From our YouTube Channel...On The Road: Behind the Scenes Video from Valerie's iPhone

From Valerie's iPhone it's our nu YouTube playlist - "NU SHOOZ On The Road." In this video it's the Super Freestyle Explosion Tour in Stockton CA w/Exposé, Debbie Deb, Trinere, Lisa Lisa, Johnny O, & Stacey Q and more...

On The Road

We had an amazing summer full of shows with both our full 8 piece band and the Super Freestyle Explosion Tour. We feel so lucky to get to travel and play with so many great acts and musicians. We wanted to share some of these experiences with you - so Valerie started making little movies on her iPhone. So far we've got Philadelphia, Stockton CA and Las Vegas in our "On The Road" playlist on YouTube. Hopefully we'll get YOUR city in the mix someday soon!
 

Freestyle AND Full band Shows in August PLUS a new video series: Q&A w/Valerie & John

Hi Folks,

As July slips into the rearview mirror, and Autumn is a billboard not too far up the highway - we're on the road again!

We'll be in Philadelphia, PA (8/1),  Las Vegas, NV (8/7), and Stockton, CA (8/14) with our Freestyle Explosion pals, and in Portland for our last gig of the summer with our whole band at a benefit for the Special Olympics  - The Bite of Oregon (8/8 at 7 PM) We've been trying to get to Las Vegas for years! So far, we've only been to the airport.

We've started a new video feature we call "Q&A with Valerie & John." We invited our Facebook friends to ask us ANYTHING. The response was great. So below is this month's Q&A freshly loaded to our YouTube channel. If your question isn't answered in the video, head to the post on our Facebook page HERE. All questions will be answered!

So that's all for now. Here's wishing you an August of sun & fun, family & friends, and plenty of barbecue!

Till next time,

Valerie and John

Co-Hosting the 80s @8 Show on 106.7 The Eagle w/Jim E. Chonga

We had a great time co-hosting the 80s @8 on 106.7 The Eagle w/Jim E. Chonga (on the right.) It was fun to go in the way back machine AND to talk about the NOW of Nu Shooz. Great to meet Bubba too! (on the left)

For those of you who missed the show, check out the tasty conversational tidbits below!

It Was 36 Years Ago TODAY

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Freestylin' in Fresno 2015

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

Actually, we have TWO dates to celebrate this month. TODAY, Sunday, June 21st, is the 36th anniversary of the first Nu Shooz gig. You read that right. 36 years since that first show in 1979 at Colonel Sumners Park in Portland, OR. Yup. We're a summer solstice, baby! There were just four band members back then. (It would take another year before the Shoo-horns and I-Lets came on board.)

Also, last week, we played Fresno, CA, with the Freestyle Explosion Tour. Two years ago in Fresno was our first EVER performance on the tour that has taken us all over the U.S.. Nu Shooz has always had a soft spot for Fresno; friendly people and a great crew. It was one of the best shows on the 1986 tour too.

NOW it's on to...

San Jose, CA, with the Freestyle Explosion Tour on Friday, June 26, and then back to Oregon the next day for a show with the entire 8-piece band on Saturday, June 27, at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts.

We're rackin' up the frequent flier miles!

Hope to see you soon,


Valerie and John



     

It Takes A Universe

It's been interesting around here, a hundred projects going on at once. Carpenters are upstairs rebuilding the shower, while downstairs, we're working with our friend Mariecella on choreography for the horn section.

Somewhere on the other side of town, the finishing touches are being applied to our "nu" website by a guy named Daniel Webb (really - you can't make this stuff up!), and Tim Simpson is building a synth-guitar system so we can trigger piano sounds from a six-string.

We have a summer-ful of shows coming up and a million details to attend to; costumes, charts, drum heads, wires, vans...Whoever said it takes a village was only partly right.

It takes a universe.

In the next few months, you can visit the Nu Shooz planet, and we hope you do; we'll be playing from 7 PM to 8 PM at the Rose Festival in Portland, OR with the Crazy 8s and Sir Mix-A-Lot on May 30th. Then the Freestyle Explosion Tour w/Stevie B., Taylor Dayne, Seduction, Debbie Deb, and more...hits Fresno, CA, on June 12th.

For more Tour Dates, visit our SHOWS page. And while you're checking out the other pages on our newly revamped website, don't miss the ABOUT page. It comes complete with a groovy timeline that takes you from the band’s humble beginnings as a four-piece - through the heady days of the mid-1980s - to the current incarnation of the 8-piece live band. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll be amazed that we lived through it all and are still ambulatory today. We'd love to hear what you think...so please let us know!

Hope to see you soon!

Can you believe it's 2015?

That sounds like something out of Star Trek or Star Wars, or...Dancing with the Stars! Weren't we supposed to have flying cars by now?

It's only January, but 2015 is already shaping up to be a fun year. Once again, we'll be appearing with our 80's pals on the Super Freestyle Explosion Tour. Miami, Boston, San Jose, and Fresno are already confirmed.

And if you happen to live in Oregon, you'll have a couple of chances to catch the full-on Nu Shooz BAND! We'll be playing at the Portland Rose Festival on May 30 and the Lake Oswego Arts Festival on June 27. More dates are in the works.

Finally, we just started work on a nu album, our 7th. From time to time, we'll post little video vignettes here to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the recording process. No release date yet. Can't rush these things.

So, that's all for now. Happy 2015!
Come to think of it, maybe it's a good thing that we don't have flying cars.

See you soon...

Valerie and John

P.S. Don't want to miss out on concert or recording updates? Just sign up for the newsletter on our home page. A free mp3 is yours for doing so as a thank you from Nu Shooz world headquarters!

Happy Holidays!

May your holidays be bright! Much love to all...

November Shows

If you’re in Oregon, you can catch the reunited Nu Shooz Band twice in November. We’ll be in Sheridan, OR at the Monroe Events Center on November 8th and at Jimmy Mak’s in Portland on Saturday, November 15, for TWO shows - one at 7:30 PM and one at 10:00 PM. The band features Nu Shooz alumni Gary Fountain on bass, Tracey Harris, Margaret Linn, and Haley Horsfall on vocals, Johnny Riley on drums, and the Shoo Horns Paul Mazzio and Tim Jensen performing songs from 'Poolside' through 'Kung Pao Kitchen.' Hope to see you there!

September News 2014

photos by Elizabeth Mansell

 Our summer shows in Oregon were a BLAST! The best part was laying down the groove with some of our favorite NU SHOOZ alumni. The other best part was the people who showed up and gave us massive doses of LOVE. Thank you band for working so hard. Thank you audience for keeping the music alive. It couldn't happen without you.

If you missed it  - you'll get another chance. The NU SHOOZ Band will hit the stage at KINK Radio's "Bing Lounge" on September 23.
And now...

It's back to the FREESTYLE tour for a swing through FLORIDA. We're appearing with TKA in Miami on September 6 at the Magic City Casino.

Then it's on to Orlando and Tampa for the SUPER FREESTYLE EXPLOSION tour with Exposé, Lisa Lisa, and more the weekend of September 12 & 13.

Hope to see you soon!

A Story About a Dad, Two Boys, a Giant Caterpillar and a NU SHOOZ Orchestra Video

Happy Father's Day! In honor of the occasion - we'd like to tell you a story about a father and son and how our new video came to be...

Once upon a time there was a little boy named Malcolm.

He had one of the best dad’s in the world - a dad who loved him IMMENSELY and would draw, and write stories, and create whole worlds that Malcolm grew up knowing.

One of Malcolm’s favorite stories was about a boy named Momo and his giant pet caterpillar Neener. Malcolm’s dad drew gazillions of pictures of Momo and Neener and told Malcolm stories about their adventures. Eventually he wrote the stories down and illustrated them.

As Malcolm grew he started to draw too. He loved drawing alongside his dad. Pretty soon he was drawing his own versions of Momo and Neener’s adventures…

They drew and drew and drew, and the years went by. By the time Malcolm was 8 there were 5 Momo and Neener books. He knew them all by heart…

Malcolm grew and grew and grew, and as the years went by he became a passionate artist. Momo and Neener were still a part of his life, but they slowly faded into the background the more he created worlds of his own...

One day Malcolm’s parents had an idea. They had made a record with their band the NU SHOOZ Orchestra called Pandora’s Box and on it there was a song called “Right Before My Eyes.” It was a beautiful bossa-nova that Malcolm’s dad had written about how quickly Malcolm was growing up and changing. Malcolm had been learning how to animate his drawings. Could he make a video for the song starring his old pals? It seemed like the perfect time for the boy and his caterpillar to return.

Malcolm said yes and began work in earnest.

But then he got distracted…

And then, all of a sudden he was grown and left home! Malcolm’s Mom and Dad missed him terribly - but especially his dad. He and Malcolm were creative buddies together. They had egged each other on and learned from each other’s art - every day since Malcolm had picked up his first crayon. He was heart broken.

But then Malcolm started working on the video again. This time he was going to finish it and make his dad proud.

And he did.

RIGHT BEFORE MY EYES

Music by John Smith

Video by Malcolm Smith

Dedicated to all those who take the time to BE with the young people that they love. Remember to savor every moment. How quickly it all goes by!