Prog Rock Pioneers Procol Harum & Renaissance Still On Top

With 40+ years in the business, prog legends Procol Harum and Renaissance can rock with the best of them and their fans know it. Teaming up for a special US East Coast tour, the two legendary UK acts have already sold out their performance at Longwood Gardens on June 16. Tickets are still available for their Saturday, June 12 show at Atlantic City's Tropicana Casino and Resort.

Procol Harum are celebrating a great rock honor. In 2009, their monumental first smash hit, "A Whiter Shade Of Pale" was awarded the accolade of the most-played single of the past seventy-five years. Led by "Commander"
Gary
Brooker, the Procol rhythm section is a virtual who's who of live musicians -- bassist Matt Pegg (Blinder, Ian Anderson), drummer Geoff Dunn (Jimmy Page, Dave Stewart, Van Morrison), Hammond organist Josh Phillips (Pete Townsend), and last but not least, 18-year veteran and guitarist Geoff Whitehorn.

This, then, is a band with a golden future and an undeniably illustrious past.
They have twelve studio albums, three DVDs and numerous live projects to their credit and * though some have commented on the change of personnel over the years * each new contributor has brought their own form of inspiration for the musical output. For Brooker, it*s all about the songs. *We don*t do pop songs as such. Procol Harum is a soul and blues band which has these other influences because of the people who are there. When we finally do it, it comes out differently. 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' wouldn*t have been such a big hit, nor 'A Salty Dog' or many other songs, unless they*d had soul,* he insists. *We really enjoy playing challenging things.*

Renaissance, amidst their own 40th Anniversary celebration, will join Procol Harum on stage. Fronted by the most recognizable (and newly reunited) duo in the band's history, audiences will witness the incomparable five-octave voice of Annie Haslam with Renaissance's principal composer and guitarist, Michael Dunford. Haslam and Dunford promise that the new six-piece lineup will perform the band's timeless classics with the same care with which the material was originally crafted, while utilizing technological advances to reproduce the music's original symphonic textures like never before. They're also enthusiastic about introducing the music to a new generation of listeners as well as longtime fans.

Saturday, June 12 at 8pm - Tropicana, Atlantic City, NJ
Wednesday, June 16 at 7:30pm - Longwood Gardens, Kennett Square, PA - SOLD OUT!

Renaissance To Play Rosfest 2010

Renaissance Announced for RoSfest 2010

Renaissance are an English progressive rock band that rose from the
ashes of the Yardbirds, with Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford joining
at the dawn of the 1970s to define their work with folk rock and
classical fusions, including quotations from/allusions to such composers
as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff. The band is most notable
for their 1978 UK top 10 hit "Northern Lights" and progressive rock
classics like "Mother Russia" and "Ashes Are Burning."

Throughout the 70s/80s, progressive rock FM stations across the USA,
such as WNEW (New York), WMMR (Philadelphia) and WHFS (DC), were
turning America onto Renaissance, while the band was thrilling
concertgoers on the world's most distinguished stages, from Carnegie
Hall in New York City to the Royal Albert Hall in London. Records
released throughout the 70s by Renaissance placed in the top-half of
the Billboard Hot 100 Album Charts including Ashes Are Burning,
Scheherazade and Other Stories, Live at Carnegie Hall and Novella,
among others.

Led by Haslam and Dunford, the voice and principal songwriter of the
band's most popular lineup, Renaissance reunited in October 2009 to
celebrate their 40th anniversary. The band embarked on a highly
successful nine-city East Coast tour of theaters and performing arts
centers which inspired them to consider additional engagements for
2010. Joining Haslam and Dunford in the latest incarnation of
Renaissance are keyboardist Rave Tesar and bassist-vocalist David J.
Keyes, both of whom were previous members of Renaissance and the Annie
Haslam Band, in addition to keyboardist-vocalist Tom Brislin Yes,
Debbie Harry, Meat Loaf, Francis Dunnery) and drummer-percussionist
Frank Pagano (Bruce Springsteen, Smashing Pumpkins, Bette Midler, Barry
Manilow). Together, these world class musicians are revisiting the
symphonic textures, stunning vocals and poetic lyrics that embody the
band's haunting and compelling international themes, with fresh
interpretations of the most admired compositions from Renaissance's
most prolific period (1972-78).

Now, Renaissance begins an exciting new chapter, while honoring its
beloved body of vintage work. Haslam and Dunford promise that the new
six-piece lineup will perform the band's timeless classics with the
same care with which the material was originally crafted, while
utilizing technological advances to reproduce the music's original
symphonic textures like never before. They're also enthusiastic about
introducing the music to a new generation of listeners as well as
longtime fans.

"I'm thrilled to be performing these songs again, and to be performing
them with Michael Dunford and a great group of musicians," Haslam
states. "These songs are a big part of my life, so I'll be singing my
heart out."

"We're very excited to be playing for American audiences again," adds
Dunford. "With these great musicians, I'm expecting the songs to sound
better than ever, and I'm looking forward to it with great
anticipation."
Renaissance Myspace site: http://www.myspace.com/renaissanceofficial
Renaissance official Website: http://www.nlightsweb.com/
Renaissance wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_(band)
For ticket information go to http://www.rosfest.com

RENAISSANCE 2009 to Celebrate 40th Anniversary of England's "Classical Rock" Pioneers with Special Fall U.S. Tour

Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford to Lead World-Class Musicians
on 9-City Concert Tour of Theaters and Performing Arts Centers Starting Oct. 6

In celebration of their 1969 formation, English "classical rock" pioneers Renaissance are embarking on a special 40th Anniversary Fall Concert Tour to re-introduce to new generations the lush, orchestral favorites that made them a staple of 1970s progressive rock radio.
Led by Annie Haslam and Michael Dunford, the voice and principal songwriter, respectively, of the band’s most popular lineup, RENAISSANCE 2009 will embark on a nine-city East Coast tour of theaters and performing arts centers that commences Oct. 6 in Annapolis, MD, and includes New York, Philadelphia and Washington, home to the nation’s top progressive rock stations during the classic Renaissance era.
"I'm thrilled to be performing these truly unique masterpieces again," says Haslam, whose five-octave voice is one of the most legendary in rock history. “These songs are a big part of my life and I will sing my heart out."
Joining Haslam and Dunford in RENAISSANCE 2009 are keyboardist Rave Tesar and bassist-vocalist David J. Keyes, both of whom were previous members of Renaissance and the Annie Haslam Band, plus keyboardist-vocalist Tom Brislin (Yes, Debbie Harry, Meat Loaf, Francis Dunnery) and drummer-percussionist Frank Pagano (Bruce Springsteen, Smashing Pumpkins, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow). Together, these world class musicians will revisit the symphonic textures, stunning vocals and poetic lyrics that embody the band’s hauntingly compelling international themes, with fresh interpretations of their most admired compositions. “Carpet of the Sun,” “Ocean Gypsy,” “Mother Russia,” "Ashes Are Burning," “Running Hard,” “Prologue,” and "Northern Lights" are central to Renaissance’s most prolific period (1972-78), which produced the albums Prologue, Ashes Are Burning, Turn of the Cards, Novella, Scheherazade and Other Stories, and A Song for All Seasons, as well as 'Live' at Carnegie Hall (1976), the deluxe two-disc set recently reissued.
Renaissance originally rose from the ashes of the Yardbirds, with Haslam and Dunford joining at the dawn of the 1970s to define their work with folk rock and classical fusions, including quotations from and allusions to, such composers as Bach, Chopin, Debussy, and Rachmaninoff. It wasn’t long before influential progressive rock FM stations like WNEW (New York), WMMR (Philadelphia) and WHFS (Washington) were turning on America to Renaissance, while the band was thrilling concertgoers on the world’s most distinguished stages, from Carnegie Hall in New York City to the Royal Albert Hall in London.
"We've wanted to bring these songs to American audiences again and now with these great musicians," adds Michael Dunford, "I'm looking forward to it with great anticipation."

RENAISSANCE 2009 40TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR DATES:
October 6 Annapolis, MD Rams Head Onstage
October 8 Rochester, NY German House Theatre
October 9 New York, NY Concert Hall at New York Society for Ethical Culture
October 11 Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre
October 12 Alexandria, VA The Birchmere
October 13 Albany, NY The Egg – Center for Performing Arts
October 14 Harrisburg, PA Whitaker Center
October 16 South Orange, NJ South Orange Performing Arts Center
October 17 Atlantic City, NJ Xanadu Theater at Trump Taj Mahal

www.myspace.com/renaissanceofficial
www.anniehaslam.com
www.nlightsweb.com

News Bytes For The Month Of August

News Bytes For August:

• Morglbl's September tour of the eastern United States, has been cancelled due to Visa problems. The band is currently fixing the issue, but will not play any of their scheduled dates
• The classic progressive rock band Eloy are looking to release a new album soon called "Visionary"
• Esoteric Records is planning to re release the Rick Wakeman catalog in 2010. Also Tony Banks A Curious Feeling is to reissued as well
• Rush is planning to get back into the studio this autumn
• Rosfest is moving to Majestic Theater in Gettysburg, PA
• Kinetic Element is to release their new disc on September 5th
• Moonjune Records to release 2 CD set of Holdsworth/Pasqua/Haslip/Wackerman titled Blues For Tony. The disc is a tribute to the late great drummer Tony Williams
• Legendary Univers Zero/Present bassist Guy Segers, along with Acid Mother Temple guitarist Makoto Kawabata, Mani NEUMEIER from Guru Guru on drums, Daevid Allen on vocals and guitar performed at the "Zappanale" festival in Bad Doberan, Germany on August 14th
• Guitarist Scott McGill can be found soloing over a fusion backing track on YouTube by Jan Cyrka of BluesJamTracks.com. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L86oGy3FDqs He is also prepping to release a new album with Ritchie DeCarlo, Percy Jones (Brand X, Tunnels) and Markus Reuter (Pat Mastelotto). The release date is forthcoming
• August 30th from the museumofmakingmusic.org: Conversations in the Key of Moog
  At 1 PM, join us for a fascinating look into the world of synthesis with experts Brian Kehew and Larry Fast. Fast is best known for his series of pioneering electronic music albums recorded under the project name SYNERGY and for his contribution to a number of popular music acts, including: Peter Gabriel, Hall & Oates, Foreigner, Richie Sambora, Barbra Streisand, Randy Newman and others. Brian Kehew is a musician and music producer who contributed to the development of the Minimoog Voyager, Little Phatty synthesizers, and Moogerfooger effect pedals. Kehew is also known for his book "Recording the Beatles," his band, Moog Cookbook, and his keyboard work touring with The Who.
• Progressive rock band Renaissance is to have a 40th year anniversary tour in the autumn
• Transatlantic to release their new album The Whirlwind in October