Love In Action Guitar Pick Give-A-Way

Another free give-a-way from the Toddities Blog! This time it is a guitar pick, printed with "You Can't Stop" on one side and "Love in Action" on the other.

This is our second merchandise give-a-way in just a few weeks. So, if you received a Secret Society pin from us recently, please hang back to give some other people a chance. We only have 50 picks to give away.

For everyone else, here's how to get your free Love In Action Guitar Pick:

1. Sign up for "GET TODDITIES EMAIL UPDATES" on the right hand side of this page. Just enter your email address and hit "Submit".

2. Send us your mailing address (where you would like us to send your swag!). Send your mailing address to TodditiesBlog@gmail.com.

3. Go to your window, open it and shout "I Love Todd Rundgren!!" Then sing a couple of verses of your favorite Todd song.

4. Stand on your tippy-toes, spin around three times and then......well I guess that's going too far. You don't have to do this one.

Thank you for supporting Toddities. We love you. Love Peace.

Todd Rundgren - A Wall in NYC

On this solemn day, Toddities remembers those who lost their lives in the attacks, and those who have since lost their lives protecting us.  Love.  Peace.

Todd Rundgren Fans Plan Utopian Community

A dedicated group of Todd Rundgren fans have taken the first step in planning a life long dream: to build a community where they can all live peacefully together. They have named it Utopia Village.

Many among Todd's legion of fans have been discussing the idea on and off for several years. Since they often travel to concerts and have been together for special events many have formed close bonds over time. Among them, it often comes up in conversation, "Wouldn't it be great if we could be together all the time?" Now, some of them are reaching retirement age and are factoring that idea into their plans.

They have formed a facebook page https://www.facebook.com/groups/UtopiaVillage where they have begun to share their ideas. Discussions are ongoing about location, types of housing, ammenities, etc. And, of course, a concert venue is part of the plan.

As the participants come from varied backgrounds many are offering their skills to make the project a reality. Among them are carpenters, plumbers, accountants, business managers, real estate professionals, and of course, a pychotherapist.

A target date of three to five years has been set for completion.

If you would like to contribute, or if you are just curious, search for Utopia Village on facebook or visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/UtopiaVillage/

Todd Rundgren at the Akron Civic Center August 31, 2013

Who Are You Calling a "Wild-Eyed Cultist"?

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal:

TODD RUNDGREN

8 p.m. Tuesday, Pabst Theater. $35.

Todd Rundgren is the epitome of a musician with a cult following, which can be good, because there's always an attentive and reliable fan base, and bad, because wild-eyed cultists can turn off potential fans.

Still, even the curious might brave the converted to catch this show, not because it has been advertised (sardonically?) as featuring "four decades of hits," but because Rundgren has brought along Jesse Gress, Kasim Sulton, Prairie Prince and John Ferenzik.

All have played with Rundgren: Sulton primarily in Utopia (Rundgren's prog-rock group) and Prince notoriously in the New Cars (the Cars, with Rundgren replacing Ric Ocasek).

They can handle Rundgren's material — from the soft-rock classic "Hello It's Me" to this year's deliberately arty pop album "State" — in ways that might convince the hesitant to believe he's the pioneering genius that his cult claims he is.

— Jon M. Gilbertson

Todd Rundgren Rocks Canalside with Sister Sparrow

http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/15210854-todd-rundgren-rocks-canalside


Todd Rundgren Rocks Canalside

Buffalo : NY : USA | Aug 15, 2013 at 10:32 PM PDT

By Sherrill Fulghum

On August 15 Canalside ath te Erie Canal Harbourside in Buffalo got down and loud with some good old fashioned rock and roll when This is Fiction, Sister Sparrow, andTodd Rundgren took the stage.

Buffalo's own This is Fiction got the night of rock started off and played a six song set to a rather small but very enthusiastic crowd. One fan even shouted that he wanted to marry the lead singer Derek's guitar. Derek responded that the guitar was single.

After a break to reset the stage, and a few impatient fans shouting to bring on the band, Sister Sparrow and the Dirty Birds took the stage. Sister Sparrow is a rock band with a female singer, a harmonic player, and a brass section of trumpet, trombone, and baritone saxophone. Among the songs during the 10 song set on the beautiful summer evening was "Make it Rain"; and dedicating the song to all mothers in the crowd Sister Sparrow sang "Mama Knows".

The New York eight piece band began as a family affair with big brother Jackson on the harmonica and cousin Bram holding it down on the drums. But Jackson is much more than just the typical harmonica player, he made that tiny little instrument sound as huge as a Hammond organ - and soudned just like one too.

As Sister Sparrow was ending their set and the sun was getting low in the sky, the area around the stage was as crowded as a street corner at The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. During the break, the crowd was tense with anticipation and ready to explode with excitement as they waited to hear the headlining artist of the week - Todd Rundgren.

Finally the big man took the stage and after working the stage - constantly moving - and performing a couple of songs Rundgren donned a green guitar saying, "yeah, it's a guitar. Guitars are cool".

Soon a stool appeared alongside an instrument case/table with Rundgren telling the crowd that his conctract required a certain amount of sit time - about four songs -; adding that sometimes he even had a snack - holding up a banana. As it turned out when he announced that it was time for his snack, the "banana" was a musical shaker.

Teasing the crowd Rundgren told them that he was going to perform his biggest hit...in Australia which turned out to be "Can We Still Be Friends".

Once his required "sit time" was fulfilled, Rundgren again took to rocking the stage and conducting his four piece band performing a number of his hit songs; but there was one missing from the list...until the encore. Once again teasing the fans Rundgren contenplated as to which song they should perform for the what turned out to be a two song encore. Then everyone heard the big one..."Hello it's Me".

At 65 Rundgren shows no signs of waning, he hasn't lost his voice or musical ability like some rockers of his era. The packed crowd danced, sang, and clapped along and when it all came to an end; they stood and chanted for more when the roadies began to tear down the stage. Reluctantly the fans began to disperse, many hanging around the stage hoping for souvenirs.

Sherrill Fulghum is based in Niagara Falls, New York, United States of America, and is an Anchor for Allvoices.

Closest Thing to Utopia on Stage

http://niagara-gazette.com/nightandday/x389854669/Closest-thing-to-Utopia-on-stage-Thursday-in-Buffalo

August 15, 2013
Closest thing to Utopia on stage Thursday in Buffalo

By Thom Jennings ngedit@niagara-gazette.com Night & Day


Night & Day — On Oct. 31, 1982, I witnessed a show that changed my life. Todd Rundgren, Kasim Sulton, Roger Powell and Willie Wilcox, collectively known as Utopia. Within a few weeks, a friend of mine who was a local disc jockey for a rock radio station began sharing cassette tapes of the band’s live performances, and soon afterward began what most and my friends called an “odd obsession.”

The advantage of being a Utopia fan is that the band members lead you in many musical directions. Todd’s production work leads you to big names like Grand Funk, Meat Loaf and Cheap Trick. Keyboardist Roger Powell toured with David Bowie and even is mentioned in Pete Townshend’s autobiography. Drummer Willie Wilcox’s resume includes work with Hall and Oates and Stacey Q. Finally, bassist Kasim Sulton, his list includes Joan Jett, Meat Loaf, Celine Dion, Bon Jovi, The New Cars and Blue Oyster Cult.

Utopia last performed together in 1992. Since then Kasim Sulton is the only member of the four piece unit that has worked with Todd Rundgren on a consistent basis. Sulton will be part of Rundgren’s band in Buffalo along with guitarist Jesse Gress, keyboardist John Ferenzik and drummer Prairie Prince.

Both Rundgren and Sulton will be in town Thursday at the free Buffalo Canalside show.

Since his days in Utopia Kasim’s services have been in heavy demand. For this tour he had to decide whether to continue to tour with Blue Oyster Cult or go on the road with Todd.

“The way Blue Oyster Cult books their shows is very different; if they get an offer for a show in a week they may take it. When the Todd tour came along there weren’t many BOC shows booked for the summer so I was caught between a rock and a hard place,” Sulton said during a recent phone interview from his home in the New York City area.

“Todd’s fans are the ones that know me best. My fan base isn’t BOC’s. Then there is the history factor, I’ve known Todd for 37 years. It was a no-brainer and the only thing I had to worry about is if BOC would take me back, and they said that wasn’t a problem.”

Fan of the four-piece Utopia band were recently treated to a couple of surprises. The band was featured prominently on the cover of a recent issue of “Goldmine” magazine, and it included interviews with all the band members. It was one of the few times in recent years Todd has talked extensively about his former band.

“I was pleasantly surprised at how generously he spoke about our history. Unfortunately, Utopia was something that wasn’t going to last forever and everybody had their other interests and other things going on,” Sulton said.

In recent years Todd has uncharacteristically revisited his past, putting on album shows, touring with the progressive rock lineup known as “Todd Rundgren’s Utopia” and even mining deep in his catalogue to play “We Gotta Get You a Woman” during orchestra shows.

The closest fans have come to seeing a four-piece Utopia reunion came in 2009 when Todd surprised fans with an opening set of Utopia songs before his performance of “A Wizard a True Star.” The band featured Rundgren, Sulton, Powell and Prairie Prince.

“As much as I love Prairie, I thought Willie should have been there. Prairie is great but he wasn’t a member of Utopia and I think that is the reason Todd won’t tour with the three of us and call it Utopia. Aside from that, Roger has bad arthritis and can’t play for any extended period of time.”

Many fans speculate that a long-standing rift between Wilcox and Rundgren is the only thing that stands in the way of a full reunion. While a full tour seems unlikely for a number of reasons, a one-off performance or mini-tour may be easier to pull off.

“Never say never, I have talked to Todd about it and I have talked to Willie about it but to be honest I doubt it will happen.”

Todd’s show in Buffalo will feature one song from his Utopia days “Love is the Answer,” which may be the answer to how the band can reunite.

In the meantime, Utopia fans can look forward to hearing new music later this year from Kasim Sulton as he puts the finishing touches on his solo album entitled “3.” The cover will feature a mosaic of fan submitted pictures, including one featuring me and my dog, whose name is Kasim.

Thom Jennings covers the local music scene for Night and Day.

Photos from Todd's Sold Out Show at The Gramercy Theater 5-10-2013

Akron, OH (PRWEB) April 24, 2013

Todd Rundgren will perform with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Youth Symphony on August 31st, 2013 at the Akron Civic Theatre in Akron, OH. This will be the first time ever Rundgren has performed with two different orchestras on the same stage at the same time and the first time he has performed with a youth orchestra. The concert is being presented by RundgrenRadio.com. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com.

The August concert will include special guests keyboardist John Ferenzik, guitarist Jesse Gress, drummer Prairie Prince, bassist Kasim Sulton, and background singers Mary Lou Arnold and Michele Rundgren.
Full details about the concert can be found at http://www.MaestroToddRundgren.com.

The Todd Rundgren with the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Youth Symphony concert will be Rundgren's third symphonic concert in North America; in June of last year, Todd performed two concerts with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra in Rockford, IL. Both concerts in Rockford were presented by RundgrenRadio.com. The orchestra concert in Akron will consist of both the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Youth Symphony.

The idea of Todd performing with a full orchestra was the brainchild of Netherland radio DJ and music connoisseur Co de Kloet. His idea came to life in September of 2011 when Todd performed two concerts in the Netherlands backed by the Dutch Metropole Orchestra. Todd returned to Amsterdam in November of last year and performed again with the Dutch Metropole Orchestra in front of a sold out crowd at the famous Paradiso venue. The conductor for the Dutch concerts was Steve Slidewell and the orchestral arrangements were done by Tom Trapp. The North American concerts would be difficult to do without the generosity of the Dutch Metropole Orchestra sharing their charts from those concerts.

A Wizard, A True Star. The title of Todd Rundgren's 1973 solo album aptly sums up the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, and conceptualist, Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential `60's cult group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him 'Rock's New Wunderkind'. It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow and the above mentioned A Wizard, A True Star, as well as such hit singles as I Saw The Light, Hello It's Me, Can We Still Be Friends, and Bang The Drum.

Rundgren's myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meatloaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, and Hall And Oates. Rounding out his reputation as rock's Renaissance Man, Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics for Joe Papp's 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton's Up Against It (the screenplay commisioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their third motion picture). He also has composed the music for a number of television series, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Crime Story.

For more than 60 years, the Akron Symphony Orchestra has been a driving musical force throughout the Greater Akron area. Widely recognized for musical excellence and performance versatility, the Akron Symphony Orchestra is committed to enhancing the quality of life of their community through educational and musical excellence.
Akron Youth Symphony is the Akron Youth Orchestra’s flagship ensemble and one of Ohio’s oldest youth orchestras. It presents three concerts each year at multiple venues and provides talented young musicians with an unforgettable, professional musical experience in their formative adolescent years. The orchestra celebrated its 50th anniversary by traveling to New York City and performing a concert in Carnegie Hall.

Todd Rundgren Jokes

Thought we would go to the lighter side of things today. Here are a few Todd Rundgren related jokes.

The first one is from the February 14, 2007 episode of 30 Rock:

In the episode one someone calls Tina Fey's charecter, Liz Lemon, the "C" word.

She was offended and when discussing it with her producer/another writer she refused to repeat the word.(which by the way was cleverly concealed).

She told the writer the word rhymed with the title of his favorite Todd Rundgren album and he looked puzzled and asked "someone called you something that rhymes with The Hermit of Mink Hollow?"



"Mommy! Mommy! When I grow up I want to be a guitar player like Todd Rundgren!"
"Now Johnny, you can't do both!"




A Todd fan died and ended up in hell. The devil greeted him and showed him to a room. All there was in this room was a stereo. The devil tells the Todd fan that only he controls the stereo, and anything he does to try and turn the stereo off will raise the temperature in his room one degree. So the devil turns the stereo on and puts on Something/Anything, and hits the repeat button. "I'll see you in a thousand years" he says, and slams the door.

A thousand years go by and the devil is making his rounds and comes to the Todd fan's room. He opens the door only to find the room the same temperature as when he left. The devil is amazed by how much self control the fan has shown and decides that he had learned his lesson and was going to let him go. So the devil turns off the music, and before the devil has a chance to say anything, the fan turns around and says "Hey, I was listening to that!"



How many Todd fans does it take to change a lightbulb? One to actually change it, 10 to take pictures of it, and 100 to talk about it on Facebook.