Bachman, who just recently wrapped up his very successful CD/DVD "Vinyl Tap" tour with the assistance of a symphony orchestra; has been working on the concept of "Heavy Blues" for quite some time. "Yes, that tour is wrapped and done," he stated with a sense of accomplishment in his voice. "We finished with a series of several symphony gigs, the ballads sounded great. Hearing "These Eyes" and the other Guess Who tunes with a full orchestra behind me was just incredible. Once I was done with that I was able to concentrate on this new album."
"Concentrate" would lead one to believe that perhaps there was a long recording process or major production to be done and although the CD has been in the concept stage for a while; the basic tracks were cut in only five days. "I was given the chance to do a record. I was offered a deal but was told to do something different. I was talking with Neil Young and he suggested that I do something new. He told me to "Go outside your box" because I was thinking of self producing this album and Neil said, "When you produce yourself, you tend to say I'm great, I'm fabulous now I'm done, I'm going to bed," Hire yourself an outsider who can give you an honest point of view."
Bachman took his long time friend's advice and hired quite a producer; the incomparable Kevin Shirley. Shirley, who has produced or mixed works for Journey, Rush, Led Zeppelin, Dream Theater and Joe Bonamassa to name just a small sampling, became available and Randy jumped at the opportunity to work with him. "When I heard that Kevin was available, I immediately knew that he was the guy I wanted. We had a five day window; he was only available for that short time period. He came in and said, "Do as I say and keep your mouth shut, let's get this done," said Bachman with a laugh. "With Kevin in charge, I was able to do what I needed to do without worrying about that side of things. We did each song in two or three takes and that's how we got it done in five days."
The guest list of players on "Heavy Blues" reads like a music awards show with veteran rockers Neil Young and Peter Frampton, along with Joe Bonamassa leading a cast of "old friends" who lent a hand; including a track from deceased virtuoso Jeff Healey. "I have seven guest players on this album," he said as his voice began to take on an increasingly enthusiastic tone. "I sent each of them tracks and told them I want to hear you; play the parts like you want. I gave them total freedom and the results were great; I am very happy with the way it turned out. Neil Young was just amazing! Joe Bonamassa, his dad brought him to one of my gigs when he was ten or eleven years old; I've known him for years and he fit so well. I even have Jeff Healey on a track. Jeff has been deceased for quite a few years now but he had done some great work and had done a remake of BB King's "Early In The Morning" which was fabulous. I contacted his widow and asked for permission to use his guitar work and i rewrote a tune to fit Jeff's licks; it was a lot of work but well worth it. Frampton was the last to come on board. Due to his touring schedule I'd send him tracks and he'd work on it when he could; so his contribution evolved over time. I've never heard Peter play better, he sounds just as good now as he ever did; if not better."
"And now for something completely different," is more than just a transitional line between comedic skits from Monty Python; in Bachman's case it describes his new band to a tee. Once again, following his prior instructions to perfection, Randy's band has an entirely different look; literally. This new power trio comprised of Bachman himself along with an all female rhythm section consisting of Dale Anne Brendon on drums and Anna Reddick on bass. "I saw Dale at a show that I was attending, she was playing concert drums and prior to the show they sometimes have another group play and I was just impressed by her so much; the way she attacks the drums, like Keith Moon used to is perfect. I thought to myself, I've got to have her on my album so I approached her and she was willing to do it. Anna, I saw her doing a show and I loved the way she played. I asked her who her main influences were and she immediately said, "John Entwistle." I thought, she's the one, between her and Dale both having those influences I knew it would work well. I got them together, we had dinner; they'd never met before but they had that Who connection and we all got along so well; it worked out great."
Bachman has designed "Heavy Blues" with a twist, "Guitar Players are going to love this album," he emphatically declared. "If you buy the album, there's going to be one or two tracks without the guitar solos. I was hesitant about it at first but the idea has turned out way better than expected; it's like "Guitar-a-oke! I've signed up with a few radio stations to hold a contest where guitarists of any age or skill level can fill in the missing solo or solos with their own, make an MP3 and send it in to the radio station. The winner gets a free Les Paul and will get to play the winning song with me on stage from a theater in L.A. and the entire concert will be broadcast over the internet. So the winner will literally be heard around the world as well as get to come back on stage and play "Taking Care of Business" with me at the end of the night; it's like they'll be a real guitar hero." Bachman also has a little something for the first 10,000 people who order his CD; guitar picks and strings will be given out to those who don't "fret" and purchase the disc.
So where will "Heavy Blues" take Randy and the ladies? "Canada, the upper U.S., L.A. and we have New York City in the works," he says, "As well as some other things. Live video feeds from shows and blues festivals already booked; everything is coming together."
To discover more about Randy Bachman and his latest effort, "Heavy Blues," please go to www.randybachman.com .
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Amalfi's Restaurant
146 Lawrenceville-Pennington Rd. Lawrenceville
(609) 912-1599
Fri. 8:30 p.m. (TBA)
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Hard 2 Explain
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. "Country" Ron Crites
Fri. 8 p.m. Ernie White & Tom Reock
Sat. 8 p.m. Tony Malandro
Wed. 7:30 p.m. Robert Bruce
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge
835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington
(609) 267-1200
Sat. 7 p.m. Road Dogs, Two Tall Guys
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic. hosted by Reji B
Blend Bar & Bistro
911 Highway 33, Hamilton
(609) 245-8887
Tues. 8 p.m. Triviajam
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
Thurs. 5 p.m. Brick By Brick, Cognitive, Internal Warfare, Ground, Ire Form. All ages, $10
Fri. 6 p.m. Less Than None, Ashes Of My Regrets, Malphas, Exinfernum, Bottom Of The Lake, Starve As Wolves. All ages, $10
Sat. 4 p.m. Ingdorf, A Breed Of Human, Me Versus I, The Artwork Of, Doing Better, Cellar Door, Clearview, Restless Spirit. All ages, $10
Sun. 4 p.m. 1349, Origin, Abysmal Dawn, Wolvhammer, March To Victory, Immolith, Grim Legion, Beyond Treachery. All ages, $20
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Anthony Ware Quartet. (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dog & Bull Brew House
810 Bristol Pike (Rte. 13) Croydon, PA.
(215) 788-2855
Thurs. 8 p.m. Scott & Dave
Fri. (4 p.m.) Cecil Middleton (9 p.m.) Coco Butter Band
Sat. (11 a.m.) Saturday Brunch feat. Bob Lemmo Jazz Trio (9 p.m.) Soul Custody
Sun. (11 a.m.) Sunday Brunch feat. Keli Vale Jazz Duo (3 p.m.) Visoon
Mon. 8 p.m. Cowband in the Sand
Tues. 8 p.m. Gypsy Mother
Wed. 8 p.m. Shawn Byrne
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, PA.
(215)862-5539
Sat. 8 p.m. Charles Laurita & The Mischief
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Halo Pub
4617 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. Matt & Rachel
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. "Beat the Clock" DJ Dance party
Fri. 8 p.m. Sailin' Shoes (Little Feat Tribute). Doors at 6 p.m., $15
Sat. 8:30 p.m. Coast to Coast
Sun. 8 p.m. Tim Reynolds and TR3/Dave Cahill. Doors at 6 p.m., $30
Wed. 8 p.m. Pat Foran and Friends
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Tangled
Sat. 10 p.m. The Dawgs
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Fowler, Johnson and Moore
Fri. 9 p.m. Pete Beck and Friends
Sat. (3 p.m.) Sean Faust & Robert Fulton (9 p.m.) Blubalz
Sun. (3 p.m.) Miss Pumpkin Presents: A drag Show Event (9 p.m.) Collin J. Rocker
Mon. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night w/ Tim
Tues. 9 p.m. DJ Aggreschen
Wed. 9:30 p.m. The Invitational
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Paint the Roses Tea and Café
37 West Broad Street Hopewell
(609) 466-8200
Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. TJ Nix
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Blues In Disguise
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Drunk Monkeys
Sat. 9:30 p.m. (TBA)
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 10 p.m. "College Night" w/ DJ Wessy Wes
Fri. (4 p.m.) Happy Hour Buffet (8 p.m.) DJ Wessy Wes (9 p.m.) The Soul Cruisers
All Shows 21+
Sunsets at Cream Ridge
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-2500
Sat. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. El Ka Bong
Sat. 9 p.m. Pretty Baby
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The HOB Tavern
146 Second Street
(609) 291-7020
Sat. 9 p.m. Karaoke
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron
Sat. 10 p.m. DJ Copacetic
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. "Theme Night" w/ DJ Rockn Ron
The Millhill Basement
300 South Broad St Trenton
(609) 989-1600
Wed. 7 p.m. Carl Kavorkian
The Record Collector
358 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 324-0880
Check web site for upcoming events.
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Some Assembly Required
Sat. 9 p.m. Mike Nabinger w/ Joe Chinese
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Hosted by Jerry Monk
All shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents: Iceberg Slim: Portrait of a Pimp
Fri. 7 p.m. First Friday
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Beaucoup Blue. ($5 cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Cold Roses. ($5 cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night
Tues. 9 p.m. Acoustic Bengal Gold
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
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