Travis And Fripp

9^th April 2009

Theo Travis (soprano sax, alto flute, electronics) will be performing with Robert Fripp (guitar, guitar soundscapes) in an exclusive UK festival appearance in the glorious setting of Coventry Cathedral as part of Coventry Jazz Festival coventryjazzfestival.com.

Sat 23 May. (4pm) - Coventry Cathedral. 1 Hill Top, Coventry, CV1 5AB (Tel: 024 7652/ 1200)

Theo Travis And Double Talk

9^th April 2009

Jazz and prog maestro, Theo Travis, has a UK tour lined up with his band Double Talk to coincide with the release of their new album Ascending - Live At The Pizza. The itinerary is as follows:

Sun 12 April - London - Pizza Express, Dean St, W1 (0207 734 3220) http://www.pizzaexpresslive.co.uk/jazzList.aspx

Fri 17 April- Solihull, Arts Complex - Library Theatre (0121 704 6962)
Mon 20 April - Bideford, Appledore, Devon - Beaver Arms, Irsha St (01237 421065)
Tues 21 April - St Ives jazz - Western Hotel, Royal Square (01736 798061)
Weds 22 April - Swansea - Jazzland swanseajazzland.co.uk 05602 494648/07802 912789

The band line-up comprises the regular Double Talk band of :-

Theo Travis - tenor and soprano saxes, flute, live loops
Mike Outram - electric guitar
Pete Whitakker - Hammond organ
Roy Dodds - Drums

The new album Ascending - Live At The Pizza, will be released on 12 April as a Limited Edition 2 CD Set in a stylish silver metal box with all copies personally signed by all four members of the band . Other than this limited CD run the album will be released as a Download - via Burning Shed.burningshed.com/store/theotravis  Recorded on 18 June 2008 at the Pizza Express, Dean St, London, W1, this release comprises the concert recorded live that hot summer night in the top Soho jazz club.  The track See Emily Play from the forthcoming release can now be previewed at myspace.com/theotravis

The recording is also available for pre-order here http://www.theotravis.com/order.htm. 

Shades of Dawn Gig

9^th April 2009

For anyone in Germany in mid May, don't miss progressive outfit Shades of Dawn on

Sat, May-16 2009 20:00 hrs
Matisse
Kölner Str. 135
53840 Troisdorf
GERMANY

The recording sessions for their new album, Graffity's Rainbow, have finally come to an end and the mixing process will start soon.

www.shades-of-dawn.de/
 

Coralspin In Search Of Drummer

9^th April 2009

Due to other commitments the drummer for Midlands prog band Coralspin has had to leave the band just as the mixing of their first album is entering its final stages. So there is a vacancy for a quality drummer to walk straight into a band that is all set up ready to go with an album release and gigs. Aspiring prog drummers can listen to some of the draft mixes of the tracks from the album at the band website www.coralspin.com/mp3.html, and there is more about the vacancy at www.coralspin.com/drummer.html.
 

Francis Lickerish On Total Rock Radio

3^rd April 2009

Francis Lickerish will be chatting about his new Secret Green album  To Wake the King, on www.totalrock.com with Malcolm Dome, this Saturday night 6.30pm-7.30pm April 4th. Check out a sample at www.myspace.com/francislickerish - an absolute must for Enid fans.

John Mayhew

2^nd April 2009

We are sad to report that ex Genesis drummer, John Mayhew, died on 26th March 2009 from a heart related condition. John appeared on Genesis' Trespass album. He attended the 2006 Genesis Convention in London with Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips.

Symforce III

28^th March 2009

The third annual Symforce fest is to be a smaller affair concentrating on pure progressive, symphonic rock. featuring six bands of the highest quality and two venues instead of three, there will only be 325 tickets available for this event.  And when they go on sale (not for a while yet) they are bound to go quickly.

Symforce III will take place on Sunday 27^th September 2009 at the well known 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland. 

Organiser, John 'Bobo' Bollenberg, tells us that prog fans will be able to purchase tickets with their eyes closed as they will be treated to six top acts.  To keep posted on availability of tickets etc., visit www.myspace.com/symforce.

Whimwise On The Road With Focus

24^th March 2009

Once again, Nick May's Whimwise will be touring with Dutch masters, Focus, this Spring. Dates are a follows:

We're Back!

8^th March 2009

It has been an absolute age but our equipment is 80% up and running and we are not that far behind it!

Drive failure (x2), laptop failure, and monitor failure has caused major grief. Jem's health has also been of concern - we'll blame any typos on the early signs of cataracts, yet another repercussion of medication.

We have massively fallen behind with reviews but aim to have them done within our lifetime if not sooner.

Thanks to all who have sent their best wishes and support and a million apologies to everyone for our temporary absence.  We will wade through and in the next few days post items of news that is still relevant.

Holding Pattern In Action

8^th March 2009

Surveillance Records recording artists Holding Pattern’s “Breaking the Silence” world tour will continue through the end of summer 2009 with shows at:

MarProg Festival -July 19,2009 at the renowned East coast venue “Toad’s Place” July 19,2009 in New Haven ,Ct.

and “Baltic Prog Rock Fest” in Vilnius,  Lithuania on July 25,2009.

Holding Pattern have just returned from dates in Italy and wish to thank all the loyal HP fans for making this year a great success !

Robert Svilpa Release (and Special Offer)

6^th May 2008

An advance EP release previewing material from A Fine Line Between... will be released June 30, 2008. Presales of the CD will start May 1, track listings are as follows:

* The Only One
* Mesmerize
* In the shadows
* Drawing the Short Straw
* Ramble On (cover of Led Zeppelin classic)
* Watcher of the Skies (cover of Genesis classic)
* The Necromancer (cover of Rush classic)


The CD features performances by Paul Harrington (keys), Mark Parris (bass) and Nick D'Virgilio (drums) on tracks 1 thru 4, with the cover songs credits as follows: Ramble On - Tim Coffey (drums), Brian Timpe (bass), Rob (guitars, vocals) Watcher of the Skies - Rob (guitars, bass, vocals and programming) The Necromancer - Rob (guitars, bass, vocals and programming).

Nick D'Virgilio, the lead vocal and multi-instrumentalist/drummer from the mighty Spock's Beard, has graciously agreed to work with us to complete this long gestating project - he will also be mixing and mastering the A Fine Line Between... CD due in October 2008. Nick and band are discussing and negotiating a deeper association as well at this time.

The CD will be approximately 50 minutes long, with pre-release mixes of the for songs from A Fine Line Between... Of the cover songs, only Ramble On is a faithful version of the original. Watcher and Necromancer have been altered to become Svilpa'ized versions. All in all, this is a limited edition with a maximum of 1000 copies (all hand signed and numbered by Rob and crew) being made available at the super duper low price of $9.99 including shipping. The preorder site will be made available on www.robertsvilpa.com website on May 1st - keep checking back for more info.

People pre-ordering will be given access to digital downloads of the material a full two weeks before the CD ships - another good reason to pre-order!

And if that isn't enough, Robert tells us that all preorder purchasers and the first 200 purchasers on release of the EP will be entitled to 50% off the purchase price of $14.99 for the full CD release A Fine Line Between...

Preorders being taken now for the EP - available 6/30/2008. All EPs will be signed and numbered by the band - they can custom sign the CDs on request.

As well, for those who are among the first ones to preorder/purchase the EP package will also receive the deluxe edition of the CD including a bonus CD containing video footage from the studio and commentary from the band, signed and numbered lyric sheets, and other promotional items.

Better go to www.robertsvilpa.com without delay!

Whimwise Dates

15^th April 2008

Nick May's Whimwise has been booked to play some dates with Dutch chart topping legends Focus . These are Glasgow, The Ferry - April 17th, April 21st - Milton keynes, The Stables,  Wath On Dearn, - Montgomery Hall on April 26, April 29th - Astoria 2 (formerly Mean Fiddler)

Whimwise have also secured a date (May 7th   - The Robin 2) , opening for Nik Turners Space Ritual, whose entire current line-up comprises members from the first Hawkwind line-up (1969 - 70 ) . Ex Space Ritual member - Jaki Windmill has also joined Whimwise and will be playing selected dates with them on their upcoming tour and beyond.

Later in the year there will also be another German tour the first two dates of which have already been confirmed as 

                              Sept 12th - "Mausefalle" , Weberstr. 41 , Bonn , 53222 , Germany . 

                              Sept 13th "Eich Kult Festival" , Dorsheim Bei Bingen , Rhine Valley, Germany .
 
www.nickmay.co.uk

Happy New Year At Last - Well Almost!

15^th April 2008

Apologies for the break in service between December 2007 and now. The anti virus on the main computer decided that an important system file contained a Trojan then changed its mind five minutes later.  All was sorted we thought until we tried to boot up the next day - nothing doing.  All attempts so far have failed and we don't want to do a full install.

We now have another PC running Vista but still have some hardware and software to unravel before we are fully operational.

Coda

27^th November 2007

Dutch symphonic prog band Coda will be releasing Sounds of Passion: The Album - The demos - 21st Anniversary Edition on 30^th November (Pseudonym Records). This release will take the form of a double CD deluxe set in a carton slipcase and features the studio album and previously unreleased bonus material.

See www.centertainment.nl/ for further information.

New Thork Album

27^th November 2007

French prog outfit, Thork, have just released their new album Nula Jedan. Go to www.myspace.com/thorkmusic to hear some samples and for more information.

Darkest Seed Single Available To Download

27^th November 2007

Brazilian prog-metalers Darkest Seed have completed the recording of their new EP The Seed Is Rising, which is available for download in the band's website and features a remastered version of the cover for Queen's The Show Must Go On, which was posted before and the new songs The Darkest Seed and Silent Scream.

The new EP can be downloaded through the band's website www.darkestseed.com and MySpace page at  www.myspace.com/darkestseed

Sylvan Christmas Bash

27^th November 2007

German proggers Sylvan have organised their Christmas concert for 1st December 2007 at Rumpelkammer, Kreuztal, Germany. See  http://www.dierumpelkammer.de/ for details. Tickets at the club-doors only.

Steve and Chris's Starter for Ten

27^th November 2007

Those prog stalwarts, Steve Hackett and Chris squire, will be guests on BBC Radio 2's "Celebrity Popmaster" pop quiz each tackling the music questions put to them, and having a bit of a chat generally. If we're lucky and there's time, there may be an exclusive advance playing of a new Hackett rock track featuring Chris on bass.

Station: BBC Radio 2
Broadcast Date: December 5th 2007
Show: Ken Bruce
Approx. Broadcast Time: 10:25am to 10:50am GMT (the show is broadcast live)

Perhaps it should be called Celebrity Progmaster.

For more info on the Ken Bruce show, see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/shows/bruce/ 

Steve has contributed guitar to 'Chris Squire's Swiss Choir' album which takes traditional English Christmas music and adds a rock backing. It features the English Baroque Choir, Gerard Johnson (keys), Jeremy Stacey (drums), and Chris on bass guitar. Released on 26th November, orders are being taken via Chris's store. Go here: http://www.interstellar9.com/chris_squire.htm. An MP3 of 'Silent Night/Night Of Silence' can be heard on Chris's site http://www.chrissquire.net/music.html.

Riverside In UK

27^th November 2007

If you are fortunate enough to live in the south of England you may be able to catch Riverside in concert this week who are at Lydney Town Hall Glos on 29^th November (see SonicBond) and at Camden's Underworld on 30^th November (see The Underworld).  http://riverside.art.pl

Soul Path Introduce New Vocalists

18^th November 2007

Mike Stone (guitars) and Steve Mitchell (keys) welcome two new and very special vocalists to the Soul Path sound, Samantha MacLaren and James Berriman. Together with Roger Wallace (bass), Damien Cavanagh (percussion), drummer Mark Olly (from ITV Granada's Lost Treasures), and Nick Ashron (ebo), this is the new line-up for the touring band and a forthcoming new album featuring some very new sounds and songs.

Having recently released The Journey On.., an interim CD featuring songs and music, old and new through Real2Can Records (www.real2can.com/storemusic.htm) Steve and Mike are working on new projects, both with the band and in their own rights as film-maker and poet respectively.

For further info see www.soulpath.info

Free Prog Downloads

16^th November 2007

A new site which legally offers 2-3 songs from different albums as free downloads was launched recently. At this moment there is mainly Progress Records releases up (they were the first label to join), but hopefully also other labels will find this a good way to let the audience try out some free music in order to find new good music to buy. Check it out at: www.evergrey.fr.

New Whimwise date

16^th November 2007

Whimwise have an extra date with Focus added to their Autumn tour - this one is in London. It's on November 28^th at The Boom Boom Club at Sutton Football ground , Gander Green Lane, Sutton, London. See www.nickmay.co.uk for the full itinery.

Karda Estra 10^th Anniversary

16^th November 2007

Karda Estra release a new free mp3 single this month entitled The Atom Age Sense Of Impermanence. This is the first of a series of free mp3 singles to be released over the coming year to mark the 10th anniversary of the beginning of Karda Estra (which roughly approximates to when Richard Wileman set up his first 'Twenty First' recording studio back in November 1997). The single is available from:

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=107308
http://www.last.fm/music/Karda+Estra
http://www.myspace.com/kardaestra

There is also background information about the piece at the Karda Estra website,http://www.kardaestra.co.uk

New Hostsonaten Album For 2008

9^th November 2007

Hostsonaten  will start recording their next album, Winterthrough, on 26^th November at Zerodieci Studio, Genova.

The musicians involved in the project will be Fabio Zuffanti (bass, guitars), Alessandro Corvaglia (keyboards), Maurizio Di tollo (drums), Edmondo Romano (flutes, saxes, etc..) and many others.

Winterthrough is the 3^rd section of SeasonCycle Suite, a musical celebration in four movements of seasons' power and follow Springsong (4^th part). The other parts will be Summereve (1^st), Autumnsymphony (2^nd).

The album will be available  early in 2008 on BTF/VM2000 label

See www.zuffantiprojects.com/hostsonatenweb www.myspace.com/hostsonaten and www.btf.it for further details.
 

Holding Pattern Are Back

9^th November 2007

Our good friend and ace guitarist from across 'the pond', Tony Spada, has been whetting our appetite over recent months with the news that legendary US proggers Holding Pattern are back in business. The new album, Breaking the Silence is in production and will be released worldwide on 30^th November 2007.

Due to success of guitarist /composer Tony Spada’s critically acclaimed 2005 solo album The Human Element and recent Japanese tour, there has been much anticipation regarding this possibility which should excite the old fans as well as all fans of instrumental progressive rock.

The album features original members Tony Spada (guitars), Robert Hutchinson (drums), Tony Castellano (bass, keyboards) and Mark Tannenbaum (keyboards) along with Rob Gottfried and album cover artwork by Genesis album artist Paul Whitehead.

 See www.holdingpatternusa.com for additional information

Alan Williamson - Vocalist Wanted

9^th November 2007

Guitarist/composer Alan Williamson is currently looking for a vocalist to complete the line up for his new band project. Anyone interested in this great opportunity should email the artist relations at: williamsonsmusicstudios@hotmail.com for further details. Please visit the following websites to get a background on Alan and his music!

http://www.myspace.com/alanwilliamson
http://www.alanwilliamson.com http://www.youtube.com/alanwilliamsonband 
http://www.williamsonsmusicstudios.com  .

Whimwise Autumn Tour dates

15^th October 2007

Whimwise guitarist, Nick May, has more dates included in the band's autumn tour, including some slots supporting Focus (more may follow). Shows so far confirmed are...

Oct 12 - "Kubana Live", Zeithstr. 100, Nr Bonn, 53721, Germany .

Oct 13 - "Mausefalle", Weberstr.41, Bonn, 53222, Germany .

Oct 15 - "Session Club", Gerhard - Von - Are - Strasse, Bonn, 53111,
Germany .

Oct 27 - "Progsol Festival", Rockpalast, Biberist, Switzerland .

Nov 9 - "The Fawcett Club", 176 Fawcett Rd , Southsea, Portsmouth .

Nov 20 - "Cox`s Yard" , Stratford - Upon - Avon, Midlands ( supporting Focus ) .

Nov 28 - "The Robin 2" , Bilston , Birmingham , Midlands ( supporting Focus ) .

www.nickmay.co.uk

Andy Latimer And Camel

15^th October 2007

As many will be aware by now, Andy Latimer's health has not been too good recently. He had been diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera but that has now turned into Myelofibrosis. This condition has been moving faster than would be expected, which is not good news, but thanks to a donor being found, Andy will be having a bone marrow transplant in November. This treatment is not the most pleasant but to find a donor in the first place is good news and the transplant should give Andy a good chance to get Andy back on his feet and enjoying life once again.

New DVD

As if the trauma of the above is not enough to contend with, Camel will be releasing a new DVD called Moondances later this month. Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon on 14th April 1976, it features the original line up of Andrew, Andy Ward and Doug Ferguson, with the late Peter Bardens, who were on tour with their new release, Moonmadness. Combined with this short recording is the complete 1977 BBC recording at the Hippodrome during the Raindances tour.  Two 'pre'  Camel audio tracks are being included as a bonus on the DVD.

Rising from the Ashes..

15^th October 2007

No, not only us here at HHH (we're pleased to be back by the way!).  Now what was Gryphon's final studio album called?  Treason?  well it was but it will soon be no longer. Gryphon are back with a new album mooted for release in summer 2008.

There is also talk of one live performance in London but that is still  on the backburner.  it may not happen or it could turn into more dates.

No mention has yet been made as to the 'reformed' Gryphon line-up but it is probably safe to assume that musician and composer extraordinaire, Richard Harvey, will once again be at the helm.  Minus the long curly locks of course!

Hurrah!

Court Album And Tour

14^th May 2007

Italian art rockers, Court, release their latest album Frost Of Watermelon today.  The band then embark on an American tour on 1st June as follows...

1st June Southington CT
2nd JuneNew York City
3rd June New York
5th June Charleston SC- cumberlands
7th June Miami-FL (Jazid Club)
8th June Orlando FL (Underground Bluz)
9th June Birmingham AL
10th June Columbus OH
12th June Chicago IL
13th June Rockford IL
14tth June North Manchester-the firehouse
15th June SOUTH BEND -IN
16th June shooters hideaway- Des Moines- Iowa
17th June AURORA-WYATT'S TORCH- CO
21st June Avalon club- Santa Clara
22nd June Pine Street bar -Livermore
23rd Reno-NEVADA-Zephyr club
24th June Irelands 32 -San Francisco
26th June Boiler Room - Eureka
27th June The Gig-Hollywood - Los Angeles

See www.myspace.com/courtband and www.courtband.com for more details.

Rick Wakeman Releases

9^th May 2007

Classic Studio T proudly presents The Other Side of Rick Wakeman, set for release on DVD in the UK on June 25^th, Europe from June 29^th and USA on August 28^th 2007.

The Other Side of Rick Wakeman is revealed in an up-close and uproarious stand-up performance, we are told, filmed live in front of a studio audience.  The ‘Grumpy’ rock legend, composer and raconteur exposes a host of hilarious anecdotes and unknown escapades experienced during his Rock ‘n’ Roll career, including the first rehearsals with YES, his multi-marital life, amusing recording session memories, not least, his exposure in a Japanese toilet.

Wakeman explains his version of the ‘X-factor’, he also brings to life the lost chord in the YES classic And You and I, and strides through a lifetime of outrageous memories including a demonstration of his first ever piece written on the Piano, aged just 5 and recalls his days working with seminal music legends David Bowie and Cat Stevens.

This brand new show also features classic material from The Strawbs, YES and his hit solo albums, stripped back to their original form, performed by Rick on the Grand Piano.  Filmed and Recorded at Classic T Stage, Shepperton Film Studios, England.

Digital Download News

The Classic Studio T label, long term collaborators with Rick Wakeman, have also recently released (through major international e-tailers) several important recordings as Fully Authorized Digital Audio Downloads worldwide including; Journey To The Centre Of The Earth Live (1975), Live From Buenos Aires, Made In Cuba (2005) and The Legend Live In Concert (2000).   The label are also pleased to announce a worldwide Digital Audio Download Only release Rick Wakeman - The Grand Piano Tour on 25th June 2007.

More info at www.rwcc.com and www.classic-media-group.com .

Guy Manning Album Due This Autumn

9^th May 2007

Guy Manning tells us that when he was playing the Summers' End festival last year, he stayed at ahotel in the company of White Willow (a great band from Norway).

The hotel had 2 interesting features:
1. It was inhabited by a Macaw called Barney
2. It was just down the road from an abandoned old house.

On the way to the gig, he stopped to take a photo of the Bilston House. A double fronted building with the windows all boarded up & the words "Do Not Enter Here! The Last Person Died" painted in red paint on both bay windows.

"I think I knew then, as I asked myself just what had gone on in there, that there was an album to be made!"

And that album will be called Songs From The Bilston House with tracks based on different locations within the property.  The usual squad of musicians will be aiding and abetting the maestro.

 http://guymanning.brinkster.net/

Db Infusion To Perform With Film Legend Christopher Lee

4^th May 2007

Db Infusion will be performing as backing band for legendary movie star; Christopher Lee ( The Wicker Man, Dracula ,Lord Of the Rings, Star Wars, etc). Mr Lee will be releasing a new DVD featuring video performances from his album Revelation of which the UK release is 2^nd July2007.

As a pre-launch promotion and to celebrate his 85th birthday, Christopher Lee will be performing live on stage at the London Excel Centre on the 26^th and the 27^th of May.  See www.londonexpo.com/ for more details.

His versatility and ability regardless of age, together with his willingness to take on new challenges, make this an event not to miss. Mr Lee will Be performing in different styles of music, for example heavy metal, jazz/flamenco, and a Broadway musical. He will be joined on stage by guest artists from various musical fields such as singer Lola Rueda, world renowned flamenco guitarist Juan Ramirez and progressive jazz/rock fusion band. Db Infusion.  A special collectors edition of the Revelation DVD will be available exclusively at the London Expo event, nearly two months before its official UK release date.   Happy birthday Mr Lee, or may we call you Lord Summerisle?

(Db Infusion's gig at The Spice of Life in April  with former Yes guitarist Peter Banks and john Etheridge( Soft Machine) received a great review from renowned journalist, Chris Welch - see www.myspace.com/guitaristpeterbanks)

Calling All The Heroes!

4^th May 2007

The mighty IT BITES will Headline this year's GIG IN THE GLEN on 16^th June.. This is a major bonus for the event and Dunfermline to see one of the finest British Rock Bands in the past 20 years live in Pittencrieff Park!!

Immediately before It Bites, will be the brilliant Abel Ganz from Glasgow. Abel Ganz were formed back in 1983 and were one of two top progressive rock outfits ever to come out of Scotland.  With countless Festivals under their belts, stalwarts of the Classic Rock Society and the imminent release of their 6th studio album, "THE GANZ" are firing on all 6 cylinders.

In total, 36 excellent bands, over 3 stages, will appear at this years Festival. For full details, go to www.myspace.com/gigintheglen   And the admission fee - zilch!  It's free.  Hurrah!

New KingBathmat Song

4^th May 2007

There will be a new song by Kingbathmat on their Myspace page every month starting this month (May) with Nobody Steals my Girl. This will be replaced next month by another free download.

The New album will be released at the end of the year. Check out http://www.myspace.com/kingbathmat

NIGHT OF THE PROG FESTIVAL II

30^th April 2007

This fantastic festival is being held at the legendary Loreley Amphitheatre, Germany on the 21st and 22nd July 2007.

The Saturday schedule includes…

The original Line-Up of Asia on their 25th Anniversary Tour with Steve Howe (Yes), Carl Palmer (ELP), John Wetton (King Crimson) and Geoffrey Downes (Buggles) IQ – one of the first pioneers of the British Neo-Prog movement Sylvan – the German Neo-Prog shooting stars presenting their new album Presets, JEBO – an English newcomer band produced by John Burns (producer of Genesis´ Lamb Lies Down on Broadway album) Echoes performs Pink Floyd – will take the audience back to the 70s, with a XXL Lightshow that will reach “real dimensions”…

The Sunday  schedule includes …

Jethro Tull – after several years of Symphonic Orchestra and Acoustic Shows, Ian Anderson and his band rock the house… Fish – after 20 years and 15.000 people at the Loreley in 1987, Fish exclusively performs the final album that he recorded with Marillion: Clutching at Straws. And the first part of his show brings his new album 13th Star to light. Pendragon – the other Neo-Prog legend (besides IQ) that takes the stage. The Merlin Bird – travels 20.000 km to come to the Loreley! The band from Down Under appears for the first time in Europe, but rumours about their mystical shows reached Europe for months by enthusiastic reviews in various Prog Magazines. The Watch from Italy achieved to be the Italian “Genesis” by Fans and international magazines. This concert will be the first one in Germany where they perform the brand new album Primitive.

Full details can be found at www.wiventertainment.de.  Let's hope they do a multi-disc DVD.

Dream Aria Interactive Radio Show

30^th April 2007

join Ann Burstyn and Don Stag at www.5150fm.com  for a interactive night with Dream Aria this coming Friday.

The radio station 5150 fm.com has video streaming and there will be a night of music and talk with friends and fans from around the world!

That is this Friday May 4 7-10pm eastern time (we reckon that equates to around Midnight UK time).

Nolan's Walk On Water

30^th April 2007

On 4th June 2007 Metal Mind Productions will release Caamora's EP Walk On Water. Caamora is a partnership of Clive Nolan (Pendragon/Neo) and Agnieszka Swita in a lavish and creative collaboration.

The Walk On Water EP includes new material specially written for this release as well as two songs from the forthcoming "She" project, a musical version of H. Rider Haggard's novel. Spearheaded by Clive and Agnieszka, this epic production will feature guest vocalists, instrumentalists, orchestra and choir, forming a two-hour musical journey.

Included are guest performances by Mark Westwood (Neo) on guitar, John Jowitt (IQ) on bass and Scott Highem on drums. 
 
Tracklist:
1. Walk On Water
2. Shadows
3. I Can See your House From Here
4. Invisible

www.metalmind.com.pl

Talking With Mr Carrera...

4^th April 2007

Keyboard maestro, Gonzalo Carrera, tells us that the Karnataka tour has, so far, been a great success.  See www.karnataka.org.uk for ticket availability for the last three dates.

Today (if you are reading this on 5th April) Db Infusion will be playing at London's new premier jazz venue Spice Of Life where special guests John Etheridge (Soft Machine) and original Yes guitarist Peter Banks will be joining the band. The band's album, Dreamscape, featuring a host of established guest musicians, is available from Amazon, HMV and other major stockists.  Nice!

Summer's End Festival Bites

4^th April 2007

Legends It Bites is the second headliner for this year's Summer's End Festival, the organisation of which is gathering pace.  We recommend that you keep checking www.myspace.com/summersendfestival because when tickets become available they are likely to go fast.

Summer's End Fest Announces First Headliner

31^st March  2007

The 2007 Summer's End Festival has announced Swedish proggers, Pain Of Salvation, as the first headliner for this growing UK prog event.  This year, Summer's End will be held at the well known venue The Robin, Bilston on September 15th and 16th.

Pain Of Salvation, which will headline the second group of three bands, combine varied and dynamic progressive rock with strong metal elements. The band make thought-provoking and emotional music, and are well known for their inspirational and imaginative live shows. This appearance marks a rare chance for UK fans to see the band in concert, playing a full set.

Next is Yesterdays, Hungarian nationals based in Romania. This remarkable 8-piece band plays dynamic, melodic progressive rock with its inspiration firmly in the 1970s, spiced with a touch of traditional Hungarian music. Stunning female vocals from Kinga Janosi combine with flute, guitar and analogue keyboards on their excellent album Holdfenykert (Moonlit garden), which is often reminiscent of YES and Renaissance.

Completing the line-up is former Enid guitarist Nick May's band Whimwise, which also includes keyboard player Gonzalo Carrera (Karnataka) and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Alquemia, among others. Their unusual music combines a strong classical structure with rock and electronic instrumentation, while still remaining fundamentally accessible.

Other bands announced for the weekend are the UK's Solstice and Tinyfish and from Germany Abarax.

Keep an eye of the festival sites at www.summersend.co.uk and www.myspace.com/summersendfestival for the latest news.

Arm Injury Forces Coralspin's Bassist To Cease Playing

15^th March  2007

Midlands based melodic progsters Coralspin are without a bass player as Andy unfortunately aggravated an old injury to his arm resulting in him being unable to continue.  We wish him well and hope that this setback will not be the end of his involvement in music.

If you are interested in the vacant position of bassist, please contact the band via their website at http://coralspin.com.

Fire In The South Release

11^th March  2007

There are some bands that lay claim to being 'the new Pink Floyd' but UK maestros, Fire In The South are not one of them.  However, the spirit of Floyd lives on in their music.

Today sees the release of a new double A side single , Father and Comfort which can can now be purchased from iTunes, EasyMusic and wippit.com for the princely sum of 79p each. Buyers from wippit.com can buy both at the discounted price for £1.49.

Fire In The South is asking folk who are going to get the single if they will download it in the first week to try and get that all important download chart position, now that this is all you need to chart (physical sales no longer being required).

A video for the single Father can be seen at www.myspace.com/fireinthesouth and believe us, it is well worth seeing!

We're Back!

11^th March  2007

We have returned, slightly refreshed yet disappointed in ourselves in that the Karnataka gig has been postponed until April and we have yet to have any reviews ready (though we have been listening to some rather good albums).  The sooner we can get the new computer installed, the sooner we can get operational again.

HHH On A Jaunt

5^th February 2007

Well, not quite but we will be unable to respond to any emails until March 2007.  And with any luck March will see a review or two!.  Yeah, we know....

Knight Area

5^th February 2007

They are one of our favourite bands and now you can get the chance to hear them this Friday February 9th ive on Dutch radio (19.00 - 20.00 h.).  You can listen to the concert via www.rtvwest.nl  or if you are living in the Netherlands: Radio
West 89.3 FM

And on March 30th at Ittervoort NL, they are in concert with another HHH favourite, Riverside

Knight Area's new album Under a new sign is penned for release on April 3rd 2007

See www.knightarea.com for further information.

Genesis In The Cage

5^th February 2007

If you are a little disappointed in the incomplete reformation of the once prog great Genesis, a Genesis In The Cage gig may be just the thing to lift one's spirits.  GITC have a number of gigs lined up this year kicking off this Saturday at Frome in Somerset.

 Sat 10 February
: Cheese & Grain, Market Yard, Frome, Somerset BA11 1BE
Other info: 01373-455420 8pm (£12 - £10 adv.) office@cheeseandgrain.co.uk 

Sat 03 March
Huntingdon Hall, Crowngate, Worcester, Worcs WR1 3LD
Other info: 01905-611427 7pm (£12.50 - £10 conc.)

Sat 31 March
The Mick Jagger Centre, Shepherds Lane, Dartford, Kent DA1 2JZ
Other info: 01322-291100 7.30pm (£12.50)

More dates to follow.

Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe

16^th January 2007

Voiceprint Records tell us that sales of the limited production Digipak DVD of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe's fan-favourite, An Evening of Yes Music Plus, have been phenomenal. So much so, it has come to the attention of Voiceprint Records that many who wanted to purchase a copy were left empty handed. Due to this unprecedented demand, and because Voiceprint wants to ensure all customers have the opportunity to add An Evening of Yes Music Plus to their video library, it will offer an additional 1,000 copies of the Digipak double DVD for sale effective immediately.

So if you missed out on the first offering, definitely don't delay on the second. Point your browser to www.abwhdvd.com and order your copy of ABWH's An Evening Of Yes Music Plus today.

Soul Path Live Broadcast

13^th January 2007

The beautifully atmospheric Soul Path will be featuring in a live internet broadcast from world famous The King Arthur Pub in Glastonbury today Saturday 13th January.

Soul Path will be sharing the stage with Nick Ashron's Elfin Spiral in Glastonbury at the King Arthur pub on Saturday 13th January with a live webcast on NetTalk Radio. The gig will also be broadcast live across American FM radio stations.

The gig starts at 8pm - Admission is £3.50 on the door. King Arthur Pub, Benedict Street, Glastonbury, Somerset UK

for more info see
http://www.soulpath.info 
http://www.nickashron.com/music-tours-festivals.asp
http://nettalkworld.com/public/modules/news2/

A Look Back At 2006

31^st December 2006

It is that time of year again and HHH's Jane and Jem  have scribbled their thoughts on the previous twelve months in their respective 'Thoughts' sections of the Nag's Head.  Click here (for Jane's) and here (for Jem's) to save time!

Leap of Face DVD Planned

31^st December 2006

A DVD featuring videos of selected tracks from Graham Greene's Leap Of Face plus additional (as yet undisclosed) footage is currently in the planning stages and is slated to go into production in early January 2007. The filming and editing is being done at ProCopy WA, and Graham will be accompanied in the video clips by a 'video live band', made up of top Perth musicians including Frank Licastro on drums, Jim Awram on bass and Donna Greene on vocals for the song Fire In Your Liberty. Other tracks include The Vowels Of The Earth, Hell And Bach, Impressive Hair and others.

Metalmania Festival 2007

28^th December 2006

If you are a metal fan read on because there is a treat in store for you.

The 21st edition of Metalmania Festival - the biggest metal fest in Central-Eastern Europe - will take place on 24th March 2007 in Spodek Hall in Katowice, Poland. As usual there will be two stages where around 25 bands will perform for thousands of metal freaks!!!!

TESTAMENT (US), PARADISE LOST (UK), MY DYING BRIDE (UK), ENTOMBED (SWE),  KORPIKLAANI (FI), ZYKLON (NO) and 2TM2,3 (PL) are the first bands confirmed to perform on the main stage during Metalmania Festival 2007! The complete list of the Artists to perform at Metalmania Festival will be announced very soon.

See www.metalmind.com.pl/metalmania/ for full details and latest updates.

A Proggy 'On The Rocks' Show This Sunday

22^nd December 2006

this coming Sunday 24th December, John 'Bobo' Bollenburg's On The Rocks will feature it's X-mas special which will sport special proggy Christmas tunes as well as a nice selection of Genesis covers. It's on at www.rockfm.be as well as on www.laserradio/nl between 8 and 11 pm cet this Sunday 24th December.

One week later, On The Rocks adds an extra hour and goes on air between 8 and 12 pm cet. This time around the Bobo Top Ten of 2006 will be featured.

Classic FM's 27^th Annual Christmas Show Tonight

22^nd December 2006

Gene Godfrey's Classic FM Christmas show tonight should prove a lot of fun with an eclectic mix of holiday rarities, B-sides, Christmas tunes that went to radio stations, deeper album tracks of winter season songs, and some rare holiday humour as well. There will also be some interview segments to introduce several of the tracks.

Featured artists including interview segments include Genesis; Steve Hackett; Jon Anderson; Argent; Annie Haslam; Keith Emerson; Greg Lake; Patti Smith; Jethro Tull; The Roches; Roger McGuinn; Lord Buckley; Cheech & Chong; Mike Nichols & Elaine Mae; and many more!

Live webcast via www.netradio100.com -or- www.z889.org  (6-10pm Eastern/5-9pm Central/ 4-8pm Mountain/ 3-7pm Left Coast/ Noon-4pm Hawaii/ 11pm-3am UK time/ 8am-noon (Sat) in Australia).

New Ryan Parmenter Album

22^nd December 2006

Ryan Parmenter releases The Noble Knave, his first proper solo album in 11 years, on 2nd January, 2007. Composed of songs written between 1996 and 2006, the album is a collection of Ryan?s favorites that fall outside of the realm of Eyestrings, his band since 2001. The songs are often zany, poppy, and lively, which, to listeners familiar with Eyestrings' often brooding tones, may be a surprise. The album is intended to be instantly fun, undeniably melodic, and a rewarding treat upon repeated listening.

Go to www.ryanparmenter.com/music.php to order.

Fire In The South New Single

6^th December 2006

Fire In The South have just finished recording two tracks with producer Martyn Phillips which will be released as a single via downloads and record stores in the New Year. Martyn had Number 1 hits in the US with Jesus Jones (Right Here, Right Now) and Londonbeat (Thinking About You) as well as numerous hits in the UK with Erasure and Roachford.

As no-one can agree which of the tracks should be the single, they are planning on doing a double-A side release, sending the heavier track Father to stations like Virgin and XFM as the main track and the gentler Comfort to stations like BBC Radio 2 and Magic as the main track.

Until the release of the single, the only place that Father (one of the two recordings) can be heard is as part of the 3 First Cut Competition organised by the mobile phone company 3.  

Click on www.3firstcutawards.co.uk/Estate/FirstCut/profile.cfm?ID=2546 to hear the track.  A review of the double A single will appear on HHH very shortly.

Sphere³ Experimenting Again!

6^th December 2006

Those men in white coats otherwise known as Sphere³ will be showing off their skills tomorrow evening at

The Grosvenor
Thursday 7th December @ 8.30pm
17 Sidney Road
Stockwell
SW9 0TP
Nearest tube: Stockwell

Access to this historic and prestigious venue* can be yours for a bargain price of 5 pounds on the door, or get your discount on by first swiping a big ol' flyer from www.sphere3.co.uk/gigs.html

Bruce Main - Elements Is Released

6^th December 2006

Bruce Main's newest CD, Elements, has been released on CDBaby as of today! You can find it at http://cdbaby.com/cd/brucemain3 .

There is also a newly redesigned Bruce Main website that has just been activated at www.brucemain.com.

We are told that the new CD features a prog rock song cycle featuring his usual pithy comments, this time about the topical subjects of global warming and climate change.

Champion Of Prog On UK Radio Signs Off - Not Arf!

28^th November 2006

An institution to many of us who were fortunate enough to tune into his highly acclaimed Saturday Rock Show, Alan Freeman was the purveyor of prog,  Aged 79 he died on 27th November.  Suffering for many years with arthritis in some nasty forms, and a mini stroke, Alan was a huge favourite with pop fans across the UK for his show 'Pick Of The Pops' but we at HHH along with many of our friends fondly remember him for introducing them to music they may never have heard.

For the prog and quality rock fan, Alan's rock show consisted of around 70% of music you had heard, and at least another 25% you wanted to hear more of.  In addition to the more obvious selection of Pink Floyd and ELP, Alan would play Camel, Caravan, Gentle Giant, Gryphon, Jethro Tull, Focus and many many more.  And he really believed in a lot of the music featured on the show.  In interviews he often stood up for prog rock when it was not fashionable to do so (so we can forgive him for being the face of that Brentford firm in their Ad campaign!).

In 1978 after his show had been taken off air following a change in management at the BBC, our editor was questioned by a BBC researcher about his radio listening habits to which he responded that he would not be listening to BBC radio again until Mr Freeman's show returns.  It did return a while later but through no fault of Alan's, the momentum could not be regained.

The 90s saw comedians Harry Enfield and Paul Whitehouse parody an amalgam of classic radio DJs with no particular claim to be 'picking' on any specific personality.  However, of the characters Smashy and Nicey, Enfield's Dave Nice captured a fair bit of the essence of Alan Freeman.  When Smashy is ranting on about his lengthy show and laughing at Nicey's shorter slot, Dave Nice in true Freeman fashion tells him that it is the quality that counts.

Cheers Alan.  Your catch phrases will continue to be uttered from time to time by past and present members of the HHH team.  Not arf mate!

A Night Of Prog At The Robin

15^th November 2006

F2 Music will be holding a special night of Prog on 26th November featuring three great bands from the label. Ezra will open, followed by Credo and headlined by Magenta. A night of fun and great music!

F2 NIGHT OF PROG - MAGENTA, CREDO & EZRA
Sunday 26 November 2006 6:00pm (Ezra on stage at 6:30pm)
The Robin 2, Bilston, UK
£12.00 in advance (Door price £14.00)

Buy tickets from www.therobintickets.co.uk/ticketshop/giglist.asp?month=11&year=2006  and save £2.00 on the door price! Alternatively, call the booking office on 01902 401211.

Lee Saunders The Puzzle Project

15^th November 2006

Lee Saunders The Puzzle project takes a look at key events of the 20th Century and how they have changed the world.  Having released The Promise Of Peace based on WWII (and sounding very much along the lines of The Wall by you know who), the new Lee Saunders album 'The Eagles Fly' will be based on the Space Race, and will be due for release in 2007.  Lee's well designed website www.LeeSaunders.co.uk is worth spending a bit of time on

Art Zoyd And The Fall Of The House Of Usher

15^th November 2006

Art Zoyd will be providing the music for the screening of the silent movie The Fall Of The House Of Usher (E A Poe) on the 7th December in Lyon.  This fascinating Cine-Concert commences at 8:30pm and full details can be found at the venue site www.auditorium-lyon.com/onl_info/index.htm. (www.artzoyd.com)

Karnataka UK Tour in 2007

15^th November 2006

Karnataka have a tour lined up starting in late February and taking in the whole of March.  This is the first full Karnataka tour since 2004 and follows on from the success of the band's performance at The Vibes From The Vines Festival in August. See www.karnataka.org.uk for full details. No venues further north than the M62 (and a fair way from that) but it is possible that further dates will be added.

The Final Prog Farewell For The Cartoon, Croydon

15^th November 2006

It is always sad when a venue closes for good and that is the case for the Cartoon at Croydon.  Nothing to do with the character 'Cartoon Head' out of ideal, the Cartoon is neither scary nor possibly that funny (actually the loos may be a bit scary) but all are welcome on Sunday 19^th November, which sees the last prog show to be held there featuring Credo, Jo MacCafferty, and The Resonance Association>.  At a mere £6 it should not be missed. www.myspace.com/thecartoon

Mediaeval Baebes Christmas Gigs

15^th November 2006

A veritable feast for eyes and ears assuming your tastes include decidedly agreeable wenches with songs in a classical, nay, folksy style of days of yore.  We are referring to the Mediaeval Baebes who have a number of shows in the UK in December including an outside affair on 22^nd in Cornwall incorporating a hog roast, chestnuts and mulled wine.  See www.mediaevalbaebes.com for the full run down and ticket information.  Now if a certain Cylindra and Maple would like to join the editor for a mulled wine or three on the 23^rd...

Whimwise To Support Groundhogs

7^th November 2006

Ex-Enid guitarist Nick May's Whimwise who were featured on the covermount CDs of Classic Rock 97 and Powerplay 81 , - are playing a concert with The Groundhogs Tony McPhee on Sunday December 10th - at The Joiners, 141 St Marys Street, Southampton . 02380 225612 .  Get there ealry!

Genesis Announce Tour But Stumble With Prog Questions

7^th November 2006

The classic (their words, not ours) Genesis line-up of Collins, Banks and Rutherford will be undertaking a 'set' of shows in June and July 2007.  With Germany hosting the bulk of the shows and only two to be held in the UK it is a bit of a surprise.  See here for the European dates.  Ticket sales commence for the German dates this Friday with UK tickets on sale from 24^th November.  A US set of shows will be announced later.

The press conference was hosted initially by actor/comedian/author David Badiel who set the scene talking about the Gabriel and Hackett era of the band.  According to Collins, the intention had been to do a series of 'Lamb' shows with the real classic line-up but Gabriel wanted time to consider the idea.  So they decided to go ahead as the threesome.  The Lamb idea has not been rejected for the future.

When asked about the possible set list they were very cagey but further probing by some of the prog-friendly journalists in the audience appeared to reveal that it would be much the same as before, with the classic material being relegated to the short medley.  The band look quite uncomfortable when the questioning harped on about this hoping to rely on the fact that they were doing the shows as being enough to satisfy everyone.

If you have the time to see the conference it is worth the battle with the volume control (click the link below).

Genesis Press Conference - Will The Lamb Awaken?

5^th November 2006

Genesis are to hold a press conference at 12 noon GMT on Tuesday 7th November to announce their plans for 2007.  You can watch a live stream of the event by going to www.genesis-music.com shortly beforehand and clicking on the appropriate link.

What is going to be said is anyone's guess but the favourite for the betting person is 'leave us alone - prog was 35 years ago and we have moved on' followed by 'The team of Collins, Banks, and Rutherford will do a one of set of gigs' or most unlikely but most welcomed 'The classic line up including Gabriel and Hackett are back in business.  We at HHH hope for the unlikely pleasant surprise.

Daryl Stuermer

5^th November 2006

Guitarist Daryl Stuermer has signed a deal with Unicorn Digital to release his new solo album.

The bew album, Rewired - the Electric Collection, signals a renaissance and vital shift in musical direction for the Genesis/Phil Collins guitarist. Stuermer, formerly with fusion violinist Jean-Luc Ponty (1975-1978) and Genesis (1978-1992) as well as an essential part of Phil Collins' band since 1982, has chosen a collection representing aggressive, edgy, guitar centric compositions.

This is a Daryl's first solo release since his Urban Island Music releases, Rewired will be unveiled, worldwide on Unicorn Digital, November 14, 2006.

You can visit the Daryl Stuermer's web site here: http://www.darylstuermer.com/ 
You can visit the Unicorn Digital Web Site here: http://www.unicorndigital.com

Brother Ape Video Online

5^th November 2006

Progress Records have now put up two videos with Brother Ape on their website. Clicking on the links below will launch your media player.

http://www.progressrec.com/audio/BROTHER%20APE%20-%20Tweakhead-video.wmv

http://www.progressrec.com/audio/BROTHER%20APE%20-%20New%20shangri-la-video.wmv

Jadis Gigs

5^th November 2006

Advance tickets ( priced £10.00 with FREE postage) are now available via the Jadis online store for the gig at the Talking Heads in Southampton on Friday 24th November....click here to buy : www.jadis-net.co.uk/ccshop1.html 

The band will also be playing the following evening at Plato, Helmond, Netherlands on Saturday 25th November.

Special guest Steve Thorne will be the opening act for both shows as well as performing with Jadis on 2nd guitar and backing vocals .

Writing is now well under way for the bands 7th studio album with some parts already recorded. The band will to be previewing some of the material live early next year and some of the ideas will be available to listen to via the website.

Black Widow On TV And New DVD

^th November 2006

A Black Widow film has been found by Clive Jones. It is a concert film which includes the whole "Sacrifice" album and the whole 1970 Black Magic show. It will be available as a DVD by Mystic Records next year. Clive tells to be "thrilled by the quality and performance".

Clive Jones has been interviewed for Redemption TV - the interview might be aired around Christmas time in the UK apparently, and some parts of this unreleased concert film might be used!

Clive Jones is composing new material with Geoff Griffith who played bass on "Black Widow", "Black Widow III" and "Black Widow IV".

More details will follow on www.myspace.com/blackwidowleicester.

New Karda Estra Album For 2007?

5^th November 2006

Work began in the summer on three new instrumental pieces of music - 'Terra Nova', 'Atom Of Warmth' and 'Life Drawing.' Composed by Richard Wileman, the first sessions included new instrumentalist Louise Hirst on trumpet, long term vocalist Ileesha Bailey on wordless choral vocals and Helen Dearnley on violin. More sessions are planned and Richard hopes that an album can be completed by next year. Wanting to try out some new experiments, expect more emphasis on rhythm than previous KE albums. Richard is also considering the possibility of one or two cover versions from the long wish-list he has built up over the years. Photos of the new sessions can be seen here: http://www.estra.freeserve.co.uk/recording06.htm 

Tea For Two Release

5^th November 2006

The new Tea For Two album, Twisted, has been released  Check out the samples at http://myspace.com/t42de. We like.

Pendragon In Europe

17^th October 2006

Hot off their early morning TV feature where they stuck to their prog principles to the disappointment of the so called teenage tycoons, Pendragon are back in Europe.

31st Oct 2006 - Theatr Wyspianskiego, Katowice, Poland
The band are planning their 21st Anniversary of The Jewel release celebration concert at Theatr Wyspianskiego Katowice in Poland. This will be a pretty unique occasion as old band members, John Barnfield, Rik Carter, Julian Baker are joining the band for a full performance of The Jewel plus some other old material. Pendragon is still trying to get Nigel Harris involved as he was the original drummer for The Jewel album... Pendragon will be supported by NEO and ANDROMEDA. This special evening will be recorded for future DVD releases!
 
9th Nov 2006 - Salle Doumer, Lille, France
10th Nov 2006 - Poppodium Plato, Helmond, Holland
11th Nov 2006 - Prog-Rock Festival Bunde, Stadhalle, Stadtgarten Bunde, Germany 

Anderson Album Now Available On CD

17^th October 2006

After more than 20 years of anticipation from fans around the world, Jon Anderson's renowned album, Animation, is officially available on CD.

In addition to the original nine Animation tracks, this re-issue contains two bonus tracks: Spider, which was the B-side of the original Surrender single; and the never-before-released track, The Spell, which was an outtake from the Animation recording sessions. All of Animation's music has been meticulously re-mastered and has never sounded more vibrant, full of energy, alive, or fresh, we are told. Also included as part of this very special re-issue are the complete lyrics to the nine original Animation tracks, as well as short stories and anecdotes from Jon Anderson himself, talking about Animation and most of its tracks.

You can order an autographed copy personally signed by Jon if you hurry. Only 500 autographed copies
are available, so don't delay.

For complete information and to order your copy of Animation, visit www.jonandersonanimationcd.com

Sphere³ Dates

17^th October 2006

For those Surrey-based chaps and chapesses and those willing to travel, Sphere³ are playing the following dates...

Baja Prog

5^th October 2006

Three more bands have been confirmed for Baja Prog. These are Frost*, Naikaku (Japanese band with female flautist), and Canterbury-influenced Ain Soph. See www.BajaProg.org for full details.

IB Expo 06

5^th October 2006

For the second year running, Isildurs Bane are proud and very happy to present IB Expo, perhaps the most creative music week in Sweden.

Isildurs Bane celebrate their 30th anniversary this year and have invited premier musicians to a masterful musical event during a week in October. During five days, the musicians will regroup in new line-ups, improvise, compose, recompose and work creatively with all kinds of musical material.

The week ends with an intimate public concert at Kulturhuset (The House of Culture) in Halmstad, Sweden on October 21 at 19.30.

Musicians taking part in the event include percussionist Pat Mastelotto, German multi-instrumentalist and sound designer Markus Reuter, improviser composer and award winning film music composer Bjorn J:son Lindh, and Italian master improvisers Metamorfosi Trio.

See www.isildursbane.se for details.  It should be brilliant.

Harvey Bainbridge With Spaceseed On Tour

5^th October 2006

Hawkwind legend Harvey Bainbridge and Atlanta's premier space-rock outfit, Spaceseed, are doing a limited number of gigs in the US.  The tour is underway so check www.Strange-Trips.com for the remaining dates.

Herege Concert Footage Online

5^th October 2006

The traditional heavy metal band Herege has posted online the video of their concert in Expo Ijuí 2005, where they played the songs "Fall of the Church, Die By My Hands", "Bang Your Heads", "Metal World" and "Limit".
 
The video can be downloaded through the band's website, www.herege.com , or watched on YouTube through the address www.youtube.com/emanuelseagal
 
Besides of the videos, some samples are of the band's first EP, titled Bang Your Heads, are available on MySpace - www.myspace.com/heregemetal

New Album From Andrea Monetti

5^th October 2006

Maschera Di Cera's flute / sax player Andrea Monetti has published his first solo album. An extraordinary work, we are told, where psychedelia, experimental & electronic music, krautrock and a little bit of ethnic music are join together to create a very visionary mix that will appeal to people that love artists and groups such like Bruce Palmer, Popol Vuh, Third Ear Band, Yatha Sidhra, etc...

The is on sale on Andrea's website www.flyagaric.it

Get Your Votes In

5^th October 2006

Two sites are attempting to do what we think is impossible - choosing the best in ptog.  Clearly it has to boil down to personal taste in the end but these awards are to be congratulated in trying to raise the profile of prog.

Firstly, Progforum.nl has created a chart list where you can vote for your favourite progressive rock album of all time. You can also submit your own favourite album if it is not listed, and they will add these submissions to the chart.

The progressive rock chart list can be found on www.progforum.nl

Secondly, on the Prog Awards Site, www.progawards.it, there are the News Nominations 2006 of the The Best Artwork, The Best Italian Record, The Best Foreign Record, The Best Recording and The Best Label.  Click on the banner to visit the site.

Gravy Train

27^th September 2006

Gravy Train is returning with a new Dawn-era compilation "Strength Of A Dream" (Sanctuary Records CMDDD1402) and they are also reforming with a new album in mind.

You can see the full story on www.davalmusic.co.uk/gravytrain.htm

Wild Turkey

27^th September 2006

Gonzalo Carrera will be joining his old time friend and original bass player of Jethro Tull Glen Cornick and the band Wild Turkey; on their forthcoming UK tour in October.

The band also Includes original Tull Drummer Clive Bunker, vocalistGary Pickford Hopkins (Rick Wakeman), on percussion John Weather (Gentle Giant) and on guitars Nick Dyche: They will be promoting new Wild Turkey album You And Me In The Jungle. The band just returned from a weekend in Italy where they have had as very special guests at the Jethro Tull Convention, Ian Anderson on the track Northern lights.

For details of tour dates check: www.myspace.com/glenncornickswildturkey

Infusion Album Release

27^th September 2006

Infusion's new album, Dreamscape, featuring very special guests :John Helliwell from Supertramp on sax, Hugh Mcdowell from ELO on cello, John Etheridge on guitars (Soft Machine ,Andy Summers) Mike Gibbs as arranger and trombonist (Peter Gabriel, Jan Akkerman, Mahavishnu Orchestra), Rowland Sutherland on flute (George Benson, Mezzoforte, London Symphony Orchestra) and Pete Cater on drums (Jeff Berlin) is now available worldwide through the internet or
shops via www.jazzcds.co.uk.

More information at the revamped Infusion website at www.db-infusion.com.

Also Eden CD and Dates

27^th September 2006

Exactly a year after first announcing its immanent arrival at Summer's End 05, Also Eden's debut album - appropriately called about time - is finally here.

The CD will be launched at the Summer's End Festival 06 on Sat 30 Sept and Sun Oct 1, but is available until then from the band at an introductory price of £8 including p&p (mainland UK only). There are MP3 samples from the album and on-line ordering on the band's site, http://www.alsoeden.com 

To promote the album, the band a playing a number of dates between now and Christmas. Full details are on the band website.  Lovely.

Herege Concert Online

27^th September 2006

The traditional heavy metal band Herege have made available online the video of their concert in Expo Ijuí 2005, where they played the songs "Fall of the Church, Die By My Hands", "Bang Your Heads", "Metal World" and "Limit".

The video can be downloaded through the band's website, www.herege.com , or watched on YouTube through the address www.youtube.com/emanuelseagal 

Pip's Funeral Arrangements

13^th September 2006

Although details have been sent to friends and acquaintances inevitably people change address and email address and the message is returned undelivered.  So for those people and anyone who would like to pay their respects to one of Canterbury music's finest, read on.

Sawbridgeworth is a very small place, anybody will show you where the cricket club is For further directions on line at http://www.harlow.gov.uk/content-6864

Summer's End Festival

13^th September 2006

Details of the Summer's End Festival, which has moved to The Robin2 at Bilston this year, is as follows. Tickets are available from www.therobin.co.uk and www.sonicbond.com  - note that numbers are limeted to 500 and tickets will be more expensive on the day so advanced booking is recommended.

SATURDAY 30^th September
1.00 – 2.00 Ezra
2.20 – 3.20 Credo
3.45 – 5.00 White Willow

6.30 – 7.15 John Mitchell & John Beck
7.30 – 8.30 Strangefish
9.00 – 11.00 Pendragon

SUNDAY 1^st October
1.00 – 2.00 Darwin's Radio
2.20 – 3.20 Pure Reason Revolution
3.45 – 5.00 Flamborough Head

6.30 – 7.15 Guy Manning
7.30 – 8.30 Also Eden
9.00 – 11.00 The Flower Kings

For full information, visit the festival website www.summersend.co.uk.

Hatfield And The North To March On

7^th September 2006

Following the untimely death of Canterbury stalwart Pip Pyle, and a fitting tribute in the City's local paper, Richard Sinclair has vowed that the show must go on.  From the next Hatfield gig in Montreal on the 15th, world class drummer, Mark Fletcher, will be working his magic.

Steve Hughes Joins The Reasoning

7^th September 2006

Drummer Steve Hughes (Kino, The Enid, Whimwise and Big Big Train) has agreed to join the band as a permanent member.

Matthew Cohen of The Reasoning said "Steve is a wonderful drummer, and his track record speaks for itself. I know that with him on board, The Reasoning will reach a whole new level thanks to his amazing ability".

www.thereasoning.com

"21st Anniversary of The Jewel" Concert

7^th September 2006

Swedish band Andromeda has been confirmed for a support slot at Pendragon's "21st Anniversary of The Jewel" concert. This special event will take place on 31st October in Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice (Poland) and will be recorded for the future DVD releases from Pendragon, Neo (super group with Clive Nolan - Arena/Pendragon/Shadowland, John Jowitt - IQ/Jadis, Andy Edwards - IQ, Mark Westwood - Martin Orford Band, Nick Barrett - Pendragon, Alan Reed - Pallas) and Andromeda.

Tickets available online at www.metalopolis.pl

Steve Hackett On Radio

2^nd September 2006

Saturday 2nd September sees Hackett talking to www.oneword.co.uk about his five favourite books of all time. This Desert Island Discs style discussion really does give a great insight into what Steve appreciates in the literature department. The interview can be heard at 5pm (UK time) on DAB radio (UK), British satellite systems (Sky Channel 127, Freeview 717, NTL 893) and via www.oneword.co.uk. (By chance we discovered that the programme was on in the early hours of this morning (2am?) and is worth listening to -  Steve also talks about Genesis songs and a track from his new album gets an airing.)

On Sunday 3rd September Steve will be talking to Paul Baker on his ARFM Soundscapes show. The show runs from 3pm till 6pm, and the interview will be at around 5pm (UK time) For details of how to tune in please visit http://www.arfm.co.uk/

Finally, Hackett will be the featured artist on Planet Rock Radio's 'My Planet Rocks' show on Saturday Sep 16th at 7pm (UK time), talking about his favourite rock tracks. Tune in to Sky Channel 110, Telewest 924, NTL 880 & DAB digital radio (UK) or from http://www.planetrock.com/ 

Pip Remembered On Classic FM This Friday

30^th August 2006

Classic FM's Gene Godfrey is planning a special show this coming Friday and sends this message...

"Join me this Friday on Classic FM for a special re-airing of my March 2005 interview with Canterbury percussionist Pip Pyle, who suddenly passed away yesterday after boarding a train to his home in Paris after a gig.

Pip was a member of one of my most favourite bands, Hatfield And The North, and played with some of the finest and seasoned musicians in the Canterbury scene of jazz fusion. Other bands following Hatfield were National Health; Gong and numerous others. More info on the web at www.pippyle.com

Last year in 2005 Hatfield & The North released Hatwise Choice, and reunited to tour. I spoke with the members separately airing them each week in March with tracks from the disc.

Please join me this Friday (9.1.06) 6-10pm Eastern on Classic FM. Live webcast available at

www.netradio100.com  -or- the station's site www.z889.com 

(11pm-3am UK time/ 3pm-7pm Left Coast time/ etc.)

Thx and all my best to Pip's family and family of musicians who have been very supportive to the show."

Gene Godfrey, Host/Producer of Classic FM Website: http://www.angelfire.com/music2/classicfm

Thanks Gene.

Julian Garner Gigs

30^th August 2006

Julian Garner has some gigs lined up in October and November in the Dorset and Hampshire area, kicking off with Friday, 6th October at the King Charles Inn, Thames Street, Poole, Dorset (tel: 01202 785667). This will be the longest solo set Julian has ever played, so expect the full works: most of his Open Play CD, many of his previously released songs, new material, covers by King Crimson, XTC, Police, Squeeze, Crowded House, Sparks etc. And all in the best acoustics you'll probably find at any pub venue in the country, as some of you discovered at the Dorset Music Awards gig on 15th June. Music from around 8.30pm.  See www.renrag.co.uk/news.html for the full itinerary. If you are in the area do not miss this.

Whimwise Feature And Gigs

30^th August 2006

Nick May's Whimwise is being featured on the nationally distributed Classic Rock magazine covermount CD . This is the September issue and it is in the shops now.

The track featured from the Whimwise is titled Innocence.

The band also have two live dates booked:

October 14th - Herringthorpe Leisure Centre , Rotherham .
October 15th - Club Riga , Southend .

Both of these will be on a bill also featuring Peter Banks , ex Yes guitarist .

www.nickmay.co.uk

News From The Black Widow Label

30^th August 2006

Italian progressive rock band Presence will finally have a new album release at January 2007 to be released by an Italian-based Black Widow label (www.blackwidow.it). They will tour as much as possible to promote the release and concerts in USA, Brazil, Canada and Germany have been planned.

The solo album by Sophya Baccini, which will be called Aradia, will be released at April 2007 and it will include one very long epic alongside shorter songs. The delightful Sophya has her own website www.sophyabaccini.com.

Pip Pyle

29^th August 2006

Sadly we have learnt that musician and ace drummer Pip Pyle passed away in the early hours of 28th August after returning home to Paris following a Hatfield And The North gig in The Netherlands on 26th.

Ars Nova

29^th August 2006

Japanese progsters, Ars Nova, have given their website a complete overhaul with English and Japanese options and easy to navigate menu. http://arsnova.chocot.net/

Vibes From The Vines Success

29^th August 2006

3,000 people attendance the recent Vibes From The Vines Festival, which featured among others Gary Moore, John Helliwell, Gary Husband Karnataka Infusion and Glavion, raising an impressive £30,000 for UK Cancer Research.
Go to www.karnataka.org.uk to see some photos from the festival.

On a separate note, Karnataka are now part of World Concert Artists :Ltd which include musicians such as Keith Emerson, Ian Anderson, Bill Bruford's Earthworks, Geoff Dwones and John Wetton, Carl Palmer Orchestral Shows etc. http://worldconcertartists.org/

Rothery To Guest On Awakening

29^th August 2006

The Reasoning are very pleased and extremely proud to announce that, Steve Rothery from Marillion, is making a very special guest appearance on the forthcoming album "Awakening". www.thereasoning.com

Guy Manning Anser's Tree

22^nd August 2006

Anser's Tree is the eighth album from Guy Manning and represents yet another musical departure from the more acoustic based 2005 `One Small Step…" album. Featuring an ensemble of guest musicians, the album traces the history of one family told though the eyes of their last descendent, searching on the `last remaining hill' to discover the secrets of his own past and uncover the Universal patterns that surround us all.

As a special offer, albums purchased directly from the Progrock records or the Guy Manning websites will also receive a special full colour poster that includes the complete family tree for the characters on the album (presumably whilst stocks last)..

Guy tells us that copies should hopefully be available for the UK Tangent dates in September and the UK Summer's End festival date in October.

Geoffrey Richardson And Jim Leverton Guest On Paul Roland Album

22^nd August 2006

Paul Roland, described as a 'psych-pop guru', has been releasing albums for fifteen years and on his new CD, entitled 'Re-animator', Geoffrey and Jim are featured heavily throughout.

The album 'Animator' was released in June 2006 on Black Widow records, and features Caravan legends Geoffrey Richardson and Jim Leverton who are no strangers to working together on different projects.  Also involved is Paul Blewitt of Canterbury based progsters Nautilus.

You can find out more about Paul Roland at www.paulroland.de

New Reviews, New Reviewers!

17^th August 2006

We have two new reviewers.  Joining the HHH team is Steve Morris and Jane Vincent.

Steve is a professional musician whose current main role is that of vocalist for acclaimed Floyd tribute outfit, Pynk Floid.  Is he Gilmour or Waters? He can be both. Read all about him in Nag's Head and see his first album review, Stereoscope's debut.

Jane will be known already to HHH regulars as she has  contributed reviews in the past.  Jane specialises in neo prog And will be providing us with live reviews and the occasional album review.  We hope to have Jane's bio up shortly but you can read her recent review of Nearly Dan at the Jazz Cafe in the meantime.

Welcome Steve and Jane.

Area 39 Special Offer

2^nd August 2006

West Yorkshire proggers Area 39 are offering lucky listeners the opportunity to purchase their CD at a discount for one week only.

All orders of the CD placed direct to them between 12th and 18th of August will be sold at the following prices inc postage.

UK = £5
Europe = £5.50
Rest of the world = £6.00

Visit www.area39project.com and click on the 'Buy Now' button.  A Paypal page will open - log in (or register) and subsequently amend the payment amount to the relevant discounted sum shown above.  Don't miss out on a bargain.

The Voyeurs + Howard Marks In Leeds

24^th July 2006

Fancy a mix of spoken word and musical entertainment from an assortment of Leeds' gutter heroes?  Billed as 'A nite with Senór Nice, The Voyeurs + Guest DJ's', those charming West Yorkshire chaps, The Voyeurs, are providing the live music and raconteur, author and 'entrepreneur' Howard Marks (aka Mr Nice) is providing the amusing (and possibly shocking) tales of his exploits over the years, on 22^nd September at the West Indian Center. LEEDS.

Contact The Voyeurs for advance bookings and discounts and check out their sites at www.thevoyeurs.org and www.myspace.com/the_voyeurs. Don't miss out on this one-off spectacle of tunes and chuckles.

Xinema New Album

24^th July 2006

Following on from their first full CD album, Different Ways, Swedish proggers Xinema are releasing their second CD Basic Communication on the Unicorn Digital label on 1^st August.  We are told that the new CD comes across as more powerful, articulated and with a bit more attitude than its predecessor. www.unicorndigital.com

Ascott Music Festival For Coralspin

18^th July 2006

Nottingham based prog quartet, Coralspin, will be supporting the legendary Richard Thompson and Nine Below Zero this Friday 21^st July at the Ascott Music Festival (21^st & 22^nd July) set up to raise money for local charity.  Held at Ascott Under-Wychwood, near Witney in Oxfordshire, the two day event promises an eclectic mix of music.  And the promise from Coralspin that they will even be doing a cover of King Crimson's "Moonchild!  See www.amf.uk.net for details of the festival.  http://coralspin.com/

Magenta Night And Day

12^th July 2006

Magenta's new  four track EP Night And Day, a collaboration with the legendary Annie Haslam, has been released.  The Annie Haslam painting of the same name, the inspiration for the piece, adorns the cover of the single.

www.magenta-web.com

Sylvan At Loreley

12^th July 2006

Sylvan will be joining Fish, Mostly Autumn and Seconds Out for the Night Of The Prog Festival at the famous Loreley on 28^th July.  www.loreley-open-air.de

Infusion Recording New Album

12^th July 2006

Infusion are currently recording a new album, which will feature special guests John Helliwell (Supertramp), John Etheridge (Soft Machine), Hugh McDowell (ELO Roy Wood's Wizard) and many more.  See www.db-infusion.com for full details.

Live On-Line Guitar Tuition!

12^th July 2006

Frédéric L'Epée, whose many credits include the progressive rock band Shylock (founder and guitarist) and more recently Yang, is offering guitar courses on-line and live using web cam.  Learn all about it at www.liveguitar.eu/ and register for your first lesson, which is free!

Syd Passes Away

11^th July 2006

Pink Floyd founder member, Syd Barrett, died on July 7th 2006 at his home in Cambridgeshire.  Different reports say he died of cancer or of complications due to diabetes.  He was just 60.

Emily Bezar London Debut 19^th July

10^th July 2006

California's Emily Bezar will be performing at the 12-Bar Club, Denmark Street, London on the 19th July.  Emily who, of course, will be on piano and vocals (see review) will be accompanied by with Jon Evans, electric bass for what should prove to be a great evening at this intimate venue.  it starts at 9:30pm and admission is £6 only.  www.emilybezar.com

The "Dead Rising Tour 200666"

10^th July 2006

Metal specialists Victory Records have announced "The Dead Rising Tour 200666", which will be hitting the UK in September with their bands Aiden, The Sleeping, Bayside & The Audition.

See www.victoryrecords.com/ecards/buryyourdead/ and/or click on the poster for further details.

Not for the faint hearted or possibly the recently bereaved.

Vibes From The Vines Festival

10^th July 2006

Vibes from the Vines is a one day festival of live music in aid of Cancer Research UK to be held on August 12^th from 2pm until midnight in East Sussex.

Headline act guitar rock legend Gary Moore who will be hosting a superb jam session of a lifetime with superb musicians John Helliwell from Supertramp on sax, drummer Gary Husband (Level 42, Allan Holdsworth), Mo foster on bass from Jeff Beck band, Ray Russell virtuoso guitarist (Phil Collins, Tina Turner, Mike Gibbs band) Pete Lockett (percussionist for Robert Plant and Peter Gabriel), and Lee John singer from Imagination.

Other acts to be part of the event: include Karnataka and also jazz rock instrumental maestros Infusion, both of which feature our friend, keyboard wizard Gonzalo Carrera.

See www.vibesfromthevines.co.uk for full details and tickets.

Infusion are also playing at the Birmingham International Jazz Festival on 15^th July and the Mill Hill Sports Centre north London on 19^th July.

Ummagummaa Tour

10^th July 2006

Early Pink Floyd tribute band Ummagummaa, featuring Ian Ellis on bass and vocals, Chris Staines on guitars and vocals, Gonzalo Carrera on keyboards and Geoff Cooper on drums, are touring the UK in September.  See www.ummagummaa.co.uk for dates and venues.

3^rd Annual Rockinbeerfest

4^th July  2006

What could be better than a rock festival with real ale on tap?  Personally, I can think of a couple of additions but let's not go there!

The 3rd Annual Rockinbeerfest returns to Kings Bush Arena (Wood Green Animal Shelter), Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire from 17-20 August 2006, featuring over 30 Top Quality Bands, 70+ Selected Beers yes 70!, Food Stalls, Craft and Record Fairs.

Bands appearing include Mostly Autumn, The Hamsters, The Blocjheads, Eddie And The Hotrods and Frankie Miller's Full House and many more (click on flyer).

Located on a 50 acre site, with excellent camping and caravanning facilities, the Rockinbeerfest music festival features well over 30 bands performing music from a variety of genres, predominantly rooted in rock and blues, over four days, in the 3000 capacity Indoor Arena. For the first time the Rockinbeerfest will host an additional night of music and beer. There is an extra event on Thursday night, RockTech (the original Cambridge-based Rock School) who will be showcasing eight student bands, supported by four established bands from the rock and blues scene.

The setting for the Rockinbeerfest as last year is The Wood Green Animal Shelter. This will be
open as usual during the course of the event, allowing you to visit the cats, dogs and other small
animals in need of a caring home. The Rockinbeerfest provides a contribution of 20% from the bar profits to the charity, so every pint that is drunk over the course of the festival weekend contributes towards the animal’s welfare and upkeep. After visiting the animals, children and adults alike can learn new skills with the onsite workshops from the Patchwork Circus. The most popular skills being Juggling, Diablo and Plate Spinning.

The Rockinbeerfest prides itself on being fully accessible to all festival goers. In 2005 the Rockinbeerfest was reviewed by The Disabled Motorcyclists Association and was given the thumbs up (this is reproduced in full on the Rockinbeerfest website). The site itself was designed for use by Riding for The Disabled and consequently has been provided with many facilities to cater for the disabled. The arena offers a raised viewing area for wheelchair users, tiered seating, ramps and wide access toilets. The festival site has a good general level of accessibility, including the restaurant. Unique dual staging side by side ensures fast band changeovers so you do not miss a single band, and all in an environment guaranteed to keep you dry no matter what the English summer brings us!

What won’t keep you dry is the well stocked bar. On tap are over 70 specially selected individual beers from all over the country, plus lagers, ciders, wine and soft drinks, all at local pub prices, (a pleasant surprise if you are used to major festival bar rates) all of which are professionally dispensed by enthusiastic and friendly volunteers. To make sure you do not go hungry there are vendors catering for a variety of tastes as well as the excellent on-site Wood Green restaurant. What other festivals offer a Sunday Roast? Complementing the festival, don’t miss out on the gift and craft stalls as well as the record fair catering for your vinyl and CD needs.

www.rockinbeerfest.co.uk

Neal Morse To Play Spirit Of 66 in July

13^th June  2006

Neal Morse and his band are playing one of Europe's best music venues, The Spirit of 66, on 10^th July 2006 at 8pm.  Expect the performance to include the entire Question Mark album as well as selections from One and Testimony and other surprises. www.nealmorse.com/

Tickets go on sale next week (see www.spiritof66.be).Get in early because we don't expect them to be available for long.

Sophya Baccini - New Solo Album

12^th June  2006

Sophya Baccini, vocalist for Italian Progressive outfit, Presence, is recoding a solo album and has just launched a new website, http://www.sophyabaccini.com.

The delightful Sophya will also sing on Metal Heart - a rock musical written by Clive Jones (flute/sax for Black Widow, who now have a page at www.myspace.com/blackwidowleicester

Sophya's solo album, a new Presence album and Metal Heart by Clive Jones will be released by Black Widow.Records, www.blackwidow.it.

(Our thanks to Sophya and our old friend, Pasi Koivu for this information.)

The Reasoning Change Formation

12^th June  2006

Matthew Cohen from The Reasoning tells us that the band have recently parted ways with lead singer Zoe Marie-Davies. Dylan Thompson (guitar) has been brought to the front and Gareth Jones (keyboards) has also taken over a dual, lead vocal role which has led to a slightly heavier sound and more dynamic feel, one we intended to pursue during the conception of the band.

Also, at www.myspace.com/thereasoninguk and the band's official site, the full length album version of the song Awakening, is available for free download. The video for this song was shot on Saturday 3rd June (along with an official photo shoot) and they should have it back from the editing suite within a fortnight. The video is a live performance video with clips from various sources interspersed throughout. So "far it looks amazing", says Matthew,  with photos from both shoots being posted very shortly, again, on both sites.

"The album, also titled Awakening, is coming on in leaps and bounds and we should be able to confirm some very special guest over the coming months. The album is scheduled for release in October / November 2006."

Dream Aria CD Available At Indigo

12^th June  2006

Dream Aria's highly acclaimed album, In The Wake, can be be obtained from Indigo Books & Music Yonge and Bay and Bloor (Manulife Centre) Toronto as well as online.

Drean Aria's Don Stagg and Ann Burtyn tell us that the album is now being aired on over 250 radio stations including two traditional 'over the airways only' stations in Toronto. www.dreamaria.com.

Graham Green's Leap Of Face

3^rd June  2006

Leap Of Face is the new release from Western Australian guitar master Graham Greene, whose own brand of electric guitar pyrotechnics have earned him the admiration and respect of punters and pundits alike.

In a mighty instrumental melodic rock tour de force, the guitarist paints for the listener emotions from the tender to the savage with sonic 6 and 7 string guitar strokes. With Leap Of Face, Greene proves himself to still be a master of the rock guitarscape.

For more information head on over to www.grahamgreene.com.au.  Better still, get a copy from http://cdbaby.com/cd/grahamg3.

One of the track, The Vowels Of The Earth, is being released on a sampler with the next issue of Australian Guitar Magazine, wchich we believce will also feature a profile of Grahame's guitars.

HHH on MySpace

3^rd June  2006

With so many of our friends having a presence on MySpace.com we could avoid the inevitable no longer.  So we have created a page for HHH at http://www.myspace.com/hairlessheartherald .  There is not a lot there at present but I have no doubt we will use the blog facility from time to time and, of course, click on any of our music friends to listen to some of their tunes.

Ga Ga's a' Gone Gone

3^rd June  2006

After the recent departure of guitarist Rob Willis, London rockers The Ga Ga's have called it a day. "We've had an amazing ride and we want to thank everyone for their support " say's singer Tommy. The three remaining members, including  J Thomopoulos  (drums) and Toshi Ogawa (bass) are seeking a new guitarist to begin work on a new project, the name of which is yet to be confirmed.

"We're all really excited about the future. You definitely haven't seen the last of us!"

All guitar hopefuls should contact info@crisismedia.co.uk  for more information.

The Ga Ga's website is being shut down we understand but you can keep track on developments at http://www.myspace.com/thegagasofficial and listen to a couple of their tunes and discover what made them great.

Summer's End Progressive Rock Festival 2006

3^rd June  2006

“The Progster Presents…” are delighted to announce a bigger and better Summers’ End Festival for 2006.

The inaugural festival, held in Gloucester last year, was a one-day event, which was universally praised, both by those who attended and by those who played. This year, with a new venue and format, it will be even better. For 2006, the festival will take place over two days, Saturday September 30^th and Sunday October 1^st at the festival’s new home, The Robin 2, Bilston, one of the UK’s premier live music venues.

The line-up draws together some of the best progressive rock bands and performers from the UK and the wider European prog scene and  – at time of writing – is confirmed as:

Saturday 30^th Sept

Afternoon: Ezra + Credo + White Willow (Norway - headlining)

Evening:  TBC + Strangefish + Pendragon (headlining)

 Sunday 1^st Oct

Afternoon: Darwin’s Radio + Pure Reason Revolution + Flamborough Head (Netherlands - headlining)

Evening: Guy Manning (acoustic) + Also Eden + The Flower Kings (Sweden - headlining)

Ticket prices have been kept as low as possible and a weekend ticket, bought in advance, is just £40 (with six acts per day, that’s just £3.33 per act!).

Day tickets will also be available at £25 for each day. All prices will be higher ‘on the door’ and numbers are to be limited to 500, so early booking is recommended.

The change to the two-day format is a direct result of comments made during the recent “fantasy festival” audience survey posted on prog websites and forums. Indeed, most of the bands have been invited by request of the survey’s respondents.

Other format changes that have come from the survey include the provision of some seating and the admission of younger prog fans (14+, though under 18s must be accompanied by an adult).

Tickets will be available on-line through the Robin 2 box office (www.therobin.co.uk) and the Sonicbond website (www.sonicbond.com) and by post, by phone or in person from the Robin box office.

A new festival website (www.summersend.co.uk) will also be launched around the 3^rd of June, alongside a Festival yahoo group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/summersendfestival) and Myspace site (http://www.myspace.com/summersendfestival).

Whimwise To Support Saga on 24^th

17^th May  2006

Nick May's Whimwise is a late addition to the Saga gig at The Highbury Garage , Islington next Wednesday 24^th May 2006.  Tickets are available from The Mean Fiddler.

As most readers will know, guitarist extraordinaire Nick has played with HHH favourites Jadis and The Enid in the past and is currently working his magic with the great new Karnataka, so this show should be a corker. 

Karda Estra

28^th January 2006

If all goes to plan, the new Karda Estra album The Age Of Science And Enlightenment will be at the pressing plant by the end of February with release date info to follow very soon afterwards. Release will be on the Cyclops label.

The album features eight new pieces composed and recorded over the last two years.

The following link features excerpts from seven of the new pieces to stream or download: http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=473198.  Brilliant.
 

Astralism

28^th January 2006

Release date for the Astral Doors’ 4^th album Astralism is set for March 2006.

Wastefall

28^th January 2006

The excellent prog-metal outfit, Wastefall is in Jailhouse Studios with Tommy Hansen to mix their 3^rd album (first album through Sensory Records). The album title will be “Self Exile”. Release: May 2006.

Ventura

28^th January 2006

French band and a new signing to IntroMental Management, Ventura is of the progressive metal variety band will have their debut album A New Kingdom released on Lion Music during the spring.

The Reasoning

28^th January 2006

The Reasoning have two new members, vocalist Zoe-Marie Davies, and Gareth Jones on keyboards and backing vocals.

A demo track called Awakening is available on their website www.thereasoning.com  in 'The Music' section.

Black Widow News

28^th January 2006

Black Widow has a 7"singles box set treatment including 5 vinyl singles with original picture sleeves - released by Earmark.

Italian prog-rockers Abiogenesi have recorded an old Black Widow song Mary Clark to be heard on their latest album and the female singer Sophya Baccini (she has started to use the name Sophya instead of Sofia), known as a vocalist for the band Presence, is having her first solo album released also including one song - a ballad called Candystream composed by Black Widow's Clive Jones. Those releases will be joined by the Black Widow Live Album Italy 1971 (the details for these 3 albums will appear on www.blackwidow.it).

Friend and BW expert, Pasi Koivu says "I have already heard the BW live album - it is an audience tape and musically in the mood of Deep Purple/King Crimson - the final version will however include an unreleased studio track. I have also heard Sophya singing Candystream fantastically and Sophya will soon send me her new album also. She really has a voice that deserves to be heard."

Incidentally, Black Widow flautist, Clive Jones, appears on the next album by Italian power-metallers Death SS - the album is called The 7^th Seal.

DPQ And The Rough Ensemble Hit The Road

28^th January 2006

Daniel Patrick Quinn and his live band The Rough Ensemble embark on a UK tour in February and we are told that the gigs are either free or very cheap (the most expensive is a fiver, so offer to buy them a drink!).  The dates are:

Edinburgh Henry’s Cellar Bar Monday 13^th Feb

Nottingham Maze (Forest Tavern) Tuesday 14^th Feb

Manchester (The Phoenix, Oxford Road) Wednesday 15^th Feb

Cambridge Man On The Moon Thursday 16^th Feb

London Betsey Trotwood Friday 17^th Feb

Brighton The Fortune Of War Sunday 19^th Feb

Check www.suilvenrecordings.com for more information.

Abstract Logix

28^th January 2006

If you like your music on the jazzier side, pop on over to Abstract Logix.  Specialising in jazz/fusion/world music, there are names you will recognise and possibly many you won't, including prog favourite like ELP and Gentle Giant.  As well as CD and DVD sales where you can click on an item and then select one or more tracks to sample (check out Gong Live In Sherwood Forest from 1975 covering the brilliant Shamal and featuring a last appearance from Steve Hillage before he embarked on a solo career), the site has a streaming 'radio' where you can hear tracks from featured artists.

Well worth a visit.

Folk Britannia

28^th January 2006

A three part documentary starting on 3^rd February at 9pm on BBC4 concentrates on the evolution of British folk music from the end of WWII to the present day.

Made by the same team behind the recent Jazz Britannia series, which made some passing references to prog rock, Folk Britannia will feature live footage and commentary/interviews by luminaries such as Bert Jansch, Martin Carthy, Richard Thompson, Maddy Prior, Shane MacGowan and others, plus we believe, features on Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Lindesfarne, Sandy Denny, The Strawbs and many more.  See some clips and read more about it at www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/music/features/folk-britannia.shtml.

I am sure we don't need to tell you that to receive BBC4 you need Digital Satellite, Cable or Freeview in the UK.

Camel Developments

14^th January 2006

Camel have announced that they are trying to obtain the necessary licences to allow them to release the full concerts from 1976 and 1977 on DVD.  In addition, they hope to be in a position to release Total Pressure on DVD.  Total Pressure  was the whole footage from the Pressure Points video plus the footage that had been omitted because it was deemed to be darker than the rest of the material.  Hurrah!

Glass Hammer "The Compilations"

14^th January 2006

Top progsters Glass Hammer have just released a brand new album titled, The Compilations, 1996 to 2004. It consists of seven tracks including a never-before-heard epic, In The Court Of Alkinoos, which clocks in at just over twenty minutes. Also featured is a stunning live concert recording of Time Marches On performed at ProgDay 1997, and Glass Hammer's impressive cover of Camel's Air Born recorded in 1996.

The album is offered exclusively through Apple's iTunes Music Store for immediate download, details and sample at www.glasshammer.com/pages/features/samplers/compilations.html.  The iTunes program is free to download and a link is provided on the Glass Hammer site.  The iTunes Music Store is specific for each country, so if you cannot access the shop you will have to conduct an Internet search for iTunes in your country of residence.  Once there, search the site for Glass Hammer.

Whilst we reserve judgement on the release of albums purely via MP3/iTunes, we can understand that it may be appropriate for such compilations.  However, we hope that this will not replace a CD release as the norm.  On a positive note, we have listened to Air Born and it gets a big thumbs up.

Silhobbit Aid?  Whatever Next!

14^th January 2006

Those reprobates at http://www.silhobbit.com have come up with an idea to drag prog into Hemel Hempstead, scene of the recent oil storage fire.  The jocular fuel-sodden pranksters are hoping that musicians will volunteer their services for such an event and take it from there but we at HHH think they are just after amusing responses.  We saw Hemel Hempstead before the fire.

2006 Genesis Convention

14^th January 2006

A two day Genesis convention is to be held at London's Astoria Theatre on 27^th and 28^th May 2006.

Along with the usual fan convention miscellanea, the event will feature the music of Genesis (and Phil Collins!) by the UK's best Genesis tribute bands, ReGenesis, Genesis In The Cage, G2, and Face Value, plus a performance by the John Hackett Band.

See www.genesis2006.co.uk for details.

Orford To Leave Jadis

4^th January 2006

With the new Jadis Album Photoplay due to be released in February, the band have announced that keyboard wizard, Martin Orford, is to quit the band following the gig at Mr Kyps in Poole on 19th January 2006.  Orford's talents have been, as the band put it, under utilised with Jadis and musical differences (true in this instance) are given as the reason for Martin leaving to concentrate on solo work and his other band IQ.  The band have a couple of keys-men (or women!) in mind but Martin will be a difficult man to replace.  www.jadis-net.co.uk

PC Working Again - Emails Galore!

26^th December 2005

A little respite over the Christmas weekend has enabled us to recover the main computer from the grips of the hackers and things should be easier for us in terms of updates from now on.

Jem throws more light on the problems in Jem's Thoughts.

We have discovered that many emails have remained stuck at the server since the end of August and we are in the process of replying to those.  Our apologies to those who have been awaiting our response and to those who sent us news and gig information, dates of which have now passed.

Two From Sylvan

16^th December 2005

Sylvan are about to finalise the production of their fifth and sixth albums.  Both CDs follow a different conceptual approach and therefore won¹t be released together.

The first of these is called Posthumous Silence and is Sylvan's first true concept album with a storyline in the tradition of Marillion's Brave, IQ's Subterranea etc. Posthumous Silence is expected to be released in March 2006.

The second album has the working title Presets and focuses on the opposite strength of the band's music. It is a rock album which consists of several shorter, but highly emotional songs with epic choruses and a clear structure.

www.sylvan.de

Parmenter For Gouveia 2006

16^th December 2005

Discipline's Matthew Parmenter will be performing at the next Gouveia Art Rock Festival www.gaudela.net/gar/.  Matthew has begun recording a new album called Horror Express which he hopes to release before the end of 2006. For further information go to www.strungoutrecords.com.

David Gilmour Tour

16^th December 2005

David Gilmour embarks on a World tour in March 2006 culminating in two London dates on 29th and 30th May at the Royal Albert Hall.   David will be promoting his new album and first solo release since 1984's About Face, called On An Island.  The album is full of guest appearances including that of fellow Floydian, Rick Wright.  Dates for North America have yet to be announced but are expected to take place in April.

On a related note, Floyd's Pulse DVD is now expected to be released at the end of January 2006.

Davy O List The Nice

16^th December 2005

The Tangent's Andy Tillison is currently working on a new album with Davy O List and will be touring with the 'Super Nice' band.  The album is due for release in 2006 and the duo are already planning for a second.

Andy is keeping busy because of course, the next Tangent album is penned for release in February 2006.

Meanwhile, The Nice show recorded at The Royal Standard Walthamstow in May this year for Radio Caroline is due to be aired again on Chris Bent's great Towards The Unknown Region show on Radio Seagull www.radioseagull.co.uk which can be picked up on AM radio, Sky and the Net.  Tune in at 3.00am on Thursday 22^nd December 2005, again at midnight on Christmas Eve into Christmas day and again at midnight Friday 30^th 2005 into Saturday to catch it.  If you have Real Player (or equivalent) installed and click on www.radioseagull.co.uk/sp45.htm  and click on 'Listen Again', you can hear the show now but will need to manually move the Real cursor to the start of the third hour to get the Nice show (if you are using a different Real Media player, you may only see an hour length in the window, but if you move the cursor to the end and let it play and repeat this again, you will end up on the third hour).

www.davidolist.com

Jadis Photoplay

16^th December 2005

South coast proggers Jadis release a new album, on the InsideOut label, called Photoplay on 21^st February 2006. 

The band will be playing a one off gig at Mr Kyps in Poole on Thursday 19th January. Tickets are £10.00 and are available from Jadis on the merchandise section Jadis-Net Credit Card Shop. The band will be playing some previously unheard and brand new material from their new album. 

DVD 'In The Cage'

16^th December 2005

Genesis tribute band, In The Cage, have released a DVD containing material they use as a backdrop for their live performances. The DVD gives a unique interpretation of Genesis’ music (performed by Genesis in the Cage) by surrealist video artist Andrew Hanson. Tracks included on this 40 minute PAL format DVD are Watcher of the Skies, Ripples, and Supper's Ready. See the merchandise section of www.inthecage.co.uk to order.
 

The Reasoning

12^th December 2005

The Reasoning formed in July 2005 after Matthew Cohen (bass) left multi award winning progressive rock band, Magenta.  After a meeting with Dylan Thompson (vocals / guitar) at Matthew’s studio, it was discussed about forming a group.  Since that fateful day, Matthew and Dylan have been busy writing and recording their pre production demos for a full album to be released in mid 2006.  The rest of the band is completed by, Rhys Jones (original Magenta drummer), Lee Wright (guitar) and Dan Thompson (keyboards).

Their music touches on many bases from Contemporary Rock to Prog Rock to Classic Rock.  The initial premise is to write and play 5 – 7 minute songs but never go over the 8-minute mark at this stage.  They want to hit the stage running and make sure the crowd rock with them all the way.

Matthew tells us that they are being inundated with emails asking when they will be playing live and, as a result, dates are beginning to be pencilled in from April next year.  One definite date is 20th July 2006 when they will be supporting Ashtar (from Brazil) at The Cartoon in Croydon.  And the band will be going into the studio in January to start recording the album.  See www.thereasoning.com for further information.

First DVD From Spaced Out

28^th November 2005

The first Spaced Out DVD will be finally released on December 15^th 2005 by Unicorn Digital.

The Spaced Out Live in 2000 DVD consists of a concert filmed in October 2000. The tapes of the recording and footages have remained on the shelves for four years before the decision was finally taken to present it to fans.

This DVD provides an entertaining and raw performance and offers a good example of what was the band energy at that moment in time.

The new album is also in production, with only a few guitar tracks left to record the new CD will be released early 2006.

http://www.unicorndigital.com

Sylvan News

28^th November 2005

Busy working on not one, but two new albums, Sylvan will be supporting Marillion in concert in COLOGNE (E-Werk) on 30^th November. They are kicking off at 7pm sharp.

And on the 21^st of December they will perform their usual Christmas concert in Hamburg (LOGO) probably including one or two new songs in the set.

See www.sylvan.de for full details.

Hamadryad Rare Live Appearance

28^th November 2005

On Wednesday 14^th December at 9pm., Hamadryad will be performing at the Monte-Cristo café bistro (25 Blainville West Street, Sainte-Thérèse, Quebec, Telephone : (450) 419-6765).

Come take advantage of this all too rare occasion to see the band perform a complete set in an intimate atmosphere. This performance, of about two hours plus intermission, will give a taste of the show that will be presented at the ROSfest.

The band will be performing, besides excerpts from their two albums, a few covers of well known songs.

To keep yourself informed of all the latest developments concerning Hamadryad, visit the band website at: http://hamadryadmusic.com.

Anthony Phillips On Classic FM

28^th November 2005

Original Genesis guitarist, Anthony Phillips, was on Gene Godfrey's Classic FM radio show last Friday, but fear not because the show is being repeated due to demand.  Catch Anthony chatting to Gene on Friday 9^th December {webcast (Classic FM) is available via www.netradio100.com  Fridays 6-10pm Eastern... (11pm-3am UK time)} where Mr Phillips'  latest work, the double album Field Day, will receive an airing.

Fire In The South Remember John Lennon

28^th November 2005

Friday 9^th December sees the 25th Anniversary of the death of John Lennon, and a  memorial gig is being held at the very happening Inn On The Green, 3-5 Thorpe Close, Portobello Green (just off the Portabello Road), London W10 5XL tel: 020 8962 5757.

One of the bands performing on the night is Fire In The South who will, no doubt, be contributing a delicious prog-laced flavour to the occasion. Tickets are little more than the cost of a pint at £5 (£3with Flyer /£2 Guest List) and the whole shebang begins at 8 till 1am.  'Imagine' that.

New Pocket Gods Album

28^th November 2005

The Pocket Gods' new CD has been released by Dead Earnest Records and is available for £8.99 by mail order and from selected outlets.  See http://www.deadearnest.btinternet.co.uk/monthlysupps34.htm

Dream Aria Debut Gig

23^rd October 2005

Dream Aria, whose album has been played on over 250 radio stations across the airwaves and the Net, have their very first liver performance lined up.  The gig takes place on 25th November 2005 at Kathedral 651 Queen St West, Toronto and kicks off at 10pm local time. www.dreamaria.com

Dream Aria also make an appearance along with ELP and others on a son to be released album called Pirates Tales (see www.clearlight888music.com/cypher/site/pirate.html).

Pastures New

19^th October 2005

We are sad to announce that Danny Mayo has decided to leave the Hairless Heart Herald.  Danny rejoined the HHH team as a reviewer soon after the launch of the website in 2001 and has been 'our man in the field', covering many live gigs since.  We shall miss his unflagging enthusiasm and humour, but wish him well in his future endeavours.

Hatfield And The North

16^th October 2005

Just a reminder for those in the UK this coming week, that legends Hatfield And The North will be at The Renfrewshire Ferry, Glasgow on October 19^th  (Tel: 0141 429 1010) and The Arts Centre, Swindon on October 21^st.  We caught up with the band at their recent gig at Milton Keynes and can confirm that this is one (or two?) gig not to be missed.

UK Genesis Convention 2006

16^th October 2005

Genesis In The Cage is one of the 4 UK tribute bands that will be headlining the UK Genesis Convention 2006 at the London Astoria (Box office: 0870 534 4444) on the 27^th and 28^th May. The line up looks like

Genesis In the Cage (headlining  on 27^th)
ReGenesis
G2
Face Value

The bands will be playing an enormously wide variety of Genesis and solo material. There will be other very exciting musical events to be confirmed. Rare footage, album signings, very special guests - all the usual stuff.

'Across Angry Skies' Now Available

6^th October 2005

The long awaited debut album from guitarist/composer Alan Williamson, Across Angry Skies is now available for purchase via CDBaby http://cdbaby.com/cd/awilliamson (see review).  See www.alanwilliamson.com for further information on Alan and his work.

Ormsby Guitars To Launch The GG6 And GG7 Graham Greene Signature Series Electric Guitars

4^th October 2005

Luthier Perry Ormsby and guitarist and Hairless Heart Herald reviewer, Graham Greene have collaborated on the design of Ormsby Guitars’ first ever signature series electric guitar – The Ormsby GG6.

Graham and Perry met in late 2004, when Perry was Graham’s guitar tech for two SRO reunion concerts by Graham’s old band, Ice Tiger.  After playing a couple of Perry’s guitars for some audio sample tracks, Graham was sold on the tone and quality of workmanship in the instruments. By this time, the two had struck up a friendly working relationship and so it followed that they would sit down together to design Graham’s ideal guitar.

The plan was to design and build not one, but two guitars – a six string and a seven string, to accommodate Graham’s musical styles and artistic direction. Simple but instantly recognizable names were chosen – the GG6 and GG7.

The first of these guitars to be made a reality will be the GG6, due for completion this month.  The GG7 will be launched shortly after.  A number of custom Ormsby guitars can also be heard on Graham’s forthcoming solo album Leap Of Face, due for completion later this year with a view to a 2006 release.

For more information, contact Ormsby Guitars or Graham Greene (preview some tracks from the forthcoming album while you are there).

Audience Live on CD

29^th September 2005

Audience have just released their very first live album.  Titled Alive & Kicking'  & Screamin'  & Shoutin' , it was recorded at the Astor in Deal, Kent, and is available at www.luminousmusic.co.uk.

Greg Lake Tour And DVD

27^th September 2005

The founding member and voice of King Crimson and ELP commences a UK tour in October, and has signed with music DVD label Classic Pictures who are to produce a DVD which is penned for release in early next year (2006).

Those songs which will be performed on the tour and incorporated on the DVD should include classics such as In The Court Of The Crimson King, Epitaph, Black Moon, Karn Evil 9, 21^st Century Schizoid Man, Pirates, From the Beginning, Fanfare For the Common Man and others.

The band has moved in its entire tour production set to Classic Pictures' Classic T Stage at Shepperton Studios and used the location as base for rehearsals.

Greg's band consists of David Arch (Keyboards), Brett Morgan (Drums), Trevor Barry (Bass) and Florian Opahle (Guitar), plus backing singers Rachael Moran and Rachael Golding.

For more information regarding Greg and the tour itinerary see www.greglake.com and for news of this forthcoming DVD and others in the Classic Pictures catalogue go to www.classicpictures.co.uk.

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