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September 2, 2010
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Detailed Concert Tour Listing
IN MEMORIAM - CHARLES LOFRANO
When
you lose your best friend there's a hole in your heart that even time can't
fill. The 40 plus years spent in countless effortless conversations about
history, politics, sports, entertainment and life in general cannot
be substituted by some new voice no matter how pleasant, or well
intentioned. All the good times you shared cannot be replaced.
This is
the case for me with the loss of my brother-in-law and best friend
Chuck Lofrano.
As a friend he was a man's man, fiercely loyal and
always supportive of me without any expectation of quid pro quo. What
friends are supposed be but so often are not. He wished the best for me and
my family as though it were his own.
Joined by marriage and both of Italian
descent "a la familia" was something we would toast each other at our
many family gatherings. He loved his family, his wife Pam and children
Dena, Lisa and Allison but oh how he reveled in his grandchildren, 7 to be
exact.
A born optimist, his glass was remarkably half full
regardless of the seriousness of the situation. Never was this more apparent
than with his dire health struggles of the last 7 years. He was first and
foremost a Marine. Disabled in battle and recently plagued by kidney
disease, heart disease and finally cancer, he somehow remained determined
and optimistic about the future.
Even spear-heading next summers Grant
Park 25th reunion of the Welcome Home Parade for Viet Nam Veterans. He kept
working on this event despite the knowledge that he might not live to see it. No
"Why Me'ing" from this guy. I don't know how he managed it and I told him
so many times.
Don't get me wrong now, like all of us he was not without
his flaws, many of which were ultimately attributed to undiagnosed
PTSD from Viet Nam. He came to grips with fact only after he
began writing about his wartime experiences in his book, "In Spite Of It
All", in the last years of his life.
The dignity and stoicism he exhibited
as he fought his final struggles with his health made him a hero to me more
than anything he could have ever accomplished in the jungles of Viet Nam.
Once we were chatting about this and that when he told me if necessary he would
lay down his life for me and they weren't just words, he meant it. No man had a
better friend.
Farewell
good soldier, the battle done, rest peacefully. Semper
Fi
Love,
Dennis and Suzanne
Hey Everybody,
Long time no speak. I happened to look at my website and noticed me and Robin Gibb and talk about a German tour which I believe took place two weeks after the invasion of Normandy, so it might time for an update.
THE NEW BAND
With the additions of August Zadra and Craig Carter the sound the look and the spirit of the new band has reached heights I could have only dreamed of. This has begun stage two of my solo live performance career.
I began stage one of these solo journeys some 10 years ago with an out of the blue offer from Tim Orchard to put together an orchestra show for a single concert at the Rosemont Theater in 2000. I enlisted a group of fine musicians I had worked with several times in the past. There was no intention to create anything other than a good show with rock band and orchestra. Dawn Feusi was brought in to sing Styx harmony and perform selections from the Hunchback of Notre Dame as part of a retrospective on my career. This included Styx, my solo rock work and Broadway. Because of the success of this show I was chosen to be the pilot for the new Public Television Soundstage program. "Dennis DeYoung and Friends" went on to be the most lucrative pledge show for PBS from this series, pledging over 100 cities across the country raising over 2 million dollars in the process, thanks to viewers like you. From this initial concept I began to get offers to perform with and without the orchestra and simply kept the same band for both shows. My set list consisted of the Styx songs that I had written and sung and remained that way until January this year.
Hank Horton my bass player and high harmony singer informed me last fall that he would be leaving the band to play in the pit orchestra for 100 Dalmatians, so I was compelled to consider changes. As I searched for a bass player Craig Carter was suggested and a demo was sent." Great Caesars Ghost" was it good. Not only could he play bass and sing lead but he was an accomplished songwriter as well. So the search was over. Not so fast, late one night my son woke me at 12:30 at night and told me to go down to the computer and check out something he found on youtube. There was August Zadra singing Blue Collar Man in a Styx tribute band, "Mother Of Pearl" are you kidding me.. I knew then and there it was time for action .Needless to say my son Matthew is still in the will and may be receiving a slightly higher amount then my daughter CarrieAnn. (Not really). August was so good at recreating a sound that both you and I have come to love that I knew I must give this thing a shot. And what a shot it has been to me personally. When we perform our new show the audience is ecstatic for they're finally getting what they have wanted from the beginning and that's ALL the songs they have come to know and appreciate. No longer would they have to settle for less. Alleluia!
The new blood has given more responsibilities to Jimmy Leahey on lead guitar and brothers and sister he's laying down guitar work that's both dazzling and tasteful. Tom Sharpe has found the perfect balance between being true to John Panozzo and modernization, without trying to over complicate. Good drumming should always serve the song. John Blasucci continues to recreate layers of keyboards that best remind us of the brilliance of the original keyboardist. (Sorry John I couldn't help myself) These changes have also brought me back to the keys, something that many of you have been wanting for some time. I must admit it has been great fun reminding myself that I was the guy who invented that stuff and played it.
The interaction between August and Jimmy both musically and in terms of stage presence has made feel like I'm back in 1981 until I look in the mirror and wonder how my dad has gotten into this band.
Special thanks to August for authenticating a vital part to our sound and to Craig for the effortless high harmonies. (Remember dude as a rule I never hire any band mate taller than me so practice the crouch). As always Suzanne sings her heart and always has my back.
Finally if you haven't seen the new band I urge you to come out and take a look see, you won't be disappointed.
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"100 Years From Now"
U.S. Release - 2009
Dennis DeYoung's "One Hundred Years From Now" U.S. Release Version (April 2009) is now available. For information, click here.
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Composer/Co-Lyricist - Dennis DeYoung
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Dennis in Munich, Germany. "Night of the Proms"
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| Listen to Audio Clips of the Hunchback CD |
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Mr. Roboto at the Oscars:
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