Art Rock Supergroup MANDOKI SOULMATES Release Full-Length Album Feat. Ian Anderson, Jack Bruce, Al Di Meola and Others In Partnership With U.S. Label CLEOPATRA RECORDS!

Features performances by Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, Supertramp’s John Helliwell & John Siebenberg, Toto's Bobby Kimball Manfred Mann's Chris Thompson, Cream's Jack Bruce PLUS Jazz-Rock giants Al Di Meola, Cory Henry, Mike Stern, Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Richard Bona and many more!

Los Angeles, CA - L.A.-based indie label Cleopatra Records and Hungarian-born songwriter/producer/musician Leslie Mandoki, the mastermind behind the living, breathing art rock project Mandoki Soulmates, are proud to announce the release of the first full-length album since the two entities joined forces earlier this year. Coming out on Cleopatra’s venerated progressive rock imprint, Purple Pyramid, home to such artists as Nektar, Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind-alumni project Hawkestrel, and Rick Wakeman, the album entitled Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures is actually a double album adding the 45-minute Prog Rock suite Hungarian Pictures, based on a musical concept by Deep Purple’s Jon Lord & ELP’s Greg Lake, to the original Living In The Gap album. Having already topped the Amazon Classic Rock Charts in Germany, Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures is poised to bring a whole new audience in North America, South America, the UK and beyond into the Soulmates’ family of fanatics.

As with his other projects under the Mandoki Soulmates banner, Leslie Mandoki has brought together a Murderer’s Row of rock icons and musicians from some of the biggest names in prog and classic rock including Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson plus current and former members of Toto, Cream, Supertramp, ELP, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Manfred Mann’s Earth Band and this list goes on and on! The coming together of such a diverse cast perfectly expresses the album’s lyrical theme of unity, which couldn’t be a more timely message for today’s world. Mandoki explains in the album’s video trailer, “We know that music is the greatest unifier…[These are] songs against division, from the old rebels to the young rebels. This is our time to take a breath for a better world.”

Watch the entire album trailer here:

Stream Living In The Gap + Hungarian Pictures here: https://orcd.co/mandoki_soulmates_living_in_the_gap

For additional information about this release, including press clippings, photos and more videos, visit: https://promo.mandoki-soulmates.com/ When entering the site, check out the newly developed Soulmates Weekly short-film series, providing exclusive and private insights behind the scenes of the Mandoki Soulmates who share their stories of performing with their legendary companions both on and off stage!

Also be sure to check out Mandoki Soulmates and Ian Anderson’s special tribute to the heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic - hospital workers, grocery store clerks, food delivery drivers, and others - on the digital EP We Say Thank You! Proceeds from the EP will be donated to The United Nations Foundation’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund in support of the WHO (World Health Organization) and The Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City.

Stream the We Say Thank You EP here: https://orcd.co/mandoki-soulmates-with-ian-anderson

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


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Genesis Guitar Legend Anthony Phillips THE LIVING ROOM CONCERT Remastered & Expanded Digipak Edition To Be Released July 24, 2020

• A NEW REMASTERED & EXPANDED EDITION OF THIS ALBUM OF A LIVE RADIO PERFORMANCE 

• WITH THREE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED BONUS TRACKS

• FULLY RESTORED ARTWORK & NEW ESSAY BY JON DANN

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a new re-mastered and expanded edition of THE LIVING ROOM CONCERT by original Genesis guitarist and celebrated solo artist and composer ANTHONY PHILLIPS.

Originally released in May 1995, the album featured highlights of a live solo performance by Anthony which was recorded on March 21st 1993 as part of the Living Room Concert Series for the US Radio program Echoes, a daily program of contemporary instrumental music. The show was broadcast on 120 public radio stations in America on 25th June 1993.

For the performance Anthony selected a number of acoustic guitar and piano pieces for the performance, drawing mainly on tracks originally released on the albums The Geese and The Ghost, Private Parts and Pieces and A Catch at The Tables, along with two pieces from New England, the eighth volume in the Private Parts & Pieces series and a solo 12-string version of the first movement of a Guitar Quintet that he had composed in 1976, which had subsequently been scored with parts for strings and wind instruments; “Conversation Piece.”

Unavailable on CD for many years, THE LIVING ROOM CONCERT has been remastered and expanded to include three previously unreleased tracks recorded for the original broadcast, “Jaunty Roads,” “Let Us Now Make Love” and “Lucy: An Illusion.”

This Esoteric Recordings edition restores the original artwork and includes new liner notes by Anthony Phillips archivist Jon Dann.

TRACK LISTING

1. REAPER
2. WHICH WAY THE WIND BLOWS
3. HENRY: PORTRAITS FROM TUDOR TIMES
4. CONVERSATION PIECE
5. FLAMINGO
6. FIELD OF ETERNITY
7. SISTINE
8. LIGHTS ON THE HILL
9. LAST GOODBYES
10. COLLECTIONS
11. SLEEPFALL
BONUS TRACKS
12. JAUNTY ROADS
13. LET US NOW MAKE LOVE
14. LUCY: AN ILLUSION

Released July 24, 2020.


To purchase: https://www.cherryred.co.uk/product/anthony-phillips-the-living-room-concert-remastered-expanded-digipak-edition/

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

Prog Ensemble Staring Into Nothing To Release Second Album "Love" With Guest Appearances By King Crimson's Trey Gunn & Zappa's Mike Keneally

Produced by Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, GWAR, Steve Morse, Bozzio/Levin/Stevens)

Southern California based Staring Into Nothing wields a foundation of melodic progressive rock to explore new musical and thematic terrain. Founders Steve Rogers (keys and vocals) and Kurt Barabas (bass, vocals and guitars) take a Steely Dan-esque approach to music creation, using the studio and a revolving cast of world class collaborators to create music that observes and scrutinizes the human experience.

Staring into Nothing’s latest album “Love” probes the multiplicity and evolution of romantic love. The album was produced and mixed by Ronan Chris Murphy (King Crimson, Steve Morse, Ulver) and features an awesome line up of collaborators including Gregg Bissonette (David Lee Roth, Santana, Ringo Starr) on drums, Victor Bisetti (Los Lobos) on percussion, Mike Keneally (Zappa, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani) on guitars, Trey Gunn (King Crimson, John Paul Jones) on Warr Guitar, Dave Nachmanoff (Al Stewart) on background vocals/acoustic guitar and Danny T. Levin (Iggy Pop, Twenty One Pilots, Vampire Weekend) on horns. With this album, Murphy and the band sought to refine the melodies and structure of the songs even further than the previous album and provide ample room for the various collaborators to bring their voices to the album. While the compositions by Rogers and Barabas make up the core of the music on “Love,” the music was completely transformed by all the collaborators. The creative process allowed everyone involved to mold its final sound and spirit, and created space for stunning contributions, most notably several remarkable solos by Keneally and Gunn.

Says Steve, “We were trying to explore the varieties of romantic experience from a mature perspective that recognizes its not all good and not all bad, but its all we have. In the end, the message is uplifting because over time love endures and transitions into something even more fulfilling when it becomes legacy and a common set of memories and values. We recorded this album differently than our first one. We worked more closely with the producer, Ronan Chris-Murphy, during the actual arrangement of the songs and benefited from his insights, ideas and contributions. Ronan also brought a commitment to making the best album we could by bringing top shelf musicians to the project like Mike Keneally, Trey Gunn, Gregg Bisonette and Dave Nachmanoff. Also most of this album was recorded in our own studio in Costa Mesa California.”

Watch the video for “Ashes”: 

“It was a real pleasure to be involved with this project, working with the band and Ronan to find ways to tastefully enhance the impact of these beautifully melodic, emotionally charged songs. I found the songs inspired and inspiring, and I loved the experience of playing on the album.” - Mike Keneally

“Super day and a half of recording. I loved being in the room with these guys stretching out on these songs. Great to hear it all come together.” - Trey Gunn

“A project like this is really exciting as a producer. The band already had strong material with a lot of emotional depth before I got on board, so we had a lot of great raw material to work with. The fact that the band is just two guys, that are open to new ideas, meant we were able to have a lot of fun developing the material and bringing in the right players to explore those ideas. I very intentionally brought in guest musicians that are more known as artists in their own right than being session guys. I knew from working with all of them before, that if I gave them a platform to explore they would bring great things to the project. They did not disappoint. They all brought the musicality we were all hoping for, while enhancing the emotional aspects of Steve and Kurt’s compositions.” - Ronan Chris Murphy, Producer-Engineer (King Crimson, GWAR, Steve Morse, Bozzio/Levin/Stevens)

Staring Into Nothing have crafted their own sound, but their love of strong melody and virtuosic musicianship has drawn comparisons to artists such as Marillion, Porcupine Tree, Flying Colors, early Genesis, Pink Floyd and Rush. Bassist Kurt Barabas is a veteran of the progressive rock scene. He was a founding member of Magna Carta Records artist Under the Sun as well as Amaran’s Plight with Nick D’Virgilio (Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Spock’s Beard). Kurt was also a founding member of Roswell 6, who recorded the album “Terra Incognita” that accompanied a science fiction novel of the same name written by Kevin J. Anderson. “Terra Incognita” featured a who’s who of musicians, including James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Michael Sadler (Saga), John Payne (Asia), and David Ragsdale (Kansas).

Following the break-up of Under the Sun, Barabas starting wring new material with longtime Under the Sun fan Steve Rogers. The two found they had instant and synergistic creative chemistry and set to work creating a trilogy of concept albums that delve into the complex facets of the human experience.  They released their first album “Power” in 2017, which explores the many ways power is used to manipulate, control and subjugate people. It was produced and mixed by Mark Needham (The Killers, Elton John) and features drumming by Matt Chamberlin (A Perfect Circle, David Bowie, John Mayer).

Here's what the press has said about Staring into Nothing:

“Staring into Nothing melds the epic structure of prog rock with the tuneful moodiness of new wave.” - Huffington Post

“With, perhaps, a little further polish or fine-tuning, many of these songs wouldn’t be out of place on an album like Pink Floyd’s The Wall.” - The Big Takeover

“The nice blend of melody and atmosphere will please fans of prog classics like Rush and Yes, as well as modern titans like Steven Wilson and Opeth” - Alternative Nation

“...should appeal to anyone with an interest in prog rock and even casual fans of the genre could find things here to love about it.” - Sputnik Music 

“Staring Into Nothing is a trio from California who have a very modern prog sound. Musically, they remind me a bit of a mix of Steven Wilson and Roger Waters.” - Progressive Music Planet

“The Prog-Rock-esque powerhouse brings down the house with an eclectic and unique record that will blow your mind.” - Modern Mystery Blog

In support of their new album, Staring Into Nothing has budgeted four videos for the album and have completed the first two. They continue to work on the final two, but they got caught up in the virus lock-down that shut down the video shoots in March.

In closing Steve has this to impart, “That relationships matter even though they can be hard to maintain at times. Also that there is redemption for any of us who stray from the past. That redemption often comes to us through the people we love.”

To purchase Staring Into Nothing's “Love”: 
https://staringintonothing.bandcamp.com/merch



For more information: https://www.staringintonothing.com/

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

Todd Rundgren To Launch Live Virtual Television Series "The Todd's Honest Truth"

Todd Rundgren, dubbed “Rock's Renaissance Man” in 1972 by Rolling Stone, will be premiering his bi-weekly live interactive virtual television series “The Todd's Honest Truth” on his 72nd birthday, June 22, 2020 at 6pm PDT/9PM EDT. A new episode will then go live every other Friday beginning July 3 in the same time slot.

Famously outspoken and opinionated (he was among one of Bill Maher's most frequent guests on the original “Politically Incorrect”), Rundgren will host the show live from his Kauai property, interlaced with his throwing to pre-recorded packages shot in front of a green screen to provide mood-appropriate settings (a recurring segment dubbed “The Word of Todd”, in which he will be waxing eloquent on any number of topics). He will also be answering audience questions in real time, there will be a live chat window open for viewers to interact, and Todd will encourage audience members to submit content which he will curate in between shows and select standouts for inclusion on upcoming episodes.

“Forty years ago I reserved a transponder on a satellite, hoping to broadcast to homes across the world. Apparently, that satellite got lost or blew up or something so a dream was put on hold… until now! And I don't even have to leave my house!!!”, Rundgren explained.

The virtual box office to purchase tickets for “The Todd's Honest Truth” episodes is open as of today: https://onlocationlive.com/category/honesttruth . 

The series is being produced in partnership with Future Beat, the leading company producing VIP package experiences for concert tours — futurebeat.com. Todd's longtime manager, Panacea Entertainment chairman Eric Gardner, is executive producing. In addition to an unlimited number of “general admission” tickets priced at $15 per episode (which includes access via VOD for anyone who missed a live stream), forty virtual one-on-one meet & greet packages will be available for $95 per episode, which will include shipping of an item of exclusive series-related merchandise. 

In other news, Todd Rundgren and some well known guest artists are re-recording his 1973 anthem “Just One Victory” and giving it away for free to the Democratic National Committee for use by candidates throughout the US running for public office this fall. Participants include Joe Walsh and Paul Shaffer, along with Don Was, who is co-producing with Todd.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front Nazz, the quintessential '60s psychedelic group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him “Rock's New Wunderkind.” It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow and A Wizard, A True Star;  evergreen hit singles include “I Saw The Light,” “Hello It's Me,” “Can We Still Be Friends,” and “Bang The Drum.”

Full bio and Producer Discography below.

photo credit: © Lynn Goldsmith

TODD RUNDGREN

A Wizard, A True Star. The title of Todd Rundgren's 1973 solo album aptly sums up the contributions of this multi-faceted artist to state-of-the-art music. As a songwriter, video pioneer, producer, recording artist, computer software developer, conceptualist, and interactive artist (re-designated TR-i), Rundgren has made a lasting impact on both the form and content of popular music.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rundgren began playing guitar as a teenager, going on to found and front The Nazz, the quintessential '60s psychedelic group. In 1969, he left the band to pursue a solo career, recording his debut offering, the legendary Runt. But it was 1972's seminal Something/Anything?, on which he played all the instruments, sang all the vocal parts, and acted as his own producer, that catapulted Todd into the superstar limelight, prompting the press to unanimously dub him “Rock's New Wunderkind.” It was followed by such landmark LPs as The Hermit of Mink Hollow and the above mentioned A Wizard, A True Star, as well as such hit singles as “I Saw The Light,” “Hello It's Me,” “Can We Still Be Friends,” and “Bang The Drum.”

In 1974, Todd formed Todd Rundgren's Utopia (renamed and reconfigured in 1976 as Utopia), an entirely new approach to the concept of interactive musicianship, and embarked on an extensive round of touring and recording. Standout Utopia offerings included Oops! Wrong Planet, Adventures in Utopia, and Oblivion. Along the way, Todd Rundgren's Utopia combined technical virtuosity and creative passion to create music that initially, for millions, defined the term “progressive rock,” and subsequently, as Utopia, the term “powerpop.”

Rundgren's myriad production projects include albums by Patti Smith, Cheap Trick, Psychedelic Furs, Meat Loaf, XTC, Grand Funk Railroad, and Hall And Oates. Rounding out his reputation as rock's Renaissance Man, Rundgren composed all the music and lyrics for Joe Papp's 1989 Off-Broadway production of Joe Orton's Up Against It (the screenplay commissioned by The Beatles for what was meant to have been their third motion picture). He also has composed the music for the hit film Dumb and Dumber, as well as a number of television series, including Pee Wee's Playhouse and Crime Story.

In 2009 Rundgren performed his iconic 1973 album A Wizard, A True Star in concert in its entirety for the first time ever, and several years later did the same with a double bill: Todd & Healing. He has toured with Ringo Starr as an erstwhile member of the AllStarr Band since 1989, and continues to perform with symphony orchestras both domestically and internationally. In 2018 he toured North America with original Utopians Kasim Sulton and Willie Wilcox for the first time in 33 years. His long-awaited autobiography The Individualist, was recently released; he's currently in the second year of the world's first hybrid concert/book tour highlighting music across his 50-plus year career.

In 2017 on successive weekends he was awarded honorary doctorates from both the Berklee School of Music and DePauw University.

In 1998 Todd debuted his new PatroNet technology which for the first time allowed fans of a musical artist to subscribe directly to the artist’s musical output via the Internet. This caps a long history of groundbreaking early multimedia “firsts,” including:

• 1978: The first interactive television concert, broadcast live over the Warner/QUBE system in Columbus, Ohio (the home audience chose each song in real time during the concert by voting via QUBE's 2-way operating system).
• 1978: The first live nationally broadcast stereo radio rock concert (by microwave), linking 40 cities around the country.
• 1979: The opening of Utopia Video Studios, a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art facility. The first project produced by Todd there is Gustav Holst's The Planets, commissioned by RCA Selecta Vision as the first demonstration software for their new videodisc format.
• 1980: Creation of the first color graphics tablet, which was licensed to Apple and commercially released as The Utopia Graphics Tablet.
• 1981: Time Heals, the first music video to utilize state-of-the-art compositing of live action and computer graphics (produced and directed by Todd), becomes the eighth video to be played during the launch of MTV on August 1, 1981.
• 1982: The first live national cablecast of a rock concert (on the USA Network), simulcast in stereo to over 120 radio stations.
• 1982: The first two commercially released music videos, one of which was nominated for the first-ever Grammy awarded for “Best Short Form Video” in 1983.
• 1992: The first commercially available music downloads via CompuServe.
• 1993: The release of No World Order, the world's first interactive record album on CD-i.
• 1994: The release of The Individualist, the world's first full-length Enhanced CD.
• 1994: The world's first interactive concert tour.
• 1998: Launches PatroNet, the world's first direct artist subscription service - predicts that someday “music will be sold by the pound.”
• 2016: The production of the world's first full length concert shot with multiple Virtual Reality 360º cameras.

TODD RUNDGREN PRODUCTION DISCOGRAPHY

ARTIST	ALBUM TITLE	YEAR
The American Dream	The American Dream	1969
Great Speckled Bird	Great Speckled Bird	1969
The Band	Stage Fright	1970
The Butterfield Blues Band	Live	1970
The Butterfield Blues Band	Sometimes I Feel Like Smiling	1971
Jericho	Jericho	1971
Half Nelson	Half Nelson	1971
James Cotton Blues Band	Taking Care Of Business	1971
Jesse Winchester	Third Down, 110 To Go	1972
Mark “Moogy” Klingman	Moogy	1972
Badfinger	Straight Up	1972
The New York Dolls	The New York Dolls	1973
Grand Funk	We're An American Band	1973
Fanny	Mother's Pride	1973
Grand Funk	Shinin' On	1974
Felix Cavaliere	Felix Cavaliere	1974
Daryl Hall & John Oates	War Babies	1974
Hello People	The Handsome Devils	1974
Hello People	Brick	1975
Steve Hillage	L	1976
Meat Loaf	Bat Out Of Hell	1977
Mark “Moogy” Klingman	Moogy II	1978
Tom Robinson Band	TRB2	1979
Rick Derringer	Guitars and Women	1979
The Tubes	Remote Control	1979
Patti Smith	Group Wave	1979
Shaun Cassidy	Wasp	1980
New England	Walking Wild	1981
Jim Steinman	Bad For Good	1981
Psychedelic Furs	Forever Now	1982
The Rubinoos	Party of Two	1983
Cheap Trick	Next Position Please	1983
Jules Shear	Watch Dog	1983
Will Powers	Dancing For Mental Health	1983
The Lords Of The New Church	Live For Today	1983
Zerra	Zerra I	1984
The Tubes	Love Bomb	1985
What Is This	What Is This	1985
XTC	Skylarking	1986
Hunter	Dreams Of Ordinary Men	1987
Bourgeois Tagg	Yoyo	1987
The Pursuit Of Happiness	Love Junk	1988
La Ppisch	Karakuri House	1989
Jill Sobule	Things Here Are Different	1990
Hiroshi Takano	Cue	1990
The Pursuit Of Happiness	One Sided Story	1990
Hiroshi Takano	Awakening	1992
Paul Shaffer	World’s Most Dangerous Party	1993
Splender	Splender (Mar '99 release)	1998
12 Rods	Separation Anxiety	2000
Bad Religion	The New America	2000
New York Dolls	untitled	2009
Lindstrom	untitled	2012
Tame Impala	Elephant remix	2012
Nine Inch Nails	All Time Low remix	2013
Andy Bull	Baby I Am Nobody Now	2013

CONTACT: paul@panacea-ent.com (805) 491 9400

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

Intelligent Music Project V "Life Motion" Featuring Members of Rainbow, Toto, Asia and River Hounds

Featuring Simon Phillips (Toto /Protocol), Ronnie Romero (Rainbow), John Payne (Asia) and Richard Grisman (River Hounds)

In these interesting times, when life puts a forced pause on us, most of all we need to lift our spirits, to feel alive. “Life Motion” is the fifth studio album of “Intelligent Music Project.” And this time in the band led by Milen Vrabevski, MD (author and producer) there are big world names - the drummer and co-producer of the release Simon Phillips, as well as the vocalists John Payne (ex-Asia) and Richard Grisman (River Hounds). Ronnie Romero, a singer who became famous for joining Rainbow in 2015, made his debut in it. And when we add respected Bulgarian musicians to this stellar team, it becomes quite clear that high class is being pursued at IMP.

“Epidemic, crisis, contagion.” Not a day goes by without hearing these words for more than a month. Indeed, the current situation is a test for everyone, but it also brings some positives - such as the opportunity to spend more time on (rediscovering) art.

Milen Vrabevski, MD says: “I would like my children to grow up with the ideas I share in my albums, and instead of teaching them lectures about those ideas, I use the language of music, which is very universal and easy to understand.”

Legendary drummer Simon Phillips (Toto, Protocol, Mike Oldfield, The Who) gave two solos for the songs “Reflecting” and “Rising” on “Life Motion,” with music co-producers Dr. Vrabevski, Simon Phillips and Ivo Stefanov.

Read the recent interview with Milen Vrabevski, MD: https://bit.ly/2XIS3mA


Milen Vrabevski, MD

“An unexpected album that reminds of a mix of Alan Parsons Project, Christopher Cross, Toto and The Night Flight Orchestra.” - Music In Belgium

Watch the new video for the song “Every Time”:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/451542284956185/videos/180540773220643/
YouTube:

Intelligent Music Project IV “Sorcery Inside” is another entirely Bulgarian music project of the creator of “Intelligent Music Project” - Milen Vrabevski, MD. It includes legendary musicians such as Simon Phillips (Toto), Carl Sentans (Nazareth), Richard Grisman (River Hounds), John Payne (ex-Asia) and Joseph Williams (Toto), who have left their incomparable handwriting on the 12 compositions by Milen Vrabevski, MD.

Simon Phillips participated in the recordings not only on drums, but also as a music co-producer, together with Milen and Ivo Stefanov. The recordings were made in the fall of 2018 at Brotheryn Studios, California, by Simon Phillips and Ernest Tibbs (drums and percussion), Jesse Siebenberg (guitars, vocals) and Dave Palmer (pianos).

“Indeed, the cast of the Intelligent Music Project resembles an ensemble of the elder statesmen of rock, featuring a collection of decorated artists like Toto drummer Simon Phillips and Asia lead vocalist John Payne. The evident talent of each individual member of the band shines through at various points during the album Throughout it all, the production stands out for its silky smoothness, stitching together each aspect of the band’s throwback sound with commendable dexterity. 'Sorcery Inside' clearly attempts to be a modern-day alternative rock album, at times trading the traditional electrical-guitar driven sound for more experimental substitutes.” - The Stanford Daily



The European tour of Intelligent Music Project and Milen Vrabevski, MD with the participation of Simon Phillips (Toto), Ronnie Romero (Rainbow) and Richard Grisman (River Hounds) started on February 21 from Bulgaria. The first concert of the tour was held in Varna, followed by Plovdiv and Sofia, and the tickets completely sold out. As part of Dr. Milen Vrabevski's Intelligent Music Project, Phillips, Romero and Grisman presented their latest albums, “Sorcery Inside,” as well as the album “Life Motion.” The star trio were joined by some of the best Bulgarian musicians in the person of Stoyan Yankulov - Stundzhi, Biser Ivanov, Bobi Kosatkata, Ivo Stefanov, Ivaylo Zvezdomirov, Slavin Slavchev, Lina Nikol, Samuel Eftimov.

Intelligent Music Project's first online concert: https://www.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=2659255330960351

“Working on this project with Milen Vrabevski was so much fun and I find his enthusiasm for music is so uplifting.” - Simon Phillips

“The chemistry and magic is bound to happen when you have great players and great songs.” - John Payne

“Working with Milen was pretty exciting, he is a great professional and composer and I will be back for the next album for sure!” - Ronnie Romero

To purchase: 
https://intelligent-music.com/shop/ - general
https://intelligent-music.com/product/intelligent-music-project-v-life-motion/

More info about Intelligent Music Project:
Web: https://intelligent-music.com/
YouTube:  https://bit.ly/2Jr4w7K
Spotify:  https://spoti.fi/2w0XyDw
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/intelligentmusicproject/
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Press inquiries: Glass Onyon PR, PH: 1-828-350-8158 (US), glassonyonpr@gmail.com

Neo Prog Review: Airbag- A Day At The Beach

Release Date: June 19 2020

Label: Karisma

Website: www.airbagsound.com
  

The Norwegian band, Airbag, was formed by high school friends away back in 1994 but the release of their first EP heralds the fresh start as a “proper” band. They released a second EP which was freely downloadable from their website, as indeed, was the first release.

In 2009, the band was signed to the Norwegian label, Karisma, and the first album, Identity, was issued. This included more fleshed out versions of tracks on the two EPs, which were subsequently deleted. Three more albums followed, All Rights Removed (2011), The Greatest Show On Earth (2013), and Disconnected (2016) before the new album under review, A Day At The Beach (2020).

Initially a 5 piece band on the debut, there was a change in the drum seat for album 2, the same line-up for album 3, before a drop to a 4 piece outfit for album 4 and a further drop to a trio, comprising Asle Tostrup (lead vocals/keyboards/programming), Bjorn Riis (guitars/keyboards /backing vocals) and Henrik Fossum (drums) on this new release. Asle and Bjorn are original members with Henrik joining as the drummer from album 2, so a very settled core to the band. Guesting on A Day At The Beach, is bassist Kristian Karl Hultgren from fellow Norwegian band, Wobbler.

A Day At The Beach is a 6 track album with a combined running time of just under 49 minutes (48:50), with the opening track “Machines and Men” clocking in as the longest track at 10:48 minutes and “A Day At The Beach Part 1”, track 2, the shortest at 3:55 minutes.

The opening track, “Machines and Men” (10:48) is unmistakably Airbag, that is, if you are conversant with earlier releases by the band. As with a few Airbag introductions, there is a quiet section before any sound becomes detectable, and that first sound appears to be provided by the guest musician, Kristian Karl Hultgren’s bass. This repetitive riff is soon joined by the guitar of Bjorn Riis and the characteristic vocal of Asle Tostrup, before a more 80’s style electronica passage settles in with the band in full flow; bass, guitar, and drums perfectly in synch behind the vocals. Around 5:30 minutes, the sound falls away leaving a bass and guitar passage before the vocals return and the driving sound restarts with Bjorn’s guitar coming through loud and clear at around 7:15 minutes. The vocals arrive again nearer 8:00 minutes and an excellent instrumental section leading to the sound simply fading towards the track finale will have kept the listener’s attention. This track flows through light, airy passages and heavier, darker areas and is a superb opening track to the album.

“Sunsets” (8:16) is track 4 and starts with a little drum rhythm before the band kick into play. A slow passage that builds, then drops to leave bass and drums, and that expressive voice from Asle. A verse later and the chorus kicks in at a higher level before returning to the atmospheric music that Airbag is renowned for. Just after the 3:00 minute mark, the towering guitar provided by Bjorn takes over and drives the track along. Over the 4:00 minute mark and there is another “doff of the hat” to some 80’s electronica, before Bjorn “ups the ante” even further. Asle’s characteristic vocal takes over again before leaving the way open for the guitar of Bjorn to sweep the track on from around 6 minutes, until 7:45 minutes when it is atmospheric to the finale.

This album, A Day At The Beach, is a stunning release from the band. They have perfected, in my opinion, a “less is more” attitude with the quiet passages being as powerful for the listener, as an all-out blast from the guitar. They paint superb aural landscapes on each album and A Day At The Beach is no exception. I will happily admit to being a huge fan of Airbag, but the band has always produced “the goods” with each successive album. My advice is simple, go out and buy this album and you will not be disappointed, and it might tempt you into purchasing their back catalog.

Jim “The Ancient One” Lawson - Prog Rock Music Talk Staff
June 4, 2020

Tracks:
1. Machines And Men (10:48)
2, A Day At The Beach Pt 1 (3:55)
3, Into The Unknown (10:28)
4, Sunsets (8:16)
5, A Day At The Beach Pt 2 (5:33)
6, Megalomaniac (9:50)

Nick D'Virgilio Releases New Video & Single "Money (That’s What I Want)" From Forthcoming Album "Invisible"

Album special guests include Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) / Paul Gilbert (Mr Big, Racer X) / Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) / Carl Verheyen (Supertramp) / Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) / Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings / Steve Hackett) / Jem Godfrey (Frost*) and more 

A distinctive cover version of “Money (That’s What I Want)” has been made available as the second single from Invisible, the forthcoming new solo album by the American drummer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Nick D'Virgilio (NDV). The first ever hit on the Tamla Motown label in 1959 has seen notable covers in the past by the likes of The Beatles and The Flying Lizards, with NDV stating: “I've always liked this song, with the original version by Barrett Strong being my favorite. I wanted my take on it to be dark and brooding with a cinematic sound, so I came up with a way to build an end with chords that kept climbing until a nice climax, while parts for orchestra were arranged that built a great sound on top. One of my favorite parts of the song is when I'm whispering a bunch of slang terms for money. I sang the whole song like a person that is going a little crazy and that section was a perfect fit.”

In regard to how the song fits into the narrative flow of Invisible, he explains: “Lyrically, the words fit perfectly. The song comes at the point in the story where the protagonist has decided to leave his dead end job and venture out into the world to try and discover the meaning of his life. He wanders into a shop and sees the person behind the counter looking dishevelled and depressed, prompting him to ask 'is everything OK? Why are you here? If it's that bad, why don’t you go home?' Those questions prompt the response that they need money. They are stuck in life’s trap just like him, and he swiftly realizes that he is not alone in feeling alone.”



Invisible is the second solo album by the California born but Indiana based NDV and comes almost two decades after his debut solo offering. He describes his new record as “a collection of songs that make up the story of a man who is unhappy with where his life has ended up. He finally decides to take the scary step of leaving everything behind so he can go and find the meaning of his life.” He continues: “Throughout my career I have been in many different places. Over time the word 'invisible' kept coming to mind and it got me thinking of people that truly have the hardest jobs in the world, or no job at all. The outliers. The ones we all take for granted. The ones we will never know but if they were not there then our lives would not be the nearly the same. Over time I amassed lyric and song ideas with the idea of writing a concept record on the subject.”

Keen to establish that “this is not your typical drummer record,” NDV states that “'Invisible’ is a rock album with various musical flavors thrown in because the songs were formed with the story in mind. A classical prelude that uses various themes from the whole piece sets the stage. From there comes a mellow ballad outlining the story and then it is on to the adventures of the central character. The main thing making this record did for me was to reaffirm my strong belief that we are all here for something. We all have a purpose.”

With the recording process split between the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London (including full string and brass sections) and the world class Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana, Invisible boasts star turns from luminaries such as guitarists Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big, Racer X), Rick Nielsen (Cheap Trick) and Carl Verheyen (Supertramp), bassists Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel) and Jonas Reingold (The Flower Kings, Steve Hackett), plus keyboard players Jordan Rudess (Dream Theater) and Jem Godfrey (Frost*).

NDV's debut solo album, Karma (2001), had appeared midway through his tenure with US progressive rock titans Spock's Beard, with whom he started out as drummer upon their inception in the early 1990's before taking on additional lead singer and live frontman duties in 2002 for four studio albums prior to his departure in 2011. At the time, this was partly in order to continue touring as drummer, singer and assistant bandleader with Cirque du Soleil, with whom he played over 1400 shows over a five year period until 2014. He has also been the drummer with the award winning UK band Big Big Train since 2007 and performed with world renowned acts such as Genesis (appearing on the Calling All Stations album) and Tears For Fears (with whom he toured for over a decade).

Upon ending his stint with Cirque du Soleil, NDV relocated to Fort Wayne to become the face of the drum division of world leading music technology and instrument retailer Sweetwater Sound, explaining that “it has exploded and I have had the opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people while building new lifelong relationships. I've also had the chance to play on so much great drum gear – it is Disneyland in that regard! Many of my old bands and music compatriots have been there to record or do workshops, which is icing on the cake.”

The release of Invisible now begins yet another fascinating chapter in NDV's multi-faceted career, which he concludes “has taken many twists and turns. I have been able to live out some major musical fantasies, seeing some of the highest highs as well as some of the lowest lows. It has been a wild ride that is not over yet!”

A full biography of Nick D’Virgilio can be downloaded here: bit.ly/3cJvX9N

NICK D’VIRGILIO (NDV) : photography by Erick Anderson (eafoto)

Nick D'Virgilio's Invisible will be released on June 26, 2020.



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