Album features performances by Steve Morse, King Crimson violinist David Cross, GnR guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, and keyboard legend Patrick Moraz plus members of Weather Report, Utopia, Angel, Soft Machine, Gong, and more!
Los Angeles, CA – As longtime guitarist and co-writer for the powerhouse rock hitmaker Billy Idol, Steve Stevens is widely celebrated as a master of composing forceful, electrifying rock melodies that balance their intensity with an undeniable mainstream appeal. It’s that melodic sensibility matched with an impressive technical mastery that has made Stevens one of the most sought after collaborators in music today. Recently, Stevens accepted an invitation to contribute to the new album from The Prog Collective and the result is one of the purest expressions of Stevens’s creativity ever captured.
For the uninitiated, The Prog Collective, founded and helmed by producer/multi-instrumentalist and famed bassist for Yes Billy Sherwood, has united some of the finest musicians of rock, jazz, metal, pop and everything in between since its founding in 2012. The group’s newest studio effort, entitled Dark Encounters, takes a deliberate turn toward a more brooding and melancholic musical path, filled with haunting ambience and eerie melodic passages. All of this makes Stevens the perfect partner for an exploration into the darker side of prog rock. Check out the album’s first single and the album’s leadoff track, “Darkest Hour,” which is released today on all music platforms.
Dark Encounters is set for release on March 29 and includes contributions from a number of notable musicians and creative geniuses from the legendary Steve Morse, violinist David Cross, and guitar wizard Bumblefoot to keyboardist Patrick Moraz, Utopia’s Kasim Sulton, Gong’s Steve Hillage, and more!
Track List: 1. Darkest Hour with Steve Stevens 2. Ominous Signs with Steve Morse 3. At The Gates with David Cross 4. Dark Days with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Patrick Moraz & Omar Hakim 5. Lonely Landscape with Kasim Sulton 6. The Long Night with Frank Dimino & Marco Minnemann 7. The Quasi Effect with Billy Sherwood 8. The 11th Hour with John Etheridge 9. Between Two Worlds with Steve Hillage & Gregg Bissonette 10. Distant Thunder with Todd Sucherman 11. Dark Money with Joe Bouchard 12. For All To See with Pat Mastelotto 13. Beyond Reason with Chad Wackerman BONUS TRACKS [CD ONLY] 14. I Saw the Light – Todd Rundgren with Rick Wakeman 15. I’m Not In Love – Nektar with Rick Wakeman
Blood Like Red is the 3rd track from the 2014 Music From An Expanded Universe album. The video features Leon Alvarado on Keyboards and Drums. Trey Gunn (King Crimson, The Security Project) on Warr Guitar and Bass and Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates) on Taos Drums percussion. Produced by Leon Alvarado, Engineered by Leon Alvarado, Trey Gunn and Mastered by Andy Jackson
For years I had wanted to add visuals to what it is one of my favorite pieces from my music. Leon Alvarado
Leon Alvarado is Texas-based prog drummer, keyboardist, composer, and illustrator, Alvarado has recorded with many talented musicians including Bill Bruford (Gong, Yes, Genesis, Earthworks), John Goodsall (Brand X, Fire Merchants), Trey Gunn (King Crimson), Jerry Marotta (Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Paul McCartney), Billy Sherwood (Yes, Asia), Rick Wakeman and Tony Levin.
On the graphics front I have done album covers and touring materials for bands such as Brand X, Genesis, Phil Collins, Jethro Tull, Jeff Beck, Peter Gabriel, Roger Waters, The Australian Pink Floyd Show, and King’s X.
A Critics Point of View
This is not one of those balls-to-walls prog-rock affairs. For instance on “Blood Like Red,” the artists execute a slowly moving and budding rock pulse, steered by Gunn’s prominent bass lines, in support of the leader’s polytonal voicings, sounding somewhere in between a mellotron and synth strings type soundscape. Moreover, Alvarado layers a tabla vibe to incorporate a world music background into the mix, followed by Gunn’s stinging and crunchy Warr guitar notes. All About Jazz
“Blood Like Red” starts and ends with atmospheric wind effects with the middle brimming with Alvarado’s spacier synth exploits and Gunn’s textural Warr guitar crunch. It is here the band really gets into a full but subtle groove. Jon Neudorf – Sea of Tranquility
Origins is a sixteen track double album which include one hidden bonus track and celebrate’s 25 years and 11 release by LaRue.
The songs on “Origins” were written and recorded over 25 years. Some in a small recording studio in Tahlequah, OK over a year’s time with John “Yakfe” Timothy, and some in Los Angeles working extensively with John Payne as a co-producer, mixing engineer, bassist, and vocalist. Also, certain songs were known as some of the first prog projects done via internet transfer and finalizes with “Sussuration” and “Lemniscate,” completely produced and mixed by LaRue.
According to Lisa, “This album is extremely important – it’s important to me, as it represents 25 years of my life and some of the best work I’ve done with some of the best friends in the world. It’s important because it represents the unity and bringing together of many musicians, big and small, through the universal language, music. Lastly, it’s important to fans, as it represents some of the obscure work of many top-notch artists that they may not have in their collection. Melodic Revolution and Nick Katona have always been known for bringing artists together, so there is no better label to showcase this 25-year effort.”
“Lisa has a unique perspective to her music. Her Prog rock style is highly influenced by her Native American roots. The listener is drawn in by the mystical and avant-garde approach. From my point of view, it has always been a pleasure and great experience working with her music.” – John Payne
“A very atmospheric composition, with a lovely tranquil finale. I hear a lot of my father’s influence in it, a beautiful arrangement.” – Aaron Emerson (son of Keith Emerson) regarding the song “Aspiration”
Origins also features John Payne (Asia, GPS), Michael Sadler (Saga), Mitch Perry (Talas, Aerosmith), Gilli Smyth (Gong), Don Schiff (Rocket Scientist, Kracked Earth), Federico Fantacone (Orchestre Celesti) John Baker (Forever Twelve, Mars Hollow) as well as Steve Adams, Brenda K, Michael Wheeler, Merrill Hale, Svetlan Raket (Par Lindh Project), John “Yafke” Timothy, Michael Alvarez.
Origins is housed in a new style of Digipak called a Digipack Lite™ this is one of the most unique and eco-friendly packages on the market, in fact, the CD tray actually flexes and is more durable than the standard ridged plastic tray as it is made from recycled water bottles.
1) All pre-orders get shipped before the release date.
2) All Pre-orders supporters will receive a personalized thank you postcard.
3) All Pre-orders of Origins also come with 2 tracks now (streaming via the free Bandcamp app and also available as a high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more), plus the complete album the moment it’s released
All orders include a digital booklet with purchase
LaRue became the first female artist signed to the Sound of America Records label (SOAR) a sub label of Natural Visions, the first all-Native American record label founded by Grammy Winner and Motown producer Tom Bee.
In 2008 LaRue was nominated for a Hollywood Music Award and was also awarded The Oklahoma Music Award for “Native American Artist of the Year.” Her band 2KX was Nominated as Instrumental Band of the Year in 2011 by the Los Angeles Music Awards.
Lisa has also appeared on recordings by others, including Head Transfer Process (Stargazer), Esquire with Nikki Squire (“Stay Low”), Don Schiff, Ryo Okumoto, Oliver Wakeman, Steve Gresswell, Quester and Beyond the Labyrinth.
Origins is a double album celebrating 25 years and 11 release by LaRue, featuring some of the best musicians in the business; John Payne (Asia, GPS), Michael Sadler (Saga), Mitch Perry (Talas, Aerosmith), Gilli Smyth (Gong), Don Schiff (Rocket Scientist, Kracked Earth), Federico Fantacone (Orchestre Celesti) John Baker (Forever Twelve, Mars Hollow) as well as Steve Adams, Brenda K, Michael Wheeler, Merrill Hale, Svetlan Raket (Par Lindh Project), John “Yafke” Timothy, Michael Alvarez.
A Statement from Lisa
“I look forward to being part of the Melodic Revolution family, and hope to collaborate with other MR artists, and interact with the fans. Great prog has come from the vaults of Melodic Revolution, and I hope I can contribute to that.”
Featuring Gong Alumni Francois Causse, Benoit Moerlen and Hansford Rowe!
Montreal – Gong Expesso featuring Gong alumni Francois Causse, Benoit Moerlen and Hansford Rowe with guitarist Julien Sandiford’s new album titled “Decadence” is now available for pre-order!
Says Hansford, “ ‘Decadence’ is the title tune on the new Gong Expresso album. Here the word means ‘falling away.’ I hope this tune and all the music on the album somehow addresses this in an unadorned, direct way. When I play with these 3 musicians I am convinced there is something special happening, a coming together. Benoit Moerlen (vibes, marimba) and Francois Causse (drums, perc) and I began playing together in early 1977 in PM’s Gong and our rapport is of the kind only long term relationships can provide. On the other hand Julien who is 25 has been alive less time than I have been playing with the others. Yet our musical relationship feels infinitely long. We are recording in two cities, Paris and Montreal. Francois’ studio in Paris is a tuned percussion church and Piccolo Studios in Montreal is owned by Denis Savage who is co-producing with the band. He is known for his work with Celine Dion.”
PM’s Gong was a major branch of the massive Gong tree. In the mid 1970’s drummer Pierre Moerlen separated from Daevid Allen marking an end to the Flying Teapot period and a powerful jazz/rock unit was formed and signed to Virgin Records. Pierre’s brother Benoit Moerlen, Hansford Rowe, Francois Causse, Allan Holdsworth were core members. Many major guests joined them both on albums and touring. Mick Taylor, Mike Oldfield, and French violinist Didier Lockwood were key participants. Mike Oldfield occasionally used the PMG rhythm section for touring also calling on members for albums such as “Ommadawn”, “Incantations”, “Exposed” and “Platinum.” Pierre Moerlen sadly passed away on May 5th, 2005.
In concert Gong Expresso mines their huge repertoire and has exceptional guests joining them regularly. Along with the release of their new album, the band will be releasing a new video soon.
Gong Expresso’s “Decadence” will be distributed digitally worldwide through The Orchard on Feb 20, 2018.
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