Midón’s brilliance in all three areas is on vivid display on his third album, ‘Synthesis’ (April 13/Decca), recorded by legendary producer and bassist Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Herbie Hancock) with some of L.A.’s finest musicians. The album features eleven new songs, including ten Midon originals and a stunning cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbird.”
Raul Midon is the very embodiment of an “outlier” - he made the most of his unique circumstances - and he practiced like hell.
Raul and his twin brother Marco both lost their vision as newborns when they were placed in hospital incubators without proper eye protection. Another tragedy befell them at age 4, when their mother died. But their father, an acclaimed Argentinian dancer, instilled in his boys a strong work ethic, and they both achieved extraordinary success. Marco became an electrical engineer for NASA; and Raul, after a successful career as a session singer for artists like Shakira and Julio Iglesias, has emerged as a brilliant singer/songwriter/guitarist.
“Raul was very disciplined as a kid,” brother Marco says. “At six or seven years old, he practiced guitar 7 or 8 hours a day…Dad said there’s nothing that you can’t do.”
After putting in more than the requisite “10,000 hours,” Midón has developed a percussive, flamenco/jazz guitar style that astonishes audiences and a silky smooth tenor, including “a spine-tingling falsetto and an uncanny ability to mimic a trumpet,” according to People Magazine.
Raul’s first two albums brought critical acclaim, appearances on all the major late night T.V. shows in the U.S. and Europe, and multiple world tours. New Yorkers will get a preview of the tour, when Midon plays a special, intimate show at his former homebase, Joe’s Pub, on March 12. He returns to NYC on May 18 for a performance at City Winery. See below for a full itinerary and stay tuned for more confirmed dates.
Raul Midon 2010 U.S. Tour Dates:
March 12 New York, NY Joe’s Pub
April 27 Los Angeles, CA The Roxy
April 30 San Diego, CA Anthology
May 2 San Francisco, CA Palace of Fine Arts/SF Jazz
May4 Seattle, WA Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
May 5 Seattle, WA Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
May 7 Denver, CO Swallow Hill
May 9 Ann Arbor, MI The Ark
May 11 Minneapolis, MN Dakota Bar and Grill
May 12 Chicago, IL Lincoln Hall
May 15 Northampton, MA Iron horse
May 16 Burlington, VT Higher Ground
May 18 New York, NY City Winery
May 19 Woodbridge, NJ Music on Main Street
May 21 Philadelphia, PA World Café Live
May 23 Akron, OH University of Akron
For More Information, visit RaulMidon.com
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If Behemoth frontman Nergal gets convicted he could actually get up to 2 years in jail for “insulting Catholics”… hmm, interesting law. I suppose these are the risks you run when you’re a Blackened Death Metal band. Read more about the incident below from ChartAttack and check out an interview WatchMojo recently did with the band:
In 2007, Behemoth frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski reportedly called the Catholic Church “the most murderous cult on the planet” during a show in Gdynia, Poland, and ripped a Bible up on stage.
Although he was sued by the All-Polish Committee For Defense Against Sects for “promoting Satanism,” the case was thrown out of court because Nergal only had one accuser, and two complaints must be lodged before any formal charges with offending religious feelings in Poland.
A second complaint has now been filed against Nergal, according to Blabbermouth.net, and he’s formally been charged with insulting Catholics. He’s pleaded not guilty and could face up to two years in prison if he’s found guilty.
“There are some organizations and institutions that think they have a right to judge what’s wrong and right,” Nergal told CHARTattack last year about the first complaint against him. “They tried to do something, they made attempts but they failed because they can’t really do much.
“They tried to bring me to court for tearing up the Bible on stage. They tried to stop the show, they sent out letters saying Behemoth is this and that, that we’re public enemy number one or that we’re dangerous. But it hardly has any effect, really.
“They actually do a lot of like, PR for us — it’s good promotion. But we really don’t need this kind of recognition. I don’t give a fuck. I want to be known for the music that I make.”
Last year, Behemoth bassist Tomasz “Orion” Wroblewski told Decibel magazine the Polish blackened death metal band had been tearing up Bibles for at least two years on tour before the incident in Gdynia.
