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Post by Admin on Oct 13, 2020 22:36:10 GMT
Veteran hard rock vocalist Jeff Scott Soto will release his new solo album, "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)", on November 6 via Frontiers Music Srl. Produced by and written with Alessandro Del Vecchio, the release is the best of all the combined worlds of Soto's previous solo albums and will delight his loyal melodic rock following. "Alessandro and I made sure to revisit the best of what my overall fans love and expect of me while adding some other influences and contemporary sounds," Jeff says. "This lucky number seven for me is one of my favorite releases to date." Fans can get their first taste of new music via the new single, "Love's Blind". Listen on your favorite streaming service or below via YouTube. CD versions of the album also include a bonus live album recorded at Frontiers Rock Festival in 2019, "Live At Frontiers Rock Festival 2019", which was released in digital format only this past April. "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)" is the seventh official solo album by Soto. The singer, who has more than 85 albums under his belt as a lead vocalist, along with numerous collaborations and recordings, has established himself as a consummate professional who manages to expertly deliver with his vocal performances across multiple musical genres, from metal to hard rock to progressive rock and even funk. For "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)", Jeff has incorporated many of his past influences and blends melodic rock/AOR with hard rock influences throughout. The album was recorded and written together with (and produced by) Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, JORN, REVOLUTION SAINTS). Soto's career spans over 35 years, beginning as the vocalist for guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen in 1984 before fronting bands such as TALISMAN, SOUL SIRKUS, SOTO, SONS OF APOLLO (featuring Billy Sheehan, Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal), as well as an ongoing membership in TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA and a stint as the lead singer for the legendary classic rock band JOURNEY. In 1995, Soto released his first solo album, "Love Parade", followed years later by the acclaimed "Prism" (2002), then "Lost In The Translation" (2005), "Beautiful Mess" (2009), "Damage Control" (2012) and "Retribution" (2017). Soto is an extraordinary performer and amazing vocalist. He delivers on hard-rocking tracks with incredible energy and easily transitions to a powerful performance on epic ballads. "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)" track listing: CD 1 01. Someone To Love 02. Mystified 03. Love's Blind 04. Without You 05. Lesson Of Love 06. Paper Wings 07. Love Will Find A Way 08. Between The Lines 09. Living In A Dream 10. Wide Awake (In My Dreamland) 11. Desperate CD2 01. Drowning (live) 02. 21St Century (live) 03. Believe In Me (live) 04. Look Inside Your Heart (live) 05. Eyes Of Love (live) 06. Band Intros (live) 07. Soul Divine (live) 08. Our Song (live) 09. Holding On (live) 10. I'll Be Waiting (live) 11. Stand Up (feat. Dino Jelusick) (live) Lineup: Alessandro Del Vecchio - Bass, Keys, Guitars, Backing Vocals Fabrizio Sgattoni - Guitar Edu Cominato - Drums Jeff Scott Soto - Vocals August Zadra - Backing Vocals, Lead Guitar On "Between The Lines"
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Post by Admin on Oct 14, 2020 5:29:54 GMT
In late 1984, Soto answered an open call for audition tapes by former Alcatrazz guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Jeff’s major label debut on ‘Yngwie J. Malmsteen’s Rising Force’ was released on Polydor that year. In 1985, Jeff returned to the recording studio to record Malmsteen’s ‘Marching Out’. The band began kicked off a tour in Japan, creating quite a stir; a Tokyo concert was filmed and later released on video as ‘Chasing Yngwie: Live in Tokyo, ‘85’.
After leaving Yngwie’s band, Jeff recorded demos with ex-Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent and later resurfaced with Japanese guitarist Kuni Takeuchi on 1988’s ‘Lookin’ for Action’. Jeff also recorded vocals, albeit under an alias, for ‘Kryst the Conqueror’, a project spearheaded by members of punk legends The Misfits.
In 1990 Jeff Scott Soto collaborated with former Rising Force band mate, bassist Marcel Jacob, in a distinctly European metal band called Talisman. He also appeared with hard-rocking California party band Eyes. Neither band toured extensively; Jeff found time to record 1991’s ‘Skrapp Mettle’ album, wisely appearing under an assumed name.
1992 brought Jeff together with German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell for ‘Eternal Prisoner’, the first of four studio albums he would record with Pell. Throughout the Nineties, Soto split his time between Axel Rudi Pell, Talisman, the short-lived Eyes and Takara. 1993 saw the release of four albums to feature Jeff’s vocal work: Talisman’s sophomore release ‘Genesis’, the Eyes demo album ‘Windows of the Soul’, the soundtrack to the cartoon film ‘Biker Mice from Mars’ and ‘Eternal Faith’ by Takara. Jeff went on to write and record two more albums with Takara, 1995’s ‘Taste of Heaven’ and 1998’s ‘Blind in Paradise’.
1994 was a banner year. Talisman released ‘Five Out of Five Live’, recorded on their successful debut Japanese tour. While they busied themselves writing the next studio album, ‘Humanimal’, Jeff recorded ‘Between the Walls’ with Axel Rudi Pell, and paired up with Takara’s Gary Schutt, contributing lead vocals to Schutt’s ‘Sentimetal’ solo disc.
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Post by Admin on Oct 16, 2020 22:27:19 GMT
1995 brought Soto’s first solo endeavor, ‘Love Parade’. It was a funky affair, with affectionate nods to influences Prince and Queen. Following the release of Talisman’s ‘Life’ that year, Marcel and Jeff recorded the first of two albums as Human Clay. Former taskmaster Yngwie Malmsteen appeared on the album, repaying Jacob and Soto’s contributions on Malmsteen’s own ‘Inspiration’ album. Rounding out 1996, Jeff recorded a third studio album with Axel Rudi Pell, ‘Black Moon Pyramid’. Two Talisman best-of compilations also appeared that year, ‘Besterious’ and ‘Best of Talisman’. While Jeff could be heard on the raw ‘U4IA’ album by Human Clay and his final Pell album, 1997’s ‘Magic’, he could also be heard singing “Grease” and “YMCA” on the Boogie Knights album ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’. The band was the premier party band of its kind, appearing in movies, on TV and at special events nationwide. The grueling pace of his Boogie Knights schedule didn’t keep Jeff from completing 1998’s ‘Truth’ album with the revamped Talisman. ‘Truth’ featured some of Jeff’s most impressive vocal work, as well as innovative arrangements of songs by Queen, Prince and Madonna. Most of 1999 and 2000 was spent doing odd sessions here and there. Jeff recorded contributions for tributes to both Van Halen and Ozzy, laid down lead vocals for the film ‘Rock Star’ and recorded a series of demos with Zakk Wylde. Perhaps most interesting was an invitation to perform with Queen’s Brian May at the annual Queen convention in the UK. Jeff has since furthered his reputation among Queen fans with a series of appearances with the SAS Band (Spike’s All Stars), Queen sideman Spike Edney’s band. In early 2002 Jeff, Marcel and guitarist Pontus Norgren convened under the banner of Humanimal to record a single self-titled album. Later that same year, Jeff shared the stage with Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor at an October event celebrating Queen’s induction to the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jeff also made his UK debut as a headliner at the 2002 Gods festival, an acclaimed performance later released on CD and DVD. 2003 was all about Jeff Scott Soto the solo artist. First came the release of Jeff’s second solo album, ‘Prism’, featuring a who’s who of musicians from Jeff’s career and a duet with the great Glenn Hughes. Then upon the release of ‘Cats & Dogs’, a reunited Talisman undertook a short tour in the late summer, at the tail end of Soto’s successful European solo tour. Highlighting Jeff’s solo tour was an encore performance at the 2003 UK Queen Convention, issued on CD and DVD to the delight of Soto’s growing fan base. Soto began 2004 with the writing and recording of his third solo album, titled ‘Lost in the Translation’. In addition, a performance at the January, 2004 NAMM show with Journey guitarist Neal Schon blossomed into a new project called Soul SirkUS. Jeff released ‘Lost in the Translation’ – which also featured Soul SirkUS band mate Neal Schon - to widespread acclaim, and effectively brought 2004 to a close with a return to stages in the United States, Europe and South America in support of the album. He also extended his reach around the globe with a two-week solo tour of Australia. Soul SirkUS became Jeff’s focus for much of 2005. Following the release of the band’s debut CD ‘World Play’, Soul SirkUS spent all of April and May on tour, criss-crossing the United States and Europe. Soto returned to Europe and South America for a solo tour in the Fall of 2005, before returning home to begin work on what would be his fourth solo album. The early months of 2006 were spent writing music in an altogether new direction, as Jeff collaborated with several notable Swedish songsmiths. At the same time, Jeff squeezed in enough time to record vocals for a somewhat unexpected Talisman album, the appropriately titled ‘7’. Thanks to a promotional push in the UK spearheaded by Richard Mace, Soto’s music garnered valuable airplay on the BBC radio network. In May of 2006, Soto parlayed his surge in popularity into ‘Essential Ballads’, a compilation of album cuts, b-sides and rarities that acted as a perfect calling card for the uninitiated. In July 2006, having just kicked off a major co-headlining tour of North America with Def Leppard, Journey suddenly found itself without a lead singer. Within the week, and without the benefit of a rehearsal, Jeff Scott Soto found himself face to face with 20,000 screaming Journey fans. By the time the tour buses rolled to a halt at the tail end of November, due to overwhelming demand the tour had been extended a full three months beyond its original August ending date. In December of 2006 came the official announcement of Jeff Scott Soto as the lead singer for Journey. June 2007 brought the disappointing news of Jeff Scott Soto’s departure from Journey. This turn of events precluded any opportunity for Journey and JSS to collaborate in the studio and capitalize on the enormous potential of their union, a sentiment echoed on countless forums and fan sites across the internet. Jeff wasted no time, however; he dedicated the remainder of 2007 to completing his next solo album, begun prior to joining Journey. ‘A Beautiful Mess’, initially released via iTunes in September 2008, proved to be some of the most forward-thinking songs of Soto’s career, making it apparent that Jeff had reached the next stage in his evolution as an artist. Jeff Scott Soto, or JSS as he is affectionately referred to by his fans, continues to stir the numerous irons he has in the fire at any given moment. News of Jeff’s latest and greatest endeavors will be forthcoming, as always, when they are ready to share with the world.
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Post by Admin on Jan 19, 2021 22:36:19 GMT
Acclaimed hard rock vocalist Jeff Scott Soto has opened up about his use of using backing tracks for certain songs during his live performances, saying he doesn't "wanna bullshit anybody." In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees. Speaking to Jeff Gaudiosi of MisplacedStraws.com about his use of backing tracks, Jeff said: "I've always tried to be candid. I don't wanna bullshit anybody. If I'm doing something and we're using some kind of assistance, I would be the first one to say, 'Hey, all those big backing vocals you're hearing, of course, they're being played behind us, because we feel the songs sounded naked without them and because we don't have an arsenal of a choir behind us to be able to pull them off.' And even if I've ever used backing tapes live, I never ripped them straight from the album so it sounds too fabricated. I'll make it so it's just a few voices or a few pieces and a few drum loops and things to kind of to give you a feel of the main record, but not to sound completely false, like we're just miming it up there. Why are you playing live if you're gonna be doing that to every song?" He continued: "I've done that with SOTO, I've done that with JSS, because there are certain songs that might have a groove under them that without that, like a loop or something that makes that thing swing, it's just gonna sound too straight; it's not gonna have the same feel. So, of course, I have the drummer count off, and you have this kind of movement of a group that you can't really emulate unless you have those things underneath it. Of course, I've done that in the past. There's stuff where there's keyboards in a song, but we also need two guitar players, so I put the keyboards within the context of that loop just to make it sound and swing more. Of course, I've done it, but I'm not gonna lie about it. And if you're at a show and going, 'Wait a minute. There's nobody playing the keys and I hear keys,' I'm not gonna say, 'What are you talking about?' You've gotta be an imbecile to think that your audience doesn't notice that stuff." Last March, SHINEDOWN guitarist Zach Myers said that "90 percent" of rock artists use at least some pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. He told Rock Feed: "It bothers me that it bothers people. I'm, like, 'Why does this bother you?' It's the way it is. People have been doing this since the '80s. And we want the sound to be the best it can be. Could we go up there, just the four of us, and put on the best rock show ever? Of course. But that's not how we wanna do it." Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has previously said that he is "one of the last people" who are still not using pre-recorded tracks at their live shows. "I don't know how much longer I can say to you that I don't use tapes onstage, because I don't, and I never have," he told Consequence Of Sound. "And I still don't. When I have opening bands, and they're using tapes, and then I come out and I don't use tapes… sometimes, it makes me feel stupid, because I'm like, 'What am I doing, when all these kids half my age can come onstage and do all of my moves, but they don't have to warm up for an hour before the show, or weeks, before the first show?' Sometimes, I'm like, 'Why do I even bother, if the public is so used to this other way?' It's becoming very rare to come see a good band that's actually a real band — that's not miming or doing silly moves while a tape is running. It just becomes more rare as the years go on." In 2019, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said that he doesn't "agree" with certain rock artists relying on pre-recorded tracks during their live performances. "I tell you what, I see it with a lot of younger bands, and I don't think it's a good thing at all," he told the New York Post. "I mean, the music is getting too technical now. You have computerized recording systems, which we use, but I think we use them more for convenience than because we need to. We've toured with a couple bands that use tapes — it's not real. You're supposed to play live; it should be live. I don't agree with using tapes … I think it's a real shame."
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Post by Admin on Jan 22, 2021 22:28:14 GMT
During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Ron Keel Podcast", acclaimed hard rock singer Jeff Scott Soto (SONS OF APOLLO, TALISMAN, JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) was asked how he feels about that "fine line" that artists always have to walk between speaking their minds on political issues and entertaining. He responded (hear audio below): "It's kind of in the same context of 'know the gig, keep the gig.' I realized there's too much divisiveness or dividing of thoughts and feelings and emotions. And I'm not one to stop being a friend or stop talking to a family member because their views are different than mine — unless you're talking about pedophilia, unless you're talking about something so extreme, like, 'Well, I believe Charlie Manson was a prophet.' That's where I kind of draw the line. But when it comes to religious, gender, political views, if you're my friend, you're my friend. And you're my friend because I like you as a person, not because you follow the same team, so to speak. And this is what I feel is a big problem."
He continued: "I hate the fact that we can't speak our voice, we can't make our voices heard, because people just want us to just shup up and sing: 'We don't care about your views.' Well, hang on. What makes [you] think I care about your views? You're a fan, you're somebody who buys my music, you're somebody who listens to me. I don't wanna hear your political views either, but I have to, because you seem to throw it at me when I try to make a statement that has nothing to do with politics.
"I posted the other day about my love for the Lakers, and I'm so happy the Lakers brought home the championship, and I got blasted. Because the Lakers and the NBA decided to run on the whole 'Black Lives Matter' platform, that automatically means that I'm a left-wing extremist, because I'm following their platform and I accept it, and if I were on the right wing, I would have told them to take a hike.
"You're going into my head without even knowing who and what I am," Jeff added. "I'm excited and I'm celebrating a moment, and you're crapping on it, because you think I'm trying to make a political statement. So this is why I personally have just backed off from it, because I realize, especially at my level — I'm not at the level of Bono or Eddie Van Halen or Brian May where if I drop even 50 percent of my fanbase, I'm gonna be okay. If I drop 50 percent of my fanbase, I might as well go start working at a gas station."
Jeff went on to reiterate that he can still have a relationship with people who have opposing political views.
"I tell my friends, 'Listen, as long as you don't have a problem with it, I don't,'" he said. "Even when it does come up, we kind of joke and share the laugh of, 'You're an idiot. There's no way you can believe this.' And this is without saying anything about who I'm talking about or what I'm talking about. Forget about the politics. I'm saying in general, you can agree to disagree and still love one another, and that's one thing that I really feel is missing right now in the world."
Last month, KEEL frontman — and "The Ron Keel Podcast" host — Ron Keel defended Donald Trump against accusations that the president's rhetoric is to blame for the divisiveness and unrest in the United States. The singer, who had previously tweeted in support of Trump's policies, took to the social media platform to comment on the fact that there has been more discord between Republicans and Democrats in our time than there has been in generations. He wrote: "And of course, like everything else, this is @realdonaldtrump 's fault. #BS Elections don't divide people. Beliefs don't divide people. WEAKNESS divides people."
Soto's new solo album, "Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)", was released on November 6 via Frontiers Music Srl.
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