Roine Stolt, known as the guitarist, singer, writer and at times band leader of the groups The Flower Kings, Transatlantic, Agents of Mercy, Kaipa DC, as well as from his work with prog icon Jon Anderson and the new super-group The Sea Within, is releasing a new album on November 23rd, 2018. Under the moniker ROINE STOLT’S THE FLOWER KING, ’Manifesto Of An Alchemist’ offers 10 songs and almost 70 minutes of playing time celebrating the style Roine is most revered for: progressive rock, richly orchestrated with all the trademark elements from four decades of the genre.
Watch Stolt discuss how the album together in this brand new interview video here:
A lyric video for the track ‘Lost America’ was released recently. Watch it now here: https://youtu.be/y919myxnMAc
Roine comments: “Lost America is one of the longer tracks on my new album – it goes through a series of melodic themes and riffs – most of them familiar in style from the vast Flower Kings catalogue of course. The song, and much of the album, is interesting in the way it has fragments drawn from different periods of the last 25 years – song ideas that were never fully developed or utilized – even if parts may have been already on the table for both The Flower Kings and Transatlantic. This particular song is kind of two songs – the first a melodic prog jigsaw – while the latter is a more straight riff-based tune – I do the lead vocal but both my brother Michael and Hammond dude Max Lorentz do quite a bit of backing me up with hairy vocals – Marco Minnemann on drums and Jonas Reingold on bass.
The lyrics are kind of touching upon the idea that we’ve lost our souls to the golden calf again. Profit, pride and profanity rule over soul, serenity and the sacred. Despite the song title, this is NOT a dig at the American people or culture, but rather a general global observation. We are all at risk.”
‘Manifesto Of An Alchemist’ is a celebration of all the styles that have been part of the colourful, daring and dynamic songwriting and arrangements that Roine masters like no other, yet also offers a more immediate, more hands on approach. “Like that first TFK album, I’m the main lead vocalist here again – it works as these lyrics are important to me and resonate with my view of the world. A lot of the guitar work is actually my spontaneous ‘demo’ guitars” and that goes for much of the synth work, too. I didn’t want to ‘process’ ideas too much as there is much power in the initial creation – I wanted to keep it that way.”
The album features a host of other musicians, including long-time collaborators Jones Reingold, Hans Froberg & Michael Stolt, as well as fellow The Sea Within member Marco Minnemann, Max Lorentz, Zach Kamins, Rob Townsend & Nad Sylvan.
‘Manifesto Of An Alchemist’ features stunning artwork from Shaun Beyond (https://www.instagram.com/shaunbeyond/), and will arrive as a limited edition CD digipak, Gatefold 180g 2LP + CD & as digital download.
As previously announced, Roine will take The Flower Kings catalogue on tour later this year, as well as playing tracks from this new album. He comments: “I am excited that the album will be released in November this year and at the same time will be in South America playing The Flower Kings music with a band that also includes Hasse Froberg & Jonas Reingold and also introduces two younger friends; Zach Kamins on keyboards and Mirko DiMaio on drums – both fabulous musicians. We will also bring this to Europe where we join forces with legends Spock’s Beard.”
South America 2018
16th November – Carioca Club, Sao Paolo, Brazil
18th November – El Teatrito, Buenos Aires, Argentina
19th November – Teatro Nescafe, Santiago, Chile
21st November – Teatro Del Patronato Peruano Chino, Lima, Peru
23rd November – C3 Stage, Guadalajara, Mexico
24th November – Auditoria Blackberry, Mexico City, Mexico
InsideOutMusic 25th Anniversary European Tour feat. Spock’s Beard & Roine Stolt’s The Flower King
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
CANADA – North America 2019
28th February – Club Soda, Montreal, Canada
1st March – Salle Jean – Paul Tardif, Quebec City, Canada
Los Angeles, CA – The unsung heroes of UK psychedelic rock, Man, have been quietly evolving over the course of their incredible 4+ decade career, transforming from the 5-piece upstart outfit who released their debut album in 1969 to a massively celebrated musical institution they’ve become in their home country and around the world. The key to that success, and their survival as a musical unit, has been the group’s unflagging efforts to push musical boundaries further as they explore creative mutations to become ever more adaptable to the current climate. For proof, just check out the latest collection from the band, Evolution, a spectacular 6CD box set featuring 4 superb studio albums in their entirety from Man’s turn-of-the-century period (1992-2006) PLUS a thrilling double concert album recorded in Berkeley CA 1976 with Quicksilver Messenger Service guitarist John Cipollina!
Each CD is packaged in its own jacket, recreating the artwork from the original release, along with liner notes by music historian Dave Thompson. The CD box will be available starting November 2 from Purple Pyramid Records, a division of Cleopatra Records, Inc.
Track List:
DISC 1: ENDANGERED SPECIES (2000)
1. Conflict Of Interest
2. Stuck Behind The Popemobile
3. Saints & Sinners
4. Face To Face
5. Hangin’ On
6. Tie Up The Wind
7. Victim Of Love
8. Love Isn’t Love
DISC 2: THE TWANG DYNASTY (1992)
1. A Feather On The Scales Of Justice
2. Mad On Her
3. Jumpin’ Like A Kangaroo
4. The Chimes At Midnight
5. The Price
6. Circumstances
7. Women
8. The Chinese Cut
9. Out Of The Darkness
10. Fast And Dangerous
11. The Wings Of Mercury
DISC 3: UNDRUGGED (2002)
1. Scotch Corner
2. Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
3. I Always Thought The Walrus Was Protected
4. Dream Away
5. Manillo
6. Asylum
7. Trying To Get To You
8. Listen To Me, Sister
9. Georgia On My Mind
10. Sail On Sailor
11. Day And Night
DISC 4: DIAMONDS AND COAL (2006)
1. Diamonds And Coal
2. All Alone
3. Freedom Fries
4. Twistin’ The Knife
5. Man Of Misery
6. Welsh Girl
7. Thank God It’s Not Miss Cathy
8. Teddy Boys Picnic
9. When You’ve Got Someone To Hold
DISC 5: LIVE AT THE KEYSTONE
1. Let The Good Time Roll
2. 7171 551
3. Hard Way To Die
4. The Welsh Connection
5. Something Is Happening
6. The Ride And The View
7. Out Of Your Head
8. Born With A Future
DISC 6: LIVE AT THE KEYSTONE
1. C’mon
2. Many Are Called, But Few Get Up
3. Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You
4. A Hard Way To Live
5. Romain
6. Bananas
Abel Ganz return with annual ‘Prog Before Christmas’ event in 2018!
Last year’s event raised the fantastic sum of almost £2500 on behalf of cancer support charity https://www.maggiescentres.org/
This year – things are being run just a little differently. A five-band bill with two bands in the afternoon, then a break, then three bands in the evening. Our line up looks like this:
Afternoon
Glen Brielle – Hugh Carter’s solo project.
Joined by several close friends in a full band line up, Hugh will debut selections from forthcoming solo release ‘Still’ – a very personal album including epic track The Journey: a musical record of the voyage of discovery that Hugh and his wife Maria set off on after his diagnosis.
Halo Tora – Recently featured in Prog magazine this young and vital band from Glasgow are rightly drawing a great deal of attention. With a fresh and exciting sound, they really do have the the potential to go very far and we are, frankly, fortunate to have them join the bill while it’s still possible to see them up close and personal! The band has just released new album‘Man of Stone: First Chapter’.
Break
Evening
Grand Tour – Hew Montgomery solo project.
Joined by Joe Cairney from Comedy of Errors on lead vocals, and with full band line up, we are absolutely thrilled that this year’s event will feature the first live performances of Hew’s solo material. Playing selections from debut album ‘On the Beach’, and tracks from new, forthcoming album ‘Clocks that tick – but never talk’ this is sure to be a highlight of this year’s event.
Abel Ganz – Organizers / hosts will showcase new material from forthcoming album ‘The Life of The Honey Bee – and other moments of clarity’ as well as some favourites from back catalogue.
Galahad – Headline act.
With a long and illustrious history, Galahad have in recent years released one great album after another! Their 2018 release ‘Seas Of Change’, the follow up to the 2017 ‘Quiet Storms’ album consists of just one massive, hugely ambitious ‘Magnum Opus’ track exceeding 42- minutes of imaginative and dramatic modern Progressive Rock. Nominated for the 2018 UK PROG awards in the ‘UK Band/Artist of the year’ category, Galahad have, astonishingly, never before played in Scotland!
We are so very pleased to welcome all our guest to The Prog Before Xmas 2018 and we hope you will agree that this is sure to be another night to remember! Please also remember– as ever, the aim is to raise as much money for the Maggie’s charity as we possibly can.
Multi-instrumentalist One-man blues band known as DC Snakebusters just released his self-titled debut album
Track Listing
01. On the Road again ( Jones / Wilson )
02. I’m Ready ( Dixon)
03. How Many More Years ( Burnett )
04. Crazy Mama ( Cale )
05/ Big Boss Man ( Dixon/ Smith )
06) Personal Jesus ( Gore )
07. I Wish You Would ( Arnold )
08. Alabama TRAIN ( Minter )
09.I Got My Mojo Working ( Foster )
10, Hi-Heel Sneakers ( Higginboth )
11. Baby Please Don’t Go ( White )
Manticore Records is proud to announce the new album by Alternative music legend John Greaves, now a Manticore Records Artist
British bass guitarist and composer John Greaves, best known as a member of Henry Cow and his collaborative albums with Peter Blegvad is releasing a new album titled “Life Size” on Manticore Records on November 30, 2018. John was also a member of National Health and Soft Heap, and has recorded several solo albums, including “Accident” (1982), “Parrot Fashions” (1984), “The Caretaker” (2001) and “Greaves Verlaine” (2008).
Says Manticore Records president Max Marchini, “When Greg Lake wanted me to be the artistic director of the renaissance of Manticore he was very precise: ‘I don’t want Manticore to be nostalgic but respectful and helpful of any great talent, old or new. We don’t want to be a progressive only label but open to any kind of music for progressive it is not a genre but an intention’.
“It’s a great honor to be able to continue his quality control and tradition of perfectionism and creativity. And I am lucky enough to have trusting friends who help me and to share with projects: Regina Lake, Alberto Callegari at the amazing Elfo Recording Studios and Manticore artist Annie Barbazza. Our aim is to live up to Greg Lake’s vision and production skills with new albums that can match his demanding standards.
“I have been lucky enough to work with one of the most respected and talented British composers, Welsh-born John Greaves who is a true living legend in alternative music.”
John Greaves led the European avant-garde as a founder member of Henry Cow with Fred Frith and Lindsay Cooper, then his bass was the driving force in bands like National Health and Love Of Life Orchestra. He played with Brian Eno, Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield, Michael Nyman, Penguin Café Orchestra, Carla Bley and Michael Mantler just to mention a few.
In recent years he has produced albums for the French classical label Harmonia Mundi for Radio France of composition upon words of Paul Verlaine and for Dark Companion a precious critically acclaimed live album called “Piacenza”. He appears on the new Sony relate of Gabrie Fauré songs “Ici-bas”. His songwriting partnership with Slapp Happy’s Peter Blegvad gave birth to gems like “Bad Alchemy”, “How Beautiful You Are “ and “The Song”.
On his new album “Life Size”he shares the vocals with a remarkable cast. Three fabulous, uniquely different female voices: Valérie Gabail, Annie Barbazza, Himiko Paganotti and Greaves himself sing a collection of songs in French, English and Italian, moving from pure pop thru Debussy-esque Apollinaire to sensual spoken-word; there’s even a song by Robert Wyatt, an old friend from way back when. The line-up of musicians is equally stellar: Olivier Mellano and Jakko Jakksyk (from King Crimson) on guitars, Vincent Courtois on cello, Zeena Parkins on harp, Matthieu Rabaté on drums.
“Life Size” features new compositions and the revisiting of old ones into a new, breathtaking contemporary and classical style, featuring some of the most acclaimed international musicians. Treat yourself to a very special musical journey.
Says Max, “’Life Size’ is an album of stunning beauty and inner grace and sure will be a classic for the future, and intended to be the logical sequel to the critically acclaimed ‘Songs’, which, by the way, has been remastered at our Elfo Studios to state of the art sound quality and re-issued by Dark Companion Records.”
‘Life Size” was recorded and mastered to exemplary sound standards in audiophile premium colored vinyl and golden high-end CDs. This first pressing will be of 1,000 CD and 500 vinyl only.
Tracklist
01. Air de la Lune
02. The Same Thing
03. In Te
04. God Song
05. Kew Rhône is Real
06. Earthly Powers
07. Still Life
08. La Lune Blanche
09. Sweetheart Goodbye
10. Hôtels
11. How Beautiful You Are
12. Lie Still, Sleep Becalmed
Personnel:
John Greaves: voice, bass guitar piano, sequences, string arrangements
Annie Barbazza: voice (3,6,7,11) piano (11), acoustic guitar (3)
Valérie Gabail: voice (1, 10)
Himiko Paganotti: voice (8)
Vincent Courtois: cello
Matthieu Rabaté: drums
Olivier Mellano: guitar (1,2,6,8)
Sophia Domancich: treated piano (8)
Zeena Parkins: harp (10)
Jakko Jakszyk: electric guitar (4)
Lino Capra Vaccina: piano, gongs, vibes, cymbals, percussion (12)
Camillo Mozzoni: oboe
Max Marchini: sub aquatic electric guitar (3)
Jordi Tagliaferri: vibes (2,10), congas (7)
Irene Barbieri: violins (1,7)
Diego Romani: violas (1,7)
The Warm Morning Brothers: bkg. vocals (3)
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