PROGRESSIVE NEWS

PROGRESSIVE NEWS

Tonny Larsen is working hard at bringing you the latest in Progresive Rock news,

if your prog band has any interesting news and would like to be included contact him here.

PETER GABRIEL

Listen to 'Scratch My Back' in full

The Guardian have an exclusive preview of Peter Gabriel's new album, you can stream the whole of 'Scratch My Back' Listen at The Guardian also download "Flume" just enter you email address.

THE WATCH

THE WATCH announce the release of the new album PLANET EARTH ? on Feburary 20th 2010

Samples and info

ALAN REED sacked?!

Alan Reed is no longer lead singer in Pallas!! In his own words: " It is with great regret that I must inform,

I am no longer a member of Pallas! It is not a situation of my choice or wish, I have been informed unceremoniously that the band have decided to sack me!!"

Alleged reason: "Lack of commitment (on Alan´s part) to the band and the forthcoming album!"

TRANSATLANTIC

Daniel Gildenløw (Pain of Salvation) are to reprise his "Guest appearance" as the fifth member on the Transatlantic "Whirldtour".

COLIN EDWIN (Porcupine Tree)

The second and third albums by Ex-Wise Heads (Colin Edwin’s side-project with ex-Henry Cow win and reed player, Geoff Leigh) are now available as free downloads. Colin offers some comments about this over on his MySpace page blog.
You can get Time And Emotion Study (2003) here and Holding Up The Sky (2006) on this page.

PENDRAGON, Classic Rock Society Awards

Pendragon swept the board at the recent Classic Rock Society Awards in Wath, South Yorkshire. The first award was for best Classic Rock gig of 2009 which was at the Montgomery Hall last May.

The band then went on to scoop most of the Best Musician awards, Scott and Clive getting Best Drummer and Best Keys player, Clive has been saying it's about time he won best key player again, and finally Nick took best guitarist. All awards were handed out by Gordon Gliptrap.

A.H.M. Butler-Jones.

It is with sadness that we learned guitarist, singer, composer of BIG ELF, A.H.M. Butler-Jones,

died Dec. 31st 2009 after Pneumonia complications. Butler-Jones was 42 years old.

HEATHER FINDLAY

Heather Findlay is leaving Mostly Autumn to concentrate on a solo career.

Read Here and Here

SPOCK'S BEARD

Spock's Beard are working on a new album called SBX and have put a few new song samples on their MySpace page

CAMEL - Andy Latimer

As Andy's health is improving Camel are invited to appear as special guests at the High Voltage Festival in London this coming July, and are seriously considering it. I think you would all agree it would be the icing on the cake if Camel were to appear.

Also Camel are working on the DVD "Opening Farewell" which will be available in the near future.

IT BITES

The Cumbrian band It Bites have brought together members of the rock and pop world to record their classic top-ten hit Calling All The Heroes to help with the relief efforts after the recent flooding in Cumbria.

More info and tour dates.

MASK

Mask featuring Sonja Kristina (yes, it is she of Curved Air) and Marvin Ayres are to release a second album titled: "Technopia" sometime in Jan. 2010!

PINK FLOYD ROYAL MAIL STAMPS

On 7th January ‘The Division Bell’ will be available as a Royal Mail stamp, as part of the ‘Classic Album Covers’ stamp issue. Go to http://www.royalmail.com/albumcovers to pre order.

ASIA

Reunited original ASIA, not only plays "High Voltage" festival in July 2010 but a new studio album is scheduled, with the legendary Roger Dean to design the cover art work! For release plan keep an eye on the official ASIA site

TRANSATLANTIC - WHIRLD TOUR 2010

Almost a decade has passed since their last live appearance together...
The wait is finally now over...the long-awaited return to the stage of the legendary prog supergroup has arrived!!!

Featuring: MIKE PORTNOY (Dream Theater), PETE TREWAVAS (Marillion), ROINE STOLT (The Flower Kings) and NEAL MORSE (Ex Spock's Beard) Details Here

THE REASONING at the "High Voltage" Festival

The Reasoning are delighted to announce that they will be performing at the inaugural HIGH VOLTAGE Festival taking place in London’s Victoria Park over the weekend of 24th / 25th July 2010.

PENDRAGON to perform at the "High Voltage" Festival

Pendragon will perform their finest in the Prog tent on the Saturday July 24th, this is going to be a superb weekend and will includes the bands ZZ Top, ELP, Asia, Foreigner and many more still to come! High Voltage Festival's website.

JADIS

Gary & Steve have now decided to get the band up and running again and as a result Jadis will be playing a series of double headlining gigs with UK band Shadowland from the 20th - 28th of February 2010. Info Here

ASIA To Play "High Voltage" Festival

With great excitement, Asia is pleased to announce that they will be playing the UK's "High Voltage" festival in July, 2010. More details can be found at the festival's web site.

Eric Woolfson

Eric Woolfson 1945- 2009

it is with sadness that we announce Eric woolfson has passed away on Dec. 2nd after a long brave battle with cancer. Eric Woolfson was widely know in art-rock and progcircuits for his work with The Alan Parsons Project.

The sudden death of fabulous drummer Pim Koopman (KAYAK)

Kayak wants to thank everyone – fans, people we know and people we don’t – from the bottom of our hearts for the many words of support and signs of compassion that we've received after the sudden demise of drummer Pim Koopman, at November 23.
The response was overwhelming and comforting, and proved once more how enormous Pim’s musical and personal impact has been on the lifes of many.
In many of the reactions we were encouraged to go on with Kayak, and thus keep Pim’s inheritance alive. In order to be able to take the decision whether to continue Kayak or not, it is imperative that the pain we now feel has subsided some, and our heads have become somewhat more clear. So we will wait until the time is right, and then let you know our decision.
KAYAK

Pim Koopman 1953 - 2009

RIVERSIDE

Riverside, that Polish (hailing form Warsaw) metal progband with hints of Porcupine Tree/Pink Floyd & Opeth has finally released their first dvd. Its a double dvd with live performances! The complete famous Lodz concert plus live selections from Canada, Germany & Holland!!

ELP

According to ELP´s (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) official site they have agreed to reunite/perform/headline the new HIGH VOLTAGE FESTIVAL on Sunday 25th of July 2010. This could well be the event of the year 2010!!

THE WATCH plays GENESIS - Blue show tour 2010

It's a show based on the FOXTROT album, the masterpiece released in '72. The band will perform the whole album, every single track of it, plus many many other surprises... you will be led through the world of GENESIS and their the very first productions, like only The Watch can do, with the best "Gabriel kind" of voice ever... You will discover forgotten tracks, old versions and much much more, in a "powerful performance" as Steve Hackett has said. All the Italian and English gigs will be opened by John Hackett and Nick Magnus who will also join the band on stage for a couple of old GENESIS surprises.

The TANGENT

New Tangent album : "Down and Out in Paris And London" Released on the InsideOut label the 17 th´ Nov. 2009

PAIN of SALVATION

New Pain of Salvation album: "Linoleum" Released on the InsideOut label the 24 th´ Nov. 2009

ANYONE´s DAUGHTER

Great German Proggers has released a remaster of their famous "Piktor´s Verwandlungen" also on InsideOut.
This may not be news a such (though it was to me) as this was released in Nov. 28´th 2008 !?

MANDALABAND

Remember them? 2 great symphonic albums "Mandalaband" & "The Eye of Wendor" in 1975!!
Well now, the mastermind/composer and musician David Rohl more than 30 years after, has reinvented that great band with (among others) Troy Donockley (Ex-Iona/Nightwish/Mostly Autumn) Ashley Mulford ( Ex-Mandalaband I & Sad Cafe´) Wooly Wolstenholme (ex-Barclay James Harvest) thus releasing an album with the title: "BC-Ancestors" This could be the prog/symphonic album of the year!! That remains to be heard!!

STEVE HACKETT

Finally the new Steve Hackett "Out of The Tunnel´s Mouth" is out (of the legal troubles mouth) and now available!

PETER GABRIEL

Rumour has it, that Gabriel are to release an album of cover versions!

GENTLE GIANT

GENTLE GIANT re-releases (by way of EMI) seven albums which are remastered and with bonus tracks!! More Info

STEVE HOWE

STEVE HOWE going jazz!!
Steve Howe´s Jazz Trio (Steve Howe, Dylan Howe & Ross Stanley) will be touring the UK in early January 2010.

ELOY

Laser´s Edge announces that famous German proggers ELOY will release a new album (the first studio album in over 10 years) titled: "Visionary" January 12´th 2010. Eloy has existed since 1969.

GREG SNELWAR

Guitarist Greg Snelwar mostly know for his great contibution to the fine Gordian Knot debut album is to release a new album under the moniker AT WAR WITH SELF...album title: "A Familiar Path"

Release date..is sometime in November 2009!!

GLASS HAMMER

Glass Hammer´s new album : " Three Cheers-for the broken hearted" to be released : Nov. 3rd 2009.

BIG BIG TRAIN

"The Underfall Yard" to be released Dec. 15 th. is the sixth album by UK progband BIG BIG TRAIN and includes among others guest musician: Francis Dunnery (It Bites). More info....

CROSS

CROSS New album finally to be released
Band leader Hansi writes about the recordings and more....

JETHRO TULL

JETHRO TULL´s famed Madison Square Garden show in 1978 is now honoured with a fantastic DVD & CD package.

The set containing 90 min. of concert recording!!

For more info: www.jethrotull.com

TODD RUNDGREN

Todd Rundgren - (Nazz, Utopia) progrock icon, guitarist, singer/songwriter and record producer , will perform his fabulous1973 album, 'A Wizard, a True Star' in its entirety for the first time ever in Britain on Saturday February 6th 2010 at the London HMV Hammersmith Apollo.

Should be great!! No, make that SUPERB!!

STEVE HACKETT

Latest on Steve Hacketts new release
New Hackett album temporarily postponed for legal reasons!!

TRANSATLANTIC

Finally, fabulous TRANSATLANTIC releases a third studio album:
"The Whirlwind" Oct. 27 th. It comes in 3 editions.
1 disc version : 77 min. epic "The Whirlwind".
2 disc version : 77 min. epic "The Whirlwind" + cd: with 4 new songs and 4 cover (Genesis, Beatles, Procol Harum, Santana) versions.
3 disc de luxe edition: all of the abowe (2 disc) + "the making of" dvd 105 min.

MANGROVE

After Mangrove's successful performance at the Prog-Resiste Convention 2009 at the Spirit of '66 (Verviers, Belgium) [picture] the band is very pleased to announce that they will do an exclusive one-hour Show on the 16th October as a special guest for the Damian Wilson Band at Z7 Pratteln, Switzerland. To all the Swiss fans we would say: this is your exclusive chance to be the first to see the new material performed live in Switzerland!

"We feel that the new album "Beyond Reality" is really lifting-off in Europe." said Roland van der Horst, guitarist and vocalist of the band. "The reviews are incredibly positive about the latest album. Also, we were very pleased by the incredible feedback on our show in Belgium last weekend. It confirms the confidence that we've always had during the making of the new album." [Album details here] [CM interview here] [Mangove sample player here]

BROTHER APE

Swedish progband BROTHER APE, releases new album: "Turbulence" Oct. 16th. Read what they have to say about it!

CARPTREE

Carl Westholm of CARPTREE, releases 2nd album under the moniker : JUPITER SOCIETY, album titled: "Terraform".

PORCUPINE TREE

PORCUPINE TREE, starts European tour, after their new album " The Incident" Sept. release,

Opening Oct. 8th. in the UK, then all over Europe!!

CROSS

Superb progband CROSS, releases long awaited new album Oct. 10th.

KNIGHT AREA

Dutch symphonic proggers KNIGHT AREA, releases third album: "Realm of Shadows"

(check out their former 2 brilliant albums on this site).

STEVE MORSE

STEVE MORSE (super guitarist) six string master of Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band & Deep Purple.

Releases first new Steve Morse Band in 7 years, entitled: "Out Standing In Their Field".

DEAD HEROES CLUB

The great cover art on DEAD HEROES CLUB´s "A Time of Shadow" was created by Ted Nasmith,
Tolkien illustrator etc. check out his excellent art- work on: http://www.tednasmith.com/

STEVE HACKETT

STEVE HACKETT & band are touring Europe, promoting the new album " Out Of The Tunnel´s Mouth".

RICK WAKEMAN & GORDON GILTRAP

A Joint venture by prog icon´s: RICK WAKEMAN & GORDON GILTRAP...out now on album: "From Brush & Stone".

RUSH

Canadian power trio RUSH, releases "Working Men" November 17th. Its the first live best of compilation both on cd and dvd!!