Hi Everyone,
 
Spring is here and it seems like everyone is celebrating. I know it is a very welcome change of season for some of you, especially back in "the old country". I hope you're all able to take advantage of the good weather as it comes your way.
For me, Spring means being on tour again. I want to send this out to remind everyone in the UK that I will be touring with THE ULTIMATE EAGLES, the best Eagles tribute band on the planet (real modest, me) from April 19 to May 13. We've got a really great show mapped out and we can't wait to show you what we've got **ahem**.
If you're planning on coming to one of the shows I would like to stress to everyone that, if possible, buy your tickets in advance. There are 2 good reasons. Firstly, it's cheaper than paying at the door on the night! The second reason has more to do with the current economic trend. Nobody has money to burn just now and we're all being really careful. But one of the back lashes of the economy right now is that venues are not so confident in their walk up numbers anymore. So if the advance sales aren't showing decent, they don't tend to book the bands back on principal.
Live music is in a real bind these days. And people are being sensible by not deciding if they are going out to see a band or a play or a theatre production until the last minute. All I'm saying is, if you can get your tickets early, please do. It helps us and the whole system. The dates are listed below. I will be posting some summer dates very soon as well and we're hoping to play around Europe this summer as well as the UK.
I'll be appearing on ARFM radio in the UK Saturday the 9th of April at 7:15 pm, UK time, on the Steve Price show to tell you all about it and the new Tyketto album as well
Thanks for your support and I look forward to seeing you on tour.
 
It seems so ineffectual to say in the wake of all that's happened but spare a thought for the people of Japan, their terrible loss, and the incredibly hard road that they have to walk now. We send you thoughts of peace and strength,

Danny Vaughn
 
 
ULTIMATE EAGLES SPRING TOUR
　
TUES. APRIL 19          MIDDLESBROUGH TOWN HALL
WED.  APRIL 20          ABERDEEN LEMON TREE
THU.  APRIL 21
FRI.   APRIL 22           DUMFRIES BUCCLEUGH CENTRE
SAT.  APRIL 23           PERTH CONCERT HALL
SUN.  APRIL 24           GLASGOW THE FERRY
MON. APRIL 25
TUES. APRIL 26           PRESTON 53 DEGREES
WED. APRIL 27
THU.  APRIL 28           WREXHAM CENTRAL STATION
FRI.   APRIL 29           LEAMINGTON SPA ASSEMBLY ROOMS
SAT.  APRIL 30           SOUTHAMPTON THE BROOK
SUN.  MAY 1
MON. MAY 2              BRIDPORT ELECTRIC PALACE
TUES. MAY 3             CARDIFF THE GATE
WED. MAY 4
THU. MAY 5              READING CONCERT HALL
FRI.  MAY 6              DARTFORD MICK JAGGER CENTRE
SAT. MAY 7              SHEFFIELD THE CORPORATION
SUN. MAY 8              SWANSEA TALIESIN ARTS CENTRE
MON. MAY 9
TUES. MAY 10           PAIGNTON PALACE THEATRE
WED. MAY 11            HERNE BAY KINGS HALL
THU. MAY 12            LINCOLN ENGINE SHED
FRI. MAY 13             LETCHWORTH PLINSTON LIVE


  

Hi Everyone,

Just a quick note before the holiday gets past me completely.....
When all the rush and noise has died down and I get a minute to myself the one word that comes floating through in my mind is, "Grateful". I feel very lucky that I have a warm place to live, food on the table, a loving family, and the best wife in the world. These things make my heart sing. I am also so grateful for the amazing friendships that I have cultivated and for the wonderfully talented musicians that I have been lucky enough to share the studio and the road with this year. Of course, I can never forget the long standing (sometimes 24 years!) relationship I have had with my fans! It still humbles and amazes me that I have fans at all. Thank you for your support of the Ultimate Eagles, for coming to my solo shows and being kind enough to want to hear my solo music, and for the continued excitement over the new Tyketto album next year. I love to make music but I couldn't do it without your interest, feedback, and support.
If you get a minute in your busy day, corny as it sounds, remember to be grateful. If you stop and count the reasons, you might be surprised at just how many you have.

Sending all of you our wishes for a Happy, Healthy, and Loving Holiday Season,
Danny & Melissa Vaughn


 

Digital Danny Vaughn

After handling the physical sales for most of Danny Vaughn’s recent repertoire HardRockHouse is pleased to announce that three of Danny’s releases are now available worldwide for digital download via those fantastic people at Townsend Records, where you can listen to samples and buy and download either full albums or simply individual tracks.
 
Head over to http://www.townsend-records.co.uk/search.php?sMethod=music&sText=Danny+Vaughn&x=28&y=4 to check it out.


 

THE 80S ROCKED – A BAND ANNOUNCEMENT
 
After a great deal of soul searching, I am very sad to announce that the rest of the band and I have decided to pull out of The 80s Rocked Tour. I’m not at liberty to go into the detail as to why, as there could be legal ramifications if I do.
 
We are told by the organisers that the tour will still go ahead, with another band stepping in to take our place.
We have no more information on this, so if you have questions or queries, I can only suggest you contact management at www.the80srocked.co.uk or via the Facebook page.
Just so it's understood:
CHRIS CHILDS, DANNY VAUGHN, HARRY JAMES, CARL SENTANCE, DAVE BISHOP, JON PEASE and MATT PRIOR have ALL left the production of "The 80's Rocked" and will not be appearing at any of the scheduled shows.
 
We would like to send our most profound apologies to fans and ticket buyers for any disappointment and inconvenience caused by our non-appearance. This is not a decision we made lightly, we simply felt we had no choice.
 
Thanks,
Danny Vaughn


...

Hello One and All!
 
I hope this finds you enjoying all the thrills, spills, fun and sun of summertime!
Summer is generally a quiet time for me but there has been a lot of planning going on for the coming fall and now it’s time to let the dogs loose (or some other applicable metaphor!)
 
The first thing to tell you about is a new project that has already generated a lot of noise.
Ladies and Gentlemen, THE 80'S ROCKED!
 
Of course, you knew that. But you might not know that it is also the name of a brand new band and stage production! Coming to venues and theatres near you this autumn, some of the best rock and roll ever written, played by some of the best rock and roll musicians you’re likely to see in one band.
Let’s face it: how many people lost their virginity or at least had a lot of naughty fun to the music of Whitesnake, AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Guns & Roses, Kiss (to name but a few)?
Compared to the 90's where everyone suddenly started whingeing and wearing their grandfather’s cardigans, the 80's could be said to be the last era when rock and roll was fun.
And that’s what we’re bringing ya! Along with a monster light and stage show, it’s the good time vibe of rock and roll like we want it.
 
The band features:
 
Carl Sentance from Persian Risk, Krokus, Geezer Butler Band and Don Airey on Lead Vocals
 
Harry James from Thunder, Magnum and Terraplane on Drums and Vocals
 
Chris Childs from Thunder, The Union, Russ Ballard, Don Airey, and Paul Young (and that’s his short list!) on Bass and Vocals
 
Dave Bishop from Sabbat and Whole Lotta Metal on Guitars
 
Jon Pease from Jealousy, Terry Nash and Meetloaf on Keys and Vocals
 
Matt Prior from Marillion, Eric Clapton, Nick Mason and Bonnie Tyler (another one with a list!) on Guitar and Vocals
 
And yours truly on Lead Vocals.
 
You heard it right; two lead vocalists for twice the fun!
Rocking guitars, kicking bass and drums, and the songs you all know by heart. The biggest hits of the era all coming at you larger than life.
The first ever gig is going to be on Thursday, August 5th, at the Cambridge Rock Festival. Don’t miss it!
And there is much more!
 
October 25th @ Glasgow Classic Grand
October 26th @ Manchester Moho Live
October 30th @Truro Hall for Cornwall
October 31st @ Wrexham Central Station
November 1st @ Worthing Assembly Rooms
November 3rd @ Southend Cliffs Pavilion
November 4th @ Chatham Central Theatre
November 5th @ Epsom Playhouse Theatre
November 6th @ Cambridge Corn Exchange
November 10th @ Swansea Grand Theatre
November 15th @ Newcastle Journal Tyne Theatre
November 16th @ Bilston The Robin 2
 
Gigs are being added all the time and we are taking it on the road to a lot of other countries as well so please check the web site for ticket buying info and new gig dates @
www.the80srocked.co.uk
There’s video to see and recordings to hear on the site as well so get going fellow net surfers!
 
THE ULTIMATE EAGLES
And while we’re talking about great bands, let’s not forget the newest, best Eagles tribute band you’re going to hear anywhere, The Ultimate Eagles! We got our feet wet with just a couple of gigs a few weeks ago and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive.
So we’ve got some more dates set up to get to know more of you better.
It’s a short but sweet little run we’re calling the "New Kid In Town" tour.
 
November 18th @ Glasgow ABC2
November 19th @ Inverness The Ironworks
November 20th @ Aberdeen The Warehouse
November 22nd @ Sheffield O2 Academy 2
November 23rd @ Newcastle O2 Academy 2
November 24th @ Cardiff The Globe
November 25th @ Islington O2 Academy 2
November 27th @ Manchester Moho Live
 
Check out the gigs page on our web site www.ultimateeagles.com for more details.
In case you didn’t know, we did several videos while in rehearsals earlier this year and they have been taking youtube by storm! To date, the video for "Desperado" has been viewed over 250,000 times! With "One Of These Nights" coming up behind at 53,000 views.
There are also videos for "Hotel California", "Take It Easy" and some other fun stuff.
Just type in Ultimate Eagles on youtube and you’ll find us!
And, yeah, we’re on facebook, myspace, and twitter too! So get to those pages and become a friend, press "like", or whatever! We want you with us!
 
DANNY VAUGHN INSPIRATIONS AND ASPIRATIONS TOUR
 
Hey, so what about me? ;-) If you didn’t know, I’m going to be doing 6 solo shows in December with a great new band and featuring songs from my solo work to commemorate our recent re-release of my first 2 solo albums (complete with a couple of new goodies) on a compilation entitled "REPRISE". I’ve been really proud that over the past year we’ve been able to resurrect some of my past titles with the help of the wonderful people at www.hardrockhouse.com
We will be performing some solo songs, and some songs from bands that were an inspiration to me over the years and perhaps a Tyketto song or two. I’ve been doing shows in the UK around Christmas-time for a few years running now and they are always great fun. Some of these shows are almost sold out already so if you’re planning on joining us, please have a look at these dates:
 
December 3rd @ Belfast The Rosetta
December 4th @ London Camden Underworld
December 5th @ Sheffield The Corporation
December 10th @ Dudley JB’s
December 11th Newcastle The Cluny
December 12th Glasgow The ABC2
 
Have a look at hardrockhouse for more info on the gig dates, tickets, and cds that are available.
I guess that will keep me busy for a while! Hope you can come out and see me at one of these shows this year.

Enjoy the summer and roll on the fall!
Danny Vaughn

 

On Thursday, July 22th Danny Vaughn is going to be doing a very special interview with David Lowry and David Bowers for the online radio show "Live From Music City".
This will be going out live from Nashville at 12 noon, local time (American CST) and 6pm UK time (GMT).
The show is a bit different as it's focus is on the business end of music. The do's and dont's of career experiences so it's a must listen for any and all aspiring players out there.
The link for the show is:
 
www.blogtalkradio.com/live-from-music-city
 
 
 
They will be talking about Tyketto, past and current as well as Danny's ongoing solo career. Plus, you can get in on the action with the online forum!
It's an unusual and interesting perspective on 25 years in the music world.


 

Farewell Ronnie James Dio

It's difficult when bad news comes to you from the on line news headlines. It's impersonal and it often makes it more difficult to grasp the reality of what has happened.
So I'm still shaking my head in denial that Ronnie James Dio is gone. Aside from listening to, and covering, his music for many years, I met Ronnie a couple of times over the years and I'll tell you what everyone else that has ever met him will tell you. He was one of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Friendly, engaging, intelligent, gracious, I felt like we had been good friends after 5 minutes of conversation.

The first time we met we talked about album art work and the meanings behind some of his. I had only really been in the big world of touring rock bands for a couple of years at that point and was anxious to learn anything I could from someone like him. Let's face it, nobody had a voice like that. It seemed impossible that a sound so huge and powerful could come out of such a slender frame. So I asked him for any advice about keeping his voice fit. Vocal exercises? Eating and exercise regimens? Prayer??  Lol! He gave me a very gentle smile and looked almost embarrassed when he answered me and said, " I gotta be honest with you, I don't know. I just walk out on stage and the voice is there". And that has turned out to be a statement that I never forgot and have used again and again as I've walked out on stage.

I saw Dio live not too long ago and he was still belting it out, all the songs I know and love so well, in the original keys. I was as stunned then as I was when I saw the Holy Diver and Last In Line Tours.

I don't know why, but it really hurts that he's gone. My thoughts go out to Wendy Dio, whom I have not had the pleasure of meeting. I know she will take some comfort in the fact that Ronnie was one of the best loved people in music.

Farewell Ronnie........



 

JUNE 11th 2010 TYKETTO ARE PLAYING AT DOWNLOAD  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

THE ULTIMATE EAGLES ARE FLYING!
 
Just to let everybody know that the hangar has been opened and the Ultimate Eagles are ready to fly!
First of all, the web site is now live! PLEASE get on over to www.ultimateeagles.com and have a look around.
There are photos, bios, a fan forum and more. Plus, some video footage is on it's way. Most importantly, please take the time to sign up so that we can notify you of any news flashes like:
June the 19th will be our first gig!
 Since we had such a great time there last time, we thought it would be perfect to get our feet wet (or our wings, if you prefer) by playing our very first ever show together at The Brook in Southampton. There will be some others over the summer but not a full tour just yet, so get your tickets while you can!

Stay tuned! Much more is on the horizon!
Danny Vaughn


 

Originally we had scheduled "Reprise" for an April 5th release, but the response has been so favourable that we wanted to do something special. This is going to delay the release of the cd by a couple of weeks but we hope you'll forgive us. It'll be worth it!
 
 

The first print run of “Reprise” will be limited to just 500 copies and the artwork that you see will only be used for those 500 copies and no more, those printed after that will have different artwork making the initial run very rare and very collectable.
 
After the amazing response to the news that we were able to offer a limited number of The Last Sunset signed by all four original Tyketto members we’ve spent today talking with the guys from the Vaughn band responsible for recording both Soldiers And Sailors On Riverside & Fearless and the limited edition 500 copies will also all be individually signed by three of the guys, Danny Vaughn, Michael Clayton Arbeeny & guitarist PJ Ziterosa. Again this is only for these 500 copies of the first print run and no more.
 
 
So we are delaying the release until April 26th and we hope you don't mind the wait!
 
Reprise is available to pre-order via www.hardrockhouse.com/Shop.htm
 
In other news HardRockHouse will also have available from mid April a very limited number of the Tyketto album “The last Sunset” all of which have been signed by the four original members of the band, Danny Vaughn, Michael Clayton Arbeeny, Brooke St. James & Jimi Kennedy  With less than 100 copies available these are available to pre-order now on a strictly first come first served basis via www.hardrockhouse.com/TheLastSunset.htm
  

 

 

It has often been said that I am slow to write or return emails and this is no exception. But I have an excuse. And it's better than a note from my Mum. (see photo) All this stuff that I am about to tell you about has been happening all at once and has left me way behind. So, without further delay, here's the news.....

 
DANNY VAUGHN SOLO STUFF
 
After a number of years languishing in the "deleted" file, my first 2 solo cds, "Soldiers And Sailors On Riverside" and "Fearless" are going to be re-issued. Michael Arbeeny and I are now the proud owners of both releases and we always felt that they never got heard by enough people because of the limited release time "Fearless", in particular, received. So we have put them both into a double cd package we are calling "Reprise", which will feature both old and new photos and credits, some reminiscing from Michael and myself about the writing and recording of both albums, along with some recorded extras like "House Of Cards", a song that was only on the single for "Is That All There Is", a newly done interview of me conducted by Michael (boy was that weird), and a live, in studio recording of the song "Soldiers And Sailors On Riverside" featuring myself and Tyketto keyboard player Bobby Lynch.
"Reprise" is available at http://www.hardrockhouse.com/Shop.htm. You may have noticed that a lot of my recordings are popping up on that web site. I've gone into a happy partnership with them and will continue to have that site as THE place to get hold of any and all of my recordings at prices that won't leave you taking out a 2nd mortgage (have you seen the prices amazon is asking???? sheesh!). They ship world wide, so no matter where you live we can get them to you. The link to the purchase page is:
www.hardrockhouse.com/Shop.htm
 
Now, to go along with that, we are planning some live solo shows. December is a long way away still but I was so happy with the 2 Christmas shows that we did at the Cluny and at JB's in 2008, which resulted in the live recording, "The Road Less Travelled", that I wanted to make it into a semi tradition. So this year, I am going to do 6 shows in the 1st two weekends of December. The theme is called "Inspirations and Aspirations" and what we are going to do is a number of songs from my own history, like last time, but we are also going to feature a number of cover songs from artists that were a direct influence upon me over the years. You'll have to wait for the show to find out what they are. The guys are under "double secret probation" not to reveal anything. And to be absolutely certain, I haven't told them yet! It's going to be a very challenging set and before long we may be changing the name of the tour to "Inspirations and Perspirations"!
Last time it was an all unplugged show. This time it looks like it's going to be very plugged!
The band members are going to be my fellow cohorts from the Ultimate Eagles ("Ultimate who?", you might well ask. Keep reading!)

Christian Phillips on Guitars
Ryan Aston on Drums
Chris Childs on Bass
 
It's a long way off so there may be one or two more people added on. You never know.
Now, here are the dates:
Friday, December 3rd, The Rosetta, Belfast, Northern Ireland
Saturday, December 4th, Camden Underworld, London
Sunday, December 5th, The Corporation, Sheffield
Friday, December 10th, JB's, Dudley
Saturday, December 11th, The Cluny, Newcastle
Sunday, December 12th, The ABC2, Glasgow, Scotland
 
It's been a while since I've played in a couple of these venues so we're reaching out to all of you early to ask you to please help us get the word around and please look into getting your tickets in advance if you can as they are already starting to sell.
We've got banners for the album and the tour as well as a jpeg of the tour poster that you can download. Please feel free to put them on your own sites, myspace, facebook, whatever pages to help us make a success out of these shows.
We're all really excited and they are going to be great gigs!
 

TYKETTO NEWS
 
You read it correctly, there is Tyketto news. And new Tyketto news at that! Under cover of darkness, surrounded by secret service agents who were sworn to take a bullet for any and all of us, Brooke, Michael and I got together a couple of weeks ago in Las Vegas. Not only did we have a great time, but we started writing together! These days it isn't possible for us to spend the amount of time together that we used to when it came to writing songs but I'm pleased to say that in a week's time, we came away with 8 new song ideas that we are all very pleased with. So, with that in mind and the future ahead, we are going to start working on a brand new Tyketto album! Complete with the original line up! While Brooke is not in a position to go on the road anymore he is still playing his ass off and came up with some great riffs and song ideas, so he'll be able to record with us at some point this year. It's a long way from being done so that's all you get for now, but as things develop, I will definitely let you know.
By the way, check out the latest pounder to endorse Vic Firth drum sticks!

 http://www.vicfirth.com/


THE ULTIMATE EAGLES
 
For the last 2 years, I've been having a great time working with the UK tribute band, The Illegal Eagles. Sadly, that band ran into a number of monetary and managerial problems that left it's future uncertain. While it certainly isn't what I had expected myself to be doing just a few short years ago, I really enjoyed it. For one thing, I've always loved the Eagles' music. It's deceptively challenging to play and the vocal harmony work is some of the most difficult that you will ever come across. For another thing, I was working with some of the most exceptional musicians I have ever been on stage with. Put that together with some really wonderful audiences all over the UK, Denmark and even India and I had a blast. It seemed a terrible waste to simply call it a day. So several of us from the band decided to get started on our own project:
 
The Ultimate Eagles.
The heart of the last band's vocal dominance is still there, with some really amazing additional players.
 
Christian Phillips on Guitars, Vocals, Mandolin, Banjo, Pedal Steel, Keyboards.
Chris Childs on Bass, Vocals, Guitar, Percussion.
Michael Lawrence on Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards.
Ryan Aston on Drums, Vocals, Percussion
Jamie Moses on Guitars, Vocals, Keyboards
And me, singing and getting into trouble wherever I can.

It's one hell of a band!
So when will you hear it? That's taking some time to give you a proper answer. It takes a lot of work to put together exactly the kind of production and show as well as promotional team that we want for this in order to take it world wide. So while our steps are slow going, they are very deliberate and I hope that you'll see some dates starting in the Summer and a full blown tour in the Autumn. In the meantime, please go to any and all of these links to see some video, hear some audio, and get to know the new band. Sign up for the lists so that we can get info to you more quickly. We've already recorded half of an album and are going to be shooting a new promotional video at the end of this month. So there will be lots coming your way from us in due time. Check out the links:
http://www.ultimateeagles.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ultimateeagles
http://www.facebook.com/
 
Okay, I've taken up enough of your valuable time for now! Thanks for reading, and thanks for sticking with me for all this time.
I hope to see you on the road soon.
All the best,
Danny Vaughn


 

MY BROTHER CHARLIE

Saying good bye is never easy. Saying good bye when you weren't expecting to is so much harder. On December 5th, my brother-in-spirit, Charlie White Elk, died unexpectedly in Rapid City, South Dakota and I am writing this in hopes that it will help me heal.

I first met Charlie around 1991 or '92 in Rockland County, New York. A friend of mine, who played guitar in my first successful covers band, Allied Forces, had been greatly moved by the film “Dances With Wolves”, and got it into his head that he wanted to try and do a benefit concert to raise money for the Lakota people, who live in some of the harshest conditions that still exist in America today. Frankly, we all thought he was getting a bit carried away, but when he informed me that the Lakota Tribal Council took him seriously and were sending a council representative to talk to him about it, I had to be there.

To the average white person, meeting a full blooded Native American can be daunting. What do you say? What do you avoid saying? How can you keep from staring? I think some of us were expecting a stoic, grunting warrior from some old western movie, spouting fortune cookie wisdom at us. The man that we met was about as far from that as possible. Charlie was a man's man. A walking, talking bad ass when he wanted to be, a gentle, careful listener with a deep spirit at other times. But the first thing that I realized about him was that you never knew when to take him seriously. He seemed to think we were all funny as hell. And then there was his laugh. Everyone that I've spoken to that has known him have different impressions and memories, but, to a person, they all remember his laugh. Charlie's laugh was big and brash and echoed off the walls. He laughed with his whole body, his whole spirit, and he didn't care who heard him. He knew how important laughter is.

So, in between about 10 cups of coffee and a dozen cannolis (he had only ever seen these in “The Godfather” and once he tried them, he was hooked!) we planned this concert to take place at “The World Stage”, a club in Nanuet, New York. It would reunite my first band, Allied Forces, but also featured members of bands from all over the area that were only too happy to take part. My band, Tyketto, was to play, with our friend James Lomenzo, subbing on the bass. Ted Poley from Danger Danger was the first to answer the call, swiftly followed by all of Trixter, Eddie Ojeda from Twisted Sister, and several others (forgive me, those that I left out due to my own forgetfulness) that pitched in to make it a real star studded event. But the big moment was when Allied Forces performed a song we had written for the occasion entitled, “Thunder Nation”, which finished up with Charlie coming on stage with a traditional drum and singing a Lakota blessing song. His voice rang out loud and proud and he was the hit of the evening.
We were all proud of what we did and it was during that time that Charlie first called me his brother, a statement that isn't made lightly, but is binding for the rest of our lives. We recognized each other as kindred spirits and he and his family have been my family, and a huge influence in my life, ever since.

Charlie was a product of the Indian Mission Catholic schools out on the Pine Ridge Reservation; terrible institutions that used guilt, coercion, violence, and physical abuse to attempt to beat the “Indian-ness” out of the students. Because of these schools, many of Charlie's generation were driven away from their own language and traditions and lost themselves. Like many Native American men, he went into something like a rite of passage involving alcohol, violence and downright craziness that marked a lot of his young life. He was a hard living, Harley riding, hell raising young man that cared for very little in those days. It's a warrior state of mind that claims many lives among Native American men either by dying young or by getting themselves put into one of the largest Indian populations in the country, the American Penitentiary System. Some manage to pass through this ring of fire to the other side. Charlie was one of them. I don't know many details, but somewhere along the line he met Cordelia, the woman that would change his life and be his wife for 22 years, and that brought him back to his true self and his spiritual path.

For the rest of his life Charlie and Cordelia would be involved with their people and their traditions. Whenever we would talk he was full of plans and ideas. He served on the tribal council, he worked with addiction rehabilitation facilities, he worked with the Ogalala Lakota College, he was deeply involved in groups founded to keep their native Lakota as a living language in the reservation schools, he took part in many Sun Dances, Sweat Lodges, Pow Wows, and Ceremonies. Plus, he still rocked and rolled as a sometime presenter for KILI radio out of Porcupine, South Dakota. I think the work that he was most proud of, and which he took most seriously, was visiting the Native Americans in the State prisons, helping to bring them a little hope through their own spirituality and traditions.

Charlie White Elk is the Great Great Grandson of American Horse (the Elder) who was a shirt wearer of his people along with his childhood friends Red Cloud and Crazy Horse. In 1870 American Horse was one of a group of prominent Sioux warriors, including Red Cloud, that went to Washington, D.C. in an attempt to persuade the government to uphold the Fort Laramie Treaty. Those in Washington were, no doubt, hoping to convince these men to give in to the government's agenda to move them onto reservation lands and “tame” them. It needs to be said that not all of the warriors liked what they saw and, American Horse, Crazy Horse, and Sitting Bull among them, declined to become “tamed” and carried on the fight. By 1876, however, their numbers were decimated and they were weary of fighting. American Horse was leading his people through land protected by treaty to a reservation area when they were mistaken as hostiles by General George Crook and were attacked without warning. In the subsequent Battle of Slim Buttes, American Horse was mortally wounded and died the following day.
Charlie was fiercely proud of his ancestor, and has been buried alongside him.

How do I say good bye to my friend when he is in my life every single day? Several of my songs are a direct result of stories that Charlie has told me or of experiences I have had when staying with the White Elk family in South Dakota. Charlie and his family honoured me by designing the tattoo on my left arm, which is a composite of his family symbols. I, literally, see him every day.
Normally, I would not put such personal grief on line into the public arena. But this was a man whose name should be shouted from mountains. This was a warrior. This man had medicine and magic and I am proud to have called him brother.

Charlie, I'll see you on the other side.

Danny

 

Hi,  2009 has been a fantastic year with the release of The Road Less Travelled and the response from everyone to the album has been fantastic and we can’t thank everyone enough. However with the year drawing to a close we have some fantastic offers to close out the final month.

Firstly Frontiers have deleted Traveller and it is now officially out of print. Luckily we were able to strike a deal with Frontiers and have purchased the last 225 copies that they had in stock so we have these for sale on the site as of today. As an added bonus Danny spent all day yesterday individually signing each of the 225 CD’s and we’ve also numbered these so this is a fantastic opportunity to buy what is a superb album.
 
In addition to this we also have available a very limited number of the 2 CD version of The Road Less Travelled. Only 500 of these were printed and from that batch we held back 50 copies or so as contingency in case of lost or damaged copies when we posted out. We can now release these for sale so you have the chance to pick up one of the final copies of the full show from the Cluny including great versions of Tyketto classics Burning Down Inside and Wings together with the cover of Happy Christmas (War is Over), Is That All There Is, Fly Away & finally Better By Far.
 
All of these are available individually, together with some great bundled offers from the new HardRockHouse shop which can be found @ www.hardrockhouse.com/Shop.htm


 

Interviews

Some interviews have been done and the links below.
Also the rockpit are offering a competition that if you order the new CD The Road less travelled through link on the site you will be in a draw to get a exclusive signed tour poster from the Newcastle gig that the CD was recorded at.


http://www.therockpit.net/Articles/DannyV.php
http://www.mamasfallenangels.com/forum/topics/mfa-exclusive-interview-with-2
http://www.mamasfallenangels.com/forum/topics/which-song-rocked-harder-21

Enjoy
Danny Vaughn


 

Hello Everyone,
Spring is in the air and an awful lot is going on right now so it must be time for one of my massive news letters! It's taken a while to get all of the various things I'm doing co-ordinated, which is why there haven't been announcements before but now it's all ready to roll, everything you need to know about my solo cd, the Illegal Eagles, some very special personal stuff, and, oh yes....
Tyketto tour dates! Let's start there first.
I'll let Michael handle this part.......

Tyketto 2009!
From Michael Clayton Arbeeny
April 11, 2009
Well, it feels like we just returned home from the Jan/ Feb dates, and we are gearing up to hit the road again! Our "Around the world in eighteen days" tour was a huge success, and it was great to introduce Bobby Lynch and PJ Zitarosa to the Tyketto audiences in so many countries. Many fans say these were some of the best shows the band has ever played, and I am inclined to agree with them. In just a handful of rehearsals, the five of us clicked as musicians and friends, and the response at the shows was a great testament to that. We welcome the guys to the family and thank you both for a job very well done.
OK, here’s what has been and will be happening for us in 2009:
 
SWEDENROCK AND ROCK GONE WILD!!!!
In addition to planning some select European tour dates this fall, we have secured a huge s ummer concert on each side of the Atlantic. We are very proud to be a part of the 2009 Sweden Rock Festival. This year’s concert promises to be the best ever, and we are honored to be sharing the week’s stage with rock icons ZZ Top, Whitesnake, Journey, Foreigner, Europe and Motorhead.
Tyketto hits the stage at 8:00 pm on Thursday June 4.
We have decided to book a few select UK shows over the week following Swedenrock.
May/ June shows as follows:

DATE: Thursday June 4th
VE NUE: SWEDENROCK
WEB SITE: http://www.swedenrock.com/index.cfm
CHECK WEBSITE FOR FULL EVENT DETAILS
 
DATE: Fri June 5th
VENUE: WOLVERHAMPTON WULFRUN HALLS WEB SITE: www.wolvescivic.co.uk
TICKET PRICE: tbd
DOORS: 7.30PM
SUPPORT: CRIMES OF PASSION

DATE: Sat June 6th
VENUE: NOTTINGHAM RESCUE ROOMS WEB SITE: www.rock-city.co.uk
TICKET PRICE: tbd
DOORS:7.30PM
SUPPORT: CRIMES OF PASSION

DATE: Mon June 8th
VENUE: LONDON ISLINGTON ACADEMY WEB SITE: www.O2academyislington.co.uk
TICKET PRICE: £16.50
DOORS:7.30PM
SUPPORT: CRIMES OF PASSION
Ticket website – www.ticketweb.co.uk Box Office – 08444 772000

DATE: Tues, June 9
VENUE: SOUTHAMPTON THE BROOK WEB SITE: www.the-brook.com
TICKET PRICE: Tickets £16.00
DOORS:7.30PM
SUPPORT: CRIMES OF PASSION
Ticket line – www.wegottickets.com Box Office – 02380 555366
0A

BACK TO THE  USA!!!!

Thursday, August 20
We will join an incredible bill on this years ROCK GONE WILD festival in Iowa. We will share the stage with many amazing bands over the four day festival, including Puddle of Mudd, Skid Row, Candlebox, Tantric, Eve 6 and Warrant. Come on out to the Midwest and spend the weekend with Tyketto!
This will be THE summer concert to attend!
http://www.rockgonewild.com/

Saturday, August 22
Tyketto FINALLY comes home to our New York family with a very special show at the legendary L'AMOUR. The physical location has since changed since L'AMOUR's reign as the world's top rock nightclub, but it will be great to go back to where it all began, and with the people who helped us launch Tyketto onto the worldwide stage twenty years ago.
0D
Check out http://www.myspace.com/lamourrocks for show info.
Look out for announcements on more US dates around this time.

As Tyketto plays infrequent, select concerts around the world, it is often difficult to coordinate work and personal schedules around tour dates. Regretfully, we will not be doing these June concerts with longtime Tyketto alum Jimi Kennedy. Jim’s work and gig schedule here in America will not allow him any time away from home. Jimi will hopefully be back onstage with us for future 2009 shows. He will be missed, and we wish him nothing but the best.
We are very happy that bassist and friend STEVE McKENNA will be joining us on this tour leg. Steve has received worldwide acclaim for his many years of great work in the band TEN and Tyke fans will know Steve from his great bass playing on the DANNY VAUGHN TRAVELLER album and many DV solo tours.
 
 
The band has signed worldwide sponsorship deals with Vic Firth drumsticks, DR guitar strings and Engl guitar amps. Great companies to work with! Thanks for your support.

Copies of Tyketto’s, "Last Sunset" CD are still available on our web site, and we recently came across 50 more issues of our previously sold out, "2004 reunion" tour books. The book is basically a history of Tyketto’s, "Don’t Come Easy" era. It’s a great read with some very cool photos. Check the web site for ordering information. They won't last long, and once these 50 are gone, that's it!
Look out for some more special announcements on tour dates, merchandise and releases throughout 2009.
See you all soon,
Michael



Whew! The man can cover a lot of ground can't he?
Okay, so moving on, THE ILLEGAL EAGLES Spring tour is wrapping up this month with our last 3 shows on April 15, 16 and 17 in READING, BILSTON, and EDINBURGH respectively.
Despite the current financial climate the response from the fans, both old and new, has made it an overwhelming success. Attendances were up everywhere we've been and the new, 6 man line up has added several new dimensions to the show that everyone loves.
The dates for the autumn tour, October through December, are already in place and will be announced very soon. There are also several one off dates scattered throughout the summer so please visit www.illegaleagles.com or the myspace page for more information coming soon!

Everywhere I've been travelling this year friends have been patiently asking me about the DANNY VAUGHN LIVE ACOUSTIC CD.
We recorded our unplugged show that was held at Christmas time at THE CLUNY in NEWCAS TLE. We did only two shows both there and at JB's in DUDLEY and fans were asked to sign up for a very special version of the cd that wouldn't be the same version available to the general public.
For those that weren't able to attend, the show featured STEVE McKENNA on bass, TONY MARSHALL on guitar, LEE MORRIS on drums, and MIKE CORFIELD on keyboards along with yours truly howling at the front. It was something that I have wanted to try for a very long time because it was not only unplugged, it also featured a number of songs that have rarely, if ever, been performed live from my solo recordings, SOLDIERS AND SAILORS ON RIVERSIDE, FEARLESS, FROM THE INSIDE 1 and 2 and FLESH AND BLOOD, with a little TYKETTO thrown in for good measure.
It's being mixed now and the plan is to release it through our good friends at www.hardrockhouse.com around May 22.
The cd will be called THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED and will feature 12 songs for the general public, and a grand total of 18 for the folks that were able to attend the shows and signed up.
It will only be sold on the internet or at live shows and there will be links to purchase it at www.hardrockhouse.com www.dannyvaughn.com, or the Danny Vaughn Myspace page.
Hardrockhouse also has the limited re release of my acoustic cd DANNY VAUGHN STANDING ALONE available. That's also been sold at the Illegal Eagle shows and it's brought some new friends and fans into the fold. You are all very welcome to the family!

Now here's an amazing thing! I was handed issue number 131 of CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE a few weeks ago. It's got a stunning shot of Freddie Mercury on the cover. Chris Childs tells me "You'd better have a look at this". There's an article in there entitled, "THE 50 GREATEST SINGERS IN ROCK" and, lo and behold, in a small strip in tiny print under the heading of "EIGHT MORE UNSUNG HEROES" I find my name! It says, and I quote, " Danny Vaughn Tyketto/Vaughn One of the top voices of the melodic hard rock genre"
Normally, I'm not too bothered about articles involving lists and such. But I have to say that this one made me very proud. I've been doing this now for 23 years and it meant a lot to have been noticed for it and mentioned in some seriously heavyweight company. Thank you, CLASSIC ROCK.

I can't make any promises, but so many p eople have asked that it's important to mention that I have every intention of working on new songs for both a new solo cd, a new acoustic cd, and possibly even a new Tyketto cd! It's not the desire that's lacking, it's finding the time! But I promise that I'm trying.

The last thing I want to mention is a personal note and the most important one. Normally, I keep the web site and the myspace page a "business only" affair and I don't talk about my private life at all. But my fans and friends are one and the same for the most part so I wanted to share this with you. On March 21st, when the Illegal Eagles played the Indigo Room at the O2 in London, I asked my girlfriend, Melissa if she would marry me and (thank goodness) she said "YES"!!!
Those that know me have seen just how much happiness this amazing woman has brought into my life and we have been showered with good wishes from everyone around us. It's been wonderful and we are very grateful. When it's right, it's right and this is sooooo right.
I'm so proud I'm even going to put some pictures up! It really pays to have a good friend like Marty Moffatt hanging around when you drop down on one knee!
Thanks to everyone for helping to make this a fantastic year already and thanks to Melissa for being you.
Okay y'all, it's time to let you get back to your internet surfing. Keep in touch and I'll look forward to seeing you further on up the road.

Wishing you peace,
Danny Vaughn
 

 
HOOOOO BOY!!!

Just when I thought my life was calming down some, it’s all gotten even crazier! I’ve got a lot to share with you about solo shows, new cds, old cds, TYKETTO shows and ILLEGAL EAGLE shows so sit back and get comfortable!

First off, I want to remind everybody about the Danny Vaughn Unplugged semi acoustic Christmas Bash!!! A lot has changed since we first had the idea of making these acoustic Christmas shows of mine a small tradition. We are doing 2 shows, Dec. 12th at JB’s in DUDLEY, UK and Dec. 13th at THE CLUNY in NEWCASTLE UK. The band is now a 5 man line up with myself and Tony Marshall on guitars, Lee Morris on Drums, Steve Mckenna on bass, and a newcomer to our family, Mike Corfield on keyboards. We are going to be doing a variety of songs from all through my career with some special attention paid to a number of songs that have n’t been played much, if at all, in a live setting. This will include songs from both FTI albums as well as all my solo records, and, of course, some Tyketto thrown in for good measure. Rather than an acoustic show, think of it more like an MTV Unplugged sort of vibe.
 
At the shows we’re also gonna have t-shirts for the event and, I’m very proud to say, in collaboration with the fab people at www.hardrockhouse.com we are re releasing my old acoustic cd "Standing Alone". I only ever had 1,000 copies made in the first place and they were long gone back in 2002. It’s a very basic, stripped down version of some of my better known songs and was a real labour of love to make. It will be available for sale at the shows for 6 pounds, but if you’re unable to be there, or live in another part of the world you can order it here at: www.hardrockhouse.com/StandingAlone.htm
If you order on line it will cost 7 pounds (includes shipping) to the UK, 7.50 pounds (including shipping) to the rest of Europe and 8 pounds (you guessed it, including shipping) to the rest of the world. There are also some samples on the web site for you to listen to.

But it ain’t over yet!! We have decided to do a live recording of the Christmas Bash at the Cl uny, (for which there are only 5 tickets left, btw, and you can get them at www.ticketweb.co.uk) for release next year. There will be a very limited edition double disc available only to the people that attended the shows and you can place an order by filling out a form over at the merchandise desk at either show. There will be a single disc version available to everybody else sometime early next year through Hardrockhouse.com

We are all really excited about having this chance to make it a big Christmas party with all of our friends so make sure you come prepared to sing, clap, and generally get heard!!

On to TYKETTO news. We all want to say a huge thank you to everyone at Firefest. There were so many people that I talked to that were supportive and happy to see the band play as well as so many members of great bands that were all there to show support for the entire event. I would like to extend a personal thank you to 2 gentlemen that I had the pleasure of discussing my personal passion, song writing, with on the day. I’m no good with names but one of you I met back stage doing a project for college and the other was a young fella from New Jersey I met at the hotel bar that damned near made my jaw hit the floor by seeming to understand exactly how and why I write music in the first place. It was a pleasure talking with you both.

As Tyketto was working with a new line up we w ere really pleased at how well received we were. And let’s face it, PJ’s guitar playing was about as powerful as a Sherman Tank! He is now a permanent member of Tyketto and we have also decided to add a very well known keyboard wizard from the New Jersey area, Bobby Lynch, to the family. So, it’s time to start touring again! And here are the dates for our "Around the world in 18 Days" 2009 tour!
Thursday, January 15th, BAR A in Lake Como New Jersey, USA
Saturday, January 17th, MEXICALI LIVE in Teaneck, New Jersey, USA
Sunday, January 18th, MAXIMUM CAPACITY in Chicopee, Massachussettes, USA
Thursday, January 22nd, JB’s in Dudley, UK
Friday, January 23rd, De BOSUIL in Weert, Holland
Saturday, January 24th, SALA LIVE, Madrid, Spain
Sunday, January 25th, Bilbao, Kafe Antzokia, Spain
Wednesday, January 28th, STAZIONE BIRRA, Rome, Itlay
Friday, January 30th, SOTTOTETTO SOUND CLUB, Bologna, Italy
Saturday, January 31st, Z7 KONZERTFABRIK, Pratteln, Switzerland
Sunday, February 1st, THE CORPORATION, Sheffield, UK

And this is only the beginning! Tyketto are also going to be playing in South America again in May (dates will be announced soon) and are now in serious negotiations with summer festi vals in the US and in Europe and Scandinavia. So, after a long hiatus, we’re going to try and visit all our friends around the world! Stay tuned, true believers!

THE ILLEGAL EAGLES just finished a really successful tour of the UK that lasted through 2 and a half months and covered about 30 or more shows. Next year it’s getting even bigger with an ambitious new set and some of the biggest venues we have yet played over almost 40 dates. The plan next year is to do the entire first set devoted to songs from "The Long Road Out Of Eden" album and the second set will be all of the classics that we can cram in. We are pleased to be playing such amazing venues as the Edinburgh Playhouse, Belfast Waterfront, and The Bournemouth Pavilion, to name a few, but the most amazing one of all is the Indigo 2 in London, where the Eagles themselves first premiered their new album. I know I’ve got a lot of friends in London dying to get to show, well this would be the one. For more info, please go to www.illegaleagles.com

Okay, my head is spinning from all this so yours certainly must be. My thanks to so very many people I’ve met at all the shows I’ve done this year. It’s been such a pleasure to be back out on the road so much again. Thanks also to our crews, drivers, promoters, and managers that made the whole thing possible.

And I want to wish all of you the best of everything for the Holidays!
See you soon,
Danny Vaughn


 

Hello again to all those patient friends and fans out there.

As I mentioned before I don’t like clogging everyone’s email up with lots of blogs every time I have a thought (it’s up to you to decide how often that happens) so I’ve waited until there was a lot to talk about.
Here goes......

FROM THE INSIDE: VISIONS was released on August 1st and I have been really grateful to so many of you that have been writing in and giving me your reviews and comments. It’s been overwhelmingly favourable and that is a great reward for all of the people that put so much hard work into making it. Click the link for the review from melodicrock.com
http://www.melodicrock.com/reviews/fromtheinside-visions.p3

THE ILLEGAL EAGLES- Unfortunately, the entire Beamish Bash, which was due to start this coming weekend in the Newcastle area, has been cancelled! The weather has been so bad that Health and Safety officials would not give the go ahead to have any of the stage or PA structures built. So the whole thing is off! Some summer we’re having, eh?
But, we are all set to get rolling on our autumn tour, the first date of which will be in the Cliff’s Pavilion in Southend on September 19th. A great deal of the gigs, from September through the end of November, will be in the northern part of the UK so please check the web site www.illegaleagles.com or our myspace page for a show in your town!

NORTHERN LIGHTS ORCHESTRA- I was recently contacted by drummer and producer extra ordinaire, Ken Mary, who was kind enough to ask if I would sing a track on a very big project that is being done in Los Angeles. It is something of a rock opera, similar to what Trans Siberian Orchestra does, based on the life of Jesus and it has a very impre ssive roster of talent involved with it. The proceeds from cd sales will be going towards several charities and they will be looking to make a live touring production out of it as well.
The track I sang on had none other than George Lynch blazing away on guitar! A real thrill for me!

TYKETTO NEWS....
Our last gig at Firefest in the UK was a serious eye opener for everyone in the band.
Previously, we had announced that we weren’t going to play any more gigs and Tyketto wasn’t going to be a going concern any more.
However, well.............we just had so much fun!
Originally, the problem was that all the guys in the band have so many family commitments, job commitments, etc. that we just thought it would be impossible to attempt to carry on any kind of playing schedule.
But Firefest was such a great gig for us that we found ourselves rethinking. We could never go back to the way things were, but we c ould play here and there when time allowed. Why call it an end when it was just getting fun again?
So, with stars in our eyes, we happily agreed to play Firefest again this year in October.
I’m pleased to see that nobody was disappointed to see us going on.
This past month, though, things got difficult.

Despite trying a lot of different ways to make schedules sync up, Brooke has a major employment offer that he couldn’t walk away from and it resulted in a schedule conflict.
With Tyketto being only an occasional thing we could hardly blame him for having to make what had to be a very difficult decision. The bottom line is that Brooke will not be able to appear with us at Firefest or continue with the band going forward.
We have been faced with a very difficult choice. Should we disband completely? It seemed like such a sad way to go out. Even though it was not what we intended when we got this whole thing started, Michael, Jimi, and I feel very strongly that we still want to get out there and play these songs that have kept Tyketto so strong in the hearts of our fans for 18 years. (Did I really just say 18 years???)
So we have decided that we want to keep on playing. Those of you that have been following me for a while will be no stranger to the name PJ Zitarosa. He’s the monster guitarist that played on both Vaughn albums, "Soldiers and Sailors On Riverside" and "Fearless", and also accompanied me on those tours. He made a lot of friends and impressed a lot of fans as well as his fellow players. He’s awesome on stage and a good friend off stage. So it makes perfect sense for him to step in and take care of business with us at Firefest!

We love Brooke and wish him every success in his new venture.
So that’s the scoop, y’all. Tyketto are back on the road and PJ Zitarosa is going to be sharing the driving!
Thanks to all of you for keeping the emails coming, for your help, requests, and general good vibes. There is still strength in numbers. We’ll see you in October!
Danny, Michael, Jimi, and PJ
 
A little extra footnote here to dispel the variety of rumours that have been flying out there.
Tyketto are putting the finishing touches on some European tour dates to take place in mid January or 2009. We are also looking to finalize a week’s worth of shows in South America around May of 2009. We’re talking with as many of the major festivals that we can for the summer as well. If you have any connections with festival web sites, please feel free to request us on their bills for 2009. It takes a lot to get the promoter’s attention on some of these big shows and nothing does it better than when they hear from their audience.
At present time we are not in the studio recording. We have certainly talked about the possibility of making a new album but it’s not going to happen until we are comfortable with our new line up. After that, we’ll have to see what kind of songs we write together. But nothing has happened in that area so far.

DANNY VAUGHN SHOWS- and lastly, there’s little ole me! With all that has been going on there=2 0hasn’t been a sliver of time large enough to put anything new on the table from me and my band. But it was proposed that I do a couple of acoustic shows right around Christmas time this year. I’ve done the Christmas acoustic shows before and it has always been a lot of fun, so we’ve decided to do 2 of them in December. We will be playing JB’s in Dudley on Friday, December 12, and The Cluny in Newcastle on December 13th.
As always, I wanted to do things just a touch differently so this time, instead of it being just myself, or only myself and Tony, we are going to have a 4 piece band playing on these shows.
Tony and I will be doing the guitar duties, Lee Morris will be doing the drum and percussion work (and he’ll sing too) and a new friend, Mike Corfield will be joining us on keyboards.
Our set list will have several of the Tyketto and Vaughn regulars, of course, but we’re also going to present a decent amount of the songs that don’t often get played live, and that will include a few tracks from both >From The Inside cds. This is going to be a gathering of friends and is always really cool atmosphere. Bring your antlers your egg nog and your singing voices!
Okay, that wraps it up. I hope your summer has been drier than mine and I look forward to seeing a lot of you in the coming months.

All the best,
Danny Vaughn

 

 
The Return Of "From The Inside"!

It’s taken a little while to sort out some mixing issues and other things but I’m happy to say that we now have an official release date for "From The Inside 2: Visions".
It will be released in Europe and the UK on Frontiers Records on August 1st 2008.
It will also be released in Japan on King Records on September 10 2008.
And, we are just reaching an agreement with Sony/Red distributors for America (so all my countrymen can say good bye to import prices, I hope!).
The cd features 6 songs co written by myself, Fabrizio Grossi, and Eric Ragno as well as 6 more melodic rock monsters written by outside writers.
We were working towards a tip of the song writer’s hat to Journey on this one, so you’ll have to let me know what you think of our efforts!
Here’s the official press release.....

From the inside Visions
New cd out in August and here's the press release. Follow up to the From the inside project back in 2004.
Frontiers Records is pleased to announce the release of FROM THE INSIDE second album "Visions" on August 1st 2008.

FROM THE INSIDE is the project that marked the start of the cooperation between legendary Melodic Rock singer Danny Vaughn (Tyketto) and Frontiers Records. Released in September 2004, the first album was welcomed with great acclaim from both fans and press and it finally brought Danny back to the classic Melodic Rock sounds. Together with producer Fabrizio Grossi (Glenn Hughes, Starbreaker) he was able to put together a finely crafted and top quality contemporary Melodic Rock release.

In the winter of 2007, Danny and Frontiers Records President Serafino Perugino once again discussed the production of a true Melodic Rock record in the vein of classic Journey and Tyketto that could follow in the footsteps of the successful debut - From The Inside. Fab Grossi was again recruited and the two of them worked on the songwriting, along with keyboardist Eric Ragno.

Danny says: "I always like the idea of a challenge that steps outside of what I normally do. I have to approach the writing and performing of the songs from a different angle than I would with my own stuff. Fabrizio and I set out some guide lines of the type of songs that we wanted to do and we kept coming back to the idea of doing an album with a real Journey vibe. How challenging is that? Having just come off tour with Journey themselves, I was in the right frame of mind to do that and I think the 6 songs that he, Eric and I wrote together really show what we're capable of. "From The Inside" was a very successful album with my fans, so I was very interested in trying another one.
Let's see what they think!"

The songs were later complemented by additional killer tracks penned especially for the album by Tom and James Martin (of Khymera, Ted Poley and House of Lords fame), with "Love Is No Stranger" by Joey Carbone (Joseph Williams) later added to the album, thus completing the tracklisting.

Recording sessions finished in the winter of 2008 with Jimi Bell (House of Lords), handling guitar duties and Peter Lobo on drums. Tommy Hansen (TNT, Jorn, Pretty Maids, Helloween etc) took care of the mix in April.

The result is a truly amazing Melodic Rock album with a harder edge: a flawless collection of extremely well-written songs, with tight musicianship and the vocals... well, this just may be Danny Vaughn's greatest vocal performance to date. "Visions" will absolutely take your breath away

Also, just a reminder that I will be doing a solo acoustic set in Southport on the 5th of July in support of the Southport Kidney Fund. Please come on out and support the cause, shake some hands, make some friends, and bring the sunshine with you!

Danny Vaughn

It’s been a while since last I cluttered up your mailbox. Now I’ve got enough news happening that this will feel like a cyber supplement!

First off, the Tyketto show in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil this past May was a big success and some of the most fun that I and the boys have had in a long, long time. Rio is a city unlike any other and it’s someplace that simply has to be seen and experienced to be fully appreciated. Everyone, from the promoters, to the fans, to the record shops, were all so welcoming and seemed so pleased to finally have Tyketto on their home ground after all these years. All of us would like to offer a simple "Thank You" to everyone involved. The best news is that we are talking about doing it all over again next year! Obrigado!

I hate to admit defeat, but you can’t make people return your calls and emails when they don’t want to. So we have to officially give up our quest to have Tyketto play Rocklahoma this year. I saw how many people wrote into their web site and asked for us and we’re all grateful.
I just wish I could offer you a reasonable explanation why it didn’t happen. I simply don’t have any idea.

Be that as it may there might just still be an announcement later on about a few more Tyketto shows before the year is out. Stay tuned!

The Illegal Eagles just finished off our Spring "Back In The Fast Lane" tour with a storming show at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. It’s a truly beautiful venue in the heart of one of my favourite cities (I got to do some tourism and see both the Glasgow Cathedral and St. Mungo’s while I was there) and there isn’t enough high praise we can give to the Glaswegian crowd. They were, as we say "Up for it"!!! Thanks also to Gizzi’s for staying open late and letting us take over the place until the wee hours. Food was fab!

So now, the Illegal Eagles have just posted 31 new dates for our Autumn tour. A great number of these shows will be in the northern part of the UK so please go to either our myspace page or www.illegaleagles.com to see if we’re coming to your town.

I’m pleased to announce that I will be doing a solo acoustic appearance at a benefit in aid of the Southport Kidney Fund. This is going to be held on July the 5th at Charity Town Hall Gardens on Lord Street in Southport. There will be bands playing all day as well as other events and it is all to help raise awareness about the extremely difficult conditions incurred by those suffering from kidney failure. Money raised will go directly to help local patients. It will also provide more equipment to help those facing life on dialysis at the new unit in Southport which is currently being built. If you’re in the area, please come down. It’s a very worthy cause and we’re looking to make it a great day out for everybody. For more information go to
www.skfacoustica.org

It’s all "Me, me, me" isn’t it? :-) Back in March I completed what was probably the longest and most in depth interview I’ve ever done. My hat’s off to the fabulous Bailey Brothers for putting so much time and research into it and I am ashamed to say that I just haven’t gotten off my lazy ass sooner to tell you about it. The address to find that on is:
www.rockunited.com
Or go directly to:
http://www.rockunited.com/int_dannyvaughn08.htm

The newest "From The Inside" album entitled "Visions" will be ready to roll soon. It features some very cool songs I got to co-write with Fabrizio Grossi and Eric Ragno. I am not 100% certain of a release date yet but it will be later this year. In the meantime, I’ve put up some new photos from a session that I did with Jessica Patel on the Danny Vaughn myspace page. Check ‘em out!

And now I’m already on to the end of the year! That was fast. I wanted to do a little something on my own this year and was lucky enough to get an offer I couldn’t refuse from Steve Cummings at Hardrockhouse.com
In the past I have done an acoustic Christmas show or two that were very special events for me. I guess I’d like to make that something of a tradition. So, on Friday, December 12, I will be appearing at JB’s in Dudley, and on Saturday, December 13th I will be at the Cluny in Newcastle. I haven’t figured out all of the details of these shows yet, but I’m going to have some friends with me. The shows will be semi unplugged and I want to play some of my songs that don’t always get much stage time from as many albums in my career as I can squeeze in. These nights have always been very special to me and we’ve turned them into a kind of story teller’s night with me taking questions or blabbing about the songs. Cups of tea are optional. Mine’s a Guinness!

There is one thing that I’ve done with this before that I want to do again. At each show we will have one special guest. It could be you! Anyone that has the insane desire to sing or play (or both) with me on stage is gonna get their chance. Here’s how it works:
You write into my website www.dannyvaughn.com tell me your name, and what song you want to do. The let me know if you’re going to be singing, or playing an instrument or both.
If we pick you, we will contact you via email. You will be required to come to sound check on the day of the show. That’s usually around 5 or 6 o’clock. Be prepared to rehearse with the band (or maybe just me) beforehand. It may not be "X-Factor", but you do need to audition to show us that you can actually play. There are some silly sods out there that would try to just get in on it for a laugh and we retain the right to send you packing!
These shows have always been very informal and very festive. Bring your singing voices, your Santa outfits and accessories (reindeer horns are always funny) and join in the fun.

I think I’ve remembered everything. If I can squeeze more than 365 days into this year I’ll be sure to let you know.
Enjoy the summer!
Best wishes,
Danny Vaughn

TYKETTO TO PLAY IN BRAZIL!!!

After countless stops and starts over the years TYKETTO is finally going to play in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
We have been told that the band was always very popular there but have never had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful country. So now it's going to happen!
On April the 26th, 2008, TYKETTO will take part in the HARD ROCK RIO 2 festival which will also feature Mike Tramp's White Lion and House Of Lords.
The event will be held at:
CIRCO VOADOR
RUA DOS ARCOS S/N

Tickets will cost 85 Real and information about the show can be found at www.hardinrio.com.br
or you can call (21) 98581699 or (21) 81691881

For a long time now we have gotten so much fan mail and emails from our Brazilian fans asking us to come and play so now it's up to you. Let's get everybody down there, sell this thing out and make it a really fantastic event. And remember this show will be with all four original members: JIMI KENNEDY, MICHAEL CLAYTON ARBEENY, BROOKE ST. JAMES, and me. We'll be playing lots of songs from our classic albums DON'T COME EASY and STRENGTH IN NUMBERS and bringing copies of our new cd of "lost treasures" and demos called "THE LAST SUNSET: FAREWELL 2007" and some other goodies as well.
So, Brazil, we finally meet in April and nobody is more excited about it than we are.

To all of you that have waited so long and kept the faith we want to say, "Obrigado"!
Danny Vaughn


  

TYKETTO AT ROCKLAHOMA???????????
 
When Tyketto announced our final shows this past year in Europe with all four original members, I was inundated with letters from America. Most of them were pretty annoyed. "Why no US show?" they asked,  "Don't we deserve it too?"
Well, of course you do! At that time we couldn't put anything worthwhile together in the time frame we had allowed to us but, a lot of you suggested that we should play ROCKLAHOMA in 2008.
I've been keeping it quiet but we have been looking into it.
But here's the problem: they are swamped with requests from bands to play there and, in my opinion, they aren't all that excited about having us on the bill. I was pretty surprised, but, I don't see why we should take this lying down!
YOU GUYS made a lot of noise when we didn't play the states and you took me to task for it. Now I'm turning the tables on you.
If you want TYKETTO;  Brooke, Jimi, Michael, and me to play at the ROCKLAHOMA festival this year then you're going to have to make your voices heard.
Here is their web site:           http://www.rockfeverfest.com/
 
Get on line, get on their message boards, write, email, call, send carrier pigeons, whatever you have to do, but let them know that you want us to play.  The only way it's going to happen is if they realize that it's something the audience wants.
We'll keep pushing the point from our end, but we need your help.
 
Okay troops!   Attaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!!!!!!
Danny Vaughn


 

"And The Award Goes To..................."

Hi everyone and Happy New Year. I've been neck deep in preparing for the Illegal Eagles tour that starts in the spring (you can see the dates and details on our myspace page or at www.illegaleagles.com) and looking into some summer shows for a certain band that is not quite done yet (we'll see) but in the meantime, I was just alerted that "Traveller" has won a few "Best Of 07" awards at the Shipwreck Island web site. We're very proud of being mentioned in the "Best Album", "Best Producer", and "Best Producer" categories but HEY! We won for "Best Solo Album" and I got a special award for "Most Enduring Vocalist". I'm a assuming that's a good thing  :-)
To find out what it's all about click on the link

http://www.shipwreckislandstudios.com/bestof/bestof2007.htm

Then got to the "Best of 07" tab and the "Misc. Awards" tab to see it all in it's full glory.

Thanks to everybody for keeping the faith and for writing in all the time as you do. The new "From The Inside" is being mastered right now and we hope to have it released in the early summer. Meanwhile Pat and the guys have been sending me new musical ideas for the next Danny Vaughn cd so you can bet we're going to make another one.

All the best,
Danny Vaughn


 

The dust hasn't settled yet but I wanted to take a minute to thank everyone that was involved in the last 4 Tyketto shows. They were an amazing time for all of us and we were happy that we got to share our final moments with such good friends in The UK, Spain, Belgium, and Northern Ireland.

One thing I do want to let everyone know is that the new cd, "Tyketto The Last Sunset Farewell 2007" was such an unexpected success that we will be making lots more this week in order to get copies to anyone that wants it, anywhere in the world. It will be available through aorheaven in europe, or you can get it at www.tyketto.de. So don't fall for any "rarity" nonsense from the pond scum that are already trying to pitch it on ebay.

 Please remember that this is not a "new" cd, but rather, old demos of songs that never quite made the cut or different versions of songs you already have heard. It's something the real fans will love, but if you're a newcomer to me or Tyketto, this is NOT the cd you want to start with. I'll write more soon, but for now I will speak on behalf of the 4 of us and simply say that you were just awesome and we are so happy we did this one last time.

All the best,
Danny Vaughn