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Check out the new YouTube video for Tony's song "Baseball Nation"!
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HEARTLINE INVITED TO THE WESTERN FESTIVAL IN ST. TITE, QUEBEC
Now comes the REALLY exciting part. I have invited my musician friends from Nashville to fly up and do the gig with me. Together with my old buddy Mike Chapman, Chris Leuzinger, Steve Turner, Paul Hollowell and the rest of the band including fiddle and pedal steel, we're going to rock the place!
St. Tite is a sleepy village of some 3,500 souls which during the festival hosts some 600,000 visitors, making it Canada's second largest Western Festival, just after the Calgary Stampede. The main themes are Rodeo and Western Lifestyle. We're especially proud, because in its 43 year existence, only three major musical events have been presented: Celine Dion, Kenny Rogers, and us!
HeartLine Released
Months of
composition and arranging, weeks of recording, 100s of hours pouring
over photos and graphic files... Well, you get the idea. After a
lot of work (and a good measure of fun as well), my new album HeartLine
is finally out and available.This has been a big job. First was the challenge of composing good songs that meet the technical requirements of the Line Dance community, then bringing together the production of the songs along with the recording of an instrucional DVD for the choreographies. Both my partner on the project Guylaine Bourdages and I are satisfied that we've put together a package that we can be proud of, and is a cut above anything that has been produced up to now in this market.
We would love to know what you think. Drop a few lines to us on the contact page, and to order your copy of HeartLine, please go to the special website www.HeartLineCountry.com
All the best to you, and see you around this summer!
Tony
Action for Haiti
One picture that stayed in my head was that of a people lining the side of the main highway as we drove from Port-au-Prince to Cap Haïtien. I asked my driver what these people were doing, sitting on their haunches all day before a single papaya or squash layed out on a filthy straw mat. He explained that they live in the jungle, sometimes 3-4 hours away, and make the journey daily on the off chance that a motorist might stop and buy their meager offering. They literally had no other hope of making a few cents.
Rarely in mondern times has a people been in such need as the people of Haiti at this moment. Not only for their immediate needs in the aftermath of the earthquake disaster which virtually destroyed the country's entire infrastructure, but in the coming years.
As announced, I have sent to the Internation Committee of the Red Cross 100% of the money earned from CD sales at my concert in Romilly/Andelle in Brittany, France to help with the recovery operations in Haiti. The total was €260, or about $380. It doesn't seem like much, but if everyone gave a little something, it will make an enormous difference in the lives and future of the Haitian people.
I invite you all to make use of the simple online payment procedure for sending aid to Haiti.
Tony
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Shorter days mean longer Nights...
Dear Friends,
I
always try to see the silver lining. Anyway,
my choice to live in Switzerland obviously involves experiencing
seasons (something fairly foreign to my birthplace, Southern
California), and all that that entails: cold, rain, snow, ice, scraping
windshields, slipping on your butt in the street, etc. But there is also: gorgeous autumn colors, crisp clear mornings, powder-tipped mountains, skiing, hot-spiced wine, chesnuts roasting on an open fire (here I break into song...).
This Autumn finds me a little over-busy with concerts every weekend, (see you there?) and spending the time in between trying to stay focused and present in that special place which is "Composition". I'm working on, and will probably still be working on in the plane to Nashville, the songs which will make up the new upcoming CD "HeartLine". This is a very ambitious project which, to my knowledge, has never been attempted. I am working closely with a talented choreographer from Quebec, Guylaine Bourdages, to create these songs especially conceived for a CD/DVD package featuring my music and Line Dances by Guylaine. My challenge is to write and produce songs that meet the criteria of danceablility, as well as listenability. Not sure if those are real words.
Anyhow, HeartLine will be released in Paris fittingly enough on February 14, 2010, Valentine's Day. More news to come.
Take care and don't miss a chance to love or laugh,
Tony
September 30, 2009
Summertime, and the livin' is easy...
Dear Friends,
It
was a long hard winter, but with the bright
sultry days of late spring spawning tank-topped and besandaled
creatures, leaving their burrows in tentative forays in search of
sensations, fun and of course, music, memories of fur hats and
windscreen scrapers are fading fast.In Switzerland at least, the crisis seems to be begging to be filed in the "non-starter" folder along with the avian flu and the Y2K Bug. Unless you're one of the unfortunate few who's boss was a short-sighted and even shorter-on-morals bank, things are toddling along pretty much as usual.
The bright side: This old world keeps spinning around, the sun comes up everyday, the beauty of nature continues to astound and inspire. Friends and family are still the beloved center points of our lives, and pleasures abound. Economies ebb and flow, but every day is unique and precious. And underpinning it all is the musical soundtrack of your choice, be it Country, Jazz, Rock or Classical. Music is the food of the spirit, so don't starve yourself into a dark and shriveled pod. Spring is here so bud, sprout, flower and sew.
Hope to see you out at one of our shows this summer, in tank-top and sandals!
Take care and don't miss a chance to love or laugh,
Tony
June 4, 2009
Happy, Happy, Happy New Year!!!
Dear Friends,
The world has suffered through the most damaging U.S. presidency of all time. Years ago I wrote in this space that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of the Merry Morons have caused such damage to our country, constitution and international image, that it might take a generation to fix it. At that time I didn’t count on the possibility of a miracle. The election of Barack Obama by the American People has in one fell swoop changed everything. Of course, the economy is still in ruins and will take a long time to recover, but we can now look forward to enjoying a renewal of warm feelings towards the US from nations who since shortly after 9-11 have looked at us with a mixture of fear, mistrust, disappointment and disgust. A people can make a mistake, as we did in 2000 by (almost) electing Bush, but unfathomable and unforgiveable was to re-elect someone in 2004 that over four years had already proven himself dangerous, incapable and idiotic. “A country gets the government they deserve” is not a phrase that I’ve wanted to contemplate during the last 8 years.
But here we are on the eve of a brand-new epoch: An Administration which is intelligent, principled, and educated. We can now pick up our beloved Constitution, wipe off the filthy footprints of Cheney, Gonzales, Wolfowitz etc, and place it back where it belongs. Are we really so lucky as to have a President who has taught constitutional law and who understands, and respects our most precious concepts? An Attorney General who states publically that water boarding is torture? A Secretary of State who seems to understand the concept of diplomacy?
Whether the new President is black, white, brown or striped shouldn’t make any difference in the long run, except for one effect: It’s inconceivable that there is not a change coming to American society which could begin to fix one of the most intractable problems we’ve had. Many black Americans have held the view that since the country was controlled by rich white men who made the rules and kept Black America down, it was not their America and they simply opted out. Now it will be difficult for a black man to say that getting an education or playing by the rules is a waste of time since “they won’t let you get ahead anyway”. Real integration from both sides is now a distinct possibility.
We still have two wars going on and our economy is in tatters and that stomach-wrenching rending sound hasn’t stopped yet, but we have a window in which to win back the support and respect that we’ve squandered over the last two terms. I for one am confident that with Barack Obama as the new “Decider”, we have a chance to not blow it this time.
Take care and don't miss a chance to love or laugh,January 19, 2009
Dear Friends,
Take
care and don't miss a chance to love or laugh,
Tony
December 29, 2008
Crisis, What Crisis?
Dear Friends,
It's not going to be a
quick process, getting used to
Barack Obama heading for the White House. The last 8 years have been
such a numbing strain on our credulity and ability to assimilate the
almost daily onslaught on our values and liberties, that the mere idea
of an intelligent, Constitution-respecting person at the head of our
government incites invitations to pinch-me-I-must-be-dreaming.
In my many years as an ex-pat,
I've
experienced first-hand
the world's reactions to events from the Vietnam War to the chain of
disasters
of the last 8 years. I awoke on Wednesday morning overcome by the
realization
that I was, for the first time in many years, unabashedly proud to be
an
American. This is as big in a positive way as 9-11 was in a
negative way.
We have been due
some good news
for a long
time.
Take
care and don't
miss the
chance to love or laugh,
Tony
November 6, 2008
Here you can watch the excellent video "Election Fever" produced by SwissInfo.ch, with music furnished by Tony Lewis & Tuff Love
TL & TL - Lorenzo, Gianco, Tony, Imbi and Giampiero Tony performing the Star-Spangled Banner for the official ceremony
Tony Lewis & Tuff Love had the honor to perform for the big Election Night party thrown by the American International Club of Geneva. It was a very large event with a full program festivities and music, all built around the many large-screen TVs spread throughout the venue. For such a complex function, it went off without a hitch. Hats off to the organization committee of the AIC for an excellent job. As they say, "The Best Club In Town"!
Tony and Sarah during a break in the show Imbi for President!
Friends in High Places
Tony Lewis performs for Swiss President Micheline Calmy-Rey and fellow parliamentarians at the Baden Grand Casino during the world-famous Badenfahrt in late August, 2007
Happy 2007!!!
Dear Friends,
Getting ready for a big return this year,
I took advantage in 2006 of some offers that I couldn't refuse and snuck back to Europe to play a few choice venues around the continent.
"Vintage" Tony Lewis in Bordeaux
Next to Bordeaux on France's southern Atlantic coast lies the beautiful and historic village of Pessac. Known more for its world-reknowned wines than for its Country Music and Dance fans, it was an enormously pleasant surprise to find such a large number of Aquitainais passionate about everything to do with this American-style pasttime. Rarely have we been treated as much like stars (or even kings) as we were by the Honky Tonk Pessac Club, and it put us in the mood to give everything we had, and more! We had a great time, and we would love to go back to see our new friends any time they'd have us.
Merci beaucoup, Bernard and Françoise!
What could be better than performing a concert in ITALY at a fantastic venue like the Cowboy's Guest Ranch? How about doing it during the World Cup and having the opportunity to experience the passion and pride of Italian calcio fans!
Anyway, it was a
great night, and a pleasure to look down from the stage to see some of
the finest-looking line-dancers in the world. 
In the guitarerro position we had an old Shooters favorite, all the way
from Barcelona Señor Josep Traver. Man, this guy can play his
culo off! I think we'll be back at the Cowboy's- maybe sometime
in July 2007. Check back to this site occasionally for the latest
updates.
Oh, and by the way,
VIVA ITALIA and
Congratulazione!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our concert at Billy Bob's at Disney Paris was a big success, with a full house and a lot of fun. On stage and backstage we had a great time as well, as you would expect friends who haven't hung out together in a while would have.
The boys of Tuff Love were in rare form and raring to go! We had a new guitarist with us who did an amazing job with our somewhat tricky repertoire and arrangements. I want to take this opportunity to thank Christian Hatstatt from Alsace, France for his talent and hard work. Besides this, almost more important was that he's a great guy to hang out with and fit in perfectly with our little group of knuckleheads!
If you haven't yet been up to Billy Bob's, you have to check it out as one of Europe's premiere venues for Country Music.
A special thank-you to Didier Cere at Texas Boogie Productions for booking us for Billy Bob's. Besides being a good businessman and straight shooter, he was a kick to have a beer with!
There will be some cool news to announce coming up, so check out this page in a week or two to find out what surprises to expect during the 2007 season!
Looking forward to seeing you all out there sometime during the summer!
Don't miss the
chance to love or laugh,
Tony
Tony Lewis & Tuff Love returning to European stages after a 3-year break.
The last couple of years' break has been busy to say the least, and even though music has continued to be a daily part of my life, it's had to move over to make some room for other activities. The project which has kept me the busiest was that of becoming a viticulturist and winemaker. I've now completed the whole circle from tending a vineyard and growing grapes, to vinification, aging, blending and bottling. It is one of the most interesting and satisfying pursuits I have ever been engaged in.
I can think of no other enterprise that involves as much tradition, science, magic and hard work, except of course music.
Jill and Tony Lewis of DOS CORAZONES WINERY, Rio Grande Valley appellation
The break also allowed me to get back in touch with my American roots, after so many years of living the life of an expatriate. New Mexico is very beautiful, and definitely a perfect place to immerse one's self in American rural culture and politics. It's a strange and difficult time that we are living through, and I only hope that we can get back to the ideals and values that seem to have been put on hold while we try to find our sea legs in the new 21st century's "normal".
As we approach the end of one year and the beginning of another, we are presented with a chance for renewal of spirit, ideas and energy. 2007 will see a return of Tony Lewis and Tuff Love to European concert stages. The boys and I are really looking forward to seeing so many of our loyal fans again. It's been a while.
Don't miss a chance to love or laugh,
Tony
From time to time since September 11, 2001, I've often been moved to write more about politics than about light entertainment. To make a clear separation between my music and my political opinions, I've decided to put up this special page. Please click on the icon above to access it.
THE SOLO ALBUM - Now Available!
NAKED
click the title to read about it!
Tony - Solo and Acoustic
An amazing collection of stories in song, performed with all the intimacy with which they were created - one voice, one instrument.
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