Latest news with #Turtles
The Star
22-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Turtles defender Landis vows to fire up fans with solid show
PETALING JAYA: Terengganu's new Brazilian import Diego Landis (pic) is not just here to defend but he is here to inspire. The 28-year-old, who arrived in Malaysia just days ago, has settled down ahead of the Super League starting on Aug 8 after passing his medical and fitness tests in Kuala Lumpur. Though a defender by trade, Landis aims to bring excitement to the stands. 'I've met my teammates and coaches, and now I just want to get started,' said Landis, who stands tall at 1.93m. 'I know I'm here to defend but I want to give performances that truly energise the supporters. 'Terengganu are one of the biggest clubs in Malaysia, and I've heard how passionate the fans can be. I'm excited to play in front of them.' Under the guidance of coach Badrul Afzan Razali, Landis is expected to fortify a Terengganu defence that has undergone a major reshuffle following the departure of several key players, including Dutch centreback Matthew Steenvorden. Landis arrives with solid credentials, having played in Thailand's top-flight league with Nakhon Ratchasima. There, he earned praise for his calm composure, disciplined play, aerial dominance, and swift transitions in defence. His signing could not come at a better time for the Turtles, who are looking to bounce back after a shaky defensive showing last season. With his presence, Terengganu will be hoping to bring much-needed stability to their backline. The team finished fifth in the Super League, and qualified for the semi-finals of the FA Cup and Malaysia Cup last season. As the new season looms, all eyes will be on Landis to see if he can anchor the defence and become a key figure in Terengganu's quest for silverware.
The Star
21-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Fewer imports, bigger dream
Still part of the plan: Uzbekistan midfielder Nurillo Tukhtasinov (centre) has been retained by Terengganu for the Super League next season. — Terengganu FC PETALING JAYA: Terengganu may be cutting down on foreign firepower, but they are aiming for bigger things in the new Super League season. The Turtles, who had nine import players last season, have trimmed the number to six. Coach Badrul Afzan Razali says the move reflects the club's commitment to building a balanced team, with a stronger emphasis on quality over quantity and greater reliance on local talent. 'Last season we had nine imports, but this year we are moving forward with only six. I'm hoping the current group can deliver improved performances and contribute more meaningfully to the team,' said Badrul. They have retained Uzbekistan midfielder Nurillo Tukhtasinov and signed four new players – Brazilian playmakers Gabriel Silva and Rainderson da Costa, French striker Yan Mabella and Cameroonian winger Junior Ngong Sam. The sixth player is believed to be Brazilian centreback Diego Landis, who will join them from Thai club Khon Kaen United. The 27-year-old Landis, who stands tall at 1.95m, hails from the famed Brazilian club academy Sao Paulo and will be a welcome addition to the Terengganu defence, which is powered by local talents. Badrul admitted that several imports failed to meet their marks last season, and this is the reason to source for new faces. 'Some of our imports last year failed to live up to expectations. That's why I expect the new ones to step up and perform at a higher level,' he added. While foreign players remain a vital part of the club's strategy, Badrul underlined his confidence in local players, pledging to provide them with opportunities to prove themselves. 'Our local players cannot be overlooked. I will continue to place my trust in them to help drive the team's success.' Terengganu will begin the season without star winger Safawi Rasid, whose departure leaves a noticeable gap in the squad. However, Badrul believes Akhyar Rashid, who remains with the team, has the potential to fill the void and take on a greater role. 'Losing Safawi is a loss for the team, but we are now looking to Akhyar and others to rise to the occasion. I am confident they will deliver.' Terengganu will take on Penang at the City Stadium in Georgetown on Aug 10. The season will begin with the Charity Shield game between Johor Darul Ta'zim and Selangor in Johor on Aug 8.
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Ron Dante, voice of the Archies, now sings with the Turtles: ‘Honor the songs'
SAN DIEGO - Few singers have been as widely heard but remain as little known as Ron Dante, who is now on the "Happy Together Tour" as the lead singer in the Turtles. Fewer still scored their biggest successes - completely uncredited - in the 1960s as the fictional lead singer in the highest-rated Saturday morning cartoon TV series in history, then became the voice of Coca-Cola, Campbell's Soup, Dr Pepper, McDonald's and Budweiser in ubiquitous national TV jingles. That series, "The Archie Show," debuted in 1968 as an adaptation of the popular comic book, "Archie." Both iterations featured the titular teenage character and his pals Jughead, Betty, Veronica and Reggie, who were also the members of the animated band the Archies. The nonexistent group's frothy 1969 song, "Sugar, Sugar," was the biggest-selling single of the year in the U.S., topping the Rolling Stones' "Honky Tonk Women," Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Proud Mary," the Beatles' "Get Back" and a slew of other classics. The song was later recorded by Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner and Bob Marley, among others. Dante was the lead singer on nearly all the singles and albums released under the Archies' moniker, including "Sugar, Sugar." It also rose to No. 1 in Mexico, Norway, South Africa, Brazil and 10 other countries. "Sugar, "Sugar" did so, even though the Archies only existed in cartoon form and never performed a single concert or even a single song live. "It's very interesting when your song goes No. 1 and they play it on TV on 'The Ed Sullivan Show,' and all they play is the cartoon!" said Dante, who will celebrate his 80th birthday on Aug. 22. He is performing with the current iteration of the Turtles, who headline the annual Happy Together Tour's 2025 edition. The lineup also includes Little Anthony and the current iterations of Jay and the Americans, the Vogues, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap and the Cowsills. "I was a journeyman singer and went where the work was," he explained. "I was fine with the anonymity. When I took on the job with the Archies, it was right up front that I would not be credited or promoted as having anything to do with them. But all in all, it's been great for my life." Was it easy or difficult for Dante to create a musical personality for cartoon characters? "I was well-versed with the Archies because I'd read all the 'Archie' comics and I knew what they were going for with the TV series," he replied, speaking from his Los Angeles home. "The show had two new songs each week and was produced by Don Kirshner, who had achieved great success with 'The Monkees.' He had a great team with (songwriter) Jeff Barry, and I knew what voice to bring to 'Sugar, Sugar,' 'Bang-Shang-A-Lang' and the other Archies' songs." Dante laughed. "I knew we were not Led Zeppelin!" he said. 'We were going for a younger market, a 9- to-13-year-old bubblegum market, of kids who were just discovering pop music. So, I put myself in that mindset and I knew I had to be respectful and sound clean cut." In 1969, the year the Archies peaked, Dante also did all the vocals - again uncredited - on "Tracy," a No. 9 hit that was credited to another nonexistent group, the Cuff Links. To cash in on the song's success and a subsequent album for which Dante recorded all his parts in barely two days, a band called the Cuff Links was hastily assembled and sent out on tour without him. Dante was all of 23 when the Archies hit it big. But he was already a music-biz veteran who had written songs recorded by Jay and the Americans ("Raining In My Sunshine") and Gary Lewis & the Playboys ("Ice Melts in the Sun"). He went on to co-produce all of Barry Manilow's albums between 1973 and 1980, as well as albums by Ray Charles, Cher and others. He also contributed backing vocals to albums by Steely Dan and the hard-rocking power trio Mountain. 'Caravan of Stars' Dante was just 18 when he co-founded a short-lived trio, the Detergents, which made one album. The group's lone hit, "Leader of the Laundromat" - a parody of the Shangri Las' 1964 chart-topper, "Leader of the Pack" - rose no higher than No. 19 on the national Billboard charts. But before they washed out, the Detergents did a national Dick Clark "Caravan of Stars" concert tour. It also featured Little Richard, the Animals and Little Anthony and the Imperials, whose lead singer, Anthony Goudine, is part of this year's Happy Together Tour and, at 84, the oldest artist in the lineup. "Anthony is four years older than me and he still sounds like his 20-year-old self," Dante said. "We played cards together on the 'Caravan' tour bus in 1965. Now, we've come full circle and we're on the bus together again." The Happy Together Tour debuted in 1984 and was named after the Turtles' chart-topping 1967 hit, "Happy Together." The tour ran through 1987 with a rotating cast of artists and the Turtles as the headliners. It resumed in 2010, again with the Turtles topping the bill each year. After he toured as an opening act on the 2017 Happy Together tour, Dante returned the next year to replace the ailing Howard Kaylan as the lead singer in the Turtles. He has retained that role on each subsequent tour, singing alongside Turtles' co-founder Mark Volman, who continued touring after being diagnosed in 2020 with Lewy body dementia. The same disease afflicted comedian Robin Williams before he died by suicide. A number of bands that rose to fame in the 1960s continue to tour. But few of them still have any original members left in their current iterations. "People don't really know who is in the Association or the Grass Roots. They know the songs," said Dante, who performs several Archies' hits during the Turtles' Happy Together Tour sets. "When Mark called me in 2018 and asked me to be the lead singer in the Turtles, he said: 'You have to be true to the music. You're not Howard; we're not going to dress you up in costumes and have you do comedy. So, honor the songs and do them the way we recorded them.'" Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Susan Cowsill was 7 when she joined the Cowsills in 1966. She's on tour with them now
SAN DIEGO - Susan Cowsill stands out in more ways than one on the 2025 Happy Together Tour. She is the only woman artist in this year's lineup of the annual tour. It features Little Anthony and the current iterations of the Turtles, Jay and the Americans, Gary Puckett & The Union Gap, the Vogues and the Cowsills, the group with which Susan Cowsill rose to fame in the second half of the 1960s. At 66, she is the youngest featured musician on this year's tour. Little Anthony is 84, Gary Puckett is 82. Cowsill is the only Happy Together Tour participant who is also a key member of another veteran band - the proudly rootsy Continental Drifters - which appeals to a younger and almost entirely different audience than any other Happy Together Tour acts. And she is the only one who, as an in-demand studio musician, has sung on albums by such diverse artists as Nanci Griffith, Hootie & the Blowfish, Dwight Twilley, Giant Sand, Red Kross and such Louisiana-bred acts as the Radiators and Zachary Richard. "I was a 'singer/entertainer' up until I was 30, which is when I learned to play guitar," said Cowsill, speaking from her New Orleans home. "Then, I learned to be a musician and a songwriter, and that changed everything for me. It added to my already rich and wonderful life musical life." Cowsill's musical life began unusually early by almost any standards. She was barely seven in 1966 when she joined her family's band, the Cowsills, which served as the real-life inspiration for the hit 1960s TV show "The Partridge Family." The Cowsills featured her five older brothers - John, Paul, Barry, Bob and Bill - and their mother, Barbara. Their father, William "Bud" Cowsill, was their manager until a year after Susan became a member. The group made six albums between 1966 and 1971. Their hit singles included "The Rain, The Park and Other Things," "Indian Lake" and the chart-topping "Hair," the title track from the musical of the same name. "It obviously wasn't everyday life, but I didn't view being in the Cowsills as anything other than being in my family," Susan Cowsill recalled. "We made life on the road very entertaining for ourselves. One year we had an early concert on Halloween and my dad arranged for me to go trick-or-treating in whatever city we were in. "We had a tutor on the road with us for really only one year. We went to 'professional schools' for a year in New York and in Los Angeles. They both had (options) where we could send in our work from the road, and that's what we did. Nobody learned anything! We were filling in each other's notebooks like crazy. It wasn't normal in any way shape or form." With their wholesome image, rich vocal harmonies and well-crafted but unthreatening songs, the Cowsills were embraced as a clean-cut pop alternative to the increasingly more edgy rock music of the 1960s. Were Susan and her brothers eager to rebel and create less commercial, more challenging music than their record company would allow? "One hundred percent, but mostly my brothers," she said. "I was the youngest and was more tagging along but paying attention. My brothers were amazing musicians and songwriters. They started as an R&B band and were very serious about what they were doing. As often happens, the image of the band was taken over by the record company and they went with the 'wholesome family' thing. That's okay, but the music got hijacked." 'The band was done' The Cowsills disbanded after the release of their arresting 1971 album, the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young-inspired "On My Side." Susan was all of 12. At 14, she signed a record deal as a solo artist with Warner Bros. but released only two singles for the label. The first was "I Think of You," the first cover version by any artist of any song by Sixto "Sugarman" Rodriguez. "When the band was done, the band was done," Cowsill said. "I didn't know what I was to do. I was left to my own devices. We weren't really prepared for life when we left the Cowsills. I was the youngest and trying to figure out what kind of music would I do, or if I would even make music. Or would I become a schoolteacher?" The all-in-the-family band first reunited in 1978, then again in 1989, 1993 and 1998. "The Cowsills never break up, we just take breaks. And then we all show up," Cowsill said. Both parents have passed away; mom Barbara in 1985 and dad William in 1992. Susan's brothers, Barry and Bill, died in 2005 and 2006, respectively. The group was chronicled in the 2010 documentary "Family Band: The Cowsills Story," which premiered in the band's home state at the Rhode Island International Film Festival. As has been the case for nearly all of the nearly one-dozen Happy Together tours the Cowsills have been featured on, Susan Cowsill is the only female musician. "Susan is like so cool," said Turtles' singer Ron Dante. "She makes everybody feel like they are in the family. She is a great singer and is a spark plug who keeps things running. She relay brings energy everywhere she goes. She is an amazing person," Fellow Happy Together tour artist Gary Puckett also happily sang her praises. "Susan is absolutely wonderful," he said. "She's an earth mother who watches out for everybody on the tour. She fills the space with happiness." The Cowsills have been inducted into the California Music Hall of Fame and New York's Long Island Hall of Fame. Susan Cowsill is delighted she and her brothers Bob and Paul get to tour together annually. "What is surprising to me," she said, "is not that I'm playing with the guys - we'll do that until our last breath - but that we have a (regular) job. The Happy Together Tour is the first job security I've had in the music business. "This is the 11th year for us with the tour. I like to say that we have jobs, but we have different time clocks and pay periods than most people." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
The Sun
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
TFC to play six pre-season friendlies
THE new-look Terengganu FC (TFC) squad will be tested through six friendly matches as part of their preparations for the 2025/26 Super League campaign. Head coach Badrul Afzan Razali said the Turtles will first face Kelantan Red Warriors in Kota Bharu on July 4, before hosting Penang FC in Kuala Terengganu on July 8. He said that from July 13 to 18, the Gong Badak, Kuala Nerus-based TFC will be in Kuala Lumpur for four more friendlies, including matches against two ASEAN clubs. 'On July 13, TFC will take on PDRM FC, followed by Cambodian club Svay Rieng FC (July 15), UM Damansara United (July 16) and Phnom Penh Crown FC (July 18). 'After that, we will return to Terengganu and may schedule several more pre-season matches before the 2025/26 league season, expected to begin in mid-August,' he said during a training session at the Gong Badak Sports Complex here. Badrul Afzan said he has finalised the squad comprising 22 local players and six imports. According to him, two of the foreign players - Nurillo Tukhtasinov and Junior Ngong Sam - began training with their teammates yesterday, while the remaining four are expected to arrive in Terengganu by the third week of this month at the latest.
