 |
| Below are some of the latest happenings in the world of "progressive rock". It is our policy to not post rumors or heresay. If you spot any erroneous information, please email us at chad@ghostland.com. For more "progressive rock" news, please visit the Dutch Progressive Rock Pages. |
|
 |
 |
Pär Lindh Project vocalist/violinist Magdalena Berg dies at age 34
posted: 12/20/2007
|
|
Official statement from the band:
"It is with deepest sadness and loss we have received the tragic news of the passing of Magdalena Berg. Her maiden name was Hagberg.
For many years she was the voice of PLP featured on many of our albums and sang at our concerts all over the world. Her voice has touched the hearts of fans everywhere.
Magdalena was a generous person who loved music, loved life and loved people. She will be deeply missed by all members former and present of PLP. "
|
Martin Orford to leave IQ
posted: 7/21/2007
|
|
[IQ Press Release]
With great sadness, we have to announce that Martin Orford has decided to leave IQ. A founder member of the band since its inception in 1981, his contribution to IQ in the years since then has been incalculable. Everyone will be extremely sorry to see him go but we wish him every success in his future endeavours.
Martin explains the reasons for his decision:
"So...26 years in IQ. Well, it had to end sometime and after a lot of thought I've decided to (metaphorically speaking) hang up my keyboard player's cape and give someone else a chance.
There are lots of factors that contributed to my decision so I won't bore you with too many details, but basically I've just become weary of the whole process of 'being in a band' and I need a bit of time and space to do my own thing, and hopefully to re-discover some of the joy and enthusiasm that brought me into music in the first place. Including The Lens, Jadis and the John Wetton Band I've been in bands continuously for 30 years now with hardly a pause for breath and I urgently need a break from all that intensity.
And it has been incredibly intense and not without a certain amount of friction. IQ has always prided itself on being a democracy but in recent years I've found myself increasingly at odds with the process of all the band members writing together. Having been brought up with classical music where it's perfectly usual for everything to be written by one person, I've never felt at all comfortable with the idea of collective writing. I guess I'm just not a natural team player when it comes to music.
IQ is not something that I walk away from lightly. It's a fantastic band, easily the best of the Class of '83 that came through in the New Wave of Prog Rock, and we've done some brilliant stuff which I'll always be proud of. But as I've grown as a musician and a writer, I've found that I need to work and interact with other musicians less and less, and whilst I remain in a band, the vision I have for a piece of music is often blurred or altered out of all recognition by the intervention of others. So, rather than have a solo career that is almost permanently on hold because of IQ commitments, I now want to seize the opportunity to make my own music in my own way. It may be, of course, that the public deem it to be unmitigated rubbish, but I hope maybe you'll give it a chance.
And it goes without saying that I hope IQ will continue for many more years. Of course it will be different without my involvement, but it might even be better. People almost always overstate the impact of line-up changes - would Pink Floyd have made 'The Dark Side of the Moon' if Syd Barrett had been with them, or would Fleetwood Mac have made 'Rumours' if Peter Green was still in the band? Probably not, but both are iconic albums nonetheless.
Finally, a big thank you to all the band members for their understanding and support following my decision to leave. Everyone has been incredibly sensible and grown-up about the whole thing. Although I won't miss the collective writing process at all, I will miss each and every one of the members of IQ. They're a decent bunch at the end of the day."
Martin's final appearance with IQ will be at the Pierre-Péladeau Center in Montreal on 16th September 2007.
|
Genesis reforms for "Turn It On Again" Tour
posted: 11/7/2006
|
|
[Press Release]
Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford of the iconic band Genesis unveiled the dates for their first tour in 15 years. Turn It On Again - the tour, will see the band play a series of stadium concerts in Europe in the summer of 2007. Kicking off in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki on 11 June, the tour will hit twelve different European countries, ending in Rome on 14 July. At a Pan-European press conference staged today at London's exclusive Mayfair hotel and hosted by comedian and lifelong Genesis fan, David Baddiel, the band took questions from international media about their reasons for reforming and thoughts on the tour.
European tour promoter, John Giddings, commented:
"It is a privilege to work with one of the greatest rock bands of all time, and to see their musical talent together again onstage will be incredible. The live shows are as famous as their music."
The "Turn It On Again" tour will be travelling to all the biggest stadiums as it treks across Europe in 2007 through Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Poland, Germany, France, Holland, UK, Monte Carlo and Italy. For all European tour dates, please go HERE.
Tickets will be on sale for UK dates on 24 November and for dates in Germany on 10 November. Other on-sale dates to be announced.
Tony Banks, Phil Collins and Mike Rutherford will be joined on stage by long time Genesis sidemen, Chester Thompson on drums and Daryl Steurmer on guitar. Two of the world's greatest show technicians, award-winning lighting designer Patrick Woodroffe and acclaimed set designer Mark Fisher are working on plans for the 2007 Genesis tour.
Genesis have sold over 130 million albums, it is one of a small elite of British bands who have achieved global success and sustained it over four decades. Genesis was formed in 1966 by Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel, Mike Rutherford and Anthony Phillips, while still at school, but its most successful incarnation was the late 70's early 80's line-up of Phil Collins taking on lead vocals and sharing songwriting, with Rutherford and Banks. The Duke album topped the UK charts in 1980 with the hit single, Turn It On Again monopolising the airwaves. In 1987, Genesis played sold out stadium shows across the globe, including four consecutive Wembley Stadiums.
To coincide with the Genesis tour, EMI Records will be re-issuing 14 Genesis studio albums in three stages during 2007. All the releases will be SACD/DVD double disc sets featuring newly re-mastered 5.1 surround sound and stereo mixes. The release schedule is as follows:
March 2007: A Trick Of The Tail (1976), Wind & Wuthering (1977), …And Then There Were Three…(1978), Duke (1980) Abacab (1981)
June/July 2007: Genesis(1983), Invisible Touch(1986), We Can't Dance (1991), Calling All Stations(1997)
Late 2007/Early 2008: Trespass (1970), Nursery Cryme (1971), Foxtrot (1972 ), Selling England By The Pound (1973), The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway(1974)
|
Syd Barrett: 1946-2006
posted: 7/11/2006
|
|
Syd Barrett, the eccentric guitarist who founded Pink Floyd but later left the music business to live quietly and somewhat reclusively, has died at the age of 60, according to a spokeswoman for the band.
A spokeswoman for Pink Floyd told the Press Association: "He died very peacefully a couple of days ago. There will be a private family funeral."
"Syd was the guiding light of the early band lineup and leaves a legacy which continues to inspire," the surviving members of Pink Floyd -- Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright -- said in a statement.
They were "very upset and sad to learn of Syd Barrett's death."
The singer and guitarist, born Roger Keith Barrett on January 6, 1946, founded the band in 1965 with Waters, Mason and Wright. (Its name was derived from two American bluesmen, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council.)
He wrote many of the early hits for the avant-garde rock band, including the 1967 album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and the band's first hit singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play."
His songs were odd and charming combinations of childlike lyrics and swirling melodies, often augmented with strange arrangements. The titles alluded to space, the occult and sometimes nonsense: "Astronomy Domine," "Lucifer Sam," "Chapter 24."
Consider some lyrics of "Bike," from "Piper": "I know a mouse, and he hasn't got a house / I don't know why, I call him Gerald / He's getting rather old, but he's a good mouse."
Pink Floyd, taken under the wing of Beatles engineer Norman Smith, had early success, but Barrett, suffering from mental problems and heavy drug use, started demonstrating erratic behavior, including catatonia during concerts. He left the band in 1968. He was replaced by David Gilmour, who had joined the band as its fifth member earlier that year.
Barrett put out two noted solo albums, "The Madcap Laughs" and "Barrett," both in 1970.
In 1975, during the recording of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" album, Barrett showed up unannounced at the studio -- ironically, during the recording of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," a song about him. He had become overweight and shaved his eyebrows; the other members didn't recognize him at first.
"Wish You Were Here" was dedicated to Barrett.
Much of British psychedelic music was influenced by Barrett, and a number of musicians have credited him, according to Allmusic.com.
In a statement, David Bowie said that Barrett had been a "major inspiration."
"His impact on my thinking was enormous," Bowie wrote on his Web site. "A major regret is that I never got to know him. A diamond indeed."
Barrett had since lived in anonymity in the eastern English city of Cambridge. According to The Associated Press, he suffered from diabetes.
The spokeswoman said a low-key, private funeral would be held. She did not disclose the cause of death.
[Source: CNN.com]
|
Hurricane Katrina benefit album, After the Storm, released on January 17th
posted: 1/6/2006
|
|
On January 17th, NEARfest Records will release a 2CD benefit album in support of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. All proceeds from the release will go to Habitat for Humanity to help the Gulf Coast rebuild.
The project was spearheaded by Gayle Ellett of California-based prog rockers Djam Karet in early September 2005. Ellett posed the idea of a compilation album to the co-founders of the popular North East Art Rock Festival (NEARfest), Chad Hutchinson and Robert LaDuca. Hutchinson and LaDuca gladly offered to fund the project and take the reins with regards to coordinating the effort. The wonderful response from bands and musicians pushed the album to become a double CD. In all, 22 artists have donated music to the album.
Produced by Ellett, the music for the album consists primarily of unreleased studio and live material, which makes this compilation extra special. Echolyn, Djam Karet and Kraan have contributed brand new studio tracks to the compilation. New Orleans' own Woodenhead has also donated a track to support the efforts at home. The artwork is being created and donated by Michael Bennett, known for his inventinve artwork on releases from The Laser's Edge and ProgDay concert programs.
In short, "After the Storm" is an effort by the progressive rock community to do its share to help out the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. The costs of manufacturing have been donated by NEARfest and NEARfest Records.
Orders are now being taken at afterthestorm.nearfestrecords.com.
|
Rush to release R30, a definitive two DVD extravaganza in celebration of their 30th anniversary
posted: 10/27/2005
|
|
Press Release:
Not many popular rock bands last 30 years and even fewer can still make viable music that far into their career. But Canadian power trio sensation, Rush, continues to defy convention, recording new material and releasing the kind of groundbreaking albums that have defined them since their self titled debut in 1974.
Since then, bassist and vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart have been through numerous evolutions, each of which helped them blaze new, revolutionary trails for music and musicianship.
They were at the forefront of the heavy metal and progressive rock explosions, played synthesizer-fueled rock long before its heyday and addressed philosophical and literary topics in their lyrics that were virtually unprecedented.
They also have compiled a string of unparalleled concert albums that illustrate why they have long been considered one of the best live bands in the history of rock. To celebrate Rush's 30th Anniversary, Anthem Film & Television and Zoe Vision/Rounder will release the multi-CD and DVD package "Rush-R30" on November 22, 2005 (US & Canada/ November 28 UK & Europe).
The first DVD captures the band's $21-million grossing, sell-out 30th Anniversary World Tour and was filmed with 14 hi-definition cameras in
16x9 widescreen format at the Festhalle, Frankfurt Germany on September 24, 2004.
The set list spans the band's diverse 30-year career, and includes fan favorites "Xanadu," "The Spirit of Radio," "Working Man," "Tom Sawyer,"
"Subdivisions," "Earthshine," "2112," "Limelight," "Between the Wheels,"
which hasn't been performed live in 20 years as well as tracks from 2004's covers EP Feedback, including "Summertime Blues" and "Crossroads." Most of all eighteen studio albums are well represented through a non-stop energetic set of 22 electrifying songs.
The second DVD is a historical retrospective that features rare and classic performance footage dating from the 1970's to their recent 2005 Tsunami relief benefit concert. The disc also includes interview footage culled from the past three decades. A Deluxe Edition of "Rush-R30" will also feature two CDs with the complete soundtrack from the Frankfurt concert DVD, two limited edition Rush guitar picks and a souvenir backstage pass. Additionally, the standard and deluxe edition DVDs
($24.98/$39.98) feature collector's quality packaging and a choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound or PCM Stereo for a superior audio experience. The Deluxe edition can be pre-ordered at
http://www.rounderstore.com/retail/product.asp?P=0114310839
Celebrated, critically acclaimed and respected worldwide, Rush are the most successful Canadian rock band of all time. To date, the band has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide and remains one of the biggest grossing arena rock bands ever. The 30th Anniversary Tour gave North American and European fans an unforgettable chance to experience the band in some of the most exciting arenas around the world.
Not only was the 30th Anniversary Tour the band's first live dates since their successful Vapor Trails tour in 2002, it followed on from 2002's Rush in Rio Brazilian concerts where the band performed to over 60,000 ecstatic fans. In November of 2003, the band released their triple live CD album Rush in Rio, followed by the Rush in Rio double live DVD concert video, the latter which sold over a quarter of a million copies in North America, making it the second biggest selling music DVD that year (the DVD went Gold in the UK, Diamond in Canada and is currently 5 times platinum in the US). In 2004, RUSH were nominated for 'Best Rock Instrumental Performance' Grammy Award for the track O Baterista from the RUSH in Rio album.
The wait is over. Celebrate the band's 30th Anniversary in the privacy of your own home with over four and a half hours of music in stunning 5.1 Surround Sound. Turn it up, RUSH are back and more powerful than ever before.
|
From Genesis to Reformation?
posted: 9/30/2005
|
|
Is a Genesis reunion in the works? Former guitarist Steve Hackett says it is indeed. Hackett, who was in the band in from 1971 to 1977, has said that overtures are being made about getting the progressive rock group back together at some point: "There's something afoot. There's a move afoot to put us together again. At some point there's a reformation mooted. It's rare that I get a call from Genesis management, very rare these days. So maybe something will happen, you know."
Hackett said the reunion would include original singer Peter Gabriel, drummer-vocalist Phil Collins, guitarist-bassist Mike Rutherford, and keyboardist Tony Banks. Nothing specific has been arranged yet, however.
Genesis shut down in 1998 after the commercial failure of Calling All Stations, the album Rutherford and Banks recorded with a new singer after Collins left the band.
Genesis recently released a three-CD retrospective, Genesis Platinum Collection, and a DVD compilation called Genesis Video Show.
(Source: icebergradio.com)
|
Pink Floyd reunites with Roger Waters for Live8
posted: 6/13/2005
|
|
In an astounding turn of events, Pink Floyd will reunite with bassist/singer Roger Waters after 22 years. After the release of "The Final Cut" in 1983, the band bitterly disbanded and Waters pursued a solo career. Increased animosity ensued with guitarist David Gilmour reformed the band in 1987 for "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" with former bandmates Nick Mason and Richard Wright, but without Waters.
But now at long last, the four classic members of Pink Floyd will once again take the stage together at Live8, a multi-city benefit concert to end poverty in Africa. Pink Floyd will perform in London, England on Saturday, July 2nd. Other acts on the UK bill include U2, Elton John, Paul McCartney and REM. Live8 is a pseudo-sequel to the 1985 mega-concert Live Aid, also promoted by Bob Geldof, who incidently played "Pink" in the movie production of Pink Floyd's "The Wall."
More on Live8 at http://www.live8live.com.
|
ProgDay Benefit CD, "Kinections", now available
posted: 3/13/2005
|
|
The existence of the annual Labor Day progressive rock festival in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, is threatened due to lack of funding. In order to prevent this unique event from closing up shop, Lew Fisher of The Progressive Music Society has single-handedly enlisted a number of bands for their help in keeping ProgDay alive. Nine prestigious progressive bands have donated tracks, six which are previously unreleased, for a compilation disc to raise money for the festival.
The tracklisting is:
1. Strawbs - Riviera Dei Fiori/Under A Cloudless Sky (6:57)
2. Djam Karet - Pentimento (6:50)(Previously Unreleased)
3. Nathan Mahl - The Place We Call Home (6:27) (Previously Unreleased)
4. Trettioariga Kriget - Lang Historia (7:45)
5. Wobbler - Leprechaun Behind The Door (13:21) (Demo)
6. Sonus Umbra - Self Erosion (6:03)
7. Gert Emmens - The Warlock Returns (9:25) (Previously Unreleased)
8. The Muffins - They Come On Unknown Nights (4:22) (Previously Unreleased)
9. Guy Manning - Top Of The Mountain (17:58) (Previously Unreleased Demo)
The original artwork was donated by Ed Unitsky of The Tangent and The Flower Kings fame.
For details on how to order this unique album (limited to 1000 copies) go to Lew Fisher's web site. The CD is $12.00 with all profits going to support the continuation of ProgDay.
|
Remastered Gentle Giant catalog on the way, with bonus tracks
posted: 2/18/2005
|
|
Derek Shulman has confirmed that portions of the Gentle Giant backcatalog will be remastered, complete with bonus tracks. The first releases will be "In a Glass House" and "Free Hand" in May followed by "The Power and the Glory" and "Playing the Fool" later in the summer. "The Missing Piece", "Giant for a Day", and "Civilian" are slated for the fall. Each remaster will be packaged as a 35th anniversary edition. Possible personal involvement by Derek in the promotion of the remasters is also in the works.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
