 Greetings friends, Wow, looking here at how long it has been since I last posted an update surprised me. Between Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and all the other social media posts that seem necessary -oh yea - life too, sometimes the essential updates get looked over. I am trying very hard to get all of my content onto my website and not so much on social media, but it is proving more difficult. You can help by reminding me and visiting my website often. I welcome all thoughts and suggestions on how I can make my website better. Okay, enough of that. Let us get on with the news. ABBA MANIA - 2022 Winter/Spring Tour Our winter/early spring ABBA MANIA tour was a huge success. We had many more dates than usual, which was great, but it made staying fit on the road more complicated. During our fall 2021 tour, I did my first daily "Tour Blog." I had always wanted to do one, so I am glad I saw it through. However, I found that it was very time-consuming, and due to my schedule on the road, I found myself getting behind more than I wished. I did make a point to include photos, videos, and the video stage walks that everyone loved so much in the past. So if you missed that, you can find it here under the tour section. I received a lot of positive feedback, and many people enjoyed it, but unfortunately, it was just way too a daunting task to undertake on this last tour. I hate that because it is a cool artifact to have when looking back. Back on track! Yes, I had a wonderful time on this tour. We celebrated Birthdays, crossed the country again, had epic bus parties, played in gorgeous venues, ate too much chocolate and pizza, and saw many friends along the road I had not seen in a very long time, some in many years. I even got to meet one of my childhood heroes, Brian Forster. Brian played Chris Partridge in The Partridge Family Television Series in the 1970s. He is a wonderful and kind man, and I am thrilled to have gotten to know him. I have tons of photos that I would like to share, but I am not sure when I will find the time to log them here correctly. So with that said, if you want pictures, then please follow me on instagram. www.instagram.com/therealjeffpike. I am posting all the photos from the tour and more, and I still have a long way to go. I post once a day, so please join me on my journey.       RIGHT WHERE I AM - ALBUM UPDATE There are a couple of new updates I have to share with you regarding the release plan for my next album, 'Right Where I Am.' If you have been following closely, then you know, I finished recording the album back in late 2021. I planned to release it in the fall of 2022 but touring, life, and many other obstacles made me reconsider. Sometimes obstacles can be a good thing. After much thought and conversation with my producer, Gino Vannelli, we concluded that the best way to proceed is to make videos for each of the songs and then release some of them as singles over time. So the ball was passed from Gino to his brother Ross Vannelli. Ross Vannelli is a highly successful songwriter, producer, audio engineer, video director, and Gino's business and creative partner. Being very familiar with Ross's work, I am very excited to have him in charge of this part of our ambitious project. The first song we decided to shoot is a song called "Sunset On L.A." As luck would have it, the ABBA MANIA tour ended in Hollywood on March 13. Since Ross is based out of Los Angeles, Kathy Mullen flew out, and we decided to stay a few extra days and shoot the video. I could not have planned a better experience if I had scripted it myself. Ross is a helluva guy with a beautiful sense of humor. Like his brothers Gino and Joe, he is a creative genius, so new creative ideas were always bounced around. The weather was stunningly perfect, and we spent two days shooting in Hollywood, Malibu, and Ross's studio. I can honestly say that I have not had that much fun working in a long time. Everything went smoothly, and we all worked together very well. Also, like his brothers, he works and hardly ever sleeps, so in less than two weeks, the entire video was finished. We are all thrilled with the results. In late May, we are heading back to California to start work on the next video, " Right Where I Am." Stay tuned for more as it develops.       ALWAYS A little over a year ago, my good friend and colleague Paul Leslie suggested I record an album of classic, romantic jazz ballads from the early to the mid-20th century. Unbeknownst to Paul, Gino Vannelli and I previously discussed the same thing. So after bringing on board Joseph Patrick Moore, Wayne Viar, and Conal Fowkes, work began. Paul Leslie is the Executive and Co-Producer, Joseph Patrick Moore will produce and mix, and Gino Vannelli will be my vocal and creative advisor. As I mentioned previously in this update, sometimes stumbling blocks get in your way, pushing things aside for a while. Such was the case with this project, which has been for the best. As of this month, work has resumed on 'Always." I am looking forward to digging into these old songs and sinking my teeth into them. I am sure I will learn a lot and be a better singer on the other side of this project.     Okay, enough for today! If you haven't already done so, please subscribe to my email list by emailing jeff@jeffpike.com. Also, please follow me on Instagram for lots of daily photos. I have two accounts - one for me and one for A1A.
www.instagram.com/therealjeffpike www.instagram.com/jeffpikeanda1a Thank you for being part of my journey, and welcome to spring! Jeff PS - Please check out our Mullen's Miracles Project at www.mullensmiracles.org   In 2019 I started recording my next album entitled 'Right Where I Am' with Gino Vannelli out in Troutdale, Oregon. Immediately COVID-19 decided to throw a giant wrench in everyone's lives. So what was going only to take a matter of months to finish has now taken over two years. I am thrilled to let you know that we did indeed finish the record in 2021 and that 2022 will be the year of 'Right Where I Am.' Stay tuned for more updates as they happen.
 I am looking forward to hitting the road again with ABBA MANIA. All dates, venue, and ticket information can be found at the ABBA MANIA section under the TOUR section here at JeffPike.com. I look forward to seeing you at a show!
 The 2021 Fall ABBA MANIA tour was very successful and packed with great times, spectacular performances, lots of stories, and loads of laughs. The short month we were out on tour supplied us with memories that will remain with us for some time to come.
At the onset of the tour, I decided to try something I had never done before. With the encouragement of others and my curiosity, I decided to try writing a tour blog while I was out on the road. I knew that it would be an undertaking, but I was willing to give it a try. It was, just like I thought, very time-consuming, and I did fall behind a time or two. I did enjoy it, however, and I feel that it could turn into a lovely coffee table book if I were given more time to finish each blog. At any rate, I have finished it as much as I am going to at the moment and would love for you to check it out. It covers 25 days, so I would not recommend you read it all in one sitting! I do hope you finish it, though, and I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, and suggestions once you are through. Thank you for being part of my journey. ABBA MANIA - FALL 2021 TOUR BLOG  Well, it is time once again to pull out my platform shoes and satin wardrobe out of the closet and hit the road with ABBA MANIA. As a rule, we do not have a fall tour, but due to the havoc, Covid-19 played on our schedule, the powers that be in London decided to book one this year. So it does seem a little odd hitting the road during October. All fall dates are currently listed through BandsinTown and are listed here under my 'Tour' page at JeffPike.com. I will be sharing my thoughts, comments, pics and more about the tour in my daily Abba Mania Fall 2021 Tour Blog. Our regular tour dates, which take place from late January to mid-March, are not posted yet. So stay tuned. I do hope you will be able to make a show! Long live the 1970's! Please be sure and follow me on BandsinTown to get immediate notice when I book a show. Thanks! Jeff   THE MONKEES - October 2, 2021 The Tivoli Theater - Chattanooga, Tenn. I had the pleasure of escorting my lovely daughter to The Monkees concert at The Tivoli Theater in Chattanooga, Tennessee on October 2, 2021. Even though Davy Jones and Peter Tork are no longer with us, Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith, accompanied by a very well-rehearsed band, gave a fantastic show that had everyone in the audience laughing singing, and crying all night long. I fell in love with The Monkees when I was ten years old-way back in 1971 and have remained a life-long fan. When I was lucky enough to have a daughter, she too became an obsessed fan like myself very early on. We spent much of her childhood watching The Monkees TV show and listening to their music together. When she was six years old in 2001, we both attended our first Monkees show together. So being able to share another Monkees show with her 20 years later means more to me than I am able to put into words.           Greeting my music-loving and music owning friends,
In my two new blogs, which you can find under 'Ramblings From Jeff,' I share my thoughts and a YouTube video about the social, psychological, economic, and emotional importance of purchasing and owning the physical medium of the music you listen to. I hope you will take the time to read them and leave your thoughts, opinions, and experiences about the art and passion of collecting and listening to music. Happy Listening! Jeff I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Todd Alexander and Katy Waugh for reaching out to me and requesting that I write an article about my friendship with Greg 'Fingers' Taylor for the July 2021 edition of 'Phlockers Magazine.' Ironically, I have wanted to write an article on the friendship I shared with Greg 'Fingers' Taylor for quite some time now, so their kind invitation could not have come at a better time. Greg's Birthday is in June and mine in July. We are both celebrating significant birthdays this year, and I have been doing a tremendous amount of reflecting lately. My article ran a little bit too long, and they had to edit it a wee bit for their publication, so I am posting the unedited version here at JeffPike.com. You can read it HERE. Enjoy and please let me know what you think.   Hello, my friends. Well, I have safely returned home from 1979...again. My satin wardrobe and my high heel boots are back in the closet, the disco ball has been returned to the warehouse, and ABBA MANIA is on hiatus again until October 2021. I will be honest and tell you that I had serious concerns about this tour, even though it was only two weeks in Florida. Like so many of you, I have had more than my share of people in my life seriously affected by COVID-19. I have also lost several to the angels this year, so my reservations were high. But being ever the insomniac, I was kept awake at night by the spirits of musician friends and heroes who have gone on before me. Their never-ending whispering in the empty concert halls of my head echoed continuously - the show must go on. Eventually, they wore me down and I somewhat came to my senses. So a bit apprehensively, I grabbed my piano and hit the road. I want to say that we weren't even 2 verses into the first song on the first night before all of the fears went away, and everything felt wonderful. Except for a couple of small lodging issues, the tour was a great success. The venues took social distancing and masks extremely seriously, and everyone in every city complied wonderfully. It felt thrilling to be back on stage and see my bandmates and friends in different towns along the way. Sadly, it was over too soon, but we all made a lot of great memories. Extra credit and a huge shout-out go to Kathy Mullen of "Mullen's Miracles" for being an enormous amount of help to me and all the ABBA MANIA band and crew throughout the entire tour. I am sharing a lot of my pictures on my Instagram account these days (Facebook too) and would love for you to see them and comment. So please follow me on Instagram @therealjeffpike. Mama Mia, it's good to be alive, Jeff  I am thrilled to be once again hitting the road with ABBA MANIA - The Worlds #1 touring Abba Tribute Show, where I will be playing the piano and reprising the role of "Benny." It has been a long year in lockdown, and we are all excited to be getting back onstage, if only for a couple of weeks. Thanks again for all of your continuous support, and I look forward to hopefully seeing you at a show!
You can find more venue and ticket information at: Jeff Pike and ABBA MANIA Tour Dates Please follow me on BandsInTown to get instant up to the minute performance dates and information about me, ABBA MANIA and A1A |
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