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Peter Asher to induct Brian Epstein into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Thursday night

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His entry to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is long overdue, but Brian Epstein – the legendary manager of The Beatles – will finally get the recognition he deserves on Thursday night.
 
During a ceremony at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Epstein will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Doing the honors will be Peter Asher.
 
A titan of the music industry in his own right, Asher is looking forward to Thursday night. Some of his thoughts on Epstein:

Brian Epstein single handedly changed what it meant to be a rock and roll manager. Before Brian and the Beatles, the assumption was that a pop group’s career was destined to be short and their impact ephemeral. Just as the Beatles changed this whole notion with their brilliant music, so did Brian with his honesty, his belief, his commitment, his faith and his avoidance of the greed and short term thinking which was the norm. Before the Beatles, pop music was not supposed to be imporant – and before Brian no one treated the musicians that way either. He was charming and articulate but in the end his ability to make others believe (as he did) that the Beatles were the best band in the world stemmed from his own absolute conviction that it was true. And fifty years later it is clearer than ever that he was absolutely right! I was proud to know Brian – and when I became a manager myself I looked to his determination, loyalty and style for inspiration.
 

In addition to doing the honors for Brian Epstein, Asher will also be inducting former Rolling Stones manager – and past FEST guest – Andrew Loog Oldham. Asher’s thoughts:

I shall pay tribute to the achievements of these two brilliant men (both friends of mine) as best I can…Brian will be sorely missed as always and Andrew has chosen not to attend but am thrilled to have the privilege of inducting them both into this illustrious organization.
The induction being filmed on Thursday night will air on HBO on May 31st.
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Mark hears I Want To Hold Your Hand – 1st Time 1/6/64

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It was fifty years ago today, January 6, 1964 that I first heard I Want To Hold Your Hand. It was a moment that forever changed my life and I remember it like it was yesterday. It was the first day back from the two week Christmas/New Year’s vacation where i had no access to radio. I was listening to WABC on the Scott Muni Show. I was doing my homework and the song came on the radio. I got so excited. I never heard ANYTHING that sounded like that before. I wanted to know who it was. I was hooked before the song was over. Scottso came on and said that it was by a group from England called The Beatles. My first thought was ‘What a strange name!’ The very next day, Tuesday, was new survey day and I came home from school and it was #1. It was still #1 when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show almost five weeks later.

Mark Lapidos, January 6, 2014

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A Day to Celebrate and Remember John

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John on the set of Help, 1965

33 years later, we still have trouble getting through this day. It was the most senseless moment in our lifetime. Yet, we must accept it and try to honor John the best way we can, through his music and message of Peace and Love. What can you do to further that powerful message to change the world for the better? Of course, our thoughts are always with Yoko, Sean and Julian on this day as well. So, go ahead, listen to a Breakfast With The Beatles show – all are saluting and celebrating John’s meteoric life today. His music is always going to be part of the fabric of our lives. And that alone, makes us want to Celebrate the life of John Lennon on this day. On a personal note, those times I spent with John ranks up near the top of my most cherished moments of my life. We all shine on…

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We Remember George

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November 29th – On this day in 2001, George Harrison passed. 12 years of reflecting on his singular legacy he left on this planet doesn’t make it much easier. Yes we do have his incredible music to put a smile on our faces, to make us think about the world, and how we fit into it, to improve the human condition, to improve ourselves, and to enjoy life more! That, in itself, is an enormous achievement. On that note, we make our yearly plea to those of you who still smoke cigarettes. Smoking leads to lung cancer and this is what took George from us. He didn’t know it in the 50s when he became a teenager. But now everybody know that cigarettes kill people – 1,200 every day, just in U.S.. That is more than 430,000 people every year. And it doesn’t just affect the smokers, but thousands die every year from second hand smoke. So for those of you who still smoke, we urge you, on this day we remember George, to finally give them up and mean it this year. You and your family and friends who love you will be thankful. Now let’s all go listen to George’s music today.

Peace and love.

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Mark Lewisohn to sign more copies of Tune In

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If you checked our facebook page yesterday, you already know that Mark Lewisohn signed a staggering 500 copies of his must have new book, Tune In: The Beatles All These Years, Volume 1. There were about 60 unsold, we sent out an email blast and they sold in 90 minutes. So many tried to purchase it last night, so I contacted Mark and asked if he would sign another 300 copies. He graciously said yes and it looks like they will be signed tomorrow. So if you haven’t ordered it yet, do not delay. This is the Beatles book that will go down as, perhaps the greatest Beatles book ever! And this is only Volume One – 932 pages that covers the ‘boys’ from the beginning through December 31, 1962. The publication date is next Tuesday. We start shipping out tomorrow so most will have their pre-ordered copies on or close to the 29th.  The photo is from yeesterday’s signing.

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Sold Out of Signed Copies of the Tune In Book!

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9/11 – 6:00AM EDT: Because of the overwhelming response to our special offer of signed copies of Mark Lewisohn’s forthcoming book, Tune In, we have ended the offer. Mark can only sign so many copies in the time he will have while in NYC around the time of publication (10/29/13). We thank all of you for your response to what is going to be the biggest Beatles Book event since The Beatles Anthology Book was published 13 years ago. You may still pre-order the book but don’t expect it to arrive signed. We, and Mark thank you for such a positive response to his book. We also personally thank Mark for agreeing to sign such a large amount of books for our customers.

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Legendary Beatles Impressario Sid Bernstein Passes at 95

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It is with a very heavy heart that we have learned of the passing of legendary impressario Sid Bernstein. Sid was a dear friend to us and was the very first guest  for our first FEST in 1974. What a sweetheart he was. Always told his stories with patience and passion. Sid presented The Beatles at Carnegie Hall on Feb 12, 1964, three nights after their first  Ed Sullivan Show. But he will always be most remembered for being a big thinker. He had this idea of presenting The Beatles at Shea Stadium. He phone Beatles manager Brian Epstein with the idea. Brian was hesitant, not wanting his Beatles to play to any empty seats. Sid boldly guaranteed to purchase any unsold seats and the deal was made. The Beatles at Shea became the first of its kind and to most famous single concert in history, August 15, 1965. Sid was 95 years young. It was an honor to get to know him and have him join us at so many FESTS over the years. He was a man of vision and will be greatly missed, especially by Beatles fans around the world.

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Win a Las Vegas Getaway to see The Beatles LOVE bu Cirque du Soleil

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Chicago FEST is only 9 days away and we are thrilled to once again offer a lucky winner and guest a Las Vegas Beatles Getaway they will never forget! This is our third year working with Cirque du Soleil, and for all of you who have seen The Beatles LOVE show, you know how breathtaking and fabulous it is. It only takes a minute to enter. Please Note: The Tweet with entry is optional for 2 extra entries – if you don’t do Twitter, simply delete the text in the Tweet box. You may enter once a day until August 11th and you can also score extra entries by sharing with your friends.
The winner of the first trip was actually in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency O’Hare when her name was called. We have never heard such a loud scream. Last year, she came on stage to talk of her amazing experience. You do not have to be present to win and it is open to anyone in the continental U.S. 21 years or older. If you watch The Fest online you can watch Michelle announce the winner’s name. It can’t be you if you don’t enter!!!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER!

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What a Fun & Music Filled Beatles Weekend at The FEST!

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The 39th Annual NY METRO FEST was another amazing weekend Beatles Party! All the special guests went over very well. Having Billy J. Kramer premier his new CD live with his band on Saturday afternoon was super. His new tribute single – To Liverpool With Love was very moving. The Nutopians performed a Sunday afternoon concert and they received standing ovations after almost every song. We will be offering signed CD copies of both artists on our site in the coming weeks. Peter Noone proved to be the entertainer we always thought he was, and MORE! And he still sounds great! Hearing him sing I’m Into Something Good, I’m Henry the VIII, I Am, Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got A Lovely Daughter and There’s a Kind of Hush  had the female fans swooning as if it were still the 1960s! And Tom Scott. What can we say about one of the true legendary horn players around. His sax playing added so much to the Musician’s Forum and the nightly jams (with Mark Hudson & Liverpool). It seems the music just flows out of him directly into the horn – like magic. Ken Scott described what it was like to be in Abbey Road Studios working along side Sir George Martin, putting Beatles tracks together – in 1967-1968. More magical moments. Liverpool was in great form with fabulous live Beatles Concerts each evening. They keep getting better! We also had Pat Dinizio of The Smithereens do a Sunday afternoon Concert of his interpretations of Beatles classics (with our own Tom Frangione as his second guitarist). For the young Beatles Fans, mr. Ray entertained with a little help from 4 young fans as his back up singers. To see you fans exposed to the greatest music is always SPECIAL. It was Ireland’s Georgina Flood’s first area FEST (Ken Dashow’s favorite Beatles artist) and fans couldn’t get over her unique talent in creating such likenesses of The Fab Four. Congratulations to Rock Show, the winners of this year’s Battle of the Beatles Bands. The lead singer of the winners of the previous contests is a current contestant on The Voice– He is Garrett Gardner and we wish him all the best.

With all that going on in one Beatles filled weekend, the biggest buzz was our announcement of our return to New York City for our big 40th anniversary FEST, where it all started – The Grand Hyatt on 42nd St. It was the Commodore Hotel when we began in 1974. The dates we have are the EXACT 50th Anniversary of The Beatles Arrival in America – Friday -Sunday, FEBRUARY 7-9, 2014. We have already started planning to make the the biggest and best one ever! Reservations can now be made at the Grand Hyatt by calling 212-883-1234. Be sure to tell them you are coming to the FEST to get the great rate (for NYC) of only $219.00 per night. Or go to the Hyatt Site where you can reserve your rooms on line. Even though the hotel is very large, our room block is anticipated to fill up. We hope you can join us for this historic FEST.

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