TONIGHT - opening for PAT BENATAR (OMG!!!) in San Antonio...
Current mood: awake
Category: Music
Okay, so at the dress rehearsal at Music Lab in South Austin yesterday afternoon, it finally hit me... tonight, the band and I are opening for 80's rock icon Pat Benatar and her longtime guitarist, producer, co-writer, and multi-instrumentalist Neil Giraldo (www.myspace.com/officialpatbenatar). OH EM GEEEEEEE! Love is a Battlefield, baby!
(I'm glad my love life has been such a battlefield, otherwise God wouldn't have put some amazing songs in my heart and soul for me to create and none of this would have ever happened!)
The five months leading up to this have been a grueling process of learning a few new songs, tightening up some old ones, and rehearsing some newcomers to my band - drummer Reagan Redfern, keyboardist Christopher Cribb, guitarist/saxophonist Greg Williams, and backing vocalist Rachel Keagy. My longtime band members, bassist Ryan Redfern and backing vocalist Kelley Glover, and I are very excited to have this new team in place as the energy during rehearsals has been THROUGH THE ROOF. The enthusiasm and excitement of this group is so thick, you can barely cut it with a knife. (Does anyone have a chainsaw!?!?) I can only imagine what it will be like at tonight's concert.
If you still haven't purchased tickets and you're in the San Antonio (or Austin) area, there is still time. Go to this link - Benatar tickets on TICKETMASTER. I'd rather you do that than go to the box office and it be sold out. I hate it when that happens to me... and trust me, it's happened a few times. I'm just that forgetful.
To all of you who have sent your prayers, thoughts, and comments of support, love, and encouragement - you know who you are - thank you. My friend Dana said this will be a "night never to be forgotten." The only reason I've gotten here is because of my amazingly talented band, my dedicated staff, the superb professionalism of my agent, fans like you, and most of all, my Lord and Savior. I can't wait to tell you all how the show goes!
Violinist Omar Lopez to open for rock icon Pat Benatar in San Antonio...
Category: Music
Hey everybody! Check this out - it’s from the official press release that went out yesterday. I’m so excited. This is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me and the band. What a blessing and opportunity... I hope to see all of my San Antonio fans there!
Austin’s internationally-renowned violinist Omar Lopez will set a career milestone when he performs on Sunday, May 18th, 2008 as the featured opening act for four-time Grammy winner and 80s rock icon Pat Benatarat San Antonio’s Municipal Auditorium. Benatar will be performing in concert with longtime collaborator, producer, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Neil Giraldo.
The performance begins at 7:30 p.m. with Omar Lopez and his band, who recently launched their Spring 2008 "Sound, Energy, and Passion" Concert Tour at Central Presbyterian Church in Austin. The band will showcase unreleased material from Omar’s as-yet-untitled upcoming third album, with Benatar and Giraldo to follow.
Click the Ticketmaster logo to buy tickets for PAT BENATAR & NEIL GIRALDO featuring guest opening act VIOLINIST OMAR LOPEZ Sunday, May 18, 2008 - 7:30 PM MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM 100 Auditorium Circle San Antonio, TX 78205
Hi all - I would like to thank my new friend Megan Anderson (she’s on my Top Friends list as Megan Dee) for sharing this video with us. This video of "Dawn" was taken at our concert this past Saturday (March 29, 2008) at Central Presbyterian Church. The musicians featured (aside from myself) are Christopher Cribb (keyboards), Greg Williams (electric guitar), Reagan Redfern (drums), and Ryan Redfern (bass / musical director). It is our first online video in three years - there’s some old stuff from the "FOREVER RED" days in 2005 out there on YouTube but we are so happy that Megan was at the concert with her loving, awesome family (her son Isaac and her parents, Toni and Alex Abadi) and now she’s out there, helping spread the word. I won’t ramble anymore, though. Enjoy!!!
I have never been so touched as I am now, having recently received so many uplifting, supportive, and wonderful emails, comments, and letters from all of you. When I started writing music in 2000 with my first piece, "Dawn" (which is on both "FOREVER RED" and "EXPERIENCE"), I never thought that it would touch the lives of people all across the globe. I must share with you that God and my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, have put a message, a passion, and a dream inside me which I have chosen to channel through the strings of my violin. Whether these notes come from people who attend every concert or someone in another country, I want to let you all know that I do get these messages and that I appreciate them so very much. It is a blessing and truly fills my spirit with love and joy. It means a lot and it’s the perfect way to start my day as I prepare to head to soundcheck for the first concert of my Spring 2008 Concert Tour! There are a lot of changes and big things happening and so it’s great to have that love coming from all over, and trust me, I’m sending it back to all of you through my heart, my soul, my thoughts, and my strings. Here are some recent letters that I just had to share... it really means a lot to me. Keep in mind - I’m not posting this blog to brag. I’m doing it because even when times are tough for me, I come online and see these messages and comments that really serve to brighten my day, so this is me giving back. Thank you... all of you.
*****
FROM ROBERT: Dear friend, Omar, How amazing you are, you give a breathe of fresh air with every word and gesture! A blissful laughing heart shared because you care, a sound that graciously flows through the air to reveal an awesome nature, that reveal your desires to give, receive, and give again! Through life’s mountain highs - ocean lows - exciting times, and hurting wows, there is a sound, "your sound, an amazing at every level, kind of sound!" A sound that whispers through the air, ... you care! ... Because of you, and what you give, through your sound, your story, your spirit, there is strength and wisdom given to the wounded, joy and compassion for healing and growth, friendship that creates a enjoyed journey to experience more. Today, among the many wonderful people we share life with, you, are an awesome gift, that makes this day, even greater... Thank you, for being you, a great gift to us all! :-)
*****
FROM TONI: You are an extremely unique talent and your authentic self is there for the world to see. That’s part of what makes you so special. It’s obvious to see that music is your passion. We feel fortunate to be able to see you perform; and you bring us great joy. You are a true gift!
*****
FROM SAM: Your fans enjoy your music Omar cause its special, different and unique...Keep up the good work my brother.... Create a great day...
*****
FROM DOTTY: Hello Omar, I just Have To Tell You How Beautiful Your Violin Sounds. My Dad Played The Violin And Also His Brother Played Double noted, And It WAs Beautiful Like Many Violins Together. They Are Both dead Now But You Are Here and I Listen To You And Do So Enjoy Your Music. Thanks For Being My Friend And For Filling My Days With Beautiful Music You Are A Gift From God, A Talent Very Fiew Ever Have. Hugs And All My Love
*****
FROM BONNIE: Hi Omar, Your music is so wonderful and consuming. Up until now I have not listened to a violinist perform a whole piece but you...you have mesmerized me at best. Keep it up.
*****
Again, thanks to all of you. With love through life and music, Omar
A powerful experience in sound, energy, and passion...
After three solid months of rehearsals with his musicians and vocalists, Omar Lopez is pleased to announce the start of his Spring 2008 Concert Series:
"A powerful experience in sound, energy, and passion... OMAR LOPEZ - LIVE IN CONCERT"!!!!
Omar and the band have put a lot of hard work into this new show, too much in fact to play it anywhere else aside from a venue with beautiful acoustics and presence such as Central Presbyterian Church in Downtown Austin. Omar is ready to take his career, his music, and his performances to the next level, and from the sounds coming from their latest full band rehearsals, this show and the tour which will follow it will do exactly that. That also means that they won’t be returning to Seattle’s Best Coffee under the Frost Tower - at least, not for a while. Now is the time to see this new show before Omar hits the road!
The poster included has all the details... so read on!
OMAR: "Into the Presence" - Filming a New Documentary!!!
Good morning to all my Friends and Fans!
As you all know by now, I have been in the intense process of creation for the past month and a half, putting the finishing touches on new music which has been in the composition stages for some time now. Some of these new songs came together in a matter of weeks, while others took months. Some of them were instrumentals, while others were lyric-driven.
Either way, this music is some of the best work I've ever done. I say this without any form of self-aggrandizing egotism or pride. In contrast, I say this in coming from a place of being spiritually renewed and humbled, while at the same time ready to take on the world and share a message of hope and strength with anyone and everyone who will listen. I am in a place of peace and "Synergy" with the world, people, and energy around me.
In order to share the beginning stages of my new musical project with all of you, whether you've been with me since the release of "FOREVER RED" in 2005 or joining me within in the past few days, I am excited to announce the coming of a new online video blog / documentary which will follow me and the band on our new journey.
The documentary will be called "INTO THE PRESENCE" - I'm not talking about my presence. I'm talking about the spiritual force of love, protection, and forgiveness which has been behind me all along the way, even when I didn't realize it or when I took it for granted. This is the "guiding light above me" which I sing about in "Full Circle". It is the presence that is and always will be one of my "Reasons for Living". It is also the light that opens my eyes every day to a musical and spiritual"Dawn".
"INTO THE PRESENCE" will start filming this weekend during our full band rehearsals as we practice the set, consisting of many new songs and a few old favorites from 2005 to 2007, and get it ready for its debut this spring.
There won't be any glossy production or glamourous pomp on this "blog-umentary". There also won't be any religious hooks or subliminal messages. The entire world around us needs a spiritual message of hope, strength, and survival, and I want to give all of my friends, across the world, the chance to get a very real look inside my evolution, my vision, my creative process, and our road as a band to the recording studio and the global stage.
I thank all of you for your constant love, prayers, and support. Now, take my hand and come with me "INTO THE PRESENCE".
To All My Fans and Friends...
Current mood: hopeful
Hello to all my friends and fans...
I am writing to you with a newly-energized spirit, along with new eyes, fresh ears, and open arms, as I bring some big news to you. The next chapter of my journey as a violinist, singer, and composer is about to begin!
For the past several weeks since the conclusion of my Winter 2007 Concert Series with my band, I have been putting the finishing touches on several brand-new compositions that have been in the works for months, while also taking some time out to spend time with my family and closest friends. I've also been "getting to know myself" all over again through the pages of Joel Osteen's latest book, "Become a Better You - 7 Keys to Improving Your Life Every Day".
This book has been changing my life since I opened it a couple of weeks ago and I feel that I am on track to new spiritual, psychological, emotional, and best of all MUSICAL horizons. It's been helping me to take a look inward, breaking old patterns, getting me into more positive ways of thinking, feeling, and living, and overall just doing a full-on internal makeover on me!
I know it has been a while since we have performed, but I assure you that the wait is almost over. I have brought some amazing new talent into my live band in order to bring the new songs (which I mentioned before) to life in concert. I am confident in saying that this music is some of my best work ever, and hearing it come to life in the recent rehearsals with the band is an amazingly cathartic and spiritually-uplifting experience.
It has been a long while - almost three years - since this I have written this much music in such a short period of time - probably since around the time the original "FOREVER RED" album was being produced and recorded - and I promise you that if you like what you've heard from my first two albums, you haven't seen or heard anything yet!
In addition to the usual fare of instrumental rock anthems, melody-driven dance themes, world beats, and ambient, contemporary classical ballads, you're going to hear a lot more singing this time around. I've been writing on my own, and I'm also collaborating alongside fellow vocalist Kelley Phillips-Glover as well as internationally-renowned dance music artist and songwriter Jacinta... trust me, you are all in for a real treat!
Our Spring 2008 Concert Series is set to kick off at Seattle's Best Coffee on Friday, February 22, 2008 at 8:00 PM with an amazing, energetic, passionate, and powerful setlist of music consisting of all-new songs, as well as some old favorites. Shortly thereafter, I will be posting preview tracks of some of the new songs on this MySpace as a precursor to the arrival of my third, as-yet-untitled album.
Can you tell I'm excited? I hope you're just as excited as we are. This is going to be a fast, thrilling ride, so buckle your seatbelts!
Austin Chronicle Music Poll 2007-2008 - VOTE FOR OMAR!
Hi MySpace friends... if you enjoy what Violinist Omar Lopez is doing for Instrumental, Classical Crossover, Easy Listening, Adult Contemporary, and New Age music, please vote for him in the Austin Chronicle Music Poll. Voting ends on January 31, 2008. You don't have to live in Austin to vote and you can get your friends, family, and coworkers to vote as well. Omar has been nominated in the Top Ten for the past five consecutive years, let's make him 1 this year!
The categories in which we would like you to vote for Omar (based on past nominations) are: Best Instrumental Band Best Experimental Band Best Jazz Band Best Strings Musician (MOST IMPORTANT!)
You can also vote for his musicians on an individual basis:
Female Vocals - Kelley Phillips-Glover, Georgia Napolitano Electric Guitar - Adam Sultan Acoustic (Classical) Guitar - Jayme Munoz Bass - Ryan Redfern Drums - Jason Traweek Keyboards - Billy Wolfe Miscellaneous - Jennifer Mulhern (six-string electric cello - it should be in a class all its own for what Jen does on this thing!)
I should never make promises I can't keep, and I know I promised a major announcement on December 1, 2007, but things got really crazy for me (as they usually do) so I decided to go ahead and wait to post that announcement until the beginning of the new year... and well, the new year is here!
As many of you know, last fall, I was offered the part of the Cowardly Lion in an Atlanta-based production of The Wiz. I accepted the part, but after much contemplation on my career goals and the direction of my music, as well as some realizations about the pay that was offered, I changed my mind and passed it on to a wonderful dance instructor and singer out of Miami. Congratulations, Ro! Meeting you at the Houston auditions was a blast.
Okay, so... last spring, I recorded a song for my friend Rom Ryan of Moodafaruka for his new modern jazz and world beat flavored music and in the process, I met producer David Rice. David has worked with many wonderful local, LA-based, and national artists (Mandy Moore is a prominent name on his client list) and his studio expertise and sound was something that immediately caught my ear.
My original plan was to begin work on my third album this coming spring with Adam Whaley, my longtime friend, producer and collaborator who helped bring the two "FOREVER RED" projects (including the most recently released album,"EXPERIENCE") to life, and I still aim to work with him, but after meeting up with David earlier in December and after discussing my career goals with him, he agreed to produce something that I've never released before... a single!
This is a big deal for me. Not that it's going to go all over the radio and make me a national artist overnight - I mean, hey, if it does, then God is answering all my prayers - but this is a chance to give radio stations all over the world a taste of what is to come, while also giving all of my fans something for which they've been asking for quite a long time.
"Synergy" has been one of my favorite songs since its first performance in Summer 2006, but like everything that I create, it needed some tweaking - after all, nothing is ever perfect. The band and I laid it to rest for a while and then brought it back with some new arrangement changes and it really popped as a result... so much so, in fact, that I made it the show opener, replacing "Full Circle" (which STILL rocks, even to this day). However, "Synergy" never got the chance to be included on either of the "FOREVER RED" projects.
That being said, David and I aim to take "Synergy" to the next level, with his expertise in lush orchestration and beats combined with the energy of my band, and release it as a mega-single this spring, just in time for South by Southwest. The single itself will be accompanied by a few dance remixes and one other bonus track... which will remain a surprise until the release.
That's not all, though... the mega-single will serve as a herald to the release of the full album, "SYNERGY". A release date has not been decided since all of the songs are still in the composition phase, but I assure you all... this project is one that I'm already QUITE excited about.
One more piece of news... the re-release of "FOREVER RED" is almost upon us, and will be completely remastered for an even more beautiful sonic experience - I was just listening to it the other day and it brought back so many fond memories. More news will be posted soon about the "FOREVER RED" re-release as it comes.
Thanks for all of your love, support, and friendship. Stay tuned to this MySpace!
In the spirit of the coming holiday, I wanted to send out some blog love to my MySpace friends, family, and fellow musicians. This weekend has given me so much for which to be thankful.
On Friday night, my band and I performed our final open-air concert at Seattle's Best Coffee under the Frost Bank Tower in downtown Austin. Even though two of our main cast members (cellist Jen Mulhern and electric guitarist Adam Sultan) regrettably couldn't be there due to prior commitments, we were joined by my good friend and collaborator Jayme Munoz, who is the lead guitarist for flamenco-jazz and world beat group CADAQUES.
I know I say this after almost every show, but this had to be our best ever as a group. The band threw it down, kicking off the set with "SYNERGY", and wrapping it up with the consistently rockin' crowd favorite, "FALLEN / RESURRECTION".
I think it's fitting that we finished off the show with that medley because I wrote it for all of the special people in my life who serve to uplift my spirit whenever I'm feeling down. I'm a human being and I know that even though I put forth a happy, driven, and outgoing exterior a lot of the time, there have been some tough times (which I know we all have been through) and so it's good to know that people have my back.
That being said, I want to say thank you to all of you in my world, both in realtime and on MySpace, who have been so wonderful and supportive, especially during 2007, which has been the best year of my life. I can't name everybody, since the list is so long, but I'm going to just give some shout-outs that way some of you may be inspired to do the same thing for those you love.
First, to my family - Dad, Mom, Lupita, Trey, Marc, Janna, Jordan, Josh, Makayla, Marah, and my dearly departed grandmother, Mama Lupe, who left this world on October 21 this year.
Second, to my band - Ryan Redfern, Jason Traweek, Jennifer Mulhern, Billy Wolfe, Adam Sultan, Kelley Phillips-Glover, Georgia Napolitano, Shawnda Birch, Leah Zeger, Jesse Jack, Jayme Munoz, and Reagan Redfern - and to The Brew - Michael, Mark, and Joe Rodriguez, Dylan McCollum, Brad Evilsizer, Winton Reynolds, Steve Zirkel, Jose Luis Davila, Daniel Pardo, and Danny Mendoza.
Third, to my support staff - Laura Redfern, Adam and Mandy Whaley, Tina and Mark Napolitano, Judy Foston, and Savannah Green.
Fourth, to some of the most special people in my life who give me the joy of their love and friendship - Joe P., Sean M., Sandra D., Catherine B., Heather N., Cynthia M., Matthew A., Adam, Austin, Lukas W., and Mary Shanahan.
Fifth, to the special animals who have blessed me with their unconditional love - Kooby, Bunny, Punkin, Caesar, Willow, Cookie, Jackson, Jillian, Joey, Niles, Spartacus, Harper, and Crissy (R.I.P. Crissy-girl - January 2007).
Finally, to some of the best fans anyone could ever hope for! This list could go on and on, so I'm sorry for not naming all of you, but you all know who you are.
The holidays are such a special time, but I feel that Christmas is so overmarketed and commercialized that Thanksgiving (for me) epitomizes what the holidays should REALLY be about - giving thanks and being with those you love.
I love all of you. Thanks for everything!
Peace through love and music, Omar
P.S. A very BIG announcement is coming to this MySpace on December 1st, so stay tuned. Happy Thanksgiving!
awake
hopeful
thankful