) - UK No. 21 / US No. 89
• Mott (1973) - UK No. 7 / US No. 35
• The Hoople (1974) - UK No. 11 / US No. 28
• Rock and Roll Queen (1974) - US No. 112
• Live (1974) - UK No. 32 / US No. 23
• Greatest Hits (1976)
• Shades of Ian Hunter: The Ballad of Ian Hunter and Mott the Hoople (1979) 2-CD set - Mott on one disk, Hunter solo on the other
• Old Records Never Die: The Mott the Hoople/Ian Hunter Anthology (August 2008) 2-CD set - Mott on one disk, Hunter solo on the other

Mott the Hoople Billboard singles

• "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" - UK No. 16 / US No. 96
• "One of the Boys" - US No. 96
• "All The Young Dudes" - UK No. 3 / US No. 37

Notes

References

Additional bibliography

• Cato, Philip. All The Way to Memphis, The Story of Mott the Hoople, S.T. Publishing, Lockerbie, Scotland: 1997.
• Frame, Pete. The Complete Rock Family Trees, Omnibus Press ISBN 0-7119-0465-0
• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles, 16th ed. ISBN 0-85112-190-X
• Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, 7th ed. ISBN 0-85112-619-7
• Hunter, Ian. Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star, Panther, 1974, ISBN 0-586-04041-2
• Hunter, Ian. Horse's Mouth, Issue No. 33, 18 July 2003.
• Hunter, Ian. Horse's Mouth, Issue No. 70, Part 1, 19 December 2006.
• Ian Hunter and the Rant Band, Just Another Night, Live at the Astoria, London, colour, DVD-Video, NTSC, Region 1 (US and Canada only), 4 October 2005, 180 minutes, Bonus Material, Exclusive interview, Band Sound check, Animated Biography, Special Live Guest Appearances.
• Short, Martin C. (2001). The Great Rock Discography 5th ed. ISBN 1-84195-017-3
• Smith, Mick, On Track Ian Hunter, Sonicbond Publishing, UK Jan. 2024, US March 2024. ISBN 1789523044
• Warwick, Neil; Kutner, Jon; Brown, Tony. Complete Guide to the British Charts.

External links

• On The Morton Fraser Harmonica Gang
• BBC Review of Ian Hunter at The Stables, Wavendon 2008
• Ian Hunter in Concert, National Public Radio (US), 22 June 2007
• The Secret Sessions Featuring Ian Hunter & Mick Ronson
• Harris, John. Mott the Hoople: The dudes abide, The Guardian, 3 September 2009.

Honeymoon Suite is a Canadian rock band formed in 1981 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The band's name was a nod to the fact that Niagara Falls is the unofficial honeymoon capital of the world.

History

1981-1985

The band was originally formed in 1981 by Johnnie Dee (vocals, guitar), Brad Bent (keyboards, vocals) and Mike Lengyell (drums, formerly with The Diodes). By 1983, the line-up changed, with Dee (the only original remaining member) now on rhythm guitar and lead vocals, along with new recruits Derry Grehan on lead guitar and Dave Betts on drums, both of whom had recorded two albums as members of Toronto-based new wave group Steve Blimkie and the Reason. Grehan became the band's primary songwriter, and penned "New Girl Now," which won them an unsigned band contest put on by Toronto radio station Q107.

Various keyboard players and bassists came and left during this time, but on the strength of "New Girl Now," WEA Canada signed the band to the label. Ray Coburn was added as a permanent new member on keyboards as the sessions got underway for the group's debut LP, but the band still had no bass player so bassist Brian Brackstone was recruited as a session player. Brackstone played on the entire album; bassist Gary Lalonde (formerly with Rose and Toronto) was added to the line-up after the album was completed and appeared in the album's group photos and played with the band live.

The band's self-titled debut album, produced by Tom Treumuth, was released in June 1984. The album featured four charting hits in Canada: a completely re-recorded version of "New Girl Now," "Burning In Love," "Wave Babies," and "Stay In the Light." "New Girl Now" was also Honeymoon Suite's first single to reach the top-50 in the United States.

Their follow-up album, The Big Prize, produced by Bruce Fairbairn, was equally successful in Canada with four more hits: "Bad Attitude," "Feel It Again," "What Does It Take," and "All Along You Knew." Grehan still wrote the lion's share of the band's material, but Dee and Coburn also contributed songs to this album; "Feel It Again", a Coburn composition, reached the Top 40 in the US, while Grehan's "What Does It Take" reached #52, buoyed by its inclusion on the soundtrack for the John Cusack film One Crazy Summer. In 1989, "Bad Attitude" was featured in the series finale of Miami Vice, played during a Ferrari driving segment that mirrored one from the series' pilot episode, continuing throughout Crockett and Tubbs' final battle.

1986-2001

In 1986, keyboardist Ray Coburn left the band, replaced by Rob Preuss of Burlington, Ontario-based Spoons. Also during 1986, the band produced the track "Those Were the Days" for the Charlie Sheen film The Wraith.

In the spring of 1987, the band performed the title track for the Mel Gibson film Lethal Weapon, which was composed by Michael Kamen. In the winter of 1987, the band started work on their third album in L.A. Unfortunately, Johnnie Dee was hit by a car at LAX airport, breaking his leg in several places and required surgery to insert a ten-inch pin to help the leg heal properly. While Dee was recovering in the hospital, one-time Doobie Brothers member Michael McDonald was brought in to help out with the recording sessions; he wrote lyrics and sang back up on "Long Way Back," a forthcoming track for their next album.

In 1988, their third album was finally released: Racing After Midnight, produced by Ted Templeman (of Van Halen fame) and Jeff Hendrickson. That album made the top 10 in Canada, but was not as successful in the U.S. Singles included "Love Changes Everything," "Looking Out for Number One," "Cold Look" (Europe only), and "It's Over Now." By now, while Grehan was still the primary songwriter, Dee and Preuss frequently co-wrote with Grehan.

In 1989, the band released their first greatest hits compilation, The Singles, which included two new charting singles in Canada: "Still Loving You" and "Long Way," both written by Grehan. Preuss left and Coburn rejoined the band in time to embark on "The Singles" tour, which would turn out to be the last tour featuring the band's classic line-up until 2007.

By 1991, Lalonde and Betts left the band, and were replaced by Steve Webster (from Billy Idol's band) on bass, and Jorn Anderson (from Fludd and Alannah Myles) on drums. The band returned to the studio to craft Monsters Under the Bed with Paul Northfield producing and the team of Grehan/Coburn/Dee was responsible for the songwriting. Singles "Say You Don't Know Me" and "The Road" were moderately successful in Canada. Ray Coburn left the band again after this album. He was replaced on keyboards by Peter Nunn.

The band continued to tour in the '90s, although many line-up changes continued to occur, with only Dee and Grehan remaining as the consistent members. Sass Jordan bassist Stan Miczek joined in 1998 for the first of his 3 two-year stints with the band.

2002-present

In 2002, they released their first new studio album in 11 years, Lemon Tongue. Playing on the album were Grehan and Dee, who were by now the group's only official members, and who also wrote all the songs as a team. Also appearing on Lemon Tongue were Peter Nunn and Gary Brent on keyboards; Rob Laidlaw on bass; and Randy Cooke on drums. The album was released on an independent label and leaned towards a more artistic and adventurous direction than their previous rock releases. The European release of this album was titled Dreamland and featured many track changes, dropping five songs and adding four others, including a remake of their 1989 Canadian hit "Still Lovin' You." The credited band on the Dreamland album (and presumably the band that recorded the new tracks) consisted of Dee, Grehan, Laidlaw, Nunn and new drummer Bret Carrigan.

In 2004, Dee released a solo album (Songs in Dee) featuring backing by the other members of Honeymoon Suite, along with guest musicians such as Kim Mitchell and Rik Emmett.

In 2006, the band released another greatest hits collection entitled Feel It Again: An Anthology, a 2-CD set featuring most of the band's singles, selected album tracks, and rare and unreleased material.

In June 2007, the band officially announced the return of a reunited classic line-up of Johnnie Dee, Derry Grehan, Ray Coburn, Gary Lalonde, and Dave Betts. The band toured extensively throughout Canada in 2007 and 2008. However, only Johnnie Dee and Derry Grehan appeared on the new 2008 CD Clifton Hill, produced by Tom Treumuth (who produced the self-titled Honeymoon Suite debut album in 1984), and named after the famous landmark in the centre of the tourist activity in Niagara Falls. The album was released in Canada in late September 2008 on Koch Records and subsequently by Italian melodic rock label Frontiers Records on October 10, 2008. The new album is described by guitarist Derry Grehan as "somewhat of a return musically to the sound that we had in the '80s."

In 2009, the band continued to tour Canada and select Northeastern United States cities. However, on September 1, 2009, it was announced that the band had again parted ways with original keyboardist Ray Coburn. Peter Nunn returned to the band's line-up to replace him for the second time. The band made an appearance at Firefest 6 Nottingham, England in October, 2009.

On 18 November 2016, Honeymoon Suite released a 9 track EP, the first new music in 8 years, titled Hands Up on PledgeMusic website.

In February 2017, it was announced that Honeymoon Suite would appear at Rockingham Festival 2017, this to be held at Nottingham Trent University, UK, between 20 and 22 October 2017, the band scheduled to appear on Friday 20th. In the months approaching Rockingham 2017, the band cancelled their show to pursue a different opportunity. Their slot was replaced by John Parr.

On 26 September 2019, the band released their new single "Tell Me What You Want" on YouTube. On 19 June 2020, they issued another single entitled "Find What You're Looking For."

On February 16, 2024, Honeymoon Suite released their new album entitled "Alive" through Frontiers music.

Discography

Studio albums

• Honeymoon Suite (1984)
• The Big Prize (1986)
• Racing After Midnight (1988)
• Monsters Under the Bed (1991)
• Lemon Tongue (2001)
• Dreamland (2002)
• Clifton Hill (2008)
• Alive (2024)

Live albums

• 13 Live (1995)
• HMS Live at the Gods (2005)

Compilation albums

• The Singles (1989)
• The Essentials (2005)
• Feel It Again: An Anthology (2006)

Extended plays

• Hands Up (2017)

Singles

References

External links

• Honeymoon Suite official website
• Honeymoon Suite Facebook page
• CanadianBands.com bio
• Article at thecanadianencyclopedia.ca
• Honeymoon Suite discography at Discogs
• Honeymoon Suite at IMDb

Patricia Smyth (born June 26, 1957) is an American singer and songwriter. She first came into national attention with the rock band Scandal and went on to record and perform as a solo artist. Her distinctive voice and new wave image gained broad exposure through video recordings aired on cable music video channels such as MTV. Her debut solo album Never Enough was well received, and generated a pair of Top 100 hits. In the early 1990s she reached the top 10 with the hit single "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough," a duet with Don Henley of the Eagles. She performed and co-wrote with James Ingram the song "Look What Love Has Done" for the 1994 motion picture Junior. The work earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song.

Musical career

With Scandal

After growing up in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Gerritsen Beach, Smyth joined Scandal as lead vocalist in 1981. The band released a self-titled debut EP the next year. Featuring the song "Goodbye to You," it went on to become Columbia Records' biggest selling EP. In 1984, they put out their follow-up, Warrior. Buoyed by MTV airplay, the album peaked at No. 17 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, and the first song off the release, also titled "The Warrior," was a Top 10 hit. However, despite their success, internal strife within the band led to their break-up soon afterward.

Solo career

Following the end of Scandal, Smyth was invited by her friend Eddie Van Halen to join the band Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth as lead singer. However, she declined the offer, because she was eight months pregnant and "It was just not the right time for me," she says now. "I was a New Yorker, I didn't want to live in L.A. ... and those guys were drunk and fighting all the time". In a 2023 interview on "Steve O's Wild Ride", Sammy Hagar stated that Eddie Van Halen and Patti Smyth were having a sexual relationship at the time. She guest-appeared on the Hooters 1985 album Nervous Night on the song "Where Do the Children Go" as an accompanying vocalist.

Smyth released her first solo album, Never Enough, in 1987. It contained her version of the Tom Waits song "Downtown Train," which Rod Stewart would make a hit three years later, and the title track "Never Enough," which was co-written with members of the Hooters and based on a song of the same title that Hooters members Eric Bazilian and Rob Hyman had written for their earlier band, Baby Grand. In 1988 she contributed the Diane Warren penned "I Run Right Back" to the Caddyshack II soundtrack. She put out another solo effort in 1992, the eponymous Patty Smyth. Off of that effort, she secured a hit record via a duet with Don Henley of the Eagles, titled "Sometimes Love Just Ain't Enough." This peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified gold for sales of 500,000. The album, also certified gold, featured an additional US Top 40 hit with "No Mistakes" and also spawned the minor hit "I Should Be Laughing." Smyth had previously recorded with Henley as a backing singer on several songs on his albums Building the Perfect Beast and The End of the Innocence.

Smyth subsequently co-wrote the 1994 song "Look What Love Has Done," nominated for a Grammy and an Academy Award after its inclusion in the soundtrack to the feature film Junior. Further soundtrack commissions resulted in her writing and composing the theme tune, "Wish I Were You," to the 1998 feature film Armageddon. (Her husband, John McEnroe, claimed in his autobiography that she was inspired to write the song by his own attempt at a musical career; she was struck by his excitement at playing music, when her own feelings about the music industry were much more ambivalent.) In 1999, Smyth sang lead vocals on "Ode To Billie Joe," a cover of the 1967 Bobbie Gentry hit, on the album Smokin' Section by Tom Scott & The L.A. Express.

In 2015, to promote the release of her Christmas album called Come On December, she crowd-funded a campaign to support the Headstrong Project with all the money raised on the pre-orders of her album going to the non-profit. The album featured the single "Broken," and the music video for the single was released just before Veterans Day, and was filmed on the grounds of a Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter. The album was released on November 20, 2015.

Reunion with Scandal

In 2004, VH1 recruited Smyth and the surviving members of Scandal for a Bands Reunited episode, resulting in a small reunion tour of concerts on the East Coast of the United States in 2005. The next year, Columbia/Legacy released a new Scandal compilation CD as part of the We Are the '80s series. The compilation contained three unreleased tracks from the 1982 recording sessions ("Grow So Wise", "If You Love Me", "I'm Here Tonight") as well as "All My Life," previously available on the flip side of "Goodbye to You". In July 2008, Billboard reported the upcoming release of new music by the band (featuring original members Keith Mack and Benjy King). They debuted their first single as a band ("Hard for You to Love Me," also referred to as "Make It Hard") in over 24 years on January 17, 2009 in Ridgefield, Connecticut.

Personal life

Smyth was married to musician Richard Hell in 1985-86; they had a daughter, Ruby. She met tennis player John McEnroe in 1993; their daughter Anna was born in 1995, and the couple married in 1997. They have since had another daughter, Ava.

Smyth and McEnroe live in a duplex on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Discography

Albums

Singles

References

External links

• PattySmythandScandal.com (official website)
• Scandal at AllMusic
• Patty Smyth discography at Discogs
• Patty Smyth at IMDb

Allie Colleen is a Country Artist, singer and songwriter who recently released her well-received debut album, STONES. Her music style defines how life shaped her, alongside the personal lyrics and transparency in her vocals and performance. Allie Colleen is no stranger to the music industry and has a passion for singing and songwriting since a young age has garnered her a reputation of being a notable songwriter with an iconic-sounding voice. Her impeccably strong voice with hints of timeless tradition falls between classic and emerging country sounds. The room never fails to silence as Allie Colleen begins to sing about the layers of love and heartbreak that have shaped her. Unlike most today, some of her newest songs bring well-thought-out lyrics and a special connection to the song. With more than 351K followers on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok combined, she is one of the most powerful and popular female independent label acts on a trajectory to stardom. 

Graeham George Goble, (born 15 May 1947) is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter and record producer, best known as a founding member of Australian rock group Little River Band and Birtles Shorrock Goble.

As a performer, Goble was responsible for the vocal arrangements and high harmonies on eleven studio albums and numerous Top 10 singles with LRB. As a songwriter he penned songs like "Reminiscing", "Lady", "Take It Easy on Me", "The Other Guy" and "The Night Owls", each played millions of times on radio. As a producer, Goble's credits include John Farnham's Uncovered album in 1980 and his own catalog of recordings.

Goble is a keen student of concepts such as spirituality; he changed his first name from Graham to Graeham as a consequence of his interest in numerology and feng shui.

Goble was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the 2021 Australia Day Honours "for service to the performing arts as a singer, songwriter and producer."

Biography

1947-1960s: Early Life

Goble was born in Adelaide, South Australia, and was drawn to music, in particular its harmonies, at an early age. "My early influences were bands like The Beatles, The Hollies, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Bread and I always wanted to be in a band with harmonies. ... From my very first band we had 3 part harmonies"

1966-1974: Early groups The Silence, Travis Wellington Hedge, Allison Gros & Drummond

Goble started his music career as a drummer but quickly progressed to the banjo. "As soon as I had a stringed instrument in my hands I suddenly had all these melodies." Thereafter came the transition to guitar. A number of bands followed in quick succession: The Silence (1966-67), Travis Wellington Hedge (1968), Allison Gros (1969-71) and Drummond (1971). Each of these bands recorded singles and or albums.

The members of Allison Gros were recruited to record the song "Daddy Cool" but their Chipmunk version was so atypical that they recorded under the fictitious name Drummond. Drummond would provide Goble with his first Number 1 hit single with "Daddy Cool". "Daddy Cool" would remain on top of the charts for seven weeks from 6 September 1971.

The success of the hit song "Daddy Cool" brought about greater awareness of Allison Gros/Drummond and led to a recording contract with the new record label Bootleg. The band morphed yet again, this time adopting the name Mississippi. Still consisting of Goble, Russ Johnson and John Mower, the band was augmented by session musicians for the recording of their first, self-titled album.

The first single released by Mississippi would provide Goble with his first chart success as a songwriter, the song "Kings of the World" peaking within the Australian top 10. With a successful album and single behind them, Mississippi hit the road. To fill out their live sound, the band was enhanced by the addition of top musicians including Beeb Birtles (an ex-member of the band Zoot). The first appearance of the expanded Mississippi took place on 28 October 1972 at Corbould Hall, Ballarat. With various personnel changes, but always including Goble, Birtles and Pellicci, Mississippi would go on to notch up over 400 live performances in 1972-74. In 1974, Mississippi were disestablished.

1975-1992: Little River Band (LRB)

The nucleus of Goble, Birtles, Pellicci, new boy Glenn Shorrock and manager Wheatley kicked off the revitalised venture. Guitarists Ric Formosa and Roger McLachlan were recruited to complete the sound of the band. The new group performed in public for the first time in March 1975, still known as Mississippi. The new name Little River Band followed soon after, taken from a road sign to the town of Little River as the band travelled to a performance in Geelong. As principal composer, vocal arranger and co-producer, and with strong interest in the band's on-stage performance and day-to-day administration, Goble would soon come to be known as the "father figure" of the band. Glenn Shorrock put it less kindly, stating that "it's like having a policeman onstage with you every night". The creative tension, competition and differing personalities within the band would also fuel its subsequent rise to international stardom. As George Martin would later remark, "That's what makes these acts what they are. It's a matter of harnessing this energy they have."

"Graham was meticulous in every detail. He drove people crazy with his fanaticism but you had to respect and admire him for his absolute perseverance and his ability to write a good song. Without such songs we had nothing. Graham wrote some classics. He is also very intelligent, as I discovered in our many late-night discussions. Through all his quirks he is a very interesting human being."

The group released five studio albums in the 1970s. In 1976, The little River Band's "It's a Long Way There" (written by Goble) became an international hit. This was followed in 1978 with "Reminiscing".

It was Goble who acted as spokesman in moving to have foundation lead vocalist Shorrock replaced by John Farnham.

According to Goble, "that lineup [Goble, Nelson, Housden, Farnham, Prestwich and Hirschfelder] was the most talented LRB lineup that I had ever played in." "The live performances were so inspiring that I enjoyed playing live as much as recording. I count myself privileged to have experienced playing and singing with this line-up." Additionally Goble summed up the LRB experience saying "There's been six bands from Australia that have made an impact in America. How incredible was our destiny to be one of the very few out of all these incredible bands. Think about the thousands of acts that tried - it's an extraordinary achievement."

1978-present: Solo Career & Birtles Shorrock Goble

In 1978, After the successful release of The LRB's First Under the Wire, Beeb Birtles and Graeham Goble had composed so many songs that had not been used by LRB and were very keen to be put out as a duo and released The Last Romance. LRB members David Briggs, George McArdle and Derek Pellicci joined the two in the studio, together with other session musicians."

"If The Last Romance album had been successful, I expect that Beeb and I would have left Little River Band and recorded as a duo, e.g. Hall & Oates. Our record company (Capitol) were concerned about this possibility and so our album received little support. It was a great experience to record The Last Romance and it remains one of my favorite recordings."

In 1980, Australian singer John Farnham chose Goble to produce his 1980 album Uncovered. Aside from production and vocal arrangement, Goble also wrote or co-wrote nine of the ten songs on the album.

In 1990, Goble released his debut solo album, Broken Voices, for which he was composer, producer, vocal arranger, harmony vocalist and acoustic guitarist.

This was followed in 1993 with Nautilus and in 1995 with Stop. In 1998, The New Nautilus was released - it's a limited edition album and a re-package of Nautilus with a slightly altered track listing.

A chance meeting between Goble and Glenn Shorrock in 2001 (and a subsequent telephone call to Beeb Birtles) would lead to these three original members of LRB reforming as a group and released a live album Full Circle, which was certified gold in Australia.

In 2006, Goble released The Days Ahead, in 2008, Let It Rain, which musicologist Ed Nimmervoll said "Ultimately Graeham Goble's album Let It Rain is the journey of a lifetime. Listening to it takes us on an exceptional journey of our own." Of the eleven tracks on Let It Rain, two have been heard previously (albeit in different contexts). "Heart & Soul" appeared on the Birtles Shorrock Goble live DVD Full Circle while "Let It Rain" had been performed at the Farmhand Concert for Drought Relief in 2002.

Personal life

Goble has been seriously writing songs since he was 16:

"I still write my songs the same way as when I first began. Usually an idea comes while I'm playing my acoustic guitar, but songs often come to me at any time of the day when I'm not playing my guitar. I sometimes dream complete compositions." Graham Goble (1997)

"I hear everything at once - melody, lyrics, it just comes in. There's a feeling that comes over me and I know that there's a song trying to come through. It's sort of like I'm taken over or someone's trying to contact me; I really believe very much that I'm in some ways channeling this thing. Because when I write a song it's always done very quickly, completed in 20 minutes or maybe half an hour. I never labour anything, or very rarely. The only labouring I've ever done in songwriting might be when I've completed a work, a song, and there might be a couple of lyrics I don't like, so sometimes I might sit with those and really put some brain power in how to fix up the lines. But for the most part it comes to me, it comes in and I can hear the whole thing finished with harmonies and everything." Graeham Goble (2001)

Graeham Goble has spent much of his adult life in the study of spirituality and related concepts:

"I believe very much in Spiritual Realms. I've undertaken a lot of Spiritual study - not religious study, but Spiritual study. There's a big difference. I believe in Guardian Angels and Higher Realms. My studies have taught me that when we sleep our soul leaves our body and has interaction with the Spiritual Realms. I've moved through lots of different beliefs and arrived at Rudolf Steiner."

Goble currently lives in a suburb of Melbourne, Australia. "I think the quality of what I'm doing is very high and the songs are very meaningful because I've lived a lot now. I've written from the point of view of somebody who's been through the mill and come out the other side."

Solo discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Awards

APRA Gold Award

The Australasian Performing Right Association gave Gold Awards to the best songs in Australia from 1982 to 1990.

ARIA Hall of Fame

The ARIA Hall of Fame is to honour the growing number of legendary performers, producers, songwriters and others who have influenced music culture in Australia.

Australian Songwriter's Hall of Fame

The Australian Songwriters Hall of Fame was established in 2004 to honour the lifetime achievements of some of Australia's greatest songwriters.

BMI Special Citation of Achievement

Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the performing rights organisation, awards a special citation of achievement for songs played more than one million times on US radio and television. Goble has won five such awards:

Mo Awards

The Mo Awards, (technically The Australian Entertainment Mo Awards), are annual Australian entertainment industry awards. They recognise achievements in live entertainment in Australia.

South Australian Music Awards

The South Australian Music Awards are an annual two-week celebration of live music, celebrating musical achievements of South Australia.

References

External links

• Graeham Goble's website
• Online Museum
• Graeham Goble's Facebook profile
• Five-part video interview at undercover.com.au (2008)
• Video of song Someone's Taken Our History (2006)
• Article in The Age newspaper (2005)
• Graeham Goble: Composer Profile by Debbie Kruger (2001)
• Web interview by Frankie Aue (1997)
• Graeham Goble Interview at NAMM Oral History Collection (2020)

Featuring former Valentine and Open Skyz singer Hugo, Robby Hoffman (guitar), Greg Smith (bass), Dana Spellman (drums) and Lance Millard (keyboards)— Hugo’s VOYAGE have now set out on a musical journey of their own, crafting a signature sound of original music on their debut album ‘Inception’ that pays homage to their influences while carving out a unique and vibrant identity.

Hugo’s voice, with its incredible range, captivating tone, and unparalleled emotional depth, has the ability to translate personal experiences into timeless melodies and lyrics. ‘Inception’ is a testament to his songwriting prowess and his commitment to creating music that resonates with all people. The compositions explore universal themes of love, hope, loss and self-discovery, accompanied by infectious melodies that linger in the minds of listeners long after the final note fades away.

From epic ballads such as “In My Heart” that make hearts swell with emotion to high-octane rockers such as “I’ll Be Around” that can ignite a stadium, the songs possess an uncanny ability to transport audiences to another time and place.

Robby’s guitar playing effortlessly conjures up iconic riffs and blistering solos, creating a magical synergy with the pulsating rhythm section that fuels the band's relentless energy and infectious melodies.

While their sound may evoke nostalgia for the golden era of rock, Hugo’s VOYAGE have redefined the boundaries of classic rock, infusing their music with a contemporary edge and a fresh perspective that sets them apart from their peers. Their music possesses a timeless quality, bridging generations and proving that great rock music transcends time. 

Get ready to embark on a thrilling sonic adventure with Hugo’s VOYAGE as they remind you why the power of music is truly unparalleled.

Drawing inspiration from legendary acts like Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Allman Brothers Band, and .38 Special, with a hint of Journey. Slickson Revolver crafts their music with the same raw, gritty passion that defined Southern rock in its heyday. Their live performances are nothing short of a spectacle, with soaring solos, anthemic choruses, and a commanding stage presence that evokes the grandeur of 1970s arena concerts.

Each member of Slickson Revolver brings a unique flavor to the mix, blending blues, rock, and country influences into a cohesive sound that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking. Their lyrics, often reflecting themes of freedom, rebellion, and life on the open road, resonate deeply with audiences yearning for authenticity in today's music landscape.

Slickson Revolver’s dedication to their craft and their ability to channel the spirit of Southern rock's golden era make them a standout act in the modern music scene. Their music is a celebration of the past, a nod to the legends who paved the way, and a bold statement that the heart and soul of Southern rock are very much alive and kicking.

For fans of classic rock and newcomers alike, Slickson Revolver offers a powerful, exhilarating experience that is a true testament to the enduring legacy of Southern rock. Whether you're cranking up their tunes on a road trip or catching them live in a packed arena, Slickson Revolver is guaranteed to deliver a rock 'n' roll experience that hits all the right notes.

Fast forward, and suddenly 12 years had passed. Interestingly enough, he heard Pedrosinging in a YouTube video and really liked what he heard. He took a chance and reached out to Pedro to see if he would be interested in singing some of his songs. Initially he didn’t receive a very warm response. As a matter of fact, he was mostly ignored, but he knew he had found the right man for the job, so he was persistent. His persistence paid off and Jeff was invited to Daytona Beach Bike Week 2018 to jam with Pedro and his bandmates in his cover band. Needless to say, things went well with Pedro, Hector Acevedo, and Rick Gatheman merging to bring back Voodoo Moonshine.

Pedro Espada on vocals, Jeff Losawyer on guitar, Hector Acevedo on bass, Rick Gatheman rounds out the rhythm section. Voodoo Moonshine released their full length sophomore CD "Bottom of the Barrel" on February 4, 2022.

Their song "Give it to me recently charted at #28 on Billboards Mainstream Rock Chart, while their song "Bring It Down" charted at #201. They recently won an award for "Album of the Year" at The 8th Annual Josie Music Awards 2022 in Nashville, TN, plus two gold awards at the International Singer Songwriters Awards Show 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia for "Band of the Year" and "Band Single of the Year" for the song "Bring it Down", and “Best Rock Song” for “Bring It Down” at the World Songwriting Awards - Spring 2022, in addition to many other awards.

“Future plans…shows, shows, and shows. Fans can expect a set of big energy versatile songs that everyone should like. Working on songs for the next album already and continued growth of the band and fan base.”