BANG! THE BERT BERNS STORY: NEW DOCUMENTARY

Bert Berns with Van Morrison

We have Bert Berns to thank for some of the greatest soul music ever made.

Bert Berns was an amazingly unknown (to the mainstream) soul/pop songwriter/producer during the early 1960s from the Bronx. He literally wrote the soundtrack of my life to be sure!! Here is a short list of his music legacy, click on each one to hear the song, you'll be glad you did!

"You'll love this movie!" -- The New York Times

BANG! now available for the first time on DVD!

Exclusively at www.bangthebertbernsstory.com

Atlantic braintrust: Jerry Wexler, Bert Burns, Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun

Songwriter/producer

"A Little Bit of Soap", The Jarmels (1961)

"Cry to Me", Solomon Burke (1962)
"Twist and Shout", The Isley Brothers (1962)
"Cry Baby", Garnet Mimms (1963)
"Tell Him" The Exciters" 1963
"Under the Boardwalk", The Drifters (1964)
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", Solomon Burke (1964)
"Hang on Sloopy", The McCoys (1965)
"Piece of My Heart", 1968 Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin "Twenty Five Miles", Edwin Starr (1968)

Producer:

"Nobody but Me", The Isley Brothers- Human Beinz (1963)
"Here Comes the Night", them (1964)
"Baby I'm Yours", Barbara Lewis (from Detroit) (1965)
"Make Me Your Baby", Barbara Lewis (1965)
"Brown Eyed Girl", Van Morrison (1967)
"Are You Lonely for Me Baby", Freddie Scott (1967)

Whew!! What a list of music!! I loved him all my life and never knew his name until last week!  So folks if you love Bert's music like I do, please buy the DVD and share this story with your friends..

Early Neil Diamond hits like “Cherry, Cherry” and “Kentucky Woman” were on Bang, as was Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” The Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy” and “Night Time” were on the label, too, as were the McCoys’ hits “Hang On Sloopy” and “Fever.”

Bert Berns produced Barbara Lewis a chart topper here in Detroit back in 1965. His touch made magic with Barbara...

The film celebrates Bert Berns' talent and joy for living. He knew his time was limited and he certainly gave it his all. He had the magical ear to hear just the right note and he pushed those singers to perform their best. Yet they all seemed to love him.

Music meets the Mob in this biographical documentary, narrated by Stevie Van Zandt, about the life and career of Bert Berns, the most important songwriter and record producer from the sixties that you never heard of. His hits include “Twist and Shout”, “Hang On Sloopy”, “Here Comes The Night” and “Piece Of My Heart.”

Here are some of the musicians that were interviewed for the film: Ronald Isley, Ben E. King, Solomon Burke, Van Morrison,Cissy Houston, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney. Narrated by Stevie Van Zandt

BUY THE DVD HERE

Bert helped launch the careers of Van Morrison, Neil Diamond and produced some of the greatest soul music ever made. Filmmaker Brett Berns brings his late father's story to the screen through interviews with those who knew him best and rare performance footage.  Directors Brett Berns and Bob Sarles

Bang: The Bert Berns Story
Soundtrack

SCOOTA WARNER NEW RELEASE: VIGNETTES

Skoota Warner

Skoota Warner To Release New Album 'Vignettes' June 23rd 2015

Featuring DJ Logic, C-Rayz Walz, David Fuiczynski, Hot Tuna and More

April 22nd, 2015 - New York, NY - Skoota Warner has been called "The Drummer's Drummer" due to his ability to play anything from ballads to rock, funk to R&B, pop to hip-hop, jazz to blues and everything in-between. All of these influences, and the help of a few good friends, created his new solo album 'Vignettes.' 

The musicians who collaborated in the process are as diverse as one could expect from DJ Logic to Jorma Kaukonen of Hot Tuna who said “Skoota Warner is one of the very best rock drummers I have ever worked with, and I’ve worked with plenty over the last 50 years. Whether Skoota is behind the kit or in front of the band… quite simply, he gets it done… every time!  That’s right… every time! It was an honor for him to ask me to play on his session. I’ll do it again any time!"

Recorded at OWG Studio and Home Studios in New York City ,  ‘Vignettes’ is a collection of songs that Skoota describes as an eclectic mix of rhythms and genres of music that have greatly influenced him:  “It’s a labor of love composed of snippets of everything I love.”  A truly collaborative effort with a diverse group of guests, the album was created both via file sharing and live in the studio.

Also on the record is David Fiuczynski of Screaming Headless Torsos:  “Working with Skoota is an absolute blast!  He plays with this infectious joy and has the greasiest, most beautiful pocket in the business!  As far as I’m concerned, Skoota is the Cadillac of drummers!!!”

Click here to play Man Of Value (Cleared for posting):

After high school Skoota moved to New York City to chase his drumming dreams. He started out as a street musician playing for tips in front of The Plaza Hotel.  Here, he caught the attention of Pepeu Gomes and Baby Consuelo, Brazil’s top pop artists.  At only 18, Skoota left for Brazil where he played gigs with Pepeu and recorded several albums.  

After two years, he returned to New York, sharp from his South American experiences, landing him gigs with blues musicians Johnny Copeland and Johnny Johnson as well as joining the house band for the famed Apollo Theater’s Amateur Night; backing up R & B, Funk, and Hip-Hop talents such as Keith Sweat, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Doug E. Fresh, and Special Ed.  Skoota became known for his impromptu breakbeat rhythms on stage.

In 1989, Omar Hakim, New York’s premier session drummer chose Skoota to be the drummer for hisRhythm Deep Project. “Skoota nails it,” said Hakim. “He’s a Drummer’s Drummer!”

In 1996 Skoota released his first solo record 'NGA Style' on Popular/Radikal Records which charted on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles.  The same year, he and three other friends formed the band Ra, an alternative metal band that saw success with the release of their first EP after WAAF in Boston championed the band by putting their track Do You Call My Name into heavy rotation. This led to their debut album for Univeral Records 'From One' getting to #14 on the Billboard 200 in 2003. 

Since the nineties, Skoota has played for some of the hottest artists of all time - Santana, The B’52's,Lionel Richie, Cyndi Lauper, Mary J. Blige, Patrick Stump, the Brecker Brothers, Matisyahu,Yerba Buena and Philippe Saisse. He was also a member of Dave Koz & The Kozmos, the house band for The Emeril Lagasse Show. In 2009, he began touring with Jefferson Airplane founding members, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and bassist Jack Casady of Hot Tuna fame and also currently plays in Cyndi Lauper's band.

Why such a long wait to make another solo album? Skoota explains: "I write music all the time and really missed recording and producing my own songs. I’ve experienced a lot personally and musically over the past twenty years and felt the time was right to put out another CD.  Getting to work with my very talented friends was fantastic and made the project come to life."

 Vignettes Tracklisting:

1. Odyssey 

2.  Man of Value (Feat. C-Rayz Walz and Sahaj Ticotin)

3.  Still in Love (Feat. C-Rayz Walz and Kelli Sae)

4. Deserving Heart (Feat. Kelli Sae)

5. MoBo (Feat. David Fiuczynski, DJ Logic and Kelli Sae)

6. Al and Oscar

7.  U Oughta Know (Feat. Donna Angelle)

8.  U Oughta Jam

9.  Ensemble of ArtJah (Feat. DJ Logic)

10.  B.I.G. C-Rayz (Feat. C-Rayz Walz and DJ Logic)

11. Before I Let Go My Zydeco (Feat. Donna Angelle and Sara Devine)

12.  About This Love (Feat. Kelli Sae)

13.  Changes (Feat. Karen Bernod and Kelli Sae)

14.  Quimfuze (Feat. David Fiuczynski, DJ Logic)

15.  Without a Melody

16.  Nothing Left  (Feat. DJ Logic, C-Rayz Walz and Kelli Sae )

17.  Mo' MoBo (Feat. Hot Tuna)

Website: http://www.skootawarner.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skoota.warner
Twitter: https://twitter.com/skootawarner

ELIZA NEALS IN NYC: DRESS LIKE IT'S 1967

"Experimental BLUES"

The Bitter End

MAY 24th 10pm  

SATURDAY NIGHT! 

'They' will be shooting a Music VIDEO 

so dress like it's 1967!

Summer Single Release!

The Bitter End

147 Bleecker Street NY NY

DENIZ TEK AND THE BAD MEN

DENIZ TEK & THE BAD MEN - 

3 US-East Coast shows before Europe Tour :

Wed. MAY 28- American Bar & Grill - Lancaster, PA

Thurs. May 29- Bowery Electric, NYC with STEVE WYNN & the MIRACLE 3, The Nuclears and John Cooper Clark.

Fri. MAY 30- Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ - with the Easy Outs.

EUROPE TOUR JUNE 2014

DENIZ TEK AND THE BAD MEN ( Art & Steve GODOY ) 

US/EUROPE TOUR  - MAY/JUNE 2014

28/05 LANCASTER, PA - USA - American Bar & Grill

29/05 NYC - USA - Bowery Electric (w/STEVE WYNN & The Miracle 3)

30/05 LONG BRANCH, NJ - USA - Brighton Bar

03/06 OSLO, NORWAY - Kulturhuset 

04/06 MOSS, NORWAY - Tivolikjeller 

05/06 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN - Lilla Hotellbaren

06/06 HALDEN, NORWAY - Feelgood

07/06 GOTEBORG, SWEDEN - Henriksberg

08/06 MALMO, SWEDEN - Folk & Rock

09/06 HAMBURG, GERMANY - Hafenklang 

10/06 BERLIN, GERMANY - White Trash 

11/06 TBA

12/06 NANCY, FRANCE - Royal Royal Pub

13/06 PARIS, FRANCE - La Mecanique Ondulatoire 

14/06 KORTRIJK, BELGIUM - The Pit's 

15/06 HONFLEUR, FRANCE - La Batolune 

16/06 ROUEN, FRANCE - Le 3 Piece Muzic Club 

17/06 KOLN, GERMANY - Sonic Ballroom

18/06 BAYREUTH, GERMANY - Schokofabrik

19/06 GENEVE, SWITZERLAND - La Graviere - Les Acacias

20/06 STUTTGART GERMANY - Goldmark's 

21/06 ARCO (TN), ITALY - Festa della Musica

22/06 ZURICH, SWITZERLAND - Wirtschaft Zum Transit 

23/06 VOGOGNA (VB), ITALYLa Loggia del Leopardo

24/06 BRESCIA, ITALY - Lio Bar 

25/06 SAVIGNANO SUL RUBICONE (FC), ITALY - Sidro

26/06 LA SPEZIA, ITALY - Boss 

27/06 ANCONA, ITALY - Fun House 

28/06 BUCINE, ITALY - Spectre Club

29/06 BARZANÒ (LC), ITALY - Fin Qui Tutto Bene Festival

30/06 TBA, ITALY

01/07 ZANÈ (VI), ITALY - Cascina Irma