Tag Archives: Progressive rock

JANE – RIP KLAUS HESS

Guitarist / songwriter Klaus Hess was a founding member of German heavy progressive band ‘JANE’ . The band was a major draw in Germany throughout the 70s, beginning in 1970, and releasing their first album in ’72, Together. Hess left the band after their 1982 album, Germania, recorded a few solo albums, then formed ‘MOTHER JANE’ (after the courts settled the case of the name’s use between dissenting bandmembers).

For the most part, JANE remained a mystery and later a highly collectable band in certain parts of the world, as only their albums ‘III’ (1974) and Age Of Madness (1978) were released in Canada and the US. The last release of Jane material with Hess was 2012’s Turn The Page from MOTHER JANE (this was a compilation of ‘lost tracks’ recorded in 1982, featuring Jane members, as well as former Scorpions drummer Jurgen Rosenthal). The band’s favorite albums would include the 1972 debut (Together) and 1976’s classic Fire, Water, Earth & Air (highly recommended!), 1976’s Live, and 1977’s heavier Between Heaven & Hell is also highly recommended. Throughout the band’s career Hess would play more than just guitar on many albums (vocals, keyboards, bass…), produce, mix….Check out the link below for more on the history Klaus Hess and Jane.

from press:

JANE FOUNDING MEMBER KLAUS HESS DIES AT 78

Guitarist Klaus Hess was a founding member of Jane in 1970. Since there was some occupational turbulence in the German rock band already in the seventies, Hess also played bass and took over lead vocal parts. In 1982, the musician was terminated in a bad way, so he briefly tried a solo career and released an LP. In 1992, Klaus Hess was involved in a Jane reunion, but failed after only a short time. This resulted in three different Jane variants going on tour, which, according to the verdict, could only use the name “Jane” in conjunction with another term after a legal dispute. Klaus Hess named his version Mother Jane. Five studio and live albums were released between 2000 and 2012. 31st already Klaus Hess passed away in October at the age of 78, from a chronic lung disease.

https://www.jane-music.com/jane-eng/Seiten/History.htm

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100071811695937

ROB MORATTI – to release new solo album

Canadian singer Ron Moratti will have a new solo album, Sovereign, out December 12, on Frontiers. There’s a new single out now. The album features Joel Hoekstra (!) on lead guitar, among the players. *Check out the video below, as well as the bio, track-list, and links at the bottom.

Talking about the new track, Rob stated: “It is the perfect opener. Most of us have struggled with relationships and this song is packed with the most powerful positive energy, you can feel it! We are all here for each other to lean on and help you win again. We hurt and we heal. We learn from our mistakes. Just don’t give up on love”.

Rob Moratti is a solo artist, formerly lead vocalist of Moratti, Final Frontier and of course Saga. Rob Moratti, a genuine and true original, has an astonishing range and has carved a unique style for himself, blending the finest elements of melodic and progressive rock. 

“Sovereign” is Rob Moratti’s sixth solo album on the heels of the critically acclaimed release “Epical”, his debut on the Frontiers label. Filled with his trademark harmonies and memorable choruses, the songs on ” Sovereign” develop from where “Epical” has left off and are easily some of the most exciting that he has ever put his stamp on. An absolute must for fans of classic AOR music in line with The Storm, Journey, Survivor, Strangeways and Signal.

The album once features a stellar cast of contributing writers and performers, including Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, ex-Night Ranger) on lead guitar, Tony Franklin (ex-The Firm, Blue Murder) on bass, Felix Borg on drums (and co-writing), Fredrik Bergh on keys (and co-writing) and Pete Alpenborg (who also contributes rhythm guitar and keyboards). A real all-star line up for this excellent album!

Moratti started his professional singing career in the early 90’s as lead vocalist and songwriter of the band Moratti. They were immediately well received, garnering airplay in Japan and Europe. In 2002, Rob’s future went forward with Final Frontier, a band with whom he has released four incredible melodic-minded metal albums. 

Over the years, despite all the changes in the music scene, Rob’s perseverance and passion have stayed strong. His talent captured the attention of the multi-platinum selling legendary progressive rock band SAGA and in 2008, Rob Moratti would become the new vocalist for the band for a while, appearing on 2009’s “The Human Condition”. 

Over the course of his solo career, Rob has also worked with many incredible musicians like Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake, TSO, ex-Night Ranger), Reb Beach (Whitesnake. Winger), Tony Franklin (ex- Blue Murder, The Firm), Brian Doerner (Saga), Ian Crichton (Saga), and Steve Augeri (ex-Journey).

Pre-Order “Sovereign” HERE

Tracklist:

1.    Don’t Give Up On Love    
2.    Can’t Let You Go    
3.    Every Word    
4.    Waiting    
5.    Locked Down    
6.    Two Hearts    
7.    In The Air Tonight    
8.    I’ll Never Break Your Heart    
9.    The Calling    
10.    Angel    
11.    This Is Forever

Line Up:
Rob Moratti – vocals
Joel Hoekstra – lead guitar
Tony Franklin – bass
Felix Borg – drums 
Fredrik Bergh – keyboards
Pete Alpenborg – rhythm guitar and keyboards

LINKS:

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Norway’s GAZPACHO to release ‘Magic 8-Ball’

Norwegian art-rock/prog band GAZPACHO have been releasing albums since the early 2000’s, with the new album scheduled for October 31. The music is kinda lighter, experimental, atmospheric…but check out the new single “We Are Strangers”, which is a standout track here, and pretty representative of the band’s sound here. *Check out the press info below, as well as videos and links below.

Widely regarded as one of the most innovative acts in modern progressive music, Gazpacho have carved out a cult following with their unique blend of art rock and cinematic storytelling. From their critically acclaimed 2007 masterpiece Night to the hauntingly beautiful Demon (2014), the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of progressive music.
 
 They’ve toured with legends like Marillion, played to devoted audiences across Europe, and earned a reputation for crafting concept albums that challenge and move listeners in equal measure.
 
After a five-year break, Magic 8-Ball marks Gazpacho’s return with eight new tracks built around the idea of fate. How it moves without warning, and how the choices we make can slowly strip away who we thought we were. 
 
The title, Magic 8- Ball, ties into the idea of randomness and inevitability. Shaking something for answers you already suspect and repeating the cycle over and over. The idea of infinity is central. These stories repeat throughout the album. Different forms, same patterns always finding a way back.
 
 Musically, the album stays true to Gazpacho’s core. Atmospheric, layered, and emotional. But more focused. No unnecessary weight. Just eight stories told with clarity and tension. The album was mixed by Thomas Juth (a-ha/Elton John/Paul McCartney/Cat Stevens) and mastered by Hans Olsson at Svenska Grammofonstudion Mastering.

Of interest to fans of Marillion, The Pineapple Thief, Steven Wilson, Riverside…

Gazpacho:
 Jan-Henrik Ohme – vocals
 Thomas Andersen – keyboards, programming
 Jon-Arne Vibo – guitars
 Mikael Krømer – violin, additional guitars
 Kristian “Fido” Torp – bass
 Robert R Johansen – drums

LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/Gazpacho.Official.BandPage

https://gazpachoband.bandcamp.com/album/magic-8-ball

https://www.instagram.com/gazpachoband

NEKTAR – ‘A Tab in the Ocean’, 5 disc expanded box

Classic prog rock band NEKTAR has a 5-disc box set coming out on November 28, on Esoteric. A Tab In The Ocean is highlighted by it’s 17+ minute title track. *Check out the info below, as well as track-listing, and link to pre-order.

Originally featuring just four pieces, the album’s first side would be dominated by the extensive title track which was a progressive rock tour de force. The remaining tracks, ‘Desolation Valley / Waves’, ‘Crying in the Dark’ and ‘King of Twilight’ would also become Nektar classics. The album was recorded and mixed at Dierks Studios, Stommeln, Germany in October 1972, produced by Peter Hauke & Nektar and engineered by Dieter Dierks. Among the admirers of this album was Steve Harris of Iron Maiden and his band would cover ‘King of Twilight’ on the B-side of their ‘Aces High’ single in 1984. This new box set edition features 4 CDs and a region free Blu-Ray disc and has been newly remastered from the original master tapes. It includes a new stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the album and also features a marvelous, previously unreleased complete concert recorded in Erbach, Germany in April 1973 and a newly remastered version of the 1976 US album version.

DISC ONE

2025 mix

1. A Tab in the Ocean

2.  Desolation Valley / Waves

3.  Crying in the Dark

4.  King of Twilight

Bonus track:

5.  We Are the Ocean

DISC TWO

The 1972 album mix

1. A Tab in the Ocean

2.  Desolation Valley / Waves

3.  Crying in the Dark

4.  King of Twilight

The 1976 US album mix

5. A Tab in the Ocean

6.  Desolation Valley / Waves

7.  Crying in the Dark

8.  King of Twilight

DISC THREE

Live in Erbach, Germany 22nd April 1973

1.  Look Around

2.  Cast Your Fate

3. A Day in the Life of a Preacher

4.  Desolation Valley / Waves

5.  Crying in the Dark / King of Twilight

DISC FOUR

Live in Erbach, Germany 22nd April 1973

1.  Good Day

2.  Let it Grow

3.  Wings

4.  Oddysee / Ron’s On / Never Never Never

5.  1-2-3-4

6.  Do You Believe in Magic?

7.  What You Gonna Do

DISC FIVE

Blu-Ray

5.1 Surround Sound & Stereo mixes & original stereo mix

1.  A Tab in the Ocean

2.  Desolation Valley / Waves

3.  Crying in the Dark

4.  King of Twilight

https://www.cherryred.co.uk/nektar-a-tab-in-the-ocean-deluxe-five-disc-limited-edition

KANSAS – Vinyl Confessions (1982)

KANSAS’ second studio album of the ’80s was the first to feature a change to a more 80s AOR/Hard rock direction. Gone was singer/keyboard player Steve Walsh, and in was new singer John Elefante. Now, let me add in – I was never a Kansas fan, but I liked the single “Play The Game Tonight” when this came out in the summer of 1982, as well as 1983’s hit “Fight Fire With Fire”, and that is really where my big ‘like’ for this band starts and ends. Oddly, back in the day of super-cheap vinyl LPs, when hardly anyone wanted them in the mid-90s I regularly filled gaps in catalogues and added to my collection picking up albums for 1 or 2 dollars at the flea markets. So, one Sunday I came across the entire Kansas catalogue (up until 1983) for $2 a piece! I never got in to them much, I found the debut tough to get through, but occasionally would pull out Vinyl Confessions and Drastic Measures due to the hits. Over the past year I’ve pulled this one out a lot more, and dig most of this album. I’ve also been motivated to revisit the band’s catalogue more due to Tim Durling’s book Let It Be Your Guide: The Kansas Album Review (who’s Youtube channel is ironically titled Tim’s Vinyl Confessions!). The first 4 tracks here are all very good, from the well known “Play The Game Tonight” (a top 20 hit in the US, and my favorite Kansas song), the 2nd single “Right Away” (a minor hit), “Fair Exchange” and the piano based ballad “Chasing Shadows”. Not so enthused with “Diamonds and Pearls”, but things pick up again with “Face It” (tho’ I can do without the sax solo). The latter half also features “Windows”, a faster paced progressive track, curious why they did a video for this one if it wasn’t released as a single(?), “Borderline”, “Play On” (this is a great track, that might’ve made a decent single, though it was a B-side), and closing out is the minor epic “Crossfire”, another pretty progressive track, lots of changes, and a memorable chorus – all good songs. Some pretty Christian based lyrics throughout this album, with both Livgren and Elefante being religious (this causing a rift amongst some bandmembers, which lead to Walsh leaving prior to and Livgren leaving after the next album), but really, I haven’t taken much notice, and enjoy most of this album; probably their most accessible for those not so familiar with Kansas. Also noted is Roger Taylor (Queen) singing backing vocals on a few tracks (uncredited).

KANSAS -Vinyl Confessions, Kirshner FZ 38002 (CBS). Produced by Kansas and Ken Scott. Producer Scott’s high -tech studio finish is as well- suited to the progressive pop /rock sextet as it was to such kindred souls as Supertramp, yielding expansive keyboard crescendos, sweeping drum codas and layered choral harmonies, among other headphone highlights. Brass and reed choruses from the Heart Attack horns, borrowed from LA’s Jack Mack, inject a whiff of soul into the proceedings, but the main suit is still the rococo, portentous brew that’s made their reputation.

KANSAS (Kirshner ZS5 03084) Right Away (4:06) (Full Grown Man Music/Mastodon Music — BMI) (J. Elefante, D. Elefante) (Producers: Kansas, K. Scott) After the great chart recovery with “PlayThe Game Tonight,” Kansas continues in the by-now-familiar cascading keyboards and thundering guitar vein with this encore from “Vinyl Confessions.” It may seem a bit more suited to AOR, but Kansas is hot again, and pop will keep that In mind. (CashBox, 08-07-82)

KANSAS- Drastic Measures, CBS Associated Records QZ 38733. Produced by Kansas, Neil Kernon. Kansas made it back to the top 20 last year with the album “Vinyl Confessions,” and here returns with another set of high- energy pop – rock. The sound is a bit punchier and more uptempo, almost in the Loverboy vein. It’s been awhile since Kansas was a top 10 consistent platinum act, but it still has a sizeable audience. The label designation is CBS Associated Records rather than Kirshner.

CURVED AIR – rarities box set coming in September

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.

*Check out tracklisting, more details, tour dates…. – https://glassonyonpr.com/news/

FOCUS new single from FOCUS 12

Progressive-rock legends FOCUS have a new single from FOCUS 12 – to be released next week, just as the band starts their North American tour as part of the. ASIA Heat Of The Moment bill (along with Martin Turner, ex WHISHBONE ASH, and CURVED AIR).

*Check out the new track “Focus 13” below, as well as the press release and album pre-order link.

  • Spirit of Unicorn Music are pleased to announce the release of Focus 13, the new single from Focus, taken from their forthcoming album Focus 12, which releases on July 5th. Focus 13 was written by progressive music legend and long-standing band leader, Thijs Van Leer.  About the single, bassist Udo Pannekeet comments “Focus 13 is a composition full of strong, emotive and beautiful melodies which only Thijs could write.” The track features the highly skilled drumming touch that only a true elder statesman of progressive music can deliver.  Pierre van der Linden excels, providing a flow and rhythm which creates tension yet also allows the melody to breath. Pannekeet continues “The drum part is totally unique!”  He concludes “As part of our line of numbered Focus tracks, 13 really sticks out.” The enigmatic Van Leer agrees, “I began this composition with nothing. Zero.  Yet it has ended up as a true hero!” The album Focus 12 was recorded at the world-renowned Wisseloord Studios, in the band’s native  country of the Netherlands and is produced by both Pannekeet and guitarist Menno Gootjes.  Set to be an exciting Summer for Focus, July will not only see the release of Focus 12 but the band will also 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, Curved Air and Martin Turner – ex Wishbone Ash. Fjord 13 is available to download now from all good streaming services. The album Focus 12 releases on July 5th and once again features the stunning artwork of Roger Dean.  It will be available on CD Digipak, vinyl (housed in a gatefold sleeve) and via digital download.  You can pre-order the album here: 
  • https://burningshed.com/store/focus

Heat Of The Moment 2024 – USA Tour Dates:

Wednesday, 3rd July          : Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield

Thursday, 4th July               : Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls

Saturday, 6th July                : Chevalier Theatre, Medford

Sunday, 7th July                  : The Paramount, Huntingdon

Tuesday, 9th July                 : Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood

Wednesday, 10th July         : Count Basie Center, Red Bank

Friday, 12th July                  : Tropicana Showroom, Atlantic City

Saturday, 13th July              : Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem

Sunday, 14th July                : American Music Theatre, Lancaster

Tuesday, 16th July              : Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg

Wednesday, 17th July         : Ryman Auditorium, Nashville

Thursday, 18th July             : Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Evans

Saturday, 20th July              : Hard Rock Live, Orlando

Sunday, 21st July                : The Parker Theatre, Fort Lauderdale

Monday, 22nd July              : Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa

Wednesday, 24th July         : North Charleston PAC, North Charleston

Thursday, 25th July             : Macon City Auditorium, Macon

Friday, 26th July                   : Saeger Theatre, Mobile

Sunday, 28th July                : VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, Huntsville

Tuesday, 30th July              : The Armada Theatre, St Charles

Wednesday, 31st July         : The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee

http://www.focustgeband.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/focustheband50/

YES announce Classic Tales Of Yes Tour, plus new edition of ‘Mirror To The Sky’

Photo by Gottlieb Bros

YES released their latest studio album ‘Mirror To The Sky’ in May 2023, and following an acclaimed US tour late last year, the band will return to the UK & Europe for ‘The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024’. To coincide with this, they have launched a brand-new video for an edited version of the album’s epic title track, and you can watch that now here:

A new Limited 2 CD+Blu-ray Digipak edition of the album will also be released on the 5th April. This edition features the full album, plus the blu-ray including Dolby Atmos, 5.1 Surround Sound & Instrumental Mixes of the album and is available to pre-order here: https://yes-band.lnk.to/MirrorToTheSky

The Classic Tales of YES Tour 2024’ will include many iconic tracks from the YES back-catalogue covering fifty-plus years. The tour will also include a celebration of the 50th Anniversary of ‘Tales from Topographic Oceans’ as well as music from their current album ‘Mirror To The Sky’. “We’re all excited to be bringing our show home to Europe and the UK!” says Steve Howe, “We’ve selected a new playlist of Yes music but with some firm favourites in there too, of course! To keep our performances fresh, we ‘now’ carry our own lights, so we can present a consistent show each night, designed for us by William Succuso …….. Looking forward to seeing you out there!”

“We are very much looking forward to the 2024 European leg of our YES Classic Tales Tour. Having recently completed the US, we are now really excited to bring that out to all our fans in the UK and Europe. It promises to be one of our most interesting sets to date, scanning through much of YES’s history and with some previously unheard pieces as well as music from our latest album, ‘Mirror To The Sky’. Bring it on and see you all out there!” Best, Geoff Downes.

THE PINEAPPLE THIEF to release ‘It Leads To This’

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.”

LINKS:

https://www.facebook.com/thepineapplethief

https://www.instagram.com/thepineapplethief

https://kscopemusic.bandcamp.com/album/it-leads-to-this

YAWNING BALCH to release Volume 2

I’ve not been huge on instrumental albums, but checking out the soon-to-be-released Volume Two from Yawning Balch is something quite interesting. It’s 3 long jam tracks; progressive, psychedelic, spacey, haunting, and trippy….like, what am I listening to? But it keeps you sorta stuck wanting to hear where things go. I usually think of instrumental records as sorta background type of music, but this I wanna check out more. Now I gotta listen to Volume One! *Check out the 2 videos released so far (below), and check out the press info and links. Love the album artwork from John McGill!

Following the release of their recent debut album “Volume One”, the instrumental project formed by desert rock legends Yawning Man and Fu Manchu guitarist Bob Balch share a second track taken from their sophomore album “Volume Two”, out November 3 on Heavy Psych Sounds. 

If you’re a fan of instrumental and improvisational music, this is a masterclass in cohesion and dynamism (…) a myriad of haunting textures and discordant melodic choices that build in pace and intensity.” — Everything Is Noise

YAWNING BALCH “Volume Two”
Out November 3rd on Heavy Psych Sounds

European preorder – US preorder

Stream new single “Flesh Of The Gods

Yawning Balch is the collaborative outfit uniting guitarist Bob Balch (Fu Manchu, Big Scenic Nowhere) and desert rock progenitors Yawning Man, currently incarnated by founding guitarist Gary Arce, drummer Bill Stinson, and bassist Billy Cordell. Their sophomore record “Volume Two” is part of a two-volume set carved out of a single five-hour jam between Balch and the trio. The dreamy and psychedelic journey started on the recently released “Volume One” will reach its apex this November 3rd in the form of an expansive and mind-opening 3-track journey. 

“Volume Two” was recorded at Gatos Trail and engineered by Dan Joeright, mixed and mastered by Kent Stump at Crystal Clear Sound. Artwork and layout by John McGill. Listen to debut album “Volume One” on Bandcamp and order your vinyl, CD and digital copy at this location.

About the project, guitarist Bob Balch says: “In November of 2022, I went out to Joshua Tree for a day of jamming with the guys in Yawning Man with the intention of calling it “Yawning Balch”. No riffs were planned. We just plugged in and played. The only discussion beforehand was that Gary Arce and I wanted to mess with tons of guitar pedals. I knew that while we were jamming it sounded great, but it wasn’t until I got home and listened to it all that I realized we had something special. It’s hard to believe that we jammed for five hours and got two full-length LPs and then some out of it. Every player killed it on these recordings and I’m beyond grateful to have my name involved with this legendary band. Fingers crossed they invite me back out annually for more jam sessions. I hope you enjoy these jams and please use responsibly.”

TRACKLIST:
1. A Moment Expanded (A Form Constant)
2. Flesh Of The Gods
3. Psychic Aloha

YAWNING BALCH is:
Gary Arce – guitar
Bob Balch : Guitar, synth
Billy Cordell – bass
Bill Stinson – drums

YAWNING MAN links
WebsiteFacebookBandcampInstagramSpotify