TOTO: Jeff PORCARO, Steve LUKATHER, David PAICH, Bobby KIMBALL, Mike PORCARO, Simon PHILLIPS... These names mean great music and a legend for all the fans worldwide... Check out here the latest news about the group...
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TOTO
- TOTO NEWS (1999) -
- April 27
- * Our friend Laurent LAVIGE has broadcasted this Sunday between 2 am and 3 am a one hour interview of Bobby KIMBALL on the French France-Inter radiostation. You can check the same interview on the Press mag BEST (French Rock mag).
- April 20
- * Check out the TV Channel MCM (French music TV channel) on April 25 from 10.30 pm to 11.30 pm. There is a special documentary about TOTO entitled simply TOTO. It will feature a recent interview with the band as well some footages recorded during their last concert in Paris (March 8).
- April 13
- * New french concert for TOTO: Paris, France - Le Zenith - on November 8, 1999. Tickets are already on sale.
- April 6
- * A new cover version for the tune "Georgy Porgy" released on April 19 as a single through Warner USA by US R&B Singer Eric BENET. This tune will also be feat. on his new album titled "A Day In The Life" (May 3 release).
- March 30
- * Check out the TV Channel MCM (French music TV channel) on April 6 from 7.30 pm til 8.30 pm. There is a special program about TOTO named L'INTEGRALE -SPECIAL TOTO.
- * Last Sunday, VIVEMENT DIMANCHE Michel DRUCKER TV show on FRANCE 2 broadcasted a play back version of AFRICA shooted by the group during the second week of March. Bobby KIMBALL played keys!
- * The release of Melanie CD single in France is imminent.
- March 16
- * Check out the TV Channel FRANCE 2 (French in-state TV channel) on March 20 from 8.55 pm til 11.10 pm. TOTO will play one of their tunes during the NUIT MAGIQUE TV show set-up by Catherine LARA. As a reminder, please note that Steve LUKATHER played in Catherine LARA band in July 97 during the Francofolies Festival at La Rochelle (France).
- * Last week, MINDFIELDS sales peaks in France were: #1 in the VIRGIN MEGASTORE record stores chain and #2 in the FNAC record stores chain. This week, MINDFIELDS is number 2 in the VIRGIN MEGASTORE record stores chain.
- * March 8, Fergie FREDERIKSEN new album EQUILIBRIUM was the number 2 sale at the VIRGIN MEGASTORE - Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris (France).
- * The French tabloid mag GALA (dated March 11) has put an article about TOTO with the following headline: what are they doing?
- * Regarding the March 8 concert in Paris, some information updates: the audience was between 15000 and 16000 people (and not 17000 like previously announced). Several executives of Sony Music from different European countries were invited to see the show in the VIP corner. RTL2 has broadcasted live the first 3 tunes of the Parisian concert + a short interview of Bobby before he went on stage.
- * Steve LUKATHER had confirmed in a French interview that the band won't release MINDFIELDS in The States before this early Summer.
- * After having broadcasted the AFRICA old video on his intern nationwide TV, VIRGIN CHANNEL (brodacasted in VIRGIN MEGASTORES in France), we can now view the AFRICA live video broadcasted on it (shooted during their last tour in South Africa).
- March 11
- * TOTO shooted yesterday the video of the French single Melanie at the Plaine Saint-Denis studios (North East of Paris, France).
- * Set-list of the in-store acoustic performance at the VIRGIN MEGASTORE Paris (March 8 - 1 pm) with the complete line-up of the band (incl. the 2 new additional musicians): 99, Georgy Porgy, Africa (short version!), High Price Of Hate, A Million Miles Away, Spanish Steps (bonus track of MINDFIELDS release).
- * Set-list of the Parisian Concert of TOTO (Paris-Bercy, 9.15 pm - 11.45 pm). Guest: Michelle White (who will do the entire French tour) from 8.15 pm to 9.00 pm. In the following order... First part of the set (Rock/Pop): Caught In The Balance, Tale Of A Man, I Will Remember, Rosanna, Going Home, A Million Miles Away, Jake To The Bone (with a dedication for Jeff Porcaro), On The Run, Simon Phillips 5 minutes drums solo, Dave's Gone Skiing (just the instrumental introduction) - Second part of the set (Acoustic): Out Of Love, Mama, 99, You Are The Flower, The Road Goes On, I'll Be Over You (dedicated by Steve Lukather to his girlfriend Shawn Murphy who was there in the VIP corner and also near the stage with a numeric videocam). Third part of the stage (Rock/Pop): Better World, Mad About You, I Won't Hold You Back, Cruel, Africa, David Paich keys solo (in a Celtic mood), White Sister. First encore: Child's Anthem, Girl Goodbye. Second encore: Steve gave the guitar of the RTL2 competition to a girl, Hold The Line.
- * Quotes of the Parisian concert on stage: "Our new album MINDFIELDS is number one at the VIRGIN MEGASTORE today!" (Steve Lukather) - "Paris is the music capital of the world" (David Paich) - "Let's me introduce to you the man who keeps the groove, the guy who keeps alive the flame and talent of Porcaro family: Mike Porcaro".
- * Among the French artists who were during the concert, let's quote the name of Jean-Jacques Goldman (who is a big fan of TOTO) and also Manu Katche (long-time friend of the Porcaro family and personal friend of late Jeffrey).
- March 7
- * EXCLUSIVE PIECE OF NEWS: TOTO LIVE ON YOUR TUNER
- - FROM PARIS-BERCY - MARCH 8 - AROUND 9 PM!!
- RTL2 - The French nationwide FM Adult Contemporary radiostation - will broadcast tomorrow evening- March 8 (around 9.00 pm Central European Time) live the first minutes of the Parisian concert at Bercy as well as the first minutes with the band before the concert. Also there will be an interview of Bobby KIMBALL broadcasted before this live broadcast.
- RTL2 on internet: http://www.rtl2.fr
- * This week-end on the RTL2 nationwide radiostation : TOTO special week-end with one-time per hour a tune of TOTO (13 tunes have been chose) + short features with interviews of Steve Lukather and Bobby Kimball.
- * TOTO will do in-stores 6 other dedication sessions in France during their tour in: Toulouse, Le Havre, Strasbourg, Montpellier and at Clermont-Ferrand. The in-stores dedications are sponsored by MCM and RTL2. They will be announced in regional daily newspapers as well as in local ads of the radiostation RTL2.
- * 200 persons are going to meet TOTO in one of 7 dates selected during the French tour.
- * Since the beginning of their career, for France, TOTO has sold more than 1 500 000 albums.
- * Here are the total amount of sales for TOTO XX album in France in less than one year: 50 000 copies.
- * Columbia Records France has pre-announced the release of MINDFIELDS and the French Tour in last February via a snail-mailing to a French database of fans established since the first Steve LUKATHER solo album.
- March 2
- * One of the set-list of one the first concerts of the REUNION Tour: Caught in a balance, Tale of a man, I will remember, Rosanna, Going home, Million miles away, Jake to the bone, On the run - Acoustic part: Out of love, Mama, 99, You are the flower, Road goes on, I'll be over you - Better world, Mad about you, I won't hold you back, Cruel, Africa, White sister, Girl Goodbye - Encore: High price of hate, Hold the line.
- * MINDFIELDS will be the album of the week in the leading music business professional magazine in France called MUSIQUE INFO HEBDO (dated March 5). This edition will also feature a 2-page interview with Mike PORCARO.
- * A new competition for French people. Win VIP tickets for the French concerts. Also the first prize is a guitar (dedicated by the members of the group) that will be given by Luke himself to the winner on March 8 on the stage of Paris-Bercy concert. Write to: Concours TOTO, RTL2, 22 rue Bayard, 75008 Paris. On a postcard sent to this address: indicate your name, address and phone number. Also indicate on the card your favourite tune of TOTO. All the postcards must be sent before March 4 at the latest.
- * Already more than 100 000 tickets sold for the French TOTO tour!!!
- * You are in France. Go to your local FNAC record store... They organize a competition till March 3, 1999. You will be able to win 1 electric guitar, tickets for the French tour as well as backstage passes for some dates (for after-shows or rehearsals) of the French concerts. This competition is also sponsored by Ernie Ball / Music Man, Epiphone and Tama.
- * TOTO - MINDFIELDS album (Columbia Records/Sony Music in several countries) - feat. Bobby Kimball on lead vocals, Steve Porcaro and also Joseph Williams as a songwriter. As musicians/backing vocalists: Clint Black, Richard Page, Lenny Castro, Mark Hudson, Timothy B. Schmit, Phil Soussan, Maria Vidal, Chris Thompson, Chuck Findley and Jerry Hey - Some tunes: After You've Gone, Mysterious Ways, Mind Fields, High Price Of Hate, Selfish, No Love, Caught In The Balance, Last Love, Mad About You, One Road, Melanie, Cruel, Better World.
- February 27
- * Mike PORCARO gave several interviews in Paris two weeks ago. Mike has announced the Paris-Bercy concert date will be very important for the group as I quote "major managers of the music industry will be there to see us."
- Other quote from Mike: "It's like we begin something new... We are not "in" in our own country and fortunately the European audience has always support the band".
- Mike has announced MINDFIELDS will be released in The States, "in a few months."
- He has addded: "the band has grown up, we have surmonuted our problems and we know that we are famous because we are members of this band."
- Mike has told the band will play during this new tour the famous tunes of the group (like Rosanna, Africa, Don't Chain My Heart... - he has quoted these tunes).
- * French release date (album): March 2.
- * Japanese release date (album): March 10.
- * Single choice in France: Melanie.
- * Finally, there will be a BONUS TRACK on the Japanese release: Spanish Steps Of Rome (like previously announced).
- * FERGIE FREDERIKSEN - EQUILIBRIUM album (MTM Music Germany) - Tracklisting: Died In The Midst of A Dream (Jon Lind/Brock Walsh), Crazy (Bobby Caldwell/Steve Kipner), All For Love (Martin Page), Mata Hari (Susan Hamilton/Buskin/Gorgoni), Falling Into Place (Richard Page/Steve George), Tell Me Diana (Bobby Caldwell), Blaze of Love (Gladstone/John Van Tongeren/Chris Thompson), The Language of Love (Ricky Phillips/Neal Schon), Equilibrium (Fergie/Ricky Phillips/Jim Peterik), The Truth Is Good Enough (Fergie/Peterik), (With You) I'm The Best I Can Be (Bruce Gowdy/Ricky Phillips) - feat. Jason Scheff and Ricky Phillips - February 22
EXCLUSIVE MIKE PORCARO interview Paris, hotel Marriott - late February 1999 (all rights reserved - strictly copyrighted) * About the popularity of TOTO in France...
It's incredible to us and we love them back. France has always been a great market for TOTO and I think the sophistication of the listening tastes in music assured our success through all the years.
* About the popularity of the big sales of TOTO XX in France...
I didn't realize that it is done so well... That's a big piece news to me! But we knew that we have some success for it: unreleased songs from previous albums, a lot of Jeff PORCARO, a lot of Bobby KIMBALL, songs that people have never heard before.
* About the same joy to play with the band live as well as in studio...
We still enjoy coming out and doing concerts, live music in the communication between the people and us is very important to us. It's the reason why we are still continuing on because we love to bring the music to people life and get instant response... They love it, they hate it... They... Very important to us!
* About the great musicians...
The true musician, it's a long live pursue. We are all musicians. Brian MAY, Eric CLAPTON... These are not kids who know 3-guitar chords. These are true musicians and it never leaves to you... It never stops till til the audience disappears...
* The difference between TAMBU and MINDFIELDS... MINDFIELDS is more Rock and less in the acoustic vein... Was it a choice?
Yes and the reason for that is the return of Bobby KIMBALL to TOTO. Bobby allows us to do a wider variety of songs than we could do in the past. He has a very strong voice, this sound that people remember TOTO. And it allows us to do a little heavier R&B, more Soulful music - the kind of music that Bobby sings very well.
* About the come-back of Bobby in TOTO?
We felt things we haven't felt for a long time which made us very happy to be able to return to our original sound. We know our fans will be very happy about it. It is just a present for us after 15 years to be able to get back to our roots.
* About choosing a set-list for a concert...
We prepare every song but as musicians we like to interpret differently every night. If somebody decides to go off and play a different way, we try to follow him, we try to listen and feel each other out and go with the flow of the music.
Well, it can be a little bit dangerous because when you start something different spontaneously, you don't know where we are gonna land safely... The skill level, the level of musicianship is such that most the time we land safely.
* About new versions of TOTO songs by other artists...
We have no problem about that. Once the song is recorded, it's out there for anybody else to record after you've done it. But of course they have to pay you the royalties to put them on thir record. So the songwriters still get paid again, it's like recording it twice... So nobody is afraid of that. It's an honor and a compliment to TOTO.
* About TOTO recently in South Africa during their last tour...
South Africa... It was our first time and we hope to go back there many times. We fell in love with the country and made many friends there. It's great to be able to travel the world and find that people enjoy the music not just in America, not just in France, China, Japan, etc. etc. So it's one of the things we take pride. We are known so well around the world. It keeps us alive, keeps us warming to do more.
* About partnerships on new projects...
Well, when we are home in Los Angeles, we record for many different people. When we have time off, everybody's working on different projects all the time. For instance, I just did things for SANTANA, for his new album... I don't know what the other guys have been involved in. But it keeps you fresh with your music... We try to learn and make them a part of your music.
* About the tune and name MELANIE...
Steve LUKATHER wrote that song and maybe it is about a relationship he had in the recent past. The name was just chosen for the musical sound of it... It fits with the melody.
* About the tour in France...
We look forward to being here. I am sure we gonna have a great time. Please come out and see the shows. We've comed to play for you. Merci beaucoup!
