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Ken Weinstein
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Michael Eisele
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Musician, Performer, Songwriter, Arranger, Music Producer, Music Supervisor, TV Producer, Actor, Director, Broadway Producer, TV and Film Composer, and Live Event Producer, International DJ, Activist, Historian, Teacher, member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and recognized internationally as one of the world’s foremost authorities on both Contemporary and Traditional Rock and Roll.
“He’s not the only one, nor the oldest, nor the richest. But Little Stevie Van Zandt might currently be the planet’s most charismatic, dedicated and visible crusader scrapping to preserve the dirty purity of Rock ‘n Roll.” – BruceSpringsteen.net
“I know it sounds a bit silly but I do believe Rock and Roll can change the world. It’s about bands, and that for me suggests brotherhood, family, friendship, and community” – Stevie Van Zandt
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL REGISTER 10,000 TEACHERS FOR TEACHROCK MUSIC HISTORY CURRICULUM
TICKETS TO THE “TEACHER SOLIDARITY TOUR” STILL AVAILABLE
FREE TO EDUCATORS OF ALL TYPES
SOULFIRE LIVE! BOX SETS AVAILABLE NOW
The final leg of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s Teacher Solidarity Tour has reached the incredible goal of registering over 10,000 teachers to use the TeachRock Music History Curriculum. The tour, which began last week in association with the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation (RRFF), is still accepting registrations as it continues through December 16.
Stevie Van Zandt, who often refers to educators as the “front line in the war on ignorance,” launched the “Teacher Solidarity Tour” to demonstrate his support for teachers throughout the US in a time marked by wage cuts, crumbling school infrastructure, a lack of funding for resources, and widespread teacher strikes. More than just moral support, the tour presents a nightly workshop — a legitimate professional development session in which RRFF staff, and Van Zandt himself, present concepts and content that empower K-12 teachers of all disciplines to use music in their classrooms.
Throughout the tour, teachers and their guests get in free. Doors open early to teachers at 5:15 for snacks and networking, the workshops run from 6-7, and the concert follows. It’s an action-packed, hands-on professional development in a different environment, but is nonetheless a legitimate professional experience from which teachers come away with something to use tomorrow as well as with material to plan into future semesters. At many tour stops, the sessions even count toward educators’ continuing education licensing hours. As Van Zandt puts it, “This is a little different than the professional development experience you may be used to. This is a rock ‘n’ roll experience.”
There are more than 20 shows left on the tour, and tickets remain for educators at almost each stop. For more info, and to register, head to www.teachrock.org/tour.
Thus far “solidarity” has been an apt word for the tour, as the workshops have been a unifying force within school districts. Throughout the country, superintendents are signing on, making the workshops “official” professional development opportunities for their teachers, and even adding the events to school calendars. Educator feedback has also been wholly positive.
Teacher Edward J. wrote, “I want to recognize your devoted Rock & Roll Forever Foundation team who exceeded my expectations as an education professional. The entire experience was top shelf. Between the deep dive into the TeachRock content and the two and one half hour soul revue by your band, I have memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you for opening the music of our heart to this vital initiative. I love being a Teach Rock ‘Disciple of Soul.'”
Teacher Sonia H. wrote, “You gave a great PD last night at the historic Carnegie Music Hall in Homestead! Thanks to Steven for his decade-long effort to keep music alive in schools. It was wonderful to see teachers of all ages interacting with each other. As we engaged with the music we could see how easy it will be to get students involved with history, science, etc. and teach kids to discover more on their own. Motivation is key in this day and age.”
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LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL: SOULFIRE TEACHER APPRECIATION TOUR 2018
OCTOBER
31 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
NOVEMBER
2 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
3 – Green Bay, WI – Meyer Theatre
5 – Chicago, IL – Copernicus Center
7 – Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater
9 – Detroit, MI – Detroit Music Hall
10 – Peoria, IL – Monarch Theater
12 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
14 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
16 – Northfield, OH – Hard Rock Rocksino
17 – Morgantown, WV – Metropolitan Theatre
26 – Oklahoma City, OK – Tower Theatre
28 – Omaha, NE – Holland Performing Arts Center
30 – Denver, CO – Gothic Theatre
DECEMBER
1 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Depot
3 – Vancouver, BC – Vogue Theatre
5 – Snoqualmie, WA – Snoqualmie Casino
7 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore
8 – Stateline, NV – Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
11 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues
12 – Anaheim, CA – House of Blues
14 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues
16 – Phoenix, AZ – Van Buren
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Stevie Van Zandt’s Rock and Roll Forever Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that integrates arts throughout K-12 classrooms via rich, standard-aligned lesson plans and hands-on teacher workshops, all delivered to educators and districts at no cost. TeachRock is a standards-aligned arts integration curriculum that uses the history and culture of popular music to engage students in all disciplines. From social studies and language arts to geography, STEAM, general music, and more: TeachRock has engaging and meaningful material for every K-12 classroom, and it’s all shared with teachers and students at no cost. TeachRock is endorsed by the National Council for the Social Studies, the National Association for Music Education, and the National Council for Geographic Education, with partners including Scholastic Inc., PBS, Reelin’ in the Years, ABC News, Rock’s Backpages, New York University’s Steinhardt School, and the Grammy Museum. For lesson plans and additional information, please visit teachrock.org.
“Music will forever be humanity’s most effective and consistent source of inspiration and motivation,” says Van Zandt, “and, we have learned, music turns out to be our most solid common ground for establishing communication between teachers and students which is where education begins.”
The Soulfire TeachRock Tour 2018 follows the recent release of SOULFIRE LIVE!, a spectacular new live collection recorded last year in North America and Europe during Little Steven’s first world tour in nearly two decades. The 3CD and LP editions feature an exclusive third disc highlighted by superstar guest performances recorded throughout the trek, including Bruce Springsteen, Richie Sambora, Peter Wolf, and Jerry Miller (of Moby Grape). SOULFIRE LIVE! is available now via Wicked Cool/Big Machine/UMe. A unique 7LP vinyl box set and Blu-ray edition of SOULFIRE LIVE! is also on the way and is available to pre-order now.
DOWNLOAD/STREAM SOULFIRE LIVE!
FOR MEDIA USE ONLY
PURCHASE SOULFIRE LIVE! BOX SETS
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MUSICIANS STEVIE VAN ZANDT AND JACKSON BROWNE CALL FOR MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL BOYCOTT
URGE CHANGES IN HOTEL’S SINGLE-USE PLASTIC POLICY
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Stevie Van Zandt and Jackson Browne joined Plastic Pollution Coalition in calling for a boycott of all Marriott International-owned hotels in response to their policy of using plastic containers for room service.
Van Zandt and Browne are notable members of Plastic Pollution Coalition, a global alliance working toward a world free of plastic pollution and its toxic impacts on humans, animals, waterways, the ocean, and the environment.
More than 8 million tons of plastic pollution enter the world’s oceans each year, harming animals and ecosystems. Toxic chemicals in plastic can leach from food containers and are linked to human health problems such as cancer, infertility, and obesity.
“The last thing we need right now is more plastic waste,” said Van Zandt. “There is no longer any excuse – if there ever was – for businesses to sacrifice environmental responsibility for profit. The two are no longer mutually exclusive – if they ever were – and any attempt to present the false choice of one over the other is a lie.”
Posts on Marriott Hotel’s social media channels show customers complaining about the plastic containers for room service since 2016. A Tweet from Van Zandt calling out Marriott on Sunday was liked 1.4K times.
“We each have it in our power to support businesses that take care not to further degrade our environment, and to bring that considerable consumer power to bear in the fight for a sustainable future,” said Jackson Browne. “I’m happy to answer Stevie Van Zandt’s call for this boycott. I spend much of my year in hotel rooms, and it is absolutely my choice not to stay where they serve food in plastic.”
Dianna Cohen, Co-Founder and CEO of Plastic Pollution Coalition, said: “We stand with our notable Coalition members in calling for a boycott of Marriott Hotels until they change this wasteful practice of using plastic containers for room service. The time is now for Marriott to reduce their plastic footprint on the earth and think ‘reusable’ instead of ‘disposable.”
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LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL’S SOULFIRE LIVE! VINYL BOX SET AND BLU-RAY VIDEO RELEASED TODAY
EPIC COLLECTIONS CHRONICLE FIRST WORLD TOUR IN NEARLY TWO DECADES
FEATURES GUEST APPEARANCES FROM PAUL MCCARTNEY,
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, RICHIE SAMBORA, PETER WOLF AND MOBY GRAPE’S JERRY MILLER
INCLUDES EXTRAORDINARY BEATLES CELEBRATION RECORDED AT LIVERPOOL’S LEGENDARY CAVERN CLUB
WATCH LIVE PERFORMANCE OF LITTLE STEVEN AND PAUL MCCARTNEY PERFORM
“I SAW HER STANDING THERE”
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(New York, NY) A rousing document of the legendary rock n’ roller’s first world tour in nearly two decades, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have released two new exciting collections today, allowing fans to relive the sensational live shows or to experience them for the first time. Titled SOULFIRE LIVE! after the vaunted 2017 tour of the same name, the live album is available as both a 7LP vinyl box set and as a two-disc Blu-ray video via Wicked Cool Records/UMe. Order SOULFIRE LIVE! now: https://UMe.lnk.to/SoulfireLive
Comprised of the best performances from the North American and European concerts, the collections feature Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt and his 15-strong band taking listeners through a musical history lesson as they blast through an arsenal of songs spanning rock, pop, soul, blues, funk, doo-wop, reggae and everything in between. Nearly every song from his 2016 album SOULFIRE is represented along with inspired covers and classic tracks from his early catalog. The sets each culminate with “Macca To Mecca!,” a 12-song tribute to The Beatles that kicks off with a riveting performance of “I Saw Her Standing There” recorded at The Roundhouse in London with a special appearance by Paul McCartney. It is followed by an extraordinary surprise set at Liverpool’s legendary Cavern Club recorded November 2017 during the band’s sold out European tour. The intimate lunchtime gig is filled with rocking renditions of “Magical Mystery Tour,” “Good Morning, Good Morning,” “Got To Get You Into My Life,” and “All You Need Is Love,” alongside iconic songs famously performed by the nascent Fab Four, including “Boys” (originally by The Shirelles), “Slow Down” (by Larry Williams) and “Soldier Of Love” (first recorded by Arthur Alexander). Watch Van Zandt and McCartney perform “I Saw Her Standing There”.
“Our 2017 tour began in London with one of the most thrilling moments of my life,” says Van Zandt. “Sir Paul McCartney surprised us on stage for the encore of our show. We had performed together a couple times before with Bruce and the E Street Band but this time was particularly meaningful to me. It was an incredibly generous endorsement of my own work and just the encouragement my new artistic rebirth needed. Because of that wonderful gesture, I wanted to do something special once we got to Liverpool. We decided to do a mini-tribute to The Beatles and do a lunchtime set at the Cavern the way they used to. Playing in the same venue where The Beatles started their careers was a childhood dream of mine come true. This was a band that set me on course for a life of music. For my rock ‘n’ roll religion, The Cavern is the first sacred site. It was an honor – no, make that an epiphany – to perform there.”
The vinyl box set and Blu-ray editions of SOULFIRE LIVE! also includes all of the material from the 3CD version released last year. Among the many highlights aresignature songs from his illustrious solo career – including “Lying In A Bed Of Fire,” “Bitter Fruit” and “Out Of The Darkness,” as well as classics written for Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, including “I Don’t Want To Go Home” and “Love On The Wrong Side Of Town” – alongside electrifying takes on a number of Little Steven’s all-time favorite rock ‘n’ roll songs, including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Even The Losers,” AC/DC’s “You Shook Me All Night Long,” John Lennon’s “Working Class Hero,” The Allman Brothers Band’s “It’s Not My Cross To Bear,” The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” and The Ramones’ “Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight).” Also included are spirited renditions of The Electric Flag’s “Groovin’ Is Easy,” Etta James’ “Blues Is My Business,” and James Brown’s “Down And Out In New York City,” from his SOULFIRE album. Van Zandt’s inimitable introductions detail each song’s unique history and singular spot in his life and remarkable career.
SOULFIRE LIVE! showcases special guest appearances from some of Little Steven’s closest friends, collaborators, and favorite artists. Among the highlights are versions of Moby Grape’s “Can’t Be So Bad” performed with the legendary San Francisco band’s founding member, Jerry Miller; the Motown classic, “Can I Get A Witness,” performed with New Jersey’s own Richie Sambora; The J. Geils Band’s “Freeze Frame” with vocals from the one and only Peter Wolf; and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out” and Little Steven’s own “I Don’t Want To Go Home,” both joined by Bruce Springsteen.
The SOULFIRE LIVE! Blu-ray video edition includes Little Steven and the Disciples complete Cavern Club concert alongside video performances of each song on the 3CD/vinyl set, exclusive interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage. In addition, the Blu-ray features a special documentary about the Cavern Club performance that saw Little Steven honored with a brick in the club’s hallowed Wall of Fame before leading his band through swift rehearsals of Beatles songs mere minutes ahead of their performance.
Whichever version you pick up, SOULFIRE LIVE! is an epic and electrifying journey through rock ‘n’ roll history led by one of its most passionate practitioners, showcasing Steven Van Zandt’s limitless knowledge, talent, and sheer love for the genre in all its many shapes and guises.
Little Steven – SOULFIRE LIVE!
7LP Vinyl Box Set
LP1
Side A
1. Mike Stoller Intro
2. Soulfire
3. I’m Coming Back
4. Blues Is My Business Intro
5. Blues Is My Business
Side B
1. Love On The Wrong Side Of Town
2. Until The Good Is Gone
3. Angel Eyes
LP2
Side A
1. Some Things Just Don’t Change
2. Saint Valentine’s Day Intro
3. Saint Valentine’s Day
4. Standing In The Line Of Fire Intro
5. Standing In The Line Of Fire
Side B
1. I Saw The Light
2. Salvation
3. The City Weeps Tonight Intro
4. The City Weeps Tonight
LP3
Side A
1. Down And Out In New York City
2. Princess Of Little Italy Intro
3. Princess Of Little Italy
Side B
1. Solidarity
2. Leonard Peltier
3. I Am A Patriot
4. Groovin’ Is Easy
LP4
Side A
1. Ride The Night Away Intro
2. Ride The Night Away
3. Bitter Fruit
4. Forever
Side B
1. Checkpoint Charlie Intro
2. Checkpoint Charlie
3. I Don’t Want To Go Home
4. Out Of The Darkness Intro
5. Out Of The Darkness
LP5
Side A
1. Even The Losers
2. Can’t Be So Bad (featuring Jerry Miller)
3. You Shook Me All Night Long
4. Working Class Hero
Side B
1. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
2. Can I Get A Witness (featuring Richie Sambora)
3. It’s Not My Cross To Bear Intro
4. It’s Not My Cross To Bear
5. Freeze Frame (featuring Peter Wolf)
LP6
Side A
1. The Time Of Your Life
2. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
3. I Don’t Want To Go Home (featuring Bruce Springseen)
4. Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
Side B
(blank)
LP7
Macca to Mecca! (Live at Cavern Club in Liverpool)
Side A
1. I Saw Her Standing There Intro
2. I Saw Her Standing There (feat. Paul McCartney)
3. Cavern Club Intro
4. Magical Mystery Tour
5. Boys
6. Slow Down Intro (which was formerly named Liverpool Tribute)
7. Slow Down
8. Some Other Guy
Side B
1. Soldier of Love Intro
2. Soldier Of Love
3. Good Morning
4. Got To Get You Into My Life
5. All You Need Is Love
6. Birthday
Little Steven – SOULFIRE LIVE!
2Disc Blu-Ray
Disc 1
LIVE!
1. Soulfire LIVE! Intro
2. Mike Stroller Intro
3. Sweet Soul Music
4. Soulfire
5. I’m Coming Back
6. Blues Is My Business Intro
7. Blues Is My Business
8. Love On The Wrong Side Of Town
9. Until The Good Is Gone Intro
10. Until The Good Is Gone
11. Angel Eyes
12. Some Things Just Don’t Change
13. Saint Valentine’s Day Intro
14. Saint Valentine’s Day
15. Standing In The Line Of Fire Intro
16. Standing In The Line Of Fire
17. Saw The Light
18. Salvation
19. The City Weeps Tonight Intro
20. The City Weeps Tonight
21. Down And Out In New York City
22. Princess Of Little Italy Intro
23. Princess Of Little Italy
24. Solidarity
25. Leonard Peltier
26. I Am A Patriot
27. Groovin’ Is Easy
28. Ride The Night Away Intro
29. Ride The Night Away
30. Bitter Fruit
31. Forever
32. Checkpoint Charlie Intro
33. Checkpoint Charlie
34. I Don’t Want To Go Home
35. Out Of The Darkness Intro
36. Out Of The Darkness
37. End Credits
Disc 2
1. Soulfire Featurette
Bonus Tracks
2. Even The Losers
3. Can’t Be So Bad Intro
4. Can’t Be So Bad (featuring Jerry Miller)
5. You Shook Me All Night Long
6. Working Class Hero
7. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
8. Can I Get A Witness (featuring Richie Sambora)
9. It’s Not My Cross To Bear
10. Freeze Frame (featuring Peter Wolf)
11. The Time Of Your Life
12. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
13. I Don’t Want To Go Home (featuring Bruce Springsteen)
14. Merry Christmas (I Don’t Want To Fight Tonight)
Macca to Mecca!
15. I Saw Her Standing There Intro
16. I Saw Her Standing There (feat. Paul McCartney)
17. Cavern Club Featurette
Cavern Club Lunchtime Set
18. Cavern Club Intro
19. Magical Mystery Tour
20. Boys
21. Slow Down Intro
22. Slow Down
23. Some Other Guy
24. Soldier of Love Intro
25. Soldier Of Love
26. Good Morning
27. Got To Get You Into My Life
28. All You Need Is Love
29. Birthday
For more, please visit:
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LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
TO CELEBRATE SUMMER OF SORCERY
LEGENDARY ROCK ‘N’ ROLLER HERALDS FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL
IN 20 YEARS WITH “SUPERFLY TERRAPLANE”
PRE-ORDERS AVAILABLE NOW
SUMMER OF SORCERY WORLD TOUR BEGINS MAY 16 IN LIVERPOOL, UK
RECORD RELEASE SHOWS CONFIRMED FOR LOS ANGELES AND ASBURY PARK;
FULL NORTH AMERICAN TOUR TO BE UNVEILED SOON
SUMMER OF SORCERY ARRIVES ON MAY 3 VIA WICKED COOL/UMe
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have announced the release of their eagerly awaited new album. SUMMER OF SORCERY, the legendary rock ‘n’ rollers first album of new material, arrives May 3 via Wicked Cool/UMe. SUMMER OF SORCERY is available for pre-order now. The album will be released on CD, digitally and on vinyl as double LP on 180-gram black vinyl. A limited edition version will be available as a double LP on 180-gram psychedelic swirl vinyl exclusively via uDiscover. All digital pre-orders will be joined by an instant grat download of the LP’s jet-fueled first track release, “Superfly Terraplane,” which premiered today via Rolling Stone.
LISTEN TO “SUPERFLY TERRAPLANE”
PRE-ORDER SUMMER OF SORCERY
“My first five albums in the ’80s were both very personal, and very political,” explains Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt. “I wanted the new material to be more fictionalized. The way records were when I grew up. Before it was an artform. The concept was capturing and communicating that first rush of summer. The electricity of that feeling of unlimited possibilities. Of falling in love with the world for the first time. Obviously, there are occasional personal references, and a bit of what’s going on socially scattered throughout, but I achieved what I set out to do. I created a collection of fictional movies scenes that feel like summer. I’m quite proud of it.”
SUMMER OF SORCERY – which arrives just two years after Little Steven’s acclaimed 2017’s solo return, SOULFIRE, and its 2018 live follow-up, SOULFIRE LIVE! – was written, arranged, and produced by Van Zandt at his own Renegade Studios in New York City; the album was co-produced and recorded by GRAMMY® Award-winner Geoff Sanoff and co-produced by Disciples of Soul musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler. SUMMER OF SORCERY was mixed and mastered respectively by Van Zandt’s career-long collaborators and friends Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Bryan Adams), and Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Band, Sly and the Family Stone). The album – which features an exclusive introduction written by Van Zandt – is adorned with Frank Frazetta-inspired cover art by Van Zandt’s longtime art director, Louis Arzonico.
Little Steven is joined on this thrilling musical journey with his all-star band the Disciples of Soul, a 14-strong ensemble made up of some of the best studio and live musicians in the business. Leading the charge alongside Van Zandt is musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler (Darlene Love, Roger McGuinn, Carole King) who conducts the band consisting of Lowell “Banana” Levinger of The Youngbloods on piano and Wurlitzer, bassist Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz, Boz Scaggs, Darryl Hall), drummer Rich Mercurio (Ben E King, Sara Bareilles, Idina Menzel), percussionist Anthony Almonte (King Creole and The Coconuts), Andy Burton on B3 organ, piano, synthesizers (Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Ian Hunter), the dynamite horn section of horn director Eddie Manion on baritone saxophone (Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny), Stan Harrison on tenor saxophone and flute (David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Duran Duran), Ron Tooley on trumpet (James Brown, John Lennon, Maceo Parker), Ravi Best on trumpet (Aretha Franklin, Stevie, Wonder, Kool and The Gang) and Clark Gayton on trombone (Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, Rhianna). The band is rounded out with the soulful, synchronized dancing backup singers Jessie Wagner (Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Chic ), Sara Devine (Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige) and Tania Jones (Disciples of Soul).
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will celebrate SUMMER OF SORCERY with special record release shows at The Saban in Los Angeles on May 4 and at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, N.J. on May 8th. A wide-ranging world tour will follow, beginning May 16 at Liverpool, UK’s 02 Academy and then making headline stops across the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. Exclusive VIP Meet & Greet Upgrade Packages are available for most dates. The “SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR” will hit North America this summer – a full itinerary will be announced soon. In addition, Little Steven will lead the Disciples of Soul down under for the very final dates on his epic “SOULFIRE TOUR,” including a pair of hugely anticipated performances at the 30th anniversary Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay, Australia (April 18 and 20). For complete details, updates, and ticket availability, please visit www.littlesteven.com/on-tour.
SUMMER OF SORCERY is another landmark work in a four-decade career full of milestones, a spirited collection of songs which conjure up all the wonder and magic of the eponymous season – the beach and the boardwalk, the young love and unbridled lust, the innocence and experience that somehow starts it all.
“I always work thematically,” Van Zandt says. “I can’t just throw together a collection of songs; there has to be some kind of overriding idea that drives it. This time I wanted to capture the excitement of that first summer of consciousness. That one special summer where you first fall in love with life, that thrill of just being alive.”
Van Zandt’s first solo album as Little Steven in close to two decades, 2017’s SOULFIRE saw the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer revisiting songs that spanned the length of his career as artist, performer, producer, arranger, and songwriter, focusing on the “soul horns-meet-rock ‘n’ roll guitars” sound he first pioneered on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ classic first three albums and later, his own first solo LP. The album saw Van Zandt uniting an all-new Disciples of Soul, complete with three backing vocalists and a full horn section featuring original Asbury Jukes/Miami Horns saxophonists Stan Harrison (tenor) and Eddie Manion (baritone). Little Steven and his 15-piece big band spent nearly two years traveling the world on the SOULFIRE Tour, not to mention last year’s “SOULFIRE TEACHER SOLIDARITY TOUR” supporting TeachRock, the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s national initiative to bring music curriculum into schools across the country. Still, the planetary success of the SOULFIRE project left Van Zandt to ponder: Where do I want to go now?
“Quite honestly, the SOULFIRE Tour was something special,” he says. “It was a definitive type of tour – I told my whole life story and most of the story of the history of rock ‘n’ roll simultaneously, it was a show 20, 30, 40 years in the making. So it was like, ok, now what? How do we beat that, or at least equal it? You set these standards and now you’ve got to reach them.”
Reach them he did – SUMMER OF SORCERY is Little Steven at his omnivorous, humanistic best, expertly crafted and deeply rooted in the many classic genres which taught and inspired the self-proclaimed “walking history lesson” from the jump. With their richly bombastic arrangements, floor-shaking groves, and high-powered performances from all involved, new songs like “Soul Power Twist and the album kick off “Communion” synthesize Van Zandt’s incalculable range of cultural and sonic inspirations into a one-of-a-kind brass-fueled brand of Technicolor rock ‘n’ soul unlike anyone else’s. The album features 10 original new songs alongside “Suddenly You,” an outtake from the “Lilyhammer” score, Netflix’s first original series, which starred Van Zandt who also composed all the music for trailblazing show, and a reimagining of “Education” which was first recorded for his 1989 album Revolution. “The education system needs to be fixed, needs to be improved,” he says. “Teachers need to be supported. There needs to be more support, more funding. That’s what I’m trying to get across with my TeachRock program and that’s all in this song.”
The record culminates with the epic title track, “Summer of Sorcery,” an eight-minute mission statement that conjures the euphoric rush of a summer romance and limitless possibility. “The whole theme of the album is summed up in that song, that wizardry, that magic mixture of falling in love in the summer,” says Van Zandt.
“I wanted to create a hybrid that would be uniquely me,” he says. “I wanted to hear Sly and the Family Stone, I wanted to hear Sam Cooke, I wanted to hear Tito Puente. I wanted to try and get the Beach Boys in there. James Brown, of course. I had certain touchstones of musical influence that I wanted to integrate into my thing.”
Recorded last year mid-SOULFIRE Tour and then mixed whilst on the road once again, SUMMER OF SORCERYrepresents a straightforward progression from its predecessor, the first time in Van Zandt’s long career that he’s maintained a band line-up and sonic approach from one solo work to the next.
“Instead of embarking on a whole new adventure, I decided, I’m going to evolve this thing,” Van Zandt says. “I’ve always wondered where my sound would evolve to if I ever did the same thing twice, if I ever evolved vertically rather than horizontally. All five of my solo albums before SOULFIRE are completely different genres. I never had a chance to evolve one particular thing to see where it went.”
Not to say Van Zandt didn’t push himself towards something new and novel – quite the opposite in fact. Where his prior solo canon was irrefutably linked by both his lifelong activism and deeply personal lyricism, this time Little Steven chose to eschew the overly political and explicitly autobiographical for a more overarching approach, one which allowed him a chance to apply his particular style of studied songcraft for his own album instead of another’s.
“With this record I really wanted to travel back to a time when life was exciting, when unlimited possibilities were there every day, says Van Zandt. “That was the feeling in the ’60s, the thrill of the unexpected coming at you. Our minds were blown every single day, one amazing thing after another, constantly lifting you up. So you kind of walked around six inches off the ground all the time, there was something that kept you buoyant in your spirit. I wanted to try and capture that first and foremost.”
If SOULFIRE stands as the last word at the end of one chapter of Van Zandt’s long career, SUMMER OF SORCERY marks the start of what comes next.
“Making this record was everything I’d hoped for,” Little Steven says. “What I’d hoped would happen was, you put the whole tour, all of those songs, into a funnel and out of that funnel comes a new album. And that’s exactly what happened.”
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
ON TOUR 2019
SOULFIRE TOUR – AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND 2019
APRIL
18 – Byron Bay, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest *
20 – Byron Bay, Australia – Byron Bay Bluesfest *
23 – Melbourne, Australia – Forum Melbourne
25 – Newtown, Australia – Enmore Theatre
27 – Auckland, New Zealand – Auckland Town Hal
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR
MAY
4 – Los Angeles, CA – The Saban
8 – Asbury Park, NJ – Paramount Theatre
16 – Liverpool, UK – O2 Academy
18 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy
20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy
22 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy
24 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
26 – Derbyshire, UK – Bearded Theory Festival *
28 – Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s
30 – Jelling, Denmark – Jelling Muiskfestival *
JUNE
1 – Stockholm, Sweden – Circus
3 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller
5 – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
7 – Brussels, Belgium – Former Belgium (AB)
9 – Emmen, The Netherlands – Hello Festival *
11 – Zurich, Switzerland – merchants
13 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
15 – Bilbao, Spain – Music Legends Festival *
17 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
20 – Kragujevac, Serbia – Arsenal Festival
23 – Paris, France – The Cicada
* FESTIVAL APPEARANCE
# # #
ABOUT STEVEN VAN ZANDT:
Musician, band leader, producer, actor, arranger, activist, and so much more, Little Steven Van Zandt is known and beloved around the world for his utterly distinctive songwriting, artistic ambition, and unyielding belief in the power and glory of classic rock ‘n’ soul. In addition to his ongoing role as a touring and recording member of The E Street Band, the past two decades have seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer expand his personal parameters to include legendary work as an actor on The Sopranos and Lilyhammer as well as host-creator of Sirius XM’s one-and-only “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” (not to mention creator of Sirius XM’s long-running “Outlaw Country” format). Van Zandt’s myriad creative efforts in recent years include composing the score for all three seasons of Lilyhammer along with landmark work as producer and songwriter, lending his distinctive craft to records including Darlene Love’s acclaimed 2015 release, INTRODUCING DARLENE LOVE.
Van Zandt’s first solo album in close to two decades, SOULFIRE drew rapturous applause from fans and critics alike upon its 2017 release, with Rolling Stone declaring, “Rock’s ultimate sideman reclaims the Jersey Shore sound he helped invent.” “Cynicism, irony and cultivated hip detachment have taken their toll on rock ‘n’ roll,” raved USA Today. “With SOULFIRE, Van Zandt aims to blow all that out and lead listeners back to its more passionate essence.” “It’s hard to imagine a more joyous and revelatory contemporary blue-eyed soul recording,” enthused American Songwriter. “The appropriately titled SOULFIRE is a tough, tight and clearly inspired project as well as a most welcome return from the musical shadows for Steven Van Zandt.” SOULFIRE “hearkens back to Van Zandt’s classic first solo album of gritty, greasy, horn-accented ’60s-style rock and soul,” noted Billboard, while Paste proclaimed, “Rockier than Motown or the Sound of Philadelphia, this a joyous invitation to live and love.
# # #
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
SUMMER OF SORCERY
(Wicked Cool/UMe)
Release Date: May 3, 2019
Tracklisting:
Communion
Party Mambo!
Love Again
Vortex
A World Of Our Own
Gravity
Soul Power Twist
Superfly Terraplane
Education
Suddenly You
I Visit The Blues
For more, please visit:
###
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL SHARE
“A WORLD OF OUR OWN” FROM FORTHCOMING ALBUM
SUMMER OF SORCERY; ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
LEGENDARY ROCK ‘N’ ROLLER’S FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL IN 20 YEARS ARRIVES ON MAY 3 VIA WICKED COOL/UMe
SUMMER OF SORCERY WORLD TOUR BEGINS MAY 16 IN LIVERPOOL, UK
RECORD RELEASE SHOWS CONFIRMED FOR
LOS ANGELES AND ASBURY PARK
New York – April 12, 2019 – Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have released a new song, “A World Of Our Own,” from their forthcoming album Summer Of Sorcery due May 3 on Wicked Cool/UMe. The soulful, euphoric track, which premiered via Billboard yesterday who described it as having “a shimmering Phil Spector quality,” conjures up visions of young love, summer nights and a simpler era when Girl Groups dominated the airwaves. “Growing up, The Shirelles, The Chiffons, The Ronettes, The Crystals and The Shangri-Las were really important to me,” says Little Steven aka Steven Van Zandt. “This song is my take on the type of song I might have written for a Girl Group like one of those fantastic acts back in the day.”
Summer Of Sorcery will be released on CD, digitally and on vinyl as double LP on 180-gram black vinyl. A limited edition version will be available as a double LP on 180-gram psychedelic swirl vinyl exclusively via uDiscover. All digital pre-orders will receive instant grat downloads of “A World Of Our Own” and the record’s jet-fueled first track release, “Superfly Terraplane.”
LISTEN TO “A WORLD OF OUR OWN”
PRE-ORDER SUMMER OF SORCERY
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have just touched down in Australia for a run of shows that will kick off this Saturday, April 13 in Perth. The 15-piece band will perform a pair of hugely anticipated performances at the 30th anniversary Byron Bay Bluesfest in Byron Bay (April 18 and 20). They will wrap the tour in Auckland, New Zealand on April 27. The band will then head home to the U.S. to celebrate Summer Of Sorcery with special record release shows at The Saban in Los Angeles on May 4 and at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park, N.J. on May 8. A wide-ranging world tour will follow, beginning May 16 at Liverpool, UK’s 02 Academy and then making headline stops across the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
The first leg of the North American tour will begin July 2 at the London Music Hall in Ontario, Canada and take Van Zandt and band all across Canada and the Eastern U.S., culminating at Outlaw Jam in Annapolis, Md. Each show on the American tour will benefit Van Zandt’s TeachRock education initiative and offer an introduction to the Teachrock.org curriculum. Before the show, the TeachRock staff will host free professional development workshops designed to engage educators with techniques and content through which they can comfortably use music to inspire students, even if they’ve never touched an instrument. The free, multimedia K-12 interdisciplinary curriculum meets prevailing standards in English Language Arts, Social Studies/History, the Fine and Performing Arts, and also includes STEAM and advisory material suitable for K-12 teachers of all disciplines, interdisciplinary best practices, and group activities.
Each ticket purchased online for any of the Little Steven and The Disciples Of Soul U.S. tour dates will include a CD of Summer Of Sorcery. Exclusive VIP Meet & Greet Upgrade Packages are also available for most dates. For complete details, updates and ticket availability, please visit www.littlesteven.com/on-tour.
Summer Of Sorcery – which arrives just two years after Little Steven’s acclaimed 2017’s solo return, Soulfire, and its 2018 live follow-up, Soulfire Live! – was written, arranged, and produced by Van Zandt at his own Renegade Studios in New York City; the album was co-produced and recorded by GRAMMY® Award-winner Geoff Sanoff and co-produced by Disciples of Soul musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler. Summer Of Sorcery was mixed and mastered respectively by Van Zandt’s career-long collaborators and friends Bob Clearmountain (Rolling Stones, David Bowie, The Who, Bryan Adams), and Bob Ludwig (Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Band, Sly and the Family Stone). The album – which features an exclusive introduction written by Van Zandt – is adorned with Frank Frazetta-inspired cover art by Van Zandt’s longtime art director, Louis Arzonico.
“My first five albums in the ’80s were both very personal, and very political,” explains Van Zandt. “I wanted the new material to be more fictionalized. The way records were when I grew up. Before it was an artform. The concept was capturing and communicating that first rush of summer. The electricity of that feeling of unlimited possibilities. Of falling in love with the world for the first time. Obviously, there are occasional personal references, and a bit of what’s going on socially scattered throughout, but I achieved what I set out to do. I created a collection of fictional movies scenes that feel like summer. I’m quite proud of it.”
Little Steven is joined on this thrilling musical journey with his all-star band the Disciples of Soul, a 14-strong ensemble made up of some of the best studio and live musicians in the business. Leading the charge alongside Van Zandt is musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler (Darlene Love, Roger McGuinn, Carole King) who conducts the band consisting of Lowell “Banana” Levinger of The Youngbloods on piano and Wurlitzer, bassist Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz, Boz Scaggs, Darryl Hall), drummer Rich Mercurio (Ben E King, Sara Bareilles, Idina Menzel), percussionist Anthony Almonte (King Creole and The Coconuts), Andy Burton on B3 organ, piano, synthesizers (Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Ian Hunter), the dynamite horn section of horn director Eddie Manion on baritone saxophone (Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny), Stan Harrison on tenor saxophone and flute (David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Duran Duran), Ron Tooley on trumpet (James Brown, John Lennon, Maceo Parker), Ravi Best on trumpet (Aretha Franklin, Stevie, Wonder, Kool and The Gang) and Clark Gayton on trombone (Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, Rhianna). The band is rounded out with the soulful, synchronized dancing backup singers Jessie Wagner (Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Chic), Sara Devine (Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige) and Tania Jones (Disciples of Soul).
Summer Of Sorcery is another landmark work in a four-decade career full of milestones, a spirited collection of songs which conjure up all the wonder and magic of the eponymous season – the beach and the boardwalk, the young love and unbridled lust, the innocence and experience that somehow starts it all.
“I always work thematically,” Van Zandt says. “I can’t just throw together a collection of songs; there has to be some kind of overriding idea that drives it. This time I wanted to capture the excitement of that first summer of consciousness. That one special summer where you first fall in love with life, that thrill of just being alive.”
Van Zandt’s first solo album as Little Steven in close to two decades, 2017’s Soulfire saw the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer revisiting songs that spanned the length of his career as artist, performer, producer, arranger, and songwriter, focusing on the “soul horns-meet-rock ‘n’ roll guitars” sound he first pioneered on Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes’ classic first three albums and later, his own first solo LP. The album saw Van Zandt uniting an all-new Disciples of Soul, complete with three backing vocalists and a full horn section featuring original Asbury Jukes/Miami Horns saxophonists Stan Harrison (tenor) and Eddie Manion (baritone). Little Steven and his 14-piece big band spent nearly two years traveling the world on the Soulfire Tour, not to mention last year’s “Soulfire Teacher Solidarity Tour” supporting TeachRock, the Rock and Roll Forever Foundation’s national initiative to bring music curriculum into schools across the country. Still, the planetary success of the SOULFIRE project left Van Zandt to ponder: Where do I want to go now?
“Quite honestly, the Soulfire Tour was something special,” he says. “It was a definitive type of tour – I told my whole life story and most of the story of the history of rock ‘n’ roll simultaneously, it was a show 20, 30, 40 years in the making. So it was like, ok, now what? How do we beat that, or at least equal it? You set these standards and now you’ve got to reach them.”
Reach them he did – Summer Of Sorcery is Little Steven at his omnivorous, humanistic best, expertly crafted and deeply rooted in the many classic genres which taught and inspired the self-proclaimed “walking history lesson” from the jump. With their richly bombastic arrangements, floor-shaking groves, and high-powered performances from all involved, new songs like “Soul Power Twist” and the album kick off “Communion” synthesize Van Zandt’s incalculable range of cultural and sonic inspirations into a one-of-a-kind brass-fueled brand of Technicolor rock ‘n’ soul unlike anyone else’s. The album features 10 original new songs alongside “Suddenly You,” an outtake from the “Lilyhammer” score, Netflix’s first original series, which starred Van Zandt who also composed all the music for trailblazing show, and a reimagining of “Education” which was first recorded for his 1989 album Revolution. “The education system needs to be fixed, needs to be improved,” he says. “Teachers need to be supported. There needs to be more support, more funding. That’s what I’m trying to get across with my TeachRock program and that’s all in this song.”
The record culminates with the epic title track, “Summer of Sorcery,” an eight-minute mission statement that conjures the euphoric rush of a summer romance and limitless possibility. “The whole theme of the album is summed up in that song, that wizardry, that magic mixture of falling in love in the summer,” says Van Zandt.
“I wanted to create a hybrid that would be uniquely me,” he says. “I wanted to hear Sly and the Family Stone, I wanted to hear Sam Cooke, I wanted to hear Tito Puente. I wanted to try and get the Beach Boys in there. James Brown, of course. I had certain touchstones of musical influence that I wanted to integrate into my thing.”
Recorded last year mid-Soulfire Tour and then mixed whilst on the road once again, Summer Of Sorcery represents a straightforward progression from its predecessor, the first time in Van Zandt’s long career that he’s maintained a band line-up and sonic approach from one solo work to the next.
“Instead of embarking on a whole new adventure, I decided, I’m going to evolve this thing,” Van Zandt says. “I’ve always wondered where my sound would evolve to if I ever did the same thing twice, if I ever evolved vertically rather than horizontally. All five of my solo albums before Soulfire are completely different genres. I never had a chance to evolve one particular thing to see where it went.”
Not to say Van Zandt didn’t push himself towards something new and novel – quite the opposite in fact. Where his prior solo canon was irrefutably linked by both his lifelong activism and deeply personal lyricism, this time Little Steven chose to eschew the overly political and explicitly autobiographical for a more overarching approach, one which allowed him a chance to apply his particular style of studied songcraft for his own album instead of another’s.
“With this record I really wanted to travel back to a time when life was exciting, when unlimited possibilities were there every day, says Van Zandt. “That was the feeling in the ’60s, the thrill of the unexpected coming at you. Our minds were blown every single day, one amazing thing after another, constantly lifting you up. So you kind of walked around six inches off the ground all the time, there was something that kept you buoyant in your spirit. I wanted to try and capture that first and foremost.”
If Soulfire stands as the last word at the end of one chapter of Van Zandt’s long career, Summer Of Sorcery marks the start of what comes next.
“Making this record was everything I’d hoped for,” Little Steven says. “What I’d hoped would happen was, you put the whole tour, all of those songs, into a funnel and out of that funnel comes a new album. And that’s exactly what happened.”
SUMMER OF SORCERY TRACK LISTING
1. Communion
2. Party Mambo!
3. Love Again
4.Vortex
5. A World Of Our Own
6. Gravity
7. Soul Power Twist
8. Superfly Terraplane
9. Education
10. Suddenly You
11. I Visit The Blues
12. Summer Of Sorcery
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
SUMMER OF SORCERY WORLD TOUR 2019
SUMMER OF SORCERY RECORD RELEASE SHOWS 2019
MAY
4 – Beverly Hills, CA – The Saban
8 – Asbury Park, NJ – Paramount Theatre
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – EUROPE 2019
MAY
16 – Liverpool, UK – O2 Academy
18 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy
20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy
22 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy
24 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
26 – Derbyshire, UK – Bearded Theory Festival *
28 – Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s
30 – Jelling, Denmark – Jelling Muiskfestival *
JUNE
1 – Stockholm, Sweden – Circus
3 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller
5 – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
7 – Brussels, Belgium – Former Belgium (AB)
9 – Emmen, The Netherlands – Hello Festival *
11 – Zurich, Switzerland – merchants
13 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
15 – Bilbao, Spain – Music Legends Festival *
17 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
20 – Kragujevac, Serbia – Arsenal Festival *
23 – Paris, France – La Cigalle
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
JUNE
29 – Syracuse, NY – New York State Blues Fest *
JULY
2 – London, ON – London Music Hall
4 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest *
6 – Quebec City, QC – Festival d’été de Québec *
10 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Theatre
12 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
14 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
16 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
18 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
20 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
24 – Richmond, VA – The National
26 – Easton, PA – State Theatre Center For The Arts
28 – Annapolis, MD – Outlaw Jam *
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – EUROPE 2019
AUGUST
3 – Notodden, Norway – Notodden Blues Festival *
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
7 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
9 – Erfurt, Germany – Gewerkschaftshaus
11 – Hanau, Germany – Amphitheater
13 – Nuremberg, Germany – Serenadenhof
17 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
21 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
23 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
25 – Oxford, UK – O2 Academy
27 – Newcastle, UK – O2 Academy
29 – Cardiff, UK – Tramshed
SEPTEMBER
2 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
SEPTEMBER
5-8 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino *
9 – Ventura, CA – The Majestic Ventura Theater
11 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
13-15 – San Diego, CA – Kaaboo Del Mar *
15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
17 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre
22 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond *
* FESTIVAL APPEARANCE
ABOUT STEVEN VAN ZANDT
Musician, band leader, producer, actor, arranger, activist, and so much more, Little Steven Van Zandt is known and beloved around the world for his utterly distinctive songwriting, artistic ambition, and unyielding belief in the power and glory of classic rock ‘n’ soul. In addition to his ongoing role as a touring and recording member of The E Street Band, the past two decades have seen the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer expand his personal parameters to include legendary work as an actor on The Sopranos and Lilyhammer as well as host-creator of Sirius XM’s one-and-only “Little Steven’s Underground Garage” (not to mention creator of Sirius XM’s long-running “Outlaw Country” format). Van Zandt’s myriad creative efforts in recent years include composing the score for all three seasons of Lilyhammer along with landmark work as producer and songwriter, lending his distinctive craft to records including Darlene Love’s acclaimed 2015 release, INTRODUCING DARLENE LOVE.
Van Zandt’s first solo album in close to two decades, SOULFIRE drew rapturous applause from fans and critics alike upon its 2017 release, with Rolling Stone declaring, “Rock’s ultimate sideman reclaims the Jersey Shore sound he helped invent.” “Cynicism, irony and cultivated hip detachment have taken their toll on rock ‘n’ roll,” raved USA Today. “With SOULFIRE, Van Zandt aims to blow all that out and lead listeners back to its more passionate essence.” “It’s hard to imagine a more joyous and revelatory contemporary blue-eyed soul recording,” enthused American Songwriter. “The appropriately titled SOULFIRE is a tough, tight and clearly inspired project as well as a most welcome return from the musical shadows for Steven Van Zandt.” SOULFIRE “hearkens back to Van Zandt’s classic first solo album of gritty, greasy, horn-accented ’60s-style rock and soul,” noted Billboard, while Paste proclaimed, “Rockier than Motown or the Sound of Philadelphia, this a joyous invitation to live and love.”
For more, please visit:
# # #
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL READY TO “LOVE AGAIN”
WITH LATEST TRACK FROM SUMMER OF SORCERY
LEGENDARY ROCK ‘N’ ROLLER’S FIRST ALBUM OF NEW MATERIAL IN 20 YEARS
ARRIVES THIS FRIDAY, MAY 3 VIA WICKED COOL/UMe
RECORD RELEASE EVENTS SET FOR LOS ANGELES, CA’S THE SABAN ON MAY 4
AND ASBURY PARK, NJ’S THE PARAMOUNT ON MAY 8
SUMMER OF SORCERY WORLD TOUR BEGINS MAY 16 IN LIVERPOOL, UK
NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE AND FESTIVAL DATES GET UNDERWAY
JUNE 29 AT SYRACUSE, NY’S NEW YORK STATE BLUES FEST
ALL TEACHERS AND A GUEST GET IN TO HEADLINE SHOWS FOR FREE
(New York, NY) Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul have unveiled “Love Again,” the latest track from their eagerly awaited new album,
Summer of Sorcery, arriving this Friday, May 3via Wicked Cool/UMe. The track is accompanied by a psychedelic new visualizer, streaming now via Little Steven’s official YouTube channel.
“That’s one of my two Sam Cooke tributes on the album,” says Van Zandt. “It’s a fun little fiction about a character who has been burned by a relationship so he travels the world trying to distract himself only to find there’s no escape from the addiction of love! It’s the kind of thing I would have written for other people in the past but starting now, want to keep for myself!”
LISTEN TO “LOVE AGAIN”
Summer of Sorcery will be released on CD, digitally, and on vinyl as double LP on 180-gram black vinyl. A limited edition double LP on 180-gram psychedelic swirl vinyl is available exclusively via uDiscover. All digital pre-orders will receive instant grat downloads of “Love Again” as well as the recently released album highlight, “A World Of Our Own,” and the jet-fueled first track release, “Superfly Terraplane.”
LISTEN TO “SUPERFLY TERRAPLANE”
LISTEN TO “A WORLD OF OUR OWN”
PRE-ORDER SUMMER OF SORCERY
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will celebrate Summer of Sorcery with a pair of eagerly awaited record release shows, set for Los Angeles, CA’s The Saban on May 4 and Asbury Park, NJ’s famed Paramount Theatre on May 8. The band will then embark on the epic “Summer of Sorcery World Tour 2019,” beginning May 16 at Liverpool, UK’s 02 Academy and then making headline and festival stops across the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy and Spain.
North American headline dates and festival performances get underway June 29 at Syracuse, NY’s New York State Blues Fest and then travel the Eastern US and Canada through an eagerly awaited performance at Annapolis, MD’s Outlaw Jam on July 28. Additional European headline and festival dates follow, including dates in Norway, Denmark, Poland, Germany, Luxembourg, Ireland, Austria, and the United Kingdom.
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will then return to the US for a second North American leg, beginning September 5-8 at Las Vegas, NV’s Big Blues Bender at Hard Rock Casino & Hotel and then traveling through Louisville, KY’s Bourbon & Beyond on September 22. Additional dates will be announced.
Each ticket purchased online for any of the US tour dates will include a CD of Summer of Sorcery. Exclusive VIP Meet & Greet Upgrade Packages are also available for most dates. All teachers and a guest will get in to the shows for free. For complete details, updates and ticket availability, please visit www.littlesteven.com/on-tour.
In addition, each and every US headline date on the Summer of Sorcery Tour 2019 will benefit Van Zandt’s TeachRock education initiative and offer an introduction to the Teachrock.org curriculum. Before the show, the TeachRock staff will host free professional development workshops designed to engage educators with techniques and content through which they can comfortably use music to inspire students, even if they’ve never touched an instrument. The free, multimedia K-12 interdisciplinary curriculum meets prevailing standards in English Language Arts, Social Studies/History, the Fine and Performing Arts, and also includes STEAM and advisory material suitable for K-12 teachers of all disciplines, interdisciplinary best practices, and group activities.
Little Steven will be joined on the “Summer of Sorcery World Tour 2019″ by the one and only Disciples of Soul, a 14-strong all-star ensemble made up of some of the best studio and live musicians in the business. Leading the charge alongside Van Zandt is musical director and guitarist Marc Ribler (Darlene Love, Roger McGuinn, Carole King) who conducts the band: Lowell “Banana” Levinger (of The Youngbloods) on piano and Wurlitzer, bassist Jack Daley (Lenny Kravitz, Boz Scaggs, Darryl Hall), drummer Rich Mercurio (Ben E King, Sara Bareilles, Idina Menzel), percussionist Anthony Almonte (King Creole and The Coconuts), Andy Burton on B3 organ, piano, synthesizers (Cyndi Lauper, John Mayer, Ian Hunter), the dynamite horn section of horn director Eddie Manion on baritone saxophone (Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny), Stan Harrison on tenor saxophone and flute (David Bowie, Mick Jagger, Duran Duran), Ron Tooley on trumpet (James Brown, John Lennon, Maceo Parker), Ravi Best on trumpet (Aretha Franklin, Stevie, Wonder, Kool and The Gang) and Clark Gayton on trombone (Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Joss Stone, Rhianna). The band is rounded out with the soulful, synchronized dancing backup singers Jessie Wagner (Kid Rock, Lenny Kravitz, Chic), Sara Devine (Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige) and Tania Jones (Disciples of Soul).
# # #
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
SUMMER OF SORCERY WORLD TOUR 2019
SUMMER OF SORCERY RECORD RELEASE SHOWS 2019
MAY
4 – Beverly Hills, CA – The Saban
8 – Asbury Park, NJ – Paramount Theatre
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – EUROPE 2019
MAY
16 – Liverpool, UK – O2 Academy
18 – Leeds, UK – O2 Academy
20 – Glasgow, UK – O2 Academy
22 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy
24 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
26 – Derbyshire, UK – Bearded Theory Festival *
28 – Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s
30 – Jelling, Denmark – Jelling Muiskfestival *
JUNE
1 – Stockholm, Sweden – Circus
3 – Oslo, Norway – Rockefeller
5 – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
7 – Brussels, Belgium – Former Belgium (AB)
9 – Emmen, The Netherlands – Hello Festival *
11 – Zurich, Switzerland – merchants
13 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
15 – Bilbao, Spain – Music Legends Festival *
17 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
20 – Kragujevac, Serbia – Arsenal Festival *
23 – Paris, France – La Cigalle
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
JUNE
29 – Syracuse, NY – New York State Blues Fest *
JULY
2 – London, ON – London Music Hall
4 – Ottawa, ON – Ottawa Bluesfest *
6 – Quebec City, QC – Festival d’été de Québec *
10 – Toronto, ON – Phoenix Theatre
12 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
14 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
16 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
18 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
20 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
24 – Richmond, VA – The National
26 – Easton, PA – State Theatre Center For The Arts
28 – Annapolis, MD – Outlaw Jam *
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – EUROPE 2019
AUGUST
3 – Notodden, Norway – Notodden Blues Festival *
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
7 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
9 – Erfurt, Germany – Gewerkschaftshaus
11 – Hanau, Germany – Amphitheater
13 – Nuremberg, Germany – Serenadenhof
17 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg
21 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
23 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
25 – Oxford, UK – O2 Academy
27 – Newcastle, UK – O2 Academy
29 – Cardiff, UK – Tramshed
SEPTEMBER
2 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
SEPTEMBER
5-8 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino *
9 – Ventura, CA – The Majestic Ventura Theater
11 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
13-15 – San Diego, CA – Kaaboo Del Mar *
15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
17 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre
22 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond *
* FESTIVAL APPEARANCE
For more, please visit:
# # #
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE INTERSTELLAR JAZZ RENEGADES SHARE “LILYHAMMER NOCTURNE” AND “ESPRESSO MARTINI” FROM FORTHCOMING LILYHAMMER THE SCORE RELEASES
SOUNDTRACKS FOR NETFLIX’S FIRST ORIGINAL SERIES TO BE RELEASED FOR FIRST TIME ON JULY 12
IN TWO VOLUMES VIA WICKED COOL/UMe
VOLUME 1: JAZZ COLLECTS THE BEST OF THE JAZZ SONGS
VOLUME 2: FOLK, ROCK, RIO, BITS AND PIECES SHOWCASES THE BREADTH OF THE SHOW’S
MUSICAL DIVERSITY WITH THREE DOZEN WILDLY ECLECTIC TRACKS
ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM SUMMER OF SORCERY OUT NOW
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL LAUNCH NORTH AMERICAN
“SUMMER OF SORCERY” TOUR THIS FRIDAY
As Little Steven gets ready to embark on his North American Summer Of Sorcery tour in support of the recently released new album, the ever-prolific Rock and Roll Hall Of Famer is excited to share two more songs from his forthcoming score for “Lilyhammer,” Netflix’s first-ever series that actor/musician Steven Van Zandt starred in, co-wrote and co-produced from 2012-2014. The swinging jazz tune, “Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme From Lilyhammer),” and the bluesy rocker “Espresso Martini,” showcase the diversity and eclecticism found on the two corresponding volumes of the “Lilyhammer” score which will be released for the first time on July 12 via Wicked Cool/UMe as two separate albums: Volume 1: Jazz and Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits And Pieces.
LISTEN TO LILYHAMMER NOCTURNE (THEME FROM LILYHAMMER)”
LISTEN TO “ESPRESSO MARTINI”
PREORDER VOLUME 1: JAZZ
PREORDER VOLUME 2: FOLK, ROCK, RIO, BITS AND PIECES
The moody, evocative “Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme From Lilyhammer),” which premiered via JazzTimes, opens Volume 1: Jazz and allows listeners and fans of the show to hear the full song that the opening theme was developed from. The broadcast version, found on Volume 2, starts off as a 1950’s era jazz number before it deftly segues into Norwegian folk music, illustrating the collision of the two cultures. This full version shows how the song evolved into the show opener and sets the scene for the album that collects together 13 of the best jazz compositions from the show, featuring a mix of jazz standards, instrumental score and original songs. Van Zandt provides vocals and channels the crooners of yore on the jazz classics, “All Of Me,” “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” and the Sinatra classic, “My Kind Of Town,” which is accompanied by a video featuring Van Zandt’s performance of the song on the show mixed with memorable scenes from across the series. Watch the video HERE.
An accomplished set of songs that harkens back to the greats like Henry Mancini, Stan Getz and Nelson Riddle, the cinematic music on Volume 1: Jazz which ranges from the sensual (“The Night Before,” “I’m A Fool To Want You“) and swinging (“My Kind Of Town,” “Rumble Island, “The Thief,”) to the mysterious (“Sorceress“) and melancholy (“Gloomy Sunday“), transports listeners to a dark, smoky jazz club somewhere in 1950’s New York or in this case, Norway in the late 2000s. The strength of the music, expertly performed by these veteran musicians, both stands on its own as a cohesive jazz album and as a soundtrack for fans who want to relive the great jazz music of the show.
When Van Zandt was tasked with coming up with the music to soundtrack “Lilyhammer,” the veteran musician, songwriter and producer who had pretty much done it all in the worlds of songwriting, including dozens of albums, hundreds of songs, tracks for movies, a Broadway musical, as well as music supervision and musical direction, had never scored a television show and was up to the challenge. Knowing he wanted to create something that combined New York jazz to represent his character Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano with the Norwegian folk music of his exotic new environs, he turned to friend and fellow E Street Band member Max Weinberg for some advice on who could help him put a band together that could flawlessly execute these two disparate genres. On Weinberg’s recommendation, he enlisted GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, arranger and orchestrator, Lee Musiker, known for his wealth of experience working with premiere artists in the jazz, classical, Broadway, and pop genres, such as Mel Tormé, Kristin Chenoweth, Wynton Marsalis, Buddy Rich and Tony Bennett, to help bring his vision to life. Together they assembled the Interstellar Jazz Renegades, a loose collective of some of NYC’s finest musicians, led by Musiker and orchestrators Raul Agraz, Adam Hochstatter and longtime friend/Asbury Juke/Disciples Of Soul saxophonist Stan Harrison.
Typically, the music created for TV is short musical cues but Van Zandt took a different approach. “I figured I’ve got some of the most talented musicians in New York City so why waste them on 15 second cues,” Van Zandt explains. “We decided to have some fun. I’d meet Lee about an hour before the session and give him the top line melodies, basic chord changes and structure and talk about the overall mood of the piece. I wanted to try something different and get the musicians creative input and let these guys who were used to always reading their parts express themselves for a change. We would basically arrange it on the spot. I’d suggest a harmony, Lee would suggest an idea and the musicians would begin to orchestrate themselves. It was wild and extremely fruitful. After the success of the first session I knew we had a legitimate jazz album in addition to an incredible score.”
The bluesy “Espresso Martini” which premiered via Ultimate Classic Rock who hailed it as a steamy mood-setter that shows off Van Zandt’s musical versatility,” is featured on Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits And Pieces, a wildly eclectic affair that gathers together 36 tracks from the show, ranging from short music cues to full songs spanning across a dizzying array of genres. Van Zandt fully embraced the Nordic country and integrated traditional Norwegian folk instruments into his musical arsenal to create an authentic sound for the show which was filmed in Lillehammer, Norway and watched by nearly one fifth of its population. Highlights of the folk songs include “Revelation,” “Lillehammer Mourning” and “Baptism.” On “Toboggan Negotiation,” Van Zandt, who played guitar on all but one track on the collection, injects a hard-strummed acoustic guitar into an otherwise traditional sounding folk song, creating a unique hybrid.
The pieces span the globe and musical history, ranging from the Ennio Morricone-esque “African Dawn,” to the Eastern sounds of “Tandoori Epiphany” and “Dance of the Persian Serpent,” to the symphonic rock of “Painted Angels,” to the surf rock of “Killer Surf” and the Latin jazz and mambo of “Stevie Colada” and “Mojito.” On “Out Of The Darkness,” Van Zandt revisits his 1983 song and transforms it from a stadium rock anthem into a bittersweet instrumental with a Norwegian flavor while “Favella” conjures up images of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. Overall it showcases both the breadth of the extraordinary and ambitious music that Van Zandt created for the show and his immense talent as a songwriter, arranger, musician and musical chameleon.
“I’m really proud of ‘Lilyhammer’ and the music I created for it,” says Van Zandt. “This was especially rewarding because it gave me the chance to finally do a score completely. This was a full commitment, I loved doing it and experimenting with sound and putting it to pictures and seeing what effect it has. It was a lot of fun, I’d love to do more of it.”
The music of “Lilyhammer” was arranged and produced by Van Zandt and recorded at his Renegade Studios in New York and at various studios in Norway while in the midst of filming. It was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Geoff Sanoff and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.
Lilyhammer The Score: Volume 1 and 2 come on the heels of Little Steven’s highly acclaimed new album Summer of Sorcery, his first album of original material in 20 years. Created with his 14-piece band the Disciples of Soul, the album’s 12 songs capture the energy, excitement and electricity of summer, and is an exuberant mix of rock n’ soul. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the most eclectic record he’s ever made… it largely dispenses with protest songs and revels in the rock, soul and R&B of his Sixties youth,” the album was called “a nostalgic New Jersey starburst of sex and soul,” by Uncut while American Songwriter enthused, “Steven, his musical director Marc Ribler and veteran mixers/masterers Bob Clearmountain and Bob Ludwig, pull out all the stops to make this sonic smorgasbord explode out of the speakers with passion and clout. Few artists have the financial means or artistic vision to pull off a thunderous production like this which is impressive in its scope and sheer booming audio audacity.”
Having just returned from their European tour, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will bring the songs of Summer of Sorcery to life on the first leg of their North American tour which kicks off this Friday, June 28 in Omaha, NE. They will then head back to Europe in August for more shows and return to the US in September for the second leg of the tour that will culminate at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on November 6. As always, teachers are welcome to all shows for free. Each show will be proceeded with a teacher’s development workshop demonstrating how to incorporate Van Zandt’s TeachRock music education curriculum into the classroom. For more information, visit teachrock.org
LILYHAMMER: THE SCORE TRACK LISTINGS
VOLUME 1: JAZZ
1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer)
2. My Kind Of Town (vocal)
3. The Night Before
4. Rumble Island
5. Sorceress
6. I’m a Fool to Want You
7. All Of Me (vocal)
8. Blue Midnight
9. The Thief
10. City Lights
11. Gloomy Day
12. Ring-A-Ding Ding! (vocal)
13. The Morning After
VOLUME 2: FOLK, ROCK, RIO, BITS AND PIECES
1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer – Broadcast Version)
2. Revelation
3. African Dawn
4. Lillehammer Mourning
5. Baptism
6. Toboggan Negotiation
7. Curiosity
8. Sunset
9. Sunrise
10. Gregorian Papyperm
11. Elegy for Sally Boy
12. Grampa Lento’s Song
13. Tandoori Epiphany
14. Out of the Darkness
15. Wolf Hunt
16. Dance of the Persian Serpent
17. The Minstrel Boy (vocal)
18. Painted Angels
19. Espresso Martini
20. Stevie Colada
21. Mojito
22. Sex Ghost
23. Wired
24. Bliss
25. Jobim Paranoia
26. Out of the Clouds
27. Sylfast is Dead
28. Alex and Johnny
29. Lonely Girl
30. Killer Surf
31. Favella
32. Tommy’s Run
33. Bond of Brothers
34. Sigrid Kills
35. Ibsen Interrupted
36. Massage Tattoo
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
JULY
12 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
14 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
16 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
18 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
20 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
22 – Middletown, NY – Orange County Fair
24 – Richmond, VA – The National
26 – Easton, PA – State Theatre Center For The Arts
28 – Annapolis, MD – Outlaw Jam *
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – EUROPE 2019
AUGUST
3 – Notodden, Norway – Notodden Blues Festival *
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
7 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
9 – Erfurt, Germany – Gewerkschaftshaus
11 – Hanau, Germany – Amphitheater
13 – Nuremberg, Germany – Serenadenhof
15 – Budapest, Hungary – Akvárium Klub
17 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Den Atelier
19 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Vredenburg Pandora
21 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
23 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
25 – Oxford, UK – O2 Academy
27 – Newcastle, UK – O2 Academy
29 – Cardiff, UK – Tramshed
31 – Monte Carlo, Monaco – Opera Garnier
SEPTEMBER
2 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
SEPTEMBER
5-8 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino *
9 – Ventura, CA – The Majestic Ventura Theater
11 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
13-14 – San Diego, CA – Kaaboo Del Mar *
15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
17 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre
20 – Wichita, KS – Wichita Orpheum
22 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond *
25 – Arlington, TX – Arlington Music Hall
29 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
OCTOBER
1 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
3 -Birmingham, AL – Iron City
5 – Memphis, TN -Soundstage at Graceland
7 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage Theater
13 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
15 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
17 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
19 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
21 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts
23 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
26 – Cleveland, OH – Masonic Auditorium
28 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place
30 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
NOVEMBER
2 – Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre
4 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
6 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
* festival appearance
For more, please visit:
# # #
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE INTERSTELLAR JAZZ RENEGADES’ SCORE FOR
NETFLIX’S FIRST ORIGINAL SERIES NOW AVAILABLE
FOR FIRST TIME, IN TWO VOLUMES, VIA WICKED COOL/UMe
VOLUME 1: JAZZ COLLECTS THE BEST OF THE JAZZ SONGS
VOLUME 2: FOLK, ROCK, RIO, BITS AND PIECES SHOWCASES
THE BREADTH OF THE SHOW’S
MUSICAL DIVERSITY WITH THREE DOZEN WILDLY ECLECTIC TRACKS
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL CURRENTLY ON TOUR IN SUPPORT OF
ACCLAIMED NEW ALBUM SUMMER OF SORCERY
WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “MY KIND OF TOWN”
For his starring role in Netflix’s groundbreaking first original series, “Lilyhammer,” actor/musician Steven Van Zandt explored uncharted waters as a New York mobster who flees to Norway under the witness protection program. In addition to acting in, co-writing and co-producing the acclaimed show as well as directing the final episode, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer also scored the music for most of the three seasons, where just like his character, the musician best known as Little Steven of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and an accomplished solo artist who helped pioneer the rock-meets-soul sound, also delved into some terrain foreign to him: the worlds of New York jazz and Norwegian folk music. For the first time, the music from the show, which ended in 2014, is now available, released today as two corresponding albums –
Lilyhammer The Score – Volume 1: Jazz and Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits And Pieces. The collections are available on CD, digital and 180-gram black vinyl via Wicked Cool/UMe.
Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits and Pieces
The music of “Lilyhammer” was arranged and produced by Van Zandt and recorded at his Renegade Studios in New York and at various studios in Norway while in the midst of filming. It was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Geoff Sanoff and mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering.
When Van Zandt was tasked with coming up with the music to soundtrack “Lilyhammer,” the veteran musician, songwriter and producer who had pretty much done it all in the worlds of songwriting, including dozens of albums, hundreds of songs, tracks for movies, a Broadway musical, as well as music supervision and musical direction, had never scored a television show and was up to the challenge. Knowing he wanted to create something that combined New York jazz to represent his character Frank “The Fixer” Tagliano with the Norwegian folk music of his exotic new environs, he turned to friend and fellow E Street Band member Max Weinberg for some advice on who could help him put a band together that could flawlessly execute these two disparate genres. On Weinberg’s recommendation, he enlisted GRAMMY® Award-winning pianist, arranger and orchestrator, Lee Musiker, known for his wealth of experience working with premiere artists in the jazz, classical, Broadway, and pop genres, such as Mel Tormé, Kristin Chenoweth, Wynton Marsalis, Buddy Rich and Tony Bennett, to help bring his vision to life. Together they assembled the Interstellar Jazz Renegades, a loose collective of some of NYC’s finest musicians, led by Musiker and orchestrators Raul Agraz, Adam Hochstatter andlongtime friend/Asbury Juke/Disciples Of Soul saxophonist Stan Harrison.
Volume 1: Jazz collects together 13 of the best jazz compositions from the show and features a mix of jazz standards, instrumental score and original songs. Van Zandt provides vocals and channels the crooners of yore on the jazz classics, “All Of Me,” “Ring-a-Ding Ding!” and the Sinatra standard, “My Kind Of Town.” Typically, the music created for TV is short musical cues but Van Zandt took a different approach. “I figured I’ve got some of the most talented musicians in New York City so why waste them on 15 second cues,” Van Zandt explains. “We decided to have some fun. I’d meet Lee about an hour before the session and give him the top line melodies, basic chord changes and structure and talk about the overall mood of the piece. I wanted to try something different and get the musicians creative input and let these guys who were used to always reading their parts express themselves for a change. We would basically arrange it on the spot. I’d suggest a harmony, Lee would suggest an idea and the musicians would begin to orchestrate themselves. It was wild and extremely fruitful. After the success of the first session I knew we had a legitimate jazz album in addition to an incredible score.”
Opening with the moody, evocative “Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer),” allowing listeners to hear the full song that the theme song was developed from, the tunes range from the sensual (“The Night Before”, “I’m A Fool To Want You”) and swinging (“My Kind Of Town,” “Rumble Island, “The Thief,”) to the mysterious (“Sorceress”) and melancholy (“Gloomy Sunday”). An accomplished set of songs that harkens back to the greats like Henry Mancini, Stan Getz and Nelson Riddle, the cinematic music transports you to a dark, smoky jazz club somewhere in 1950’s New York or in this case, Norway in the late 2000s. The strength of the music, expertly performed by these veteran musicians, both stands on its own as a cohesive jazz album and as a soundtrack for fans who want to relive the great jazz music of the show.
Volume 2: Folk, Rock, Rio, Bits And Pieces is a wildly eclectic affair that gathers together 36 tracks from the show, ranging from short music cues to full songs spanning across a dizzying array of genres. Opening with the broadcast version of the theme song “Lilyhammer Nocturne,” the song begins as a swinging jazz tune and then deftly segues into Norwegian folk music illustrating the collision of two cultures. Van Zandt fully embraced the Nordic country and integrated traditional Norwegian folk instruments into his musical arsenal to create an authentic sound for the show which was filmed in Lillehammer, Norway and watched by nearly one fifth of its population. Highlights of the folk songs include “Revelation,” “Lillehammer Mourning” and “Baptism.” On “Toboggan Negotiation,” Van Zandt, who played guitar on all but one track on the collection, injects a hard-strummed acoustic guitar into an otherwise traditional sounding folk song, creating a unique hybrid.
The pieces span the globe and musical history, ranging from the Ennio Morricone-esque “African Dawn,” to the Eastern sounds of “Tandoori Epiphany” and “Dance of the Persian Serpent,” to the symphonic rock of “Painted Angels,” to the bluesy “Espresso Martini,” to the surf rock of “Killer Surf” and the Latin jazz and mambo of “Stevie Colada and “Mojito.” On “Out Of The Darkness,” Van Zandt revisits his 1983 song and transforms it from a stadium rock anthem into a bittersweet instrumental with a Norwegian flavor while “Favella” conjures up images of Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. Overall it showcases both the breadth of the extraordinary and ambitious music that Van Zandt created for the show and his immense talent as a songwriter, arranger, musician and musical chameleon.
“I’m really proud of ‘Lilyhammer’ and the music I created for it,” says Van Zandt. “This was especially rewarding because it gave me the chance to finally do a score completely. This was a full commitment, I loved doing it and experimenting with sound and putting it to pictures and seeing what effect it has. It was a lot of fun, I’d love to do more of it.”
Lilyhammer The Score: Volume 1 and 2 come on the heels of Little Steven’s highly acclaimed recently released new album Summer of Sorcery, his first album of original material in 20 years. Created with his 14-piece band the Disciples of Soul, the album’s 12 songs capture the energy, excitement and electricity of summer, and is an exuberant mix of rock n’ soul Lilyhammer The Score: Volume 1 and 2 come on the heels of Little Steven’s highly acclaimed new album Summer of Sorcery, his first album of original material in 20 years. Created with his 14-piece band the Disciples of Soul, the album’s 12 songs capture the energy, excitement and electricity of summer, and is an exuberant mix of rock n’ soul. Hailed by Rolling Stone as “the most eclectic record he’s ever made… it largely dispenses with protest songs and revels in the rock, soul and R&B of his Sixties youth,” the album was called “a nostalgic New Jersey starburst of sex and soul,” by Uncut while American Songwriter enthused, “Steven, his musical director Marc Ribler and veteran mixers/masterers Bob Clearmountain and Bob Ludwig, pull out all the stops to make this sonic smorgasbord explode out of the speakers with passion and clout. Few artists have the financial means or artistic vision to pull off a thunderous production like this which is impressive in its scope and sheer booming audio audacity.”
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul are currently bringing the songs of Summer of Sorcery to life on tour in North America. They will head back to Europe in August for their second European tour and return to the US in September for the second leg of the tour that will culminate at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on November 6. As always, teachers are welcome to all shows for free. Each show will be proceeded with a teacher’s development workshop demonstrating how to incorporate Van Zandt’s TeachRock music education curriculum into the classroom. For more information, visit teachrock.org.
LILYHAMMER: THE SCORE TRACK LISTINGS
VOLUME 1: JAZZ
1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer)
2. My Kind Of Town (vocal)
3. The Night Before
4. Rumble Island
5. Sorceress
6. I’m a Fool to Want You
7. All Of Me (vocal)
8. Blue Midnight
9. The Thief
10. City Lights
11. Gloomy Day
12. Ring-A-Ding Ding! (vocal)
13. The Morning After
VOLUME 2: FOLK, ROCK, RIO, BITS AND PIECES
1. Lilyhammer Nocturne (Theme from Lilyhammer – Broadcast Version)
2. Revelation
3. African Dawn
4. Lillehammer Mourning
5. Baptism
6. Toboggan Negotiation
7. Curiosity
8. Sunset
9. Sunrise
10. Gregorian Papyperm
11. Elegy for Sally Boy
12. Grampa Lento’s Song
13. Tandoori Epiphany
14. Out of the Darkness
15. Wolf Hunt
16. Dance of the Persian Serpent
17. The Minstrel Boy (vocal)
18. Painted Angels
19. Espresso Martini
20. Stevie Colada
21. Mojito
22. Sex Ghost
23. Wired
24. Bliss
25. Jobim Paranoia
26. Out of the Clouds
27. Sylfast is Dead
28. Alex and Johnny
29. Lonely Girl
30. Killer Surf
31. Favella
32. Tommy’s Run
33. Bond of Brothers
34. Sigrid Kills
35. Ibsen Interrupted
36. Massage Tattoo
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
JULY
12 – Buffalo, NY – Town Ballroom
14 – Clifton Park, NY – Upstate Concert Hall
16 – New Haven, CT – College Street Music Hall
18 – Huntington, NY – The Paramount
20 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
22 – Middletown, NY – Orange County Fair
24 – Richmond, VA – The National
26 – Easton, PA – State Theatre Center For The Arts
28 – Annapolis, MD – Outlaw Jam *
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – EUROPE 2019
AUGUST
3 – Notodden, Norway – Notodden Blues Festival *
5 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Amager Bio
7 – Warsaw, Poland – Stodola
9 – Erfurt, Germany – Gewerkschaftshaus
11 – Hanau, Germany – Amphitheater
13 – Nuremberg, Germany – Serenadenhof
15 – Budapest, Hungary – Akvárium Klub
17 – Luxembourg, Luxembourg – Den Atelier
19 – Utrecht, Netherlands – Tivoli Vredenburg Pandora
21 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
23 – Dublin, Ireland – Vicar Street
25 – Oxford, UK – O2 Academy
27 – Newcastle, UK – O2 Academy
29 – Cardiff, UK – Tramshed
31 – Monte Carlo, Monaco – Opera Garnier
SEPTEMBER
2 – Vienna, Austria – Arena Wien
SUMMER OF SORCERY TOUR – NORTH AMERICA 2019
SEPTEMBER
5-8 – Las Vegas, NV – Big Blues Bender @ Hard Rock Hotel and Casino *
9 – Ventura, CA – The Majestic Ventura Theater
11 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre
13-14 – San Diego, CA – Kaaboo Del Mar *
15 – Tucson, AZ – The Rialto Theatre
17 – Englewood, CO – The Gothic Theatre
20 – Wichita, KS – Wichita Orpheum
22 – Louisville, KY – Bourbon & Beyond *
25 – Arlington, TX – Arlington Music Hall
29 – Austin, TX @ Emo’s Austin
OCTOBER
1 – New Orleans, LA – House of Blues
3 -Birmingham, AL – Iron City
5 – Memphis, TN -Soundstage at Graceland
7 – Atlanta, GA – Center Stage Theater
13 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall
15 – Grand Rapids, MI – 20 Monroe Live
17 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
19 – Milwaukee, WI – Pabst Theater
21 – Winnipeg, MB @ Burton Cummings Theatre for the Performing Arts
23 – Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
26 – Cleveland, OH – Masonic Auditorium
28 – Des Moines, IA – Hoyt Sherman Place
30 – Columbus, OH – Newport Music Hall
NOVEMBER
2 – Medford, MA – Chevalier Theatre
4 – Munhall, PA – Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
6 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre
* festival appearance
For more, please visit:
# # #
ROCK & ROLL HALL OF FAMER LITTLE STEVEN LOOKS BACK ON SOLO CAREER AND OPENS PERSONAL MUSICAL VAULT WITH ROCKNROLL REBEL – THE EARLY WORK ARRIVING DECEMBER 6 ON WICKED COOL/UMe
LIMITED EDITION MULTI-FORMAT BOXED SET FEATURES RESTORED AND REMASTERED VINYL EDITIONS OF SIX CLASSIC LONG-OUT-OF-PRINT ALBUMS ALONG WITH 51 BONUS TRACKS OF RARE AND UNRELEASED RECORDINGS OF STUDIO OUTTAKES, B-SIDES, REHEARSALS, LIVE PERFORMANCES AND MORE
DIGITAL DELUXE EDITIONS OF EACH ALBUM TO BE RELEASED LEADING UP TO DECEMBER 6 STARTING TODAY WITH MEN WITHOUT WOMEN (1982) EXPANDED WITH SEVEN PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED TRACKS
Little Steven has opened the doors on his personal archive of recordings to present an in-depth look at his solo career with a brand new boxed set. RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work (Wicked Cool/UMe) collects the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s solo work from 1973-1999 – including Artists United Against Apartheid’s landmark 1985 LP, Sun City – together with 51 bonus tracks spanning previously unreleased demos, B-sides, rehearsals, outtakes, classic concert performances, and a number of never-before-heard Steven Van Zandt compositions. Little Steven’s RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work will be available exclusively via the online store uDiscover Music beginning Friday, December 6; pre–orders are available now.
“It’s been a blast going through the archives and finding all these hidden gems,” says Van Zandt. “In addition to demos in various stages of completion, there are entire songs I’d completely forgotten about, and we found some really early things pre-Jukes like Southside Johnny and the Kid (the kid being me!). I’m excited to have my stuff back on vinyl for the first time in decades!”
PREORDER ROCKNROLL REBEL – THE EARLY WORK
Limited to just 1,000 copies, the bespoke slipcase multi-format boxed set includes remastered editions of five long-out-of-print classic albums – Men Without Women (1982), Voice Of America (1983), Sun City (1985), Freedom – No Compromise (1987), Revolution (1989) and the vinyl debut of Born Again Savage (1999) – across seven-colored vinyl LPs alongside four CDs of rarities and bonus tracks. This also marks the first time Revolution will be released on vinyl in the U.S., having previously only been released in Europe. The set includes liner notes about each of the 51 bonus tracks.
Digital Deluxe Editions of all six albums, complete with corresponding bonus tracks, will be available for download in the weeks leading up to the boxed set’s official release kicking off today with Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s 1982 debut album, Men Without Women, joined by 10 exclusive bonus tracks available now. Both RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work and the Digital Deluxe Edition of Men Without Women include long-lost tracks from what Van Zandt calls the “soundtrack to an unmade film,” including previously unreleased alternate versions of album favorites, “Angel Eyes,” “Forever” and “Until The Good Is Gone.” In conjunction with RockNRoll Rebel, a limited edition standalone 144-page, 12” x 12” companion book will be released featuring Van Zandt’s in-depth liner notes and memories and stories about the making of each album, lyrics to every song and hundreds of never-before-seen photos. It will be available for preorder soon.
STREAM MEN WITHOUT WOMEN DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION
Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul made their spectacular debut with 1982’s Men Without Women, highlighted by a pair of rock radio favorites in the opening “Lyin’ In A Bed Of Fire” and “Forever,” the latter of which spent nine weeks on Billboard’s “Hot 100” while also receiving heavy rotation at the newly launched MTV. Van Zandt and the Disciples of Soul celebrated Men Without Women with sold out live dates including a legendary performance at NYC’s famed Peppermint Lounge that saw electrifying renditions of the album’s “Save Me” and “This Time It’s For Real” (written by Van Zandt and made famous by Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes), both included on RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work.
RockNRoll Rebel – The Early Work – which arrives hot on the heels of Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul’s acclaimed latest album, Summer of Sorcery (Wicked Cool/UMe) – features appearances from an assortment of friends, collaborators, and special guests, including Bruce Springsteen, Southside Johnny, Rubén Blades, Miles Davis, Gary U.S. Bonds, Dino Danelli, and members of both the E Street Band and the Asbury Jukes.
To coincide with the release of RockNRoll Rebel, Van Zandt will be making select videos from his early career available on his official YouTube channel for the first time as well as offering up a ton of other visuals from the era. Fans can subscribe to the channel to be notified when videos are posted: https://www.youtube.com/user/LittleStevenVEVO.
Following two years of nearly constant touring, totaling more than 150 shows across North America, Europe, and Australia, Little Steven and the Disciples of Soul will close the year with two triumphant final shows at the Chevalier Theatre in Boston on November 2nd followed by a homecoming performance at New York’s Beacon Theatre on November 6th.
LITTLE STEVEN
ROCKNROLL REBEL – THE EARLY WORK
(Wicked Cool/UMe)
STREET DATE: DECEMBER 6
TRACKLISTING:
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL: MEN WITHOUT WOMEN (1982)
LITTLE STEVE AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL: VOICE OF AMERICA (1983)
LITTLE STEVEN: FREEDOM – NO COMPROMISE (1987)
LITTLE STEVEN: REVOLUTION (1989)
LITTLE STEVEN VAN ZANDT: BORN AGAIN SAVAGE (1999) – 2 x LP
ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID: SUN CITY (1985)
BONUS TRACKS (4 CD):
DISC 1: MEN WITHOUT WOMEN (AND BEFORE)
DISC 2: VOICE OF AMERICA
DISC 3: SUN CITY
* All songs on DISC 3: SUN CITY published by Amandla Music (A Non-Profit Company)
DISC 4: FREEDOM – NO COMPROMISE, REVOLUTION (AND LATER)
* * * * *
DIGITAL DELUXE EDITION RELEASES
TRACKLISTINGS:
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL: MEN WITHOUT WOMEN (1982)
AVAILABLE FOR STREAMING/DOWNLOAD TODAY
LITTLE STEVEN AND THE DISCIPLES OF SOUL: VOICE OF AMERICA (1983)
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BEGINNING OCTOBER 25
+ VOTE! (1984 Digital Single EP)
LITTLE STEVEN: THE EARLY WORK (2019)
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BEGINNING NOVEMBER 1
LITTLE STEVEN: REVOLUTION (1989)
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BEGINNING NOVEMBER 15
LITTLE STEVEN VAN ZANDT: BORN AGAIN SAVAGE (1999)
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BEGINNING NOVEMBER 22
LITTLE STEVEN: FREEDOM – NO COMPROMISE (1987)
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BEGINNING NOVEMBER 29
+ BITTER FRUIT (1987 Digital Single EP)
ARTISTS UNITED AGAINST APARTHEID: SUN CITY (1985)
AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BEGINNING DECEMBER 6
+ LET ME SEE YOUR I.D. (1985 Digital Single EP)
* All songs on SUN CITY published by Amandla Music (A Non-Profit Company)
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Heidi Gutman
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Courtesy of Big Hassle Media
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Jo Lopez
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