A revealing look into recovery with RICKY BYRD....Thank you, Recovery Today Magazine for this COVER story! Issue is out now.

Read issue here: https://recoverytodaymagazine.com/

"Not Such A Dark Night: Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night Share A Timeless Tapestry" - Thank you to AMERICAN SONGWRITER for this beautiful review of "Nature's Light" / interview with Candice Night!

March 12, 2021 Blackmore’s Night/Nature’s Light/E-A-R Music
Four out of Five Stars Given his past history as a harbinger of hard rock, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s current collaboration with singer and woodwind player Candice Night in the group Blackmore’s Night might strike some as curious at best. Nevertheless, the band has established its niche, with more than a dozen albums devoted to medieval and renaissance music of a decidedly vintage variety. It’s not the sort of sound heard within the musical mainstream, and indeed, it’s distinctly different, not only from Blackmore’s previous pursuits with Deep Purple and Blackmore’s Rainbow, but most notably, from much of what passes for modern music in general. The duo’s new album Nature’s Light boasts a set of songs as precious as the title implies. In addition to Night on vocals and woodwinds and the various support players that provide keyboards, bass, violin, percussion and backing vocals, Blackmore adds to the instrumental arsenal with acoustic guitars, hurdy-gurdy, nickelharpe and mandola. Their efforts veer towards madrigal music, all dainty designs that often sound like a series of gypsy-like serenades. Songs such as “Four Winds,” “Once Upon December” and “The Twisted Oak” are both quaint and charming, all enhanced with a light lilt, a fanciful flourish and shared finesse. The pair met in 1989 when Night was a radio station intern and Deep Purple was in town to play the station staff in a charity soccer game. Naturally, Night went along, and dutifully asked for Blackmore’s autograph. The guitarist was instantly smitten, and later, the two met up for a drink and then ended up immersed in conversation until the wee hours of the morning. A friendship evolved into a romantic relationship and naturally morphed into a musical collaboration from there. “I had gone on the road with Ritchie in 1993, and as soon as he stepped off that stage he would be playing Renaissance music—in the hotel room, in his home, in the car,” Night recalls. “I think people who followed Ritchie since the beginning of his career saw the influences there. When he was onstage and started a jam, it would often begin with a 16th century melody originally rumored to be written by Henry the VIII called ‘Greensleeves.’ When he wrote with Rainbow, they started by doing songs like ‘Temple of the King’ or ‘16th Century Greensleeves.’ Even when he did the solo for ‘Smoke on the Water,’ it wasn’t done in singular notes, but rather in medieval modal scales of 4ths and 5ths.” Night admits that she didn’t become familiar with that particular style of music until she and Blackmore became involved, and only after the two began cohabitating did her interest in it increase. “I had never heard medieval or Renaissance music before Ritchie,” she admits. “I moved in with him in 1991, and we lived in a dark English Tudor home with a minstrels gallery in the middle of the woods. He would be playing Renaissance music on the sound system and looking out the window to the beauty of nature outside, and it all just made sense. The audio and the visual were in perfect harmony. That’s when it kind of clicked for me. So when he left Deep Purple and put Rainbow back together, I was writing lyrics for them and doing backing vocals. Being around the studio while the other musicians were doing their backing tracks, Ritchie and I would sit in front of a fireplace and watch the snow come down outside the window of the farm house studio where they were recording. We eventually started writing songs just for us. It became a musical escape from the corporate world of pressure and friction that the rock and roll world had become for him.” Night insists that the duo’s initial goal wasn’t to share their music with the wider world. “It was a very personal journey, and originally we didn’t think we would put those songs out for anyone else to hear,” she recalls. “But when we played them for our friends and they liked them, we thought other people might enjoy them as well. Those songs became our debut CD Shadow of the Moon almost 25 years ago. We’re still on this musical journey together, and we still utilize our music as an escape from the pressures of the modern world.” Photo by Michael Keel To be sure, the new album does offer some hint of Blackmore’s earlier bombastic approach on “Der Letzte Musketier,” a full blown, amplified extravaganza that recalls the soaring solos he played with his initial outfits. Likewise, “Nature’s Light” boasts a grandiose sound that would seem to suggest the royalty’s arrival at the crown court.

“I simply look at music as being music.” Night reflects. “I think that we just do good melodic music. I’m not really comfortable being placed in a box or a genre or having a neat little label placed on us. I truly believe the point of creative process is to kick down the walls of that confining box and, as with any art, to have the creative freedom to play whatever you want to at any given moment.” Given that explanation, and the emotion imbued in the music, it’s hardly surprising to find Night taking a philosophical stance that affirms both their muse and their music. “As human beings we are constantly changing, constantly evolving,” Night notes. “We aren’t the same person we were five minutes ago. So the music we create should be constantly changing, ever evolving. We love having the freedom to be able to create Renaissance music, folk rock music, instrumentals, ballads, story songs, tavern or gypsy music. We just follow what our heart wants to play at the time.” Photos by Michael Keel. SOURCE

"Saturday Night Special" - New Video From LYNYRD SKYNYRD: Live at Knebworth '76!

Just off the loom...I am very excited and proud to share the first Whitlock in a series of special art pieces based on the paintings of BOBBY WHITLOCK. It's always so beautiful to see an idea come to life, and we have found our perfect creative partner Joseph Carini to bring Bobby's vision to fruition. I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to put all of the pieces together, and being able to share the first Whitlock carpet "Broken Wing" with the world. More to come...

Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT discuss "Nature's Light" with CNN - watch here!

View CNN interview here!

All new videos from BLACKMORE'S NIGHT album "Nature's Light" -- Once Upon December, Four Winds, Nature's Light, and Second Element

THE GO-GOS featured on The Playlist.net!

February 23, 2021 The 14 Best Movies To Buy Or Stream This Week: ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Judas & The Black Messiah,’ ‘I Care A Lot’ & More Every Tuesday, discriminating viewers are confronted with a flurry of choices: new releases on disc and on-demand, vintage, and original movies on any number of streaming platforms, catalog titles making a splash on Blu-ray or 4K. This biweekly column sifts through all of those choices to pluck out the movies most worth your time, no matter how you’re watching. It is a loaded week on the disc and streaming front, with three big titles on three big streamers, a wonderful new music documentary, and a boatload of first-rate catalog titles. ON BLU-RAY / DVD / VOD: ‘The Go-Gos’: The formulations of the rock bio-doc have become similarly set in stone, yet this told-from-the-inside story of the rise of the New Wave-adjacent girl group (from director Allison Ellwood) feeds off the relentless energy and infectious freedom of the music at its center. And by focusing on this group, Ellwood is also telling the story of the waning days of the L.A. punk scene, the introduction and infestation of MTV, and the precarious position of women in rock in the 1980s. The interviews are entertaining, the juxtapositions are ingenious, and the music, of course, is aces. (Also available on demand.) SOURCE

MARCH 19 - Ricky Byrd Releases "I Come Back Stronger" - Second Single from "Sobering Times"

GUITARIST / SINGER-SONGWRITER / PRODUCER RICKY BYRD TO RELEASE SECOND SINGLE FROM SOBERING TIMES “I COME BACK STRONGER” ~OUT MARCH 19~ New York, NY (March 19, 2021)--Following the release of first single “Together” (available here) from Ricky Byrd’s upcoming album Sobering Times, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer (Joan Jett and the Blackhearts) presents his second single “I Come Back Stronger” on March 19 (available here.) Continuing Byrd’s journey as a recovery troubadour, “I Come Back Stronger” (co-written with Richie Supa) spreads a message of hope and resilience to those who struggle with addiction and substance abuse. “It’s about the lessons life puts in front of us at every turn,” he says. “Whether we are willing to learn from them is the big question. I believe we can learn way more from our failures than our successes. So in the words of Mr. Sinatra...pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.” As Byrd proudly states, “with music and lyrics we press on and pass it on….” Sobering Times will be released on April 9 via BFD / The Orchard. Pre-order it here. ABOUT RICKY BYRD: Although best known for his time with The Blackhearts, Ricky Byrd has also recorded and played with Roger Daltrey, and toured with Ian Hunter and Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes, respectively. He is also proud to have shared stages with such music royalty as Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Alice Cooper, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt, Smokey Robinson, and Mavis Staples, among others. https://www.rickybyrd.com/

LOVELY WORLD new video "You Know Darlin'" premiered on The Big Takeover

March 11, 2021 Video Premiere: "You Know Darlin'" by Lovely World Lovely World – Photo Credit: Maddie Baldinelli On March 12, Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Lovely World will release their new single “You Know Darlin’” via Dark Spark Music and Brookstone Party Music. Landon Rojas, Cade Rojas, and Cameron Smith formed Lovely World in 2015 and built up their musical foundation based on a love of ’70s rock and pop music and anthemic modern rock. Landon Rojas (songwriter, vocals, guitar) and his brother Cade Rojas (drums) have been close friends with Smith (lead guitarist) since elementary school; Bassist Michael Gilbert joined the band in 2019. These young musicians blended their musical tastes with deep lyrics reflecting a consciousness beyond their years. Expressing the turmoil of unrequited love, drug addiction, social afflictions, and political conflict through a prism of passionate vocals and solid musicianship, Lovely World have created a vibrant sound that invites further listening. Upcoming heartfelt single “You Know Darlin’” continues this trajectory. Produced by Rick Parker (Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, The Dandy Warhols), the song presents a deep meditation on relationships, despair, and escapism delivered through vivid, emotional lyrics and melodic expression. Working with the band led Parker to express that, “Landon has one of those voices that you don’t care what he is selling, but you are going to buy it.” ““You Know Darlin’” was written during a really strange time. Let’s face it, 2020 has been a real horror show. [It’s] kind of as a farewell to a particular era and point in time. Everything was changing and honestly still is rapidly changing. It’s about searching for a life raft in the mist of a chaotic situation,” Landon Rojas reveals. He also shares that the song was inspired by, “all the strong women in my life… We can all name a few women who have helped us keep the puzzle pieces together. “You Know Darlin’” is a tribute to those women.” Big Takeover is mighty pleased to host the poignant music video for “You Know Darlin’,” which was directed and edited by Ridge Beck. In times of uncertainty one can still hope for a better future and find solace in each other, and this video clip shows how missed connections can finally turn into a serendipitous encounter. The storytelling video focuses on various scenarios that zoom onto the screen through footage from TV/computer monitors where Landon Rojas is so wrapped up in daily life situations that he doesn’t notice the young woman who is always near him in the frame. She is also unaware of his presence as she deals with the day-to-day activities. So close, yet so far… The other band members become extras in the scenes that take place at the thrift store, laundromat, move theater, and diner, and there are brief images of the whole band stormily performing the song. As the narrative develops, Landon and the girl are shown alone together, with their back to each other, not recognizing each other’s presence until the final shot in the diner, and then… SOURCE

Houston Press delves into RICKY BYRD'S Rock 'N Roll Recovery Troubadour Life - read here!

Houston, TX April 1, 2021 Ricky Byrd is the Recovery Troubadour Ricky Byrd today is all about rock and recovery. Photo by Frankie Byrd/Courtesy of Kayos Productions When singer/guitarist Ricky Byrd looks back upon the Big Moments of his life, it would be pretty hard to beat the evening of April 18, 2015. There’s when on the stage of Cleveland’s Public Hall, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. And then he took part in a collaboration that the teenaged Byrd couldn’t possibly imagine. In the all-star finale jam at the end, there he was face-to-face with Paul McCartney, ripping off the solo to the Beatles’ “I Wanna Be Your Man.” And behind him on the drum stool and singing sat the other surviving Fab, Ringo Starr. Amazingly, it wasn’t that performance (with Byrd decked out in a Howlin’ Wolf T-shirt) that he says was the most nerve-wracking moment. Instead, it was the speech that he gave—and who was in his field of vision. “I was trying not to look down because at that table in front of me was Paul, Ringo, Joe Walsh, their wives, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Yoko Ono. Can you imagine trying to give a speech to that group!” Byrd laughs. “So that made me nervous. But once I put the guitar around me, that’s what I do. And I have to thank Joan for bringing me along on that journey. The night was kind of a blur. It was bunch of wonderful people, a cool night, and at the end we were just all in a giant band. I mean, Stevie Wonder was playing harp on my left! It was surreal.” In a sense, Byrd came full circle since he’s always said how seeing the Beatles and the Rolling Stones perform on The Ed Sullivan Show is was set his life and career path to rock and roll in the first place. And as he mentioned in his induction speech, rock and roll saved him from a life “working the men’s cologne counter at Macy’s.” Today, the 64-year-old Ricky Byrd’s focus is still on music, but also about another topic he’s intimately familiar with: continuing recovery from drug and alcohol addiction. Kayos Records cover Byrd began his sober journey in 1987, and 30 years later he released the record Clean Getaway, full of songs directly about the topic. He obviously had more to say about it, because the follow up Sobering Times (Kayos Records, out April 9), features 12 tracks focusing on addiction, recovery, and hope. The titles speak for themselves: “Quittin’ Time (Again)”, “I Come Back Stronger,” “Recover Me,” “I Ain’t Gonna Live Like That,” “Pour Me,” “Life Is Good,” and a cover of Merle Haggard’s “The Bottle Let Me Down.” But don’t think that means the tunes are preachy and treacly: this is nothing if not a real rock and roll record. “When I finish a record and it runs its course, I’ll pick up the guitar and usually the tank is empty. But a month later, a chord pattern might come out. And then I’ll start mumbling a melody into a recorder and then the lyrics start coming,” Byrd says. “And after Clean Getaway, I found out I was writing about a lot of the same things, so I just went with it. The one thing I did want to do on this one is widen the lane a bit, so it could be [applicable] to other things in life as well.” Byrd had been performing much of the material as a self-described “Recovery Troubadour.” He regularly plays acoustically at recovery gatherings, treatment centers, and conferences for fellow recovering addicts and medical professionals, mixing his life story, music, and inspirational words to his audiences while opening up a conversation. “I do my Recovery Music Groups in these facilities and juvenile detention centers and would throw [songs] out there to see if I got a reaction. It’s like taking a show on the road before you get to Broadway,” Byrd says. “I’m not trying to write hit songs. I want to identify things to people to help change their lives. But it’s not all serious—there’s some humor in there too! It’s still a loud rock and roll record.” As for his own story, Byrd says there wasn’t some Big Movie Moment where he saw hit rock bottom and changed immediately and successfully within an instant. “I didn’t have a ‘white light moment,’ I just knew I was out of dance tickets,” he says. “I was looking into the mirror at the end of a long night and just thought ‘This is not going to end well.’ That’s when I called someone who was in recovery and he took me to my first community support group meeting. That was the beginning, and I love the camaraderie. Come to think if it, that’s also probably the reason I joined a band in the first place!” As to how his chosen profession might have contributed to his past addictions in a way that wouldn’t be the case with, say, another job, Byrd concedes that access to drugs and alcohol was far easier. “When you’re on the road, everyone wants to get the guitar player high,” he offers. Byrd also notes alcoholism runs in his family: his father and grandfather both died “as a direct result” of the disease, and his uncle has been in recovery for more than four decades. Byrd has even gone steps further and is now a both a CASAC T (Certified Alcohol and Substance Abuse Counselor) and CARC (Certified Addiction Recovery Coach), winning numerous awards for his work. In “Just Like You,” Byrd sings “To get to that feelin’ of feelin’ numb/There ain’t nothing you won’t do/I know that you think you’re the only one/I was just like you.” He estimates he’s given away about 2,500 of copies of Clean Getaway at recovery-related events, and plans to do the same with Sobering Times, hoping that other purchases will help balance out the cost. Of course, Ricky Byrd is best known as a member of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts from 1981-1991. He played on the band’s classic era hits like “Light of Day,” “I Hate Myself of Loving You,” “Fake Friends,” “The French Song,” “Backlash,” and hit covers of “Everyday People” (Sly & the Family Stone), “Crimson and Clover” (Tommy James and the Shondells), and the band’s biggest and most enduring hit, “I Love Rock ‘n Roll” (The Arrows). Byrd would often play it in New York clubs with Arrows singer/bassist Alan Merrill, who co-wrote the song with guitarist Jake Hooker. Merrill died in March 2020 at the age of 69 from COVID-19 in the early days of the pandemic. “We recorded it, and then we hit the road. The record came out and climbed higher and higher until it hit #1. We were in this kind of tornado,” Byrd says. “And the crowds got bigger. Then we went from touring in a Winnebago to a tour bus, and then two tour buses. But it’s a great song and of the time. Not much sounded like it on the radio at the time, it was raw, crunchy rock and roll. And it’s got an anthemic chorus with a really simple riff.” Byrd says the song might even prompt a call from a close relative—his mother. “My mom lives in Florida, and she’ll tell me ‘I heard the song in Publix!’” Byrd laughs. “And she has no problem stopping people in the frozen food section and going ‘That’s my son!’” For more on Ricky Byrd or to order an autographed copy of Sobering Times, visit RickyByrd.com SOURCE

LYNYRD SKYNYRD “Sweet Home Alabama”, which you can watch below, is part of the band’s historic ‘76 show “Live at Knebworth” (out NOW on multiple formats). They were part of a day-long festival that featured headliners The Rolling Stones, Todd Rundgren’s Utopia, and 10cc. The Stones’ tongue logo was a prominent part of the stage. Ronnie Van Zant disregarded all warnings to stay off it....Good times!

RICKY BYRD'S "Sobering Times" Out Now!

Today marks the international release of Ricky Byrd’s Sobering Times CD: a recovery message with a Loud and Proud, Rock N Roll Backbeat, delivered on 12 brand new tracks. In partnership with BFD / The Orchard, this album is now available on all digital platforms, as well as retail outlets.
~SOBERING TIMES IS AVAILABLE HERE ON ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS~
LISTEN HERE TO THE FIRST TWO SINGLES “TOGETHER” “I COME BACK STRONGER”