New Studio Album: The Immediate Family, Skin In The Game
Skin In The Game…
The Immediate Family’s much-anticipated new studio album, Skin In The Game, will be released on February 16, 2024, via Quarto Valley Records. The legendary musicians’ second full-length studio album is a skillful combination of power and precision, fun and introspection, featuring soaring harmonies and a burst of R&B with the pure essence of rock and roll. Produced by the band themselves, Skin In The Game’s fourteen tracks showcase the remarkably versatile musical skills possessed by all five members of The Immediate Family: singer/songwriter/guitarists Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, and Steve Postell, and one of the most renowned rhythm sections in rock history, Russ Kunkel and Leland Sklar.
Launching with the raucous opening track “Whole Lotta Rock and Roll,” the album’s thirteen original songs exuberantly careen from funky rockers such as “24/7/365,” “Confusion” and “Lost in the Shuffle” to gentler numbers, such as “Fragile Heart” and “Catch You on the Other Side.” On “Looking Away,” they effortlessly build the emotional drama by shifting from restrained acoustic guitars to a blast of electric guitar fury. Similarly, the band’s satiric edge can slide from the dark side on “Party at the Graveyard” to the lighter-hearted fun of “High Maintenance.” Sklar and Kunkel’s subtly profound ways of building and holding down a song’s foundation are present throughout Skin In The Game. The album’s title track begins with Kunkel’s drumbeat, complemented by Sklar’s sonorous bass. Together they bring a gravitas that supports the song’s message that life isn’t just about the money; you need to have heart, soul, pride, and be willing to risk everything – “skin in the game.”
The first single from Skin In The Game is its only cover tune: an arresting reimagining of Sparks’ “The Toughest Girl in Town.” The Immediate Family’s rendition, initially released in October of 2022, was hailed by Guitar Player Magazine as: “Injected with a shot of rock ‘n’ roll prowess, ‘The Toughest Girl in Town’ is transformed from eccentric synth-pop gem to ax-centric masterpiece.” Watch the video HERE. The second single, the title track “Skin In The Game,” will be released in January 2024.
The tight-knit quintet (Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar and Steve Postell) initially rose to prominence working with some of rock’s biggest names, such as Keith Richards, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Carole King, Jackson Browne, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Billy Joel, David Crosby and Joni Mitchell, to name a few – but now they have reinforced their own identity as The Immediate Family. “This band has such power. It’s almost like an embarrassment of riches,” states Wachtel. “We just knew we had all moved up to the next level in the group. It was such a great feeling, one that is the real reason all of us do what we do.” Leland Sklar adds, “The Immediate Family’s unrivaled musical chemistry comes from years of playing together. We all know each other backward and forward and can play to each other’s strengths in ways that other groups can’t always get to.”
The band’s unique, decades-long musical journey is the subject of the full-length documentary, Immediate Family, by acclaimed filmmaker Denny Tedesco (director of The Wrecking Crew). The film tracks the rise and collaborations of this group of legendary studio musicians Danny Kortchmar, Waddy Wachtel, Russ Kunkel, and Leland Sklar, through the 1970s and onward, spotlighting their prestigious partnerships and their indelible mark that helped define the sound of a generation. Immediate Family is a backstage tour of rock history, featuring intimate interviews with the band members, as well as memorable stories from some of music’s most iconic performers including Carole King, James Taylor, Linda Ronstadt, Neil Young, Keith Richards, Don Henley, Stevie Nicks, David Crosby, Jackson Browne, Lyle Lovett and Phil Collins. Immediate Family will be released by Magnolia Pictures in theaters for special one-night screenings on December 12th and will be available everywhere on December 15th.
