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Hello!
Welcome to the Thanksgiving edition of the Orleans Newsletter. We are thankful for you being here. We really appreciate it!
If you’re new around here, you can catch up on some of what we’ve been up to by visiting the Tour Diary page and other links found on the Home page of www.OrleansOnline.com Before too long, we hope to have a Newsletter Archives link so newbies can read past editions. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile, here’s the link to your
FREE DOWNLOADS and SPECIAL CD OFFER
www.OrleansOnline.com/CDspecialFall2006.html
(You’ll want to save this email and/or bookmark this page)
This is just the beginning of the special perks for List Members Only! Enjoy!
Topics covered in this E-zine:
1. John Hall WINS Congressional Seat
2. DVD Progress
3. The PBS Connection
4. SONY/BMG “Extended Versions” release
5. ErrorFm.com Interview to Air Next Week
6. Gigs?
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Well, the BIG news around here (for anyone who is still unaware of it) is that our Orleans Co-Founder, John Hall, WON his bid for election to the U.S. Congress on November 7th! We have had that posted on the Home page of www.OrleansOnline.com ever since shortly after the announcement. Take a look!
John edged out his incumbent opponent by a narrow margin of 51.3% to 48.7% — not unlike how many elections were won this time around. Still, not too bad for a middle-aged, guitar-playing songwriter, huh?
You can read all about it at www.JohnHallForCongress.com
This really comes as no surprise to us here, as we fully expected John to win and supported him all the way. As we said in the last Newsletter, “We applaud and commend John for taking the bull by the horns, as there are not many among us who have the will, ability and stamina to do so.” We wish John well at his new “gig” on Capitol Hill and know he will serve his country well. Amen.
Many people are claiming it was their efforts that put John over the top, including Stephen Colbert from Comedy Central. They keep moving where it’s stored but, if you go to www.ComedyCentral.com and search The Colbert Report, Indecision 2006, Know a Challenger, you still might be able to find the footage in question … and see John do duets of Dance With Me and The Star Spangled Banner with Colbert. 🙂
Of course, now we are doubly glad that we had the foresight to reintegrate Fly Amero (www.FlyAmero.com ) into the band. Obviously, it’s not possible for John to be conducting government business during the week and then play gigs on the weekend, right? So, at least for the next 2 years, it’s Congressman Hall and Orleansman Amero. 🙂
In a perfect world, there will be special occasions when ALL of us can reconvene for certain shows — maybe in support of some socio-political-humanitarian cause or special fundraisers. Cool!
As for what happens after 2 years is up, it’s anyone’s guess. I, for one, would not discount the possibility of John’s re-election or even advancement higher still into the inner circle of government. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be the first time he took a sabbatical, only to return at a later date.
When your band is coming up on it’s 35th Anniversary, you learn to stay open to possibility. 🙂
Not too much to report on the first-ever “Orleans In Concert” DVD shot on Aug. 25th at the First United Methodist Church in Pittsfield, Mass., other than “these things take time”. Still, we HAVE heard and seen a few preliminary rough mixes and video cuts … and we look and sound pretty darn good (thank God!).
We expect that the DVD will be ready for release some time in the first quarter of 2007 … and we’ll keep you posted as we go.
You can see the Orleans “Big Band” cast of characters in the photo to the left. From left to right it’s …
Charley Dechant (from Hall & Oates band) / sax
Larry Hoppen
Dennis “Fly” Amero (our newest bandmate) / guitars, vocals
John Hall
Lance Hoppen
Lane Hoppen / keys, vocals, trumpet
Charlie Morgan / drums
Manuel Quintana / percussion
Many of you know that Orleans taped 4 tunes for a PBS TV fundraiser special, to be aired some time next year, entitled “70s Soft-Rock Celebration”. Some of you were there when it happened back in May at Belmont University here in Nashville (literally a 5-minute walk from my house).
Anyway, it is our hope that the Orleans DVD, in whole or in part, will also wind up as a fund raising show for PBS. Wouldn’t that be awesome?
A similar application is already further along in that process for Larry’s “other band”, RPM (www.RPMConcerts.com “All Hits, All the Time”) and has been targeted for airing in the Florida market some time in January 2007.
We encourage you to take advantage of the great programming on PBS for you and your entire family and to support PBS through your contributions.
This just in: Orleans will have a CD released by SONY/BMG in their “Extended Versions” series some time in 2007. This is a budget line (only $6.98) of 10 live recordings by the artist.
WAIT! Before you ask, “How many Live CDs can one band have???” — They, of course, want the hits, but the remainder of the 10 tracks can be anything we want! So …
We have live versions of Still the One, etc. that have not made it to any CD yet but, more interestingly …
We have cuts from Orleans Live Volume 2 (yes, there IS a Volume 2 to go along with Volume 1, but there were only 500 of those ever printed).
Plus, we will have cuts from the new DVD that can’t make it on to the 2-hour disc .
Plus, you probably didn’t know that we have a Laser Disc of a show done in Tokyo, Japan in 1991! (some day we will ready that disc for U.S. release)
Plus, Larry has his DAT collection of everything he didn’t get to listen to when we put together Still the One Live a few years ago … and he’s threatening to pull it all out of the closet!
So, we have PLENTY of “new” stuff to put on this SONY release! Cool!
Apparently, we will be in great company, as all of these acts are already in the CD series:
Little Feat, Marshall Tucker Band, Mountain, Outlaws, Todd Rundgren, Tubes, Poco, Paul Rogers, Pat Benetar, REO, Peter Frampton, Yes, 38 Special, Deep Purple and on and on …
Needless to say, we’re pretty jazzed about it! Stay tuned for more info.
Larry and I had the great pleasure today to speak at length to Jason Jeffries at www.ErrorFM.com
This was our first-ever conversation with Jason and we were wowed by his in depth knowledge of and interest in our history. He had all the most obscure Orleans LP releases. He was a big fan of the “Ride” CD (totally unavailable now). He even had a Boffalongo LP (and NOBODY has those 🙂
If you’re “that” kind of fan, I suggest you try to listen to the 40 minutes or so we chatted on the phone today. It will air sometime next week at www.ErrorFm.com Please check the site for more info!
And why “ErrorFM”? Because they play the kind of stuff that most radio won’t touch these days. God love ’em! Thanks, Jason!
For better or worse, there are currently no live dates on the books for Orleans for the rest of 2006. There are, however, a few RPM (Rock & Pop Masters www.RPMConcerts.com ) shows.
The next Orleans date at the moment will be in Toronto, Canada on January 20th, 2007. This is a fundraiser for a wonderful organization called S.A.S.S. — Scholastic Association of Student Songwriters. www.sasscanada.net
We also have a trio show to do on February 3rd in Jupiter, Florida at a place called The Maltz Theater. The details of this, like all gigs, will be posted on the Touring page of www.OrleansOnline.com as we get closer to it.
Last and certainly not least, Orleans will be taking a trip to St.Thomas, V.I. to play a “Dancin’ in the Moonlight” show on February 17th. Be there or be square!
And the good news is that there are a couple of real tour package ideas being kicked around for us for 2007.
Please check www.OrleansOnline.com/touring.html periodically for updates about live shows.
As for me —
Next up is a BIG project I have been working towards for months with my good friend and co-writer, Shawn Gallaway. You can check him out at www.ShawnGallaway.com This deal is still not yet closed, but it’s looking better and closer all the time. I’ll wait until it IS closed to unveil what’s behind this particular curtain.
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OK. That’s more than enough for one sitting.
All of us here at Orleans wish you and yours a very Happy Thanksgiving (for those of you in the States). For everyone, we wish you an awareness of all there is in your life to be grateful for. It’ll make you feel good!
Best wishes for wherever your path may lead you,
Lance Hoppen
(on behalf of all of Orleans)
PS — be SURE to pick up your FREE DOWNLOADS at www.OrleansOnline.com/CDspecialFall2006.html
PPS — please forward this to ALL of your friends, so they may choose to sign up and receive “the good stuff”, too! (see the one-click function at the top of this email)
