Posts Tagged ‘Rooney band’

Check out both parts :)   

Concert Wrap : Rooney April 26 Greek Theater

  

There is always an encore. Or, almost always.  
There wasn’t one at a Monday night concert at the Greek Theater on the University of Arkansas campus featuring Rooney, and that should tell you something.
For an night in late April, it was unseasonable cool for any outdoor event that didn’t involve a bonfire, the kind of night that made you wish you had a blanket tucked away in the trunk of your car.Rooney may have brought some California with them in their pop rock tunes, but they did little to heat up the night.

They didn’t do anything wrong, of course, or particularly poorly. But they didn’t transcend the evening, either, and by the time the band had played their last promised song, the crowd was running for the exits. I’m not sure if they band was willing to play that encore, but the crowd didn’t give them any chance.In a set that last just more than an hour, the group tore through a set of pop rock numbers that drew from early records and a forthcoming disc, “Eureka,” alike.But the band knew which songs to play when, kicking off the evening with an early hit “Blueside” and closing it with what are arguably their two biggest hits: “Shakin’” and “When Did Your Heart Go Missing.”

By the time the last chord had finished ringing on that song, the crowd was already waving goodbye.It’s hard to place fault. The band was solid, especially guitarist Taylor Locke, who blistered through several tastefully short solos.But the band also never reached critical mass, something that was going to be hard to accomplish considering that only 500 or so braved the cold and the UA’s finals week to see the free show.Instead, they sang their songs, the crowd cheered for the few songs they knew and then tore off for someplace warm.

A note about the openers: Goose, a local band, served as the opening act. They sounded a lot like O.A.R. in having a shimmering acoustic guitar sounds with a loose reggae beat. The band didn’t cover O.A.R., but they did cover a lot of other groups, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder and John Mayer among them.

Rooney setlist: 1) Blueside; 2) If It Were Up To Me; 3) Don’t Come Around Again; 4) I Don’t Want To Lose You; 5) Daisy Duke; 6) I Can’t Get Enough; 7) You Got Me Paralyzed; 8) Are You Afraid?; 9) Losing All Control; 10) Not Sure of the Title; 11) Sorry Sorry; 12) Suckceed; 13) I Should Have Been After You; 14) When Did Your Heart Go Missing?; 15) Shakin’  

  

Credit : NWATunedIn.com 

PART 2 

An (unexpected) enlightening conversation with Rooney

Writing for a newspaper is rarely a dull endeavor. We interview different subjects each week as our story topics change. There is no shortage of interesting people with strange stories to tell. Entire stories simply fall through. We are trained to expect the unexpected. 

Even then, we get surprised sometimes. 

Like when I picked up my phone Tuesday afternoon and Robert Schwartzman, the lead singer of Rooney, was on the other end of the line. 

He’d read my recent review of his band’s concert on April 26 at the Greek Theater and had a couple of things he wanted to tell me about it. 

Musicians calling critics out of the blue can be a prickly affair, to say the least, and no journalist I know wants to field a call from someone like, say, Ryan Adams [caution: lots of super strongly-worded foul language in the link]

Instead, my chat with Schwartzman was a pleasant, informative one, although he wanted to call my attention to a couple things I had said. 

I had questioned why there was no encore. Was it because the crowd was leaving? Was it because the band wasn’t enthused with the relatively low turnout or hampered by the cold? 

None of the above, Schwartzman tells me. Rooney was contracted for a certain time limit, and his band had squeezed in all the songs they wanted to play in that chunk of time. No encore was planned, and the cold didn’t chill their enthusiasm, he says. 

I also talked about the exodus of fans after the show’s final notes. There was a crowd leaving, and I know that because I was among them and followed plenty of folks out. 

But, Schwartzman says, there were plenty who stayed around for autographs, and the band spent the time to sign everything handed their way. 

I stick behind what I wrote. I think it was an accurate representation of the show, especially in my main point: “The band was solid … but the band also never reached critical mass, something that was going to be hard to accomplish considering that only 500 or so braved the cold and the UA’s finals week to see the free show.” 

But naturally, those are one-sided interpretations. Sometimes, I miss things, and it appears there was more going on than I caught at first glance in this case. 

It’s extraordinarily rare to get the chance to chat with musicians after a show, and they certainly see things on a different level than those in the stands do. 

Schwartzman was worried he wouldn’t get to play because of rain showers that persisted all day. He said the Greek Theater may have been the largest stage (physically speaking) he had ever played on in his life, and he said it challenged his band because of the wide physical gap between the stage and the musicians. 

He said he enjoyed his time in Fayetteville, and talked about all the times Rooney will play around here this summer (Tulsa, Columbia, Mo., Little Rock) with the hope of a nicer, warmer, sunnier night, which would be  a little more appropriate for their sunny pop rock tunes. 

Surprises sure make things interesting. And in this case, it served as a nice reminder that we don’t write in a vacuum. 

People are always reading. Sometimes, even those you don’t suspect. 

Credit : NWATunedIn.com 

THANK YOU to lhiggins3 for informing me about this :)

I Can’t Get Enough

The new single “I Can’t Get Enough” is now available on iTunes for $1.29.
ICGE on Amazon.com

Eureka

There’s also 2 pre-orders for Eureka up.

Eureka – $9.99

Eureka (Deluxe Edition) – $11.99

The deluxe edition contains 4 bonus songs :
Pity
I Don’t Wanna Lose You (Acoustic version)
Can’t Put Your Heart Around Everyone
Go On (Acoustic version)

I can’t buy or pre-order neither the single or any of the album, so I’m assuming it’s US only? I’d love to hear who’s able to buy and who isn’t.

Ears Wide Open: Rooney

buzzbands.la

I’m not sure there are a lot of Eureka moments on “Eureka,” the forthcoming third album by Rooney — Robert Schwartzman and mates, however, have become some of the most reliable purveyors of ’60s- and ’70s-leaning power-pop around. As by-the-diagram as the L.A. quartet’s new disc sometimes feels, Taylor Locke’s sharp guitar work, as well as “Eureka’s” honeyed melodies and sticky choruses, make it a perfect summertime companion. Just try to sit still during the bouncy “Can’t Get Enough.” The album is due June 8 via the band’s own California Dreaming Records.

||| Download: “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” (e-mail required)

Credit : buzzbands.la

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MP3 At 3PM : Rooney

Magnet Magazine

In anticipation of the June 8 release of Rooney’s third album, Eureka (California Dreaming), download first single “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” below, grab a few (dozen) Coronas, call all of your friends, take off your clothes, and hit the beach. The Los Angeles rockers have done it once again, blending classic pop melodies, dance beats and echoing guitar riffs to create the perfect background to the sandy summer nights of your youth. And not only does the music suit your reckless lifestyle, you believe Robert Schwartzman as he sings with the conviction of a newlywed about the importance of holding on to love, regardless of the difficulties it will inevitably entail.

Credit : Magnet Magazine

 

Rob Hoffman has posted a little something about Robert on his website.

“I’m currently helping to produce a magazine for an amazing company called GoMerch!

Our first ever interview with Robert Schwartzman of Rooney is coming soon, as well as a few sweet surprises for the first issue.  It’s gonna be sweet, I promise, so start preparing for massive head explosion.

My photos and writing are going to be featured, as well as, and more importantly, work from some great artists.
So, here’s a shot of Solo Bob watering his plants.  It’s earthy and fun, just like Bob.

I’ll give you guys some more updates in the future, but look out for a tornado of goodness in early July.
In the meantime, check out www.gomerch.com

- Thanks to Josephine for the link :D

There’s some videos up from the show Rooney played at ASU up on taintedlovexoxo’s youtube. Check out Taylor’s new haircut ;)

Robert just did a ustream for 61 minutes and 39 seconds :)

Don’t mind the first minute and ½, it was the connection that created problems…. The video works, just move past it.

Robert announced during this video that Rooney will be touring with THE YOUNG VEINS.

If you want to check out the Young Veins before the tour, you can download the song ”Change” from their upcoming album “Take a Vacation!” on their website for FREE. “Take a Vacation” will be out June 8, just like Eureka :)

Robert also mention THIS about the tour :

We’re doing a headlining tour this summer. We’re going out for 10 weeks. From mid-June to the beginning of September we will be around America and after that I’m hoping we can go play outside of America.

MTV has a behind the scenes video from the I Can’t Get Enough video shot.

Gotta love Louie, he always cracks me up.

Thanks to Jacqueline for sending me the link :)

youtube video for all you people from the UK ;)

 

Get your free download of “I Don’t Wanna Lose You” from Rooney’s upcoming album, Eureka, out June 8th, 2010.
All you have to do is sign up for the Rooney newsletter below.

Here’s your chance to pre-order Eureka and get a signed copy of the album – either as a cd or on vinyl :)

You can choose to get either the cd for $15, the vinyl for $17 or the shirt and cd for $25.

When you pre-order the bundle with the shirt, you’ll also get an instant download of the single “I Can’t Get Enough”.

You can order the pre-order from pretty much all over the world (Brazil and Europe for sure) – shipping for the bundle to Europe is just under $10 ($9.81 I think), which makes it just under $35 in total. Totally worth it :)

Rooney
Eureka
California Dreaming Records/ILG
Release Date: 6/8

 

Tracklisting:

1.     Holdin’ On
2.     Can’t Get Enough
3.     Only Friend
4.     Into the Blue
5.     All or Nothing
6.     The Hunch
7.     I Don’t Wanna Lose You
8.     Stars and Stripes
9.     Go On
10.    You’re What I’m Looking For
11.    Not In My House
12.    Don’t Look Back At Me

First Impressions:

-Los Angeles pop rockers Rooney are releasing their third album on June 8. This is the group’s first release on its own label.     

-The album starts off with “Holdin’ On,” which is an up-tempo number and sounds like a typical Rooney song. It is very radio friendly and easily could have been the theme song to California Dreams if it were released in the ‘90s.  

-“Can’t Get Enough” is funky rhythmic track and singer Robert Schwartzman’s vocals show good range – could be something out of the G. Love catalogue, but better.  

-“Into the Blue” is a ballad featuring Schwartzman’s crooning over a piano and assorted other instruments. The song has Brian Wilson’s fingerprints all over it.

Key Tracks:

 “Holdin’ On,” “Only Friend,” “All or Nothing,” “The Hunch”

Predictions: 

Eureka shows how much Rooney’s songwriting has matured since its last album. Still maintaining its pop sensibility, these songs are crisper and the band isn’t afraid to take chances by experimenting with new sounds and styles. Don’t be surprised to hear some of these songs on the radio sometime soon.  

 CREDIT : FILTER MAGAZINE

Robert has revealed a bunch of Rooney news on his twitter

- Album release date set to June 8th
- They’ve had a prep day for a new video (to be shot on Tuesday)
- They’ve done a photoshoot

Also, the Rooney Street Team has tweeted that something exciting will be happening for Rooney fans on Monday – so stay tuned :)

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I’ve been a little pre-occupied doing a little ”project” for Taylor Locke & the Roughs with some other girls.
Check out the brand new fansite on www.tlatr.com – We have bios, pictures, lyrics (corrected by Taylor himself :) ) and a bunch of other stuff up.
Remember to buy Grain and Grape on iTunes.

I won’t be posting too much about Taylor Locke & the Roughs on this site, so head on over to www.TLATR.com and leave us a comment :)

Upcoming shows

No shows booked at the moment.

Merch
Rooney Merch
Top Links
Rooney-band.com
Ustream


To watch in full size go to
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