Australian instrumental post-rockers sleepmakeswaves have announced new music for 2020, three years since their 2017 release ‘Made of Breath Only.’
The new project, titled ‘these are not your dreams’ will be released on 15 May 2020.
Rather than following a conventional release pattern, new songs will be released as a series of 3 EPs over the next few months, with ‘No Safe Place’ out on Feb 21, ‘Out of Hours’ released on April 17 and ‘Not an Exit’ released May 15.
Listen to the new single:
The band announced the news to fans with a typically quirky video:
these are not your dreams’ full record released 15 May 2020
KANSAS, America’s legendary
progressive rock band, will release their highly anticipated new studio album “TheAbsence ofPresence”
on 26th June2020.
The album follows-up
2016’s “ThePreludeImplicit,” which debuted at #14
on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. KANSAS has sold
more than 30 million albums worldwide, and is famous for classic hits
such as ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and ‘Dust in the Wind’ to progressive epics like
‘Song for America.’
“The
Absence of Presence,” released by Inside Out Music, features nine all new
tracks written by the band, produced by ZakRizvi, and
co-produced by PhilEhart and RichardWilliams. KANSAS’s signature sound is unmistakable
throughout. The album showcases Ronnie Platt’s towering vocals, David
Ragsdale’s searing violin, TomBrislin’s dazzling keyboards,
Williams and Rizvi’s electrifying guitar riffs, Ehart’s powerful drums, and BillyGreer’s rocking bass.
This Autumn, KANSAS
will be taking its very popular Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour to
Europe for 13 dates in October and November. The Point of Know Return
Anniversary European Tour will include songs from “The Absence of Presence,”
classic hits and deep cuts, and will culminate with the iconic album “Point
of Know Return” performed in its entirety.
“We
are really proud of the album ‘The Absence of Presence,’” comments KANSAS
guitarist, producer, and songwriter ZakRizvi. “Making
a new KANSAS album sets a very high musical standard that is expected from our
fans. From rockers, to progressive epics, to ballads, there is something on
this recording for everybody.”
“It’s
been a while since the band has been able to perform in Europe, where we have
some very passionate fans,” adds KANSAS guitarist Richard Williams. “We are excited to take
the Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour across Europe. Not only will they
hear us perform that album in its entirety, along with other hits and deep
cuts, but they will be the first fans to hear some of the songs from ‘The
Absence of Presence’ performed live.”
Point of Know Return
Anniversary European Tour Dates
October 18 – London,
England – Palladium
October 20 – Frankfurt, Germany
– Jahrhunderthalle
October 21 – Hamburg, Germany
– Docks
October 23 – Tampere,
Finland – Tamperetalo
October 24 – Helsinki,
Finland – Culture House
October 26 – Stockholm, Sweden
– Cirkus
October 27 – Oslo,
Norway – Sentrum Scene
October 29 – Berlin, Germany – Tempodrom
October 31 – Brussels, Belgium
– Cirque Royal
November 3 – Munich, Germany
– Circus Krone
November 5 – Heilbronn,
Germany – Harmonie
November 9 – Bochum, Germany
– RuhrCongress
November 10 – Amsterdam, Holland
– Carre Theatre
After wrapping-up
current U.S. dates for the Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour this spring,
KANSAS will debut a track from “The Absence of
Presence” live, this summer, during the Juke Box Heroes 2020 Tour when the band
will be touring with Foreigner and Europe.
Tickets for the KANSAS
Point of Know Return Anniversary European Tour will go on sale this week.
Ticket and VIP Package information is available at KansasBand.com. Tickets for
the U.S. Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour, Juke Box Heroes 2020 Tour, and
KANSAS Classics dates are on sale now with ticket and VIP package information
are also available at KansasBand.com.
For more information on
KANSAS, The Absence of Presence, The Point of Know Return Anniversary European
Tour, The Point of Know Return Anniversary Tour, or the Juke Box Heroes 2020
tour, please visit: www.kansasband.com
These two tracks mark the fervent debut solo offering from erstwhile frontman/songwriter/misery troubadour Jonathan Stolber of the much loved To Bury A Ghost (“one of our favourite records of the year” – EchoesandDust.com)
The Northampton based, former Abbey Road Masterclass graduate
& twice-nominated BBC Weekender Artist returns this Piano Day with two deep
cuts culled from forthcoming debut LP, “For The Blood Of England.”
The Minotaur
(Mesto in A-Minor)
is a majestic, blistering neo-classical piano-led instrumental that builds upon
Stolber’s plaintive Michael Nyman-esque performance and will feature on this
year’s Piano Day playlist. Backed by a searing string quintet, the song slowly
evolves into a grandiose cinematic crescendo as a colossal thundering funeral
march evokes an apocalyptic cacophony. The track is reminiscent in parts of Hope Of The States & Hans Zimmer and features live
performances from some of the UK’s
most talented string players, including David Dhonau (Her Name Is Calla) and Beni Weedon (Maybeshewill).
Slow It Down paints a different sonic picture. A
dense symphony of discordant, glacial synths swell into an explosive wash of
plucked harp and angelic, tumbling choir, whilst Stolber delivers his trademark
vocal: a fragile, intimate croon that recalls early Elbow & ‘Kid A’
era Radiohead.
Mixed by Leeds producer James Kenosha (Grammatics / Dry The River) and mastered by John Davis (Manic Street Preachers / Bloc Party / Joy Division).
Stolber has to date, had the pleasure of sharing the stage with many celebrated acts, including 65 Days of Static, James Yuill & Her Name Is Calla. The BBC, Drowned in Sound, Echoes & Dust, Gold Flake Paint, The 405, Sound Of Violence,John Kennedy and Gil Mills have all expressed support of his previous releases.
These two tracks serve as a gorgeous appetite-whetter ahead of the full debut scheduled for release later in 2020.
All proceeds from the Bandcamp download ‘The Minotaur’ will be donated in aid of mental health awareness :www.tinychanges.com
Heavy psych rock masters ELDER have released ‘Embers’, the first taste of their highly anticipated new LP Omens (released 24th April, Stickman Records), their first full-length since the globally-acclaimed Reflections of a Floating World.
The band have also revealed the album artwork for Omens, created by longtime collaborator Adrian Dexter.
In their own words: “‘Embers’ is doubtless one of the most energetic and upbeat songs ELDER has ever made, and really became the favorite to play while rehearsing to record Omens. It’s maybe the least traditionally heavy track from the record, but it’s certainly dense. Lots of interlocking guitar and bass lines, keyboards, synthesizer solos (thanks to our friend Fabio Cuomo!) – you can hear that we had plenty of fun making this album. Like any ELDER song, it’s best heard in context, and we’re excited to release the full record soon!”
Omens is perhaps the band’s most ambitious album yet – delving into deeper, more expansive, genre-pushing territories with five tracks of progressive, heavy, psychedelically evocative glory. Elements of OM, Pink Floyd, even Mastodon and Hawkwind combine to create a truly special record.
Formed in a small coastal town in Massachusetts in the mid noughties, ELDER have reinvented their sound over the course of five albums to grow from a stalwart of the stoner/doom scene into one of the most unique voices in the rock underground. Their long-scale compositions unfold as journeys, running the gamut of styles from the 70s to the present within a single song, with a penchant for “sheer gatefold-era grandeur” as described by Rolling Stone. After thirteen years, this is the first full-length recorded with a new lineup including guitarist Michael Risberg and new drummer Georg Edert, along with guest performances by Fabio Cuomo on Rhodes piano and synthesizers.
ELDER’s new album Omens answers any speculation about their new direction with an emphatic statement: evolution or extinction. Lush, intricately interwoven melodies grow and dissolve into spaced-out jams; massive riffs thunder down into a churning sea of psychedelic sounds and unpredictable grooves carry away the listener. ELDER paint pictures with their music, and Omens shows the band experimenting with an even more colourful palette – with good reason.
By continuing to incorporate new elements to their sound, ELDER’s output has repeatedly set benchmarks for their peers. Beginning with 2008’s Elder and 2010’s Dead Roots Stirring, ELDER made ripples in the stoner rock scene with their uniquely melodic approach to the genre. In 2015 they surprised again with Lore, a watershed moment in the band’s career (recently crowned “Album of the Decade” by TheObelisk) which brought in elements of post-, prog- and space rock into the ELDER sound. Despite several years of heavy touring surrounding the album, Reflections of a FloatingWorld was released just two years later, earning a spot at the top of many best-of lists including Rolling Stone (#5, 20Best Metal Albums Of 2017), Stereogum, acclaim from Metal Hammer, and more.
ELDER will be touring USA in May and throughout Europe in June and July.
July 2020 sees the publication of A Genesis In My Bed – the long overdue autobiography from guitar great and former member of Genesis, Steve Hackett. As with his music, Steve has written a highly detailed, entertaining and embracing tome that charts his life in full, but with a firm emphasis on his years with Genesis that saw the band’s meteoric rise to become one of the most successful British bands of all time.
Steve talks candidly
about his early life, his time with Genesis, and in particular his personal
relationships with the other four band members, with great insight into the
daily goings on of this major rock band.
Naturally, A Genesis In My Bed also regales stories of Steve’s career since leaving Genesis and the many different journeys that it has taken him on. With his flair for the creative, and a great deal of levity, A Genesis In My Bed is also a riveting read. Indispensable for Genesis fans but also essential for general music lovers and avid readers of autobiographies full of heartfelt and emotive tales.
1,000 copies individually numbered and signed by Steve are available to pre-order directly from the publisher
& the artist:
Polish progressive Rock masters RIVERSIDE are happy to share line-up news with all of you:
Riverside are a quartet again!
Dear friends, this is an incredibly important moment in the history of our band. From the beginning of February 2020, Riverside are officially not a trio any more, we are a quartet! It is with incredible joy that we would like to announce that the fourth official member of the band is…
Well, you can’t have expected anyone else? 🙂
He’s been with us for over three years. He let us recover from the tragic loss we have all experienced, he helped us survive and become, from year to year, a better and better live band. He has been our friend and our brother. We are welcoming him in our midst with great joy, in which we hope you will also share!
Ladies and gentlemen, on the guitars in Riverside: Maciej Meller!
Being a good guitarist and loving music is one thing, but being able to fit in with your personality, incredible modesty and humility, that’s an incredibly important thing in our band. Maciej meets all the criteria and we are truly happy that he wants to continue our journey with us.
***
We still remember. And we still go back to the moment when, after we lost Piotr, in 2016, the massive amount of your support made us continue as Riverside. We were not ready to invite anyone to our family at that time. “Wasteland” had to be recorded as a trio. We simply had to cope with the loss on our own.
Now, it’s high time for Riverside to have a guitarist in the line-up again, not only during live shows but also in the studio, when working on new material. So we are really pleased to let you know that after coming back from the final, spring edition of the Wasteland Tour 2020, together with Maciek, in the new line-up, we will start working on the eighth album.
The upcoming spring concerts will have a different character, a different tone, and Riverside will sound mightier than ever before. We would really like to see you there!
Last but not least – Piotr Grudziński will always be in our hearts, we all still love him and we will never forget him. But we have to move on. We are on a journey, they are waiting for us. There is more to create in this life, more to see, more to know, more to save. We hope that you will decide to stay with us again and that you will let us help one another through all of this.
We are here with you and for you.
Riverside
***
RIVERSIDE’s next touring run starts later this month and includes dates across Europe as well as an appearance at the Cruise To The Edge and shows in Latin America as follows:
RIVERSIDE – Wasteland Tour 2020 26.02. Madrid (Spain) – MON Live 27.02. Barcelona (Spain) – Salamandra 1 29.02. Milano (Italy) – Legend Club 01.03. Treviso (Italy) – New Age Club 03.03. Lubljana (Slovenia) – Kino Šiška 05.03. Zagreb (Croatia) – Tvornica Kulture 06.03. Novi Sad (Serbia) – Pozorište Mladih 07.03. Thessaloniki (Greece) – Principal Club Theater 08.03. Athens (Greece) – Gagarin 205 Live Music Space 10.03. Istanbul (Turkey) – Zorlu PAC 11.03. Sofia (Bulgaria) – Music Jam Club 12.03. Bucharest (Romania) – Quantic Club 13.03. Cluj-Napoca (Romania) – /FORM SPACE 15.03. Budapest (Hungary) – Barba Negra 27.03.-01.04. Miami (USA) to Belize & Honduras – Cruise To The Edge 2020
02.04. Mexico City (Mexico) – Auditorio Blackberry 04.04. Guadalajara (Mexico) – C3 Stage 07.04. Santiago (Chile) – Teatro Nescafe 09.04. Sao Paulo (Brazil) – Carioca Club
RIVERSIDE most recently released a special edition 2CD+DVD version of their current and highly successful studio-album “Wasteland” via InsideOutMusic. The ”Wasteland – Hi-Res Stereo and Surround Mix” 2CD+DVD comes as Digipak format with an additional Slipcase and includes a DVD bonus disc of “Wasteland” as Hi-Res Stereo 24bit version and as Surround Mix (4.1), plus 3 video clips. This edition also contains 5 previously unreleased acoustic tracks/versions on a separate CD.
Philadelphia- duo Rise Twain released their debut self-titled album last year on InsideOutMusic. The union of Brett William Kull (producer, audio engineer, and member of Echolyn, Grey Eye Glances, and Francis Dunnery’s New Progressives) and J.D. Beck (The Scenic Route, Beck-Fields, author & playwright) bring their collective years of direct and varied experience in writing, performing and recording music together for their impressive first album.
Today, the band have launched their first ever official video for the beautiful ‘Prayers’.
The band comments: “Prayers is an elegy for love to come down from a forbidden height, to call from the night, to remember, wake, and live again. It sings a desperate melody to the lost so that they may find their way home.”
The album is available to order on Limited CD Digipak, 180g Black Vinyl LP + CD & as digital album here: https://risetwain.lnk.to/RiseTwain
1. Everspring 2. Golden 3. The Range 4. Lit Up 5. Death of Summer 6. Oh This Life 7. Prayers 8. Falling Skies 9. Into A Dream 10. That Is Love
Talking of how the duo came together: “I produced an album for J.D.’s original band, The Scenic Route”, says Kull, describing his first meeting with Beck in 2007. “They were a rocky, progressive kind of band, like a Jeff Buckley kind of thing. I was immediately drawn to his vocals. He’s such a strong singer.” Kull says he and Beck immediately hit it off, what he describes as an “inevitable connection.”
Adds Beck, “I just knew I had to work with Brett on a higher level. When I came in to cut the vocals on the Scenic Route album, the way we worked together…some people you just gel with, and then some people you have a barrier with. Brett and I gelled.” They spoke of one day collaborating on their own project, which finally surfaces as Rise Twain.
Discussing the album’s musical direction, Beck notes, “There’s not a typical structural theme that we use over and over and over. ‘Organic’ is a word that comes to mind. Seeking openness through simplicity and allowing the complexity of music to exist without the necessity of overly packing it or overly processing it. With that we were able to achieve such a broad spectrum of sound, and a colossal sense of its existence, without having to have a billion guitars and a billion things put over top. There’s some colouring with strings and other embellishments, but it really is something very simple and stripped down, and it’s awesome.”
Kull adds, “There’s a lot of complexity in this, but it’s not overt in the least bit. But yet, when you get into it, there’s all this really rich harmonic and dynamic stuff going on.”
RISE TWAIN are: J.D. Beck: Piano, lead and backing vocals Brett William Kull: Guitars, bass, keys, percussion, lead and backing vocals
TAKEN FROM HER DEBUT SOLO ALBUM – SLEEPWALKING (KSCOPE – 14TH FEBRUARY 2020)
With Marjana Semkina,Iamthemorning’s lyricist, singer and co-songwriter, set to release her spellbinding debut solo album, Sleepwalking on 14th February 2020 through Kscope, she has premiered the video for the track “Everything Burns”.
“The song ‘Everything Burns’ focuses on the demons that you take with you no matter how far you try to go; the fact is you just can’t run away from them. No matter how hard you try to change everything around you, they will stay with you unless you realise that the most important change, the one that is by far the hardest to achieve – the one that happens inside of you” Semkina explains the meaning behind the song.
She continues by reflecting on how the clip, produced together with the long term collaborator of iamthemorning Eggor Kree, refences this side of the struggle “these toxic situations that we find ourselves trapped in seemingly, with no escape, you just have to find strength within yourself to put an end to it, even if this means you have to destroy something familiar & precious that you’ve been building for a while . Stepping into the unknown can be scary, but sometimes it’s (metaphorically) necessary to burn everything to the ground and start anew and work very hard to not fall into the same old patterns in this new life of yours.”
Sleepwalkingis available to PRE-ORDER HEREon CD / LP and digitally (with “Everything Burns” available as an instant download on digital pre-orders). Note to fans – Sleepwalking will be released under an alternative spelling – Mariana Semkina.
Sleepwalking will be available on CD / LP and digitally and is available to PRE-ORDER HERE
Sleepwalking tracklisting
1. Dark Matter [03:12]
2. Am I Sleeping Or Am I Dead [04:27]
3. Turn Back Time [04:06]
4. Ars Longa Vita Brevis [03:03]
5. Invisible [03:07]
6. Lost At Sea [04:59]
7. Skin [04:52]
8. How To Be Alone [02:50]
9. Everything Burns [03:14]
10. Mermaid Song [04:32]
11. Still Life [04:08]
Marjana Semkina is currently performing as Iamthemorning in support to The Flower Kings, in promotion of the band’s recent album The Bell. 10/12 – Columbia Theater, Berlin, Germany11/12 – Amager Bio, Copenhagen, Denmark12/12 – Brewhouse, Gothenburg, Sweden14/12 – Kraken, Stockholm, Sweden
SONS OF APOLLO–former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force)–are ready to ring in the new decade with a sonic boom with their second studio album, appropriately titled, ‘MMXX’ (pronounced: 20/20).
Produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers (Portnoy and Sherinian), ‘MMXX’ will be released on the 17th January 2020 via InsideOutMusic/Sony as a standard CD package, Limited Edition 2 CD package (which includes instrumental mixes and a cappella excerpts), 2 LP + CD package, and on all digital formats.
Today they launch the Vicente Cordero-directed video for the albums lead single ‘Goodbye Divinity’. Watch it now here:
Mike Portnoy comments: “From the minute we finished writing Goodbye Divinity, I knew we had our album opener and the first release off the album. I even remember posting on social media how excited I was about the song the day I tracked it!
The song has an immediacy that grabs you right away: great riffs, flashy playing and hooky vocal melodies. All of the elements that make up the SOA sound.
The video was directed by Vicente Cordero who I have now done over 20 music videos with and its look helps catapult the band from the Greek mythological past of the last album into the 21st century with this new album.“
Pre-orders are available from today, with digital pre-orders on iTunes & Amazon receiving an immediate download of ‘Goodbye Divinity’.
SONS OF APOLLO – former Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (ex-Guns N’ Roses), Billy Sheehan (The Winery Dogs, Mr. Big, David Lee Roth) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-Journey, ex-Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force)–are ready to ring in the new decade with a sonic boom with their second studio album, appropriately titled, ‘MMXX’ (pronounced: 20/20).
Produced by The Del Fuvio Brothers (Portnoy and Sherinian), ‘MMXX will be released on the 17th January 2020 via InsideOutMusic/Sony as a standard CD package, Limited Edition 2 CD package (which includes instrumental mixes and a cappella excerpts), 2 LP + CD package, and on all digital formats. Pre-orders for all formats will be available starting November 15th, which will include an instant download of the album’s first single, ‘Goodbye Divinity,’ on iTunes and Amazon.
A teaser trailer was released on Inside Out’s official YouTube page here
“Stylistically, we have followed the same path as the debut,” outlines drummer Mike Portnoy. “But we feel that it has come out stronger, simply because we know one another better. ‘PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY’ was the first time the five of us had worked together, so there was bound to be an air of experimentation happening. Now, we can draw on having the experience not only of recording that album, but also of touring together a lot. And now there is clearly a lot more obvious chemistry going on.”
“We did 83 shows on the last tour,” adds keyboardist Derek Sherinian. “And it was so worthwhile, because we came out of it with a stronger bond, and that is certainly reflected in what we wrote.”
The writing process began at the start of the year, as Portnoy, Sherinian and guitarist Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal got together. “The three of us were at my home studio in Pennsylvania,” explains Portnoy. “And it took about three weeks to get all the music written. That was a very smooth process. The last time, it certainly must have felt a little weird for Bumblefoot to be writing with Derek and me, because we were strangers to him. Now, we know one another better and that helped things push along.”
“Because we all have our home studios, it meant everyone could record there as and when they had opportunity,” continues Sherinian. “We all had the luxury of being able to take our time to get all the parts done, which was a huge help in the way the album’s come out. I suppose in all, it took about eight months to record everything.”
The lyrics were written by Soto, who also came up with the melody lines with input from Sherinian. “While Jeff was left to come up with the words on his own, as the melody lines are part of the music, it made sense for me to be involved with that part,” says the keyboard player.
There are eight tracks on ‘MMXX’, with variations in length totalling 60 minutes. “The final song is ‘New World Today, which is 16 minutes long,” says Portnoy. “This one has elements similar to ‘Opus Maximus’ and ‘Labyrinth’ on the previous album. It has some insane, brilliant instrumental moments, which I am sure the fans will love.”
“We wanted to do something epic here, as we did with ‘Opus Maximus’ last time around,” adds Sherinian. “You have to remember that Mike and I come from Dream Theater, where we never bothered about how long a song was. So, for us doing a 16 minute track is not a problem.”
Here’s the track listing for MMXX: 1. Goodbye Divinity (7:16)
2. Wither To Black (4:48)
3. Asphyxiation (5:09)
4. Desolate July (6:11)
5. King Of Delusion (8:49)
6. Fall To Ascend (5:07)
7. Resurrection Day (5:51)
8. New World Today (16:38)
The album title was inspired by a simple chronological fact. “This will be released in mid-January 2020,” says Portnoy. “That means it will be one of the first releases in what is a new decade. So I came up with the idea of calling it ‘2020,” except having it written in the Latin form of ‘MMXX’.”
And the album’s artwork has been created by Thomas Ewerhard (who was responsible for the cover design of ‘PSYCHOTIC SYMPHONY’), which inevitably reflects the title.
As Portnoy explains, “For the first record, we had a mythological feel. This time around though, there’s a much more futuristic style to what we’ve got. It has a very 21st century appeal. And the band crest is more polished, cleaned up and a lot more modern than last time, when it had an old fashioned look.”
“Each member of this band has their own signature sound on their instrument,” adds Sherinian. “And when you put all of this together what you get is a wonderful five-headed beast. It makes this a sonically special band, which is definitely what comes across on ‘MMXX’. You can hear odd time signatures and amazingly crazy performances here. Overall, we’ve been satisfyingly more adventurous this time than we were before, and I know people are sure to love what we’ve done.”
In touring news, the band’s headlining ‘MMXX World Tour’ will launch January 24th in Pomona, CA, USA and will take them around the world throughout the new year. They have also just announced European tour dates for March 2020, and you can find those below: Europe 2020 Mon 2nd March Drammen, Norway Union Scene
Tue 3rd March Gothenburg, Sweden Traedgarn
Thu 5th March Kyiv, Ukraine N.A.U Theatre
Sat 7th March Moscow, Russia RED
Sun 9th March St Petersburg, Russia Aurora
Tue 10th March Pratteln, Switzerland Z7
Wed 11th March Milan, Italy Live Club
Fri 13th March Bilbao, Spain Santana 27
Sat 14th March Barcelona, Spain Razzmatazz 2
Sun 15th March Madrid, Spain La Riviera
Thu 19th March London, U.K. Islington Assembly Hall
Fri 20th March Eindhoven, Netherlands Prognosis Festival
