In 2019, PATTERN-SEEKING ANIMALS, the California-based band featuring Ted Leonard (lead vocals & guitars), Jimmy Keegan (drums & vocals), Dave Meros (bass) and John Boegehold (keyboards), presented its much-lauded eponymous debut. Just a year later, the group announces May 15th, 2020 as the release date for its newest opus, “Prehensile Tales”, which expands the stylistic niche carved out by the debut and adds additional twists and turns along the way.
For the six songs on the album (the longest clocking in at over 17 minutes), the band introduced violin, flute, trumpet, cello, sax and pedal steel to the sound palette that was once again recorded & mixed by Rich Mouser at The Mouse House.
“I started writing for the second album right as we were finishing up the first one,” says Boegehold, who is again producing. “I wanted to change around some of the songwriting approaches I’d been using and draw from a few different musical influences while not straying too far from the overall vibe of the band.”
Ted Leonard adds: “This album is another collection of lush arrangements and infectious melodies. I mean REALLY infectious. There are certain lines that are the last thing going through my head at night and the first thing in the morning. I think it’s actually furthering my insanity.”
For the striking cover image, P-SA collaborated with Polish artist Mirek (https://www.facebook.com/mirekis7/), whose ‘An evolutionary broadcast’ design Boegehold immediately considered a perfect fit to the album’s peculiar title. “Prehensile Tales is a play-on-words I came up with while writing lyrics and thought it would be a funny album title. As a bonus, it actually seems to mean something that fits the music.”
To coincide with the album’s release, the band is set to perform at RosFest 2020 in Sarasota, Florida on May 9th and is lining up more dates later in the year which will be announced soon.
Prehensile Tails Tracklisting: 1. Raining Hard In Heaven 2. Here In My Autumn 3. Elegant Vampires 4. Why Don’t We Run 5. Lifeboat 6. Soon But Not Today
For the striking cover image, P-SA collaborated with Polish artist Mirek (https://www.facebook.com/mirekis7/), whose ‘An evolutionary broadcast’ design Boegehold immediately considered a perfect fit to the album’s peculiar title. “Prehensile Tales is a play-on-words I came up with while writing lyrics and thought it would be a funny album title. As a bonus, it actually seems to mean something that fits the music.”
To coincide with the album’s release, the band is set to perform at RosFest 2020 in Sarasota, Florida on May 9th and is lining up more dates later in the year which will be announced soon.
“Prehensile Tales” will be released as Gatefold 2LP plus CD, Limited Edition CD, and as a digital album on May 15th, 2020 on InsideOutMusic.
Neal Morse, Mike Portnoy, Randy George, Bill Hubauer & Eric Gillette, released their latest album ‘The Great Adventure’ at the beginning of 2019. This was the follow-up to their acclaimed 2016 concept album ‘The Similitude Of A Dream’, and shortly after the band embarked on a European headline tour. ‘The Great Adventour – Live in BRNO 2019’ documents these shows, which saw them performing the album in full, and closing with the renowned ‘The Great Medley’– featuring tracks from across Neal’s solo career and each Neal Morse Band album.
As Randy George explains: “After the Similitude tour, expectations were really high, and we had more people coming to these shows than ever before. People were really excited to see it, so we had to make sure that we delivered.”
Performing ‘The Great Adventure’ flawlessly and in its entirety 47 times in 2019, Neal Morse (vocals, keyboards and guitars), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals and audience cheerleading), Randy George (bass), Bill Hubauer (keyboards and vocals) and Eric Gillette (guitars and vocals) brought audiences to their feet night after exhilarating night: “The tour delivered every night. We never got tired of playing it, and it always paid off”, says George.
One of the countries was the Czech Republic, and it was there in Brno that the band chose to film THE GREAT ADVENTOUR 2019 – LIVE IN BRNO, the definitive record of the tour, as George explains: “This was our first time playing in the Czech Republic and this venue had a different look and vibe: the audience also turned out to be very energetic. They loved it!”
THE GREAT ADVENTOUR 2019 – LIVE IN BRNO shows The Neal Morse Band at the very height of their powers: extraordinary, passionate, intense and intricate rock music played to perfection by five masters of their craft, backed by dramatic video illustrations by Christian Rios.
Available as a 2CD + 2Blu-Ray Digipak, the set also features two tour documentaries from both the US & European runs, as well as the official music videos for the singles taken from ‘The Great Adventure’.
Boston-based art-rock band Bent Knee is about to embark on a full North American headlining tour in support of their recent InsideOutMusic release ‘you know what they mean’. The 2-week run begins April 1st in Vienna, VA and concludes April 17th in Asbury Park, NJ.
The band comment: “This is our first headlining tour in almost two years, and we’re really excited to be touring in support of our new album You Know What They Mean! As always, we’re grateful to our team, friends and family who support us on and off the road, and we look forward to seeing familiar and new faces on the road.” ~ Courtney Swain
Tour Dates
4.1 Vienna VA @ Jammin’ Java
4.2 Baltimore MD @ Metro Gallery
4.3 Philadelphia PA @ MilkBoy
4.4 Boston MA @ Brighton Music Hall
4.5 Brooklyn NY @ Saint Vitus Bar
4.7 Montréal QC @ l’Escogriffe Bar Spectacle
4.8 Toronto ON @ Velvet Underground
4.9 Lakewood OH @ The Foundry Concert Club
4.10 Ann Arbor MI @ The Blind Pig A2
4.11 Chicago IL @ Sleeping Village
4.13 Nashville TN @ The End
4.14 Atlanta GA @ Vinyl – Center Stage Atlanta
4.15 Carrboro NC @ Cat’s Cradle Back Room
4.16 Richmond VA @ Richmond Music Hall at Capital Ale House
4.17 Asbury Park NJ @ Wonder Bar
On the band’s latest album, ‘You Know What They Mean’, the outfit’s myriad influences are distilled into a deeply moving art form that defies categorization, merging texture and style into music that’s thrilling, addictive, and unapologetically original. Lead singer and keyboardist Courtney Swain’s soaring vocals again prove to be instantly arresting whereas guitarist Ben Levin, bassist Jessica Kion, drummer Gavin Wallace-Ailsworth, violinist Chris Baum and sound designer Vince Welch (who also mixed the album) shine with an expert performance that brilliantly fuses a vibrant selection of moods and dynamics.
‘You Know What They Mean’ is available as a Limited Edition CD Digipak, Gatefold LP + CD, and as digital album, featuring the previously released single ‘Catch Light’ and artwork by Riki Nitabaru. Order now here: https://bent-knee.lnk.to/YouKnowWhatTheyMean
Bent Knee formed in Boston in 2009 as a collaborative determined to push the boundaries of pop and rock, combining all their influences into a seamless, thrilling whole. The band has gone from strength to strength in recent years. Their last three albums, 2017’s Land Animal, 2016’s Say So and 2014’s Shiny Eyed Babies, were hailed as significant art-rock achievements, and the band continues to be garnished with praise for their live show, performing hundreds of concerts worldwide to date.
US Progressive Metal pioneers and innovators PSYCHOTIC WALTZ are releasing their 5th studio album, “The God-Shaped Void”, worldwide today via InsideOutMusic.
PSYCHOTIC WALTZ checked in with the following comment: “Today is a special day for us, the release of our fifth album, and first record in over two decades. It’s crazy to think that 35 years ago, the five of us started playing together in Aslan, which a few years later we re-named Psychotic Waltz. We can’t thank our fans enough for their enormous patience biding their time until the album was done. But the wait is officially over! The album basically picks up where we left off in 1997, with the added benefit of modern technology and perhaps a more mature songwriting perspective. We would also like to give thanks to Jens Bogren for his great job with the mixing and mastering, and Ulrich Wild for his tracking work. It’s definitely our best-sounding album to date, and we can’t forget the amazing work of our longtime collaborator Travis Smith for the outstanding artwork. Turn it up, and enjoy!”
To further stress today’s street date of the album, PSYCHOTIC WALTZ are pleased to also launch a video clip directed by Costin Chioreanu / Twight13Media (Leprous, At The Gates, Borknagar, etc.) for the song “While The Spiders Spin”, which can now be seen here:
And here is a comment by the band about the single/video: “The third single is ‘While The Spiders Spin’, which was the first song we played live from the new album, back when we did some shows in 2017. The acoustic intro was added later. Costin once again did a great job capturing the mood of the song, which is a commentary on the impersonal nature of modern society and how our phones and devices only seem to isolate rather than unite us.”
Written and recorded with their full original line-up, “The God-Shaped Void”, showcases the first new PSYCHOTIC WALTZ music in 23 years and is receiving critical praise across the board, with some media feedback examples as follows:
“A collection of outstanding, timeless songs.” – 9/10 points review & “Album of the Month!“ Rock Hard (Germany)
“…close to a wonder“ 10/10 points review & “Album of the Month!” – Deaf Forever (Germany)
“The long wait has paid off: The new record is a complete work of art – visually, musically and lyrically!“ – 8.5/10 points review – Eclipsed (Germany)
“They still got it – and now they finally have the chance to reach a big audience.” – 6/7 points review & Soundcheck place # 3 – Metal Hammer (Germany)
“You couldn’t wish for a better return. – 9,5/10 points review – Rocks Magazine (Germany)
“A sublime and very, very welcome return. – Zero Tolerance (UK)
“Psychotic Waltz are a prog-metal gem waiting to be discovered.” – Kerrang! (UK)
“as detailed, precise and hook-laden as ever.” – Prog Magazine (UK)
“Album of the Month!“ – Metal Hammer (Greece)
The basic tracks for “The God-Shaped Void” were recorded with engineer Ulrich Wild in the band’s hometown of San Diego, then the rest of the recordings at Studio D in Austria and finally the material was mixed/mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Fates Warning) at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. Artwork, as to be seen above, was created by longtime visual partner Travis Smith (Katatonia, Riverside, Nevermore).
PSYCHOTIC WALTZ – “The God-Shaped Void”
1. Devils And Angels (06:29)
2. Stranded (04:49)
3. Back To Black (03:52)
4. All The Bad Men (03:59)
5. The Fallen (05:49)
6. While The Spiders Spin (05:49)
7. Pull The String (04:54)
8. Demystified (05:12)
9. Season Of The Swarm (05:57) *** Bonus Track
10. Sisters Of The Dawn (06:41)
11. In The Silence (05:16)
The album’s bonus-track “Season Of The Swarm” will be available on the limited Mediabook CD (which comes with an expanded booklet and an exclusive logo patch), on the vinyl edition as well as on the Digital versions. A standard Jewelcase CD edition is available as well.
Progressive rockers THE FLOWER KINGS released their highly successful studio double-album ‘Waiting For Miracles’ on InsideOutMusic in November 2019, played a European tour in December, and will embark on the Cruise to the Edge in late March. Widely met with critical acclaim, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ offers complex and intricate compositions, which also profit from drummer Mirkko DeMaio’s impressive performance and style.
He now invites you to check out his playthrough of the epic ‘Miracles For America’ and states: “I’ve recorded this the week right before leaving for Japan for two concerts with The Flower Kings, which have been a huge success! ‘Miracles For America’ is probably the most tricky song of the album ‘Waiting For Miracles’, but it has been for me the most easy to record because, in a total honest way, I’ve practiced this more hehehe…
It’s an edited version (basically I’ve took off a short ‘atmosphere’ part where there’s no drums, just to save a little time) and my drumming is slightly different from the album version, indeed it has more my live approach to it. Enjoy!”
THE FLOWER KINGS live 2020
27th March – 1st April – Cruise To The Edge, Miami – Carribean
3rd April, Polyvalente de Charlesbourg, Quebec City, Canada
4th April, Theatre Plaza, Montreal, Canada
Press on “Waiting For Miracles”: “Lavish, kinetic, dynamic, majestic, catchy, complex, desolate, happy and yes, revitalised, ‘Waiting For Miracles’ is all you would expect from a genuine return to form by one of Prog’s most influential and monumental names.” – Progreport.com
“If you’re a fan of his old-school heroes – Genesis, Yes, Floyd, even Procol Harum – this is high-grade methadone.” – Prog Magazine
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