 Just a bit 'o news fer' now, luv!Hello Everyone,
First off, thank you all so much for the emails asking about how the shows in Arizona went. I just got back from the west coast a few days ago and will be posting all the news about it as well as a photo or two very, very soon. Things have been quite busy with private shows and traveling but I'll soon be catching up enough to post pictures and stories about all we've been up to with Imagining Lennon (the band) as well as my solo shows. The next public show is for the Imagining Lennon group which will be...
The Unseen BeatlesHello All,
The Unseen Beatles documentary is posted up on Google Video. Our good Beatle pal Joe Baiardi who is a Macca extraordinaire turned me on to its presence on the web. When yer' gits a chance, set aside about forty five minutes for yourself and enjoy! Not to be missed! Thanks Joe! The Unseen Beatles Documentary___  You can find Joe and his pals on the web on their very own cool 60's styled site. The Fab Five! My total Beatle rubber soul-mate and fab gearhead pal Joe Baiardi is one super talented lefty Paul, experienced musician, collector and is deservedly loved by many. He's played as Macca for some of the top Beatle tribs in the biz and is a total 60's fan. Certainly a fun site to visit. Yeah, baby!  Extra Texture from Dark Horse - Rex Van ZantThis is the newsletter just sent out by our Indiana based George Harrison tribber friend Rex Van Zant. Rex talks about our recent show together in New Castle. Stop in and say 'ello with a word or two in his guestbook if yer' gits a chance 'round tea time.
Extra Texture Read All About It! From Us to You (New Castle, IN) – The holiday season got off to a Fab start as Rex Van Zant’s Dark Horse: a Tribute to George Harrison teamed up with New York’s own Tom “Lennon” Raider for a special reunion show December 2, 2006 at the New Castle-Henry County Public Library.  Straight away we have to say a big thanks to Judy Heavin and the folks at Heavin & Associates for sponsoring the event. Their generosity enabled the show to be done free of charge. Judy is first tier Beatle fan, not to mention a great supporter of local community activities. A winter storm, forecast for the day prior to the show, skirted to the north of east-central Indiana. Winds associated with the system made for a rocky in-bound flight for Tom, but the predicted snowfall never materialized. With weather not a factor for the weekend, we set about developing a plan for the show. Since neither of us had even met (other than on-line) much less performed together, we agreed the best approach would be to do two solo sets connected by a transition song. We would reunite for two or three songs to close the 90-minute show. A few technical problems during sound check had us taking the stage about 10 minutes late, but the crowd didn’t seem to mind. There was a nice mix of all ages in the audience, including a surprising number of teens sitting way in the back. The audience seemed to enjoy the mix of George’s Beatle and solo tunes, and even appreciated the addition of an acoustic rendition of The Inner Light.  Since we had agreed our transition song would be Revolution 1 from the White Album, I elected to rearrange the usual set to do three acoustic George songs from the same album (Piggies; Long, Long, Long; and the Anthology version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps). At the end of this, I asked the crowd to help “welcome a friend of us all,” Mr. John Lennon.” Decked out in glowing white from neck to feet, Tom was enthusiastically greeted by the crowd. While we had rehearsed the false start that actually appears on the White Album, we needn’t have bothered because we unintentionally created one of our own - all the better. Tom’s acoustic set began with the Ballad of John and Yoko and then proceeded to lead the audience on a sampling of John tunes lifted from the height of Beatlemania up through Abbey Road. The crowd was asked to join in on the “Paul parts” on A Hard Day’s Night and Help. After Tom’s set, I came back to the stage to finish off our reunion show with She Said, She Said; Isn’t it a Pity; and Give Peace a Chance. The later song required me to tape a hastily scribbled note to my microphone stand so I could rattle off the list of name-checks in the last verse. It was a clever idea until I lost my place. Proceeds from a collection bucket strategically placed near the front of the stage will benefit the various environmentally conscious programs of Healthy Communities of Henry County. After the show, there was a short bit of time to speak with members of the audience before grabbing a quick dinner (while still in costume) at The Old Nip and Tuck restaurant. Then Tom was off to spend a day with friends in Indianapolis before heading back to up-state New York.  It was a pleasure performing with such a gifted tribute artist and fellow Beatle fan, and the Dark Horse Tribute wishes Tom all the best as he debuts his new Imagining Lennon Band later this month. Peace Earth Rex  www.darkhorsetribute.com Hali's Tribute to John & Liberty!Hello Everyone. Today (being December 8th) is not always a happy day for John Lennon/ Beatle fans as it is is the anniversary of us all losing John. Many of us remember where we were and what we were doing when we heard the sad news. A few years ago I was speaking with a Beatles fan after one of my shows and she said that she chooses this day as a special time to stop and remember what good things John and the Beatles brought to our lives and those around us. In tribute to John, I'm putting up a photo of a fan I met when I played the show in Indiana last Saturday. My personal thanks to Hali and her dad for letting me post this photo. All you need is love, TLR Just about says it all, eh mates?  My very own Yoko on TV !Actress Yan Xi will be on the air Sunday night @10pm EST on the HBO series "The Wire". She'll be featured in the episode "Know your Place" as a waitress. If you've got HBO, tune in. The show will also be airing all week, check your local listings. Yan played "Yoko" to my "John" in the indie film "The Killing of John Lennon" which we were part of back in November 2005. The movie is still under production an is taking some time due to its being a true "Indy" film. Yan and I worked together doing the Dakota footage down in NYC during the very frigid fall nights. We also spent over two hours riding around the surrounding area getting the "limo" shots. Yan was a total professional and was very good at walking me through things as I had very little experience with the acting aspect of things. You can check out some of her other work at her website Yan Xi . It would indeed be an honor and a pleasure to work with Yan again someday and we wish her the very best.  Cheers! TLR Indiana show ready to go!Check our calander for all the info 'cause I'm headin' over to middle America ! Looking forward to having Imagining Lennon meet up with George Harrison impersonator Rex Van Zant and putting our heads and shows together for a truly Fab reunion. Rex performs the best of the Beatle years and a wonderfully hefty dose of solo George tunes. We'll be playing our hearts out on Saturday, December 2. Cash donations are for Healthy Communities of Henry County. Look out Indiana, here comes the sun ! The Cavern Lives !Well, Well, Well.
Saturday evening's show at Union College in Schenectady, NY was quite nice and very interesting as there were a number of folks in the audience arriving straight from their Halloween parties. How many shows do you go to where you get to meet Marilyn Monroe, Peter Kriss, Quasimodo and a half dozen French Maids (some possibly not female)...hmmm. We had the honor of having a number of our favorite (and talented) friends in attendence. Adding their wonderfully beautiful harmonies to the endless stream of Beatle/Lennon classics were Tribute Banding divas Kay and Becky as well as secret Macca pal of ours. The trademark and ever dependable BecKay hand claps were loud, clear and totally in time on "I Want To Hold Your Hand" (as usual). Special thanks to Ad and Paky for the extra claps as well. It was great to meet Christine who became our honorary "Yoko" for the evening. I'm sure Yoko would be very, very flattered by Christine's beauty. Highlights of the evening included some great (and on pitch) high notes hit during singalongs to "She Loves You", "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "Help!" as well as audience assistance for the "Paul" sections in "A Hard Day's Night" and (yes), "A Day In The Life". Also, a warm welcome to new fans, Dave, John and Mike (thanks for all the kind words). Imagining Lennon's very own keyboardist, Rich Coogan and his wife Poly were also onhand to lend to the fun and the singalongs (thanks mate). Sincere thank you's to Dale, Pete, Pattie and the crew for the great work and support (the food was absolutely exceptional!). The recreation of the Cavern with the added bonus of the Sgt. Pepper mural was indeed a treat to see and an honor to play at. It already looks like we'll be back next semester bringing the whole Imagining Lennon Band ! Thank you all for helping to create a wonderful evening and for all the nice compliments. It was super to meet you all, sign some photos and take some fun pictures. A pleasant time was indeed enjoyed by all! Cheers mates, TLR Special thanks to Ad for the pic!  All Posts
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