Music Video
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Randall Zwart seems to thrive on pushing the envelope and seeing where it takes him. The recent release of his latest CD, Lucky Number 13, has the fifth child in a family of 13 siblings, counting on having fate on his side this time. Early feedback from commercial radio stations who once greeted him with closed doors is an encouraging move in the right direction. It’s a far cry from the early days when Djs more often than not, said they’d be fired if they played indy music such as Zwart’s.
“We’re in the midst of the radio tour to promote Lucky Number 13 and we’re batting a thousand,” Zwart says. “Every station we appear on has added American Roads to their playlists.”
Considering that American Roads is currently shooting across the iTunes download charts like an Indian motorcycle flying across the salt flats, Zwart has good reason to be optimistic. These days, he takes great pleasure in quoting Omaha’s Crash Davis with KMOO-101.9FM as saying, “American Roads has a hook you can hang a moose head on.” More lessons are in store for those who follow Zwart’s current radio tour. He plans to take cameras along so fans and music hopefuls can get a backstage pass to the ins and outs of the music biz.
“I want these guys who write incredible songs and don’t have a leg up yet to see how it all goes down,” Zwart explains. “All a radio station has to do is just tell me the song sucks and I’ll be out of their hair. But if they really like the songs, then tell me how it works.”
Zwart continues by rattling off a list of obstacles radio personalities often face when choosing to spin a record. “Do they still have to fight with the same 200 songs over and over or are they gonna pick something out of the 10,000 songs that just came out in the last three months,” Zwart wonders. “What are their goals – what’s the end game?” As for the continued business success of the Randall Zwarte’ Band, their founder and lead singer is putting his money on the wisdom of Mark Allen, former manager to Tommy James and the Shondelles.
“Allen said, ‘you can’t stop a hit,” Zwart claims. “I’ve been counting on him to be right and so far, I think he is.”
Lucky Number 13
The Randall Zwarte Band flew across the internet like a sonic boom with the release of the mega-hits, Sturgis; a tribute to the world’s largest motorcycle rally of the same name, and Lucy, a bitter break-up rhapsody. Since then, fans have clicked, played and downloaded more than 500,000 electronic RZB tunes – all without the backing of commercial radio or a major record label.
Considering the exhorbitant amount of time the band has spent with wheels beneath them, it comes as no surprise that the bulk of the songs on Lucky Number 13 pay homage to backroads and open highways. At least four deep in potential chart-topping singles, Lucky Number 13 is sure to tighten RZB’s powerful grip on the internet music world. With an upbeat tempo reminiscent of Kid Rock’s All Summer Long, the first track, Come Along, is destined to become a summer classic. Next up, Zwart’s rough-hewn vocals lend a gritty eeriness to Murder in the Badlands – a raw, ax-grinding tale of a fugitive on the run. Those same gravel-throated vocals and ripping guitar solos take listeners through a ghostly late night journey down a lonely road of regret with There Goes the Preacher. In what is destined to be the break-out single, American Roads puts the pedal to the metal in a fuel-injected tribute to hitting the road, baby by your side, on a trip to anywhere and everywhere.
Play Zwarte’!
To bring your listeners the latest tunes from the Randall Zwarte’ Band and Lucky Number 13 all you need to do is – Play Zwarte’! Keep an eye out for the Randall Zwart tour coming to your town. Contact RZB today, to request a CD and schedule an interview.