Month: May 2016

Hours and hours of Rick Springfield music

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This weekend there will be another Saturday Night Springfield Special, which is hours and hours of Rick Springfield music.

And to any naysayers who are ready with a sarcastic comment: No, that doesn’t mean a continuous loop of “Working Class Dog” and “Success Hasn’t Spoiled Me Yet.” We’re talking hours and hours of RS songs where no song is repeated – five decades worth of music.

This show is thanks to Rowdy Ron, a DJ/comedian that has created a little community with his online radio show that he’s been doing for eight years. Last weekend, he announced that he is planning only four more shows – one being this weekend’s Saturday Night Springfield Special. (His shows are on Friday and Saturday nights and he’s announced that his last show, on June 4, will be devoted to Prince.)

Click here to get there, starting at 8 p.m. EST. (UPDATE: There is also a Facebook chat room where fans from all over the world chat during the show: Rowdy Ron Radio Chat.)

My first Saturday Night Springfield Special was in December 2014, which was seven hours straight of RS music! It was so cool because there were so many songs I had never heard before – for fans who stopped listening in the 1980s, it’s a great opportunity to discover what RS has done since. In past years, Rowdy Ron also did these shows in honor of RS’s birthday in August, which are fun to listen to not only for the music, but because Rowdy Ron is so funny. He has also done many wonderful interviews with musicians, authors and other special guests on his shows.

The Saturday night show will also help raise funds for Ruben Velasco, RS’s guitar tech who is battling cancer. (Click here to learn about the Still Rockin’ for Ruben campaign and here to visit the YouCaring page.)

Thanks to Rowdy Ron for sharing your love of music and for all your entertaining shows! Best of luck on your future endeavors!

Raffle for Ruben

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Ruben Valesco, Rick Springfield’s guitar tech, was diagnosed with  Stage 4 cancer in 2014 and is still fighting the battle. A “Rockin for Ruben” benefit concert was held at Hollywood’s House of Blues on the Sunset Strip in August of that year and when I saw him on stage at a concert sometime last year, I hoped he had won the battle. Sadly, it was recently announced that his battle continues.

Rick Springfield and team is helping raise funds for Ruben’s medical care via crowdfunding. Find donation information, as well as updates on Ruben, here.

But that’s not all. RS’s amazing fans have also planned a fundraiser in support of Ruben.

“Still Rockin’ for Ruben,” a raffle planned by We Love Rick Springfield and the Rick and the NEWSflash Facebook Group, will run through July 1. For every $5 in donations, you will receive one raffle ticket number and raffle tickets can also be earned by donating platelets to your local Red Cross. Prizes are being donated by Rick Springfield fans and friends.

For a list of prizes and rules, visit the We Love Rick Springfield website.

Ruben, wishing you strength to fight this battle and hope to see you at a future show!

UPDATE: : (

My condolences to RS, the rest of the band, and all of Ruben’s friends and family. May he rest in peace.

According to the Youcaring page, the donations made will be used to help his family pay for medical bills and funeral costs and the fan raffle is now a memorial fund.

Perseverance or predestined?

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I went to an open mic earlier this week, one of the most popular ones in town where many talented musicians perform. It was my first time there and besides the local legend running the open mic, I hadn’t heard of any of the performers. As I watched them, I couldn’t help but think of all the talented musicians out there in the world and the disparities between how this talent plays out.

Why is one musician performing at a local open mic while others are selling out stadiums on a world tour? Is it luck? Is it perseverance? Is it fate?

Of course, this train of thought led me right to the subject of this blog, who has said in several interviews that he attributes his success to perseverance (he said the advice he gives to his kids is “never give up, never give up, never give up.”). He says that he was a terrible student and he may have pursued becoming a veterinarian or an Egyptologist if he did better in school (I’m never sure if he’s joking about that, but we’ll go with that he’s not.) But instead he continued to pursue music (and acting) because he hadn’t prepared to do anything else.

But I think it’s more than that. I think every person is here to fulfill some kind of mission and apparently his is music. Even his initials spell it out. (RS = rock star). (A note to future parents: initials matter. For instance, the musician that everyone gets confused with RS isn’t as fortunate in the initials department.)

When you look at his career, it’s pretty apparent. He was successful in Australia, and then he comes to the United States and finds success again (not immediate, that’s where the perseverance plays a role, I suppose) and then walks away from it all. And then comes back and finds it AGAIN. It’s what he’s meant to do. I find it so inspiring. I love hearing stories about people following their passions – sometimes against all odds – and finding success.

And as for the veterinarian aspect, in a sense he is an honorary one because he helps organizations who help dogs and other animals through his charitable support. As for Egyptology, there’s still an opportunity for that, too. Maybe on a trip to the Middle East someday, he can take part in an archaeological dig and discover something among the ruins that will change history.

But for now, I’m glad (as are so many others) that he’s continuing to make music, tour, etc. (Did I mention yet that I have second-row seats to a show in July? Whoo-hoo!)

 

 

 

‘Down,’ an unofficial video

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My youngest son was home from school today and he entertained himself at my office and on the way home with my phone, taking lots of pictures and making videos. This is what I discovered when I got home.

OK, maybe the the headline of this post is misleading, but it is accurate. Anyway, I thought it was cute and hopefully we’ll see the official video soon.

A new music video!

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I had intended to stop writing this blog and convinced myself that it was the right time, especially after my recent discovery  (see previous post). But then there was this yesterday:

And this:

I was so excited that there will be a new video soon and realized that I don’t know anybody in my real life that really understands how excited I am about this (or who wants to hear about it) so I had to come back here to write about it.

A new video – whoo-hoo! MTV was such a big part of my teenage years. Although we never had cable, I did A LOT of babysitting for families who did have cable and as soon as the kids were asleep, I switched on MTV. So now instead of waiting for a babysitting gig then waiting for the kids to go to sleep so I could wait for a Rick Springfield video, now I’ll just watch the Internet for a sign of the new video. Sort of like the ’80s, except now I’m 30 years older. That’s OK though, right?

Anyway, when I first saw the photo of RS on the mountain, I thought it must be for “Down” because the song mentions a mountain and a river. Except the video was being filmed at an ocean, so maybe not? Then I thought maybe it could be for “The Best Damn Thing” because of the “crying on the beach” line. But that was by a raging sea. What’s the difference between an ocean and a sea anyway? “Crowded Solitude” mentions an ocean, but it seems like “Down” would be the next single since “Rocket Science” was always promoted with “Light This Party Up” and “Down” and there’s already a video for “Light This Party Up.” Yes, all of this actually crossed my mind and I couldn’t even discuss it with anyone!

And then the answer came today:

Did I mention how excited I am about this?