*Check out new band EARTH LUX, who include MICHAEL SCHENKER BAND’s Steve Mann and alumni Michael Voss, as well as former Yngwie Malmsteen vocalist Mark Boals. Bio below, as well as the band’s first 2 videos, and links. Earth Lux will be out later this month.
EARTH LUX is a new band formed by French composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist Steph Honde and Brazilian composer and drummer Fred Mika. Both musicians had previously worked together in the band Sunroad.In early 2023, Steph and Fred decided to form a parallel band focusing on melodic hard rock, but also incorporating some ’70s influences. Shortly after songwriting began, Fred contacted his German friend, singer, composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Michael Voss (Michael Schenker Group, Mad Max, Casanova) to take over the bass guitar for EARTH LUX. And, close to the other musician partnerships, such as the British musician and producer Steve Mann (Eloy, LIONHEART, MSG), who lives in Germany, for keyboard-line recordings, and the last member was completed by the Irish singer Robin McAuley (Grand Prix, Survivor, Black Swan and also MSG). A short time later, McAuley was suddenly called to rejoin MSG as the definitive singer, replacing Ronnie Romero, who decided to leave the group to pursue a solo career.Fred contacted another friend, American composer, singer and bassist Mark Boals (Yngwie Malmsteen, Ring Of Fire, Uli Jon Roth) to replace Robin (who had even completed one of the album’s lyrics). So by mid-2023, EARTH LUX was fully formed and hungry for the first album.The album artwork was created by well-known British designer Tristan Greatrex, who has already worked for LIONHEART, MSG, UFO and many other artists.
EARTH LUX are: Mark Boals – vocals, Steve Mann – keyboards, Michael Voss – bass, Fred Mika – drums, Steph Honde – guitars
Coming out in October is this 6-CD set of live shows in the UK, by legendary hard rock & blues-rockers MOUNTAIN. Should be of interest alone to hear the heavy sound of Leslie West’ guitar, as the band play a number of MOUNTAIN classics each show, as well as throw in a few surprises. Check out the press info below, as well as the link.
Classic live performances from Mountain’s UK tours of 2002 and 2005. Featuring Leslie West and Corky Laing, joined by Richie Scarlet on bass, playing their raw and loud brand of classic blues and hard rock.
Inspired by the classic power trio Cream, Mountain’s blues-based heavy rock was in turn a huge influence on the development of hard rock and heavy metal. Various versions and line-ups of Mountain would reform to tour and record from the 1980s onwards.Kicking off at the Manchester Academy, the setlist is built around the Mountain classics ‘Blood Of The Sun’, ‘Mississippi Queen’ and ‘Nantucket Sleighride’, while also paying homage to their Cream heroes with ‘Sunshine Of Your Love’, ‘Politician’ and ‘Crossroads’. Although the set list doesn’t deviate too much across these six previously unreleased live shows, these recordings highlight the interaction between Leslie and Corky, as the guitarist puts a different spin and jams on the songs each night .’Can’t Find My Way Home’ featuring Stray’s Del Bromham was a real treat for fans in Leicester. Captured live in Manchester, Wolverhampton, Sheffield, Swansea, Leicester and Cardiff, Live In The UK is a unique snapshot of the latter era of this legendary band.
This came out in the summer of 2004, and was the first studio album to feature guitarist/singer Joe Gooch in place of Alvin Lee. A more modern blues rock album, Now is one of my favorites under the TYA banner, and a CD I still out regularly. From the start with “When It All Falls Down”, Now rocks. Lots of further great tracks here with “Time To Kill”, “Long Time Running”, and the more laid back epic piece “A Hundred Miles High”. The North American version of Now featured different cover art, as well as 2 live ‘bonus’ tracks of TYA classics “I’d Love to Change The World” and “Going Home”. The band released the live album Roadworks from the tour in support of Now, which also featured a number of songs from it. A follow up album titled Evolution was released a few years later (I’ve recently got this one). Joe Gooch & Leo Lyons left TYA a few years later and formed Hundred Seventy Split, while keyboardist Chick Churchill and drummer Ric Lee carried on with replacements.
Anyway, if you never heard this era of Ten Years After, check out Now.
Initially, I started out writing a list of favorite tracks from the John Payne years of ASIA, but I kept coming back to this album, and decided to feature it instead (first). Silent Nation was the last studio album of the John Payne years, released in 2004. It seems a bit of an oddity in the ASIA catalogue up until then with a totally different take on cover art (a photo), and an album title that doesn’t simply start with an ‘A’.
I remember seeing this when it came out in the local music chain shop, and being curious, but not curious enough to pay the ridiculous import price. Over the last year or so, I’ve picked up and revisited these Payne era albums on occasion, and though there are some excellent tracks throughout the catalogue w/ JP, a number of things sounded a bit too laid back at times, and I’ve wound up moving on to something else. But, I finally listened to this a few times in full (Youtube) one day, and thought this was far better than anything that came before it, with songs like the epic “Blue Moon Monday” (love that big Hammond organ sound), “Ghost In The Mirror”, the ballad “Gone Too Far”, the title track, and the 2 which I think would’ve made fine radio hits in “What About Love” and the single “Long Way From Home”. This album gets better with every listen. No duff cuts here, with every song offering something different and of interest. For me, this is not only the oddity in the ASIA catalogue (see above), but also the most overlooked IMO. Excellent album.
Silent Nation featured probably the longest running line-up of the John Payne years, with the players who had been holdovers from the previous album Aura in 2001. That album featured a number of drummers and guitar players, but among them – the legendary Chris Slade (Manfred Mann’s Earthband, Uriah Heep, The Firm, AC/DC…) and guitarist Guthrie Govan. Slade, Govan, Payne, and Downes were the ASIA line-up that I saw in 2002 in Trenton’s Classic Rock Festival (along w/ Uriah Heep, Focus, and others. This show was released on DVD & CD). Silent Nation does include a few other guest players and co-writers, notably Billy Sherwood (now of YES). This album was produced by John Payne, who did an excellent job, (I gotta wonder why Payne was left to this task on his own!?).
Anyway, this one would only come out on CD, and now seems to fetch a high price for the CD /DVD package. A shame this (and many from the John Payne years) never saw a vinyl release and have yet to see proper reissues. Perhaps someone could put together a nice box set of this period of ASIA(!?) Payne is currently touring his version of ASIA; I gotta wonder if anything from this album features in his show.
WISHBONE ASH ‘NO EASY ROAD – WISHBONE ASH LIVE IN THE 70s’ Coffee Table Book Set For Release on Madfish August 30, 2024
Madfish are proud to present ‘No Easy Road’, an exclusive Wishbone Ash Coffee Table Book and the first official tribute to the band’s life on the road during their classic years from 1970-1980. This beautifully crafted 216-page set, set for release on 30th August, offers a unique glimpse into the band’s journey and features contributions from Martin Turner, Andy Powell, Steve Upton, Laurie Wisefield and head roadie Mark Emery.
WATCH THE TRAILER FOR ‘NO EASY ROAD’
PRE-ORDER ‘NO EASY ROAD – WISHBONE ASH LIVE IN THE 70’s’ (30TH AUGUST):
Heidelberg Germany 27th September 1977. Photo: Dick Barnett
‘No Easy Road’ includes many previously unseen photographs captured by renowned photographers Jill Furmanovsky (Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin), Michael Putland (The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney), Barry Plummer (Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley) and Dick Barnatt (Alice Cooper, Rod Stewart), alongside personal photographs from the band members’ private archive plus images of rare memorabilia and tour ephemera.Limited to just 1000 copies, each book comes with a photo signed by four band members: Laurie Wisefield, Andy Powell, Steve Upton and Martin Turner.
The book comes packed in a rigid slipcase containing a bonus 10-track KRO-NCRV concert CD, originally broadcast in Holland during the landmark Startruckin’ 75 Tour – an essential addition for any Wishbone Ash enthusiast.
The ultimate chronicle of one of the world’s greatest live bands, ‘No Easy Road’ follows Madfish’s recent 50th anniversary edition of the band’s 1972 classic, ‘Argus’.
US band MAD PAINTER have a new single out – “Empty Bottles”. A fun upbeat retro 70s type of tune with various 70s influences from Uriah Heep, Slade, and (for whatever reason) this one kinda reminds me of Meat Loaf! Check out the song and press info below!
Mad Painter, the eclectic rock band known for their vibrant blend of 1970s influences, announces the release of their latest single, “Empty Bottles”. The track showcases the band’s signature sound with a nostalgic yet contemporary twist, appealing to both long-time fans and new listeners alike. Formed in Arlington, MA, Mad Painter consists of Alex Gitlin on keyboards and vocals, Al Nahabedian on guitar, Kenne Highland on bass, Al Hendry on drums, and backing vocals by Julie Gee and Sharon Crumrine. The band’s unique chemistry developed from their shared love of 1970s rock’n’roll, encompassing everything from proto-punk to early heavy metal and psychedelic rock. Mad Painter has performed at notable events such as Winter Tangle Fest in Kingston, NY and Echo Fest in Cuddebackville, NY, as well as numerous venues across the Boston area including Somerville and Cambridge. Their previous singles from the album “Splashed,” namely “Illusion” and “Rock And Roll Samurai,” garnered significant radio airplay and favorable reviews. Produced in Peabody, MA by Thomas Hamilton, known for his work with various rock acts, “Empty Bottles” promises to deliver Mad Painter’s trademark energy and lyrical depth. The single reflects the band’s ethos of celebrating the carefree spirit of 1970s rock while addressing contemporary themes with sincerity and insight.
Sweden’s NESTOR have released their 2nd album – Teenage Rebel. The band’s debut of 80s influenced hard rock/AOR is an easy favorite of the past few years, and Teenage Rebel offers another solid set and mixed bag of rockers, poppier tunes and ballads- like one of your favorite 80s bands might’ve done nearly 40 years ago! Musically and lyrically Teenage Rebel isn’t that far off from Kids In A Ghost Town. There’s the intro of news clips, video game, tv shows, and music – largely taken from the 80s, before the band kicks in to lead off anthem “Anthem”, which follows closely to the band debut single “On The Run”. From there on, it’s kinda more of the same as the debut – which is fine by me! The faster paced title track, pop rockers “Last To Know”, “Victorious”, and “Addicted To Your Love” are all easily likeable. There’s also a pair of ballads “The One That Got Away” and “Daughter” (the latter more reminiscent of “Tomorrow” from their first album). The album’s cover photo features a pair of kids staring at a bedroom wall covered in 80s posters, a pretty cool retro idea. A fun album for those wanting to re-call or re-live the 80s!
British band ASIA is set to your North America along with other legends like FOCUS, Martin Turner (ex WISHBONE ASH), and CURVED AIR. A pretty cool collection of progressive rock with ASIA being the headliners of the Heat Of The Moment Tour. Legendary album artist ROGER DEAN will also be a guest on the tour! For ASIA fans it will be a chance to see the latest incarnation of the band put together by keyboardist Geoff Downes (who also plays in YES). ASIA also includes guitarist John Mitchell, drummer Virgil Donati, and a brand-new voice in Harry Whitley. Whitley is pretty unknown, but if you check out his YouTube channel you can see Whitley is a multi-instrumentalist, and a fine singer, who has some vocal qualities and similarities to the late great John Wetton. At just 29, Whitley wasn’t born when ASIA was huge, but has become a fan, the new singer, and this tour will be Harry’s first tour of North America, and 2nd time here since a holiday as a kid. I recently spoke with Harry about what lead up to him joining ASIA and the upcoming tour. Below are exerts from our conversation on the tour, his favorite ASIA cuts, and more. We did chat a bit more with Harry noting his recent discovery and liking of Canadian band Loverboy! 🙂 Look for the Heat Of The Moment Tour in the US & Canada throughout July….
Prior to ASIA – “So basically, I’m sort of the unknown entity to all of us. I sort of, I came from nowhere, really. I played in sort of local bands. I was a keyboard player in a Deep Purple tribute band for a while, and yeah – all that sort of stuff. And then when COVID struck, I started just uploading videos to YouTube, and then, you know, Geoff saw one of the videos and sent me an email, and that was it, really. And that’s sort of how it all came about.”
Being invited to perform at the John Wetton memorial concert last year – “Yeah, so it was organized, obviously, as a John Wetton tribute show . And when the invite came initially, I wasn’t entirely sure what they wanted me to do. They just said, you’re invited to come and perform at this event. You know, we’d love you to come and do it, no pressure.”
Recalling the show – “And it turned into, basically, a sort of short-ish Asia set. So we played a few of the hits – Heat Of The Moment obviously, and a couple more obscure ones as well. And from there, I think the seed was planted in Geoff’s mind, really… about what the future of Asia might be.” Whitley also performed “All along The Watchtower”, along with Steve Hackett – who’d performed the song many times with John Wetton.
Looking at the opportunity Whitley is excited – “It’s an honor you know; great privilege to be able to do it and there’s huge shoes to fill, you know – with John Wetton. So, I’m really thankful that Geoff, you know, and the management and Lisa Wetton and everybody that had the confidence in me to take over the role, and you know, take Asia back out on the road.“
On fellow ASIA newcomers Virgil Donati & John Mitchell – “I play a bit of drums as well, so I sort of knew Virgil as this sort of ‘force of nature’, You know, incredible sort of technical drummer…I can never really work out what Virgil’s doing. So that’s going to be crazy to play with Virgil; it’s like I say – he’s just a force of nature!
I was aware of John Mitchell before, and obviously he played it in the John Wetton band. And I knew his work from Frost and some of the It Bites’ stuff, but, you know, John Mitchell’s in like 37 thousand bands!… So, you know, there’s no shortage of John Mitchell. But, me and John Mitchell really sort of struck up a friendship at the at the John Wetton tribute concert. So, yeah, it’s good that John’s in on this as well, because I think we’re a good team.”
Introduction to the music of ASIA – “As far as listening was concerned, I had classical piano lessons from about the age of five, because that’s sort of my main thing is I’m a piano player really. And my piano teacher – Tim, was sort of introducing me to bands, you know, as all good teachers do, to try and sort of steer your taste to being, what might actually be beneficial for you to listen to. And he sort of worked through all sorts of different bands. He’s like, ‘oh, you might like Emerson Lake and Palmer, you might like Genesis, you know, here’s all of these different people. And then he said, ‘oh I think you’ll like Asia’. And I remember hearing, I think it was ‘The Heat Goes On’… And it was just great. It was just the sort of perfect blend of everything I loved about Prog and everything I love of that rock like Toto, Journey AOR type of thing. It was just a perfect blend.”
Favorite ASIA album – “I think my favorite Asia album is probably the 30th anniversary, the triple X album. That was the first album that I sort of got into of my own accord, you know, I was aware of them when that album came. That was the one, I was like ‘Yeah, this is great!'”
The whole ASIA catalogue – “I’ve sort of made my way through the whole catalog….The whole Asia canon is great. But, I do have a real soft stuff for the sort of John Wetton thing. I think John and Geoff, when they were together writing, they had something really, really special… It’s sort of un-matched, really. And it’s everything that I love. I love those chord progressions. I love that sort of hymnal, big sort of block chords and block harmonies. very sort of churchy hymnal stuff. Very, very British as well.”
The band’s set-list for the Heat Of The Moment Tour – “You know, there’s a little bit of everything. There’s a few surprises in there. I think people are going to like the set-list. …You know, we’re leaning into the first two albums. But there is some reunion stuff in there as well, there’s stuff off ‘Astra.'”
Favorite ASIA ‘deep’ cuts – “But some stuff of the reunion stuff. I love ‘Bury Me In Willow’ – that’s a lovely song. ‘There Was A Time’,, I Love that! And then going back to sort of the earlier things I love ‘Cutting It Fine’, and ‘Eye To Eye’. Eye to Eye is one of my big favorites – I love that song!”
DEEP PURPLE have a new single/video out from their soon to be released album. “Lazy Sod” is the 3rd single from ‘=1′. *Check out the video below, info & links in the description.
UK Prog Legends Curved Air “: The Rarities Series Box Set”
Spirit of Unicorn Music are pleased to announce the release of “The Rarities Series Box Set” from Curved Air, which will be released on 20th September, 2024. This 6 CD box set brings together all the CD’s previously released in the Rarities series but which have been out of print for some considerable time. The package also includes a booklet featuring brand new sleeve notes, written by PROG magazine’s editor, Jerry Ewing. Ewing has interviewed the band’s enigmatic and beguiling lead singer, Sonja Kristina, viewed by many as the first lady of prog; providing a new, fresh perspective on these recordings.Curved Air formed in 1970 and brought together the influences of rock, folk and classical music into their work, developing a fascinating and ground-breaking progression fusion sound. They went on to become a seminal band within the British progressive rock movement who have endured the test of time and still perform live to this day.The box set includes:Tapestry of Propositions: An hour-long version of “Propositions”, recorded live at 14 different locations during 2013/14.Curved Space: previously released as Francis Monkman’s “Jam” but now featuring 2 unreleased bonus tracks.Infinity: featuring all new 2016 studio recordings.The Second British Rock Meeting 1972: Features the only known recording of this line-up improvising. The last track is an extended jam on their hit, Vivaldi, and lasts over 30 minutes.Live Under The Bridge: Featuring a performance of the legendary “Air Conditioning”, in its entirety.Set to be an exciting Summer for Curved Air, July will see an acoustic line-up of the band fly to the USA and Canada for a string of 21 live shows, as part of the Heat Of The Moment Tour alongside other progressive music greats, Asia, Focus and Martin Turner – ex Wishbone Ash.
Outsider Rock 