Prog Duo Days Between Stations Updates on “Being” & “Perpetual Motion Machines (Music for a Film)”

The Days Between Stations music video collaboration with Durga McBroom is called “Being.” The band and Durga are available for interviews on both video and the new Days Between Stations’ album, “Perpetual Motion Machines (Music for a Film).”

The group’s manager and video producer Erik Nielsen created the video from concept to final editing. “He’s produced all of our music videos,” guitarist Sepand Samzadeh says. “This is our third video shoot with Erik, he has a minimalist approach to matching visuals to the music. He has a great sense of style, creativity, strong leadership qualities, and extensive knowledge of technology.” Erik and his Supposable Productions have worked with the classic rock and prog community for a variety of video productions—such as streaming the ProgStock Festival, video production for Las Vegas’ hit show “Raiding the Rock Vault,” and music videos for many artists—notably Dave Kerzner, Asia Featuring John Payne and hard rock band “Last in Line” on Frontiers Records.

Through the years prog greats including Yes’s Billy Sherwood, Peter Banks, and Rick Wakeman, plus XTC’s Colin Moulding have collaborated with Days Between Stations. Then there’s Durga McBroom, known for her phenomenal musical and theatrical background, including singing for Pink Floyd from 1987-1994, acting and dancing as the character “Heels” in the movie “Flashdance,” and hitting number 1 on the Billboard dance charts and on Top of the Pops with the song “(Can You) Feel the Passion.” Now along with her sister Lorelei, she’s in the Australian Pink Floyd Show and recent starring role in the satire movie, “Sammy-Gate.”

Billy Sherwood produced Durga with keyboardist Oscar Fuentes Bills and Sepand for a song and music video “Witness the End of the World” on the album “Giants,” released in 2020 and voted track of the week by Prog magazine readers.

When it came time to find a singer for “Being,” the only song with lyrics on “Perpetual Motion Machines,” the band knew Durga was a perfect fit. The “Being” music video ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6UNQsUpAxs ) makes use of colors, light, and  people!

Erik wanted to first showcase Durga’s amazing stage presence and present the band in a stylized performance setting, “and use some simple visual effects to suggest different aspects of the concept of ‘Being.’”  Oscar based the song’s lyrics around the general concept of existence and trying to interject what artist Jean-Paul Bourdier’s art “inspired us to do, and we let the music speak for itself.” (“Perpetual Motion Machines” initially was intended to be a film soundtrack for a documentary on the artist.)

“Seeds,” the first video ( www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kmLDoapIkg ) in “Perpetual Motion Machines” won track of the week by Prog UK readers. ProgRock.com cites “Being” as one of the best epic songs of 2024.  MusikReviews.de praises everyone’s work, citing Durga closing “the all-round emotionally cinematic and moving album with a quiet song that gives the entire album an unusual (vocal) twist.” Echoes and Dust praises Durga for her “angelic, soulful voice” and makes comparisons throughout the review to a range of classic treats including music by Alan Parsons and David Bowie!  

The band sees Durga as a force like a Jedi! Sepand says, “She has so much experience and talent and her confidence just glides in with her energy.  She is a true professional.” One of Sepand’s fondest memories is playing, and when she started singing, “It feels like thunder struck my back. I looked over to Oscar and we telepathically spoke with each other... the message was if we died that day, we were grateful for this moment, we experienced brilliance at its best.”

Likewise, Durga loves collaborating, which allows her to “add my brand of art to that of others, thereby creating something totally new and different. I would urge people to find other artists to collaborate with. You learn a lot, and it can push you out of your comfort zone.” Durga feels much respect for Oscar’s lyric writing, “I learned how to make his vision come alive by making it personal.”

Sepand relates, “When you are surrounded by so much love, talent and creativity everyone elevates you to your new best.

Formed 20 years ago in Los Angeles, Sepand and Oscar named the band after Steve Erickson’s novel “Days Between Stations.” The Pineapple Thief’s Bruce Soord inspired the band to work on their music after he used some of Sepand and Oscar’s musical experiments as the basis for “Saturday” on The Pineapple Thief’s “12 Stories Down” album. The duo continued to work with a range of musicians on what became their first release, “Days Between Stations,” in 2007. Their 2012 recording “In Extremis” was produced by Yes’ Billy Sherwood. In 2020 they released “Giants.”

Watch “Being” at www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6UNQsUpAxs

For more information: DaysBetweenStations.com

Order the CD or vinyl at http://www.daysbetweenstations.com/product-category/perpetual-motion-machines/

Management: erik@daysbetweenstations.com

Publicity:
Anne Leighton: + 1 718-881-8183, texting only 707-637-6070, LeightonMedia@aol.com, Anne@AnneLeighton.com
Glass Onyon PR, PH: 828-350-8158 (USA), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Downloadable photos start at www.flickr.com/photos/8320698@N05/54054269174/in/album-72157611847817960

***Please note: Meta Social Platforms will violate posters that use the actual album cover for Days Between Stations’ “Perpetual Motion Machines (Music For a Film).” We offer these alternatives for posting:
Music videos for both “Being” and “Seeds”

Prog Duo Days Between Stations Release New Video “Witness the End of the World” Featuring Pink Floyd Vocalist Durga McBroom & Billy Sherwood

Los Angeles based progressive rock duo Days Between Stations have released a music video for their song “Witness the End of the World” featuring special guest lead vocalist Durga McBroom, who is best known for her work with Pink Floyd. The song was originally released in 2020 on their album “Giants” but due to the pandemic, the music video production was delayed, which turned out to be an unfortunately apt circumstance given the lyrics.

Video production by Erik Nielsen of Supposable Productions. Filmed in the deserts of Southern California and BandProd Studios in San Fernando, CA.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/X_s7-oaWJM8

Durga: “Working with Billy Sherwood producing my vocal session was magic. He was very precise; in fact, he actually reminded me of working with David Gilmour. A haunting, timely tune. I’m very proud to be singing on it. As for the video, my Goth Angel is a pretty striking look. It also honors my Native American heritage.”

Sepand: “I remember hearing this song that Oscar had written. I’m always turned on to songs that become your companion through life, its notes and meaning altering with you through your path in life. When you feel the song is one thing it morphs into another. We filmed this video during the end of COVID... boy did it feel like the end of the world. I feel the apocalyptic imagery was inspired by how society and friends and family were all rattled by this disease.”

Oscar: “It’s no secret to anyone who’s followed the band for a while that we sometimes focus on dark topics. Sometimes even before any lyrics are written, the mood of the piece will sort of suggest an image or a mood. I tend to draw a lot of inspiration from - and crib titles from - books and films. So, I had written a waltz that I was calling ‘End of the World Waltz,’ inspired by Anthony Burgess’ ‘The End of the World News.’ I had started writing some lyrics for it, with a vaguely apocalyptic theme indirectly dealing with the many ways we seem to make the world hell for ourselves and other species, and then when my cat Matisse was diagnosed with cancer I had rewritten the lyric with the line ‘it’s not the end of the world,’ which was what a not very sympathetic non-cat person had told me at the time, and I was thinking about how subjective that is and how what seems trivial to somebody can literally feel like the end of the world to someone else. In any case, I had never finished the lyrics, so when we chose to work on the piece together with Billy Sherwood for Giants, we rewrote the lyrics together and added a lot of the Greco-mythical material that tied it in with the rest of the album. It’s interesting to work on lyrics as a trio. You would think it would be overly analytical and dry, but at least part of the time we managed to all three of us enter a sort of flow state where the ideas just seemed to, well, flow.”

“Witness the End of the World” released 2020 on the album “Giants”

Days Between Stations
Keyboards: Oscar Fuentes Bills
Guitars: Sepand Samzadeh

with
Lead Vocals: Durga McBroom
Bass: Billy Sherwood

Video Production by Erik Nielsen // Supposable Productions
Special Thanks to Brian Anderson of BandProd

The entire back catalog for Days Between Stations is back in print on CD:
“Days Between Stations” (debut album) 2007
“In Extremis” 2013
“Giants” 2020

Also “In Extremis” and “Giants” are available on vinyl. A new album is expected to be announced this fall and features another song collaboration with Durga.

To purchase:
https://www.daysbetweenstations.com/store/
https://daysbetweenstations.bandcamp.com/

For more information:
https://www.facebook.com/DaysBetweenStations
https://www.instagram.com/daysbetweenstationsband/

Official YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/DBSMusicOfficial

Manager: Erik Nielsen
erik@daysbetweenstations.com

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

Prog Duo Days Between Stations to Release New Album “GIANTS” Feat. Billy Sherwood, Colin Moulding and Durga McBroom!

Los Angeles - Prog duo Days Between Stations (DBS) is releasing their highly anticipated 3rd album titled “GIANTS” which features guest appearances by legendary XTC member Colin Moulding, Billy Sherwood of YES and backing vocalist for Pink Floyd Durga McBroom on Sept. 21, 2020!

Although firmly rooted in the progressive rock genre, the new DBS album “GIANTS” ventures into more rock-oriented material. Says guitarist Sepand Samzadeh, “'GIANTS' really brings the band through areas that we have not ventured before. Our debut album was instrumental, cinematic, atmospheric, experimental and more contemporary in vision and sound. The sophomore album had both elements with a classic prog sound. GIANTS is more aggressive, unabashed and raw. It is designed to sound as us as a 4 piece band. Billy had more creative and producer input and really pushed us to play better, faster, take more chances and recorded us in fluid/ unrepressed state of mind”

Says Sherwood, “I love the creativity of Sepand and Oscar. The new record speaks to that spirit of imagination they both share. I'm honored to be a part of it and explore new musical horizons with them and I'm very proud of the new record we've made... Days Between Stations is a musical force to be reckoned with indeed. I'm very excited for people to hear this new record… We worked very hard to push our own envelopes and try to come up with something very unique and adventurous!”

Founded in 2003 by guitarist Sepand Samzadeh and keyboardist Oscar Fuentes, the duo named themselves after the cult novel by Steve Erickson and have devoted themselves to, as they say, Art Rock and Post Prog - music that reflects their varied influences, as well as shared disregard for stylistic boundaries.

The genesis of Days Between Stations new album “GIANTS” came about when, “My father passed away shortly after we released the last album, 'In Extremis,'” Oscar explains. “He suffered from Alzheimer's. Around that time, I wrote a piece of music and put some words to it. It was called 'Giant' and the visual inspiration for the lyrics came from me picturing a young boy looking up at his father. I clearly remember looking up at my dad as a young kid…literally looking up at him, as he was a tall man, but also for me my father and my mother were like giants, figuratively, and even all those years later there was a sense of 'how can the world keep going on, without them?' They had held up the sky, after all. At least it seems that way, I'm sure, to many young kids all over the world. So the lyric dealt with this young boy sort of dealing with seeing this 'giant' falter: to see him lose his memories, to disease; to see him lose his wife. And to realize that, at some point, the boy is now the same height as the father, the 'giant.'”

Sepand adds, “We left the concept loose enough in order to have some wonderful collaboration again. Oscar and I were excited to approach Paul Whitehead to discuss the conceptual design. Paul took the idea and drew a proof, which was what you see on the final cover design. I remember that I took Paul's proof and made a large copy of it, shortly after, when we began recording - Billy Sherwood, Oscar and I - inspired by Paul's painting, used the paintings images and philosophy and developed songs and lyrics. Once we were done and needed more material, we met with Paul and hoped to inspire him with our sonic development. We would go back and forth several times inspiring one another and until the completion of the music and cover art.”

So what IS Giants?

You can find Greek Mythological figures such as Sisyphus, who inspired the song “Another Day.” Perception plays such a deafening role in our lives, in how we live, how we feel, how we see, think, and react and so on. Sisyphus was condemned for eternity by Zeus. He had to roll a giant boulder up a steep hill and before reaching the top, Zeus would enchant the stone to roll back down. If we look at this philosophically, Sisyphus, has really two options, be miserable for eternity or really enjoy the labor of love of rolling the rock up the hill, then watching it roll back down.

Besides Sisyphus, you can spot Atlas in the upper right corner who was condemned to hold the sky. Yet in the cover art one can see, with an all-knowing seer in the facade, which the sky and horizon is peeling off, all while Atlas is holding the peeled image while he is sinking. This was used as a lyric, also that is how Oscar felt about the demise of his father's image as a Giant and his health sinking him to the ground.

Oscar explains, “I hesitate to explain the 'plot' too much, but I think you could say that a pretty epic story is told here. Between the lyrics and Paul’s artwork and of course what the music conveys, I think a pretty complete picture is painted.”

This time around Billy Sherwood sat in the produce chair, and helped the band write and arrange the songs and lyrics. He even wrote a song for the album titled “The Common Thread.” Sepand recalls, “I love how Billy captured us. Some of our final takes were us rehearsing parts while the tracks were armed or at most when playing a first or second take. It is pure, instinctual and unabashed playing with minimal post production effects. It's raw. I think we have our bearing and confidence now to stand on our legs. I feel now that we know the rules and next round we can break them” Oscar adds, “I would say Billy was a lot more involved with the writing of this album, in general. He really brought a different type of energy to DBS, a more rock and roll energy.”

Sepand continues, “With 'In Extremis' we had the honor of playing with some of our icons, this time we kept it local with one exception, Colin. So Billy, whom we consider the third station, re-joined us. He recorded drums, vocals and bass. Durga McBroom who recorded her vocals on 'Witness the End of the World,' and of course - our cousin across the pond - Colin Moulding can be heard on 'Goes by Gravity.'”

Says Colin Moulding, “I was contacted by Billy Sherwood to sing on this track 'Goes by Gravity.' And because I was given a free reign, I re-wrote the lyrics somewhat to make the track more pointed...I think it turned out good in the end.” Durga adds, “Working on this project has been amazing. From Lebanon to the San Fernando Valley, we mixed our essences together. DBS's magical music, Billy's meticulous production, and my humble vocal offerings make a heady combo. I had a blast!”

In closing Sepand has this to impart, “Currently, we just finished scoring for a short film. We are discussing putting a live video/audio album together and performing in 2021. Live shows are now being discussed. Lastly, I am very excited to begin work on the fourth album, as well as a side project with Billy Sherwood.

Watch the promotional video at The Prog Report: https://progreport.com/prog-duo-days-between-stations-to-release-new-album-giants-feat-billy-sherwood-colin-moulding-and-durga-mcbroom/

To pre-order CD & Vinyl: https://www.daysbetweenstations.com/store/

For more information: http://daysbetweenstations.com

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