
Lance, Charlie, Fly, Lane & Larry
Today’s line-up sounds as good as
or better than ever!
Hello!
Welcome to the April edition of the Orleans Newsletter. We’re grateful for you being here … we really appreciate YOU!
We dug down deep for some more Special Perk FREE Downloads for List Members Only! The next batch of 3 comes from the very early days. Two of these tunes were never recorded, except as captured here! Unfortunately, due to website tech problems, they are not yet posted for download.
Sorry 🙁 (see below for the explanation)
If you’re new around here, you can catch up on some of what we’ve been up to by visiting the links found on the Home page of OrleansOnline.com
Topics covered in this E-zine:
1. What’s been going on?
2. Updates on …
DVD Progress
SONY/BMG “Extended Versions” CD
3. Gigs?
4. More than you wanted to know
5. Cool Links
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Happy Birthday, bro!
Send well-wishes to edlane1956@aol.com
(he’s single, ladies!)
1. What’s Been Going On???
WOW! It’s been two months already since we last published this ezine. Why’s that?
Well, because there’s been a lot going on but not much to talk about. Since our flurry of gigs in February (Toronto, Florida, Connecticut, St. Thomas), we’ve been in gig downtime … but we start up again at the end of April (see the Gigs? section)
And just to make things interesting … did anyone notice that, for quite a long time now, there has been NOTHING on the Tour Diary page of the website? … and there were no Tour Dates posted until recently? That’s because our “service provider” (NOT), NIMBIT, decided to cancel those features, but not tell us about it. Just great!
Well, that was the last straw. As you read this, we are busy creating an entirely new and improved OrleansOnline.com. Just in time for all that’s about to happen. Please read on …
2. Updates on …
SONY/BMG CD Release

live CD on Sony/BMG
Scheduled for release in May
10 New Tracks from the upcoming DVD
Orleans will have a CD released by SONY/BMG in their “Extended Versions” series in May, 2007. Scheduled to be in stores by Memorial Day. This is a budget line (only $6.98) of 10 live recordings by the artist.
We decided to use this opportunity to release 10 tracks from the soon-to-be-released DVD as audio-only. That way, the public at large will be exposed to our most current work and YOU will be able to have most of the DVD music to play in your car, etc.
Orleans “We’re Still Havin’ Fun” DVD nearing completion!

Charley Dechant, Larry, Fly, John Hall
Lance, Lane, Charlie, Manuel Quintana
Also to be released on Sony/BMG?
The first-ever “Orleans In Concert” DVD is essentially DONE. However, we are in the process of talking to SONY/BMG about releasing it, too, on their label, and that will likely delay its release until summer.
BOTH the DVD and the CD, separately and as a set, will eventually be available for purchase at OrleansOnline.com
We are also looking into re-releasing the 1990 Japan Tour Laser Disc in DVD format, concurrent with the new DVD release. If we can do that (and why not?), we will be offering a special 2-fer (or maybe a 3-fer) package deal to YOU! Stay tuned.
Lastly, does anyone remember the project I started hinting at last fall … the one with my writing partner, Shawn Gallaway? Well, it’s taking WAY longer than we expected to close this very different (but very cool) recording deal for us and Orleans. However, it looks like we are finally coming in for landing. Problem is, I STILL can’t tell you who it’s for (or I’d have to kill you :-). Maybe next time?
3. Gigs?
Thanks to webmaster John Heithaus for posting all our upcoming gig info manually … but we failed to tell him about these first 3:
Friday, April 27th: RPM (“All hits, all the time”) will be performing at the Celebrities Fore Children event (it’s a golf thing), at the Marriott Grand Hotel in Point Clear, AL (near Mobile).
Saturday, April 28th: I will be playing with Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals at North Fork Theatre (Westbury Music Fair), Westbury, Long Island, NY. It’s back to home turf for Felix (and me!).
Saturday, May 19th: Orleans as a trio (Larry, Lance & Fly) will be opening for Edgar Winter at “The Egg” in Albany, NY. Showtime is 7:30. (This show was added just this past week)
Saturday, May 27th: Orleans will be in Milwaukee, WI at the Dane County Coliseum Grounds.
Please check www.OrleansOnline.com/TourDates.html periodically for more info and updates about live shows.
4. More than you wanted to know?
Recently, Larry responded in writing to interview questions posed by writer/reviewer Eric Abrahamsen. The result is a very long and winding insider’s view of the history of Orleans, from start to finish. If you haven’t filled your reading quota for the week and have an insatiable desire “dish” for details, the article can be found at
Even I learned things about us I didn’t know! 🙂
If you don’t have that kind of time to spend but still would like a definitive and ACCURATE condensed version history …
We found that someone had put up a reasonable (but flawed) attempt at describing our journey on Wikipedia. The good(?) thing about Wikipedia is you can go in and edit anyone’s post (or replace it with your own, as we did here 🙂
5. Cool Links!
Andy McKee — The term “reinventing the guitar” has been overused, but this guy is on his own ball park! VERY cool!
For the drummer nuts — Terry Bozzio & Chad Wackerman (Part 1)
Most unlikely band roster — John Sebastian with Ronnie Spector, Felix Cavaliere, Roger McGuinn, Al Anderson (on bass) and Richard Manuel (on drums) … love the choreography 🙂
John Sebastian & Friends “Way Back”
RPM –— “All hits, all the time!”
http://www.rpmconcerts.com/

photographer, Frank Herrmann, went to
Abbey Road Studios to photograph The Beatles,
before they posed for the historic Sgt. Pepper
cover shoot. Some of the negatives of that
shoot were lost and only now, thanks to digital
technology, has he been able to produce prints
from the contact sheets.
As for me —
Sold the 1970 Mercedes 280SE/c on eBay … turned around and bought a 1989 560SL roadster for 1/2 the price. Life is good. 🙂
One last thing!
Check out these rare Lost Beatles Photos !
On March 30, 1967, photographer Frank Hermann took a series of photographs of The Beatles, as they prepared to sit for the “Sgt. Pepper” cover. Due to problems with the negatives, these photos were not available all these years, but now, due to digital technology, prints have been made from the contact sheets.
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OK. That’s more than enough for one sitting.
Best wishes for wherever your path may lead you,
Lance Hoppen
(on behalf of all of Orleans)
PS — 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)