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
Progressive rockers Haken are excited to reveal their new studio album ‘Virus’, the follow-up to 2018’s acclaimed album ‘Vector’, will be released June 5th, 2020. By way of introduction, the band have recorded a special video message to give some background to the record:
Today also sees the launch of the album’s first single and opening track ‘Prosthetic’, with a video directed by Vicente Cordero. Watch & listen to this punchy opening salvo here:
The band comments: “Prosthetic was the first song we completed during the ‘Virus’ writing sessions and we always felt it would be the perfect opener for the album. It’s a very guitar heavy track with its roots in 80s thrash riffing, but with the unconventional rhythmic twists and turns we often like to explore in Haken. We sadly never had a Jeff Hanneman and Robert Fripp collaboration, but this song at least draws on inspiration from them both!
Lyrically the song is a bridge between our two albums Vector and Virus. The message was brilliantly brought to life by video director Vicente Cordero, who also beautifully captured the live energy of the band in a way that both enhances the song, and perfectly sets the scene for what’s to come.”
Since releasing ‘Vector’ in October 2018, Haken have completed headline tours the world over, played sold-out shows across Europe and North America as support for Devin Townsend and picked up a Prog award for their efforts too! All the while, they have been quietly, secretly working on the follow-up album, entitled ‘Virus’.
Drummer Ray Hearne reveals, “since releasing ‘The Mountain’ in 2013, one question has been asked of us time and time again, ‘who is the Cockroach King?’. This is something we were interested in exploring more deeply too, so we essentially did that through our music; elaborating and expanding upon the intervallic, harmonic, rhythmic and lyrical themes of that song. The end result is in an arc which spans across two albums: ‘Vector’ and ‘Virus’”.
Once again, Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood has mixed what is perhaps the most eclectic Haken album to date, with the 7 tracks revealing hints of influences from multiple genres, all intertwined with Haken’s own recognisable sound. Guitarist Richard Henshall had this to say about the production, “Using Nolly again was a no-brainer, as we wanted the two albums to be sonically connected. But having just spent a day mixing with him in his studio, it’s obvious that this album will be an evolution of the ‘Vector’ sound. These songs seem to allow a lot more freedom of creativity with the production, so we’re excited to see where it leads”.
The track-listing is as follows:
1. Prosthetic 2. Invasion 3. Carousel 4. The Strain 5. Canary Yellow 6. Messiah Complex i: Ivory Tower 7. Messiah Complex ii: A Glutton for Punishment 8. Messiah Complex iii: Marigold 9. Messiah Complex iv: The Sect 10. Messiah Complex v: Ectobius Rex 11. Only Stars
Longtime Haken collaborators, Blacklake, have designed the visuals and artwork and the album will be available as a Limited 2CD, Standard CD, Gatefold 2LP + CD & as Digital Album. Pre-order now here: https://haken.lnk.to/Virus
‘Virus’ is the culmination of a musical thought experiment which started with the ‘Vector’ writing sessions in 2017 and holds intriguing potential for the band’s future, as vocalist Ross Jennings explains, “whilst ‘Virus’ can absolutely be enjoyed as a stand-alone work, it is thematically and conceptually linked with ‘Vector’, so our intention is to perform both albums back to back for a special performance someday”.
HAKEN IS Ross Jenning Richard Henshall Charlie Griffiths Diego Tejeida Conner Green Ray Hearne
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:
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC.org) will be participating in the UnCancelled Music Festival (uncancelledmusicfestival.com). This is the venue in Rahway, New Jersey, that brings you the ProgStock Festival (ProgStock.com) every October.
Now UCPAC is bringing music right into your home, during this crazy time of isolation, by way of the UnCancelled Music Festival. UCPAC is hosting a virtual stage for the festival and bringing you some great shows from artists performing live in their homes or home studios. Ann Rinaldi (ACR Management) from ProgStock Festival is curating the talent for the stage.
The artists and venues will receive a portion of the proceeds to help keep them going during this unprecedented crisis. And a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Recording Academy’s emergency financial assistance program, MusiCares – which provides critical funds to music people struggling with financial, medical or personal crises. Any affected music professional who has lost work during this crisis can apply to receive emergency funding. It is important to all of us during this challenging time that no musician or music venue goes bankrupt.
The first night of shows on the UCPAC virtual stage is this Saturday, April 4 starting at 5 PM Eastern US time, which will be topped off at 8 PM Eastern US time by Harry Waters, son of Roger Waters of Pink Floyd.
Los Angeles, CA – Legendary German industrial pioneers Die Krupps meet up with Goth n Roll icon Jyrki69, vocalist of the Helsinki vampire rock band 69 Eyes for a brilliant rendition of The Neon Judgement’s 80’s classic “Chinese Black.”
Feverish and pensive, this video perfectly captures this new recording. With paranoia surrounding the uncertainty of the current pandemic, Die Krupps and Jyrki have delivered the perfect soundtrack.
The duo also teamed up with renowned video director Vicente Cordero (Not My God, Skold, 3Teeth) to deliver a PSA to all of the quarantined guys and ghouls around the world.
“Chinese Black” will be available on all digital platforms everywhere starting April 6TH 2020. The track will also appear on the forthcoming Die Krupps album for Cleopatra Records.
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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