- todd rundgren: white knight
(2017, cd, ??, cleopatra records)
TODD RUNDGREN SPANS GENERATIONS AND GENRES ON ‘WHITE KNIGHT’ OUT MAY 12 ON CLEOPATRA RECORDS
ALBUM FEATURES GUESTS ROBYN, TRENT REZNOR, DAM FUNK, DARYL HALL, DONALD FAGEN, JOE WALSH, BETTYE LAVETTE, JOE SATRIANI + MORE
Los Angeles - Todd Rundgren – the iconic songwriter, recording artist, producer and innovator – will release his newest album ‘White Knight’ on May 12 via Cleopatra Records. The 15-track collection features a dynamic range of original songs and deft studio work by Rundgren, with an incredible array of guests to match, including Dam Funk, Donald Fagen, Daryl Hall, Bettye Lavette, Robyn, Joe Satriani, Joe Walsh, and others. Recently Pitchfork unveiled album track “That Could Have Been Me” featuring Robyn.
The songs on ‘White Knight,’ all Rundgren originals or co-writes with some of the album guests, range from hip-hop flecked funk and dystopian synth rock to soaring ballads and crisp power pop. Album opener “Come” swirls with oscillating rhythms and sweeping layers of synths. More squiggling synths drive the feature with Daryl Hall, “Chance For Us,” giving way to a rich sax solo and a punchy, squelching bass line. Robyn soars on the pop anthem “That Could Have Been Me,” while Todd and Donald Fagen harmonize on the timely political jab “Tin Foil Hat.” “‘Cause the man in the tin foil hat / is sitting on the throne tonight / it kinda feels like a coup e’tat / but its gonna be great, tremendous, amazing and all that.”
"It's easy to get used to playing to your own audience, even if you are absorbing and experimenting with new ideas. I wanted to collaborate not just for the musical possibilities, but also to play for new audiences and expose my fans to the range of artists I enjoy working with." – Todd Rundgren
Says the New Yorker: “Over the course of his four-decade career, Rundgren has a been a prog-rock pioneer, a blue-eyed soul vocalist, an A-list producer, and above all, a restless presence, never willing to settle.” In addition to his own trailblazing catalog, Rundgren has produced critical landmarks and commercial smashes for artists ranging from New York Dolls, Patti Smith, and XTC, to Meatloaf’s ‘Bat Out Of Hell’ (with sales exceeding 43 million), Cheap Trick, and Hall And Oates. He has composed the music for a number of television series, including Pee Wee’s Playhouse and Crime Story, and been at the forefront of technology in the music industry for decades, whether hosting the first interactive television concert in 1978, offering the first commercially available music downloads, or launching the first direct artist subscription service.
Todd Rundgren will tour throughout 2017 with headlining dates kicking off in late April. Tour dates below with more to be announced shortly.
TOUR DATES:
April 29 – St. Louis, MO – River City Casino and Hotel
May 2 – Burnsville, MN – Ames Center
May 3 – Waukegan, IL – Genesee Theater
May 5 – Columbus, OH – Express Live!
May 8 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
May 10 – North Tonawanda, NY – Riviera Theater
May 11 – Tarrytown, NY – Tarrytown Music Hall
May 13 – Kingston, NY – Ulster PAC
May 14 – East Greenwich, RI – Greenwich Odeum
May 17 – Salisbury, MA – Blue Ocean Music Hall
May 18 – Portland, ME – Aura
May 25 – Ft. Myers, FL – Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall
May 27 – St. Petersburg, FL – The Mahaffey Theater
June 10 – Syracuse, NY – OCC Campus 35th Syracuse Jazz Festival
