CONCERT EVENT PETER GABRIEL BACK TO THE FRONT
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THE GLORIOUS CORNER
Story By: G. H. HARDING
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| Great Ratings For Scott Shannon NYC Return |
GABRIEL BACK TO FRONT --- On Wednesday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m., Fathom Events, More2Screen, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Real World will take U.S. moviegoers on a VIP experience for an exclusive concert event, Peter Gabriel: Back to Front. Pre-recorded in October 2013 at London’s O2, the show celebrates one of the most pioneering and innovative artists of modern times, who will be honored with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this April. Directed by BAFTA winning director Hamish Hamilton, Peter Gabriel: Back to Front reunites Gabriel’s original touring ban (including David Rhodes, Tony Levin and David Sancious) from 1986 to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark album So (released in 1986). The concert includes hits like, “Solsbury Hill,” “Digging in the Dirt,” “Sledgehammer,” “Mercy Street” and “Don't Give Up.” Gabriel continues to be at the vanguard of the audio-visual experience by using the latest technology and a 5.1 surround sound mix to deliver a one-of-a-kind cinema event.
Tickets for Peter Gabriel: Back to Front are available at participating theater box offices and online at www.FathomEvents.com. The event will be presented in more than 400 select movie theaters around the country through Fathom’s Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, visit the Fathom Events web site.
“It has been wonderful working with Hamish Hamilton again and his very talented team. I feel they have really caught what was unique about the Back to Front tour, both visually and emotionally. My own sound crew has also done a brilliant job,” said Gabriel.
Back to Front offers a visual and narrative feast that brings the viewer to the heart of the concert experience. The show opens with a stark insight into the song-writing process with Gabriel, house lights on, trying to find the lyrical companions to a beautiful piano melody. Who else would start a concert with a song they've not yet finished? The creative journey is explored throughout the film and culminates with a celebratory run through of the album So, what Gabriel calls his ‘pop star moment.’ Previously unreleased and re-imagined songs sit effortlessly beside classic hits to reflect Gabriel’s status as a multi-dimensional artist.
The album So, was indeed a pivotal moment for Gabriel as his massive, global hit “Sledgehammer” came from the album, as did ”Red Rain,” “Mercy Street,” “Don’t Give Up” with Kate Bush, and “Big Time,” which would follow as the next single from the album. It was an amazing time for Gabriel; commercial success the likes of which which would be hard, even impossible, to repeat. “Sledgehammer” was aided by a brilliant video directed by Stephen R. Johnson and featured stop-motion claymation techniques. It swept the MTV video music awards in 1987 and is consistently cited as one of the best music videos ever.
I had occasion this week to review some of Gabriel’s early work with his band Genesis (Selling England By The Pound/1973) and found it just fascinating; certainly foreshadowing the path that he would take. Young, lean, dressed up in outrageous costumes, he was absolutely stunning. An artist of exceptional range and talent, every time I've seen him in concert, it was a standalone moment. Gabriel is, just exceptional.
YO MARCUS --- Marcus Goldhaber debuts at NYC’s Blue Note on April 12 in which he will preview songs from his new album, A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening. The show will benefit Samaritans, the suicide prevention charity he is supporting with his sister, Michelle, when they run together in the Boston Marathon. Marcus, who’s been training for the marathon for months, is honoring the memory of his best friend, who took his own life a year ago.
Also, he is prepping his Come Home America tour, springing from a song he wrote and recorded to honor our troops at home and abroad. He released the song on Veterans Day and is currently planning a concert tour, partnering in his efforts with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and the USO.
And, Marcus recently joined Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks (Martin Scorsese, Boardwalk Empire) on stage in NYC as a guest vocalist - here’s a video clip of this memorable moment:
OCULUS RISING --- Varèse Sarabande Records will release the Oculus Original Motion Picture Soundtrack available digitally on April 8, 2014 and on CD April 15, 2014. The film, directed by Mike Flanagan, features an original score by The Newton Brothers, Taylor and Andy.
“Oculus will freak you out and take you on an emotional roller coaster. Even our score--lullabies, distorted broken glass, a children's choir,” said Newton brother Taylor.
“An interesting part of the scoring process was paying attention to the moments where there needed to be a void of score. Specific scenes of the movie depend on you being taken by surprise surrounded by moments of chaos,” explained Andy. “The trick was to musically land the plane gently so you feel a sense of natural calm and then to hit with textures and sounds that are jarring and discomforting.”
Film and TV-composers The Newton Brothers have been making music since they were kids. Both raised on opera, radio, concerts and movies, The Newton Brothers find influence from greats such as Puccini, Debussy, Elmer Bernstein, Kraftwerk, NIN, The Beatles, Bernard Herrmann, Hall & Oates and Erich Korngold.
Their credits include Wayne Kramer’s dark comedy Pawn Shop Chronicles (starring Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Elijah Wood and Brendan Fraser) and Tony Kaye's acclaimed dramatic feature Detachment (starring Adrien Brody, Lucy Liu, Christina Hendricks, and James Caan). The Newton Brothers have scored and written songs for feature films such as Setup (directed by Mike Gunther), Revolution (directed by Rodrigo Garcia), and The Mothman Prophecies (directed by Mark Pellington). This past year, they had three films at the Toronto International Film Festival: Life Of Crime, Proxy, and Oculus. Currently the brothers are working on Somnia which they are co-scoring with Danny Elfman.
CLOSING NOTES --- The numbers are in for the first weeks of Scott Shannon’s CBS-FM drive-time morning show … and, they are huge. Congrats Scott …
We've been catching up on the last few episodes of NBC’s The Blacklist with James Spader. Just terrific shows. The plots are intricate, well-written and beautifully performed. We predict Spader will clean up at the next Emmy Awards show. There’s no one better on TV right now …
We just finished the terrific excerpt in Vanity Fair of R. J. Wagner’s new tome, You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood’s Golden Age (Penguin). The latest book from the 84-year old actor is just splendid. Recalling a time in Hollywood that will never, ever be repeated, the more we read, the more we loved it. I'm awaiting the book in full. Good, good read. Highly recommended …
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| Elton John |
Our good friend Tony King in the U. K. is sending is the new re-issue of Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ("Harmony", "All The Girls Love Alice"). In retrospect, one of EJ’s best efforts ever. We'll have a full review next week …
Meanwhile via Kent Kotal’s Forgotten Hits, have you heard who's touring as the new lead vocalist of Blood, Sweat and Tears?
Call it idol gossip if you like, but American Idol runner-up Bo Bice (who did that great version of The Ides Of March’s "Vehicle" on the show the year he lost to Carrie Underwood) is now serving that honor ... so this, too, may be a show you'd like to see when it hits your area. (Check out this video clip of Bice performing the hit “And When I Die” ... he's cleaned-up nicely, hasn't he?!?! And he sounds pretty damn good, too!!!)
What have we been listening to? Zucchero’s La Sesion Cubana. Just terrific. Produced by Don Was; we cannot stop listening to the tracks “Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime” and “Love Is All Around.” So far, the album of the year.
Shannon Photo Courtesy Of CBS/Scott Shannon
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