Starr Man: Ringo Starr Announces European Tour

Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band return to the road for the 12th All Starr tour this summer. Joining Starr will be Rick Derringer on guitar, Richard Page on bass, Wally Palmar on guitar & harmonica, Edgar Winter on sax and keyboards, Gary Wright on keyboards and Gregg Bissonette on drums.

The twenty eight-date tour kicks off in Kiev, Ukraine on 4th June, stopping in Russia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Latvia, Poland, Britain, France, Czech Republic, Italy, Holland and Germany before concluding in Vienna, Austria on 17th July.

4th June, Kiev, Ukraine, Palace Of Ukraine

6th June, Moscow, Russia, Crocus City Hall

7th June, St Petersburg, Russia, Big Concert Hall

10th June, Gothenburg, Sweden, Liseberg

11th June, Oslo, Norway, Norwegian Wood Festival

12th June, Randers, Denmark, Vaerket

14th June, Riga, Latvia, Arena Riga

15th June, Warsaw, Poland, Sala Kongresowa

17th June, London, England, Hampton Court

18th June, Liverpool, England, Empire

20th June, Birmingham, England, Symphony Hall

22nd JuneManchester, England, Opera House

23rd June, Glasgow, Scotland, Clyde Auditorium

24th June, Bournemouth, England, BIC

26th June, Paris, France, Palais des Sports

28th June, Budapest, Hungary, Sport Arena

29th June, Prague, Czech Republic, KCP Congress Centre

2nd July, Lyon, France, Centre de Congres

3rd July, Milan, Italy, Civic Arena

4th July, Rome, Italy, Auditorium Cavea

7th July, Hamburg, Germany, Stadtpark

9th July, Weert, Holland, Bospop Festival

10th July, Dusseldorf, Germany, Philipshalle

12th July, Berlin, Germany, Tempodrom

13th July, Munich, Germany, Circus Krone

14th July, Salzburg, Austria, Halle 1

16th July, Frankfurt, Germany, Jahrhunderthalle

17th July, Vienna, Austria, Open Air Arena

Ringo Starr is one of the world’s brightest musical luminaries. He has enjoyed a successful and dynamic solo career as a singer, songwriter and drummer, an active musical collaborator and as an actor. Drawing inspiration from classic blues, soul, country, honky-tonk and rock ‘n’ roll, Ringo continues to play an important role in modern music with his solo recording and touring.

Ringo Starr’s music, as a solo artist and as a Beatle, is permeated with his personality. His warmth and humour, and his exceptional musicianship have given us songs we all know and love, including ‘It Don’t Come Easy’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, ‘Yellow Submarine, ‘Don’t Pass Me By’, ‘Octopus’ Garden’, ‘Photograph’, ‘Back Off Boogaloo’, ‘You’re Sixteen (You’re Beautiful And You’re Mine)’, ‘Don’t Go Where the Road Don’t Go’, ‘The No No Song’ and ‘Never Without You’.

The All Starr Band has toured consistently since its inception in 1989. Based on the concept “everybody on stage is a star in their own right”, each concert sees Ringo performing songs from his solo and Beatles’ career and each Starr performing hits from their own careers. Over the years the revolving line up has included such stellar artists as Joe Walsh, Dr. John, Todd Rundgren, Timothy B. Schmidt, John Entwhistle, Peter Frampton, Sheila E., Rod Argent and Paul Carrack.

Returning to the stage for the 2011 tour are the six All Starr band members who toured with Ringo in 2010:

Rick Derringer is a noted rock guitarist, vocalist and entertainer who was just 17 when his band The McCoys recorded the No.1 hit ‘Hang On Sloopy’ in the summer of 1965, knocking ‘Yesterday’ by The Beatles from the top spot. He later played with both Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter and found further success with his hit single ‘Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo’ and with his eponymous band Derringer. Throughout the 70’s and 80’s he appeared on numerous albums with artists Alice Cooper, Richie Havens, Todd Rundgren, Cyndi Lauper, Barbra Streisand, Kiss and Steely Dan. In the mid-80’s, Derringer discovered Weird Al Yankovic, producing music for Grammy-winning albums and videos and the 2006 Grammy Awards brought Rick his third Grammy with his participation on the Les Paul 90th birthday tribute CD.

Born in the USA in 1953, Richard Page is best known as the singer/bassist for the multi-platinum, Grammy nominated group Mr. Mister. In the late 70’s and early 80’s Richard recorded three albums under the moniker of Pages with Steve George. Page has retained a cult following in many areas of the world. The pair formed Mr Mister in the mid 80s. The band released three albums and had several world-wide hits, including ‘Broken Wings’ and ‘Kyrie’. They split in 1990 and a fourth Mr Mister album, ‘PULL’ remained unreleased for 20 years. It has been remastered and is currently available on Richard’s own record label, Little Dume Records. Page has recorded two solo albums, ‘Shelter Me’ and ‘Peculiar Life’, as well as providing backing vocals for artists such as Elton John, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Barbara Streisand and Elvis Costello among many more. As a songwriter Page has had songs recorded by Madonna, Leona Lewis, Josh Groban, Celine Dion and Hall & Oates to name just a few.

Wally Palmar, lead vocalist, harmonica, rhythm guitar player, and founding member of The Romantics, is amongst one of the most recognized voices of the 80’s. The group’s self-titled debut album yielded the hit ‘What I Like About You’, which carries on throughout the decades. Other singles include, ‘When I Look In Your Eyes’, ‘One in a Million’, and the international hit ‘Talking In Your Sleep’. The Romantics are continuously being re-introduced to new generations today via the extensive airplay on contemporary, rock and satellite radio, commercials and movie soundtracks. Never content to simply rest on his red-leathered laurels, Palmar continues to write, record and tour around the world with The Romantics.

Edgar Winter is an accomplished jazz, rock and blues keyboard player and saxophonist as well as a vocalist who found success in the early 70s and has continued to record throughout the 80s, 90s and 00s. Edgar has worked with noted guitarists Rick Derringer and Ronnie Montrose as well as his older brother Johnny Winter (a noted blues / rock guitarist). In 1972 Edgar had a #1 hit with the instrumental ‘Frankenstein’, taken from his acclaimed album ‘They Only Come Out At Night’. Edgar also enjoyed great success with the hit ‘Free Ride’ as well as ‘Dying To Live’ which Eminem produced for the hit movie ‘Tupac’. Edgar Winter’s songs have appeared on the soundtracks to over 20 films.

Over the course of his 40-year career which began in the UK with the rock band Spooky Tooth, Gary Wright has played before millions of fans and his music has appeared in blockbuster movies & TV shows as well as being played on radio every day. A pioneer of using synthesizers in pop music as heard on his worldwide hits ‘Dream Weaver’ and ‘Love Is Alive,’ Gary has inspired generations of mainstream artists including Eminem, Mya, Jay-Z, Busta Rhymes, Anastacia and DJ Armand Van Helden all of whom have either sampled or covered his songs. Gary’s world-unifying vision and musical prowess were recently displayed on ‘Connected’ his first pop-rock album for 20 years. Gary joined the All Starr Band in 2008.

Drummer and vocalist Gregg Bissonette comes from a musical family, where his father was also a drummer, his mother a pianist, brother a bass player and sister a violinist. Gregg played on three albums by former Van Halen vocalist David Lee Roth, with the first ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ one of the most acclaimed rock albums of the mid 80s. Since then Gregg has recorded and toured with a number of artists, including Toto, ELO, Santana, Andrea Bocelli, The Maynard Ferguson Big Band, Spinal Tap and James Taylor. Having first worked and toured with Ringo Starr in 2003 (alongside his brother Matt on bass and vocals), Gregg has been an All Starr member since 2008 and this is his third tour as an All Starr.

www.ringostarr.com

Bird of the week: Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

Today I’d like to introduce you to the wonderful family of ‘Old World warblers’.
I love all warblers but the whitethroat is a particular favourite of mine so I’ll start with this species.

Whitethroat saying hello

Whitethroat saying hello

Like most British warblers the whitethroat spends the winter in Africa. This means it has only just returned to Britain and I am happy to report that this year record numbers have made it back to their breeding grounds! Great to hear something positive about bird population numbers for a change!
Whitethroats can be found in open country and shrub/bramble where they feed (on insects and berries in autumn) and nest.

So if you go for a walk in the countryside (and you really should, there is so much to see!) you are very likely to encounter a whitethroat – in all likelihood a male. He will probably be perched on top of a bush (or possibly be skulking in a clump of bramble) and sing, sing, sing!

 

Or you might witness one of his display flights that he performs while singing. The one thing he won’t do is sit still for you. Whitethroats are completely hyper, always in action, never bored!

Male whitethroat in full song

Male whitethroat in full song

 

 

Whitethroats are also very inquisitive little birds – you can be sure they have been watching you long before you know they’re around.

Inquisitive whitethroat

Inquisitive whitethroat

 

 

They do like to announce their presence though by scolding you with their grumpy-sounding alarm call. Always makes me smile!
Check out the whitethroat’s scratchy but lovely song and alarm call here:

 


As you can tell, I love whitethroats. They’re full of character and although they might not be colourful, they’re both beautiful and SO cute!
Male whitethroat

Male whitethroat

Female whitethroat

Female whitethroat - she lacks the male's grey head and pinkish chest

Male whitethroat gathering nesting material

Male whitethroat gathering nesting material

Juvenile whitethroat in late summer

Juvenile whitethroat in late summer

Whitethroat fledgling

Whitethroat fledgling

 

For more whitethroat photos please have a look here: http://www.finepetportraits.co.uk/whitethroat-bird-photos.html

 

You will meet more warblers here  over the course of the summer!

 

Who are you?

Bono meets with President Calderon, Praises Mexican People

As part of his recent concert tour in Mexico, U2 musician and global humanitarian Bono met with President Felipe Calderon to discuss drug violence and poverty affecting Mexico. Mexico’s president thanked Bono for sending a message to victims of drug violence during his concert on Wednesday. Calderon and Bono also discussed global warming and Mexico’s opportunities as the host of the G-20 reunion in 2012.

Later, at a concert attended by President Calderon, Bono told concertgoers, “Mexico, you are not defined by the violence, you are defined by your humanity and humility.”

In a separate speech during the concert, Bono also spoke about the shared responsibility of the United States to address gun violence in Mexico. Bono asked: “Why is it that all we hear on the news is that drugs are smuggled through Mexico to the United States, and we don’t hear about all the automatic weapons that are being smuggled into Mexico from the United States? 9,000 registered arms dealers on the other side of the border. Most of the murders committed here are from weapons sold in the United States of America.”

CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS, RITA WILSON, JEAN CHATZKY AND NANCY O'DELL TO SPEAK AT MORE MAGAZINE'S REINVENTION CONVENTION

CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS, RITA WILSON, JEAN CHATZKY AND NANCY O’DELL TO SPEAK AT MORE MAGAZINE’S REINVENTION CONVENTION IN LOS ANGELES

IS IT TIME TO REINVENT YOURSELF? ON MAY 23RD IN LOS ANGELES MORE THAN 600 WOMEN FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY WILL GATHER AT MORE MAGAZINE’S REINVENTION CONVENTION TO DO JUST THAT.

THE EVENT, HOSTED BY GOOD MORNING AMERICA’S LEE WOODRUFF AND MORE MAGAZINE EDITOR IN CHIEF LESLEY JANE SEYMOUR, FEATURES INTERACTIVE EVENTS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS TO HELP WOMEN REFRESH THEIR CAREERS, STYLE AND HEALTH.

THE CONVENTION WILL INCLUDE KEYNOTE SPEAKERS FROM MODEL TURNED ACTIVIST,

CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS, ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT’S NANCY O’DELL, AS WELL AS OTHER PROMINENT WOMEN SUCH AS ACTOR AND PRODUCER RITA WILSON,

MALAAK COMPTON-ROCK, AND TODAY SHOW FINANCIAL EXPERT, JEAN CHATZKY.

LESLEY JANE SEYMOUR, MORE MAGAZINE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

“Now, more than ever, women are interested in creatively and proactively reaching their goals – whether that be a new job or a new look. The Convention gives women the opportunity to learn from champion reinventers how they’ve succeeded, and will also get attendees started on their own paths to reinvention with one-on-one workshops and sessions.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT WWW.MORE.COM/REINVENTION.

I’M GARY NEWMAN
http://Audio here

{Spotted!} The Only Way Is…Soho… Lauren Goodger

The Only Way Is…Soho…

Last night, TOWIE stars Lauren Goodger and Jessica Wright headed out for a girly night out in Soho. The pair, who have had their ups and downs but are soon to be sisters-in-law, decided to try to build bridges with their relationship.

They started the evening in Aldo Zilli’s iconic seafood restaurant Zilli Fish where Aldo was given strict orders that the girls were on the “no carbs before Marbs” diet. However, despite the fact that the girls were being extra good with their food, a nearby table of admirers sent them over a £300 bottle of Dom Perignon!

The girls got on well throughout the meal and after finishing the champagne, even headed over to Zenna cocktail bar afterwards over on Dean Street where they were spotted trying the passion fruit and vanilla House Nectar cocktails. They stayed in the Indian lounge bar until later that night.

Bird of the week: House Sparrow

The cheerful, chirpy house sparrow (Passer domesticus) was once a very common sight in towns and villages.
Sadly, the house sparrow population in Britain has declined dramatically since the 1970s – in some urban areas by up to 90%.

A shortage of nesting sites is one of the major factors. Sparrows like to nest in the eaves of houses or tree holes. If you know that there are sparrows in your area, why not help them out? They will happily accept special nest boxes that can house more than one pair. There is also a shortage of food, especially of insect food that the nestlings are fed on and seed. Sparrows come to my feeding station all year round and I am very happy to offer some seed.

Sparrows are very social birds and can always be found in flocks. The birds feed together, sing together, bathe together and even nest next to each other. There’s a clear hierarchy within the flock.
Sparrows having a bath
The older males – the ones with the largest black ‘bibs’ – have the highest status.
The sparrow is anything but a ‘boring brown’ bird. Check out some of my favourite photos:
This beautiful male house sparrow has just had a bath.

Female house sparrow

Young sparrow

Male sparrow with nesting material

I am lucky. I just need to turn my head and am able to watch a family of house sparrows in my garden. “My” sparrows have recently started to bring along their fledglings – at least six tiny birds that are constantly calling for food. A real joy to watch! The adults feed them insects, seeds and bits of fat ball that I provide. Some of the juveniles can already feed themselves when Mum and Dad are not looking but as soon as they turn around, the young ones beg as if they hadn’t been fed in hours. Too cute for words!

Baby sparrow begging for food

Juvenile sparrow

Sparrow feeding chick

If you would like to see more photos of house sparrows, please visit my gallery:

house sparrow

Everybody has heard of the sparrow – let’s make sure it will be chirping in our cities, towns and villages for many many years to come!

Sandra Palme
www.finepetportraits.co.uk

{Spotted} Christian Bale

Batman actor Christian Bale returned to London last night, where he enjoyed a quiet evening with his family for a change. The movie star was spotted in iconic restaurant The Red Fort on Dean Street in Soho, dining on the venue’s trademark Indian Mughal Court cooking. This civilised occasion was in a stark contrast to Bale’s previous family engagements in the capital.

Lady Gaga Aplogises For Slur

Lady Gaga and Hundreds of Others Apologise for Slur

During an interview with the British music magazine NME, American pop icon Lady Gaga called recent accusations of plagiarism “retarded.”

Ms. Gaga, an outspoken advocate for the LGBT community, has since apologized, acknowledging that her use of the word undermines the social causes with which she frequently associates.

“I consider it part of my life’s work and music to push the boundaries of love and acceptance,” said Gaga in a statement released through celebrity blogger Perez Hilton. “To anyone that was hurt, please know that it was furiously unintentional.”

She continued: “Whether life’s disabilities left you outcast, bullied or teased, rejoice and love yourself today.”

Gaga’s flippant use of “retard” is indicative of how casually the word exists in the English language. To measure how frequently it’s used would be nearly impossible, but TheSocialChallenge.org has been using one particular platform to track its use: Twitter.

Visitors to the site can see the live stream of tweets containing the word, and can send messages asking the tweeters to reconsider their choice of words in the future.

TheSocialChallenge.org has demonstrated that when engaged, like Lady Gaga, users of the word “retard” are likely to apologize.

“It’s really unfortunate when someone with as much influence as Lady Gaga uses that word,” said Holly Roos, an advocate for TheSocialChallenge.org, and a mother of two children with Fragile-X syndrome.

“But through The Social Challenge, in just over a month, we’ve actually had hundreds of people tweet back with apologies, pledging not to use the word in the future. It’s a great opportunity to make a difference, and I’m really glad to see that Lady Gaga thought better of her words, too.”

This month Gaga was an attendee at an event in Paris for the Best Buddies Association, an international nonprofit advocacy group for people with developmental disabilities.

TheSocialChallenge.org is a project that believes all people deserve the same rights and freedoms; that all individuals with developmental disabilities can be best served in the community with the right supports and services; and that advocacy can change lives.

SOURCE TheSocialChallenge.org