On May 13, the legendary and groundbreaking group,
WAR, will release their first new studio album in 20 years, titled
Evolutionary, on Far Out Records/UMe. Available on 2CD and digitally, the
package includes the new Evolutionary album and WAR’s digitally remastered,
multi-Platinum Greatest Hits collection, originally released in 1976 and never
before released digitally or on CD. Featuring special guest collaborations with
Cheech & Chong, Tower of Power, Joe Walsh, Malik Yusef, and the USC
Marching Band, Evolutionary showcases WAR’s multi-ethnic lineup and genre-defying
style, combining jazz, rock, funk, soul, R&B and Latin. The band also
announced U.S. tour dates starting March 20, including co-headlining
performances with Cheech & Chong at The Joint at Las Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel
& Casino on May 16 and at Los Angeles’ Greek Theatre on May 24 (see
confirmed dates below).
Produced
by Jerry Goldstein and Lonnie Jordan, the new set touches on WAR’s L.A. roots,
while also updating the band’s classic sound for a new generation of fans.
Evolutionary was recorded at Total Access Studios in Redondo Beach, California
by WAR founding member/vocalist Lonnie Jordan, percussionist Marcos Reyes,
guitarist Stuart Ziff, bassist Francisco “Pancho” Tomaselli, drummer Sal
Rodriguez, saxophonist/flautist David Urquidi, and harmonica player Stanley
Behrens.
Evolutionary includes the autobiographical first single, “That L.A. Sunshine,” featuring
Cheech & Chong, who memorably used WAR’s “Low Rider” in their movie debut,
Up in Smoke. Cheech & Chong and WAR are co-headlining the ongoing “Up In
Smoke Tour.”
The
album also includes “Mamacita,” which revisits the band’s Latin heritage and
the Hollywood streets that inspired them -- accompanied by special guest Joe
Walsh on guitar and the Tower of Power horns. “Inspiration,” a song set to a
Lonnie Jordan-penned poem, celebrates the band’s unique relationship with its
fervent fan base. Additionally, five-time GRAMMY® winner and member of Kanye
West’s G.O.O.D. posse, Malik Yusef brings his hip-hop pedigree to the smooth
R&B ballad, “Outer Space,” the “Low Rider” sample of “Bounce,” and the
gospel choir on “Everything.” Yusef also contributes the rap to Motown writers
Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong’s “War” (a hit for Edwin Starr), which also
features the famed USC Trojan Marching Band.
WAR is
the quintessential Los Angeles street band, first discovered by producer/writer
Jerry Goldstein in a North Hollywood club. Eric Burdon and WAR burst onto the
charts with the classic worldwide hit “Spill The Wine.” Burdon and WAR toured
extensively across the United States and Europe, until Burdon departed the band
during the tour. The tour continued and the band returned to Los Angeles to
record their first album as WAR. The rest is history.
WAR has
achieved 31 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum RIAA sales honors, 11 Top 10 pop
hits, and 15 Top 10 R&B hits, including “Low Rider,” “Spill The Wine,” “Why
Can’t We Be Friends,” “The Cisco Kid,” “The World is a Ghetto,” “Gypsy Man,”
and “Summer.”
Over the
years, WAR’s songs have been sampled by a broad range of artists, including the
Beastie Boys, George Clinton, The Geto Boys, Ice Cube, Ice-T, Janet Jackson,
Method Man, Redman, Smash Mouth, Tupac Shakur, Barry White, ZZ Top, Portishead,
Korn, and many more.
Songs
from the group’s legendary catalog have been featured on the soundtracks for
several hit movies, including Lethal Weapon, Boogie Nights, and Gone in 60
Seconds, popular TV shows “Beverly Hills 90210,” “My Name Is Earl,” and “The
Simpsons,” and best-selling video games “Grand Theft Auto IV” and “Skate 2.”
WAR:
Evolutionary / Greatest Hits [2CD; digital]
CD 1:
Evolutionary
1. That L.A. Sunshine
2. Mamacita
3. It's Our Right / Funky Tonk
4. Just Like Us
5. Inspiration
6. Scream Stream
7. This Funky Music
8. Outer Space
9. War / War After War (A Soldier's Story)
10. Bounce
11. Everything
12. It’s My Life
CD 2:
Greatest Hits (remastered)
1. All Day Music
2. Slippin' Into Darkness
3. The World Is A Ghetto
4. The Cisco Kid
5. Gypsy Man
6. Me And Baby Brother
7. Southern Part Of Texas
8. Why Can't We Be Friends?
9. Low Rider
10. Summer
WAR:
U.S. Tour Dates
March 20 / Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI
March 21 / Mystic Lake Casino, Prior Lake, MN
March 22 / 1stBank Center, Broomfield, CO
March
29 / Peoria Civic Center Arena. Peoria, IL
April 5 / American Bank Center, Corpus Christi, TX
April 6 / Majestic Theatre, San Antonio, TX
April
17 / Enmore Theater, Sydney, AUS
April
18 / Hamer Hall, Melbourne, AUS
April
19-21 / Byron Bay Blues Festival, Byron Bay, AUS
April
27 / Stockton Asparagus Festival, Stockton, CA
May
2 / Chandler Pass, Phoenix, AZ
May 16 / Hard Rock Hotel & Casino - The Joint, Las Vegas, NV
May
17 / Tachi Palace Hotel &
Casino, Lemoore, CA
May 24 / Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
May
29 / San Bernardino County Fair, Victorville, CA
June
12 / San Mateo County Fair, San Mateo, CA
June
13 / Merced County Fair Outdoor
Theatre, Merced, CA
June
21 / Genessee Theatre, Waukegan, IL
June
28 / Wonderland of the Americas
Outdoor, San Antonio, TX
July 5 / Nugget Rose Ballroom, Reno NV
July 18 / TBA, Boise, ID
July 19 / Marrymore, Seattle, WA
July
26 / Lock 3 Live, Akron, OH
August 2 / Tags, Big Falls, NY
August
7 / Northwest Ohio Rib-Off, Maumee, OH
August
17 / Bohemian Nights at
NewWestFest, Ft. Collins, CO
August
28 / Jackson Rancheria Casino Resort , Jackson, CA
August
29 / Monterey County Fair, Monterey, CA
September
5 / LA County Fair, Los Angeles, CA
October
19-20 / Capitol Jazz Cruise, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
October
24 / Casino Baltimore, Baltimore, MD
October
31 / Twin River Casino, Lincoln, RI
November
21 / Magic City Casino, Miami, FL
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