Lifeforce Show
Jim Peterik's Lifeforce, the new smooth jazz/New Age project from a man who's traditionally a rocker, is picking up momentum.
 Most recently, Lifeforce wowed the audience at College of Lake County on March 14th.
The band, with special guest Nick Colionne, just make it look so effortless. The band features some familiar faces to World Stage and Pride of Lions fans: Mike Aquino on guitar, Klem Hayes on bass, Ed Breckenfeld on drums, along with new faces Jeff Lantz on keys and the legendary Steve Eisen on sax. And the audience loves them.
 What about that audience? For a guy who's known for songs like "Vehicle," "Eye Of The Tiger," and "Rocking Into the Night", how does smooth jazz play to his fans?
"It's great. Quite a few of the traditional fans are following us," said Peterik, "but I've started to notice more and more new faces. People who come up to us after a show who heard about us on WGN radio or through the smooth jazz outlets, people who have never heard "High On You" or "Caught Up In You."
"I love it. I'm finding yet another new audience for my music," Jim said. "Some of them are amazed to find out I'm the same guy who wrote "Vehicle"."
 Up next for the band is the official CD release party at FitzGerald's Nightclub in Jim's hometown of Berwyn, Illinois on Saturday, April 11th. Actually, it's a very special night, since it will also serve as the official CD release party for Lobster Newberg's new album "Actress". Lobster Newberg, for those of you who may not be aware, is Jim's son Colin's band.
The Boys From Lobster will open the evening with a set of their own brand of psychedelic neo-vintage classic prog-rock (hey! It's hard to pin them down!), after which the Boy from Berwyn will take the stage with the band and the lovely Lisa McClowry.
"This will be a very great event for me. To have our CD release celebration as well as my son's in my hometown is like coming full-circle. It should be a pretty magical evening," Peterik said.
"To make it even cooler, your $15 admission not only buys you two great performances, but also your choice of either the Lifeforce or the Lobster cd. Think of it as 'Buy a cd, get a free concert,'" joked Peterik.
Of course, there will be a merchandise table if you'd like to pick up the other cd, t-shirts, whatever -- music makes a great gift. Spread the joy to all of your friends. This is an exciting new direction for Jim, one that he hopes you will enjoy as much as he does.
"Of course, writing rock comes naturally to me," according to Jim. "But I've been amazed at how natural the LIfeforce music feels to me as well. Not just the reworking of some of my earlier rock numbers, but also the brand-new jazz compositions. Lisa's contributions, both in songwriting and in her gorgeous vocals, are amazing. I'm really enjoying this, and can see carrying on both musical lives for a long time."
For more details, see the FitzGerald's website at www.fitzgeraldsnightclub.com.
LIFEFORCE SHOWS
Jim and Lisa will be at Best Buy in Downers Grove, IL on March 29th for an in-store performance and CD signing - 2:30pm. Come out to experience a fantastic performance in an intimate setting. They will play music from the new album and perhaps even some surprises!
*Sunday, March 29th, 2009*
Best Buy - 1432 Butterfield Rd,
Downers Grove, IL - 2:30pm
Jim and Lisa in-store performance
and CD signing.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Fitzgerald's
6615 Roosevelt Rd.
Berwyn, IL 60402
9:00pm
Lobster Newberg to open
Tickets available at the door
JIM PETERIK AND FRIENDS TO APPEAR AT LEGENDARY BLUEBIRD IN NASHVILLE
CHICAGO -- Jim Peterik will once again be participating in the Tin Pan South concert series in Music City, USA on Saturday, April 4th .
Tin Pan South is a festival tied to the Nashville Songwriters' Association's annual conference, and features a wide assortment of some of the world's best songwriters performing in a variety of venues around Nashville. The concerts are held in the evening after the day's conference has ended.
Jim has performed at several of these in years past, including one I attended two years ago which featured Jim, Henry Paul of BlackHawk, Kelly Keagy of Night Ranger, and Kip Winger. Think of it as a small, acoustic World Stage.
This year's lineup includes Peterik; Gunnar Nelson, twin brother of Matthew Nelson of the band "Nelson" and Ricky Nelson's son who will be performing Nelson songs like "Love and Affection" as well as bringing out nuggets from his father's catalog like "Hello, Mary Lou" and "Garden Party"; Englishman Roger Cook, who penned "Long Cool Woman In a Black Dress" for The Hollies, "Talkin' In Your Sleep" for Crystal Gayle, "I Want to Teach the World To Sing" (yes, the song that became an anthem for Coca-Cola), "I Believe In You" for Don Williams, and "Here Comes That Rainy Day Feelin'" for The Fortunes, among others.
"The really cool thing about Roger is that he just comes out with a ukelele," said Peterik. "They have a "shush!!" rule at Bluebird where if someone is talking during a song, you can say "shush!!" to them. However, when Roger walks out, you can hear a pin drop."
The Bluebird is the legendary Bluebird Cafe', long one of Nashville's hottest spots for songwriters to try out their stuff.
And finally, Dennis Morgan, a man who has written songs such as “Smoky Mountain Rain,” “I Wouldn’t Have Missed It For The World,” “She Keeps The Home Fires Burning” (all by Ronnie Milsap), “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool” and “Sleeping Single In A Double Bed” (both by Barbara Mandrell), “I Knew You Were Waiting For Me,” by George Michael & Aretha Franklin, “My Heart Can’t Tell You No,” by Rod Stewart,” “Let Me Let Go” by Faith Hill along with hundreds of others including George Strait and Taylor Hicks.
These shows are really just an informal jam session amongst peers. Not your song? So what! Everyone joins in and plays along. It has a houseconcert feel, but in a public place.
"Doesn't matter if you know the song perfectly or not. Everyone just gets up there and sings," according to Jim.
World Stage regular and rising jazz star LIsa McClowry will be joining Jim as well, not only harmonizing on classics such as "Heavy Metal" and "Hold On Loosely", but also showcasing new material such as "Roses With No Reason" from her upcoming cd "Lisa McClowry."
"Lisa has become a fixture at Tin Pan," said Jim. "People will come just to see her."
If you have the weekend free, you owe it to yourself to go. Doesn't matter if you're not a member of the NSAI -- the concerts are open to the public and ticket revenues go to help support the NSAI's work.
You can find more details at the Tin Pan South website, www.tinpansouth.com
-- Paul Braun
LIFEFORCE
Jim Peterik - Grammy¨ winning singer, songwriter and guitar/keyboardist - has unveiled his first smooth jazz project, Jim Peterik's Lifeforce. As the founding member of both Survivor and The Ides Of March, he has been responsible for eighteen Top 10 hits, three of which, "Vehicle," "The Search Is Over," and the Grammy¨ winning "Eye Of the Tiger" (theme from Rocky III), made it all the way to No. 1. Peterik is also responsible for many of the hits of .38 Special, such as "Hold On Loosely," "Caught Up In You," and "Fantasy Girl." His songs have been featured worldwide in countless movies, television shows, sporting events and commercials.
Who knew that behind the rock legend was a musician steeping himself almost exclusively in smooth jazz and new age in his time off? Peterik said, "My wife of 35 years, Karen, and I have been huge fans since day one of Pat Metheny, David Grusin, Spyro Gyra, Keiku Matsui, Acoustic Alchemy, Basia and so many more. Writing and performing this style myself is just a natural progression from fan to artist."
Jim Peterik's Lifeforce is a potent synergy of his many influences through the years. Along with the exciting new songs he has written for this album, there are also jazzy re-imaginings of two of his biggest hits: "Eye Of The Tiger" and "Vehicle." In addition, "The Search Is Over" has been recast as a duet between Peterik and Lisa McClowry, a rising smooth jazz singer who is featured with him throughout this album.
"My message and mood is positive and uplifting," Peterik said. "Much like the theme of 'Eye Of The Tiger,' I feel that visualization of your desired outcome is the first step to actualization. This theme, as well as making sure we appreciate each day, runs through my songs."
The album, produced by Peterik and Larry Millas, features some of the world's finest musicians: Ed Breckenfeld on drums, Mike Aquino and Peterik on guitar, Klem Hayes on bass, Christian Cullen, Scott May, Jeff Lantz and Jim on keyboards, Steve Eisen on sax and flute and Lisa McClowry on vocals. Special guests include smooth jazz great Nick Colionne on the standout track, "Unconditional Surrender," with Larry Gray and Sharay Reed on upright bass.
MEDIA AND PRESS INQUIRIES
press@jimpeterik.com
or contact Scott May/QZQ Creative-(630) 636-6846
Visit the new LIFEFORCE Website
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