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Ten Songs For A Halloween Party


Below are ten songs to start a Halloween party. These may not be the best ten or only ten but ten we believe will get ya’ moving. Enjoy!
  1. The Murder (From The Movie "Psycho")
  2. D.O.A. (Bloodrock)
  3. Rosegarden Funeral Of Sores (Bauhaus)
  4. Zombie Dance (The Cramps)
  5. Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)
  6. Vampira [Explicit] (The Misfits)
  7. Living Dead Girl (Rob Zombie)
  8. Monster Mash (Bobby "Boris" Pickett)
  9. They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha! Haa!! (Napoleon's Ghost)
  10. The Twilight Zone (TV Theme)




WELCOME TO THE TOWER RECORDS COMMUNITY – Mark Egan

Mark Egan is considered to be one of the most respected and in-demand electric bassists on the music scene today. His unique fretless bass sound and style is both distinctive and versatile and his musical contributions incomparable. With three platinum & three gold albums to his credit, Mark has recorded with the likes of the Pat Metheny Group, Sting, Arcadia, Roger Daltry and Joan Osborne; performed with the Gil Evans Orchestra, Marianne Faithful, David Sanborn, John McGlaughlin and Sophie B. Hawkins and has added his musical prowess to such movies and television shows as; Aladdin, The Color Of Money, A Chorus Line, NBC Sports, ABC’s All My Children, CNN/Headline News and numerous award winning television commercials.

Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Mark began his musical studies on the trumpet at the age of 10, mainly through the influence of his father who was an avid player. He continued to play the trumpet through high school in jazz bands, R&B groups, the high school orchestra and started playing bass at age 16. He enrolled in the University of Miami School of Music under the direction of Jerry Coker and studied privately with the late, great Jaco Pastorius whose influence remains with him to this day. “When I heard Jaco play it made me aware of what could be done on the electric bass, particularly with regard to grooving and soloing - - Jaco just made me aware of another way of thinking about the bass and music.”

While in Florida Mark formed a band with fellow University of Miami students; Clifford Carter (keyboards), Hiram Bullock (Guitar), Billy Bowker (Drums) and Phyllis Hyman (vocals). They came to New York in 1976 and soon afterward, Mark hooked up with the Pointer Sisters, Deodato and David Sanborn. Mark’s notoriety was gaining and he quickly caught the eye of U of Miami School mate, Pat Metheny - joining the group in 1977. It was through this association that Mark would team up with Metheny drummer, Danny Gottlieb and go on to form the group Elements. To this day, Elements is one of the most highly acclaimed experimental contemporary jazz groups in the world.

The band has recorded over eight full length albums and have toured in over twenty-seven countries. Their uncompromising live sound continues to be on the forefront of the jazz music scene. While Mark continues to work with Elements and hold down the chair in the Gil Evans Orchestra (a position he has held for over thirteen years), his solo projects represent a more personal side of his musical makeup.

His solo debut, Mosaic (Windham Hill Records) delved into adventurous territory on his exotic custom-made eight and ten string basses - - painting beautiful soundscapes over multi-layered musical textures. His follow up LP, Touch of Light ( GRP Records) displayed another facet of Mark’s creativity. Touch of Light featuring; Danny Gottlieb (drums), Clifford Carter (keyboards) and Bill Evans (sax) proved to be more upbeat and aggressive further exploring the sound of his arsenal of basses (30 at last count). In 1993 Mark signed with Bluemoon Records and released the highly anticipated album, Beyond Words which again featured; Gottlieb, Carter and Evans. It also introduced to the American music scene famed Brazilian guitarist, Toninho Horta whose bossa nova style and melodic compositions would take the music in a new direction.

Mark not only continues his recording and touring efforts which recently included studio performances with Joan Osborne, Michael Franks, Rory Block, Marianne Faithful, and tours with; Elements, Bill Evans and Marianne Faithful, but his passion and visionary approach to contemporary jazz music has led him to the creation of his independent record label, Wavetone Records. He brings his twenty years of performing, recording and producing experience to this new label, dedicated to providing an outlet for creative music projects. To-date Wavetone has released to critical appraise four albums; Elements, Far East Volume I and II, Elements Untold Stories, Egan’s, Mosaic Joe Beck, Finger Painting and the most recent release, Jeff Ciampa, Signs of Life. In addition, Mark has realized his dream with the completion of is own state-of-the-art recording studio, Electric Fields, designed by the highly acclaimed acoustical architect John Storyk. Electric Fields is equipped with a 40-track digital recording system and an array of vintage sound processing gear. Projects already in production include Mark’s solo project, guitarist Jeff Ciampa Trio and Element’s long awaited studio album.

Mark continues to explore new sound territories through his extraordinary recording, composing and touring activities. His successful efforts as a musician, producer and label manager keep him on the forefront of the contemporary music scene.

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Mark Egan (Leader) & Elements (w/Danny Gottlieb)



Sampling of other work by Mark Egan

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Berliner Jazztage 1978, with Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays, Mark Egan, Danny Gottlieb



WELCOME TO THE TOWER RECORDS COMMUNITY – Mickey Thomas


Mickey Thomas (born December 3, 1949, Cairo, Georgia) is an American singer.

He was inspired to take part in music after seeing a Beatles performance in 1965. He travelled to Atlanta with long time childhood friends Charles Connell, Lewis Oliver, Tommy Verran, and Walter Wight. Thomas, Connell, and Verran wound up in their first rock and roll band together. Verran was the lead singer at the time. They split up to go to different colleges but later reformed in the early 1970s along with friend Bud Thomas as the "Jets". While singing lead for the Jets in 1974, Thomas joined the Elvin Bishop Group as a harmony singer and eventually made it to lead vocals. His best known achievement was singing on Elvin Bishop's chart hit 'Fooled Around And Fell In Love', a #3 single in 1976.

In April 1979, Thomas was asked to join Jefferson Starship, after the departure of Marty Balin and Grace Slick. In 1981 he recorded his second solo album Alive Alone. Former Elvin Bishop Group drummer Donny Baldwin became Starship's drummer two years later when Aynsley Dunbar left.

He spent most of the early eighties as the main vocalist of Jefferson Starship, performing several duets with Slick (who rejoined in 1981) and gaining greater influence in the band. After Paul Kantner left in 1984, Thomas was sole leader of the band. From 1985-1989 the newly dubbed 'Starship' scored some of their biggest hits. When Grace Slick left again in 1988, Thomas sang all lead vocals - in a band that was formed when he was just 15 years old. But their fortunes as pop music artists soon ran out. A tour was cancelled after Thomas was attacked in a bar and required facial reconstruction surgery. (His assailant was Donny Baldwin who chose to resign after the incident.)

He has also appeared in the 1989 film Dream a Little Dream as well as having recorded the film's titled theme song and its duet version with Mel Tormé for the soundtrack. The duet version was also played during the end of the film.

The original incarnation of Starship disbanded in 1991. In 1992 Paul Kantner reformed Jefferson Starship without Thomas and Thomas formed a new touring band called 'Starship featuring Mickey Thomas'. Touring has continued with this title.

In 1998 he guested on Sammy Hagar's album Marching To Mars.

In 2002 Thomas and his touring band re-recorded all of the Jefferson Starship hits on which he had appeared. The resulting album was released in 2003, without any band credits being provided, as Forever Gold, part of a series of releases by St. Clair Entertainment.

In 2004 he released an album project, under the title of Over the Edge, produced by Fabrizio Grossi. In 2008 he recorded a new album with Aynsley Dunbar for Direct Music, featuring artists such as Jake E Lee, former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne. Thomas reunited with Elvin Bishop when Starship closed for them in late 2008.

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Jefferson Starship

Mickey Thomas

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LISTEN & DOWNLOAD

Mickey Thomas Albums



Jefferson Starship Albums



Mickey Thomas w/others – Albums


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Jefferson Starship: Jane (Live)


WELCOME TO THE TOWER RECORDS COMMUNITY – Mighty Sam McClain

"America’s best purveyor of red-clay soul blues…"

Sam McClain was born on the northern edge of the Bible Belt in Monroe, Louisiana in 1943. As a five year old, he began singing in his mother’s Gospel Church, loving every bit of that attention!

He left home when he was thirteen to escape an abusive stepfather and followed local R&B guitarist, "Little Melvin" Underwood through the Chitlin Circuit, first as his valet and then as lead vocalist himself at 15.

While singing at the 506 Club in Pensacola, Florida he was introduced to Producer/ DJ, "Papa Don" Schroeder and in 1966, Sam recorded Patsy Cline’s "Sweet Dreams" – his first real success. Several recording sessions at Muscle Shoals produced singles, "Fannie-May" and "In the Same Old Way". For fifteen years, first in Nashville, then in New Orleans Sam worked menial jobs and was forced to sell his plasma while he was homeless. From cotton fields to the Apollo Theater to the park bench, all while living the songs that would jump-start his career in the mid-1980. New Orleans own, Neville Brothers extended themselves at this lowest of times. Sam was offered a chance to tour and record in Japan in 1989. "Live in Japan", featuring legendary Wayne Bennett is a fine recording, much sought after by fans worldwide.

By the early 1990’s Sam networked his way to New England through his participation in the "Hubert Sumlin Blues Party" project (produced by Hammond Scott on Black Top), which involved many Boston based musicians. These friends provided encouragement and collaborations, which led to Joe Harley and AudioQuest Music. The results were the successful releases, "Give It Up To Love" and "Keep On Movin". After his move to New Hampshire the momentum continued to build with "Sledgehammer Soul and Down Home Blues". In 1998 Sam had two releases, "Journey" (AQM) and "Joy and Pain –Live in Europe" on the CrossCut label. "Soul Survivor –The Best of MSM" was his farewell to AudioQuest in 1999. ("Journey" and "Soul Survivor" both include "New Man in Town", featured on David E. Kelley’s Ally McBeal on FOX-TV). Sam signed on with the Telarc Blues label in 1999, taking his longtime producer Joe Harley with him and recorded W.C. Handy nominated "Blues for the Soul in 2000 and "Sweet Dreams" in 2001 (also Handy nominated)

Sam started to take back his career in 1996 and turned to managing himself. His publishing company, Emily’s Son Publishing, has been licensed since 1993 when his original work appeared on "Give It Up To Love". McClain formed McClain Productions after successfully co-producing his CD’s with Joe Harley. And now, the last step of his independence has been realized through the creation of his own label, Mighty Music which release his CD "One More Bridge To Cross" in February 2003. His newest project, "Betcha Didn’t Know" which reveals yet another side of MSM was released in July 2009 on Mighty Music with City Hall Records as the distributor. Sam greatly appreciated the nomination of this CD by The Blues Association as “Soul/Blues Album 2010”. You can find it in a store near you or order it directly from our web store – stop by and listen!

2008 brought Sam into the “Give US Your Poor” project, benefiting the homeless. He co-wrote (with saxophonist Scott Shetler) “Show Me the Way”, which was included in the compilation where he and Jon Bon Jovi sung this stirring anthem as a duet. He continues to work with this project, performing at both The Lincoln Center, New Your City and at The Kennedy Center in Washington and other venues, sharing the stage with Natalie Merchant, and the smashing Greek tenor, Mario Frangoulis as well as the others mentioned on the CD. In early 2009, MSM was asked to record a CD of duets with Iranian folk vocalist Mahsa Vadhat. The resulting CD, “Scent of Reunion—Love Duets Across Civilizations” (www.kkv.no) reached #6 in the European World Music Charts and this is a Mighty Sam McClain that has never been heard before! Mahsa and Sam have had concerts in Norway to celebrate this music. Sam and the guitarist for this project, Knut Reisersrud, are collaborating on a CD that will be recorded in Norway in January 2011. Also, Sam has sung the theme song for Ernest Thompson, (the Oscar winner for “On Golden Pond”) for his new film, “Time and Change$. “Find the Sun” is a song written by Thompson and Joe Deleault (keyboards in MSM’s band) but is recognizable a song that Sam has made his own. Furthermore, he will have a cameo in the film, singing it! To top it of, Sam has recorded another CD—ready to go, called “Too Much Jesus (Not Enough Whiskey)” and the next music in the works. Pat Herlehy (Sam’s guitarist) and MSM have a deep connection that is producing some great music.

Mighty Sam McClain is in control – of his life and career as he continues to perform nationally and internationally. It’s full steam ahead for this great vocalist! "The Soul of America" is what he is called in Europe – he is, just as his lyrics describe, "I’m a singer, a man with a song…and I’ve got a message for you.”

Shop – Mighty Sam McClain

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

When A Rock Star Isn’t Exactly The Rock Star You Thought They Were… or Are

And a Great NEW EP!

Same Mirror, Different Reflections

1. Don’t Surrender


2. Learning To Love


3. Indigo Blue


4. Baby’s Got A Secret

By: Rick Roberts

Rick,

I got an email from a guy I know in St. Louis complaining about someone inviting my friends friends to his own bands gigs, and saying my friend was in the band, which he wasn't! It reminded me of this little event in my own life. They're not exactly the same, but I think you'll understand the link.

About ten years ago, after I had semi-retired, a friend asked me a question that I didn't quite understand. The thing is, I had gotten pretty used to being on tour and arriving in some town, only to hear that someone had been around the day before, gone to some bar, announced that he was Rick Roberts, and had all his drinks bought for him, and maybe even got lucky and went home with some lovely young thing with stars in her eyes. That was just part of the package deal in those days. It happened a whole bunch of times, and after a while it wasn't too big a surprise.

But this was different. In the first place, I hadn't been on tour for a while. But more important was the fact that my friend asked me if I was still drinking as much as I had been. When I asked why, he said he thought that what had happened in Texas would have been a wakeup call, even for me. I said I didn't know what he was talking about, and he said that no matter how bad a shape I had been in, I couldn't have forgotten TEXAS!! So I asked him to explain. This is what he told me:

"When you were on tour as a soloist last summer, you didn't have a lot of cash, so a friend of mine (his) said he would put you up, and drive you around to some of your first gigs." He said his friend had let me sleep ON HIS COUCH!! His friend had told him that I was pretty drunk for every one of the first two or three gigs, but they were in small towns in the middle of nowhere, and were kind of warm up shows. His friend also told him I was really bad. Then came the first show in a fairly large city. According to his pal, I was trashed again! By this time in the story, I was so astonished that I didn't even catch the name of the city. I stopped him and said he was out of his mind, and that I hadn't even been on tour for about two and a half years, and definitely nowhere near Texas. In fact, I had not played any gigs outside of Colorado or California since I had gotten married. Anyway, he said he couldn't believe I was so out of it I didn't even remember. He said his friend was totally disgusted by that time, and felt like I was also making him look like a fool, so instead of taking me to the show, he had driven me to the airport, taken my ticket, and put me on a flight to Denver. From there on, I was supposed to find my own way back to Boulder.

I asked my friend who his friend was, and did I know him before I supposedly went to Texas. He said I didn't, and that was one reason he was upset, and had never talked to me about it. He said he was humiliated because his friend had taken me in because my friend said I was good people. I got my wife to verify the fact that I was nowhere near Texas the previous summer, and finally my friend realized that I was telling the truth, and that someone had pulled off a gigantic scam.

Here's the funny part. I just kind of shrugged my shoulders, shook my head, and said it was incredible, but no one had ever tried to sue me, or anything else untoward, so I supposed we should just chalk it up to another crazy. Welllll....my wife didn't quite see it that way! She was absolutely furious, I mean just short of going postal. She thought about what we should do about it, and after a day or two, when nothing really came to mind, she grabbed the Boulder-Denver phone book, and started calling all the Rick Roberts' that were listed. Oh yeah, I forgot. The impostor had ID that identified him as Rick Roberts (there's a lot of R.R.'s around). After calling three or four, and asking if they were Rick Roberts the singer, a woman answered her call, and said, yes, her husband was the singer from Firefall. My wife screamed at her "NO HE'S NOT......MINE IS!!!!", and slammed the phone down. So far as I know, there has never been any further mix up concerning who is who! And to tell the truth, if you'd heard my wife, you would have made sure no one you were married to ever crossed my wife's path again.

Just thought I'd share that with you. I got a note back from my pal in St. L. saying he was withdrawing his own complaints, considering what goes on in the "shadow world" of R&R.

Rick


About Rick Roberts
Rick Roberts (born August 31, 1949, in Florida) is a country rock and classic rock singer-songwriter who recorded with many influential artists over several genres in the 1970s. He is best known for his work with The Flying Burrito Brothers on their 1971 self-titled album, and as a founding member and lead singer of Firefall from 1976 to 1981.

He started his music career in 1970, with the Flying Burrito Bros., a direct offshoot of the legendary Byrds. After the band parted company with Gram Parsons, Rick stepped in as rhythm guitarist, splitting the vocals with Chris Hillman, and composing both with Hillman and by himself. He recorded with the Burrito’s on their third and fourth albums before the original group broke up. Rick then recorded two critically acclaimed albums before forming the group Firefall in Colorado in 1974.

Rick wrote and sang the hit songs “You Are The Woman”, “Just Remember I Love You”, “Livin’ Ain’t Livin’”, “Strange Way To Tell Me You Love Me”, “Headed For A Fall”, “Goodbye, I love You”, before leaving the band in 1981. After taking some time off, Rick formed another band in southern California with Randy Meisner, original bass player and singer of The Eagles, called The Roberts-Meisner Band, and toured nationally during the late 1980’s. Unfortunately there is no commercially recorded music of the band, but you can view some of their television performances on YouTube. His earlier hits continue to receive strong radio airplay worldwide. “You Are The Woman” has just topped 5 million airplays, while “Just Remember” hit 3.5 million, and “Strange Way”, almost 2 million.

For the past twenty years, Rick has been living a more relaxed lifestyle, enjoying his life and marriage. Rick is excited to be releasing new songs in 2010 after so many years and is taking advantage of the internet to make those songs widely available.

Shop – Rick Roberts

Flying Burrito Brothers

Firefall

Check out Rick’s website

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LISTEN & DOWNLOAD

RICK ROBERTS: SAME MIRROR DIFFERENT REFLECTION

RICK ROBERTS – SOLO ALBUMS

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