TODD RUNDGREN RELEASES “A WIZARD A TRUE STAR” CONCERTS ON USB STICK

Todd Rundgren, the legendary rock musician and record producer, who has worked with everyone from Patti Smith, Meatloaf and the New York Dolls, today announced that his February 2010 London and Amsterdam “A Wizard A True Star” concerts will be released on USB stick.

The European AWATS concerts will take place at the HMV London Hammersmith Apollo on Friday 6th February, followed by the Paradiso, Amsterdam on Sunday 8th February. Fans who attend the concerts will be able to buy the entire two hour concert on USB stick at the merchandise stand directly after the shows.

Fans can pre-order both concerts on USB stick from
www.toddrundgren.concert-online.com.

The Rundgren “Wizard” USB concert sticks are the brainchild of Cologne-based live recording entertainment company Concert Online whose live recording concert USB stick roster includes KISS, Simply Red, Madness, Foreigner and Simple Minds.

The Rundgren “Wizard” USB concert stick will include two hours of live performance audio, including “Todd Rundgren’s Johnson”; a 45-minute set of Rundgren performing Robert Johnson songs, followed by a 75-minute set of the highly anticipated “A Wizard A True Star” album performed in it’s entirety.

The all-star line-up for the forthcoming European AWATS concerts includes former Utopia band members Ralph Schuckett (keyboards, vocals) and Kasim Sulton (bass, vocals), plus former Cars member Greg Hawkes (keyboards, vocals), Jesse Gress (guitar, vocals), Bobby Strickland (saxophone, vocals) and Tubes founder Prairie Prince (drums, vocals). In addition to his being a multi-talented musician and singer/songwriter and performer, Rundgren is also regarded as one of the best record producers of all time (XTC, Meat Loaf, Patti Smith Group, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad).

A Wizard, A True Star –
Live in London and Amsterdam

HMV London Hammersmith Apollo
Friday 6th February
Box Office: 08700 603 777
Book Online: www.seetickets.com
Official UK AWATS concert press page – www.noblepr.co.uk/Press_Releases

Paradiso, Amsterdam
Sunday 8th February
Box Office: 003120 628 8790
Book Online: www.paradiso.nl
Ticketmaster: www.ticketmaster.nl

Jesse Gress (guitar)
Has toured and recorded with Todd Rundgren and the Grammy-nominated Tony Levin Band. Gress plays guitar on Rundgren’s Liars and Arena albums.

Greg Hawkes (keyboards)
Was a founding member of The Cars (1977-87). He formed the New Cars (2005) with Rundgren replacing Ric Ocasek on lead vocals, and released the album It’s Alive in the same year.

Prairie Prince (drums)
A founding member of art-rock band The Tubes since 1969, Prairie has played with Rundgren for the last several years and appeared on the latter’s Liars and Arena albums, and also played drums for the New Cars.

Ralph Schuckett (keyboards)
Was a founding member of the band Utopia who played with the band from 1972 -75, and appeared on the albums Utopia and Another Live.

Bobby Strickland (saxophone)
Played and toured the Todd Rundgren albums Nearly Human and Second Wind.

Kasim Sulton (bass)
Was a long-standing member of the band Utopia (alongside Rundgren) and has worked with Meat Loaf, Joan Jett, Hall & Oates, and Patti Smith

Although Rundgren’s breakthrough 1972 album, Something/Anything? is considered by many to be his masterpiece, the psychedelic impact and bordering-on-disturbing innovation of the follow-up, AWATS,is arguably Rundgren’s most experimental and influential album. Stand-out tracks include the International Feel, Rock & Roll Pussy, You Don’t Have To Camp Around, Sometimes I Don’t Know What To Feel, Zen Archer and Just Another Onionhead.

The album’s closer, Just One Victory, has been included as an encore favorite in both Rundgren’s and Utopia’s live sets over the decades, but this will be the first time in Britain that he will perform the whole record live onstage, from start to finish. The first half of the concert will feature a selection of Rundgren’s songs throughout his career, while the second half of the show will consist of the entirety of A Wizard, a True Star.

A Wizard, A True Star is hailed as one of the most influential and pioneering progressive rock album recordings of all time. Originally released in 1973 (the longest running album on vinyl, clocking in at nearly one hour of running time: 55:56), much of the album is an extended medley after the fashion of The Beatles’ late recordings. The effect of the songs merging one into another was immediate, infectious and dazzling; the lyrical content was often at once both tongue in cheek and hallucinogenic.

Side One of the album includes a cover version of Never Never Land from the Broadway version of Peter Pan. Side Two features a legendary medley of covers of doo-wop and pop soul hits, including I’m So Proud, Ooh Baby, Baby, La La Means I Love You and Cool Jerk.

Arthur Wood illustrated the psychedelic cover painting that graced the original packaging. First editions of the vinyl LP were die-cut and included a “band aid” poem written by the punk poet Patti Smith, and a short bio about the album, as well as a postcard encouraging purchasers to send their name to be included on a poster in Rundgren’s next album; the eponymous Todd.