Music News Blog

What’s happening in the world of prog and other related scenes. News about gigs, record releases, new videos and band changes.

All Change!

A lot of lineup changes in the prog world in the pasf few days:

First, bassist Steve Dunn is leaving Also Eden.

Steve says, “It’s time for me to do something different. That’s it. No animosity, post-gig punch-ups or doing the dirty with band WAGs! My thanks and best wishes for the future to Lee, Si, Ian and Rich, (as well as Huw, Dave, Tim, Steve B and Ralvin) and I wish future rumblers the very best. My thanks also to all the wonderful folk who have bought our music, come to see us play, sung our praises on internet radio/podcasts/forums or just passed on kind words, advice and support. It’s been fun! I’m sure the band will build on the wonderful reviews and live performances we’ve had of late as they move further forwards and I’m proud to have been a part of the history.”

Also Marc Atkinson is bowing out of Nine Stones Close because of other commitments.

Nine Stones Close is busy planning a new album and a possible tour for 2013, and Marc was unable to mesh this with his demanding solo schedule.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Marc for his contributions to Nine Stones Close, and wish him all the very best with his solo work and future projects. The search will now begin for a new singer for Nine Stones Close, so watch this space for more details in the coming weeks.

And last, but not least, Andy Sears is leaving Twelfth Night:

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Ebony Tower – Angel

Angel – acoustic version by zandaking

A beautiful new acoustic song by Ebony Tower, with Zanda King on vocals.

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A Genuine Freakshow – Low

“Low”, from A Genuine Freakshow‘s forthcoming EP “Where The River Bends”.

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Marc Atkinson – Light and Shade Promo

A short promo for Riversea vocalist Marc Atkinson’s acoustic solo album “Light and Shade”. It’s available for pre-order now, from Marc’s all-new website at http://marcatkinsonmusic.co.uk/

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Mermaid Kiss – Dust Bowl Bride

Mermaid Kiss have put together a video for “Dust Bowl Bride”, from their new album “Another Country”, using footage in the Prelinger Archives in NYC.

You can read my review of the album here.

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New Blue Öyster Cult Boxed Set

BOC Boxed Set

Blue Öyster Cult have a new boxed set out. It contains remasters of all 14 albums released during their time at Columbia Records, ending with 1988′s Lovecraftian concept album “Imaginos”, plus a couple of disks of rarities.

If you didn’t pick up the remastered editions of their classic early albums released during the 00s, this is well worth picking up. But if you’re a fan you probably have those albums already, and I’m not convinced that this boxed set is worth the money for the remasters of the patchy later albums alone. Although it has been said that this box set is now the only way of obtaining the classic but now out-of-print “Imaginos”.

It’s a pity that Sony have chosen not to release those later remasters individually, and I can’t help feeling that forcing fans to shell out for things they already own as the only way to get the things they haven’t is a bit of a cynical move. This is the sort of record company that prefers to release endless “best of” compilations rather than keep the original albums in print.

Or maybe I’m just not the target audience for this thing. Enough of a fan to have picked up the first batch of remasters a few years back, but not hardcore enough to want to be a completist.

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Shadow of the Sun – Monument promo

A promo for the forthcoming album “Monument” by Shadow of the Sun, the new band formed by Dylan Thompson, former guitarist from The Reasoning, and singer Matthew Powell. Here, Dylan Thompson and Matthew Powell talk about how the band came into being and the final steps leading up to their imminent release.

The album is available for pre-order from The Merch Desk.

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A Genuine Freakshow announce new EP

"A Genuine Freakshow"
Reading band A Genuine Freakshow have announced the forthcoming release of a new EP titled “Where The River Bends“.

We have decided to release an EP called ‘Where The River Bends’. We will be announcing the release date for this very soon, but it will be before the end of the year. It will be a digital EP with 4 new tracks:

Low
Claw and Grasp
Where The River Bends
Albert Trophy

I’ve seen this band live a couple of times; they are the sort of band it’s more or less impossible to pidgeonhole them to any one genre. They’ve got a huge, shimmering sound with elements of pop, post-rock, indie and prog, with classically-trained string players as the lead instruments. Not only have played the Reading Festival, they were also one of the special guests at the 2009 Marillion convention in Holland.

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Stabbing a Dead Horse

A tour featuring three bands from the more avant-garde end of the progressive rock spectrum, Knifeworld, The Fierce and The Dead, and Trojan Horse. There are allegedly bassoons involved, although as for which of the three bands might feature such instruments, that would be telling.

This progtastically bonkers extravaganza can be seen at the following venues:

  • 27th October – The Stag & Hounds, Bristol.
  • 28th October – Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff
  • 29th October – The Ruby Lounge, Manchester.
  • 30th October – The Brudenell Social Club, Leeds.
  • 31st October – The 13th Note, Glasgow
  • 1st November – B2, Norwich
  • 2nd November – The Lexington, London

Full details including ticket info can be found at http://www.stabbingadeadhorse.com/

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Sankara – Guided By Degrees

Sankara Guided By Degrees CD ArtworkSankara, the rock band formed from former members of The Reasoning and The Bluehorses are about to release the debut full-length album. They’re having an official launch on 17th November at The Buffalo Bar in Cardiff. I’ve reviewed the album, titled “Guided by Degrees” over on Trebuchet Magazine.  As I say in the review, it’s a solid piece of work, which ought to establish Sankara as a band who mean business.

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