Latest Prog News from across the progressive music spectrum & updated throughout August 2022
26/08/2022: King’s X release All God’s Children
King’s X launch All God’s Children, the last single to be taken, prior to the release, of their forthcoming album Three Sides of One, scheduled for 2 September 2022, via InsideOut Music…
Ty Tabor comments on the track: “I have nothing to say about it. The song is what I have to say about it”.
‘Three Sides of One’ will be available as Limited CD Digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP+CD+LP-booklet & as Digital Album. There will also be a Limited Deluxe 180g Orange/Red Marble 2LP+CD+LP-booklet that also includes a poster and a hand-numbered print, as well as an exclusive variant of the front cover artwork.
SOURCE: King’s X
26/08/2022: Jean-Michel Jarre releases Brutalism official video
Jean-Michel Jarre releases Brutalism, the first single to be taken from his forthcoming album Oxymore, scheduled for 21 October 2022, via Sony Music…
Jean-Michel commnets: “OXYMORE is an homage to the late French composer Pierre Henry, with whom I had been intending on collaborating for ‘Electronica’. For those who are not aware: Henry was an iconic figure in electronic and classical music. Since his death in 2017, his widow provided me with some stems of material which had been intended for use for this collaboration.
Pierre’s work inspired me for Oxymore and working around his soundbites led me down a creative path that I may not have taken otherwise. I chose some of his sounds precisely from one track to another. Oxymore is also a tribute to the French way of approaching modern music, which definitely influenced the future of electronic music worldwide.”
SOURCE: Jean-Michel Jarre
26/08/2022: Devin Townsend releases first single from “Lightwork
Devin Townsend releases Moonpeople, the first single to be taken from his forthcoming album Lightwork, scheduled for 28 October 2022, via InsideOut Music…
“Moonpeople is the first song on Lightwork and acts as a sort of mission statement for the album. Post pandemic… kids are now teens… 50 years old, who am I now? Beyond any platitudes or delusions, who am I now that the smoke is clearing and what do I want to do, and who do I want to be, moving forward?
The term ‘Moonpeople’ in my mind, refers to those in society that kind of ‘watch’ things rather than being directly involved in it. Maybe the Moonpeople are more introverted rather than extroverted? In any case, it functions as a song on the album that will set the stage for the dynamic nature of the material that follows it.
When listening to this, I think it’s exactly what it’s supposed to be. I did the best I could during very difficult circumstances, and I think it works very well. I love it. I’m clearly not where I was during the making of Empath or The Puzzle but I feel that looking back on the past few records it seems as if I was ‘looking for the bridge’ (metaphorically) while Lightwork is songs from actually being on it.”
SOURCE: Devin Townsend
25/08/2022: Darryl Way releases Morpheus single – featuring Steve Hogarth
30 years on, old mates Darryl Way and Steve Hogarth have collaborated on the single Morpheus, released today (25 August 2022). The track is taken from Darryl’s forthcoming concept album The Rock Artist’s Progress…
The Rock Artist’s Progress is “a unique concept and project created by legendary violinist Darryl Way that consists of an album and novel that are intrinsically linked together and sold as a bundle. The novel will also include musical illustrations created by Darryl, that can be clicked on and listened to, whilst reading”.
“The novel, written by Charles Shorwell, is set against the backdrop of the musical revolution that started with the Beatles and begins in 1968, a year after ‘The Summer of Love’ and follows the story of Daniel Luckham, a young classical pianist studying at the Royal College of Music. Seduced by the rock music scene and vibrant counter culture in London at that time, he contrives to leave college and pursue a career in ‘Rock’. But some bad decisions lead him down a dark and dangerous alley, populated by drug dealers, unscrupulous managers and femme fatales. On his journey to fulfil his dreams, Daniel finds his integrity challenged, and the innocence of youth cruelly stripped away.
The connection between the album and novel, unfortunately has to remain a secret, as to divulge that information would give away a key plot line in the novel.”
Scheduled for release on 23 September 2022 via Spirit of Unicorn Music, Cherry Red Records and various digital platforms.
SOURCE: Glass Onyon PR
23/08/2022: Steve Howe releases More Than You Know
Last month Steve Howe announced the release of Lunar Mist, the second collaboration with his late son Virgil Howe, with the release of the title tune. Today sees the release of the second track, More Than You Know taken from the album…
Crafted using Virgil’s unreleased material that had a connection in spirit to their debut collaboration ‘Nexus’, Steve compiled everything together in January 2021 to start work. Steve Howe explains: “I started by writing chord charts for all the other tunes, before adding guitars and bass guitars to embellish them and bring them to completion. In the most part I kept them as he’d written them but sometimes I expanded them with further ideas and improvisation.”
Lunar Mist will be released on the 23 September 2022 via InsideOut Music.
SOURCE: Steve Howe
23/08/2022: Major Parkinson to release fifth album in October
Major Parkinson have announced that they will release their latest album, Valesa – Chapter 1: Velvet Prison, via Apollon Records on 7th October 2022. The new album, the follow-up to 2017’s well received Blackbox, features seventeen new tracks, and last week saw the release of the first single Saturday Night, taken from the album…
Jon Ivar Kollbotn comments: “Synth anthems set in a disco of nuclear anxiety…” continuing “In this day and age, life is passing before our eyes before we can grasp anything at all, and we become spectators in our own lives. Like confused, geriatric visitors in a wax museum. As time passes by, the past is becoming brighter and nostalgia is growing bigger.”
Valesa – Chapter 1: Velvet Prison clocks in at exactly sixty minutes “with two clearly defined parts”. “These two parts are almost entirely seamless sequences, best enjoyed played from start to finish.”
“…while Blackbox is akin to navigating a tiny boat through a dark, labyrinthine vortex of whirlpools and cyclones, this album is more like riding a convertible on an ocean boulevard in a scorching, psychedelic sunset with mushroom clouds going off in the distance.”
The band will be performing on the Friday (14th October 2022) at this year’s Summer’s End Festival, and the following evening headlining at London’s Boston Music Room.
SOURCE: Major Parkinson
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide & TPA Festival Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
22/08/2022: Muse announce Will Of The People 2023 UK dates
Ahead of the release of their latest studio album Will Of The People, and as part of their world tour, Muse have announced the UK dates for 2023. This news follows June’s announcement of a run of dates in Europe and the US which will take place during September and October 2022. Full details can be found on Muse’s Tour Page
Tickets for the UK dates go on sale 9:00 am on 26 August 2022…
SOURCE: Muse
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
22/08/2022: Lonely Robot release third single from A Model Life
Ahead of Friday (26 August 2022) official release date for Lonely Robot’s fifth album A Model Life, sees the third single from the album Digital God Machine
TPA’s David Edwards remarks in his review of A Model Life: “Digital God Machine is John’s heart-felt rant, with Roger Waters-style angst, at those keyboard warriors and trolls who hide behind the anonymity afforded by the internet.”
Something John Mitchell points out on his Facebook Page: “If I don’t particularly like a band I can’t say I feel any great need to go on their Facebook page or YT channel and tell them how rubbish I think they are, I just don’t listen to their music.”
SOURCE: Lonely Robot
19/08/2022: L.O.E (Last of Eden) release debut EP
Today sees the release of the debut EP from Halifax based L.O.E (Last of Eden)… The EP brings together both singles, released in June and August, as well as an instrumental version of the song People Like People Like Them…
Commenting on the EP tyhe band say: Both songs on the People Like People Like Them EP were a pivotal point in our development as a band. The songs were the first to take shape in a new direction that allowed us to explore our sonic capabilities and open up new possibilities for us creatively.
This EP represents a venture in to songwriting without the limits and constraints that we had previously placed upon ourselves. Through experimenting with our approach we were able to shape a sound that felt right to us. It was the first time we explored new equipment, new techniques and added previously unused instruments in to the equation.
The process of taking these two songs from etched ideas in our heads to fully fledged songs became quite a cleansing experience. Not only did the music shape a new direction but it helped shape us and form discipline in us as a unit. It set a template for how we could operate as four individuals in harmony.
The People Like People Like Them EP became a journey of self-discovery for us and a chance to push each other to our limits as musicians, friends and a family united by a shared aim.
The two songs that form this record saw us take a much more open and adaptive approach with new textures and melodies being tried in the studio for the first time, unsure if they would make it on to the final record. Some of these last minute ideas have changed how we perform these songs live.
A big part of Last Of Eden was about wanting to create a voice for the unheard. Through the development of The People Like People Like Them EP we were able to discover a chance for us to find our voice as a band.
SOURCE: Hopeful Tragedy Records
18/08/2022: Big Big Train release first track featuring new singer Alberto Bravin
Big Big Train release a video of the ‘work-in-progress recording’ featuring the first material from the band with new vocalist Alberto Bravin. Last Eleven, will feature on the band’s next studio album, which is to be recorded in Italy in 2023…
As reported earlier this month- due to the postponement of HRH Prog 13, the band have been forced to cancel their planned European Tour. However three shows remain…
01/09/2022: Thornden Hall, Eastleigh, Southampton (warmup show)
02/09/2022: Waterside Theatre (Friars) Aylesbury
05/09/2022: Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
Support for these dates are Dim Gray
SOURCE: Big Big Train
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
16/08/2022: Adarsh Arjun releases Hide N Seek featuring Haken’s Richard Henshall
Today sees the release of the first single by independent solo artist from Kerala, India, Adarsh Arjun. Hide N Seek is the first track taken from the upcoming album, Aches and Echoes, and features Haken’s Richard Henshall…
“Adarsh Arjun is an independent solo artist from Kerala, India, known for his instrumental music project. He is a versatile guitarist who moves in various fields: Progressive rock, Progressive Metal and Djent. His uniqueness lies in beautifully blending the western color with the Indian music. He has victoriously released four catchy singles so far. There is so many expectations for his next debut album “Aches and Echoes”, in which he has put his heart and soul into.”
SOURCE: Adarsh Arjun
15/08/2022: Big Big Train forced to cancel European dates
Following last week’s announcement from HRH Prog regarding the postponement of this year’s festival in Leeds (read below), Big Big Train have been forced to cancel the scheduled shows in Germany, Switzerland and France.
Commenting the band said: “To continue after the festival cancelation would have resulted in financial losses that would have seriously threatened the band’s existence.
We are extremely sorry for the significant disappointment and inconvenience that this news causes.
The German, Swiss and French dates will be rescheduled to 2023. We encourage ticket holders for these shows to retain their tickets and we will provide more news as soon as we can.”
The band however have stated that they will not be appearing at the re-scheduled HRH event in April 2023.
The shows in Aylesbury and Zoetermeer will be going ahead as planned, as well as a “family and friends” warm up show near Southampton.
SOURCE: Big Big Train
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
10/08/2022: HRH Prog 13 postponed until April 2023 along with a change of venue
In an email the HRH Team write:
“We are writing to you as we are currently experiencing some logistical and operational challenges putting on this show at the scheduled venue in Leeds. We also are having some issues with fans and bands travelling in who are experiencing huge price hikes in travel. As nearly 29% of our fans are fly ins we think it would be better to reschedule to another date where they can buy in advance and not pay treble the costs.
Its hard to make these decisions but ultimately our primary mission is about supporting and keeping Progressive rock alive.”
The rescheduled HRH Prog show will now be held at the 02 Academy Sheffield on 14th & 15th April 2023.
This will also impact on the line up HRH comment: “We are in the process of reconfirming all bands and will advise of final slots once its 100% finished.”
SOURCE: HRH Prog
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide & TPA Festival Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
10/08/2022: Steve Hackett The Devils Cathedral live video teaser
Steve Hackett has uploaded live teaser footage of The Devil’s Cathedral, taken from his latest studio album, Surrender Of Silence and taken from the forthcoming Genesis Revisited Live: Seconds Out & More, scheduled for 2nd September 2022, via InsideOut Music.
Steve recently spoke to TPA about the forthcoming release of the live album of last year’s Seconds Out and More tour on 2nd September and looked forward to the Foxtrot at 50 UK tour through September and October. Steve also reminisced about the past, his fellow musicians and the creative process behind his music… You can read the full interview HERE on TPA
SOURCE: Steve Hackett
08/08/2022: Red Bazar to release new studio album next month
Red Bazar will release their fifth album Inverted Reality on 30th September 2022 through White Knight Records…
“Red Bazar formed in 2007 as an instrumental trio featuring Andy Wilson on guitar, Paul Comerie on drums and Mick Wilson on bass and keyboards. The line-up released two albums, ‘Connections’ and ‘Differential Being’, and a three track EP, ‘Beyond The Ice Storm’. The releases were well received by audiences and critics alike and the band developed a reputation for their live performances. To expand on the sound, the band recruited keyboard player Gary Marsh and soon after teamed up with singer and multi-instrumentalist Peter Jones.”
The Inverted Reality album launch featuring the current line-up of Andy Wilson, Paul Comerie, Mick Wilson and Peter Jones takes place at Mansfield’s The Old Library on Saturday 15th October 2022. Support for the event will be Tiger Moth Tales.
SOURCE: Red Bazar
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listing.
06/08/2022: Malcolm Galloway to release new solo album
Ahead of the release, and taken from Malcolm’s forthcoming ‘classical minimalist’ instrumental album Patterns, is the opening tune Kites and Darts
Following the July release of The Confidence Trick, the sixth album from Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate, multi-instrumentalist Malcolm Galloway is set to release his sixth solo album, Patterns which contains thirty minutes of new material, plus a retrospective two hours of some of Malcolm’s favourite solo tracks.
Commenting on the album Malcolm says: “I entirely understand if some people who like my rock music don’t like my classical/minimalist music. On the other hand, if you like the bits between the songs in our Hats Off Gentlemen It’s Adequate albums, wish they were much longer and obsessively developed small fragments of melodic material into slowly evolving emerging patterns, and/or don’t like my singing, then it is plausible you might like these instrumental pieces.”
Patterns is currently available to pre-order, along with 4 preview tracks on Bandcamp.
Malcolm recently spoke to TPA’s David Edwards and you can read the full interview HERE on TPA.
SOURCE: Malcolm Galloway
04/08/2022: Hawkwind call time on Hawkfest
After thirty years Hawkwind reveal that this year’s Hawkfest will be the last one. Hawkfest 2022 will be held across two venues, the Winter Gardens and Johnny’s, both on Marine Road, plus a small outdoor space, on the seafront at Morecambe.
Dates: 9th September – 11th September 2022
Venue: Morecambe Winter Gardens, 209 Marine Road, Morecambe, LA4 4BU
Line-up: Hawkwind | The Crazy World of Arthur Brown | Curved Air | Soft Machine | Ginger Wildhearts And The Sinners | The Membranes | Son of Man | The Blackheart Orchestra | Tosh | Prime Sinister| Dust Mice | and many more TBC
SOURCE: Hawkwind
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide & TPA Festival Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
03/08/2022: The Blackheart Orchestra announce new studio album release in September
The Blackheart Orchestra announce that their new album Hotel Utopia will be released both digitally and on CD on 23 September 2022 via Ceandar Records. The CD version will comprise of a deluxe 8-panel, 24 page lyric book format, and a gold vinyl double album version shortly after. Today sees the first music to be released from the album – The Tide…
TBO comment: “We are so proud of the album that has taken us nearly three years to conceive, to write and record, to photograph and design and now, finally, to bring to you.”
The thirteen tracks look to discuss – “What happens after life? Whether we believe in God with a capital G, with a small g or believe in no g at all, Hotel Utopia is a collection 13 songs that discusses our fear of the mystery of the moment the light goes out. Or does it?
It’s a record that doesn’t attempt to answer that question but provokes the listener’s thoughts while holding their hand along a musical journey that meditates on our fears and fantasies of ‘heaven’ stopping off en route at murder, suicide, the end of the world and reincarnation as we all approach the unknown mystery of our own personal Hotel Utopia.”
The Blackheart Orchestra will be introducing Hotel Utopia during their 18 date tour of the UK.
SOURCE: The Blackheart Orchestra
Keep up to date with the TPA Gig Guide – the UK’s most comprehensive prog gig listings.
02/08/2022: Big Big Train release Summer Shall Not Fade trailer
Big Big Train have announced the release of Summer Shall Not Fade – Live At Loreley, a Blu-ray & 2CD set their performance at the Night Of The Prog festival on 13 July 2018 in Germany. Today sees the release of the official trailer…
Gregory Spawton says of the show: “Loreley was a real coming of age experience for Big Big Train as a live band. The stars aligned perfectly for us. It was a truly magical night with the band performing brilliantly and a wonderfully welcoming audience as they and we enjoyed the glorious outdoor setting.” Gregory’s sentiments are shared by drummer Nick D’Virgilio: “I have been blessed to play some amazing shows with Tears For Fears, Cirque du Soleil, Spock’s Beard and many others during my career. But the BBT show at Loreley was off the charts. It’s hard to believe that this was only our eighth performance together. Every second was simply awesome.”
The thirteen song set runs to over two hours. It includes classic material from English Electric, Folklore and Grimspound studio albums, and fan favourite deep cuts Kingmaker and Summer’s Lease. The performance features the full Big Big Train live band, including the late David Longdon, plus a five-piece brass section and is made even more remarkable by the fact that it was only the band’s eighth live show in this incarnation.
The show features the late David Longdon on vocals and flute. Rikard Sjöblom, the band’s guitarist and keyboard player, remembers David’s performance well: “David was an absolute star, his vocal performance and the way he commanded the stage were both extraordinary. Loreley is an amazing record of our precious time together with him. The show is one of the highlights of my life.”
TRACK LISTING
01. The First Rebreather
02. Folklore
03. A Mead Hall In Winter
04. Kingmaker
05. Summer’s Lease
06. Brave Captain
07. Prelude & Fugue
08. Judas Unrepentant
09. The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun
10. The Permanent Way
11. East Coast Racer
12. Drums & Brass
13. Wassail
The audio for Summer Shall Not Fade has been mixed in both 5.1 and stereo by Big Big Train’s resident sound engineer, Rob Aubrey and is scheduled for release on 14 October 2022.
SOURCE: Big Big Train
02/08/2022: Jeff Berlin’s Jack Songs tribute finally released
Jeff Berlin’s long awaited tribute to his good friend Jack Bruce titled Jack Songs was released today. Featuring a impressive array of gust performers: Sammy Hagar, Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee, Gregg Bissonette, Gary Husband, Eric Johnson, Bill Frisell, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Alex Ligertwood, Scott Henderson, Marcus Miller, Ron Carter, Tony Levin, Michael League, Nathan East, Mark King, Bruce Guttridge, Billy Sheehan and Johnny Hiland!
Jack Bruce, best known for his work with classic rock group Cream as well as his critically acclaimed solo work passed away in 2014. Jeff Berlin, who has been called “the greatest bass player in the world”, was a personal friend of Jack’s and wanted to record his songs in remembrance of how Jack helped Jeff to find his own musical path.
Jeff Berlin comments, “Recording the music of Jack Bruce has been the most emotional recording project of my career. Jack was the greatest bass influence I ever had. In the center of his music were these strange and wonderful bass lines weaving in and out of the key, reaching for resolutions and finding them, again, and again. Jack’s playing was a living evolving improvisation.”
“‘Jack Songs’ isn’t a cover CD, not in the literal sense. Except for a couple of tunes from his Cream period (arranged in ways that should surprise people) most of the songs on this CD come from other periods in Jack’s musical life after Cream. Jack’s solo career represented a multitude of musical styles. This recording will be a new revamp of some of those songs, some of the best music that I heard from one of the greatest musicians of the last fifty years.”
SOURCE: Glass Onyon PR
02/08/2022: Potter’s Daughter to release new EP Weighted Keys
Potter’s Daughter (Dyanne Potter Voegtlin) have announced the release of their latest EP, Weighted Keys, which will be available in both digital and CD formats on 19 August 2022.
The EP features “three songs were dear to Dyanne during three different phases of her life”:
1. Night of the Swallow – a semi-acoustic version of Kate Bush’s dramatic song from her album, “The Dreaming” (from Dyanne’s time in NYC, when she first discovered Kate Bush)
2. Catherine – a solo piano rendition of Tom Kelly’s elegant song from his album, “Spinning Through Eternity” (from the present time, in honor of Nickie Harte Kelly and the entire prog community who so warmly welcomed Potter’s Daughter and Octarine Sky)
3. That Song About the Midway – a semi-acoustic version of Joni Mitchell’s beautiful song from her 1969 album, “Clouds.” (Dyanne first heard the song at age 16, right after joining her first professional band, and has loved the song since)
The EP will be released by Melodic Revolution Records [MRR] on 19 August 2022, and available both digitally, and as a CD.
SOURCE: Glass Onyon PR
01/08/2022: Cleopatra Records announce the release of Synthesizer Classics
Synthesizer Classics contains eight re-imaged versions of tracks by a plethora of renowned keyboard players including Rick Wakeman, Derek Sherinian, Geoff Downes, Patrick Moraz, Thijs Van Leer, Larry Fast & Nite Jewel. Also featured is Jordan Ruddess who late last month released a version of Giorgio Moroder’s Chase, taken from the 1978 film Midnight Express…
The new collection features all exclusive and brand new recordings by such world-renowned pros as Rick Wakeman, Asia’s Geoff Downes, Focus’s Thijs Van Leer, and Larry Fast, who along with several others, have reached back into the past and recreated classics by Kraftwerk, John Carpenter, and more!
TRACK LISTING
01. Tubular Bells – Derek Sherinian
02. Magic Fly – Rick Wakeman
03. Pulstar – Geoff Downes
04. Chase – Jordan Rudess
05. Oxygene (Part 4) – Patrick Moraz
06. Escape From New York – Thijs Van Leer
07. Tour De France – Nyte Jewel
08. Visitors – Larry Fast
“Some of the most heralded and widely-respected keyboardists on the planet have gathered together on a unique collection to offer their fresh new takes on some of the tracks that laid the foundation of electronic music and influenced thousands of synth-sational artists and players! Ever wonder what Mike Oldfield’s groundbreaking “Tubular Bells” might sound like in the hands of Dream Theater keyboardist Derek Sherinian? Or think that Moody Blues/Yes keyboardist Patrick Moraz would do a fantastic version of Jean-Michel Jarre’s superb “Oxygene?” Well, wonder no more as Synthesizer Classics has come to answer all of your synth-related prayers!”
SOURCE: Glass Onyon PR
01/08/2022: Glass Hammer reveal teaser clip for At The Gate
At The Gate, is the third album of the Skallagrim trilogy, is set for release on 7 October 2022. The new album follows Dreaming City (2020) and Skallagrim – Into The Breach (2021), bringing the story of the ‘thief with the screaming sword’ to its conclusion.
Steve Babb comments: “Expect another 70’s metal-influenced project but also promises a return to the symphonic-prog sound the band is best known for.” adding “So, for those who love our newer, edgier sound, they won’t be disappointed. But I’ve brought back the pipe organ, the choirs, and the sweeping ballads for those who miss the sounds of our earlier albums. I think it works, but the fans will be the ones to decide!”
For At The Gate vocalist Hannah Pyror is back to front the group and is joined by bandleader Steve Babb, keyboardist Fred Schendel, and drummer Aaron Raulston. In addition, vocalists Jon Davison (Yes) and John Beagley (Life In Digital) will contribute as well as guitarist Reese Boyd.
SOURCE: Glass Hammer
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