January/February News

Hi Everyone!

Happy New Year, first of all. 2016 was a great one for Nu Shooz. (We almost hate to see it go!) Thanks to YOUR support, we were able to release our album "Bagtown." Last month we heard that "Bagtown" was chosen as one of the Top 50 Albums by SoulTracks.com - one of our favorite music sites for soul music.

Another highlight was an appearance with our band on Oregon Public Broadcasting's ARTBEAT show. If you didn't get a chance to catch the broadcast - here's a LINK to the full half-hour concert and interview. Thanks to everyone at OPB for doing such a splendid job!

2016 saw Nu Shooz crisscrossing the country playin' the hits. If we didn't get to your city, well...it sure seems like we did! Fingers crossed - we'll get there soon!

If you live anywhere near Everett, WA, we're playing the Historic Everett Theater there on Saturday, Feb 4th, on a double bill with Animotion. Should be a great show.

Last but not least, John and Valerie will be heading to Delray, Florida for Honey Nightclub's "I Want My 80's Back "Valentine Rewind" on Friday, February 10th.

Thanks for your support, and for keeping the music alive. Without you, things wouldn't be nearly as interesting! Here's hoping 2017 is the best year yet.

xo

Valerie and John

December News!

Happy Holidays friends and neighbors!

This month we started production on a video for the song 'Bagtown.' It's being directed by the incredible Mike Wellins. His work includes comic books, animation (The Power Puff Girls, Frosted Mini-Wheats commercials,) and the creation of Portland's Peculiarium. The video will feature the band, as well as artwork by our son Malcolm Smith and 15-year-old Jasper Thun. As you can see by the photo below, it's been a fun way to stave off the winter blues. Look, it's already Thanksgiving, which means we're that much closer to summer!

photo by Casey Murphy

If you live in Reno, Nevada, we'll be appearing on Dec. 9th at the Silver Legacy Casino as part of Lost 80's Live. That happens to be John Lennon's birthday (He would have been 76!!!) Sorry, we won't be pulling out any Beatles songs; just the hits, man, just the hits.

Meanwhile, Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is devoting an entire "Art Beat" show to Nu Shooz. That airs on Dec. 15th at 8 PM (Pacific), so save the date.
 

Nu Shooz at Oregon Public Broadcasting studios.

And one final thought. Wherever you fall on the political spectrum, red, blue, purple, or green, remember to be kind to each other. Our world needs us all to take the high road in the days to come.

Be well, and drive safe!

Nu Shooz

NU SHOOZ 8 Piece Band in Portland OR

Photo by Casey Murphy

This year's final concert with the full 8 piece band is on Saturday, Oct.15th at Jimmy Mak's in downtown Portland, OR. We're going to play the whole night, virtually everything on the current playlist; the deep cuts, some new things, and of course all the hits. Get there early. Our pal D.J. Doc Rock will be warming up the crowd. We'll take the stage at 8 pm. (Underage folks can stay till 9:30.) Get your tickets HERE. Hope to see you there!

September News

Hey Everybody!

First of all, we had four birthdays in the band this month. Johnny Riley on the 7th, John on the 10th, Gary Fountaine and Paul Mazzio, both on the 15th. Virgos rule!

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Photos by Brent Angelo

On John's birthday, we played at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with the Lost 80s Tour. The audience sang John the birthday song, and he was presented with a beautiful cake. We made so many new friends on that tour, including all the great musicians in Cutting Crew, Wang Chung, Farrington and Mann, Animotion, Flock of Seagulls, Berlin, and more. Thanks to all who were able to come out to these shows. There'll be one more in December in Reno, NV.

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We've got a couple of shows coming up. First, it's a "Summer Freestyle and Old School Party" at the Status Nightclub in Riverside, CA, on Saturday, September 24.

Then the whole band will be appearing at Jimmy Mak's in Portland, OR on October 15th. It's our last full-band performance for 2016. Tickets are $15 for General Admission and $18 for Reserved. (This show is expected to sell out, so please get your tickets asap!)

Photo by Casey Murphy

That's all for now. Live well and prosper!

Valerie and John

The Lost 80s Live Tour w/Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung and more...

What a busy summer it's been, starting with the release of 'Bagtown' in May. Since then we've been all over the place - Bakersfield, Coachella, Vancouver WA, and a beautiful sold out show at the historic Greek Theater in Los Angeles. So fun to hang with our Freestyle pals; Lisa Lisa, Exposé, Debbie Deb, and J.J. Fad to name a few. Thanks to all who were able to attend and make these shows some of the best ever.

Next up we're looking forward to a tour with a completely different kind of line up. The 'Lost 80s Live' tour starts on August 27th in Sandy, UT with A Flock of Seagulls, Wang Chung, Cutting Crew, Animotion, Nu Shooz, Naked Eyes, and Farrington and Mann the Original "When In Rome UK". The tour continues with a swing through Northern California with shows in Sonoma (9/2) Saratoga 9/3) and Lincoln 9/4 then on to Las Vegas NV on 9/10. For more info on the line up for each of these shows and tickets, visit the Lost 80s Live FB Tour Dates page HERE.

We've also been having fun doing some interviews surrounding the release of 'Bagtown'. Here are a couple we thought we'd share with you...

James Taylor (no...not THAT James Taylor) is a Brit who is an expert on CREATIVITY. He interviewed us last month for his blog about the creative life and was totally engaging (http://www.jamestaylor.me/valerie-day-and-john-smith/). For anyone interested in the creative process we recommend you go to his website and have a look: http://www.jamestaylor.me/

Also here's a nice print interview with 80s music fanatic Sarah Miss Parker.

Can't get enough? Glutton for punishment? Head on over to our PRESS page for more interviews and articles.

Enjoy!

Valerie and John

It's Summer!

Summer is here! Yay! Time to fire up the grill, get out the lawn chairs, and hook up the slip-n-slide.

For Nu Shooz fans, it's time to get outside and dance-dance-dance! We'll be down in Coachella, CA, on July 2nd with "The Old School Freestyle Fest." It's going to be a great show, with bands like Ying Yang Twins, Lisa Lisa, Trinere, JJ Fad, Tone Loc, C&C Music Factory, and Color Me Badd joining us. And we just heard that it's only going to be 107º, not 116º. Cool!

If you live in the Portland/Vancouver area, you'll have two chances in July to catch our full band. They're both outdoor concerts, AND they're both FREE. Come and bring the whole family...

Six to Sunset Concert Series
Thursday, July 7th, 6 PM to 8 PM
Esther Short Park, Vancouver WA

Summer On the Green
Friday, July 15th, 7 PM to 9 PM
Marylhurst University

 

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Photos by Brent Angelo

This last show in July promises to be a highlight. We'll be at The Greek Theater with Stevie B., Lisa Lisa, Taylor Dayne, Exposé, JJ Fad, Debbie Deb, Trinere, and Cynthia. This show will be a sell-out, so if you're in the Los Angeles area, get your tickets soon! 

Lastly, if you've heard our new record 'Bagtown' (and you like it ;-), please spread the word! Share the link to our Bagtown website page that has all the info and links to listen to it, and if you have the time, please write a review on iTunes. (If you purchased the album on iTunes, you'll see a REVIEW button when you visit again.) Thanks in advance for being our "street team." Word of mouth is STILL the best marketing there is...especially in a world with an abundance of music in it.

That's all for now.
Time to flip the burgers...

xo

Valerie and John
 

'Real Thing' Official Lyric Video Released

The Strands of Time (The Making of the ‘Real Thing Video’)

Is there a reason and a purpose for everything? Maybe – maybe not. And maybe the reason’s just not clear at the time. Ten years ago I started scotch taping pictures into old phone books. The original idea was to create an image file for drawings, otherwise known as an Art Morgue. This turned into a sort of mega collage, while it’s original function was completely engulfed by Google images.

Around the same time I was writing music for documentary filmmaker Larry Johnson for things like The Cowgirl Hall of Fame in Texas and a museum exhibit about Buffalo Bill in Colorado. We also traveled to Vietnam twice together to work on Larry’s film ‘Ghost Money.’

Fast forward to the present. The Nu Shooz band had come back to life, rising from the swamp like the creature from the Black Lagoon. The creature wanted CONTENT, and it wanted it NOW. Valerie got busy making a series of short films about life in Nu Shooz-land; in airports, in rehearsals, in the studio during the making of Bagtown.

Now she wanted to make a “lyric” video for the first single – ‘Real Thing.’ Our dining room table was soon cluttered with scissors, paste, and magazines as she started cutting out letters and pasting them together to form the words from the song. But she needed a background. The phone book collage! It would be the perfect backdrop for this frenzy of fonts. Two days later, after 100’s of photos and video had been taken, she sat for 6 hours and started to edit. 30 seconds in and it became obvious that unless she wanted to cancel life (and upcoming gigs) this project would never be completed in time!

A call to Larry was made. Could he take over the editing chair? Does he have time to get it done in a week? Yes! He’s available and into it!

So there you have it. All these crazy strands came together – the collage book, Larry Johnson, Bagtown,the films, the songs. Sometimes you have to do these things just for fun, and let the strands weave together on their own.  - John

Pledgemusic Campaign Launches for Bagtown!

Hello everyone. NU SHOOZ here. We’re rolling out our first album since 1987. It’s called ‘Bagtown.’

The album was a moment of spontaneous combustion; the music formed out of the same swirling cosmic dust that created the Universe and everything in it. Call it the ‘Shooz version of the ’Big Bang,’ a new solar system of sound.

Actually, ‘Bagtown’ began as a cardboard city filled with ‘bag people.’ The city grew and grew. It threatened to take over the studio. But…believe it or not…music began to emanate from that corrugated city…and the music was fun.

But without you ‘BagTown’ is just an empty little burg. Your participation and support is more than just a way for us to make more music; it’s about us making a connection with you in a way we’ve never been able to before.

So come along with us to a funky, soulful place called Bagtown. Pre-order now on Pledgemusic for access to exclusive updates and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

Fun is the orbit we’re on, and fun is what’s in the bag!

The Nu Album Launches on Pledgemusic March 15!

It's your friends at Nu Shooz HQ here. On Tuesday, March 15 we’ll be launching our Pledge Music Campaign in support of our new album, 'BAGTOWN'. Of all the projects we've ever done, this has been the most fun. We can't wait to share it with you! On our PledgeMusic project page you'll be able to pre-order the CD, be the first one on your block to have the digital download, and...we're offering some one of a kind objects and experiences.

The campaign begins March 15th. Please sign up for our newsletter for special pre-sale offers and updates!

That same day, tickets go on sale for our CD release party, May 21st at the Star Theater in Portland. We promise you it will be a real extravaganza. (What a great word...extravaganza!) There will be a limited number of VIP tickets available (via our pledgemusic page) so get your posse together and come on down.

And if you're nowhere near Portland on May 21st, we'll be LIVE STREAMING the show via Portland's own Audioglobe for our fans around the world. So, whether you're in Cleveland, Ohio or you're orbiting Earth on the International Space Station, there's no need to miss the party.

Meanwhile, in the Freestyle and Lost 80s universe, new shows are being added every day!!! So far, we know we'll be coming to…Long Beach CA, Los Angeles CA, Las Vegas NV…follow us on SongKick to stay up to date and receive notices when a show is added in a city near you. Hope to see you somewhere in our travels.

That's all for now.

XO


Valerie and John

'How Two “Jazz Hippies” (and a Dutch DJ) Made Portland’s Biggest Song Ever'

'Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait" turns 30.'

By Matthew Singer, Willamette Week February 16, 2016

For a song to achieve immortality, it's going to need an especially sharp hook.

Sometimes it's a riff. Sometimes it's a melody. In the case of Nu Shooz's "I Can't Wait," it's the sound of Donald Duck scatting through a vocoder.

God knows what the keyboard preset is actually labeled. But you'd recognize it before the prominent bassline, or even the title. It wasn't even the band's idea—a Dutch DJ threw it on a remix—but it was the missing piece that, in 1986, propelled a regional Portland hit into a global smash. Even in its original form, "I Can't Wait" is the platonic ideal of a classic '80s song: timeless in its blend of fat-bottom funk and R&B elegance, but with just enough retro-futurist kitsch to immediately evoke the era.

As two self-professed "jazz hippies," singer Valerie Day and songwriter John Smith admittedly had no idea what went into creating a pop single. So how did they end up writing the biggest song ever to come out of Portland? Turns out it was, at first, mostly an act of desperation.

By 1983, Nu Shooz was in a rut. It had been playing clubs since the late '70s, drawing good crowds but failing to sustain a lineup or a consistent musical direction. In December, John Smith dedicated himself to rerouting the band back to its R&B roots.

John Smith: The mission statement was to write the funkiest thing that I could, and kind of blow all the dust out of the exhaust pipe and get us back to what we're supposed to be doing. I rented a four-track machine for the incredible sum of $24 per month, and the first reel, "I Can't Wait," was on it. There were five tunes I was working on, sitting on a wooden box by the furnace in the basement with a nylon string guitar. In the summer of '84, we went into the studio, and the first thing I did was slow it way down. It laid there like a lump.

Valerie Day: It was slower than the live version we'd been playing. I remember coming into the studio the day it was my turn to record the vocals, and I hadn't heard he'd slowed it down. I get into the studio, and I was like, "I can't sing this."

Smith: For about six months, we tinkered with it. Then, on the way to the studio one day, I was listening to the Time, and they had this bottle part on "Jungle Love." I appropriated that, put it on the track, and then it started to move.

"I Can't Wait" ended up as one of five songs on Nu Shooz's second official release, an EP recorded at Cascade Recording in Portland.

Day: We get these five songs recorded, we put this on a cassette called Tha's Right, and we release it on our own, basically. And nothing, really, was happening. Except this music writer, for The Downtowner magazine in Portland, he wrote about the band and said we were boring live, but we had made this really cool thing, and it was a shame local radio wouldn't play it.

Gary Bryan, co-host of KKRZ's morning show: We read the article and went on the air. They mentioned Nu Shooz in the article, and we were like, "We'd love to play it, but we can't play it if we don't have it." No one ever brought it in.

Day: Our manager at the time, who was a bartender at the Veritable Quandary, he was a morning person, thank God. So he heard this on the radio. He jumped on his Vespa, he drove it to the station, handed them the cassette, and they picked "I Can't Wait" to play.

Bryan: The next day, we put it on the air. We made a big deal out of it. A lot of people started calling for it, and we put it into heavy rotation. It came up every hour and 45 minutes or something. We took it to No. 1 on our chart, and that meant we were reporting that to radio and record magazines, and to Billboard. And we thought, "Let's get these guys a record deal. Let's try to bust a band out of Portland!"

After hearing "I Can't Wait," Greg Lee, a local promo manager for Warner Bros., became a champion for the band in the Pacific Northwest, helping spread the song across the region.

Greg Lee: I took it to several Portland radio stations and played it for them, and they all agreed immediately, like, "You need to get this to us!" That was the impetus for myself. I wanted this to be on Warner Bros.

Day: Greg also got us a demo deal with Warner Bros. We recorded some songs we'd had for a while, and the label said, "Sorry, we've got Madonna already."

Lee: Usually, when a label passes, they don't offer you anything other than "C'est la vie." [Michael Ostin, head of Warner Bros. A&R] gave the band what was called a demo deal. That was a financial gift, so to speak—an honorarium given to the band to make another demo. It was sort of like, "We're passing, but we see there's something there."

Striking out with the majors, the band's manager licensed "I Can't Wait" to a service which would do limited pressings geared toward the international market. A Dutch disco label picked it up, and handed the song off to a young DJ named Peter Slaghuis for a remix. He didn't change much, but he did add a curious-sounding synth melody over the top.

Smith: We call it "the barking seal." The first time I heard it, we were playing the University of Southern Oregon in Ashland, and I heard it over the phone. Our manager played it. "Here's the remix, what do you think?" And I liked it because I never in a million years would've thought of that.

Day: We met Peter Slaghuis when he came to New York one time, and he tragically died in an auto accident when he was in his 30s. Much, much later, we found an interview he did where he said he actually didn't like "I Can't Wait" at all. He did as little to it as possible because he didn't really want to work on it.

Smith: The secret Nu Shooz cool test is, if they come up and sing the bassline, they're cool. If they sing the barking seal, they're less cool.

The "Long Vocal Dutch Remix" became a hit in the New York club scene, and finally landed Nu Shooz a deal with Atlantic Records. By June 1986, "I Can't Wait" hit No. 3 on the Billboard charts, leading to appearances on American Bandstand and Soul Train, an international tour and a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. It also opened up other, previously unfathomable opportunities.  

Smith: My manager asked me who I most wanted as a sideman, and out of my mouth came, "Oh, Maceo Parker," because he'd been my hero since I was 11 years old. So we recorded with him on the second Atlantic record. 

Day: One of our heroes at the time were Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, and I think we met them at the Minneapolis Music Awards.

Smith: Jimmy Jam came up to me and said, "We wish we had written that song."

Nu Shooz followed "I Can't Wait" with two other charting singles. But its second album for Atlantic, Told U So, underperformed. A third album was never released.

Smith: They didn't even call us to say they were dropping us. We found out at a show. We met the new Atlantic rep, and he didn't know who we were. I said, "We're on the release schedule for September," and he said, "Uh, I don't think so."

Day: It was kind of hard for them to understand who we were and what we were about and what our potential was. We had three A&R people in that seven-year period, and one of them was the guy who discovered White Lion or whatever.

Nu Shooz in 2013. IMAGE: Phil Isley.

Nu Shooz went on hiatus, with Day and Smith concentrating on raising their son. Beginning in the late '90s, "I Can't Wait" began to take on a second life, appearing on movie soundtracks, getting sampled by Vanessa Williams and 50 Cent and, most recently, remixed by Questlove for a Target ad. Day and Smith are currently working on a new Nu Shooz album, due out this year.

Day: It's kind of a miraculous thing. This song is like our child. We birthed it and raised it to a certain point, and then it went out in a world and now it's doing it's own thing. We obviously had something to do with it, but at a certain point, it's not about you anymore. It's really about the song having its own life.