Raul Duke's Summer Romance is the side project of Godsmack's guitarist Ed D'Amato and Godsmack's bassist, James Berlyoung. The intricacies of Godsmack's music are so deep and mentally exhausting that an outlet project was formed in order to allow the talented musicians to express themselves without putting forth TOO much effort; in short, allowing them to just enjoy what they do without being held to the high standard of quality that Godsmack demands. The other members of the band, Matt O'Donell (offstage guitarist for My Chemical Romance and "sound guy" for Lindsay Lohan tribute band Wishful Thinking) and drummer Jeff Stewart (session drummer for Hall and Oates, B.B. King, and unemployed "Fourth Stooge") are honored to work with the two living legends of Godsmack fame and bring their talent and experience to the band to form a living, breathing entity of pure soul.
Raul Duke on the Road
The following excerpt is from the one and only George Clooney, who witnessed Raul Duke's Summer Romance playing their internationally acclaimed show in Copenhagen:
"You guys have the purest souls I've ever seen. Fuck yeah, guys.. Fuck yeah"
The now famous quote was given during a standing ovation after the band's explosive and paradigm-shattering performance in Copenhagen. What is now considered to be a part of history is made ever more poignant given the problems in the world today, and the way in which Raul Duke's Summer Romance has gone about confronting them.
After Raul Duke's revolutionary performance in Copenhagen, which was cited as the single-handed cause of the country's absolution of Communism and adoption of both Democracy and Human Rights simultaneously, the band continued their European tour on what was considered then to be the "B" circuit, or the countries in which the gross national product was less then the admission price of a ticket (much against their agent's advice!). A bold move by a bold band led to radical political reform all across Europe, eventually ushering in the dissolution of the U.S.S.R. and the end of the 30 year long Cold War.
Can anything more be said about Raul Duke's Summer Romance that is not already common knowledge? Being the single most influential musical group of our time is a heavy burden of responsibility for the members of the band, but it is carried gracefully and with a smile. Raul Duke's Summer Romance is about the music and about overthrowing established governments, and the massive, unyielding and unrelenting support they've found in the once-disillusioned world is proof that their message rings true, even today. There is a little bit of Raul Duke in us all.
The Future
What's in store for the future of the group? After talking with guitarist Matt O'Donell about his plans in an exclusive interview, Larry King had this to say:
"If only the sugar... were as sweet as you"
This baffling display of a Hans Moleman impersonation by Larry King, whom was to that date not known to be a fan of the Simpsons at all, is proof that the future holds a new, exciting world for us all, a better world, and we can't help but credit Raul Duke's Summer Romance for their tireless efforts in the name of peace, kindness, and humanitarianism.
Book of Ed, verse 3:21: Hope is not dead as long as the tour bus rolls, and we can rejoice and praise our earthly gods with the satisfaction that comes from certainty; the blind misery of "faith" is a thing of the past! Give us Golden Idols, I say! Give us men to worship! We want living gods, god-emperors of humanity! We tire of reaching towards the sky for answers, we want words and deeds not ideals and vagaries! Give us Golden Idols, I say, and erect them in the likenesses of our four immortal Poets of Peace; Ed, Jeff, James and Matt, the real gods! *** Taken from the Book of Bat Country, this phrase is an adequate depiction of the level of fanaticism that many are subscribing to as Raul Duke plods onward against adversity. The Cult of Ed is one of many upstart religions that have been founded around the band's philosophies.
Religious tenets aside, the establishment of the Raul Duke's Fund for African Baby Children's Babies marked the band's historic 40th year on the road. The fund accepts donations that are all doubled by the band and earmarked for the restoration of children's hospitals in war-torn countries. Continuing their modern crusade seems almost inevitable, as the momentum that has been driving the super-group for the past three decades seems almost divine, and has yet to show any sign of powering down. One can imagine a trip through their life as a blurry dream, a dream of eating from the plate of selflessness, giving from the cup of inifinity and taking from the cask of self-sacrifice, and as we are unfortunate mortals, unable to do more then dream, we can only eagerly await the future, to see what miracles might yet come to pass in the wake of their 37th tour. Stay tuned, world!
