Tough Deal Official Website!!!

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Jan 22, 2012

As we wind our way towards the last week of the first month of the New Year, I am reminded that my New Year’s Resolution to be a “Better Communicator” is NOT off to a good start. But HEY! Gimme a break it is STILL the first month of the year – so here we go ...

Hope your January has been great and that you survived the holidays with grace and dignity. For those that celebrated in GRAND STYLE – Congratulations! and thanks for keeping the economy going.

Tough Deal has been hard at work with barely a let up over the holidays although I do seem to remember albeit vaguely a very interesting New Year’s Eve celebration. The CD – DON’T YOU FOLD – is selling well. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet – it is available on iTunes as well as, Amazon.com. Of course, you can always pick up a copy at one of our shows ... aaaaannnd on that note ...

We have some terrific dates lined up with loads more on the way. We are sure to be coming to a venue near you soon. We are adding more dates seemingly every other day and there is a great reason for that >>>>> we’ll fill you in on that with the next Blog <<<<<< the important thing is to check back here on our Shows page frequently to see where we’ll be and when we’re gonna be there.

O’Banks in Ashland is next up on Feb 4th which is the first Saturday next month. We always look forward to entertaining our faithful followers in the Mechanicsville/Ashland area.

LEGEND’s Restaurant and Pub will be celebrating its 18th birthday on the 19th of February which is a Sunday. TOUGH DEAL is looking forward to being a featured performer at the festivities. Check back to the “Shows” page for the details.

That’s a good rule for all of our performances. Be sure and check back here on the website and our “Shows” page for any and all updates regarding dates, times and specifics on any of our shows as these things are subject to change.

You can also Follow us on Facebook. Like everyone else we know – we are spending more and more time there. We make sure our TOUGH DEAL Facebook Page has the most current info. Click on the link here.

Like us or Follow us by clicking the appropriate button. We make it sooo easy. You do that and we’ll make sure you’re in the know on everything that’s going on with US.

From Kathy – Mike – Matt – Carl and Mark HAPPY NEW YEAR!

More later - TD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE!!!

October 19, 2011

Wonders truly do never cease.

It is hard to believe that it was a little more than 3 months ago when we set up in Minimum Wage Studio to lay down our tracks for DON’T YOU FOLD.

Ever since then the learning curve has been steep with an endless stream of items being added to our “To Do” list daily. While never flagging on excitement or enthusiasm I cannot tell you how anxious we were to get to the end of the list and have the cd’s ‘in hand.’

Well ....

That day has arrived. October 18, 2011 will go down in history as the day the postman found his way to our door with our finished product in hand. A VERY happy day indeed.

Details (always – more details) regarding the official CD RELEASE Party will be forthcoming in the very near future. In the meantime, we will have a supply of DON’T YOU FOLD cd’s with us at all of our shows.

If you can’t wait for us to get to your town (or country) you can order a copy here on the website. Just click the “Buy Now” button conspicuously located on all of our main pages. We will have this link up and operational just as quickly as possible.

We’ve also got our web designer feverishly working to get song samples available for your listening pleasure so you can hear before you click “Buy Now.”

Here are some of our upcoming dates…

Oct 29, 2011 - 8pm to 11pm
Legends Brewery
321 W 7th Street
Richmond, VA 23224
Phone: (804) 231-3446

Nov 04, 2011 (Sat) - 9pm to 1am
Daddio's Grille - $3 cover charge
12385 Gayton Road
Richmond, VA 23238
Phone: (804) 754-1488

Nov 11, 2011 (Special Veterans Day Show)
Emilio's Woodlake
7016 Woodlake Commons Loop
Midlothian, VA 23112
Phone: (804) 639-8099

Nov 12, 2011 – 8pm to 11:30pm
O’Banks Tavern - Hanover Air Park
10392 Leadbetter Road
Ashland, VA 23005
Phone: (804) 550-3888

Nov 26, 2011 (Sat) - 7:30pm to 10:30pm - Early show – all ages - no admission
Brunetti’s Restaurant
9167 Atlee Road – Mechanicsville, VA 23116
Phone: (804) 730-2339

Come out and see us. Pick up a copy and give it a listen. Let us know what you think.

Til we see you next time

Happy Halloween!!!

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September 14, 2011

So! Here we are. Hope you had a great summer. The earthquake and Hurricane Irene not withstanding we hope you enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day Weekend.

Cannot believe we have reached the middle of September already! So much has been going on that I needed to put on the brakes long enough to catch you up on our latest comings and goings.

Item #1 - A big Howdy! How are ya - Welcome to Matt Martin!!! Our newest member has just posted his picture along with his bio. We are very glad to have him and at the risk of inflating his ego beyond industry recommendations we feel very fortunate to have him. He's played with some terrific National as well as local talents. Check him out on our BIO's Page.

Item #2 - So many of you have asked about an E-mail list that we felt like we had to add that feature to our website. It's quick 'n easy. It will allow you to keep up with us much more readily. It will also allow us to let you know whenever we are doing anything in your neighborhood. You can find the sign up buttons on our HOMEPAGE and all other pages of the website. Sign up TODAY!

Item #3 - Last but certainly not least, we need to bring you up to speed on where we are with the release of Don't You Fold. The release of our cd is getting closer and closer. The music has been recorded, mixed and mastered. The arts and graphics have been submitted and approved. We will be sending everything to the Honchos that turn all of that material into pretty packages for you by the first of next week. Once they review it all they will let us know how quickly they can turn it around for us. Stay tuned for further updates. You'll know as soon as we do - I promise!!

Every step of the way we have been helped, supported and encouraged by some wonderful folks. We have compiled a "MUST BE THANKED" list and we'll be sharing that with you in our next writing. We could not have gotten to this point without them and we want to recognize them individually.

Check out our SHOWS page on the site. We have got some great venues coming up including the Tobacco Company this Saturday (9/17)! We always have a great time there. The rest of September and October find us revisiting some old friends as well as making a debut appearance at LEGENDS BREWRY Halloween weekend (10/29). We're gonna be somewhere near ya soon so be sure and come on out and see us

Come out and see us! ~ TD

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August 02, 2011

Summer is in full swing and TOUGH DEAL is ready!

Ready for the temperatures to drop back to some level that is tolerable!!!

Hope you are staying cool, beatin' the heat and enjoying all the great things about this time of year. Aren't cook outs great? Especially the part where you get to come back indoors where the air conditioner is working!

Visit our Gallery page to see some shots of our time in the studio as well as our recent shows.

Our time in the studio was a blast. We cannot thank Lance at Minimum Wage Studios enough for all of his expertise, time and talent. He was a total PRO to work with and the final result will be testament to his hands on treatment of our songs.

The recording and editing of all fourteen songs is complete. We spent 300% more time with playbacks and editing than we did with the recording. That was due in part to the fact that we were amazed at how good the tracks came out. Mostly though we were concerned that every song flow smoothly and seamlessly one to the other. In large measure those results were attained and now we move onto the mastering phase of this project. Sure is a lot different than when we plug in and play for you at your favorite night spot!

Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted as to our progress and the anticipated arrival date of DON'T YOU FOLD.

After a very intensive Spring and Summer TOUGH DEAL is going to enjoy a few weeks off here in the middle part of August.

Thanks so much for your interest and support of everything we do. We can't wait to head back out in the Fall to a local tavern near you. Check back often for show dates and times.

See ya soon! ~ TD

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July 08, 2011

Hello Folks! - Hope everybody's doing well and had a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

The recording went well; ten of fourteen songs are mixed and ready for mastering. The Final 4 will be mixed mid month and mastered shortly thereafter. Art work + CD replication and packaging to follow ASAP once we have the mastered product. Hopefully well in advance of the Christmas shopping season. Order early and order often!!! Operators are standing by (LOL)!!!

Here's a few photos from the sessions: CLICK HERE!

Stay Cool! ~ TD

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June 01, 2011

The heat has been so intense around here that I haven't been able to put two coherent sentences together. Hope you've been doing well and that your air conditioning is fully functional. The scariest moment I've had in a long time was having to get the A/C tech over to resurrect the unit at the Tough Deal rehearsal hall. After an initial diagnosis that was frighteningly expensive to consider we found some bubble gum and bailing wire to hold it together for a little longer. Let the party ROLL ON!

June promises to be a very exciting month for Tough Deal …

Just a few days from now we'll be heading down the road for a much anticipated return to J M Randall's - The Hottest Spot in Williamsburg. Several of our friends plan on stopping in for some guest appearances on stage so be sure and be there!

We have a couple of first time visits on the calendar; as well as, shows at some of our regular stops.

An outdoor concert at The Diamond is on the agenda for Father's Day

O'Banks Tavern in Mechanicsville has been on our radar for some time now and we are delighted to be making our debut visit there on the 11th. Ya'll saddle up and head over there. It's sure to be a great night.

Check out all the details for all of our dates on our SHOWS Page. We'll be heading to your neck 'o' the woods soon. C'mon out and say, "Hi!"

June's schedule will give us plenty of chances to put our newest songs in top flite form. We're very excited about the chance to give you a sneak preview of what will be on our new cd.

Don't forget! One month from today…we'll be ramped, ready and in the studio…

Stay Tuned….and stay cool! - TD

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May 10, 2011

TOUGH DEAL Heads South of the River
This weekend finds TOUGH DEAL heading South of the James as we look forward to entertaining our Good Friends at Emilio's Woodlake. Saturday, May 14, at 9 p.m. Now you know the who, what, when and where.

Emilio's intimate setting provides the perfect combination of a great sounding room, terrific kitchen preparing fresh selections, friendly staff and a great wine list. Their fully stocked bar is also a big plus for those that like their libations straight up or on the rocks.

We have been working on several of the newest additions to our original music and are looking forward to performing them this Saturday. Little by little we are getting things in shape for a great recording session.

Currently we have 14 new songs planned for the cd. We have the rest of May to get them fleshed out and the month of June to road test them for you. Right before the 4th of July Holiday will find TOUGH DEAL hard at work with our producer and engineer laying down these tracks.

We'll keep you posted as to our thoughts and progress leading up to the event. TD

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May 1, 2011
"So ………… how do you like our NEW website? We are so grateful to our good friend Crawdaddy Dave for makin' us look so good. This is something that has been months in planning and it only took him hours to execute. With that kind of efficiency I need to spend more time hangin' around with him. No tellin' how much could get done in a couple days. Please stop by often and wander around. We still have our facebook (www.facebook.com/toughdeal) and myspace (www.myspace.com/toughdeal) pages. You can connect to them right here from the website. Leave us your questions and comments. We love to hear from ya and wanna get yer feedback.

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Sunday, May 1, 2011

Now for a little band business. Just to keep ya in the loop on all that's fresh and interesting we have an announcement…..

TOUGH DEAL would like to share our appreciation for and gratitude to David Aldrich. His talent, energy and efforts have helped get us up and running. Even more they have brought us as a band to the point on which we now stand.

As we ready ourselves to go into the studio to record our first cd we say "THANK YOU" to David as he departs to pursue other musical and familial interests. It has been our pleasure to work with him and we wish him and his family all the best. We look forward to seeing him again somewhere on the road.

Stepping in and joining us is our good friend John Sheppard. The rhythm section remains rock solid with his steady influence and the band is tighter than ever. John has played with many of our good friends. His resume includes Lil Ronnie and the Grand Dukes, Jumpin' Johnny and the Blues Party, Big Joe and the Dynaflows, Terry Garland……etc……Obviously, we are thrilled to have him in our company. Let the Good Times Roll on!!!!!!!!!

We have a great show schedule running through the Spring and Summer. Check out our "SHOWS" page. We will be at a juke joint near you in the very near future. Come see us and welcome John to the West Coast Blues Groove!!