Blog39 (11/27/02 - 12/06/02)
Please note that, as time goes by, some of these links may no longer work - sorry!

If you don't know what a Blog is? Click here

12/06/02
18.00 - On a more cheerful note on E-Bay, there's a lovely promo photo of a young Kasim available at an opening bid of $5.99 here.
17.45 - Sadly it appears that the market forces have determined that the opening bid for a second hand copy of Quid Pro Quo appears to be a mere $4. There are currently two auctions on E-Bay for copies - click here and here
14.00 - There's a new interview with Kasim Sulton online in the Poughkeepsie Journal. Click here to view it.
13.45 - With ten more hours left, today there have been 72 posts on the messageboard attached to KasimSulton.com!
10.45 - Question #5. Click here or:
"What year and season did I perform in the band Cheap Trick?"
10.42 - Another Kasim Sulton post. Click here or it says:
"ARGHHHHHH! You guys know way too much!!!!!!
ANOTHER WINNER! tjbuck! "
10.00 - Kasim has posted question #4. Click here to read and answer it but it says:
"Name 4 bands I have played Piano / Keyboards with. "
09.40 - Another post of Kasim's:
"Wow, not 30 minutes and Bookgirl guessed!
These are WAY too easy! "
09.15 - Kasim has confirmed that he will definitely be making an appearance at Borders in Chicago, IL on 13th December. Click here for more details.
09.10 - Kasim's third question has been posted! Click here to view it but it says:
"What was the song I sang Lead Vocals on while Ringo Starr played drums during the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon"
08.35 - It looks like the next few days on this site, there'll be a lot of Kasim's own messages from his messageboard posted here but they do eventually disappear from his board so the idea here is to preserve them for posperity. Click here to read his latest post but it says (about when he joined Utopia):
"BINGO!
Marc, winner on question #2!
APRIL 16th 1976 "
03.30 - Kasim Sulton has posted the second of his questions to his messageboard. Click here to view it. As the messages on the board disappear in time, it says:
"In which month of 1976 did I officially join the band Utopia? "
One answer was posted within an hour.
00.15 - Kasim Sulton has announced the winner of the first of his posters to his messageboard. Click here to view it. As the messages on the board disappear in time, it says:
"BANG!!!!!
Sandi is the first winner!
Damn that was QUICK! "

12/05/02
11.45 - Kasim Sulton has posted the first of his questions to his messageboard. Click here to view it. As the messages on the board disappear in time, it says:
"As most of you know I had a little accident while on the road with Todd Rundgren during the Power Trio Tour. I fell on stage, breaking my foot.
The First Question Is......
At which show ( City and State ) did this happen? "
11.40 - Kasim Sulton has made a post with the "Poster Contest Rules and Regulations " to his messageboard. Click here to view it. As the messages on the board disappear in time, it says:
"Here we go!
As with the first contest, the rules on this one will be the same;
Every one playing is allowed ONE GUESS per post.
There are no limits on the amount of posts you can make.
The first person to post the correct answer ON THE QUESTION ASKED will be the winner.
Only one question will be posted at a time. When that question is answered correctly, the winner will be announced and the next question will replace it.
All Questions will be under separate TOPICS on the message board.
In the event of duplicate correct answers, the winner will be determined by TIME OF POST.
Winner will recieve an ANCIENT Kasim EMI Poster sent to the address of their choice.
Poster is guaranteed Scientificaly Carbon Dated. Extracted from a cave in which The Turin Shroud and Jimmy Hoffas remains once rested. Sealed hermetically in a 20 gallon Hellmans Mayonaise jar.
(Mayonaise not included in prize package)
GOOD LUCK!"
03.30 - Although Kasim's official website KasimSulton.com isn't really being updated at the moment, a minor update was made yesterday on the Gigs page about his cancelled Borders appearance as it says "CANCELLED DUE TO TRAVEL CHANGES! Sorry, I hope to reschedule soon. - KASIM" Click here to view it. His appearance in Westbury still hasn't been added.
03.00 - The answers to the Advent anagrams for yesterday are:
BEST LIVE MOUTHS - This Must Be Love
IF CARS ICE - Sacrifice
ITS SORE - Stories
MAKE WAY TEA - Take Me Away
RYE MAY - My Year

12/04/02
15.45 - Under the topic "What Shondells" there are a couple of nice posts about Kasim Sulton on the Tommy James messageboard. Click here to read the thread but the two comments about Kasim are:
"In reference to the opening post in this subject...hire better musicians.....ahhh....excuse me Mr. Gsegrob but it doesnt get any better than the legendary Kasim Sulton and the ever so talented John Golden. And by the way...who cares about The Shondells anyway, it's the music we are here for! "
and
"I am new to this board and was startled to learn that Kasim is touring with Tommy. Utopia has always been one of my favorite bands and I love Kasim's singing and bass playing"
12.00 - Just a reminder that the PBS show Red, White and Rock which includes Kasim playing as part of Tommy James and The Shondells will be repeated over the next few days depending on your local station (e.g. tonight it will be repeated in Virginia).
07.00 - Kasim Sulton will receive a brief mention on the radio station WDST in the Woodstock, NY area tomorrow morning at about 8.45am EST. John Barry from The Poughkeepsie Journal has a weekly on-air slot on the Greg Gattine show and will mention Kasim during the slot as he interviewed him yesterday morning for an article. Click here to listen online but remember that it is only a Kasim mention so Kasim himself will not be heard. (All of this was arranged to promote the Meat Loaf concert in the city next Tuesday.) Many thanks to Kasim for forwarding this info.
06.30 - There's a little anagram quiz of Kasim Sulton song titles in the Advent Calendar.
04.30 - I thought that it was time for another Kasim Sulton cartoon. Click here to view it but it'll help to appreciate it if you're a regular viewer of this site.
03.30 - Amazing! KasimInfo.com had 921 page views yesterday!

Rosebud, Pittsburgh Advert

12/03/02
18.45 - These Borders stores are getting worse! The page for the Westbury store are finally listing Kasim (he plays there in 4 days!) but they are calling him Kasim Sultan! Click here to read the event listing but, as it will disappear after the event, it says:
"Kasim Sultan
December 7, 2002
Acoustic performance and CD signing"
The event detail page has a bit of his history but they still demote him to being a "session man" (and in which particular legend does he appear?!!). Click here to read the event detail but, as it will disappear after the event, it says:
"Kasim Sultan
Acoustic performance and CD signing Kasim Sultan, the legendary session man, songwriter, bassist and vocalist of Todd Rundgren, Utopia and Meat Loaf, will perform live and sign copies of his new CD, Quid Pro Quo. This native New Yorker, who got his break in the business playing with cult rocker Cherry Vanilla (a glam rock protegee of David Bowie) back in the mid-'70s, has also recorded and toured with the likes of Patty Smyth, Celine Dion, Hall and Oates, Ronnie Spector and The Indigo Girls. Don't miss Kasim this afternoon at Borders Westbury! "
Click here to let Borders know that Kasim's surname is spelt "Sulton" and that he is a singer / songwriter and not a "session man", legendary or not.
18.30 - Click here for a photo of Kasim.
15.45 - The News section of the site has been updated.
13.15 - Some photos of Kasim Sulton by David M. Driskell at Borders in Cleveland, Ohio have been added to the Photo Gallery or click here for the direct link.
12.00 - Kasim Sulton has sent a message to his mailing list to say that his appearance at Borders in Pittsburgh, PA tomorrow has been cancelled and that he will be posting a series of questions to the messageboard attached to KasimSulton.com - the people who get the answers correct will receive a copy of the Kasim EMI poster.
11.45 - Although it has not yet been confirmed by Kasim (he said at his last online chat that it was "almost" confirmed), his appearance at Borders in Chicago, IL is listed on their website. Click here to view the short listing which is quite amusing as it lists Daniel Levitas discussing and signing copies of The Terrorist Next Door and next door is listed:
"Meet Kasim Sulton
December 13, 2002
Performing from and signing copies of his new CD, Quid Pro Quo"
Unfortunately the event listing is another derogatory one again (hopefully when this appearance is finally confirmed the listing may be changed to something that is more likely to entice people to attend). Click here to view it but, as it will disappear after the event, it says:
"Meet Kasim Sulton
Performing from and signing copies of his new CD, Quid Pro Quo Meet Kasim Sulton, the legendary session man/songwriter/bassist and vocalist of Todd Rundgren and Utopia, as he showcases his distinctive musical and vocal stylings. See and hear Kasim perform in our store on December 13, on tour with Meat Loaf, and on select solo dates this fall/winter 2002-2003. For more information, visit www.KasimSulton.com or www.SphereSound.com."
10.30 - There was an interesting post about Kasim, Kasim fans and Meat Loaf fans on a Todd Rundgren mailing list. Click the link to read it but in part it says:
"So meeting up with people who think about Meat Loaf the way we do Todd Rundgren and listening to them talk was extremely interesting. ..... I have to say the Meat Loaf fans were lots of fun and extremely NICE! The coolest thing is that they connected to Kasim, not through Utopia, but through Meat Loaf and were at the Borders promo to support him just like the faithful (no pun intended) Todd fans. The even cooler thing is that Kasim, being new to this solo stuff, is making his way and constantly becoming more uniquely Kas and less "the guy who used to play with Todd or "the bass player for Meat Loaf". His style of music is HIS and he doesn't sound like a Todd clone and certainly not like Meat. (Wouldn't it be funny if he played a song like All Revved Up during his solo set)? OK...I am kidding, but personally I think Kas has begun to hold his own and has won over a small but growing group of supporters who recognize his talent, appreciate Quid Pro Quo for the awesome piece of work it is and hopefully those numbers will grow. "
09.15 - A review of the Meat Loaf concert that Kasim played in Cleveland on Saturday has been added to the Meat Loaf Winter 2002 / 2003 Tour section of the site or click here for the direct link.
05.45 - There's an unflattering review of Kasim Sulton's set on the Cleveland.com website. Click here to read it but, as I hope it will soon disappear, it is not repeated below.

12/02/02
14.30 - The earlier items have been moved to a new Blog page. The link is at the bottom of this page.
09.30 - Although I think the price is waaaay too low for such a great album, there's a good narrative of both Kasim and Quid Pro Quo on E-Bay at the moment. (It's shame that Borders aren't using this description as the term "session man" isn't used once!) Click here to view it but, as it will disappear after the auction, it says:
"Kasim Sulton Quid Pro Quo (2002 Sphere Sound Records CD109) As a member of Todd Rundgren's Utopia, Kasim Sulton proved he was more than adequate as both a musician and singer, he also wrote many of Utopia's songs, including the top-40 single Set Me Free from their 1980 album Adventures In Utopia. When Todd Rundgren produced Meat Loaf's blockbuster Bat Out Of Hell, Kasim was there to play bass and provide background vocals, and went on after Utopia to play with Meat Loaf on the road, eventually becoming Meat Loaf's musical director. Kasim's also worked with a diverse group of musicians and singers, notably Joan Jett, Patti Smith, and Indigo Girls, as well as reuniting with Todd Rundgren for a few tours.
Now Kasim's got a new CD full of catchy pop tunes that'll have you tappin' your feet. Like many of Rundgren's albums, Kasim performs all vocals and instruments, except for We The People, where he's backed by Jordan Berliant on rhythm guitar and Doug Kennedy on lead guitar. Also, after the last song, followed by several seconds of silence, is a bonus song Love Reunion, which according to the record company, won't be used in later editions.
03.45 - The Quid Pro Quo banner (pictured below) was stolen from the merchandise stand at the Meat Loaf concert in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday night! This approx. 2 foot square sign was the main POS for Kasim's CDs and used to attract people's eyes so they would go over and purchase the album. As it was the only one in existance, I'm sure that any fan would love to have it in their collection but I'm equally sure that if it is returned to Sphere Sound Records undamaged, the FBI will be called off the case!

12/01/02
18.15 - Kasim Sulton's appearance at Borders in Jacksonville is now mentioned on the Borders website but is certainly not one to be read by the faint-hearted as it must be one of the most derogatory introductions to Kasim ever written. Click here to read the listing and here to read the blurb. As they will disappear after the event, they say:
"Kasim Sulton:CD Quid Pro Quo
Kasim Sulton
December 30, 2002 12:00 PM
Jacksonville, FL
Highly coveted sideman Kasim Sulton showcases his new CD Quid Pro Quo in a rare appearance."
and
"Kasim Sulton:CD Quid Pro Quo
Long sought-after as a sideman for musical performances from everyone from Meat Loaf to Celine Dion, Kasim Sulton has had a long, successful career. In 2001 he began to quietly showcase his own music [who writes this rubbish?!], but it was quickly embraced, and word quickly traveled to make his appearances -- not so quiet. Borders is proud to host Kasim Sulton in a signing/performance spotlighting his new CD Quid Pro Quo."
15.45 - Click here for a review of the Cleveland Meat Loaf concert and here for his Verona, NY concert.
15.00 - The News section of the site has been updated.
14.00 - The German band The Crack Of Doom (who describe themselves as "Symphonic Gothic Rock from Germany) have the new KasimSulton.com banner on their links page between Gothic-Links.de and Marillion.com! Click here to view it (the actual link is to KasimInfo.com though).
12.00 - For the young at heart, a Kasim Sulton Advent Calendar has been added to the site.
08.15 - Apparently the PBS Special that Kasim Sulton recorded on 1st May was shown last night. Click here, here and here (with a photo) for more details. The show is expected to be repeated on Wednesday.

An Ampeg advert from circa 1988

11/30/02
14.30 - Jennifer Salyer has added the video of the Fox Television newsclip about the Phildelphia Rock Art Auction to her website. During the second half of the feature, Kasim can be clearly heard singing Set Me Free and there is a nice short interview with him too. Click here to download it.
14.00 - A group of Kasim Sulton and Meat Loaf fans are planning to meet today at 5.30pm in Cleveland before the concert. All are welcome. Click here for more details.
06.45 - Kasim Sulton has posted another message on the messageboard attached to KasimSulton.com. As the messages on that board in time disappear, it says:
"Guys,
I know where there are a few original Kasim posters from his first solo album on EMI.
Anyone interested in one? "
06.30 - A review of the Meat Loaf concert that Kasim Sulton played last night has been added to the Meat Loaf Winter 2002 / 2003 Tour section of the site.

11/29/02
19.30 - Click here to view the interview with Kasim Sulton that was previously mentioned on the front page of this site. It contains "25 things you need to know about Bat Out Of Hell" but, as the article on the newspaper site will not load the whole time, click here to view it on the Mirror Of The Soul website. The two Kasim Sulton quotes are:
"5. Before recording the album at Bearsville Sound Studio in upstate New York, Meat Loaf, Steinman, Rundgren and the other musicians spent three weeks fine-tuning the material in rehearsals. "Meat Loaf gives 200 percent every time he performs a song," says Kasim Sulton, who played bass on "Bat" and in Rundgren's band, Utopia. "It was the same in rehearsals. Meat sang like he was performing in front of 100,000 people. I remember having to hold back from laughing at this spectacle."
9. On "Bat," glorious excess was the name of the game. "I played more notes on there than on any other record since then," says Sulton, who recently released his third solo album, "Quid Pro Quo." He's back on the road with Meat Loaf, playing bass and serving as the tour's musical director. "For 'Bat,' I did what I thought worked - then I did a bit more," Sulton says. "No one ever said, 'You're playing too much.' "
18. Sulton, for one, was initially oblivious to the album's commercial potential. "I thought I'd never hear the record again," he admits. "Meat Loaf was the polar opposite of everything going on in music at the time. But the lyrical content was brilliant, the melodies were great and the delivery was perfect. He sang amazingly." "
01.45 - Auctions for a few Kasim related items came to a close in the past two days with the guitar pic from his Hall and Oates days having 4 bids and reaching a price of $6.50 and yet a copy of the album Kasim obtaining no bids even though the opening price was only $2.99! There were three copies of Quid Pro Quo purchased in the auction tht closed yesterday.

11/28/02
12.30 - Kasim Sulton has a nice mention on the Borders website for the Cleveland Heights store. Click here to read it but as it will disappear after the date, it says:
"Musical Performance and CD Signing: Kasim Sulton
December 1, 2002 2:00 PM
Cleveland Heights, OH
Singer/songwriter Kasim Sulton is stepping into the spotlight with a new CD, Quid Pro Quo as well as opening for Meat Loaf in Cleveland."
Unfortuntely the event link is not as good:
"A highly coveted sideman, Sulton is recognized and respected the world over for his work with other artists, including Todd Rundgren and Utopia, Meat Loaf, Mick Jagger and Celine Dion to name just a few. His level of involvement has ranged from playing bass, keyboards, and/or guitar, to adding vocal harmonies, singing lead, and contributing as a songwriter, to producing entire albums, as he did with the Meat Loaf VH-1 Storytellers CD, released in 1999. There isn't much he hasn't done in his 25 years in the music industry."
03.30 - Just a reminder for those who have bookmarked this page that not all the daily items on the opening page will be posted here so please check the front page too (for example today there is a small section about Thanksgiving Day on the opening page).
03.15 - Many thanks to the people who posted kind messages about the new look of this site on the messageboard attached to KasimSulton.com and thanks to the people who wrote to me privately too - the site had over 800 page hits yesterday!
01.30 - Kasim sent a short message about Thanksgiving Day to his mailing list.

From the timetable at the festival Kasim played in Sheboygan in July

11/27/02
16.00 - Kasim Sulton's appearance is now listed on the Borders site for Monroeville, PA. Click here to view all the events listings for that store (Kasim will be there one hour after Storytime with Miss Rae!) and here to view Kasim's detailed listing. Unfortunately this is another listing which leads with the derogatory description of Kasim as "session man". As the listing will disappear after the event, it says:
"Kasim Sulton
Kasim Sulton, the legendary session man/songwriter/bassist and vocalist of Todd Rundgren, Utopia and Meat Loaf, will be performing live and signing copies of his new CD, Quid Pro Quo."
Click here for more details about Kasim's appearance.
13.45 - The News section of the site has been updated.
13.30 - Just a note about the current Meat Loaf tour that Kasim is playing on: To date there have been no reviews or photos posted anywhere on the Internet of the first few concerts (there is even some doubt as to the number of rehearsal concerts they played). Thankfully some friends will be at the concert tonight and subsequent ones so reviews will be forthcoming.
09.00 - Some of the earlier Blog items have been moved to another page - the link is at the bottom of this page.
04.30 - Kasim Sulton has posted an amusing message on the messageboard attached to KasimSulton.com. As the messages on that board in time disappear, it says:
"Everyone,
The rumors of me traveling to Valparaiso in my private helicoptor are highly exagerated.
It's scheduled for service that week so I've decided the Lear Jet will have to do"
04.00 - A slightly streamlined style KasimInfo.com is now open! The main difference is the new front page and the logo. The site index is also now at the top of the screen instead of on the side and most of the pages are formatted into 600 width tables which should make it easier for people with narrower screens to view more easily. As this wasn't a planned re-vamp(!), not everything is working fully yet (for example the November 2002 News section is formatted but the other months aren't yet) and things like the Links section will be returned soon. While you may wish to bookmark this page for all the site updates, not all the daily items on the opening page will be posted here so please check the front page too. The (ab)normal service of several updates daily will be continued!

The original photo of Kasim on KasimInfo.com (and still one of my favorites!)

Blog38 (11/08/02 - 11/26/02)

Previous Blogs - [8th to 26th Nov] [22nd Oct to 7th Nov] [7th to 21st Oct] [24th Sept to 6th Oct] [10th to 23rd Sept] [22nd Aug to 9th Sept] [3rd to 21st Aug] [19th July to 2nd Aug] [4th to 18th July] [20th June to 3rd July] [1st to 19th June] [10th to 31st May] [21st Apr to 9th May] [4th to 20th April] [15th Mar to 3rd Apr] [2nd to 14th Mar] [21st Feb to 1st Mar] [13th to 20th Feb] [5th to 12th Feb] [26th Dec to 4th Feb]
2001 - [8th to 25th Dec] [21st Nov to 7th Dec] [5th to 20th Nov] [30th Sept to 4th Nov] [13th to 29th Sept] [28th Aug to 12th Sept] [4th to 27th Aug] [27th July to 3rd Aug] [13th to 26th July] [27th June to 12th July] [30th May to 26th June] [3rd to 29th May] [13th April to 2nd May] [1st to 12th April] [12th to 31st March] [18th Feb to 11th March] [2nd to 17th Feb] [1st Jan to 1st Feb]