Robby's Lobby #127

BlogApril, 2017InRock.co.jp

HeyHey In Rockers and thanks for stopping in to visit us here at The Lobby, my monthly opportunity to review the last 30 days of my life as I’ve been doing for well over a decade here in the pages of the Mighty In Rock.

Today I’m in Los Angeles with GGDS working on a new EP we are releasing this Spring to coincide with another North American Tour with special guest Phillip Phillips opening the show, but more on te EP and tour later, first off there’s an exciting new Vinyl box set of the first 5 GGDS albums called “Pick Pockets, Petty Thieves and Tiny Victories” being released by Warner Records on Record Store Day (April 22) here in the US. It contains our first 5 albums (Goo Goo Dolls 1987, Jed -1989, Hold Me Up-1990, Superstar Car Wash 1993, Boy Named Goo 1995), some of them on vinyl for the very first time. The second box set will be released later this year with our last 6 releases to be packaged in a box set as well.

We have been in the studio here in Los Angeles for the past couple of weeks working on a new EP entitled “You Should Be Happy” which will be available in May 12, 2017 in Japan. We are working with producer Drew Pearson who did about half of the last album “Boxes” and features about 6 songs, 4 of them freshly penned for the summer tour here in the US. We are recording the album at the legendary East West Studios on Sunset Blvd, the studio was started by Frank Sinatra back in the 50s as Western Recorders built by studio guru Bill Putnam. It has hosted the likes of Elvis Presley, Madonna, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones, RHCP, and this week an unlikely trio Goo Goo Dolls, Foo Fighters and Lady GaGa were in the main rooms of the facility. We had a great time hanging with them and Dave Grohl actually made some barbecue ribs for us one day. There’s been a very tired joke flying about the internet for the last decade regarding the name of a tour with these 3 acts on the bill, I would imagine this is as close as we’ll get to something like that, maybe we’ll call these the GooGaFoo Sessions some day …. Or not.

We made our way to LA from Florida and a great show at Busch Gardens in Tampa Florida, it’s awesome to have one off shows while we are off of a tour cycle, first off it’s just great to play with the band after a little time off, but also, when you live in snowy Buffalo, NY as I do, it’s nice to be able to escape to the tropics to thaw out for a bit (and get paid too!). A few more scattered shows on the books before we begin the Long Way Home tour including a show in St Kitts in the Caribbean with Shaba Ranks, Jah Cure and Third World among a host of other artists for a huge festival in June right before we begin preparations for the summer run, as you can see it’s going to be a very, very busy summer with over 60 shows on the schedule.

My Good Charamel Record label’s artist Shonen Knife will be making their way from Osaka to the US to do another cross continental tour called “The 2017 USA Ramen Adventure” making their way from Boston on 4/24 to Los Angeles 5/27 on their second trip to the US to support their latest “Adventure” album released in 2016. We’ll keep you in the loop on their adventures here in the US while they’re here and since my wife will be out on the tour I will be bringing you our little monthly rendezvous as a full time Daddy for the month … looking forward to spending some time with my little girl Hana after being away for the past few weeks.

Have a great month and enjoy the Spring as it begins to peek it’s head out from the cold, and stay happy, I’ll be in touch soon …….

Peace
Robby

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