Spock’s Beard & Roine Stolt’s The Flower King’s celebrate InsideOutMusic’s 25th anniversary on tour

InsideOutMusic, the leading light in today’s progressive rock scene, celebrate their 25th anniversary of being a label in 2018, in what will be one of their biggest and busiest yet. To coincide with this, two of their longest serving artists, Spock’s Beard & Roine Stolt’s The Flower King’s, will head out on a European co-headline tour in Winter 2018.

Spock’s Beard comment: “Spock’s Beard is excited to announce an upcoming Winter tour! It will be a co-bill with Roine Stolt’s THE FLOWER KING’s revisited band, so each show promises to be a great evening of music. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about who will be playing drums on this tour, so at this time let me introduce our new touring drummer, Mr. Mike Thorne, from SAGA! We are really excited to have him on board and are looking forward to seeing you on tour.”

Roine Stolt adds: “Asked to put together a band to go on the road, celebrate our label Inside Out’s 25 year anniversary – I was thinking of the ‘treasure’ that is the music I wrote for The Flower Kings during that same period. I felt compelled to bring out this music for yet another round – and in the process bring in some old friends and some new.

The music is universal – some songs timeless – and by November I hope to have an exciting set-list – to not only celebrate my 1st album and the origin of all things “The Flower King” – but to cover the rest of TFK’s history – and eventually a new tune & a few new faces. Tune up the engine – Time to prog!”

You can find the full list of dates below:
30th November – Cosmopolite, Oslo, Norway
1st December – Kulturhuset Studion, Stockholm, Sweden
2nd December – KB, Malmo, Sweden
4th December – Zeche, Bochum, Germany
5th December – Z7, Pratteln, Switzerland
6th December – La Machine, Paris, France
7th December – De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands
8th December – Hedon, Zwolle, Netherlands
9th December – Islington Assembly Hall, London, UK
10th December – Academy Club, Manchester, UK

Formed back in 1993 in Kleve, Germany, the label made their name with acts such as Enchant, Spock’s Beard, Symphony X & The Flower Kings, many of whom they still work with now – a rarity in this day and age. Since that time, the label has played a key & continued role in the survival and resurgence of progressive rock in recent years and has always prided itself on shining a light on leftfield music. Now the band count some of the biggest & most exciting bands amongst their roster, including Dream Theater, Steve Hackett, Devin Townsend, Sons of Apollo, Kansas, Haken, Riverside, Leprous & more. On the label’s 20th anniversary back in 2013, one of the label’s founders, and current label-head Thomas Waber was given the Guiding Light award at the Progressive Music Awards, praising his aforementioned role in the continued celebration of progressive rock.

Many of InsideOut’s longest running relationships will see new albums released in the labels 25th year, including Spock’s Beard’s 13th album ‘Noise Floor’, a new collaborative project called The Sea Within that features Roine Stolt, Daniel Gildenlow & Jonas Reingold (all veterans of the label), a landmark live album from Devin Townsend filmed at a special performance at a Roman Theatre in Bulgaria, a new studio album from Riverside & much more.

This year will also see InsideOut release a whole host of lavish catalogue releases throughout 2018, including the second part of The Flower Kings ‘A Kingdom of Colours’ CD boxsets, a series of Devin Townsend high-end vinyl boxes, a CD collection covering the whole of Enchant’s illustrious career, & much more yet to be announced.

The Progressive Music Awards 2018 recently announced their nominations, with InsideOutMusic seeing 10 nominations in total, including Spock’s Beard for best international artist, as well as nods for Perfect Beings, Toundra, PFM, Sons of Apollo, Kino, Leprous & Caligula’s Horse. Find more details here: https://www.loudersound.com/features/vote-now-in-the-2018-progressive-music-awards

Watch out for more news throughout 2018!
INSIDEOUT MUSIC online:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/InsideOutUSA
www.insideoutmusicshop.com

INSIDEOUTMUSIC Spotify Playlist:
http://spotify.com/progrockessentials

The Sea Within – launch studio teaser for debut self-titled album

The Sea Within – the new art-rock collective comprising of Roine Stolt (Transatlantic, The Flower Kings), Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), Jonas Reingold (Steve Hackett, The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, The Tangent), Tom Brislin (Yes Symphonic, Renaissance, Spiraling, Deborah Harry) & Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, UK, Joe Satriani) – have announced that their debut self-titled album will be released June 22nd, 2018.

Now they are pleased to give fans a glimpse at the recording process for the album, as well as a very first taste of the music.

Watch & listen to this studio teaser video here:

Let’s get one thing straight from the start. The Sea Within is more of an amalgamation of some serious talents, than a regular “supergroup”. These musicians have come together to create a unique album. Guitarist/vocalist Roine Stolt, bassist Jonas Reingold, keyboard player/vocalist Tom Brislin, drummer/vocalist Marco Minnemann and vocalist/guitarist Daniel Gildenlöw have a vast reservoir of experience. Look at the portmanteau of artists with who they’ve worked: The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Jon Anderson, Steven Wilson,The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Yes, Steve Hackett, Renaissance, Pain Of Salvation, Deborah Harry, Meatloaf, Karmakanic … that of itself tells you this is something very special.

“I suppose it all began to take shape in the autumn of 2016,” explains Stolt. “I had a chat with Thomas Waber, the boss at InsideOut Music, about the idea of putting together a new band. I wanted to move in a fresh direction with new collaborations. So Thomas gave me the ‘go ahead’ to seek musicians for a new project.”
First on-board was The Flower Kings bass player Jonas Reingold.- “He is a long time bandmate and friend and we were also very keen to get keyboardist Tom (Brislin) involved – after seeing his synth pyrotechnics with legends Yes ‘Symphonic’ and with Camel. Then we have been a fans of ‘Aristocrats’ drummer Marco for a long time; I first heard of him 15 years ago and he is a brilliant drummer, unique energy. Then when we discussed ideas for singers, Daniel’s name came up, he has such a great range and dynamic voice and we’ve worked together on and off over the years.” Also added later to the bands line-up for live shows was vocalist & guitarist Casey McPherson of ‘Flying Colors’ & ‘Alpha Rev’, who also sings a couple of songs on the album.

Initially the band went to Livingston Studios in London last September to begin the process of assembling all the material and recording it for the debut album.
“Most of the material you’ll hear are really band compositions. Of course, ideas were triggered by all of us. Sometimes Jonas would come up with a part, chord sequence or tune and then I or Tom would write melody & lyric and some new riff section and Marco enhancing with further musical metric twists and developments – then Daniel would add or rewrite some of the lyrics, change or add more melodies. Overall, the vast majority of the tracks have been worked on and developed by all of us in one way or another.”

The entire recording situation took about six months, and the band also have some very special guests featured on the album.
“We have got Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater playing piano on one song. The legendary Jon Anderson sings on another track, while ‘wind ace’ Rob Townsend, who plays saxophone and flute with Steve Hackett, is also on the record. Each of them brings a different flavour to the music.”

“People have asked me how I would describe what we have done, and it is almost impossible. I would have to say it sounds like…us, ‘The Sea Within’. Our tastes are very eclectic – from prog to jazz to classical, to heavy rock, folk, punk, electronica and pop. We all come from a different background – so here everything goes.
This has been about putting those diverse influences into the music. I feel you will hear all that’s good about pop – with great melodies and hooks – plus the rawness of metal, improvisations, symphonic and movie soundtracks. We also left room for each of us to take off on flights of instrumental jamming. That was the basic idea, anyway. But until we all got together, we had no idea where it would lead or if it would actually work.”
The band have ended up recording close to two hours of music, and will be releasing it all in June on what will be a self-titled album.

The Sea Within as a music collective have plans to perform live, and will make their stage debut at ‘Night Of The Prog’ in Loreley, Germany which happens from July 13-15 and will bring special guests for that evening. 
“As far as I am concerned, we will try do as much touring as possible. We have a great band, great label and our agent Rob Palmen on-board. We have great artwork by Marcela Bolivar, all looks bright. However Daniel will not be able to join us for touring now, as he has commitments with main band Pain Of Salvation. With Casey taking the vocal spot, now with us live, we can go out on the road and play this album and beyond and grow as a band. We have so much to offer musically, on record and on stage and I am sure we will develop a lot over the next few years. But ‘The Sea Within’ album is a great start. I am excited for everyone to hear what we have done and am now thrilled to start working on the songs for the live show.”

The album will be available as a special edition 2CD digipak, gatefold 2LP vinyl + 2CD & as digital download. You can find the full track listing below:
Disc 1:

1.Ashes of Dawn
2.They Know My Name
3.The Void
4.An Eye for an Eye for an Eye
5.Goodbye
6.Sea Without
7.Broken Cord
8.The Hiding of the Truth
Disc 2:
1.The Roaring Silence
2.Where Are You Going?
3.Time
4.Denise

As mentioned, The Sea Within has recently announced their first confirmed live date, taking to the stage at Night of the Prog Festival 2018 at Loreley, Germany on the weekend of 13-15th July 2018. Tickets are available now here: http://www.nightoftheprogfestival.com/en/home-2/

THE SEA WITHIN online:
www.facebook.com/theseawithin1
www.twitter.com/theseawithin1
www.instagram.com/theseawithin1
www.theseawithin.net

INSIDEOUT MUSIC online:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/InsideOutUSA
www.insideoutmusicshop.com

INSIDEOUTMUSIC Spotify Playlist:
http://spotify.com/progrockessentials

 

THE SEA WITHIN – A New Art-rock Collective

THE SEA WITHIN – the new art-rock collective comprising of Roine Stolt (Transatlantic, The Flower Kings), Daniel Gildenlöw (Pain of Salvation), Jonas Reingold (Steve Hackett, The Flower Kings, Karmakanic, The Tangent), Tom Brislin (Yes Symphonic, Renaissance, Spiraling, Deborah Harry) & Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, UK, Joe Satriani) – have announced that their debut self-titled album will be released 22nd June 2018.

Let’s get one thing straight from the start. The Sea Within is more of an amalgamation of some serious talents, than a regular “supergroup”. These musicians have come together to create a unique album. Guitarist/vocalist Roine Stolt, bassist Jonas Reingold, keyboard player/vocalist Tom Brislin, drummer/vocalist Marco Minnemann and vocalist/guitarist Daniel Gildenlöw have a vast reservoir of experience. Look at the portmanteau of artists with who they’ve worked: The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Jon Anderson, Steven Wilson,The Aristocrats, Joe Satriani, Yes, Steve Hackett, Renaissance, Pain Of Salvation, Deborah Harry, Meatloaf, Karmakanic … that of itself tells you this is something very special.

“I suppose it all began to take shape in the autumn of 2016,” explains Stolt. “I had a chat with Thomas Waber, the boss at InsideOut Music, about the idea of putting together a new band. I wanted to move in a fresh direction with new collaborations. So Thomas gave me the ‘go ahead’ to seek musicians for a new project.”
First on-board was The Flower Kings bass player Jonas Reingold.- “He is a long time bandmate and friend and we were also very keen to get keyboardist Tom (Brislin) involved – after seeing his synth pyrotechnics with legends Yes ‘Symphonic’ and with Camel. Then we have been a fans of ‘Aristocrats’ drummer Marco for a long time; I first heard of him 15 years ago and he is a brilliant drummer, unique energy. Then when we discussed ideas for singers, Daniel’s name came up, he has such a great range and dynamic voice and we’ve worked together on and off over the years.” Also added later to the bands line-up for live shows was vocalist & guitarist Casey McPherson of ‘Flying Colors’ & ‘Alpha Rev’, who also sings a couple of songs on the album.

Initially the band went to Livingston Studios in London last September to begin the process of assembling all the material and recording it for the debut album.
“Most of the material you’ll hear are really band compositions. Of course, ideas were triggered by all of us. Sometimes Jonas would come up with a part, chord sequence or tune and then I or Tom would write melody & lyric and some new riff section and Marco enhancing with further musical metric twists and developments – then Daniel would add or rewrite some of the lyrics, change or add more melodies. Overall, the vast majority of the tracks have been worked on and developed by all of us in one way or another.”

The entire recording situation took about six months, and the band also have some very special guests featured on the album.
“We have got Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater playing piano on one song. The legendary Jon Anderson sings on another track, while ‘wind ace’ Rob Townsend, who plays saxophone and flute with Steve Hackett, is also on the record. Each of them brings a different flavour to the music.”

“People have asked me how I would describe what we have done, and it is almost impossible. I would have to say it sounds like…us, ‘The Sea Within’. Our tastes are very eclectic – from prog to jazz to classical, to heavy rock, folk, punk, electronica and pop. We all come from a different background – so here everything goes.
This has been about putting those diverse influences into the music. I feel you will hear all that’s good about pop – with great melodies and hooks – plus the rawness of metal, improvisations, symphonic and movie soundtracks. We also left room for each of us to take off on flights of instrumental jamming. That was the basic idea, anyway. But until we all got together, we had no idea where it would lead or if it would actually work.”
The band have ended up recording close to two hours of music, and will be releasing it all in June on what will be a self-titled album.

The Sea Within as a music collective have plans to perform live, and will make their stage debut at ‘Night Of The Prog’ in Loreley, Germany which happens from July 13-15 and will bring special guests for that evening. 
“As far as I am concerned, we will try do as much touring as possible. We have a great band, great label and our agent Rob Palmen on-board. We have great artwork by Marcela Bolivar, all looks bright. However Daniel will not be able to join us for touring now, as he has commitments with main band Pain Of Salvation. With Casey taking the vocal spot, now with us live, we can go out on the road and play this album and beyond and grow as a band. We have so much to offer musically, on record and on stage and I am sure we will develop a lot over the next few years. But ‘The Sea Within’ album is a great start. I am excited for everyone to hear what we have done and am now thrilled to start working on the songs for the live show.”

The album will be available as a special edition 2CD digipak, gatefold 2LP vinyl + 2CD & as digital download. You can find the full track listing below:


Disc 1:
1. Ashes of Dawn
2. They Know My Name
3. The Void
4. An Eye for an Eye for an Eye
5. Goodbye
6. Sea Without
7. Broken Cord
8. The Hiding of the Truth

Disc 2:
1. The Roaring Silence
2. Where Are You Going?
3. Time
4. Denise

As mentioned, The Sea Within has recently announced their first confirmed live date, taking to the stage at Night of the Prog Festival 2018 at Loreley, Germany on the weekend of 13-15th July 2018. Tickets are available now here: http://www.nightoftheprogfestival.com/en/home-2/

THE SEA WITHIN online:
www.facebook.com/theseawithin1
www.twitter.com/theseawithin1
www.instagram.com/theseawithin1
www.theseawithin.net
INSIDEOUTMUSIC ONLINE:
www.insideoutmusic.com
www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV
www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic
www.twitter.com/insideouteu

THE FLOWER KINGS – announce ‘A Kingdom of Colours 2 (2004 – 2013)’ boxset

Veteran Swedish progressive rockers The Flower Kings released the first part of a career spanning boxset titled ‘A Kingdom of Colours (1995-2002)’ late last year, covering the period starting with ‘Back in the World of Adventures’ to ‘Unfold the Future’ over the course of 10 discs. Now they are pleased to announce the release of ‘A Kingdom of Colours 2 (2004 – 2013) which covers the albums from ‘Adam & Eve’ to ‘Desolation Rose’ and also includes 3 discs of bonus material dating back from 1995. As with the first part of the boxset, there is a brand new interview with band leader Roine Stolt conducted by journalist Dom Lawson (The Guardian, Prog Magazine), giving a history of this period of the band’s existence.

A limited amount of the box-set will be available in the US only through: www.insideoutshop.com

Last year the band also released a new remixed & remastered vinyl edition of their landmark album ‘Unfold The Future’. Order that vinyl here now: http://smarturl.it/UnfoldTheFuture2017

Watch an unboxing of the new vinyl edition of ‘Unfold the Future’ here:

Find the full track-listing for the boxset below:
 
Adam & Eve
1 Love Supreme 19:50
2 Cosmic Circus 3:00
3 Babylon 2:41
4 A Vampires View 8:50
5 Days Gone By 1:10
6 Adam & Eve 7:50
7 Starlight Man 3:30
8 Timelines 7:40
9 Drivers Seat 18:22
10 The Blade of Cain 5:00
Paradox Hotel
CD1
1 Check In 1:37
2 Monsters & Men 21:21
3 Jealousy 3:22
4 Hit Me With a Hit 5:32
5 Pioneers of Aviation 7:49
6 Lucy Had a Dream 5:28
7 Bavarian Skies 6:34
8 Selfconsuming Fire 5:49
9 Mommy Leave the Light On 4:38
10 End on a High Note 10:43
CD2
1 Minor Giant Steps 12:13
2 Touch My Heaven 6:09
3 The Unorthodox Dancinglesson 5:23
4 Man of the World 5:59
5 Life Will Kill You 7:02
6 The Way the Waters Are Moving 3:11
7 What If God Is Alone 7:00
8 Paradox Hotel 6:30
9 Blue Planet 9:43
The Sum of No Evil
1 One More Time 13:04
2 Love Is the Only Answer 24:28
3 Trading My Soul 6:25
4 The Sum of No Reason 13:25
5 Flight 999 Brimstone Air 5:00
6 Life in Motion 12:34
Banks Of Eden
1 Numbers 25:20
2 For the Love of Gold 7:30
3 Pandemonium 6:05
4 For Those About to Drown 6:50
5 Rising the Imperial 7:40
Desolation Rose
1 Tower One 13:37
2 Sleeping Bones 4:16
3 Desolation Road 4:00
4 White Tuxedos 6:30
5 The Resurrected Judas 8:24
6 The Silent Masses 6:17
7 Last Carnivore 4:22
8 Dark Fascist Skies 6:05
9 Blood of Eden 3:12
10 Silent Graveyards 2:52
Bonus Disc 1
1 Kite 07:32
2 Buffalo Man 05:28
3 The Flower King (re-recording 1998) 11:46
4 Stardust We Are (re-recording 1998) 08:57
5 Last Exit 09:17
6 Brazilian Woman 04:18
7 Dexter Frank Jr. 02:24
8 Agent Supreme 02:34
9 Space Traveller 13:10
Bonus Disc 2
1 Petit Heritage 02:02
2 A Good Heart 05:21
3 The Crown and The Cross 04:54
4 King of Grief 03:51
5 She Carved Me a Wooden Heart 05:59
6 Space Revolver 07:33
7 Jupiter Backwards 06:25
8 The River 05:43
9 Turn The Stone 05:07
10 Regal Divers 06:01
Bonus Disc 3
1 Illuminati 06:20
2 Fireghosts 05:50
3 Going Up 05:10
4 LoLines 04:40
5 Runaway Train 04:41
6 Interstellar Visitations 08:24
7 Lazy Monkey 02:25
8 Psalm 2013 02:10
9 The Wailing Wall 03:18
10 Badbeats 05:24
11 Burning Spears 03:15
12 The Final Era 02:57

Essential Modern Progressive Rock Albums: Images and Words Behind Prog’s Most Celebrated Albums 1990-2016 Available For Pre-order Now

Earlier this summer, a new book dedicated to the resurgence of one of music’s most enduring and underrated genres was announced from The Prog Report. Essential Modern Progressive Rock Albums: Images and Words Behind Prog’s Most Celebrated Albums 1990-2016, authored by Prog Report editor Roie Avin, is the first book to shine a light exclusively on the important albums of the modern progressive rock era. This new book showcases more than 50 albums from the last quarter century of prog, with each chapter dedicated to one album.

Featuring full-color images of the artists live, original press photos and brilliant album cover art, this 280+ page, softcover coffee table book will be one every prog fan will want to display proudly as a badge of their fandom.

The book, out in late November, is now available for pre-order only at: http://progreport.com/essential-modern-prog-rock-albums/

Preorders come with a download of a chapter from the book on Transatlantic’s The Whirlwind.

Highlighted in the book are prolific and pioneering artists such as Dream Theater, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Spock’s Beard, Marillion, The Flower Kings, Enchant, Fates Warning, Queensryche, and Big Big Train, along with more recent bands like Haken, Karnivool, Riverside, Between the Buried and Me, and The Dear Hunter, among the more than 30 bands included. Drawing on original interviews with band members such as Mike Portnoy, Neal Morse, Steven Wilson, John Petrucci, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Roine Stolt, Pete Trewavas, Ross Jennings, and dozens more, the book offers an in-depth look at the stories behind the albums that shaped the next wave of progressive rock. This book focuses solely on bands that carried the mantle of the genre’s initial ’70s explosion, artists that expanded the genre further, incorporating new sounds and elements to reach new audiences worldwide.

“The last 25+ years have been an incredibly fruitful period for progressive music, as this book indicates. The albums chosen here represent some of the most exciting music created in the modern progressive period, and it’s only right that they claim their moment in the spotlight.” – Jerry Ewing, Prog Magazine

“There certainly was a period when the majority of bands of the New Prog generation, whilst more than competent, sounded just a bit too derivative of their first generation idols. But Roie Avin’s book goes some way to establish the credentials of the more recent Neo-Prog bands as having a far more individual and original voice whether it be the virtuosity of Dream Theater, the creativity and appeal of Big Big Train, or the highly impressive path carved out by Steven Wilson firstly with Porcupine Tree and latterly, in his own right.” – Anthony Phillips, Genesis founding member, and guitarist

“This looks to be an amazing book and a MUST HAVE for Prog fans!” – Mike Portnoy

Teaser video that was released in July: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CuamlgOsIOI

To purchase: http://progreport.com/essential-modern-prog-rock-albums/

For more information: [email protected]

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158, [email protected]