Film @ 11


Pre-Release Event For Jerry's New Solo CD - Just Letting It All Go

Jerry Hludzik will be performing at a pre-release event for his upcoming solo CD, Just Letting It All Go. He will be singing songs from the new CD, standards from his catalog and other well known favorites.

A limited number of Pre-release CDs will be available for $15.00. Hludzik will be available to sign them.

The performance will take place on Saturday, April 18th, 2009 from 8pm-11pm at the Holiday Inn, West Chester, PA.

Holiday Inn West Chester
943 South High Street
West Chester, PA 19382
610-692-1900


Dakota Part Of Family Tree

It's all in the family - at least according to Alan K. Stout. In his online column, From The Buoys To Benjamin, Stout attempts to create a family tree of sorts that shows the connections between many Northeastern Pennsylvania bands.
Click here to check it out!


Grand Opening for It'sAboutMusic.com

ItsAboutMusic.com is having it's grand opening. The online, digital download store has individual tracks and entire albums from all of your favorite artists (including Dakota, of course!) available for download.

Pricing is as follows:
Albums are priced in such a way as to reflect the number of tracks on that album. If the price of a download is $.79 then an album containing ten songs will be $7.90. However, no album is priced higher than $12.99 for download including double album sets. This will also be true when their opening special price for a download of $.79 per track increases to the normal price of $.89 after their grand opening ends.


Download Dakota at e.Music.com

eMusic.com now has the Dakota catalog available for those of you that like to download your music. To use this service, you first have to set up an account. eMusic.com offers a free, two week trail period, during which you can download up to 50 songs. After that, eMusic.com offers three plans:

eMusic Basic 
40 Song Downloads per month 
$9.99 per month 
 
 eMusic Plus 
65 Song Downloads per month 
$14.99 per month 
 
 eMusic Premium 
90 Song Downloads per month 
$19.99 per month     

Spreading The Word...

Jerry and Rick are talking about Deep 6 to anybody who will listen!. Recently, they've taped station ID's for AORmanaics and Rock Angels. (AORmanaics is currently playing Into The Night and Tonight Could Last Forever from the 1984 Dakota classic, Runaway.) Jerry and Rick have also completed an hour long special for Munich's Hardest Hits that will feature classic Dakota as well as cuts from the new Dakota release, Deep 6. Scheduled air date is May 9 - no word yet on the time.

Also, Jerry and Rick have just completed an intervew for Strutter'Zine. Click here to check it out!

There is also a new interview at Peitersen.com. Click here to take a look.


Munich Loves Dakota!

Not only has Munich's Hardest Hits has been playing cuts from Deep 6 in heavy rotation, but they've named Dakota's latest release as their "CD Of The Week."

You can cast a vote for Deep 6 by going to http://www.munichshardesthits.com/. If you don't speak German, click on "English." Look for the "CD Of The Week" hyperlink at the top of the page and click on that. Then, click on Dakota and cast your vote! (It's one vote per email address - if you have more than one address...you know what to do!)

Hear Dakota at Munich's Hardest Hits - http://www.munichshardesthits.com/.


New NEPAtoday.com Dakota Article Online

NEPAtoday.com has a brand new article about Dakota, and Deep 6. Mark Uricheck, NEPAtoday.com Music Contributor, has written an article that touches upon Dakota's past, present, and future, and includes quotes from one Jerry G. Hludzik. NEPAToday.com has also named Deep 6 as their "Album Of The Week." Click here to read NEPAtoday.com's article.


Hear Dakota On The Web!

Tired of waiting for your favorite radio station to start playing your Dakota requests? Now you can hear Dakota on the World Wide Web. Several internet radio stations have added Dakota to their playlists. Here are two we know about, so far:
Munich's Hardest Hits (Germany)
AORManiacs Radio (Italy)


WDMT Is First Station To Play New Dakota!

WDMT, The Mountain (102.3 FM, Pittston, PA), was the first radio station in America to play the new Dakota CD, Deep 6. (Mountain listeners heard Not Just The Night at 9:39 AM on Monday, March 15, 2004.) If you're in the area, call or email your Dakota request, and tell them to keep the Dakota coming! (By the way, when was the last time you heard If It Takes All Night or All Thru The Night on the radio?)


Deep 6 Is Featured Album Of The Week
Glory Daze has named Deep 6 as their Featured Album Of The Week.


Give Up Your Guns Won't Give Up

In 1979, years after The Buoys originally recorded the Rupert Holmes penned, Give Up Your Guns, the song became a hit in Holland, reaching #5 on the European charts. Jerry and Bill Kelly went to Europe to promote the tune, doing radio and TV shows, one in particular was the popular Top of the Pops. The song has remained so popular over there, that it has made the Top 100 Songs of All Time list (it placed at #50.) CLICK HERE TO SEE THE LIST.


New Online Interview With Dakota's Rick Manwiller
Click here to read Nicky Baldrian's (of AOR Dream Zone) interview with Rick Manwiller.


Uncle Jerry Wants You!!!

Contact Your Radio Station - Request Dakota!

Dakota needs you! American radio thinks there is no interest in bands like Dakota. Dakota needs you to tell them they're wrong. Use the link below to find contact information for your radio station, then call, write, or email your radio station and ask, beg, demand that they play the new Dakota for you. Do this early and often, and, tell your friends!

 

Find Your Radio Station!


Jerry Christmas 2 U 2

Jerry Christmas 2 U 2
Jerry would like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year. Jerry's holiday spirit moved him to record a new Christmas CD, entitled Jerry Christmas 2 U 2. You can order your copy directly from Jerry. While you're at it, check out his previous Christmas CD, Jerry Christmas.

DEEP 6 CD Cover

Check Out Deep 6 mp3 Samples
Can't wait until the new Dakota album, Deep 6, is released? (The album will be released on December 16th in Europe and Japan and online at Melody Boulevard. Melody Boulevard is now taking pre-orders. (Melody Boulevard also carries previous Dakota albums, as well as solo projects from Jerry and Rick.) The band has posted Deep 6 mp3 samples online at: http://www.digital-mixes.com/D6/ .

"Short samples of 8 of the 12 songs are there, plus one full-length mix of the last track, Deep 6, which is something special we added to this CD - a collage of all the song choruses strung together, a cappella. (That means just vocals, for those of you who flunked Italian, like I did," says Dakota keyboardist, Rick Manwiller.


2004 Could Be Big Year For Dakota and Dakota Fans
Now that Dakota's new album has been sent to the plant, the members of Dakota are looking to the new year. Very early, and very tentative plans include:

  • a two-part, Best Of Dakota, with Part One scheduled for a Spring/Summer 2004 release, and Part Two to follow Summer/Fall, 2004;

  • a new Dakota album (working title: Dakota - Shallow 7) scheduled for a Christmas, 2004 release.

Again, all of this is very early and very tentative. Stay tuned for more details and Film@11!


DEEP 6 CD Cover All Mixed Up - Jerry & Rick Finish Mixing Deep 6 ; Release Date Set
Jerry and Rick have finished mixing the upcoming Dakota album, Deep 6 and have sent out the finished masters to the plant. The album will be released on December 16th in Europe and Japan and online at Melody Boulevard. Melody Boulevard is now taking pre-orders. (Melody Boulevard also carries previous Dakota albums, as well as solo projects from Jerry and Rick.)

Lost Tracks & The Last Standing Man To Be Re-Released As 2-CD Set

In addition to finishing Deep 6, Jerry and Rick have re-mastered Lost Tracks (1987) and The Last Standing Man (1997) for release as a two-CD set. Each disc will include previously unreleased bonus tracks. The two-disc set will be released on December 16, along with the new Dakota CD, Deep 6, and can be pre-ordered at Melody Boulevard. (Melody Boulevard also carries previous Dakota albums, as well as solo projects from Jerry and Rick.)

Bonus Tracks:
    
  Lost Tracks bonus tracks - My Turn Now, Hot Summer Night and Cross That Line.
       The Last Standing Man bonus tracks - Mission Of Love and Like Me.


Track Listing for Deep 6 Announced
Work on the upcoming Dakota album, Deep 6 is nearing completion. The track list has been finalized and here it is:

      Brothers In Arms
      Holdin' Your Own (featuring Bill Kelly)
      Back To Me (featuring Bill Champlin)
      Not So Much In Love
      What Were You Thinkin' (featuring Bill Kelly)
      That Awful Day
      Eye Of The Storm
      Not Just The Night
      Right This Minute (featuring Bill Kelly)
      Shut Up And Drive
      The Ride
      Luck, Time And Mind
      Deep 6

 

DEEP 6 CD Cover   

Deep 6 - Coming Soon...


New Dakota Album, Deep 6, Almost Ready to Surface

Deep Six, the upcoming album from Dakota, is going through the final stages of mixing. "We're coming down the stretch. I've been on the road a lot working with Jimmy Wayne, and our mixing time has been limited. We're finishing up this week and shipping it out for manufacture. If the Olympics ever open a category for anal-retentive digital mix tweaking, Jerry and I will take the gold," says Dakota keyboardist, Rick Manwiller.

Bill Champlin, of Chicago fame, and Dakota co-founder, Bill Kelly, both contribute to the new album.

"Champ is always very busy (plus he lives about 3,000 miles away), and we were very lucky to get him to contribute to one song, but it's great," says Manwiller. "Kelly is also far away and busy, so we only had him for one fun day in the studio, but he flew into town and sang his @$$ off on 3 of the songs."


Bill Kelly Back In Studio With Dakota
Ronald Regan was president. The Soviet Union was boycotting the Los Angeles Olympic games. Madonna, Prince, and Tina Turner were all over the airwaves. The year was 1984, and that was the last time Bill Kelly, Rick Manwiller, and Jerry shared a recording studio. That is, until last month, when the three musicians put aside years of ego, hard feelings and creative differences to work together on the upcoming Dakota album, Deep Six. The emotional reunion resulted in three tracks for the upcoming CD.

Jerry Marries Long-Time Sweetheart
In a ceremony held on Kailu Beach on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, Jerry married long-time friend and sweetheart, Annie Winte Sheafer. The wedding took place on July 20, 2003, in front of a small group of family and friends.

Jerry Gives Interview In Glory Daze
Jerry recently gave an interview to Lee Bradfield of Glory Daze. Glory Daze is the new e-magazine from the website Heart Of The Rock. The interview appears in the June, 2003 issue. Check it out at http://www.glory-daze.com/.

New Dakota Album Will Feature The Return Of Bill Kelly

Dakota is currently in the studio working on their 6th album, Deep 6. The project, scheduled for release Fall, 2003, will feature the guest return of Dakota co-founder, Bill Kelly on several tracks. The CD will be available in Europe and Japan, and online from MelodyBlvd.com.


Chicago's Bill Champlin To Lend Vocals To New Dakota Album

Bill Champlin, of the band, Chicago, will be lending his voice to the new Dakota album, Deep Six. Champlin has worked with Dakota on the last two albums, providing background vocals and a killer duet with Jerry (Brother To Brother from the Little Victories CD.) For more information about Champlin, check out his website at BillChamplin.com.


Now Available On CD

Jerry-Kelly's 1978 album, Somebody Else's Dream, Dakota's 1980 self-titled debut, and the 1984 Dakota classic, Runaway have all been remastered and reissued on CD. The repackaged albums include liner notes, lyrics, vintage photographs and bonus tracks. You can get your copies from MelodyBlvd.com, or you can email Jerry directly.


Ashley Gearing DreamWorks Project
Listen To Me, a song written by Jerry and Annie W. Sheafer was, after "heavy consideration" by the folks at DreamWorks, ultimately passed on by Ashley Gearing, an up-and-coming artist who just celebrated her 12th birthday and the release of her first album. Ashley, however, did pick a song penned by Dakota keyboardist Rick Manwiller and Jimmy Harnen. Can You Hear Me When I Talk To You entered the National Country Charts at number 70. Find out more about Ashley, and her work with Rick and Jimmy, at her website AshleyGearing.com. Congratulations to Rick and Jimmy, and best of luck to Ashley!

Trac Racing

Jerry has submitted All For 1...1 For All to Trac Racing for consideration as their theme song. The song, co-written with T. Vergnetti, is under "heavy consideration" for Trac Racing's national promotional campaign. Things continue to come together for Trac Racing - they've just signed a television contract with ESPN.


Red Barons Baseball

The Red Barons Philadelphia Philles AAA Baseball team announced that their 2003 season will kick off in mid-March with a new look and sound. The campaign will feature a new jingle/theme song written and performed by Jerry G. Hludzik and Rick Manwiller of the band Dakota.

Lackawanna County Stadium Authority and Rick Munteen, general manager of the Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons, and the advertising agency, BENCHMARK, love the jingle! “It was right on the money!! It’s just what we need!”

Also, either Jerry or Jerry & Rick (if Jerry pays him a million dollars) will perform the song and sing the national anthem during pre-game ceremonies sometime in June.

Members of Dakota as well as Jerry solo and with son, Eli, sang the anthem dozens of times over the years of the franchise…and Eli was a Baron’s batboy at age 8 and 9. Jerry is a big fan and got to know and hang with the likes of a few guys who made it to the big leagues (Mickey Morrendeni, Keith Miller, Andy Ashby, and Greg Legg, not that anybody’s name-dropping!)

”It was fun to do…and I’m proud to now be a part and ingrained in the landscape of The Scranton/Wilkes Barre Red Barons!!” says Jerry.


New Buoys Album

In addition to the new Dakota album, Jerry is remastering the Buoys' previously unreleased 2nd album, originally recorded for Polydor in 1972. Tracks include:

 

Don't Try To Run

Songs Of How I Feel

Look Back America

Downtown Singer

The Clown

Low Girl

It's A Lonely Day

Liza's Last Ride

Dreams

Everybody Wants To Be

Candles

Hludzik/Brozena/Kelly

Kelly/Hludzik

Hludzik/Brozena

Kelly

Hludzik/Brozena

Kelly

Hludzik

Hludzik/Brozena/Kelly

Hludzik/Brozena

Hludzik/Brozena

Kelly/Hludzik


Christmas Compilation Album

CSK Automotive, a west-coast chain of over 1,130 auto-parts stores, is putting out a Christmas Compilation CD. The CD will feature two of Jerry's song's - The Glow Of Christmas, written by Jerry, and Followin' The Lone Star, by Jerry and Carson Mader. The CD will be available at CSK stores and from their website. All proceeds go to the Boys and Girls Club of America. Last year’s CD sold 25,000 copies, and CSK is expecting to double that this year.