Daryl Hall and John Oates Kill Hall and Oates Fan Super PAC

Late last week the political world learned that Hall and Oates fans had created their own Super PAC with the aim of damaging the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "We just figure that America needs more Hall and Oates," the group's co-founder William Hansmann told Rolling Stone. "We started this as a joke, but then it kind of blew up. I assume they've caught wind of it."

Indeed, Daryl Hall and John Oates had caught wind of Hall and Oates Fans For America – and they weren't happy about it. Their people have asked organizers to dissolve the Super PAC. Halls and Oates Fans for America didn't put up a fight. Here is the complete statement from Hall and Oates manager Jonathan Wolfson:

"Representatives of Daryl Hall and John Oates have been in contact with the founders of the Hall and Oates Fans For America Super PAC and are pleased to report that the group's concerns regarding the unauthorized use of their names for fundraising purposes by the Super PAC have been amicably resolved and that the Super PAC is being dissolved by the founders. The spokesperson for the founders advised that no funds have been raised by the PAC.

"Daryl Hall and John Oates recognize that the personal view points of their fans cross all political spectrums and are honored to be supported by their fans everywhere regardless of political affiliation. The PAC’s founders recognize that the use of the “Hall” and “Oates” names for the purpose of raising funds is not an appropriate fan activity no matter what the goal of the fund raising activities might be.

"Daryl Hall and John Oates are pleased that the amicable dialog with the founders of the Super PAC have brought an expedient resolution to this matter and achieve a result both sides are pleased with."

During its brief lifespan, Hall and Oates Fans For America had no website, Facebook page or any means to accept donations. A Twitter account was quickly suspended for unknown reasons. Basically, all they did was fax in a form to the Federal Election Commission. There were plans to create a series of Romney-mocking videos – possibly using songs such as "Out of Touch" or "I Can't Go For That" – but presumably those plans have been set aside.

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Daryl Hall and John Oates Kill Hall and Oates Fan Super PAC

Late last week the political world learned that Hall and Oates fans had created their own Super PAC with the aim of damaging the campaign of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. "We just figure that America needs more Hall and Oates," the group's co-founder William Hansmann told Rolling Stone. "We started this as a joke, but then it kind of blew up. I assume they've caught wind of it."

Indeed, Daryl Hall and John Oates had caught wind of Hall and Oates Fans For America – and they weren't happy about it. Their people have asked organizders to dissolve the Super PAC. Halls and Oates Fans for America didn't put up a fight. Here is the complete statement from Hall and Oates manager Jonathan Wolfson:

"Representatives of Daryl Hall and John Oates have been in contact with the founders of the Hall and Oates Fans For America Super PAC and are pleased to report that the group's concerns regarding the unauthorized use of their names for fundraising purposes by the Super PAC have been amicably resolved and that the Super PAC is being dissolved by the founders. The spokesperson for the founders advised that no funds have been raised by the PAC.

"Daryl Hall and John Oates recognize that the personal view points of their fans cross all political spectrums and are honored to be supported by their fans everywhere regardless of political affiliation. The PAC’s founders recognize that the use of the “Hall” and “Oates” names for the purpose of raising funds is not an appropriate fan activity no matter what the goal of the fund raising activities might be.

"Daryl Hall and John Oates are pleased that the amicable dialog with the founders of the Super PAC have brought an expedient resolution to this matter and achieve a result both sides are pleased with."

During its brief lifespan, Hall and Oates Fans For America had no website, Facebook page or any means to accept donations. A Twitter account was quickly suspended for unknown reasons. Basically, all they did was fax in a form to the Federal Election Commission. There were plans to create a series of Romney-mocking videos – possibly using songs such as "Out of Touch" or "I Can't Go For That" – but presumably those plans have been set aside.

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Hall and Oates Fans Start Anti-Romney Super PAC

Two Hall and Oates fans have formed the Hall and Oates Fans for America Super PAC, reports The Atlantic. Billy Hansmann and Anthony Schuch from Atlanta, Georgia, plan to use any funds donated to the group to create videos against Republican presidential ticket Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

"I find it really unfortunate that Republicans tend to play such hardball and with very little response from the Democratic side," said Hansmann, who notes that he is a Libertarian and is unhappy with the Republican Party. "Why with the exception of a couple comics out there are people not going after some of these guys?"

Comic Stephen Colbert formed his own light-hearted Super PAC, Americans for a Better Tomorrow, Tomorrow Inc., earlier this year.

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John Oates Jams on Hall & Oates, Sly Stone Cuts on Jam Cruise

John Oates jams with Karl Denson on Jam Cruise 10.

John Oates is known for his finely-crafted chart-toppers with Philly soul duo Hall & Oates, but he spent all of last week in a much different capacity on Jam Cruise – as one of the ship's honored Artists at Large. Now in its tenth incarnation, this year's Jam Cruise set sail on January 9th from Fort Lauderdale for a week on the high seas, with port stops in Haiti and Jamaica.

On board the 24-hour floating music festival, Oates sat in with a wide range of bands and artists, at times performing cuts from his own catalog while, at others, branching into true improvisational territory. He sat in with revered jammers Umphrey's McGee, performed with New Orleans royalty in an all-star Sly Stone revue and even played his own Hall & Oates hits with a yacht-rock tribute band. The experience left Oates with a desire to perform on more music-oriented cruises in the future – and to loosen up and jam more often.

"Before I met Daryl [Hall], I was playing guitar for 12 or 13 years," Oates told Rolling Stone in the ship's wine bar, shortly after it sailed past Haiti.  "Folk, blues, traditional music, ragtime, a lot of stuff. And that music is, as you know, very free and very organic, and that's really where I come from. I think I brought this more rootsy Americana thing to Daryl's doo-wop and urban R&B thing. Combining it is really what we are as Hall & Oates. So Jam Cruise is actually a comfortable place for me. My jamming skills and my improvisational skills have improved immensely as I've gone more solo, because I've had this opportunity. When you jump in the water with these great musicians who are here, they've raised the bar on a lot of levels. I feel like I'm a lifelong musician and I have to step it up. It's a good challenge for me."

The Sly and the Family Stone tribute featured a lineup whose collective reach includes work with the Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Galactic and many others. With his Fender Telecaster in tow, Oates soloed on "Family Affair" backed by members of the Neville family, Soulive, Karl Denson, the Lettuce horns and a rotating cast of others from the New Orleans funk community. "I'm a huge Sly Stone fan, so I knew that music going in," Oates said. "The album There's a Riot Goin' On is one of the greatest albums of all time."

More surprisingly, Oates was already familiar with Umphrey's McGee's jam odyssey, "Booth Love," before even getting on board the boat – an unlikely pairing, perhaps, though he's actually performed it with the eclectic rockers several times before. "They're one of the most musical bands I've ever played with," he says. "They're very adventurous, they're all unbelievable players, and talk about raising the bar – standing next to [guitarist] Jake Cinninger is not easy. He's a monster."

While all of Oates' appearances were enthusiastically received by the sold-out crowd, the most celebrated moment came when he emerged with the Omega Moos, a yacht-rock tribute band consisting of members of Umphrey's McGee and the New Deal. The side project has always highlighted Hall & Oates material in their sets, and there was no hiding their pure joy as they performed three of those cuts with Oates himself – "Maneater," "Out of Touch" and "I Can't Go for That." Following a rehearsal earlier that afternoon, Oates said, "We're going to have some fun with it. It won't sound exactly like the record, but it's not supposed to."

In other words, he was really getting into the spirit of the jam ethic. The experience left him wanting to further explore his improvisational chops. "I've been asked to do various types of cruises," he says, having turned down Blues Cruise and others in the past. "They won't be as much fun as this one, I can almost guarantee you. But I'd like to at least give them a try."

But first, Oates said, he's preparing to release a live album this February, recorded at Sirius XM Radio, called The Bluesville Sessions. "It's basically my blues band's live set," he says. After that, he's looking forward to getting back to what he's most famous for – structured songwriting. "I don't know where that writing is going to take me yet," he said, grinning. "But we'll see."

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John Oates Jams on Hall & Oates, Sly Stone Cuts on Jam Cruise

John Oates jams with Karl Denson on Jam Cruise 10.

John Oates is known for his finely-crafted chart-toppers with Philly soul duo Hall & Oates, but he spent all of last week in a much different capacity on Jam Cruise – as one of the ship's honored Artists at Large. Now in its tenth incarnation, this year's Jam Cruise set sail on January 9th from Fort Lauderdale for a week on the high seas, with port stops in Haiti and Jamaica.

On board the 24-hour floating music festival, Oates sat in with a wide range of bands and artists, at times performing cuts from his own catalog while, at others, branching into true improvisational territory. He sat in with revered jammers Umphrey's McGee, performed with New Orleans royalty in an all-star Sly Stone revue and even played his own Hall & Oates hits with a yacht-rock tribute band. The experience left Oates with a desire to perform on more music-oriented cruises in the future – and to loosen up and jam more often.

"Before I met Daryl [Hall], I was playing guitar for 12 or 13 years," Oates told Rolling Stone in the ship's wine bar, shortly after it sailed past Haiti.  "Folk, blues, traditional music, ragtime, a lot of stuff. And that music is, as you know, very free and very organic, and that's really where I come from. I think I brought this more rootsy Americana thing to Daryl's doo-wop and urban R&B thing. Combining it is really what we are as Hall & Oates. So Jam Cruise is actually a comfortable place for me. My jamming skills and my improvisational skills have improved immensely as I've gone more solo, because I've had this opportunity. When you jump in the water with these great musicians who are here, they've raised the bar on a lot of levels. I feel like I'm a lifelong musician and I have to step it up. It's a good challenge for me."

The Sly and the Family Stone tribute featured a lineup whose collective reach includes work with the Rolling Stones, Lenny Kravitz, Galactic and many others. With his Fender Telecaster in tow, Oates soloed on "Family Affair" backed by members of the Neville family, Soulive, Karl Denson, the Lettuce horns and a rotating cast of others from the New Orleans funk community. "I'm a huge Sly Stone fan, so I knew that music going in," Oates said. "The album There's a Riot Goin' On is one of the greatest albums of all time."

More surprisingly, Oates was already familiar with Umphrey's McGee's jam odyssey, "Booth Love," before even getting on board the boat – an unlikely pairing, perhaps, though he's actually performed it with the eclectic rockers several times before. "They're one of the most musical bands I've ever played with," he says. "They're very adventurous, they're all unbelievable players, and talk about raising the bar – standing next to [guitarist] Jake Cinninger is not easy. He's a monster."

While all of Oates' appearances were enthusiastically received by the sold-out crowd, the most celebrated moment came when he emerged with the Omega Moos, a yacht-rock tribute band consisting of members of Umphrey's McGee and the New Deal. The side project has always highlighted Hall & Oates material in their sets, and there was no hiding their pure joy as they performed three of those cuts with Oates himself – "Maneater," "Out of Touch" and "I Can't Go for That." Following a rehearsal earlier that afternoon, Oates said, "We're going to have some fun with it. It won't sound exactly like the record, but it's not supposed to."

In other words, he was really getting into the spirit of the jam ethic. The experience left him wanting to further explore his improvisational chops. "I've been asked to do various types of cruises," he says, having turned down Blues Cruise and others in the past. "They won't be as much fun as this one, I can almost guarantee you. But I'd like to at least give them a try."

But first, Oates said, he's preparing to release a live album this February, recorded at Sirius XM Radio, called The Bluesville Sessions. "It's basically my blues band's live set," he says. After that, he's looking forward to getting back to what he's most famous for – structured songwriting. "I don't know where that writing is going to take me yet," he said, grinning. "But we'll see."

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