CLOUDSCAPE, SEVENTH WONDER, PROSPECT Confirmed For PROGPOWER EUROPE 2009 Festival

CLOUDSCAPE (Sweden), SEVENTH WONDER (Sweden) and PROSPECT (Slovenia) are the first three confirmed bands for the ProgPower Europe 2009 festival, set to take place October 2-4, 2009 in Baarlo, Netherlands. Tickets go on sale on Sunday, January 18, 2009. According to the organizers, "right now you can make a pre-reservation for a package deal. If you plan to visit ProgPower Europe next year and you need a great place to stay, than a package deal will be the best option possible. Check out the web site for all details about a package deal, which includes a weekend ticket and stay at Castle de Berckt, bed and breakfast."

Paul Green SCHOOL OF ROCK ALL-STARS 10th ANNIVERSARY HOLIDAY TOUR - Philadelphia (2 shows!) - 12.29.08

PHILADELPHIA - The Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars will be heading on a 10th anniversary victory lap this holiday season, personifying the revolution in music education launched a decade ago in a Philadelphia garage by mounting a 14-city, 17-show tour through the Northeast and Midwest between Christmas and New Year’s.

That garage is where one man’s dream became a national phenomenon. Green’s vision has since produced 45 schools nationwide and an explosion of future rock stars, many of whom have traveled quite far along the trail he blazed when he took music instruction out of the classroom and onto the live rock stage by founding the original and premier performance-based rock music school in the country for kids 8-17 in 1998.

The celebration kicks off in grand style Dec. 26 in New York City, when, for the first time ever, all three touring squads of School of Rock All-Stars converge on B.B. Kings for three classic rock shows in one day – each headlined by a different group – before dispersing on their separate routes for the final week of the year. All touring School of Rock Stars – the “best and brightest” embodiment of Green’s philosophy that hard work leads directly to applause – will reconvene for a New Year’s Eve blowout in Asbury Park, NJ, capping a week in which they’ll play the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, as well as top clubs in Chicago, Detroit, Boston, Baltimore, Washington DC, Philadelphia (two shows), Burlington VT and more cities with School of Rock branches. Throughout the tour, the School of Rock All-Stars will be playing classic rock from the 1960s to 1990s, ABBA to Zappa.

"Even after all this time, all our expansion, and everything we have achieved,” says Green, “the best way to teach kids to play music remains the same: load a bunch of them on a bus and take them out on the road to PLAY music."

The Paul Green School of Rock is well on its way to producing the next generation of rock stars. Among its alumni, drummer Eric Slick became a sought after touring drummer immediately upon graduation, playing shows with Zappa Alumni band Project/Object, Steve Vai bandleader Mike Keneally, and various WEEN side projects. Together with his bassist sister, Julie Slick, they currently tour with guitar legend Adrian Belew (David Bowie, King Crimson) as the Adrian Belew Power Trio. Drummer Branden King, is not only Philly legend Chuck Treece’s go-to drummer, but also played with three bands at last year’s SXSW, and has done two tours of Europe with various projects. Slide guitar phenom Sarah Zimmerman recently signed a management deal with Tor Hyams (Joan Osborne, Perry Farrell, Deborah Harry) and is working with top writers and producers on her debut album. ShredmasterCJ Tywoniak, star of the acclaimed 2005 documentary Rock School, is being courted by record labels eager to release his debut EP. He recently sat in with Steve Miller, and dazzled all of those in attendence. Many former School of Rock students also are attending top music colleges such as Berklee and the University of Miami, as well as working their own bands with dreams of stardom.

“I put these shows together with real music fans in mind,” says Green. “Any true rock fan who comes to our show will be delighted by the deep cuts these kids take on, the difficult material they tackle, and the love and enthusiasm they bring to the stage."

THE PAUL GREEN SCHOOL OF ROCK ALL-STARS HOLIDAY TOUR ITINERARY:

Fri., Dec. 26 BB Kings New York, NY (3 shows)
Fri., Dec. 26 The Haunt Yonkers, NY
Sat., Dec. 27 Martyrs Chicago, IL
Sat., Dec. 27 Ned Devine’s Irish Village Sterling, VA
Sat., Dec. 27 Higher Ground Burlington, VT
Sun., Dec. 28 Magic Stick Detroit, MI
Sun., Dec. 28 Bedrock Baltimore Baltimore, MD
Sun., Dec. 28 Johnny D’s Boston, MA
Mon., Dec. 29 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Cleveland, OH
Mon., Dec. 29 World Café Live Philadelphia, PA (2 shows)
Tue., Dec. 30 Amicus Theater Long Valley, NJ
Tue., Dec. 30 Rock School Garage Wilmington, DE
Tue., Dec. 30 Black Bear Saloon South Norwalk, CT
Wed., Dec. 31 Asbury Lanes Asbury Park, NJ

About The Paul Green School of Rock
The Paul Green School of Rock is the original and premier performance-based rock music school in the country for kids 7-18. Founded on Green’s original program of weekly, individualized instruction sessions augmented by rigorous group rehearsals, the Paul Green School of Rock effectively motivates students to practice—driven by frequent performances where they discover that hard work leads directly to applause, the most beautiful music of all. In 2009, the 45 School of Rock branches around the country will play 1500 shows in front of 400,000 people, at established venues including The Whiskey, BB King’s and Carnegie Hall and at festivals such as Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Zappanale (Germany) and the third annual SORFest. The School’s All-Stars have performed with Alice Cooper, Eddie Vedder, Les Paul, Slash and Perry Farrell, among others, and have toured with Jon Anderson of Yes and the Butthole Surfers. Founded in 1998, the Paul Green School of Rock Music was the subject of the documentary Rock School, which regularly airs on A&E since its 2005 debut at Sundance. The School also served as the apparent inspiration for the Jack Black hit comedy, School of Rock, soon to spawn a sequel Currently in a period of rapid expansion, the Paul Green School of Rock (http://www.schoolofrock.com) plans to open in more than 60 locations by end of 2009 and 400 before expansion is finished. The Paul Green School of Rock Music Inc has recently launched a new division: School of Rock Media. With Paul Green at the helm, School of Rock Media will oversee all media projects for PGSORM, currently including a series of instructional books, a TV series, a major recording project, the second annual national music festival at historic Penn’s Landing in Philadelphia co-produced with Live Nation, and an artist development division.

www.schoolofrock.com

Proto-Kaw Disbands

An email from Kerry Livgren of Proto-Kaw

"Proto-Kaw has disbanded. What a great and fun band to have played in.
We didn't "break up" as such, things just sort of lapsed for us.
No bookings, label troubles, and lots of other personal circumstances contributed.
Our unfinished album will eventually surface as a solo project by myself, featuring
members of Proto-Kaw and other guest musicians and vocalists.

Kerry Livgren"

UKZ "One City World Tour" concert announced

UKZ "One City World Tour" concert announced
Keyboard and electric-violin legend Eddie Jobson ( UK, Roxy Music,
Zappa) announces the new UKZ's debut concert for January 24, 2009 at 8 p.m. at Town Hall in New York City. The "One City World Tour" will also feature the U.S. debut of special guests Stick Men, featuring King Crimson's Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto. The ticket on-sale date will be announced soon.
The concert will follow the January 6 pre-release of UKZ band's debut EP entitled Radiation, which is slated for full retail release nationally on March 3.
Returning from a self-imposed 27-year retirement from band and touring activity, Jobson set out to find the same caliber of next-generation musicians for the new UKZ project that would equal or surpass the talents of his previous colleagues and collaborators--an impressive list that includes Frank Zappa, Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford, Phil Collins, John Entwistle, Ian Anderson, Simon Phillips, Terry Bozzio, Allan Holdsworth, and Tony Levin.
Jobson -- who was born and raised in the Durham area of England -- has hand-selected a truly international dream-band of virtuosos from around the world:
Aaron Lippert -- a citizen of Belgium, but born and raised in New York
-- the former lead singer and songwriter for Columbia recording artists Expanding Man.
Trey Gunn -- a Texas native, currently residing in Seattle - a ten-year veteran of King Crimson and the leading exponent of the Warr 10-string touch guitar.
Alex Machacek -- from Vienna, Austria -- an award-winning guitar prodigy and composer.
Marco Minnemann -- from Hannover, Germany -- a drumming phenomenon of unparalleled virtuosity.
Opening for the supergroup will be Stick Men, which features Chapman stick players Tony Levin and Michael Bernier, with Pat Mastelotto on drums.
For more information, visit the UKZ web site http://www.ukzband.com.

HIGH-DEFINITION ALBUM – FOR FREE OFFERED EXCLUSIVELY BY Gibson Guitar AND HDtracks.com

New York, NY , November 26, 2008: Gibson Guitar, the world's premier musical instrument manufacturer and leader in music technology, has partnered with HDtracks.com to offer free, downloadable, high-definition music - a first of its kind collaboration for an instrument manufacturer. The exclusive offering to fans of Gibson Guitar, titled Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition, is a diverse collection of music performed by the world's best guitarists and will be available as a FREE download at Gibson.com for a limited time. Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition features exclusive tracks from legendary performers Johnny A, Michael Burks, Billy Burnette, Chris Cain, Nick Colionne, Tinsley Ellis, Eric Johnson, Peter Karp, Big Bill Morganfield, Kenny Neal, Arlen Roth with Sonny Landreth, Neal Schon and Johnny Winter plus a never-before-heard instrumental track featuring father and son team Abraham Laboriel Sr. and Jr performing with Slash. Guests at Gibson.com can read about the brilliant musical performances and download the entire album in HIGH DEFINITION for free now through HDtracks.com. On December 6, 2008, the first of a kind album will no longer be available with no plans to redistribute it in any format. Listen while you can!
The high-definition format of Gibson Presents:Hot Tones in High-Definition guarantees a listening experience never available before for consumers. The resolution of the audio does matter! They will also have the option of choosing the format in which to download it. Fans who download the album are automatically entered to win an exclusive Gibson Robot Les Paul guitar and other prizes from Creative Labs. Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is a non-DRM, high-definition download available in AIFF, FLAC, and 320kpbs MP3 formats. The download is available for 60 days in the U.S. and worldwide.

Consumers will have the chance to hear some of the world's greatest masters of guitar tone on a single disc. The project represents an enormous amount of passion for and dedication to creating the best possible high-definition experience for the Gibson consumer with no financial return to the company. It is a pioneering union of musical excellence and technical achievement for the 21st century.
The free distribution of a high-definition guitar album is possible now because of the massive access of today's Internet users to high-speed DSL and cable services. Gibson Guitar Chairman and CEO, Henry Juszkiewicz and David Chesky, co-founder of audiophile label Chesky Records are two technologists who, over a recent lunch in New York, combined their ideas and efforts to create the inaugural offering from Gibson.com and HDtracks.com.
"Gibson is committed to providing its customers with the most innovative and exciting musical experiences in the world," said Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar. "Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High Definition will afford our customers the opportunity to download something in the highest of quality and is the first offering of its kind from any music company. This will be one of many such opportunities as we continue to partner with HDtracks on this pioneering effort."
"I've never been a fan of MP3s and I wanted to have a website that delivered the same quality music as you'd get in a record store. When Henry and I met we discussed nine million things. He thinks outside the box, and we decided that giving the public an opportunity to download something truly different and in such high quality was not only an offer of convenience but the genesis of Gibson Guitar's next step into technology," said David Chesky, co-founder of HDtracks.com, the partner on this project with Gibson.
All the files from Gibson Guitar and HDtracks will be offered in a choice of formats – AIFF, FLAC or 320kbs MP3 – depending on the consumer's needs. Both AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format) and FLAC (Free lossless audion Codec) are uncompressed formats in which the audio data is not altered or compromised to reduce its file size during transfers. The audible difference of Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is amazingly clear and crisp. It presents more precise definition and depth and creates an experience consistent with original recordings for the listener. The exclusive offering is very different from a typical online offering. It is better than CD quality audio with complete liner notes and a description of what the players did and how to accomplish the Hot Tones. The multiple formats allow music that is playable on any device without any DRM (digital rights management) limitations. Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is meant to be cranked up loud and for people who want to really LISTEN to the music.
"As an artist I am thrilled by the whole format since it's such high quality. To me this is all ear candy, no fluff, and it's the real deal," said Billy Burnette.
Gibson Presents: Hot Tones in High-Definition is a genius example of great performances and the future of music distribution. It is meant to inspire and entertain, and if Gibson has its way, is only the first of many such offerings that will be available exclusively through Gibson.com and HDtracks.com.

About HDtracks.comHDtracks features DRM free downloads in CD-quality AIFF and FLAC -- as well as 320 kbps MP3. The universal compatibility means your songs can be played on computers, home music servers, iPods and MP3 players, etc. Choose from thousands of titles across a multitude of musical genres and enjoy in-depth information about the artists and albums. When you purchase a complete album from HDtracks.com you will receive a pdf file containing the cover art and liner notes. Our Download Manager works on both PCs and Macs. It launches automatically so you can start downloading your music without a cumbersome installation process. For more information go to www.HDtracks.com

About GibsonGibson is known worldwide for producing classic models in every major style of fretted instrument, including acoustic and electric guitars, mandolins, and banjos. Gibson's HD.6X-PRO Digital Guitar and the Gibson Robot Guitar represent the biggest advances in electric guitar design in over 70 years. Founded in 1894 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and headquartered in Nashville since 1984, Gibson Guitar Corp.'s family of brands now includes Baldwin, Epiphone, Dobro, Maestro, Kramer, Steinberger, Tobias, Echoplex, Electar, Flatiron, Slingerland, Valley Arts, Oberheim, Sunshine Piano, Take Anywhere Technology, Baldwin, J&C Fischer, Chickering, Hamilton, and Wurlitzer.

Visit Gibson's website at www.Gibson.com

Confirmed For UK's HAMMERFEST

Swedish progressive metallers OPETH have been confirmed for the Hammerfest 2009 festival, set to take place April 24-25 at at Pontins, Prestatyn Sands, North Wales. The festival will feature 50 metal acts in total. OPETH will headline on April 24.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

ALESTORM

ANNOTATIONS OF AN AUTOPSY

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE

CATHEDRAL

DREAM EVIL

EXIT TEN

GRAND MAGUS

HAMMERFALL

OPETH

SABBAT

SAXON

SKINDRED

TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED

TÝR

For more information, visit www.hammerfest.co.uk.

THRESHOLD Confirmed For UK's METALFEST

UK progressive metallers THRESHOLD have been confirmed for the first edition of a new UK festival called Metalfest which will take place September 25-27, 2009 at JB's in Dudley. Also scheduled to appear are SWALLOW THE SUN and XANDRIA.

THRESHOLD has launched an official YouTube channel with high-quality videos, including professionally shot live footage of "Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams" and an exclusive live acoustic version of "Ground Control". The channel also includes THRESHOLD's official videos for "Innocent", "Pressure" and "Pilot In The Sky Of Dreams", as well as live footage from the band's 2003 "Critical Energy" DVD.

THRESHOLD recently headlined the 10th ProgPower Europe festival in Holland, marking its third appearance at the European edition of the worldwide ProgPower event. The band's drummer, Johanne James, performed despite recently dislocating his shoulder in a sporting accident.

MIKE/RNRCOLA

Edensong Working On New Material, Planning Tour

11/19/2008 - New York, NY - Since the release of their debut album "The Fruit Fallen" in June 2008, Edensong has been garnering critical acclaim from the global progressive rock community. A recent invitation to play at the Three Rivers Progressive Rock Festival in Pittsburgh, PA in August 2009, along with their Featured Artist status on sites like ProgressiveRockBR.com (August 2008) and http://ProgArchives.com (November 2008) have helped Edensong to become one of the most talked about newcomers to the prog scene. In only a few short months since its release, "The Fruit Fallen" has become a top seller on CDBaby.com and has entered into its second printing. The coming months should bring more articles, interviews and reviews from magazines and websites in the U.S, Europe, and beyond."If you like Jethro Tull, Rush, Yes, Dream Theater, Genesis, Curved Air, you will love Edensong!" ProgressiveRockBR.com

Clocking in at over 70 minutes of music, "The Fruit Fallen" is comprised of eight balanced compositions. Although the album retains a unified vibe, each song is a self-contained work and a unique musical journey. The album blends elements of rock, folk, classical, flamenco, electronic, and other world music into a style that, while bearing traces of its influences, is truly original. "The Fruit Fallen" has recently been hailed as a "BUY OR DIE!" release by the Laser's Edge, "Brilliant, amazing, perfect and a fantastic work" by ProgressiveRockBR.com and "Close to a modern progressive masterpiece" by MerlinProg.com.

Edensong was formed by James Byron Schoen in 2002 at Wesleyan University in Connecticut. In its relatively short history, Edensong has gone through multiple lineup changes. Amid shifting personnel, it is James Schoen's music that forms the core of the Edensong sound. "James's singing style is very expressive and theatrical," "Schoen delivers gifted, sensible or strapping guitar music," according to Sea of Tranquility and ProgArchives.com, respectively. Drawing deeply from classic symphonic progressive acts, with deep song structures that resemble those of early Genesis or Yes, Edensong does not simply rehash the music from this Golden Age of prog. Instead, the innovative ensemble draws from a huge body of influences from Gregorian chant to grunge to craft a truly original sound. Edensong's music can be as serenely melodic as the music of Simon and Garfunkel or as aggressive as that of Metallica. It tells a story, at times attaining the epic feel of the scores of Hans Zimmer or Nobuo Uematsu, while at others achieving a "folky" simplicity."Epic and grandiose with variation and breadth, sophisticated and unexpected composition, and a wonderful distinctive character. Edensong is a new band that raises the standards and refreshes rock with artistic freedom and innovation." www.MerlinProg.com

In the meantime, Edensong is currently regrouping to compose some new music and hit the stage again in 2009. "I'd love to see this band perform live in Europe in the not so distant future", says Angelo from ProgArchives. The future looks bright as there is already much anticipation for future performances and the next release. Says Erik of Progwalhalla "I am already looking forward to their next album because I am very curious to the development of this promising progrock band."The Fruit Fallen" is currently available from CDBaby.com (www.cdbaby.com /edensong) and a variety of other sources.

See www.edensongtheband.com for more information.

PINK FLOYD - Syd Barrett's Life Celebrated At The City Wakes Festival

PINK FLOYD fan-site Brain-damage.co.uk is reporting:

Last weekend (November 1st) saw the conclusion of The City Wakes, the ten-day, multi-activity celebration of PINK FLOYD legend Syd Barrett's life which had people travel from all over the world to attend.Held in Cambridge, UK the town of Syd's birth, and, ultimately, where he spent his final days, the festival took in concert performances, a pair of exhibitions, talks, a happening, and guided tours of Cambridge and the surrounding area, and other, one-off performances, all in aid of Escape Artists, a mental health charity.

The first and most easily accessible event to see for most visitors arriving in Cambridge (and clearly drawing in many non-Floyd fans) was Storm Thorgerson's Mind Over Matter exhibition, held on the top floor of the newly-opened enclosed shopping mall, Grand Arcade.

rocknrollcola

The Top 100 Of 2008 Polls Revealed

The Gagliarchives along with countless contributors, have assembled the annual Top 100 of 2008 and they urge you to vote. The annual 3 part program began in the early 90's as a DJ positioned 'final 50' of the year. By the time the program moved to z88.9 in 1994, along with the arrival of the internet, the annual programs have garnered noticeable attention in the progressive rock community. This year there were nearly 1200 Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal, Avant-Garde, Fusion, Math Rock, Post Rock, and Jazz Rock related releases. The voting by request this year, was set up as separate pages in alphabetical order for easier review than previous years. The final 100 best CD's will be counted down from #100 to 67 on 11/29, #66 to 31 on 12/6, #30 to 1. The voting polls will be opened until Wednesday. 11/26/08 at 11:59am. Listeners can tune in through http://z889.org and visit http://gagliarchives.com for the final 100 albums listed. The Top 100 shows are the radio programs biggest, and most listened to programs every year since 1997.

Here are the voting links:

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116530 D.F.A to JASON ADASIEWICZ

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116536 AETHENOR to THE AMBER LIGHT

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116539 AMYGDALA TO ROBERT ASHLEY

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116540 ASIA to AYREON

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116541 AZEDA BOOTH to BASS COMMUNION

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116542 BASS COMMUNION to BEGGARS FARM

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116543 DEBASHISH BHATTACHARYA to BLACK SASH

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116544 BLACK SUN ENSEMBLE to ROBIN BODREUX

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116545 BOX to BYRNE/ENO

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116546 CAAMORA to CAST

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116547 CAT POWER to BILL COLE

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116548 GLORIA COLEMAN to ELVIS COSTELLO & THE IMPOSTERS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116549 COURSE OF NATURE to DATASHOCK

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116550 DATASHOCK & SHIVERS to DESTINATION: OBLIVION

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116551 DESTROYER to DOMINICI

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116552 DON CABALLERO to EATEN BY TIGERS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116553 EBU GOGO to EMERALDS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116554 THE EMPTY CAGE QUARTET to EZ3KIEL

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116555 FACTORY OF DREAMS to FLUER

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116556 FLYIN RYAN BROTHERS to SATOKO FUJI

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116558 SATOKO FUJI to GHOST CIRCUS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116559 PAUL GILBERT to GRASS MAGIC

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116560 ADAM GREEN to HANNAH

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116561 PAUL HANSON to HIGUMA

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116562 VEDA HILLE to Imahoritsuneoyoshidatatsuya

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116566 QUAGERO IMAZAWA to JACK OR JIVE

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116567 JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY to JUPITER SOCIETY

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116568 DAMIEN JURADO to KELLEY POLAR

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116570 KEMIALLISET YSTAVAT to KSIZ

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116571 LARRY LUCHARZ to LITTLE KING

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116572 LITTLE TRAGEDIES to ROGER JOSEPH MANNING JR

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116573 ALBERT MARCOEUR to MERCURY REV

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116574 MESHUGGAH to NILS PETTER MOLVAER

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116575 MONADE to MOTIS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116576 MOTORPSYCHO to NADJA

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116578 NADJA to NO-MAN

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116579 NOMO to OLIVE MESS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116580 LUCA OLIVIERI to OURS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116581 THE OUT CIRCUIT to DAVID PARSONS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116582 PATTERN IS MOVEMENT to PLASTIC CRIMEWAVE SOUND

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116584 PLASTIC PARACHUTE to PYRAMIDS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116585 QNTAL to THE RED MASQUE

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116586 STEVE REICH to STEVE ROACH

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116587 STEVE ROACH to HAROLD RUBIN

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116588 THE RUBY SUNS to JENNY SCHEINMAN

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116589 JAN SCHELHAAS to SHE WANTS REVENGE

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116592 SHEARWATER to THE SILVERMAN

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116593 ALAN SIMON to SPACE DEBRIS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116594 SPACED OUT to STRAWBS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116595 STRAY GHOST to TANGER

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116596 TAPE to THE THING

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116597 THINK OF ONE to TRANSIT

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116602 TRANK ZAPPA GRAPPA IN VARESE? to UFOMAMMUT

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116603 GEBHARD ULLMANN to VARIOUS ARTISTS

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116604 VARIOUS ARTISTS to WALL OF SLEEP

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116605 CEDAR WALTON to NORMA WINESTONE

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116606 WIRE to YOU SLUT!

http://www.micropoll.com/akira/mpview/501382-116607 THE YOUNG GODS to TOMMY ZVONCHECK

QUEENSRŸCHE: New Album Title, Concept Revealed

QUEENSRŸCHE is currently in the studio putting the finishing touches on its twelfth studio album, "American Soldier". The concept effort, due this spring from Rhino/Atco, finds the band once again tackling some heavy subject matter, this time focusing on telling the story of war from a firsthand perspective. Singer and chief songwriter Geoff Tate has spent the last few years conducting extensive interviews with veterans and has crafted their thoughts into this epic tale. "American Soldier" examines American wars from World War II through Iraq from the viewpoint of those in the trenches and on the frontlines. Following the album's release, QUEENSRŸCHE plans to present tracks from the album live on an extensive spring tour of the U.S., with international dates to follow later in 2009. The first date of the tour will be a hometown gig at Seattle's Snoqualmie Casino on April 16.
"QUEENSRŸCHE has always had incredible support from members of the Armed Services," says Tate. "It seems like after every show, I'd end up speaking with a fan that was or had been involved with the military. The more and more I began to hear their accounts and feelings, the more I really felt a conviction to tell their story. Over the last two years, I've conducted dozens of one-on-one interviews with veterans of many different American wars. I listened to their amazing and moving recounts and did my best to examine war through their eyes."
QUEENSRŸCHE will help celebrate the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix by performing on two dates of this year's Experience Hendrix 2008 tribute tour:
Nov. 05 - INB Performing Arts Center - Spokane, WA
Nov. 06 - The Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA
These performances — which are part of a nationwide 19-city tour that began on October 15 in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire — will feature such other artists as Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox of THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, Doyle Bramhall II, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Robby Krieger, Jonny Lang, Chris Layton, Mato Nanji and Hubert Sumlin, among others.
Commented QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate: "Jimi Hendrix is not only a Seattle legend but a world legend. I feel it's such a privilege to be included on this tour and to have a chance to play his music with such a talented group of musicians."
Also on the horizon for release early next year is Geoff Tate's red wine signature blend called Insania, which has already garnered the attention of Wine Spectator magazine.
QUEENSRŸCHE performed with an orchestra (dubbed the "Empire Orchestra") for the first time ever on August 23 at the White River Amphitheatre in Auburn, Washington. The concert was part of Seattle station KISW 99.9 FM's Pain in the Grass 2008 event, also featuring SEETHER, SHINEDOWN, SEVENDUST, DROWNING POOL, JET BLACK STARE and EARSHOT.
Rockandrollcola

INTO ETERNITY To Support DEICIDE in Mexico Tonight

Canadian extreme progressive metal icons INTO ETERNITY, whose recently released concept album "The Incurable Tragedy" has earned critical acclaim worldwide, will play tonight (October 18) in Monterrey, Mexico with death metal legends DEICIDE. This marks the band's first return to the city since performing at the 2005 Monterrey Metal Fest, where the group played alongside DANZIG, W.A.S.P. and MOTÖRHEAD, among others.

For most of the last month, INTO ETERNITY has toured North America alongside ICED EARTH, but the band has also played "off" dates with several other notable metal acts. Vocalist Stu Block provides more details: "The tour has been going better than expected, and we want to thank everyone who's come out and shown support! We've recently had the opportunity to play with a great variety of bands on our 'off' dates. In Louisville, it was cool partying it up with SUICIDE SILENCE and seeing our fellow Canadians in BENEATH THE MASSACRE again. We also got a chance to fulfill a childhood dream by opening for TESTAMENT in Syracuse, where it was awesome seeing SOILENT GREEN as well. We're also super-stoked to be playing with death metal pioneers DEICIDE in Mexico.

"After the Mexican onslaught, we'll return to America to continue the tour with ICED EARTH. I can't wait to find out how many bad guys [Matt] Barlow's nabbed. (He's still not onto us, so shhh...)

"Again, we can't thank Sean Maier [fill-in guitarist] enough for helping us out on this tour. He's a phenomenal guitarist, and I'm sure you will hear more of him in the coming years. Check him out in his band BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART or his ripping solo shit on MySpace. He's doing really well with us, but it's still weird not sharing the stage with Tim [Roth]. Rest assured, we will be back at 100% soon.

"All of this would be in vain without our fans supporting us every night. It's been a long road so far, and it's a good feeling to know that we have fans supporting us in both the good times and the not-so-good. Thank you again for your undying support!"

"The Incurable Tragedy", the fifth full-length album from INTO ETERNITY, sold 1,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"The Incurable Tragedy" is the first INTO ETERNITY album to feature Justin Bender (guitar) and Steve Bolognese (drums), who came aboard shortly after the group finished Gigantour in 2006.

Source:

rocknrollcola@yahoo.com

YES AND GENESIS LEGENDS TEAMING UP FOR JOINT ALBUM AND TOUR

Chris Squire is already looking past Yes' upcoming 40th anniversary In The Present tour for his next creative outlet. Squire's been recording with former Genesis lead guitarist Steve Hackett on a joint project which may be named Squakett and released early next year in time for a joint European tour.
The project isn't the first time that Hackett has aligned forces with a member of Yes -- in the mid-80s Hackett and Steve Howe formed the prog-pop supergroup GTR. Squire admits that prior to his new collaboration, GTR was the last he had heard of Hackett: "I knew about GTR -- that was about the only thing I knew about. I didn't have a guitar player, and honestly, I hadn't been too up on what he'd been doing since he left Genesis, but he'd been doing a ton of stuff, like classical and folksy stuff. So I started to talk to him -- 'Would you like to play on a couple of tracks?' And then he did such a great job, I said, (laughs) 'Well, could you just play on the rest of the album?' Following that, he said, 'Well, I've been working on some stuff...'"
Steve Hackett was in Genesis from 1970 to 1977, and played on such seminal albums as Foxtrot, Selling England By The Pound,The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, A Trick Of The Tail, and the live set Seconds Out -- which featured former Yes drummer Bill Bruford. Yes opens their In The Present tour on November 4th in Ontario. Touring with the latest incarnation of the band will be Squire, Howe, drummer Alan White and keyboardist Oliver Wakeman -- who's the son of legendary Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman. Lead vocalist Benoit David is filling in for Jon Anderson, who is suffering from respiratory failure due to chronic asthma and needs to keep off the road until next year.

MÖRGLBL To Perform At ProgDay 2009

MÖRGLBL To Perform At ProgDay 2009!

ProgDay is very excited to announce MÖRGLBL as their first confirmed band for 2009! Made up of guitar master CHRISTOPHE GODIN, bassist IVAN ROUGNY and drummer JEAN-PIERRE FRELÉZEAU, THE MÖRGLBL TRIO released their first album in 1998. "The Mörglbl Trio !!" offered a guitar-driven instrumental combination of jazz and metal served up with dollops of humor that was well received by critics and fans. The heavier "Bienvenue á Mörglbl Land" was released in 1999 to even greater acclaim and the band toured Europe. The momentum of other projects led to the end of THE MÖRGLBL TRIO in 2000, but everyone stayed in touch. In 2005, while working together on "Christophe Godin's Metal Kartoon," the members found renewed interest in their old band. They reformed as MÖRGLBL and released their third album, "Grötesk," in 2007. French music scene veteran AURÉLIEN OUZOULIAS took over the drum chair in late 2007, and the band went on to deliver a striking set at NEARfest in 2008. As anyone at NEARfest X that Sunday morning can tell you, MÖRGLBL at ProgDay will be a performance you won't want to miss!

ProgDay is the world's longest running progressive rock event. The 15th edition will take place on September 5th & 6th, 2009, at beautiful Storybook Farm near Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Join us for another great weekend of the best in progressive music!

For more information and to hear music from MÖRGLBL, please visit the at www.progday.com

Vote for Alon's “Time Will Tell” Video In Support of SOS’s Children's Villages

Here’s the link:
http://support.sos-usa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=wow_video_vote
Why?
The SOS WOW Us Video Contest is an integral part of World Orphan Week, which hopes to bring increased awareness to the mission of SOS Children’s Villages. Andrea A. Gallo, a finalist in their video contest, has been working with this organization as a volunteer for some time and knows the great work that they do placing orphaned and abandoned children with loving families worldwide including the US.
The winner receives $1000 for the most votes from October 6th to October 19th. If we win, we’re returning the award money back to SOS Children's Villages in support of their mission.

Progressive Rock Stalwarts K2 Sign Deal With Umbrello Records

October 10th, 2008, New York - Critically acclaimed progressive rockact K2 has signed a major distribution deal with Umbrello MusicEntertainment. The agreement covers both digital downloads and physical CD distribution worldwide. Included in the deal are the album Book of the Dead, a DVD and their upcoming disc, (working title: Black Garden). This deal is just the latest in a series for Umbrello (a label that is quickly becoming both a progressive rock establishmentand a leader in digital and video technologies).

K2 was formed by Ken Jaquess in 2001. Beginning with guitar lessons atage 11, and switching to bass at 13, Jaquess found a desire early on to play unconventional music, far from the path of commercial, radio pop. That desire led him to perform with Newcross (Rain of Thought), Dresden and Atlantis before ultimately creating K2 (K Squared).

Book of the Dead was originally released in April of 2005 and received worldwide acclaim, even being heralded as a top 10 release by many critics. Jaquess was joined by drummer Doug Sanborn along with Spock's Beard keyboardist Ryo Okumoto, vocalist Shaun Guerin, violinist Yvette Devereaux, guitarist John Miner and guitarist Allan Holdsworth. Holdsworth, who was once named by Eddie Van Halen as the best guitarist in the world, is well known for his work in the progressive rock supergroup UK, but has also made a name for himself in fusion. He is a true musicians' musician.

In response to live gig requests, Jaquess assembled a new line-up tohit the road. Sanborn, Okumoto and Jaquess teamed up with Atlantis guitarist Karl Johnson and vocalist Josh Gleason of The Waiting Room. In January 2006, K2 performed their first gig in Hollywood. The entire Book of the Dead album was performed, along with a few surprises and was filmed live in widescreen. The DVD includes a bonus live video performance from their summer 2006 tour, as well as behind the scenes footage of rehearsals and a photo gallery. This long awaited item will finally see the light of day!

Jaquess is currently working on the new K2 album, which will also be released through Umbrello in early 2009. This deal will allow worldwide distribution of long anticipated material from this vital progressive rock outfit.

About Umbrello Music Entertainment UME is an independent producer and distributor of high-quality content for diverse digital entertainment platforms worldwide. With production studios in London, Philadelphia and New York, UME's library of premium short form programming content is extensive with unending contentdevelopment. UME offers their clients a competitive advantage with unique, attention-grabbing content that gives their viewers more choices. As a video partner, UME works with clients to assess their content needs and develop effective quality programming for maximum impact to their target markets.

Echolyn To Re-release Cowboy Poems Free, Guitarist Working On New Album

Last Of The Curlews Brett Kull's second CD is finished and being mastered at Zen Mastering in California. The forthcoming recording is made up of 12 new songs.

1. Acadia Gulls

2. Lullabies and Starlings

3. Hey Horizon

4. If She Could Be Who She Wanted

5. Nightingale

6. Halos

7. Love Is On The Discarded Street

8. Become A Ghost

9. Autumn Endings

10. Last Of The Curlews

11. There Was A Place For Us

12. Windows Of Light

Brett plays all the instruments except the Drum Kit, which is played by longtime friend Paul Ramsey. Guest vocals by Molly Decker and Jacque Varsalona add color throughout the album. The Album cover was painted by Tara Jane O'Neil specifically for this project. Brett will spend the next 2 months promoting the album by making a couple music videos, creating interest inprint and on line and updating his website to correspond to the new music. The Album has a late fall release date in the works. A more solid date will become evident over the next few weeks.

Echolyn's 2000 release titled Cowboy Poems Free has been re-mixed and sent off to be remastered. The artwork is 90% complete. An early fall release date is planned. The band is looking forward to re-releasing the album with its improved sound and package!

With one more show booked at Cal Prog on Saturday the band will be done focusing on live performance and able to concentrate on new music again. The show in Los Angeles California will be the first the band has played there since 1994. The audio and video is being recorded for posterity and hopefully a future Live Video! The album has been on hold for the summer but the band is excited to start work again this fall. So far they have working titles for 6 songs:

1. Accumulated Blur

2. Hey Little Man

3. Moments Without Sound

4. Some Memorial

5. What Comes After

6. The Cardinal and I

No release date has been set...The track "Heavy Blue Miles Live in Hengalo" was donated to Raise Money for Stan Whitaker from "Happy The Man" who has been diagnosed with Cancer. Details on that release will be available soon.

Visit the echolyn site for more information at http://echolyn.com

Iron Maiden, David Gilmour Involved in Featured Artists Coalition

According to a posting on the Brain Damage web site, IRON MAIDEN and PINK FLOYD's David Gilmour are among the artists who have signed up for the Featured Artists Coalition. FAC campaigns for the protection of performers' and musicians' rights. They want all artists to have more control of their music and a much fairer share of the profits it generates in the digital age. Their aim is to speak with one voice to help artists strike a new bargain with record companies, digital distributors and others, and are campaigning for specific changes.

Moogfest™ 2008 Honors Bob Moog, Features The Moog Guitar

New York, NY , October 7, 2008: Metropolitan Talent and In Touch Entertainment, in cooperation with Moog Music, Inc. presents Moogfest 2008, Monday, October 13 at the Hammerstein Grand Ballroom in New York City. A stellar lineup of top Moog users will gather for an evening of ground-shaking music to honor Bob Moog and commemorate his groundbreaking achievements.

“This is our fifth year presenting this tribute to Bob and we’re excited about moving to The Hammerstein, which is more than twice as large as our previous venue,” said Mike Adams, Moog Music President. “Every year the artists who play at Moogfest tell us what a fun event it is, and as a result we have been privy to many fine performances. This year’s lineup and our annual “Bob Tribute” award will make for another fantastic evening for music fans.”

Moogfest 2008 will also feature Moog Music’s transforming new instrument, The Moog Guitar.

Performers scheduled to participate include Umphrey's McGee, Eric McFadden Trio, Bernie Worrell (P-Funk), The Machine, Aron Magner (Disco Biscuits), Jamie Shields (The New Deal), Joe Russo (Benevento/Russo) and others.

Bob Moog's namesake analog synthesizers helped catapult the careers of such diverse artists as rockers Todd Rundgren, Edgar Winter, Gary Numan and Devo; funksters Parliament-Funkadelic and Zapp; disco producer Giorgio Moroder with disco diva Donna Summer; fusioneers Chick Corea with Return To Forever, Herbie Hancock with The Headhunters, Jan Hammer with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Klaus Doldinger with Passport and Joe Zawinul with Weather Report; New Age icon Tomita and classical performer Wendy Carlos.

Tickets for Moogfest 2008 are available through Ticketmaster. For more information on Moogfest 2008, visit moogfest.com. For more information on The Moog Guitar visit moogmusic.com.

Opeth To Release DVD On Roundhouse Tapes

October 27th will see the release of Opeth's DVD titled The Roundhouse Tapes.
The Roundhouse Tapes set contains the critically acclaimed Opeth
performance from the Camden Roundhouse, London, UK in 2006 and sees
the band in scintillating form playing a selection of classics from
their illustrious career.
Packaged in a deluxe rigid digibook inside a hard slipcase, the set
also includes postcards of each band member, an exclusive art booklet
featuring the work of Travis Smith (reknowned Opeth Sleeve designer)
plus the ‘Roundhouse Tapes’ booklet.
The DVD extras include soundtrack footage from the show, a backstage
interview with the band plus fan footage all captured at the
‘Roundhouse’.
For more information visit www.burningshed.com

David Gilmour Says thanks, Gdansk On New Live CD

http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2008/09/09/david_gilmour_says_thanks_gdansk_on_new_live_cd/?page=1

By Jill Lawless
Associated Press Writer / September 9, 2008

LONDON—David Gilmour is sorry to disappoint, but there will be no Pink Floyd reunion. He's having too much fun on his own.
The British rock icon raised fans' hopes when the band performed at the Live 8 charity concert in London in 2005. It was the first time in almost a quarter of a century that Gilmour and estranged bandmate Roger Waters had appeared onstage together, and the atmosphere was electric.
But once was enough, Gilmour says.
The gig itself was "excellent, really enjoyable," said the 62-year-old guitarist and singer.
"The rehearsals were less enjoyable. The rehearsals convinced me it wasn't something I wanted to be doing a lot of," Gilmour said, speaking from the Astoria, his houseboat-cum-recording studio on the River Thames.
He has a famously testy relationship with bassist and singer Waters, who walked away from Pink Floyd in 1985.
"There have been all sorts of farewell moments in people's lives and careers which they have then rescinded, but I think I can fairly categorically say that there won't be a tour or an album again that I take part in," said Gilmour.
"It isn't to do with animosity or anything like that. It's just that I've done that. I've been there, I've done it."
Gilmour's latest project is a solo album and tour, captured on "David Gilmour Live in Gdansk," a double concert album and DVD to be released Sept. 23 on Columbia Records.
Recorded during the final date of Gilmour's 2006 "On An Island" tour, it's as meaty a package as you'd expect from a prog-rock colossus.
There's the concert's monumental backdrop of the Polish shipyards where the trade union Solidarity was founded in 1980. There's a crackerjack band that includes Pink Floyd keyboard player Richard Wright and Roxy Music guitarist Phil Manzanera. And there's a 40-piece string section from the Baltic Philharmonic Symphony to enhance Gilmour's blend of classic rock, jazz and blues influences.
The discs include a fan-friendly mix of solo material, much of it from the "On An Island" album, and venerable Floyd songs: "High Hopes," "Comfortably Numb," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and the 25-minute "Echoes," which Gilmour said was "the highlight of the show."
"It's wonderful to have that huge catalog of songs to pick and choose through. We were doing songs I've never done. There are several that haven't been played for 30-odd years. And some real old favorites."
Gilmour says he's happy these days to play the old Floyd songs.
"I don't like the idea of going out without a new album, without some new music to play," he said. "But people have come long distances and paid a lot of money to see a show. I want to give them a bit of what they expect and will enjoy."

Gilmour didn't originally intend the album to be a record of a single show. He had recorded every night of the tour, but found "a lot of the tracks that seemed to be the best ones were coming from this show in Gdansk."
The concert was organized to mark the 26th birthday of Solidarity, the union that rose from the docks of Gdansk to topple Poland's Communist regime, and drew 50,000 fans.
"It had a special resonance to it. The place, this sort of rather derelict shipyard, was really exciting. It was the last show of our whole tour," Gilmour said. "And there were also about 10 times as many people as we'd played to on any of the other dates on the tour."
The album -- like most of Gilmour's work for the last two decades -- was mixed and assembled aboard the Astoria, moored along a tranquil stretch of the River Thames near London.
The boat was built a century ago, at the then-enormous cost of 20,000 pounds, for Fred Karno, a music-hall impresario whose proteges included the young Charlie Chaplin. Gilmour bought it in 1986, seduced by the Edwardian elegance of its mahogany-paneled cabins, marble bathrooms and mother-of-pearl light switches.
"I hadn't really thought about using it as a studio," he said, looking around the tiny musicians' room, crammed with drum kit and guitars. "It was just too beautiful to miss out on."
He soon began to use it as a music-making base. The post-Waters Pink Floyd albums "The Division Bell" and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" were recorded here, as were Gilmour's solo albums, including "On An Island."
The vessel's cramped cabins are packed with high-end recording equipment and assorted instruments, including the black Fender Stratocaster that has been Gilmour's stalwart guitar since 1970.
Fender has just produced a signature guitar in his honor, the David Gilmour Black Strat. It's one of those things -- like a floating recording studio -- that you get when you're a rock legend.
Gilmour notes drily that there are two versions of the guitar. One has all the same knicks and bashes as Gilmour's own -- "the distressed jeans model." Then there's a pristine instrument buyers will have to bash up themselves.
"Which will cost less," Gilmour said. "Because it's more work distressing it."
Casual in jeans, black T-shirt and jacket, the gray-haired Gilmour is a low-key rock star, who seems to relish his role as family man -- he has eight children from his two marriages.
He says he plans to make a new album, but for now he's content to take it easy.
"I think if you are going to get on in this career or any other career you've got to be fairly ruthless while you're climbing up to the to the point in the career you want to get to," he said. "That moment is long past for me. I don't have to scramble over the bodies to reach the top anymore."
He says music is "one of the important things in my life, but it's not the only thing. My family are more important. If I had to give one up, I wouldn't be giving my family up."

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN: More U.S. Dates Announced, Rockwalk Induction

Legendary Swedish guitarist YNGWIE MALMSTEEN has scheduled the following U.S. dates:
Sep. 28 - San Juan, PR - Centro de Bellas Artes
Oct. 04 - San Antonio, TX - Scoutbar
Oct. 05 - Dallas, TX - House Of Blues
Oct. 08 - San Diego, CA - House Of Blues
Oct. 09 - Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues
Oct. 10 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
Oct. 11 - Ventura, CA - Majestic Ventura Theater
Oct. 12 - Los Angeles, CA - Avalon
Oct. 17 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Theater
Oct. 18 - Cleveland, OH - Agora
Oct. 19 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues
Oct. 21 - Williamsville, NY - Club Infinity
Oct. 23 - Wantagh, NY - Mulcahy's
Oct. 24 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom
Oct. 26 - New York, NY - Blender Theater
Oct. 29 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
Nov. 02 - St. Petersburg, FL - Jannus Landing
YNGWIE MALMSTEEN will be inducted into Hollywood's RockWalk on Monday, October 13 at noon in front of the Guitar Center at 7425 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.Hollywood's RockWalk is the only sidewalk gallery dedicated to honoring those artists who have made a significant impact and lasting contribution to the growth and evolution of rock 'n' roll, blues and R&B. Yngwie Malmsteen's handprints will reside alongside the handprints, signatures, and faces of other equally accomplished musicians and innovators such as Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Bonnie Raitt, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Brian Wilson, Stevie Wonder, John Lee Hooker and EARTH WIND & FIRE, among numerous others.The cover artwork for YNGWIE MALMSTEEN's new studio album, "Perpetual Flame", can be viewed below. Due on October 14, the CD will be the first-ever Yngwie effort to be released via Rising Force Records (distributed via Koch) and it will mark the debut of Malmsteen's new singer, ex-JUDAS PRIEST/ICED EARTH frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens. Featuring twelve tracks of "pure six-string metallic bliss" (which stretches to almost 70 minutes total), the album was produced and engineered by Yngwie himself, and mixed by Roy Z (who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST and BRUCE DICKINSON, among others). Joining Yngwie and Ripper on the album are keyboardist Derek Sherinian and drummer Patrick Johansson (Yngwie contributed bass, additional keyboards, and vocals, as well), but on tour, Michael Troy will supply keyboards, and Bjorn Englen will be laying down the bass. A supporting tour of the U.S. and Canada is slated to run through all of October.
In addition to the arrival of "Perpetual Flame" in October, a new Fender/Yngwie Malmsteen custom shop guitar will also be unveiled on November 28 (with a limited run of 100 instruments) and there will be a slew of CD reissues of Yngwie classics to soon be announced.

PRESTO BALLET To Perform At CALPROG Festival

PRESTO BALLET, the project led by METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, will perform at the CalProg 2008 festival, set to take place October 11 at Center Stage Theater in Whittier, California. Also scheduled to appear are ECHOLYN, IZZ and SYLVAN.

PRESTO BALLET released its second album, "The Lost Art of Time Travel", in the U.S. through ProgRock Records. The follow-up to 2005's "Peace among the Ruins" includes the following tracks: "The Mind Machine", "Thieves", "I'm Not Blind", "One Tragedy at a Time", "You Are Here", "Easy Tomorrow" and "That You're Alive".

PRESTO BALLET features Vanderhoof alongside Scott Albright (lead vocals, acoustic guitar), Bill Raymond (drums and percussion), Ryan McPherson (Hammond organ, piano, synths, lead and backing vocals) and Izzy Rehaume (bass, backing vocals).

PRESTO BALLET's music was previously described as "a mixture of first-class melodic and progressive rock with some heavy moments." All of the tracks on "Peace among the Ruins" were recorded using an analog tape machine, which was another nod to the sounds of the Seventies. Vanderhoof explained, "Digital recording techniques are annoying! For rock music it's absolutely fatal when you always rely on samples, sequencers and drum machines. It destroys the live feel of the music. With PRESTO BALLET, it was our aim to return to a more 'natural' feel while keeping as melodic and musical as possible."

For more information, visit www.calprog.com

Thieves' Kitchen Announce UK/European Tour Dates

Thieves' Kitchen have just announced their Autumn 2008 UK and European tour dates in support of the latest CD 'The Water Road' which was released in March. These will be the first live shows for the band since July 2004 and the first to feature new keyboard player Thomas Johnson, formerly of Anglagard.
DATES:

Sunday September 28th - Summer's End festival, Lydney Town Hall, High Street, Lydney, Gloucestershire, UK
www.summersend.co.uk
TK will be on stage at around 1:40pm. Other bands playing on this day of the festival include The Tangent and Frost*. There are only a few tickets still available, so move quickly!
Wednesday October 22nd - riff's bar, 26 greatfield, swindon, wiltshire, SN4 8EQ, UK
www.riffsbar.biz
Riff's has become a legendary venue for prog! No support and so a full set - TK will be onstage at around 9pm.
Friday October 24th - Chipping Warden Village Hall, Culworth Road, Chipping Warden, Northants, OX17 1LB, UK
The hall at Chipping Warden has been our rehearsal home over recent months, so what better place for a central UK show? This is a double header gig with Whimwise, featuring Nick May (ex The Enid). It will all kick off at about 7:30pm. Cheap admission and cheap bar!
Saturday November 1st - Freakparade festival, Bockshorn Theatre, Veitshoechheimerstrasse, 97080 Wuerzburg, Germany
http://artrock-festival.de/2008/09/07/freakparade-festival-2008-english-information/
Our first ever show in mainland Europe will be at the renowned Freakparade Festival - we are second on the bill on the Saturday and will appear at around 7pm, immediately prior to Magma.
Sunday November 2nd - Spirit of '66, Place du Martyr 16, B4800 Verviers, Belgium
www.spiritof66.be
We will be playing the famed Spirit of '66 as a double header along with our fellow Brits Sphere3. The fun is due to start at around 7pm.
Monday November 3rd - L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix, Boulevard des Capucines 28, Paris, France
www.olympiahall.com
The sort of place you only ever really dream about playing - the Olympia is a massive, famous theatre which in its time has hosted artists like The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. TK will be supporting French Canadian Genesis tribute band The Musical Box and we will be onstage at around 8pm.

If you require any further information on any of the shows or any general information on the band, www.thieveskitchen.co.uk or at their email address, thieveskitchen@aol.com

Sieges Even Breaks Up

With regret we have to announce the following official statement from the band:
Due to internal differences the band decided to split up. Thanks to everybody who helped the band over the years.
Arno and Markus will pursue their new band SUBSIGNAL
www.myspace.com/subsignalbandwww.subsignal.com
Alex and Oliver will also attend to their new projects
www.myspace.com/alexholzwarthwww.myspace.com/oliverholzwarth
Sieges Even, September 2008
Alex Holzwarth, Oliver Holzwarth, Arno Menses, Markus Steffen

CONTROLLED BLEEDING CONTINUES 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION WITH IN BLIND EMBRACE REISSUE!

CONTROLLED BLEEDING, one of the earliest American acts to pioneer industrial music, continues its 30 year anniversary celebration with a free download of "Red Hands Waiting," one of the bonus tracks on IN BLIND EMBRACE (SONGS FROM THE SHADOWS), due out on MVD Audio October 28, 2008. "Red Hands Waiting" is a brooding, atmospheric track that’s a hard to come by favorite among fans.

IN BLIND EMBRACE (SONGS FROM THE SHADOWS) is an expanded and re-sequenced reissue of this classic Controlled Bleeding title. One of the mainstays of the US industrial/experimental scene, Controlled Bleeding's main instigators originally released this music under the name IN BLIND EMBRACE in 1996. Taking a slightly darker, more ambient sound and mixing it with their trademark weirdness, this one became a favorite among Controlled Bleeding/industrial/experimental fans. This reissue features the original album with new cover art and a new order, as well as being remixed. Of interest, in addition to the bonus track "Red Hands Waiting," the cut "Mother" features Christian Death founder Rozz Williams.
http://www.seeofsound.com/p.php?s=MVDA4681
Visit CONTROLLED BLEEDING online at:
www.controlledbleeding.com
www.myspace.com/controlledbleeding

Beardfish To Play At Nearfest 2009

NEARfest '09 is very excited to bring to the NEARfest stage, Beardfish. Hailing from Sweden, Beardfish are a prime example of an archetype of an exceptionally expressive prog rock act. Building on the strength and power of previous releases such as The Sane Day and Sleeping in Traffic: Part One, their current album, Sleeping In Traffic: Part Two, features quotes from almost all eras of music history, blending them into an unmistakable sound. Beardfish's music has depth and substance without overtaxing its listeners with overly intricate structures. A distinct sense of Zappa-esque humor pervades Beardfish's music and lyrics. Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater said about Beardfish: "Sweden's Beardfish are my favorite "new" band with an "old" sound. Utilizing all of the classic styles and sounds of the original progessive rock bands of the 70's (mellotron, hammond organ, leslies, clean guitars, dry organic drums, etc.), these guys are making music for the folks who truly miss the classic bands that started this whole genre." Prepare yourselves to welcome Beardfish to the NEARfest '09 stage.

NEARfest Takes A Quantum Leap For 2009

The NEARfest New Guard are proud to announce the appearance of Space Rockers, Quantum Fantay. Hailing from Belgium, Quantum Fantay begins when two crazy friends, Pieter Van den Broeck (Pete Mush) and Wouter De Geest (Jaro), combine their musical visions and creativity. The result is the music of Quantum Fantay and their brand of liquid space rock. Drawing influences from, without being derivative of, bands such as Ozric Tentacles, Hawkwind and Hidria Spacefolk, Quantum Fantay create soundscapes and rhythms that wholly draw in the listener. Using hypnotic waves, atmospheric soundscapes, psychedelic synths, haunting melodies, woody groovy basslines with energy driven and experimental drums, a Quantum gig is a show to remember. To make the band live breathable and even more interesting the two neighbors attracted drummer Gino Verhaegen, guitar player Dario Frodo and flute-player Karel Slabbaert (Charles Sla).

Quantum Fantay, a name that came out of a typing error for the word fantasy, was on it's way. The year 2005 saw them release the album, Agapanthustherra to critical acclaim while 2007 saw the release of Ugisiunsi, their second studio album recorded at "Pete's Mushroom land" recording studio. This creation was a step further in terms of production and playing. Two Thousand and Eight has been an exciting year for the band as their first album has been re-released and a new live album titled, From Herzberg to Living Room, are added to their catalogue and recordings for the next studio album are fully on. The staff of NEARfest are thrilled to present as their Sunday morning surprise, the Space Rockings of Quantum Fantay.

http://nearfest.com

INTO ETERNITY Touring Without Founding Guitarist TIM ROTH

Canadian extreme progressive metal quintet INTO ETERNITY — whose new album, "The Incurable Tragedy", debuted at #17 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart last week — return to the road this weekend, when they kick off a string of dates alongside ICED EARTH. However, the band's founding guitarist/principal songwriter Tim Roth is unable to participate in the tour.

The group has issued the following statement to explain matters further: "All of us in the band, and especially Tim, have been looking forward to this tour with ICED EARTH for months. Over the years, ICED EARTH has been a huge influence on INTO ETERNITY, as anyone who owns 'Dead or Dreaming' [the group's second album, which features a picture of Tim wearing an ICED EARTH t-shirt] knows.

"Unfortunately, the events of the past two years have recently taken their toll on Tim. Emotionally, he's a rock, but there are some important legal, financial and family-related matters at home that he needs to take care of right now. However, he's given us his blessing to do the tour without him so we can honor our commitments to our fans (who won't get a refund if the support act cancels), and continue to promote an album that we all very much believe in.

"Luckily, Sean Maier from our labelmates BLESSED BY A BROKEN HEART has agreed to fill in on super-short notice. From what we've seen and heard on his MySpace, Sean's an amazing shredder, and we can't thank him enough for stepping in. Meanwhile, Stu is going to do his best to handle all of Tim's vocal parts, as well as his own. The vocal harmonies won't be as rich, but Stu vows to do the best he can.

"Please know and understand that INTO ETERNITY's lineup is not changing, and that Tim will rejoin the group on tour as soon as humanly possible. Again, it's not that Tim doesn't want to do this tour; it's just that he can't right now. Over the last three years, Tim has led INTO ETERNITY through 300+ shows with death metal bands, power metal bands, prog-metal bands, metalcore bands and everything in between. We'll miss him out there, but the show must go on.

"Thanks again to all the fans around the world who picked up 'The Incurable Tragedy'. We weren't sure how people would respond to such an emotional roller coaster, but we couldn't be more grateful for our fans' continued support. We can't wait to see you all on tour."

Visit www.myspace.com/officialintoeternity to view their complete touring itinerary.

"The Incurable Tragedy", the fifth full-length album from INTO ETERNITY, sold 1,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"The Incurable Tragedy" is the first INTO ETERNITY album to feature Justin Bender (guitar) and Steve Bolognese (drums), who came aboard shortly after the group finished Gigantour in 2006.

The group recently shot a video for the song "Time Immemorial" with acclaimed director Craig Bernard (THEORY OF A DEADMAN).

rockandrollcola - Robert

Floyd founder Wright dies at 65

FROM THE BBC

Pink Floyd keyboard player and founder member Richard Wright has died, aged 65, from cancer.

Wright appeared on the group's first album, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in 1967 alongside lead guitarist Syd Barrett, Roger Waters and Nick Mason.
Dave Gilmour joined the band at the start of 1968 while Barrett left the group shortly afterwards.
Gilmour said: "No-one can replace Richard Wright - he was my musical partner and my friend."
Writing on his website, he added: "In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten."
Wright's spokesman said in a statement: "The family of Richard Wright, founder member of Pink Floyd, announce with great sadness that Richard died today after a short struggle with cancer.
"The family have asked that their privacy is respected at this difficult time."
He did not say what form of cancer the self-taught keyboard player and pianist had.

Live 8
Wright, a founder member of The Pink Floyd Sound - and other previous incarnations including Sigma 6 - met Waters and Mason at architecture school.
Wright rejoined Pink Floyd for the London Live 8 concert in 2005Pink Floyd achieved legendary status with albums including 1973's The Dark Side Of The Moon, which stayed in the US album chart for more than a decade.
Wright, known as Rick earlier in his career, wrote The Great Gig In The Sky and Us And Them from the album.
Waters left the band in 1981, performing his last concert at London's Earls Court.
Wright, together with Gilmour and Mason, continued to record and tour as Pink Floyd during the remainder of the 1980s and into the 1990s, releasing their last studio album - The Division Bell - in 1994.
In 2005, the full band reunited - for the first time in 24 years - for the Live 8 concert in London's Hyde Park.
Wright also contributed vocals and keyboards to Gilmour's 2006 solo album On An Island, while performing with his touring band in shows in Europe and the US.

Yes To Tour Without Anderson, Finds Replacement

By MARGIE SZAROLETA, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - The classic rock band Yes, which was forced to cancel their 40th anniversary tour this year due to the illness of its lead singer, has decided to relaunch the tour with an "understudy" — a Yes tribute band singer.

Benoit David, who sings in several Yes tribute bands in Montreal, will replace Jon Anderson on the "In the Present" tour, which kicks of Nov. 4 in Ontario, Canada, according to bassist Chris Squire.
"I think it's all going to work out fine," Squire told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Of course, realistically, there's an element of risk, but there always is."
Yes, which consists of Squire, Anderson, guitarist Steve Howe and drummer Alan White, scrapped their anniversary tour in June after Anderson suffered acute respiratory failure and was ordered by doctors to rest six months.
Squire found David on the Internet after a friend sent him a YouTube clip of David's tribute band, Close To The Edge. Squire liked what he saw and called David to offer an audition.
"The first thing he said to me was, 'Well, I'm looking around to see where the cameras are in case I'm being punked,'" Squire said.
Yes has taken a page from another classic rock group, Journey, who selected Arnel Pineda, a sound-a-like of old lead singer Steve Perry, to be their singer after the group discovered him singing Journey songs on YouTube. Pineda sang on the group's successful comeback album this year and has also been touring with them.
It's not the first time Yes has had a singer besides Anderson. Trevor Horn sang on the 1980 Yes album "Drama" when Anderson briefly left the band. Squire hopes to work songs from that album into the set for the upcoming tour, plus a few songs he said were not Anderson's favorites to perform live but the rest of the band likes.
"You can't ever really replace Jon Anderson, because he's been such a force in the music business," Squire said. "We look upon his replacement as more of an understudy."
Squire said he is hopeful Anderson will be well enough to do shows next year.

http://yesworld.com

Yes Launch Tour Without Jon Anderson And Rick Wakeman

STEVE HOWE, CHRIS SQUIRE AND ALAN WHITE OF GROUNDBREAKING ROCK GROUP YES UNITE FOR “IN THE PRESENT” U.S. TOUR
Members will be joined by Oliver Wakeman on keyboards and vocalist Benoit David to perform the group’s classic repertoire in live spectacular
LOS ANGELES, Sept. 10, 2008—Albums like Fragile, Close to the Edge Tales from Topographic Oceans and 90125 and singles such as “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “I’ve Seen All Good People” are just some of the enduring classics that have made YES one of the most influential and groundbreaking groups in rock & roll. Now, the classic YES line-up of guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White will launch the "In The Present" tour starting November 4th in Hamilton, Ontario, marking yet another chapter in the art-rockers’ amazing, 40-year career of legendary live performances. The three will be joined by keyboardist Oliver Wakeman, the son of YES’ Rick Wakeman, and vocalist Benoit David, a Montreal, Quebec, native and vocalist in several YES tribute groups, who was discovered by the band on the Internet.
With a remarkable 40-year career that has time and again redefined the boundaries of rock, YES was formed in 1968 by Chris Squire and Jon Anderson, who shared a mutual interest in vocal harmonies and classical music. With drummer Bill Bruford, guitarist Peter Banks and keyboardist Tony Kaye, they became YES, earning a residency at the famed London venue The Marquee Club, where they played with the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Pink Floyd, releasing their self-titled debut album in July 1969.Guitarist Steve Howe, who went on to play in the popular prog-rock groups Asia and GTR and continues releasing acclaimed solo albums and touring, brought an experimental cutting edge to YES for their 1970’s The Yes Album, their first number one album in the UK. Drummer Alan White, who had been hand-picked to play on John Lennon’s Imagine and George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, came aboard in 1972. YES then went on to conquer America and played at some of the largest paid attendance concerts of all time including the JFK Stadium in Philadelphia in 1976 to a crowd of over 130,000 people.YES postponed plans for a 40th anniversary Close to the Edge and Back tour in June, when vocalist Jon Anderson suffered a severe asthma attack and was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure. Commented Squire: "This isn't an attempt to replace Jon Anderson, because as we all know, that would be impossible. With Benoit, we are bringing in a talented singer so that we can go out and honor the music of YES for the fans who have waited for the past four years to see us perform."A dominant force in rock music for more than four decades, YES has created some of rock’s most enduring and compelling hits, selling more than 30 million albums worldwide. The group has defined music history with their dynamic instrumental contrasts and abstract lyrics. Their symphonic use of sound and innovative musical styles continues to make them the most successful progressive rock band in history and their amazing career continues to defy many of their rock counterparts.