by Nick | Jun 4, 2018 | Festivals, News
www.summersend.co.uk
News of the Summer’s End Festival at the Drill Hall, Chepstow on 5th to 7th October 2018.
Unfortunately, September Code from Greece cannot now play the festival due to personal issues affecting a member of the band. We are, however, very pleased to announce that Silhouette from the Netherlands have agreed to make a return to the festival having first played in 2013. The band released their fifth album “The World is Flat” in 2017 to great acclaim, and we’re excited that they have agreed to return on Saturday afternoon.
All ticket types remain on sale, although with 80% of tickets now sold, early purchase is recommended.
Saturday or Sunday day £40. Friday £20. Saturday and Sunday £75. Three-day tickets remain on sale priced £90 for a weekend ticket and £110 for a sponsor ticket (which includes a T-shirt)
Friday, October 5th
Moonparticle (International) will be a new name to most, but the band is awash with pedigree. Led by Nico Tsonev (ex-Steven Wilson / Lifesigns), the bands’ debut album “Hurricane Esmeralda” features Adam Holzman, Theo Travis, and Craig Blundell. This exclusive performance may well be the band’s first gig! www.moonparticle.com
Sky Architect
One of the most exciting young bands on the progressive rock scene at the moment, with four albums already under their belts, and we’re very excited that Sky Architect have to join us.
www.skyarchitect.com
Saturday, October 6th
Lazuli
Much-loved French band Lazuli will make their third appearance at the festival following inspirational sets in 2011 and 2013, and recent tours with Fish that have seen the band massively increase its fan base, so we are thrilled to welcome them to the festival for a third time. www.lazuli-music.com
Landmarq
We are also delighted to announce the return of Landmarq to the festival – and indeed to live performance – following the recent departure of Tracey Hitchings, now resident in Australia. Currently working on a new album, the band will showcase their new vocalist at Summers End. www.landmarq.net
Frequency Drift (Germany). Switching from Winter’s End to Summer’s End, German cinematic rock band Frequency Drift return to the festival after a spellbinding performance in 2014. Their new album “Letters to Maro” will be released in 2018. www.frequencydrift.com
Silhouette (Netherlands). We are very pleased to announce that Silhouette from the Netherlands have agreed to make a return to the festival having first played in 2013. The band released their fifth album The World is Flat in 2017 to great acclaim, and we’re excited that they have agreed a return on Saturday afternoon. www.silhouetteband.nl
When Mary (Norway). Combining art rock with electronica, When Mary – fronted by former White Willow vocalist Trude Eidtang, who played the festival with the band back in 2006 – released their 2nd album “Tainted” on Huw and Stephen’s Sonicbond label in November 2017. www.whenmary.no
Sunday, October 7th
Magenta
Another returning band are Magenta, making a record-breaking fifth appearance at the festival following their rapturously-received 2017 album “We Are Legend”. www.magenta-web.com
Tim Bowness
Making his debut at the festival will be art rock legend Tim Bowness and band, who released his latest solo album “Lost in the Ghost Light” in 2017 alongside a deluxe edition of No Man’s remarkable “Returning Jesus” album. www.timbowness.co.uk
Kaprekar’s Constant
Also from the UK are emerging Prog collective Kaprekar’s Constant, whose debut album “Fate Outsmarts Desire” has been very well received for its intricacy and history-based songwriting, with favourable comparisons to Big Big Train. The band will feature ex- VDGG woodwind legend David Jackson alongside his vocalist daughter Dorie and ex Level 42 drummer Phil Gould. www.kaprekarsconstant.com
Edensong (USA). With a 13 year history, this New York-based prog band will make their debut at the festival. Their latest album “Years in the Garden of Years” was released on Laser’s Edge in 2016. www.edensongtheband.com
Golden Caves (Holland). Hailed as one of the best young Prog bands to emerge in recent years, Golden Caves’ superb debut album “Collision” was released by Freia Music in 2017. www.goldencaves.com
If you are of a mind to further support Summer’s End, donations to help us organise, promote and pay for the festival are always very much appreciated. Please note, though, that we are not a charity: your donation is simply added to the festival’s income to help us continue booking bands, hiring/buying equipment etc.
by Nick | May 28, 2018 | News
We have been following each other’s movements and growth via social media for many years. So it only seemed natural that Melodic Revolution Records and Flor de Loto (Lotus Flower) found themselves in conversations whilst gathered at RoSfest (Gettysburg, PA), a prestigious festival celebrating its fifteenth anniversary.
Flor de Loto gave the audience a performance of a lifetime, they had become the talk of the festival and social media; this helped seal our common fate it was with this final puzzle piece falling in place. All parties felt it was time to enter a musical journey with one another. We are looking forward to many releases and years together.
Flor de Loto is:
Alonso Herrera – Lead Guitar and Vocals
Alejandro Jarrin – Bass
“Checho” Cuadros – Wind Instruments
Alvaro Escobar – Drums
Gabriel Iwasaki – Keyboards
In a Statement From Flor De Loto
Reaching a musical, work and emotional communion with Melodic Revolution Records has been a natural process. Since several years ago, Nick Katona (the president of MRR) has supported Flor de Loto’s career a lot, therefore this formalization to work together only consolidates a bond that arises from our third album Mundos Bizarros in 2009. We were aware of the existence of MRR before, but with our personal meeting at the Rosfest festival a few weeks ago, and the success of our presentation there, we decided to both parties to take this important step forward that we think will bring many achievements in the future. This agreement comes at a very important moment in the music history of Flor de Loto, as we are about to launch our ninth disc Eclipse, produced by Roy Z, a very big effort for us, and we are sure that we will be able to work very well together, Flor de Loto and MRR defining a point of break and growth for both.
Links:
Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/flordelotoprogre
Bandcamp
https://flordeloto.bandcamp.com
MRR Profile Page
http://mrrmusic.com/flor-de-loto
Official Website Coming Soon
Booking & Media Contact:
contact@flordeloto.rocks
fdlprogre@gmail.com
(00) (51) 999378142 – Alonso Herrera
(00) (51) 997697603 – Alejandro Jarrín
Label:
Melodic Revolution Records
Nick Katona
nick@melodicrevolution.com
Special thanks to Joel Barrios at Norrsken Photography and Design for the use of his fab pictures
by Nick | May 27, 2018 | News
In a posting on the bands facbook page reads;
Attention to all Wheeling area / Ohio Valley / Morgantown / Pittsburgh, etc folks. We are putting a band together to play the music of COLOURATURA live.
What we need is COMMITTED and SERIOUS players who can handle a consistent rehearsal schedule and a multitude of styles including (but not limited to) pop, rock, funk, progressive, metal, electronic and experimental music. This includes commitment to mastery of material that is in odd / changing time signatures.
Repertoire will consist of original COLOURATURA music, past, present and future, along with a variety of covers from the above genres. The idea is to be a WORKING BAND and we will be seeking paid gigs.
What we need is:
Keyboards
Bass
Drums
The current lineup is
Nathan James (vocals, horn, etc)
Derek Pavlic (guitar)
Christian Mikula (sax + auxiliary sounds)
Ian Beabout (sound, flute)
If this kinda life looks interesting to you, please get in contact with me by any means necessary. WE WILL HOLD AUDITIONS, so there will likely be written parts given out prior to the audition. TBA.
Contact:
Ian Beabout
Beaboutproductions@gmail.com
PS this is what we sound like.
Links:
| Official Website Coming Soon | Facebook | MRR Profile Page |
by Nick | May 26, 2018 | News
Produced by Greg Lake! Limited edition 1000 paper sleeve CD and 500 gatefolds colored audiophile vinyl!
Italy – Much to the excitement of Greg Lake & ELP fans worldwide, Annie Barbazza & Max Repetti are releasing MOONCHILD – A deep journey into the music and poetry of Greg Lake! To be issued as Limited edition 1000 paper-sleeve CD (MAN002) and 500 gatefolds colored audiophile vinyl (MANLP002) on Manticore Records on May 18, 2018, this album marks Greg Lake’s final production before his passing on December 7, 2016.
“Amongst the many projects Greg Lake and I planned for Manticore was the re-arranging of his favorite songs in a black and white, contemporary way. A sort of back to the bone, vocals and guitar setting, as simple as that. I remember Greg became an advocate of the new ‘less is more’ concept and he often reminded us that ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.’
“As we went further into the project, we soon discovered that an acoustic guitar could be fine for some tunes, but not suitable for others; so Greg decided we should go for piano and vocals and asked me to look for a talented piano player. I knew Max Repetti who I considered to be the perfect pianist for Greg. Apart from the fact that he had the entire ELP songbook in his repertoire, he is a very able musician. The audition lasted just a few minutes in a countryside restaurant on an upright piano which had seen better days, slightly out of tune, where Repetti dared to propose a medley of ‘The Stones Of Years,’ from ‘Tarkus,’ and ‘Take a Pebble.’ Greg was so delighted that he immediately asked Max to arrange for him a list of tunes he intended to put on the album that we called ‘Moonchild,’ after one of our favorite early songs.
“Sadly, in early 2014 Greg called me with the very worst news. Shortly after that, he decided to ask his young friend and talented singer and musician Annie Barbazza to take his place and carry on his legacy with this album. He patiently trained Annie using all the available technology to keep him up to date with our progress, while continuing to work with Max Repetti and me on the arrangements and production. We all spoke on Skype several times a week to ensure this project matched his standard of perfectionism and musical integrity.
“When Greg was awarded with an honorary degree for lyrics and music composition by Conservatorio Nicolini in January 2016, he was already too ill to attend the ceremony in person. I decided to surprise him by having Annie and Max perform his music on his behalf in front of the dignitaries. Greg was attending via Skype and you may listen to his encouraging comments on Greg Lake’s Official Channel on Youtube. He was so happy with the results that he pushed even harder for Annie to improve her skills as a singer. Annie Barbazza and Max Repetti performed Moonchild again at a sold-out concert for Greg’s last birthday on November 10, 2016. As Greg wanted, we will keep the flame alive by playing his music. So this is for you, Grande Gregorio wherever you are. May your music resound forever in our hearts.” – Max Marchini
Greg Lake, Annie Barbazza
“Annie and Max recorded such a wonderful and touching tribute to the music I have made during my lifetime. Max’s arrangements are absolutely superb! What a magical touch he has and Annie’s vocals are at the same time beautiful, brave and heartfelt. It is a very moving experience for me to hear them perform these songs so passionately.” – Greg Lake, 2016
Tracks
01. In The Court of the Crimson King – 21st Century
Schizoid Man
02. Trilogy – The Endless Enigma part II
03. Moonchild
04. The Stones Of Years – Take A Pebble
05. C’est La Vie
06. Battlefield including Epitaph
07. Karn Evil 9 1st impression, part 2
08. Memories Of An Officer And A Gentleman
09. In The Wake Of Poseidon
10. Lucky Man
11. The Sage / The Great Gates Of Kiev
Produced by Greg Lake and Max Marchini
music arranged by Max Repetti
Project coordination: Regina Lake
Recorded by Alberto Callegari @ Elfo Studios
© 2018 Manticore Records Ltd.
Visit Manticore Italy Records to purchase Annie Barbazza & Max Repetti’s MOONCHILD: www.manticorerecords.com
Annie Barbazza & Max Repett
by Nick | May 21, 2018 | Festivals, News
The Rites of Spring festival aka RoSfest is an annual progressive rock festival which takes place at the end of April or in early May. Established in 2004, the festival was held at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania until 2007, and then moved to the Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania for 2008 and 2009. In 2010, the festival moved to the Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, PA. where it celebrated its15th Anniversary throughout the weekend of May 4th, 5th, and 6th. 2018. On the last day of the festival, George Roldan announced that Polish Prog Metal Band “Riverside” will be one of many bands that will grace RoSfest in 2019.
May 21 just 14 days after the festival George Roland makes an announcement that RoSfest will be relocating to Sunny Florida for the No. 16, here is a posting from the official website.
Dear RoSfesters,
The RoSfest community is very important to me on so many levels and my long-term goal is to keep RoSfest going for as long as we can in order to benefit the “progressive music family” as a whole for both musicians and Prog music lovers alike. The Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, PA has been a memorable host to us for the past eight years, but even though our reputation continues to grow as the best North America Progressive Rock Festival, our audience attendance has been slowly declining.
As many of you are aware, we recently relocated to Sarasota, Florida. Our decision in selecting this location was not only because of its beauty, beaches, arts, and entertainment but because we believe Sarasota would make the perfect location for RoSfest to continue to survive and grow. Besides having an incredibly approachable downtown social area with blocks of restaurants, bars, hotels, Saturday morning Farmer’s Market, and shops that are bordered by Parks on the Sarasota Bay, Sarasota is home to the SARASOTA OPERA HOUSE offering an incredible acoustic experience residing in a $20 Million renovated theater. Our new home theater is in WALKING DISTANCE to hotels, restaurants, shops, and parks surrounded by views of the Gulf.
There are many additional attractions that people from all over the world visit Sarasota as a destination vacation spot for such as Siesta Key Beach, “Rated as the #1 Beach in the USA, 2017”, Selby Botanical Gardens, The Ringling Museums and Grounds, The Mote Marine Lab & Aquarium, the Art Center Sarasota, The Circus Arts Conservatory, Longwood Key, St. Armands Circle, and Lido Key for Kayaking the Mangroves or the Bay. In the coming weeks, we will share additional information about Sarasota that will include maps, photos, videos, and details to help familiarize everyone with the area. New host hotels will be designated and after hour parties will continue, but all within walking distance as most of you have requested.
I’m aware that this news may upset some of our supporters, but please understand that in order for RoSfest to survive, we’re hopeful that our RoSfest family will give Sarasota a chance so that we can keep bringing you the best that progressive music has to offer!
With much love and appreciation,
George
Important Links
http://www.sarasotaopera.org
http://rosfest.com
