New Cars drive us away

Live Nation unveiled its summer concert plans - including the news of an unwelcome venue change for the Springsteen show - with a bash at the State Room last night. My invitation must have blown off the porch, but most of the concert info is out already anyway. The Herald's story is here and the Globe's is here.

The New Cars played a short set at the Live Nation event before moving over to First Act Guitar Studios for a radio station gig, both times unplugged. The Herald's Chris Blagg reports on the First Act performance here. The band consists of two actual Cars - Elliott Easton and Greg Hawkes - with Todd Rundgren taking over Ric Ocasek's frontman role and Rungren cohorts Kasim Sulton and Prairie Prince filling out the lineup. Sulton was Rundgren's bandmate in Utopia, while Prince was a founder of the Tubes and played on a bunch of Rundgren solo albums. So musically the band is 40 percent Cars, 40 percent Utopia or maybe 60 percent Rundgren. Maybe that's why despite all the talent involved, the new single, "Not Tonight," from their forthcoming "It's Alive" album, sounds like a musical version of those horrible, tormented man-beasts roaming the Island of Dr. Moreau, neither one nor the other, less than the sum of its parts. It's got a trademark jittery Cars beat, and Rundgren shoehorns his voice into high-and-tight Ocasek mode, but...it just goes splat when it hits the speakers.

Comments

[SueW]

It's Kasim Sulton, not Sultan! His official website is at KasimSulton.com

[Groovy]

Bull sh*t!
I am NOT a Todd Rundgren fan, but Ric didn't want to come back and the song "NOT TONIGHT" rocks! It should be the anthem for men everywhere. This is the most impressive thing I have ever seen Todd do. The merger is good for everyone in the band, not to mention us Cars fans who are merging with the TR fans. Again, I am NOT a TR fan, but I sure respect this particular work he is doing. Kasim Sulton is a fine gentleman who makes the most of his downtime. I met him in Greenville,SC 24 AUG 2006. A nicer guy you will not find, so try spelling his name right, ok?
-Shawn