Category: News

Exclusive!! – Fractal Mirror reveal details of New Album – Slow Burn 1

Fractal Mirror - Slow Burn 1 Cover

In a great exclusive for Progradar, the eclectic Dutch band Fractal Mirror are due to release their third album ‘Slow Burn 1’ in February 2016 and I was extremely lucky enough to catch up with band member Leo Koperdraat this morning and find out more details about this highly anticipated release.

Leo, Ed van Haagen and Frank L. Urbaniak have released two previous albums, 2013’s ‘Strange Attractors’ and last year’s ‘Garden of Ghosts’, of which I said:

“Not just an album of songs but a journey into a world of profound understanding, ‘Garden of Ghosts’ is not for the fickle of heart or soul. It requires commitment and intelligence to fully benefit from its deeper connotations, once smitten though, you will never want to leave. Fractal Mirror are currently working on their third album and I, for one, cannot wait.“

Fast forward nearly twelve months and the band are about to release ‘Slow Burn 1’, what’s the main differences between the two records?

Leo Koperdraat: “The songs are shorter and to the point but we paid a lot of attention to vocal arrangements this time. The Progressive Rock influences are still very much in place (Patrick Farrell of Built 4 the Future even plays Rickenbacker bass on one song and Leo Blu Sky really shines with his bass on the Beatles meets Tears For Fears 8 minute closing track), but we do hope that ‘Slow Burn 1’ will also offer new things to the listeners.”

The band could also be looking at a Crowd Funding option to finalise the album.

I was also lucky enough to listen to one of the new tracks from the album called Numbers  and it showcased the evolution of the shorter tracks with great vocal arrangements, add in some rather intense guitar work on show and it all augurs well for the new album.

‘Slow Burn 1’ features Brett Kull (Echolyn) again on every track and there are guest appearances (so far) from; Don Fast (guitars), Charlotte Koperdraat (backing vocals), Patrick Farrell and Kenny Bissett Sr (from B4tF on BV and bass), Jason Himmelberger (from Jhimm on BV), Peter Swart (guitars) and Leopold Blu Sky (From Unto Us/Mike Kershaw on Bass).

Larry Fast will be mastering again. The expected release date is February 2016.

The striking artwork is provided, once again, by Brian Watson.

I was really impressed by the one track I heard and, if it is representative of what is to come, I am sure that Fractal Mirror will deliver another outstanding and immersive musical experience.

 

 

 

 

Mike Kershaw Joins Bad Elephant Music

Mike Kershaw

MIKE KERSHAW JOINS BAD ELEPHANT MUSIC.

Press Release From Bad Elephant Music

“We are proud to announce that Mike Kershaw, well-respected British progressive rock musician, has joined our family of artists.

Blending strong textures with powerful lyrics, Mike’s haunting music can perhaps best be described as ‘atmospheric progressive rock’ but ever the iconoclast he regards this as a framework rather than a prison, and very simply takes the music where it needs to go.

Mike continues to develop his own style, and his latest album ‘What Lies Beneath’ is his most complete work to date. To supplement Mike’s prodigious talent there is an impressive roster of guest artists – Gareth Cole, Stuart Nicholson (Galahad), Leo Koperdraat & Frank Urbaniak (Fractal Mirror), Joshua Leibowitz (Leibowitz), Stuart Stephens (Whitewater), Clare Stephens, Marco A Vásquez L., and Tom Slatter. Leopold Blue-Sky (Unto Us) is at the mixing desk, as well as contributing bass, guitars and keyboards. Artwork is by Steven J. Catizone.

Mike Kershaw: “I am honoured and delighted to be joining Bad Elephant Music and its fabulous roster of musicians. I’ve worked with David Elliott on post-production with my last two releases and I’m over the moon to enhance our association. BEM is a unique, friendly label and I’m proud to be a part of it.

Bad Elephant Head of PR, Martin Hutchinson: “I’ve known Mike for quite a while now and have always been a fan of his richly rewarding music. Detailed and complex, it is a perfect fit with what BEM has become known for. Add in the fact he’s a fellow Yorkshireman and we can’t go wrong, can we?”

‘What Lies Beneath’ will be released through Bad Elephant Music in the second quarter of 2016. Check out the teaser video trailer below!

Picture of Mike courtesy of Scott Smith.

 

With Our Arms To The Sun sign to Fade to Silence Records

Fade to Silence

Progressive art rock band With Our Arms to the Sun is the second act to sign with the new-launched Fade to Silence Records.
With Our Arms to the Sun is a breath of fresh air in a musical landscape dominated by pop formatted bands. The Arizona desert-based foursome crafts a brand of cinematic conceptual music that aims to evoke emotion and inspire thought in listeners.
“My son and I went to see John 5 perform in East Texas and as luck would have it, With Our Arms to the Sun were the supporting artist,” said Fade to Silence founder Paul Bibeau. “Upon taking the stage, the band took complete control of the room and I was locked into every second of their performance. To say I was pleasantly surprised is an understatement. It felt has though the band was playing the very last concert ever and wanted to put it all on the table.
With Our Arms to the Sun’s first release through Fade to Silence will be a reissue of the band’s self-released ‘A Far Away Wonder’ EP on CD and vinyl.
WOATTS2
 We were anti-label for the longest time and did everything DIY,” said With Our Arms to the Sun vocalist/guitarist Josh Breckenridge. “We recorded and distributed all of our own albums, and even made our own merch. One of the reasons we were not interested in being on a label was that we wanted to retain our sound.
Paul immediately understood what we were going for as a band and rather than be a typical industry person, he encouraged our growth towards being a conceptual band. Also the chance at being one of the flagship bands on a new label that has a creative philosophy really appealed to us as artists.”
With Our Arms to the Sun – which is completed by Joseph Leary, Joseph Breckenridge Jr. and John Mclucas – has three self-released recordings to their credit.

The Aaron Clift Experiment announce new album – ‘Outer Light, Inner Darkness’

Cover

It has been a long time since the Austin, Texas based progressive rock outfit The Aaron Clift Experiment released ‘Lonely Hills’, their acclaimed debut album, it was 2012 in fact.

Well, thanks be to god, this year will see the release of the long awaited follow up ‘Outer Light, Inner Darkness’ and, believe me, it is well worth waiting for. I was really impressed with the guys debut effort but this release improves in all areas with its intricate compositions, complex arrangements and virtuosic performances.

Frontman Aaron tells us more,

“‘Outer Light, Inner Darkness’ is a concept album about duality: light vs. darkness, individual vs. group, hope vs. despair, etc. Songs in the first half of the album detail the conflict between these opposing forces, while the songs in second half of the album are a journey toward reconciling the extremes. The album culminates with ‘Bathed in Moonlight,’ a song about how humanity can learn to embrace its outer light and inner darkness and become one with both sides of its nature.”

With the release of the band’s second album, “Outer Light, Inner Darkness” in September 2015, The Aaron Clift Experiment continues to lead the way in fusing the sophistication and depth of classical music with the passion and raw power of rock and roll. What began as an idea of how to create music has now blossomed into a full-fledged experiment. The band invites you to join them in this experiment as they embark on their new path.

Says Aaron,

“Although The Aaron Clift Experiment started as my solo project, ‘Outer Light, Inner Darkness’ marks the birth of ACE as a full-fledged band. Unlike the first album, in which I wrote all the songs and arrangements, the songwriting and arranging process for the second album was a largely collaborative process, with all of the band members contributing elements to the sound that makes the album our most diverse to date. One of the fun challenges of co-writing between me and my band mates is that we all have very distinct songwriting styles and music preferences. As a result, we all pushed each other to write outside of our comfort zones. Sometimes this could be disorienting process, but in the end, it helped us write our strongest songs to date. The song, ‘Aoide, Goddess of Song,’ was in a way my commentary on what it can be like to come up with brand new music.”

“Outer Light, Inner Darkness” will be released on September 18 with an album release show to be held on August 27 at Threadgill’s in Austin, Texas.

The Aaron Clift Experiment are:

Aaron Clift – Vocals/Keyboards
Eric Gutierrez – Guitar
Joe Resnick – Drums
Devin North – Bass

 

The Fierce and the Dead release promo video for ‘Magnet in Your Head’ (includes pre-order details for ‘Magnet’ E.P.)

To whet your appetite for the forthcoming new E.P. ‘Magnet’, here’s a live version of the first track from the E.P. – ‘Magnet in Your Face’ recorded during rehearsals at The New Empowering Church. Filmed by Ashley Jones for The Chaos Engineers.

‘Magnet’ is the cult North London instrumentalists The Fierce And The Dead’s first new material in two years and is released this August via Bad Elephant Music. The critically acclaimed band’s new EP features 6 songs including 3 new tracks, a re-recording of the song Flint from the band’s first album and 2 songs recorded live in rehearsal (one of these is a bonus on the CD). The EP is released on the 14th of August, the week before TFATD play the Arctangent festival alongside acts including Dillinger Escape Plan, 65daysofstatic and Deerhoof.

“I think this EP represents a different sound for us, it’s important to keep moving forward. It more joyous and intense with bigger riffs and more of an electronic feel.” says Dead guitarist Matt Stevens. Bassist & Producer Kevin Feazey continues “We’re doing what we want to do. Full circle. Back to sounding like the bands we grew up with, from Nuclear Assault to Boards of Canada. Every record we’ve put out has had it’s own character and story, with different sounds and a different reality for each”.

The band are currently in the process of recording their third studio album for release next year and are playing a few select live dates and festivals. Drummer Stuart Marshall describes the new material as “f****** terrifying”.

You can listen to the first song from the EP and pre-order it from the BEM sales page:

Pre-order Magnet here

 

 

Press Release – Matt Stevens announces live dates for 2015

Matt_Stevens_Promo-620x400

MATT STEVENS ANNOUNCES 2015 GIGS

Matt Stevens has confirmed 5 solo acoustic gigs for 2015, supporting Jon Gomm and Steven Rothery alongside shows in Belfast and Italy.

Stevens, who was recently named as one of the top guitarists in the Prog Magazine reader’s poll said,

“I’m not doing as many solo shows this year to allow time to work on the next The Fierce And The Dead record and to write new solo material, but I’m hugely excited to be playing my first solo show in Italy and to play with Jon Gomm and Steven Rothery”.

Matt’s band The Fierce And The Dead will play a run of festival shows including this summer, including Summers End, Arctangent and theRhythm Festival and they will release an EP later in the year.

Solo acoustic 14th June – Batteria Nomentana, Rome, Italy

4th July – Band On The Wall, Manchester UK with Steve Rothery

25th July – Belfast Guitar Festival, UK.

21st October – Jazz Cafe, London UK with Jon Gomm

7th Nov – The Stables, Milton Keynes UK with Steve Rothery

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In addition Matt’s band The Fierce And The Dead play the following shows:

June 21st – Rhythms Festival, Hitchen

3rd July – Black Heart Camden w/Shivers

21st August – ArcTanGent

4th October – Summers End Festival

More information from:

mattstevensguitar.com

Progradar will return in full force very shortly….

Progradar-Logo

Like a Phoenix from the flames, Progradar is back up and running. There will be a lot of hard work to get the majority of my old posts back on the site and I will try and get some new stuff on in-between.

I would like to thank everyone who has helped turn what could have been a huge disaster into an epic save. David, Fedor and Chris and all the rest have my huge thanks for that!

Onwards and upwards my friends……

Tom Slatter has some rather nasty creatures loose in his Lab…….

You thought the day of the bombastic, big budget video were gone? Well think again, the marvelous Joe Slatter over at The Dark Power has produced a stunning, tongue in cheek and mildly disturbing video (big budget may be pushing it) for the first song from Tom Slatter’s new album.
‘Some of the Creatures Have Broken the Locks on the Door to Lab 558′ is taken from ‘Fit the Fourth’ released on 1/6/015 through those excellent chaps (sic) at Bad Elephant Music.

Tom describes his output as:

“the sort of music you’d get if Genesis started writing songs with Nick Cave after watching too much Dr Who.”

Bad Elephant Music’s press release stated:

“Tom weaves complex and fantastical stories throughout his music – and this new album is no different.

“Dark deeds and dangerous characters litter the narrative, including the continuing tale of Seven Bells John and the vivid steampunk world he inhabits.

“The character, who’s been interwoven since debut album ‘Spinning The Compass’, comes full circle in ‘Fit The Fourth‘, with his eventual fate revealed in 20-­minute epic ‘Seven Bells Redeemed’.”