austinberries Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 check the fantastic stage pic (cleveland?) bernie has posted on the home page - notice they are all wearing black, harkening back to their matching suits days - how cool is that? so how does it become viable for the raspberries to do more shows across the land in '08? do they advert themselves as 'eric carmen & the raspberries' & throw in say 4 of his top solo hits? this would add to their draw, & then blow away uninitiated members of the crowd w/ rockin' 'berries material. some radio airplay would help on the contemp adult stations, & the new recordings would strike & hook unindoctrinated listeners as new material, but i don't think that often happens w/ reunion bands/recordings of course, this isn't what the band & reunion shows set out to do (feature eric's solo material), but they already tweaked it in that direction w/ 'all by myself'. it could become an option if they were able to work it out, i'd guess just thinking out loud about how they get out into non-hometown/east coast/west coast markets (like austin ;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Austin - Eric and the Raspberries??? What planet are you coming from? You have some egos in the band that would never stand for that billing - I personally find it insulting. Shows in 2008 would be nice - anything from the guys would be a good thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
austinberries Posted January 4, 2008 Author Share Posted January 4, 2008 'insulting'? ehh, ok, assuming you have confirmation (as opposed to speculation) that others in the band (wally?) just wouldn't, couldn't stand for it this day & age. my impression is that they are older, wiser, more realistic, & more mature & are digging the opp to be playing together, periodwe're just talking billing here, designed to have the broadest draw. in fact, it would appear eric would actually need to be the one to acquiesce more so that the other guys, b/c he said a while back that an agreement had been reached where all raspberries proceeds would be split evenly from here on outi'm from planet texas, btw Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Seems like they would fit right in - in Austin anyway, 'cause Austin is just a town that 'gets' music.I'm with MJ - I'd hate to see it billed as 'EC & R'. And I'd much rather hear new songs or Berry songs that haven't been done yet than Eric's hits. But when I heard them doing 'That's Rock & Roll", it was fantastic, at least partly because they made it into a Raspberries song - changed the arrangement just enough to put their own stamp on it. If they do THAT to any of Eric's songs, it'll still be great, I think.But, either way, I can't wait to hear what's up for '08! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Austin - all we can do is speculate about now isn't it? Everything is a big "unknown" for 2008. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Nathan Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 personally I would prefer "Jim Bonfanti and the Raspberries," since having seen them 3 times in the 21st century, it's his UNBELIEVABLE drumming that keeps me coming back for more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirk Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Well, they did mention Jim's birthday in my local paper in '07, and that was a first for them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hey, *I'd* love to hear them do a 4-part harmony with Jim singing, like in the old days. Maybe let the O-Dubs play acoustics while the 4 guys gather around a couple mics and do an unplugged version of something? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankenberrie Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Of course the way around that is billing...The Raspberries featuring: Eric Carmen , Wally Bryson, Dave Smalley, Jim Bonfanti Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RP50 Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Don't want to cause a stink, but realistically, considering how the reunion was viewed by the outside world (non-fanatics and non-critics) and how many copies of the CD were sold, the best bet for the band is to book a summer tour of outdoor venues where subscriptions are sold, with an act of greater stature (sales-wise, I mean. It would be almost impossible to find one artistically equal) and open for them. The likely scenario is that they blow the headliner offstage and make a good enough impression on the crowd and the promoter that they get booked back the next summer as a headliner for a longer set and more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
okstevens Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 If I remember correctly they did do a Berries only mini set in Cleveland at the Scene pavilion. That was the night they had a new sound man running the board. They sounded like crap on several songs. Boy that was hard for me to say, but its true. No fault of their own. It was like if you had an EQ and you maxed out all the levels straight up. When it was just the four it was about as good as it gets. You know shivers down my back bone stuff!I see 08 as either they get new material that everyone is happy with or its over. I don't see any of them happy as an oldies band. They are ALL to good for that. It's new or the party's over. And it would definitely be billed Raspberries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggsherby Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 MJ said: Austin - Eric and the Raspberries??? What planet are you coming from? You have some egos in the band that would never stand for that billing - I personally find it insulting. Shows in 2008 would be nice - anything from the guys would be a good thing. I must be from that same planet, because I agree 100% any shot of a successful tour comes from highlighting Eric Carmen....I'd even go as far as saying that if Eric toured with the Overdubs and touted the band as Eric Carmen and Raspberries (without Jim, Dave and Wally) he would be successful. And I'd be more about 4 Raspberries songs and the rest Eric Carmen solo material....so there!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John P Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Hopefully more shows in uncharted territories. Would be nice if a newer and younger audience can dicover the band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris hess Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 the raspberries should stay the raspberries period..eric would never go along w/anything different..it's the BAND thing he loves now,i know cause he's said what a blast it is playing in a band again and how he has missed it..the guys will prevail as they are and should be..lol,chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leff'tHome Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Not gonna get into this. Nuh-huh. Not going there. No how, no way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankenberrie Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 They could never get the kind of money they want opening for a tour, and I would think most other acts wouldn't appreciate getting blown off the stage night after night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJ Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 My blood pressure is rising lmao - I am now going to walk away from this topic - permanently lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RP50 Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 You're right about them not getting the money they want - but I prefaced my observations with the word 'realistically'. I really think the only way they could remain an ongoing concern is to go out for less money opening for someone who is a proven draw and use the exposure for better paying gigs down the road. I've played in bands for over 30 years and I know the last thing a group of their stature would want to do is "exposure gigs" but they could not headline a successful tour on their own. Sad, but true. And if they tried it, the results would be enough to make them pack it in a lot earlier than they should. All the great press and rock star tribute quotes in the world aren't going to get people to come out and see them in droves like they should. And they've been down this road before - "Critics ravin' 'bout our album, but we're makin' fifty cents" And we know how that ended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny S. Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 MJ...mine too....later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marvin Posted January 4, 2008 Share Posted January 4, 2008 Instead of continuing this thread, just do a 'search' on this topic. It has come up many, many times in the last 3 years - since the reunion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I'm going to jump in here and try to clear a few things up. First off, we're not going out as Eric Carmen and The Raspberries, EVER. Period. End of story. The Raspberries are The Raspberries, and Eric Carmen is Eric Carmen. Second, we're not going to open for another act. It doesn't work. Even if we went out with Bon Jovi or Bruce, the audience is there to see the headliner. The stage and lighting are set to make the headline act look good, not the opening act. We all agreed back in 2004 that we'd rather play for 500 Raspberries fans than 5000 fans of someone else. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 And finally, none of us want to go on the road for three months at this point in our lives (I know I certainly don't).The State Theater was pretty much the perfect show. I enjoyed every minute of it. When we started rehearsing back in 2004 it was to play ONE SHOW. We've played over a dozen. Unfortunately, the band wasn't together long enough to have 20 albums and a whole bunch of big hits to play, so we will always be a "niche" band, which is ok with us. That's just the way it is.We've really accomplished what we set out to do, in many ways. We put the band back together after thirty years, played well, received rave reviews, established our credibility, recorded a darn good live album and had fun.This was never about the money. It was more about closure. To "make it" in today's environment would take nothing short of a miracle for a bunch of guys who will all turn 59 by the end of next summer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Carmen Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 I went to see Hannah Montana with my kids last night and witnessed the closest thing I've seen to "Beatlemania" since...well, Beatlemania! 20,000 kids screaming at the top of their collective lungs for Miley Cyrus ( who was VERY good, by the way, and The Jonas Brothers ). The average age of the performers and the fans was about 12 or 13, I'd guess.That's the same age the fans were that made The Beatles popular.The music may have changed, but the fans (shortened from the word "fanatic") have not. That's the age group that makes "pop stars."ec 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lew Bundles Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Only 59?...(this comment is meant as a tension breaker)...Can I dj your 59th birthday party? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
popdude Posted January 5, 2008 Share Posted January 5, 2008 Eric Carmen said: I went to see Hannah Montana with my kids last night and witnessed the closest thing I've seen to "Beatlemania" since...well, Beatlemania! 20,000 kids screaming at the top of their collective lungs for Miley Cyrus ( who was VERY good, by the way, and The Jonas Brothers ). The average age of the performers and the fans was about 12 or 13, I'd guess. That's the same age the fans were that made The Beatles popular. The music may have changed, but the fans (shortened from the word "fanatic") have not. That's the age group that makes "pop stars." I hear ya, Eric; I took my daughter to see Hannah Montana twice late last year and while we both really enjoyed the show, I was more struck by the incessant screaming by the kiddos. It was very cute, and ear piercing at the same time. I also told a bunch of folks that this is what Beatlemania must have been like. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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