GUEST ARTIST

An Evening with Todd Rundgren

Sat Sept 10 . 8 pm | Baker . $38-24

Rundgren, a legendary member of Rock royalty, who pioneered progressive rock and introduced the classics I Saw The Light and Bang The Drum, brings his iconic sound to Zoellner to kick off the 15th-anniversary season.

The title of Rundgren’s 1973 solo album, A Wizard, A True Star, aptly sums up the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist, and, most recently, interactive artist (re-designated TR-i), Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, a quintessential 1960s cult group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career recording his debut offering Runt. It was 1972′s seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted him into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him ‘Rock’s New Wunderkind’. In 1974, Rundgren formed Utopia, an entirely new approach to the concept of interactive musicianship. The band combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that defined the term “progressive rock.” Rundgren’s myriad of producing projects include albums for Hall and Oates, Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meatloaf and Grand Funk Railroad.