The Heat Of The Moment Tour Featuring Rock Legends Asia, Focus, Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash, Curved Air and MC’d by Artist Roger Dean - Summer 2024

Asia is absolutely delighted to announce The Heat of The Moment Tour, headlined by Asia and also featuring Focus, Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash and Curved Air and MC’d by artist Roger Dean.

The tour will commence on 3rd July 2024 and will incorporate 21 dates across the USA and Canada.

The tour has been masterminded by rock music keyboard legend and original Asia member, Geoff Downes (Buggles, Asia, Yes).

Asia was the biggest selling album of 1982, number 1 on Billboard for 9 weeks and pioneers of the MTV era! Downes’ brand new iteration of Asia first began to evolve last Summer, at the concert held in memory of late lead singer, songwriter and bassist, John Wetton (King Crimson, Roxy Music, Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, UK, Asia, John Wetton Band, Icon). Downes invited old friend John Mitchell (It Bites, Frost*, Lonely Robot, Kino, John Wetton Band, Icon) and new-comer Harry Whitley to join him on stage to celebrate Wetton’s life by performing some of the classic Asia hits. Such was the uproarious reception to their set, that Downes wondered if something magical was beginning to take shape.

“And so it was that the John Wetton tribute last August really reminded me how much Asia’s music belongs on the stage. The response to it all was literally…spine-tingling.”

Downes’ new-look Asia will once again feature Mitchell on guitars and Whitley on lead vocal and bass. The quartet will be made complete by the addition of Virgil Donati (UK, Southern Sons, Steve Vai, Allan Holdsworth) on drums.

Downes continues, “With the addition of Virgil Donati & John Mitchell, two of the finest musicians in the world in their respective classes, this is almost going full circle bearing in mind their previous close collaborations with John W. Completing this circle is also the amazing Harry Whitley who absolutely floored the audience with his incredible vocal interpretation of the Asia songs that John W and I so lovingly wrote over the years.”

The tour will also feature sets from other classic acts, Focus, Martin Turner ex Wishbone Ash and Curved Air. All three support acts boast their founder bandleaders and have deservedly attained the status of legend.

Focus will be releasing a brand new studio album later in 2024. Led by the indomitable Sir Thijs van Leer, featuring original 1970’s drummer Pierre Van Der Linden, plus the virtuoso talents of Menno Gootjes on guitar and Udo Pannekeet on bass.

Martin Turner was lead vocalist, bassist, founding member and creative force behind 70’s rock music behemoth Wishbone Ash, best known for such classic albums as Argus and Pilgrimage.

Formed in 1970, Curved Air are one of the founders of progressive rock and a retrospective collection of their most influential and ground-breaking material is currently in the planning stages. Sonja Kristina (vocals) and Kirby Gregory (guitar) will treat audiences to an acoustic set featuring some of the band’s most memorable musical moments. They will be joined by violinist Grzegorz Gadziomski.

Each performance on the tour will be MC’d by legendary artist Roger Dean. For so many, Dean’s artwork is synonymous with the music of the time and stands to represent the very best of British rock music.

The final word goes to Geoff Downes, “I am convinced that John (Wetton’s) spirit is with us as we set out on this new adventure. After all, it is the Year of the Dragon - just as it was in 1982, when we released our first Asia album. It’s as though it was meant to be. Looking forward to seeing you there, my friends – bring it on!”

Heat Of The Moment 2024 Tour Dates:

Wednesday, July 3: Ridgefield Playhouse, Ridgefield, CT
Thursday, July 4: Fallsview Casino, Niagara Falls, ON
Saturday, July 6: Chevalier Theatre, Medford, MA
Sunday, July 7: The Paramount, Huntingdon, NY
Tuesday, July 9: Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, NJ
Wednesday, July 10: Count Basie Center, Red Bank, NJ
Friday, July 12: Tropicana Showroom, Atlantic City, NJ
Saturday, July 13: Wind Creek Event Center, Bethlehem, PA
Sunday, July 14: American Music Theatre, Lancaster, PA
Tuesday, July 16: Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium, Spartanburg, SC
Wednesday, July 17: Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Thursday, July 18: Columbia County Performing Arts Center, Evans, GA
Saturday, July 20: Hard Rock Live, Orlando, FL
Sunday, July 21: Pompano Beach Amphitheater, Pompano Beach, FL
Monday, July 22: Seminole Hard Rock, Tampa, FL
Wednesday, July 24: North Charleston PAC, North Charleston, SC
Thursday, July 25: Macon City Auditorium, Macon, GA
Friday, July 26: Saenger Theatre, Mobile, AL
Sunday, July 28: VBC Mark Smith Concert Hall, Huntsville, AL
Tuesday, July 30: The Arcada Theatre, St Charles, IL
Wednesday, July 31: The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee, WI

ASIA
Geoffrey Downes - Keyboards, Vocals
John Mitchell - Guitars, Vocals
Harry Whitley - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocal
Virgil Donati - Drums

FOCUS
Thijs van Leer - Hammond Organ, Flute, Vocals
Menno Gootjes - Guitars
Udo Pannekeet - Bass Guitar
Pierre van der Linden - Drums

MARTIN TURNER ex Wishbone Ash
Martin Turner - Bass guitar,Vocals
Danny Willson - Guitars, Vocals
Misha Nikolic - Guitars, Vocals
Sonny Flint - Drums

CURVED AIR
Sonja Kristina - Vocals
Kirby Gregory - Guitars
Grzegorz Gadziomski - Violin

For more information, please contact:
Sarah Ewing at TASK Agency, for QEDG Music Management
sarah@taskagency.co.uk

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Dutch Music Legends Focus To Release “Focus 50 - Live In Rio” 3CD/1 Blu Ray Deluxe Edition

Released April 30, 2021

To celebrate 50 years of ground-breaking progressive rock, Focus are delighted to announce their “Focus 50” 3CD/Blu-Ray package to be released on April 30, 2021through In Focus Records distributed by Cherry Red Records.

The Coronavirus pandemic forced Focus to postpone their anniversary celebrations from 2020 and “Focus 50” will herald a year of celebration which will culminate in the release of a brand new studio album in early 2022.   

At the heart of the “Focus 50” package are 2CDs and Blu-Ray of “Focus Live In Rio,” a concert recorded in Nitteroi, Rio de Janeiro, in 2017. The concert features music from across the history of the band from “Focus 1” and “House Of The King,” on their very first album, through the classics “Hocus Pocus,” “Sylvia” and “Focus III” to “Song For Eva” first released in 2017.

“Focus 50” also includes a bonus CD “Completely Focused” with the classic Focus tracks numbered 1 through 12 re-recorded by the current Focus line-up of Thijs van Leer (keyboard, flute and vocals), Pierre van der Linden (drums), Menno Gootjes (guitar) and Udo Pannekeet (bass). The Focus tracks have been recorded during the lockdown period and mixed by Udo Pannekeet.

The discs are accompanied by a booklet with notes by the band, their long serving engineer Geert Scheijgrond and South American tour promoter Marcel Castro with whom Focus have had a long relationship and who brought together the recording of the show in Rio. The booklet also features photos from the Rio concert showing the energetic and fun side of life on the road with Focus together with personal photos from touring and in the studio - a more intimate view of the band away from the limelight. This captures the essence of the Focus family which includes Geert, Marcel and legendary artist Roger Dean, and is incredibly important to the band. The current line-up has been together since 2016 and has a magical chemistry which manifests into electrifying performances.

“Focus 50” is released on April 30, 2021 as a 3CD/Blu-Ray with book package through In Focus Records distributed by Cherry Red Records.

About Focus

Focus emerged in 1970 with a debut album “Focus Plays Focus” which became better known as “In And Out Of Focus.” Their breakthrough came with the worldwide success of singles “Hocus Pocus” and “Sylvia” the early seventies with a line-up which included founder member Thijs van Leer (keyboard, flute and vocals), Pierre van der Linden (drums) and Jan Akkerman (guitar). The albums “Focus II/Moving Waves” and “Focus 3” put the band at the very forefront of the progressive music scene.

Beloved by the student population, Focus’ music fused van Leer’s love of jazz and classical music and he employed a unique vocal style of yodeling and scat, using the voice as another form of instrumentation rather than singing in a conventional style. Focus played to sold out theatres around the world and, at that time, were quite possibly ‘the coolest band on the planet.’

Through many line-up changes across the years van Leer consistently sourced great musicians to join the Focus ranks. Focus went their separate ways in 1978, occasionally reuniting to perform on stage or record together on solo projects. Van Leer officially reformed Focus with a new line-up in 2001 and released the acclaimed “Focus 8” album the following year. Pierre van der Linden returned in 2004 while current guitarist Menno Gootjes joined the Focus family in 2010. Udo Pannekeet completed the current Focus line-up in 2016 contributing to the “Focus Family Album” (2017) collection, which includes re-recordings and previously unreleased material, before the band returned to the studio to record “Focus 11” (2018).

Focus are now looking forward to returning to live performance, once the Coronavirus pandemic has been controlled, and sharing their music with their fans - the extended Focus family.

Track Listing:

DISC ONE: LIVE IN RIO CD
1. FOCUS 1
2. HOUSE OF THE KING
3. ERUPTION
4. SYLVIA
5. SONG FOR EVA
6. ALL HENS ON DECK

DISC TWO: LIVE IN RIO CD
1. LE TANGO
2. P’S MARCH
3. FOCUS 5
4. HAREM SCAREM
5. HOCUS POCUS
6. FOCUS 3

DISC THREE: LIVE IN RIO BLU-RAY
1. FOCUS 1
2. HOUSE OF THE KING
3. ERUPTION
4. SYLVIA
5. SONG FOR EVA
6. ALL HENS ON DECK
7. LE TANGO
8. P’S MARCH
9. FOCUS 5
10. HAREM SCAREM
11. HOCUS POCUS
12. FOCUS 3

DISC FOUR: COMPLETELY FOCUSSED CD
1. FOCUS 1
2. FOCUS 2
3. FOCUS 3
4. FOCUS 4
5. FOCUS 5
6. FOCUS 6
7. FOCUS 7
8. FOCUS 8
9. FOCUS 9
10. FOCUS 10
11. FOCUS 11
12. FOCUS 12

“Focus: Focus 50 - Live In Rio” 3CD/1 Blu Ray Deluxe Edition Pre-order here: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/focus-focus-50-live-in-rio-3cd-1-blu-ray-deluxe-edition/

For more information: https://focustheband.co.uk/

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Focus Bass Player Udo Pannekeet Announces the Release of His New Solo Album 'Electric Regions' - OUT NOW!

Electric Regions is the latest solo album by the current bass player of FOCUS and skilled composer, Udo Pannekeet.

The album features an epic length track, along with new compositions written throughout Udo Pannekeet’s career and recorded here for the first time.

The album features guest appearances by current Focus guitarist Menno Gootjes and a former member of Focus, Eef Albers.

Udo Pannekeet said of the album: “I'm so pleased to finally share this music with you! I worked on it for quite a while. Thanks to the amazing musicians I worked with on the album, it has become more than I could have imagined. I'm humbled by the beautiful reactions I received so far from all over the world!”

The album is the tenth release on the band’s own IN AND OUT OF FOCUS RECORDS, via Cherry Red.

TRACK LISTING:

1. ELECTRIC REGIONS PART ONE
2. INTEGRATION YES
3. LITTLE NURA
4. THE ANTIBES SITUATION
5. COCON COCON

The album is OUT NOW and available via the below links:

CD edition: https://geni.us/ElectricRegions
GooglePlay: https://geni.us/ElectricRegionsGP
iTunes: https://geni.us/ElectricRegionsiTunes
Spotify: https://geni.us/ElectricRegionsSpotify

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158, glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Dutch Music Legends Focus Announce Release of New Studio Album "Focus 11"

Exclusively available on the band's November UK tour and via the band's official online store ONLY!

The current line-up of Focus, which features Thijs van Leer, Pierre van der Linden, Menno Gootjes and Udo Pannekeet – completed the new studio album titled “Focus 11” earlier this year and are debuting the CD edition on their November UK Tour.

The 11 track album will be released as a CD, gatefold coloured LP and Download on the band's own In And Out of Focus Records, via Cherry Red, in late January. The album features artwork by Roger Dean.

When asked about the album, Thijs van Leer responded with this poem:
Wow, my joy could not increase
To see this new release
It has Mazzel, Palindrome and Heaven
Plus a title track called Eleven
Both angelic and a beast
It's Focus, to say the least!

For fans who can't attend the November tour, the only place where the CD can be ordered online (with orders being fulfilled in November 2018) is the band's own webstore: https://burningshed.com/store/focus

For fans wishing to pre-order the CD and LP for when they are released in January, Amazon is starting to take pre-orders now. The CD is identical. Amazon CD: http://geni.us/Focus11CD and Amazon LP: http://geni.us/Focus11LP

Official Focus Website: www.focustheband.com
Official Focus Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Focus-the-band-197272485986/

Focus tour dates:
10th November - LONDON - London 100 Club SOLD OUT
11th November - WOLVERHAMPTON - Robin 2
12th November - MILTON KEYNES - The Stables
14th November - HULL - The Fruit
15th November - NEW BRIGHTON - Floral Pavilion Theatre
16th November - WOKINGHAM - Wokingham Football Club SOLD OUT
17th November - KINROSS - Green Hotel SOLD OUT
18th November - GLASGOW - The Ferry
19th November - EDINBURGH - The Caves
20th November - ABERDEEN - The Assembly
21st November - DUNDEE - The Church
22nd November - GATESHEAD - The Sage
23rd November - LOWDHAM - Lowdham Village Hall
24th November - DERBY - The Flower Pot
25th November - HOLMFIRTH - Picturedrome
27th November - MANCHESTER - Band on the Wall
28th November - ALDERSHOT - West End Centre SOLD OUT
29th November - SOUTHAMPTON - 1865 Club
30th November - FLETCHING - Trading Boundaries
1st December - FLETCHING - Trading Boundaries

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Dutch Rock Legends FOCUS Announce New Double Album Collection THE FOCUS FAMILY ALBUM feat. Extensive Unreleased and New Material! OUT NOW!

London - Focus is pleased to announce the release of its new 2 CD collection “The Focus Family Album” which has been prepared over the last 12 months. The 20 track set gives fans new insight into the band and includes 15 unreleased original songs, alternate versions from the Focus X sessions, solo tracks from each of the current members and tracks from the beginning of the Focus 11 sessions.

Many of the tracks have been recorded in a variety of countries in Europe and South America and are exclusively available on this collection. Thijs van Leer said, “Dear Friends & Fans! With pleasure we present to you our new double album 'The Focus Family Album,' it makes us so happy that you will listen to pieces recorded together as a band and solo songs too, in many different countries during our travels! We hope it will make you happy as well!!!”

The set includes all of the rarities from the “Focus X” era and is an ideal companion to that album and the forthcoming “Focus 11.” The set also introduces the band's new bass player Udo Pannekeet, who takes over the position from long term bass player Bobby Jacobs, who said, “Dear beautiful fans, after 15 years playing the beautiful music of Focus with my heart and soul I decided to stop and focus on new life adventures (music and a lot of other things). Thank you and love! Hope we will meet again...”

“The Focus Family Album” features artwork by Roger Dean and is being released to coincide with the band's South American and European tour dates. It's the latest release on the band's own 'In and Out of Focus Records' (via Cherry Red): https://www.cherryred.co.uk/artist/focus/

Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. Nature Is Our Friend - Thijs Van Leer
2. Song for Eva - Focus
3. Riverdance - Pierre Van Der Linden
4. Victoria - Focus
5. Two-Part Intervention - Menno Gootjes
6. Mosh Blues - Focus
7. Raga Reverence 1 - Swung
8. The Fifth Man - Focus
9. Song for Yaminah - Udo Pannekeet
10. Clair-Obscur - Focus

Disc: 2
1. Let Us Wander? - Thijs Van Leer
2. Birds Come Fly Over (Le Tango) - Focus
3. Spiritual Swung - Pierre Van Der Linden
4. Santa Teresa - Focus
5. Hazel - Menno Gootjes
6. Fine Without You - Focus
7. Raga Reverence 5 - Swung
8. Five Fourth - Focus
9. Anaya - Udo Pannekeet
10. Winnie - Focus

“The Focus Family Album” is OUT NOW on CD and Download:
Amazon CD: http://geni.us/IF008CD

Official website: www.focustheband.com

Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com