White Willow: Signal to Noise demos available for download

Something interesting for those of you who dig White Willow perhaps as much as I do:

From Jacob Holm-Lupo:

“I was browsing through an old computer and found the demos I made at home for Signal to Noise. These were made for two reasons only: So that I would remember how the song went once I had written it, and to help the band learn their parts and ponder additions or changes. So it all sounds pretty bad, with ridiculous drum programming and my own anti-vocals. But some of you might find some kind of interest in hearing what the songs sounded like before they passed through the filter of the band and the producer. Many things were definitely gained through that filtering process. Some very few things may have been lost. You decide. I put it together as a digital album download package. Enjoy!”

Hit up the band’s website for a cool selection of demos for the band’s 2006 album!

http://www.whitewillow.info/

Cyndee Lee Rule news: concerts, new tune

Live VIPER set at the Vibrant Living Festival
Date: Saturday, August 21, 2010
Time: 9:00am - 9:00pm
Street: 1341 Mill Rd., Sellersville, PA, 18960

Description: The Vibrant Living Festival will feature raw food, live music, interactive activities, demonstrations, nature, smoothies, banana whips, and vendors with natural and handmade items for sale. It will be an all day, amazing fun and informative event where you can meet lots of people who share your interests.

I'll be performing a spacerock set on the VIPER at 11:00 AM.

Tickets will be $20 each until July 21st, then the price will increase.
Order tix here:
http://vibrantlivingfestival.eventbrite.com/



Rob Martino solo Chapman Stick House Concert
Date: Saturday, August 21, 2010
Time: 7:00pm - 10:00pm
Location: Trevose, PA (Philadelphia area)

Description: Rob Martino be performing at a house concert in the Philadelphia area, hosted by Cyndee Lee Rule and Jeff Nutkowitz!

$12 admission, feel free to BYOB, and vegan snacks will also be served. Doors open at 7pm, show starts at 8pm.

To RSVP (which will include directions), email violincyndee@yahoo.com

Please share this event with others if you think they may be interested!

Soundfiles here: www.robmartino.com

Bio:
Rob Martino performs original music and arrangements on the Chapman Stick, a unique stringed instrument that combines elements of guitar, bass, piano and percussion. The strings are tapped and held onto the frets, rather than plucked or strummed, enabling both hands to play complete and expressive multi-part arrangements.

Music listeners with widely different tastes, from new age to folk to classical to hardcore metal have been attracted to different aspects of Rob's music- some find it pleasantly melodic and others are intrigued by the subtle complexities and artistry of the music. Rob has particularly drawn from progressive and art rock influences such as Jethro Tull, Rush, Marillion, and Genesis (as well as folk, Celtic and classical music genres) to develop his particular playing style and musical approach.

In addition to making a strong impression at live performances, Rob's music has a popular online presence, gathering over a million views and thousands of subscribers worldwide on YouTube. You are welcome to get in touch with any booking requests, both locally (mid-Atlantic area of the USA) and worldwide.

Rob is currently based in Fredericksburg, Virginia (originally from the Boston area), and has had a lifelong interest in music and computers - he is a software engineer in the music technology industry (Wave Arts and Camel Audio), and also holds a master's degree in music from Northwestern University.

Hope to see you at both of these events!! And, I hope you will download the new Osiris the Rebirth tune, too (see below)! Please leave feedback here or at my guestbook at: www.cyndeeleerule.com! We'd love to know what you think!



As posted by Dave Adams, of Osiris the Rebirth:

"A new track, co written with Bridget Wishart, and featuring the fantastic Cyndee on Viper violin, called "Planetscape," is now up on myspace.com/osiristherebirth in an edited form. However until close of play next Friday, the full high quality un-edited tune is available to download free at osiristherebirth.com

"This is the first completed tune from the forthcoming album Lost.

Space rock DJs feel free to download and play on your shows."

Free (phree?) Phish downloads

Phish are offering for a limited time free mp3 downloads of the three come back Shows they`re playing from March 6th - March 8 2009 at Hampton Coliseum.

just have a look at: http://www.livephish.com/

Says Trey Anastasio, "We really wanted to show our gratitude to all the Phish fans for their support and the overwhelming response they've had to these shows. It's going to be an amazing celebration and we only wish everybody could be there," Phish will be recording the Hampton shows in a mobile multitrack studio, and mixing the shows overnight for immediate delivery on LivePhish.com. 256kbps MP3s will be available for free download for a limited time. FLACs and CDs are also available.

Speaking of official free downloads...

In my backlog pile of stuff that I need to post (happens when you get a forced 4 day break from having time to write), I have this to present to you:

http://www.solstice.co.il/

Solstice Coil is a progressive rock band from Israel. A member of the group, Shir Deutch, dropped me a line to let me know that the band has 2 releases available for download at their website above (A Prescription for Papercuts from 2005 and demos from their forthcoming second album release). I have to admit that my time has been pretty scarce lately, but what I have read on their website looks intriguing...I have the material downloaded, but as yet have not found the time to listen. So this is a bit of a blind recommendation but let's look at it this way...I am at the tail end of a musical generation who used to pick albums to purchase on little more than cover art. I remember the days of seeing grandiose covers liek Fireballet's A Night on Bald Mountain and saying "Oh, this looks awesome...it's got to be good!' without so much as a single listen to any of the music.

So take a chance.

And in a few days, when I have had time to digest Solstice Coil's material, I'll let you know what I think as well!

Charts and Maps release free web EP

Los Angeles based indie-jazz/math-rock (though subtly defiant of both terms) band Charts and Maps have released a 4 song EP, titled "Enemies of C.Frias". Working with engineer/producer Chris Schlarb (whose solo projects and free-jazz duo I Heart Lung are released through Sufjan Steven's Asthmatic Kitty records), the band have managed to further hone their sound while losing none of the adventurous flair of their previous releases.

Characterized by unrestrained song structure, a keen ear for new aesthetic, and an unabashed ability to throw a looping curveball in the form of a key change or time signature switch, Charts and Maps still make music for people who understand music, but have developed upon their ability to blend the aforementioned with catchy and grooving hooks. Their music is intrinsically unclassifiable, roving between genres, tied together by stylistic nuances--categorized by their uncategorizability (yeah, it's a word, apparently), as much as anything else. Instead of losing themselves in heady concept, as many bands with this kind introduction do, Charts and Maps are unequivocally listenable and sonically pleasant. Take a listen for yourself.

As key members of Heard.of.Elephants, an art/music collective that has been gathering praise, acclaim, and following in the Los Angeles area recently for their forward-thinking stance on showgoing (mixing art, music, film, and sociality into one convenient event), Charts and Maps have taken their live show to a new level. Adding Jay Watford on guitar and Mike Allison on Sax, the band's energy is unmistakable. The affair is a lot more raucous than one would imagine when listening to the intricacy of the music.

As always, don't take our word for it--Listen for yourself and decide:

DOWNLOAD "ENEMIES OF C.FRIAS" FOR FREE by CLICKING HERE
or listen at www.myspace.com/chartsandmaps

Mellotronworks: free Mike Dickson download album

This in from Cyndee Lee Rule:

"Hi Everyone,

Systems Theory mellotronist, Mike Dickson, has offered his new mellotron album for free download. I have also contributed viola samples which are then played through the mellotron!

I have also de-tuned the viola to include some notes lower than the viola's natural range, offering 35 notes for use on the mellotron.

Mellotronworks
A series of popular classical music pieces played entirely on the Mellotron

* Mars, The Bringer of War (Holst)
* Adagio in G minor (Albinoni)
* Adagio for Strings (Barber)
* Air on The G String (Bach)
* Canon in D major (Pachelbel)
* Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis (Vaughan Williams)

http://www.mikedickson.org.uk/mellotronworks/"

Kit Watkins: free downloads

Kit Watkins, former keyboardist for Happy The Man and Camel, as well as a prolific solo artist in his own right, has released a number of his albums for free download through his website via the Creative Commons License (free to share with attribution for non commercial purposes and without using said material to create derivative works).

You can check out the selections (including a full DVD!) at the following site:

http://www.kitwatkins.com/pages/storeframeset.htm

Pure Reason Revolution: Live at NEARfest release announced

It is with great excitement that we announce the release of Pure Reason Revolution: Live at NEARfest 2007. The British upstart quartet took the NEARfest stage by storm with their unique combination of hard-driving riffs, Pink Floyd-esque soundscapes and fabulous vocal harmonies. Already known for their powerful live show, Pure Reason Revolution took it to yet another level with this energetic and raw performance. The band was in top form at NEARfest and is captured live for the first time on Live at NEARfest 2007. The album will be release on June 20, 2008, the first day of NEARfest X.

Tracklisting:
1. Intro/In Aurélia
2. The Borgen's Vor
3. Deus Ex Machina
4. The Bright Ambassadors of Morning
5. Victorious Cupid
6. Voices in Winter
7. The Twyncyn/Trembling Willows
8. Golden Disco
9. Aeropause
10. Apprentice of the Universe
11. Nimos & Tambos
12. Arrival/The Intention Craft

Personnel:
Jon Courtney - Vocals, guitar, keyboards
Chloë Alper - Bass, vocals, keyboards
Jamie Willcox - Guitar, vocals, keyboards
Paul Glover - Drums

Mixed by Adam Whitaker
Recorded and Mastered by Brett Kull

Download MP3 a rough mix of "Deus Ex Machina" at http://www.nearfestrecords.com/releases.asp?ID=18

Catlog Number: NFR0010

NEARfest Records
http://www.nearfestrecords.com

Freebies!

The only time you will see music downloads advertised here is if a) they are free, b) officially sanctioned by the band or label in question, and c) posed on the band or label's website.

Having said all of this, here's a few free official downloads that have been (proverbially) rocking my socks the past week or so. And they are tangentially prog too!

OPETH:
Two free official downloads through the Roadrunner Records (the band's label) website. The first link takes you to a page where you can download the song "The Lotus Eaters," the second takes you to a page where you can download the video for their new song "Porcelain Heart." Both songs are from Opeth's album Watershed, due to be released in June 2008.

The Lotus Eaters
Porcelain Heart

Please note the video may not necessarily be 100% safe for work, so keep that in mind. I find it to be very evocative, spooky, and well shot.



JUDAS PRIEST
The first chance to listen to the title track from their forthcoming 2-CD concept album Nostradamus, also due June 2008. Orchestral, with classic Rob Halford screams. Considering how important early JP albums (Sad Wings of Destiny, et al) were to the creation of progressive metal, this may be a must listen. The Epic Records website is a bit touchier to navigate through than Roadrunner's, which pretty much pots stuff right out in front, but it's worth the effort (in my opinion).

Nostradamus

Gagliarchives NEARfest news (and downloads too!)

The Gagliarchives will be hosting the 2008 edition of its annual NEARfest Radio Special on Saturday, March 15th. Host Tom Gagliardi will be joined by Festival Organizer Chad Hutchinson for four hours of nothing-but-NEARfest. Featured will be music from each of the bands performing at NEARfest X, plus some live nuggets from past years, and some special in-studio guests. Be sure to tune in from 10:00pm to 2:00am either on the air and online!

On the radio at z88.9 The Pulse, http://www.z889.org in the Greater Philadelphia area

Online at Aural Moon, http://live.str3am.com:2010 (Broadband) or http://live.str3am.com:2020 (Dial-up)

Call-in number: 1-609-894-8900

Visit http://www.gagliarchives.com to find out more about this excellent progressive rock radio program.



And...



Enjoy a free downloadable concert sanctioned by Radio Massacre International by going over to

http://www.gagliarchives.com/

and click on "ON DEMAND." There, you will find 3 tracks of RMI's live set on the show from a few weeks ago (Radio Massacre International will be performing at this year's NEARfest).

Magenta METAMORPHOSIS release updates

From the band:

Magenta are delighted to announce that pre-orders on their 4th studio album Metamorphosis have begun via the Magenta shop at : www.magentamembers.co.uk/catalog

The album, will retail at £10 with free postage anywhere in the world. All pre-orders placed via the Magenta shop will be despatched from 22nd March, prior to the album's general release on April 21st. A North American edition released via Lasers Edge will come out on May 6th.

Sound clips of the album will shortly be available from our website and can now be heard via the Magenta myspace page at www.myspace.com/magentauk

We also pleased to announce that we have a special treat for Magenta fans. The Metamorphosis Collection DVD contains over 3 hours of fascinating material filmed over the last few months during the making of the album, including a Dolby 5.1 surround sound mix of the entire album. The DVD contains the following:

1. Making of Metamorphosis Documentary. (52.55)
This includes footage filmed during the recording of the CD and interviews with the album's key contributors
2. Inside the Mix with Rob Reed (55.34)
Rob Reed behind the mixing desk revealing what makes each track tick.
3. Interview with Rob and Steve Reed (21.00)
Rob and lyricist Steve Reed talk about the origins and concept behind the album
4. Interview with Steve Reed (9.09)
Steve Reed talks about the lyrics and concepts behind each track
5. Complete Dolby 5.1 Surround Mix (53.00)
The whole album presented exclusively in glorious Dolby 5.1 surround sound
6. Prekestolen Video (3.43)
Studio Montage video of the Prekestolen track

The DVD will be in one format - NTSC - and will cost £13, with free postage worldwide. For the time being it will ONLY be available via the Magenta shop, prior to a general release later in the year. The DVD can be pre-ordered now, and will be despatched from 22nd March, at the same time as the album.

..and we've now added a download of the first 12 minutes of The Ballad of Samuel Layne, available from the front page of the Magenta website at www.magenta-web.com or by following this link:

www.magenta-web.co.uk/mp3/samuellayne.mp3