Hello It's Me

Rocker Todd Rundgren brings long-awaited Utopia reunion to Dallas

Utopia has arrived for Todd Rundgren fans.

Todd Rundgren/Facebook

For fans of rock star Todd Rundgren, Utopia has arrived. Rundgren and his original band Utopia — consisting of members Kasim Sulton, Willie Wilcox, and Ralph Schuckett — are reuniting for their first North American tour in 32 years, with a date in Dallas at the Majestic Theatre on April 23.

The tour launches in Pennsylvania on April 18 and hits most major North America cities. Tickets go on sale February 23 at 10 am; pre-sales begin February 20 at 9 am.

As a companion to the reunion tour, Friday Music will release a 7-disc box set called The Road to Utopia: The Complete Recordings (1974-82). A limited-edition collection, it includes the band's seven classic albums, for the first time with CD digipak gatefold covers featuring original album artwork elements; rare inner sleeve art; and 2018 written commentary from the band.

Todd Rundgren's Utopia formed in 1974 after four years of making solo albums, including the seminal Something/Anything?, which included hits such as "Hello It's Me" and "I Saw The Light."

The band began as a prog-rock-progenitor septet featuring Moogy Klingman, Ralph Schuckett, "M. Frog Labat" on keyboards, John Siegler on bass, Kevin Ellman on drums, and Rundgren on guitar. Their music ranged from extended synth experiments to four-song albums. Their live shows were distinguished by video backdrops and computer-generated music that was ahead of the curve.

By 1976, the group had become the power-pop rock quartet Utopia, with Willie Wilcox on drums, Roger Powell on keyboards, and Kasim Sulton on bass — the best-known and most commercially successful Utopian incarnation.

In 1986, after 10 years of nonstop recording and arena touring, the band took a sabbatical. Rundgren went on to produce albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, Hall And Oates, and Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell.

The "sabbatical" is now over.

The tour even has an official pre-sale credit card, Citi, whose holders can purchase pre-sale tickets beginning February 20 at 10 am until February 22 at 10 pm through Citi's www.citiprivatepass.com program.

Tour dates are as follows:

April 18 – Penn's Peak, Jim Thorpe, PA
April 20 – Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
April 22 – House Of Blues, Houston
April 23 – Majestic Theatre, Dallas
April 25 – Broward Center For The Performing Arts, Broward, FL
April 27 – Mahaffey Theater, St. Petersburg
April 28 – Tabernacle, Atlanta
April 29 – Carolina Theater, Durham, NC
May 1 – Paramount Theater, Huntington, NY
May 2 – Warner Theater, Washington, DC
May 3 – Town Hall, New York, NY
May 5 – Tower Theater, Philadelphia
May 6 – Orpheum Theater, Boston
May 7 – Ridgefield Theater, Ridgefield, CT
May 9 – Peabody Opera House, St. Louis
May 10 – Taft Theater, Cincinnati
May 12 – Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
May 13 – State Theater, Minneapolis
May 15 – 20 Monroe Live, Grand Rapids, MI
May 16 – Massey Hall, Toronto
May 17 – The Fillmore, Detroit
May 19 – Hard Rock Live, Cleveland
May 22 – Chicago Theater, Chicago
May 24 – Paramount Theater, Denver
May 26 – The Joint At Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas
May 27 – Comerica Theater, Phoenix
May 29 – The Wiltern, Los Angeles
May 30 – The Masonic, San Francisco
June 1 – Moore Theater, Seattle
June 2 – Revolution Theater, Portland
June 4 – Crest Theater, Sacramento
June 5 – Fox Performing Arts Center, Riverside, CA

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RIP Joe

Texas country music singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer, and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

According to a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife Sharon, and daughter Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings."

Read the full story at KVUE.com.

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