For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Roaring out of the fog-shrouded hills of Sonoma and drowning out the chatter, prog-pop troubadours PARDON THE INTERRUPTION (aka PTI) are taking their place and asserting their voice in the storied musical conversation of the San Francisco Bay Area. Available worldwide April 14, 2023, PTI’s sophomore release HOT N’ FRESH finds the band in full stride with nine original tracks mining every corner of the indie-pop-funk spectrum, always with a self-effacing smile and a nod to the progressive rock of the ’80s and ’90s that is the quartet’s uniting influence.
With a powerful energy and a unique sound, PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is a 4-piece fusion outfit that creates original music pulling from genres including rock, roots, funk, soul, ska, reggae, and more. One foot is planted firmly in the past, paying homage to some of the most singular and iconic artists of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. The other is stepping boldly forward, producing original material that is at once nostalgically familiar while also entirely modern and unique. But the nuanced complexity of their music never overshadows the raw energy and pure joy that characterize PTI’s live performances, perpetually keeping audiences glued to the dance floor and ready for more. It’s undeniable fun. It will make you dance. It’s like a perfect pepperoni pizza. It’s HOT N’ FRESH!
Band leader, lead singer, and guitarist David Noble has assembled three of the finest, most versatile session musicians in Northern California, and as PARDON THE INTERRUPTION they have fostered a cohesion that transcends music. PTI’s love for each other and for their craft is visceral. You can feel it. Engineer/co-producer Sean Beresford captured that same energy in the sessions that laid the foundation for the HOT N’ FRESH album, recorded live with minimal overdubs at Calliope West in San Rafael, CA.
David Noble is a San Francisco native who has made stops in Denver and L.A. and is himself among the top echelon of Bay Area guitar-slingers when not fronting PTI with groups like Wreckless Strangers and Poor Man’s Whiskey. As a child of the ‘80s, Noble’s writing successfully synthesizes his love for pop legends like David Bowie, Talking Heads, and The Police with groundbreaking Bay Area art rock/ska artists like Mr. Bungle and Fishbone — deeply personal and deceptively intricate songs sugar-coated with accessible and catchy hooks.
Bassist Rob Fordyce (Peer Pressure, The Ring, Big Brother and the Holding Company) is a force of nature. Yes, he brings the funk, but that descriptor is far too narrow. Fordyce’s propulsive groove and unstoppable enthusiasm are the engine of PTI, the heart and the soul that power the machine, and his explosive chops rival the best the Bay Area has to offer.
Drummer Rob Hooper (aka The Other Rob) may be the most in-demand Americana drummer in Northern California, bringing his gravitas, experience, and rock-solid beats that were honed and hard-earned over decades in Austin, TX, where he worked with Jimmy Dale Gilmore, The Resentments, Carolyn Wonderland, and countless others.
Jamison Smeltz (D8FeX, mRthKon, Ten Ton Chicken) is George’s brother. (Just kidding!) He’s the wild card — the joker — playing an eclectic array of instruments with jaw-dropping proficiency. Smeltz melds the art-pop sensibilities of Bowie and Prince with his shameless love for progressive rock icons like Yes who first inspired him to take up…the saxophone? Yup, that’s Jamison!
With each show PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is demanding the attention of fans of funk, pop, ska, jam, prog, and just plain rock n’ roll. Their new album captures a band at the peak of their skills and creativity, poised to break into major venues and festivals nationwide. Best to catch them while they’re HOT N’ FRESH!
For Immediate Release – Roaring out of the fog-shrouded hills of Sonoma, prog-pop troubadours PARDON THE INTERRUPTION are taking over the Sweetwater Music Hallin Mill Valley for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17! The band will be sharing the stage with local reggae favorite IrieFuse for a night of nonstop funk, rock, reggae, roots, soul, ska, and more!
With a powerful energy and a unique sound, PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is a 4-piece fusion outfit that creates original music pulling from a wide variety of genres, but the nuanced complexity of their music never overshadows the raw energy and pure joy that characterize their live performances, perpetually keeping audiences glued to the dance floor and ready for more. It’s undeniable fun. It will make you dance. It’s like a perfect pepperoni pizza. It’s HOT N’ FRESH!
Available worldwide April 14, 2023, the sophomore PARDON THE INTERRUPTION album HOT N’ FRESH finds the band in full stride with nine original tracks mining every corner of the indie-pop-funk spectrum, always with a self-effacing smile and a nod to the progressive rock of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s that is the quartet’s uniting influence. One foot is planted firmly in the past, paying homage to some of the most singular and iconic artists of our time. The other is stepping boldly forward, producing original material that is at once nostalgically familiar while also entirely modern and unique.
Band leader, lead singer, and guitarist David Noble has assembled three of the finest, most versatile session musicians in Northern California, and as PARDON THE INTERRUPTION they have fostered a cohesion that transcends music. PTI’s love for each other and for their craft is visceral. You can feel it. Engineer/co-producer Sean Beresford captured that same energy in the sessions that laid the foundation for the HOT N’ FRESH album, recorded live with minimal overdubs at Calliope West in San Rafael, CA.
David Noble is a San Francisco native who has made stops in Denver and L.A. and is himself among the top echelon of Bay Area guitar-slingers when not fronting PTI with groups like Wreckless Strangers and Poor Man’s Whiskey. As a child of the ‘80s, Noble’s writing successfully synthesizes his love for pop legends like David Bowie, Talking Heads, and The Police with groundbreaking Bay Area art rock/ska artists like Mr. Bungle and Fishbone — deeply personal and deceptively intricate songs sugar-coated with accessible and catchy hooks.
Bassist Rob Fordyce (Peer Pressure, The Ring, Big Brother and the Holding Company) is a force of nature. Yes, he brings the funk, but that descriptor is far too narrow. Fordyce’s propulsive groove and unstoppable enthusiasm are the engine of PTI, the heart and the soul that power the machine, and his explosive chops rival the best the Bay Area has to offer.
Drummer Rob Hooper (aka The Other Rob) may be the most in-demand Americana drummer in Northern California, bringing his gravitas, experience, and rock-solid beats that were honed and hard-earned over decades in Austin, TX, where he worked with Jimmy Dale Gilmore, The Resentments, Carolyn Wonderland, and countless others.
Jamison Smeltz (D8FeX, mRthKon, Ten Ton Chicken) is George’s brother. (Just kidding!) He’s the wild card — the joker — playing an eclectic array of instruments with jaw-dropping proficiency. Smeltz melds the art-pop sensibilities of Bowie and Prince with his shameless love for progressive rock icons like Yes who first inspired him to take up…the saxophone? Yup, that’s Jamison!
With each show PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is demanding the attention of fans of funk, pop, ska, jam, prog, and just plain rock n’ roll. Their new album captures a band at the peak of their skills and creativity, poised to break into major venues and festivals nationwide. Best to catch them while they’re HOT N’ FRESH!
Translated: “These ten tracks shine in full light. I’ll throw out the title track, “The Day John Lennon Died”, “Breathing” and also “I Will Always Be There” as tips for playing. As a very cool ending, “Indian Cowboy” has to be mentioned, which surprises with a sitar played throughout – along with the other instruments – and thus automatically gives the song an oriental coloring. Class!”
“From Rainbow Bridge to Golden Gate, a brace of songwriters bring brilliant tunes over many a gap to reach the right audience. The music [The Beautiful Losers] produce is truly arresting. The ten songs on display feel for one’s soul to pull the listener’s inner strings into the caress of the little combo’s silky orchestra. With the magnificent “Stars Above” emerging as a Spectoresque cross between “Be My Baby” and “(Just Like) Starting Over” and the album’s titular number as a guitar-rolled “All The Young Dudes” descendant, it’s the spirits of a certain Beatle and Bowie that spread their wings over this record’s urban horizon.”
Translated: “Striking with this album are the beautiful melodies that the duo have created with their songs. It sometimes seems as if we have known songs like “No Pain”, “Stars Above”, “I Will Always Be There”, “The Best Thing” and the catchy danceable “Blinding Sun” for a long time and as if they were from the bygone years’ 90 originate. We also have to indicate here that the hit-sensitive song “Child”, brought as a ballad, will also be very high on our list.”
“[SAN FRANCISCO features] a brilliant performance with amazing vocals and harmonies, superb musicianship, excellent songwriting talent, and a brilliant job of recording and production.”
“This beautifully crafted and elegantly heartfelt new album opens on the Sgt. Pepper-esque Breathing and the organically earthy No Pain and follows those seamlessly with the easy going Stars Above, the dulcetly melodious I Will Always Be There and then comes a striving musical ache found within the titular San Francisco.
Along next is one of my own favorites, the poppy The Best Thing and the name-dropping, rhythmical The Day John Lennon Died, and they are in turn backed by the low ebb indie rock of both Blinding Sun Child, the album coming to a close on the atmospherically-charged, scratchy, yet strangely smooth of creation, Indian Cowboy (cool edit demo 2000).”
San Francisco and Tokyo have a strong connection to each other, which THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS showcase in their music and in the upcoming video for their new track “I Will Always Be There.” The video is being animated by Giezelle Bernal, who also did the album art in the same style that highlights the strong connection between the two sister-cities that mean so much to THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS.
THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS are an alternative rock duo formed by internationally esteemed professional songwriters Indo-Canadian Raj Ramayya and San Francisco native Brett Boyd. Described as “Indian-influenced electro-acoustic alternative rock,” THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS draw influence from a wide range of iconic rock artists, but it’s their diverse and innovative musical style and their unforgettable songs with poignant lyrics that define and set the band apart. The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is available on November 25, Black Friday 2022, and keep an eye out this holiday season for the re-release of their 2005 classic Christmas album Peace, Love, and Xmas!
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS are an alternative rock duo formed by internationally esteemed professional songwriters Indo-Canadian Raj Ramayya and San Francisco native Brett Boyd. Described as “Indian-influenced electro-acoustic alternative rock,” THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS draw influence from a wide range of iconic rock artists, but it’s their diverse and innovative musical style and their unforgettable songs with poignant lyrics that define and set the band apart. The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is available on November 25, Black Friday 2022, and keep an eye out this holiday season for the re-release of their 2005 classic Christmas album Peace, Love, and Xmas!
Brett and Raj met each other by chance in Tokyo in 1995, crossing paths when they were both young traveling artists exploring different cultures with a shared vision of creating music that has a positive impact on the world. As unknowns and outsiders to Japan they attracted a multi-ethnic group of Japanese misfits and expatriates from around the globe who didn’t fit into the usual scene, steadily gathering an assortment of unlikely friends and collaborators in the clubs and pubs of Tokyo. The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is a return to form for the group, who relocated to the US following the release of their 2010 album Four Corners of a Tiny Planet. Even though they have their roots and origins in Tokyo and still feel the pull of that city, the new album is called SAN FRANCISCO because this city is now their center. For them San Francisco is an iconic image representing a sort of promised land, a place of rebirth and renewal, a beacon of hope even as things may seem broken or desperate, all of which comes through thematically on the album.
There has always been a “multi-ethnic” theme in the production of their music, and on SAN FRANCISCO, recorded and mixed at Strawberry Hill Music studios in Northern California (www.strawberryhillmusic.com), THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS worked with musicians and engineers from Brazil, China, and Korea. The album’s closing track includes a Japanese sitar-player and was recorded in their apartment in Tokyo back in the day, adding a cool nostalgic bonus to the release and bringing it all full circle. San Francisco and Tokyo have a strong connection to each other, which THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS showcase in their music and in the upcoming video for their new track “I Will Always Be There.” The video is being animated by Giezelle Bernal, who also did the album art in the same style that highlights the strong connection between the two sister-cities that mean so much to THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS.
Brett and Raj began writing and recording songs again for SAN FRANCISCO around 2019 before the start of the pandemic, and the album is dedicated to two friends that passed as a result of that tragedy. The first is “Thai Tom” who the duo met on a boat with their guitars on the way to a gig on a Thai island and discovered that he and Brett had the exact same birthday and year. Thai Tom brought them to a local temple to commemorate their fortuitous meeting, and they all became so close that Thai Tom eventually officiated the wedding of Raj and his wife. The album is also dedicated to Raj’s brother-in-law, who sadly passed during the pandemic, and also coincidentally shared the exact same birthday and year with Raj.
As THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS, Raj and Brett have developed a devout fan base through relentless touring in support of major acts such as Coldplay, Indigo Girls, and Matt Nathanson, as well as song placements in MTV reality programs including Real Life Stories,Two-A-Days, and Parental Control. THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERShave had sponsorship from Heineken and Starbucks and have developed their American fan base from live appearances on leading local radio stations KFOG and Alice@97.3, West Coast Live, Amnesty International’sRock for Human Rights, NPR’s “All Songs Considered,”NARAS “Grammy Showcases,” and had their music featured in The Gap’s 40th anniversary marketing campaign.
As first-call composers, Raj Ramayya and Brett Boyd have contributed music and songs to leading Japanese film and anime productions such as cult-classics Cowboy Bebopand Wolf’s Rain,Toyota and Asahi Beer TV commercials, the Biohazardvideo game, and other recording artists, including punk rock legends Hi Standard and Ken Yokoyama, and iTunes chart toppers Studio Apartment and Captain Funk. Together Raj and Brett launched Strawberry Hill Music, specializing in music production, publishing, and promotion, and embodying their underdog do-it-yourself mentality of the 90s.
Raj and Brett have spent most of the last decade prioritizing their families, raising their children while pursuing various other successful musical endeavors, but THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS retain a loyal international fan base, due in large part to Raj and Brett’s multi-lingual ability to connect cross-culturally with fans throughout the world. Brett Boyd says of their formative years, “I will always credit Raj’s natural talent to be welcoming and inclusive to everyone and to attract so many different kinds of people. We performed everywhere we could, and we were sometimes surrounded by outcasts in the underbelly of Tokyo, but everyone was beautiful, and Raj and I found ways to befriend artistic collaborators and fans who are dear people in our lives to this day.”
The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is available on November 25, Black Friday 2022, and keep an eye out this holiday season for the re-release of their 2005 classic Christmas album Peace, Love, and Xmas!
To order or stream the new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO please visit:
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Roaring out of the fog-shrouded hills of Sonoma and drowning out the chatter, prog-pop troubadours PARDON THE INTERRUPTION (aka PTI) are taking their place and asserting their voice in the storied musical conversation of the San Francisco Bay Area. Available worldwide April 14, 2023, PTI’s sophomore release HOT N’ FRESH finds the band in full stride with nine original tracks mining every corner of the indie-pop-funk spectrum, always with a self-effacing smile and a nod to the progressive rock of the ’80s and ’90s that is the quartet’s uniting influence.
With a powerful energy and a unique sound, PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is a 4-piece fusion outfit that creates original music pulling from genres including rock, roots, funk, soul, ska, reggae, and more. One foot is planted firmly in the past, paying homage to some of the most singular and iconic artists of the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s. The other is stepping boldly forward, producing original material that is at once nostalgically familiar while also entirely modern and unique. But the nuanced complexity of their music never overshadows the raw energy and pure joy that characterize PTI’s live performances, perpetually keeping audiences glued to the dance floor and ready for more. It’s undeniable fun. It will make you dance. It’s like a perfect pepperoni pizza. It’s HOT N’ FRESH!
Band leader, lead singer, and guitarist David Noble has assembled three of the finest, most versatile session musicians in Northern California, and as PARDON THE INTERRUPTION they have fostered a cohesion that transcends music. PTI’s love for each other and for their craft is visceral. You can feel it. Engineer/co-producer Sean Beresford captured that same energy in the sessions that laid the foundation for the HOT N’ FRESH album, recorded live with minimal overdubs at Calliope West in San Rafael, CA.
David Noble is a San Francisco native who has made stops in Denver and L.A. and is himself among the top echelon of Bay Area guitar-slingers when not fronting PTI with groups like Wreckless Strangers and Poor Man’s Whiskey. As a child of the ‘80s, Noble’s writing successfully synthesizes his love for pop legends like David Bowie, Talking Heads, and The Police with groundbreaking Bay Area art rock/ska artists like Mr. Bungle and Fishbone — deeply personal and deceptively intricate songs sugar-coated with accessible and catchy hooks.
Bassist Rob Fordyce (Peer Pressure, The Ring, Big Brother and the Holding Company) is a force of nature. Yes, he brings the funk, but that descriptor is far too narrow. Fordyce’s propulsive groove and unstoppable enthusiasm are the engine of PTI, the heart and the soul that power the machine, and his explosive chops rival the best the Bay Area has to offer.
Drummer Rob Hooper (aka The Other Rob) may be the most in-demand Americana drummer in Northern California, bringing his gravitas, experience, and rock-solid beats that were honed and hard-earned over decades in Austin, TX, where he worked with Jimmy Dale Gilmore, The Resentments, Carolyn Wonderland, and countless others.
Jamison Smeltz (D8FeX, mRthKon, Ten Ton Chicken) is George’s brother. (Just kidding!) He’s the wild card — the joker — playing an eclectic array of instruments with jaw-dropping proficiency. Smeltz melds the art-pop sensibilities of Bowie and Prince with his shameless love for progressive rock icons like Yes who first inspired him to take up…the saxophone? Yup, that’s Jamison!
With each show PARDON THE INTERRUPTION is demanding the attention of fans of funk, pop, ska, jam, prog, and just plain rock n’ roll. Their new album captures a band at the peak of their skills and creativity, poised to break into major venues and festivals nationwide. Best to catch them while they’re HOT N’ FRESH!
“Anyone wanting some good music should buy this CD.. Plus besides being the Real Deal… Mark is Fucking Bad-Ass!
Mark Duda is from New York City and like Jim Carroll is a good story teller… This CD features some stellar musicians as Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) I enjoyed all the tracks but standout tracks are Avenue a Is Dead and the title song Bodega Flowers.”
Translated: “His rock work [is] so very melodic. The rhythm guitars have just the right amount of density with the melody. Quite an interesting album, where you can find a form of influences such as Willie Nile, the Ramones, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen.”
“Anyone wanting some good music should buy this CD.. Plus besides being the Real Deal… Mark is Fucking Bad-Ass!
Mark Duda is from New York City and like Jim Carroll is a good story teller… This CD features some stellar musicians as Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) I enjoyed all the tracks but standout tracks are Avenue a Is Dead and the title song Bodega Flowers.”
“Wonderful songs that illicit vivid colourful images of life and characters in NYC. [Duda] holds New York very close to his heart with the songs reflecting his life and life in general in the Big Apple. If you’ve ever been then the image’s he conjures will be all too familiar. Gimme some old time rock n roll and here it is…full of catchy melodies and hooks!”
Translated: “So here is a bloody good album of pure rock that will delight the followers of Lou Reed, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, all the references cited in this column, rock full stop!”
Translated: “There is something for everyone to hear on the album “Bodega Flowers”, this handsome solo debut album by Mark Duda. They are all songs in which Mark Duda passionately poured his heart and soul. Sometimes when listening to it, nostalgic memories arise of bands like ‘The Ramones’, ‘The Rolling Stones’ or of psychedelic seventies rock groups like ‘Genesis’ or ‘Rainbow’. Mark Duda may still be a completely unknown artist to many, but this singer-songwriter and guitarist from New York City has built a remarkable history in the world of the American punk and rock scene. On this record he brings an extensive mix of all the musical influences he has sniffed in the New York music scene over the years. In eleven self-written compositions, he provides an overview of all kinds of strange figures, experiences and boastfulness that he has seen crop up in his life over the past decades.”
“This episode of Big Blend Radio’s Music Monday Show features NYC songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Mark Duda who discusses his music career and new album Bodega Flowers.
Featuring Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) and others, Bodega Flowers is an emotional journey packed with characters, experiences, and swagger straight from Manhattan’s lower east side. More: https://www.markdudamusic.com/“
“New York storyteller Mark Duda is re-teaching the metropolis his rock ‘n’ roll. Because the artist, known as the singer of THE HANDFUL and MAD CITY ROCKERS, brings a breath of fresh air to the rock’n’roll circus. Together with bassist Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), drummer Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol) and saxophonist Arno Hecht (Dion, ROLLING STONES), he lives his influences from Buddy Holly, Lou Reed, David Bowie and Willie Nile in a sound somewhere between classic old-school rock and 70s rock in contemporary New York.”
“Many styles of rock ‘n’ roll merge on the album. The great thing about it is a production that absolutely nails it. Without frills and forward-looking, exactly what is important is done here. All the influences of the musicians and bands mentioned are reflected in the songs, but it never sounds copied or imitated; rather independent, fresh and honest, absolutely classic Rock’n’Roll.”
Translated: “Bodega Flowers by Mark Duda is full of great catchy danceable uptempo songs, which just sound good and I can highly recommend this album to every lover of the better pop!”
“Bodega Flowers opens on rambunctiously fantastic Ambulance Song and the studiously-crafted rock within the titular Bodega Flowers and they are followed by the atmospherically-charged rocker Astroland, the mid-tempo, low key ebb of Avenue A is Dead and then comes the Springsteen-esque Hush Money.
Next up is the aching balladry yearn of Don’t Wanna Be Right and the all-out R n’ R of Black Eyed Susan and then they are in turn backed seamlessly by the foot-tapping rhythms within the triumphant Wednesday, the old school rock of My Stash, the album rounding out with the ’80s-imbibed There Goes the Band, coming to a close with the surf-rock-embued Dead Again.”
“This is an album you need to check out! This eleven track album features such great tracks as Ambulance Song, the title track Bodega Flowers, Hush Money, Black Eyed Susan, There Goes The Band and much more. I enjoyed this album from start to finish with powerful vocals and excellent guitar work in addition to an amazing performance, creative songwriting talent and a superb recording.”
Featuring Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) and others!
For Immediate Release – New York, NY – MARK DUDA is a New York City-based artist and storyteller who sings, plays guitar, and writes great rock and roll songs. MARK DUDA shines on his debut full-length album BODEGA FLOWERS, which journalist and musician Phil Mitchum praises as a “transformative album from a generational songwriter.” Set for release July 29, 2022, BODEGA FLOWERS is an emotional journey packed with characters, experiences, and swagger straight from Manhattan’s lower east side. MARK DUDA seamlessly blends all of the NY flavors he’s soaked up over the years, from Dion to Lou Reed, The NY Dolls, the Dead Boys, and beyond, bringing his own signature update to the New York rock and roll sound and continuing to forge the musical identity he first introduced with his Month of Sundays EP from 2017.
A singer/songwriter above all else, MARK DUDA is influenced by Dion, Buddy Holly, Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Willie Nile. These influences are effortlessly delivered through the glam rock lens he grew up with, and shine through on BODEGA FLOWERS. Just as Jesse Malin emerged from the glam punk of D Generation to carve out his niche as an important voice for New York singer-songwriters, MARK DUDA is now bringing his own unique voice to the scene. Over his storied career, MARK DUDA has collaborated with rock and roll royalty from New York and beyond. Recent collaborations include legendary guitarists Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys), Jake Cinninger (Umphrey’s McGee), Pat Travers, and Steve Hackett (Genesis). Mark has also recorded with bassist Kenny Aaronson (Billy Idol, Joan Jett), bassist Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren, Joan Jett), drummers Bobby Rondinelli (Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult) and Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), and saxophone legend Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones).
BODEGA FLOWERS was executive produced by MARK DUDA and produced by Jimi K. Bones (Blondie, Joan Jett, Jonas Brothers, Willie Nile.)Jimi’s crisp production and arrangements perfectly showcase Mark Duda at his finest.Two-time Grammy nominee Kostadin Kamcev served as both recording and mastering engineer for BODEGA FLOWERS, while also contributing keys. BODEGA FLOWERS proudly features the legendary rhythm section of Kasim Sulton (bass) and Thommy Price (drums), collaborating here for the first time in 30 years! Jimi K. Bones further energizes the record with his guitar playing and background vocals. Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) returns to play saxophone on several songs, and Johnny Pisano (Willie Nile) sings backing vocals throughout the record. Cynthia Longley Richards, who was featured on Month of Sundays, returns to the band to play cello on several songs, and Joan Chew (Lez Zeppelin) contributes keys.
Before recording 2017’s Month of Sundays, MARK DUDA gained wide recognition as the front man for New York hard rockers The Handful. The Handful have released four full-length albums since 2004, including Sons of Downtown in 2015, which was Mark’s first collaboration with Cheetah Chrome, and also features Mark in a duet with Cherie Currie of Runaways fame. Other releases with The Handful include Second Hand Smoke, Palmistry, and Wooden Indian on which Mark wrote, sang, and played guitar. Mark is also the lead vocalist for Rome, Italy-based band Mad City Rockers, who released the album Black Celebration in 2009, and handles guitar and vocals for contemporary heavy rockers August Fire. Mark continues to write and record for himself and with other groups.
BODEGA FLOWERS includes eleven brand new original MARK DUDA songs that are sure to make a fan of anyone who loves New York style rock and roll and is looking for something new to add to their rotation!
Translated: “Great third album for the protest and psych art rock experimental Californian band formed by NO Mansfield (guitar, vocals) David “Dekay” Kendrick (drums) Olga Schubert (keyboards) and Neil Nyberg (bass, vocals). Eclectic and rich in references, an album in perfect balance between chaos and precision.”
–Classic Rock Italia Magazine
Check out the Big Blend Radio Interview with NO Mansfield and David “Dekay” Kendrick:
“This episode of Big Blend Radio features longtime friends and collaborators NO Mansfield and David “Dekay” Kendrick, founders of the California experimental art/psych rock group REVOLUSHN who have just released their third full length album, 3.
They recorded dozens of songs together for other artists as part of a studio group in Los Angeles, and in 2016 began writing and recording their own material for what would become REVOLUSHN. They enlisted the talents of multiple friends for their debut release The Freshman (2016) and their follow-up Further!! (2018) and have now solidified their lineup around NO (guitar/vocals), Dekay (drums, percussion), Olga Schubert (keys), and Neil Nyberg (bass guitar/vocals) for their new album 3, that’s out now.
REVOLUSHN is extraordinarily versatile and showcase an assortment of styles, leaning into experimental art rock along with their love for dance rock and loud guitars and drums. More: http://www.revolushn.com/
Songs featured on this episode are from the album 3 – “Electric” and “Spiral Galaxies.”
Translated: “A remarkably versatile group that features an assortment of styles, with a penchant for experimental art rock and a love of dance rock and loud guitars and drums!”
Translated: “In contrast to their previous psychedelic hard rock records, “3” contains more indie rock music such as in the songs “My Living Brain” and “Pushing”. But you can rest assured that the loud guitar rock sound is still sufficiently present on other songs on this album such as “Spiral Galaxies”, “Hover” and “Pappa Fell Down”. The sound of Jimi Hendrix, ‘The Doors’ and ‘The Black Keys’ influenced work of ‘Revolushn’ on this new album is mainly intended for fans of the louder guitar rock music.”
“This heartfelt, and sweetly organic new album opens on the upbeat and infectious psych grooves of Jackfix and the drum and sax-led rocker Electric and then they are seamlessly followed by the melodious, mid-tempo balladry of My Living Brain, the pop-rock of Puppy, before we are brought forth the foot to the floor melodic psych rock of Spiral Galaxies.
Up next is the trippy, psych-infused, guitar rock of the brilliant Little Red Dolls and the free flowing, fervently drum-led Hover and they are in turn backed up by the early Alice Copper-esque Pushing and the rocker Papa Fell Down, with the album coming to a close on the layered rhythms and guitar licks within The Beast Inside.”
“Revolushn are an exceptional band of musicians who have come together to make a diverse, and quite different album of original and unique songs. Its Progressive, strange, quirky and out there with the originality of Gong, a bit of Floyd /Devo and with a kicking punk attitude. I for one would love to hear these songs live, I’m sure it would a vision of uniqueness and pure feast for the brain. Very Different very Strong and Weirdly Dangerous.”
“I enjoyed this album from start to finish with great tracks like The Beast Inside, My Living Brain, Little Red Dolls, Pushing and so much more. This release showcases a fantastic performance with brilliant musicianship and awesome vocals, a great job with their songwriting talent, and a superb recording and production by NO Mansfield and Arron Connor (Bone Thugs and Harmony, Cher, Ed Sheeran, Dr. Dre). This is definitely an album you need to check out and then add to your library at the end of the month from all major music retailers.”
Featuring former members of Sparks, Devo, Buffalo Springfield and more!
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – REVOLUSHN is an experimental psych rock group from California formed by longtime friends and collaborators NO Mansfield and David “Dekay” Kendrick. They recorded dozens of songs together for other artists as part of a studio group in Los Angeles, and in 2016 began writing and recording their own material for what would become REVOLUSHN. They enlisted the talents of multiple friends for their debut release The Freshman (2016) and their follow-up Further!! (2018) and have now solidified their lineup around NO (guitar/vocals), Dekay (drums, percussion), Olga Schubert (keys), and Neil Nyberg (bass guitar/vocals) for their new album 3, set for release September 30, 2022!
REVOLUSHN is extraordinarily versatile and showcase an assortment of styles, leaning into experimental art rock along with their love for dance rock and loud guitars and drums. Produced by NO Mansfield and Arron Connor (Bone Thugs and Harmony, Cher, Ed Sheeran, Dr. Dre), their new album 3 also features Scott Page (Pink Floyd, Toto, Supertramp) on sax and Harlan Spector (Redbone, Buffalo Springfield) on keys on the track “Electric” as well as Kim Aston on backing vocals.This incredible new REVOLUSHN album highlights their influences including Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Black Keys, Lady Gaga, Manaskin, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, and more. 3was recorded at Swamptone Studios in Northern California, Cypher Sound Studios in Kansas City, MO, Hailer Studios in Los Angles, and Coast Mastering in Berkeley, CA, and the album was mastered at Coast Mastering by Michael Romanoff (Pentatonix, Nine Inch Nails, The Who).
NO Mansfield lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and has written several hundred songs since he picked up the guitar at six years old. NO is a respected studio musician and multi-instrumentalist that has recorded music for television and film and has played with dozens of artists including Aretha Franklin, Berlin, DEVO, and many more. NO Mansfield also recently scored the horror movie The Beast Inside.
David “Dekay” Kendrick plays drums/percussion and writes many of the song’s lyrics. Dekay lives in Los Angeles, CA. A lifelong musician, Dekay has played everywhere from the Hollywood Bowl to Madison Square Gardens. He has been a member of Sparks, DEVO, Gleaming Spires and Xiu Xiu. Dekay and NO write the songs for REVOLUSHN and have been playing together in different bands for over 25 years.
Olga Schubert plays keyboards and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. She was born in Russia and studied classical piano during her youth before going on to medical school to become a doctor. After moving to America, she studied art and became a respected and internationally known painter. NO and Olga are married and when NO realized how good she was at keyboards she was drafted into the group. Since joining REVOLUSHN she has also become a talented videographer and now creates all their videos.
Neil Nyberg plays bass guitar and sings for REVOLUSHN. Neil lives in Berkeley, CA. He has been a musician since a young age and has played in several prominent San Francisco Bay Area bands. He also plays guitar and sings for his band Nalamora. Neil is also creating a fashion brand.
To release their newest album 3, REVOLUSHN signed with the bay area independent music label Candy Gram Music Company.With a mission to promote the SF Bay Area music scene as a world class entertainment center in California for mind-blowing music and art, and as an inspiring place for artists to live and love, the label is cultivating a San Francisco sound reminiscent of the 60s summer of love that is also firmly rooted in the present day. CGM is embraces street artists as well as established professional musicians, helping them to develop live shows, professional recordings, PR, online presence, and more. Rock, alt, blues, indie, emo, psychedelic rock, pop punk, world beat, and singer/songwriters all have a place with Candy Gram Music Company.
REVOLUSHN has performed at notable venues and festivals across the US and have an October 2022 tour planned that will bring them to San Francisco, Los Angles, Phoenix, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York. They will soon release a music video for their song “The Beast Inside” from the upcoming new movie of the same name. The band is featured in the film and NO even performed a speaking role. REVOLUSHN has been called “Electrifying!” by the LA Weekly Times, “Incredibly catchy!” by the Huffington Post, and “Magnificent!” by Melody Maker.
For more information about REVOLUSHN and tour dates please visit:
“TV viewers know Dan Ashley as the handsome, silver-haired dude comfortably poised in a chair, anchoring three KGO-TV newscasts each weekday. But the 59-year-old can be kind of a human scooter, periodically whizzing to a gig where he’ll sing in front of his eponymous Americana-country-rock band. Unless he’s off to yet another philanthropic appearance.
Onstage, Ashley plays guitar, and noticeably sings up a proverbial storm. His newest album, “Out There”—a collaboration with Bill Bentley, his longtime friend, writing partner, music director and producer, and lead guitarist and lynchpin of the Dan Ashley band—showcases his vocal and instrumental talents. On April 15, he’ll present his annual Rock the CASA show at the Lesher Arts Center in Walnut Creek, his transplanted hometown, with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts headlining, to benefit children in need.
Rock the CASA with Joan Jett and the Blackhearts is at 8 p.m. April 15 at the Lesher Arts Center, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. Tickets are $50-$250; visit rockthecasa.org.“
Dan Ashley’s “You’re A Friend Of Mine (feat. Narada Michael Walden) ties for #1 on NACC Top 5 Folk Adds! ~ 11/16/22
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Accomplished singer DAN ASHLEY brings a distinctive voice and his unique life experience to the Bay Area music scene with his exceptional blend of Americana and rock and roll. Following the release of his full-length album Out There in 2021, DAN ASHLEY is excited to present his new single “YOU’RE A FRIEND OF MINE,” a duet with the legendary Grammy-award winning NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN (Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin, Sting, George Michael) on October 21, 2022. Narada originally co-wrote the song with Jeffrey Cohen for Clarence Clemons and Jackson Browne, and both the song and music video featuring actress Daryl Hannah were a huge hit in 1985.
NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN recently brought the song to DAN ASHLEY thinking he would be a natural fit for an updated version of the material and recorded this new single with him at his own Tarpan Studios. As with the original version, Narada recorded drums and vocals for the track, and appears with Dan in the official music video. All proceeds from the single will be split between the NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN FOUNDATION and Dan Ashley’s own ROCK THE CASA FOUNDATION. “I’m very proud of my friendship and brotherhood with Dan “Dash” Ashley!” says Narada. “I love Dan, he’s a great human being which inspired me to record this smash song as a new duet for the Narada Michael Walden Foundation and the Rock the CASA Foundation for kids!”
“YOU’RE A FRIEND OF MINE” also features Jackson Allen (guitar), Angeline Saris (bass), Katie Walden and Nate Soulsanger (backing vocals), and Dave Ellis (saxophone). Videographer Tommy Merry shot an official music video on the same day they recorded the track at Tarpan Studios, which also features Katie Walden and her twin sister Kelly Walden along with Dan and Narada. “Narada is one of my dearest friends and an incredibly warm-hearted and talented artist and producer,” says Dan. “I’m deeply grateful for our friendship over the past many years and I’m honored to record this amazing song with him to benefit not only Rock the CASA, but the Narada Michael Walden Foundation.”
As a vocalist, DAN ASHLEY has led his highly acclaimed band for many years, headlining notable venues and opening for such great artists as REO Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, Cheap Trick, Eddie Money, Patti LaBelle, Melissa Etheridge and more. He has also shared the stage with many other consummate performers over the years including Dionne Warwick, Neal Schon (Journey), Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), and multiple Grammy winner Narada Michael Walden, among many others. Dan is regularly asked to perform the National Anthem at a variety of events, including for the NBA, MLB, NCAA, and NHL, and also recently performed alongside headliner Night Ranger in Reno, NV, and Foghat at the Ojai Nest Fest Veterans Benefit in Ventura, CA!
With the release of his remarkable album Out There in October 2021, DAN ASHLEY shared in the joy, heartbreak, love, and loss that are part of our common humanity. From upbeat and driving rockers to gentle ballads, all with a classic Americana and rock music sensibility, listeners will find a variety of songs on the album. Backed by a group of extraordinary musicians who have played and toured with an impressive list of major artists, Out There is the result of a powerful collaboration with his long-time friend, music producer, and writing partner Bill Bentley. Also contributing to the release were well respected musicians such as internationally acclaimed soul artist Cornell “CC” Carter and longtime Y&T drummer Mike Vanderhule.
DAN ASHLEY has been around music and passionate about it his entire life, starting as a child with guitar and piano lessons, and then singing in the junior choir at his church in North Carolina. Always the storyteller, Dan Ashley is also a journalist and news anchor for ABC7 – KGO Bay Area TV, and in his 35 years on television he has reported on a wide range of issues and events that affect our lives. Dan has covered stories all over the Bay Area, the country, and the world, and has received many industry awards including the prestigious DuPont Columbia Award, two Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in journalism, and numerous Emmy Awards for Best Newscast and Individual Reporting.
Dan Ashley also created the non-profit Rock the CASA Foundation to raise money through an annual concert to benefit the CASA organization and other charities, and over the years the event has featured several internationally known bands and artists. Listen for his single “Redbud Road” from Out There on Highway 1 Radio!
To order or stream the new single “YOU’RE A FRIEND OF MINE” please visit:
“Out There will be a real pleaser for long time fans while also offering a great gateway for newbies. Fans will likely hear notes of John Mellencamp, Tom Petty and others of the ilk here. The tender ballad “Lucky Stars” comes mid-album but Ashley’s back to rocking real quick with “Da Na Na Na Na,” an ode to the power chord (without power chords) that has an irresistible chorus that demands a sing along.”
“Damn. I sure wish this guy were my newscaster. Turns out Dan Ashley, a television journalist and news anchor for ABC7/KGO-TV in San Francisco, also is quite the singer — and he proves it on Out There. This 11-track CD features Ashley’s slightly weathered yet instantly likable voice, a stellar band and passionate songs that encourage repeat listens and boast widespread appeal. Ashley delivers. No wonder he’s opened for everyone from Cheap Trick and Melissa Etheridge to REO Speedwagon, Rick Springfield and Patti LaBelle.”
“From start to finish Out There takes you on a feel-good ride. You can hear Dan Ashley’s passion for making music and for bringing people together. Out There will fill you with nostalgia and provoke your thoughts in one listen. This is an album to watch out for and to listen to with the volume turned all the way up!”
“Dan Ashley is a man of tremendous experience and talents, and music is one of them. His solo album Out There presents 11 tracks firmly anchored in hard-driving rock and roll with masterful forays into lush ballads and Americana. In collaboration with legendary Concord-based producer/engineer/multiinstrumentalist Bill Bentley, Ashley offers a collection of mature, thought-provoking and playful songs.”
Translated: “Down-to-earth music with a high degree of authenticity, played fresh and bold. “Da Na Na Na Na” is another one of those ‘ Springsteen’ rockers with a punch. “Feel The Heat” follows and the rhythm guitars drive the song along with pounding drums. “
Translated: “Dan Ashley’s debut for radio stations on the domestic American highways is exactly the right music to get from city to city. Thoughtful, but also engaging in the emotional moment.”
Translated: “‘Lucky Stars’ surprises with its minimalist posture in a ballad with piano and smooth guitar; also the energetic rock with an interesting dose of power at the end of ‘Da Na Na Na Na‘ and the soulful ambience of Out There. The electric and acoustic elements are combined in a balanced way, giving space for Ashley’s voice to stand out.”
“I just had the opportunity to review the most recent release, Out There, by Dan Ashley and it’s packed full of likely radio tracks. With hints of John Cougar and straight up radio rockers, Ashley is joined by Bill Bentley on guitar, bass and keys, Mike Vanderhule on drums and Cornell CC Carter, Angela Ashley and Angeline Bentley.”
“This quite stunningly opulent new album opens on the free wheelin’ River City and the AOR rocker Redbud Road and backs those up seamlessly with the mid-tempo pairing of both Nothing Now and What Really Matters and then we get the sweepingly beautiful, lo-fi guitar and piano ballad Lucky Stars.
Next up is one of my own personal favorites on this new album, the raucous rock ’n’ roll of Da Na Na Na Na which is in turn followed by the storytelling of Better Life, and then we get the foot-tapping melodies of the title track Out There, the rhythmic rock of Feel the Heat, with the album rounding out on the AOR of We Stayed Home, closing on the mid-tempo balladry of Now and Then.”
“This SF anchor rocks out as a very credible AOR bombast singer that knows how to rock out. You could give this set a blind fold test. You would place it firmly in the 70s but you’d place it a lot closer to Y&T than you would Ted Baxter. It’s clear he knows how to make news as well as report it.”
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – Accomplished singer DAN ASHLEY brings a distinctive voice and his unique life experience to the Bay Area music scene with his exceptional blend of Americana and rock and roll. With the release of his remarkable new album OUT THERE on October 15, 2021, DAN ASHLEY shares in the joy, heartbreak, love, and loss that are part of our common humanity. Backed by a group of extraordinary musicians who have played and toured with an impressive list of major artists, Dan is thrilled to share his new music with his fans.
The new DAN ASHLEY album OUT THERE is the result of a powerful collaboration with his long-time friend, music producer, and writing partner Bill Bentley. The pair worked seamlessly together with a shared vision for what the album could be. Also contributing to OUT THERE are well respected musicians such as internationally acclaimed soul artist Cornell “CC” Carter and longtime Y&T drummer Mike Vanderhule. Both were so pleased upon hearing the initial tracks for OUT THERE that they offered to contribute to the material, and as a result elevated the album to a whole new level.
From upbeat and driving rockers to gentle ballads, all with a classic Americana and rock music sensibility, listeners will find a variety of songs on this new release. The title track “Out There” is a reflection on DAN ASHLEY’S lifelong fascination with the mystery and enormity of the universe, asking a basic question: if there is other life out there somewhere, do they suffer the same challenges that we all do? Dan sings, “Out there, is there war, is there pain? Is there even much to gain by tearing each other down, like this theater in the round?” He sings about life’s formative experiences and endless summer days at his childhood home on “Redbud Road,” and salutes Americans across the country for doing what we had to do to protect ourselves and our communities from this pandemic with “We Stayed Home.” And he doesn’t forget to thank his “Lucky Stars” for the undeniable feeling of love, connection, and gratitude that comes with being with the perfect person for you, and the sense of gratefulness all of us should have for the many blessings in our lives.
For more information about DAN ASHLEY and his album OUT THERE please visit: www.danashleymusic.com
To order or stream the new DAN ASHLEY album OUT THERE please visit:
“Anyone wanting some good music should buy this CD.. Plus besides being the Real Deal… Mark is Fucking Bad-Ass!
Mark Duda is from New York City and like Jim Carroll is a good story teller… This CD features some stellar musicians as Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) I enjoyed all the tracks but standout tracks are Avenue a Is Dead and the title song Bodega Flowers.”
Translated: “His rock work [is] so very melodic. The rhythm guitars have just the right amount of density with the melody. Quite an interesting album, where you can find a form of influences such as Willie Nile, the Ramones, Aerosmith, Bruce Springsteen.”
“Anyone wanting some good music should buy this CD.. Plus besides being the Real Deal… Mark is Fucking Bad-Ass!
Mark Duda is from New York City and like Jim Carroll is a good story teller… This CD features some stellar musicians as Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) I enjoyed all the tracks but standout tracks are Avenue a Is Dead and the title song Bodega Flowers.”
“Wonderful songs that illicit vivid colourful images of life and characters in NYC. [Duda] holds New York very close to his heart with the songs reflecting his life and life in general in the Big Apple. If you’ve ever been then the image’s he conjures will be all too familiar. Gimme some old time rock n roll and here it is…full of catchy melodies and hooks!”
Translated: “So here is a bloody good album of pure rock that will delight the followers of Lou Reed, David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, all the references cited in this column, rock full stop!”
Translated: “There is something for everyone to hear on the album “Bodega Flowers”, this handsome solo debut album by Mark Duda. They are all songs in which Mark Duda passionately poured his heart and soul. Sometimes when listening to it, nostalgic memories arise of bands like ‘The Ramones’, ‘The Rolling Stones’ or of psychedelic seventies rock groups like ‘Genesis’ or ‘Rainbow’. Mark Duda may still be a completely unknown artist to many, but this singer-songwriter and guitarist from New York City has built a remarkable history in the world of the American punk and rock scene. On this record he brings an extensive mix of all the musical influences he has sniffed in the New York music scene over the years. In eleven self-written compositions, he provides an overview of all kinds of strange figures, experiences and boastfulness that he has seen crop up in his life over the past decades.”
“This episode of Big Blend Radio’s Music Monday Show features NYC songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist Mark Duda who discusses his music career and new album Bodega Flowers.
Featuring Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) and others, Bodega Flowers is an emotional journey packed with characters, experiences, and swagger straight from Manhattan’s lower east side. More: https://www.markdudamusic.com/“
“New York storyteller Mark Duda is re-teaching the metropolis his rock ‘n’ roll. Because the artist, known as the singer of THE HANDFUL and MAD CITY ROCKERS, brings a breath of fresh air to the rock’n’roll circus. Together with bassist Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), drummer Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol) and saxophonist Arno Hecht (Dion, ROLLING STONES), he lives his influences from Buddy Holly, Lou Reed, David Bowie and Willie Nile in a sound somewhere between classic old-school rock and 70s rock in contemporary New York.”
“Many styles of rock ‘n’ roll merge on the album. The great thing about it is a production that absolutely nails it. Without frills and forward-looking, exactly what is important is done here. All the influences of the musicians and bands mentioned are reflected in the songs, but it never sounds copied or imitated; rather independent, fresh and honest, absolutely classic Rock’n’Roll.”
Translated: “Bodega Flowers by Mark Duda is full of great catchy danceable uptempo songs, which just sound good and I can highly recommend this album to every lover of the better pop!”
“Bodega Flowers opens on rambunctiously fantastic Ambulance Song and the studiously-crafted rock within the titular Bodega Flowers and they are followed by the atmospherically-charged rocker Astroland, the mid-tempo, low key ebb of Avenue A is Dead and then comes the Springsteen-esque Hush Money.
Next up is the aching balladry yearn of Don’t Wanna Be Right and the all-out R n’ R of Black Eyed Susan and then they are in turn backed seamlessly by the foot-tapping rhythms within the triumphant Wednesday, the old school rock of My Stash, the album rounding out with the ’80s-imbibed There Goes the Band, coming to a close with the surf-rock-embued Dead Again.”
“This is an album you need to check out! This eleven track album features such great tracks as Ambulance Song, the title track Bodega Flowers, Hush Money, Black Eyed Susan, There Goes The Band and much more. I enjoyed this album from start to finish with powerful vocals and excellent guitar work in addition to an amazing performance, creative songwriting talent and a superb recording.”
Featuring Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren & Utopia), Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) and others!
For Immediate Release – New York, NY – MARK DUDA is a New York City-based artist and storyteller who sings, plays guitar, and writes great rock and roll songs. MARK DUDA shines on his debut full-length album BODEGA FLOWERS, which journalist and musician Phil Mitchum praises as a “transformative album from a generational songwriter.” Set for release July 29, 2022, BODEGA FLOWERS is an emotional journey packed with characters, experiences, and swagger straight from Manhattan’s lower east side. MARK DUDA seamlessly blends all of the NY flavors he’s soaked up over the years, from Dion to Lou Reed, The NY Dolls, the Dead Boys, and beyond, bringing his own signature update to the New York rock and roll sound and continuing to forge the musical identity he first introduced with his Month of Sundays EP from 2017.
A singer/songwriter above all else, MARK DUDA is influenced by Dion, Buddy Holly, Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Willie Nile. These influences are effortlessly delivered through the glam rock lens he grew up with, and shine through on BODEGA FLOWERS. Just as Jesse Malin emerged from the glam punk of D Generation to carve out his niche as an important voice for New York singer-songwriters, MARK DUDA is now bringing his own unique voice to the scene. Over his storied career, MARK DUDA has collaborated with rock and roll royalty from New York and beyond. Recent collaborations include legendary guitarists Cheetah Chrome (Dead Boys), Jake Cinninger (Umphrey’s McGee), Pat Travers, and Steve Hackett (Genesis). Mark has also recorded with bassist Kenny Aaronson (Billy Idol, Joan Jett), bassist Kasim Sulton (Todd Rundgren, Joan Jett), drummers Bobby Rondinelli (Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult) and Thommy Price (Joan Jett, Billy Idol), and saxophone legend Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones).
BODEGA FLOWERS was executive produced by MARK DUDA and produced by Jimi K. Bones (Blondie, Joan Jett, Jonas Brothers, Willie Nile.)Jimi’s crisp production and arrangements perfectly showcase Mark Duda at his finest.Two-time Grammy nominee Kostadin Kamcev served as both recording and mastering engineer for BODEGA FLOWERS, while also contributing keys. BODEGA FLOWERS proudly features the legendary rhythm section of Kasim Sulton (bass) and Thommy Price (drums), collaborating here for the first time in 30 years! Jimi K. Bones further energizes the record with his guitar playing and background vocals. Arno Hecht (Dion, Rolling Stones) returns to play saxophone on several songs, and Johnny Pisano (Willie Nile) sings backing vocals throughout the record. Cynthia Longley Richards, who was featured on Month of Sundays, returns to the band to play cello on several songs, and Joan Chew (Lez Zeppelin) contributes keys.
Before recording 2017’s Month of Sundays, MARK DUDA gained wide recognition as the front man for New York hard rockers The Handful. The Handful have released four full-length albums since 2004, including Sons of Downtown in 2015, which was Mark’s first collaboration with Cheetah Chrome, and also features Mark in a duet with Cherie Currie of Runaways fame. Other releases with The Handful include Second Hand Smoke, Palmistry, and Wooden Indian on which Mark wrote, sang, and played guitar. Mark is also the lead vocalist for Rome, Italy-based band Mad City Rockers, who released the album Black Celebration in 2009, and handles guitar and vocals for contemporary heavy rockers August Fire. Mark continues to write and record for himself and with other groups.
BODEGA FLOWERS includes eleven brand new original MARK DUDA songs that are sure to make a fan of anyone who loves New York style rock and roll and is looking for something new to add to their rotation!
Translated: “These ten tracks shine in full light. I’ll throw out the title track, “The Day John Lennon Died”, “Breathing” and also “I Will Always Be There” as tips for playing. As a very cool ending, “Indian Cowboy” has to be mentioned, which surprises with a sitar played throughout – along with the other instruments – and thus automatically gives the song an oriental coloring. Class!”
“From Rainbow Bridge to Golden Gate, a brace of songwriters bring brilliant tunes over many a gap to reach the right audience. The music [The Beautiful Losers] produce is truly arresting. The ten songs on display feel for one’s soul to pull the listener’s inner strings into the caress of the little combo’s silky orchestra. With the magnificent “Stars Above” emerging as a Spectoresque cross between “Be My Baby” and “(Just Like) Starting Over” and the album’s titular number as a guitar-rolled “All The Young Dudes” descendant, it’s the spirits of a certain Beatle and Bowie that spread their wings over this record’s urban horizon.”
Translated: “Striking with this album are the beautiful melodies that the duo have created with their songs. It sometimes seems as if we have known songs like “No Pain”, “Stars Above”, “I Will Always Be There”, “The Best Thing” and the catchy danceable “Blinding Sun” for a long time and as if they were from the bygone years’ 90 originate. We also have to indicate here that the hit-sensitive song “Child”, brought as a ballad, will also be very high on our list.”
“[SAN FRANCISCO features] a brilliant performance with amazing vocals and harmonies, superb musicianship, excellent songwriting talent, and a brilliant job of recording and production.”
“This beautifully crafted and elegantly heartfelt new album opens on the Sgt. Pepper-esque Breathing and the organically earthy No Pain and follows those seamlessly with the easy going Stars Above, the dulcetly melodious I Will Always Be There and then comes a striving musical ache found within the titular San Francisco.
Along next is one of my own favorites, the poppy The Best Thing and the name-dropping, rhythmical The Day John Lennon Died, and they are in turn backed by the low ebb indie rock of both Blinding Sun Child, the album coming to a close on the atmospherically-charged, scratchy, yet strangely smooth of creation, Indian Cowboy (cool edit demo 2000).”
San Francisco and Tokyo have a strong connection to each other, which THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS showcase in their music and in the upcoming video for their new track “I Will Always Be There.” The video is being animated by Giezelle Bernal, who also did the album art in the same style that highlights the strong connection between the two sister-cities that mean so much to THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS.
THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS are an alternative rock duo formed by internationally esteemed professional songwriters Indo-Canadian Raj Ramayya and San Francisco native Brett Boyd. Described as “Indian-influenced electro-acoustic alternative rock,” THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS draw influence from a wide range of iconic rock artists, but it’s their diverse and innovative musical style and their unforgettable songs with poignant lyrics that define and set the band apart. The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is available on November 25, Black Friday 2022, and keep an eye out this holiday season for the re-release of their 2005 classic Christmas album Peace, Love, and Xmas!
For Immediate Release – San Francisco, CA – THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS are an alternative rock duo formed by internationally esteemed professional songwriters Indo-Canadian Raj Ramayya and San Francisco native Brett Boyd. Described as “Indian-influenced electro-acoustic alternative rock,” THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS draw influence from a wide range of iconic rock artists, but it’s their diverse and innovative musical style and their unforgettable songs with poignant lyrics that define and set the band apart. The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is available on November 25, Black Friday 2022, and keep an eye out this holiday season for the re-release of their 2005 classic Christmas album Peace, Love, and Xmas!
Brett and Raj met each other by chance in Tokyo in 1995, crossing paths when they were both young traveling artists exploring different cultures with a shared vision of creating music that has a positive impact on the world. As unknowns and outsiders to Japan they attracted a multi-ethnic group of Japanese misfits and expatriates from around the globe who didn’t fit into the usual scene, steadily gathering an assortment of unlikely friends and collaborators in the clubs and pubs of Tokyo. The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is a return to form for the group, who relocated to the US following the release of their 2010 album Four Corners of a Tiny Planet. Even though they have their roots and origins in Tokyo and still feel the pull of that city, the new album is called SAN FRANCISCO because this city is now their center. For them San Francisco is an iconic image representing a sort of promised land, a place of rebirth and renewal, a beacon of hope even as things may seem broken or desperate, all of which comes through thematically on the album.
There has always been a “multi-ethnic” theme in the production of their music, and on SAN FRANCISCO, recorded and mixed at Strawberry Hill Music studios in Northern California (www.strawberryhillmusic.com), THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS worked with musicians and engineers from Brazil, China, and Korea. The album’s closing track includes a Japanese sitar-player and was recorded in their apartment in Tokyo back in the day, adding a cool nostalgic bonus to the release and bringing it all full circle. San Francisco and Tokyo have a strong connection to each other, which THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS showcase in their music and in the upcoming video for their new track “I Will Always Be There.” The video is being animated by Giezelle Bernal, who also did the album art in the same style that highlights the strong connection between the two sister-cities that mean so much to THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS.
Brett and Raj began writing and recording songs again for SAN FRANCISCO around 2019 before the start of the pandemic, and the album is dedicated to two friends that passed as a result of that tragedy. The first is “Thai Tom” who the duo met on a boat with their guitars on the way to a gig on a Thai island and discovered that he and Brett had the exact same birthday and year. Thai Tom brought them to a local temple to commemorate their fortuitous meeting, and they all became so close that Thai Tom eventually officiated the wedding of Raj and his wife. The album is also dedicated to Raj’s brother-in-law, who sadly passed during the pandemic, and also coincidentally shared the exact same birthday and year with Raj.
As THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS, Raj and Brett have developed a devout fan base through relentless touring in support of major acts such as Coldplay, Indigo Girls, and Matt Nathanson, as well as song placements in MTV reality programs including Real Life Stories,Two-A-Days, and Parental Control. THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERShave had sponsorship from Heineken and Starbucks and have developed their American fan base from live appearances on leading local radio stations KFOG and Alice@97.3, West Coast Live, Amnesty International’sRock for Human Rights, NPR’s “All Songs Considered,”NARAS “Grammy Showcases,” and had their music featured in The Gap’s 40th anniversary marketing campaign.
As first-call composers, Raj Ramayya and Brett Boyd have contributed music and songs to leading Japanese film and anime productions such as cult-classics Cowboy Bebopand Wolf’s Rain,Toyota and Asahi Beer TV commercials, the Biohazardvideo game, and other recording artists, including punk rock legends Hi Standard and Ken Yokoyama, and iTunes chart toppers Studio Apartment and Captain Funk. Together Raj and Brett launched Strawberry Hill Music, specializing in music production, publishing, and promotion, and embodying their underdog do-it-yourself mentality of the 90s.
Raj and Brett have spent most of the last decade prioritizing their families, raising their children while pursuing various other successful musical endeavors, but THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS retain a loyal international fan base, due in large part to Raj and Brett’s multi-lingual ability to connect cross-culturally with fans throughout the world. Brett Boyd says of their formative years, “I will always credit Raj’s natural talent to be welcoming and inclusive to everyone and to attract so many different kinds of people. We performed everywhere we could, and we were sometimes surrounded by outcasts in the underbelly of Tokyo, but everyone was beautiful, and Raj and I found ways to befriend artistic collaborators and fans who are dear people in our lives to this day.”
The new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO is available on November 25, Black Friday 2022, and keep an eye out this holiday season for the re-release of their 2005 classic Christmas album Peace, Love, and Xmas!
To order or stream the new THE BEAUTIFUL LOSERS album SAN FRANCISCO please visit:
One part sultry R&B, two parts wall of glassy guitars. Add a pinch of attitude and a generous helping of syncopated rhythms. Bake for 4 minutes and 11 seconds and voila- you’ve got the perfect Rhythm Is Right pizza!
“Rhythm is all around us- It’s in the way we walk, breathe, and talk. Our hearts constantly beat to a rhythm. This song is an ode to this ever-present and important backbone In our lives, and of course, in our music.” -PTI
Roaring out of the fog-shrouded hills of Sonoma and drowning out the chatter, New Wave/Prog-Pop troubadours Pardon the Interruption (aka PTI) are taking their place — asserting their voice — in the storied musical conversation of the San Francisco Bay Area.
One foot is planted firmly in the past paying homage to some of the most singular and iconic artists of the ‘70s, 80s and ‘90s. The other is stepping boldly forward, producing original material that is at once nostalgically familiar while also entirely modern and unique. It’s undeniable fun. It will make you dance. It’s like a perfect pepperoni pizza. It’s Pardon The Interruption.
Band leader, lead singer and guitarist David Noble (Wreckless Strangers, Poor Man’s Whiskey, Nina Hagen) has assembled three of the finest, most versatile session musicians in Northern California, and fostered a cohesion that transcends music. PTI’s love for each other and their craft is visceral. You can feel it.
Noble is a San Francisco native who has made stops in Denver and L.A. and is himself among the top echelon of Bay Area guitar-slingers when not fronting PTI. A child of the ‘80s, David’s writing successfully synthesizes his love for pop legends like David Bowie, The Police and Talking Heads, with groundbreaking Bay Area art rock/ska artists like Mr. Bungle and Fishbone — deeply personal and deceptively intricate songs sugar-coated with accessible, catchy hooks.
Bassist Rob Fordyce (Peer Pressure, The Ring, Big Brother and the Holding Company) is a force of nature. Yes, he brings the funk, but that’s too narrow. Fordyce’s propulsive groove and unstoppable enthusiasm are the engine — the heart and the soul that power the machine; and his explosive chops rival the best the Bay Area has to offer.
Drummer Rob Hooper (aka The Other Rob) may be the most in-demand Americana drummer in Northern California, bringing the gravitas, experience, and rock-solid beats honed and hard-earned over decades in Austin, TX, where he worked with Jimmy Dale Gilmore, The Resentments, Carolyn Wonderland and countless others.
Jamison Smeltz (D8FeX, mRthKon, Ten Ton Chicken) is the wild card — the joker — playing an eclectic array of instruments with jaw-dropping proficiency. Smeltz melds the art-pop sensibilities of Bowie and Prince with his shameless love for progressive rock icons like Yes, who first inspired him to take up … the saxophone? Yup, that’s Jamison!
With each show PTI is demanding the attention of fans of funk, pop, ska, jam, prog, and just plain rock ‘n’ roll. The New Wave stylings of Pardon The Interruption are infectious and stand apart from the typical NorCal sound. Take a bite and you’ll see these guys mean business!
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