Ms Amy Birks just released her self-produced debut solo album All That I Am & All That I Was. The ethereal vocals of Amy Birks features tones not dissimilar to Kate Bush or Tori Amos, so definitely worth checking her out.
Amy won “Best Female Vocalist” in the 2018 PROG Magazine poll and former lyricist, co-composer and lead vocalist of the 2017 Prog magazine Limelight Award winners Beatrix Players.
All That I Am and All That I Was contains the singles Unlike The Heart, Jamaica Inn and I Wish which features guest appearances from Steve Hackett. Other guests on the album include John Hackett and Caroline Lavelle.
Amy says: “’I have been influenced by many strong female writers in both music and literature. Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, Joan Armatrading, Tori Amos, Eddi Reader and of course, the Bronte sisters and Daphne du Maurier, whom inspired me to write ‘Jamaica Inn’.
For Amy ” this has been a really personal and full-on experience that has pushed me further, emotionally, technically and lyrically than I ever thought possible, which has enabled me to become the writer that I have been wanting to be.”
Track Listing Jamaica Inn Unlike the Heart More Not every Night With All That I Am Say Something Catherine All the Fault of the Lady Anne Road to Gordes I Wish Keeps You Guessing
“I am delighted to be able to announce the album release. This has been a really personal and full on experience that has pushed me further, emotionally, technically and lyrically than I ever thought possible, which has enabled me to become the writer that I have been wanting to be.” Ms Amy Birks
Formats are: Limited edition CD package in a six panel 7″ gatefold sleeve accompanied by twelve page photo book available to mail order customers and from the merch stand at shows from 5th April while stocks last.
Vinyl album in 12″ gatefold sleeve. Initial copies of both formats ordered from The Merch Desk will be signed by Amy. The album will also be available via all the usual download and streaming services.
The forthcoming tour dates with the John Hackett band have been postponed and will be rescheduled later in the year. We’re waiting to hear about the others and will keep you posted.
Since Beatrix Players’ final run of shows opening for Carl Palmer, Steve Harley and Big Big Train in 2017 – 2018 Amy has been recording her debut solo album and playing impromptu solo sets with the likes of Tim Bowness and That Joe Payne. Amy’s debut solo single “Jamaica Inn” was released on November 15th with a memorable video shot on location in Bodmin Moor.
Female-fronted Symphonic groove metal band, TULIP, has released their new album High Strangeness. It is available on all digital outlets now!
“In an age of singles, High Strangeness connects us with the music-making traditions of the past where an album is representative of a complete thought; the weaving together of several threads into one cohesive story. The sonic landscape is set with each section, Above, Below and Within, while the lyrical narrative connects ideas of the supernatural, malevolence, and time” says the band’s vocalist Ashleigh Semkiw.
Forged in the fire of excommunication, Texan transplants ‘Tulip’ deliver their own brand of symphonic metal, spearheaded by ex-professional opera vocalist Ashleigh Semkiw, and Colin Parrish on guitar.
Their story is a unique one. Publicly shamed, ostracized and cast out of the church, Semkiw and Parrish formed TULIP – an acronymic nod to their former faith.
Emerging together for the first time in September 2018, the members of Tulip are established artists, having performed for a decade in their respective past acts; Ashleigh in professional opera, Brandon with ONI throughout Europe alongside the likes of Children of Bodom and Lamb Of God, Ryan sessioning across the USA and Canada, and co-lead member Colin as an accomplished recording and mix engineer.
TULIP, their self-titled debut EP was self written, recorded and mixed, and was mastered by the legendary Troy Glessner (Devin Townsend, New Found Glory, Disturbed). The five song collection delivers symphonic metal with a modern groove oriented twist.
Following their first US tour with Swedish metal outfit Evergrey, Tulip went even further with their next recorded effort. The upcoming LP High Strangeness boasts twelve tracks of bone crushing drums, searing guitars and masterful vocals underpinned with full orchestration and layered synths.
Recorded at their home in Argyle, Texas – the LP was born out of a fascination and curiosity both Semkiw and Parrish share for the unexplainable. Avid fans of Coast to Coast AM Radio and Whitley Strieber, they sought to create a musical pilgrimage into the unknown.
The prelude to “Midnight in the Desert” powerfully opens the album with intro audio adapted from the famous “Gimbal Video”, setting the record on a trajectory that can’t be slowed down. “Communion” investigates the nature of intimate and symbiotic relationships. “Theatre of the Dead” is a folk-like warning story about trust and the demons within, while the danceable “Inner Light” reminds the listener that we are all inevitably forsaken. Having the courage to trust our own intuition is all we need.
Tracklisting: 01. Above 02. Midnight In The Desert 03. Missing Time 04. Communion 05. Below 06. Theater Of The Dead 07. Dimensional Rift 08. Entity 09. Within 10. The Inner Light 11. Deepstate 12. Transfiguration
Tulip is: Ashleigh Semkiw Colin Parrish Brandon White Ryan Claxton
With the 12th June having been set as the release date for “Madness and Magic”, the seventh full-length album from Prog Rockers ARABS IN ASPIC, Karisma Records have today released the single “I Vow to Thee, My Screen”, which is the opening track from the album.
According to the band, the song “describes the fascination and fear of our addiction to being entertained. The lyrics are heavily inspired by the British patriotic hymn, “I Vow to Thee, my Country,” written by Cecil Spring-Rice in 1918”.
Based in Trondheim in Norway, ARABS IN ASPIC’s lineup of Jostein Smeby on Guitars + vocals, Stig Jørgensen on Organs + vocals, Erik Paulsen on Bass + vocals, Eskil Nyhus on Drums + cymbals and Alessandro G. Elide on Percussion + gongs, all have an uncanny ability to perform a variety of styles, which include aspects of classic rock, funk, pop, prog, heavy rock, bossanova, a capella.
The resultant sound is a distinctive mix of loud, heavy guitars and drums, 12 string acoustics, funky bass and percussion, screaming Hammond organs, soft Rhodes, Mellotrons and 70’s Synths, topped with plentiful vocal harmonies, which point to ARABS IN ASPIC’s roots in what is known as the “Golden Era” of rock.
With ethereal artwork by Julia Proszowska, tracklisting for the “Madness and Magic” is as follows:
1. I Vow to Thee, My Screen 2. Lullaby for Modern Kids, Part 1 3. Lullaby for Modern Kids, Part 2 4. High-Tech Parent 5. Madness and Magic 6. Heaven in Your Eye
Commenting on “Madness and Magic”, the band had this to say:
“Madness and Magic” is the first Arabs in Aspic album written for two drummers, with more acoustic guitar parts than previous albums. All the music was written and arranged in our studio and carefully put together like a puzzle with 50,000 pieces, to take the listener on a journey through life’s “Madness and Magic”, both musically and lyrically.
The lyrics for “Madness and Magic” reflect on how easily both children and adults are affected in the digital age, but also how helpless we are when we have to put our lives in the hands of specialists. Many ideas came up after a brief meeting with Doctor Death. The message of “Madness and Magic” is up to the listener to decide. For you are capable of thinking for yourself, right?
“Madness and Magic” will be available in CD, black vinyl and Limited Edition Green and Yellow Splatter vinyl, and Digital formats, and is now available to pre-order at:
In light of the COVID-19 crisis, in a spirit of unity and as a message of hope, I wrote and recorded a new song, “Hold On World,” which I’ve just released as a single.
Proceeds from the sales of the single will be channeled to the United Way Worldwide’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund, which provides relief to those left vulnerable by the pandemic.
As the lyrics state, “united we stand, divided we fall.” Now’s the time to heal this divide and join together in a sense of unity as we face this worldwide pandemic.
Being self-quarantined presented its own set of challenges so I recorded my parts at home (lead and background vocals, Moog, electric piano), and enlisted my pals, Fernando Perdomo and Rob Bonfiglio, two of the most gifted and talented musicians I know who supplied their own musical magic (Fernando on bass, drums, guitar and organ/ Rob on background vocals), each recording their contributions at their own studios, Reseda Ranch Studios in Winnetka/Reseda, CA and The Manor in Toluca Lake, CA. I’m putting this out as a vinyl single as well. Info: sharpk@aol.com
Take a listen to the song here and if you like it, please consider buying a download and contributing to a worthy cause. Listen // Love & Share
“Hold On World” (Sharp) Produced by Fernando Perdomo and Ken Sharp Recorded at Reseda Ranch Studios, Reseda, CA, Union Jack Studios, Encino, CA and The Manor, Toluca Lake, CA.
Ken Sharp-lead and background vocals, piano, Moog, electric piano Fernando Perdomo-drums, bass, organ, electric guitar, guitar solo, tambourine, maracas, bell tree Rob Bonfiglio: background vocals
Hold On World (Sharp)
hey there brother, you’re so far away hey there sister, the news gets worse every day we’re running out of answers and we’re running out of time so send out this message across the telegraph lines united we stand, divided we fall
so hold on world, hold on, oh yeah (hold on world) one last chance for humanity, one voice singing our song so hold on world, hold on
prey on the living and prey on the weak came down like thunder and knocked us off our feet i believe in our spirit, i believe we are strong so join together and sing along, sing along united we stand, divided we crawl
too much sorrow, too much pain going down, going down, going down, going down
united we stand, divided we fall united we stand, divided we crawl
Hey friends, I want to invite you to my Bandcamp where all my releases are now FREE Phideaux Xavier
This includes such classics as Snowtorch, Doomsday Afternoon, The Great Leap and more, 9 albums 2 samplers and a hand full of singles in total including the highly acclaimed album Infernal released in 2018
Phideaux Xavier is a progressive rock musician whose unique musical style gained the attention of the progressive rock community in the US and Europe upon the 2007 release of his Doomsday Afternoon album, the second installment of a trilogy that began in 2006 with The Great Leap. Phideaux is now back with a new album and back on stage with his full band.
The new double album, Infernal, is the final and eagerly awaited chapter in Phideaux’s trilogy, and a fitting finale to his carefully crafted “eco terror tale”.
This group of ten musicians is comprised of many childhood friends and comrades who have played on his more recent albums. Together, the band tackles a kaleidoscope of haunting vocals, multiple keyboards and upbeat, intricate, rock music. The group is comprised of:
Four years since the release of “Disconnected”, Prog Rockers AIRBAG are set to release their fifth full-length album. Titled “A Day at the Beach”, the album will be released on the 19th June on Karisma Records, and today the label has given the band’s many fans a taste of what they can look forward to by releasing a track from the album.
The track is titled “Machines and Men”, and AIRBAG describe it thus: “This was one of the very first songs written for the album. The initial demo was basically just guitars, drums and vocals and during a period of working in the studio, rehearsing, and playing the song live, it slowly evolved into something new and fresh that defined most of the material we were working on. The lyrics describe the facts of war in a cold and objective fashion, only to turn to the spectator with a warning and a chance to look away“.
Hailed as one of the most important bands to emerge from the Norwegian prog scene over the past decades, AIRBAG was formed in the mid-2000s by five high school classmates, which included two of today’s members Asle Tostrup (vocals) and Bjørn Riis (guitars). AIRBAG is a band that is able to blend diverse musical styles and sounds, with a strong narrative listening experience. Today’s lineup also includes Henrik Bergan Fossum (drums) and “A Day at the Beach” will be AIRBAG’s first album as a trio, and will also feature talented guest musicians including WOBBLER’s Kristian Hultgren.
Featuring six new songs recorded during the autumn and winter of 2019-20, and inspired by the resurgence of 1980s electronica, new wave and movie scores, “A Day at the Beach” sees AIRBAG creating a powerful sound combining ethereal soundscapes with their signature guitar driven progressive rock. The result is a stunning selection of songs revealing a mature band looking forward from its already impressive legacy.
Once again teaming up with long-time collaborator and engineer Vegard Sleipnes, “A Day at the Beach” was mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo and produced by Asle Tostrup and Bjørn Riis. Cover design, is, as always, by vocalist Tostrup.
1. Machines and Men 2. A Day at the Beach (Part 1) 3. Into the Unknown 4. Sunsets 5. A Day at the Beach (Part 2) 6. Megalomaniac
Airbag explains:
The album is the result of a strong collaboration between all three of us. Having lost two original members since our last album, we were forced to rethink how we write and create new music, but it also allowed us to venture into something new that turned out to be very inspiring.
Lyrically, “A Day at the Beach” is very much a story of us and them, told by a husband, father and brother leaving his family behind into an unknown future. It’s the contrast between the desperate individual struggling to survive and people in power observing at a safe distance.
“A Day at the Beach” will be available in CD, black and coloured vinyls and Digital formats and is now available to pre-order from:
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