The cover of “Richard and the Young Lions, Volume 1.”
“Gigs await!,” Steven Van Zandt posted on Twitter this morning, announcing auditions for a new lead singer for Richard & the Young Lions.
A Newark-based garage-rock band that released three singles in the ’60s — including “Open Up Your Door,” which became a regional hit — Richard & the Young Lions reunited to play some shows and record some new music for an album, with Van Zandt serving as producer, in the early 2000s. Frontman Richard Tepp died in 2004, and the tracks were shelved, but Van Zandt’s Wicked Cool label is getting ready to finally release the album, titled Richard and the Young Lions, Volume 1.
The thing is, though, the surviving band will need a new lead singer to perform live, to promote the album.
The message on Van Zandt’s Twitter account read: “Just a few days after his final vocal on the album Richard Tepp died. We put the album on the shelf for ten years. We now realize Richard and the band’s great work deserves to be heard. We need somebody to sing this amazing album live. Send us a video singing along. Gigs await!”
The tweet linked to another one from Wicked Cool’s account, saying: “Richard & The Young Lions are finally releasing their debut album ‘Volume 1’ — an album 51 years in the making — and they’re searching for a lead singer! Click on the link below for a chance to win an audition with Steven Van Zandt and The Young Lions. https://app.wyng.com/5b7c5e54a90239.
The link is to a page that contains audition instructions.
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