Happy Birthday Tico!

Wishing the happiest of birthdays to the King of Hitmen, the King of Cool...Hector Samuel Juan Tico Torres!

Tico to be honored for his efforts toward a "sustainable future"

This arrived in my Google alerts. Yay, Tico!

From Sustainatopia.com:

Ever heard of Sustanatopia? If not then you should, because this unique event offers a seven-day venue that focuses on sustainability and impact investing as cooperative solutions. It takes place in Miami from March 31st- April 6th, attracting not only celebs but some of the leading figures in investment, social entrepreneurship and philanthropy.

Perhaps the highlight of the event is the Sustainatopia Honors, a star-studded awards ceremony held on Sunday, April 3rd at the Frank Gehry/New World Center on Miami Beach. With guests like actress Maria Bello, Patricia Arquette, and Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres, all receiving awards for their efforts toward a sustainable future. There’s a VIP pre-party before the event too!

Plus Ecorazzi co-founder Rebecca Carter will be speaking at a Sustainatopia event on April 6th called, “Local Green.”

For tickets and more info on how you can get involved, click here! Any Miami folks planning to go?'

Tico says the band needs a break; Richie says he wants to be a Stone.

This is a mighty interesting read for every Jovi fan out there who's been fearing the hiatus that awaits post-Circle tour.

Take it as you will - I for one like the fact that it was Teek and Richie being quoted, not Jon. Because, as we all know, Jon lies. ;)

So we don't have any specific answers yet, but at least we know what the guys are thinking...and that is that even THEY don't know yet. We shall continue to wait and see.

Bon Jovi Needs 'A Break' When Tour Wraps, Says Drummer

As Bon Jovi prepares to start its 2011 tour schedule, the group members say what happens after they come off the road in July is anyone's guess.

"I think we need to take a break," drummer Tico Torres told Billboard.com during a conference call with reporters. "It's a long, extensive tour since last February, not just the tour but putting it together, doing the record ['The Circle']. It's a long process, and I think it's important for us to just get away from the audience for a bit. Sometimes you need to get away so people can appreciate you better, and you also have to get away to live your life and create and recharge... So the best thing I can tell you is we're gonna need a couple years off for sure."

Guitarist Richie Sambora, however, countered, "We do need a little bit of a break, but not that much of a break, 'cause what's going to happen is there's more songs to be written and... Y'know, guess what? We want to be the Rolling Stones. I know I do."

Bon Jovi's 2010 Circle tour was the top trek of the year, playing to 1.5 million fans and grossing more than $146.5 million. The group, which released a "Greatest Hits" set in November, starts up again on Feb. 9 in University Park, Pa., for North American dates into late March, then runs through Europe again from June 8-July 31, including a June 25 performance at the Hard Rock Calling festival in London.

Sambora said he had "an extensive conversation" with Jon Bon Jovi earlier this week and concluded, "I don't think we know what the hell's gonna happen" after the tour.

"We're just going out there and working our asses off and enjoying it, actually being the best band of our lives... We're not gonna quit. We're gonna keep on going and writing new, great songs, go in the studio and make great records, evolve more and get back into stadiums and give people a great, great show."

Bon Jovi's stated desire to do another solo album, he added, presents no threat to the continuation of the group. "It gives us a break," Sambora explained. "Everybody gets to be an individual... He's the leader of this band and you've got to respect that... Who knows what the hell he's gonna do, but it's okay with all of us. We're all gonna stick together. We're like a gang."

Sambora and Torres said this year's shows will continue to dig deep into Bon Jovi's repertoire, pulling out album tracks as well as covers. "We pulled out a lot of songs on this tour, maybe 70, 80 songs, (and) a lot of them haven't been anywhere near on radio," Torres notes. "We play differently every night. Unless you come see us 10 nights in a row, or three nights in a row, you won't notice it. It's something we look forward to."

About the only thing that didn't go Bon Jovi's way during the past year was the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group was eligible for induction for the first time and made the final ballot but will not be getting in at the March ceremony. Torres said that "it's nice to be included in those things," but Sambora acknowledged some disappointment.

"I think it's a boys club over there," he said. "I don't know what they're doing, [if] they're looking for ratings or what they're doing. Is it legitimate? That's my question. Our legitimacy comes from our fans; you sell 125 million records and have the two biggest tours in the last three years, I'll take that. If I would complain, nobody would listen."

Tico on Bon Jovi going Indie

Hmm, interesting. At first I thought they meant a new genre venture...but they mean the label/management aspect of Indie. Good! Maybe the freakin prices will go down.

Tico Torres, the drummer for Bon Jovi, can see the writing on the wall for the group being a major label band. It's only a matter of time before they go Indie.

“We are still on a major label but we can see the writing on the wall,” Tico tells Undercover News.

Part of the problem, he says, is that the old model doesn’t work in the current world. “It was a conglomerate machine that was invented many years ago which in essence owned and manipulated bands but also gave bands a chance to get some upfront money that was again recoupable,” he says. “The companies always made a lot of money of it. It got to a point where the price of records were so dear for the buying public that as soon as the internet came in there was there was another avenue for people to listen to music”.

Tico advises acts today to think before signing. “So you have to think out of the box now, new bands especially. You can’t go that way,” he says. “You should maybe release your own thing and do it through the internet. It’s just a different way of thinking. You can’t follow the old rules. Thats a dead soldier. Its just hanging on by threads”.

Bon Jovi are currently on tour in Australia.

(source)

Tico Torres: Rock Star Baby

I hope that, if you're reading this, you know what Rock Star Baby is. If not, you especially NEED to read this post!

But whether you have heard of it or not, it's worth a refresher course. Tico is so talented in so many ways, and I have always loved his baby/toddler fashion line -- I just never had a reason to buy from it! ;)

The line (shop) is now offered through the official Bon Jovi store, which is how I also found out that the RSB website has been revamped (not sure when, but the last time I checked it was quite some time ago.)

I snatched the new photos they have of Teek with babies, because if anything melts my heart more than sexy rock stars, it's sexy rock stars with kids.

So check it out, browse around, and enjoy the visual appeal if nothing else.

From Rock Star Baby's official website:

TRADITIONAL VALUES WITH A ROCK'N'ROLL EDGE

Tico Torres has been with Bon Jovi from the beginning he is a respected artist not only as a musician, drummer - but also in the art world of painting & sculpture. His profession has taken him all over the world, attending many events & fashion shows.

Whether shopping over the years for friends, or more recently, for his own son, Tico hoped to find hip baby and toddler clothing, but the market was consistently lacking. There was plenty to select from in pastels, but hip grays, blacks and whites were non-existent. He chose soft cottons, high quality and timeless cuts in time, the rockstarbaby collection was born.

The two ideas, rock'n'roll and tradition live quite separate life and styles, they meet here to produce this classic combination of a desire to do what's right for your child and still having that edge, quite simply the best of both worlds in black and white. It has an energy that out lives a fashion or a passing trend, and is exists without a compromise to either the design of rockstarbaby or the quality you would wish for your child.

The aim was to have a place you know you can go and choose a cool gift for the "new release". Proudly packaged and ready to give. Care has been taken to appreciate this and our attention has returned to the online store, the perfect stage to show case this concept. So no matter where you are, what time of day it is - you can find what you need, when you need it.

The brand uses the true colors of rock - black & white with shades of grey in between - all designs were created with these cool kids in mind. Something that you wouldn't normally expect to work - but because the integrity of both areas are not minimized it's a rock'n'roll harmony.

It's the personal design and philosophy that Tico brings to the brand that makes it complete. Simplistic in essence, it is the clean lines which define the balance.

The brand's initial focus was textiles for babies, toddlers and kids up to six years of age, however has naturally grown to include accessories such as pacifiers, baby bottles and just recently a cool collection of sunglasses for both kids & adults, available both in Europe and the US. Each line carrying the rockstarbaby finger print.

An extended collection, exclusive to the internet is soon to be launched. This will give you the opportunity to buy gifts for the the "Star" - anytime, anywhere.

As Tico says "Every baby is considered a Star".

Happy Birthday, Tico!

A very special Happy Birthday to our favorite drummer, hitman extraordinaire, the heartbeat of Bon Jovi - Hector Samuel Juan "Tico" Torres!

Hope your day is beautiful, Teek - enjoy it with the ones you love! xoxo

New pics + David Bergman (tour photographer) insight

Oh man, what a day for Jovi goodies. Thanks to everyone who left these delicious little gems in my inbox, they were a lovely surprise to wake up to on a Monday! And I positively swooned over this one:



Gawd, is it just me, or does this photo MELT YOU too? I literally stared at it with my mouth open, heart picking up, my eyes probably hungrier than they should be when looking at a married man. But damn, the little peekaboo and smile? THUD. I find those little quirks immensely sexy.

And then these:

(with Argentinian composer Bebe Contepomi in NYC)





(last four courtesy of David Bergman, tour photographer)



And thanks to Hath for posting this on her blog - an inside scoop, behind-the-scenes look at Bon Jovi on tour, by David Bergman. Echoing Hath here, make sure you watch all the way to the end. It's worth it. :)




Enjoy your week, Jovi-ites! xx

Weekend Jovi Bits

Before I give you all a slew of news and odds and ends, I feel compelled to remind you all that the final New Meadowlands show (for the May sequence) is exactly one week from right now. I realized that earlier today and literally felt my heart stop, because that snuck up on me WAY too quickly. Usually I feel like I have to wait years for my shows to arrive, and now I'm scrambling to pack and get ready for them! But it's a happy, wonderful scramble. :) (P.S. If you're still looking for tickets, Ticketmaster currently has pit for ALL THREE shows up. I kind of wish I hadn't ordered through Backstage [it's abbreviated "BS" for a reason...] because I could have saved about $50. Oh well.)

Anyway, I've been nannying again the last few days (in-house), so I haven't been around much. But I've been getting Google alerts, blog notifications, and general news through the grapevine, and I thought I should update y'all on the Jovi front in case real life has been distracting you too.

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Back in the Studio...AGAIN?!

First things first, simply because I'm shocked...Jon and Richie have been tweeting from the STUDIO again this past week! They're back "recording a couple new songs for you" (from JBJ on Facebook May 20th).

They never rest, I swear. Even on their days off, they work! But does this mean the Meadowlands attendees will get a sneak peek at some new stuff? :)







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Hershey, PA show

The band returned from a three-week hiatus on the Circle Tour to Hershey, PA on Wednesday (May 19). The set list was extremely vanilla (although LTOR wasn't the end of the main set this time), which I have to say is slightly disappointing. After such a long break, guys, really?

Blood on Blood
We Weren't Born to Follow
You Give Love a Bad Name
Whole Lot of Leavin'
Born to Be My Baby
Lost Highway
When We Were Beautiful
We Got It Goin' On
Superman Tonight
Bad Medicine
It's My Life
Love's The Only Rule
Lay Your Hands on Me (Richie Vox)
Make a Memory
I'll Be There For You
Something For The Pain
Runaway
Work for the Working Man
Who Says You Can't Go Home
Keep The Faith
Wanted Dead or Alive
Living on a Prayer

Anyway, reports were that the show was great -- and I read somewhere that some publication picked up on the fact that Jon used the maracas (I think he was compared to Ricky Martin!) and couldn't believe it! Bit slow on the uptake, methinks.

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Tico Torres -- Cigar Aficionado

An article ran about our very own Cuban drummer on cigaraficionado.com, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. (Thanks to Queenie and Hath for the story!) Here's a snippet:

Golf is Torres's outlet for relaxation as well as his exercise when Bon Jovi is on the road. While the other members of the band head for the gym on tour, 56-year-old Torres uses his days off to hit the local links.

"I've met a lot more interesting people through golf than through my career," says Torres. "Willie Nelson got me into golf. I love the integrity of the game. You meet people and spend the day doing things together. You might be from two totally different walks of life but you have that time together."

He's befriended several professional golfers and played rounds with many of the greats, including Tiger Woods. Asked if it was humbling to go tee-to-green with Woods, Torres doesn't miss a beat: "But he can't play drums."

You can read the entire article here.

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David Bryan on Q104.3

David appeared on Q104.3 (Jim Kerr show) last week to talk about his Tony nods (you all heard about that, right?), Memphis, and Bon Jovi. He also performed "Memphis Lives In Me" (LOVE that song) live in the studio. Check it out!

P.S. Jeff Kazee has officially confirmed that he will be filling in for Dave on June 13 at the O2 Dome in London, while he attends the Tony Awards. Best of luck to him and Joe!!

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American Idol ~ Superman Tonight

The band performed on AI on May 12, along with other guest Chris Daughtry (have you heard the news about him, by the way? He and wife and expecting twins this winter!) So Richie's mic was WAY too loud, but really, who's complaining with a voice like that?! ;)



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"When We Were Beautiful" premiere

And finally, the new WWWB video will premiere on bonjovi.com at 12:00 am PST Monday, May 24th...but Backstage members got to see it first yesterday. (Hallelujah, finally a perk! It's not worth $50/year, but still.)

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Hope you are all doing well, and for those of you journeying to Jersey for the Meadowlands shows this upcoming week, travel safely!! (Let's especially pray for no volcanic activity so our European friends can get here sans crisis!) I'll be flying into Newark on Tuesday night. CANNOT WAIT!

Tico's Turn!

I told you Teek had to be keeping busy if his mates were!

My Google alerts notified me of a very small, brief mention of "Tico Torres" in the middle of some news story about lingerie, and I was slightly perplexed about what the two had to do with another...so I read up.

The 'Lingerie Miami Benefit to Empower Impoverished Women of the World' was held on Saturday at the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, and the heartbeat of Bon Jovi was in attendance.

Models including Eva Longoria-Parker (who hosted the benefit), Deepak Chopra, and Veronica Webb, dressed in tiny designer getups, modelled and paraded around "like politicians" in the 60 degree Miami weather for the outdoor fashion show.

Celeb guests included former basketball star Rony Seikaly (whoever that is) and our beloved drummer.

Some might skepticize that Tico (and other men) were only there for the flashy displays of skin and cleavage...but at $1,000 a head to support women worldwide in their struggle against poverty, I don't care what kind of show they got - I raise my glass in toast to them.