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Last month Monkees fans received the news they had long been anticipating: Andrew Sandoval officially announced the brand new edition of his groundbreaking book on the group, The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story. Set for publication in June 2021, Andrew's original work has been thoroughly rewritten, redesigned, and expanded! Don't miss Andrew's latest interview, an illuminating conversation with Craig Smith on The Pods & Sods Network podcast about Day-By-Day and much, much more. Listen via the link below, and be sure to reserve your preferred version of Andrew's book by March 15! An Interview With Andrew Sandoval
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 Back in 2018, Michael Nesmith's six early 1970s albums for RCA Records appeared suddenly on various digital and streaming platforms, and more surprisingly at the time, each album was chock-full of bonus tracks, many of them previously unreleased. Magnetic South (1970), Loose Salute (1970), Nevada Fighter (1971), Tantamount To Treason (1972), And the Hits Just Keep On Comin' (1972), and Pretty Much Your Standard Ranch Stash (1973) have all seen various reissues over the years on both compact disc and vinyl. And since the CD re-releases featured scant bonus tracks, the 2018 digital/streaming versions of those albums marked the first time that the vaults were truly opened to reveal a plethora of previously unheard recordings by Nesmith and the First and Second National Band line-ups (including new versions of Monkees songs like "Circle Sky," and instrumental renditions of both "Magnolia Simms" and "Tapioca Tundra"). And now, courtesy of the Real Gone Music label, comes Different Drum: The Lost RCA Victor Recordings, which will collect "22 tracks drawn from the RCA Victor vaults, every one of which is previously unreleased in any physical format," according to the description found on the Amazon listing of the compact disc. Though no official track listing is available as of this posting, the disc will seemingly be comprised of the songs that were first revealed via the digital and streaming issues of the albums in 2018. Here is the full description of The Lost RCA Victor Recordings courtesy of Amazon: Michael Nesmith has always travelled to the beat of a 'Different Drum''whether as the writer of that classic hit for Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys, the wool hat-clad member of The Monkees, or one of the earliest progenitors of the country-rock genre. In recent years, Nesmith has penned a critically acclaimed autobiography, reformed the First National Band to sold-out audiences, and both recorded and performed live to fans young and old with The Monkees. Now, Real Gone Music and Second Disc Records are proud to present a major deep dive into the Nez archives. Different Drum: The Lost RCA Victor Recordings features 22 tracks drawn from the RCA Victor vaults, every one of which is previously unreleased in any physical format. Over six RCA albums released between 1970 and 1973, Nesmith blossomed as a singer, songwriter, bandleader, and producer under the aegis of RCA Nashville legends Chet Atkins and Felton Jarvis. With bandmates including legendary pedal steel guitarist O.J. 'Red' Rhodes, John Ware, and John London, Nesmith pioneered country-rock with a spiritual and searching style all his own. Different Drum premieres on CD some of his most remarkable musical explorations from this vivid period including cosmic reimaginings of Monkees-era favorites like 'Tapioca Tundra,' 'Magnolia Simms,' 'Circle Sky,' and 'Listen to the Band;' unheard outtakes like 'American Airman' and 'Six Days on the Road;' vastly different alternate takes of 'Different Drum,' 'Dedicated Friend,' and 'Tengo Amore;' and even an early version of 'Marie's Theme' from his cult classic multimedia project The Prison. The mind-altering music on Different Drum has been mixed from the original multitracks by Andrew Sandoval and mastered by Vic Anesini at Sony's Battery Studios, while Papa Nez himself has contributed insightful new commentary to the liner notes by The Second Disc's Joe Marchese. Rare photos by renowned photographer Henry Diltz and previously unseen images round out this landmark package. Different Drum is a freewheeling, widescreen journey through the world of one of rock's greatest iconoclasts. Don't take our word for it: listen to the band! Different Drum: The Lost RCA Victor Recordings will arrive on April 30, 2021. You can pre-order your copy from Amazon now! And stay tuned to The Monkees Live Almanac for official track listings and more!
Monkees author Andrew Sandoval will be Jodi Ritzen's guest this evening live on Facebook as Andrew discusses his upcoming book, The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story. Jodi has also announced that none other than Micky Dolenz will be stopping by for this special event.
The Live Almanac will be providing a live feed below once everything gets underway, so stay tuned!
UPDATE:
Watch Andrew's interview with Jodi below, which includes a guest appearance by Micky Dolenz, as well as the official reveal of the extra collectible item (not sold separately) that will come with your purchase of the Super Deluxe Edition of Andrew's Day-By-Day book:
And, don't forget to listen to Andrew on the Zilch podcast with host Ken Mills by clicking the image below:
Take a look at this fascinating video just published on YouTube where Andrew Sandoval takes us inside the recording session of a classic Davy Jones track from The Monkees' 1969 album, Instant Replay. And, don't forget to reserve your copy of Andrew's upcoming book!  The Monkees, along with most other entertainment acts, continue to be impacted by the unfortunate and tragic circumstances surrounding COVID-19. Today it was announced by The Monkees Tour Facebook page that most of the originally scheduled March and April 2021 concert dates for Micky Dolenz and Michael Nesmith's current show, "An Evening With The Monkees," have been postponed until September and October 2021 due to the pandemic. However, the Vancouver, British Columbia stop has been canceled and the show scheduled for Austin, Texas is being moved to a new venue. Below are the original 2021 dates, venues, and cities with updated information. Stay tuned to The Monkees Live Almanac and stay safe! CANCELED - March 18: Commodore Ballroom / Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada CANCELED BUT MOVING TO NEW VENUE WITH DETAILS TO FOLLOW - April 2: Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater / Austin, Texas March 21 to September 10, 2021: Moore Theatre / Seattle, Washington
March 23 to September 14, 2021: The Crest Theatre / Sacramento, California March 24 to September 15, 2021: San Jose Civic / San Jose, California March 26 to September 17, 2021: Fox Performing Arts Center / Riverside, California March 27 to September 18, 2021: The Magnolia / El Cajon, California March 28 to September 19, 2021: Celebrity Theatre / Phoenix, Arizona April 1 to September 25, 2021: Tobin Center For The Performing Arts / San Antonio, Texas April 3 to September 24, 2021: Majestic Theatre / Dallas, Texas April 12 to TBD: Schermerhorn Symphony Center / Nashville, Tennessee April 16 to October 6, 2021: Iron City / Birmingham, Alabama April 23 to October 15, 2021: IP Casino Resort / Biloxi, Mississippi Monkees fans, here he comes! Andrew Sandoval, Monkees archivist, author, and producer, has officially announced the brand new edition of his classic book, The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story, set for publication in June 2021. Long considered the ultimate resource for the most complete examination of The Monkees' television, recording, theatrical, live concert, and public appearance career, Day-By-Day has not been simply updated, it has been thoroughly rewritten, redesigned, and expanded!  FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO RESERVE YOUR COPY BY MARCH 15, 2021: The book flaps (click to enlarge)  Micky Dolenz, likely during recording sessions for The Monkees' fourth album, "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd." (1967)  Peter Tork at RCA Hollywood, July 1968  The Monkees gather at RCA Hollywood for the "Ditty Diego" recording session, July 1968  Davy Jones in the studio for The Monkees' third album, "Headquarters" (1967)  Michael Nesmith in the studio playing his custom Gibson SG guitar (1968) In December, 7a Records presented its first-ever Peter Tork-related project when the label re-released Peter's 1994 solo album, Stranger Things Have Happened, on compact disc and vinyl. The CD version includes a whopping 9 bonus tracks and a 32-page color booklet with sleeve notes. The vinyl, limited to just 600 copies, features 6 bonus tracks and is pressed on 180 gram Neon Magenta Splatter vinyl. In the latest issue of Record Collector, the album received three stars (out of four) in a review by Daryl Easlea, seen below courtesy of 7a's Facebook page.   Fans in the United Kingdom can order Stranger Things Have Happened via Amazon while those in the United States can order the compact disc or vinyl from Deep Discount, and from Amazon.
The Monkees completed production for their first and only motion picture, Head, with the filming of the "Circle Sky" concert scene at the Valley Music Hall in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 17, 1968. They performed the Michael Nesmith original (seen below in video, complete with graphic images from the Vietnam War) several times for the cameras and the assembled crowd of four thousand fans.  (Photo by Henry Diltz)  Monkees fans are likely to recall Paris Stachtiaris, co-host of Headquarters ("The only radio show in America dedicated to The Monkees") that originally aired on 90.3 WBAU-FM, the radio station of Adelphi University in Long Island, New York, from 1987 to 1990. Cassette tapes of the program, which featured interviews with Monkees luminaries like Chip Douglas, Ward Sylvester, Jim Frawley, Coco Dolenz, Lester Sill, Monte Landis, Gerry Goffin, the individual Monkees themselves, and others, were frequently traded among fans in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2019 Paris returned, with co-host Ben Brown, producing a special in honor of the 50th Anniversary of Woodstock that aired on Labor Day Weekend that year on the HCS Radio Network. For that program, Paris and Ben's interviews included renowned rock photographer Henry Diltz, the official lensman of Woodstock who also has photographed The Monkees extensively since the 1960s. Paris and Ben's latest project revolves around singer/songwriter Bert Sommer. Sommer received a standing ovation at the legendary 1969 Woodstock musical festival, yet today only a few music lovers know his name.
Bert's legacy, along with the story of his life through the voices of people who love the man and his music, is currently being recalled in a multipart series. Listen now at HCS Radio Network, and best of luck to Paris and Ben on their latest endeavor! Here's a rare Monkees collectible to start off your new year, one that I have never come across previously. A seemingly original 1969 promotional poster for The Monkees' seventh album, Instant Replay, recently sold for $335.99 on eBay!     (Click the photo above to watch The Monkees' 1967 performance of "Riu Chiu") Micky, Coco, Chip Douglas, and Henry Diltz gather to celebrate Davy Jones Christmas album12/18/2020 
Here's a real treat: Parade magazine conducted an interview yesterday with Micky Dolenz, Coco Dolenz, legendary photographer Henry Diltz, and Monkees producer Chip Douglas on their Facebook page in promotion of It's Christmas Time Once More, a collection of holiday classics recorded by Davy Jones.
The album, originally issued in 1991 as It's Christmas Time Again, was re-released in November 2020 after being given a contemporary treatment featuring Davy's original vocals along with brand new guest appearances by Micky, Coco, Henry, and Davy's singer/songwriter daughter Annabel Jones, all overseen by The Monkees' celebrated producer Chip Douglas (Headquarters, "Daydream Believer," and more). It's Christmas Time Once More is now available to download on iTunes and stream on Apple Music, Amazon, and Spotify. You can also purchase a compact disc edition from the official Davy Jones Shop. Enjoy the interview below: The Monkees' legendary 1967 single, "Daydream Believer," is featured prominently in the trailer for WandaVision, the upcoming streaming television miniseries created for Disney+ based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. Check out the trailer for WandaVision below, coming to Disney+ this January:
Micky Dolenz recently stopped by The Dead Life podcast to chat with host Allison Dubois:
And, Michael Nesmith talks all about Timerider, the 1982 action film starring Fred Ward that was co-written, scored, and co-produced by Michael Nesmith (and released on VHS by Michael's former company Pacific Arts), on the Paradox Parkway podcast:
Ryan Brady, husband of Annabel Jones, Davy's youngest daughter, tragically killed in car accident11/28/2020
The Monkees Live Almanac is saddened by the news of the passing of Ryan Brady. Ryan was a Vice President at Atlantic Records and host of the popular Paul McCartney-themed podcast, Take It Away. He and Annabel Jones were married in 2018. The Live Almanac would like to pass along condolences to Annabel and all those who knew Ryan.
(Photo courtesy of Micky Dolenz on Facebook)
UPDATE 12/8/2020: Annabel Jones has posted tributes on Facebook to her late husband, Ryan Brady, including an announcement of the Ryan Brady Memorial Fund:
Have you ever thought about having a chat with Michael Nesmith? Now you can - on Zoom!
Join Micky Dolenz live on Facebook this Friday, November 27, 2020 at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT for "Home with Micky for the Holidays." Continue the Thanksgiving spirit as Jodi Ritzen sits with Micky for conversation and much more. And be sure to tell Micky you'll be there!
By the way, don't miss the video below!
UPDATE 11/27/2020: Rewatch Micky's live Facebook event below!
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