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Welcome to the September edition of the Orleans Newsletter. Thank YOU for being here!
Now that we have a brand new website, we also have a brand new and improved format for this newsletter! If you like knowing what’s going on, just READ ON!
If you missed the most recent Special Perk FREE Downloads, you can still grab them by going HERE.
If you’re new around here, you can catch up by visiting the links found on our Home page.
Topics covered in this E-zine:
1. What’s Been Going on?
Homecoming for the Hoppens
2. What’s coming up? Releases:
Mall Cop at YouTube — DVD —
Digital Downloads Store
3. Recaps
4. Gigs?
5. Cool Links
Geez! What HASN’T been going on? Lots of gigs in September — NY State Fair, RPM in Madison, WI for 2 days, Harrah’s in Reno, Penn’s Peak in PA, even BB King’s in Manhattan! We’ll come back to those …
But the BIG news is all about the Hoppen Brothers’ triumphant return to our home town — to play The Boulton Center in Bay Shore, NY. This renovated 250-seat theatre was where, as kids, we used to see black & white Batman serials at Saturday matinees … and, later, The Beatles’ “Help!”
A feature article in Long Island’s “Newsday”, as well as other press and radio exposure, resulted in a sell-out crowd — populated in part by old friends, neighbors and schoolmates of the Hoppens’. Not to miss the opportunity to document this gathering, I grabbed my camera on stage and, between tunes, shot their smiling faces!
An invitation to meet up after the show at The Peter Pan Diner (a local landmark and scene of many family dinners, dates and after gig munchies), was accepted by many! Can you say, “Party!”?
In fact, the gig was SUCH a success that Orleans was immediately asked back by the venue. We will be returning to play there again on April 4th, 2008!
Meanwhile, we brothers spent the day of the show revisiting old haunts; most notably, the home in which we grew up. None of us had been there since 1991, when our parents moved out after 35 years. It was very surreal, to say the least!
And to add to the experience, our sister, Lynda, made a surprise trip from Florida to be there with us.
If you’ve read this far, thanks for letting me share our “home movies”. Now, on with the announcements …
2. What’s coming up?Orleans “We’re Still Havin’ Fun” DVD!
I know we promised this for September, but there seems to be always one more thing that has to get done. In this case, it’s publishing license releases. Other than that “detail”, we’re ALL good to go! So …
The DVD will finally become available in October!
So, what’s in it?
1) 16 tracks, spanning the history of the band from the early days right on up to some previously unrecorded material …
2) Interview footage with all the members of the band (including both John and Fly) PLUS a special guest or two …
3) The National Anthem sung at Fenway Park, July 2006
MORE good news!
We have a “secret” special add-on performance to include on the disc! If you’ve been paying attention previously, you know I’m referring to “Mall Cop”.
If you haven’t seen or heard this offbeat tune yet, you soon will — released in TWO video versions on YouTube, with the full-length feature on the DVD.
At the same time, we’re just about to open the OrleansOnline Digital Download Store.
First up? mp3s of all 10 SONY CD cuts AND a “single” of “Mall Cop”, followed by …
ALL the remaining cuts from Ride, Analog 
Men, Live – Volume 2, a recently re-discovered in-studio radio concert from 1975 … and that’s just for starts!
There is so much to let you in on regarding releases and re-releases that we’ll soon be sending a Special Edition Newsletter, just to focus on that. In fact, to be able to do this right, we will be switching over to a new emailing system soon … and that will require you to RE-OPT-IN to the list. But I’ll remind you of that when it’s time, OK?
PBS began airing “My Music: The 70s Experience” the first weekend of August!
(check your local listings) (for the rest of the story, click here)
“We’re Still Havin’ Fun” (SONY/BMG)
A collection of 10 tracks from the soon-to-be-released DVD as audio-only. Although you might be able to find it at WalMart, etc. we can offer it to you right off the site! And, as a BONUS, we are including an EXCLUSIVE, SIGNED POSTER with every CD! … which you can ONLY get by purchasing through us.
“Live – Volume 1”: (“Greatest Hits” Live), “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” (latest studio cuts), “Still the One: Live” (30 years of tapes from our personal vaults) — ALL available at FridayMusic
It’s also worth a mentioning that the SWAG Shop is open now, with tee-shirts, caps, etc. New items will be added soon, so check back often.
September Gigs
Day 2 of RPM at “A Taste of Madison” featured:
Friday, October 5th – 5 PM
Belin Lions Fair
East Berlin, CT (Fairgrounds)
Saturday, October 6th – 10 AM(?)
Syracuse (NY) Univ. “Quad”, prior to Syracuse/West Virginia Football Game
Wednesday, October 10th
PRIVATE – RPM gig for TYCO, Inc
House of Blues, DisneyWorld
Orlando, FL
Saturday, October 13th – 8 PM
Oktoberfest
Special guests John Cafferty & “Tunes” from The Beaver Brown Band
Celebration, FL
Saturday, October 20th – 8 PM
Ridgefield Playhouse
Special guests Jimi Jamison & Joe Lynn Turner (Deep Purple)
Ridgefield, CT
Please check the Tour Dates page periodically for details & updates about live shows.
Charlie Morgan’s British sense of humor
Eric Clapton Shreds (Fly Amero’s sense of humor)
Interesting movie about the Music Industry coming out
If YOU have a Cool Link to share, please send it to orleanssupport@gmail.com
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As for me —
Hope you’re enjoying the new web stuff at least half as much as I am creating it. Feedback is always welcome at orleanssupport@gmail.com
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Best wishes for wherever your path may lead you,
Lance Hoppen
(on behalf of all of Orleans)
PS — please forward the newsletter to ALL of your friends, so they may choose to sign up and receive “the good stuff”, too! (see the one-click function at th
