Here are a few recent news articles from various local and regional news outlets with interviews and info on some upcoming shows, and some previous ones as well, for those who may not have seen them:
50 years of 'Fun, Fun, Fun': The Beach Boys come to NapaOctober 22, 2014 1:58 pm
The Beach Boys at the Uptown
The Beach Boys
Uptown Theatre Napa
For ages 10 and over; under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Friday, Jan. 23, 8 p.m.
Tickets: $70, $85, $105
Info, 707-259-0123, ext. 6
The Beach Boys, troubadours of the endless California summer, come to Napa to perform at the Uptown Theatre on Jan. 23.
Since they formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, the rock band, then consisting of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, and their cousin Mike Love and friend Al Jardine, the group epitomized the California sound and lifestyle, the music, surfing, cars and young love with hit after hit, including “Surfin’ Safari,” “Good Vibrations,” “Surfin’ USA,” “Surfer Girl,” “I Get Around,” “Fun, Fun, Fun (Till Her Daddy Takes the T-Bird Away)” and “California Girls.”
Brian Wilson went onto a solo career, Dennis Wilson drowned and Carl Wilson died of lung cancer, but Mike Love, who produced the “Endless Summer” album in 1974, now leads the group, and with Bruce Johnston, Jeff Foskett, Randell Kirsch, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill and Scott Totten continues to tour and perform an average of 150 shows a year.
Al Jardine and Brian Wilson will not be part of this show, which is not part of the 50th anniversary tour, which briefly united the surviving members of the group.
Tickets for the show are $70, $85 and $105 for age 10 and over; those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. A VIP ticket option includes a reserved seat, access to “Club Kokomo” preshow meet and greet with Beach Boys, a Q-and-A with private sound-check following the meet and greet, a personal photograph with the Beach Boys and an autographed laminate that includes a USB with two albums’ worth of Beach Boys music.
Tickets are on sale to the general public now and can be purchased at UptownTheatreNapa.com, through Ticketmaster or in person at the theater box office open Monday through Saturday, at 1350 Third St., Napa. For more info call 707-259-0123, ext. 6.
Beach Boys to perform two North Jersey showsOctober 22, 2014 Last updated: Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 1:21 AM By BRIAN ABERBACK SPECIAL TO THE RECORD | The Record
MUSIC
Beach Boys frontman Mike Love, second from right, says the band's staying power comes from its harmonies and the love in the music.
WHO: The Beach Boys.
WHAT: Pop and rock.
IN TOWN: 8 p.m. Tuesday, Bergen Performing Arts Center, 30 N. Van Brunt St., Englewood; 201-227-1030 or bergenpac.org. $49, $79, $119.
ALSO PERFORMING: 8 p.m. Thursday, Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown; 973-539-8008 or mayoarts.org. $59 to $99.
MORE INFO: thebeachboys.com.
The Beach Boys have been sending out good vibrations to multiple generations of fans the world over for more than 50 years, a fact not lost upon singer Mike Love. "To still be going and have the songs resonate five decades later is pretty miraculous in a way," Love said ahead of the band's upcoming shows in Englewood and Morristown.
"It's quite a blessing to all of us who started the band," Love said. He was a founding member, along with his cousins, Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson, and school friend Al Jardine.
Love said there is a common denominator to the staying power of the iconic band's endless hit parade, from surf pop-rock classics like "Surfin' USA," "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Help Me Rhonda" to ballads such as "God Only Knows" and "Warmth of the Sun," to name a very small sampling.
"The real magic comes from the harmonies and the love that resonates in the notes," Love said by phone from his California home. "That's what brought us together in the first place."
Those sublime harmonies define the Beach Boys, who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide and are one of the most influential pop and rock bands to ever take the stage.
The Beach Boys' current tour was preceded by a bittersweet personnel change for Love. His son, guitarist Christian Love, left the band after an eight-year stint to pursue a solo career.
"I do miss having him on tour," the elder Love said. "He has an amazing voice."
Christian Love's spot has been filled by Grammy Award-winning singer-guitarist Jeffrey Foskett, who performed with the Beach Boys periodically from 1981 to 1991. Foskett also appears on the band's most recent studio album, "That's Why God Made the Radio" (2012).
In addition to permanent members Love, Foskett and singer-keyboardist Bruce Johnston, the Beach Boys' touring lineup includes bassist Randell Kirsch, keyboardist Tim Bonhomme, drummer John Cowsill and guitarist Scott Totten. Though not on the road, Brian Wilson, Jardine and guitarist David Marks remain members of the Beach Boys. Dennis Wilson drowned in 1983 and Carl Wilson died of cancer in 1998.
The seeds of the Beach Boys were planted in 1958 when then-16-year-old Brian Wilson taught his brothers to sing harmonies to songs by popular vocal groups like the Four Freshmen. Love would sing with his cousins at family gatherings.
The Beach Boys formed in 1961. The title track to the band's 1962 debut album, "Surfin' Safari," reached No. 14 on the singles charts. The hits celebrating Southern California's surfing and car culture came in waves, including the No. 1 singles "I Get Around" and "Good Vibrations."
In 1966 the band expanded its sound and lyrical themes on famed album "Pet Sounds," which includes "Good Vibrations," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "God Only Knows" and "Sloop John B." "Pet Sounds," which incorporated symphonic arrangements, jazz and sound effects into the Beach Boys' fundamental sound, is regarded as one of the most influential albums in pop and rock history. It was ranked second on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the Top 500 Albums of All Time, behind only the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
The Beach Boys were more moderately successful in the '70s and '80s. Brian Wilson's mental illness reduced his involvement with the band, which also suffered from infighting, lawsuits and for a time, competing tours. They returned to the top of the charts in 1988 with "Kokomo," which was featured in the Tom Cruise film "Cocktail." All the surviving members reunited briefly for a 50th anniversary tour in 2012.
In February, Love released the new single, "Pisces Brothers," about his longtime friend, the late Beatle George Harrison, and their shared devotion to transcendental meditation. "It's a special, sentimental, emotional song," Love said. "Pisces Brothers" is part of the Beach Boys' current setlist.
Over the course of their career, the Beach Boys have received countless awards and honors, and played to hundreds of millions of people. On one day alone — July 4, 1985 — they performed in front of nearly 2 million fans at shows in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Love said the Beach Boys' concerts in the nation's capital are some of his favorite memories. The band had performed at the National Mall on Independence Day in the early 1980s, but in 1983 then-U.S. Secretary of the Interior James G. Watt banned rock concerts at the site. When it came to the Beach Boys, however, Watt's decision was overruled from above. "Nancy Reagan said, 'Ronnie and I have always been fans,' " Love said. "After that the White House called pretty quickly and asked us to come back."
The Beach Boys bringing 'Good Vibrations' to Luhrs Center Oct. 25Performance on Oct. 25 is part of Shippensburg University homecoming festivities
Staff report
Posted: 10/21/2014 06:33:26 PM EDT
SHIPPENSBURG >> They started out as five guys from California singing about riding waves, and now more than 50 years later the Beach Boys have ridden a wave of success into American music history.
The Beach Boys will return to H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25. Tickets cost between $45 and $70. If you want to go, be sure to get tickets as soon as possible; The Beach Boys previously performed at the Luhrs Center to sold-out crowds on Feb. 29, 2008 and Oct. 13, 2011.
Original member, Mike Love, and Bruce Johnston, a member since 1965, are keeping The Beach Boys history alive with the help of five additions. Together, they and Jeffrey Foskett, Randell Kirsch, Tim Bonhomme, John Cowsill and Scott Totten take fans back to yesteryear and the hits that played through it.
It has been more than 50 years since lead singer Mike Love wrote the band's first hit, "Surfin'" in 1961. Dozens of chart-topping hits followed and became eternal anthems of American youth: "Surfin' USA," "Surfer Girl," "Fun, Fun, Fun," "I Get Around," "California Girls," "Help Me Rhonda," "Barbara Ann," "Good Vibrations," "Wouldn't It Be Nice," "Rock and Roll Music" and "Kokomo."
The Beach Boys have sold 100 million records around the world, and have more than 33 RIAA Platinum and Gold awards. Members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the band received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's in 2001.
The Beach Boys have a ton of experience performing live shows -- they actually hold the title for putting on the most concerts out of any other major rock band in history. The band have five decades of touring under their collective belt.
The Beach Boys performance will be part of Shippensburg University's homecoming celebrations. To go along with the show, Luhrs Center will have an exhibit of vintage beach-themed toys and related items, in the Orrstown Bank lobby on the second floor of the building. Bob Smith, associate dean of students at Shippensburg University, will display more than 500 items from his collection of vintage sand pails, sand sifters, beach shovels, vintage swim suits, tin toy boats, photographs and postcards.
The same exhibit has been enjoyed at historical museums in Ocean City, New Jersey and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
The exhibit will be on display 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 24 and 25, as well as during The Beach Boys concert. There is no admission to view the exhibit.
Don't forget to get your tickets for the concert ahead of time. Call the Luhrs Center box office at 477-7469 or go to
www.luhrscenter.com.
Mike Love’s inner peaceBeth Roessner, The Desert Sun 4:12 p.m. PDT October 1,
Meditation is Mike Love’s drug of choice.
The Beach Boys co-founder was introduced to the practice of transcendental meditation back in 1967. He’s been a devotee ever since, meditating twice daily.
“With TM, it’s kind of like a secret weapon for me,” said the 73-year-old singer, who wrote the lyrics to songs like “Fun, Fun, Fun” and “California Girls.” “When you practice TM, you find a level of thought that transcends and goes to the source of thought.”
Transcendental meditation is a relaxation technique involving cleansing breaths in which the body reaches a deep level of rest — deeper than the deepest levels of sleep, according to Love. Through the practice, Love says he’s able to maintain high energy levels clarity in his thoughts.
He also credits TM for the longevity of his music career — more than 50 years and counting. On Friday, Love and the latest Beach Boys lineup featuring long-time member Bruce Johnston will perform at The Show Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa in Rancho Mirage. (Beach Boys co-founders Brian Wilson and Al Jardine are not a part of the current tour.)
Love became a student of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late-1960s. He accompanied The Beatles to visit him in India, which is where Love formed a bond with guitarist George Harrison. After Harrison died in 2001, Love wrote the song “Pisces Brothers” as a tribute.
“He was a very spiritual guy and loved meditation,” Love said. “It’s sentimental in a mystical kind of way.”
What originally attracted Love to TM was a promise made by Maharishi.
“If enough people were to learn to meditate it would be an entirely different world, meaning world peace, prosperity and health,” he said. “That appealed to my altruistic nature.”
Love also benefited from the practice creatively. With his consciousness able to expand, he was able to explore his thoughts and find inspiration for songs.
And unlike many habits of the era, it was a technique that didn’t require outside chemicals.
“You feel better naturally,” Love said. “Not needing a drink of alcohol or smoking pot, or any kinds of pills. With these things, there always seems to be a side effect.”
While many rock stars of the time indulged in “non-prescribed recreationals,” Love abstained. Drug use within the Beach Boys, he said, created a kind of schism on a philosophical and lifestyle level.
But meditation was and still is his outlet.
“You can restore your batteries by transcending, and taking in deep breaths,” Love said. “Maharishi used to call it drawing the arrow back.”
If you go
What: The Beach Boys in concert featuring founding member Mike Love
When: 9 p.m. Friday,
Where: Agua Caliente Casino Resort Spa, 32-250 Bob Hope Drive, Rancho Mirage
Tickets: $45-$75
Information:
www.hotwatercasino.com or 888-999-1995
What is transcendental meditation?
Founded by the late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, TM is designed to help a person reach quieter levels of thought without concentration or control of the mind.
It is practiced for 20 minutes, twice daily, and is said to help reduce anxiety, improve memory and normalize blood pressure.
Over six million people worldwide have learned the practice.
To learn more, visit
www.tm.org.