Troy Redfern releases “The Calling” single ahead of Headline UK Tour
Troy Redfern’s rockin’ new single was released March 1. It is taken from the upcoming album Invocation, to be released May 17. Check it out! STREAM SINGLE (or watch the video).
“Redfern has written excellent new songs that define his unique style as one of the most exciting blues artists in Britain.” – Raw Ramp
“Troy Redfern is dynamic, powerful and one of the best slide guitarists around today.” – Music News Invocation is the title of the highly anticipated new 11-track album from slide guitar virtuoso Troy Redfern. The album, released by RED7 Records on Friday 17th May 2024, is now available in limited edition colored vinyl, black vinyl, plus two different CD cover artwork designs. All formats are available to pre-order from www.troyredfern.com.
The fourth single “The Calling” is available on Spotify HERE. The IRSC code for the single is UKHDU1600077.
Says Troy, “‘I’ve always wanted to write a slow motion, epic kind of a tune. The Calling was a song that was born out of that desire. This song is about escaping the technological net we all live in, and to get out into the wilderness to reset and get perspective on what’s important in life.”
Troy has proved time and time again that his cup of inspiration is not only full, but runneth over, writing and release albums at an unprecedented pace and judging by the strength of “The Calling” and the three previous singles “The Strange,” “Getaway” and “The Fever,” the forthcoming album Invocation, promises to be his best yet. Over the course of last two albums The Fire Cosmic (2021) and Wings of Salvation (2022) Troy found his true voice stylistically in terms of writing and playing, but with Invocation he created a collection of outstanding new songs that carves out his own identity as to who he really is an artist.
Troy head to the west Wales coast with his trusty 1929 National Triolian resonator guitar for a week of solitude in a remote Sheppard’s hut to sketch the initial song ideas for the new album.
“It was important for me to clear my mind of all distractions so I could really focus on what I wanted to write on this album and the direction I wanted to take it in,” says Troy.
“I tried some unorthodox approaches to song writing that included meditation where I would imagine hearing a song in my mind, as complete as possible including visualizing the performance live. Next, I would pick up the guitar and capture the idea on my phone. That way I wasn’t led by what I would usually do when I pick up the guitar. It was a very freeing, powerful experience, and a discipline that I’ll use again to write more songs in the future.“
With Invocation Troy explores fresh musical territory, from the heavy, bone crushing slide riffs and big sing along choruses on “Van Helsing” and “Getaway” to the evocative, wind-swept western landscapes of “The Native” and “Blind Me.” After three albums in three years Troy continues to expand his musical horizons and keep his creative fire burning.
2024 launches with a bang thanks to the announcement of ‘The Quantum Phase‘, the highly anticipated new record from supergroup THE END MACHINE. The announcement signals a notable change in personnel as well. Singer Robert Mason has officially parted ways with the group, paving the way for Girish Pradhan, the rising superstar vocalist known for his work under the moniker Girish And The Chronicles and, more recently, with Joel Hoekstra’s 13. The addition of Girish Pradhan to the band is a testament to the keen discernment of Serafino Perugino, president, and founder of Frontiers Records. Perugino, who serves as the executive producer for THE END MACHINE, recognized the incredible talent and potential in Pradhan and brought him to the attention of the band.
To herald this fantastic change and new album, THE END MACHINE shares their first single off of ‘The Quantum Phase,’ entitled “Silent Winter.” The track is accompanied by a new music video.
Jeff Pilson comments on the new track:
“‘Silent Winter’ is a song about the bleak prospects for humanity if we keep on our current trajectory. ‘Quantum Phase’ – the album – deals with what we must do to change course.”
Established in 2018, THE END MACHINE released their eponymous debut album, ‘The End Machine,’ in 2019 bringing early acclaim for not only contemporary production and a modern attitude, but also their perfectly crafted songs, paying homage to their roots and the music that they love. This attitude and talent was equally on display with their 2021 sophomore album, ‘Phase 2‘.
In delivering 2024’s ‘The Quantum Phase,’ THE END MACHINE has not only surpassed expectations but has penned the record of their lives! With each note and lyric, they have exceeded their own artistic aspirations, collectively crafting the album they always wished they had written. This monumental work stands as a testament to THE END MACHINE’s evolution, showcasing not only their musical prowess but also their unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of their creative expression.
Tracklisting: 1) Black Hole Extinction 2) Silent Winter 3) Killer of the Night 4) Hell or High Water 5) Stand Up 6) Burning Man 7) Shattered Glass Heart 8) Time 9) Hunted 10) Stranger in the Mirror 11) Into the Blazing Sun
Produced By: Jeff Pilson for Pilsound Music Inc Studio: Pilsound Studios, Santa Clarita CA Recorded By: Jeff Pilson and Girish Pradhan, additional engineering: Olivia Pilson Mixed By: Alessandro Del Vecchio Mastered By: Alessandro Del Vecchio
Band Members: George Lynch Girish Pradhan Steve Brown Jeff Pilson
FEATURING MEMBERS OF EVANESCENCE, ALICE COOPER AND GRANNY 4 BARREL, KILLINGTON PIT ANNOUNCE NEW COVER SONG ‘RIDING ON THE WIND’ OUT NOW
As Killington Pit prepare to release their first original material later in 2024 and play their first live shows, the band recently released another of their hugely popular cover songs. On Friday, February 16th the band released a stunning cover of the Judas Priest classic “Riding On the Wind”. The track comes from Priest’s seminal 1982 “Screaming For Vengeance” album and is another perfect showcase for the sound and chemistry of newcomers Killington Pit.The track features a stunning performance video from the band HERE
The new cover version follows the bands initial two single releases. Their cover of Accept’s “Balls To The Wall” & Rainbow’s “Kill the King” now have over one and a half million streams on Spotify and hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.The members of Killington Pit connected during the pandemic lockdown and began recording together. As time progressed friendships grew and a core band formed with Terry LeRoi, Will Hunt, Troy McLawhorn and Chuck Garric. “Kill The King” also featured veteran guitarist Stef Burns (Alice Cooper/Huey Lewis & The News) and vocalist guitarist Jeff Blando (Slaughter/Lynchmob/Vince Neil).Will Hunt says, “‘Riding on the Wind’ was always my favorite Priest tune, before Scott Travis, of course. I definitely tried to approach it in a way I thought Scott would play it to give it some modern energy. The fellas and I had a lotta fun with this one!”Troy McLawhorn comments,“Glenn and KK were my teachers when I was learning to play the guitar. Not literally, but I listened to Priest constantly when I was a kid and spent a lot of hours trying to figure out how to play their songs on the guitar. Judas Priest is one of my all-time favorite bands! It was a lot of fun and a challenge to try to recreate the guitar parts for our rendition of ‘Riding on the Wind’. Again, I stuck pretty closely to the original because I respect and honor what they wrote and recorded, and I wanted to do it justice. I’m not trying to re-invent the song. I just wanted to feel the joy of playing it!!!”Chuck Garricadds, “Ian Hill of Judas Priest is a Bass icon! Thats what you get from a Metal God.”Terry LeRoi says, “Screaming For Vengeance is one of my all time favorite records. It’s been a huge inspiration for me over the years. ‘Riding On The Wind’ is the stand out track for me. Rob Halford’s voice is nothing short of amazing on this song and his midrange tones are ear shattering. His singing style and his willingness to pushing vocal limits is unparalleled and has always been my reference point. When Killington Pit started exploring possible songs to cover…this one was at the top of our list. It’s been such an honor to play with Will, Chuck and Troy and a privilege and great joy to pay tribute to Judas Priest!” LeRoi adds, “Over the coming months we will be releasing our full length covers album with accompanying videos. 2024 will see us playing select shows worldwide and releasing original Killington Pit music. We’re looking forward to sharing this with all of the fans!”
Killington Pit is: Vocals – Terry LeRoi Drums – Will Hunt Guitar – Troy McLawhorn Bass – Chuck Garric
Symphonic rock trio EXIT EDEN have a new album out Femmes Fatales, featuring 6 covers. The covers are unique and interesting choices, and served up very different to the originals – Pet Shop Boys (It’s A Sin), Alice Cooper (Poison), Heart (Alone), Marillion (Kayleigh), Journey (Separate Ways), Mylène Farmer (Desanchantée). Billed as ‘the Queens of symphonic metal’, Femmes Fatales is their 2nd album, also featuring 6 of their own songs. Check out the clips & links below.
EXIT EDEN are: Clémentine Delauney Anna Brunner Marina La Torraca
Once a part of the LA scene, A DOLL’S HOUSE never released an album back in the late 80s, but 30+ years later the band has recorded and released their debut album. More of a lighter rock /AOR 10 track album, A DOLL’S HOUSE offers up some smooth sounding tunes, well recorded and produced, with excellent vocals. Worth checking out for tracks like “Woven”, “Steps To Summer”, and “And Time”. Lots of acoustic guitars (see ballad “Chimney”). *Check out the band’s 2 videos below, and links.
In the late ’80’s, two teenagers started writing songs in L.A. They started a band and played all the clubs, The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Troubadour, etc. They built a bit of a following and did well. But not well enough. Life took over and the party ended. They were barely 22.
Thirty years later, those same guys are in their 50s with careers, kids, mortgages — the whole deal. Bucking the odds, they set out to make an album. The gods smiled when they met Brian Wheat, a seasoned producer, perhaps best known as the bass player and co-founder of Tesla – a band that has charted multiple hits, sold millions of albums and is still going strong.
Brian listened to the songs and decided to take charge of the album himself – arranging, recording and mixing at his J Street Recorders studio in Sacramento, CA. The result is A Doll’s House first album: Annum. An album 30 years in the making. The debut single released this past Fall, Hey Wait, is emblematic of the band’s “Chill Rock” sound, blending groove with sticky melody and true musicianship and was received well at Triple A radio. Over Easy the new single is a prelude to the full album release coming out in 2 weeks.
DAVID SANTOS – Vocals
DAV PETRUNICH – Guitar
SETH RAFKIN – Bass
TONY DeFRANCO – Drums
Produced, mixed and engineered by Brian Wheat
Mastered by Mike Fitz
All songs written by Dav Petrunich and Seth Rafkin
Niagara Falls’ HONEYMOON SUITE debuted in 1984 with the Q107 radio contest winning cut “New Girl Now”, which lead to a record deal and a highly successful debut album. The band followed that up with further successful albums The Big Prize (1986, produced by Bruce Fairbairn), Racing After Midnight (1988, produced by Ted Templeman), and 1991’s Monsters Under The Bed (co-produced w/ Paul Northfield). Following that run it would be a decade before another HMS album, and another after that! But the end of this week sees the release of Honeymoon Suite’s brand new studio album ‘Alive‘.
In this conversation I talked to guitarist/songwriter Derry Grehan about making the new album Alive, as well as the recent remix & reissue of the Clifton Hill album, what else he’s up to, and some of the band’s he grew up on. HMS is one of the first band’s I saw live, and growing up near the Falls was well aware of them – they broke out big right away, drawing instant comparisons to Loverboy (who had a similar early success with their debut LP), but after that string of 3-4 albums I moved on to other things, and wasn’t aware most of these guys aren’t still in the Falls (or so close), so we began with that….
How’d you how’d you end up in Nashville?
Well, I’ve been in Illinois, Central Illinois for 20 years. I moved from Toronto, to Illinois, where I have my house there. And I recently, about six months ago got another place in Nashville with my daughter, who’s a singer-songwriter as well. So I’m kind of biding my time between two places because I love Nashville. And I’ve been kind of commuting back and forth for a long time here working with people. So we just decided to get 2 places. But I’m kind of down here a little more than I’m a back in Illinois and hoping to relocate here permanently.
So you must have a lot of other things on the go other than just a new Honeymoon Suite stuff coming out?
Well, I always find things to do. I do some co writing with a few people, once in a while and work with my daughter, and I’ve been working on a solo record. And this Honeymoon Suite thing is there, it keeps me pretty busy as well. So there’s always something to do.
So the new album ‘Alive’, that’s coming out – It’s kind of been in the works for a few years, right? Like there’s been a few singles out since 2019.
Yeah, it has taken good three years probably since we started it. Probably three years ago, Johnnie and I started but we went to Nashville, to meet with our producer Mike Krompass, who was down here at the time. I reached out to him, see if you’d be interested in working with us. And he was, and we went to his place and started writing songs. And he said I want to produce produce your album. So lots of trips back and forth. And then COVID hit in what 2022. So Mike, moved to England at that time. So we were going back and forth to his place, his studio in England doing stuff, but then COVID hit we couldn’t travel anymore, so I guess what I’m saying is just everything got pushed back, you know, then it took longer. You know, the way it was.
So did you guys have all the songs or all the songs at that time when you started? Or was this kind of still adding?
No, not right away. But we wrote, we had a fair amount of them, but we also wrote a few along the way and developed them over, you know, a year or two.
I saw you guys out in Port Colborne a couple of years ago. 2019. with David Wilcox, and I think the new track was on the radio at the time, but I don’t think you guys played it.
No, we hadn’t put the songs in the show. We’re really careful about putting new material in the show. Although we love it, you know, people are there to hear the hits. And like with this new album, or our singles are really doing well, so we’ll probably put out a new song or two in the set…
Can you tell me a bit about how you and Johnnie, obviously you guys live pretty far apart so how you guys collaborate and get things together?
Yeah, you know, we we’ve lived here he’s been up in your area and I’ve been in Illinois for 20 years, but it hasn’t impeded us at all, you know, John and I, it’s been a long time since we live together or lived in the same place. We just, you know you got the internet now and everything’s recorded digitally and Pro Tools and all that. So if I have an idea, I’ll just send files to him. And we send stuff back and forth by the Internet. Once in a while, of course, we see each other a lot when we’re touring. because all the band guys- we all live in different places. When we tour, we all go to an airport and then meet up in the city and we hang out for a couple of days. And then sometimes we’ll get together on the road and bang some things out.
Can you tell me a bit about the songs, the singles, you guys got out like ‘Find What You’re Looking For’ and ‘Tell Me What You Want’ – what they’re about, and what how you guys came up with some of the ideas?
‘Find What You’re Looking For’, that was the first one that we wrote with Mike, and that was one of the first songs we recorded and finished. Mike had a lot to do with that; Mike’s a great producer and the sound around it’s classic Honeymoon Suite, but he made it sound not dated, he gave it a kind of a modern sound to the production but without alienating you know, the real sound of the band. ‘Tell Me What You Want’ is a good example of that. It’s kind of different for us. We tried some new kind of production techniques and sounds and I think it’s a cool song. What’s it about? ‘Tell me what you want’ – It’s I guess, when you’re in a relationship, sometimes you just can’t figure that other person out, whether it’s your girlfriend, or boyfriend or whatever, it’s like, I don’t get you, man. Like, I’m doing everything for you to me, tell me what you want. You know, it can be that old struggle. And then ‘Find What You’re Looking For’ is a track that I’ve had for years actually, and it was called something else, but I always loved the the verse in that song it was so heavy, we just didn’t have a great chorus. So eventually, we worked on that with Mike and we did come up with a really good chorus for it. And if you listen to the lyric, it’s really cool and find what you’re looking for – Grabbing and and don’t don’t give up.
The new one is ‘Alive’, the title track and I was watching that today and 2 things – I like that it’s short and to the point, punchy; all the songs are easily memorable. And also, you guys still play the – like with the video, you still use the falls in the background and a lot of local scenery…
We decided to go back to Niagara Falls and do the video for that just as a kind of a nod to our past. And if you remember – one of the first videos we did was ‘Burning In Love’, in Niagara Falls. So it was fun to go back to that same location, walk around with a camera crew and watch people look at us funny. And put Johnnie back in Niagara Falls. So I think it was really cool.
Do you guys have much of a hand in the album artwork or is that kind of brought in to you guys?
No, actually, Mike, our producer, he also has his own record label and his own team of people. They came up with the concept of the the guy on the front with the hat, cloud on his face. Mike actually presented that to us and and I was like, right away. I’m like ‘That’s great!’. Everybody thought that was cool. Say no more. You know. I like it, Yeah.
It’s a very different cover to me, you know. Like I love the ‘Clifton Hill’ cover with the classic shot of Clifton Hill from the bottom, and obviously the earlier covers, but yeah this is very different cover. It almost looks like something that I might expect from one of those prog bands or something but…
Yeah. Like Pink Floyd maybe a little bit. Yeah. But it’s very artsy and cool, but I think it goes with the music really well.
You also have the reissue of ‘Clifton Hill’ out(!?)
Well, that is a guy that we’ve been working with, actually does our merchandising called Greg Campbell. He’s run our web store for a long time. He does a lot of bigger bands. He’s done really well for us with our merch and our albums in Canada. He approached us and he’s just a fan of the band, and he always liked the Clifton Hill album. He has a relationship with a studio in Toronto; so he approached us with a proposal, he said ‘You know, I love the Clifton Hill album, would you guys be interested in re mixing it?’ And I said ‘for sure’ because the original one – It’s okay, but it could be better. So I gave him the tracks, the stems, and he mixed it and it’s amazing what they pulled out of there. You know, the engineer found tracks I forgot that I did. So I’m very happy with it.
Do you know where that picture came from? Was that just an archived photo on the cover?
Yeah, we actually..my wife and I did the artwork for that back then. Of course we call it ‘Clifton Hill‘ because we wanted something related to the Falls. And we actually got that from the Niagara Falls library, if I remember correctly. We found it in their archives looking for pictures of Clifton Hill, you know. And we asked them for permission to use it, and they did. So it was really cool because that’s the Clifton Hill that I remember growing up in the 70s. That’s what it looked like, it was really cool.
You said you’ve got a solo album you’re working on!?
Yes. So during COVID all us musicians had a lot of time on our hands, you know. So I would spend a lot of time in my studio just writing and playing guitar, which I do every day. And I started cataloging a lot of riffs and ideas. And a lot of things that I come up with weren’t really Honeymoon Suite they’re just more like heavier rock riffy kind of stuff. And it occurred to me that I would have probably enough to maybe do a little solo instrumental album, which I’ve always wanted to do, but I never had the time or the right tracks. So Yes – it’s almost finished, it’s going to be like 10 songs. It’s all guitar, no singing, just all instrumental. I’m playing everything on it, and I got some wicked drummers playing on the stuff, and some of it’s pretty heavy. And it’ll be coming out, probably in a couple of months.
Can I ask you what you grew up on listening to as far as bands. I know a lot of bands that came through and that but you know, you guys would have seen shows at Niagara Falls Convention Center and stuff like that back then, and in Buffalo.
For sure, well growing up in the Niagara Peninsula, like I grew up in St. Catharines. It actually was a great place because at that time in the 70s and early 80s – there’s so many bands playing in the clubs. You get all the cool bands from Toronto coming down – Triumph and Max Webster and all that. playing Uncle Sam’s you know locally and Montebello (Park) in St. Catharines. You’ve got these great recording bands coming down and then you had Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto and the Aud in Buffalo, Niagara Falls Convention Center – these huge venues just like an hour away. And so every band you wanted to see came through. So where I grew up on man like Deep Purple was my band – Ritchie Blackmore. I saw them with at the Aud. I saw Kiss and Bowie and Blue Oyster Cult. It was great area, a great time and that’s where I saw a lot of my bands that I love, you know!?
That’s cool. Actually my second show I ever saw was 1984 when I saw you guys opening for April Wine at the Kingswood (Music Theater).
Wow, early days, Awesome!
I remember because Corey Hart, there was big sign up that Corey Hart had cancelled. but we didn’t know who was going to be the band until you guys came on. But I don’t think the album was out at that time, I think we just knew you guys from the Q107 contest.
Yeah, right. So that’s what happened. A lot of things were going moving really fast then, and I remember Corey had to cancel some shows. So they just called us up and asked us ‘do you guys want to drive eight hours down and open up for April Wine?’ Hell Yeah! You know, we would play anywhere and everywhere.
Did you keep a lot of stuff growing up – as far as albums and stuff, like buy a lot of stuff and still because I see the album like Clifton Hill came out on limited vinyl reissue and that as well.
Yeah, I wish I knew that vinyl was going to come back like it did man like I wish I kept my records. I had tons of them. But you know, moving from place to place – those damn things are heavy and I had milk cartons full of great records. I wish I’d kept them all but I gave them away or I traded them in, you know and now that I have a turntable and I’m back into vinyl, I’m rebuilding my my collection. So the only thing I kept was about 60 Purple albums. Is it Honeymoon Suite ones.
What’s your favorite Deep Purple albums?
Well, you know, Machine Head was a classic. And then the first one with Coverdale and Hughes – Burn, that’s another classic. Made In Japan, man wore that one out. Love that!
So Purple was your number one band grown up?, anything else as far as guitar players or favorite albums?
Well, sure, I mean, Ritchie Blackmore! Early Santana. Yeah. You know, Alice Cooper, Grand Funk. Anything that was rock and heavy I love.
British progressive-art rock band THE PINEAPPLE THIEF will release their latest studio album February 9 titled ‘It Leads To This’. Check out the info below, links, and the first 2 singles/videos from the album “The Frost” and “Every Trace Of Us” below. A 3rd single has just been released today (February 1 (today), and can be pre-ordered HERE (video below)
The Pineapple Thief revel in opposing forces. Muscle and fragility. Chaos and precision. Gnarly introspection and warm, dreamlike expanse. Conceived in 1999 by Bruce Soord, the progressive quartet underwent a rebirth in 2017 with the arrival of Gavin Harrison (King Crimson, Porcupine Tree) on drums. Completed by bassist/backing vocalist Jon Sykes and keyboardist Steve Kitch, they’ve honed a lean yet lush, quietly timeless sound that soars on It Leads To This.
“I’m so proud of it,” says Soord. “I just can’t wait to get out there and sing it. I’m going to be able to sing every word, play every note, and feel really good about all of it.”
“I’ve been in lots of situations with producers and session musicians,” says Harrison, a drummer with an arranger’s ear, who quickly became involved with songcraft upon joining the band. “I’ve witnessed people rearranging songs in front of your face, and sometimes a song with a different arrangement is like a different song. Luckily, Bruce loves being shocked or surprised. That’s a rarity, working with singers.”
Since 2014’s Magnolia, The Pineapple Thief have worked towards an ideal form of 21st century progressive music. Spacious, detailed songs in pop packages. Maximum depth with a minimalist spirit. Meanwhile Soord also released three solo albums, mixed records for Jethro Tull, Anathema, Katatonia, TesseracT, Haken and many others, and became a father of three. Alongside this, the world changed. Turmoil unfurled, from global warming to #MeToo. The pandemic happened.
It all feeds into It Leads To This. Comprising eight fat-free epics – all about five minutes long, mixing rock urgency with delicate atmospherics, pensive keys and captivating melodies – it finds Soord looking back and fearing for the world his children will inherit. In a career first, his real world lyrics also draw from literature: accounts of Ancient Rome, John Williams’ classic Stoner and his epistolary Augustus. Pictures of real and fictional men, reevaluating their pasts.
For Soord it was also a time of self-reflection, epitomised in the slightly sinister title track – all creeping, intricate rhythms, offset by distorted guitars and dreamy electronics. “I was that person. I was that ambitious man who wanted to be a successful musician and would stop at nothing, almost, to do it. So when I look back on it, I think ‘well, actually, yeah, it was bad’. What I’m writing about, what I’m criticising, is me, and that’s probably why I could sing it. It really was written from the heart.”
It all began that strange spring in 2020. Walking out to his studio, in Yeovil, Somerset, Soord looked up at a silent, empty sky and wrote Put It Right – the quietly haunting marriage of poise and moody alt rock that opens It Leads To This. “It was just clear blue, not a plane in the sky,” he remembers. “I remember writing the whole of Put It Right. It starts off with the words ‘this haven’, because I was down in my little haven, at the bottom of my garden.”
More songs came out of that period. All That’s Left was one; all eerie melancholia and loud, jagged peaks. Album closer To Forget was another; a stunning, delicately sprawling ode to the tragedies people live through, inspired by accounts of the families lost under dictatorships in Argentina and Chile. All of it conveyed through Soord’s fragile yet penetrative tenor, nodding to storytellers like Nick Drake, Thom Yorke and Katatonia’s Jonas Renske.
But it was stints at Harrison’s home studio that imbued the record with real heat. One standout result was Rubicon, a bruising yet nuanced picture of the tyranny and paranoia of Julius Caesar, and history’s capacity to repeat itself (especially in regard to its world leaders).
For the singer/guitarist, it was an intense experience. “I’m so used to just writing here [in my studio], where there’s no pressure,” he admits. “Whereas driving to Gavin’s house and staying there for three or four days, it was properly intense. I don’t think I’ve ever focused my mind as intensely as I did during that time.”
“Bruce is a more chaotic person,” Harrison offers. “I’m a bit more logical. With Bruce, it’s more the mood he’s in and how much confidence he’s got. And that’s probably the successful part of it. If we were both chaotic, it’d probably not come together. If we were both a lot more logical, it wouldn’t be so interesting.”
Perhaps the most incendiary expression of this creative fusion is first single The Frost – a banger with a dark heart.
“The Frost was one of those moments that every songwriter wishes happened all the time, where you pick up a guitar, and it just comes out,” Soord says, “and it’s actually a love song with a slightly sinister undertone, about falling with your soulmate to the ocean floor, in peace together…”
In a way, that’s The Pineapple Thief all over. Idiosyncratic but relatable. Devastating and life-affirming, in the same breath. Not married to a single genre, just melody served by tones and textures. Music that only the four of them (friends, not just bandmates) could make.
“I learned that from Porcupine Tree,” Harrison observes, “if you change one person, the whole sound of the band changes. The chemistry of the sound is the four of us, doing what we do. And we have a laugh, we make fun of each other…” he grins, “well mostly [of] Bruce, but it’s good fun.”
Maybe that’s why this clever, commanding record unfurls as naturally as it does. Why It Leads To This can, and should, be read with a question mark. Is the world doomed? Could we have acted differently? Do people change? Does it lead to this?
“As much as I go on about the polarized state of the world, l do think it’s a minority creating this toxic environment that a lot of us have to live in,” Soord says. “I think most people who I meet are genuinely nice. So there’s a positive message from this. Because it shouldn’t, it doesn’t have to lead to this.”
Emsalö Music’s (Finnish record company) Topi Salmi release the song “Cowbell King” as a digital single (mastered) on legendary Canadian drummer Corky Laing’s 76th birthday. Digital streaming links are out today – Spotify, YouTube, Apple etc..
Maria Hänninen, a singing multi-instrumentalist/songwriter, has admired the band Mountain @mountain2178 since she was young. Dreams came true when she and Mountain drummer Corky Laing got on stage in 2019 to perform a couple of Mountain’s hits live. Since then they have been doing collaborations, Maria also appears on Corky Laing’s latest solo album Finnish Sessions (2022) and she was also a soloist/guitarist/violinist on the Scandinavian tour in the spring of 2023 in the Corky Laing& The Bobos line-up. Maria’s hard rock band Mount Mary recently released their second album Diamonds Of A Fool, and it was a great honor to have Corky Laing guesting on percussions for a few songs. Corky himself is working on his new material for his next solo album as well.
“Cowbell King (Tribute to Corky Laing)” composition, arrangement: Maria Hänninen & Tony “TT” Helander words: Maria Hänninen -Vocals, guitars, bass, recording, mixing: Maria Hänninen -Drums, percussion : Tony “TT” Helander -Mastering: Petri Majuri
Canadian melodic rock band HONEYMOON SUITE have a new single from their upcoming studio album ‘Alive’ out February 12, 2024, internationally distributed by Frontiers Music Srl. The track is titled “Find What You’re Looking For” and is accompanied by a new music video. (see below)
‘Alive‘ features core band members, including Johnnie Dee (Lead Vocals), Derry Grehan (Guitars/Keyboards/Background Vocals), Dave Betts (Drums), Gary Lalonde (Bass), and Peter Nunn (Keyboards). The album is produced by notable Canadian producer Mike Krompass, whose songwriting and production credits include artists like Meghan Trainor, Steven Tyler, Theory of a Dead Man and Smash Mouth. His expertise combined with the bands celebrated melodic rock, powerful vocals and memorable guitar riffs, is sure to make this a timeless record of unforgettable rock anthems.
HONEYMOON SUITE was originally formed in 1981 by lead vocalist and guitarist Johnnie Dee from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Following the departure of the original lead guitarist, Derry Grehan, also from the Niagara Falls area, joined the band. Johnnie and Derry decided to re-build the band at that point and recruited Dave Betts on drums, Ray Coburn on keys, and Gary Lalonde on bass. They hit the road hard playing 6 six nights a week and writing songs with the hope of scoring a record deal.
In 1983, the band entered a demo of “New Girl Now” to a homegrown contest put on by Toronto rock station Q107. They won that year and this led to a multi album deal with WEA Canada after being signed by Bob Roper.
The band recorded their debut self titled album which was released in July, 1984. The album was an instant success, and with the help of massive airplay, several videos on MTV and MuchMusic, it went on to sell over 300,000 units in Canada alone.
Since their debut release, HONEYMOON SUITE has released a total of seven studio albums with over 1 million units sold worldwide driven by the success of a string of hit singles such as “New Girl Now”, “Burning In Love”, “Wave Babies”, “Stay In the Light”, “Feel It Again” and “What Does It Take”, to name a few.
The band has won numerous awards including a Canadian Juno for group of year in 1986, triple platinum sales in Canada with the first 3 albums, and platinum sales for the greatest hits cd ‘The Singles’, released in 1989. They also received an award in June, 2015 for 100,000 + performances on Canadian radio for “Burning In Love”, “New Girl Now”, “Wave Babies” and “What Does It Take”
HONEYMOON SUITE has also enjoyed many of their songs being placed in film and TV shows such as Miami Vice and Bones, and movie’s such as Lethal Weapon and One Crazy Summer.
During the 1990’s, the band went through several lineup changes, but in the early 2000’s, the original lineup of Johnnie, Derry, Gary and Dave was re-formed, along with the addition of keyboard player Peter Nunn, and is still intact to this day.
Fast forward to 2020. Derry & Johnnie, armed with a surplus of new original songs, reached out to fellow Canadian producer/songwriter MIke Krompass based in Nashville, TN. Mike, a long-time fan, was all in to co-write and produce a new HONEYMOON SUITE album for his new record label. They got to work and before long, they were joined by Dave, Gary and Peter cutting bed tracks for studio album number eight.
The first single, “Tell Me What You Want” was released in October of 2019 along with a groundbreaking new video and response was immediate from fans and radio alike.
The song was an immediate hit on AOR Rock Radio in Canada, charting in the Billboard Top 30, the first time in 19 years for HONEYMOON SUITE!
The band are excited for their upcoming February release and with no sign of slowing down, HONEYMOON SUITE plan to continue to create new music and tour year round thanks to a legion of loyal fans.
Italian heavy psych rock stalwarts MR.BISON reveal the second single taken from their new album “Echoes From The Universe”, to be issued on February 16th through Heavy Psych Sounds. Enter the stratosphere with “Collision” exclusively on It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine!
Their upcoming fifth album ‘Echoes From The Universe’ invites the listener to a prismatic voyage that explores the notion of freedom and destiny through Norse mythology and weaves together a vivid and majestic sonic tapestry that brims with liquid riffs, graceful psychedelia, progressive grandeur and vibrant vocals. A modern and fulfilling space trip that should please fans of the likes of Elder, King Buffalo, Howling Giant.
About the album, the band says: “The theme of “Echoes from the Universe” is the attempt, as human and temporal beings, to escape the idea of an alleged destiny predetermination by managing to build one’s life path through willpower. Its concept is based on the Norse Norns myth, who weave the threads of universal destiny on a tapestry, in which all existence, in a continuous mix of past, present, and future, intersect and influence each other, thereby generating a kaleidoscopic vortex of infinite and unpredictable possibilities. For this reason, we have used them as a symbol of freedom of choice, which never excludes but indeed implies, the element of chance.”
It was produced by guitarist Matteo Barsacchi, mixed by Nicola Giorgetti at the Indipendente Recording Studio and mastered by Carl Saff at Saff Mastering in Chicago.
MR.BISON masters the art of melding heavy psychedelia with progressive elements and evocative soundscapes. Formed in a small coastal town in Tuscany (Italy) in 2009, the band has reinvented their sound through four albums from stoner psych to heavy progressive rock, firmly establishing themselves in 2018 with the acclaimed “Holy Oak” and their 2020 concept album “Seaward”. The band has toured Europe and North America several times and played various festivals such as Desertfest Berlin, London and Antwerp, Krach am Back, Duna Jam.
Mr BISON introduced their brand of Heavy Blues influenced by groups like Captain Beyond, Nektar, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix and the more.
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