|
|
Progressive Rock evolved in the late 60's and early 70's. It is a combination of Classical, Folk, Electronic and even a bit of Jazz, involving complex compositional structures and sophisticated melodic, rhythmic and harmonic elements. Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd were probably the best well known of the Progressive Rock bands in that era, but with the arrival of Punk Rock in the '80's, and the bad press, progressive music became very unfashionable to the music world. With the music industry as it is today, more and more bands are either having to do it themselves or look at the smaller independent labels, and there are some excellent up and coming Progressive Rock and Progressive Metal bands. Yes and King Crimson are still around, but we now have the likes of Arena, Porcupine Tree, Karnataka, IQ, Dream Theater, Spock's Beard, The Flower Kings, Symphony X, Evergrey, and many more, too many to list, but visit these pages of Stormbringer and you will find lots of interesting news about these bands and more...
|
|
24th JANUARY
2005
|
|
ASIA NEWS ** Good Saturday morning everyone. Only three days before the start of the Silent Nation tour, so I thought I would clear the decks of the letters and a few bits of information before the reviews begin to pour in. Remember, if you do see the guys, be sure to send in your thoughts. If you are seeing them later in the tour and do not wish to know the setlist in advance, be forewarned :) The complete list of tour dates is here: http://www.asiaworld.org/tour_dates.php?tour_ID=2005sn ** There is also more information about the new Wetton/Downes "Icon" project. PROGAID HELPS TSUNAMI VICTIMS Members of the prog rock community have banded together to record a single called 'All Around The World', with proceeds going to help victims of the tsunami disaster. Among those committed so far to the project are members of IQ, Sack Trick, Arena, Pallas, Pendragon, Jadis, Flower Kings, Shadow Gallery, Mostly Autumn, Alan Parsons Project, Landmarq, Neal Morse, Oliver Wakeman, Anthony Phillips and Arjen Lucassen. The single is to be recorded at the end of January, and will go on sale next month. For further info, go to www.ProgAID.com. STRATOVARIUS ARE BACK richard barbieri / tim bowness / guest - bush hall, london, march 1st,
2005 Tim Bowness and a band including Peter Chilvers (keyboards), Pete Morgan (bass), Michael Bearpark (guitar), Stephen Bennett (synths) and Andrew Booker (drums) will be playing songs from Tim's recently released One Little Indian album, 'My Hotel Year'. Another, soon to be announced, artist will compliment the bill. Doors open 7.45pm, tickets £9 online and £10 on the door. Venue: Bush Hall, 310 Uxbridge Road, London W12 Tickets available from Burning Shed, priced £9.00 Hatfield & The North were one of the most original, musically adventurous and fearlessly creative English bands of the 1970s. A leading light of the so-called 'Canterbury' music scene, Hatfield recorded two highly acclaimed albums (Hatfield & The North and The Rotters' Club) before breaking up in 1975. Apart from the deleted 1980 compilation Afters, no retrospective album has been released - until now! Hatwise Choice is entirely performed by the classic Hatfield line-up of Phil Miller, Pip Pyle, Richard Sinclair and Dave Stewart. The album consists of 100% unreleased material culled from live concert tapes and first generation BBC radio recordings, and shows aspects of Hatfield's music never before heard on record. As well as rare tunes, musical surprises, photos, press cuttings, period artwork and an extensive history written by the four musicians, Hatwise Choice contains additional text by the best-selling novelist Jonathan Coe. "Things Buried" is an instrumental work that highlights Barbieri's unique approach to sound and mood, ranging from textural atmospherics to dynamic rhythmic passages. The album also features the distinctive styles of Percy Jones ( Brian Eno, Brand X ) on fretless bass guitar and Andy Gangadeen ( The Bays, Massive Attack ) on Drums. PORCUPINE TREE The new Porcupine Tree album Deadwing is scheduled for release on March 21st . In the meantime, deadwing.com, a special microsite dedicated to the album will develop as the release date approaches, with audio, video and other media relating to the album added to the site on a regular basis. You can view more details about the album in the news section on the
Porcupine Tree website, including information on the forthcoming Shallow
single, and tour dates. 1. Deadwing The European tour starts at the start of April, and a US tour will commence in mid May. Please keep an eye on the Porcupine Tree website for regular updates and additions to the band's concert schedule for 2005. So far confirmed are: March 31 : UK, Nottingham, Rescue Rooms (warm up show) April 1 : UK, Wolverhampton, Wulfrun 12th Germany, Cologne Burgerhaus Stollwerck Sanity presents new DVD and CD The Dutch Progressive Rock band Sanity presents next week their DVD ' Live At 22', an integral registration of the concert the band played on Novemvber 20th, 2004 at Twentietoe in Tiel, The Netherlands. The DVD also includes a CD of the same concert, making it possible to enjoy the concert also on an audio installation. The concert was recorded with five camera's while the band used a 24-tracks mobile studio for the audio registration. Sanity produced the DVD by their selves while members of the USA-band All Too Human co-produced the audio. For the mix the band used a.o. the studio's of Junkie XL while Peter van 't Riet (Symphony X, Ayreon, After Forever, Epica, and may other known bands) took care of the mastering of the audio. Sanity published the DVD+CD by their selves. Distribution in the stores in The Netherlands will be done by Coast to Coast. The band is still looking for opportunities in other countries. Besides this international ordering is also possible at the Sanity website. As can be read at the website
www.sanity.nl a lot is happened with Sanity in the previous season.
3-4 times a month Sanity was performing on stage in The Netherlands
and Belgium. At the start of the season the band published the CD 'Sanity',
which received great reviews as well in The Netherlands as in other
countries in the world. Reason for Musea Records in France to distribute
this CD in more than 50 countries. BRITISH SEA POWER *Concerts by Lakes and Rocks. Hello and best wishes for 2005. And apologies that it has taken this long to say as much. However, wheels have been turning and plans are being laid. As British Sea Power gear up for the March release of their second album, we are finalising a schedule of activity and entertainment that, as ever, will exceed the national average. We can now announce two shows that we are all very much looking forward to: Friday 11 February High Rocks, near Tunbridge Wells. Please note that tickets for these shows are NOT yet on sale. Tickets will be available very soon and you will be the first to know where. High Rocks is a hotel, restaurant and venue just over a mile to the south-west of Tunbridge Wells in Kent. The concert venue is a delight in its own right, a sizeable Alpine-styled barn affair. High Rocks also has other attractions - notably the adjacent sandstone rock formations from which the place takes its name. Steam/rock enthusiasts will be in high heaven - the High Rocks venue is served by a station on the Spa Valley Railway. We are anticipating a great and memorable evening. More information is available at www.highrocks.co.uk Grasmere Village Hall is a delightful building nestling in an attractive village in the south of the Lake District. The crags of Silver Howe range near by, up above Grasmere lake. Dove Cottage, one time home of William and Dororthy Wordsworth, is just around the corner. We are also glad to be able to tell you that this venue was brought to our attention by Mick Wright, a distinguished regular on the BSP website Forum.
Germinal The new album title is not as bold, not as distinctive as the first one. But the ongoing ten-year plan dictated something less wordy, less knowing at this point. Something... simpler. We hope that you will grow to love the name Open Season almost as much as you will love the music that goes with it. And, on the basis that even deaf men will dance to these tunes, we feel sure you will love this album. There is a streamlining of the flow, but there are also songs about honeycomb, guillotines, longshore drift, the human heart and the vast, collapsing snowscapes of Antarctic ice shelf Larsen B. Do not worry. There will be enough for everyone. We hope to see a good few of you at High Rocks or Grasmere Village Hall. At the latter, a pint of Coniston Brewing Co Bluebird Bitter will be ready and waiting for Mr Wright. With thanks. Yours, POWER QUEST WORK THEIR 'MAGIC' ASIA ON TOUR... March 15th England, Nottingham - Rock City (w/ BJHFLH / Dare) CalProg is proud to announce that the Swedish progressive rock giant 'The Flower Kings' will be headlining CalProg '05 on June 4, 2005. Roine Stolt and company will be bringing their immense talent to SoCal for this second annual all day festival in Whittier, California. The Flower Kings have been a major force in prog music for many years, but they have made only a handful of appearances on the West Coast of the United States. We are really looking forward to this rare appearance. Also on the bill is the New York based art-rock band 'Izz', who turned in a stellar performance last year, and are being brought back by popular demand. In the coming days we hope to announce a third act for the festival, so stay tuned. We strive to offer an interesting diversity within the progressive rock genre, providing a day of music with something for everyone. Also new this year at CalProg will be an outdoor stage where acoustic acts will perform during breaks and set changes on the main stage. Look for details to be posted at www.calprog.com soon. "Papa" Jim Harrel
------------------------------------------------- Echo Us is artist Ethan Matthew’s 2nd full-length recording. An inventive mix of electronic influences, Echo Us features nine tracks of edgy yet delicate and ambient music. Ethan was the primary mind behind the progressive metal act Greyhaven ( Angular Records Germany 1999-2001 ). "Echo Us" will be made available via Absolute Probability (www.absoluteprobability.com) on February 1st.
DARK MOOR Dark Moor will release their new album entitled "Beyond The Sea"
in March 2005. Tracklisting :
SPOCKS BEARD NEWS..... We are getting excited about the upcoming "Octane" release. So, to celebrate we want to announce a short but sweet tour to Europe this March. The shows are: March 13 (Sun) Netherlands - Zaandam - De Kade This is just the first leg. There are many cities missing that we want to play, but just can't this first time around. So, if you don't see your city there, we apologize and remember we will be back for more. There WILL be some US dates in the near future. There'll be more info on the tickets and times very soon. Tell all your friends!! There'll be an opening band called KINO. It is a new band with Pete Trewavas (Marillion), John Beck (It Bites), John Mitchell (Arena) and Chris Maitland (ex-Porcupine Tree). InsideOut is going to release their debut album at the end of February. It should be a fun night of music. The other thing I need to mention is The Tsunami Project. It is a benefit
music compilation project that is being created to generate revenue
to donate to the thousands upon thousands of victims of the recent tsunami
disaster in Asia and Indonesia. Barry Thompson (a.k.a. Kirksnosehair)
had the original idea to get other members of the Spock's Beard message
board to donate songs to be sold on a CD so that the money could be
donated to charity. Since then, the idea has sparked a remarkable response.
Me (NDV) along with Neal Morse, Mark McCrite, IQ, and Randy George (with
Rick Wakeman!), and lots of other great artists have given songs that
will appear on the double CD set. In addition, there will be many wonderful
songs from the board members themselves (over 2 hours of music!). I am very happy that I was able to do something for these people. I can't even begin to imagine that one minute I am sitting with my family having a good time and the next minute everyone I love is gone forever. Please help us help the victims through ordering a copy of the CD today! http://www.digitalchemistrymusic.com/the-tsunami-project/ JADIS NEWS... Just to let you know that we now have the reworked 'More Than Meets The Eye' CD available for pre-order. This has been remixed and remastered, the bonus disc has loads of previously unavailable versions of songs and also has tunes that the band haven't played in a very long while such as 'Lost for Words', 'Out of Reach', 'Scratching the Surface' and 'Don't Keep Me Waiting'. Most of these demos were produced by Steve Rothery of Marillion back in '89 - so the disc serves as a valuable archive item. For more information, click on the album artwork below:
Labyrinth have inked a deal with Arise Records. The band's new album will be entitled "Freeman". Recorded
and mixed at Elnor Studio in Milan, Italy and mastered at The House
Of Audio Studios in Germany, the album is being called "a big step
in the new frontier of Labyrinth's sound". ³Freeman²
will be released in March 2005. Arise records will also re-release "No Limits" (originally released in 1996), the first album of the band with Fabio Lione (Rhapsody) on lead vocals. The album has been re-mastered and contains 2 bonus tracks and new graphic!. Out in March 2005. Arise Records January 17th 2005 sees the release of the the first of our Audience & Howard Werth catalogue AUDIENCE "Audience" LCD003 The First Audience Album Best known for their 70’s Charisma output, AUDIENCE cut a now highly collectable debut LP in 1969. Unlike many so called progressive rock rareties the music here is of genuine interest – the first experimental steps from an adventurous band. Their distinctive sound, electrified acoustic guitars, amplified wind instruments and all, is very much in evidence. Three unissued tracks, an early version of the title cut from their 1971 LP ‘House On The Hill’, (anyone hearing a similarity between ‘Maidens Cry’ and Led Zeppelins ‘Stairway To Heaven’, should note that Audience supported Zeppelin at the time this album came out), and comprehensive sleevenotes support this very worthwhile reissue. Track listing: Banquet, Poet, Waverley Stage Coach, River Boat Queen, Harlequin, Heaven Was An Island, Too Late I’m Gone, Maidens Cry, Pleasant Convalescence, Leave It Unsaid, Man On Box, House On The Hill EXTRA TRACKS (all unreleased): Paper Round, The Going Song, Troubles HOWARD WERTH & THE MOONBEAMS "King Brilliant" LCD001Former Audience main-man Howard Werth’s first solo LP is reissued here along with a bonus track from the 1975 album sessions “Mechanical Dream”, and the radio hit “Lucinda”, having been originally released on Charisma Records. King Brilliant remains a fine achievement, and is accompanied by sleeve notes on Howard’s career and featuring original photographs from the period. Track listing: Cocktail Shake, Got To Unwind, The Embezzler, A Human Note, Ugly Water, Midnight Flyer, Fading Star, Dear Joan, Roulette, The Aleph, Lucinda EXTRA TRACKS (all unreleased): Mechanical Dream HOWARD WERTH "6ix Of 1ne.... ½ A Dozen Of The Other" LCD002“6ix Of One….” was recorded in the UK, using Jake Riveiras stable of musicians, including Steve Nieve, and included some classic r’n’b covers, (the “Half A Dozen Of The Other”!), performed in inimitable Werth fashion, with Howard playing a multitude of instruments. Track listing: Hovering, 4D Man, Individual, Meek Power, Astro Logic, What’s Hoppin’?, Respectable, I Keep Forgettin’, Little Bitty Pretty One, Dancing Little Thing, Smokestack Lightning, One More Heartache, Show Me EXTRA TRACKS (all unreleased): Obsolete, Mangoman, Lonely Avenue Former Audience mainman Howard Werth’s 2003 solo LP is reissued. The album contains many new original songs from this great songwriter, and also a Lennon & McCartney composition, and Howard’s arrangements of traditional pieces. A renowned songwriter and musician, with his trademark electro-nylon strung guitar, Howard is also a very well respected vocalist. He was head-hunted to work with The Doors, as Jim Morrison’s replacement, and still records with Ray Manzarek, who endorsed this album with: “Howard Werth, great voice, great songs, great album” Track listing: Singin’ In Tongues, Zig-Zag And Swirl, The Evolution
Myth Explodes, All Things Bright And Beautiful, False Prophets, Caramba,
English Carnival, 4-D Man (12” mix ’84), I Wanna Be Your Man,
Incarnation Hymn Please make cheques/money orders payable to "Eclectic Discs Ltd" If you would prefer to pay using PayPal, please send an email to eclecticdiscs@aol.com The next Djam Karet studio album will be out on Cuneiform in Sept of 2005. All five of us are very busy writing and recording for it throughout the rest of this year with plans on assembling and mixing it during the first quarter of 2005. With everyone contributing tunes and at least one track where all 5 of us are playing together (2 bass, 2 guitars, and drums with overdubbed keyboards), it is feeling very much like a group release reflecting both the history and diversity of the Djam Karet sound and yet still continuing to uncover new ground. We still plan on posting new music tracks for you to listen to from this forthcoming release here on the website by the end of this year. 2005 will also find new releases from other Djam Karet related musical projects Lux Nova Umbra Est (Aaron Kenyon & Mike Henderson) & Cerebral Voyage (Chuck Oken, Jr & Gayle Ellett) and others yet to be titled. We are very much Looking Forward. http://www.djamkaret.com/
|
