From Yahoo Music: The Beatles' silver-screen debut A Hard Day's Night will return to theaters this summer to mark the 50th anniversary of its premiere at London's Pavilion Theatre. Janus Films has digitally restored th[...]
https://music.yahoo.com/news/beatles-hard-days-night-headed-back-movie-theaters-122535314-rolling-stone.html
BIG THANKS to #KLOS and #HeidiandFrank
BIG THANKS to #KLOS and #HeidiandFrank for partying with us prior to 4/20 on the radio . . . Greg Piper and The Tooners! Love Ya!
http://unsigned-records.com/imhighUS/imhighHANGOUTS.html
http://unsigned-records.com/imhighUS/imhighHANGOUTS.html
Rock N Roller Greg Piper and The Tooners - I'm High on KLOS morning show TODAY
I had a blast today with Heidi, Frank and Eric! Go vote YAY or NAY on my music. 420 PARTY WEEKEND, FOLKS! http://www.heidiandfrank.com/f/stayorgo
http://www.heidiandfrank.com/f/stayorgo
http://www.heidiandfrank.com/f/stayorgo
Artists and Musicians Team to Draw Attention to 4/20's Spiritual Side | Apr 16, 2014
Press Release issued Apr 16, 2014: Former Disney animator Neal Warner and the musical director of the John Lennon themed show "Just Imagine" Greg Piper have released a special music video to celebrate next Sunday's "high holiday". "I'm High" by their band The Tooners has been released as a single to radio and its psychedelic animated lyrics video is going viral on the Internet.
http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/artists-and-musicians-team-to-draw-attention-to-420s-spiritual-side-493976.htm
http://www.sbwire.com/press-releases/artists-and-musicians-team-to-draw-attention-to-420s-spiritual-side-493976.htm
The Tooners' I'm High On KLOS 95.5 FM
The Tooners are going to be on the Stay Or Go segment of the Heidi and
Frank Show on KLOS this Friday morning to let the good people of Los
Angeles decide if we should continue as a band or throw our instruments
in the ocean (we'd pawn them before we'd throw them into the sea). It's
going to be brutal because we're using our new single "I'm High" as the
example of our music since this weekend is the Easter Sunday 4/20 high
holiday but at least we've already founded Rock & Roll Rehab in case
it's decided that we should call it quits once and for all.
Listen this Friday morning to KLOS, 95.5 FM in Los Angeles and depending on what the outcome is, email us for great deals on used equipment.
The Bad Boys Club
In a previous post I mentioned how animated films, in fact,
a lot of movies animated or otherwise have a strong, even violent female lead
while the men are reduced to negative male stereotypes. Some might say that the
male characters are “bad boys” because that’s the type that appeal to women.
From where did that cliche come?
In most stereotypes there are aspects that are based on
truth and it is true that bad boys make appealing movie characters. For one
thing they take the kind of risks that leads to more exciting stories but there
is more than that. Here is the basics of that whole “bad boy” thing; Bad Boys,
also known as Jerks or referred to as A-holes, Punks and/or Losers appeal to
some women because they are perceived as having (most of the time mistakenly)
the one quality some women find literally irresistible, namely, confidence.
That is the one thing that people who lack it crave the most. The problem is
that A-holes and jerks sometimes get mistaken for having confidence because
they do the sort of things that really take some balls. Actually, they don’t,
they’re just stupid, ignorant, stoned, drunk or terminally obnoxious but their
lack of sensitivity, sense of consequence, guilt, pride and/or morality is seen
as simply not giving a crap what anybody thinks of them and that is sometimes misconstrued
as having confidence. This is why beer is universally acclaimed as being a
great pick up aid. “Liquid Confidence” is another term for alcohol and we all
know that booze doesn’t really give anyone confidence, it just destroys your
fear, doubt, common sense and reason.
"Wow, I can't believe you did that last night!" a girl might say to a guy who completely ruined himself the night before in a drunken exhibition of loss of control. And she's saying that as if totally impressed. Totally! If he acts cool, like he knows what she's talking about because he actually remembered what he did, he's got it made with her. It's only if he has any regret, remorse or is at all appologetic or embarrassed that he becomes the A-hole in her eyes.The best thing a guy can say to a girl is not "I love you" and not, "I'm sorry, can you ever forgive me?" and certainly not "I'll never act like that again, I promise." No, the absolute best thing a guy can ever say, EVER, is; "I meant to do that."
A-Hole 101.
The Princess Problem
In 2009 Walt Disney Studios released The Princess and the
Frog, its last traditionally drawn 2D animated feature. It made some money but
wasn’t as cost effect as computer animation had become so they declared that
would be their final 2D production.
Another aspect to what Disney felt was a problem with The
Princess and the Frog was that “little boys” wouldn’t go see a movie about a
princess (a girl). Why did they think that? Was it because without a fair
damsel in distress there was no real incentive for a boy to become a hero and risk his life so
there was no clear role model in these films for boys?
Women complain that in
the films of the past the women were all helpless victims waiting to be rescued
by a man (they’re right about that), but the women being in peril was what
motivated and drove the entire story. Take out the need for a male hero by
making the female lead a take charge heroine and why do you need the male
character?
In this “Princess Warrior” (King Arthur, Tim Burton’s Alice In
Wonderland, Alien, Star Wars) genre the male is reduced to the usually
immature, love-sick, or stubbornly macho sidekick or worse yet, comic relief.
He usually grows up during the course of the film to redeem himself in the end,
maybe even helping to save the Princess (who certainly didn’t need a MAN to
help her!). Maybe this is why boys don’t want to see movies with “Princesses”.
If a film is about a girl then it’s pretty certain the boy / man / love
interest is probably going to be an embarrassment to males of all ages. Why
support a whole genre of films that use you as the buffoon? These days you
can’t make fun (or the villain out) of any particular racial / social /
national / religious / political / etc. group and you certainly can’t ridicule
women. So that leaves males. Thanks a lot.
Prague's Latimer House
I just listened to the new single from the four man band
Latimer House that claims to be based in Prague.
”Interesting,” I thought, “Prague Rock.” I always like rock
and roll with a local flavor, especially an exotic flavor, and Prague,
the largest and capitol city of the Czech
Republic has the cool
Medieval history and more modern arts
scene to make any music coming from there intriguing indeed. Unfortunately
Latimer House sounds as Eastern European as Golden Earring sounds Dutch. Having
the instrumentalists playing American style rock that sounds as if it could
have been from Boston (Boston, J. Giels Band, Aerosmith) and an
American singer singing in English does not make Golden Earring a Dutch band.
Likewise, the only thing that Prague can boost
about with Latimer House is maybe hosting their live shows as the band, fronted
by guitarist (and presumably their lead singer) Joe Cook from London, England,
sounds as Czechoslovakian as Golden Earring sounds Dutch.
See how cool and psychedelic Prague can be? Imagine how this would sound?
At least on Latimer House’s new single, This Is Pop / Shake!
their sound is strictly English, Cockney vocals and all. And not just English
but “Rock of the Eighties” New Wave with the sort of bored, “too cool for
school” monotone sung/talked vocals of The Petshop Boys or Soft Cell.
Kind of a New Wave Pop Art looking cover too.
The other
members of the band are Anar Yuufov on keyboards and backing vocals who is from
Baku, wherever that is, Jiri Kominek from Toronto on drums and another American
from the great state of Virginia, Michael Jetton, on bass. So why are Latimer
House from Prague? Is it because they recorded their debut ten song CD called "All
The Rage", released on their own label, Honk Records, at Prague's Faust Studios with engineer Derek
Saxenmeyer?
They claim that “All The Rage”
would not be what it is without the mandolin and violin of Jim Thompson, who came over
from England so it must be the guitar work of Justin Lavash of Prague's blues
and jazz bars, the trumpet playing of Tommy Levvechia, and Jan Keller who also plays
fretless bass in a modern jazz quartet when not playing with the Czech
Philharmonic Orchestra that gives Latimer House their Prague cred.
With bands like fun! and Foster The People it sounds to me
like there is currently a revival of the New Wave sound of the Eighties so
maybe Latimer House is right in style rather than thirty years too late. They’re
certainly too late for me but for those who weren’t there the first time around
whatever sound is the NOW sound is the only sound that counts. I am
disappointed as what my mad little mind was conjuring up as the possible sound
of modern “Prague Rock” seemed a whole lot more interesting than a rehash of Human
League’s sound but for every old fart disappointed by today's music there are a thousand kids claiming it as their own. Make up your own mind at: http://latimerhouse.bandcamp.com
The Tooners' Rocktasia CD Songwriters
Being the 20th anniversary of The Tooners' rocktasia CD I'm writing about the three co-writers of songs included on the CD. The last article was about Don Coorough, writer of They Died Young and this one is about my brother, Dwayne Warner, listed as co-writer of Paid To Die.
Dwayne was a bodyguard for the English Punk rock band The Sex Pistols on their 1978 American tour and titled his autobiography (since novelized to protect, well, him), Paid To Die. Since I wrote the song about his stories about being on the road with a band as their head of security and since I took his autobiography title for the song title I credited him as co-writer.
Seven years ago this month, on Labor Day of 2006, Dwayne died of a Cerebral Aneurysm. I find it very coincidental that Dwayne, who was born on Memorial Day would die on Labor Day, two holidays I always mixed up. He also lived as long as his hero, actor Errol Flynn, fifty years.
Dwayne was a bodyguard for the English Punk rock band The Sex Pistols on their 1978 American tour and titled his autobiography (since novelized to protect, well, him), Paid To Die. Since I wrote the song about his stories about being on the road with a band as their head of security and since I took his autobiography title for the song title I credited him as co-writer.
Seven years ago this month, on Labor Day of 2006, Dwayne died of a Cerebral Aneurysm. I find it very coincidental that Dwayne, who was born on Memorial Day would die on Labor Day, two holidays I always mixed up. He also lived as long as his hero, actor Errol Flynn, fifty years.
Tim Piper's The Shot Heard Round The World
My old friend and world class Beatles tribute
artist Tim Piper is releasing a new original song to commemorate the
50th Anniversary of The Beatles coming to America (The British
Invasion). The song is called "The Shot Heard Round The World" which
refers to the start of the American Revolutionary War and the original
British Invasion. Check out the video at: http://www.timpipermusic.com/
Along with Tim's brother, Greg Piper, and keyboardist Morley Bartnoff,
they also had the great honor of having Gregg Bissonette (Ringo Starr's
drummer) play drums on the track. Also featured are Kat Raio (the
singing voice for "Elmo"), and Clifford Carter (who plays with
Letterman's Will Lee as well as other top-notchers) on strings and
Hammond B3 organ.
95.5 FM KLOS's Chris Carter will close his next broadcast this weekend of "Breakfast With The Beatles" as the first DJ to play the song. Then, on February 9, Rodney Bingenheimer will play the track on his 50th Beatles anniversary show on 106.7 KROQ FM.
A video of the song can be seen on TimPiperMusic.com and will be available on iTunes this Sunday and hopefully this will lead to Tim releasing all the great music I and his other friends have enjoyed over the years but his "Beatles Tribute fans" don't even know exists.
95.5 FM KLOS's Chris Carter will close his next broadcast this weekend of "Breakfast With The Beatles" as the first DJ to play the song. Then, on February 9, Rodney Bingenheimer will play the track on his 50th Beatles anniversary show on 106.7 KROQ FM.
A video of the song can be seen on TimPiperMusic.com and will be available on iTunes this Sunday and hopefully this will lead to Tim releasing all the great music I and his other friends have enjoyed over the years but his "Beatles Tribute fans" don't even know exists.
Tim has performed in three different live musical stage shows performing as the late Beatle John Lennon; One Night Only which ran at the Stella Adler Theater in Hollywood, A Day In His Life which was represented by the William Morris Agency and toured the country and his current show Just Imagine which recently finished an extended run at the Hayworth Theater on Wilshire Blvd. in L.A.
After the successful run of his show A Day In His Life a show was written especially for Tim as a follow up called Fanatics. This show was intended to appeal to his Beatles audience and was about an extreme Beatles fan such as Tim who lived his life under their influence but comprised of Tim's very Lennon-McCartney sounding original songs. Not parodies, Tim Piper just naturally has the Lennon-McCartney style and much of the magic in his own original tunes.
The late leader of the very Beatles influenced band, The Knack, Doug Fieger, produced the soundtrack CD to Fanatics as one of his last projects and the music has the authenticity of a great meeting of original Beatles' fan minds. However, Tim does have more material and tends to get excited about his new music rather than what he's done in the past but I'm hoping that the success of The Shot Heard Round The World helps introduce his music that I've loved for years to the public at large, at last.
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