The Mommyheads share video for “Coney Island Kid,” prog-influenced title track from new album
New album Coney Island Kid out now!
Photo Credit: Steve RoodProg-pop cult heroes The Mommyheads have released the most ambitious album of their nearly four-decade career, CONEY ISLAND KID, out now via FANFAR! Records in Europe and Mommyhead Music for the rest of the world.
CONEY ISLAND KID marks the venerable NYC-based band’s 15th studio LP and first-ever foray into concept album terrain. Now, the band are pleased share the video for the title track and opening track from the new album.WATCH THE VIDEO FOR “CONEY ISLAND KID”ORDER THE ALBUM CONEY ISLAND KIDGuitarist, singer Adam Elk on the “Coney Island Kid“: The Video for ‘Coney Island Kid’ is a combined edit of 7 different shows from our Sept 2023 tour of Sweden and the US North East. ‘Coney Island Kid’ kicks off the album and firmly establishes the main character as a survivor, witness, fighter, protagonist and escape artist. It’s a 6 minute sonic subconscious deep dive into my childhood neighborhood that hopefully taps into those intense emotions most listeners have for their early memories. Love or hate the place you come from, your feelings for it will eventually need to be addressed to truly understand who you are. We did our best to conjure up the smells and sounds of Coney Island with music and sound design.”THE MOMMYHEADS
CONEY ISLAND KID
(FANFAR! Records / Mommyhead Music)Tracklist:
Coney Island Kid
Artificial Island
Spookarama
Solemn By The Sea
Suburban Office Park
Learning To Live
Why Aren’t You Smiling
Such Beautiful Things
Onset, MA
Soul’s AquariumWATCH THE VIDEO FOR “WHY AREN’T YOU SMILINGLast year saw The Mommyheads reaching new creative heights with GENIUS KILLER, hailed by Bay Area alternative newsweekly The Bohemian as “a tight, self-assured affair that sounds all the more youthful for its maturity.” CONEY ISLAND KID continues in that tradition, opening with an eclectic suite of technicolor prog-pop that uses archetypal Coney Island imagery to convey themes of desperation and soul-searching, complete with pier side ambience.
The skeletal acoustics on “Spookarama” call back to the whimsical woodsy gloom of 1989’s now-classic debut, ACORN, while elsewhere, songs such as the epic title track (arguably the closest the band has come to full-on interpolating Genesis) and the angelic tone poem, “Onset, MA,” see The Mommyheads continue to gracefully channel existential anxiety and progressive influences in equal measure. Having devoted a lifetime to evolution, both in terms of sound and the ever-increasing scope of their ideas, CONEY ISLAND KID stands as perhaps the most cohesive representation of The Mommyheads’ glorious eccentricities thus far.THE MOMMYHEADS:
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Magenta’s Robert Reed and Camel’s Peter Jones join forces once again with new Cyan album‘Pictures From The Other Side.’
| Alongside Luke Machin and Dan Nelson, the second Cyan album will be released on Nov 17th 2023. Video for “Broken Man” out now! |
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| Keyboardist and composer Rob Reed, known for his work with Magenta, Kompendium and Sanctuary solo albums, has once again joined forced with Peter Jones, along with Luke Machin and Dan Nelson for a new Cyan album titled Pictures From The Other Side. The second album from the resurrected project is due out on the 17th of November 2023. The new album contains 6 songs, including the epic 17-minute track ‘Nosferatu’. The CD is accompanied by a DVD with a full 5.1 surround mix of the album and a live acoustic performance of songs from the previous album For King And County. Watch the video for the album’s opening track “Broken Man” here: https://youtu.be/ndR-KT3i6Kc?si=tefp9XicW_0w3qKg Pre-order Pictures From The Other Side here: https://tigermothhosting.co.uk/CYANCD2023/ |
| Cyan was originally formed by Robert Reed (Magenta) when in school, back in 1983. After recording some demos at a local studio, the band went their separate ways. Years later, those demos led to the release of ‘For King And Country’ on the Dutch SI music label. It was the first of three Cyan albums released in the 1990s before the project was shelved and Rob went on to form Magenta.20 years later Rob Reed, along with a killer line-up, decided to brush off the cobwebs and successfully release a completely re-worked version of the ‘For King And Country’ album. Cyan has since performed at the 2023 Night Of The Prog festival in Germany, and at the 2022 Summers End and Fusion festivals in the UK. Rob Reed: “I remember that the first Cyan album ‘For King And Country’ was written when I was still in school with a band I formed with some school friends. After I left school, we went our separate ways and it was several years later that I was approached by the record company. After the success of the first album, they wanted a follow-up so I wrote new material for what became ‘Pictures From The Other Side.’ It was more song-based, but included a couple of long epics. Obviously, I was influenced by the classic Prog of Genesis and Yes when writing this originally, but I was also listening to a lot of other bands of the time like It Bites, Simple Minds and Marillion. It’s been great to finally hear this material played by this line-up, it’s a completely different album. Re-written, re-recorded and re-arranged. Hopefully, I’ve brought to the album, everything I’ve learned in my career. Pete Jones: “It’s a joy to be involved in the ongoing resurrection of the Cyan canon and the vision Rob has for these new interpretations. As a vocalist, there’s so much to work with on the new album, with epics like “Broken Man,” which really let me dig deep into my inner Genesis prog vocals. The title track has some great hooks, as does the rest of the album. Tracks like the dark but beautiful “Solitary Angel,” and the vampire world of “Nosferatu,” really call for some vocal gymnastics where I can stretch myself and really go for it. Then there’s “Follow The Flow,” which is just gorgeous. As with all Rob’s stuff, it’s the feeling and emotions which are key to the whole thing. I hope I’ve managed to do my bit with the vocals. We’ve now got a few gigs under our belt, including the recent fabulous time we all had at Night Of The Prog in Loreley. That was a real highlight of the year for me. The live band is sounding really great, with Luke, Dan, Jiffy and the man himself Rob Reed all at the top of their game. As well as doing the vocals, I play sax and whistles, and rhythm guitar which Rob asked me to do in a moment of madness. Ha-ha. All being well, we’ve got some rather special shows in the pipeline for next year. So I’m looking forward to the album coming out, and taking it to the stage!” |
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| CD tracklisting: 1- Broken Man 2- Pictures From The Other Side 3- Solitary Angel 4- Follow The Flow 5- Tomorrow’s Here Today 6- Nosferatu DVD consists of: Full album in Dolby Digital and dts 5.1 surround Promo videos The Quiet Room session (live acoustic performance) 1- I Defy The Sun 2- Don’t Turn Away 3- Call Me 4- Man Amongst Men/The Sorceror 5- Snowbound 6- For King And Country Pre-order ‘Pictures From The Other Side’ here: https://tigermothhosting.co.uk/CYANCD2023/ |
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| Cyan is:Robert Reed (Magenta / Kompendium / Sanctuary / Chimpan A) Peter Jones (Tiger Moth Tales / Camel / Francis Dunnery’s It Bites) Dan Nelson (Godsticks / Magenta) Luke Machin (Maschine / The Tangent / Karnataka / Francis Dunnery’s It Bites) |
| Magenta/CYAN/TigerMothTales Website https://www.tigermothshop.co.uk/ |
Steven Wilson on Israel
Hope on a Rose
[originally published at The American Conservative–to honor my daughter’s eleventh birthday. This year, she would’ve been sixteen]
Had things worked or happened differently, I would be celebrating the eleventh birthday of my daughter, Cecilia Rose Birzer, today. I can visualize exactly what it might be like. A cake, eleven candles, hats, cheers, goofiness, photos, and, of course, ice cream. I imagine that she would love chocolate cake–maybe a brownie cake–and strawberry ice cream. Her many, many siblings cheer here, celebrating the innumerable smiles she has brought the family. As I see her at the table now, I see instantly that her deep blue eyes are mischievous to be sure, but hilarious and joyous as well. Her eyes are gateways to her soul, equally mischievous, hilarious, and joyous. She’s tall and thin, a Birzer. She also has an over abundance of dark brown curls, that match her darker skin just perfectly. She loves archery, and we just bought her first serious bow and arrow. No matter how wonderful the cake, the ice cream, and the company, she’s eager to shoot at a real target.
She’s at that perfect age, still a little girl with little girl wants and happinesses, but on the verge of discovering the larger mysteries of the teenage and adult world. She cares what her friends think of her, but not to the exclusion of what her family thinks of her. She loves to dance to the family’s favorite music, and she knows every Rush, Marillion, and Big Big Train lyric by heart. She’s just discovering the joys of Glass Hammer. As an eleven-year old, she loves princesses, too, and her favorite is Merida, especially given the Scot’s talents and hair and confidence. She has just read The Fellowship of the Ring, and she’s anguished over the fate of Boromir. Aragorn, though. There’s something about him that seems right to her.
If any of this is actually happening, it’s not happening here. At least not in this time and not on this earth. Here and now? Only in my dreams, my hopes, and my broken aspirations.
Eleven years ago today, my daughter, Cecilia Rose Birzer, strangled on her own umbilical cord. That which had nourished her for nine months killed her just two days past her due date.
On August 6, 2007, she came to term. Very early on August 8, my wife felt a terrible jolt in her belly and then nothing. Surely this, we hoped, was Cecilia telling us she was ready. We threw Dedra’s hospital bag into the car as we had done four times before, and we drove the 1.5 miles to the hospital. We knew something was wrong minutes after we checked in, though we weren’t sure what was happening. Nurses, doctors, and technicians were coming in and out of the room. The medical personnel were whispering, looking confused, and offering each other dark looks. Finally, after what seemed an hour or more, our beloved doctor told us that our child–a girl, it turned out–was dead and that my wife would have to deliver a dead child.
We had waited to know the sex of the baby, but we had picked out names for either possibility. We had chosen Cecilia Rose for a girl, naming her after my great aunt Cecelia as well as St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, and Rose because of St. Rose of Lima being the preferred saint for the women in my family and because Sam Gamgee’s wife was named Rosie.
I had never met my Aunt Cecelia as she had died at age 21, way back in 1927. But, she had always been a presence in my family, the oldest sister of my maternal grandfather. She had contracted tetanus, and the entire town of Pfeifer, Kansas, had raised the $200 and sent someone to Kansas City to retrieve the medicine. The medicine returned safely to Pfeifer and was administered to my great aunt, but it was too late, and she died an hour or two later. Her grave rests rather beautifully, just to the west of Holy Cross Church in Pfeifer valley, and a ceramic picture of her sits on her tombstone. Her face as well as her story have intrigued me as far back as I can remember. Like my Cecilia Rose, she too had brown curly hair and, I suspect, blue eyes. She’s truly beautiful, and her death convinced her boyfriend to become a priest.
The day of Cecilia Rose’s death was nothing but an emotional roller coaster. A favorite priest, Father Brian Stanley, immediately drove to Hillsdale to be with us, and my closest friends in town spent the day, huddled around Dedra. We cried, we laughed, and we cried some more–every emotion was just at the surface. I’m more than certain the nurses thought we were insane. Who were these Catholics who could say a “Hail Mary” one moment, cry the next, and laugh uproariously a few minutes later? Of course, the nurses also saw just how incredibly tight and meaningful the Catholic community at Hillsdale is. And, not just the Catholics–one of the most faithful with us that day was a very tall Lutheran.
Late that night, Dedra revealed her true self. She is–spiritually and intellectually–the strongest person I know. She gave birth with the strength of a Norse goddess. Or maybe it was just the grace of Mary working through her. Whatever it was, she was brilliant. Any man who believes males superior to females has never seen a woman give birth. And, most certainly, has never seen his wife give birth to a dead child. Cecilia Rose was long gone by the time she emerged in the world, but we held her and held her and held her for as long as we could. With the birth of our other six children, I have seen in each of them that unique spark of grace, given to them alone. Cecilia Rose was a beautiful baby, but that spark, of course, was absent, having already departed to be with her Heavenly Father.
For a variety of reasons, we were not able to bury her until August 14. For those of you reading this who are Catholic, these dates are pretty important. August 8 is the Feast of St. Dominic, and August 14 is the Feast of St. Maximilian Kolbe.
Regardless, those days between August 8 and August 14 were wretched. We were in despair and depression. I have never been as angry and confused as I was during those days. Every hour seemed a week, and the week itself, seemed a year. I had nothing but love for my family, but I have never been that angry with God as I was then and, really, for the following year, and, frankly, for the next nine after that. We had Cecilia Rose buried in the 19th-century park-like cemetery directly across the street from our house. For the first three years after her death, I walked to her grave daily. Even to this day, I visit her grave at least once a week when in Hillsdale. In the first year after her death, I was on sabbatical, writing a biography of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. Every early afternoon, I would walk over to her grave, lay down across it, and listen to Marillion’s Afraid of Sunlight. Sometime in the hour or so visit, I would just raise my fist to the sky and scream at God. “You gave me one job, God, to be a father to this little girl, and you took it all away.” In my fury, I called Him the greatest murderer in history, a bastard, an abortionist, and other horrible things. I never doubted His existence, but I very much questioned His love for us.
Several things got me through that first year: most especially my wife and my children as well as my friends. There’s nothing like tragedy to reveal the true faces of those you know. Thank God, those I knew were as true in their honor and goodness as I had hoped they would be. A few others things helped me as well. I reread Tolkien, and I read, almost nonstop, Eliot’s collected poetry, but especially “The Hollow Men,” “Ash Wednesday,” and the “Four Quartets.” I also, as noted above, listened to Marillion. As strange as it might seem, my family, my friends, Tolkien, Eliot, and Marillion saved my life that year. I have no doubt about that. And, nothing gave me as much hope as Sam Gamgee in Mordor. “Sam saw a white star twinkle for a while. The beauty of it smote his heart, as he looked up out of the forsaken land, and hope returned to him that in the end the Shadow was only a small and passing thing: there was light and high beauty forever beyond its reach.” As unorthodox as this might be, we included Tolkien’s quote in the funeral Mass.
A year ago, my oldest daughter–the single nicest person I have ever met–and I were hiking in central Colorado. We were remembering Cecilia Rose and her death. Being both kind and wise, my daughter finally said to me, “You know, dad, it’s okay that you’ve been mad at God. But, don’t you think that 10 years is long enough?” For whatever reason–and for a million reasons–my daughter’s words hit me at a profound level, and I’m more at peace over the last year than I’ve been since Cecilia Rose died. I miss my little one like mad, and tears still spring almost immediately to my eyes when I think of her. I don’t think any parent will ever get over the loss of a child, and I don’t think we’re meant to. But, I do know this: my Cecilia Rose is safely with her Heavenly Father, and, her Heavenly Mother, and almost certainly celebrating her birthday in ways beyond our imagination and even our hope. I have no doubt that my maternal grandmother and grandfather look after her, and that maybe even Tolkien and Eliot look in on her from time to time. And, maybe even St. Cecilia herself has taught my Cecilia Rose all about the music of the spheres. Indeed, maybe she sees the White Star. Let me re-write that: I know that Cecilia Rose sees the White Star. She is the White Star.
Happy birthday, Cecilia Rose. Your daddy misses you like crazy, but he does everything he can to make sure that he makes it to Heaven–if for no other reason than to hug you and hug you and hug you.
My 200 Favorite Rock and Pop Albums
Over at my substack (just a few months old now), I posted my top 100 albums. I got some great responses there and on Facebook as to what I was missing (and some kind words about my choices as well). As such, I decided it would be best to expand my list to my favorite albums of all time–so I went for 200! I know a few things are missing, such as the Beatles. I was a huge fan of the Beatles back in college, but my enthusiasm for them died after reading a few biographies of the band. I realize that Sgt. Pepper’s and Magical Mystery Tour are both extraordinary, but I won’t go back to those album unless I’m preparing for something academic.
So, this list, is obviously deeply personal. But, these are the 200 albums I go back to, over and over again. I’ve tried to be faithful to my life as a 55-year old, recognizing what I’ve loved continuously. So, for example, I was a huge ELO fan as a kid, but that’s not stuck with me, even though I recognize the brilliance of Jeff Lynne.
So, I’m not trying to dismiss anything by their absences, only praise what I love. Another caveat–I’m leaving off surf bands (The Madeira and Lords of Atlantis) and jazz acts (Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis). I’m also leaving out The Shadows–of whom I’ve only recently become a fan.
One last note, I typed these out in Microsoft Word, and, for some reason, Word failed to alphabetize them or align them perfectly. I’m not sure how to fix the latter problem. The former problem just sort of cracks me up–so I’m leaving as is.
The List:
ABC, Lexicon of Love
Airbag, All Rights Removed
Airbag, Disconnected
Anathema, We’re Here Because We’re Here
Anathema, Weather Systems
Astra, The Black Chord
Ayreon, The Human Equation
Ayreon, Universal Migrator
Beach Boys, Pet Sounds
Big Big Train, English Electric
Big Big Train, Grimspound
Big Big Train, Second Brightest Star
Big Big Train, The Difference Machine
Big Big Train, The Grand Tour
Big Big Train, The Underfall Yard
Blackfield
Blackfield II
Bryan Ferry, Boys and Girls
Catherine Wheel, Happy Days
Chicago, Chicago Transit Authority
Chris Squire, Fish Out of Water
Cosmograf, Capacitor
Cosmograf, Man Left in Space
Dave Kerzner, New World
Dave Kerzner, Static
Dave Matthews Band, Before These Crowded Streets
Dave Matthews Band, Crush
Days Between Stations, In Extremis
Echo and the Bunnymen, Heaven Up Here
Echo and the Bunnymen, Ocean Rain
Enochian Theory, Life and All it Entails
Flower Kings, Flower Power
Flower Kings, Paradox Hotel
Flower Kings, Space Revolver
Frost*, Day and Age
Frost*, Experiments in Mass Appeal
Frost*, Milliontown
Galahad, Beyond the Realms of Euphoria
Galahad, Empires Never Last
Gazpacho, Fireworker
Gazpacho, Night
Gazpacho, Tick Tock
Genesis, A Trick of the Tail
Genesis, Duke
Genesis, Foxtrot
Genesis, Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
Genesis, Selling England by the Pound
Glass Hammer, At the Gate
Glass Hammer, Dreaming City
Glass Hammer, Inconsolable Secret
Glass Hammer, Valkyrie
Haken, The Mountain
Iamthemorning, Lighthouse
Icehouse, Measure for Measure
INXS, The Swing
IZZ, Crush of Night
IZZ, Everlasting Instant
IZZ, I Move
Laura Meade, Most Dangerous Woman in America
IZZ, The Darkened Room
Jethro Tull, Benefit
Jethro Tull, Minstrel in the Gallery
Jethro Tull, Thick as a Brick
John Galgano, Real Life is Meeting
Kansas, Leftoverature
Kansas, Point of No Return
Kansas, Song for America
Kate Bush, Aerial
Kate Bush, Hounds of Love
Kevin McCormick, Squall
Kevin McCormick, With the Coming of Evening
King Bathmat, Overcoming the Monster
Led Zeppelin I
Led Zeppelin II
Led Zeppelin IV
Led Zeppelin, Houses of the Holy
Love Spit Love
Lush, Spooky
Marillion, Afraid of Sunlight
Marillion, Brave
Marillion, FEAR
Marillion, Marbles
Mew, And the Glass Handed Kites
Moody Blues, Days of Future Passed
Muse, Origin of Symmetry
My Bloody Valentine, Loveless
NAO, Fog Electric
NAO, Grappling Hooks
NAO, Grind Show
NAO, The Third Day
NAO, United Wire
Natalie Merchant, Leave Your Sleep
Neal Morse, Testimony
Neal Morse, Testimony II
No-Man, Love You to Bits
New Order, Low-life
No-man, Schoolyard Ghosts
Nosound, Lightdark
OAK, False Memory Archive
Oceansize, Effloresce
Oceansize, Everyone Into Position
Oceansize, Frames
Ordinary Psycho, The New Gothick
Ordinary Psycho, Volume II
Pearl Jam, Vs.
Peter Gabriel III
Peter Gabriel, Security
Peter Gabriel, SO
Phish, Billy Breathes
Pink Floyd, Animals
Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon
Pink Floyd, Meddle
Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here
Porcupine Tree, Fear of a Blank Planet
Porcupine Tree, Lightbulb Sun
Porcupine Tree, Sky Moves Sideways
Pure Reason Revolution, The Dark Third
Queen II
Queen, A Night at the Opera
Radiohead, Kid A
Rhys Marsh, October After All
Riverside, Love, Fear, and the Time Machine
Riverside, Out of Myself
Riverside, Second Life Syndrome
Riverside, Wasteland
Roxy Music, Avalon
Rush, 2112
Rush, A Farewell to Kings
Rush, Clockwork Angels
Rush, Grace Under Pressure
Rush, Hemispheres
Rush, Moving Pictures
Rush, Permanent Waves
Rush, Power Windows
Rush, Snakes and Arrows
Sanguine Hum, Diving Bell
Sarah McLachlin, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy
Simon and Garfunkel, Bookends
Simple Minds, New Gold Dream
Simple Minds, Sons and Fascination
Simple Minds, Sparkle in the Rain
Sixpence None the Richer
Smashing Pumpkins, Siamese Dream
Sound of Contact, Dimensionaut
Steven Wilson, Grace for Drowning
Steven Wilson, Hand Cannot Erase
Steven Wilson, Insurgentes
Steven Wilson, Raven That Refused to Sing
Stone Temple Pilots, Tiny Music
Talk Talk, Laughing Stock
Talk Talk, Spirit of Eden
Talk Talk, The Colour of Spring
Tears for Fears, Elemental
Tears for Fears, Everybody Loves a Happy Ending
Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair
Tears for Fears, The Hurting
The Connells, Boylan Heights
The Cure, Blood Flowers
The Cure, Disintegration
The Cure, Head on the Door
The Cure, P-ography
The Cure, Wish
The Fierce and the Dead, Spooky Action
The Fierce and the Dead, If It Carries On Like This
The Sundays, Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic
The Tangent, A Place in the Queue
The Tangent, Auto Reconnaissance
The Tangent, Le Sacre du Travail
The Tangent, Proxy
The Tangent, The Music that Died Alone
Thomas Dolby, Golden Age of Wireless
Thomas Dolby, The Flat Earth
Tim Bowness, Butterfly Mind
Tim Bowness, Flowers at the Scene
Tim Bowness, Late Night Laments
Tim Bowness, Lost in the Ghostlight
Tin Spirits, Scorch
Tin Spirits, Wired to Earth
Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes
Tori Amos, Under the Pink
Traffic, John Barleycorn Must Die
Traffic, Low Spark of High Heeled Boys
Traffic, Mr. Fantasy
Traffic, Traffic
Transatlantic, SMPT:e
Transatlantic, The Whirlwind
U2, October
U2, The Joshua Tree
U2, Unforgettable Fire
Ultravox, Rage in Eden
Ultravox, Vienna
Vertica, The Haunted South
XTC, Black Sea
XTC, Skylarking
Yes, 90125
Yes, Close to the Edge
Yes, Drama
Yes, Fragile
Yes, Relayer
Yes, The Yes Album
My third substack post, Time, Time Time
Travels
My wife, Dedra, and I just spent the past week in Pierre, South Dakota. I’m sure Pierre wouldn’t be for everyone, but I love it. I have my chair of contemplation there, and I take daily walks along the Missouri River. The people are incredibly nice (just like my upbringing in Kansas), and I always feel like a member of a small republic when I’m there.
To keep reading, please go here:
Big Big Train: 2017
Now that summer break has arrived, I have so much more time to listen to great music.
I sit here (I have glorious reading chairs in Michigan as well as in South Dakota), and I read and read great books, and, thanks be to God, I listen and listen to great music.
Right now, I’m marveling at Big Big Train in 2017. What a year for the band and for fans. Not one but three releases that year: Grimspound; Second Brightest Star; and London Song.
Really, has any band so wonderfully treated its fan base before or since?
I would unhesitatingly recommend any of these three to anyone.
Bradley J. Birzer’s Substack
For those Spirit of Cecilia readers who might be interested, I’ve started my own substack. Please subscribe! Here’s my introductory post:
Held by Trees: LIVE
For Immediate Release
Two New EPs From Held By Trees Recorded at Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios Released Exclusively by InnerSleeve.com
Featuring Paul McCartney/Pretenders guitar legend Robbie McIntosh!
Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed debut album, “Solace”, instrumental project Held By Trees is excited to be releasing two new EPs this year on Sound Canyon Records through InnerSleeve.comrecorded at Peter Gabriel’s famous Real World Studios, the first EP is comprised of live versions of five tracks from “Solace”. The six-piece live iteration of Held By Trees brings together three of the Talk Talk/Mark Hollis alumni that contributed to “Solace” including renowned guitarist Robbie McIntosh. The band recorded playing all together in the ‘Big Room’ at Real World in November 2022, a week after their debut live performances.
The second EP is an entirely new suite of pieces themed on the transition from daylight to darkness. Entitled “Eventide”, it was tracked live at Real World Studios and then additional layers were added by musicians in America and Canada, by old friends of project leader David Joseph.
The twin EPs will be released on separate CDs and as two sides of one vinyl pressing by new American record label, Sound Canyon and their retail arm www.InnerSleeve.com
The new material sees Held By Trees continue to create instrumental music characterized by skilled improvisation over spacious, epic arrangements. The music draws on the influence of Van Morrison and John Martyn, alongside their usual late Talk Talk and Pink Floyd references. The live versions of “Solace” tracks bring a fresh intensity to the music, with a heavier vibe created by the band in real time.
The main musicians who worked on the new EPs are…
Laurence Pendrous – piano
James Grant – bass, double bass
Robbie McIntosh – guitar
David Joseph – guitar
Andy Panayi – flute, clarinet, saxophone
Paul Beavis – drums
Pre-orders available at https://www.innersleeve.com/en-gb/collections/held-by-trees
First 50 customers pre-ordering the bundle (both EP’s and the vinyl) will receive an exclusive signed poster and one lucky winner will receive a set of album cover cushion covers
Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuam_koJkII
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrUjGIrSAVM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nb6ZTLgEXhQ
Held By Trees and www.InnerSleeve.com will be celebrating the release with a launch show at the Half Moon in Putney London on September 21st 2023
WHAT THEY SAID….
“A fascinating project… Rekindles the spirit of Talk Talk to startling effect… channels their psychedelic post-rock vibe to an almost eerie degree” – Prog Magazine
“…beautifully played throughout…” – Mojo Magazine
“A tree is planted for every album sold… I’ll be planting a few trees – giving them out at Christmas!” – Guy Garvey, Elbow / BBC 6 Music
“…beautiful, minimalist, instrumental delight” – Scottish Daily Express
“Timely, important, beautiful music” – Under the Radar
“A tantalising project evokes the spirit of latter-era Talk Talk and David Gilmour-led Pink Floyd…highly recommended for fans of Hollis’ sparse aesthetic” – Classic Pop Magazine
“New heroes of post-rock/prog have arrived.” – Record Collector Magazine
“…Lovely but very different guitar work… somehow sparse but also slightly proggy as well which I know will sound very appealing, almost like a perfect combination…” – Elizabeth Alker – Unclassified, BBC Radio 3
“Solace” charted at Number 4 on the Indie Breakers Chart and Number 23 on the main Indie Chart
For more information: www.heldbytrees.co.uk UK
Latest from THE BAND WAGON
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| Have you seen the latest issue of PROG Magazine? As always, the magazine is filled with exciting news from new and old bands. But, in the latest issue of our eyes fell on the Q&A with Matt Dorsey. Having known Matt for years we are very excited about his debut solo release and pleased that he has allowed us to be a small part of it. Have you heard it? What do you think? We love it, but, then again, we might be biased … 😊 As always, if you know any independent bands or record labels looking for distribution assistance in North America, please feel free to put them in contact with us (sven@thebandwagonusa.com) or drop us a message telling us to check them out. HIGHLIGHTSVonn Zandus Vonn Zandus is the new solo project from Joe Burns from UK proggers, Guranfoe. This project combines keyboards, synthesizers, drums, marimba and glockenspiel into ecstatic progressive music. There is really no better way to describe this rhythmically complex and melodically vibrant album. If you like vibrant instrumental prog, you should really give this one a try. Vonn Zandus – The Band Wagon USA Strange Horizon Strange Horizon is back and kicking … you know what we mean 😊 The labels we attach to music can be strange and sometimes confusing and one of the reasons we often try to avoid them. Strange Horizon is described as Doom Metal or as they like Blytung Skandinavisk Heavy Metal. What we hear is 70’s inspired hard rock that … yes you know what we mean. No matter how you describe it, this is a great album, with lots of energy that begs to get turned up to 11. Strange Horizon – The Band Wagon USA Candles – YouTube Nick Bohensky & Max N’Adamo Some of you already know Nick and Max from the band The 16 Deadly Improvs. What you may not know is that they have more to offer. While waiting for the next installment from their band to finish up, these two decided they have more to give and have released the EP Imphilosible. Give them a listen, we know some of you will like this. Physically only available on Vinyl. Nick Bohensky & Max N’Adamo – The Band Wagon USA Forwards/Backwards by Nick Bohensky and Max N’Adamo – YouTube Syllogism – YouTube CURRENT PRE-ORDER CAMPAIGNS Matt Dorsey – Let Go (CD) Available Now! Matt Dorsey – The Band Wagon USA Dave Foster Band – Glimmer (CD, Black Vinyl, Yellow Vinyl) CD Available Now! (Vinyl delayed until mid-May) Dave Foster Band – The Band Wagon USA Waking Dreams – Sliding Lines (CD & Vinyl) Available Now! Waking Dreams – The Band Wagon USA Aisles – Beyond Drama (CD) Available Now! Aisles – The Band Wagon USA Big Big Train – Ingenious Devices (Hoody) April 19 deadline for pre-orders has passed May 12 Release Big Big Train – The Band Wagon USA Howlin’ Sun – Maxime (CD, Black Vinyl, Transparent Orange Vinyl) May 19 Release Howlin’ Sun – The Band Wagon USA Hex A.D. – Delightful Sharp Edges (CD, Black Vinyl, Transparent Orange Vinyl) May 26 Release Hex A.D. – The Band Wagon USA Strange Horizon – Skur 14 (CD, Black Vinyl, Purple Vinyl) May 26 Release Strange Horizon – The Band Wagon USA Rick Armstrong – Chromosphere (CD) May/June Release Rick Armstrong – The Band Wagon USA Vonn Zandus – Unimortal (CD) June 9 Release Vonn Zandus – The Band Wagon USA Big Big Train – Ingenious Devices (CD, Black Vinyl, Sky Blue Vinyl) June 30 Release Big Big Train – The Band Wagon USA LAST BUT NOT LEAST Rita is jetting off today to see some Scottish Heavy Metal band (aka Marillion) in Italy. She claims she is “working”, but Sven isn’t buying it. If you are going to be in Padua, stop by the merch desk and say hello. She’ll be the one who kinda looks like our logo 😉 She will be back on Monday, then home for a week before it is off to Montreal for the Marillion Weekend there. Rita will be working at the merch desk, along with running the charity event, helping supports acts Matt Dorsey and John Young, and orchestrating the John Young solo show on Sunday, May 14. Sven will be busy giving Rita grief for doing too much while performing his duties “herding cats” and whatever else bands and management need. If you catch a glimpse of us, come and say hi, we would love to meet you. Don’t be shy, we don’t bite. Unless we are hungry 😊 Are you following us on Facebook and Instagram? If not, we would appreciate if you would, thereby adding another way for us to communicate. It is a great way to see what we are putting up on our site and will usually be the first place you will see it. |
Spirit of Cecilia 
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