Robert Lazaneo: News

Its been a month working with my 8 track Portastudio, havin' fun % learnng my way around the recording process. I've uploaded a song to the site. Its the first one I was working on to practice through the process. Hope you will check it out.

Will be taking a trip this weekend to hook up with my brother Tom & Jimmy D to do some jammin' at a studio in Oakland. It'll be a loose informal jam. Just a bunch of old farts having a good time playing old faves and whatever else strikes their fancy. Meanwhile, here in town I'm getting to be a regular participant in the thursday open mic at the Classic Cue which is really alot of fun to play and listen to the other performers. Maybe if Tommy & JD can make it up sometime, we might do a Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits reunion mini set. Wouldn't that be a gas?

Hopefully, as part of my income tax money return, I'm getting a digital 8 track recording system to use for a new solo recording this year. Been working the new tunes in demo form first on cassette and then with my pocket studio recorder but both units are having machine problems rendering them unsuitable. Bottom line is I really need a new recording system that is reliable to use here at home. Have not done any new recording for public listening since the Tommy Torpedo project in 2010 and no solo tracks since 2004 so this will be the first batch of truly new music in a long time. Looking forward to learning the ins & outs of the new system and experimenting with creating a definite "sound" for the tunes that will be unlike anything else I've done. Been researching by listening to many other artists recordings and how they managed a recorded sound texture that made their songs so distictive. I'm getting excited by the possibilities!

Just uploaded a brand new song for the holiday season. "Christmas without any Snow" This was done last week useing my pocket digital studio here at my house. Its rough demo quality but the spirit is there, so I hope you all like it. I think of it as tree trimming background soundtrack music. Its got a certain bounce to it that seems appro for dangling ornament in one hand & eggnog & brandy with the other. Merry Christmas to everyone!

Just a little update on what the band members are up to as they pursue their different projects. Bass player Galin Lazaneo is currently in rehearsal with a five piece rock band that includes two former players with South Lake Tahoes hard rock band, The Hyennas. Heard some practice tapes that are really good. A more contemporary rock sound that shows alot of potential. Lead guitar Tom Lazaneo just finished another singing engagement with The Croatian Singing Choir with a second date scheduled for Sunday, October 16. Drummer Jim Dotson just celebrated his 60th birthday On Sunday October 9th and we hope to get together with him next weekend, have a few "pops", play some music n jabber away the hours. Robert Lazaneo just added a app to his Facebook page for a music store which will feature his two solo Cds as well as the Tommy Torpedos Direct hits release in conjunction with CDBaby.

After much discussion among the members of the band, it was decided to end the Tommy Torpedos Direct hits project. Trying to present ourselves as a performing unit was, unfortunatley, nearly impossible with the fact that half the band was in one city and the other half in another that was at least a three hour drive. This also didn't take into account the winter weather factor that can cause traffic delays and road closures when you live in the mountains. The individual members are pursueing their own interests either informal jam sessions,open mic appearances, or new band projects. One single from the cd, Just Cruise, is now at Cdbaby as a digital download and the entire physical Cd will be found at Cdbaby before the end of summer. Tommy Torpedos music can still be heard at internet radio channel, Jango.com, for any fans of the group. So, everybody is taking a breather. Looking to the future and what we can figure out. RL

May 25th is the date that Just Cruise from the Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits Cd is now a digital single at Cdbaby for download. Go to http://cdbaby.com/cd/tommytorpedosdirecthits Soon to be on Itunes also!

For the Memorial Day Week, one half of Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits put in a appearance at Tony's Open Mic on Thursday. Jim Dotson(AKA Dotson La Brado)joined in on vocals along with Robert Lazaneo as they laid out some sixties classics from The Kinks and Van Morrison and Jimmy took it all away with his solo stint on Wilson Picketts Mustang Sally. Following that, the guys played an unplugged version of Sports a holic Blues from the Torpedos cd with a finale of another solo vocal by Dotson of Don't let our love slip away from the Sound Exprezz tribute cd In the Night from 2007. There was great music from Tony, as always, poetry from Vern Lee, smooth vocals from Ethel,Texas country tunes from Arizona Bob, and some great late night jammin' from Dan and his harmonica player with table side percussion and back up vocals on Bob Marleys I shot the sheriff. Check the photo gallery. New pictures taken by Steven Rascon.

At the beginning of this year, I received a cd from Robert Pratt the son of SUBB Band bass player Fred Pratt. It contained the only official recording of the Sounds Unlimited Blues Band. It was recorded in San Francisco one afternoon at The Matrix Club. The club was closed and our manager, David Lonie, got us the use of the club where we were recorded useing the clubs four track recording set up.A local recording outfit, Audio Alley, did the engineering work. We set up on the stage of the Matrix and were recorded live with no overdubs. I recall the engineer coming out of the booth at least four times to tell us to turn down because we were "too loud". I remember drummer Jim Dotson saying"If you guys turn down any softer,I'll have to play with pencils instead of drumsticks." I blew out my voice over the course of hours just getting a decent level for the recording so that by the time we were actually recording I was hoarse. This track here called Mess My Mind is the shortest and has a decent vocal to it. It does give you an idea of what the band sounded like and shortly within the next month we played our biggest gig at the Aquarian 3 day Rock Festival in Santa Clara. Check it out in the Music section.

I just uploaded a track from the 2007 tribute cd called In the Night from Sound Exprezz. During the making of this cd, there were alot of alternate mixes of tracks that were made. I came across this one by accident and I have to say that I like it better than the one that ended up on the official cd.The lyric is by drummer Jim Dotson written back in the 70's about the birth of his eldest daughter Marlena(Mina). I composed the music and we did perform it in a band called Fusion that we had in San Francisco. It was written to be played with latin percussion so with this recording we managed to finally hear it the way it was conceived to be.

In going through my archives, I came across some tracks that I had forgotton about that were made when I lived in Reno in 2005. Two of them are covers, As the crow flies is a song off of the Animals reunion album, Before we were so rudely interupted. The other is Howlin' Wolfs Little red Rooster. One original is called Whats that sound? A tribute to music that I loved with alot of references and rock and roll energy. Home recordings done at the house. Hope you like them.

Recently, I have discovered Internet radio with Jango.com. I have two songs playing now, Say Goodbye and Just Cruise and they are getting some fans all over. A single from the Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits Cd, Sports a holic, is also getting some play with nice comments and a growing group of fans. Tune in, you can hear lots of great music along side of our selections. Its so cool!

Hi, I am starting a new program to rotate the selections on the flash player. These will change to highlight different songs. If you have favorites, you can still go to the music link to hear them or read the lyrics. Feelin good? I am too.

I have added the song, Just Cruise, to the flash player from the latest recording session in April. Its an exclusive. You can only hear it right here.

Well, April 25th & 26th were the dates for the final mixing sessions for the cd that was started back in November of 2009. The cd is entitled Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits. It was recorded completely in Reno, NV at the studio of Lane Cameron who did all the engineering work.And, I must say he did a fantastic job! Ten great songs, great driving rhythm section, lead guitar work running the gamut from bluesy to jazzy to country soulful, and three lead singers putting it down to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step. You can hear a taste by going to Reverbnation and searching Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits. The full length cd will be available at CDbaby.com soon.

Galin Lazaneo and I loaded up his beat up Toyota Camri and headed out to Reno making our way through the Presidents Weekend traffic to the studio of Lane Cameron to continue in our quest to complete the first recorded album of material by the band Tommy Torpedos Direct Hits. The weather was just beautiful! Like Indian Summer. The basic tracks( guitars,bass,drums, and guide vocals) were done in November of last year for ten selections. We arrived about 12:45 in the afternoon. Galin was up first to fine tune his bass parts from the previous recording. Then. I added another electric guitar part to a song called, Holding Back Too Long. And then, added vocal harmonies and back up vocals to three others. Lane Cameron, as always, was cool and focused and professional, going the extra mile to help you to get the best performance out of the material. He is that Outside voice that is always there, giving you great suggestions and encouragement. I love recording at his place!

Back in November of 2009, the group made the trip to Reno, NV to put down some tracks for the long awaited CD at Lane Camerons recording studio. We now have ten songs in the can: two sung by Tom, two sung by Jimmy D, and the rest by yours truly. Original material that draws on our roots and love of blues,classic sixties r&b,and rock n roll. Still more work to be done on this, so I will keep posting as we progress to the conclusion.

Last night, September 29th we had a great time performing for the first time at the Grand Hall in the Valhalla Historic Site. The open mic is sponsered by TahoeWritersWorks.com and we were lucky enough to get to play for the last event of the current season. What can I say? A beautiful hall with amazing acoustics, a line up of talented poets, singers, and I even ran into some old friends. Tony from Tonys Open Mic at the American Legion Hall played and sang great tunes. And my favorite poet, Vern Lee kicked off the evening with his cool stories of ghost riders and tall tales. Our hosts, Dan(the man with the plan) and Andrea kept the entertainment moving. This was the first performance of the Robert & Galin Ensemble and the response was very warm and postive for our set. All the people connected with Tahoe Writers were as nice as can be. We would love to play there again soon. Everyone should check this event out here in South Lake Tahoe !

A new CD is available now at CDbaby.com and it can be found by searching for Robert Lazaneo at Cdbaby.com. It is called Sketches n' Stories and is a compilation of three recording sessions that were done in the early 90's and have never been released until now. Robert offers some additional liner notes on this recording; " Tracks 1 through 4 were recorded in South Lake Tahoe in the home studio of Tom McGowan, a local musician. This was my first experience with digital recording useing computer software and Tom was a great source of encouragement with regard to my playing most of the parts myself and also giving good advice during the recording with some of the arrangments. Also, he was a pretty good drummer even though he mainly plays guitar. We got together on our days off sometimes for just a couple of hours where each instrument or vocal was recorded and then I went home to practice for the next track, and so on after that. I remember we utilized his closet as the isolation booth for recording the vocals. Tracks 5 through 8 were recorded at a studio in Hayward, CA in a 10 hour session on October 20, 1991. The band consisted of my brothers; Tom on lead guitar and Nick on bass along with Jim Dotson on drums, myself playing rhythm guitar and vocals. Ritchie Velesquez was asked to provide percussion on one track, If I Had. It was recorded live with overdubs on the vocal harmonys and the guitar solos. The studio was a converted storeage locker with no air conditioning and was very hot inside. There are photos of us sitting outside catching a break trying to cool down. This session was originally recorded on analog equipment but the master tape sat around for so many years that it was found to be unuseable when we got around to trying to put it on CD. So, what you're hearing here is a copy of the cassette copy from the session. There is alot of tape hiss but I felt the performances should be heard. It kind of reminds me of the recordings I heard in the early 60's before advancements in recording technics when you had to make your way through less than stellar sound recording to hear that the band was still rockin out. I will always remember when we finally emerged from the studio the sky was pitch black and there was the smell of fire burning in the air. In the car on the way back, we heard the reports on the Oakland Hills fire which burned on that same day. The last two tracks were recorded at a studio in San Mateo. The band was the same, Tom, Nick, and Jim Dotson. This was also the last session my brother Nick played on before he passed away in 2000. There are other tracks which were recorded that feature his singing as well as other tracks for the band, Sound Exprezz, which we hope to release later this year. We loaded up our stuff and drove from San Bruno and got to the studio in San Mateo only to realize that we had left the blank tape at home. So, while we unloaded Tom drove back to San Bruno to get the tape. Meanwhile, the recording engineer and his assistant were arguing about who was going to move some other bands equipment so we could set up the drum set for the session. We were like, hey, we'll move the stuff, the clock is ticking and we're already running late. Finally get set up, tuneing up, trying to relax and ease into the session when the engineer starts barking, Hey! Play something, you guys. I gotta get a level! Make some noise! Come on, Hurry Up! So, there is a nervous kind of adrenaline energy that comes from these tracks which were recorded live with no guide vocal. We mouthed the words and everyone watched whoever was singing to follow the arrangments. Toms guitar solos were done live with the exception of the ending bit on Let the Joker Ride which he added the next day when we did our lead and harmony backup vocals. Rock your Blues Away is a song by Tom that he wrote back in the early 70's and its included here with him on lead vocals and I'm joining in with the harmony on the chorus. Also, thats Tom and I doing the vocal back up on Let the Joker Ride towards the end. Although, this is not new music, its coming from the vault and the tunes and performances are really good. Just give it a listen."

What a day! Spring weather with a cooling breeze in the air and here we are on an outdoor stage right on the street for the annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival. After a great introduction, Sound Exprezz kicked it off with a funky version of Charles Wrights, Till You Get Enough that started the feet tappin'. Then came a block of four songs from their cd, In the Night, that featured the soulful vocals of drummer Jim Dotson, wailing guitars from Tom Lazaneo & Mike Mars, and sturdy rhythmic support from guitarist/vocals Robert Lazaneo, bass from Galin Lazaneo and the percussion team of Ritchie Velesquez and Victor Galvez. Despite a feedback problem that sent the sound crew running to adjust mics, the band kept the groove going like the pros they are. Soon ladies, young and old were putting on their dancing shoes at the front of the stage and people were applauding and calling out encouragement. The highlight of the set was a return -to- their roots where they blasted their way through, Mustang Sally, back to the blues with Howling Wolfs, Who's been Talkin, and finally a long jammed out version with band introductions & solos with included an eight year old bongo player named Giovanni, of Thems classic, Gloria. The people were shouting out the lyrics along with the band, whoopin & hollerin', and as the band brought this number to a dynamic close, there were cries of "More! More!' mixed in with the applause. Hope to be back there again next year. San Francisco crowd was the best!

Just got back from playing for the second time at open mic at the American Legion Post at 2748 Lake Tahoe Blvd. Open mic is going on there every Monday night at 7pm and is hosted by Tony, a singer and guitar player along with his drummer, Robert. Had a great time playing some original tunes as well as some faves like How sweet it is to be loved by you and Nowhere man by the Beatles. Everyone from the American legion people to the bartender and the other performers, story tellers, music impressionists, are really cool and you will have a great time. We rocked it up on a version of Feelin Alright with bass & drums and Tony on keyboard. Heard Tex Ritter tunes from Larry and great songs from other people that went on until 11pm. Check it out!

Sound Exprezz will be appearing in San Francisco on April 11 at the annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival and Street Fair. Robert Lazaneo will be performing as part of the band playing songs from the Sound Exprezz CD " In The Night" on P- Boy Records.

We had a great time playing at the Town House in Vallejo. The band was cooking! Lots of pictures were taken by our resident shutterbug Steven Rascon and they will be posted in the photo section real soon. Thanks to Steve and Eden, Vern, Jenna, and Judy Pena for partying down with us. We must do that again!

I am performing two songs tonight here in South Lake Tahoe at K-MTN TV at 9pm. I had a great time playing music and hanging out with the staff at K-MTN. Michael and Michelle are presenting excellent music with so much variety.

At last! The Sound Exprezz cd is available at CDbaby.com. Go to my links page and hear the music. You be groovin' you be movin' doin' the do, cake walk, no jive talk, this is the real deal!! JUST LISTEN!