Eagles at The Sphere

The new Sphere is Las Vegas is getting a lot of attention. Eagles are currently doing a residency.

Book Pick of the Week: What a Fool Believes

Michael McDonald's new memoir.

A sweeping and evocative memoir from the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Grammy Award–winning, platinum selling singer-songwriter Michael McDonald, written with his friend, Emmy Award–nominated actor, comedian, and #1 New York Times bestselling author Paul Reiser.

Doobie Brothers. Steely Dan. Chart topping soloist. Across a half-century of American music, Michael McDonald’s unmistakably smooth baritone voice defined an era of rock and R&B with hit records like “What A Fool Believes,” “Takin’ It to the Streets,” “I Keep Forgettin’,” “Peg,” “It Keeps You Running,” “You Belong to Me,” and “Yah Mo B There.”

In his candid, freewheeling memoir, written with his friend, the Emmy Award-nominated actor and comedian Paul Reiser, Michael tells the story of his life and music. A high school dropout from Ferguson, Missouri, Michael chased his dreams in 1970’s California, a heady moment of rock opportunity and excess. As a rising session musician and backing vocalist, a series of encounters would send him on a wild ride around the world and to the heights of rock stardom—from joining Steely Dan and becoming a defining member of The Doobie Brothers to forging a path as a breakout solo R&B artist.

Interwoven with the unforgettable tales of the music, Michael tells a deeply affecting story of losing and finding himself as a man. He reckons with the unshakeable insecurities that drove him, the drug and alcohol addictions that plagued him, and the highs and lows of popularity. Along the way he relays the lessons he’s learned, and that if he’s learned anything at all it’s that there’s often little correlation between what you get and what you deserve.

Filled with unbelievable stories and a matchless cast of music greats including James Taylor, Ray Charles, Carly Simon, and Quincy Jones, What a Fool Believes is a moving and entertaining memoir that is sure to be a classic.

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/What-Fool-Believes-Michael-McDonald/dp/0063357569

Book Pick of the Week: Athletes Who Rock!

Award-winning author and journalist Motez Bishara is bringing readers straight to the intersection of sports and music with his new book, “ATHLETES WHO ROCK!: Stories of Sacrifice, Setbacks, and Success in Sports, Music and Life,” (Cranthorpe Millner Publishers, February 22, 2022), a collection of in-depth interviews with fifteen extraordinary individuals who have lived out every kid’s fantasy: becoming a rock star and star athlete at the same time.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Athletes-Who-Rock-Motez-Bishara-ebook/dp/B09NMDZRYK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=
 
ATHLETES WHO ROCK! presents a wide variety of conversations with ethereal athletes like Damian Lillard, Daniela Hantuchova, Rony Seikaly, Bernie Williams, Essence Carson and Yannick Noah who offer insights and stories about their dual careers and reflect over what skills or attributes—if any—link the two worlds. They’ve won World Series titles and tennis Grand Slams, an Olympic gold and a WNBA championship, played in the FA Cup Final and NCAA basketball final, been named to NFL Pro Bowls and NBA All Star games, and captained England in The Ashes. Their successes have been glorious. The hurdles they have crossed are at times hard to believe. Now they’re offering exclusive behind-the-scenes access into their worlds.
 
Whether it’s their impeccable timing and rhythm, their ability to improvise on the go, or their unshakable dedication to be the very best they can be in their chosen fields, these inspiring characters have separated themselves from the masses. No matter what the links are, their spectacular success in two arenas is the ultimate crossover.

Foreigner Featured on The Goldberg's

After performing together for more than four decades, Foreigner will celebrate the 40^th anniversary of the release of “Waiting For A Girl Like You,” with a notable inclusion as the featured song on an all-new episode of ABC-TV’s The Goldbergs on Wednesday, September 29 at 8 p.m.

 

Says FOREIGNER founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist, Mick Jones, " 'Waiting For A Girl Like You' was always a special song for me as it commemorates the birth of my son Christopher (who I thought was going to be a girl!). I’m so pleased that The Goldbergs production team have chosen to introduce the song to their terrific audience."

 

The Goldbergs, a sitcom featuring a suburban family living in the 1980s, features a hit song from the 1980’s in each episode. The inclusion of “Waiting For A Girl Like You” aligns perfectly with the 40th anniversary of the release on October 1st.

 

In this all-new episode of The Goldbergs, Adam is ready to leave the struggles of his high school years behind him. Still, he is distraught to discover he's been waitlisted at NYU while his girlfriend Brea has been accepted, along with his mom Beverly. She surprises everyone by admitting she applied to the same school. Adam courts the NYU dean of admissions, hoping she will change her mind on his deferral, by serenading her to his version of Foreigner’s “Waiting For A Girl Like You.”

 

On October 1, 1981, “Waiting For A Girl Like You” was released as the second single from the album 4 (1981) and was co-written by Mick Jones and Lou Gramm. It has become one of the band's most successful songs worldwide, peaking at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 1 on Billboard’s Rock Tracks Chart.

 

“Waiting For A Girl Like You” achieved a chart distinction by spending its record-setting 10 weeks in the number 2 position of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, without ever reaching the top. It debuted on the Hot 100 chart dated October 10, 1981.

 

With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, FOREIGNER is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million.

STYX's First Studio Album in Four Years is Out Today

 A new era of hope, survival, and prosperity is here with the release of CRASH OF THE CROWN, STYX’s new studio album, which was written pre-pandemic and recorded during the trying times of the pandemic.

 
The legendary rockers--James “JY” Young (lead vocals, guitars), Tommy Shaw (lead vocals, guitars), Chuck Panozzo (bass, vocals), Todd Sucherman (drums, percussion), Lawrence Gowan (lead vocals, keyboards) and Ricky Phillips (bass, guitar, vocals)--released their 17th album today on the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe today, which is available as clear vinyl, black vinyl, CD, and on digital platforms and at Styxworld.com.
 
They’ve already released two singles from the new album:  the title track which premiered exclusively during Eddie Trunk’s “Trunk Nation” program on SiriusXM Satellite Radio last month, and “Reveries” which dropped June 4.
 
In early reviews, Vintage Guitar raved, “Returning to their guitar/keyboard-fueled ’70s style, the band takes prog’s grandest elements and condenses them into punchy songs – no question, that classic STYX crunch is present.” While SonicPerspectives.com praised the album’s “…fantastic three part harmonies, widdly, bombastic synths, blue-collar working man electric guitar solos and memorable melodic rock songs that flirt with prog elements just enough to have a little extra edge…This record exudes massive musicianship…The road tested warhorse of STYX shows remarkable resilience and capacity to generate energized new music that retains the proven classic elements of the band’s signature sound and straddles the lines of American prog, arena rock and a little bit of acoustic folk.” While Insite called it, “…a passionately relatable sonic parable, tailor-made for openminded 2021 listeners.”
 
CRASH OF THE CROWN is the follow-up to STYX’s 16th studio album, THE MISSION (their first in 14 years at the time, which critics called “a masterpiece”) which was released June 16, 2017 on the band’s label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe. The highly anticipated two-disc reissue of THE MISSION was released on July 27, 2018 via Alpha Dog 2T/UMe, which includes a CD of the original album, as well as a Blu-ray of the album mixed in 5.1 surround sound accompanied by stunning visualizations for each of the album’s 14 songs based on the album artwork. It originally debuted on various Billboard charts, including: #6 Top Rock Albums, #11 Physical Albums, #11 Vinyl Albums, #13 Current Albums, #14 Billboard Top Albums, #16 Retail, #17 Mass Merch/Non-Traditional, #29 Digital Albums, and #45 Billboard 200 (includes catalog and streaming).
 
In touring news, STYX and COLLECTIVE SOUL are rested, healthy, and ready to hit the road for their first-ever multiple city tour together. STYX had previously announced their return to Las Vegas with a three-night sold-out engagement at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian® Resort Las Vegas on September 24, 25, and 26.