Here's another great poster that takes you to the main site for the NNRFL CD!
No words needed here:
Some fun stuff:
Hey everybody, come check out my buddy, Rockin MikieJ
(The drummer on our top friends list)
in his 80's band days!-New Models doing Stranger In Disguise!
Big wink to Mike ;)
Do you like Olympics of the MIND? Robin sure does!
So here's something for the thinking person in you:
If you like that, go check out more at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRRDzFROMx0
Have to share one more, and a very important one:
Think Arete!!!
Influences
Musicially, way too many to mention!
First, a wholehearted thanks to Mr. Tom Battista in Springfield, Vermont. Robin's vocal coach, high school concert choir instructor, and lifelong friend, for showing him how to get the most out of his vox, even on the worst days. To thank all of those who have given Robin vocal praise, the credit goes to Tom Battista, give him the props. ;)
"Blessings to you Tom and thank you so much..."-says Robin
Our current sound may show signs of obviously heavy influences by:
Seal, Lenny Kravitz, Doyle Bramhall II, George Harrison, The Church, Michael McDonald, Christopher Cross, The Doobie Brothers, U2, Michael W. Smith, Stephen Curtis Chapman, Dan Fogelberg, John Denver, Kenny Loggins, Jim Messina, CrosbyStills&Nash, Lindsey Buckingham, Paul McCartney, Badfinger, etc- 60s Folk artists like the Kingston Trio, many of the soft rockers of the 70s, right on up to the current
That being said, we want to give a deep, spiritual thank you to the Heavenly Father/ Great Spirit.
Huge humble loving thanks to Robin and Lori's parents and family, (all of them- step, natural, etc.)
Some very special thanks to 3 very dear people in Robin's background-
His Senseis and lifelong friends:
Gary and his son Tom McKenney, and Joe Hammond.
For their friendships and for teaching the philosophy of
Gichin Funakoshi and Miyamoto Musashi.
Without them, Robin says his life would already be over.
Robin and Lori also want to show how grateful they are for
some newer friends and aquaintances:
"We'd like to thank peeps like Andre, Randy, Roy and Gary,
(aka 8084!), Sue L., Andrew W., Mark V., Rockin Mikey J and Kat, John S., Jon B., Joey M., Donna, Andrew, Victoria, Sonya, Robert, Kris, Charlotte, Tracy, Tyler, Steve and all the gang at BSIDE, Doyle B, Ephraim O. & Georgia, Jack, Geno, Jake, Leslie&Mike, Thomas, and...
LISA COLEMAN and WENDY MELVOIN!
Big hugs to you two..(and a wink to Jesse),- Thanks for being so cool~!
Another thank you and cheers to Mr. Mike Melvoin. Thanks for hanging out for a while at Dartmouth in June 2009~!
... Also to MWS, Amy G., and everyone on board the Carnival Liberty for being so kind, and cool". (Robin says)-"never wait.. but give thanks today, for tomorrow may never come...
...our musical hearts brought us together, and we are blessed,
and very honored to know all of you."
Others who should be given props would be Steve and Terri Irwin, for their incredible conservation teachings.
Also, to Michael Landon and Bill Bixby, who were more than just actors, they showed us an example of decent human beings who treated others with respect, and kindness. Two men who were truly well rounded human beings. One could learn a lot from just watching them in their interviews.
More of our Musical Influences: When we said eclectic,
we weren't kidding.. The list would be a mile long.....
Seriously, we love a LOT of different kinds of music,
from Progressive Rock to Pop Rock, from Blues to Ballads.
Isaac Hayes to Pink Floyd. SRV to the Beatles and Billy Preston. Coldplay to Leon Russell, The Doobie Bros. to Prince to Eric Clapton to Fuel, Dr. John to John Mellencamp to Badfinger to Oleander. Michael W. Smith to the Foo Fighters. The Family to Joe Satriani to the Eagles, to Stevie Wonder. Eric Johnson to Bruce Springsteen. Rush to Sheryl Crow. Sly & The Family Stone to ZZ Top. U2 to DoyleBramhall2. Scott Joplin to INXS, Mozart to Sade, etc etc etc You name it!
Way too many to mention but Robin wanted to at least mention the following thanks:
Jeff Lynne and ELO~! One of Robin's first albums, if not THE FIRST, was "Out Of The Blue"! Been Turnin To Stone ever since... ;)
All the awesome blues/rock artists out there!
Sly and the Family Stone for giving Robin the lust for the funk during his
early high school years. Robin has fond memories of finding Sly albums at the local
library, what a joy they were to find!! Thank YOU Sly!
Amy Grant, Michael W. Smith, Don Donahue, and Rocketown Records
for their musical light of encouragement when Robin needed it the most.
STEVE PERRY of Journey and MICKEY THOMAS of Starship for being two of the best frontmen/ Vocalists ever. Steve and Mickey have inspired Robin for many years with their vocals~ Thanks guys, your ranges are incredible!
SEAL. --> This guy's heart beats right through in his music. Incredible lyrics that stir the soul! Robin just found out a few years back that Seal is also an upsidedownlefty player. Too cool!
LENNY KRAVITZ- Gotta dig this guy. One hell of a guitarist and performer, Robin's got Lenny's first 5 or 6 albums, his funk and rock mixed with those amazing lyrics just go right to the heart.
Some special notes right here:
A big whole hearted thank you
to artists like M.W.Smitty, Seal, U2 and Lenny.
Their songs were perhaps quite influencial to keep Robin alive, true, sane, and maybe even a little courageous through some very hard times in the 90s. They were the light at the end of the tunnel, beconning Robin back to the music....
Mission accomplished..... Thanks guys. Blessings to you all. From my heart and Lori's.
***Robin adds- .."and of course, to my family, especially Lori, my angel, my wife- For staying with me through it all..
As my lyrics express, Your Solace Means The World To Me....
To have you with me on these musical and life journeys, standing on our convictions of the heart is the greatest gift that God could ever give me.
The friends we make, along the way are a wonderful icing on that cake."
continuing on:
Peter Gabriel & all the guys of Genesis
for their amazing creations!
and the very special-
DOYLE BRAMHALL2 .... wow..
For showing Robin it was possible. As a peer, Robin can relate to Doyle, so Doyle has inspired Robin on a very deep level.
CHARLIE SEXTON:
Who's heart comes through his lyrics, and song.
We heard that Mr. Bob Dylan basically "discovered" Charlie
Well, he has good taste~.. So glad you're around bro.
Thanks Doyle, and Charlie for being so friendly too. We dig you both so much.
Yes, the drummer and bassist from this video should also be quite familiar!
They are Tommy Shannon and Chris Layton, aka DOUBLE TROUBLE.
Together, these 4 fellows are known as the ARC ANGELS.
JULY 2007!! Enjoy this live clip of the ARC ANGELS that Robin filmed
while at Antones in Austin with Lori and many many friends!
Also, our online friends Jack and The Sonnier Brothers opened for the Arc Angels, and here's a great clip of them in action:
------------------------Moving on with more thanks to influences such as:
Roscoe Beck, Tommy Shannon, Sting, Dug Pinnick, Chris Squire, Geddy Lee, and so many other amazing bassists!!
Tom Johnston, Patrick Simmons and all incarnations of of The Doobie Brothers!
Your music has been with Robin since the beginning!
Rick Wakeman, you are our keyboard HERO!
and Mr. Paul Hewson,
aka- "BONO" of U2,
for showing us all how it's done. I'm talking about how to treat one another....
Not only is he another favorite amazing front man and songwriter, but he's a spiritual wonder, with a huge heart of gold. Bono puts his money and time where his mouth is. Working tirelessly for humanity and the planet.
God bless you Bono/Paul. You are also another major inspiration as a front man for many years, but also more importantly, my inspiration as a humanitarian.
Also an added note:
to the guys of COLDPLAY
for their similar action! Way to go guys, you're awesome!
This being said, we wish to thank the one who started us on the humanitarian and conservationist track, Mr. John Denver. His music, heart, and spirit have influenced us more than we can express here. But to give you some idea, please feel free to visit our "near and dear" page at our home webpage.
John, we miss your light...
------------------------------------------------------------------
"I Believe -
That just because two people argue, it
doesn't mean they don't love each other.
And just because they don't argue, it
doesn't mean they do.
I believe -
That we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.
I believe -
That no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every once in a
while and you must forgive them for that.
I believe -
That true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance. Same goes
for true love.
I believe -
That you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.
I believe -
That it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.
I believe -
That you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.
I believe -
That you can keep going long after you
think you can't.
I believe -
That we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.
I believe -
That either you control your attitude
or it controls you.
I believe -
That heroes are the people who do what
has to be done when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.
I believe -
That money is a lousy way of keeping
score.
I believe -
That my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.
I believe -
That sometimes the people you expect to
kick you when you're down, will be the
ones to help you get back up.
I believe -
That sometimes when I'm angry I have the
right to be angry, but that doesn't give
me the right to be cruel.
I believe -
That maturity has more to do with what
types of experiences you've had and what
you've learned from them and less to do
with how many birthdays you've celebrated.
I believe -
That it isn't always enough to be forgiven
>> by others. Sometimes you have to learn to
>> forgive yourself.
I believe -
That no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.
I believe -
That our background and circumstances may
have influenced who we are, but we are
responsible for who we become.
I believe -
That you shouldn't be so eager to find out
a secret. It could change your life forever.
I believe -
Two people can look at the exact same thing
and see something totally different
I believe -
That your life can be changed in a matter
of hours by people who don't even know you.
I believe -
That credentials on the wall do not make
you a decent human being.
I believe -
That the people you care about most in
life are taken from you too soon.
I believe -
That even when you think you have no more
to give, when a friend cries out to you -
you will find the strength to help."
-Author unknown
Together since 1987, Lori and Robin Lull have been involved
in various musical endeavors, including time spent with
The two New England bands they co-founded: 7-RAGE and Spectris.
Robin and Lori will always feel proud of everything they accomplished for, and with these bands, giving their full attention and efforts to both while on board.
Robin and Lori (aka "HeartFire"), now happily continue forward with their latest music.
They may also pool efforts with a few other musicians for a bigger HeartFire experience from time to time.
NEW MUSICAL CHAPTER WITH A MISSION:
Now inspired to return to their ballad/acoustic roots,
Singer-songwriter Robin Lull and his keyboardist/wife- Lori
will be working towards creating beautiful and fun music by continuing to explore many of the styles and artists, new and older, that influence them.
Thus, when their solo album is completed, it will probably be called Eclecticworks.
In this new chapter of their music, Robin and his wife Lori hope to satisfy a broad range of musical tastes with a fun, heartwarming, intimate and charismatic approach to their music and their listeners.
The result should be an eclectic range that represents their spiritual, humanitarian, and conservationist philosophies which have already begun to touch hearts and souls and that's what we want to do from here on...
Quoting a wonderful tune by Michael W. Smith which sums it up:
"For the world to know the truth there can be no greater proof
Than to live the life... live the life
There's no love that's quite as pure there's no pain we can't endure
If we live the life, live the life
Be a light for all to see........For EVERY ACT OF LOVE WILL SET YOU FREE"
Robin's deep love for his wife Lori, has inspired him to write most of their HeartFire ballads thus far: such as -"Heart Of You and Me", "Music Box Melody", "Luck and Blossoms", "Just Sail Away" and "The Inner Voice" (which appears on Illumina Record's Northern New England Rockers For Life CD in an edited for radio-play form..
The album length is longer, and includes a third verse). Lyrics in the song represent those times when we have deep and philisophical thoughts of reflection, and ask that quiet inner voice for guidance to help us make sense of and heal from events that can sometimes leave us traumatized and/or damaged on a spiritual and/or emotional level. Indeed, the inner voice is that spirit of your God that you seek in good times and bad...
Backgrounds on some of the songs:
"Heart Of You And Me", is an autobiographical song, regarding their lifestyles of duality from holding down full-time jobs while trying to fit in time for their musical passions.
"Music Box Melody" is a song of hope and love between these two with a theme brought on by their early days of courtship, when Robin had a gift giving theme of music boxes for Lori, as he found they had a common appreciation for them. Years later, reminiscent of these music boxes, Robin uses tapping techniques on guitar for a similar sound.
"Just Sail Away" represents the call of the sea to Robin and Lori.
With lyrics everyone can relate to, laced with calming musical tones, and background sounds of the waves, gulls, etc, you can close your eyes and picture yourself on a sailboat feeling all the joy that the wind and water brings.
UPDATE July 2008: A big smiley wink and nod to all of you who were on the Caribbean Cruise, we hope this song helps you hang on to those wonderful feelings and good memories of being on board, and we hope to see you out there again some day~ Blessings and best wishes from Robin and Lori!
"Wrecking Ball Behavior" is a song written to hold accountable, all those who are oppressive and/or abusive towards others. It needed to be said, and now it's done. It's got a funky beat and smooth chugs on the guitar to get you foot tapping right away.
Just in case everyone thought we were just sappy old farts, think again.. ;) this song proves otherwise! "...But yep, we're still proud to be sappy old farts too.. We've earned it haahaha!.."
Another song called "Apple Blossoms Return" is an instrumental product of being inspired by the blossoms at Dartmouth Campus in the spring, reminding us of how short life can be, and also a happy little number representing the changing seasons of New England. We hope you enjoy~
RECENT BACKGROUND:
From late 2006 through 2007, their own musical careers have taken a back seat to the demands of their busy professional day jobs, get caught up on some home improvments, and to jump in on a cause that's important to the whole musical community:
An oportunity to be screening partners for the music industry documentary film- "BEFORE THE MUSIC DIES" (or "B4MD") fell in their laps and touched their hearts.
They also found out that one of the movie's main focuses is on Robin's favorite guitarist- DOYLE BRAMHALL II. Anything they could do to help him was a wonderful bonus, so they felt even more compelled to assist. This just had to be done!
Their first screening on November of 2006 with special guest Andrew Shapter, the Director of the film, went so well, that they felt the need to do one more, to continue to spread the word and the vision of the film's creators, which was in harmony with Robin and Lori's. So they did an encore in May 2007. You can see the blogs and videos here and we encourage you to visit the sites for B4MD!
During the Summer of 2007 Robin and Lori had the pleasure of finally taking that overdue trip back to Robin' birth-state of Texas, and the timing was perfect for them to meet up with many of the folks involved in the B4MD project. They were so very happy to have the opportunity to do this as well as meeting a lot of online friends and fellow musicians who are all big fans of Doyle Bramhall II, and the Arc Angels. Robin said-"..To also meet Double Trouble, and Doyle was a very welcome icing to this amazing cake of a vacation!!.."
MORE ON THEIR BIOS:
LORI SAYS HI TO FELLOW BERKLEE ALUMNI!!
She loves to play Piano and Keyboards, classically trained, she enjoys playing ballads with Robin who sings and plays Guitar, keys, Bass, and some harmonicas. His leftyupsidedown way of playing guitars tends to turn heads and raises eyebrows and he struggled for a long time to do it publicly due to embarrassment. Thanks to Doyle Bramhall, and Seal, he's much more ok with it these days.
Robin's vocals have been compared to a blend of U2's Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Dave Grohl of The FooFighters, Pat Monahan of Train, Seal, Dan Fogelberg, Kenny Loggins, and Sting.
Having eclectic hearts, Lori and Robin have met people from all over the world, making friends in every walk of life. So they can usually relate to just about anyone who puts their best foot forward.
To them, music is all about bringing people together, as it could very well be the language of the spirit. They really enjoy making friends and making music with a fun and broad perspective. .."We like to say right here that we are so blessed by the many comments regarding the fore-mentioned!..."
CURRENT PROJECTS:
Keeping the eclectic idea in mind, they like to cover all their bases with a variety of projects to enable their efforts for the planet as well as their musical desires and also those of the venues
in the area:
1. Working on original material of course...
2. Gigging out as a softer, acoustic styled ballad type sound for small venues.
3. Playing out as HeartFire in a bigger way adding other musical friends for bigger venues when the opportunities and time allow.
4. Collaboration/recording/helping some musical friends
5. Check their "Near & Dear" page at their home website of robinlull.com to see what else they are up to.
"..Recording and playing with their other musician friends is proving to be quite fun, and we look forward to the future endeavors with them...."
SPECIAL MENTION:
Robin and Lori would like to share the following words that they feel show some wonderful insight and important things about music:
..." the very most important thing to remember is that music is meant to be fun, and make you happy, and make others happy. If you lose that, you've lost it all. I think that music is a gift. It belongs to no one. It just flows through us if we let it. Success and all the rest of it are just by-products of the love for music. That's all I know. ( or think I know)...."
--Tommy Shannon- Bassist
for SRV/DoubleTrouble, Storyville, and The Arc Angels
B4TheMusicDies Celebration Screening Teaser(s)!
***Turn up the volume on the clip(s) that you play***
UPDATED MAY2007:
Here's a fun snippets from our May 12, 2007 B4MD
screening event made possible by our vlogger friend and
coworker, Chris Ivanyi. Thanks again Chris!
ROBIN and LORI perform "THE INNER VOICE" live
with their friends and HeartFire bandmates-
Sue Lawrence and Andrew Williams:
......
hey thanx for the support, this was painted live in the moment during juke joint @ the hop monk in sebastopol 6-11-2009. Bob Marley 4ft x 4ft acrylic on pannel by Neal Ray Barbosa.
Look at this aussie band below ... I really love all the songs of them .... The guys are cool cats !!!
"You've come looking for me, like I've got to set you free You know I can't free nobody You've come looking for me, like I've got to set you free I can't be nobody"
Thanks for the add! Kentucky's Rufus Huff debut CD now available on ZOHO Roots and Blues Boulevard Records.
Who's Rufus Huff? Named after two obscure Blues men Whistlin' Rufus and Luther Huff, the Glasgow, Kentucky-based Blues Rock quartet is made up of Dean Smith, Chris Hardesty, Jarrod England and Greg Martin, known for his raucous, incendiary electric guitar playing in the South's hardest country rockers, The Kentucky HeadHunters.
Rufus Huff, steeped in the tradition of Cream, Jeff Beck, Free, Led Zeppelin, Mountain, Jimi Hendrix’s Band of Gypsies, Cactus, and ZZ Top!!!!
Thanks for adding me!! I was looking for some cool people to connect with. There are so many great people on here and it’s my pleasure to have you as a friend on my page. Musically, Jay
Thank you for your interest and many photo comments that you took the time to send me. I am both flattered and touched. Your "Full Circle"< comment was especially touching. Without going into melodramatic detail. That day I was blessed with an opportunity to reunite, love and be loved by someone I had not seen for 25 years. Sadly, we have not seen or spoken with each other for 10 more years. Perhaps we will never be together again except in our hearts. Maybe thats, to coin the movie title "As Good As it Gets".
I very mush enjoyed reading your writings, listening to your wonderful songs and.....who knows, perhaps our paths will cross soon.
~~**The grass was greener, the light was brighter, the taste was sweeter, the nights of wonder with friends surrounded ... The dawn mist glowing, the water flowing, the endless river ... Forever and ever ...**~~
You are going home to your home of winter,
To your home of autumn, of spring, and of summer;
You are going home to the Land of the Living.
To the restful haven of the waveless sea.
Peace of the Seven Lights be upon you, beloved,
Peace of the Seven Joys be upon you, beloved,
Peace of the Seven Loves be upon you, beloved,
On the breast of the Mother of Blessings,
In the arms of the Father of Life.
May God fill this glorious time of resurrection and new life throughout all nature with grace and peace and joy beyond all telling. Have a wonderful, memorable Easter!
"It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!!!" ~::Mark Twain::~
Manifestations of God, including Moses, Abraham, Christ, Muhammad, Krishna, and Buddha, have appeared at intervals throughout history to found the world's great religious systems. They have been sent by a loving Creator to enable us to know and to worship Him and to bring human civilization to ever higher levels of achievement.
The station of these Manifestations is unique in creation. Their essential nature is twofold: they are at once human and divine. But they are not identical with God , the Creator, Who is Unknowable.
Online Now!
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