Umphrey's McGee To Play NEARFest 2011

NEARfest is pleased to welcome Umphrey's McGee, one of the premier modern day progressive music acts, to the NEARfest stage in Baker Hall at The Zoellner Arts Center on June 26th 2011.

Founded in 1997 in South Bend, Indiana, Umphrey's McGee soon made Chicago home base, and set their sights on becoming one of todays premier live acts. Over the course of the last ten years, the band has performed at festivals such as Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and continues to sell out shows in the nation's premier venues coast to coast. They have toured Europe multiple times and performed at Japan's Fuji Rock Festival in 2006.

The band consists of...

Brendan Bayliss - Guitar, vocals
Jake Cinninger - Guitar, vocals
Joel Cummins - Keyboard, piano, vocals
Andy Farag - Percussion
Kris Myers - Drums, vocals
Ryan Stasik - Bass

Together these virtuoso musicians make beautiful music together. Music that has been described as "progressive improvisation" , "improg" and "improgisation". Though they are ofter associated with the jam band world (because of their continually changing set lists, policy of open taping and two set nights) their music is most influenced by the likes of King Crimson, Zappa, Genesis, Dream Theater, Pink Floyd, The Police, Yes, Iron Maiden, Zeppelin and The Beatles.

For More Info, visit NEARFest at http://nearfest.com/

OPETH Confirmed For Sweden's GETAWAY ROCK

OPETH has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Getaway Rock festival, set to take place July 7-9, 2011 in Gävle, Sweden.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

ALICE COOPER
AURA NOIR
BLOWSIGHT
CORROSION OF CONFORMITY
DEATH ANGEL
DESULTORY
ENTOMBED
F.K.Ü.
GHOST
GRAVEYARD
HEAVEN SHALL BURN
IMMORTAL
MARDUK
OPETH
VOMITORY
YOUTH OF TODAY

BORN OF OSIRIS: New Album Title, Release Date Announced

Chicago-based progressive metal hybrid BORN OF OSIRIS will release its third full-length album, "The Discovery", on March 22 via Sumerian Records. The CD was recorded at BOTA Studio in Lake In The Hills, Illinois and was mixed by Jason Suecof (ALL THAT REMAINS, TRIVIUM, DEVILDRIVER).

Commented guitarist Lee McKinney: "I should start by saying this new album is heavier than anything the band ever released. We have moved onto seven strings and it couldn't have complimented our sound any better. We brought back the 'BOO-bounce' on this one. It's definitely a really fun and upbeat album. Also, the addition of our new guitar player, Jason Richardson, has increased the amount of shred on this album. There are some really incredible guitar solos on this album from the both of us. It takes the band to a whole new level of musicality. This album contains an awesome mix of our most heavy, most technical, most atmospheric and most beautiful melodies ever."

BORN OF OSIRIS is preparing to co-headline the third annual "Atticus Metal" tour with DARKEST HOUR. AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK and THE HUMAN ABSTRACT round out the stellar bill. SLEEPING GIANT will be special guests on all West Coast dates and look for other special openers on other shows depending on the region.

BORN OF OSIRIS's sophomore album, "A Higher Place", came out in 2009. The CD was recorded at Planet Z in in Hadley, Massachusetts with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, WHITECHAPEL and THE ACACIA STRAIN, among others.

BORN OF OSIRIS' debut album, "The New Reign", was produced by Michael Keene of THE FACELESS.

The band's sound is said to be "an epic mix of intricate and memorable melodies with challenging time signatures that still hold an infectious groove, all while maintaining sheer, tasteful brutality."

Source: RNR

TWINSPIRITS: New Album Details Revealed

Italian progressive metal band TWINSPIRITS returns with its third album, "Legacy", on February 18 via Lion Music. The CD "takes all the best aspects of the band's previous two releases and adds a heavier dynamic and more cohesive sound thanks to a fixed lineup, the same that delivered the highly praised 'The Forbidden City' and spent time on the road promoting that release," according to a press release.

"Legacy" marks the second album of vocalist Göran Nyström in the band, and his voice delivers another commanding performance over the material penned by band mastermind and keyboardist Daniele Liverani. Guitarist Tommy Ermolli takes a heavier role this time round whilst the rhythm section of bassist Alberto Rigoni and drummer Dario Ciccioni hold down the complex patterns with precision.

"Legacy" is divided in two main parts. In the first part there are six powerful straight ahead songs, still being progressive in nature and with a more direct feel to them than has been heard from the band before. The second part of the album is a multi-suite movement, "The Endless Sleep", divided in five songs (symphonic intro plus four songs) that is more like an album within an album being very theatrical and visionary.

On the album's lyrical slant, Liverani comments, "Lyrically the first six songs are independent to the suite, and are cover subject, including personal experiences, thoughts about life in this era, and different kind of reflections of human beings into this modern world we are living in. The second part, the suite, is covering a concept story that runs through a journey that the main character is undertaking after a premature death, whereby he's discovering a role that he's involved in after he passes away, and the meeting with a superior entity that is giving him a sort of second chance to get back to the human life to accomplish a human rescue mission as a second millennium messiah... a very struggling story that will be revealed part by part of 'The Endless Sleep' 30-minute suite. The key points of the concept are in part 'I'm Leaving This World' where the main character describes the moment he passes away and his extra body experience, the song
'Legacy' where we have the relationship between him and the superior entity that is explaining his new role in the afterlife, the songs 'What Am I Supposed To Do' is a very moving moment where he meets his parents while he's back to human life temporary, and the final part, 'Tell Me The Truth', continues the description of the relationship of the main character with his afterlife guide mentor."

TWINSPIRITS will return to the road in thr spring to promote the new album with a tour and some European festival appearances.

"Legacy" track listing:

01. Senseless
02. Pay For Their Art
03. Blind Soul
04. Slave To This World
05. Don't Kill Your Dreams
06. Over And Over Again
07. The Endless Sleep / The Endless Sleep
08. The Endless Sleep / What Am I Supposed To Do
09. The Endless Sleep / Legacy
10. The Endless Sleep / I'm Leaving This World
11. The Endless Sleep / Tell Me The Truth

source: RNR

Mike Portnoy To Do In Store Appearances In North East

Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy has scheduled the following in-store appearances:

Tuesday, February 8, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Portsmouth, NH
1465 Woodbury Ave
Portsmouth, NH 03801
603-436-1142

Wednesday, February 9, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Manchester, NH
1279 S. Willow St.
Manchester, NH 03103
603-669-9346

Thursday, February 10, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Boston, MA
165 Mass Ave.
Boston, MA
617-247-0909

Friday, February 11, 6:30 p.m. - Daddy's Dedham, MA (Grand Opening)
444 Providence Highway
Dedham, MA
781-329-9924

Just days after it was announced that he'd been dismissed as the touring drummer for AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, and was rebuffed.

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than 20 years ago, abruptly quit the band this summer while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

He played on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "Nightmare", following the death of that band's drummer, Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan, and has toured with them since early summer.

Classic Rock Society Announces Upcoming Schedule For 2011

The Classic Rock Society has announced its upcoming schedule for 2011.

Saturday 5th March 2011
CRS Best Of The Year Awards
Pallas + Tinyfish
Special Guest Presenter: Sonja Kristina (Curved Air)
Montgomery Hall, Wath Upon Dearne, UK

Saturday 12th March 2011
Manning + Jump
The Wesley Centre, Maltby, UK

Saturday 2nd April 2011
The Tangent + Concrete Lake
The Wesley Centre, Maltby, UK

Saturday 9th April 2011
Credo + guests
Launch party for Against Reason
The Wesley Centre, Maltby, UK

Sunday 15th May 2011
Riverside + Godsticks
The Picturedrome, Holmfirth, UK

Saturday 4th June 2011
Pendragon + Andy Sears (of Twelfth Night)
Montgomery Hall, Wath Upon Dearne, UK (note venue change)

**Fused Festival**
1st-3rd April 2011
Featuring: Threshold, Vanden Plas, Kingfisher Sky,
Day Six, Toxic Smile, To-Mera, Haken, Hanging Doll,
Loreweaver, Winter In Eden, Hookah The Fuzz, Aftermath
The Town Hall, Lydney, Gloucestershire, UK
http://www.fusedfestival.com/

Tickets for all events available from www.classicrocksociety.co.uk or by calling 01327 310088 (UK number)

NEARfestNews Italian Legends New Trolls To Headline NEARfest Saturday Night

From The NEARFest Staff
NEARfest is honored to present to you, the legendary New Trolls as our Saturday Night headliner. New Trolls were founded in the mid-1960s by musicians Vittorio De Scalzi, Nico Di Palo, Mauro Chiarugi, Giorgio D'Adamo and Gianni Belleno. New Trolls gained local club popularity which led them to be chosen as supporting act for the Rolling Stones on their Italian tour dates. Soon after, they released their debut single, "Sensazioni" (1967), the first of a very long series of chart hitting songs. The band was one of the best live acts in Italy at the time, and Hendrix-inspired guitarist Nico Di Palo was one of the first Italian guitar heroes.

Their first full-length album, Senza Orario Senza Bandiera, came in 1968 with lyrics written for it by famed singer-songwriter Fabrizio de André. This release was very successful at the time and a second album simply titled New Trolls, followed two years later. By the end of the same year New Trolls would have faced their first line-up change, when Mauro Chiarugi left the band. The other members managed to go on as a quartet and in 1971 they released the album which was to become their trademark: Concerto Grosso per i New Trolls. The album was a fantastic example of early symphonic rock experimentation, with classical music arrangements written by composer Luis Enriquez Bacalov. As the first effort in Italy to merge rock music with classical treatments, this album is still considered one of the most important Italian progressive rock releases ever.

From then on, the name New Trolls has appeared sporadically in the music scene. Along the 1990s Vittorio De Scalzi recruited several musicians to make tours playing old New Trolls songs. Some album remakes and best-hits collections have appeared too. In 1999 Di Palo, Belloni and Belleno tried to regroup the band (again) but came into legal conflict with De Scalzi. In 2001 a two-disc set was released credited to De Scalzi: La storia dei New Trolls. Recorded live, the first disc includes reworkings of old tracks, while the second is a complete rendition of Concerto grosso per i New Trolls with full orchestra.

By 2002 the band lead by De Scalzi kept touring with La storia dei New Trolls repertoire. Di Palo and former band members regrouped as Il Mito New Trolls, only touring and performing old songs, not releasing any record yet.

2007 saw what is currently the latest reunion of De Scalzi and Di Palo. Reuniting elements from both members' bands, the reformed New Trolls released Concerto grosso: the seven seasons, a continuation of their classical/rock blending "Concerto grosso" series. For this issue, the band returned to English lyrics, written by Shel Shapiro. The record was produced and released by the band's own label, Aereostella. In continuing with the renaissance of the New Trolls in the 21st century, at the beginning of 2010 came the announcement of the reunion, after almost 30 years, of the classic line-up with Vittorio De Scalzi, Nico Di Palo, Giorgio D'Adamo and Gianni Belleno, with live help of Andrea Maddalone and Francesco Bellia.

Various lineup changes became a constant scenario and although their members have ridden the musical roundabout, the quality of their music has never waivered. As with many bands from the golden era of progressive music, New Trolls music changed with the times but their vision never deviated from what it was from the beginning; creation of a truly progressive spirit. Moving from symphonic prog to jazz/fusion to hard rock and back again, New Trolls continue to impress with their live appearances. Considered to rival PFM as the most popular progressive band from Italy, their shows are nothing short of magical. The repertoire for their NEARfest appearance will be billed as the BEST OF THE PROG OF NEW TROLLS, tunes from
3 albums of Concerto Grosso (1971, 1976, 2008) which represents baroque-sympho-rock, classic tunes from 1969-1976 period as well as selections from their psychedelic-period.
Jim, Kevin and I are truly honored to be able to present to the NEARfest masses for the first time in the U.S., Italy's New Trolls.

New Trolls are:
VITTORIO DE SCALZI - lead vocals, flute, keyboards, acoustic guitar

NICO DE PALO - lead and back vocals, keyboards

ANDREA MADDALONE - electric & acoustic guitars, back vocals

FRANCESCO BELLIA - bass guitar, acoustic guitar, back vocals

GIANNI BELLENO - drums, back vocals

www.newtrolls.it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdEz6H6TB7w&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyMOCbEsxs4