October 12, 2007

SHAW/BLADES

READY FOR ANOTHER ROUND OF

HIGHLY ANTICIPATED U.S. HEADLINING TOUR DATES SET TO LAUNCH NOVEMBER 7; “HOWARD STERN SHOW” APPEARANCE CONFIRMED FOR WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24

 

October 12, 2007 -- It’s the announcement Shaw/Blades fans have been waiting for.

The duo—Styx/Damn Yankees guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw and Night Ranger/Damn Yankees bassist/vocalist Jack Blades—will hit the road once again starting November 7 in Petaluma, CA and concluding in December 8 in Nashville, TN in support of their critically acclaimed INFLUENCE album.

After the first round of tour dates ended May 31 in Chicago, Tommy and Jack promised their fans that they would be back for another trek after taking time to tour with their respective bands. 

In addition to songs from INFLUENCE—which was released March 6 on VH1 Classic Records--fans will get a dose of some of their favorite Styx, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees songs, all performed acoustically.  It’s an intimate evening of music courtesy of Tommy, Jack and guitarist Will Evankovich (of American Drag).

Speaking about a concert in Alexandria, VA earlier this year, Rick Landers of Modernguitars.com hailed:  “Jack and Tommy have pulled together a winning act out of the ashes of classic rock ballads that is as entertaining as stand up comedy as it is musically.  This is a show not to be missed.”

Before the tour kicks off, Jack and Tommy will make a return visit to the “Howard Stern Show” on Wednesday, October 24 to talk about the upcoming tour and perform songs live.  The duo first appeared on the Sirius Satellite Radio morning show in March.

INFLUENCE is the duo’s first album since their recently re-released 1995 debut, HALLUCINATION.  Like the debut--and unlike their history-carving decades as icons in the more hard-rock minded Styx, Night Ranger and Damn Yankees--the latest release is rooted in acoustic guitar and organic production, harvesting a decade of musical influences into 11 tracks (on which Blades and Shaw played all the music except for drums and the occasional keyboards).  With classics from the ‘60s and ‘70s including the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’,” Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work,” INFLUENCE offers a track-by-track chronology of the musical era that helped define modern rock.

The album has been garnering rave reviews since its release.  Greg Prato of All Music Guide praised, “Impressively consistent from beginning to end, INFLUENCE is certainly one of the better ‘all covers' albums of recent times.”

One of the most prolific duos in the history of hard rock, Tommy and Jack have sold more than 50 million albums amongst their three bands, scored 12 Top 10 singles on the Billboard “Hot 100” chart, debuted 16 albums in the Billboard “Top 200” albums chart, and share joint songwriting credits for the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Aerosmith, Cher and Alice Cooper.

Here are the confirmed tour dates:

November 7 - Mystic Theatre,  Petaluma, CA

November 8 and 9  - Coach House, San Juan Capistrano, CA

November 10 - Canyon Club, Agoura Hills, CA

November 11 - Canyon Club, Las Vegas, NV

November 14 - Music Mill, Indianapolis, IN

November 15 - Ameristar Casino Bottleneck Blues Star, St. Charles, MO

November 16 - Joe's, Chicago, IL

November 17 - Rex Theatre, Pittsburgh, PA

November 18 - Tangier's, Akron, OH

November 21 - The Culture Room, Fort Lauderdale, FL

November 23 - Wild Bills Atlanta, Duluth, GA

November 24 - Feeling Lucky Tavern, Mooresville, NC

November 26 - Rams Head on Stage, Annapolis, MD

December 6 - LC Pavilion, Columbus, OH

December 7 - Club Fever, South Bend, IN

December 8 - Wildhorse Saloon, Nashville, TN

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Shaw/Blades has just been asked to perform a special, first-come-first-served FREE event on Monday, May 28th at the Beatles Revolution Lounge in the Mirage Hotel and Casino. For more information, click here.

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Don't miss the Jimmy Kimmel show next Wednesday May 9 at 12:05 (11:05 central) on the ABC network.  Shaw/Blades will be playing throughout the entire show.   

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April 25, 2007

Jack and Tommy will be appearing on Nights with Alice Cooper, syndicated on 85 stations in the US and Canada, on Thursday. 

Click link to find local affiliates

http://www.bravewords.com/news/64587

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April 3, 2007

Shaw/Blades has been forced to postpone a handful of dates on their in-progress headlining tour of the U.S., which started March 16 in Dewey Beach, DE, in support of their critically-acclaimed album, “Influence,” out now on VH1 Classic Records.  The tour is scheduled to conclude April 14 in Agoura Hills, CA. Guitarist/singer Tommy Shaw has a viral infection in his throat and has been instructed by his doctor to rest and heal. 

“Influence” is currently positioned at #11 on Billboard’s “Top Independent Albums” chart.

The following four shows in Southern California next week are still happening:

Wed 4/11                      San Jacinto, CA                         AC’s Lounge
Thu 4/12                        West Hollywood, CA                  Key Club
Fri 4/13                         San Juan Capistrano, CA            Coach House
Sat 4/14                        Agoura Hills, CA                        Canyon Club

The shows that have been postponed are:

Sat 3/31                        Columbus, OH                           PromoWest Pavilion
Sun 4/1                         Akron, OH                                 Tangiers
Wed 4/4                        Indianapolis, IN                          Music Mill
Thu 4/5                         Chicago, IL                                Joe’s
Fri 4/6                           Milwaukee, WI                           Pabst Theater
Sat 4/7                          West Des Moines, IA                 Val Air Ballroom

Tommy and Jack are extremely disappointed and sorry that they couldn’t perform for their fans who’ve been anxiously waiting for the shows this week, which are in the process of being rescheduled.  They hope to be back on tour very soon.  News regarding rescheduled dates will be available later this week.  Fans should hold onto their tickets, which will be accepted at the rescheduled dates.