What Is Your Idea of Romance?

This prompt appeared on a "friend's" Facebook page.

WHAT IS YOUR IDEA OF ROMANCE?

Without perusing comments, I knew immediately the answer and wrote the following:

        Romance is sharing a Ferris Wheel ride with a woman who is a bit nervous. Waiting for your chariot to arrive, you gently squeeze her hand, move in closer and whisper in her ear that everything will be alright. Nothing can happen while your arms are wrapped around her.
        When the car begins to rise swinging gently back and forth, you pull her in tighter. By the time the apex is reached, her eyes are open and she stares in wonder at the ocean and the lights below. Her body begins to relax when she looks into your eyes with a sense of unrealized confidence, deep admiration and wholly in love.
        A moment frozen in time.
        Neither senses the wheel moving again, beginning it's return to earth before arcing skyward in tandem with the rising emotion and rapid beating of two hearts. She sighs contentedly and rests her head upon your shoulder. Two pairs of eyes peer beyond the horizon and ponder what the world holds in store.
        A moment frozen in time.

..."In My Heart" (Director's Cut)

Recently, in spring cleaning mode, I unearthed this long ago video I had the great pleasure to work on a lifetime ago. Seems that way, now. I look at some of the dates on here and wonder as many of us do, where the time went. Before Tarzan hit Broadway in previews, months and months were spent on a sound stage in Brooklyn, NY prepping and rehearsing. It's hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since then, but I thoroughly remember 2005-2006 as the year I spemt engrossed in this unfurling production. The footage took me vicariously behind the scenes while I spent the time seated before twin monitors in a Manhattan video editing suite cutting teasers and trailers as things progressed. To this day, I'm not sure who these were geared for, but it was always with the highest priority. Disney apparently had a lot on the line. While my hands and mind worked furiously to appease the client, my soul had unknowingly, unceasingly warmed so much to this show from cast to soundtrack that I became completely enamored with it. As the months moved on, and Tarzan hit the stage, my creative half (whatever side of the brain that happens on) kicked in resulting in weeks of after hours work in a silent office to create this piece. Some would call it a Labor of Love. As a writer however, I am really, really trying to avoid the use of cliche's so I won't call it that (even if that is exactly what it was).

Fast forward some months, and ticket sales are waning. The client needs something more to draw interest. Unselfishly, and nearly free of charge, I offer this piece that I had kept solely to myself. Lesson to those who know little of video editing. There are always changes and like the dreaded the retail customer, the client is always right!

WRONG!

Corporate (not to be named) decided on a somewhat different approach to show more highlights and statistics. I followed directions and re-worked the piece over many, many days until they had exactly what they wanted. Their version worked, no question and ultimately, I was proud of it once my disappointment ebbed. Now it's over ten years later and deep down in a night table drawer, I find a DVD of the original version I had all but forgotten about. I don't know, maybe it's with a sense of stubbornness on my part, but WOW did corporate miss the mark. Their version took all the heart out of it. Why does any of this matter? Why is this even bloggable? (I know, so not a word). It's important to me. It's as important to me now as it was so long ago. Am I overstepping bounds by releasing this footage, now? Consider it a production demo. I do a fair amount of freelance video work and as I don't have a true demo reel online, well then this is it. 'Nuf said. For any who have gotten this far in my rant (and I thank you for that), go on and hit the play button if you like. In fact, I think I'll join you and do the same. We'll watch it together on

Which Came First, the City or the Country? (Director's Cut)

            Time to dust off the mechanical bull and doff your cowboy hat and boots. Country music is once again alive and well right here in the greatest city in the world.

            Shotgun Wedding hails from the New York City metropolitan area, but for those unfamiliar with these here parts, it’s a busy place teeming with action, attitude and a whole lot of noise. The band, billed under the designation, City Country, leaves one poised to ask, what exactly does that mean?

On a cold February morning, Shotgun Wedding released their debut CD, South of Somewhere; thirteen cuts that paint a Big Apple travelogue of sorts for the unfamiliar, uninformed and generally not from around here crowd.

City Boy kicks off the journey. Opening with a sweeping flourish of piano magic supplied by the incomparable Wade Preston, it eloquently evokes the feel of a typical metro morning, from a quick cup of java to the harried commute on the New York City subway system.

            There’s a track fire on the F line, Just one stop before mine, I hit the street and make it just in time, laments vocalist Dennis DelGaudio who co-wrote the tune with Preston, which depicts everyday life in the big city where country music may not seem prevalent, but concrete cowboys do exist.

Footsteps Away, written by DelGaudio and bassist Andy Cichon keeps Manhattan in the crosshairs, proving it lives up to its calling as the city that never sleeps. 

Stacked up one hundred stories high in this city by the sea,
Decisions, decisions,
Flip a coin and see
It’s all just Footsteps Away

While the cut seems more at home on Broadway than let’s say, Main Street U.S.A., this calliope flavored tune brilliantly captures the frenetic, yet playful vibe of the wide array of leisurely delights all within walking distance.

It’s not all fun and games in New York City however. City Hall, penned by DelGaudio and vocalist Catherine Porter bravely tackles the meaty social issue of pre-marital canoodling. 

My honey and I gonna tie the knot 
The day after tomorrow is all we’ve got
Not a minute to waste ‘cause my waist is gettin’ gone 
Gettin’ hitched before the secret’s out and Daddy’s temper’s on.

            Porter’s vocal conveys just the right amount of twangy desperation, leaving no doubt that this concrete cowgirl is in a heap of trouble and determined to make it right, New York City style.

We stood in line to dot our I’s and cross our T’s
With a clerk that looked like Willie and smelled like Jim Beam
We said, “we do” in sixty seconds flat
Signed, sealed, delivered and in a taxi just like that.

            The stripped down acoustic approach on City Hall, reveals a group of musicians having one heck of a good time that you can feel in every note. Seasoned drummer, Chuck Burgi brings the fun home with lighthearted fills giving real voice to smiles undoubtedly evident during the recording of this one.

            The real gem here is the DelGaudio, Porter, Preston collaboration Hurtin’ Songs. Catherine Porter’s vocal prowess on this soulful ballad rings so true with raw emotion ranging from the exhaustion of unending heartache following a tough break-up to the long awaited return of hope and freedom and happiness. The acappella bridge delivers such salvation that audiences will clap and sing along with the fervor of a Sunday morning congregation in a deep south gospel church.
            Then there's the other side of heartbreak as seen from the masculine point of view by way of Wade Preston's, Broken. This piano driven blues tune powered with a strong, determined vocal hints not at tears and tissues, but more the pickup truck and gun rack kinda hurtin'. If there was a Grammy nomination for well crafted lyrics, this one would be high up in contention.

Had I known you were damaged
I would have left you in the package 
So attractive on the shelf...
.

Following all this talk of broken hearts and relationships gone south (of somewhere), maybe it's time to get away for a bit. Andy Cichon provides the not so perfect remedy on Skeeter's; a feverish upbeat tune that pays heed to the annoying pests on a nine day swing thru West Va.

I was swattin' at the bugs and the ball as well
My patience and score all went to hell 
Then I turned to Billy and he said, "Yup." 
Sun goin' down, skeeter's comin' up.

            Now, talk about an all-time low! Dennis DelGaudio hits some deep bass notes here that would make Oak Ridge Boy vocalist, Richard Sterban raise an eyebrow.
            Back on the home front, summer is too long coming and too short lived. Tumbleweed Tuesday has all the earmarks of the perfect summer song. If you close your eyes, you can almost hear Buffett or Chesney belting this one out, but pay close enough attention and you'll realize that this has little to do with fun in the sun. Cichon and the gang are actually drawing attention to the delicate social infrastructure of life for the locals on Long Island's east end who spend fourteen weeks of lying low, making money and watching the show. This may actually be the world's first anti-summer theme song, yet one cannot help but to laugh and sing out loud on the infectious chorus that celebrates the day after Labor Day.

 It's Tumbleweed Tuesday and my summer starts now 
The beaches are empty and there's parking downtown
(Park your big 'ol truck downtown)
Don't need reservations 
I'll drink at the bar with the mayor and the sheriff 
Not some Hollywood Star.

 

            There is such a wide range of music featured on this debut outing that one can imagine radio programmers scratching their heads wondering just where South of Somewhere might fit in. Preston’s, Down in Flames channels the raucous grit of the Man in Black, with a side of the Killer; Jerry Lee Lewis thrown in for good measure while Cichon’s, Just One Minute features a catchy hook strong enough to linger in your head all day and is clearly a mainstream favorite.

            There is no need to call to attention the impressive résumés of these talented musicians, as the music is the only thing that really counts. Whether or not, South of Somewhere hits the airwaves, this is one CD not to be missed. These five stalwart and rather accomplished individuals hath brought forth far more than just an impressive collection of stellar compositions. From their very unlikely city viewpoint, they bring true integrity back to country music. Now if you’re still sitting here scratching your head wondering which really did come first, the city or the country, does it really matter? The album’s title track says it all.

 A little house with a big couch
Willie and Waylon playin’ on the radio
We’re from the south, the south of somewhere
City country, common ground.

Shotgun Wedding’s South of Somewhere is available on iTunes or through the website www.shotgunweddingnyc.com

Boys Night Out with the Legendary Oak Ridge Boys

Country music superstars, the Oak Ridge Boys rolled into Yonkers Sunday evening and performed an energetic set as part of Empire City Casino’s 2014 Summer Concert Series. Few recording acts have achieved the success that the Oak Ridge Boys have and on this starlit night beneath a Lucky Moon, concertgoers bore witness to a true piece of country music history.

“Most every song you’ll hear us sing tonight has been a number one country music record in one decade or another,” tenor lead and master of ceremonies Joe Bonsall exclaimed proudly.

Currently touring in support of their latest release, Boys Night Out, the mighty Oaks unleashed a barrage of hits including You’re The One, Trying To Love Two Women, Dream On, No Matter How High, American Made, Thank God For Kids and the iconic Elvira, which topped both the country and pop charts in 1981 and launched the band from household name to legendary status. Singer Richard Sterban’s bass vocals and signature oom poppa oom poppa mow mow remain timeless and thoroughly intact. Other highlights included Louisiana Red Dirt Highway; a William Lee Golden solo recording that earned the singer a number one video accolade in 1987 and Mama’s Table; a 2009 release with all the earmarks of the classic Oak Ridge Boys sound warmly anchored by lead singer Duane Allen.

Boys Night Out marks the Oak Ridge Boys first live album in a career that has spanned over four decades. Released on the immensely successful Indie label Cleopatra Records, the disc containing 14 classics has been distributed worldwide.

“I just learned that our live version of American Made recently reached the top of the charts…in Portugal,” lampooned Bonsall. “So there is that.”

Deviating from the seemingly endless train of hit songs in the set list, the band performed their raucous rendition of Ramblin’ Man; a tune tailor made for the Oak Ridge Boys rich vocal harmonies that will be included on a soon to be released Allman Brothers tribute album also on the Cleopatra label.

On the road this year for some 150 dates and with more than 41 million records sold over the span of their career, the Oak Ridge Boys show little sign of slowing down; their unbridled enthusiasm and energy guaranteeing many more Boy’s Nights Out in the future.

THAT ROCK STILL ROLLS

Bloggers Note:
              It was during the early spring of 1985 when I heard Restless Heart for the first time. I was always on a record buying binge at that time of my life. With the receipt of each paltry paycheck I would hop into my equally measly, often unreliable mode of transportation  and head out to the record store to peruse the new singles (45 rpm) that had been released that week. Pushing through the crowded pop section, I made my way to the dark dingy corner reserved for country music singles. Long Island was not exactly a hotbed of country music during the mid 1980's. The mechanical bulls that had stampeded into discos at the advent of the Urban Cowboy decade had long ago ridden off into the sunset. Determined not to leave empty handed due to a shortage of new material that week, I rolled the dice and paid my buck and change on "(Back to the) Heartbreak Kid" by a band that I had never heard of.
            I was not wholly impressed. No offense to the musicians or songwriters involved, but the tune simply did not resonate with me. Luckily, I have always been one for flip sides, refusing to adhere to the old adage that B-sides are often throwaway material to be ignored. "She Danced Her Way Into My Heart" was simply magic. It remains to date one of the most beautiful tunes that I have ever heard and sealed my fate as a Restless Heart fan forever. For me, nearly thirty years have elapsed since the day I dropped the stylus on my first Restless Heart record. I never envisioned then that I might still be talking about it today, nor that life would present me with an opportunity to not only speak with one of my all-time favorite recording artists (thanks Don Murry Grubbs of Absolute Publicity, Nashville TN), but to get one more chance at seeing this great band do what they have always done so well.

Tom M.
June 2014

That Rock Still Rolls

In 1983 five guys stepped into a Nashville studio together for the very first time and unknowingly forged a path that would leave an indelible footprint in country music history. Now, thirty years later country superstars Restless Heart continue making harmony as they roll into their Summer tour.

            “We couldn’t envision three years when we first started out,” remembered lead singer, Larry Stewart. “I knew a few of the guys from just working around town. They needed a lead singer so we gathered around a microphone in a little studio there on Music Row and sang together. Later, we started doing some showcases for all the labels in town and next thing I knew we were signing with RCA.”

            Stewart may have been living his idea of the All-American Dream, but not without a few misgivings.

“I had finished college, recently gotten married and all I could think about is ‘what is my new father-in-law gonna think about this baseball playing musician getting ready to go out and play country bars at night?’”

            Hailing from a small Kentucky town, Stewart found his way to Music City not to play music, but to play baseball having been offered an athletic scholarship from Nashville’s Belmont University.

“These coaches came out to watch me play High School ball and it just so happened that I hit two home runs that day. I’d never hit two home runs in a game in my life! They told me they wanted me to come and play for them and that’s how I got to town.”

His ultimate ambition may have revolved around sports, but inwardly Larry Stewart harbored the lifelong dream of becoming a professional musician.

            “I hid that aspiration growing up because living in a very sports oriented community, it was not cool being a baseball player who enjoyed sitting at a piano singing country tunes with his dad. Sometimes I would go play with this quartet he had and not tell anyone where I was. Heck, I remember nights as a kid when I would stand on the bed with a baseball bat as a mic singing to the radio like I was in front of 10,000 people. When I moved to Nashville it was like a bird being freed from a cage. All of a sudden it was cool to be a musician and I thought ‘dang, really?’ I started out with folks who gave me the opportunity to sing on demos and then met some world class musicians and songwriters. Well, one thing led to another and I’m saying to myself, ‘I think I found my niche.’”

            That niche netted the band a multitude of accolades including numerous Grammy, ACM, and CMA nominations. In 1990 Restless Heart was crowned Vocal Group of the Year by the Academy of Country Music. The group may have been riding the crest of a mountainous wave, but Stewart recalls some difficulty in gaining acceptance on Music Row.

            “You have to remember that in the mid-80’s the hottest music happening was more traditional with artists like Ricky Skaggs, George Strait, the Judds and Randy Travis. Now here comes these five slick guys with mullets singing harmony. At one point we called ourselves the greatest opening act in country music because we were opening for everybody from Alabama to Reba McEntire to Hank Williams Jr. and even though we were beginning to make Number One records, the critics, the establishment didn’t like us at all.”

            During the course of their career, Restless Heart has gleaned twenty-six Billboard hits; fourteen making the top ten and six reaching the coveted number one position including That Rock Won’t Roll, A Tender Lie, Wheels and the tune that catapulted them towards the realm of super-stardom, I’ll Still Be Loving You.

“There were a couple of guys in the band that wanted nothing to do with that song. You

know it had all of the clichés, ‘I’ll be yours until the sun doesn’t shine, ‘til time stands still, until the winds don’t blow.’ When we first heard a demo, it was a completely different song, lots of synthesizer’s and a real ethereal kind of vibe. Tim DuBois, our producer had brought the song to us and he was such a powerhouse in the business for so many years, we figured we had to give it a shot. Greg Jennings our guitar player took it home and stripped it down to a more acoustic James Taylor sound.  When we got together in the studio a few days later, we were just completely blown away. The only problem now was that the song was too short. We needed to add some kind of break in the middle, so Dave Innis (keyboards) and Greg worked on something while the rest of us grabbed coffee. They had figured out this real cool progression that takes the solo to a whole different key and then goes all the way back down to the one that we are singing. It was totally brilliant. Once we recorded it, the record company wanted to put it out as a single and we really didn’t like that decision because again this was 1986 and the song really did not fit in with the type of country music that was on the radio.”

The band reluctantly consented and then watched in bewilderment when the song went to number one on country radio and crossed over to the Adult Contemporary and Pop charts. Restless Heart had reached a plateau that few other country artists before them had attained. To date, they continually receive letters and e-mails detailing the impact the song has had on fans from its inception and how it remains still relevant today with new fans, many of whom are currently stationed overseas. The group has played several shows for the troops over the last few years and subsequently paid tribute to all of the men and women currently serving with the release of a new song entitled Home.

“Home was written by our bass player Paul Gregg and Dave Innis. Paul had run into an old girlfriend from way back. Her son had just returned home from Afghanistan and all he could talk about was how proud he was to be serving in the military, representing our country and how he couldn’t wait to get back to his unit. We perform it every night and have seen some pretty tough looking grown men shed a tear or two. It’s probably the most powerful moment in our show.”

While radio airplay has remained elusive in recent years, Stewart and his cohorts are excited about the future, which will undoubtedly include the release of their first brand new record in over eight years.

“It’s just time for us to come out with some new music and an exciting project. We haven’t nailed down a deal yet, but we’ve already started doing some recording. This one will be a little different I think. We may do a cover tune or two, bring in some guest artists and just have a little fun with it. We know exactly who we are now. It’s totally different now than it was in the years when the hits just kept on coming. I mean we were always on the run and never had the time to really appreciate everything. The fans and radio gave us the success that allowed us to build this brand name of Restless Heart and we’re so proud and thankful for that. We’re playing and singing better than we ever have. We have a lot of fun with audiences everywhere…and we’re a lot sexier now.”

Country Music Festival - Hunter Mountain, NY (1991)

"I'll Still Be Loving You"  - Hunter Mountain, NY (1991)

So What's the Words? How 'bout WHERE are the words?

Think of the Internet as a great junkyard littered with the detritus of people's discarded blogs, a vast wasteland of ideas that seemed good to someone...at sometime. I remember the energy and excitement with which I approached this place so long ago, the noble plan to leave a footprint for my then very young offspring to return to at that point in his life where his dad (aka one time super hero) becomes invisible. back then that seemed a long way away. Today that time draws ever closer. Alas, I don't need to reiterate what has already been written. If you, dear reader choose to delve back into the archives try not to think of it as digging deeply through the garbage. Is it garbage? Admittedly, sometimes I feel that way. Often I wonder if any of it was worth it, yet then I find myself moving back in time, actually reading some of the posts and musings in this blogging past and finding that HELL YES!, some of it was indeed worth it.

Everyone has stories to tell. I still have stories to tell. What's missing however is the passion, the desire, the inspiration to write. I keep telling myself that there is a book in me somewhere. Once it was about a campground, a place that still resides in my soul; a place that frankly I am convinced is the only place that I have ever known true happiness. That project fell through the cracks. A book has actually been written already, based on interviews that I had conducted over a two year span. I haven't read it yet, nor seen it. Perhaps one day. For now, it's just a stark reminder of...failure. I remember how proud I was, how energized I felt telling folks that I was going to write a book. I also remember the near immediate misgivings I had as the project got underway and I wondered if I could actually pull it off.

Call it a crisis of confidence.

I can make excuses for why the project never reached fruition, death in the family, untimely passing of a close friend, unemployment. Oh the list goes on. Life is full of unexpected twists, turns and pitfalls. There is a story there undoubtedly, but a book? Obviously a book. It's published.

A family member recently penned a book that she got published. It's a memoir. I won't mention the name of the book nor its author, nor my very preliminary review in reading a few select sections. Suffice it to say I am wholly impressed that she pulled the feat off, and found the words so easily to publish a book over 200 pages in length. It is truly an impressive feat and when I held that book in my hand, I was jealous. Here was someone with zero writing experience that was able to turn something out in a relatively short period of time.

Kudos.

That said, there is also the matter of reality. We are living in an age now where anyone can get published. it's similar to the direction that music has taken. Anybody can put out an album now and find distribution easily. Kudos to those folks as well. As I mentioned earlier, everyone has a story to tell. Whether or not all of these stories should be told be via the written page or out there in cyberspace? I can't answer that.

I'm not jealous, nor am I envious. I'm more disappointed in that I have reached a low point where words that were once so in abundance now seem non existent.
Lost.

When I started here in 2006, I promised to make this place a happy one. For the most part I pulled that off. I remain cautiously hopeful that it may one day happen again. Yes, there is a book inside me someplace. Hopefully, I will one day find the discipline to return here in a more timely fashion. It's a low level, more attainable goal I have set for myself.

I've stopped reaching for the stars for now.

Free Form, Freewheeling Bluegrass Mashup

Pop superstar Bruce Hornsby and country legend Ricky Skaggs, two artists with more hit singles, awards, accolades and nods from fans and contemporaries alike are set to descend upon the stage of the Paramount in Huntington on the 20^th and while it may seem at first to be a most unusual pairing, It is not as far fetched as it appears.

In the 1980’s, Ricky Skaggs set the bar early on with an impressive string of #1 hits including the iconic Country Boy, while on the pop charts Bruce Hornsby’s The Way It Is became the most played record of 1987 and sent his debut album multi-platinum.

“Bruce and I met while he was at the top of his game in the pop field and I was at the top of mine in the country field,” recalls Skaggs. “We were on the same bill at a festival in upstate New York and at the end of my show he introduced himself and asked me to sit in for a couple of songs during his set. Fast forward a few years, I find this CD that Bruce had done called Hothouse, and on the cover was a caricature of Bill Monroe and Charlie Parker. I just thought, man, what a funny mind to put together this kind of dream band that you know he would have loved to have played with.”

Skaggs was busily gathering artists at that time to perform on a tribute album to the great father of bluegrass, Bill Monroe.

“Bruce was the first guy to say yes. He showed up in the studio and jumped right in with me and my band and it was effortless. I remember listening to the playback in the control room and I turned to him and said, ‘hey, if you’re ever up for doing a whole record like this, I sure would be as well.’”

That dream reached fruition with the 2007 CD release, Bruce Hornsby & Ricky Skaggs, which led to a subsequent tour.

“A while ago I went back and listened to a number of shows that we had recorded during that time,” Hornsby remembers. “I was so excited by the quality and energy of the performances that I sent some roughs to Ricky, who was equally excited and together we decided to put it out.”

            In August, the duo released Cluck Ol’ Hen, a compilation of twenty-one live cuts from their 2007-2008 tour. Skaggs talks about the process involved in choosing the tunes for the new album.

            “Obviously we wanted the best performances that we could find from the whole band, but we also wanted performances that weren’t on the original studio record.  If you listen to that record it’s really more Hornsbyesque than it is bluegrass. It was our first time in the studio to really put this thing together and we didn’t know exactly what we were going to be doing, but when it got to the live show we started adding more Bill Monroe music, more hard driving bluegrass, so we kind of just made our decisions based on what we felt like would really make good listening.”

Hornsby and Skaggs have taken to the road once again and while the evening set lists may remain more or less intact, the musical arrangements are in a constant state of flux, offering a new and very different experience at every show.

            “We’re having a ball,” Skaggs laughs. “Bruce loves to mix stuff up. Just the other night I was a little out of tune and kind of touching up some strings on the mandolin and it sounded almost like this exotic riff. Well, that’s all it took. We just started jamming on something and made this weird kind of a Middle Eastern -- it actually came out more Middle Eastern Kentucky I guess than anything else -- but we loved it and that’s the thing about playing with Bruce. He loves music, he loves to experiment with music and he’s always pushing the boundaries for himself.”

            Hornsby concurs that as this journey they began so long ago continues to evolve, the respect the two have found in each other as artists follows along the very same path.

            “Ricky is a very open-minded musician, interested in a broad range of music. It was never a challenge collaborating with him. I don't do just one thing, and neither does he, so it's easy to explore a lot of musical areas together.  He also generates some of the best mandolin chops I’ve ever heard.”

            Currently in its second month, the tour has traversed a large expanse of the country with dates being added that will see Skaggs and Hornsby performing together well into 2014.

“We’re taking Bluegrass to places it hasn’t been before," Skaggs says elatedly. "When we’re on stage there is nowhere else that either of us would rather be. The music that we’re making now is music that I honestly believe people will be listening to 50 years from now, and thinking that it was cool enough that they’ll draw some inspiration from it.”

A Long Island Slave to Rock And Roll Homecoming

In an era when fewer musical acts have any degree of staying power, it is nearly inconceivable to imagine Long Island’s incomparable Mazarin returning home this weekend not to reunite, but to continue a journey that began nearly four decades ago while simultaneously celebrating the long awaited release of their first album, Live Forever.

            “The entire recording process took more than two years to complete,” recounted bass player Scott Duryea who produced the record. “In April of 2011, we laid down the first four rhythm tracks and it was a truly magical feeling. Here we were members of this family we always knew we had, but were only now rediscovering.”

The road to Live Forever began in the 1970’s when brothers Doug and Marc Hochlerin followed a dream like so many others before them and decided to form a band. The title of the record can be taken almost literally as Mazarin seems to be doing just that, having far outlived most of their contemporaries that played the same circuit.

“I wanted every song on the album to be different,” explained Doug, who penned eleven of the fifteen cuts and co-wrote the title track. Covering a broad spectrum of different styles including country, calypso, a traditional Irish folk tune and the straight ahead rock and roll sound the Rockers have long been known for, Live Forever profiles the scope and emotion of the songwriter, who in the mid 1990’s suffered a major blow when he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

“He never complained. On nights when he could barely garner the strength, he would get up on that stage and rock the house, treating every show as if it might be the last,” Duryea recalled.

During the 80’s, Mazarin was featured alongside such notables as Twisted Sister and Bon Jovi on three major market FM radio compilation records. They were the only band voted number one by Good Times Magazine for an unprecedented four years running. Legendary producer Roger Nichols (Steely Dan, Crosby Stills & Nash) lent his expertise on a number of Mazarin originals. Recently, their first single, The Only One was cited number one in a Huffington Post article entitled 10 Amazing Pop Songs and Ballads You May Have Missed.

“We touched a lot of lives,” drummer Marc Hochlerin humbly stated. “When you think about how many people supported us in the past and how many are still here today, that means a lot!”

Over the last few years, the band has sold out numerous shows in several venues including New York City’s renowned Supper Club and The Cutting Room, but the debilitating disease began to take hold on its founding member.

            “Doug said to me one night, ‘I have all of these great songs I’ve written that nobody has ever heard and that no one will ever hear.’”

            That sentiment resonated with Duryea. He reached out to fellow bass player and skilled recording engineer Joey Perez of Broken Arrow; another iconic Long Island band.

            “Step by step, Joey painstakingly taught me the recording process. Too many dollars later, I purchased everything I needed to make this happen and then approached Doug. Immediately, he started rattling off the names and histories of these songs he wanted to record.”

            Since its release in June, Live Forever has been in regular rotation on radio stations across Long Island and upstate New York.

            ’This is a band of friends. A band is so much more than just a bunch of musicians standing on a stage playing music,’ Doug once said in a 1983 college radio interview. That fact holds as true today as it did over thirty years ago. The album features far more than just the core of the band. Friends and former members were not enlisted, but rather lined up to appear both on the recording and onstage.

“This is what Mazarin has always been about. The response to the record has been just overwhelming and thanks to the extended Mazarin family, my songs have found a home.”

Mazarin celebrates their Long Island homecoming this Saturday night October 19^th at Mulcahy’s of Wantagh. For further information and directions visit www.muls.com or call 516-783-7500.