Thursday, November 29, 2007

Rick Springfield on Regis & Kelly

Unconfirmed TV listing for December:

According to "VH1 Rock on TV" Rick listed for Regis & Kelly's Holiday Music Week.
December 12th 2007

Check your local listings as this show is syndicated. http://www.tvguide.com/

"Actor Will Smith discusses the upcoming movie "I Am Legend." Grammy Award-winner Rick Springfield sings "Christmas with You" as "Holiday Music Week" continues. "

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

On The Newsstands


In this week's People Magazine (December 3), there is a short review of Christmas With You.

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Christmas With You Video by Rick Springfield On Demand


More info from http://www.rickspringfield.com/ regarding the "Christmas With You" video:

Over 100 Adult Contemporary Clear Channel radio station web sites are airing an online preview of Rick's Christmas With You CD as well as the Christmas With You video from 11/20 through 1/04/2008. We must show our support for Rick by visiting these sites as often as possible and watching/listening to the content. The more traffic we can drive to Rick's CD preview feature, the better! Let's show radio that people care about Rick's music! Clear Channel listings can be found at:


Remember you do not have to have a local Clear Channel station to view or listen to this. You can chose ANY link listed. EVERY click counts. The Christmas With You video is listed at the BOTTOM on the On-Demand page so be sure to scroll to the bottom of the page. This is the same page that lists the Rockford On-Demand video so if you bookmarked that link you can use that just be sure to scroll down to find Christmas With You. You can also listen to the songs on CD.

Sunday, November 18, 2007

TV Listings for Rick Springfield

Soapography: Rick Springfield & Kimberly McCullough
SoapNet
Sat, Nov 24th 2007 5:00AM est


McCullough Rick Springfield and Kimberly McCullough (“General Hospital”) are profiled. 30 min- 2006




BIOGRAPHY: RICK SPRINGFIELD
is the story of the performer who has sold fifteen million records and after nearly thirty years in show business still performs with the reckless abandon of a twenty-something rock star. Springfield's hit song, Jesse's Girl became the anthem of the 1980s - a time when his feathered hair, tightly-suited body and boyish face became hallmarks of the era. Concert footage, photos and interviews chronicle his early life in Australia and his career - a path that has taken him from teen idol to TV soap star to serious rocker. Includes interviews with former managers Steve Binder and Tom Skeeter; his mother Eileen Springthorpe; musician Sammy Hagar; drummer Jack White; actresses Linda Blair and Jacklyn Zeman; and record producer Keith Olson.

A&E
Sunday, Nov 25th 2007 8am EST


Friday, November 16, 2007

Rick Springfield mixes old with new in concert

By ERIC SCHELKOPF - eschelkopf@nwnewsgroup.com
Kane County Chronicle

Just in time for the holidays, ’80s pop icon Rick Springfield has released a new Christmas CD, “Christmas With You.”

The title song and video is a tribute to the soldiers who have fallen serving our country, with all proceeds going to American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.

Before coming to St. Charles to perform at the Arcada Theatre, the 58-year-old musician/actor discussed the war in Iraq, the state of the music industry and more.

You’ve been busy touring this year. I see that in August, you performed in your native Australia for the first time since coming to the United States in 1972.

It was really cool. It was great to see old friends. The place has changed pretty drastically. The audience reaction was fabulous, and they’re doing a DVD of it that will be out.

You have a new CD, “Christmas With You,” that’s dedicated to fallen soldiers. Was this something you felt you needed to do at this time?

Yeah, everybody is complaining about the war and I’ve seen a lot of “war is not the answer” stickers, but I’m not seeing anybody coming up with any answers. I was raised on Army bases, and the guy who wrote the song with me, Derek Hilland, his dad was in the Navy and fought in Vietnam. I performed for the Vietnam troops in 1968 and 1969. I was actually in Vietnam in Christmas of 1968. We felt we had to do something positive for the soldiers who have fallen over there and their families who are not getting a lot of support from the entertainment industry.

I also see you have a new album coming out in the spring and the first single is called “Who Killed Rock ’n’ Roll?” Is that a statement about the industry?

Pretty much. Basically, it’s a greed problem. The record companies especially have just collapsed. There’s no real record industry any more. They’re trying to deny it and adjust their figures and everything, but it’s constantly a downward trend. And it was said this Christmas will probably be the last big Christmas for CD sales. From then on, it will be either free downloads or from iTunes and sites like that. I personally don’t know where any record stores are.

What keeps you wanting to play shows?

I am humbled and honored that I actually have some past music that people want to hear, but for me personally, it’s about playing new music, getting new music out there.

Speaking about your hits, was it a total shock that “Working Class Dog” did so well?

I always think that my albums will do well, because I have a lot of faith in what I do. But at that point, I had kind of given up on it. There were just ballads on the radio, and the record company didn’t know what to do with it. It was basically a guitar pop-rock album. So they just kept holding on to it. And then they released the album, and it happened to be at the right time. Radio was ready to hear more guitar again. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time with the right song (‘‘Jessie’s Girl”).

Was it hard being on tour with that record at the same time you were on “General Hospital?”

It was a lot of work, but I was ready for it. I waited for a long time to have my music heard, so I was definitely up for it.

Why did you decide to return to “General Hospital” in 2005? How did that came about?

They called me up. By 2005, the radio and record industry was in the state it is now. There were people going on reality shows to get new stuff heard or draw some attention to their new music. Everybody was doing whatever they could to make up for the lack of radio. Noah Drake was a character I was known for, so I didn’t feel like a total sellout for going back there and bring some attention to my new music. People forget. You have to keep reminding them that you are there and doing new stuff.

Why do you think your music has held up over the years?

I have no idea. There’s something in the music. Certainly “Jessie’s Girl” has got a life of its own beyond anything I did, with it being in movies. It brings in young kids now who saw it in movies.

What’s the story behind the song?

There’s a guy that I knew and I was hot for his girl. She didn’t have any time for me, so I wrote the song. His name was Gary, but it didn’t work as well for the song.

Is it still fun for you to perform the song?

Yeah, because it’s really beyond the song for me now because I’ve done it so many times. The interaction is always fun, and everybody knows it.

Rick Springfield

When: 8 p.m. Saturday
Where: Arcada Theatre, 105 E. Main St., St. Charles
Tickets: $59-$75
Information: 630-587-8400 or www.o-shows.com
Link

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Rick Springfield - In Concert Live and on Demand

Over 100 Adult Contemporary Clear Channel radio station web sites are airing an online IN-CONCERT segment from 11/15 through 11/26 featuring clips from Rick Springfield's "Live In Rockford" DVD. Show your support for Rick and click your local station link(s) from the list below. We can show our support for Rick by visiting these sites and watching the content. The more traffic we can drive to Rick's feature, the better!

The list of radio stations can be found Here:
http://www.rickspringfield.com/full/in_concert_list.html

The link can be made to work on any clear channel station, but the focus is on Adult Contemporary stations, so just pick the station closest to you from the list and enjoy!
Remember, even if you can't watch the broadcast, you can always listen - the sound is great!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Christmas With You Video



To order the cd, go to rickspringfield.com All proceeds from the recording of this song donated to support the US military veterans organization American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
For more information on the organizations, please visit – American Gold Star Mothers: Who are mothers that have lost a son or daughter in service of our country: www.GoldStarMoms.com and Cherished Lives: A memorial website where soldiers’ families
can create a free memorial website for their loved ones: www.CherishedLives.com

Monday, November 12, 2007

Is There a doctor in the house, Mr. Springfield?

By Deborah L. Kunesh
Correspondent
Reporter/Progress


As Dr. Noah Drake on ABC television's "General Hospital", Noah's alter ego - rocker Eli Love - or the guy whose hit songs were an integral part of what made the 1980s stand out musically with hits like "Jessie's Girl", Rick Springfield is as hot today as he ever was, with continued musical and television success and a relevance that seems to defy time.
We caught up with Springfield by phone at his Malibu home to find out what concertgoes can expect at his show Saturday, Nov. 17, at The Arcada Theatre, and to learn more about the Artist and what he's been up to lately.
Q What will be in store at the concert?
A We hit on pretty much all of the hits. We do a medley where we do a bunch of songs, and we do some of the later albums. We even start the show off with a brand new song from a new album coming out next year, and we do some old songs that I loved as a kid. So it's a pretty interesting full range of songs.
Q What would you like people to walk away with?
A That they went to one of the best parties they've ever been to. They walk away high. That's what I love about concerts. I walk away with the music in my ears and feeling like I just had a great time. Our show is very audience-interactive. I love the audience, so I'm not one of those artists that stands in a corner and plays. I like to get in with the audience.
Q Can you tell me more about the "Christmas With You" album coming out this week? This is the first Christmas album you've ever done?
A Yes, it's the first and only one.
Q The proceeds are going to benefit the U.S. Military Veterans Association and the American Gold Star Mothers?
A The lead song "Christmas With You" is the only original song on the album (the rest is traditional Christmas). The proceeds go to the Veterans Association, the Gold Star Mothers and the other ones who we talked to that supplied all of the photos of the fallen soldiers, men and women, of the Iraq war. Their names and their images are threaded through the whole video (which will be on YouTube).
It's pretty shocking and actually pretty amazing and beautiful and sad, and the guys that were cutting it together just couldn't believe seeing that many names and seeing the faces and how young and how normal everybody looked.
It makes all the difference in the world seeing their faces and young, alive adults and kids. It's not a political statement at all.
I've been just as supportive of the troops, you know. My dad was in the (British) army and I entertained the troops in Vietnam in 1968 and 1979, so it's something that's very close to me. I've lived on army bases all of my life, and (I thought) let's do something other than complain about the war, you know?
(Note: The video will be on YouTube, and Springfield and those involved will be hitting the morning talk show circuit starting in early December to showcase the project. Springfield said the daughter of good friend Doug Davidson from "The Young and The Restless" appears in the video and is an amazing violin player.)
Q You battled depression for a while. Did coming out of that on the other side give you a different perspective?
A That's what I always hope for. Pretty much that's been the rule so far. I write to kind of heal myself, anyway. It's my little psychiatric trip, you know? That's really where my songs come from, and the issues I'm going through and feelings. If I can write a good song about it, it kind of heals it and puts it in perspective.
Q You started so young musically...playing piano at 9, guitar at 13 and writing songs at 14. What inspired you to go in that direction?
A My dad was a really great singer. He didn't want to do anything professional with it. He was in the army and he just wanted to entertain his friends with his voice. We always had music around the house. We also didn't have TV until I was about 8 or 9 years old and music is what we used to do in the evenings for entertainment. We lived out in the country in Australia at the time, so TV was a little late in reaching us. I moved to England and discovered rock and roll and realized I could have my own music, as well as liking the music my parents liked, and then The Beatles and seeing that kids could write too. That kind of started me.
Q There was a 23-year hiatus between Dr. Noah Drake leaving "General Hospital" until his reappearance in 2005. What prompted the return of the popular character?
A Unusual? It may be a first (laughs). They called up and I thought about it. And the way the music industry is now, I thought it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to get on TV and see if maybe we can put some music into it or just being on there wouldn't be a bad thing. So I thought I'd just give it a shot for a while. And it's been fun and I'd go away for a while and come back, and year, I think it's been OK.
Q Being both an actor and musician - what drives you in each category?
A Acting has a lot of similarities to music. What drives it? It's neat to act and be a performer and whatever insecurities drive that, and it's really my one connect to my world, to art. It's great when you've got good writing and you kind of nail the scene. It's a similar feeling to writing a good song. Writing songs is always at the heart of what I do, because it's always something I can do just myself, I don't have to rely on any other situation. I can go into a room with a piano and write if I've got something to say, you know?

Sunday, November 11, 2007

More TV listings for November

A Change of Place
LMN (Lifetime Movie Network)
Sat, Nov 17th 2007 9:18 AM est

Directed by Donna Deitch. Starring Andrea Roth, Rick Springfield, Geordie Johnson, Stephanie Beacham, Ian Richardson, Viktoria Kerekes.

A shy student trades identities with her flashy twin, a top fashion model with a dark secret. A.k.a. 'Harlequin's 'A Change of Place'.' 108 minutes- NR, USA, 1994



RICK SPRINGFIELD - LIVE AT THE CORONADO THEATRE
HDNet
Sun, Nov 18th 2007 12pm est

Rick Springfield, the teen heartthrob who has sold over 17 million albums, is captured live in front of a sold-out concert at the legendary Coronado Theatre in Rockford, Illinois. Rick rips through a catalogue of 17 Top 40 hits from "Jessie's Girl", to "Affair of The Heart" and "Love Somebody". Turn up the volume and sit back and sing along with all the hits from the 80's.



VH 1 loves to repeat this one! Catch Jessie's Girl coming in at #20

The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)
VH1Classic
Sun, Nov 18th 7pm est


Soapography: Rick Springfield & Kimberly McCullough

SoapNet
Sat, Nov 24th 2007 5:00AM est

McCullough Rick Springfield and Kimberly McCullough (“General Hospital”) are profiled. 30 min- 2006



Please be sure to also check the previous TV Schedule posts (click on TV Schedule on the right side menu) as there are some upcoming TV listings that were posted there last week.

Still no official word on new TV appearances to support Christmas With You or Dr Noah Drake's next visit to GH. Hopefully the ongoing writers strike will not effect this. As soon as we find anything out we will let you know!

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Rick Springfield: The Early Sound City Session

This cd, which is basically a release of Beautiful Feelings with the original music and an extra track, will be available on 11/20, and is available for preorder now. Here is the Product Description from Amazon:
Rick Springfield's 1978 release that never made it out with these musicians and even a never before heard track.This album has songs previously heard on earlier releases but never with this cast of musicians and production. Rick Springfield: The Early Sound City Sessions, captures the then teen-idol, at the very beginning of his rise to the top of the American charts. From 1975 through 1982, Springfield was signed to managers Tom Skeeter and Jonas Gottfried, and their Carman Productions imprint, to produce and deliver his albums for distribution When Rick signed with Carman he was re-launching a career that had already enjoyed a #1 Hit at home in Australia.This album, Rick Springfield: The Early Sound City Sessions was the next album to be recorded in 1977 and 78 under the Carman banner. The songs and the performances showcased Rick s yet unfulfilled promise and has remained in the vaults until now. This album has never been released on CD although several of the songs were re-recorded for his Beautiful Feelings album. But, check this out, Rick Springfield: The Early Sound City Sessions includes a bonus track, Still Got the Magic, which has never been released commercially before.

Thursday, November 8, 2007

New Tour Dates

02.01.08 (Friday)
Miami, OK
Buffalo Run Casino
ACCESS-RS Ticket Presale 12/7


02.02.08 (Saturday)
Fort Worth, TX
Billy Bob's Texas
ACCESS-RS Ticket Presale 11/26

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Review - Christmas With You

Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
It seems that any veteran recording artist eventually winds up recording their own holiday album, so it makes perfect sense that Rick Springfield finally got around to releasing his own in 2007 with Christmas with You. Apart from the original title song, Springfield relies on standards here, with traditional carols far outweighing relatively recent secular holiday tunes; in fact, only "I'll Be Home for Christmas" can qualify in the latter category. Springfield not only sticks to the classics, he gives many of these spare, baroque acoustic treatments that emphasize their folk origin. These stark arrangements combined with the clean production can give Christmas with You almost a new age feel, but Springfield's raspy voice prevents this from getting spacy, and he does cut loose on a surf music version of "Deck the Halls" (thereby earning the subtitle "With Boughs of Longboards") and gives "I'll Be Home for Christmas" a bit of a goofy doo wop feel. The album could use just a little bit more of this dose of fun, but in its measured, inventive way, Christmas with You is far from the standard holiday album, and it's hard not to admire that Springfield opted for something different on his Christmas record than the same warm, toasty arrangements of the same songs that show up on most seasonal albums by veteran artists.
http://wc04.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:d9fixzrhldje

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Rick Springfield in Tacoma, WA 11/03/07

Rick Springfield
Tacoma, WA 11/03/07
Emerald Queen Casino
(photo by Susan Fortune)
This show started with the fairly new video montage. It only plays at the venues that have the video screens, so not everyone who goes to a show gets to see it, but it really is rather cool and serves as a great buildup to Rick's entrance onto the stage. We figured out pretty early that it wasn't going to be the typical set list when the 2nd song into the show Rick did itsalwaysomething from Karma. He did flip the lines "touch down turn around flag on the play" with "down one, home run, your dog steals the ball (doing the baseball one first). The only people that would have noticed something like that would have been "us" and I'm pretty sure "we" didn't care :-). When he was performing this song on a more regular basis back during the Karma tour, he would often have trouble with those lines. Rick was definitely in an interesting kind of mood, he sat down on the stage during a guitar solo, using the monitor for his back rest, and he seemed to kneel down, or lay down, or rest against the banister a lot during this show (and not from being tired, but just as part of the performance). It was a little different, but definitely interesting. At one point, very early on, his (dry) shirt came completely unbuttoned and looked down and started laughing saying "how did that happen?" and he buttoned it back up. By the time the shirt was wet, it was completely open again, and stayed that way for the rest of the night.

Security was really strict on cameras and even cell phones, and at one point Rick kept telling them to stop yelling at people, at least a couple of times. He had one of the security guards (Arthur) sing, and he wouldn't at first, so he went to a female in the audience and she didn't sing at first so he kind of straddle her, then he promised Arthur that he wouldn't be doing that to him. Arthur finally did sing. A lot of men sang during DTTS and Rick declared that them men did a much better job than the women, and this night. At one point he was talking to Arthur again, and I guess he wasn't paying attention, and Rick said something like "he's too busy telling people not to take photos". After The Medley, we got another treat with Inside Silvia. At the very end, Rick started to sing "And I hold you...." and he stopped for a second then said "that's not right is it?" and he needed a little help and people were yelling out the line and he said something like "it's easy once you hear it", and he finished the song, and it was a nice moment.

Before Love Somebody, he said we can talk about the movie "blah, blah, blah", but I only need to say 3 words - "My naked butt!" When Rick went into the audience, he said "I think this is a crowd that can appreciate a song called......" and then he stopped and I think he was waiting for the music for Jesus Saves and the band didn't seem to know what he wanted to play, so he went on to play My Generation. I know several people were screaming Jesus Saves. He does the cell phone bit during My Generation.

The full set list was:

Who Killed Rock N Roll
itsalwaysomething
Affair of the Heart
Alyson
I've Done Everything For You
Rock of Life
Red House
Don't Talk to Strangers
The Medley
Inside Silvia
Love Somebody
Human Touch
Jessie's Girl
Wasted
Love is Alright Tonite

Saturday, November 3, 2007

November TV appearances for Rick Springfield

A few upcoming TV appearances for Rick in the month of November! Mark your calendar! A&E is actually airing Rick's Biography. I can't remember the last time the did this, so if you haven't seen it be sure to tune in. It is also available on DVD.



VH 1 loves to repeat this one! Catch Jessie's Girl coming in at #20
The Greatest: 100 Greatest Songs of the 80's (20-1)

VH1
Wed, Nov 7th 2007 9PM EST


Dying to Dance
Directed by Mark Haber. Starring Kimberly McCullough, Mary-Margaret Humes, Rick Springfield, Natalija Nogulich, Les Porter, Mimi Kuzyk.

Anorexia afflicts an ambitious teenage ballerina who's overwhelmed by competitive stress and parental pressure. Romantic discord adds a further complication. 107 minutes-

LMN (Lifetime Movie Network)
Thurs Nov 15th 2007 4:18 PM EST
Fri Nov 16th 2007 5:45 AM EST



BIOGRAPHY: RICK SPRINGFIELD
is the story of the performer who has sold fifteen million records and after nearly thirty years in show business still performs with the reckless abandon of a twenty-something rock star. Springfield's hit song, Jesse's Girl became the anthem of the 1980s - a time when his feathered hair, tightly-suited body and boyish face became hallmarks of the era. Concert footage, photos and interviews chronicle his early life in Australia and his career - a path that has taken him from teen idol to TV soap star to serious rocker. Includes interviews with former managers Steve Binder and Tom Skeeter; his mother Eileen Springthorpe; musician Sammy Hagar; drummer Jack White; actresses Linda Blair and Jacklyn Zeman; and record producer Keith Olson.
A&E
Sunday, Nov 25th 2007 8am EST


**There is also hope that Rick will do some TV talk shows in support of "Christmas with You". We will post those as soon as they come available. And there is also talk of Dr Noah Drake making a return to GH sometime in November and as soon as that is confirmed that will be posted as well.

Friday, November 2, 2007

More 2008 Tour Dates

Looks like more 2008 tour dates are rolling in.

03.31.08
Scottsdale, AZ
Casino Arizona
ACCESS-RS Ticket Presale 11/8

05.23.08
Colusa, CA
Colusa Casino