Lummi Bay
June 25, 2021
Hello Everyone,
Well, let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief. The World is opening up again with baby steps.
All our pals in the Entertainment world can get back to work; not just the performers, we’re talking about the stage crew, the Sound Techs, the folks who drive the trucks, the people who sell hot dogs. It’s going to take a long time to get back to where we were, but we’re on our way.
But first, the News.
June 21st was the 42nd anniversary of the founding of Nu Shooz.
That first gig was at a park in Southeast Portland. Seems like it was just last week. Valerie wasn’t in the band yet. She was standing by the side of the stage with our friend Mira (another Shooz alum.) They both had their fingers in their ears. Was it our singing? (Valerie says — Nope. It was the sound system feeding back!)
Two years later, the band had expanded to nine, and we were one of the top bands in Portland, Oregon. So the whole adventure turned out pretty well.
And now it’s now.
After seven years and over a hundred shows, we are stepping away from touring the 80’s circuit. We’ve made so many friends along the way; groups like The Jets, Exposé, Pretty Poison, The Romantics, Wang Chung, The Cutting Crew, Debbie Deb, Animotion, Stevie B (and his incredible band!)…the list goes on and on.
And we had so many lovely interactions with the people who came to our shows. Took a million selfies. Amassed a million frequent flier miles. Ate two million French Fries and visited a lot of America.
Photo by Paul Brown Photography
A special thanks go to Alan Beck, R.J., and Natalie Duran at Pacific Concert Group, Rob Juarez at Lost 80’s Live, and Amanda Tilk at Groove Entertainment. We had the experience of a lifetime and received a lot of love in return. And, as we said on every album cover since the beginning, “Thanks to all Shooz Past and Present.”
We’re not vanishing from the face of the earth. Valerie continues her successful podcast for and about singers, Living a Vocal Life. (Are you an 80s music fan? Check out her interviews with Rindy Ross from Quarterflash, Bill Wadhams from Animotion, Moana Wolfgramm from The Jets, or Jeannette Jurado from Exposé.)
John has switched from cranking out songs to cranking out graphic novels (like the one below) on his new website, MalcoCreative.com.
Thanks to everyone for keeping 80’s music alive all these years. We’ll still be here to answer your questions and tell tales of life on stage in the days of Beanie Babies and Miami Vice.
Will we be back? Never say never. You can never guess what will unfold as Time marches on.
Until next time, be well!
Valerie and John