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Relax Your Mind, the latest studio effort by Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues, is now available to download on Amazon. The compact disc version can also be ordered from CDBaby, but it's currently sold out (with more copies on the way).
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 Earlier today, Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues issued their third studio effort, Relax Your Mind, as a digital download via CD Baby. (A physical compact disc release is coming shortly.) The album was inspired by American folk and blues musician Lead Belly, who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. Peter's brother, Nick Thorkelson, features as a guest on Relax Your Mind, playing piano while also providing lead vocals on "He Never Said a Mumblin' Word" and "On a Monday." Thorkelson also composed "A Better World," a bonus track originally featured on the exclusive f.y.e. CD of The Monkees' 2016 album, Good Times! Peter has released three other albums under the Shoe Suede Blues banner: Saved By The Blues (2003), Cambria Hotel (2007), and Step By Step (2013). Below are Peter's liner notes as posted on CD Baby, where you can preview and download the album: Huddie Ledbetter, known as Leadbelly, (or Lead Belly as his family prefers to spell the name), was a singer-guitarist of unusual power and authenticity. His legendary adventures and his collection of field hollers, chain gang songs, blues, children's ditties, and, yes, pop songs, brought him eventually to live and perform in and around New York City among a crowd of folk singers and minstrels of various stripes, including Pete Seeger, Burl Ives, Josh White, and, maybe most notably, Woody Guthrie. My brother Nick and I grew up with Lead Belly records, and these songs have been a part of our musical lives and inspiration for us since we were in our early teens. When we get together, whether family gatherings or performances, we still play Lead Belly songs. I dived into the Lead Belly archives this year picking out favorites for a tribute CD with Shoe Suede Blues, and we even got to include Nick for a day during our recording. That's him, in case you couldn't tell, singing “On a Monday” and “He Never Said a Mumblin' Word,” and on keys throughout; any piano and organ you hear is him. As I worked on the demos for the songs, I paid a lot of attention to the rhythm. So in some cases songs of hardship, heartbreak, mayhem, and death are pretty upbeat. Incidentally, on one of Lead Belly’s standards, “Irene,” we think we’ve done something original. None of the band members had heard, or even heard of, reggae in three quarter time. I'm sorry I couldn't include more Lead Belly songs. There are so many he wrote or collected and arranged, and so many stories he could tell, that there will never be a satisfactory short collection. He was a giant in the folk and blues world. UPDATE 1/27/2018: The album is now available on compact disc at CD Baby, but it is currently sold out. You can also download Relax Your Mind on CDBaby, BandCamp, and iTunes.
Peter Tork makes first live concert appearance of 2017; Micky & Nez share stage in Beverly Hills10/22/2017 
(Photo by Jennifer Winkle)
Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues performed live in concert last evening in Westbury, New York at NYCB Theatre. The group opened an evening of entertainment dubbed "Hot Autumn Nights" on a bill that included Peter Noone, The Grass Roots, and The Buckinghams. This marked Peter's first concert appearance since the conclusion of The Monkees' 50th Anniversary Tour last December, and his first public event since early May, where he took part in Wizard World Comic Con in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Peter and the band performed the following songs:
A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You
Bring It With You Cross Cut Saw I’m a Believer (with Peter Noone) Pleasant Valley Sunday
Jennifer Winkle was in attendance and shared her photos on Facebook, along with audio of Peter's set:
Peter and Arnold Jacks
Sturgis Cunningham, Peter, and Arnold Jacks (All photos by Jennifer Winkle)
Peter Noone made a surprise appearance and performed "I'm a Believer" with Peter:
(Photo by Jennifer Winkle)
And here's more footage from Westbury courtesy of YouTube:
(Photo by Alison Martino)
Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Micky Dolenz welcomed Michael Nesmith and friends back to the stage during his concert at The Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California. Previously on Friday night, Nez had joined Micky at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California for their first concert appearance together since September 2016.
Nez sports a "Loose Salute" T-shirt at the Saban (Photo by Tyrone Biljan)
Jodi Ritzen shared video from the show on Facebook, which includes the duo's performance of "Me & Magdalena" and the encore selections of "Listen to the Band" and "I'm a Believer."
Kiefo Nilsson, son of Harry, once again joined Micky for "Good Times" just as he had during Friday night's debut of the song at the Agoura Hills show.
Mary Cherry posted this video of "I'm a Believer" and final bows:
 (Courtesy of The Monkees Tour Facebook page) Peter's Facebook page announced three dates in Pennsylvania and Maryland for this coming October: Friday, October 2, 2015: Sellersville Theater, Sellersville, Pennsylvania Saturday, October 3, 2015: Club 66, Edgewood, Maryland Sunday, October 4, 2015: FAN PARTY, Club 66, Edgewood, Maryland   This past March, Peter's band Shoe Suede Blues released a new album called Step by Step. Previously only available as a download, Peter's Facebook page recently announced that a compact disc version has arrived.
To order your copy and sample the album's tracks, click here. Peter covers a wide variety of topics in this April 25 interview on WNPR in Connecticut, including his relationship with Stephen Stills, fame, Shoe Suede Blues, his upcoming solo tour, The Monkees and more.
 Peter's band, Shoe Suede Blues, has just released a new album called Step by Step. You can download songs here, and Peter says a CD version is on its way. Peter recently posted the following message on his Facebook page about the album:
Hey folks, It’s been great to see so many of you lately at our various outings, and I’m looking forward to more good times ahead. What with a couple of convention appearances, a solo tour coming up, and some serious blues with my lads in Shoe Suede Blues, I am all revved-up. I’d like to introduce you to our latest disc: “Step by Step.” We’re putting out the album online to start with, and we’ll follow-up with a shrink-wrap version for the collectors shortly.Listen/Purchase/Download here. The track “Your Molecular Structure” is available as a FREEdownload (just click “Buy Now” and enter $0 in the price box. It’s yours! Enjoy). Thanks as always for your support at the shows and on The REAL Peter Tork (Offficial) Facebook page. See you on the road. Be good to yourselves and each other, Peter T |
Remembering
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