Is ProgStock happening this year? What did you think was going to happen? Tom and Ann were going to give up? If the pandemic didn’t stop us… And our venue getting flooded didn’t stop us… I mean, really people!
And what are the dates? Seriously? When is ProgStock? Say it with me now… COLUMBUS DAY Weekend! or Indigenous Peoples’ Day Weekend or the weekend before the second Monday in October. Confused yet? How about this? It’s October 7 – 9, 2022!
We’ll be announcing all kinds of exciting stuff over the next week, so pay attention folks!
Penguin Cafe are back with a lovingly produced 10th anniversary reissue of their debut album, titled A Matter of Life… 2021. Besides being completely remastered and pressed on vinyl for the very first time, the record also features a brand new 2021 recording of lead single Harry Piers, a song commemorating Arthur Jeffes’ late father and Penguin Cafe Orchestra founder Simon Jeffes.
A Matter of Life… 2021 is a chance for a classic example of the beauty that’s found in collaboration to reach fresh ears, and an opportunity to breathe new life into fan favourites. The album, performed by a mix of personalities — including Neil Codling of Suede and, on percussion, Cass Browne of Gorillaz — incorporates the aesthetics of the original PCO, seasoned into a confident and redefined style, maintaining that quintessentially English sound, but adding a fresh direction and a sense that they are evolving into something new and very much their own.
“I originally wrote Harry Piers to play at my dad‘s memorial service 24 years ago, and I played it at the end of pretty much every gig (and soundcheck) we’ve done since, so I’ve probably played it hundreds if not thousands of times since we originally released A Matter of Life… So when we decided to reissue the album, Robert and I both felt it would be fun to record an up-to-date version of this song, because it has changed over time and it continues to evolve. So while this is still very much the same tune, I think it has a lot more nuance and detail that reflect the years that have passed since 2011” — Arthur Jeffes
The cover artwork also received an update in the shape of a beautiful photograph taken by the UK photographer and long-time collaborator Alex Kozobolis, who was sent to visit Arthur in his second home in Tuscany. Raths’ concept for this was to not only reenact the original painting by Emily Young, but to express the generational change by putting Arthur and his daughter in place of the little boy and the emperor penguin figure that suggest father and son.
The remastered 10th anniversary edition of A Matter of Life… 2021 will be available digitally, on 12” vinyl and on CD from April 29, 2022.
“it’s been really lovely to come back to these old friends — and with this re-issue we’ll be bringing them all out to play live again. Now four albums on, and with our new home at Erased Tapes, it makes a lot of sense for us to go back and pull this record out and brush it off for today” — Arthur Jeffes
Envy Of None, the new band and debut self-titled album from Alex Lifeson (Rush), Andy Curran (Coney Hatch), Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne due for release on Kscope on 8th April. Video by Jaden D. https://www.jaden-d.com Alex Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of Rush, he’s been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there – taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is Envy Of None.
The new band, also featuring Coney Hatch founder/bassist Andy Curran, accomplished producer and engineer Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, will be releasing their self-titled debut album on April 8 via Kscope. Its 11 tracks – which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock – throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.
However, it was only when singer Maiah Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is – by the admission of her own bandmates – what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making… “I sent over an early version of the song Shadow,” explains Andy Curran. “When I played what she’d done back to the others they were like, ‘Who is this crazy talented person?!’”
“One of my favourite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Maiah Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like Enemy, and then tracks like Kabul Blues, that sound completely different to anything else.” The album closer, Western Sunset, which was penned by Alex Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honour a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him. “I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Alex Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.” It’s a book you’ll almost certainly want to be reading.
Alex Lifeson is no stranger to the concept of evolution. As a founding member of Rush, he’s been able to explore more musical ground than just about any other guitar player out there – taking rock to new progressive heights throughout the decades and always in the most wildly inventive of ways. His influence can be heard on countless bands around the world, from indie shoegaze and math rock to heavy metal and beyond. Over the last few years Lifeson has been focusing on a new project that, no matter how well-acquainted you are with his discography, will undoubtedly shatter all seeds of expectation and blow the mind. That project is Envy Of None.
The new band, also featuring Coney Hatch founder/bassist Andy Curran, accomplished producer and engineer Alfio Annibalini and singer-songwriter Maiah Wynne, will be releasing their self-titled debut album on April 8 via Kscope. Its 11 tracks – which ricochet between various shades of alternative, experimental and synth rock – throw surprises at every turn, twisting dark melodies against contemporary pop hooks. Lifeson himself is proudly aware of how little of it crosses over with the band that made him famous.
However, it was only when singer Maiah Wynne became involved that this truly started to feel like a band destined to go somewhere. Her haunting melodies and soul-baring intensity is – by the admission of her own bandmates – what truly brought this music to life. All things considered; she is a star in the making… “I sent over an early version of the song Shadow,” explains Andy Curran. “When I played what she’d done back to the others they were like, ‘Who is this crazy talented person?!’”
The album’s first single, Liar, is out now. Its industrial beats, driving fuzz bass and atmospheric guitars concoct a seductive swirl indeed – thrilling in ways closer to the darker art rock of Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and A Perfect Circle than anything these musicians have been known for prior.
“Maiah became my muse,” continues Alex Lifeson. “She was able to bring this whole new ethereal thing through her sense of melody on tracks like Liar and Look Inside. After hearing her vocals on Never Said I Love You, I felt so excited.I’ve never had that kind of inspiration working with another musician. When we say she’s special, it’s because she’s really fucking special!”
“One of my favourite things about these songs is the intimacy of them,” reveals Maiah Wynne. “It makes them feel different and more honest. There are some heavier songs too, like Enemy, and then tracks like Kabul Blues, that sound completely different to anything else.”
The album closer, Western Sunset, which was penned by Alex Lifeson in tribute to his dear friend Neil Peart. It’s a highly emotive piece of music to honour a man deeply missed by the rock community at large, and even more so by those who were lucky enough to know him. “I visited Neil when he was ill,” says Alex Lifeson. “I was on his balcony watching the sunset and found inspiration. There’s a finality about a sunset that kinda stayed with me throughout the whole process. It had meaning. It was the perfect mood to decompress after all these different textures… a nice way to close the book.”
Envy Of None’s self-titled album is due for release on April 8 via Kscope. Ltd Edition deluxe version – presented in a gatefold sleeve with a blue coloured vinyl LP, 2 CDs including a 5 track bonus disc, 28 page Booklet with exclusive content CD – includes a 16 page poster booklet LP – on black vinyl / baby blue coloured vinyl (North America exclusive) / white coloured vinyl Follow Envy Of None:
Continuing the celebration of their 20th band anniversary, Polish rock masters RIVERSIDE will soon embark on a comprehensive tour across North America and Latin America.
Unfortunately, the band has been forced to cancel some shows and is now announcing a revised, shorter tour schedule for North America.
The band shared this message:
“Dear Friends,
We have some bad and some good news.
The bad news is, for bureaucratic and logistic reasons beyond our control we cannot go to the USA in the first half of April 🙁
Unfortunately, because of that, we have to cancel the shows from the first part of our tour:
Nashville (TN), Dallas (TX), Austin (TX), Phoenix (AZ), Pomona (CA), San Francisco (CA), Portland (OR), Seattle (WA), Salt Lake City (UT), Boulder (CO) and St. Paul (MN).
Tickets will be refunded where you purchased them.
We want to apologize to everyone who has incurred additional travel expenses in connection with those concerts 🙁 We promise to make it up to you with shows in…early 2023!
The good news is that we managed to save all shows from Chicago (IL) onwards. And, we were able to save the Atlanta (GA) date by moving the show to April 16. What’s more, we were able to add a last-minute show on April 18 in Cleveland (OH) at the Beachland Ballroom (on sale in the next few days)!
Please check the amended tour dates on the updated poster.
We are truly sorry about the whole mix-up. We were very close to canceling the whole tour, but by some miracle, we managed to save at least a part of it, and we are definitely going to be there. We hope to meet as many of you as possible.
RIVERSIDE – North American Tour 2022
With special guests Keith Semple of The Cyberiam (for USA dates) & Randy McStine (for Canada dates)
Stay tuned for more special, international anniversary shows to be announced soon…
RIVERSIDE have recently released a special Digital Single entitled “Story of My Dream” to enhance the anniversary celebration. This brand-new track was recorded and mixed at The Boogie Town Studio in Otwock, Poland during two days in July and five days in September 2021, engineered and mixed by Paweł Marciniak as well as mastered by Paweł Marciniak at Manximum Records in Łódź, Poland.
The Story of My Dream” single features artwork by Travis Smith (Opeth, Katatonia, etc.) and can also be checked out in a video clip directed by Tomasz Pulsakowski / Sightsphere here:
Additionally, RIVERSIDE also released two digital “best of” compilations via to showcase the comprehensive and rich back-catalogue from across the last two decades of band activity. Featuring material all especially remastered by Magda and Robert Srzedniccy (Serakos Studio) for this occasion, “Riverside 20 – Vol.1, The Shorts” includes 19 tracks and “Riverside 20 – Vol.2, The Longs” includes 14 songs each.
Both individual “Riverside 20” compilations as well as a bundle are available here:
RIVERSIDE previously also re-issued their debut album “Out Of Myself” as well as the “Lost’n’Found – Live in Tilburg” release via InsideOutMusic, following the launch of their acclaimed latest studio album “Wasteland” in 2018. Check out the various available back-catalogue titles by RIVERSIDE from the IOM webshop here: https://www.insideoutshop.de/Search?q=riverside
mobiUS are an English Progressive Rock group. Their eclectic style echo artists such as Pink Floyd, Yes and Porcupine Tree. They build on this established and imaginative genre and have developed a style unique to themselves. White Knight are excited to be working with this band, who will shake the world of progressive rock and become a major player.
The band was first imagined as a concept by the composer and keyboard player Tim Newcombe back in 2012. He began writing and after several experiments with various musicians, the concept lay dormant. However, Tim remained frustrated with the offerings by mass market mundane radio stations and vowed to produce something which had the spark of originality.
In 2020 Tim met Alistair McCaig at a music venue in the South of England. Tim shared his ideas and enthusiasm for the genre and Alistair’s experience within the production and mastering space opened the door to the creation of mobiUS Tim had played session with the drummer Andy Clifton and knew by reputation the burgeoning talents of the irrepressible Andy Hughes on guitar and vocals and swiftly moved to establish the vital core of the group. From there Tim enlisted his wife Louise to sing harmonies and play the soulful saxophone riffs that are so evocative in ‘Rain another Day’ Bringing in Sandra Morris and Monika Welch to enrich the performance with their gospel-esque style, was the final puzzle piece in the creation of mobiUS.
During late 2020 and the early months of 2021, Tim was fully engaged in writing and distributing material to the rest of the band. All recording was carried out remotely due to covid restrictions and the final mixes and masters were completed in April with an album release date of 23rd May 2021
A chance meeting led them to a partnership with Caerlyssi Music and White Knight Records, through whom, mobiUS are unleashed onto the world with their unique and immersive style.
In a recent interview, Tim was asked about his motivation and inspiration for the ‘Make the Promise’ album: “This is a collection of musical ideas I’ve been mulling over for some time. I am passionate that music should be a deep form of expression. Something that transcends the standard chord progressions and lyrical subjects of much contemporary music. It seems to me that imagination and ideas are constrained by what is considered a standard chord progression, or fettered by time. I especially like a song or tune to evolve. To develop. To exist and breath as an identity by itself. I love to experiment with time signatures, styles, tempo and timbre changes within the same piece.This allows the piece find it’s own direction analogous to a stream finding its way through a variety of terrains” This brings us nicely to his description of the album.
Watch mobiUS Rain Another Day. Official Video here
Track Breakdown:
Odyssey As the name suggests, this instrumental carries the listener on a voyage of musical discovery. Superficially, it’s a journey into the world, from comfort to danger and returning home. However, subconsciously it evolved into a story of my personal musical journey. Reflective and returning to my roots and love of progressive music. This piece is subdivided into sections – Farewell, Borderland, Beyond, One Step Closer, Alone, Louise’s Theme/Sunshine Eyes, Sub-Fractal, City of a Million Dreams, Escape, Home. Each imbued with excitement, melancholy, drama, peace and hope as befits the particular episode of the track.
Rain Another Day My mother was the muse behind this track. The ethos of the song is moving forward. Keep hold of the past, remember and treasure it. However there is a time to keep those memories but think of the future. As the lines of the song state ‘Embrace the morning sunshine, move towards the summertime’ The piano is evocative of a range of emotions and Andy’s strident vocals bring them to life
So They Tell Me A song about mental health. In particular multiple personality disorders. I hope that it comes across as sensitive. My intention was not to be flippant or sensationalist about this. The complexity in rhythm and the deep and sometimes ethereal layering of timbre’s create a captivating and engaging pastiche.
Spider It wouldn’t be right or correct to not include a track about the pressures of writing or producing music. This song is in fact about that and is an allegory for achievement in any scenario. It’ a song about juggling priorities. Commitments that you may feel inclined to hold onto that directly compete with dreams, aspirations and ambitions. We all face it, we al go through it and we all manage it. Why not make a song about it!
Track Listing 1. Odyssey 1.1 Farewell – 1:50 1.2 Borderland – 2:35 1.3 And Beyond – 3:38 1.4 One Step Closer – 5:33 1.5 Alone – 7:00 1.6 Louise’s Theme/Sunshine Eyes- 11:07 1.7 Sub Fractal – 11:50 1.8 City of a Million Dreams – 14:14
Line up: Andy Hughes Vocals Guitar Tim Newcombe Keyboards Andy Clifton Drums Alistair McCaig Bass Louise Newcombe Backing Vocals, sax Monika Welch Backing Vocals Sandra. Morris Backing Vocals
Credits: All songs written by Tim Newcombe Recording Engineer Tim Newcombe Recorded at BlueSkies Studios Mastered by Alistair McCaig
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