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SATELLITE
AND THEIR FORTHCOMING ALBUM "NOSTALGIA"
Progressive
rock band Satellite revealed the title of their forthcoming album. "Nostalgia",
the follow up to the highly acclaimed album "Into The Night", will be released
by Metal Mind Productions in mid March 2009. Once again, Wojtek Szadkowski
and his colleagues from the legendary neo-prog-rock Collage create a genuine
musical masterpiece of space, melody and beautiful sounds. More details
on the new record will follow as the recording process progresses. Satellite
was founded in 2000 by Wojtek Szadkowski, who wrote and co-wrote nearly
all of Collage's music and lyrics. It was meant to be only Wojtek's solo-project
but soon became a real band. They've released three studio albums so far
(2003 "A Street Between Sunrise And Sunset", 2005 "Evening Games", 2007
"Into The Night" plus a DVD "Evening Dreams" (2005). For more about please
visit Satellite's
official website. 11/12/2008
PHIDEAUX HAVE FINISHED HIS NEW ALBUM
It
is called "Number Seven" (although if you've been reading the Phideaux
blog you've known this since February). It is our seventh album. It is
not the concluding chapter in our trilogy (begun with "The Great Leap"
and "Doomsday Afternoon"). Instead, this is an album that developed out
of rehearsals and concerts leading up to our performance last year at Festival
Crescendo in France. For this album, we have stayed within the ranks of
Phideaux. There are no guest stars and all music is generated by the live
band. The music is complex, twiddly, murky, depressing, mysterious, jazzy
and sometimes just a little bit goth. Right now we are mixing the album,
hoping it will find its release before the end of the year. Stylistically,
this album fits more with "Doomsday Afternoon" and "Chupacabras" in our
canon. It is a keyboard heavy album. They are indexing it with 18 titles,
but that is misleading because there are really only 9 songs. This will
allow you to access particular sections of the somewhat lengthy pieces.
The names of the songs: 1. Dormouse - a theme 1:05, 2. Waiting For The
Axe To Fall 19:20, 3. Darkness At Noon 4:00, 4. Gift Of The Flame 6:00,
5. Thermonuclear Cheese 2:30, 6. The Search For Terrestrial Life 8:30,
7. Love Theme from "Number Seven" 14:20, 8. Infinite Supply 5:05 and 9.
Dormouse - an end 2:00. As promised, no animals (surf or turf) were harmed
in this production. And the best news of all is that this album contains
no 20 minute epics (they stopped at 19). Let us all hope and prey that
this album can be mixed and mastered before the end of 2008. They don't
want to break their run of an album every year! For more about please visit
Phideaux Home Page.
11/12/2008
ARASHK'S AND THEIR NEW RELEASE "YELL"
This
album is the best choice for people who seek rich melodic instrumentations
in riffs and solos of rock music accompanied by vocals as colors to the
music itself. Yell’s songs present a variety of genres, from Heavy Metal
to Hard Rock, Progressive Rock and even Soft Rock, so one could have a
challenging listening time. Meanwhile it doesn’t become repetitious due
to its progressive style spirit. Eventually the eastern blend evokes deep
senses of various emotions which transcend the minds to fly further so
that one can feel his/her soul lighter and fresher after each round of
listening! The lyrics are in Persian (an ancient national language of Iran).
Most of the lyrics are selected from the most famous classical Persian
poems versified by the most outstanding Persian poets such as Sa’adi, Ferdowsi
and Masoud-Sa’ad-Salman; but the music is composed so that the lyrical
theme preserves harmony among songs so that the listener do not feel them
apart. And the special matter is that in composition of these songs there
hasn’t been any intention to reflect anything stylistic (i.e. rock or metal),
but they actually are composed in a manner so that they can reflect the
soul inherent in the poems themselves; so Arashk claims that even the style
is autonomous. As a result one may not feel any paradox between singing
Persian and rock or metal style and so preserving the important point that
the lyrics and the music should always agree on a same spirit. Despite
the ancient style of the poems (mostly versified about 700 years ago),
maybe their concepts are even more present and influential in today’s life
than ever! The lyrics hire variety of concepts, from the emotions of an
imprisoned man or the groaning of lovers, to the words of a rebel leader
or a man fighting against the enemy. For further information please visit
Arashk's Home Page. 11/12/2008
LISA LARUE NATIVE AMERICAN KEYBOARDIST AND TRANSFORMATION
2012
Award-winning
Native American keyboardist Lisa LaRue (Cherokee), entitled "Transformation
2012" (Fingerwoven/Third Childhood Publishing) is set to be released on
November 15. The concept and title is derived from the Mayan calendar,
whose ending on December 12, 2012, which many believe to be a herald of
the end of the world. The teachings of the Mayan elders, however, believe
this event marks the dawn of a new age, and with it the need for increased
wisdom, discernment and understanding. On the album is a single release
entitled "Save Me," featuring vocalist John Payne (of "Asia featuring John
Payne"), and guest appearances by progressive electric violinist James
Sudakow; keyboardist Tommy Zvoncheck (former Blue Oyster Cult); British
experimental project Sinu Spiral, and cedar flutist Kerri Lake. Also credited
on the CD is legendary drummer Bill Bruford (former Yes, King Crimson,
etc.) with his Studio Profile tracks. LaRue’s first musical project was
with Gilli Smyth, co-founder of the Canterbury UK band Gong on a self-released
tape titled "Dreamscapes." Her debut CD, entitled "Beloved Tribal Women,"
was produced by Will Alexander (Keith Emerson, Herbie Hancock, Jeff Lorber,
etc.). This was followed by "Children's Songs in the Cherokee Language,"
for which she received 2 NAMMY nominations (Native American Music Awards).
Other projects were "That Ol' Sofkee Spoon", a collaboration with flutist/guitarist
John 'Yafke' Timothy (Muskogee - Creek). and LaRue has a track on the Progressive
Rock Hall of Fame's compilation CD "Soundscape"(2008). She is the recipient
of the Oklahoma Music Awards' "Native American Artist of the Year 2008"
LaRue is also a nominee in the "Instrumental" category for the 2008 Hollywood
Music Awards, which will take place November 20 at The Highlands in Hollywood,
CA. A native of Oklahoma, LaRue grew up in Topeka, Kansas. She is a tribal
member of the federally recognized United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians
in Oklahoma, where she also serves as Tribal Historic Preservation Officer.
"Transformation 2012" will be available through Mindawn, CDBaby, iTunes,
as well as through her website. The album will be available in either CD
or downloadable format. The first 100 purchasers of the actual CD (not
the download version) will also receive a certificate redeemable for 3
days/2 hotel nights in Las Vegas, Cancun, or 18 other exciting places compliments
of Lisa LaRue. Please for more information contact Lisa
Larue Home Page. 11/12/2008
BAJA PROG XII 2009
With
only 7 months of concluding with huge success Baja Prog's 12th edition,
engines are alredy running towards next year's festival. They are really
excited and would like to let you know of several matters concerning the
13th issue of their great progressive gathering. For personal matters,
Alfonso Vidales, President and General Director of Baja Prog, responsible
for bringing music to their progressive ears for 12 consecutive years,
will take a well deserved vacation from the festival's organization on
next year's edition, but they will surelly have him and his wife Lupita
Acuna de Vidales around on every festival concert. Also, because of the
global economic happenings going on right now, they find theirselves through
a reestructuring process, they are trying their best to be able of offering
us a better service despite the times' economic issues. In other words,
they will have to shorten the number of festival days and of course, the
number of bands as well. Once dates and headlining bands are anounced,
they will begin to presale tickets with exciting promotions for those who
choose to buy their entry with anticipation. The organization is playing
with the idea of reserving seats in the theatre, this to avoid several
problems in past editions and therefore encourage presale (basically, the
sooner us buy it, the better our spot will be). Also, they would like to
invite you become a VPP (Very Progressive Person), package that will allow
you the best seat available at purchase and also help us contribute with
the necessary funding to cover previous festival expenses. In the meantime,
they will keep us informed of all the modifications as well as band confirmations
that they have and receive from now on until the festival's opening. For
more about please visit Baja Prog
Home Page. 11/12/2008
ANYONE´S DAUGHTER
Anyone's
Daughter 'Piktors Verwandlungen (Hermann Hesse)' Remaster out in November.
Expanded deluxe edition of Anyone's Daughter classic album with bonus track,
fully restored original artwork, previously unseen photographs and exclusive
liner notes. Limited Edition of 2000 CDs with Slipcase & Miniature
Concert Poster. 11/12/2008
SIMONE FIORLETTA ANNOUNCES NEW ALBUM LINE UP
Simone
Fiorletta is working on his new solo album. The line up is Simone Fiorletta
on guitar, Andrea De Paoli on keyboards, Matteo Raggi on bass and Marco
Aiello on drums. There are special guest spots from guitarist Neil Zaza,
keyboard virtuoso Mistheria, Fabrizio Auri, Walter Cerasani, Armando Pizzuti
and Valerio D'Anna from Moonlight Comedy. More info visit Simone
Fiorletta Home Page. 11/12/2008
MASTERCASTLE SIGN TO LION MUSIC
Lion
Music and pleased to announce the signing of MASTERCASTLE, a new
band from acclaimed Italian guitarist Pier Gonella (Labyrinth/Necrodeath/Odyssea)
and ultra powerful female vocalist Giorgia Gueglio with the line up completed
by bassist Steve Vawamas and guest drummer Bix (Vision Divine). Their forthcoming
album "The Phoenix", due for release in the second quarter of 2008 is in
the final stages of recording now and represents a potent slab of power
metal with neo-classical and more traditional metal influences. "The Phoenix"
will feature the following tracks: 01. Words Are Swords, 02. Princess Of
Love, 03. Space, 04. My Screams, 05. Lullaby Noir, 06. The Phoenix, 07.
Greed Blade, 08. Dawn Of Promises, 09. Memories, 10. Cradle Of Stone. Look
out for more information on the release in early 2009. In the mean time
check out Mastercastle
Home Page. 11/12/2008
LANTZ LAZWELL- ELECTRIFYING THE BODY, MIND, AND
SOUL THROUGH MUSIC
Lantz
Lazwell has just announced the release date of his much anticipated debut
album entitled "Awakening." The new album will be available on Itunes,
Rhapsody, Amazon, Music.com, Napster and Cd Baby. Rock/ Soul/ R&B recording
artist and performer Lantz Lazwell is one musician that is constantly breaking
musical boundries and breathing new life into Blues, Funk and Rock. Lazwell
has successfully integrated influences from artists like Sly and The Family
Stone to the modern sounds of bands like The White Stripes and modest mouse.
He has created sharp, lyrically profound, timeless music to take to heart.
His self titled EP, "Awakening" features a variety of styles including
the blues-rock tune "Rollin On" with its smooth horns and the sincere,
universally relatable lyrics about moving through the tough, often heartbreaking
challenges life brings, and the way those challenges and the people
who've mattered to us help shape who we become. Lazwell rolls on from there
to combine all the flavors of rock n roll and R&B in "Control of Faith"
where bassist James Hunting shines on a fretless bass, blending perfectly
with a brilliant muffled trumpet performance. Again Lazwell writes hopeful
lyrics saying we must have faith; that no matter what curve balls life
throws at us it is good. You can't help but feel that Lantz's lyrics are
stories true to his life. However, Lazwell gives our minds and hearts a
break from the heavier subjects when he switches gears and launches into
"Safe Warm;" a fun, sweet, pop love song that musically and lyrically does
make you feel safe and warm and sends you off dreaming about the love of
your life. Lantz Lazwell grew up in Sacramento California playing in high
school rock bands and moving on to work with Sacramento rock legend, Frank
Hannon of Tesla, picking up several Sacramento Music Awards nominations
along the way. Then, a sure highlight in Lazwell's career came with the
opportunity to work with Papa John Phillips from The Mommas and Papas.
Phillips offered Lantz studio time with Rolling Stone's producer Harvey
Golberg. It turned out to be both a blessing and a tragedy as Lantz was
the last recording artist to work in Papa John's studio when Phillips passed
away March 18, 2001 at age 65 of heart failure during Lazwell's sessions.
Determined to carve out a successful solo career as both a songwriter and
producer, Lazwell relocated to Los Angeles in 2005, and landed a position
as musical/vocal arranger with former vice president of Motown Records,
Jeffrey Bowen. Lantz's live line up is Matt Dickson on saxophone, James
Kirk on bass, Rob Torres on guitar, and Rob Dean on drums. All members
contribute to back up vocals and Lantz himself adds piano and guitar in
addition to his lead vocals. They're unstoppable as they burn their way
through LA's most famous hot spots like The Viper Room, House of Blues,
The Roxy, The Mint, The Knitting Factory, and The Key Club. They have also
been busy winning contests after contest in the Emergenza International
Music Festival and piling up awards The L.A. Music Awards for "Rock Male
Vocalist of the Year" in November 2007. Lantz Lazwell is currently on tour
with Trulio Disgracias all-star funk band which includes members of Parliament,
Funkedelic, Fishbone , Sublime, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. In addition,
he's turning his attention to completing his debut album, "Awakening" with
platinum producer Nino Ducati (Maxwell, WyClef Jean, Burning Spear), set
for release in November 2008. Lazwell and company intend to follow that
up with heavy touring to support the release. In the meantime his self-titled
EP can be heard and downloaded on most internet sites and is currently
in rotation at Indie 104-I Radio LA. In addition to Lantz's songwriting
craft and studio prowess, he is known as an animated and energetic performer,
giving his audience everything he has and knowing they will give it back.
Why? Because Lantz Lazwell has found that fine line artists of his caliber
must find to connect to another human being; the line between universal
understanding though lyrics without commercial copy-catting. He doesn't
steal the soul from music; he invigorates it and brings the human heart
to life. 11/12/2008
MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND AND WATCH DVD
Manfred
Mann's Earth Band: Watch The DVD (DVD-Region 0/Pal/1978 LP/105 Minutes
- Eagerly anticipated by fans, 'Watch' (the album) was released in February
1978 to follow the hugely successful: 'Roaring Silence'. The album
included: 'Davy's On The Road Again' - one of the band's biggest UK hits
- and Dylan's: 'Mighty Quinn' (which was also recorded by the 60's Manfred
Mann band). Unusually for the time, promo videos were made for nearly
every track on the album, both to promote the release in record shops,
and for television broadcast. Some stations even showed the film
in its entirety. For the first time, this film is now available commercially.
The DVD also includes animations by Ian Emes, whose films were used by
the Earth Band as a backdrop for their tours at the time. Bonus footage
features 'live' tracks recorded for Austrian TV in 1979 and an exclusive
interview with Manfred filmed in 2008. The total running time of this DVD
is 105 minutes. Track List: 01. Davy's On The Road Again, 02. Circles,
03. Drowning On Dry Land / Fish Soup, 04. Chicago Institute, 05. California,
06. Martha's Madman, 07. Mighty Quinn, 08. Blinded By The Light, 09. Bonus
features: Live 1979 footage, 10. Davy's On The Road Again / Spirits In
The Night / Don't Kill It Carol, 11. Martha's Madman / Mighty Quinn and
12. 2008 interview with Manfred Mann. For more about please visit Manfred
Mann's Earth Band Home Page. 11/12/2008
3 RIVERS PROGRESSIVE ROCK FESTIVAL 2009
3
Rivers Progressive Rock Festival (3RP) 2009 will be taking place on August
8-9, 2009 at the same venue as this year - Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse in Pittsburg,
PA. 3RP is also happy to announce that Phideaux will be performing at 3RP
2009. Phideaux is an exciting band from California, and they will be bringing
their great music to 3RP 2009. "I am as excited about them performing at
3RP as much as Phideaux is about coming to 3RP. Everyone attending will
get to enjoy this memorable and rare opportunity," says organizer Howard
Levy. "Welcome Phideaux!!" Also, 3RP is proud to announce Singularity to
the 3RP 2009 Progfest stage. Last year Singularity released their third
Album/CD called "Of All The Mysteries". Singularity has played at 3 Colorado
Prog Fests, and have opened for Spock's Beard. For more about please visit
3RP Home Page. 11/12/2008
UMBRELLO MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT PAIRS WITH AMAZON.COM
November
4, 2008, New York - Umbrello Music Entertainment, a leading pioneer in
the new music revolution, has signed an exclusive distribution agreement
with Amazon.com to deliver digital content through the online retailer's
video-on-demand service. Through this arrangement, consumers will have
the opportunity to either rent video programming or to purchase it outright
as a video download or hard copy DVD. Steve Nardelli, Umbrello's director,
describes Amazon.com as "the perfect strategic partner to deliver the company's
unique video content." This portal mirrors the launch of Umbrello's
own IPTV station, Umbrello.tv, and the
short-form video content it is developing for distribution on the latest
internet and video-enabled portable devices. "This collaboration marks
another important step in advancing our digital initiatives and is a great
fit within our overall digital distribution strategy," states Nardelli.
"Our goal is to provide access to our content through the widest possible
selection of quality platforms and devices." The Amazon.com programs have
launched with the 'Mod Prog' series, concentrating on content that overviews
the emerging progressive music scene of the 21st Century. First up is the
'Live in Hollywood' debut of Los Angeles sensation K2; the making of the
new Syn album 'Big Sky'; the 14 Hour Technicolour V-band documentary; and
NEARfest concert performances from Prog Mods Wobbler, Frogg Cafe, The Muffins,
Matthew Parmenter, and many others. The 'Mod Prog' series is being developed
in partnership with Philidelphia-based film makers Mobius New Media. Nardelli,
entrepreneur and lead songwriter/vocalist for The Syn, the band that has
also included Chris Squire, Peter Banks and Alan White, and is considered
a significant part of the pre-history of progressive rock supergroup Yes
most notably for the progressive influences, explains, "The Syn's unique
musical style helped fuel the Progressive Modernist Movement and is the
basis for the Mod Prog series. It is a collection of great musicianship
and arrangements." Looking ahead, Umbrello's content will span across genres
from music and sports documentaries to American film classics and art house
productions. "This isn't the mainstream monoculture so expect to see a
wide range of quality content." 11/12/2008
BLISTERING RECORDS LAUNCHES THEIR ONLINE WEBSTORE
Blistering
Records is proud to announce the introduction and subsequent launch of
their online webstore. The webstore can be accessed now by going to Blistering
Records and clicking on the "SHOP" button on the top menu. It can also
be found by typing www.shop.blisteringrecords.se The store will initially
feature the label's own "U.S. only" line of CDs which features new releases
by artists such as Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow),
Kiske (Helloween), Siebenburgen, Exciter, Crematory, Laaz Rockit and Almah
(featuring members of Angra). In the months to come it will also offer
diverse product lines from other labels as well as T-shirts, rock memorabilia
and merchandise. Blistering Records will also be offering items that will
be unique and exclusive to the shop as well as special offers. All items
will in some way mirror or relate to Blistering's mission as a label to
showcase great talent from the worlds of heavy, melodic, classic
metal and progressive music. Blistering Records will shortly be announcing
some new signings and titles for its exciting 2009 lineup. Please go to
Blistering Records for additional
information and updates. 11/12/2008
MANGROVE THE UPCOMING NEW ALBUM 'BEYOND REALITY'
On
their website the preview of the upcoming new album 'Beyond Reality' is
revealed for the first time! The titletrack 'Beyond Reality' is featured.
As the mixing process is still ongoing, this can be considered as a temporary
teaser. The final mix might differ from this one, but you will get a good
impression of what to expect! Mangrove will play two exclusive gigs in
the UK at the Robin (November 17th, Wolverhampton) and The Peel (November
15th, London). In the Netherlands a special preview show will take place
on December 19th at the Bluescafe. Don't miss it! For more about please
visit Mangrove Home Page.
11/02/2008
MICHAEL
A. BAKER, THE SHADOW GALLERY´S VOCALIST, SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK
It
is with deep sadness and regret that the world press announce the passing
of Shadow Gallery vocalist, Michael A. Baker. Mike, 45 years old,
suffered a heart attack, Wednesday afternoon, October 29th, 2008. Mike
was a founding member of Shadow Gallery and for the past 16 years helped
shape the sound of the band with his magical voice. Additionally, he made
many appearances on rock records around the world. Those who knew him best
were moved by his gentle spirit, sincere kindness, fun nature and passion
for both music and sports. He was a warrior in the studio, a true professional.
Mike was our friend, our singer and our brother. We loved him and will
miss him enormously, but he will always be remembered in our hearts and
through his music. For more about please visit Shadow
Gallery Home Page. 11/02/2008
HUGH
HOPPER HAD SOME HEALTH PROBLEMS
BENEFIT
/ DONATION for HUGH HOPPER - the legendary bass player of SOFT MACHINE
From
MoonJune Records and Leonardo. Not sure if all of You know that legendary
Soft Machine and Soft Machine Legacy's bass player Hugh Hopper, had recently,
since last June, some health problems and complications that didn't allowed
him to do any gigs since early June. Hugh was suffering from back pain
for few years and suddenly in June got worse. Hugh had to cancel concerts
in Mexico with Chris Cutler and 10 shows tour of Japan with Yumi Hara-Cawkwell,
and series of his solo concerts, or concerts with Soft Machine Legacy and
Delta Saxophone Quartet during the last Summer were compromised. While
treating very bad lower back pain, Hugh was having blood tests, and in
hospital doctors have discovered beginning of leukaemia and that his blood
had very low platelet-count. Hugh started to have an ongoing and painful
chemotherapy treatment which was going relatively well but Hugh also suffered
from some minor infections after the course finished. Hugh is doing better
now, but still in hospital and only occasionally was able to go home. In
any case Hugh Hopper has a very positive outlook on life and accepts life
in a positive way and we all "hopperfully" hope, this hassle will end as
soon as possible. Sadly, with the lack of revenue resulting from his inability
to perform since last June, Hugh and his family (his lovely wife Christine
and 13 years old daughter Rosa) are currently in a less than comfortable
financial situation - this is the reason for doing the benefit concert
at the London's 100 Club on December 14th, an idea generated by his colleagues
in Soft Machine Legacy, and made possible thanks to John Etheridge and
The 100 Club. T he entire profit will go to Hugh Hopper. SOFT MACHINE LEGACY
(filling for Hugh: FRED BAKER on bass), DELTA SAXOPHONE QUARTET, PHIL MILLER
IN CAHOOTS, BASH QUARTET feat. ALEX MAGUIRE, PATRICE MEYER, FRED BAKER
& LIAM GENOCKEY SOPHIA DOMANCHIC & SIMON GOUBERT DUO YUMI HARA-CAWKWELL.
For more details please check The
100 Club. While thinking of similar benefit concerts in New York, Paris
and elsewhere, there are few ways that You also can contribute to this
great cause and help Hugh Hopper in this difficult times. You can make
personal donation of any sum that You feel comfortable. If You are located
in USA/Canada and outside of the UK and European Community, You can send
International Money Order casheable in Euros if made payable to Christine
Janet. (Christine is French and they have family bank account in France
with depositing facility in the UK). If sending from the European Community,
then checks in Euros also to be payable to Hugh Hopper's wife Christine
Janet, and if sending from the UK, checks to be payable in UK pounds to
Hugh Hopper and mailed to: Hugh Hopper/Christine Janet - 29 Castle Road,
Whitstable, Kent CT5 2DZ - England, United Kingdom. In addition, MoonJune
Records / MoonJune Global Media is offering all Hugh Hopper related
cds for purchase. 11/02/2008
STEVEN
WILSON SIGNS A WORLDWIDE DEAL WITH KSCOPE
Acclaimed
for his work with Porcupine Tree, Opeth and Anja Garbarek, amongst others,
Steven Wilson’s debut album Insurgentes will be released on Kscope in February
2009. Comprising 10 new tracks that range from ballads and anthems to all-out
industrial noise assaults, the dark, cinematic, and richly textured disc
represents two years’ worth of creative output and numerous recording sessions
worldwide in studios from Mexico City to Japan and Israel. To watch a trailer
set to the first song from the album, Harmony Korine and to hear more music
from the album, visit http://www.insurgentes.org.
While Wilson is a member of several bands, including Blackfield, No-Man,
and Bass Communion, he explains that “when I began writing these songs,
I quickly realized that they would be best suited to an album under my
own name. It was an intuitive, almost unconscious writing process that
resulted in a kind of ‘poetry of melancholy.” The final product inhabits
a similar experimental realm as recent albums by Thom Yorke, Portishead,
and Nine Inch Nails. Wilson recruited a stellar cast of guests to work
on the album including bassist Tony Levin, drummer Gavin Harrison, and
keyboardist Jordan Rudess, alongside Japanese Koto player Michiyo Yagi,
British guitarist Sand Snowman, and jazz flautist and saxophonist Theo
Travis. For more about you can visit Kscope
Music Home Page. 11/02/2008
PARALLEL
OR 90 DEGREES
Although
Andy Tillison Diskdrive's THE TANGENT project is well known in Progressive
Rock circles, the music of his earlier band Parallel or 90 Degrees (Po90)
is less known, yet highly respected among many. With all their albums long
deleted availability has been difficult, this compilation of the band's
work from 1996 to 2001 with as a bonus over 30 minutes of brand new tracks,
is a perfect introduction. This double CD is a comprehensive selection
across all 5 albums also includes several new and unreleased tracks from
2002 album sessions, put on hold by the emerging success of the Tangent.
This includes the Po90 original of "Four Egos, One War" (later re-imagined
by The Tangent) and a version of "Blues For Lear" featuring the guitar
and vocal of Roine Stolt. The bands acclaimed "Afterlifecycle" suite is
also presented as a continuously running track for the first time. "I've
had a copy of the unreleased material since it was first recorded and before
The Tangent, and I loved it, so I'm really excited to be involved in finally
releasing it and having a chance to get some of their back catalog available
again.", said Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock Records. This album is
a long awaited chance to sample the music of a band whose contribution
to the continuing life of Progressive Music has been considerable, yet
sadly overlooked in the success of surrounding projects. Those people who
enjoy the music and lyrics of the Tangent will find themselves with more
gems from the same writer, and although different in character from the
better known band, still as alert and real. For more about please visit
Parallel
or 90 Degrees Home Page. 11/02/2008
TUMULUS
PREPARES SONGS FOR NEW FULL-LENGHT ALBUM
Tumulus
prepares songs for new full-lenght album "Vedai". The beginning of record
is planned for the end of 2008/beginning of 2009 year. After an annual
break again has earned our site! With the help in preparation of this new
version we were helped by Eugeny Vorobyov from Rybinsk pagan metal band
SMUTA, for what we express it huge gratitude! While sections, but gradually
function not all and they to be filled with the necessary information.
Now it is possible to familiarize with full TUMULUS biography, to look
photos from last photosession (in the updated line up), a discography and
to leave the opinion about our art in the guest book. For more about please
visit Tumulus Home Page.
11/02/2008
OSI
AND THEIR NEW ALBUM IN SPRING 2009
Experts
consider the music of the creative duo, OSI, a perfect example of inventiveness
and innovation. Kevin Moore and Jim Matheos have released two albums to
date (Office Of Strategic Influence, 2003, & Free, 2006) and are currently
working on their new, as yet untitled third recording, scheduled for release
in spring 2009. Along with Moore and Matheos, the new album will also feature
Porcupine Tree drummer Gavin Harrison. In addition, there will be a guest
appearance by Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) on ‘Stockholm’, which the
Swede co-composed. Mixing is scheduled to begin in early December with
engineer Phil Magnotti. Guests: Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree) & Mikael
Åkerfeldt (Opeth). 11/02/2008
JOHN
"DRUMBO" FRENCH REUNITES CAPTAIN BEEFHEART ALUMNI FOR SOLO ALBUM
John
"Drumbo" French has reunited fellow Magic Band alumni Bill Harkelroad (aka
"Zoot Horn Rollo"), Mark Boston (aka "Rockette Morton"), Greg Davidson
(aka "Ella Guru"), and John Thomas for a solo recording of all new compositions
entitled 'City of Refuge'. The self-produced album was recorded in London
and at various locations in the U.S., and lands stateside November 18th
on Proper Records. "I think 'City of Refuge' is important because it re-visits
a style of music that was founded by Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart)
and developed by various Magic Bands over the years. The music on this
album came to me as total inspiration from being involved in The Magic
Band reunion project. Listening to the music of Don Van Vliet and singing
with the band, I realized that I was re-visiting my musical roots and wondered
about how I had strayed so far away," French says. As the drummer and music
director for revered iconoclasts Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band,
Drumbo made central contributions to a handful of LPs – notably 1969's
mind-altering, revered masterpiece 'Trout Mask Replica', on which French
first acquired the antic stage-name "Drumbo" – that vastly expanded the
parameters of contemporary music. French's influential contributions can
also be found on projects with Frank Zappa, Mallard, Crazy Backwards Alphabet,
Henry Kaiser and Richard Thompson, among others. French plans a U.S. tour
in conjunction with his upcoming book, 'Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of
Magic, Vol.1', to be released early next year. For more about please visit
John
"Drumbo" French Home Page. 11/02/2008
CIRKUS
ANNOUNCES THEIR NEW ALBUM "LET THE MADNESS BEGIN"
In
the late 60’s Led Zeppelin gave us “Whole Lotta Love”. Then the 70’s hit
and The Clash rang saying “London Calling”, and they answered. In the 80’s
Guns ‘N’ Roses took them all to “Paradise City”. The 90’s came and so did
Nirvana, saying it “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. Now it’s 2008 and along come
Cirkus telling them Let the Madness Begin… and it has, look around folks!
Cirkus, slaps us in the face with Roux’d (vocals), Snetan (guitar), Maston
(bass) and Ric (drums), the sound, the edge, and the image of hey-day rockers
such as Mötley Crüe and Aerosmith. Their riffs are fast and hard
with lyrics that unapologetically attack big city lights, fast women, and
the media. Receiving rave reviews and critical acclaim from Europe to Southern
California, Cirkus's live performances win over even the biggest skeptics.
After releasing 3 successful EP's for three years straight, Cirkus has
just finished their full on frontal assault debut album titled "Let the
Madness Begin" together with musical genius Chris Tsangarides, a Grammy
nominated producer and mixing engineer for bands such as Judas Priest,
Thin Lizzy, Black Sabbath, Bruce Dickinson and Yngwie Malmsteen. Let the
Madness Begin is set for a US release on November 11th through Nightmare
Records/Koch Distribution. It’s called a shock to the system and senses
so what better way to describe a Cirkus attack than Let the Madness Begin.
The songs, the sound and the quality of the album speak for itself.
Samples of all songs and more info can be found at Cirkus
Home Page. 11/02/2008
ODESSA
IS BACK AFTER ALMOST 10 YEARS
After
almost 10 years since their acclaimed debut work Stazione Getsemani (Mellow
rec.1999) Odessa are now producing their second album "FInal DAY". This
will consist in 9 originals and a cover; 2 tracks will be sung in English,
one in French, 5 in Italian and one instrumental. Our version of the
Area song "Cometa Rossa" will be a part of the album too. Track list
will include the following songs (not in order of appearance): Final Day,
Piccolo mio sole, Taxi, Viene la sera, Senza fiato, Cometa rossa, Leila,
Going South, Depèche toi!, Compra. line up: Lorenzo Giovagnoli -
vox and keys, Giulio Vampa - guit, Valerio DEAngelis - bass, Marco Fabbri
- drums. Recording sessions are being taken at Ciozzi
Recordings in Fano. More infos will be find at Odessa
Home Page. 10/15/2008
RAIMUNDO
RODULFO NEW ALBUM "MARE ET TERRA"
His
new album "Mare et Terra" was finished in August and will be released by
Musea Records in November of this year. The work is divided in two main
sections as the title implies. Each section, Mare and Terra, contains two
songs. He has been fortunate to have on this album the participation of
a group of extraordinary guest musicians, graphic artists, engineers, and
various other collaborators. These are the song list and some credits of
this upcoming production: RAIMUNDO RODULFO - "Mare et Terra" Track list:
MARE - 1. Náufrago (36:34), 2. Libertad (9:01), TERRA - 3. Blue
(11:30), 4-5. Thoughts (19:45). Raimundo Rodulfo: acoustic guitars (classic,
spanish, steel strings), electric guitars, bass, and mandolin. Some additional
organ, synthetizer, percussion, and vocals. Guest Musicians: Carlos Plaza:
keyboards (1, 2) and Richard Marichal: keyboards, minimoog (3, 4, 5), Gerardo
Ubieda: drums, Yoel del Sol: percussion, Cristo Aguado: vocals (1), Minerva
Borjas Owen: vocals (1), Pedro Castillo: vocals (2, 4), Anna Ventura: violin,
Mariana Carreras: violin, Konstantin Litvinenko: cello, Franklin Diaz:
flutes (concert, tenor, piccolo), saxophones (soprano, alto, tenor), clarinet
and Osvaldo Fleites: trompets, flugelhorn. All songs composed by Raimundo
Rodulfo. For more about please visit Raimundo
Rodulfo Home Page. 10/15/2008
PICTURE
OF THE MOON IS LOOKING FOR A SINGER
After
a good cooperation of seven years Michiel Borkent has decided to leave
Picture of the Moon. Besides his excellent voice and characteristic sound,
the thing they will miss most is his good company. They want to thank Michiel
for all his effort. Picture of the Moon will continue! A lot of music has
been written, and they are very excited to record it. The recordings will
be postponed until they find a new singer. They are looking for a singer
with a good clean voice and experience on stage. Interested? Mail to zanger@pictureofthemoon.net.
Michiel: "I want to thank Picture of the Moon for all the inspiration of
the past seven years. POTM helped me to develop myself as a keyboard player
and later on also as a singer. After four years of living outside of Enschede
the decision came to leave the band. I didn't feel sufficiently involved
anymore in the creative process and couldn't give the 100% a band like
POTM deserves. I'm deeply convinced that the band will keep growing as
a very creative and uniquely sounding band and wish them all the best for
the future". 10/15/2008
STEVEN
WILSON - INSURGENTES MICROSTORE
Available
in two formats, both housed in a hardback book containing 120 pages of
beautiful photographs captured by Lasse Hoile and Susana Moyaho. The 11x11
inch book, designed by Carl Glover, is printed on super high quality paper
and bound in a hard cloth cover with embossed text. CD Edition: Limited
to 3.000 copies in special hardback book. CD1 features the album itself,
while the second CD includes songs recorded during the sessions but not
included on the main album, including a newly recorded version of the instrumental
"Collecting Space" which was previously only available on SW's MySpace
page. The DVDA contains a 5.1 surround sound mix of the album, high resolution
24 bit stereo, 18 minutes from the work in progress Lasse Hoile film "Insurgentes",
and album/film trailers. The discs are housed in recessed holders inside
the cover of the book. Vinyl Edition: Limited to 1.000 copies on 4 x 10
inch vinyl with special hardback book, and released in association with
vinyl specialists ToneFloat. Contains all the tracks from the album as
well as the bonus tracks included on CD2 of the CD/DVDA edition. To keep
the quality as high as possible, each side of the LP contains a maximum
of 12 minutes playing time. The vinyls are housed in card sleeves bound
inside the book. These special editions are available exclusively from
this Insurgnetes store. Please note that Insurgentes cannot be combined
with other Burning Shed orders.
10/15/2008
O.T.R.
AND MAMONAMA
Combine
two rock legends with a hot rhythm trio from Brazil and you get OTR (On
The Rocks). Led by the bluesy, soulful and distinctive voice of former
Uriah Heep vocalist John Lawton and the expressive fretwork of ex Focus
guitarist Jan Dumee, OTR are completed by the swinging powerful Brazilian
rhythm section of Ney Conceicao on Bass, Xande Figueiredo on Drums and
Marvio Ciribelli on Organ, Rhodes and Piano to create "Mamonama". OTR's
debut album is home to ten tracks of classic rock coupled with some jazz
influences that encapsulates various moods and expressions in an accessible
package for all fans of melodic and classic rock. OTR recorded 'Mamonama'
in Rio de Janeiro and the Netherlands. The mix was done in Brazil's foremost
cd/dvd recording studio 'Mosh' in Sao Paulo. Whilst traces of the classic
Uriah Heep and Focus sound can be heard in the instrumentation, OTR add
their own slant to the classic rock sound with a vibe that nods to the
classic timeless sounds of yester year; yet all the while striving forward
into the future in their delivery and outlook. "Mamonama" is five musicians
getting together from different sides of the planet, having a good time,
and showcasing that vibe in their music with the band focused on reaching
a new audience young and old with their new music. Band Biography: Every
now and then an idea comes along, which sounds and feels good. O.T.R (On
The Rocks) is just such an idea. A new multi-national rock group which
has brought vocalist John Lawton (ex Uriah Heep / Lucifers Friend) and
guitarist Jan Dumee (ex-Focus), together with a hot three piece Brazilian
rhythm section. In 2005 Jan recorded his solo album 'Rio on the Rocks'.
During live performances of this project he became impressed by the musicians
and so he invited drummer Xande Figuerueido, keyboardist Marvio Ciribelli
and bassist Ney Conceicao to become member of his new rock band, O.T.R.
As a continuation of descend rock-line after leaving Focus in April 2006
Jan and John hooked up and developed OTR further. John Lawton: "In April
2006 Jan contacted me, after leaving Focus, with the plan to lock together
his love for melodic rock and my blues/rock influences. I liked what I
heard. With Jan making my inexpensive guitar sound like a very expensive
one, I knew we were on the right track". TRACK LISTING: 1. Ghetto, 2. Taking
You Down, 3. Hello (Dona Nobis Pacem), 4. The Corner Club, 5. Mamonama,
6. Steal The Night, 7. Face To Face, 8. Shine, 9. Woman and 10. Ride On.
MUSICIANS: John Lawton - Lead and backing vocals, Xande Figueiredo - Drums,
Ney Conceicao - Bass, Marvio Ciribelli - Organ, Piano, Fender Rhodes and
Jan Dumee - Accoustic & Electric guitars, Tambourine, Kalimba in Woman.
Backing vocals in Shine and Face To Face. GUEST MUSICIANS: Sonia Genu -
all choir vocals in 'Hello', (arr. J.Dumee), Julio Pimentel - berimbaus
in 'Woman'. CREDITS: Music arranged by Jan Dumee. Vocals arranged by John
Lawton. Recorded at Studio Criacao (Brazil) by Bob Nagy and Studio Bolinha
(Netherlands) by Frits Van Der Veen. Mixed & mastered at Mosh Studios
(Brazil). Mixed by Adriano 'Ted', Mastered by Walter Lima at Mosh Studio's
, Sao Paulo - Brazil. For more about the band please visit O.T.R.
home page. 10/15/2008
GENESIS
1970-1975 SACD/DVD REMASTERS BOX SET
Genesis
1970-1975 SACD/DVD Remasters Box Set now available for PRE-order! (release
date 10th November 2008). - All PRE-orders of this box set will be signed
by Steve!!! (Please note, there may be a short delay with despatch due
to the signing, but at usual we'll be as quick as we can!). - This is the
only chance fans will have to purchase these albums in this format as they
will not be released individually in 5.1 at any time in the future. - The
SACDs (Super Audio CDs) WILL play on standard CD players at standard CD
quality. - The video extras on the DVDs are in PAL (European) picture format.
(An NTSC version IS being released, but we're unable to buy it in from
EMI as we're in the UK). A beautifully packaged boxed set presenting five
of Genesis' earliest studio albums as SACD/CD Hybrid and DVD Dual Disc
sets featuring 5.1 DTS and Dolby Digital Surround Sound and new stereo
mixes of the original albums, plus bonus videos and new interviews with
band members filmed exclusively for these reissues. The set contains hours
of previously unreleased video. A booklet accompanies each album featuring
sleeve notes by Richard McPhail (Trespass), David Baddiel (Nursery Cryme),
Roger Taylor (Foxtrot), Jeremy Clarkson (Selling England By The Pound)
and Tony Robinson (The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway). The set also contains
new liner notes from the band. The set includes a bonus extras disc full
of rarities including 'Genesis Plays Jackson', an aborted soundtrack project
for a BBC Art film on the work of painter Michael Jackson. For more info
and PRE-ordering go to Camino
Records. Please read our 'Pre-order & Despatch' info here.
10/15/2008
NATHAN
MAHL JOINS THE UNICORN FAMILY
Unicorn
Digital is proud to announce that Canadian progressive rock band Nathan
Mahl new and long awaited CD EXODUS will be released on the Label. Since
1982, Nathan Mahl has released many great albums including the worldwide
acclaimed Clever use of Shadows in 1999 that led the band to perform at
the prestigious NEARfest festival. While recording the first volume of
Heretik in 2000, Keyboardist Guy LeBlanc was invited to join the classic
British progressive rock group Camel for their Y2K tour and subsequent
tours and albums. Nathan Mahl's Exodus, a modern progressive-rock opera
will be released on Unicorn Digital this fall. 10/15/2008
CURVED
AIR REUNION TOUR CONTINUES
After
a thrilling performance at this year's Isle of Wight Festival, the legendary
progressive rock band Curved Air's re-union Tour continues with 6 more
U.K concerts in October, an Italian mini tour in mid November and Japanese
dates in Jan 2009. Curved Air originally formed in 1969. They were a groundbreaking
progressive art-rock band renowned for their showmanship. Each member pushed
the boundaries of possibilities for rock music performance. Darryl Way
with his flamboyant virtuoso exploration of electric violin, Francis Monkman
with his brilliant innovative sound manipulation using the VCS3 synthesiser,
keyboards and fiery intricate guitar playing and Florian's expressive approach
to rock drumming. Vocalist Sonja Kristina won the hearts of a generation
of music lovers and was voted top British Female Vocalist of the 70's whilst
the three top twenty albums that this lineup released are regarded as classics.
Curved Air's current line-up features three original members - the pioneering
rock violinist, Darryl Way, with drummer Florian Pilkington-Miksa plus
new members Andy Christie on Guitar and Chris Harris on Bass - and of course
iconic vocalist Sonja Kristina. Curved Air vocalist Sonja Kristina's other
project in collaboration with composer/ producer MarvinAyres
is called MASK and on October 6th they released a single and video 'Technopia'
ahead of their forthcoming second album release. The Technopia video is
directed by Pavel Rudanovsky and features London Clubland celebrity Mika
Doll. Technopia is currently in heavy rotation at art/gothic clubs, and
at London fashion events popular with the fashion, art and experimental
clubbing audience. MASK will appear in national in-club PAs during the
autumn, and a series of performances to promote the single and the forthcoming
album 'Technopia' are being planned for 2009. The audience will experience
an ambient Tim Burtonesque contemporary gothic show with artist and director
Pavel Rudanovsky and his event styling team Unfashion Events. The performances
will feature exciting artistic visual effects and 3D technology. The first
MASK album, 'Heavy Petal', was released in Dual Disc format (CD and DVD)
in 2005. MASK toured extensively throughout the UK, playing many festivals
including several stages at Glastonbury, clubs and new music venues. 'Heavy
Petal' video "Lambent Spire" was selected for film festivals in London
and Europe, and the dance mix of the track "Waking the Dream" charted in
the Music Week club charts in 2006. 10/15/2008
BIG
BIG TRAIN ARE WORKING ON A NEW ALBUM
They
are currently working on a new album for release in 2009. This will be
called The Underfall Yard. In 2010, they will be releasing When Everything
Was Made of Wood, a retrospective of previously unreleased songs and re-recordings
of some of the best songs from our early demos. If you have any questions
about Big Big Train, please visit Big
Big Train Home Page. 10/15/2008
BIG
BIG TRAIN ENGLISH BOY WONDERS ALBUM
They
are pleased to announce that Big Big Train will be re-releasing their 1997
album, English Boy Wonders, on the 1st December 2008. Pre-orders are now
being taken on their website. The pre-order price is £8 GBP which
includes worldwide shipping. All CD's will be posted to arrive on or just
before the release date. From the 1st December the price will be £10
GBP. English Boy Wonders is being released as a digipack with a 12 page
booklet featuring new artwork from Jim Trainer. The CD is almost 80 minutes
long and contains a bonus track which was recorded at the time of the original
sessions but has been previously unavailable. The bonus track features
the keyboard work of Martin Orford. English Boy Wonders was previously
released in a semi-complete state on the GEP label in 1997 and has been
unavailable for many years. For the 2008 re-release, they have returned
to the original master tapes and have re-recorded much of the album. Additional
sections of music have also been recorded to complete the album as it was
originally intended. The album has been entirely remixed and remastered
by Rob Aubrey (IQ, Spock's Beard, Transatlantic, Pendragon etc.) They have
set up a mini website to provide more information on English
Boy Wonders. 10/15/2008
CLAIRE
VEZINA NEW CD CYBER NEPTUNE TO BE RELEASED ON UNICORN DIGITAL
Unicorn
Digital is proud to announced that Quebec singer songwriter Claire Vezina
was signed to the label for the worldwide release of her new CD “Cyber
Neptune” With her new album, the musician makes us navigate through her
universe with the help of electro-rock atmosphere, slightly influenced
by progressive sound, without disconnecting from her musical roots. The
arrangements of Cyber Neptune flow from the beginning till the end and
gives us the desire to come back a little bit more in order to immerge
ourselves in her completely opposite poles. With her unique voice, Claire
indulges us with her attractive and finely shaped melodies. You will rediscover
the color and legendary warmth of her piano Rhodes that she brought back
in many of her compositions. The pianist reveals herself with other parts
of piano, Wurlitzer, Mellotron, organ and even handles the guitars. Cyber
Neptune will be released on the 29th of October 2008. You can visit Claire
Vezina's website. 10/15/2008
OPETH
AND THE ROUNDHOUSE TAPES DVD
The
Roundhouse Tapes set contains the critically acclaimed Opeth performance
from the Camden Roundhouse, London, UK in 2006 and sees the band in scintillating
form playing a selection of classics from their illustrious career. Packaged
in a deluxe rigid digibook inside a hard slipcase, the set also includes
postcards of each band member, an exclusive art booklet featuring the work
of Travis Smith (reknowned Opeth Sleeve designer) plus the ‘Roundhouse
Tapes’ booklet. The DVD extras include soundtrack footage from the show,
a backstage interview with the band plus fan footage all captured at the
‘Roundhouse’. ‘The Swedes put on a show of spectacular greatness in this
legendary venue … an amazing performance by one of Europe’s premier epic
metal bands.’ Rocksound. ’90 minutes of electrifying music.’ Terrorizer.
For more about please visit Peaceville
Records Home Page. 10/15/2008
NEW
JOHN HACKETT ALBUM ALSO FEATURING STEVE HACKETT & CHRIS GLASSFIELD
Now
available for PRE-order! (release date 24th October 2008) All PRE-orders
will be signed by both John & Steve Hackett!!! Eighteen melodic pieces
composed by flautist John Hackett following on from his duo albums 'Sketches
of Satie' with Steve Hackett and 'Velvet Afternoon' with Sally Goodworth.
Here John plays both flute and guitar, joined by brother Steve and classical
guitarist Chris Glassfield. "This album is a kind of homecoming as the
guitar kindled my first love of music." - John Hackett. Flutes and Guitars
played by John Hackett except... Chris Glassfield - Guitar on tracks 1,
9 and 17, Steve and John Hackett - Guitars on tracks 3, 8, 10 and 11. For
more about please visit Camino Records
Home Page. 10/15/2008
ASIA
FEATURING JOHN PAYNE TO PERFORM AT OCTOBER WILDFIRE BENEFIT CONCERT IN
SAN DIEGO
Concert
set for Saturday, October 24th, 2008 at the Qualcomm Stadium. Los Angeles,
CA - Classic AOR, hitmaking band ASIA Featuring John Payne will perform
at the upcoming October Wildfire Benefit Concert in San Diego, CA held
at the Qualcomm Stadium practice field on Saturday, October 24th at 9PM.
Doors open at 6:30PM. This concert will raise money for the RB United Fire
Recovery Center. There are six centers set up by the city of San Diego
to directly aid victims of the wildfires and also assist with ongoing recovery
efforts. ASIA Featuring John Payne will perform many of the hit songs plus
some new material from their upcoming CD release to benefit the Center.
John Payne replaced vocalist/bassist John Wetton as the front man of the
supergroup ASIA in 1992 at the invitation of keyboardist Geoff Downes.
ASIA extensively toured the world for the next 14 years performing new
classics and old favorites. With John Payne fronting the band, ASIA released
8 stunning studio albums and several live recordings. In 2006, Geoff Downes
left the band to reform the 1982 line up for their 25th anniversary. On
the 9th of May 2006, John Payne, Geoff Downes, John Wetton, Carl Palmer
and Steve Howe contractually agreed that John Payne would continue his
14 year legacy with ASIA as ”ASIA Featuring John Payne”. ASIA Featuring
John Payne have commenced touring in North America and a new studio album,
“Architect of Time” is planned for release in late 2008.
10/15/2008
JOHN
LEES' BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST ANNOUNCED FOR ROSFEST 2009
RoSfest
is extremely honored and pleased to announce John Lees' BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST
to their stage as their Sunday night headliner on May 3rd 2009. Founder
Barclay James Harvest members John Lees (vocals, guitar) and Stuart "Woolly"
Wolstenholme (vocals, keyboards, mellotron, guitar) return to the concert
stage with a five piece band to perform a set drawn from the long career
of BJH and such classic albums as "Once Again", "Everyone is Everybody
Else", "Time Honoured Ghosts", "Octoberon", "Gone to Earth" and "XII".
Barclay James Harvest was formed in Oldham, England when John Lees and
Woolly Wolstenholme teamed up with Les Holroyd and Mel Pritchard. In the
summer of 1967 the band turned professional and adopted the name. Under
the patronage of a local businessman who became their first manager, they
moved into an 18th Century farmhouse in the Saddleworth area in North West
England to write and rehearse. A one-off single deal with EMI's Parlophone
label resulted in the release of the single "Early Morning" in April 1968,
leading in turn to a full contract and the band becoming one of the first
signings to the legendary Harvest label. From the very beginning, BJH had
experimented with musical ideas, going beyond the traditional guitar, bass
and drums format to utilize a Mellotron to simulate the sound of an orchestra.
By the time their debut album, Barclay James Harvest, was recorded the
band had their own 48 piece orchestra and undertook a short orchestral
tour to promote the album. Working with former Beatles engineer Norman
Smith, classic albums such as Once Again and Barclay James Harvest and
Other Short Stories saw them perfecting their fusion of rock and classical
music. Upon signing to Polydor in 1974 the band enjoyed much greater commercial
success. 1974's studio set, Everyone Is Everybody Else, was followed later
that year by Barclay James Harvest Live, a double album which became their
first UK chart album. Time Honoured Ghosts in 1975 (recorded in San Francisco
by Neil Young producer Elliot Mazer) and Octoberon in 1976 saw the band
build on their achievements and sell out the now-traditional autumn tours
of the UK, whilst exploring new territories abroad with tours of Europe
and the USA. 1977's Gone to Earth heralded the beginning of major success
in Germany, where the album eventually reached platinum selling status.
In 1978 the second live set, Live Tapes, paved the way for a new studio
album, XII, and an extended tour of Britain and Europe. As rehearsals began
for a new album, Woolly Wolstenholme announced his departure to pursue
a solo career. He subsequently released an album, Mæstoso in 1980,
and toured with his Mæstoso band before retiring from the music business
to live and work on his own organic farm. The remaining trio resolved to
go it alone and following the release of Eyes Of The Universe, the band
enjoyed spectacular sales in Europe, particularly in Germany where it rapidly
went platinum. On August 30th 1980 the band performed a free concert on
the steps of the Reichstag, in the heart of the divided city of Berlin
to 175,000 people. 1981's Turn of the Tide album led to yet more touring
and 1982's Berlin - A Concert For The People (recorded at their historic
Reichstag concert) went straight to No. 1 in Germany and reached number15
in the UK. In early 1987 the album Face To Face marked a return to the
traditional BJH sound, and this was confirmed on another massive tour of
Britain and Europe, including several major festivals. One of these took
place in East Berlin's Treptower Park on July 14th, 1987 in front of an
estimated 170,000 fans, the first time that a western rock band had performed
an open-air concert in what was then East Germany; a live recording was
released as the album and video Glasnost in 1988. After the release of
1997's River Of Dreams disharmony in the ranks of the band led to an announcement
in March 1998 that the band would be taking a sabbatical, in effect marking
the end of the original Barclay James Harvest, and that the members of
the band would be pursuing solo projects. John Lees immediately teamed
up with Woolly Wolstenholme for the first time in twenty years to record
the album Nexus, marking a return to the "classic" sound of BJH. More recently
the 2006 John Lees' Barclay James Harvest "All is Safely Gathered In" tour
(with Craig Fletcher on bass and Kevin Whitehead on drums) was a huge success
and resulted in the live album and DVD "Legacy", recorded at London's Shepherd's
Bush Empire and released the following year on Esoteric Recordings. The
release of both titles gained further attention in Germany where the band
was honored in March 2008 by being bestowed the "Lifetime Achievement"
award at the annual Radio Regenbogen Awards (the equivalent of the UK BAFTA
awards). 2009 sees the band invited to perform in America as headliners
at the Rites of Spring Festival in Glenside, PA and plans to perform further
US shows and to tour Japan in May. The American visit is the first by any
Barclay James Harvest members since 1976. The 2009 concerts are the start
of the welcome return to prominence of the Barclay James Harvest name and
feature the very best music recorded by the band. Prepare to sit at the
table and sample the fruit. For more about please visit John
Lees' BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST website. 10/15/2008
BADMOUTH
SWEDISH ROCKERS RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM
Swedish
rockers BADMOUTH have just released their self-titled debut album through
indie label Romulus X Records. Forged in the furnace of the European rock
scene, BADMOUTH has captured the attention of fans around the world, and
the eye of industry pros even before the release of their first album.
The guys wanted to write rock tunes that stood out from the rest, drawing
on the classic rock roots of bands like Dokken, AC/DC, Guns and Roses and
Aerosmith, that have been lost in the drone of today´s rock music.
Tom, Chris, Randy, Mike and Rick realized that their job didn´t end
with writing their music, it had to be recorded and produced by the right
people. Their self-titled debut album was produced at Fortrocks Studio
in California by the renowned producer Paul Sabu. The end result? An album
that hooks rock and roll junkies with an addictive mix of driving beats,
rich vocals and tons of attitude. TRACKLIST BADMOUTH: 1. Pedal To The Metal,
2. Kick It Up, 3. Cocaine Girl, 4. The Last Train, 5. Dance Little Sister,
6. El Diablo, 7.Rivethead, 8. Hell Tonight, 9. ... And Take Your Toothbrush
With You and 10. SuperSassyBaby. 5 samples can be listened to for streaming
at the bands MySpace.
Please visit the Badmouth
website for more info. 10/15/2008
NICK
D'VIRGILIO RELEASES GENESIS "LAMB" TRIBUTE ON PROGROCK RECORDS
Rancho
Santa Margarita, CA – 14 September 2008 – Nashville-based recording engineer/producer
and a Los Angeles-based performer have teamed up to create a unique twist
on a classic Genesis album. This fall, Nick D'Virgilio of Spock's Beard
fame and engineer/producer Mark Hornsby are re-recording the Genesis classic:
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, in it's entirety. Produced
at Java Jive Studio in Nashville, the album features some of Music City’s
best musicians, taking the songs in a whole new direction. "We wanted to
see what would happen if we exposed the songs to a different climate of
musicians," says D'Virgilio, "The early Genesis recordings are so musical
and very bluesy when you get right down to it. They really lend themselves
to some different interpretations. When it came time to figure
out what label to work with, I remembered working with Shawn on the Amaran’s
Plight release and had been really pleased with how that all worked out
and I knew what a big Genesis fan he is, so I’m glad it worked out." Nick
is no stranger to Genesis as he performed on the prog legends latest release.
Although all of the original elements of the songs are still included such
as drums, bass, guitar and piano, the recordings now take on a more "theatrical"
vibe. This, coupled with orchestra, rock guitars, and some fantastic horn
arrangements, the songs now enter an entirely different place. "We had
talked about doing something like this for awhile," says Hornsby, "With
the recent attention our version of The Colony of Slippermen received,
and the re-release of the original album in 5.1, the time seemed right
to see what we could come up with. After the first conference
call with Shawn, I felt really comfortable about working with him, and
we all managed to make it work and realize the fruition of our vision."
"Genesis is one of my all time favorite bands and I spent many hours reading
the lyrics and liner notes for The Lamb. Nick is one of my favorite
drummers, and to combine these two elements in what is an amazing re-imaging
of The Lamb is a fantastic thing to be part of," said Shawn Gordon, President
of ProgRock Records. "A Tribute to The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway" is the
ProgRock Records debut release from Rewiring Genesis and can be found at
www.progrockrecords.com/artists/view.php?id=104
or at your favorite online shop or brick and mortar reseller on November
4, 2008. 10/15/2008
DARKROOM
- SOME OF THESE NUMBERS MEAN SOMETHING
Darkroom's
latest album, Some Of These Numbers Mean Something - their 8th to date
-marks the 10th anniversary of debut release, Daylight. The original brief
for the new album was, 'place guitar under microscope'. In places, it's
the hardest hitting Darkroom album to date, but without doubt it's also
the most accessible, combining 70's space rock, 80's Sheffield electronica,
60's guitar instrumentals and contemporary post rock. For more about please
visit Darkroom Home page.
10/15/2008
MVD
ENTERTAINMENT GROUP ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR VINYL
Devo,
G.G. Allin, Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics, and the Dwarves are among
the first. MVD Entertainment Group (MVD) has announced plans to issue several
releases on vinyl including new and previously unreleased tracks by Devo
and the Dwarves, plus reissues by G.G. Allin, Wendy O. Williams and the
Plasmatics, and more. MVD and Big Daddy have deep access to a great
amount of quality content from some very collectible artists. "They are
very fortunate to be able to revisit this great catalog and bring these
gems back to life in their originally intended format," said Ed Seaman,
COO of MVD. This comes in response to a resurgence of fans, collectors,
and true audiophiles who prefer the warm sound of vinyl. According to a
July 2008 article in Billboard, "Indie retail started the party, but now
some of the chains are carrying vinyl too. In addition to Fred Meyer and
Borders, Best Buy has said publicly that it will experiment with carrying
LPs." Since retailers are becoming increasingly supportive, it was a no-brainer
for MVD. "I love vinyl...always have and always will," Seaman. "The look,
the feel, and of course the sound. And most importantly - with vinyl you
get an easily digestible chunk of music to listen to - about 15 minutes
per side. And then, it is time to make a decision: do I flip the album
over and play the other side" Or do I pick a new record" Upcoming releases
include: DEVO - "Watch Us Work It". This will contain four versions of
the song "Watch Us Work It": Teddy Bears Version, Original Devo Demo Version,
Karaoke Version, and "Still Workin'" Version. It was recorded at
Mutato Muzika in Los Angeles and produced by Sweden's famous Teddy Bears.
The DELL company heard it when Paul Malmstrom and Linus Karlsson at the
Mother agency in NYC pitched it as a possibility for a TV campaign for
the newly developed, high-end laptop computer. DELL loved it, so they used
it for nationwide TV ad campaign. The vinyl will also include "Devo Was
Right About Everything" by Attery Squash (re-mix by Robert and Gerald Casale).
More Info please visit MVD Home Page.
09/25/2008
DELIRIUM
IS FINISHING THE NEW ALBUM AND BLACK WIDOW RECORDS NEW RELEASES
The
great italian band Delirium is finishing the new album, the first in studio
after 30 years, titled "Il Nome Del Vento". It's a very progressive concept
album with some special guests like a 4 string female quartet, Sophya Baccini
of Presence, Mimmo Di Martino ex voice/acoustic guitar of early Delirium
line-up and Lupo Galifi of Museo Rosembach. Album will be out in December!
Coming soon a DVD with all the 70's video and 2 new sows! Italian prog
70's band IL Cerchio D'oro are back with a new concept album titles "Il
Viaggio Di Colombo". The album will be in the shops for middle October.
Sophya Baccini; the voice of Presence recorded her first solo album titled
"Aradia" an exoterical progressive very simphonic concept with some special
guest like Lino Vairetti of Osanna and Martin Grice of Delirium. Album
out in December. A new exciting release at BWR is the first album of G.C.Neri
a musician from Genova! The album is called "Logos" and is a mix of Gong
sound with some Pink Floyd and PFM. The guitar style of G.C.Neri is very
into Steve Hillage! Album out middle of October. New album of the Universal
Totem Orchestra titles "The Magus" is out now! Sound is very powerfull
like an Orchestra in the Universe with influences by Area, Magma, Gong
and Mahavishu Orchestra. 09/25/2008
SYZYGY
IS RECORDING THEIR NEW ALBUM
They
are rounding third and heading home. Most of the mixes are done. It now
appears certain that Realms of Eternity will be our first double album!
Not only have they exceeded the capacity of a single disc, the project
will present very nicely as a double album. Not a wasted moment or any
filler to be found. He won't announce a release date quite yet, but they
are getting close. In the meantime Thei have included some pictures of
a recent session where they brought in a cellist, violinist and flutist
for some additional orchestration. These are students enrolled in the Master's
Program at the Cleveland Institute of Music where I am on the Board of
Trustees. It was their first exposure to "progressive rock", but they did
a great job and had a lot of fun to boot. Hope you enjoy. Stay tuned for
additional news coming shortly, for more about please visit Syzygy
Home Page. 09/25/2008
ULYSSES
THE GIFT OF TEARS PROMOTIONAL VIDEO
The
hard work is done, well... at least for the recording and productional
part. Now the world just have to find out what Ulysses is all about and
maybe we can rock the *&%%$@ out of everybody next year! Are you curious?
Just check out our promotional video for our upcoming album "the Gift of
Tears". For more about please visit Ulysses
Home Page. 09/25/2008
SOLSTICE
COIL CONTINUED TO WRITE NEW MATERIAL
Demo
recordings (2008) Immediately after the release of the debut album, "A
Prescription for Paper Cuts", Solstice Coil continued to write and arrange
new materials. While staying true to the band's original sound and atmosphere,
the new songs developed in slightly different directions, some being heavier
and more structurally chaotic, and some exploring a more sensitive side
to the band's creation. These songs and several others will appear on the
upcoming second album. Track Listing: 01. Question Irrelevant, 02. Human
Again, 03. Fall Schedules, 04. Replacing People, 05. Too Many Regrets,
06. Singalong Deathtrap, 07. Walking Graveyards, 08. An Essence Recycled.
For more about please visit Solstice
Coil Home Page. 09/25/2008
RIVERSIDE
AND "ANNO DOMINI HIGH DEFINITION"
Between
the concerts, preparing live DVD and realizing some solo projects, the
band has already started to work on the material for the newest record.
Its title will probably be “Anno Domini High Definition”. This record is
planned to be the most energetic of all those released so far. Soon, there
will be a separate column added to our website, where you may learn about
the process of its production. The band will start to record in January
2009 and the release is planned at the turn of May and June 2009.
09/25/2008
SENSORY
TO RELEASE XYSTUS' 'EQUILIBRIO' FEATURING EPICA, ORPHANAGE MEMBERS
Sensory
has announced the upcoming release of Dutch progressive metal band XYSTUS'
third album, "Equilibrio". Due on September 30, this rock opera was recorded
with a 60-piece orchestra and a 30 member choir, and includes guest performances
from Simone Simons of EPICA and George Osthoek of ORPHANAGE. With an influx
of gothic, progressive and traditional heavy metal influences melding with
this dramatic orchestration, fans of EPICA, AYREON and KAMELOT should keep
both eyes peeled for this release to strike. XYSTUS is a Dutch progressive
metal band formed in 1999 by drummer Ivo Van Dijk and guitarist/vocalist
Bas Dolmans. They enlisted bassist Mark Brekelmans and second guitarist
Bob Witsma. Through the course of releasing two albums — 2004's "Receiving
Tomorrow" and 2006's "Surreal" — the band built up a buzz and fanbase in
The Netherlands. The band supported KAMELOT and made numerous festival
appearances. In December 2005, XYSTUS went on a European tour in support
of EPICA. The band had even greater ambitions and in 2006 they contacted
the Utrechtsch Studenten Concert — the oldest symphony orchestra in The
Netherlands. The resulting two-year collaboration resulted in the rock
opera "Equilibrio". Conceived as both an actual stage production and studio
recording, "Equilibrio" was performed to four sold-out audiences in July
2008 — over 4,000 people witnessed the opera. Sensory will release the
studio recording of "Equilibrio", which features key scenes from the opera.
In addition to the 60-piece US Concert orchestra and 30-member choir, XYSTUS
enlisted vocal performances from Simone Simons (EPICA), George Osthoek
(ORPHANAGE, DELAIN) and Dutch theater veterans Michelle Splietelhof and
John Vooijs. The story of "Equilibrio" revolves around a wanderer named
Diegu (Bas Dolmans) who finds himself caught between the forces of good
and evil the power mad ruler Primos (John Vooijs) and the altruistic rebel
Avelin (Michelle Splietelhof). Primos makes a pact with Death (George Osthoek)
take over the world. After unsuccessful efforts by Diegu to mediate between
Avelin and Primos, the latter ends up with complete power and the world
is thrown out of balance. Diegu is summoned by the godess Lady Sophia (Simone
Simons). She watches over Earth and entrusts Diegu with the job reuniting
Primos and Avelin in order to restore the balance between good and evil
again. 09/25/2008
LUNATIC
SOUL AND "LUNATIC SOUL" THE NEW ALBUM FROM RIVERSIDE FRONTMAN MARIUSZ DUDA
Release
date 13th October 2008 - Digital release date 29th September 2008. New
to Kscope Music, self titled 'Lunatic Soul' is the debut solo record from
the lead singer and creative force behind the post-progressive band Riverside.
Since the release of their debut album in 2003, Riverside have built a
solid fan base in a genre that boasts the likes of Porcupine Tree, Opeth
and Dream Theatre. Lunatic Soul adds another name to this new post-progressive
stable. Mariusz Duda is currently touring with Riverside on the back of
their latest release 'Rapid Eye Movement' (Inside Out) and spreading the
word to a captive audience of his new ongoing project 'Lunatic Soul'. Tracklist:
Prebirth, The New Beginning, Out On A Limb, Summerland, Lunatic Soul, Where
The Darkness Is Deepest, Near Life Experience, Adrift, The Final Truth
and Waiting For The Dawn. Lunatic Soul is the new project from Riverside
frontman Mariusz Duda. The self-titled debut album will be released on
Kscope on October 13th 2008. Riverside have risen to prominence over
the past five years following the success of the 'Reality Dream' trilogy
of albums which started in 2003 with the band's debut 'Out Of Myself',
continued two years later with 'Second Life Syndrome' and was completed
in 2007 with 'Rapid Eye Movement.' These three albums have drawn widespread
critical acclaim, positioning Riverside alongside groups like Porcupine
Tree, Opeth, Dream Theatre as part of an emergent group of post-progressive
acts Duda is keen to stress that Lunatic Soul doesn't represent the end
of Riverside, instead it represents an opportunity for him to explore other
musical avenues before embarking on the next Riverside album. The Lunatic
Soul album is thus a studio project realised in co-operation with a collection
of hugely talented friends and colleagues, Together they have created 10
atmospheric tracks. While undeniably a more mellow sound than Riverside
(as Mariusz himself has noted 'an interesting fact is that there is no
electric guitar here at all') the album still reflects the moods and atmosphere's
of his earlier works exploring themes such as death and transience. The
sound that has been created, blending a variety of instruments including
keyboards, piano, flute, harmonica. Hammond organ, e-bow, acoustic guitar,
bass and various kinds of vocals , has been described by Duda as 'an oriental-trans-psychodelic-verbal-musical
journey through the pitch darkness available only to those who have...
a lunatic soul.' For more info about the band visit Lunatic
Soul Home Page. 09/09/2008
AVIAN
AND NEW ALBUM “ASHES AND MADNESS”
Brilliant
epic melodic metal, this album brings forth a melodic heavy crossover album
that boarders on the edges of many of Metals subgenre’s, fans of many styles
(Melodic, Power / Scandinavian/US / German style metal). Avian “Ashes and
Madness” is the amazing sophomore effort of vocalist/ producer Lance King
best known for his many albums with (Balance of Power / Pyramaze /Gemini
) and guitarist /composer Yan Leviathan. The bands Debut album Featured
known Megadeth bassist David Ellefson. This new offering the band has added
Bill Hudson of Cellador guitar fame. Lance King’s vocals are extremely
memorable and intoxicating, these songs well written, memorable and while
being very heavy are still very accessible and radio friendly. These
songs are sure to grab the listener on their first listen. Track Listing:
1. Ashes And Madness, 2. The Lost And Forsaken, 3. Into The Other Side,
4. Esoteric Lies, 5. Fall From Grace (Instrumental), 6. Beyond The Hallowed
Gates, 7. Thundersoul, 8. All The King’s Horses, 9. Never Fade From Me
and 10. Time And Space Part II: Unlock The Mystery. For more about please
visit Avian Home Page.
09/09/2008
ROHMER
NEW PROJECT BY BORIS VALLE (PIANO) AND FABIO ZUFFANTI (BASS, ELECTRONIC)
Rohmer
is a project born from the will of Boris Valle (piano) and Fabio Zuffanti
(bass, electronic), founder members of Finisterre, the most important italian
progressive group of the last 15 years with four acclaimed albums and a
great number of concerts and tours in Italy, France, Belgium, Spain, US
and Mexico. When in 2007 Finisterre broke up, Fabio and Boris, soon joined
by other two Finisterre's members Agostino Macor (synthetizers, mellotron,
electric piano, electronic) and Maurizio Di Tollo (drums, percussion, guitars),
decide to continue to work together with another name but the same desire
of experimentation that countersign Finisterre's music. So Rohmer's music
began where Finisterre ends and continues its works between tradition and
experimentation, mixing prog, ambient, electronic, postrock, contemporary,
minimalism and jazz. Production by Fabio Zuffanti. Composed & arranged
by Valle/Macor/Zuffanti/Di Tollo. For more about please visit Rohmer
Home Page. 09/03/2008
FROGG
CAFÉ FINISHING RECORDING SESSIONS FOR NEW CD
Frogg
Café, featuring returning original guitarist Frank Camiola, is finishing
up the recording sessions for their brand new as yet untitled studio release.
In addition the return of Camiola, many other special guests will appear
on the new release, including Jim "Skitty" Mullen on Sax and John Lieto
on Trombone. The band says everyone can once again expect the unexpected
from this round of recordings. The band will be performing extensively
to promote the new CD upon its release. 09/03/2008
LORD
OF MUSHROOMS WILL PERFORM AT THE MIDI MUSIC FESTIVAL
Lord
of Mushrooms have been invited to perform at the MIDI MUSIC FESTIVAL
which will be held from the 29th September to the 2nd October 2008 in Beijing.
This manifestation has become one of the biggest live music events in Asia.
Lord of Mushrooms have already taken part in the 2005 Festival, playing
to 15000 people who were able to discover their dynamic, virtuoso and melodic
rock sound. This year the festival will be held in the National Olympic
Sports Center Stadium, where the Olympics Games have been held. The band
will take this opportunity to film its first live DVD presenting original
titles from their forthcoming album. On the occasion of this exceptional
event, very few French bands have had the chance to participate in a Festival
of such large scale impact, moreover in China. LORD OF MUSHROOMS
are on the look out for various forms of partnership. With their performance
in China, especially after the worldwide press exposure brought about by
the Olympic Games, the band will be much in the limelight. This event constitutes
a major event on the French Rock scene. For more informations about the
band please visit Lord of Mushrooms
home page. 09/03/2008
CHAOSWAVE
SIGNS WITH NIGHTMARE RECORDS
Italian/Danish
power-thrash metal act Chaoswave has inked a deal with the American label
Nightmare Records. The group's new album, "Dead Eye Dreaming", will be
released in North America on November 25. The European release date will
be anounced soon. "Dead Eye Dreaming" (see cover artwork below) will contain
11 songs and almost an hour's worth of music. The CD was mixed earlier
this year by Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) and features a special guest
appearance by Steve Smyth, former guitarist of NEVERMORE and TESTAMENT.
Commented Smyth: "I first heard CHAOSWAVE a few years ago while on tour
with NEVERMORE, and absolutely loved that they had a heavy, progressive
metal sound, combined with a male-female vocal duo that sound huge, and
very unique together. Everyone in this band is a top-notch musician! I
am very pleased to have been asked and contributed solos to the band's
new album, which I believe is sure to snap many ears in their direction
this year!" "Dead Eye Dreaming" track listing: 01. 10 Years of Denial,
02. Fork Tongues and Foul Times (with Steve Smyth), 03. How to Define a
Race, 04. A March for the Dying (with Steve Smyth), 05. Another Lie to
Live in Vain, 06. Blind Eye Focus, 07. Dead Eye Dream, 08. Rise (with Steve
Smyth), 09. Picture Perfect, 10. Two Shadows and 11. The Evident. Chaoswave
is currently booking two small European tours for October and November.
The band will also perform at the Metal Female Voices Fest on October 19
in Wieze, Belgium. 09/03/2008
DAVID
CROSS BAND AND ALIVE IN THE UNDERWORLD
"This
incarnation of the David Cross Band initially came together for a trip
to Japan in April 2005. In March 2006 the band played concerts at the Robin
in Bilston, at the Stables in Milton Keynes and the Underworld in North
London, where the nine live tracks (from King Crimson on up to today) on
this album were recorded. "The tenth track on this album points to the
future? Floodlights was recorded on a very hot afternoon in July 2005 at
FrooSound, Mick's studio in Worthing. It makes use of a technique
we used in King Crimson involving recording an improvisation and subsequently
adding a vocal line and other parts to create a piece that has the best
of both worlds? the considered structure and coherence of composition with
the spontaneity and boldness of improvisation." - David Cross. Tracks include:
Out of the Darkness, Nurse Insane, Learning Curve, Are We One?, Exiles,
Tonk, I Buy Silence, Starless, 21st Century Schizoid Man, Floodlights.
For more about please visit David
Cross Home Page. 08/25/2008
FROMUZ
AND THEIR NEW ALBUM "OVERLOOK"
Hailing
from Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Fromuz returns with the follow-up to their fiery
debut with a new selection of intensely melodic hard prog-rock fusion on
their newest CD release, Overlook. Displaying nearly 70 minutes worth of
blistering instrumental prowess, FROMUZ continues in the musical direction
they have already established, while simultaneously stretching into adventurous
new territory. All original members of FROMUZ are back for the five epic
tracks that make up Overlook, as they once again prove themselves to be
among the most passionate and talented musicians on the planet today. The
CD features outstanding production, with mixing by Jeff Hodges (Man On
Fire) and was mastered by veteran mastering engineer Brad Blackwood (Evanescence).
“As powerful and talented as Planet X, Karcius, Liquid Tension Experiment,
or Spaced Out, with the compositional flair of bands like The Mahavishnu
Orchestra and Return to Forever, FROMUZ lay waste to the audio landscape,
taking no prisoners and leaving no stone unearthed.” For more about
please visit Fromuz Home Page.
08/25/2008
AMON
DUUL 2 THE GERMAN PROG LEGENDS GET BACK CATALOG REISSUED
Experimental
music pioneers Amon Duul 2, whose music defined the German progressive
rock scene of the 1970's, are back in the news with the reissuing of the
band's back catalog on SPV Records - many titles have been long out of
print. "All the important works of Amon Duul 2 are remastered
and wherever there was spare room on the CDs, we added bonus tracks recorded
in 2005, 2006 and 2007", says guitarist and original band member John Weinzierl.
Titles re-issued include 'Dance Of The Lemmings', 'Yeti', 'Carnival In
Babylon', 'Wolf City', 'Vive Le Trance', 'Hi-Jack', 'Live In London', 'Made
In Germany', and 'PyragonyX'. As a point of special interest to Amon Duul
2 fans in the USA, the band's landmark concept album 'Made In Gemany' ,
touted as the first German Rock Opera, is now made available in its original
complete form (the DBL LP was only released in the US as a single album
with different cover art). Formed in Munich in 1968, Amon Duul 2 rapidly
excelled to the forefront of German avant garde music along side notable
peers Can, Faust and Tangerine Dream. Amon Duul 2 quickly distinguished
themselves from these other ensembles with their use of pop elements interspersed
with eclectic songwriting and arrangements along with deft musicianship
and the sweet voice of female vocalist Renate Knaup-Krotenschwanz. The
band's influences ranged from jazz and classical to Zappa and Syd's Pink
Floyd, although the music has remained so original these past 30 years
it's difficult to tell who the band's influences are! "That's because Germany
culture-wise has no rhythm and blues influence," explains Renate. "We have
classical music and traditional music, so we just experimented with what
we had. To copy rhythm and blues or rock and roll would be silly because
they are not our roots." By 1979 and many critically acclaimed, pioneering
LPs later, Amon Duul 2 went their separate ways, only to reunite in the
1990s, and most recently in the mid-2000s. The current line-up includes
original members: Chris Karrer (guitar, violin, vocals), John Weinzierl
(guitars, synth, vocals), Renate Knaup-Krotenschwanz (vocals), Danny Fichelscher
(drums), Lother Meid (bass, vocals) and neo-Duul Jan Kahlert (percussion,
vocals). With the re-issuing of Amon Duul 2's back catalog, the band are
preparing for a major tour scheduled for Autumn 2008 and Spring 2009, with
the running title '40 Years since 1968/69'. Other plans include "a DVD
called 'Amon Duul 2 History' and a new studio CD by the band. "Both will
take a bit of time still," says John. "Maybe there's gonna be another DVD
'Live At The Buttermaker in Shrewsburry 2006' in the meantime." These new
releases, along with rare solo CDs by Weinzierl's trio JHM along with an
album he did with the late Robert Calvert of Hawkwind will be available
on the Amon Düül 2 official
website. For more information on the Amon Duul 2 CD re-issues by SPV
records. 08/25/2008
TRETTIOARIGA
KRIGET AN THEIR MEW ALBUM
The
bands first ever livealbum will be released on October the 20th. The album
will be a double CD and it will be called "War Years". The first cd will
consist of liverecordings from the 70s and 80s while the second one will
manly contain TK´s show at Progday, NC, US in 2004. You will be able
to preorder at band´s webshop at a very good price. If you preorder
it you will also get a bonus CDR with five livetracks not available anywhere
else, plus you will of course get it signed and receive it before anyone
else. For more about please visit Trettioariga
Kriget home page. 08/25/2008
BLACK
BONZO AND "SOUND OF THE APOCALYPSE" LIMITED EDITION 12" VINYL LP
Primal
Vinyl Records are proud to announce the release of Black Bonzo's album,
Sound of the Apocalypse, on vinyl for the very first time.Black Bonzo's
sound is firmly rooted in the prog and artrock worlds of the glorious '70s.
Shades of Uriah Heep, Camel, Queen, Deep Purple, Genesis and Styx are heard
within Black Bonzo's addictive sound. From the thrilling opener 'Thorns
Upon A Crown', to the 14 minute opus and closing title cut, this album
takes you on a roller coaster ride of heavy keyboard/guitar driven rock.
Originally released in 2007, Sound of the Apocalypse was critically acclaimed
within the progressive rock community. It is listed as one of that years
top ten progressive rock releases by such illustrious European polls as
the Gagliarchives Top 100 Albums of the Year and received a nomination
for Best Foreign Album at Progawards 2007 - putting the album on a par
with releases from the genres heavy hitters such as Porcupine Tree, Rush,
Dream Theater, and Riverside. This release is limited to only 1000
copies world wide, and is presented in a beautiful gatefold picture sleeve.
The album is distributed by Plastichead Music Distribution Ltd (www.plastichead.com)
in the United Kingdom who are one of Europes biggest distributors of rock
and metal vinyl. Trade enquiries and further details can be obtained from
Eddie at e.nichol@plastichead.com. Alternatively, copies of this LP at
dealer prices can be obtained directly from Primal Vinyl Records. We accept
paypal payments and have no minimum order quantity. Please contact Rob
at info@primalvinyl.co.uk for further information. For more about other
releases please visit Primal Vinyl
Records Home Page. 08/25/2008
BLACKMORE’S
NIGHT, "SECRET VOYAGE" MUSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH TIME AND SPACE
Secret
Voyage, the new album by Blackmore’s Night – the duo of award-winning singer/songwriter
Candice Night and legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore – is available
now! Taking inspiration from traditional folk music from around the world,
Secret Voyage is sure to transport you to a simpler, more magical time.
SPV Records is proud to announce the U.S.A. release of Secret Voyage by
Blackmore’s Night, the award winning band fronted by singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
Candice Night with legendary lead guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. Other members
of the band include Bard David of Larchmont (keyboards/vocals), Earl Grey
of Chimay (bass/rhythm guitar/vocals), Squire Malcolm of Lumley (percussionist),
and Gypsy Rose (violin/vocals). This kaleidoscopic musical journey through
time and space incorporates traditional folk music from around the world.
The album blends haunting ancient melodies with newly-written Night lyrics
inspired by nature and fantasy, partially recorded on renaissance-period
instruments, and arranged with a contemporary dramatic flair that features
the brilliant acoustic and electric guitar stylings of Blackmore. This
cd is sure to transport you to a simpler, more magical time, away from
the stresses of modern day life. “With Blackmore’s Night,” says Blackmore,
“we have the creative freedom to play any style of music we want. We can
play folk, rock, ballads, instrumentals, or tavern songs. I couldn't do
that in Deep Purple. Now I feel as if I'm not in a box anymore.” Inspired
by their international performances, and assimilating the various melodies
from the continents they’ve traversed, many of the 12 new tracks on Secret
Voyage have been adapted from the folk traditions of numerous countries
including France (“Gilded Cage”), Russia (“Toast To Tomorrow”), Germany
(“Prince Waldeck’s Galliard”) and England (“Peasant’s Promise”). Add to
that two stunning covers done distinctively in Blackmore's Nights strongly
identifiable style—the 1961 Elvis Presley hit “Can’t Help Falling In Love”
and Rainbow’s “Rainbow Eyes”—and some entrancingly poignant originals.
In addition to creating the kind of haunting sonic soundscapes that captivate
your mind like your fondest memories, Night and Blackmore also continue
to work for the many causes they espouse. Together with World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) they’ve helped plant 6,000 fruit trees in Borneo, donated time
and money to help Siberian tigers, bats in Berlin, badgers in Great Britain
and, at many of their concerts around the world, have established fund
drives for “No Kill” animal shelters. When not touring they continue to
sponsor shelter animals and even hold a private show at holiday time every
year to raise funds for local animal charities. They have also banded together
with C020L to help the environment by planting trees in Panama to reduce
the toxins brought on by the bands touring. Night stars as Princess Candice
at the interactive theme park Magiquest, and Princess Amora at throughout
U.S. and Japan. She has also been the reigning "Faerie Queen", nominated
by Faerie Magazine, at the Faerie Festivals throughout the USA and
is much beloved by the children who travel miles to meet her in this role.
Her film debut, House Of Eternity, is scheduled for release this fall.
For more about please visit Blackmore’s
Night Home Page. 08/25/2008
DEUS
EX MACHINA NEW STUDIO
Deus
Ex Machina - Imparis a new studio album and including a live DVD. Imparis
is a double set which comprises a new studio album and a live DVD (the
band's first ever DVD). Deus Ex Machina formed in Bologna, Italy in 1985.
Their fifth studio album, Cinque, released by Cuneiform in 2002, was their
first work issued outside of Italy. A sextet of violin, analog keyboards,
guitar, bass, drums and vocals, their sound is a unique blending of high
energy rock and jazz/rock fusion influences, all capped off with the distinctive
vocals - sung in Latin and Italian - by Alberto Piras, one of the great
vocalists working in rock today. Their music is a unique and unequaled
blend of aggressive jazz/rock mixed with complex rhythms, touches of 1970s
hard-rock guitar, Rock In Opposition and the avant-garde, all topped by
the incredible vocals, sung in Latin and Italian, of Alberto Piras, one
of the most amazing vocalists working in rock today. This is Deus Ex Machina's
greatly anticipated first release in more than five years.
08/25/2008
CALIFORNIA
GUITAR TRIO AND THEIR NEW ALBUM
This
new California Guitar Trio CD features arrangements of an eclectic variety
of CGT favorites, and includes a never before released studio version of
Bohemian Rhapsody. Produced by CGT sound man Tyler Trotter. Featuring guests
appearances by Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Tony Levin, Pat Mastelotto, Tom Griesgraber,
Jamie Masefield, Pamelia Kursten, Tyler Trotter and more. The Louisville
Weekly says: "The Trio's 12:20 version of Pink Floyd's Echoes will redefine
what it means to play guitar." For more about please visit California
Guitar Trio Web Site. 08/25/2008
TRANS
SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA AND 'NIGHT CASTLE'
"Jeff
is thrilled to be part of this tour as it is an introduction to future
appearances with TSO, including the new album 'Night Castle'." Trans Siberian
Orchestra is a rock orchestra founded in 1996 by Paul O'Neill, Robert Kinkel,
and Jon Oliva (Savatage). The band's musical style is often described in
different terms, incorporating progressive rock, symphonic metal, and heavy
metal, with influences from classical music. For more about please visit
Trans
Siberian Orchestra home page. 08/25/2008
ANNIE
HASLAM - SINGING AGAIN - TWO SHOWS COMING UP
She
is very happy to announce that she has two concerts coming up in the next
few months. Both will be at The Sellersville Theater, Sellersille, PA (www.st94.com)
September 20th and December 20th. The first show she is particularly excited
about. Jann Klose (http://www.jannklose.com) is an exciting singer songwriter
that impressed her so much that she wanted to do a show with him. She first
met Jann when he donated a song for a benefit CD she was involved in called
"Serenity House" (http://www.myspace.com/serenityhousecd and http://www.serenityhousehospice.org).
The first time she heard him perform 'live' was at a benefit concert to
support the CD and everyone in the club including herself were completely
'blown' away (Annie sad "sorry but that's the best way to describe his
performance) it brought everyone to their feet! She rarely get excited
about new music and so for her to feel so strongly, spurred her on to let
other people know who he is. His music is unique, powerful yet gentle,
dynamic and melodic, and to deliver it, he has a tremendous voice with
a range to match! She see in him a great new talent, his 'live' performances
sealing it all. The show is Jann's and his band (also wonderful musicians
too), featuring herself. She will be performing several of her own works
of music and also she will be singing along with Jann on his songs. She
hopes that as many of we come as possible, it will be a 'different' show
for her, that's for sure, but it will be exciting for us to be there at
the beginning of what she knows will be a very bright future for Jann.
On December 20th she will be performing her annual Holiday concert, this
time at the Sellersville Theater. She have missed singing at this special
time of year so am looking forward to getting into the spirit!I will be
joined by: Rave Tesar (http://www.ravetesar.com), Dave Keyes, (both from
Annie´s band, many of us will remember them well) Jann Klose (http://www.jannklose.com),
Lizanne Knott (http://www.lizanneknott.com), Bar Scott (http://www.barscott.com)
and Caryn Lyn (http://www.carynlin.com). It will be a 'special' night in
celebration of the season. So now we see why She is excited, two very special
shows in a beautiful venue... If you haven't been to the Sellersville Theater,
then you are in for a treat... Please come to both shows if you are able,
it will be nice to see us all again, it's been a while! Annie Aslan.
08/25/2008
PROGDAY
ANNOUNCES MIRTHRANDIR
ProgDay
is thrilled to announce the addition of MIRTHRANDIR to this year's lineup.
With a style in the tradition of classic symphonic, melodic, driving progressive
rock, the band also features a unique twin lead guitar attack that allows
for added complexity and density. The band formed back in the early 70's
and released For You The Old Women in 1976, generally ranked as one of
the top American progressive rock albums of the time. For a while it looked
like MIRTHRANDIR would join the top tier of U.S. based progressive rock
acts, but unfortunately the band broke up before that happened. Reunited
in the new millennium, critically acclaimed performances at the New Jersey
Proghouse, Baja Progressive Rock Festival, and The Rights Of Spring Festival
have gained the band a whole new generation of fans. ProgDay is proud to
welcome this classic ensemble to the Storybook stage. ProgDay, the world's
longest running progressive rock festival, takes place this year on August
30th and 31st at Storybook Farm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Other
bands announced so far are Ain Soph (Japan), Canvas Solaris (US), CHEER-ACCIDENT
(US), Holding Pattern (US), VonFrickle (US) and Abigail's Ghost (US). To
hear music and get information about all the bands, please visit Progday
website. 08/25/2008
PENDRAGON
AN THEIR NEW ALBUM "PURE"
New
album Pure artwork and release date Oct 1st. The new artwork for "Pure"
is up on the website to see at Pendragon
web site. The "Pure" artwork is based on a contortionist which reflects
the difficulties and restrictions that they have growing up as adolescents.
The special edition "Pure" with progumentary DVD and case bound book will
only be available through their website and at the concerts. They will
be taking pre-orders from the Pendragon web-store in the middle of August.
Hang onto your horses, this album is going to blow your mind! The album
is in the last stages of mixing and is really a move forward for the band
with new boy Scott adding some thunderous drumming and some really strong
material, magnificent long guitar solos and dollops upon dollops of keyboards
all done in a very new way! 07/27/2008
JADE
WARRIOR RETURN TO THE LIVE CIRCUIT
On
October 23rd 2008, 35 years after their last live appearance, Jade Warrior
return to the live circuit with a gig at The Astoria 2, 165 Charing Cross
Road, London, WC2 0EN. Advance tickets - priced at 15 pounds, are on sale
direct from the Astoria box office at 020 7434 9592. Co-headliners with
Jade Warrior on the night will be Karnataka, a prog-rock/folk band of some
repute. Due to recording commitments, this will be your only chance to
see Jade Warrior playing live this year, which should make it a very special
night. They hope you can make it! Don't forget, our latest CD 'NOW' is
available from http://www.windweavermusic.co.uk/
where
payment can now be made by credit/debit card (via PayPal) or cheque/money
order. 07/27/2008
MANDALABAND
AND NEW TRACKS AT MYSPACE
David
Rohl has added lots of new tracks to the Mandalaband MySpace page now.
None of them is finished yet - there are still a lot of lead vocals to
do, plus all of Ashley Mulford's guitars, Kim Turner's percussion and Geoffrey
Richardson's violas and sax solos. Amongst the pieces to be heard is a
rough mix of a new piece by Woolly entitled "Nimrod". The plan is to release
not
one but two new concept albums - the first is to be called BC Ancestors
and will cover "the heroic age of our ancient ancestral history (leading
up to the birth of Christ)". The second album will be entitled AD
Sangreal and concerns itself with "the Romano-Spanish legends surrounding
the Holy Grail (minus King Arthur)". For more and every thing about the
band please visit Mandalaband
Web Site. 07/27/2008
TODD
RUNDGREN NEW ALBUM AND UK TOUR
Todd
Rundgren, the man who gave us the classic albums "Something/Anything",
"A Wizard, A True Star", "Faithful", "Hermit of Mink Hollow" and 2004's
critically acclaimed "Liars", will perform four UK concerts following the
September 29th UK release of his new studio album "Arena". Tickets go on
sale for four rare UK concerts including Manchester Academy 2 (Nov 6),
Edinburgh Picture House (Nov 7) and Norwich Waterfront (Nov 22) and London
Kentish Town Forum (Nov 23). "Arena is a definite return to riff-oriented
guitar rock," says Rundgren. "It's supposed to make you reflexively pump
your fist and wave a lighter in the air. The concerts will be a straight-ahead,
guitar-rock extravaganza. We can't afford the flamethrowers yet, but we'll
make up for it with aggression." The Arena Tour band will feature Jesse
Gress (guitar), Rachel Haden (bass), Matt Bolton (guitar, keyboards), Prairie
Prince (drums), and Todd Rundgren (guitar, vocals). For full details and
more about please contact Pete Noble and Tracy Gosling at Noble
PR. 07/27/2008
ANATHEMA
RETURN WITH THEIR NEW ALBUM
Anathema
return in August with their new album, Hindsight on Kscope. To mark the
release Kscope have launched a new website at Anatema.
The site contains info on the release and forthcoming tour dates, audio
samples, downloads and more. In addition to this, for a limited period,
fans who sign up to the mailing list will receive a free mp3 of the track
Fragile Dreams. Hindsight features old and new favourites from the band’s
career, with new arrangements utilising acoustic, electrical and orchestral
instruments to construct the deep, emotional landscapes Anathema have become
renowned for. This album will also feature the beautiful cello playing
of Dave Wesling from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. A close
friend of the band, Dave previously toured with the band in 2004 and is
featured on the DVD ‘A Moment in Time’. The record has been arranged, recorded,
performed and produced solely by the band. Anathema have been at the forefront
of the UK rock/metal movement for many years. They began their journey
as pioneers of melodic heavy music, influencing a myriad of bands to follow
them, before outgrowing all genres and limitations as they fearlessly explored
new territory and new ways to express feeling through sound. They have
gained a sizable worldwide following and much critical acclaim. Having
played hundreds of shows in over 30 countries on their ‘Natural Disaster’
tour, they are currently working on the follow up to Hindsight, an album
of brand new material entitled Horizons. This is set to be an album beyond
all expectations. Hindsight will be released on CD on August 25th 2008
and will be available to download from August 11th. The album is preceded
by a two track download single which features the brand new track Unchained
(Tales Of The Unexpected) alongside a new arrangement of Flying. This will
be available from all major download platforms from July 28th.
07/27/2008
THE
MOODY BLUES AND THEIR FIRST SEVEN ALBUMS
Rock
Legends The Moody Blues And Universal Music Enterprises Re-Release The
Band's First Seven Albums Of Chart Topping Singles! The Moody Blues and
Universal Music Enterprises will re-release their first 7 albums, containing
the band's legendary chart topping singles of the 60's and 70's. Each re-release
by UMe will feature exclusive bonus tracks, alternate versions, radio sessions
and outtakes. All seven albums tell a story about the progression of rock
'n' roll, diving into further detail with the inclusion of live BBC recordings
and bonus tracks. Nights in White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, I'm Just a
Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band), Isn't Life Strange, and many others,
paved the way for a long line of hit singles and albums, spanning more
than four decades of groundbreaking music. Justin Hayward (lead guitar/vocals),
John Lodge (bass/vocals), Ray Thomas (flutist/vocals), Graeme Edge (drums)
and Mike Pinder (keyboard/mellotron/vocals) created an extensive collection
of music which has sold more than 55 million albums, achieved multi-platinum
status, and impacted music history. The band's first studio album, Days
Of Future Passed, found instant success from radio and record buyers with
their first hit single, Nights in White Satin, allowing their appeal to
spread worldwide. In Search Of The Lost Chord, topped the U.S. charts at
No 23 with Ride My See-Saw, while Never Comes the Day propelled On The
Threshold Of A Dream to reach No 1 on the U.K. charts. The most noted experimental
album of the Moody Blues collection To Our Children's Children's Children
featured Watching and Waiting, which incorporated unique elements of production
combined with a variety of instrumentation. In 1970, the band took a stripped
down and straightforward approach to songwriting with A Question Of Balance,
releasing the single Balance, which landed No 3 on the U.S. charts and
No 1 on the U.K. charts. Every Good Boy Deserves Favour produced the top
40 single, The Story in Your Eyes, and the opening track Procession intended
to describe the history of music, from the beginning of time up to the
release of their album in 1971. Seventh Sojourn, their seventh album topped
the Billboard 200 charts, remaining at No 1 for five weeks with the massive
single, I'm Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band). The band arrived in
the United States during the first wave of the British Invasion in the
1960's and over the past four decades, The Moody Blues have been responsible
for composing some of the most groundbreaking and innovative music, combining
orchestral arrangements with their progressive art-rock style. "It's all
about the music," says Graeme Edge. "The music is everything for us. We've
always put the music before anything else, and that's why I think we've
been able to endure for so long." The band just completed a spring tour
'08 tour and will be touring the U.K. and Europe in September and October
(dates to be announced). 07/27/2008
BELIEVE
AND "HOPE TO SEE ANOTHER DAY LIVE"
Metal
Mind Productions will release our first DVD entitled "Hope To See Another
Day Live"!!! The setlist for the show recorded in November 2007 (Wyspanski
Theater in Katowice, Poland) includes songs from the debut album "Hope
to See Another Day" plus a song from the latest release "Yesterday Is a
Friend" as also a song from Mr. Gil's repertoire. DVD also includes an
interview with Mirek Gil and Believe's vocalist Tomek Rózycki, photo
gallery, 2 bonus audio tracks (taken from the "Yesterday is a Friend" album),
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound and more! "Hope To See Another Day Live"
DVD will be also available in a limited swing case edition including a
CD with songs recorded during the concert at the theater. The premiere
is scheduled for 21st July 2008 in Europe and 2nd September 2008 in USA
(via MVD). Tracklist: DVD - Live at Wyspianski Theater, Katowice, November
19th 2007: 1. Liar, 2. Needles in My Brain, 3. What Is Love, 4. Pain, 5.
Don't Tell Me, 6. Seven Days, 7. Memories, 8. Beggar, 9. Coming Down, 10.
Hope to See Another Day. Bonus audio: 1. What They Want (Is My Life), 2.
Unfaithful, CD (limited swing case edition only): 1. Liar, 2. Needles in
My Brain, 3. What Is Love, 4. Pain, 5. Don't Tell Me, 6. Seven Days, 7.
Memories, 8. Beggar, 9. Coming Down and 10. Hope to See Another Day. If
you want to know more about the band please visit Believe
Home Page. 06/22/2008
LE
ORME AND LIVE IN PENNSYLVANIA
Finally
Le Orme release this fantastic DVD plus double CD of their performance
in Bethlehem for the 2005 Nearfest. A fantastic set list. Judge by your
eyes! 01. IL TUONO E LA LUCE, 02. LA VOCE DEL SILENZIO, 03. SHANTI, 04.
L'INFINITO, 05. LA RUOTA DEL CIELO, 06. UNA DOLCEZZA NUOVA, 07. GIOCO DI
BIMBA, 08. LA PORTA CHIUSA, 09. CEMENTO ARMATO, 10. SOSPESI NELL'INCREDIBILE,
11. FELONA, 12. LA SOLITUDINE DI CHI PROTEGGE IL MONDO, 13. L'EQUILIBRIO,
14. SORONA, 15. ATTESA INERTE, 16. RITRATTO DI UN MATTINO, 17. ALL'INFUORI
DEL TEMPO and 18. RITORNO AL NULLA. You can’t miss this fantastic box DVD+2CD
from one of the most seminal progressive bands! 06/22/2008
BALLETTO
DI BRONZO AND LIVE IN ROME
For
many years there was a gap. Now filled by a testimony which is to be welcomed
as a precious gift. This is the first official video recording of a band
of unattainable artistic and historical value. Besides a few sporadic television
appearances of the Sirio 2222 line-up, there is no past footage of Balletto
di Bronzo, the band that gave birth to Ys in 1972: a sensational work.
This very lack of iconography triggered through the years a spontaneous
chain reaction of appreciation all over the world, even without any form
of promotion, and fed the aura of legend which, to these days, surrounds
the band. This testimony represents what Balletto di Bronzo is today, as
a trio, captured without any nostalgic intent, in the intimacy of a performance
held on 21 September 2007 in a club in Rome (Stazione Birra). The focus
is mainly on the the band as a whole, to the detriment of its leading member
Gianni Leone’s exhibition, who would usually play as “guest of himself”,
opening up his band’s concerts with personal interpretations of works by
Todd Rundgren, Marianne Faithfull, Brian Eno and other artists, as well
as with various experiments and unpublished compositions of his own. The
great novelty offered by this Dvd is the presence of four brand new and
previously unreleased songs: Napoli Sotterranea, Deliquio Viola, Certezze
Fragili and L’Emofago, perfect syntheses of Leone/LeoNero’s multifaceted
soul: dark, progressive, new wave, electropop, songwriter, rock, atonal,
free jazz and avant-garde, at the same time. The version of Ys is deliberately
reduced in order to give space to the more recent production, in accordance
to Leone’s wishes. In fact this format is destined to their concerts in
Rome and in other cities where Balletto di Bronzo has performed more frequently
in recent years. Whereas, abroad and in the rest of Italy, the suite is
usually presented in its unabridged version. In “Gianni Leone Solo” Leone
has impressively re-arranged the songs Introduzione/Primo Incontro/Napoli
Sotterranea, and while performing offered typical stage events such as
the throwing of notes with the “great truths”, and the unrolling of a roller
with ideograms and paint splashes on it, painted by Leone in 1983, when
he dubbed himself LeoNero during his solo career, never before used on
stage. TRACK LIST: Deliquio Viola, Tastiere Isteriche, Napoli Sotterranea,
Certezze Fragili, Donna Vittoria, Ys Introduzione, Ys Primo Incontro, Ys
Secondo Incontro, Ys Terzo Incontro – Epilogo, Né Ieri Né
Domani, L’Emofago, Il Castello. LINE UP: Gianni Leone: Vocals and Keyboards,
Adolfo Ramundo: Drums and Marco Capozi: Bass. More about please visit Balletto
di Bronzo Home Page. 06/22/2008
AL
STEWART'S NEW ALBUM "SPARKS OF ANCIENT LIGHT"
Al
Stewart's new Album "Sparks of Ancient Light" will be released by Appleseed
in the United States on September 16 2008 and by EMI in the rest of the
World on September 15 2008. The Track listing is: 1. Lord Salisbury, 2.
(A Child's View of) the Eisenhower Years, 3. The Ear of The Night, 4. Hanno
The Navigator, 5. Shah of Shahs, 6. Angry Bird, 7. The Loneliest Place
on the Map, 8. Sleepwalking, 9. Football Hero, 10. Elvis at The Wheel,
11. Silver Kettle and 12. Like William McKinley. Al is working wi |