Tommy Shaw has a great side project with Jack Blades:
INFLUENCE BY SHAW BLADES
SET FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 20, 2007;
U.S. TOUR CURRENTLY IN THE WORKS
November 1, 2006 -- What happens with two of todays most successful classic rockers join forces to create an album of songs that have been a source of inspiration for their respective multi-Platinum careers?
The result is INFLUENCE, the sophomore album by Shaw Blades--led by Styx/Damn Yankees guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw and Night Ranger/Damn Yankees bassist/vocalist Jack Blades--which is set for release February 20, 2007 on VH1 Classic Records. The self-produced album was mixed by Noel Golden (Matchbox Twenty, Willie Nelson) and Great White keyboardist/guitarist Michael Lardie. The first single, Your Move, will be serviced to radio in January.
INFLUENCE is the duos 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 Springfields For What Its Worth and Steely Dans Dirty Work, INFLUENCE offers a track-by-track chronology of the musical era that helped define modern rock.
Whether the songs are delivered in faithful tribute, as is the case with Simon & Garfunkels epic masterpiece Sounds Of Silence, or given a modern rock transfusion, as in the duos 1966 folk anthem I Am A Rock, the results are the same, sparkling like a beacon illuminating the mainstream roots of rock and rolls formative years.
I cringe at the thought of Paul Simon hearing our stuff, laughs Blades, only half-jokingly. I honor his spirit so much, and Im such a huge fan. As far as Im concerned, they invented the word genius to go along with him, and we just wanted to make sure that we did their songs justice. Tommy and I have that special symbiotic relationship that doesnt come along a lot. Simon & Garfunkel also had it, we have a reverence to it, and it was something that we just wanted to dig into.
As writers, were like two old friends who finish each others sentences, adds Shaw. We became best friends as a result of the music and the experiences weve had because of it.
But INFLUENCE isnt about the experiences of Shaw Blades, its about the inspiration that helped create the experiences. This album has been years in the making, continues the Styx/Damn Yankees guitarist. The recording process didnt take years, but the concept had been looming in our conversations for a long time. Wed always sit around with a couple of guitars and play songs we both knew from or younger days, spontaneous harmonizing and all that, and we slowly eased into the idea of making this record.
One of the most prolific duos in the history of hard rock, Shaw and Blades 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.
Even so, INFLUENCE offered the pair an invigorating musical freedom. With Shaw Blades, offers Blades, were able to take liberties that our respective bands couldnt do. We need to be Styx-sounding, we need to fit in that Night Ranger world, and we even need to think about Damn Yankees, so thats whats fun about Shaw Blades--we get to be our alter-egos when we want to be, yet we can truly be ourselves. We grew up singing harmonies and songs with massive vocals, so its a wonderful thing to have that freedom here. This was a complete labor of love.
In touring news, a U.S. trek is currently in the works and Shaw Blades hope to bring their music to their fans closer to the album release date.
You can always tell a brilliant song, whether it was written 30 years ago or yesterday, says Blades. Every song we picked is identifiable in its own right, and theyre all immediately recognizable. What does that tell you? That the songs are the stars. Thats what we wanted to do on this record, we wanted the songs to be the stars. I think thats what we accomplished.
The complete track listing is as follows:
1. Summer Breeze
2. Time Of The Season
3. Your Move
4. I Am A Rock
5. Lucky Man
6. Sounds Of Silence
7. California Dreamin
8. On A Carousel
9. Dirty Work
10. For What Its Worth
11. Dance With Me
www.shawblades.com
About VH1 Classic
Launched in 2000, VH1 Classic is a 24-hour network that presents music videos, concerts and music specials all day long, featuring the best rock, soul and pop artists from the 60s, 70s and 80s including The Beatles, The Stones, Tina Turner, Led Zeppelin, Marvin Gaye, The Who, Stevie Wonder, The Police and many more. Learn more at
www.vh1classic.com.
###
The release date has been pushed back to March 6th. (Sevendusts's new CD drops that day as well) I've got advance copies of both--INCREDIBLE!!!
Anne
She looked incredibly young. He said they have been married over 30 yrs. His wife must have had some plastic surgery b/c she looked about 35 yrs old at the most! I know Dennis deYoung must be in his mid or late 50's now. 
Back in the late 70's I was lucky enough to go see the "Grand Illusion" concert.
