RICHIE KOTZEN

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RICHIE KOTZEN: “The Essential Richie Kotzen” Out August 29th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on July 12, 2014
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

 

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earMUSIC announces that “The Essential Richie Kotzen” will be released as a set of 2CD+1DVD. “The Essential Richie Kotzen” contains selected hits from his 18 solo albums, acoustic performances, bootleg material, music videos – and the two brand new songs “War Paint” and “Walk With Me.”

When Richie Kotzen plays, you know it’s him. The guitar virtuoso, singer and songwriter possesses an inimitable style that’s both instantly recognizable and immediately striking. It also courses through The Essential Richie Kotzen, a career retrospective collection on earMUSIC under the exclusive license from Loud & Proud Records. Released on August 29th 2014, the 2CD+1DVD set encompasses this iconic talent’s entire career.

Richie Kotzen personally curated The Essential Richie Kotzen from his 18 solo albums in order to give listeners the most comprehensive, cohesive, and concise introduction to his extensive body of work.

“I’ve really changed and grown as an artist and as a person,” Richie Kotzen goes on. “I hand selected a bunch of songs so newcomers can get into my music and learn who I am as a recording artist.”

In addition to the requisite hits, acoustic performances, bootleg material and music videos,  The Essential Richie Kotzen boasts two brand new songs “War Paint” and “Walk With Me.” “War Paint” builds from an opening bluesy riff into a bombastic chorus punctuated by Kotzen’s gravelly delivery and impeccable lead playing.
He explains, “It was a challenge to make a studio recording sound like a live band with only one musician playing all the instruments. I think I accomplished that on this track.”

At the same time, “Walk With Me” sees Kotzen evolving once more and incorporating a Theremin, an antique electronic instrument, into an emotive and engaging anthem. “There was a specific sound I was hearing in the song,” he reveals. “I realized it was a Theremin, so I bought one. I spent a couple of weeks learning it. I used that where the lead guitar would normally go. It was a really rewarding departure for me.”

With his 20th full-length solo album on the horizon for 2015 and countless gigs, Richie Kotzen’s legacy is only continuing to expand. “When you perform, record, or write, you go to a different place,” he concludes. “It’s another world. I love hearing people react to the music and lyrics. That’s the best bonus. I can’t wait to give the world even more songs.”

RitchieKotzen-cover

TRACKLIST

CD 1
1.    War Paint (2014), new song
2.    Walk With Me (2014), new song
3.    Love Is Blind, original taken from “24 Hours” (2011)
4.    Go Faster, original taken from “Go Faster” (2007)
5.    Fooled Again, original taken from “Go Faster” (2007)
6.    OMG (What’s your Name?), original taken from “24 Hours” (2011)
7.    Help Me, original taken from “24 Hours” (2011)
8.    Bad Situation, original taken from “24 Hours” (2011)
9.    Lie To Me, original taken from “Piece Sign” (2009)
10.    Fear, original taken from “Into The Black” (2006)
11.    You Can’t Save Me, original taken from “Into The Black” (“2006)
12.    Doing What The Devil Say to Do, original taken from “Into The Black” (2006)
13.    Remember (Reprise), re-recording never before released on CD (2009)

CD 2
1.    What is (2014), re-recording, original on “What is“ (1998)
2.    High (2014), re-recording, original on “Change” (2003)
3.    Change (2014), re-recording, original on “Change“ (2003)
4.    Special (2014), re-recording, original on “Get Up” (2004)
5.    Paint it on (Acoustic), original version on “A Ballad’s Collection” (2010)
6.    Holding On (Acoustic), original version on “Peace Sign” (2009)
7.    Until You Suffer Some (Fire and Ice) (Acoustic), original version on “Native Tongue” by Poison (1993)
8.    The Road (Acoustic), original version on  “Wilson Hawk the Road” (2008)
9.    Regret (Original Demo Version), original version on “The Winery Dogs” by The Winery Dogs (2013)
10.    Damaged (Original Demo Version), original version on “The Winery Dogs” by The Winery Dogs (2013)

DVD
1.    Walk With Me (2014), new song
2.    Paying Dues (2009), original taken from “Peace Sign” (2009)
3.    24 Hours (2011), original taken from “24 Hours” (2011)
4.    Larger Than Life (2009), original taken from “Peace Sign” (2009)
5.    Losing My Mind (2005), original taken from “Get Up” (2004)
6.    Help Me (2012), original taken from “24 Hours” (2011)
7.    Chase It (2008), original taken from “Go Faster” (2007)
8.    Player (2011), released as a download single only (2012)
9.    The Shadow (2011), original taken from “Into The Black” (2006)
10.    My Angel (2011), original taken from “Into The Black” (2006)
11.    I Would (2008), original taken from “Break It All Down” (1999)

RICHIE KOTZEN LIVE 2014

05.09.14 Madrid – Sala Penelope (ESP)
06.09.14 Barcelona – Razzmataz 2 (ESP)
10.09.14 Pratteln – Z7 (CH)
11.09.14 Verviers – Spirt of 66 (BE)
12.09.14. Luxemburg – Den Atelier (LUX)
13.09.14 Vaureal – Forum (FRA)
15.09.14 Lille – Grand Sud (FRA)
16.09.14 London – o2 Islington Academy (UK)
18.09.14 Zoetermeer – Boerderij (NL)
19.09.14 Oss – Groene Engel (NL)
20.09.14 Zulpich – Live Proberaum (GER)
21.09.14 Isernhagen – Blues Garage (GER)
23.09.14 Prague – Nova Chmelnice (CZ)
24.09.14 Wien – Reigen Live (A)
25.09.14 Budapest – A38 (HU)
26.09.14 Velden – Bluesiana (A)
27.09.14 Milan – Legend Club (ITA)

About Richie Kotzen
“My roots paint a picture of where I’m coming from musically,” Richie Kotzen affirms. “There’s some kind of hybrid in me of classic rock and old school soul. That’s where I drew from during my most formative years. I became obsessed with the guitar at that time. I never put it down. I’d fall asleep with it. I felt like it was meant to be.”

After constant wood-shedding and gigging with local bands, Kotzen got his very first record deal with Shrapnel Records at 18-years-old. Releasing his eponymous debut in 1989, he began to stir up excitement amongst the guitar community, especially as his seminal albums Fever Dream and Electric Joy followed shortly after. In 1991, Poison tapped Kotzen as their new lead guitarist, and he co-wrote and performed on Native Tongue. The album became certified Gold by the RIAA and introduced a larger audience to his playing in the process. In between releasing acclaimed solo offerings, he eventually joined Mr. Big in 1999 for their album Actual Size. Around the same time, he linked up with jazz legend Stanley Clarke, further expanding his own repertoire and technical arsenal.
As fans worldwide devoured his prolific solo output, Kotzen received one of his biggest personal honors in 2006. The Rolling Stones chose him to open up a string of Japanese shows, placing him in front of some of his biggest crowds to date. Then, 2013 saw him join forces with Mike Portnoy [ex-Dream Theater, Adrenaline Mob] and Billy Sheehan [Steve Vai, David Lee Roth] to form the powerhouse trio The Winery Dogs. Their self-titled debut would go on to sell over 10,000 copies first week and debut at #27 on the Billboard Top 200.

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PORTNOY, KOTZEN, SHEEHAN Project Gets Name: Debut Album Due In May

Posted by aliblackdiamond on March 23, 2013
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Source: Blabbermouth.net

THE WINERY DOGS, the new project featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) and Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), will release its debut album in May in Japan via Victor Entertainment. Release dates for other territories have not yet been announced.

THE WINERY DOGS‘ CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER. Sheehan previously stated about the effort: “I’m really pleased with it. Richie sang his ass off and played amazingly unique stuff, and, of course Mike annihilated on drums. [It’s a] really cool, unique record.”

At the end of 2011, Portnoy and Sheehan tapped Kotzen to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio in 2011, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration.

During an interview that aired on the July 13, 2012 edition of Eddie Trunk‘s “Friday Night Rocks” radio show on New York’s Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said, “I love John personally, and we get along great — he’s a sweetheart of a guy — but I need to keep moving. I can’t sit still and kind of wait to make an album over the next three years, I need to put things on the calendar and move forward and get them done, and John‘s kind of just a ‘wait, wait, wait’ guy. Sadly, it kind of just stopped in its tracks, and Billy and I said, ‘Look, let’s do something.’ And you [Eddie] were the one, actually, that suggested Richie Kotzen and I thought it was a brilliant suggestion, because he’s an unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he’s really capable of.”

When asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, “It’s a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early ’70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It’s in that vein; it’s kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But on top of it all you’ve got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so… And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing.”

ULI JON ROTH, STEVE MORSE, RICHIE KOTZEN, GUS G. To Perform At ‘Jason Becker’s Not Dead Yet’

Posted by aliblackdiamond on December 27, 2012
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Source: Blabbermouth.net 

Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE), Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), Uli Jon Roth (SCORPIONS) and Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) are among the musicians who will perform at a special concert on Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at Slim’s in San Francisco, California, reminding the world that Jason Becker’s Not Dead Yet. Proceeds from the second Jason Becker’s Not Dead Yet festival (the first one was held in March 2011) will go towards medical supplies for Jason as well as a trust fund to provide for his future security.

Jason Becker, a onetime guitar prodigy first known as part of the metal duo CACOPHONY, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, aka Lou Gehrig’s Disease) at age 20, shortly after joining David Lee Roth‘s band for the gold-selling 1991 album “A Little Ain’t Enough”. Although the disease robbed him of his ability to play guitar — and eventually left him both paralyzed and unable to speak — Becker continues to compose music with the help of computers, collaborators, and a system of communication using eye movements that was devised by his father Gary.
Steve
Even after his once prodigious axe skills left him, Jason‘s music continued to earn the respect of his peers. Joe Satriani called 2001’s “Perspectives” — Jason‘s first recorded work after losing his motor functions (originally self-released in 1996) — “a triumphantly powerful and beautiful album.” Fellow virtuosos joined the chorus of praise, including Steve Vai, who said, “Jason has discovered a brilliant source of inspiration within himself. His deep soul searching has resulted in a body of music that reveals courage and insight and is deeply moving.”

Jason‘s original partner in CACOPHONY, Marty Friedman added, “To call Jason a genius is an understatement. He doesn’t cater to trend, target audiences, marketing gimmicks or anything like that. He plays out the emotions from his heart and makes real music that is a salute to the human spirit. Jason is a prodigy and on ‘Perspectives’ he realizes his miraculous potential.”

Jason‘s most recent album, 2008’s “Collection”, is a mix of old recordings and new compositions, with guest guitar work from Satriani, Vai, Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, and Greg Howe.

The January 23 Jason Becker’s Not Dead Yet festival at Slim’s in San Francisco is a tribute to Jason and celebration of his amazing story, as well as an opportunity to educate music fans and guitar aficionados about the effects of ALS and the quest for a cure. The idea for the show originated with Bay Area guitarist Dave Lopez of FLIPSYDE and BANG DATA.

The DVD version of the documentary film “Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet” was made available on December 18 via Kino Lorber.

For more on Jason Becker and his fight with ALS, go to www.jasonbeckerguitar.com.

MIKE PORTNOY Performs With RICHIE KOTZEN In Los Angeles (Video)

Posted by Stargazer on August 9, 2012
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Drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) joined Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON) on stage last night (Tuesday, August 7) at The Baked Potato in Studio City, California to perform a cover version of the BOB DYLAN classic “All Along The Watchtower”. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Kotzen, Portnoy and bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) are currently recording the debut album from their new three-piece project for a tentative early 2013 release.

In a posting on his web site, Portnoy wrote about last night’s jam session, “For those of you who don’t know, The Baked Potato is a legendary jazz club in L.A. that every great jazz, blues and rock player has jammed at… a great little club that is about the size of my living room holding no more than 100 people! It’s the ultimate place to see your favorite musician play up close and personal.

“Anyways, Richie just tore it up! So much soul in his playing and singing… so many goose-bump moments… The man is the real deal! I really am honored and so excited to be working with such an amazing talent.

“After a short intermission, Richie invites me up to sit in for a song and we jam on his version of ‘All Along The Watchtower’. No rehearsal, no discussion, just a true jam…it was a blast!”

During a July 2012 appearance on Eddie Trunk‘s “Friday Night Rocks” radio show on New York’s Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said about his collaboration with Kotzen and Sheehan, “[Richie is] an unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he’s really capable of.”

Asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, “It’s a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early ’70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It’s in that vein; it’s kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But on top of it all you’ve got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so… And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing.”

 

 

Source: Blabbermouth.net

RICHIE KOTZEN Forced To Cancel Shows Due To Hemorrhaged Vocal Cord

Posted by Stargazer on April 12, 2012
Posted in: Int. News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Guitar virtuoso and singer/songwriter Richie Kotzen (formerly of POISON and MR. BIG) has regretfully canceled his shows planned for later this month in New York City, Long Island, Baltimore, and Redondo.

“Since I came back from Europe I have been struggling with my voice,” Richie said in a statement. “Last Saturday’s gig in San Juan Cap was a vocal disaster.

“I thought it was fatigue from the brutal schedule in Europe. However, the voice is getting worse and now I am having pain even speaking.

“Today I went to my doctor in Beverly Hills. He is an ear, nose, and throat specialist.

“I was concerned I may have nodes. 16 years ago I had nodes… twice… two separate surgeries.

“Today he looked at me and it is very very bad news… My left vocal cord is hemorrhaged, bruised, and bleeding.

“The bottom line is I need to be on total voice rest for the next three weeks. This means no singing and limited talking.

“I explained I had gigs next week and he told me I am the only singer he ever treated that wanted to talk about doing shows with this condition.

“He explained that by trying to sing in this condition I would likely ruin my voice for good.

“I am very sorry but I must cancel all shows for April.

“The doctor assured me that if I rest and follow his advice my voice will return back to normal within three weeks from now.

“Those of you who purchased VIP tickets will be refunded through PayPal.

“Sorry for this bad news.”

Kotzen burst onto the heavy metal scene as a teenager with a lightning-fast guitar techniques. With his talents, Kotzen has played with some of the best musicians; including renowned jazz great Stanley Clarke and a three-year stint in the band MR. BIG.

“I have been lucky in the sense that I have been able to play with guys who I could learn from,” explains Kotzen. “The biggest musical lesson for me was playing in a band with Stanley Clarke and Lenny White. Obviously, these guys are jazz musicians and I am not, but I learned so much from the time we recorded and toured together. My favorite rock bassist is Billy Sheehan, and we were in MR. BIG together for three years, which was awesome.”

Source: Blabbermouth

RICHIE KOTZEN: Video Footage Of NAMM Q&A, Acoustic Performance

Posted by Stargazer on January 28, 2012
Posted in: Uncategorized. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Guitar virtuoso and singer/songwriter Richie Kotzen (formerly of POISON and MR. BIG) took part in a question-and-answer session and acoustic performance at the Korg booth at the 2012 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention whcih took place January 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch video footage of his appearance below.

Kotzen on Wednesday (Jannuary 25) commented on the rumors that he has been tapped by Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) and Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the recent departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Said Kotzen in a post on his Facebook page: “I wanted to address the recent rumor about the project with Billy, Mike, and I… Although we did throw some ideas around, neither of us decided to make any public announcements, so today’s Internet buzz was a surprise. I will say I am a fan of both Mike and Billy. I’m sure a collaboration would produce some interesting results.”

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio last year, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration. Portnoy explained on Twitter, “Sad but true… I tried my best to make it work… Me and [Billy Sheehan] couldn’t wait around any longer… [Billy] and I are moving on and have already begun work with another guitarist/vocalist, keeping the original ‘power trio’ concept.”

 

Source: Blabbermouth.net