CD Release Show Set for
March 1 at Thousand Oaks Library Live Concert Series
LOS ANGELES, CA – Singer-songwriter John Zipperer announces a
February 25, 2014, release date for his new CD, Full Circle,
on his Ziptunes imprint. Distribution is through CDBaby and the album will be
available at Amazon, iTunes and other quality outlets. He’ll celebrate the
release of Full
Circle with a special show on March 1st at the Thousand Oaks Library as
part of their “Live at the Library” concert series, along with an additional
artist performance from Ernest Troost. For more information about the show,
visit http://liveatthelibrary.org.
The 13 tracks on Full Circle
include a dozen originals, as well as his unique take on the Van Morrison
classic, “Brown-Eyed Girl,” slowing down the tempo to create an even higher
focus on the lyrics, which have special relevance to Zipperer. “This recording is a reflection of the
love I lost due to my own failings,” he says. “It’s a look back at a wonderful
girl whom I hurt through the blindness and the stupidity of my youth. I've
always love this song and Van Morrison. I played this in cover bands for years.
It always struck me how sad the lyric sounded. I hope Van hears it and likes
it.”
The rest of the songs on the new album, which was produced by
Nick Kirgo at Disarray Studios and feature backing from members of John’s
regular touring band, are very personal in their genesis, yet universal in
appeal, dealing with love lost and found, as well as the joys of life,
itself.
The opening track, “Sailing Away,” has a decided Jimmy
Buffett vibe to it and that’s no accident. “I spent my junior and senior high
school years in Jacksonville, Florida, against the backdrop of the St. John’s
River,” Zipperer recalls. “A river gets in your blood and brings Jimmy Buffett
along for the ride. There is nothing like the peace of being out on the water -
and the wardrobe ain't bad either.”
Another song with Jacksonville roots is “Going Downtown.”
“Growing up in the southeastern United States you will be influenced by the
blues,” he states. “Lynyrd Skynyrd was royalty in Jacksonville and they looked
up to artists like Son House, who was a huge influence on artists like Robert
Johnson and Muddy Waters. His song ‘Death Letter’ really reached me. I hope he
smiles and chuckles a bit at my nod to him and to all the greats. We kept it as
earthy and gritty as we dare.”
The title track is another autobiographical song about how
John got to this point in his life and career. “I came out to Los Angeles
originally to study music but detoured into pursuing acting,” he remembers.
“That was a rough yet occasionally rewarding life, but when I came back to
music, everything just flowed and I realized I had come back around to my first
love. I came full circle.”
“Sing with Me” deals with John’s return to the music he
loved. “When I got back into music I started playing with a 78-year-old spoons
player named Ed Terry. Eddy didn't sing but it sure didn't take much arm
twisting to get him started. He would sing ‘You Are My Sunshine’ and he was so
charming he would light up the whole room. Everyone would sing with him and I
loved it. There is something so amazing about a whole room coming together in
song and emotion. I know how much it meant to Eddy and all who heard it. This
song is about that: those moments. When we perform this song live, we always let
the audience have the last chorus. I know they like it but I LOVE it. Some
nights the joy of that sound is overwhelming.”
A former TV actor and stuntman,
John Zipperer’s second chance came rolling down the highway of life, not on a
carefully controlled movie or commercial set, but while changing a tire for a
friend along interstate 285 in Atlanta. John was hit by a ten-wheel oil truck.
After flying 40 feet and landing in the hospital, John was told by the critical
care doctor, “You should be dead!” To John this seemed like a clear sign that
life is, or could be, too short. He packed everything he owned into his Camaro
and headed out to Los Angeles to pursue a life in music.
Today, John Zipperer &
Friends shows feature tight harmonies, infectious melodies and heartfelt lyrics
that reach fans in places they didn’t know they had. When John Zipperer and the
band take the stage, this stellar lineup of musicians add their magic and soon
heads are bopping, hands are clapping and folks are dancing and singing
along.
