New from the Immediate Family (Danny Kortchmar/Waddy Wachtel/Leland Sklar/Russ Kunkel/Steve Postell): Stream ‘Cruel Twist’

The debut single from The Immediate Family, a who’s-who of music industry legends involving Danny Kortchmar (guitar and vocals), Waddy Wachtel (guitar and vocals), Leland Sklar (bass), Russ Kunkel (drums) and Steve Postell (guitar and vocals), is here.

Watch a video for a track called “Cruel Twist,” which premiered a few days ago, below:

Said Kortchmar of the song:

“I wrote this song a while ago when I was living in Connecticut. The great Harvey Brooks, Charlie Karp and I had a little band called ‘Slo Leak,’ and I was writing for that band. Harvey came up with the title and I came up with the music very quickly. Basically, it’s a cautionary tale, like a lot of my songs. It kind of applies to today, because it’s about a reversal of fortune like what’s happening now with the virus and the economic downturn. Ultimately, it’s a blues song about what can happen if one gets too confident and too full of oneself.”

As for the Immediate Family, the rock and roll resume of the group is eye-popping:

The band is the evolution of a lifetime of friendship of playing music together: it began in the 1970s as a collective of studio and live musicians known as “The Section,” best known for both their work in support of some of the top selling singer/songwriters and solo singers in the history of music, as well as their own acclaimed instrumental albums. Collectively, these musicians helped define the sound of a generation by supporting many of the most iconic artists of the last five decades, including James Taylor, Carole King, Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Keith Richards, Neil Young, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Don Henley, Phil Collins, Bonnie Raitt, Warren Zevon, Stevie Nicks, Bryan Ferry, Lyle Lovett and Jimmy Buffett – and as well as for producers Lou Adler and Peter Asher. 

The quintet of seasoned music industry veterans has been working on an as-yet untitled studio album that, when released, will be the group’s first U.S. release, after the record Honey, Don’t Leave L.A., which was released in Japan.

In addition to the new musical activity, the Immediate Family will also be the focus of a new documentary film from Denny Tedesco as the follow-up to Tedesco’s acclaimed documentary on The Wrecking Crew.

The Immediate Family were kind enough to contribute a video to our All Together Now! online concert/telethon for COVID-19 relief in the Los Angeles area back on April 25 … and their submission, a cover of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London,” was a treat: