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Gary Pihl, along with the other members of the December People, were awarded the Army National Guard Total Victory Team Medal by the Kansas Army National Guard.
Here's the post from their Facebook page:
The Army National Guard Total Victory Team Medal was intended for National Guard troops post 911 who have been activated and/or civilian that played a part of extraordinary support for their troops and have contributed to supporting freedom. This medal can be worn around the neck, but in honor of those who fell on 911 most keep the medal in a prominent display area. Both civilians or Soldiers can be given this medal in recognition of there outstanding support and actions towards freedom and peace. Supporting and promoting the National Guard Soldiers mark the recipient as one of the Team by supporting Soldiers in achieving Total Victory over those that threaten our freedom and peace.
I was honored to present this Medal to December People. I have determined that December People's goals, values, and actions are those that are in line with the KSARNG. Their giving hearts and passion for our community, country, and Soldiers has greatly impacted the success and call to action to support our community and our Soldiers. December People exemplify the seven Army values; Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. They are truly part of the National Guard Team and deserve to be recognized as such. Please thank them all for me and my Soldiers here from the KSARNG!
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Gary Pihl's band December People have released a new album. A Classic Rock Christmas features 11 tracks of Christmas music.
If you're not familiar with December People, they perform Christmas music with a twist -- the songs are in the style of classic rock artists like Boston, Journey, Santana and Rush.
The album is currently available via Bandcamp and CD Baby and will be available through other vendors like iTunes soon.
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Tommy DeCarlo has released a new single.
I Wanna Be the One is now available for purchase as a download (MP3 or FLAC) at CD Baby for $1.29. Get your copy today.
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By Jonathan Stempel
Reuters
(Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday dismissed most of a lawsuit in which Tom Scholz, the founder of the rock band Boston, accused former bandmate and guitarist Barry Goudreau of trademark infringement over the use of the band's name.
Goudreau played on Boston's self-titled 1976 debut album, which sold more than 17 million copies and contained the song "More Than A Feeling," and the 1978 follow-up "Don't Look Back."
Scholz accused him of repeatedly violating a 1983 agreement over royalties that let Goudreau use the phrase "formerly of Boston" in marketing. He said Goudreau was instead advertised as an "original" Boston member, "playing the hits of Boston" and "lead guitarist rock legend from the band Boston."
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BOSTON has released a new group photo for the Summer 2015 Tour.
Band (L-R): Tom Scholz, Tracy Ferrie, Jeff Neal, Tommy DeCarlo, Beth Cohen, Gary Pihl
If you've been keeping track of the lineup over the last few tours, you probably noticed a new face in the photo. That is Beth Cohen. Beth is joining the tour on vocals / guitar / keyboards. Beth has worked with artists such as Barry Gibb, Pink, Kelly Clarkson and Barbra Streisand. Beth also provided backing vocals on the BOSTON track You Gave Up On Love.
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BOSTON's tour is just around the corner, with the first show April 30 in Tuscaloosa, AL. As many fans know, drummer Jeff Neal's day job is teaching high school. With school still being in session during the start of the tour, he won't be touring with the band right away. You would probably assume that Curly Smith would fill in the role, considering he performed at some of the shows on the last tour, but there'll be a new face behind the drum kit. That face is Nick D'Virgilio.
Photo by Holger Nassenstein (licensed under Creative Commons 3.0)
Gary Pihl revealed this in a recent interview "Our drummer, Jeff Neal, is a high school teacher up in Maine, and he is such a dedicated guy. We said, ‘Gee, we got some dates for the band starting in April and into May,’ and he said, ‘Oh gosh, I’m still in school at that time! Can you find an alternate drummer?’... There are normally six of us in the band, but our seventh person is an alternate drummer and his name is Nick D’Virgilio. He is an excellent musician and he’ll be with us in Florida, for the first month of shows. Then Jeff will take over and do the rest of the tour."
Nick is probably best known as being a long-time member of the band Spock's Beard from the early 90s until 2011. Nick will be performing with the band for the first 12 shows, ending with the May 24 show in St. Augustine, FL.
Here is Nick's announcement he posted on Facebook:
Hello all! I have some really fun news to let you all in on. I will be going out to play some shows, 12 to be exact, with the band BOSTON! How classic is that?! I am very lucky and excited to be able to do these shows. It came out of the blue and thankfully I am able to join Boston for a short time while still maintaining my amazing position at Sweetwater. These shows are coming up quick, I will be on the first 12 dates, and if you live in Florida, Alabama, North or South Carolina then I hope you get some tix and come on out to jam along with some classic music.
Welcome Nick!
Update April 30: Nick posted an update on Facebook:
Just a quick update here:
It is a bit of a bummer, but it is all for the best, that I write that I will not be going out with the band Boston for any shows. After a few rehearsals it was clear that it was not the right fit for them or me. So instead of trying to make something happen that was not happening, we came to the mutual decision that I was not the man for the job. Maybe with more time it could have worked out, but with the time crunch they were under it was the right thing to do for all concerned to step back and move on.
It is not like I don't have anything good musically going on already either. I have a great job at Sweetwater Sound with all kinds of sessions - workshops - teaching - and gear madness happening, my band Big Big Train is going to be releasing some new music soon along with a live DVD and our first ever live shows in London coming up this August, my shiny new power trio The Fringe ( Randy McStine, Jonas Reingold ) will be playing at the New Jersery Proghouse Homecoming show this October and releasing some music in the near future, and I am deep into some new solo material and other things as well.
In closing the gig with Boston was really just not meant to be. I wish for them a great tour with whomever they use behind the kit.
All the best everybody!
NDV
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[Below is a message from Tom Scholz]
We hope everyone has survived the holidays and is looking forward to this year as much as we are. 2014 was a good year for BOSTON and we are already getting excited about plans for 2015. We want to thank all our fans for the amazing response to our tour last summer; we had an awesome time thanks to the incredible support you all gave to us. And even more important, we raised a lot of money for worthy charities that protect lives both human and non human, including the Sea Shepherds, Shriners Hospitals for Children, and numerous other animal protection and hunger relief programs.
In the oddball news department, we have just found out that BOSTON's "Life, Love & Hope" album has been released on vinyl. This had always been part of the release plan, and great expenditures of time and money went into making analogue mixes of much of the album so that serious listeners could hear the original analogue sound of the recording, instead of the now typical sound of vinyl cut from digital mixes. So why aren't we celebrating?
Unfortunately, as the world has converted to digital for virtually everything, even when it's a bad idea, the facilities available to master an album from analogue tape directly to vinyl have nearly all gone away, and those that remain are not equipped or maintained like the rooms were 20 years ago. The end result for the latest BOSTON album was an unacceptable vinyl master that had clicks, static, and drop outs during many of the quiet segues between the cuts.
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BOSTON is conquering the radio airwaves as "Heaven on Earth," the lead single from Life, Love & Hope, captured the #1 spot on Mediabase's Classic Rock chart this week. Written and produced by Tom Scholz, “Heaven on Earth” features David Victor on vocals with special guest Louis St. August. Additionally, Life, Love & Hope, released in the U.S. and Canada on December 3, 2013, debuted at #2 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart, as well as #5 on Billboard's Rock charts.
Scholz said, "Working for so many years in relative isolation, I had no idea how these songs would be received. It's amazing to see a BOSTON song at #1 again! I want to thank Frontiers Records, Azoff Music Management, and my wife Kim for believing in this record and for their extraordinary efforts. l'm also grateful to the many other performers and individuals who contributed to completing this album and making its release possible. All of us in BOSTON thank our fans for being so supportive over the years."
More than a decade in the making, Life, Love & Hope, the collection of brand new tracks, recorded at Scholz's very own Hideaway Studio II, was produced, arranged, and engineered by Scholz and is BOSTON's first release since 2002's Corporate America. Brad Delp, BOSTON singer Tommy DeCarlo, David Victor, Kimberley Dahme and Scholz himself, contribute vocals on the new album. Diverse yet cohesive, the long-awaited album has something for everyone and will fulfill the expectations of existing fans, while exposing a new generation to one of rock and roll's great acts.
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BOSTON's hitting the road this summer.
The band will be on their Heaven on Earth tour. Dates are still being added, but there are over 30 dates listed so far. The tour list page is being kept updated with dates, cities and ticket info.
If you haven't already, also consider following us on Facebook and Twitter to keep informed on the latest news.
Select shows have VIP packages available, where you can get great seats, preshow refreshments, exclusive merchandise, preshow refreshments, raffle for exclusive tour items, and more.
Unlike BOSTON's last tour in 2012, fans living in the western part of the US won't have to travel as far to see the band as there are some shows scheduled in California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.
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This is a previously unreleased song written and performed by Brad Delp and Steve Baker.
Here's the description from the YouTube video, posted by Steve Baker:
Brad and I co-wrote this back in the mid 90's. As you will be able to tell from the lyric, the inspiration was the Beatles appearances on Ed Sullivan back in '64.
We originally recorded it at Winterwood Studios (my basement). It was recorded in a morning and hastily mixed to a cassette for him and me to listen to and finish at a later date (hey, we had a tee time).
Unfortunately, the original masters were lost and the cassette also went missing until 2012.
Amazingly, the cassette was in reasonable condition and through the wonders of modern technology available to me at Winding Pond Studios (my basement) I was able to finish it up and improve the sound quality.
It's still a bit rough but I hope you'll enjoy it anyway. Listen carefully, you can hear Brad humming through my piano solo.
I've been sitting on this for awhile but decided what better time than this, the 50th anniversary of the Beatles' debut in America, to share this with everybody.
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BOSTON has posted a message on the official site:
January 2014
As another year begins, we want to thank all of our fans for their enthusiastic support for BOSTON's new album, "Life, Love & Hope." We will be sure to add a few of the tracks to the set list for this summer's upcoming tour. We are extremely grateful to all of you for making it possible to do what we love to do!
At the inauguration of Boston's mayor Walsh on Monday January 6, Tom Scholz will have the honor of performing a few BOSTON songs with the Boston Pops at the festivities that follow.
In other cool news, "The Secret Life of Scientists and Engineers," an Emmy-nominated web-series from the acclaimed PBS series, NOVA, will be featuring Tom on an upcoming episode. "Secret Life" profiles today’s leading scientists - and shows what they're like when the lab coats come off - like a biochemist who competed for Miss America and a microbiologist who's a professional wrestler. We will keep you posted once an air date is determined.
For more information on the scientists and engineers profiled in this excellent series, visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/secretlife/ or https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Secret-Life-of-Scientists/367919659144 Please "Like" them on facebook, it helps with their funding!
Everyone from BOSTON wishes each of you an abundant and joyful 2014!
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BOSTON's latest album Life, Love & Hope has been getting released around the world this month. If you've been keep up with updates on the album, then you probably know that there were a couple bonus tracks released - Te Quiero Mia, which was released exclusively at Best Buy in the US, and O Canada which was released in Canada on iTunes.
There's another bonus track...
The Japanese version of the album, which is due for release December 18, has a new bonus track. This time it's a Tom Scholz vocal version of Someday. This version of the album is listed on amazon.co.jp and CD Japan. CD Japan ships worldwide. If you can't read Japanese, you can see a translation of the track listing.
Thanks to Gonna Hitch a Ride forum member musicstation for posting updates on this release.
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Some of you may recall in 2002 BOSTON released their take on God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, which for a time was available for download via boston.org.
An updated version of this song, titled God Rest Ye Metal Gentlemen, is now available for download via the iTunes Store. It is the same recording that Tom Scholz did in 2002 featuring Kimberley Dahme, Gary Pihl and drummer Tom Hambridge, but with some minor changes. The original version of the song was also featured on Uncle Joe's Rockin' Xmas Show in 2006.
Download it now on iTunes.
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It's here! Life, Love & Hope - the new BOSTON album 11 years in the making, is officially released today!
This is the first album from BOSTON since 2002's Corporate America. The new album contains 11 tracks - three of which first appeared on the last album (two that have been reworked). US fans can get the album with the bonus track Te Quiero Mia exclusively at Best Buy. Canadian fans get a bonus instrumental of O Canada on iTunes.
The European release of the album will be out this Friday, December 6, while the UK release will be on December 9.
Did you buy the album? If so, let us know your thoughts in the comments.
If you haven't picked up the album yet, here are a few places you can get it from:
iTunes [Canadian version includes bonus track "O Canada"]
US Retailers:
Amazon.com
Best Buy [Exclusive Bonus Track "Te Quiero Mia"]
Canadian Retailers:
Amazon.ca
HMV
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Tom Scholz will be on Rockline December 04 to talk about the new album. You can listen live starting at 8:30pm PST (11:30pm EST). Get a chance to speak with Tom by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625) during the program.
If you can't listen to the live broadcast, not to worry, it will be available to stream on the Rockline site the evening following the broadcast.
Check out the official Rockline site for more info and for station listings.
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The new BOSTON album Life, Love & Hope has been available for preorder on Amazon.com for a few weeks already; now it's available to preorder on iTunes.
The first single Heaven on Earth is also available to purchase. The Canadian release has a special bonus. As was posted on Facebook and Twitter, The Orchard has a listing with a version of the album due for release the same day as the US release December 3, but with a bonus track. It wasn't Te Quiero Mia, which is the Best Buy bonus track, but O Canada. There had been no announcement made previously regarding any other versions of the album or other bonus tracks. The listing on the Canadian iTunes store shows O Canada as the 12th track on the album, running at a length of 1:28.
BOSTON had performed O Canada - Canada's national anthem - during their stops in Rama, Belleville and London, Ontario last year.
For those who love vinyl, SoundStageDirect is taking preorders for the album in 180g Audiophile Virgin Vinyl on 2 LPs. This release is even more interesting as it contains both bonus tracks mentioned, and it's a limited edition of 1,000!
Here is the track listing for the vinyl release:
LP 1
1. Heaven On Earth
2. Didnt Mean To Fall In Love
3. Last Day Of School
4. Sail Away
5. Life, Love & Hope
6. If You Were In Love
LP 2
1. Someday
2. Love Got Away
3. Someone (2.0)
4. You Gave Up On Love (2.0)
5. Te Quiero Mia (bonus track)
6. The Way You Look Tonight
7. O Canada (bonus track)
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The listing for the new album at Amazon.com has been updated to include the track listings. As had been reported way back in 2008, the album will include updates to some tracks that were previously released on Corporate America.
01. Heaven on Earth
02. Didn't Mean to Fall in Love
03. Last Day of School
04. Sail Away
05. Life Love and Hope
06. If You Were in Love
07. Someday
08. Love Got Away
09. Someone (2.0)
10. You Gave Up on Love (2.0)
11. The Way You Look Tonight
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The following is the official announcement regarding the new album:
More than 10 years in the making, BOSTON's new studio album, "Life, Love & Hope" is ready for release! Finally emerging from his Hideaway Studio II, Tom Scholz says, "These are songs from the heart, each of them taking many months of effort to write, arrange, perform and record, always up to the demands of BOSTON's harshest critic, me. They have all been meticulously recorded to analogue tape on the same machines and equipment used for BOSTON's hits for the past 35 years."
Available on December 3 on Frontiers Records, this album includes lead vocals from Brad Delp, Tommy DeCarlo, Kimberley Dahme, David Victor, and Tom Scholz, and features tracks with the classic BOSTON sound, as well as the latest in the evolution of Scholz' musical artistry. "I intentionally stayed close to the early BOSTON style on some of the songs, even using the same amps and instruments; on others I let my imagination run wild," says Tom.
All the tracks have the characteristic BOSTON trademark guitars, harmonies, and immaculately-crafted sound. Tom worked very hard to fulfill the expectations of BOSTON fans new and old, and has created a diverse yet cohesive album that truly has something for everyone.
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(Please Note: At the time of this article's original release, the information had yet to be confirmed by the band's management. The band has since made an official announcement. The information regarding Brad Delp was confirmed to be incorrect as MusicTAP had reported that the album would not include tracks recorded by Brad, however the announcement by the band has stated it will. The article has been updated to reflect this.)
BOSTON fans have been waiting for a very long time for the follow-up to 2002's Corporate America. Over the years, there's been very little in the way of news on the album's progress. Work on the album was further delayed by tragedy - the death of lead singer Brad Delp in 2007. Tom Scholz had posted this year that the album was expected to be released this summer. Summer has come and gone without an album, now it looks like we're finally going to get it.
According to MusicTAP, the album, which they say will be called Life, Love & Hope, will be released on December 03, 2013 on Frontiers Records.
Frontiers Records is a record label based in Italy, which has released material for Def Leppard, Sammy Hagar, Ted Nugent, Stryper, and was the label that Fran and Anthony Cosmo used to release their album Alien in 2006. Frontiers' website shows that their North American distribution is handled through EMI, which is now under Universal Music Group (UMG).
The album is available for preorder on Amazon.com.
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Color Three, the group made up of BOSTON members Gary Pihl, Kimberley Dahme and Jeff Neal, have released their first album.
Paint by Number features thirteen tracks clocking in at 56 minutes. It's available for download via iTunes and Amazon.com. If you would rather have an actual physical CD, there are limited quanitities available through their official site.
Gary, Kimberley and Jeff will be live on Blog Talk Radio August 21 @ 7:30pm EDT talking about the album. If you can't listen live, the show will be available to download as a podcast.
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Tom Scholz has posted a message on the official site regarding the band's recent performance at the Boston Strong show:
Finally catching our breath following the Boston Strong benefit and three weeks of preparation for our set there last Thursday night. What an incredible night! What an honor it was to play for this amazing gathering.
Four weeks ago I was immersed in the final stages of production for a new BOSTON studio album when I got word that New Kids manager Jared Paul was trying to put together a benefit concert to raise money for the One Fund, and wanted BOSTON to play. Since the Marathon bombings my wife and I had been trying to think of something special we could do to help the victims, and here was the perfect opportunity. Kim and I, along with a lot of other people, dropped what we were doing and dove into preparations for a BOSTON set for the Boston Strong concert.
It's always hard to assemble a crew when we are off the road, especially on short notice, but nearly all of our regular technical crew members went out of their way to get there for rehearsal and the show. The band members also have other lives when we're not touring, but three weeks after we got the call, the band was ready, firing on all cylinders, and the crew had our gear up and running operating at full throttle.
BOSTON has played the Garden many times, but this night had an incredible level of excitment and a deep emotional undercurrent that I hadn't felt before. We may be just another band out of Boston, but as Gary Pihl, Tracy Ferry and I began the opening chord crescendo of the national anthem, I knew this was not going to be just another night on stage. The pride of being a part of this unity, of this collective brotherhood, of being American, was overwhelming as the band launched into the Star Spangled Banner.
I've never been so honored and thrilled to be a part of something, and I know that sentiment was shared by the entire band and crew. Our deepest thanks to our very hard working staff, friends, and the concert organizers who put together this awesome event which enabled us to help those who suffered such terrible losses in this tragedy. Our hearts go out to all of them.
Tom Scholz
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TD Garden and Live Nation are proud to announce 'Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration' to be held at the TD Garden on Thursday, May 30, 2013. Net ticket proceeds of this historic concert will benefit The One Fund Boston, set up by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to help the people most affected by the tragic events that occurred in Boston on April 15.
'Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration' will feature (in alphabetical order) Aerosmith, Jason Aldean, Boston, Jimmy Buffett, Dane Cook, Extreme, Godsmack, The J. Geils Band, Carole King, New Kids on the Block, James Taylor, and Steven Wright. Additional artists will be announced.
"Live Nation and TD Garden have hosted thousands of concerts over the years, but none with such a sense of purpose as Boston Strong: A Concert of Support and Celebration," said Don Law, president of Live Nation New England. "Boston is a city with strong roots, and homegrown artists reached out to us to see what could be done. We are proud to help solidify this huge concert line-up."
"Like so many other proud Bostonians who have been extremely generous, we are honored to step up and do our part to help the victims and their families," said Donnie Wahlberg, New Kids on the Block. "Hopefully this event will not only raise money, but spirits as well."
"The One Fund event at the Garden this May 30th is destined to be a true Boston landmark. From the promoters to the sound & lights, to the performers and the Garden staff; everyone involved has responded from the heart in a spontaneous and simultaneous desire to be there and to do what we can for the city we love. I am honored to be a part of it, and…I can't wait," said James Taylor.
"The TD Garden, in partnership with Live Nation, is proud to host to this historic event and raise significant funding and awareness for The One Fund Boston," said Amy Latimer, TD Garden President. "This is an important community gathering to celebrate the amazing spirit of this city, Boston Strong."
Tickets are priced from $35 to $285. Prices include all fees and service charges. Information on special sponsor tickets which will include commemorative items, reserved parking, and other items will be available on www.ticketmaster.com and www.livenation.com/vip.
Tickets will go on sale Monday, May 6 at 10:00 AM. Fans can purchase tickets at www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000 or at TD Garden Box Office. In an effort to make sure all net proceeds from ticket sales go directly to The One Fund, all tickets will be sold through Ticketmaster's paperless ticket delivery. Fans must have the credit card used to make the purchase and a valid, government-issued ID to gain entry. For more information on paperless ticketing, visit http://www.ticketmaster.com/paperless. For more information on the event, you may also go to www.aconcertforboston.org.
For more information on The One Fund Boston or to donate, visit. www.onefundboston.org. For more information on 'Boston Strong: An Evening of Support and Celebration', please visit www.TDGarden.com.