Eric Burdon-‘I Am The Animals’

With Animals fans taking note that this year marks the band's 50th anniversary, frontman Eric Burdon is quick to point out that much of the accolades should go to him. Burdon will be a keynote speaker on March 14th at the 2013 South By Southwest Music and Media Conference (SXSW).

Burdon is back with his first new studio set in six years, titled, 'Til Your Rivers Run Dry, and says when you talk about the Animals -- you're essentially talking about him: "From my personal point of view? The Animals are dead. (Laughs) I mean, they've killed themselves. They were always the band that could not live up to their name. And I kept using the name for strictly promotional purpose, so that young kids would associate the name the Animals with the Beatles, the (Rolling) Stones, and that period and would come see my show. But, y'know, I got sued for using the name by former members of the band. And this has happened to many groups. To be quite honest with you, I always thought that I was the guy the kept the name alive when the others had stopped."

Eric Burdon tour dates (subject to change):
March 15 - Austin, TX - SXSW Stage On Sixth Patio
April 19 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - The Coach House
April 20 - Agoura Hills, CA - Canyon Club
July 7 - Ottawa, ON - RBC Bluesfest at Lebreton Flats Park