JBJ Napa Show

Jon Bon Jovi / August 28, 2012 / Castello di Amorosa Winery / Napa, CA, USA

Set List: 

1. Superman Tonight
2. (You Want To) Make A Memory | Memory-2
3. Born To Be My Baby
4. Running
5. Old Habits
6. Santa Fe
7. Livin' On A Prayer
8. Hallelujah | Hallelujah-2
9. The Fighter | Fighter-2

THIS video includes Superman (partial), Memory, BTBMB, and a Q&A session

And, some lovely shots from Tour Photographer

~ Hath

Tee time with Tico Torres

Fast approaching thirty years as ‘The Hit Man’ for one of the world’s greatest rock bands, drummer Tico Torres continues to travel the globe as a major player with the multi-award winning Bon Jovi. Notching up almost three decades of hits, with record sales currently at a staggering 100 million plus and continuing to rise, not to mention having performed to over 34 million fans...it’s just all in a days work for the New York born musician!

So, what does this internationally renowned rock star do when not in the recording studio or touring the world?

Tico Torres doesn’t miss a beat. He’s an accomplished artist and sculptor, with an infant clothing range Rock Star Baby and founder of his own charity the Tico Torres Children Foundation. But there’s still time for a thrice-a-week golf habit – essential rock ‘n’ roll relaxation.

Tico, what’s your first golfing memory?
The first time I ever played golf was with Willie Nelson [American country music singer/songwriter] at Pedernales Golf Club, Texas on his 9- hole course. It’s also known as the Willie Nelson Cut–N-Putt and as the great man says, it’s located just “8 songs away from Austin”. I played with a 7 iron and putter and remember it well.

Who taught you to play golf?
Willie actually taught me to play. It all started back in 1989, I was at his house and he asked if I’d ever played golf, I hadn’t so he took me out there and said, “Just look at the ball and hit it!” So I did. After all, the man is an “icon”.

Favourite professional golfer past or present?
Gary Player – The Black Knight. He’s always played with such determination and has real integrity.

You can read the whole interview here.

~ Hath

Soraia Showcase

It was another BIG night for Soraia last night. Their final Industry Showcase at the Mercury Lounge in NYC was packed with energetic fans and music business Bigwigs, including a few familiar notables: Jon Bon Jovi, Obie O'Brien, and David Bergman. Jon slipped into the crowd, taking a place five rows back from the stage to visibly enjoy the electric performance of his songwriting partner and protege ZouZou Mansour. David Bergman was spied in the room prior to the set, and plied his talents to capture the emotion and excitement of the night.

According to more than a few fans, Soraia reached new heights with their eight-song set that featured current original material and a crowd-pleasing cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene." Real-time photos posted on the Soraia Street Team Facebook Page captured the intensity and energy of the show, allowing those not fortunate enough to trek to NYC with the Philly band to share the moment through slightly fuzzy but authentic images. It's hard to imagine the industry guests in attendance were anything but impressed.

What's next for Soraia? Not sure yet, but judging from the summer they've had, it's bound to be BIG. Hopefully we'll be seeing that new record soon, followed by a lengthy tour, perhaps supporting a major global act.

Hmmm.... isn't Bon Jovi going out again in February? ;)

Whatever the future brings, one thing is certain: Soraia doesn't take their success for granted. This Facebook post by guitarist Anthony Renzulli following the last night's show captures the humility and heart of this hardworking Band.

Anthony Renzulli

For me personally, tonight was the greatest night of my musical journey. I feel very grateful for every last moment. Thank you New York, all of the Soraia fans, Jon Bon Jovi and Obie O'brien for showing up and supporting us. On to the next with big smiles :)

Soraia Industry Showcase
Mercury Lounge / New York City / September 26, 2012

1. Love Like VooDoo
2. Like a Woman Would
3. Want What I Want
4. Good Ain't Good Enough
5. Wild Imagination
6. Runaround
7. Jolene
8. Love Amnesia

More RICHIE!

:)

THIS is the second part of the interview that was posted last week.

These photos are from September 20, when Richie was at XM Radio's studios in Manhattan.

~ Hath

  

  

  

  

Ladies, Brush off Your Résumés

Richie's looking for love again; this time advertising via ABC News.

Damn, I love that smile!

Bon Jovi’s Richie Sambora has been in the public eye over the past few years thanks to his much-publicized breakup with Heather Locklear, his on-off relationship with Denise Richards, two stints in rehab and a 2008 drunk-driving arrest.

The guitarist has chronicled his feelings about all those things in his new solo album, “Aftermath of the Lowdown,” in stores this week after being digitally release last week.

This is only the third solo album of Richie’s 35-year career; his last one came out in 1998. If you ask him why it’s taken so long for him to make another one, well, he’s been a little preoccupied with his day job.

“Obviously, the band has been very, very busy over the last decade and I didn’t really have a chance to actually fit anything in there,” he told ABC News Radio. “But when I got done with this last tour in August, I was completely energized. These songs started to come out. The album started to take shape and I said, ‘Well, time to do a record.’” He said in writing these songs, “I was able to take stock in my life and own some stuff.”

His “stuff” is his feelings about what he calls his “trials and tribulations” over the past seven years or so, which he examines in songs like “You Can Only Get So High,” “Learnin’ How to Fly with a Broken Wing” and one, “Weathering the Storm,” that he co-wrote with Elton John’s songwriting partner Bernie Taupin.

“It took a damn long time for my demons to catch up with me,” said Richie of the crash that eventually led him to rehab twice, most recently in 2011. “I was running pretty fast for a long, long time … [but] I would gauge myself [by] the people I was hanging with, and they were doing, like, 10 times more than me so I thought I was OK!” Eventually, Richie said, he “reached his quota,” adding, “I’ve had enough … I’m full to the brim now … I don’t feel deprived or anything like that. I don’t really have any regrets about it, either.”

As for his personal life, which he also wrote about for the new album, Richie said he’s still open to love despite some bad experiences. “I want a relationship. I really, really do,” he told ABC News Radio. “I mean, I would never say that I would never get married again. I would certainly want more children if I found the right person to have them with.” He laughed, “I’m not put off at all, man … I wanna be in a relationship! So, anybody out there hearing this, I’m taking resumes right now!”

Of course, any woman who Richie dates has to pass muster with his teenage daughter Ava, whose mom is Heather Locklear. Several songs on “Aftermath of the Lowdown” were inspired by her, including the single “Every Road Leads Home to You.” “She’s very critical of who I see and who I don’t see,” laughed Richie. “She’s always telling me, ‘Dad, she’s too young. It’s inappropriate.’”

Next month, Richie has three North American solo shows booked, in Philadelphia, Toronto and New York City. Earlier in the month, he’ll be touring Europe. But next year, he’ll turn his attention back to Bon Jovi: the band’s new album is due in March. So what does it sound like?

“It’s obviously an evolution but it’s still, you know … we’re writing songs to fill stadiums … Let’s face it,” he told ABC News Radio. “It’s gotta be those kinda songs that have a good, positive message … it’s basically what we do, and it’s some new production ideas, and stuff like that, so it sounds contemporary.”

Richie on Extra!

No. I don't have the video.  Yet.  But, I do have some yummy photos from Zimbio and other places.  They're up on my Photobucket.  But here are a few of my favorites.

~ Hath

Richie on Access Hollywood

I have to say, I'm so NOT getting tired of watching these interviews and performances :)

~ Hath

Richie on life as the father of a teen daughter

Richie on his struggles with substance abuse & friendship with Heather Richie about making Aftermath of the Lowdown Richie performing Every Road

Avon Commercial - Behind the Scenes

Thanks, Kiwi, for dropping this in my inbox yesterday. Happy Birthday to us, indeed!

~ Hath

Land Shark Promotions: Richie Sambora

From Land Shark Promotion Studio:

I hope you’re wearing shoes as you hit PLAY on this new Richie Sambora album. If you aren’t, please be careful. The glass that’s shattered all over the floor—your perception of Richie—may shred the skin on the bottom of your feet.

Hit PLAY.

Now, let’s set up a metaphor that will thread through this bio. I like to look at characters in baseball terms—terms we can all understand because they best illustrate the American hero, this sometimes flawed, embattled physical being who gets out there on the grass every day no matter what. This is a fair way to talk about Richie Sambora, of Perth Amboy, New Jersey.

You should be hearing the first chorus of “Burn That Candle Down” right about now.

Last September, a guy stood up. Tapped his right shoe with the bat, then his left. He hovered over the plate, looking better at 52 years of age than you might have imagined. He stared the pitcher in the eye and swung at the first pitch, swinging the bat around, connecting squarely with the ball. A giant CRAAAACK heard for half a mile in each direction.

Aftermath of the Lowdown is the sound of the ball flying over the back wall. The sound of a man plying his trade, doing what he does best, perhaps more ably than anyone ever thought he could. As “Candle” lets loose from your speakers, you have to admit: This isn’t the Richie Sambora record you were expecting, if you were expecting a record from this man at all.

The American hero is a curious one. We Americans like to see our heroes fall down, get cut up and dirty, then rise up to amaze us once again. Richie is such a character. He likes to point out that that he’s grown up in public. “My baby pictures have been shown in every newspaper around the world.” To see a man who has fallen down as much as Richie laugh about it is, well, inspiring. In his thick Jersey brogue, he often squares himself in a chair, saying things like: “Whaddya gonnadoaboudit, y’know?” This much is true.

Yet for all the humble redirection Richie offers up, he has actually done something about it. And that something is the record you’re holding in your hands.

"This is the truth, the lowdown," he says. "And after you speak that truth, there's always an aftermath. A lot has happened in my life, good and bad, over the last ten years, personal stuff that's cathartic for me to get out. Really, these are all things that could happen to anybody. But I happen to also be in a band with the biggest concert tour in the world, and the glare of being in the public eye."

This is where we start talking about the songs.

Read the rest of the release here.

You can download an MP3 version of Sugar Daddy from the Land Shark site as well.

~ Hath

Richie at the Hyatt Tonight (LA)

Richie Sambora will be among the guests at The National Multiple Sclerosis Society’s annual Dinner of Champions.

This year, the dinner will honor Jeff Robinov, President, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, for his and Warner Bros.’ continued support in helping the Society move closer toward a world free of multiple sclerosis. Melissa Sherak Glasser, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1987 when she was only 15 years old, will receive the Dorothy Corwin Spirit of Life award for educating, motivating and inspiring so many to live well and pay it forward.

This annual event is sponsored by and benefits the Southern California & Nevada Chapter of the National MS Society. It raises funds that support MS research worldwide, as well as vital programs and services for people living with MS and their families.

Monday, September 24, 2012
Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel
2025 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067

5:00 pm Media check-in begins
6:00 pm Guest arrivals begin
7:00 pm Dinner begins

Read more here.


~ Hath

Richie on New York's Q104.3

Sambora dropped by the Q’s studio to discuss the release of his latest album "Aftermath of the Lowdown". This is his third solo album following two that were released in the 90’s.

Despite being an icon and receiving prestigious honors, like being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2009, Sambora says that he’s still maintained an innocence about making and performing music, "I walk out on stage and I just go, 'Again? You’re all here to see me?'"

This modest rock icon shows his gratitude by acknowledging how lucky he is to be doing what he loves in times of economical hardships.

Sambora says,"Just to be a working musician and being able to say 'survive', maybe feed your family, is a miracle."

Read more here.

~ Hath

You can download the podcast of the performance here.

LIVE! with Kelly and Michael

Richie Sambora performed his hit song "Every Road Leads Home to You" on the Friday, September 21, 2012, "LIVE! with Kelly and Michael." After the show, Richie sat down for a web-exclusive chat with Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, discussing his new CD's name, "Aftermath of the Lowdown," and the personal struggles and experiences which inspired it.

A little snippet of pre-performance cuteness :)



And, the performance:



~ Hath

iHeartRadio Interview Clips

From Billboard:

New Music, Movie Work From Bon Jovi | Jon Bon Jovi was among the first performers to swing by Billboard's press booth to share the news that not only does his namesake band have a new album ready for a spring 2013 release (produced with longtime producer John Shanks), as well as a pair of songs for the forthcoming Al Pacino-Christopher Walken movie "Stand Up Guys." The tracks are already garnering award buzz, given that the last time Bon Jovi composed an original song for a film it was "Blaze Of Glory" - the anthem for "Young Guns II" that received an Oscar nom and won a Golden Globe for Original Song as well as topped the Hot 100 in 1991.

 Little fluff interview bit:  

iHeartRadio Music Festival

iHeartRadio Music Festival / Las Vegas, NV / MGM Grand / September 21, 2012

Livin' on a Prayer
You Give Love a Bad Name
It's My Life
Wanted Dead or Alive
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Bad Medicine / Shout!

There are about a zillion and seven photos out there -- I snagged a bunch of them, and have them on my Photobucket.

The audio stream is available here (as seen  seen on Twitter).

L2Panos4ever has the WHOLE show in three videos -- thanks a bunch for posting!!

Part 1 (Prayer, Bad Name)
Part 2 (It's My Life, Wanted)
Part 3 (Who Says, Bad Medicine)

~ Hath

Jon and Dorothea Out and About

In Soho over the weekend.

~ Hath

  

  

  

  

New Stories

Many abject apologies to the lovely authors who've sent me their stories for posting.  They're late, but here they are...

Willing to Try by Pirate

The follow up of Richie and Sarah's story The Answer. Are they willing to try? Where will their new relationship bring them? Where will this roller coaster ride go, the ups, the downs, and certainly the loops. Will their relationship stand?  Straight out of rehab Richie is ready for work, the tour and his relationship but is Sarah willing to try too?

After the Rain by BlushnScarlet and Audra Thomas

The sequel to Perfect Storm.  The memory of one stormy tropical night is unexpectedly jogged on a cold, New York evening.

Country Lovin' by Lisa Sambora

A Richie story. No blurb on this one, but it's got quite a lot posted, so you can jump right in!

Again, sorry for the delays, and enjoy!

~ Hath

David at Fashion Night Out

(From September 6th)