Tower of Power Continue 50th Anniversary Tour

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Tower of Power has added dates to their 50th anniversary celebration. The shows also support the group’s 25th LP, released earlier this year.

On June 1, Artistry Music released Soul Side of Town, Tower of Power’s 25th album. Described in a press release as “a cranial-crushing funk amalgamation of soul, vintage R&B, groove, pop and rock,” it’s the centerpiece of the California band’s 50th anniversary campaign, which also includes the re-release of four hard-to-find independent productions: The East Bay Archive Vol. 1 (a 1973 live recording from Boston), Oakland Zone (a 2008 release celebrated for the return of drummer David Garibaldi after several years away), Great American Soulbook (an all-star affair of soul classics featuring guests such as Joss Stone, Tom Jones, Sam Moore and Huey Lewis), and 40th Anniversary: Live at The Fillmore in San Francisco (a deluxe multi-disc CD/DVD set featuring new live renditions of hits plus interviews with alumni past and present).

Soul Side of Town features 14 songs that, says the press release, “delve into the golden canon of classics with a fresh approach to new material picking up the torch in all of the time-tested styles fans respect and love.” Order the CD here and the LP here.

Watch the video trailer for Soul Side of Town. Scroll down to watch and listen to the title track

Tower of Power 2018

Founding member composer/saxophonist Emilio Castillo says, “Celebrating 50 years together is a surreal experience. Recording with Producer Joe Vannelli and finishing 28 all-new original songs has been a huge project and probably what may be the best work of our career. Touring at the same time while planning the filming of our 50-year anniversary concert is like being in a whirlwind. People everywhere congratulating us and planning to fly to the concert from all over the world is just amazing. It’s all one big blur right now.”

Along with veteran members Castillo, Stephen “Doc” Kupka, David Garibaldi and Francis “Rocco” Prestia, T.O.P. currently consists of guitarist Jerry Cortez, Hammond B3 organist/keyboardist Roger Smith, first tenor saxophonist Tom Politzer and trumpeters Adolfo Acosta and Sal Cracchiolo. Soul Side of Town features two lead singers: outgoing Ray Greene (now in Santana) and incoming Marcus Scott.

Listen to the title track of Soul Side of Town

Tower of Power 2018 Tour Dates (Tickets are available here and here)

Aug 23-24 – St. Paul, MN – Minnesota State Fair
Aug 25 – Kansas City, MO – Ameristar Casino and Hotel (with Average White Band)
Sep 14 – Del Mar, CA – Kaaboo Del Mar
Sep 19-20 – Phoenix, AZ – Musical Instrument Museum
Sep 21 – Pomona, CA – LA County Fair
Sep 22 – Rohnert Park, CA – Green Music Center
Oct 10 – Worcester, MA – Hanover Theatre
Oct 11 – Waterbury, CT – Palace Theatre
Oct 12 – Lynn, MA – Lynn Auditorium
Oct 15-16 – New York, NY – City Winery
Oct 19 – Collingswood, NJ – Scottish Rite Auditorium (with Average White Band)
Oct 20 – Glenside, PA – Keswick Theatre
Oct 21 – Brookville, NY – Tills Center for the Perf. Arts
Oct 24 – Austin, TX – One World Theatre
Nov 29 – Dec 2 – Honolulu, HI – The Blue Note