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Home | Links | News | Newsletter | Pictures | Guitars | Tour | CD's
Welcome to the kC Newsletter!
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Kevin Cronin will send in notes from the road to keep everybody updated on the latest REO Speedwagon news right here! Click on the link below to join the mailing list that notifies you when Kevin sends in a new note. Check out the past archived Newsletters for interesting notes from the past tours, developing news on the new CD as well as notes directly from the studio as they were recording "Find your own way home". |
Join the kC mailing list today !
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" kC Newsletter " - 01/27/08
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The new REO Speedwagon CD!
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message to Kevin!
Kevin wants to hear from you. Tell him anything! You can send him an e-mail via the listens page. kC personally reads his messages you send to his website. |
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Past Newsletters
"2008' News" 01/27/08 - WE JAMMED FOR A WHILE ON A NEW SONG I AM WORKING ON CALLED, 01/11/08 - WE ARE HAPPY TO ANNOUNCE OUR UPCOMING SPRING TOUR.. |
WELL, I SHOULD PROBABLY PREFACE THIS LETTER BY MENTIONING THAT MY CURRENT PHYSICAL STATE IS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A GIANT PILE OF POO, AND THE WAY I USED TO FEEL WHEN THE SUN WAS COMING UP AFTER A LONG NIGHT OF PARTYING, BACK IN 1983.
THAT HAVING BEEN ESTABLISHED, I AM HOPING YOU WILL UNDERSTAND IF THE TONE OF THIS LETTER IS RATHER SOUR. OR, YOU MIGHT SIMPLY HIT THE OLD DELETE BUTTON NOW, AND SAVE YOURSELF THE AGONY OF SHARING IN MINE.
ACTUALLY I FEEL A BIT OF RELIEF IN HAVING VENTED…SO THANKS TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE SHOWN THE COURAGE TO VENTURE ON WITH ME TODAY.
COME TO THINK OF IT, THE DAYS LEADING UP TO MY BEING STRICKEN BY THIS HELLISH AMOEBA WERE SO FILLED WITH GREAT ENERGY THAT IT WAS PROBABLY INEVITABLE THAT MY BODY WOULD BE EVENTUALLY OVERWHELMED, AND THEREFORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS NASTY BUG.
IT ALL BEGAN LAST MONDAY WHEN THE REO FAMILY CONVENED AT OUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME, MATES REHEARSAL STUDIOS. NOW THAT WE ALL LIVE SCATTERED AROUND THE COUNTRY, IT WAS ESPECIALLY GREAT TO SEE EVERYONE TOGETHER. AND WHEN WE STRAPPED ON OUR GUITARS, FIRED UP THE GEAR, AND STARTED JAMMING, IT WAS SUCH AN AWESOME FEELING. I WAS ONCE AGAIN REMINDED HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE TO STILL BE DOING WHAT WE LOVE TO DO.
WE JAMMED FOR A WHILE ON A NEW SONG I AM WORKING ON CALLED, “WHIPING BOY”. IT IS ANOTHER ROCKER, ALONG THE LINES OF “SMILIN’ IN THE END”…A TOTAL BAND SONG.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT MADE THESE REHEARSALS SO MUCH FUN WAS THAT WE ALL KEPT UP OUR CHOPS IN THE OFF TIME. IT IS SO TEMPTING, ESPECIALLY AFTER A LONG TOURING SEASON SUCH AS THAT OF 2007, TO COME HOME AND LET YOUR INSTRUMENT COLLECT DUST. THEN WHEN YOU FINALLY PICK UP THE GUITAR, OR TRY TO SING A SONG, YOU ARE SO RUSTY THAT IT ISN’T ALL THAT MUCH FUN.
SO THIS TIME AROUND I PROMISED MYSELF I WOULD NOT FALL INTO THAT TRAP. I LITERALLY PLAYED AND SANG FOR AN HOUR OR SO, AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY. I NEVER REALLY GOT OUT OF ROAD SHAPE, AND I EVEN DISCOVERED SOME NEW PLACES IN MY VOICE THAT I’LL TRY OUT IN CONCERT THIS YEAR.
ONE OF THE SONGS I GOT INTO SINGING AT HOME WAS, “BUILDING THE BRIDGE”. IN THE PRESENT POLITICAL CLIMATE, I FIND THAT SONG TO BE ESPECIALLY ENJOYABLE TO PLAY. WE REWORKED THE ARRANGEMENT, REWROTE THE GUITAR SOLO SECTION, AND PLAN TO PLAY IT IN OUR 2008 THEATER SHOWS.
WE ALSO TOTALLY RETOOLED, “IN YOUR LETTER”, FROM THE HI INFIDELITY ALBUM. THAT TUNE WAS ALWAYS KIND OF A NOVELTY SONG FOR US…A LITTLE TRIBUTE TO THE DOO-WAP GROUPS THAT WE USED TO HEAR ON OUR TRANSISTOR RADIOS, BEFORE THE BEATLES CAME OUT. BUT THE FACT IS, THERE IS AN EMOTIONAL SIDE OF THAT SONG WHICH WAS LOST IN THE ORIGINAL ARRANGEMENT. THIS NEW APPROACH HAS MADE IT FEEL LIKE A WHOLE NEW SONG, HOPEFULLY WITHOUT ABANDONING ITS NOSTALGIC CHARM.
I KNOW A LOT OF YOU HAVE BEEN SUGGESTING THAT WE PLAY SOMETHING OFF OF THE “GOOD TROUBLE” ALBUM. I KNOW…I KNOW. I AM REALLY LOOKING FOR A SONG FROM THAT RECORD THAT EXCITES ME ENOUGH TO WANT TO SING IT TODAY. I PROMISE I WILL KEEP TRYING TO FIGURE SOMETHING OUT.
WE HAVE ALSO GOTTEN NUMEROUS REQUESTS ON THE WEB SITE FOR, “SON OF A POOR MAN”. SO DON’T BE SURPRISED IF WE TROT THAT ONE OUT THIS YEAR. WE DIDN’T PLAY, “LIKE YOU DO”, LAST YEAR FOR SOME UNKNOWN REASON, SO THAT SONG WILL BE FINDING ITS WAY BACK ON TO THE SET LIST. AND WE REALIZED HOW MUCH A PART OF OUR HISTORY “GOLDEN COUNTRY” HAS BECOME, SO YOU WILL BE HEARING THAT ONE THIS YEAR TOO.
IN GENERAL THE BAND IS SWINGING MORE THIS YEAR. EVEN BALLADS LIKE, “CAN’T FIGHT THIS FEELING”, ARE BEING TREATED WITH LESS OF A PLODDING TYPE OF FEEL. THAT APPROACH WORKED GREAT IN THE 80S, BUT WITH A FEW SUBTLE CHANGES, I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO SINGING THAT SONG MORE THAN EVER.
OUR SHOWS WITH STYX AND DEF LEPPARD WILL BE VERY COMPACT… FULL OF NON STOP ENERGY. THEN FOR OUR HEADLINE SHOWS, WE WILL STRETCH OUT A BIT, AND DIG A BIT DEEPER INTO OUR CATALOGUE.
OKAY, THAT WASN’T TOO HORRIBLE, WAS IT? BUT ALL THIS TYPING IS MAKING ME DIZZY, GOTTA RUN,
KC