General News – Page 10

John Wetton Boxset and Book Announced

The John Wetton Estate proudly announces work has commenced on a solo career box set featuring expanded editions of his iconic albums and a lavish hardback book. 12^th June 2019 would have been John’s 70^th birthday.

Since John Wetton’s passing in January 2017, his family, friends and management have been working on finding a fitting tribute to such a remarkable man and iconic artist. The result of this labour of love is a box set entitled “An Extraordinary Life”, dedicatedentirely to John’s solo career. The project has the full support of John’s wife, Lisa, and his son, Dylan, who are wholly involved with compiling the contents.

The set will include definitive, remastered editions of each of his six solo albums, with bonus tracks and artwork selected by John towards the end of his lifetime, and in some cases expanded to two discs:

Caught in the Crossfire
Battle Lines
Arkangel
Sinister
Rock of Faith
Raised in Captivity

An Extraordinary Life will also feature a lavish hardback “coffee table” book written by one of John’s friends, the journalist Nick Shilton. Nick has interviewed dozens of John’s collaborators, peers and associates, both in and out of the music business, as well as friends from his childhood and through all eras of his career, collecting a multitude of exclusive, poignant and wonderful stories along the way.

This box set – a “must have” for every John Wetton fan – will also feature high resolution video tributes as well as unique bonus material. The Official John Wetton website will launch a dedicated webpage entitled “An Extraordinary Life” which will become an ever-evolving digital gathering place for the inner circle of John’s fans.

An Extraordinary Life will be completed during 2019 and initially be exclusively available via Burning Shed ahead of a wider scale retail release. The Burning shed store is now at https://burningshed.com/store/john-wetton

Coinciding with John’s 70^th birthday today, Asia begins a 28 date USA tour as special guests of Yes on their Royal Affair Tour, which will premiere tonight in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Carl Palmer’s ELP Legacy and John Lodge from the Moody Blues will also be on the bill. Asia’s new line-up comprises Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes Billy Sherwood, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and a special guest appearance by Steve Howe. John Wetton’s great friend Roger Dean will have an exhibition at each show, including iconic Asia artwork.

To celebrate John’s birthday, and as a teaser to the box set, we release a never before heard fly-on-the-wall of an early Asia rehearsal, recorded exactly 38 years ago today on June 12, 1981. Ricky Nelson has lovingly nurtured this Holy Grail recording, and has created a collage slide-show of rare photos through the decades to remind you of John’s genius. The question arises – what song did this morph into?

Further, Ricky has curated a special video recording of John’s last ever tour singing Asia songs, with the Rock Meets Classic arena tour in March 2015, where John delivers a supreme performance, one of his finest ever versions of “The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”. This will be a special release today at 12noon UK time from John’s twitter page [see below].

Dylan Wetton says: “This is helping me come to terms with the loss of my Dad, and is opening my eyes to his genius. It is truly a labour of love”.

Lisa Wetton says: “When you open your box set for the first time, you will know that every person involved with its creation was touched deeply by John Wetton. You will be playing the music that revealed his personal life story, and you will be perpetuating a legacy that was meant to be a shining light for everyone. The physical light may have flickered out on January 31, 2017, but there is an extra radiant star aglow in the firmament today. It is my hope that when you listen, you will still feel the warmth from that light, and hear the Lion roar for generations to come”.

Official Website: www.johnwetton.co.uk

Remembering John Wetton Twitter: https://twitter.com/officialjwetton Remembering John Wetton Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1377795682293955/

KING CRIMSON CELEBRATE 50TH ANNIVERSARY with 3 UK SHOWS at the ROYAL ALBERT HALL 18TH, 19TH & 20TH JUNE

King Crimson celebrate their 50th Anniversary this year. As part of these celebrations they will perform a trio of shows at the Royal Albert Hall on 18th, 19th and 20th June and special concerts across three continents, including both festivals and headline shows.

Tickets are available here: https://www.dgmlive.com/tours?liveshow=on
Often acclaimed as one of the best live bands in the world, King Crimson has constantly re-invented itself throughout its 50-year existence. Having reformed in 2014 the current seven-piece line-up features Robert Fripp (guitar), Mel Collins (saxophones & flute), Tony Levin (bass, stick and backing vocals), Jakko Jakszyk (guitar & vocals) and drummers Gavin Harrison, Pat Mastelotto and Jeremy Stacey who doubles on keyboards.

This very special group of musicians has allowed the band, for the very first time, to access material from throughout King Crimsons long history. In fact, since 2014, they have played a large number of historic pieces which have never previously been performed live, as well as old favourites, and their own newly written material.

The shows are regularly around three hours long, with a setlist newly written each day by Robert Fripp.
Founding member Robert Fripp who has been a constant throughout the bands history recently observed the Anniversary with an exclusive one-day event in London which was attended by worldwide media. The event included a presentation by film director, Toby Amies who is currently editing his forthcoming King Crimson documentary Cosmic F*kc which will be released later this year.

The latest in KC’s acclaimed boxed set series: Heaven and Earth – 18CDs, 2DVD-a, 4Blu-Ray – covering King Crimson 1997 – 2008 and including much unreleased audio/video/Hi-res stereo & 5.1 surround audio in the band’s most comprehensive boxed set release to date.

Also released on the same day, drawn from the boxed set:
The ReconstruKction of Light – CD/DVD-a set featuring the 1997 album in original stereo/radically remixed/part rerecorded new stereo & 5.1 Surround sound plus bonus material – all in hi-res audio on the dvd-a
The Power to Believe – CD/DVD-a set featuring the 1003 album in original stereo/expanded mix/& 5.1 Surround sound plus bonus material – all in hi-res audio on the dvd-a.

Completing the availability of all of King Crimson’s studio albums from 1969 – 2003 in hi-res stereo & 5.1 surround sound.
More releases follow later in the year.

Chasing the monkey… An Exclusive Track-by-Track Guide of Make Me Young, etc. by Michael Woodman of Thumpermonkey

In a Progradar exclusive, Michael Woodman, the vocalist of Thumpermonkey, has written this track by track guide of the band’s new, full length, album – ‘Make Me Young, etc.’

1) Veldt:

This was written ages ago – in about 2010. It was one of those songs that just sort of popped out complete, but then stayed in demo form for ages until we decided we had a release that the song would fit with. It’s a song about using other people to help push you out of a preoccupation with negativity. It’s about relying on somebody to point out that the things you find toxic or shameful about yourself aren’t really that big a deal. It’s a ‘note to self’.

2) Cranefly:

I once tried to stay awake in an attempt to reset my body clock after flying back from getting married in New York – so I occupied myself by writing riffs. When I woke up, the verse for this song had appeared on my hard drive, though I have no recollection of writing it. Unsurprisingly, I ended up with a song, in part, about insomnia. Hearing the verses now, still makes me think about that state of not being in touch with reality when I’m really sleep deprived.

3) Figstorm:

Another very old piece of music – Rael wrote the piano part years ago – it was just waiting to find a home with this album. It’s about the disorientation experienced when crossing the boundary between fidelity and infidelity in a relationship. There’s even a paraphrased bit of Alan Bate’s monologue in ‘Women in Love’ for good measure.

4) Buttersun:

There’s a definition I read of ‘liminality’ that I really liked – the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of ‘rituals’ when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the ritual is complete. Veldt is about crossing from self-loathing to self-acceptance. Cranefly is the boundary between sleep and wakefulness. Figstorm is fidelity and infidelity. To take this even a stage further, ‘Buttersun’ is a threshold in the middle of the album – the split between songs about internal things and external things.

5) Deckchair for Your Ghost:

This song started life referencing a nightmare I had about trying to hide a body underneath a tree in our front garden, but then it became a vehicle for a character – one who has just been cursed with the knowledge of an impending extinction level event. I had an email from a fan in about 2012 who had clearly been reading some of the nonsense I post about Aztec theology, and he seemed pretty keen on the idea that the world was going to end. I’m sure it was all meant in humor. I didn’t hear from him again.

6) Make Me Young, etc:

The title of the song is the last line of dialogue delivered by Kilgore Trout in ‘Breakfast of Champions’. It’s what he says to Kurt Vonnegut, (who has entered his own novel as a character), purely for the purposes of letting Kilgore Trout know that he isn’t real. This is a song about the end of the world.

7) Tempe Terra:

A mournful post-human coda. If any humans do escape earth and colonise Mars to start afresh, there’s always the fear that they’ll bring all their awful conceptual baggage with them and make a mess of Earth Mk2 as well.

The album was released on 26/10/18 and you can order a copy here:

Thumpermonkey – Make Me Young, etc.

Artwork and photography by Ashley Jones.

FOLLOW THE BAND
Website: http://thumpermonkey.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thumpermonkeyband/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thumpermonkey_
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/Thumpermonkey
Bandcamp: https://thumpermonkey.bandcamp.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uPhRxSHY9UWiyuImpE8e9

Steve Hackett Announces Release of New Studio Album – At The Edge of Light

Following the tremendous success of 2017’s The Night Siren (charted at #22 in Germany, #28 in the UK), legendary former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett announces the release of his new studio album At The Edge Of Light on the 25th January 2019. The album which features ten songs, sees Steve unite a vast amount of styles ranging from guitar driven rock to epic orchestration, from world music to the reflective and atmospheric all brought together in Steve Hackett’s unique style.

Steve says: “In these dangerous times, deep shadows feel even sharper than usual and we find ourselves standing at the edge of light… The contrast between dark and light weaves its way throughout the album in many ways, from the sense of good fighting evil through to the interplay of dark and light opposites magically combining in cultures, including the heartbeat of India and primal tribal rhythms. Ultimately, this album embraces the need for all musical forms and cultures to connect and celebrate the wonder of unity in this divided world.”

At The Edge Of Light is released in a number of formats including a Mediabook CD plus extra DVD with 5.1 surround sound mix & behind the scenes documentary, double vinyl LP + CD, Jewel case CD and digital album.

Steve Hackett has established himself as one of Rock musics finest and recognisable guitarists through his time with the legendary Genesis who he joined in 1971 and a solo career following his departure from Genesis in 1977 and is a hugely influential guitarist particularly in the Progressive Rock genre. At The Edge Of Light will be Hacketts 26th studio album in a solo career that began in 1975 with the release of his debut solo album Voyage Of The Acolyte.

At The Edge Of Light was mainly recorded in Steve’s own studio but also around the world. The album features international artists, including Durga and Loreley of Pink Floyd vocal fame with drummers Nick D’Virgilio and Simon Phillips from USA, Sheema on sitar from India, Icelandic drummer/percussionist Gulli Briem, tar player Malik Mansurov and Swedish bass player Jonas Reingold… This album also features Paul Stillwell on didgeridoo, Rob Townsend on sax, bass clarinet and duduk, Amanda Lehmann on vocals, John Hackett on flute, drummer Gary OToole, Roger King and Ben Fenner on keyboards, Dick Driver on double bass, violinist and viola player Christine Townsend… All magically honed and engineered by Roger King.

Tracklist:

1. Fallen Walls And Pedestals

2. Beasts In Our Time

3. Under The Eye Of The Sun

4. Underground Railroad

5. Those Golden Wings

6. Shadow And Flame

7. Hungry Years

8. Descent

9. Conflict

10. Peace

The album is released shortly before Steve performs as special guest on the Cruise To The Edge in February 2019 and the On The Blue cruise featuring Justin Hayward, also in February.

Hackett recently played a series of Genesis Revisited shows with Orchestra and will perform two UK dates with acoustic sets in early December before touring Europe in April/May 2019 and has just announced a UK tour in November 2019 with a much anticipated “Selling England By The Pound & Spectral Mornings & Album Highlights” set.

NOVEMBER 2019 UK TOUR DATES

Sat 02 Aylesbury Waterside

Sun 03 Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall

Tue 05 Sheffield City Hall

Wed 06 Cambridge Corn Exchange

Fri 08 Leicester De Montfort Hall

Sat 09 Cardiff St. David’s Hall

Mon 11 Liverpool Philharmonic

Tue 12 Brighton Dome

Wed 13 Portsmouth Guildhall

Fri 15 Salisbury City Hall

Sat 16 Reading Hexagon

Mon 18 Birmingham Symphony Hall

Tue 19 York Barbican

Wed 20 Bath Forum

Fri 22 Halifax Victoria Theatre

Sat 23 Gateshead The Sage

Mon 25 Edinburgh Usher Hall

Tue 26 Manchester Bridgewater Hall

Wed 27 Southend Cliffs Pavilion

Fri 29 London Hammersmith Eventim Apollo

Tickets available from https://myticket.co.uk/ and venue box offices.

Press photo by Tina Korhonen

THE PINEAPPLE THIEF ANNOUNCE NEW LIVE DATES IN EUROPE & THE UK FOR FEBRUARY & MARCH 2019

The Pineapple Thief have just returned from the first leg of their Dissolution tour where they enthralled audiences across Europe and the UK. Including many sold out shows and their biggest show to date at London’s prestigious O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire. The band are now ready to announce new dates for 2019.

Frontman Bruce Soord states “Our first Dissolution tour went so well, and we had such a great time so we’ve decided to do it again. This time visiting some of the cities we couldn’t make the first time around. I know there are a lot of people disappointed we are not coming to their neck of the woods, but we hear you all and are definitely working on it!”

The Pineapple Thief will once again be joined by now full-time member Gavin Harrison on all dates.

21.02 Firenze (Italy) – Viper

22.02 Roma (Italy) – Largo Venue

23-02 Milano (Italy) – Santeria Social Club

24.02 Pratteln (Switzerland) – Z7

26.02 Stuttgart (Germany) – LKA – Longhorn

27.02 Frankfurt (Germany) – Batschkapp

28.02 Strasburg (France) – La Laiterie

1.03 Zoetermeer (Holland) – Boerderij

2.03 Hamburg (Germany) – Grosse Freiheit 36

3.03 Copenhagen (Denmark) – Lille Vega

5.03 Stockholm (Sweden) – Nalen

6.03 Oslo (Norway) – John Dee

20.03 Newcastle (UK) – O2 Academy

21.03 Glasgow (UK) – Saint Luke’s

22.03 Manchester (UK) – The Ritz

23.03 Birmingham (UK) – The O2 Institute 2

24.03 Bristol (UK) – The Fleece

Support to be announced

Tickets on sale now – http://www.pineapplethief.com/

The Pineapple Thief are:

Bruce Soord – vocalist, guitarist, composer

Gavin Harrison – drums

Jon Sykes – bass

Steve Kitch – keyboards

Dublin-based prog-metallers Sectile are proud to announce the launch of their new single ‘The Hunt’.

Soaring over a variety of soundscapes in just under 5 minutes, The Hunt paves the way for Sectile’s refreshed and contemporary approach to their music. The new single will undoubtedly surprise many listeners, showing Sectile’s ability to craft a unique wall of sound out of their various influences, from the classics all the way to post and prog metal.

Lyrically, The Hunt talks about isolation, despair and the feeling of being hunted by your past mistakes. The sensation is further enhanced by the single’s original artwork, created by the band’s singer Gabriel Gaba, as well as the nightmarish video, Sectile’s first, entirely produced by the band themselves.

Mixed and mastered by Irish producer Aidan Cunningham (Bailer; Overhead, the
Albatross; LNT) The Hunt was recorded in the band’s home studio, with the exception of the drums, helmed by Michael Richards at Trackmix Studio.

Almost a year separates their debut EP to the launch of The Hunt. Sectile feel now, more than ever, ready to rise higher and bring their music to wider audiences in Ireland and abroad.

Sectile are:
Gabriel Gaba – Vocals
Mark O’Reilly – Guitar
Michael Sheridan – Guitar
Cormac Hennigan – Bass
Zachary Newman – Drums

AMS Records Announce Release of ALL TRAPS ON EARTH’s debut record “A Drop of Light”.

AMS Records is proud and excited to announce the forthcoming release of ALL TRAPS ON EARTH’s debut record “A Drop of Light”.

All Traps on Earth is a Swedish quartet led by Änglagård‘s Johan Brand, including two other members of the same band, Thomas Johnson and Erik Hammarström, and Johan’s daughter Miranda.

“A drop of light” is far beyond amazing: take Anglagard’s music, add an impressive wind section and soundscapes provided by five guest musicians, push everything to a high level of epicness and complexity, and you’ll have a slight idea of what All Traps on Earth is about!

This record will surely set new standards for the actual progressive rock scene, and is one of the best things we had the pleasure to release, ever. It will be available as a limited box-set, CD, double 180gr. LP, MC and on all digital platforms later this year.

For fans of: Anglagard, Goblin, Magma and the Canterbury prog scene of the ’70s.

JO QUAIL SHARES NEW TRACK ‘MANDREL CANTUS’

Internationally acclaimed composer and virtuoso cellist Jo Quail, who is currently on tour across Europe with Mono and A Storm of Light has shared a new track from her upcoming album ‘Exsolve’. Recorded with Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studios (Electric Wizard, Primordial, Witchsorrow, Conan), the album will be released on 2nd November. Listen to the radio edit of new track ‘Mandrel Cantus’ here:

Mandrel Cantus Video Edit

Commenting on the track Jo adds, ‘Mandrel Cantus is a track that’s been evolving over a long period of time, and continues to morph each time I perform it live. I started with abstract percussion, in fact I I built a whole new armoury of sounds for this track, and these themselves helped inform the direction of the music as I continue/ed to work on it.

It’s impossible to talk about your own music without sounding pretentious… I wanted to make a pathway through the percussive labyrinth that resolves and opens powerfully in a physical sense, but dissolves to leave just the spiritual essence of the whole music with the modal C cantus at the end. I’m doing things I’ve never done before in terms of how my loop station is set up, and the sound modelling too, and as such I’m really excited every time I play this track, though it’s a potential minefield to navigate!’

Since commencing her solo career in 2010, Jo has released three albums, three EPs and a live DVD. Following her 2015 European tour with post-rock giants Caspian Jo has embedded herself in the world of left-field and heavy music, whilst continuing to perform within the contemporary and avant-garde spheres. Not only did she open for black-metal artist Myrkur but Jo joined her on stage as part of her Folkesange project as well as collaborating with the likes of A-Sun Amissa, Mono’s Takaakira ‘Taka’ Goto, Eraldo Bernocchi and FM Einheit (Einsturzende Neubauten). Jo has performed several concerts of her works arranged for electric cello, orchestral ensembles and choirs both at home in the UK, in Europe and in Australia where she tours on a yearly basis.

Festival performances this year include ArcTanGent, WGT, Dunk! and Tramlines Festival, and two separate concerts at the invitation of Robert Smith for his curation of the Southbank’s Meltdown Festival.

“Exsolve’ is comprised of 3 tracks, with each one being broken down in to sections and movements across 45 minutes. Mastered by James Griffiths, himself a film composer, there is an almost symphonic quality to the album.

‘Exsolve’ is a snapshot in time of these 3 pieces and with every live performance Jo looks to develop them further. As Jo concludes, ‘For me, the final record is usually only the starting point of the journey and over time and with each performance the music will morph and be reshaped – composing and performing is a collaborative process between me, the space and the audience’.

Tracklisting:

1) Forge – Of Two Forms

2) Mandrel Cantus

3) Causleen’s Wheel

Pre-order the album now – https://joquail.bandcamp.com

A vinyl version of the album with an additional track will follow early next year.

Jo Quail is currently on tour with Mono and A Storm of Light to support the release followed by another tour with Myrkur in December.

European tour w/ Mono & A Storm of Light

10 Oct: Wiesbaden, DE, Schlachtof

11 Oct: Aarau, CH, Kiff

12 Oct: Lyon, FR, CCO

13 Oct: Barcelona, ES, Aloud Music Festival

14 Oct: Toulouse, FR, Le Rex

15 Oct: Bordeaux, FR, Krakatoa

16 Oct: Orleans, FR, Astrolabe

17 Oct: Heerlen, NL, Nieuwe Nor

18 Oct: Oberhausen, DE, Drucklufthaus

19 Oct: Leeuwarden, NL, Into The Void

20 Oct: Athens, GR, Fuzz Club

22 Oct: St. Petersburg, RU, Zal

23 Oct: Moscow, RU, Zil

European tour w/ Myrkur

03 Dec: SE Stockholm, Vasateatern04/12 – NO Oslo, John Dee

05 Dec: SE Gothenburg, Pustervik

07 Dec: DK Aarhus, Voxhall

08 Dec: DK Copenhagen, Pumpehuset

10 Dec: PL Poznan, U Bazyla

11 Dec: PL Krakow, Kwadrat

13 Dec: HU Budapest, Durer Kert

14 Dec: AT Vienna, Arena

16 Dec: NL Tilburg, 013 KZ

18 Dec UK London, The Dome

19 Dec: UK Bristol, The Fleece

20 Dec: UK Nottingham, Rescue Rooms

21 Dec UK Glasgow, The Great Eastern

22 Dec: – UK Manchester, Gorilla

ZIO release video for new single X-Ray

ZIO, former Karnataka drummer Jimmy Pallagrosi’s new outfit featuring Hayley Griffiths and Joe Payne on vocals, have released a stunning new music video for first single ‘X-Ray’, directed and produced by Crystal Spotlight and the single is mixed by Marco Casaluce of MARC&CHEESE

The full length version of the new single will be released on all digital platforms on the 21st October.

ZIO also features Franck Carducci keyboad player Olivier Castan, guitarist Marc Fascia and New Device bassist Liz Hayes. The band made their live debut at France’s Crescendo Festival this year and are working on their debut album.

PAUL DRAPER ANNOUNCES ‘ATTACK OF THE GREY LANTERN – LIVE AT THE RITZ’

Paul Draper’s 14-date Spring ’18 tour celebrated the 21^st anniversary of one of the most favoured British albums from the late Britpop era – Attack of the Grey Lantern.

Recorded live at The Ritz, Manchester on Thursday 1^st March 2018, this album captures Draper’s energetic stage presence, his incredible band and classic Mansun tracks such as “Wide Open Space“, “Taxloss” and “Disgusting“, performed to a fantastic Manchester audience.

Listen to the live version of “Taxloss” :

This 2LP Limited Edition Vinyl* is available for Black Friday 23rd November in your local indie retailer and all good record stores.

*Includes an mp3 download of the album.

A very limited quantity, signed by Paul will be available on his upcoming acoustic tour starting 14th Nov.

Tickets are ON SALE NOW for Paul’s November 2018 Acoustic Tour: http://pauldraperofficial.com/tour-dates/

Performing tracks from his debut solo album Spooky Action, as well as Mansun Official classics and deep cuts. PLUS as yet unheard songs from Paul’s second solo album, due 2019.

November 2018 Acoustic Tour Dates:

Wed 14^{th –}Bath, Moles

Thu 15^{th –}Wolverhampton, Newhampton Arts Centre

Fri 16^{th –}Cambridge, Storey’s Field Centre

Sat 17^{th –}Leicester, The Cookie

Wed 21^{st –}York, The Crescent Community Venue

Thu 22^nd – Aberdeen, The Lemon Tree

Fri 23^rd – Edinburgh, Pleasance Theatre

Sat 24^th – Stockton-on-Tees, Georgian Theatre

Follow Paul Draper & Mansun here:

Official site: http://pauldraperofficial.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pauldraperofficial