Jade Warrior live!

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, 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. We 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.

Secret Oyster to close Progday 2008

(NB: I know posting has been slow of late...combine several technical issues with a decided lack of time and a number of things happening on a personal level, and time simply has been at a premium. I am going over a number of options which I hope will allow for a slightly more frequent posting schedule, so please continue to watch this space...)

ProgDay announces SECRET OYSTER, the legendary fusion group from Denmark, as our closing band on Sunday. The band was formed in 1972 by KARSTEN VOGEL (saxophones, keyboards) of BURNIN' RED IVANHOE who had a vision of a new band featuring long improvisational instrumental passages pushed along by a driving rhythm section. Joined by Claus Bøhling (guitar), Kenneth Knudsen (keyboards), Bo Anderson (drums) and Mads Vinding (bass), that vision birthed what would eventually be one of the foremost fusion ensembles to arise out of Europe in the 1970s.

SECRET OYSTER was incredibly active in the 70s, releasing four studio albums to great commercial and critical success and performing over 500 concerts (including a 30,000 sellout in Paris) with the likes of WEATHER REPORT, SHAKTI, GEORGE DUKE and HERBIE HANCOCK. They were poised by Columbia Records to be their next big thing after Weather Report, but when CBS changed direction and withdrew their support, the band began to unravel, ultimately playing what everyone thought was their final show in December, 1977.

Then in 2006, THE LASER'S EDGE made SECRET OYSTER's 70s recordings available for the first time on CD. The renewed interest in the band prompted an invitation to perform at NEARfest. After 30 years of not performing, the band reunited and played their first show in America at NEARfest 2007.

ProgDay is thrilled to bring SECRET OYSTER back for their first US appearance since their triumphant return. We're sure it will be a performance to remember!

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 this year are Ain Soph (Japan), Canvas Solaris (US), CHEER-ACCIDENT (US), Holding Pattern (US), VonFrickle (US), Abigail's Ghost (US), Mirthrandir (US) and Pinnacle (US). To hear music and get information about all the bands, please visit our website at www.progday.com.

More Peter Hammill dates

http://sofasound.com/touring.htm

September 30 San Francisco CA
October 2 Phoenix AZ
4 Kansas City MO
5 Milwaukee WI
7 Chicago IL
9 Ferndale MI
10 Cleveland OH
11 Pittsburgh PA
15 Quebec City, CANADA

More details...and more dates...will follow very shortly.

Stanley Whitaker (Happy the Man/Oblivion Sun) news

People reading this blog who also frequent Progressive Ears may well already know this, but guitarist Stanley Whitaker, whose playing was a major part of my enjoyment of Happy the Man's material, is dealing with some fairish serious health issues.

Much like my posts about Andrew Latimer (of which I hope there are many many more, with good news following good news)...if Stan's music has touched you in any way, consider taking a moment and doing whatever you do to send some positive energy his way.

Thanks.

Tiles 2008 tour dates

Information courtesy of Chris Herin of Tiles:

Howdy:

We're playing a few shows around the Midwest in August:

Tiles "Fly Paper 2008 Great Lakes Tour"

Friday, August 1, 2008 Milwaukee, WI (Shank Hall)
Saturday, August 2, 2008 Chicago, IL (Red Line Tap)
Friday, August 22, 2008 Buffalo, NY (The Tralf)
Saturday, August 23, 2008 Cleveland, OH (TBA)

All the details are here

We hope to see some of you there...

Chris

Dream Theater: Chaos in Motion DVD/CD sets forthcoming

From the press release:

Few bands inspire such fanaticism among their fans as Dream Theater. The best way to satiate this dedicated legion is to provide them with even more material to devour and Dream Theater are doing just that this September. The band will release Chaos In Motion 2007/2008, which documents their "Chaos In Motion" world tour, which kicked off June 3, 2007 at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Milan, Italy and concluded almost a year to the day later on June 4, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's essentially a travelogue of their most recent touring experience and it hits shelves on September 23. Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 will be available in two configurations: as a double DVD set and as five disc collector's set which includes two DVDs and three CDs, containing 14 live tracks featured in the DVD set and expanded artwork.

The Chaos in Motion Tour was a trek that found the band traversing the globe, playing 115 shows in 105 cities in 35 countries on five continents to hundreds of thousands of fans. It also included the first annual Progressive Nation Tour, an idea that the band had kicked around for a few years and finally launched into action this past spring.

Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 is the latest in a series of DVDs from the band and it features performances captured throughout the entirety of the tour, unlike their last three RIAA-certified Platinum DVDs, Metropolis 2000: Live Scenes From New York, Live at Budokan and Score, all of which focused on as single concert event.

Drummer and DVD creative director Mike Portnoy plumed his personal archives for footage in order to provide fans with the ultimate tour souvenir. He assembled over three hours of complete live performances, taking footage from shows in Rotterdam, Buenos Aires, Toronto, Boston, Bangkok and Vancouver. The tracks were mixed and effectively brought to life by Kevin Shirley. The second disc is packed with bonus material, including promo videos, live screen projection films, a photo gallery and a 90-minute documentary that'll make you feel like you're riding in the passenger's seat of the band's tour bus, as it takes you on the road and behind the scenes with the band and crew. It's like a virtual backstage pass that grants fans further unprecedented access.

The official content and tracklisting for the DVD are as follows and are subject to change:

Double DVD Set

Disc One:

“Around The World In 180 Minutes” Live Concert Footage

1. Intro/Also Sprach Zarathustra
2. Constant Motion
3. Panic Attack
4. Blind Faith
5. Surrounded
6. The Dark Eternal Night
7. Keyboard Solo
8. Lines In The Sand
9. Scarred
10. Forsaken
11. The Ministry Of Lost Souls
12. Take The Time
13. In The Presence Of Enemies
14. Medley: I. Trial Of Tears II. Finally Free III. Learning To Live IV. In The Name Of God V. Octavarium

Disc Two:

“Behind The Chaos On The Road” Documentary

Promo Videos: Constant Motion, Forsaken, Forsaken (In Studio), The Dark Eternal Night (In Studio)

Live Screen Projection Films: The Dark Eternal Night (N.A.D.S), The Ministry Of Lost Souls, In The Presence Of Enemies Pt. 2

“Mike Portnoy Stage Tour"

“Mike Portnoy Backstage Tour”

Photo Gallery

Deluxe Collector’s Edition 5-Disc Set

Chaos In Motion 2007/2008 Double DVD Set PLUS:

* 3 CD’s containing the live 14 tracks featured in the DVD set
* Expanded artwork and more

Henry Cow archival release coming from ReR

HENRY COW
40th ANNIVERSARY BOX SET Volumes 1 & 2
9 CDs and 1 DVD with 2 substantial books - in two solid Boxes. LIMITED EDITION.

Assembled over 15 years, this collection gives for the first time some idea of the breadth and depth of Henry Cow's work. Always very much a live band, performance was their metier, and a concert might range far - always driven by an intense dialogue between tightly knit compositions and radically open improvisation. The officially released LPs tell at best only half this story, and one purpose of this definitive collection is to set the work back into its broader context. These are all previously unreleased recordings, that include many compositions and improvisations new to anyone who only knows the official releases, documentation of a number of one-off projects and events and - where different or remarkable enough to justify inclusion - live versions of parts of the LP repertoire. Many of these recordings are high quality radio transcriptions taken directly from the original masters, others are less hi-fi, but justified we think by their historic and musical quality. And everything has been carefully transferred and re-mastered by Bob Drake to the best audio quality that current technology allows without interference or tampering. It's all a million times better than the terrible bootlegs that are swimming around. Altogether, these 9 CDs embody some extraordinary, and occasionally prescient music. Taking this box together with the officially released albums, it is possible at last to get some impression of the extensive ground Henry Cow covered in it's 10 short years. Finally, there is the DVD: 80 minutes of the 1976 Cow (with Georgina Born and Dagmar Krause) performing many unreleased pieces as well as Living in the Heart of The Beast, Beautiful as the Moon &c. This is the only known video recording in existence - professionally made, multi camera - and has not been recovered since its original broadcast (just scour U-Tube, HC is conspicuous by its total absence). And last but not least, there is a great deal of written, photographic and textual documentation. Since this will probably be the last and definitive collection, it has to be thorough. For reasons of fairness and cost we have decided to split the set into two boxes - which can be bought separately or together. VOL 1 covers the period 1971 to the 1976 Hamburg radio show which documents John Greaves' last concert with the band, as well as the extraordinary Trondheim concert from the quartet tour that immediately followed. VOL 2 takes the story through to 1978 and includes more previously undocumented compositions as well as the Bremen radio recording. The Stockholm CD belongs to this second box, which also contains the DVD.

Progday announces Pinnacle!

ProgDay is pleased to announce Pennsylvania based PINNACLE for ProgDay 2008. PINNACLE first formed in 1997 when guitarist/vocalist KARL EISENHART met drummer GREG JONES and they began performing together as DREAD PIRATE ROBERTS and later as LANDSLIDE. After several lineup changes, multi-instrumentalist BILL FOX became the magic third person they needed to complete the band.

PINNACLE's musical goal is to write accessible songs that are firmly rooted in the best progressive rock traditions. Both vocal and instrumental tracks are featured on the band's two albums, "A Man's Reach" (2003) and "Meld" (2006). PINNACLE's live shows have underscored their place as one of the best up and coming symphonic bands in the US, including their performance at PROGOCTOBERFEST in Saratoga, New York, and a headlining appearance at THE NEW JERSEY PROGHOUSE. PINNACLE are sure to please with their modern take on classic progressive rock.

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), Abigail's Ghost (US) and Mirthrandir (US). One more band to be announced. To hear music and get information about all the bands, please visit our website at www.progday.com.

21st Century Schizoid Quintet

Kurt Michaels festival dates (electronic/ambeint music)

From his recent news post:

I'm happy to announce some festival shows that we have coming up! We get to see some of our old friends again at Electro-Music 2008 in Kingsport, TN on August 16th and make some new friends at the Baltimore Music Conference in September (date tba shortly) and the City Skies Festival in Atlanta on October 4th.

For people that are familiar with my performances, I will once again be accompanied on synth by my good friend Jim Gully at these shows. In addition to the "fourth dimensional" soundscapes we are known for, our shows will also include a preview of some of the new musical "works in progress" being written for my next cd, which will introduce some good old fashioned singing and songwriting elements in the vein of the decidedly ethereal instrumental tracks we've been producing to date. These shows will also be amongst my first performances utilizing my new Godin LGXT, which is a guitar that allows me to mix in any combination of three voices: standard electric guitar pickups, a piezo electric pickup for acoustic guitar sounds and finally a midi pickup for synth sounds.

I expect some very pleasant musical surprises to come from this!

Hope to see you there !

KMCc:)

www.myspace.com/kurtmichaels1

The Tangent news

Direct from Andy Tillison:

It has been some time since I communicated with you and for this I apologise. For various personal reasons I once again am on the move, still caught between France and England. There just might be a song in there somewhere. Stay tuned.

The Tangent is on the move too, making plans, some of which will come as a bit of a shock to you all. The first piece of good news is that we plan to make another Tangent album later this year and well into next. With that, though - in true, classic, Tangent and Prog fashion - will come another round of personnel reshuffles. This one will be a major one. It is not a set of decisions that I have taken lightly. Nonetheless, after long and careful consideration I have decided that we will move forward on this next album without Jaime Salazar, Krister Jonsson and even Jonas Reingold.

There are a number of reasons for this decision - some of them that old classic Rock n Roll cliché 'Artistic differences' and some of them far more practical and down to earth than that. They are, however, decisions that had to be made. And yet I must say that I will particularly miss Jonas Reingold who has encouraged and supported both myself and particularly our manager Ian from the very beginning. To Jonas, in particular, many many thanks and let's let our musical and business paths cross again sometime!

In some important ways, though, these decisions bring matters in line with the reality of things. The most recent album "Not As Good As The Book" was largely made by myself, Guy, Theo and Jakko - and Guy really hasn't ever been given enough credit for his role both within and outside the band. It is, at least commercially, the bands most successful album yet, however it was very sad to have to leave someone who is so keen on the band's work at home, (Theo Travis and Jakko too). Both Guy and I would count ourselves as composers and arrangers rather than virtuosos, but in the end, to me, probably to Guy too, having people in the band who are committed mentally and spiritually to the music is more important than the very best musicianship. The dream of turning the Tangent into a real band has been very difficult to achieve. The next move puts us back into the "project" territory in some ways, but as we came from that beginning, it won't present any of us with a problem.

One thing that I have learned in life, of course, is that every time a door closes in one place another door opens somewhere else. So....on a more positive note .... this is what comes next - we hope. I have asked the band Beardfish to collaborate with us en masse: the whole lot of them! After all, we had a sizable chunk of another band on our first two albums, we're just switching bands ;-)

On tour this past month with Beardfish, I can only say that I was amazed at their abilities, their youthfulness and their vigour - but most of all their belief that Progressive Rock can be an important part of their world; a world in which they are in their mid 20s. I only missed their set once on an eight day tour, and thoroughly enjoyed every one of them, they played with a gusto that I envied and had a brotherhood which I missed so much within my own band. I became very good friends with them all, and even got invited to guest with them onstage in Belgium, where I really messed up an organ solo on their behalf. However, I left the tour wanting to work with them, and put the question to them just a few weeks ago.

The good news is this. In reply to my offer, the Beardfish have replied with an enthusiastic "YES." As a result, they will form the core of the new band, which will debut at Summer's End (with hopefully and in all probability Guy, Theo and Jakko - thus making an 8 piece band!!, we will keep you posted on this). Several important points:

1. The Tangent and Beardfish will continue to exist, record and perform in their own right
2. The Tangent's lineup will still be variable at concerts depending on location, budget etc.
3. Rikard from Beardfish will also play keyboards and sing some vocals for the Tangent alongside me... back to 2 keys players as it should be!
4. Theo Travis and Jakko are still in the Tangent, how their roles develop is a matter of time and work, and we cannot predict how these two guys will find the new band who they have not yet met. However from day one both these people have been totally into the music and philosophy of the band and their early response to this change has been positive.
5. In mind of adapting to audience sizes and costs this does give both bands and promoters an opportunity of touring and playing at festivals as part of two band 'package deal'..

I think people are used to the fact now that The Tangent is and most likely will always be ever evolving. I really see this as a positive experience for both band and audience. To those that doubt, all we can say is "look what we did since (fill in blank here) left..." and trust that we can continue to create alert and challenging music for some time yet.

Maybe the anti-Tangent faction will say that it will spoil Beardfish, but be rest assured these guys are far too strong to be spoiled by me.

Of course, after all that I have said, I will finish by saying an enormous "thank you" to the three departing guys who in their time were an undoubtedly powerful force in making the Tangent what it was and still is. These were among the very best musicians I have ever had the pleasure to work with, I count myself lucky to have had this opportunity.

Now- here comes the future. It's good to be scared again.

Andy Tillison