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#Post#: 4362--------------------------------------------------
Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Mac
Date: December 12, 2011, 3:41 pm
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[glow=red,2,300]Queen Extravaganza[/glow]
If done right, this could be very cool. As some of you know I'm
a big fan of the Australian Pink Floyd. That is a celebration of
the music and talents and legacy of a great band. This could be
just as exciting.
--- Quote ---
> After celebrating their 40th anniversary with an impressive
slate of events, Queen will ring in 2012 with a new project that
will give longtime fans something new to and help introduce
their music to the next generation of music lovers.
>
> Drummer Roger Taylor will be in Los Angeles today (Dec. 5) to
judge the finals of the ‘Queen Extravaganza’ competition. The
musicians and singers chosen as finalists will form the band for
the planned multimedia touring experience which shall tour the
United States during the spring and summer months of next year.
>
> We spoke with Roger to get down to the nuts and bolts of
‘Queen Extravaganza,’ and we also spent some time discussing the
future plans for Queen in the studio and on the road:
>
> Congrats on the 40th anniversary of the band! I’m curious to
know if you’ve taken any vacation time this year, because from
everything I’ve seen, you guys have been keeping very busy!
>
> You’re so right. Actually, no! [Laughs] I had some time in the
summer, but it’s been a really busy year and next year looks
like being busy as well. I thought after 40 years we deserved to
rest [chuckles], but actually it’s good to work.
>
> I want to talk about Queen Extravaganza, I like the way you’ve
been careful to position this as something that’s not a
traditional tribute, but instead, you’re focusing on celebrating
the music of Queen and making this an event. Where did the seeds
for this idea originate?
>
> Well, I guess it was my idea. I just got really a little fed
up with seeing tribute bands everywhere…not just to us, but to
other bands as well. And on the whole, I would say it was a
fairly cheesy experience and I really wanted a degree of
excellence.
>
> If somebody’s going to represent our music live, I’d like to
see it represented with excellence and spectacularly and with
really great musicianship. That’s what we’re aiming for here.
You know, we were really shooting in the dark with the idea of
auditioning through the internet, but it’s worked out
brilliantly. I think we have 26 finalists, we’re going to put
the band together next week in L.A. and they’re all excellent. I
mean, the standard is so high – my breath has been taken away,
literally. It’s going to be one killer band, I think.
>
> Watching these auditions, it’s pretty clear that you haven’t
had people just auditioning to get a gig. When I watch some of
the drummer audition videos for example, I can tell that they
grew up under the influence of your drumming. You can see it in
their playing.
>
> Yeah, absolutely. They’ve really put a lot of effort into a
lot of the auditions and the guys have got great chops, talking
about the drummers for instance. But yeah, it’s been really
interesting and great to see so many great players out there.
The guitar players are phenomenal and a lot of singers [are
great], you know. It’s amazing, the talent in the bedrooms of
America! [Laughs]
>
> One of the songs that you used to audition the drummers was
‘One Vision’ and that’s quite a drumming workout. What was it
like for you trying to get that one down in the studio when
Queen originally recorded it?
>
> Well, it wasn’t that bad, actually, because I think obviously
it sort of organically came out of us, so it was what I sort of
naturally do. I would say it wasn’t that hard, but I would say
that it is not that easy [of] an arrangement to duplicate.
You’ve got to count quite a lot there and it’s very rhythmic, so
I thought that was a good song for a test for a drummer. But of
course it was different – the vocalist had to do ‘Crazy Little
Thing Called Love’ and ‘Keep Yourself Alive,’ I think was the
last guitar test.
>
> You’re auditioning for three singers. Are those three
vocalists going to share the vocal duties?
>
> They’re going to share the vocal duties. Exactly. Freddie was
a very intense performer and he had tremendous range. Also, we
had the different eras of the band over those 20 years
performing. So that gives us much more scope within the show to
one, give people a rest and then showcase in a more spectacular
way that particular singer who’s singing a particular song. I
think it’s good with three.
>
> Listening to the remasters of the Queen catalog, it really
struck me how much each band member brings to the sound of the
band and how all of it combines to form that blend that we know
so well now. To prepare for the finals, have you assembled any
sort of dream teams from the finalists to work on replicating
that “blend?”
>
> Well really, the 26 finalists, there isn’t one person that’s
not capable of being in the band, so really I have to get the
best mix. And I think we should be able to very strongly
replicate the sound and also inject some new dynamism into it.
This is going to be a real rock show – it won’t just be trudging
through the catalog – they’ll be a lot of stuff that’s not so
well known and obviously a lot of hits and a lot of clever,
modern staging.
>
> Plus a good amount of Queen archival material that will be
part of the show as well, right?
>
> That’s absolutely right. There will be a lot of screen visuals
and the stuff that really wasn’t available to us. What you can
do with screens now is phenomenal. Brian and I found out a lot
since we’ve had our musical show in London which has run for 10
years. We’ve found out a lot with the different productions of
that, what can be done these days with screens, etc. and visual
effects. Things have moved on a lot, so I think this will be a
very spectacular show.
>
> You and Brian have been going through some demo recordings
featuring Freddie for an upcoming Queen album. What era is that
stuff from and what can you tell us about the plans for that
project?
>
> I’ve got to tell you, there won’t be an album. There’s just
not enough and the last thing I want to do is have a sort of
barrel scraping exercise. But there’s a couple of great tracks
that Freddie recorded with Michael Jackson that Brian and I are
working on and they are good. So at some point they will
surface, I think, when we feel it’s a good moment. I don’t
really want to ride any sort of wave there. So that’s an
interesting thing, but that will be probably later some point
next year.
>
> These new reissues had quite a bit of bonus material attached.
Is there a chance we might eventually see a full on rarities box
set?
>
> I would guess that the record companies will almost certainly
bring pressure to make that happen, yeah. [Laughs] It sounds
like a lot of work to me.
>
> I was curious how much stuff there might be in the vaults that
fans haven’t heard.
>
> There is some stuff, actually. But I really feel that it has
to pass muster, you know? I don’t want to put out [just]
anything. We were very careful with some of the bonus stuff.
Some of it we said “oh no, that really isn’t interesting or good
enough,” so we didn’t let it out. I don’t really want to be seen
to be cashing in.
>
> As famous as they were, it was really cool to hear those first
album demos finally.
>
> Yeah, that was interesting. I thought they had a freshness
which actually the first album didn’t have, to be honest. I’ve
never been a big fan of the production on that album. I thought
they had a freshness that wasn’t on [the album], a more open
drum sound, etc. that really wasn’t on that first album of ours.
>
> Wrapping up, what are the thoughts about any potential Queen
shows in the future?
>
> Well actually, we did a thing for MTV Europe – the VMA Awards,
about two weeks ago. We did three or four songs at the end of
the show with Adam Lambert, who has really matured and has
become an incredible performer. I think Brian and I will very
possibly be doing something with Adam, because he’s really
great. His range is unequaled, I think, and his stage presence
is really quite something these days. He’s a phenomenal
performer and it went very well, so that was very interesting,
actually. We would hope to be doing something with Adam at some
point.
--- End Quote ---
#Post#: 4486--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Mac
Date: December 18, 2011, 10:48 pm
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[img]
HTML http://wac.450f.edgecastcdn.net/80450F/ultimateclassicrock.com/files/2011/12/Queen-Extravaganza.jpg?w=625&h=0&zc=1&s=0&a=t&q=89[/img]
Queen Extravaganza.com
HTML http://www.queenextravaganza.com/
VOCALS - Jennifer Espinoza (San Antonio, TX)
VOCALS - Marc Martel (Montreal, QC / Nashville,TN)
GUITAR - Tristan Avakian (Toronto, ON)
GUITAR - Brian Gresh (Tulsa, OK)
DRUMS - Tyler Warren (Camden, TN)
BASS - Francois-Olivier Doyon (Quebec City, QC)
--- Quote ---
> Queen‘s Roger Taylor has chosen the six young musicians
pictured here in Brady Bunch fashion to serve as the band and
singers for the 2012 Queen Extravaganza tour. (Guess that makes
him “Michael,” huh?) After a nearly five-month long search for
four musicians and two singers to form the ultimate tribute
band, the drummer made his decisions on Monday in Los Angeles.
>
> It’s no surprise that Marc Martel was selected as one of the
singers. The Montreal born singer’s audition video went viral
within days of it being posted to YouTube. He also appeared on
‘Ellen‘ and won an MTV O Award.
>
> “Having gotten to know the other contest winners a bit in
L.A., I’m confident we have what it takes to gel as a unit and
give our best to do justice to some of the best rock music ever
recorded,” Martel said after winning. “I am so thankful for the
chance to do this. Gonna be fun!”
>
> Canada is well represented. Guitarist Tristan Avakian is from
Toronto and bassist Francois-Olivier Doyon calls Quebec City
home. Rounding out the group are San Antonio, Texas singer
Jennifer Espinoza, guitarist Brian Gresh from Tulsa, Okla. and
drummer Tyler Warren from Camden, Tenn. Each member auditioned
by recording video of themselves singing a pre-selected song,
then passed through to the finals after singing a different
song.
>
> “As the audition videos began posting, we could see right away
that the caliber of talent was very high,” Taylor explains.
“When I got into the studio with the final 25 musicians, I
realized that these guys are seriously good players. They went
way beyond my expectations. It was an incredibly difficult
decision to choose the final line-up.”
>
> He adds the tour — scheduled to begin sometime in 2012 — will
not be a traditional tribute tour. “It’s a brand-new show
specially designed to enable fans to celebrate the music of
Queen in a heart-stopping event."
>
--- End Quote ---
Marc Martel - Somebody To Love
HTML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dREKkAk628I
#Post#: 4487--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Chiprocks1
Date: December 18, 2011, 10:57 pm
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This sounds like a Realty Show waiting to happen. Make sure it's
on NBC so that I can catch it the next day. Sounds interesting
though.
#Post#: 4488--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Chiprocks1
Date: December 18, 2011, 10:59 pm
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I take it the dude in the video is Marc? Anyway, sounds pretty
good and doesn't embarrassed himself which is very easy to do
when stepping into the shows of the mighty Freddie Mercury.
#Post#: 4490--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Mac
Date: December 18, 2011, 11:07 pm
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--- Quote ---
> This sounds like a Realty Show waiting to happen.
--- End Quote ---
May a thousand fleas infest your armpits >:(
Reality... such a nasty ass concept
#Post#: 7584--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Mac
Date: April 4, 2012, 3:07 pm
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Just got news the tour is coming through town. Now to collect my
posse of music lovers and see if they in. I just did a
preliminary check and all the floor seats are already gone.
We’re talking seconds here people. Why aren’t they answering
back… themsomzabitchs
The Tour
HTML http://www.queenextravaganza.com/tour-and-tickets/
#Post#: 7618--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Chiprocks1
Date: April 5, 2012, 4:26 pm
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Some friends! Pftt!!!
#Post#: 32724--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Mac
Date: January 2, 2015, 12:19 pm
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Stunning...
and I'm not even a fan of Opera, but Freddy Mercury did turn me
onto it years ago with his Bareclona project
[glow=red,2,300]One Guy, Singing a Duet as Freddie Mercury and
Luciano Pavarotti[/glow]
He sings as Mercury for the first time at :47
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sXLwLRXkEs
#Post#: 32725--------------------------------------------------
Re: Roger Taylor and Queen Extravaganza... and news
DIR By: Mac
Date: January 2, 2015, 12:20 pm
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and a little bit more...
HTML https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGcDpnxtqsc
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