A personal note of thanks to one of my favorite English-humans, Andrew Craske, for his incredibly kind gift. I now own one of the single best t-shirts in all of North America. Perhaps in all of the new world.
Andrew Craske and the Big Big Train
STONE AND STEEL: July 4, 2016 (North and South America)
STONE & STEEL RELEASE DATES:
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
After lengthy consideration, we have made a difficult decision to amend the release dates for the Stone & Steel Blu-ray and download film.
NEW RELEASE DATES:
Monday 21st March 2016 – UK, Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, China, Australia and New Zealand.
Monday 4th July 2016 – Rest of the world.
We have been carrying out tests of the pre-production pressing of the Blu-ray and have been liaising with industry consultants. We have a concern that the Blu-ray may not play correctly on a small number of Blu-ray players in the rest of the world (as defined above). It is impossible to identify exactly how many players may be affected (it is more likely to be older players) and so we have decided to produce a second pressing for the markets which may be affected. This pressing will meet all of the technical requirements of those markets and will be released in those countries on 4th July. The download version will also be released on that day.
We believe that the initial pressing meets all technical requirements in all other countries. However, we have delayed the release in these areas by a week due to the prolonged nature of the testing process.
We do apologise for the inconvenience and for any disappointment. We have developed considerable expertise in audio releases in recent years. However, Stone & Steel is our first video release and it has proven to be a steep learning curve for us. Unfortunately, the technical aspects of producing a video release for different worldwide markets are extremely complicated.
Customers in the rest of the world who have purchased Stone & Steel directly from us will receive an email this week and will be offered a full refund if they do not wish to wait until July. Customers who have purchased from other retailers will be contacted directly by those retailers if their order is affected.
Neal Morse’s INNER CIRCLE
|
Do you want to be one of the first to get your [Morse]fest 2016 VIP Package and Tickets? If so keep reading how you can have access
to early ticket sales…..
|
| If you join Neal Morse’s Inner Circle by March 10th, you will have access to purchasing your [Morse]fest 2016 VIP Packages and Tickets on March 11th, before the General Public on March 12th. If you want to experience this LIMITED, “once in a lifetime” VIP with ALL past and present Spock’s Beard band members and guests, then sign up today for the Inner Circle membership here. |
If you are still not sure you should become an
Inner Circle member, check out all the amazing perks you get as a member –
From behind the scenes footage and never heard before recordings, to exclusive insights on upcoming projects and past performances, INNER CIRCLE members get to see and hear everything Neal Morse! From Spock’s Beard to Transatlantic, Flying Colors to NMB, new projects and solo plans, INNER CIRCLE members are the 1st to know…
INNER CIRCLE membership entitles you to a personal newsletter from Neal EVERY month, an exclusive CD or DVD, EVERY OTHER month, plus offers and giveaways available to the INNER CIRCLE! Members also have access to all previous releases that are available NOWHERE else!
You can join here!
And, if you join the
Inner Circle this week, you will also receive the new
March Inner Circle release
‘The Grand Experiment Demos’
Check out what Neal has to say about this months release –
“I have concluded that a cool release for you guys in March will be an audio disk of many of the demos and bits that went into The Grand Experiment album. I’ve been going through the demos and listening and making notes and making edits and it’s really very interesting and cool to hear. You’ll be surprised to hear little bits of “Waterfall” right next to little bits of “The Call” and “Doomsday Destiny”… there’s a real hodgepodge of stuff. I had forgotten that the music was all mixed up before we got with Mike and began to dissect it and really take the best bits and fit them together in the way that we ultimately did. So that will your be your fabulous Inner Circle release for March. I hope you love it.”
I know that you are ready to join now!
Go here to become the next
family member of the
INNER CIRCLE!
Peace and Blessings,
Heather Thompson
|
RochaNews: Katatonia, FALL OF HEARTS
 KATATONIA ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEW STUDIO ALBUM, REVEALS NEW LINE-UP
10th studio album “The Fall of Hearts” out May 20 on Peaceville
|
SWEDEN – Katatonia, the Swedish purveyor of dark progressive rock/metal, has revealed details of its eagerly awaited 10th studio album, The Fall of Hearts, set for release on the May 20, 2016 through the band’s long-time home of Peaceville Records. A teaser video can be seen on YouTube at: https://youtu.be/IRabnXZi7OI and Vimeo at: https://vimeo.com/158019681.
The band commented: “This album is probably everything we unknowingly ever dreamed of to release. It’s a bleak but adventurous journey through our elements, we haven’t held back, we have pushed to get forward and backward in the ever spiraling night of our musical legacy.”
The official follow-up to 2012’s acclaimed Dead End Kings was recorded at Stockholm’s Studio Gröndahl & Tri-lamb Studio, and was self-produced by Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Ihsahn, Devin Townsend) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (Switchblade, The Ocean, Greenleaf) brought in as engineer.
The dramatic yet desolate artwork was created by long time Katatonia designer and illustrator Travis Smith.
 Katatonia has spent the past four years since the release of Dead End Kings touring the world, as well as expanding its fan base through two special albums on Kscope, the sister label of Peaceville. 2013 saw the release of Dethroned & Uncrowned which exploded the core of the songs on Dead End Kings creating new moods and textures. In 2015, the band released the live acoustic album and concert film, Sanctitude. Both releases illustrate the band’s journey toward this, its current more progressive sound.
The Fall of Hearts is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel ‘Mojjo’ Moilanen along with the addition of recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (Tiamat), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album. With its new lineup, Katatonia will continue to push its musical boundaries beyond its roots in the metal scene while drawing in new fans from across the musical spectrum like peers such as Opeth and Anathema have also done, cementing Katatonia’s place as one of the most revered and cherished of all bands in the world of modern heavy music.
More details of The Fall of Hearts will be released shortly. Stay tuned for more information on Katatonia.
-###-
|
|
Katatonia live:
3/12 – Gothenburg, Sweden @ Metal Town Festival
4/29 – Kopervik, Norway @ Karmoygeddon Festival
6/19 – Clisson, France @ Hellfest
7/03 – Helsinki, Finland @ Tuska Festival
7/09 – Bouckenborgh, Belgium @ Anterwerp Metal Festival
7/10 – Bouckenborgh, Belgium @ Anterwerp Metal Festival
8/05 – Corroios, Portugal @ Vagos Open Air Festival
8/17 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/18 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/19 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
8/20 – Dinkelsbühl, Germany @ Summer Breeze Festival
Katatonia is:
Jonas Renkse – Vocals
Anders Nyström – Guitar
Roger Öjersson – Guitar
Niklas Sandin – Bass
Daniel Moilanen – Drums
Katatonia online:
|
The MAKING of SNOW
|
|
[Morse]fest 2016 VIP packages and tickets go on sale this weekend!!!
To celebrate this KILLER event,
‘The Making of Snow’ DVD, will be on sale
this week ONLY for $14.99!
Here’s what Neal Morse said about it: “….this contains the footage of the making of the Snow album and two acoustic performances, my last with the band. I’m sorry that it’s not of higher quality; although, in the video department, we never did have a really first rate one. But, here we are…here’s what we have…here’s how it was. I think this shows some but regrettably not all of the making of ‘Snow’, there’s much that was never filmed because who wants a guy with a camcorder in your face all the time? But, what there is shows the band in all it’s quirky creativity and humor and sheer brilliance…” THE MAKING OF SNOW Filmed by Neal Morse and Jim Harrel Produced & Edited Philip J. Satterley Plus: 2 COMPLETE ACOUSTIC CONCERTS! The Good Don’t Last * Thoughts II * Stranger In A Strange Land Open Wide The Flood Gates * In The Name of Love * Carie * June Looking For Answers * Solitary Soul * Wind At My Back * The Doorway DOLBY DIGITAL SOUND Running time is Approx. 4 hours!! (240 min) REGION FREE NTSC COLOR
Make sure and get your copy this week here.
|
|
|
|
|
Radiant Records| info@radiantrecords.com |radiantrecords.com
|
$350. Not a Cheap Book.
Andy Partridge and Todd Bernhardt – Complicated Game – Inside The Songs Of XTC – One-Off Hardback Edition (book preorder)
A truly unique hardback edition of Complicated Game – Inside The Songs Of XTC.
Covers will have a one-off dust jacket depicting a song title from XTC’s career hand-painted by Andy Partridge himself. Additionally, there will be a bookplate signed by Andy inside the book.
The book is presented as a black clothbound hardback with muted green endpapers and lilac page edging.
Limited to one copy per customer. Only 50 copies are available.
Shipping from 31st March onwards (as paintings are completed).
Tom Woods Promotes Steven Wilson!
Famed American commentator, historian, economist, and man of letters, Tom Woods, is promoting Steven Wilson’s latest album, HAND.CANNOT.ERASE. What a great thing for the prog world to be given this kind of place of prominence! Woods has had such greats as Ian Anderson and Steve Hogarth on his show. Let’s hope he gets Wilson next!
The Woman Who Erased Herself
When Joyce Carol Vincent died in December 2003, no one noticed for over two years.
Was she a lonely old lady nobody knew? Not even close. She was an attractive young woman with friends and family. And slowly but surely, she simply melted away in the anonymity of the city (London, in this case).
Steven Wilson, a musician I like very much (and who has worked closely with Tom Woods Show guests Ian Anderson and Steve Hogarth), was struck by her, and based his 2015 release Hand. Cannot. Erase. loosely around her life.
When I first listened to it, I didn’t like it at all. I didn’t think there was anything there.
Was I ever wrong.
I can’t stop listening to it now. It’s beautiful, brilliant, and emotionally captivating. I’m listening to it as I write this.
The character in Wilson’s story makes the deliberate decision to disappear from society by moving to London. Sounds strange: you’re going to move to a big city to disappear? But as Wilson notes, the strategy makes sense. You could never accomplish this in a small town, where everyone knows you and someone would check in on you.
On the other hand, with masses of people all around, you can simply…disappear.
If you’re intrigued, grab yourself a copy.
Be warned: you’ll need to devote some time to this. These aren’t pop songs you hear on the radio. At first you just won’t see it — well, if you’re like me, anyway. But suddenly you’ll become aware of the beautiful melodies, the evocative turns of phrase, the emotional intensity, all of it.
In the past I’ve given out free CDs of music I like. As a surprise, I told my supporting listeners they could have an album of Tom-approved music if they just asked for it. I sent a $20 double album out last year.
Wilson’s album is selling for just under $10 on Amazon as an mp3 download. If you’re a Tom Woods Show supporting listener at the Silver, Gold, or Platinum levels, just use my contact form to send me your mailing address if you’d like one.
This offer expires March 15, 2016.
If you become a supporting listener at one of those levels between now and then, you’re eligible, too. Just send me your address.
The way forward:
BillyNews: The Raptor Trail
For Immediate Release
Melodic Prog Trio The Raptor Trail To Release Highly Anticipated Second Album “New World”
Brevard, NC – Much to the excitement of music aficionados worldwide, Melodic Prog trio The Raptor Trail will be releasing their highly anticipated sophomore album “New World” on March 11. 2016. This second release finds the band stretching its wings a bit, with particular attention to vocal harmonies and acoustic based themes. That is not to say there is nothing Prog and heavier on this record as the tracks “Going To Dublin” and “Wheel” will attest. But it’s more of an intricate Rock ‘n’ Roll album, almost galactic sounding, with a ominous cynicism and grim world view. Clocking in at just under 78 minutes it is really like a double album.
My Prog Book Library Grows
Look what just arrived from Amazon. Should go nicely with my Kerry Livgren autobiography.
Coming Out of the Closet: Big Big Train as #1
After years of struggle and some serious denial, I’ve finally come out of the closet.
BBT is my favorite band.
There, I wrote it.
Had you asked me two weeks ago, I would not have hesitated: Talk Talk, followed closely by Rush. Then, I might’ve said something akin to “Of new bands, my favorite is Big Big Train.”
Change doesn’t always come easily to me, especially when it involves issues of loyalty. I’m not even sure how many years it took me to realize I liked Talk Talk better than Rush, and, of course, the “like” was incremental. If Rush is at 100, then Talk Talk is at 101.
Big Big Train, however, is now 102.
I suspected this the other day as I listened to THE UNDERFALL YARD for who knows how many times. Well, actually, I do know how many times. One can readily find years of stats accumulated on and by iTunes. Yes, unquestionably, Big Big Train ranks higher than either Talk Talk or Rush in terms of numbers of plays.
It’s not just perception on my part, it’s actual fact.
Progarchy 