Saturday, February 20, 2010

The Music Video Exposed

Lucky for us, Catte's DVR has a "find me Sambora" setting on it. She captured an episode of The Music Video Exposed: Wayne Isham on VH-1 Classic the other night, and Richie is ALL over it.

There are some great stories about what happened during making of some of Isham's iconic videos, especially Ozzy's "Miracle Man" (hint: it involves pigs in a church, LOL).

And if you always wondered who that was running across the stage in front of the shower of sparks in Prayer... well, this will tell you.

It's up in three parts in my Mediafire drive.

~ Hath

Some screen caps (because we know how addicted Catte is...)

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Friday, February 19, 2010

Tico in Drummer Magazine

Drummer Magazine (a British mag) has a feature on Tico in this month's issue.

Bon Jovi has racked up 120 million record sales and still counting. Owen Hopkin dials up Tico Torres for an insight into his drumming journey.

Would love to see the article/pictures if anyone out there ends up with it!


In the meantime, my poking around re-discovered this websclusive interview Tico did for Modern Drummer magazine back when Bounce was released and the guys were gearing up for tour.  Click on the MD link to read the whole article, but here's an excerpt:

MD: The new record sounds heavier than Crush, and it seems to have more of a live feeling.

Tico: I think it's just the way our studio [the Sanctuary] is set up. There are quite a few overdubs. But I track with all the instruments, even though for the most part they'll be scratch tracks, except for the bass. So maybe that's where the live feel comes from. From there it's a layer cake. Everyone gets to use the "big" room, which is made for drums. It's fantastic.

MD: Were any of these songs left over from Crush?

Tico: No. We never use anything from the last records. We did about thirty new songs on demo.

MD: When you hear the songs for the first time, what state do you get them in?

Tico: Usually it will be Richie and Jon on acoustic guitars on a little tape player. There's usually no lyrics or melody on there yet.

MD: Is there a drum machine or beat idea on it?

Tico: No, nothing. It's a canvas, and I've got to start adding the colors. We do that through the demo process. From there it's a process of elimination for which ones will stay on the record. We do a batch of maybe ten songs at a time. Richie and Jon bring them in, and in a week or two we take them one at a time and get them to where they're as good as we can get them. Then they go back and write some more. We'll go through that process two or three times.

Now, out of that batch of thirty songs, the best ones always shine through. So then we'll record seventeen or eighteen of them. The work has mostly been done in pre-production, so from there we really just have to attack it and fix whatever we need to.

MD: Does the beat ever dominate the way the song is going to go?

Tico: Well, it's like anything: All the components need to work together. We try songs fast, slow, and kind of exhaust every idea. The word "no" never enters the coversation in the studio.

We'll just try a million things until the song is feeling the way it should be, which is good because it gives us all a full chance. I mean, there might be one or two songs where, rhythmically, it's undeniable what it's supposed to be.

Some other great stuff in there about some of the different kits he used, and how he gears up for touring.

~ Hath

Seattle Soundcheck ~ They're On The Way


Yep, they're on the way to Sound Check.  We'll keep a look out YouTube videos from tonight's SC.  Also, check the BJCT blog this weekend to see what goodies from tonight's shows have been found !

~ Hath

Because They're Pretty

Came across these pictures at a board I frequent, and they were too pretty not to share.





Remember, 8:30 pm PST, go to BonJovi.com to watch the stream of the first three songs! One of three things will happen...

[1] Someone will mess up the feed like they did last tour, when they were supposed to stream the concert into one of the football games; remember that?!?

[2] It will go off without a hitch

[3] Someone will mess up the feed and FORGET to turn it off after 3 songs.

We can only hope for #3 ;)

~ Hath

PS: Dave tweeted on the @BonJovi Twitter account today. Maybe @CHRIS_Daughtry has given them stern talking to ;)

Soraia ~ The Road Not Taken

Anthony Kuzminski has posted an article about Soraia over on antiMusic, with a teaser on his blog:
Last December Soraia singer Sue Mansour came to visit me in Chicago for the intent purpose of sitting down and getting her story for a feature-length article. Over two days, she peeled off layers of her soul I never expected and gave me such a bevy of information and jump-out-of-your-seat quotes that it took me forever to find the muse when compiling it all.

After nearly a month of trying to edit and write simultaneously, I started over, threw caution to the wind and had a enormous piece. It has been edited down and now you can read the final product over at antiMusic
For those of you who don't remember, Soraia opened for Bon Jovi at (and rocked the crap outta) Summerfest in 2009.  They are on the list of bands that Obie produces  (see picture, which I totally ripped off from Tony's site, sorry TK!)

Give the antiMusic article a read :)  I read it this morning, and thoroughly enjoyed it!  I would love to read the full, unedited article (hint, hint lol)

After my friend Catte raved about Soraia in the past, I had to ask her for her two cents' worth to share with you all, so you will be jazzed about them and give them a listen:
Tony's article lays out the past, and he has done a couple previous that are fan-freakin' tastic. In a previous interview with Sue he talks about her unique voice, and how she always loved music but was embarrassed to sing in school because she didn't sound like the other girls. She never thought she could ever have any sort of career in music. When Obie took them under his wing she eventually got hooked up with Jon's voice coach, who helped her refine her style.

The band recorded Shed the Skin (AWESOME album) at Sanctuary in Jersey. In lieu of paying for studio time, Jon asked Soraia to do something nice for Sister Mary & Project HOME. Soraia has played several benefit concerts for them, and she has worked personally with Sister Mary as well.

Richie played on their track "Had Enough" from Shed the Skin. There are a couple of YouTube videos of him and Sue and Dave in Henson studios in LA laying down the tracks.

Jon and Obie had a "disguised" cameo in the video for "Not The Woman", also filmed at Sanctuary. Jon is the one in the HUGE 'fro wig.

Soraia is very much a "fan's band". They play songs requested by fans, sometimes even spontaneously during a show. They all answer comments left on their website -- in fact, Sue e-mailed me personally after I left a "congrats" e-mail on their site, about their Summerfest gig! : )

Sue's voice is freakin' AMAZING. Girlies, if you haven't heard this band, you MUST give it a listen. Obie knows what he's talking about.

Their website is: http://www.soraia.com









~ Hath

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Sign a Birthday Card for Jon

Now, I don't typically put much stock in these things, but hey, I do everything under a pseudonym, so I don't really care :)

Click here to get to a card that allegedly will be "presented" to him. I don't know who the "we" are that are going to get it to him, but hey, it's just birthday greetings...

~ Hath

Jonesing for Richie's voice?

Click here for a snippet of an interview where Richie Sambora talk about the Circle Tour set lists and staging.

Once again, I pulled this down to my PC, but haven't uploaded it. You can click it and save it yourself if you want, or wait for me to get home tonight :)

~ Hath

source



PS: The answer to the post title question? ALWAYS!!

Jon's Visit to the Shelter on Eastlake

When HUD secretary and Jon Bon Jovi pal Shaun Donovan mentioned 1811 Eastlake in a speech, Bon Jovi decided to take a tour of 1811 Eastlake since he'd be in Seattle anyway for the kickoff Friday night of the world tour for his new album. (Key Arena, sold out.)

There are several necklaces under there, including one with black beads, and yet somehow, he did not look remotely like a jackass.

This is how two reporters and two photographers ended up sitting around a table this afternoon with Bon Jovi, who could not have come across as a more lovely fellow. He is also hot. Still. And it is, still, partly his looks and partly his personality, which seems very New Jersey in the best way.

We asked him the basics: why homelessness ("I don't need a scientist to invent the cure; it just takes money and determination, so this is something I can make a difference in"), why philanthropy (he founded the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation in 2006 to help poor and homeless people; good deeding became an interest "for real for real for real"—after years of obligatory photo ops and celeb benefits—because it's time to do something "instead of sitting in hotel rooms like I have for the last quarter century").

This was the first stop on "a factfinding mission" he'll keep doing in other cities on his tour, looking for models for JBJ Soul Foundation. He came across as smart and unsimplistic. "Not everyone is suffering at the entry level," he said, seemingly referring almost sheepishly to the fact that his past work helping mothers and families get housed in Philadelphia was maybe easier than what they do at 1811 Eastlake, where the residents are "advanced" in the backwards, disease sense of the word.

Like a politician, he dropped the name of a guy he'd met: Ed, a vet, who after years on the street, finally started sobering up at 1811 Eastlake. "We're all people in this together," Bon Jovi said. "None of us are able to rely on the private sector as an island or the government. It's only grassroots up."



Here's a recording of the whole 11 minute conversation. If you want it for yourself, it's in the Bits and Bobs folder of my MediaFire.

~ Hath

source

Bon Jovi Tour Terminals

Again.... from TPTB at bonjovi.com

INTRODUCING: BON JOVI TOUR TERMINALS
We’re excited to announce that Bon Jovi will be bringing 4 Tour Terminals along on The Circle Tour! The Bon Jovi Tour Terminals will be set up near the merch stands at each tour venue and you’ll want to take a second and stop by. While at the Tour Terminal you can do each of the following:

* Sign up to win a guitar signed by Bon Jovi
* Join/Renew for Backstage JBJ and receive a FREE keychain available nowhere else
* Sign up for the Bon Jovi mobile list and receive a free song download delivered to your mobile phone
* Donate to the Jon Bon Jovi SOUL Foundation

Bon Jovi Tour Terminals

Simply locate the 4 Tour Terminals in your venue and follow the simple instructions on the screens. It’s all touch screen and very easy! You won’t want to miss your chance to get a signed guitar, a free keychain or a free music download so be sure to stop by any of the Bon Jovi Tour Terminals and enter your information!



Yeah, okay. 4. FOUR. Like anyone's going to get ANYWHERE near those? The lines will be deeeeeep.

~ Hath

About Last Night....

So Jon was tweeting again last night (apparently).

At 6pm EST, the guys were going into rehearsal. I think it's cute that they have to practice their stuff. While we can (I'm sure) sing every note of every song off the studio releases, they have to remember what goes where. I told @BonJovi it was cute, too. Not that he responded (pfft!)...

Ten minutes later, he's tweeting that they are "learning lots of old stuff" and asks for requests. Of COURSE, there are TONS of things I want to hear (as I'm sure is the same for you). Some of my responses (not exact because I can't get to Twitter at work to pull the exact tweets lol)

  • Never Say Goodbye, In and Out of Love
  • Three more to be played in this order (and I'll give you 'til Foxboro since I'm a gracious Goddess) Damned, Temptation, Unbreakable
  • and please tell Richie that IBTFY needs to be mothballed. You wanna see us all melt? Four words: You Never Really Know
  • Oh, and when do Dave and Teek take the mic again? (Yeah, yeah, I'm a bossy bitch)

Jon tweeted about what they were rehearsing yesterday: Wild is the Wind, Something for the Pain, Little Bit of Soul, Homebound Train to which I absolutely HAD to reply: How much for you do to the WOOOO WOOOO train noise? I have a platinum card...

Still no response. Sheesh, does he HAVE a sense of humor? lol

At that point I had to tweet and ask who was manning the computer :)

It was completely fun to "talk" to Jon. I was asked in other tweets what I would do if they actually played the songs I suggested (demanded) at the shows. The answer? Nothing. I mean, great minds DO think alike, and Jon and I are both very smart people (and completely humble too, might I add) so it's absolutely probable that our lists will dovetail at some point.

Now, if he were to stand at the mic in Foxboro, and say, "this set is for you, Goddess" I would pass out dead away. So Jon, honey, please, don't do that to me. I don't want to miss a moment of you and the guys in all your glory. I know that you'll be thinking it -- that's good enough for me.

Oh, and for my Twitter followers.... about the pre-dinner appetizer? Utterly delicious.

~ Hath

Seattle, Feb 19 (TOMORROW!!)

Another goodie from my email inbox...

Doesn't quite qualify as a DVR alert, but ALERT! ALERT! ALERT! lol

WATCH THE FIRST 15 MINUTES OF THE CIRCLE TOUR FROM HOME!

Bon Jovi kicks off The Circle Tour this Friday, February 19 in Seattle, WA and they wants fans all over the world sharing the excitement of the first concert! Be there for when the band enters the Key Arena and reveals the new stage, the new screens, the new production! 

These will be 15 minutes you are sure to remember for years to come and will undoubtedly get you fired up to see Bon Jovi in 2010 and 2011! Visit the homepage of BonJovi.com at 8:30pm (PST) on 2/19 to see a live stream of the first 15 minutes of Friday night’s debut on The Circle Tour!


~ Hath

Superman Tonight ~ Video Contest

Bon Jovi wants YOU to be in their music video for Superman Tonight!

Bon Jovi and Animoto are teaming up so you can add photos and videos of you and your heroes to the official Superman Tonight music video for a chance to win 1 of 5 Flip Camcorders or an autographed guitar!


HOW IT WORKS

1. CREATE

All you need are photos and a few minutes. Animoto takes care of the rest. Clips of the "Superman Tonight" music video are already added.

2. SHARE

Send the link to your Animoto video to friends, family, social networks, EVERYONE! The more people who watch your video, the better chance you have of winning.

To check out a sample entry and create your cool Animoto video, click here:



I'm not that creative when it comes to selecting pictures that go well with a topic.  Now.  If the Jovi boys want to have a contest where you write a little story that proves that "Love's The Only Rule", I'd be all over that.

~ Hath

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Hawaii First Night: Sound Check

A couple more found (Thanks H!) that may go *poof*.

Bed of Roses and We Weren't Born To Follow

In case they poof, they're here.

Enjoy!

~ Hath





Jon out and About in Seattle

No pics [yet] but if you're in the area...
Jon Bon Jovi (yes, that Jon Bon Jovi) will be in town today for an “information gathering” visit to the Downtown Emergency Service Center’s 1811 Eastlake project for homeless chronic alcohol addicts.
source

~ Hath

Hath's First Major Milestone: 1000 Posts!

It's been almost three years since I became Hath and started blogging, and with the pictures Heidi sent me today of Richie enjoying surf and sushi in Maui, I hit the mark of my 1,000th post (this is 1,001).

I never really had a goal of reaching any number of posts, it just sorta happened. But it wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you, my Devotees. Thank you for coming back to see me :) and for all the goodies you send me. I think I've had more than 100,000 emails from you all since my journey into Hathdom started. I am truly blessed.

I will reach another milestone later this year coughturningfortycough, and I will not be as thrilled with that one, or feel blessed, but we can wait on that. I have lots of months left to enjoy my thirties :)

So thank you for tuning in, for taking part, and for sharing the love of the best damned band in the universe with me. I really do appreciate your readership.

Love,
Hath

Beach Baby *swoon*

Richie took some time off in Maui to frolic in the ocean :)


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~ Hath

David Out and About

... on his birthday



And no, I didn't "forget" to wish him a happy birthday.... No birthday wishes until I finished my &^@$%! Teek birthday story :)

~ Hath

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

More Random Goodness

Another video from the SAP corporate gig:



And poof! The soundcheck video I posted earlier did disappear from YouTube.

The SAP vids are on My MediaFire. The Soundcheck is up on the BJCT blog MediaFire account.

~ Hath

Can I get this as MY cake?

Posted by *someone* via @BonJovi on Twitter:

 

I just wanna lick the icing......

~ Hath

Luckily a Lot of People Love Us

source

Even though Bon Jovi have sold millions of records, there are critics out there that refuse to give the New Jersey-bred band their due. Guitarist Richie Sambora said during a recent teleconference that he just tries to ignore those writers.

"It's not the easiest thing in the world," Sambora said. "But I mean there's so much good stuff that's happening in our careers that it's really hard to get stuck on it. It's definitely like you're a boxer and you're in the ring and you get smacked a couple of times. You're bound to get smacked a couple of times. I mean, that's what's going to happen. And not everybody's going to love you, and, you know, we always just kind of just stuck to who we were."

Sambora continued, "Love us or leave us -- and luckily a lot of people love us. But not everybody does, so you can't expect everybody to like you. But we were never a critics' band, let's face it. You know, we were always a people's band, not a critics' band."

Sambora explained he's used to that. However, the band's latest record, 'The Circle,' has received "really good" reviews, he said. Drummer Tico Torres, during the same teleconference, said he agreed with Sambora.

"Again, at the end of the day, it's the people that come to see us and enjoy our music," he said. "I've never taken much for a critic's view about films or books or other music. I have to see it and hear it for myself, because that's one man's opinion or one woman's opinion. So you have to look at the whole broad spectrum of what you enjoy and, you know, search it out yourself."

The ultimate example of being accepted would be a spot in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Torres said there's no rush to be elected there. "There's a lot of great bands and there's only a few that can be put in every time they have that," he said. "So I don't know. Again it's one of those things that we're not going anywhere right away. So hopefully one day, you never know."

Sambora, on the other hand, explained Bon Jovi should be accepted into the rock hall. "After you look at our track record and how many people that we've made happy in the world through our music," he said. "Yes, I think we deserve to be in there.

"Do I think we're going to get in? Don't know. It is definitely a political situation. It's almost like running for office over there. I mean there's so many bands that should be in there that are not in there, you know, so you never know. Who knows? You never know what's going to happen. We just became eligible I think this year by some technicality. I think you have to be 25 years and our first single came out in '84 or something like that, so there was something that was wonky. So we're eligible now this year, so we'll see what happens. I'm not sure how that's going to go, but we'll see what happens."



I think you deserve it too, darlin'.

~ Hath

It's Fat Tuesday!

That means different things to different people.

For Catholics, that means tomorrow's Ash Wednesday, which means fasting/abstaining from meat on Fridays until Easter, and giving up something we love for the 40 days of Lent. (I've decided to give up soda. If you know me, you know I'm going to be going through caffeine/sugar withdrawals, so cut me some slack at the shows in Philly and at Mohegan...)

For many it notes the end of Carnival, and the celebration that is Mardi Gras.

For me, it meant looking for Jon singing the Queen of New Orleans to celebrate Fat Tuesday. I found the official video on Vevo, but in deference to those outside the US, I found another video, this one a live performance from the UK in 1997.



Laissez les bon temps rouler!! ~ If you're not up on your French, it means, "Let the good times roll" Here.... This may help you do just that...




~ Hath

Hot Toxic Love

HOT TOXIC LOVE: THE MAKING OF TOXIC AVENGER To Premiere on CityTV 3/7

Canada's CityTv is reporting that the documentary "Hot Toxic Love: The Making of The Toxic Avenger Musical" will have its premiere on March 7th at 10PM. The documentary offers a behind-the-scenes look at the Toronto production from auditions to opening night from the perspective of the cast and crew.

The Toxic Avenger features music and lyrics by David Bryan (Memphis, keyboardist and founding member of Bon Jovi), and book and lyrics by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change; Memphis, All Shook Up; Over the River and Through the Woods).

Dancap's Toronto production of THE TOXIC AVENGER was directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando (Urinetown) and starred Dora Award-winner Louise Pitre (Mamma Mia), Brittany Gray, Daren A. Herbert, Jamie McKnight, and EVan Alexander Smith as Melvin Ferd III and the Toxic Avenger. The production ran from October 20, 2009 and closed January 2, 2010.

The Toxic Avenger, winner of the 2009 Outer Critics Circle Award for Best New Off-Broadway Musical, opened at New World Stages in New York on March 10, 2009, where it ran until January 3, 2010.

Anyone in Canada able to snag this for us?

~ Hath 


source

Sound Check (Hawaii): Diamond Ring

A partial on YouTube for one of this fan's all-time top-10 Jovi tunes.



I'm pulling down the vid/mp3 now, in case it goes poof later. Soundchecks from Hawaii are up on the BJCT Blog's Mediafire.

~ Hath

Bad Medicine

Stumbled across some old footage of the making of the video. It may not be new to you, but it may be a fun trip down memory lane :)





Enjoy all the puppy goodness :)

~ Hath

Beach Concert

Not content with the two fantastic shows at the arena, Bon Jovi performed on the beach (Kea Lani, Maui) on Valentine's Day for a corporate gig for SAP. Last year, the JBJ Soul Foundation partnered with SAP to build a playground in Camden, NJ.

Jon made a remark about there being 48 countries represented at the gig, and that they all know the words to Wanted. Bon Jovi is definitely a great choice of entertainment for an international audience like that!

Here's the Wanted video:



And here are some photos of the beach and stage from boydgenius on Flickr:





Thanks, D, for sliding this under the rock under which I currently take shelter :)

~ Hath

Netherworld Waltz

Most of you know that David has released a couple albums of his own compositions; they are amazing if you haven't heard them. You also know about Toxie and Memphis. I don't know if you know about this particular thing he's done that just make me go *sigh* (and not just because the video clip is sexy).

This video is a track for the movie "Netherworld" called "Netherworld Waltz". This video comes from the movie, "Netherworld." The song is written by David Bryan, and includes a guest sax solo by Edgar Winter. During the making of the movie, the on stage part was shot live, meaning what is seen on the screen is what was actually being played and recorded!



~ Hath

Vote for Superman Tonight

The video for Superman Tonight is on VH1's Top 20 Video Countdown list, and needs your vote! Go here and vote often (multiple votes are allowed). Given the crazy nature of the 'net, I'm not sure what's blocked from outside the US and what isn't but if you can, vote!

And if you forget what you're voting for, and have access to [stupid] Vevo, click here...

~ Hath

Circle Tour Auction


Bon Jovi’s The Circle Tour will be hosting a special Soul Foundation Charity Auction for several of their concert dates in London at The O2! The proceeds from these auctions will benefit the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and will kick off on Friday, February 12th. This one of a kind package was put together exclusively for this charity auction and cannot be purchased anywhere else!

Each Ticket For This Exclusive Charity Auction Includes:

•One Excellent Top Price Reserved Ticket (Charity Auction Location Based on Excellent Top Ticket Price Outside the Circle)

•Catered VIP Preshow Party!

•Open Bar* (Includes Beer & Wine Selections)

•One Bon Jovi Souvenir Tour Program

•One Exclusive Bon Jovi VIP Messenger Bag

•One Limited Edition Commemorative VIP Laminate & Matching Lanyard

•One Commemorative Souvenir Concert Ticket

For more information on the London Auction, including concert dates, Click HERE

For more information on the auction (disclaimers, etc.) Click HERE.

~ Hath

Monday, February 15, 2010

Online Updated



Arrogance, featuring more work from T, has been posted :)

Don't let smiling Richie fool you; this one is all arrogant Jon...

~ Hath