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The New Cars Ready to Hit the Road

They lost one member (bassist/vocalist Ben Orr) to cancer in 2000, and lost their most high-profile member (frontman Ric Ocasek) to a solo career and apparent indifference. But original Cars Greg Hawkes and Elliott Easton are soldiering on, putting enough gas in the tank for a month and a half of touring amphitheatres under the name “The New Cars.” Additional dates overseas are also in the works.

In addition to co-headlining this tour with new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees Blondie, The New Cars will also be releasing a live album that features three new studio cuts. Looking to fill some big shoes, Hawkes and Easton have recruited Utopia bassist/vocalist Kasim Sulton and Tubes drummer Prairie Prince. But the big move is the addition of lead vocalist/guitarist Todd Rundgren, of "Hello It's Me" and "Bang on the Drum All Day" fame.

Since getting the ensemble together, Cars old and new alike have been having fun collaborating on new material and tearing through the old hits. “This is The New Cars,” says Easton. “We’ll play people’s favorites, but eventually, we’ll introduce new songs that will stand on their own merit.”

In the meantime, there are quite a few old favorites from which to choose. The Cars exploded out of the gates in the late '70s, with their 1978 debut going #3 on the Billboard pop charts, thanks to singles like “Just What I Needed” (a.k.a. “the Circuit City anthem”), “My Best Friend’s Girl,” and “Good Times Roll.” The latter was the song of choice for the band’s appearance this week on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

The New Cars/Blondie "Road Rage" tour begins May 12th in Robinsonville, Mississippi and concludes June 30th in Clarkston, Michigan.

-- The ARTISTdirect Staff
03.15.06