AmuZeum is a Southern CA progressive rock band with an impressive pedigree that goes back more than a decade. The five members have crossed paths many times through the years in LA studios and playing in different bands such as Mars Hollow, Ten Jinn, Gabble Ratchet, and Heliopolis, all of which had various degrees of success.
In 2017 Jerry, Matt, Michael, and Scott turned the page on the Heliopolis chapter and took a short hiatus until early 2018 at which point, they began a new project with the addition of Ten Jinn’s Mark Wickliffe. Mark is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter with his own solo career. Rehearsals started and as the creativity flowed, they knew that they had much to offer. The result of their first effort is aptly titled “New Beginnings” and will see a release in the early part of 2020.
“New Beginnings” is Produced by AmuZeum and mixed by the legendary Billy Sherwood who is best known for his work with Yes and Circa among others. The album was mastered by GrammywinnerMike Bozzi at Bernie Grundman Mastering. The foundation of the music is based in progressive rock; however, each member brings a unique style, a vast array of influences and skillful songwriting chops.
Sonic landscapes, interwoven melodies, soaring harmonies, dynamic rhythms, and insightful moving lyrics all combine to create a tapestry to engage the listener and compel them to embark on a journey ……..destination unknown!!
In a statement from the band: “We are beyond excited to be part of the MRR family. MRR’s love, passion, belief and commitment to their artists and the music they create transcends the typical record company. It’s a perfect fit for us and we really look forward to what the future will bring. We can’t wait to do our part for the Melodic Revolution.”
AmuZeum is: Michael Matier – Guitars Matt Brown – Keyboards & Vocals Mark Wickliffe – Bass & Vocals Jerry Beller – Drums & Vocals Scott Jones – Voice
We are pleased to announce that we will be releasing the fourth album “Sisyphus” on CD by Ten Jinn in the early spring of 2018.
Sisyphus was originally released in Europe as a digital-only album in 2017.
About The Album Sisyphus is an eight-part programmatic work that tells the story of the founder and King of Corinth after whom it is named. Because of affronts to the gods while alive, Sisyphus was condemned in death to spend eternity in Hades rolling a boulder to the top of a mountain, only to have it roll back down each time he completed the task; this also speaks to the essay, “The Myth of Sisyphus,” by Albert Camus, who used the myth as a means to comment on the senseless, repetitive drudgery of modern life.
Originally written as a classical work (a symphonic poem for string orchestra and piano) the Ten Jinn production involved reworking the piece to include the addition of rock instrumentation. We got the idea to add vocals to make it more consistent with earlier Ten Jinn albums, and the plan was then to fill out the record with other new material; however, at one point during the process we decided to do an instrumental mix and use it as a “flip-side,” instead, because we wanted to include a version that was representative of the original idea, which had its own unique “flavor.”
The Band
John Paul Strauss: Lead and backing vocals, Keyboards
Mark Wickliffe: Drums, Bass & backing vocals
Ken Skoglund: Guitars & backing vocals
Mike Matier: Guitars
A Statement from John Strauss
I have known about Nick Katona of Melodic Revolution Records for a while now, having seen him at RosFest for several years in a row (donning his signature top hat with a classy presentation of product second to none). However, it was only during the 2017 iteration that I finally had a chance to speak with him at great length. What I found was a passionate, intelligent man; a kindred spirit in attitude towards life in general, and music in particular.
I went to his website and checked out a number of the artists on his label. What I found was an eclectic offering of artists all with one thing in common – superior musical talent. Along with a laid-back, yet serious, approach to getting this music heard, I thought that his label would be the perfect partner for Ten Jinn. So, I handed him a promo copy our new record Sisyphus, we spoke again a while later and decided to work together. I speak for myself, and rest of the band, when I say that I am very excited about our upcoming CD release of Sisyphus on MRR, and hope this will be the first of many more to come.
What the Critics are saying.
is it classical or prog? The answer is yes. All that’s missing is more of the same, which hopefully will come sooner than later from this seriously underrated act.
4 1/2 out of 5 Stars
– John Collinge, Progression Magazine
If you enjoy the band Enid, you will enjoy this one as well, and won’t get bored a minute here.
4 out of 5 Stars
– rdtprog, Prog Archives
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