The new album Intouríst features some very special guests including Dave Newhouse (The Muffins) Ian Beabout and Nathan James (Colouratura), and Craig Cairns (Midnight Prophecy) among others. Intourístis scheduled for release in 2024 via CD and digital and will be available on all popular streaming services.
Track-list 01 DMK 02 Asunción 03 The Devil Returns 04 Intouríst (Интурист) 05 Mr. Darwin 06 Side Hustle 07 The Red Apple 08 Smiling 09 Mr. Skin (CD Only Bonus Track) 10 The Red Apple (Acoustic) 11 Asunción (Spanish)
All arrangements by Refestramus Produced by Ian Beabout and Derek Ferguson Mixed and Mastered by Ian Beabout
Refestramus Derek Ferguson – Drums, Jerry King – Bass, Derek Pavlic – Guitars, Mellotron and Viola, Rogelio Souza – Keys
Associated Artists Ian Beabout – Vocals on track 9, Flute on track 6 Nathan James – Vocals on track 6 Mitch Lawrence – Saxes on tracks 3, 6 and 9 NIDA – Vocals on tracks 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 Craig Cairns – Vocals on tracks 1, 2, 3, 11 Dave Newhouse – Accordion on track 8
Refestramus is a progressive art rock band from Chicago, IL. Their debut album Decoupage released in 2021 combines influences from traditional gypsy, flamenco, and Slavic styles with modern hard rock.
So I had this playing in the background, but when it started with a corner shop quartet from the Forties I thought I must have put on the wrong playlist. But, what it did do was make me stop whatever else I was doing and concentrate on this, and I am so very glad indeed that I did. What we have here, boys and girls is a progressive rock album in its very truest sense that is designed to drive despair into the heart of anyone brave or stupid enough to try to write a review of it. I’ll leave you to ascertain which camp I fall into, just don’t ask my wife. Progressive rock, by sheer definition, is music that is refusing to sit within any preconceived boundaries, and will not be pigeonholed. Why? Because IT’S NOT A PIGEON!
So let’s start by hanging some labels on this thing, shall we? People like labels. So, there’s some Zappa, yes definitely Zappa, jazz, psychedelia, funk, krautrock, oooh Cardiacs, mustn’t forget Cardiacs, folk, um, kitchen sink, cuddly toy. Must have missed something somewhere. But, the joy of this album is that when it is being played it all makes total sense, and all I want to do when it is finished is to put it on again! It may be incredibly diverse, but not in the way that these guys have pulled it together. Apparently, this is the second release from the band, who comprise just Nathan James (voice, keyboards, bass, horn) and Ian Beabout (flute, editing, sound design, and production) and some assorted guests, which includes Dave Newhouse from The Muffins among others. The use of brass instruments of different types work incredibly well, and there is a passion, lightness, and sense of fun throughout this album which makes it a real joy. This is music with no preconceived ideas or formula, just being taken where it needs to go. If I had my arm twisted behind my back and was asked for a simple subgenre then I would have to plump for crossover prog, but as it is meant to be defined, as there are a real musicality and melody that pervades the whole album.
Available in multiple formats, this is a delight, and the fractured beauty of “Photograph” is required listening for anyone who is fed up with created pop stars. In some alternate universe, it is #1 on the charts.
As a thank you for all pre-order of Unfamiliar Skies, Colouratura’s new CD will be shipped prior to the actual release date of May 17th 2018
About The Album
Unfamiliar Skies is not a ‘theme’ album or a concept album, though almost all of the songs flow from one into the next. A few themes do crop up, such as those of air and water (as the artwork suggests), the long and winding road, the obsession of a lover scorned and questions of faith and individuality.
Musically, we did want to capture something of the art rock vibe of XTC, early Alan Parsons Project, Frank Zappa, Bent Knee, 10cc, Cardiacs, Tears for Fears, Black Sabbath, and so on … while the work doesn’t particularly sound like any of those, great care was taken to follow the lessons we learned from studying these great artists. No moment was wasted on the final recording, and we worked hard to trim the fat to make something that hopefully engages the listener from stem to stern.
Colouratura is:
Nathan James – voice, keyboards, bass, horn
Ian Beabout – flute, editing, sound design and production
Featuring performances by
Pavlic (Van Gilder)
Eric Holskey (Sabo Cat, Plus Many Others)
Dave Newhouse (The Muffins, Diratz, Moonmen, Proletarians)
Brandon Collins
Damon Waitkus (Jack o’ the Clock)
Michael P. Dawson
Nathan Lestini
Chris Kuskey
Bret Harold Hart (Diratz, Moonmen)
1. Corner Store
A tale of seedy characters in the backdrop of a small-town convenience store. As read by the Blind Blue Barber Boys of Baltimore.
2. Parallels
An epic, four movement suite blurring the lines of jazz, rock, progressive, ambient and punk rock. Themes of individuality in the face of the machine that is modernity. How do we keep true to ourselves?
3. Photograph
Sometimes obsession boils to the brim. A Poe-ish tale of being haunted by the image of a former lover.
4. Nautilus
The one in which we battle the giant squid.
5. Unfamiliar Skies
Suburban heartbreak, and dreams of the stormy skies ahead.
6. Kerouac
On the road, and with a passenger. What do the rocks have to say?
7. Vesuvian Tidepools
The stuff kicks in – and we take a psychedelic head-trip
8. Faith
Questioning the ‘lines the blur the vision of God.’ Do we really have any of the answers?
About Colouratura: Colouratura traverse an emotional journey on Unfamiliar Skies, charting the far reaches of rock, jazz, psychedelia, krautrock, folk, metal and electronic.
“With Unfamiliar Skies, the band definitely decided early on that they wanted to do something a bit more focused than the first album,” said producer Ian Beabout. “So a couple of decisions were made. For one, we wanted a more rhythm oriented work, so we made sure to use a more or less consistent rhythm section and tried to feature the bass, guitar and drums more.”
“We also wanted to highlight Nathan’s (James) skills as a composer, since so much of the previous effort was constructed via focused improvisation. Unfamiliar Skies is very deliberate, very calculated and very fully realized album,” Beabout said.
Utilizing local talent, Colouratura have crafted a powerful and modern art rock statement.
From the opening, multi-movement prog rock pastiche ‘Parallels’, Colouratura combine Zappa-esque guitar licks with horn-rock statements on a journey through territories of punk, ambient, and jazz, backed by Dave Newhouse’s gorgeous woodwind arrangements. On ‘Vesuvian Tidepools’, Colouratura craft a trippy, CAN-influenced soundscape around Eric Holskey’s drum loops, backed by Bret Harold Hart’s synesthesiac guitar. On the title track, James’ dreary and haunting lines are backed by expressive flute and ocarina. On ‘Kerouac’ James teams up with songwriter Chris Kuskey for a headtrip funk jam about traveling ‘on the road,’ while ‘Nautilus’ finds Colouratura in deeply groovy Black Sabbath meets King Crimson territory with dizzying time changes and ripping lead guitar from Derek Pavlic.
“It’s always a fun challenge to see just how far we can push the definition of what Colouratura can and should and will be,” composer Nathan James said. “I like to push my own limits and comfort zones as a writer.”
What’s being said about Unfamiliar Skies
“The sophomore offering from West Virginia-based Colouratura is comfortably familiar and yet surprisingly fresh. My impressions run from prog rock inspried moments ala Zappa or King Crimson (I even flashed on Camel at one point) to the art-rock of artists like Todd Rundgren, XTC or Brian Eno, but every listener will likely have a different experience because, like all great singer/songwriters, Nathan James has absorbed a plethora of influences and internalized those lessons to bring life to his creations. “Unfamiliar Skies” is a diverse and satisfying listen from beginning to end.” – Steve Roberts (Ut Gret, ZNR Records)
By combining a large variety of styles while maintaining a recognizable sound throughout the album, we can safely declare that the band succeeded in reaching the ultimate goal: creating music for music’s sake.” – Jacopo Muneratti (Danze D’Architettura, Radio Voce nel Deserto)
Please help Melodic Revolution Records welcome Wheeling, WV (Enter Genre Here) band Colouratura to our family of musicians.
We will be releasing Colouratura’s sophomore album Unfamiliar Skies in early May 2018 with eight brand new songs that also feature many guests, some well-known others not so well known or new ones on the scene. The CD will be presented in a beautiful 6-panel digipak designed by Eric Kearns (Diratz, Stop Motion Orchestra)
Colouratura Is:
Nathan James – voice, keyboards, bass, horn
Ian Beabout – flute, editing, sound design and production
Guest Musicians On Unfamiliar Skies
Derek Pavlic (Van Gilder)
Eric Holskey (Sabo Cat, plus many others)
Dave Newhouse (The Muffins, Diratz, Moonmen, Proletarians)
Brandon Collins
Damon Waitkus (Jack o’ the Clock)
Michael P. Dawson
Nathan Lestini
Bret Harold Hart (Diratz, Moonmen)
Chris Kuskey
In a Statement from the band “On the strength of Unfamiliar Skies, Colouratura has signed to Nick Katona’s long-running Melodic Revolution Records label, which will release the album this May (?) (TBD).”
“We’re obviously quite excited to have joined this great progressive label,” said Beabout. “One of the goals with Unfamiliar Skies was we wanted to expand Colouratura’s audience and reach, and having the support that a label provides will in no doubt help us reach our goals.”
“MRR is an eclectic label with a 10-year history of great artists, such as Marco Ragni and Colin Tench. The family atmosphere and team effort will surely help Colouratura grow and thrive.’
In a Statement from the label
“I first discovered Colouratura through a friend at House of Prog, a popular internet radio station that I DJ for a few days a week. However, I was aware of one of the talented guys (Ian Beabout) in this project who has been a guest musician on a few of our releases. Once I after hearing the pre-masters for Unfamiliar Skies I knew this band had something to offer the world that was just a bit different than what was already flooding Spotify and the like. This album will appeal to all age groups and breaks all the rules when it comes to defining a genre, yet the album Unfamiliar Skies feels fresh and cohesive and I believe it will appeal to the masses rather than the far few and between”
– Nick Katona President @ Melodic Revolution Records
Melodic Revolution Records is excited to announce that pre-orders for “California”, the new EP from Italian Solo Artist, Composer & Multi-instrumentalist Marco Ragni is now available.
Marco Ragni returns to his Psychedelic roots with his upcoming EP. California is the follow up to his highly acclaimed album Land of Blue Echoes released in March of 2016.
The new 7 track EP will be released in both Digital and CD formats: The Digital EP will be released on October 29th CD will be released on November 29th
According to Marco:
A great Californian experience.. I’ve recorded this album thinking of David Crosby, Jerry Garcia and the wonderful Psychedelic Era.
I hope you’ll enjoy it.
– Marco Ragni
Track Listing
1. Big Sur
2. S.L.O.
3. The Giant, the Fool and the Tattooist
4. Good times in San Francisco
5. Chasing the Sun
6. La Sierra
7. Henry Miller’s Library
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