Year : 2022
Style : Hard Rock , Classic Rock
Country : United States
Audio : 320 kbps + front
Size : 120 mb
Bio:
Featuring guitarist Don Mancuso, bassist Mike Mullane, keyboardist Eric Bieber, drummer Roy Stein, and newest member, singer / musician Iggy Marino, LIPS TURN BLUE is preparing for the release of its debut album, promoting and touring behind the record. Lips Turn Blue is a prime example of how the human spirit can always endure if it so desires. One might say the band which a growing number of industry insiders and music fans are recognizing as a brand new act with a very bright future, has a past that reaches nearly four decades. Rising from the ashes of a popular upstate New York band called DDrive during the Covid 19 Pandemic, the group transformed itself into LIPS TURN BLUE (LTB) with original songs that would eventually become its debut album.Eighteen months later, the band had secured management and a worldwide record deal with a solid album of compelling new original songs. Its lead singer and co-songwriter, Phil Naro had gone through cancer treatments and was eventually declared cancer-free. Then, suddenly the disease returned and their friend Phil was taken from the world. After a period when many in the music industry mourned his passing, the band was left with trying to figure out if the record could even be released. Then a moment of pure serendipity intercepted. The band connected with a bright young singer-musician who has allowed LIPS TURN BLUE to keep moving forward creatively in the spirit of their lost musical comrade.Featuring guitarist Don Mancuso, bassist Mike Mullane, keyboardist Eric Bieber, drummer Roy Stein, and newest member, singer / musician Iggy Marino, LIPS TURN BLUE is preparing for the release of its debut album, promoting and touring behind the record, and working on what will be the second album that will feature the current line- up.“I was in band called Black Sheep with Lou Gramm, who later emerged as the singer/ songwriter in Foreigner,” says Mancuso. “Black Sheep was the first American act signed to Chrysalis Records in 1974 and later we signed to Capitol Records and we toured internationally before Lou left for Foreigner and we split up. When Lou started his solo career, he asked me to join his band. I have worked on and off with him ever since.” Mancuso played in a number of regional bands and with other national acts and during the late 1990s was a member of Linda Rutherford & Celtic Fire who were one of the acts at WOODSTOCK ’99. Mancuso also toured Europe in 2011 as guitarist with The Infamous Rock Meets Classic Tour that featured Lou Gramm, Dan McCafferty (of Nazareth) Les Holroyd (of Barclay James Harvest) and Ian Gillan (Deep Purple). He followed that with a tour in 2012 called The Jingle Bell Rock Tour which featured Eddie Money, Mickey Thomas of Starship and Lou Gramm.Mancuso formed DDrive which he named after his second solo album. He had just completed playing on Phil Naro’s Glass Mountain album and was still on the road with Gramm. Both of these longtime friends and musical co-patriots, contributed to the writing, recording and release shows for the album. It was decided in 2005 by Phil and Don that the band name going forward would be DDrive.“In the earlier days Phil inspired me as a uniquely talented and humble musician who wanted to keep growing,” says Mancuso. “The magic that happened between us when writing was amazing. We both had similar directions; we loved to write; and were always open to new things while focusing on a common direction.”Phil Naro, also born and raised in Rochester, NY had been living for years in Toronto and had become a staple on the Canadian music scene. In the 1980s, he served as the lead singer for Talas, an international hard rock band which also featured bassist Billy Sheen later of Mr. BIG. Naro would also go on to front The Platinum Rock All Stars, a supergroup with Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge; Ozzy Osbourne; Rod Stewart; Jeff Beck) on drums; Gene Cornish (The Rascals) and Ron Bumblefoot Thal (Guns N Roses, ASIA, Sons of Apollo) on guitars; Rudy Sarzo (Whitesnake, Quiet Riot) on bass; and Geoff Downes (Yes, ASIA, Buggles) on keyboards.By the time the 2015 had arrived, DDrive also featured Boston-native Michael Mullane on bass, and Eric Bieber, a classically trained keyboardist proficient in many musical genres ́ as well as a physician and hospital executive administrator. Bieber credits the music he made with the band as the only way he could balance his hectic life with a very demanding career in health care. A number of different drummers worked on the album, including Mark Shulman (ex-Foreigner and current drummer for Pink). Before the album was finished, the group settled on Roy Stein, who had been in two popular New Wave bands, New Math and The Jet Black Berries that had been signed to Columbia Records.“As soon as we began this record, we knew we had something special,” said Mullane. “We were all contributing to the vocals behind Phil’s amazing voice and the arrangements came together quickly. Phil, Don, and Eric did all the song writing, except for one track written with Don and Lou Gramm, and a cover we did of The Beatles’ classic ‘Hey Bulldog.’ Because DDrive had been known for playing older originals and some covers, we knew we had to create a whole new persona for the band and this record.” The and was re-named by its management as LIPS TURN BLUE from a line in a Bootsy Collins song. It has since also adopted the nickname: LTB.The fact that the album even was made was a small miracle in itself. Working with Canadian-based producer Steve Major (Lauryn Hill, Amon Tobin, Islands), the record came together as its members remained isolated in their various homes and workplaces during the pandemic. Much of the album was recorded over the internet, but the power of the music and the close ties the band members have with each other make for a purely enjoyable and creatively inspired vision.The debut album features a wide variety of musical styles and textures, all crafted around the powerhouse rhythms of LTB and the remarkable voice of Phil Naro. From hard rockers like “Build My Castle,” “Just Push” and “Better Than I Used To Be,” into the more progressive feel of “Blood Moon” and introspective tracks such as “Pray For Tomorrow,” “Crazy In Love,” and “Life’s Crazy Ride,” the record excels in its diversity and sonic landscapes.The album even contained a remake of Black Sheep’s “Chain On Me,” which was written by Mancuso and Lou Gramm, as well as a Mancuso/ Naro original, “A Little Outside,” which features Gramm on lead vocals and Naro on backing vocals.About halfway through the recording, Naro was diagnosed with cancer, which he had successfully been treated for in the past. Phil came back to Rochester where he began treatments and amazingly continued to work on the album Naro was able to finish the record and the band secured a worldwide deal with MIG RECORDS, based in Germany. By March of 2021, he was declared cancer free; videos were being planned and the band did a photo session for the album’s release. All seemed onward and upward.The recovery, however, was not meant to be. In April, the cancer returned yet again, and Phil died soon after on May 2nd, 2021. Because of his work with Talas, and his other international projects, his death was felt throughout the music industry and with fans worldwide, especially in Canada and Upstate New York. “Phil was a remarkable individual who was one of the most optimistic and positive people I have ever known,” Bieber remembers of Naro. “In spite of the many challenges, he and many of us had during the making of the album, he never got down. He was always forward looking. He often said this was his best work and how proud he was of how the album turned out. Two of the strongest tracks on the album, ‘Life's Crazy Ride’ and ‘Pray For Tomorrow,’ are powerful messages about the turbulent times we have been in with hope for tomorrow.”After his untimely passing, the band had to recover and put the pieces back in place. They held auditions for a number of singers and through drummer Roy Stein and manager Bruce Pilato, they were introduced to a recent college graduate that both Stein and Pilato had taught in their music industry classes at Nazareth College. Ignatius (AKA Iggy) Marino has proven to be an innovative and highly creative musician, who has a several-octave vocal range and is proficient on keyboards, guitar and sax. “He’s remarkably adaptive and has the ability to fit into the many musical directions LTB moves in,” says Mancuso. “For his age, he is incredibly experienced in so many musical areas. We auditioned others but Iggy blew them all away and his ability on multiple instruments will enable us to reproduce the album live, the way Phil and the rest of us envisioned it. He comes to the band with the complete package.” “Many of us have played together directly or indirectly over a number of years,” adds Bieber, who has retired from his career in medicine to focus on Lips Turn Blue and his music, in general. “In the case of Phil and Donnie, it's over a number of decades. I profoundly appreciate the musicianship of the players in LTB as these are truly some of the most gifted players, I have been fortunate to perform with.” Adds Mancuso: “The line-up of musicians in Lips Turn Blue is a unique blend of some of the best and most versatile/open minded musicians I have ever worked with on my original compositions. We believe our new vocalist/instrumentalist, Iggy Marino, will add a fresh, cutting edge sound to what we have already built. The future will be different without Phil, but just as exciting.”
Album:
Upstate NY band LIPS TURN BLUE releases its debut album “Lips Turn Blue“, the last work of late Canadian singer Phil Naro. Naro was the frontman for Peter Criss Band for many years, but also melodic hard bands like D Drive, 24K, Talas, and worked with many Canadian acts like Lee Aaron.Also in the band and long time Naro partner guitarist Don Mancuso will continue with LIPS TURN BLUE enlisting a new vocalist, but this debut deserved to be released with Naro’s voice as it was written and recorded by him, completed before passing away in May 2021 from cancer.And glad they did it; this is classic melodic hard rock with an early Nineties feel, melodic, emotional, with a clean bright production and ver, very good songs. Legend Lou Gramm duets on one song with Naro.In Memoriam: Phil Naro (1958-2021)- Lead & backing vocals, guitars.
Line Up:
Phil Naro - Lead & backing vocals, guitars (R.I.P. 2021)
Iggy Marino - Lead & backing vocals; keyboards, guitar
Don Mancuso - Guitars, backing vocals
Eric Bieber - Keyboards, backing vocals
Michael Mullane - Bass, backing vocals
Roy Stein - Drums & percussion
+
Lead Vocals – Lou Gramm (tracks: 13)
Saxophone – Jimmy Richmond (tracks: 8)
Violin – Marlee Mullane
Tracklist:
01. Just Push (03:22)
02. Build My Castle (04:14)
03. Pray For Tomorrow (04:38)
04. Sit Up (03:53)
05. Better Than I Used To Be (03:34)
06. Miles (03:08)
07. Chain On Me (04:09)
08. Crazy In Love (03:22)
09. Blood Moon (03:07)
10. No Need For You To Call (04:19)
11. Hey Bulldog (02:52)
12. Life's Crazy Ride (03:55)
13. A Little Outside (03:38)
Download links for all albums only on our blog here: http://goodmetalandhar.do.am/
