Saxophonist Mark Rivera

If I were to jock up this break...hey its a great day outside....here's that new song from Mark Rivera... You'd probably find every reason to tune out. But what would your reaction be if I went totally early 70's FM Radio where the communicator on those two speakers pulled out a chair...and asked you to spend more than a moment inside the careful cut edges of a vinyl discovery. One that's been with us for decades and yet there's barely a one of us that can pinpoint why we know Mark's name. Oh you know him. The chances are huge that you've seen him perform live with Billy Joel, Ringo Starr, Elton, Bruce, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oats and even Simon and Garfunkel. Art is like a fine wine. You can't rush time. Because inside this moment Mark is finally given himself permission. To step away from the fame and be himself. On project called Common Bond So what is it? This is how the label answered the question: Common Bond brings Mark's musical talents to the frontline, shining the spotlight on his vocals, guitar, keyboards, percussion, flute, harmonica and horns, and supported by a cast of all-star musicians. A lifetime in the making, Rivera and producer Jimmy Bralower set the lofty goal not just to collaborate on an album, but to capture the spirit of the broad palate of sounds and styles that have shaped their careers and bring fans to a familiar place with new music. The songs, including seven co-written by Mark, paint an eclectic collage of those musical influences. The album was recorded at Avatar Studios in NYC, where Mark also recorded what has become one of his career defining horn performances on Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”. Mark has brought together a group of some of his favorite musicians (and friends) to join him on the album including Charley Drayton on drums (Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Fiona Apple, Courtney Love), Steve Conte on guitar (New York Dolls, Willie DeVille, Billy Squier, Eric Burdon & The Animals), Jeff Kazee on keyboards (Southside Johnny, Bon Jovi), and John Conte on bass (John Mayer, Peter Wolf, Jon Bon Jovi, Levon Helm) as well as collaborators Johnny Gale and Karen Manno. Common Bond also features performances by very special guests Ringo Starr on drums ("Money, Money, Money"), Billy Joel on Hammond B3 ("Spanish Castle Magic”), Nils Lofgren on guitar ("Hard To Let Go”), Robert Randolph's soaring pedal steel guitar on "Money Money Money" and Steve Lukather's haunting guitar accompaniment on the album's closer “Rise”. Catch Mark on Face Book Twitter Find out more about Mark